Urgan Shows Up, Does the Thing

[Urgan]

2 hours ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

Yay!  I got a mention!  Ironically enough, I've not made that recipe yet.  I've made basic rice and basic beans, and well, mixed the left overs, so I'm glad to read that it's a probable winner.

 

It has lots of flavor, as long as you cook the beans long enough, it's a winner.

 

2 hours ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

That interview sounds rough. 

 

Boy, was it ever. 

 

2 hours ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

I"m curious - you're doing a lot with Aikido, are you still doing sword work, or was that one activity too many? 

 

I loved Shinkendo, and have a lot of respect for it. I've nothing bad to say about the art and would still be doing it but for one thing. I've done a lot of thinking about why I felt so discouraged with it and I have come to some conclusions as to why I feel the way I do.

 

First, I still want to become adept at weapons. I am still interested in bladed (and non-bladed) techniques. 

 

Second, every time I wake up on Saturday mornings, it's hard to get out of bed to go train, because every session is a parade of all the things I do wrong (because the techniques aren't scaled, you get all parts right or none), very seldom did I ever feel like I did anything well six months into training, as the feedback I got was mostly a correction and little encouragement. I know I can't expect to be truly good at the art less than a year into it, but I don't feel like any real progress has been made based on how Sensei responds to me.

 

Third, Sensei has confusing policies about training outside of the dojo. They only meet once a week, and we are encouraged to train on our own, but not as students together on the side and he doesn't want our other sensei to hear about it, because it will make him mad? Also, if we get hurt, it might reflect badly on Shinkendo and thusly anybody hurt outside of the dojo while training will be ejected from the federation. 

 

Fourth, this leads me to understand Sensei cares more about the reputation of the art than us or our improvement. At the very least, it's cold and could be prevented as an issue if we only had one more day to train other than a Saturday morning.

 

Fifth, my very first visit to the Aikido dojo provided a stark contrast, as it is a very warm, welcoming environment where they correct you, but the focus is gentle correction so you are still working on perfecting technique.

 

Sixth, I personally am harder on myself when learning Aikido bokken techniques and need a certain type of teacher to help me deal with this tendency. 

 

Do you see my trouble? I felt bad on the one hand leaving, but I just don't feel like it's a good situation...

[ChrisWithaStick]

 

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

It has lots of flavor, as long as you cook the beans long enough, it's a winner.

Advice on the beans?  Counting the time I made beans a couple of weeks ago, I've cooked beans all of one time - I couldn't stand them until recently.  Black beans laced with cumin are a gateway food, apparently.

 

Quote

First, I still want to become adept at weapons. I am still interested in bladed (and non-bladed) techniques. 

I can understand this. 

 

Quote

Do you see my trouble? I felt bad on the one hand leaving, but I just don't feel like it's a good situation...

I wouldn't feel bad about leaving.  That doesn't sound like a school I'd have stayed around either, especially with the experience I have now, and anyway, you shouldn't fee bad for trusting your gut.  It wasn't the place for you, no harm, no foul.  The people that stay will get what they need out of it, and you'll get what you need out of your Aikido class, and another weapons class may come along.   

[Urgan]

13 minutes ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

Advice on the beans?  Counting the time I made beans a couple of weeks ago, I've cooked beans all of one time - I couldn't stand them until recently.  Black beans laced with cumin are a gateway food, apparently.

 

Dried beans are tricky, they require a lot of prep soaking/cooking compared to the canned variety. IMHO, you can shortcut most recipes with canned beans, however in this case I went with dried a la recipe instructions just for the lulz. It requires a fair bit more cook time than the 30-60 minutes estimated in the final round of simmering--I'd probably spend another 30 minutes minimum (taste to see if they're soft enough for you, increment by 30 minutes, repeat). That puts you at a nearly day-long affair. Light red kidney beans or black beans from a can would probably do you just as well. A can or two (15.5oz per can) should do ya. This recipe makes some nice garlicky beans and delicate yet authentic rice. Hope that helps~

 

Edit: another thought about dried beans! Warning: if the store from which you buy the beans does not rotate stock regularly, you might end up with some old beans, which will never soften! The silly things do eventually expire. Such frustrate when this happens to you. 

 

13 minutes ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

I wouldn't feel bad about leaving.  That doesn't sound like a school I'd have stayed around either, especially with the experience I have now, and anyway, you shouldn't fee bad for trusting your gut.  It wasn't the place for you, no harm, no foul.  The people that stay will get what they need out of it, and you'll get what you need out of your Aikido class, and another weapons class may come along.   

 

The Aikido dojo I go to offers iado for a select group of students, I am sorta interested in that...first I'll have to get over myself re: bokken practice, won't I? Lol. Once I get another job, may continue looking. There's a Bujinkan place across town near my present dojo, I believe...thoughts, anyone? 

[ChrisWithaStick]

2 minutes ago, Urgan said:

 

Dried beans are tricky, they require a lot of prep soaking/cooking compared to the canned variety. IMHO, you can shortcut most recipes with canned beans, however in this case

I went with dried a la recipe instructions just for the lulz. Hope that helps~

I went with them for the same reason.  They weren't too bad.  I did a hot boil, rest, simmer.  Longer than I wanted, but not bad.  I buy the cheap ones at QFC, and I live in a blue collar/1st and 2nd generation immigrant area - beans are still a fast moving staple here.  I may try the canned though, since they're still pretty cheap, all things considered.

 

2 minutes ago, Urgan said:

The Aikido dojo I go to offers iado for a select group of students, I am sorta interested in that...first I'll have to get over myself re: bokken practice, won't I? Lol. Once I get another job, may continue looking. There's a Bujinkan place across town near my present dojo, I believe...thoughts, anyone? 

I may be looking for an Iaido class.  There's a very limited set of Iai forms in a practice associated to my dojo, and as a long-weapon art, the sword is minimal (still interesting).  The formality would be an interesting contrast, since we call our sensei 'Steve' as we risk using 'sensei' upon pain of withering looks - which tells you everything you need to know about the levels of formality in our class. 

 

For bujinkan. I've not been in a class, so it may be just as good to check one out at some point and get a feel for the teacher and students, and decide.  From viewing some of the weapons work, especially long weapons, it's not my thing, but different ryu, different approaches.  In general, before adding a second art, you'd want to either a) be sure the weapons and mechanics are congruent to your Aikido practice, or b ) be able to compartmentalize, since different mechanics can mess with your primary art- it's not impossible to train in two arts with different movement philosophies and/or body mechanics, as I know a few people that have done so with good results, but it's not easy.  You'd want to have a lot of grounding in your primary art (presumably Aikido) before doing something else.    

 

You might get most of what you want out of the tachi forms in Aikido, as well as the iai (should you stay with the school and get into it).  If you want to chat about bokken practice sometime, drop me a line.  It's fun to talk shop. 

[Urgan]

10 hours ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

I went with them for the same reason.  They weren't too bad.  I did a hot boil, rest, simmer.  Longer than I wanted, but not bad.  I buy the cheap ones at QFC, and I live in a blue collar/1st and 2nd generation immigrant area - beans are still a fast moving staple here.  I may try the canned though, since they're still pretty cheap, all things considered.

 

It's an accomplishment to do it the old-fashioned way, but we do have a better way available to us, lol.

10 hours ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

I may be looking for an Iaido class.  There's a very limited set of Iai forms in a practice associated to my dojo, and as a long-weapon art, the sword is minimal (still interesting).  The formality would be an interesting contrast, since we call our sensei 'Steve' as we risk using 'sensei' upon pain of withering looks - which tells you everything you need to know about the levels of formality in our class. 

 

For bujinkan. I've not been in a class, so it may be just as good to check one out at some point and get a feel for the teacher and students, and decide.  From viewing some of the weapons work, especially long weapons, it's not my thing, but different ryu, different approaches.  In general, before adding a second art, you'd want to either a) be sure the weapons and mechanics are congruent to your Aikido practice, or b ) be able to compartmentalize, since different mechanics can mess with your primary art- it's not impossible to train in two arts with different movement philosophies and/or body mechanics, as I know a few people that have done so with good results, but it's not easy.  You'd want to have a lot of grounding in your primary art (presumably Aikido) before doing something else.    

 

You might get most of what you want out of the tachi forms in Aikido, as well as the iai (should you stay with the school and get into it).  If you want to chat about bokken practice sometime, drop me a line.  It's fun to talk shop. 

 

Yeah, definitely not looking to upset the apple cart right now. I'll sure throw the idea out there if I am thinking of adding an art to my schedule. As of now, I have a completely full plate, lol.

[Urgan]

6-12-2016

Tension, man...

 

Lifting

Squat - 45 1x5

            85 1x3

            100 1x2

            140 1x1

            165 2x3 - belted

BP -    45 1x5 - belted

           55 1x1 - belted

           65 1x1 - belted

           78 2x3 - belted

OHP -

DL -    NA

PC -   52.5 5x3

Back to my highest triple and matching the sets x reps of the last attempt, so next week will be PR territory.

 

Aikido

BYE on ukemi today just to be safe, but knee walking is good to go. I am pretty darn good at using my hips to get to the other end of the mat, my balance leaves something to be desired, though, lol.

 

Recovery

Protein: 11/20 - 123g

Biscuits: 1/2

 

Food

The very last of the gallopinto (plus cheese...) and baked spaghetti today~

 

Sleep

I don't recall having to get up or any other issues the night prior.

 

Mobility

Not much. Some neck massage/stretching to try to work on the tension headache I've been carrying around since Thursday night and flex/extension of my ankles to double check everything is good with the area. Hubs is seeing tension headaches coming on more frequently, himself, so that is becoming something we can't just patch and move on. His patterns are different than mine, so we're dealing with a different sort of trigger.

 

Adulting

Laundry, dishes, watered the plants, and that was about it. It was another minimal day.

[Kishi]

Yeah, it sounds like that was a bad environment you were in, RE: shinkendo. Sorry to hear that the guy valued his art more than he valued you. That is not how things ought to be.

 

Sounds like you had an easy day that you needed. Sorry to hear that the headaches are still a thing.

[Urgan]

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

Yeah, it sounds like that was a bad environment you were in, RE: shinkendo. Sorry to hear that the guy valued his art more than he valued you. That is not how things ought to be.

 

And it's a shame, because Shinkendo is a good art. But why does it have to be so darn proprietary? Seriously, look it up and see how little resources are available. I don't feel comfortable doing a video to even show you guys anything because 1 - technical correctness, and 2 - why did I have to sign an NDA upon signing on?

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

Sounds like you had an easy day that you needed. Sorry to hear that the headaches are still a thing.

 

It was very nice. It's getting better--massage T minus two days~ My flop clearly needs improvement still. 

[Dagger]

6 hours ago, Urgan said:

why did I have to sign an NDA upon signing on?

O_O For taking part in a martial art? Geez. What is so secret about it? Do they have such different technique that they become so much more powerful or something? Blows my mind.

[shaar]

11 hours ago, Urgan said:

why did I have to sign an NDA upon signing on?

 

O____________O

 

 

That's just...... weird...... like if you were a Secret Service training facility, or even for like HOMELAND SECURITY maybe??  But.  Wow.  People be wack yo.

[Urgan]

5 hours ago, Dagger said:

O_O For taking part in a martial art? Geez. What is so secret about it? Do they have such different technique that they become so much more powerful or something? Blows my mind.

 

1 hour ago, shaarawy said:

 

O____________O

 

 

That's just...... weird...... like if you were a Secret Service training facility, or even for like HOMELAND SECURITY maybe??  But.  Wow.  People be wack yo.

 

For serious. That set the tenor for how things went from then on. It's a great art and I feel stifled from sharing stuff because where is the line between describing and teaching?? Why do I have to care about this kind of thing? If I want to skirt this kind of line, I'll try to train my dad in a particularly uptight Y branch....oh wait...

[Urgan]

 

6-13-2016

A little goes a long way

 

Lifting

Squat - 45 1x5

            75 3x5

BP -   NA

OHP -  40 2x5 - belted

DL -    NA

PC -   NA

Am I going to be lifting three days in a row? Yes I am. Why on earth am I doing this foolishness? Read on, friends....

 

Aikido

Nikkyo night! My partner and I got a handle on irimi and tenkan (she knew irimi pretty well, but not tenkan...I knew irimi is a thing, but had no clue about what tenkan looks like...) This is what it looks like:

 

 

 

Then we did a randori drill with groups of 4 where one person of the group tries to blend away from the other three. I rocked that so hardcore I got a comment from Sensei, lol. 

 

Recovery

Protein: 12/20 - 125g

Biscuits: 1/2

 

Food

Baked spaghetti for lunch followed up by tenderloin steak, green beans, speckled butterbeans, mixed squash, and watermelon. Hell yes.

 

Sleep

Wrecked because I couldn't clear my head....

 

Mobility

I got a decent warmup/stretching session in the dojo, so there's that.

 

Adulting

Ugh. Guys, this was a Day. We had a run-in with Y staff on Saturday. I was training dad (quietly, like normal humans). He got through squats and bench and one set of deadlifts before this Y-employed personal trainer comes in and tells us that personal training isn't allowed under the argument that they fear litigation should he get hurt. Yet if I were to lift with him, it would be just fine. We put up quite a resistance to this guy, informing him how stupid this is, because seriously, what the actual fuck is that logic? I asked him if we could just...you know, sign a waiver and carry on? He goes back to check, comes back and tells us there is no waiver (he's lying a bit, btw). We gather what little stuff we had this session and left the bars. Dad stopped to lodge a complaint with management, who explained that this is a grey area given we're claiming to be father and daughter (as opposed to a paid personal trainer) and she would have to get in touch with the director over the entire center in order to see if there was anything they could do. They offered the excuse that they don't want lawyers involved (assuming a serious injury occurs, which is a damn big assumption....)

 

I of course immediately assumed I would not hear back from her, so Monday morning at 9AM I called the Y and got sent to the manager's voicemail. Waited an hour, called back, and got transferred to the director. We had a discussion about my dad AND my mom's issues with her facility--dad wants to train at times inconsistent with my own training, hence our arrangement and mom was approached 3 different times by members of Y staff (i.e., personal trainers) challenging her form and use of the free-standing bar, trying to force her onto the smith machine or practicing bodyweight squats first. She said staff are just trying to make sure everything is safe, that is their job. I explained we are dealing with a situation where the staff do not know what my mom is trying to achieve, they do not know there are three types of squats, and are not even demonstrating a single correct type of squat to her (mom knows this, she described it to me in glowing detail, she has read much on this subject), and as such we'd just like management to instruct their staff to leave us alone when we indicate we have everything under control, because these incidents have caused damage in mom's self-confidence in her form and makes her gunshy approaching the bar, because she wanders what she will be in for this time.

 

The director offered the modified excuse that they don't want people observing us to get the idea that personal training is going on, because it creates the impression that they are allowing personal training to go on (apparently they have a legitimate problem with people sneaking in to offer paid personal training inside the Y...okay, well that isn't us) and that in turn creates a problem at the front desk. So we have to create the illusion of being gym partners to avoid creating a problem for Y staff or triggering a return confrontation with Dick Tracy. This does not make me happy, because, well, dad takes 30 minutes tops to get through his session (he does not understand rest time...I'm working on it), my volume day takes...1.5-2 hours and even if I was shaving off rest time could not get that close to his because Volume and aikido training. Do you see the issue? Intensity day is the closest analog to his session, so Saturday's fine, it's just Monday that's an issue (dad commutes to another state 4 days a week to work, so we only have Saturday to Monday to work with). So....I think Saturday we'll go to my facility to avoid the fat bar, strange pins, and other to-be-discovered ridiculousness at the location closer to my parents. Monday I'll bullshit my way through the session with low weight nonsense, nothing enough to be harmful (hopefully). I did explain they were asking me to potentially damage my own training, as if that matters to them. My gym has never hampered me in this way and it makes me make noises about buying equipment despite being quite fond of my own branch, it really does.

 

Hence the three day straight lifting situation--Saturday we got to the gym too late for me to comfortably do my session alongside his, so I did mine Sunday, Monday we "trained" together, and tomorrow is volume day. God help me.

 

The manager called me back (she was supposed to call my mom, she was the one needing the arrangements and reassurance they aren't trying to ruin her training...she did that after getting off the phone with me, at least), bent over backwards to try to figure out what we needed--to be left alone, if they must approach mom, to please understand that if she says she's okay and she's got it, she's got it and do not challenge her. That's not too much to ask, right? I have come away from this with the conclusion that this Y is basically a wellness center with exercise equipment cleverly arranged as if it had open gym hours, whereas mine is a gym. It just cannot be convenient for my parents, it's not hard enough to make the time to do this shit, we have to consider YMCA hoops. It really makes me kinda homicidal.

 

 

...

 

 

And after all that, my day began. Dishes, prepping white chicken chili for dinner (which turned out to be unnecessary, as mom had steak. the steak won), last-minute laundry, packing to go across town, then away I went into the great unknown. Training was fortunately uneventful in terms of interlopers or rep failure, dinner was good.

[ixaera]

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

(re: your Y problems)

 

seriously what the fuck

[shaar]

So what I gather is, contrary to the song, it is most certainly NOT fun to stay at the YMCA.

 

SIGH.

 

Cool that their facility problems thusly become yours - not.  Sorry you can't get your shit together Y but foisting it on your customers is kinda not the best plan.  Like, I can kinda get where they're coming from, but it just makes no sense, like, hey Y, you could maybe post a FYI sign at your front desk that says WE DO NOT EMPLOY PERSONAL TRAINERS, aaaand problem solved?? (Or better than nothing, or assaulting your customers?)  Maybe you can wear a shirt that says "I'm not a personal trainer"..... :3

[Urgan]

1 minute ago, ixaera said:

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

(re: your Y problems)

 

seriously what the fuck

 

Not all Ys are created equal. I don't think this would even happen at the Y I go to (the G Y), because unlike the one near my parents (H Y), it doesn't have vultures in staff apparel circling you. 

 

1 minute ago, shaarawy said:

So what I gather is, contrary to the song, it is most certainly NOT fun to stay at the YMCA.

 

SIGH.

 

Cool that their facility problems thusly become yours - not.  Sorry you can't get your shit together Y but foisting it on your customers is kinda not the best plan.  Like, I can kinda get where they're coming from, but it just makes no sense, like, hey Y, you could maybe post a FYI sign at your front desk that says WE DO NOT EMPLOY PERSONAL TRAINERS, aaaand problem solved?? (Or better than nothing, or assaulting your customers?)  Maybe you can wear a shirt that says "I'm not a personal trainer"..... :3

 

Yeah, again the G Y has been awesome to me and all--rare--encounters with staff there have been good. 

 

They do employ personal trainers, they want to control who does so professionally in their facility, which I'm down with. I'm not doing that, but yeah I have to absorb the consequences of some loser sneaking into the child care room at 8PM on a Sunday to train people for pay....yeah.

[Kishi]

4 hours ago, Urgan said:

That set the tenor for how things went from then on. It's a great art and I feel stifled from sharing stuff because where is the line between describing and teaching?? Why do I have to care about this kind of thing?

 

I just want to point out that if they're training with traditional pedagogy, they're probably not that good.

 

Anyway, yeah, as a personal trainer who has snuck into gyms to train people before, I definitely remember having done the workout partnership trick before. I had to walk on the treadmill with her and if anyone asked, I was just her buddy who knew things and certainly not somebody who had taken a month's pay in advance to help her get ready for the trip to Ireland she was taking.

 

But it would be one thing if they were protecting their interests. But it's worse, because in protecting their interests they're damaging not only your training but your parent's training as well. It'd be one thing if they knew what they were doing, but they clearly don't.

 

So... what do you see going forward long term? Like do you think your new schedule is going to be tenable, or is it time to start looking into alternatives like home setups and such?

[Urgan]

52 minutes ago, Kishi said:

I just want to point out that if they're training with traditional pedagogy, they're probably not that good.

 

It won't protect you from a potential mugger, but it is an art much like tai chi, in that its flow gives one a sense of body control and pure joy just doing the art and the history behind it is interesting, too. That said, it's obviously not worth the negatives.

 

55 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Anyway, yeah, as a personal trainer who has snuck into gyms to train people before, I definitely remember having done the workout partnership trick before. I had to walk on the treadmill with her and if anyone asked, I was just her buddy who knew things and certainly not somebody who had taken a month's pay in advance to help her get ready for the trip to Ireland she was taking.

 

At this point, I won't judge anybody too harshly who just wants to get better, as long as nobody is being harmed and the gym isn't being damaged, who's losing sleep over it, right? Not that you are a risk, I'm just speaking generally. The on-board trainers just don't know their butt from their elbow, it doesn't require a surplus of brain cells to get a t-shirt with the word "trainer" on it. The guy who confronted us couldn't demonstrate a deadlift (he hurt his knee and could not do a single rep. He. Hurt. Himself. Just...just think about that for a moment), the women who confronted mom couldn't demonstrate a loaded squat of any kind.

 

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

But it would be one thing if they were protecting their interests. But it's worse, because in protecting their interests they're damaging not only your training but your parent's training as well. It'd be one thing if they knew what they were doing, but they clearly don't.

 

This is what makes me furious about the whole thing. I hope in the short term that we migrate over here to the G Y and give H Y the middle finger. It depends on what my dad is willing/able to do.

 

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

So... what do you see going forward long term? Like do you think your new schedule is going to be tenable, or is it time to start looking into alternatives like home setups and such?

 

Ah, now there's the real question, isn't it? The ultimate solution is to move, get a bigger house with more space, and save up for the rack, bench, and plates we need. Step one is to get a job...lulz. This is the textbook definition of long term. For now, I can only throw out something and see if I can do it in the context of my regular training. Low weight, relatively higher reps (5-8), same exercises more or less. More volume, less intensity should be okay within reason--i.e., too many reps might introduce overuse of joints, given what I do to myself on TM AND aikido, you dig? I don't think I'm going to find a gym more lenient than G Y re: barbell training that has full open hours.

[Sam Ashen]

Read.  "Y" is for "Yucky."

[Urgan]

2 hours ago, Sam Ashen said:

Read.  "Y" is for "Yucky."

 

I think "Y" is for "Yahoo", as in who runs this H Y.

[ChrisWithaStick]

As someone on the business manager side of things, I can see their worry about litigation and liability, even if it's your parents (or Kishi's clients) making the choice - if something happens on their property, they can be held responsible, or go through nasty lawfare and publicity (most likely settle, admit no guilt, eat the bad publicity and have higher insurance premiums, which are not fun). They did a seriously shit job of explaining and handling their concerns though.  Customer service training for the win, might be a good suggestion. 

 

As for the NDA with Shinkendo... weird. 

 

Anyways - in happy news, I see the word Steak! 

 

What's your chicken chili recipe though?  I'm curious - Seattle has settled back into typical it's 'enh, we'll have summer sometime later' weather (low 60s to low 70s the next couple of weeks).  Chili sounds nice. 

[Urgan]

36 minutes ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

 

As someone on the business manager side of things, I can see their worry about litigation and liability, even if it's your parents (or Kishi's clients) making the choice - if something happens on their property, they can be held responsible, or go through nasty lawfare and publicity (most likely settle, admit no guilt, eat the bad publicity and have higher insurance premiums, which are not fun). They did a seriously shit job of explaining and handling their concerns though.  Customer service training for the win, might be a good suggestion. 

 

Yeah, I don't want to purposefully expose them to additional risk on those fronts, as mentioned previously I get that bit, however I do not appreciate having to bear the brunt of it just to spare them an unpleasant conversation with another member who took it upon themselves to misinterpret our relationship as a professional one. I'm not doing anything wrong and have no interest in creating a hostile relationship with the Y--I'd sooner just quit and figure something else out. 

 

39 minutes ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

As for the NDA with Shinkendo... weird. 

 

I think a good rule of thumb going forward is to RLH if any other place I consider joining has an NDA as part of their membership process. Who would have thought to consider this?

40 minutes ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

Anyways - in happy news, I see the word Steak! 

 

STEAK. Rare, specifically. Moo.

40 minutes ago, ChrisWithaStick said:

What's your chicken chili recipe though?  I'm curious - Seattle has settled back into typical it's 'enh, we'll have summer sometime later' weather (low 60s to low 70s the next couple of weeks).  Chili sounds nice. 

 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/white-chicken-chili 

 

This recipe can be constructed entirely from cans and dried spice containers. It is just fine sans hot stuff (cayenne and jalopeno, because I'm a wuss) if that's not your thing. It's filling, protein packed, and makes three servings as directed. i like my chili thicker, BTW, so that means less water added at more like 1/2 cup and letting the cooking process do the rest. If you've got a slow cooker or pressure cooker, this is a dead easy meal. 

[Alanna]

Following! I love how you've organized this battle log with the weekly debriefs and monthly re-evaluations.

 

Sorry to hear about the YMCA fiasco. I'm actually hoping to (re)check out my local branch(es) soon as a possible gym for the year... though I suspect a different gym might win out in the end thanks to having a platform.

[Urgan]

 

6-14-2016

Paging Sam ()

 

Lifting

Squat - 45 1x5

            75 1x3

            95 1x2

            130 1x1

            151 6x3 - belted

BP -    NA

OHP - 45 6x3 - belted

DL -    160 1x3 - belted

          185 2x3 - belted

PC -   NA

Whew, I won’t lie, the squats were really tough--they’re always hard, but were pretty hard to get all the way through. Paradoxically, my form felt pretty darn good, though. Latter sets were harder than earlier ones. The rest was cake.

 

Aikido

Taking an utter BYE here just to rest my body, it’s kinda mad at me (specifically the traps - neck region).

 

Recovery

Protein: 13/20 - 154g

Biscuits: 1/2

 

Food

I ate...a lot. A lot. It was on purpose, trying to flood the zone with nutrients to stave off a case of Armageddon-grade DOMS. Let’s see how well 1.35xBW protein works against three days of consecutive lifting, shall we? I hit this number with a redux of last night's steak dinner + white chicken chili (88g protein in a single serving!) + a strawberry shake + a hot dog. (Futurenote: It may have helped, minor stiffness is a thing, but DOMS are low. That or my programming on Monday was right spot on. Thoughts?)

 

Sleep

I slept really well last night--it was a case of being too exhausted for it to be any other way. 11:00 - 8:00 is a good range, yeah?

 

Mobility

Lots and lots of neck and upper back mobility via lacrosse ball and PVC pipe and assistance from husband (twice) and arnica gel. Still painful. Sigh. Massage day can’t come fast enough. Oh and ROM ankle funtiems to stretch calves.

 

Adulting

The usual--dishes, plant watering, and laundry, plus disinfecting the countertops. We tried to get the cats’ laser pointer back into operational shape by replacing the batteries, but it wasn’t having any of it and refused to turn on even with new batteries inserted in every possible configuration.

 

 

2 hours ago, Alanna said:

Following! I love how you've organized this battle log with the weekly debriefs and monthly re-evaluations.

 

Thanks, I hope that even if I go back to challenge format, I can still use this to keep up with the stuff I do and learn.

 

2 hours ago, Alanna said:

Sorry to hear about the YMCA fiasco. I'm actually hoping to (re)check out my local branch(es) soon as a possible gym for the year... though I suspect a different gym might win out in the end thanks to having a platform.

 

It's funny, because H Y had a platform earlier, but just now I realized they'd removed the platform and rack associated with it, reducing the racks to two free-standing racks, one X,Y style smith and one X, Y, Z variant.

[Alanna]

2 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

Thanks, I hope that even if I go back to challenge format, I can still use this to keep up with the stuff I do and learn.

 

 

It's funny, because H Y had a platform earlier, but just now I realized they'd removed the platform and rack associated with it, reducing the racks to two free-standing racks, one X,Y style smith and one X, Y, Z variant.

 

Might have to borrow that strategy from you!

 

Ugh, that sucks that they took away the platform and replaced it with a smith machine!

 

And nice squat session :). If I remember correctly you weren't using a belt before my forum hiatus, were you? How do you like lifting with it?

[Urgan]

4 minutes ago, Alanna said:

Might have to borrow that strategy from you!

 

Don't you hate the feeling that you're forgetting stuff you've learned??

 

4 minutes ago, Alanna said:

Ugh, that sucks that they took away the platform and replaced it with a smith machine!

 

It was so cool they had it and now, just....oi. I can suspect why they took it away, too....

 

5 minutes ago, Alanna said:

And nice squat session :). If I remember correctly you weren't using a belt before my forum hiatus, were you? How do you like lifting with it?

 

Thanks~ The fifth and sixth sets were hardcore. I used it, but it wasn't at weights that let me see the difference the belt makes, because wow does it ever make it easier for me to brace myself effectively. 140 without a belt ain't funtiems.