Be strong, get strong battle log

[The Most Loathed]

boo. Hang in there. 

Your studio seems to have some leadership type issues. I can understand some of the misses that you've talked about but they seem to be really persistently inattentive and just kind fo rude. 

[KB Girl]

Sorry you're having such a rough time this week! I hope the recovery roast went well. And I'm starting prayers for a good deadlift day now! 

On 11/29/2017 at 8:20 AM, LouCarJo said:

 I ended up partnering with someone who’s really good but is also training to be a hoop teacher so she had to tolerate me! 

Hey, she was lucky to be partnered with you so she could get some practice in. And even if she didn't want to be a hoop teacher, I really don't think you should be feeling like a burden! :* 

[Mad Hatter]

Sorry for catching the grumps, I hope things will perk up soon! Shame about all the studio politics and the inconsistent treatment. 

 

15 hours ago, LouCarJo said:

Which meant that I felt bad when I couldn’t get stuff as quickly.

Maybe not the best time to bring it up but since I feel this is a recurring theme I still want to ask you why you feel it's so important that you get things quickly? Even if you're training with other people in class it's still mostly a solo activity and a very personal process. I haven't noticed anywhere near the same levels of impatience(?)/competitiveness(?)/self criticism/whatever in your lifting activities for example so is there anything you can bring from that into your aerial training to make things easier? 

 

[LouCarJo]

On 03/12/2017 at 8:23 AM, Mad Hatter said:

Sorry for catching the grumps, I hope things will perk up soon! Shame about all the studio politics and the inconsistent treatment. 

 

Maybe not the best time to bring it up but since I feel this is a recurring theme I still want to ask you why you feel it's so important that you get things quickly? Even if you're training with other people in class it's still mostly a solo activity and a very personal process. I haven't noticed anywhere near the same levels of impatience(?)/competitiveness(?)/self criticism/whatever in your lifting activities for example so is there anything you can bring from that into your aerial training to make things easier? 

 

It’s not really that I want to get things quickly (even if I get impatient, I understand and am fine with the process), more that I hate feeling I’m holding others up.  Just a lack of self-confidence and discomfort being in groups of people generally.

[LouCarJo]

On 02/12/2017 at 7:40 PM, The Most Loathed said:

boo. Hang in there. 

Your studio seems to have some leadership type issues. I can understand some of the misses that you've talked about but they seem to be really persistently inattentive and just kind fo rude. 

Probably not helped by my mood but I’ll have to say something if more classes get cancelled this month when I decided to pay monthly membership on the basis of classes that were timetabled.

[LouCarJo]

MONDAY, 4 DECEMBER

Deadlift day!

 

3,3,2,2,1,1 with 80,82.5,85,85,90,95kg

 

That’s a 10kg PB on my previous best regular deadlift and a 5kg PB on my previous best sumo deadlift (these were regular; that’s what I’ve been training).  And after all those sets beforehand (trainer hadn’t expected it so rep scheme looks wrong in hindsight).  And all felt pretty light - 90kg in particular went up quickly.  And no assistance at all, ie no belt, wrist straps, didn’t even need to go to mixed grip.  Definite strength improvement here.  Only slight blip is that I reckon 100kg was there had I gone for that rather than going for all the previous working sets.  @KB Girl can send me positive thoughts from afar more often!

 

Then, as this took forever, just some chin ups (negatives and banded).

 

[Mad Hatter]

10 minutes ago, LouCarJo said:

It’s not really that I want to get things quickly (even if I get impatient, I understand and am fine with the process), more that I hate feeling I’m holding others up.  Just a lack of self-confidence and discomfort being in groups of people generally.

You're not holding anybody up. Really. As long as you're taking classes at your level you can demand as much attention as you want/need. You're paying for the classes after all. And there's always going to be something that you'll struggle with for a long time, and that's true for everyone in the class.

 

5 minutes ago, LouCarJo said:

That’s a 10kg PB on my previous best regular deadlift and a 5kg PB on my previous best sumo deadlift (these were regular; that’s what I’ve been training).

AWESOME!!!  

[LouCarJo]

TUESDAY, 5 DECEMBER

Stretchy/balancy class - leg focus.  I noticed I’m able to get my legs a little straighter than before.  Yay to baby steps!

 

Hoop - lots of technique practice - trying to come up into the hoop with as few pulls as possible, which basically requires a far better sit up than I have at the moment!  Then working up to a scary move (hocks hang splits).  Basically both legs over the top bar then unhooking one leg and swooping it around and down the hoop so that that leg is straight and the other leg remains bent at the top.  Then pushing back with the bottom leg and flexing the thoracic spine.  It requires quite a pull through the shoulders.  I spent all class not getting it before right at the very end I got it.  Someone managed to get it on video (albeit very grainy) with the teacher yelling that I’m her hero!  She had been telling me earlier that I was panicking and that’s the only reason why I couldn’t do it so yay to overcoming that.  (And for not taking that comment too seriously - I know I panic but when people get frustrated by it, it reminds me of a horrible ex of mine who’d make a big deal of it and wasn’t very compassionate, so it’s a bit of a trigger.)

 

My work schedule has been changed so that I have to go in on Friday rather than today. Which has meant I’ve had to postpone my pole/hoop 121 this Friday (boo) but might now be able to do a squat session at home today.  So tired though as the dog was up early again.  I need to do a walk with him shortly - it’s really now too dark to do a walk in the woods with him first thing.  Boo also to winter!

[Mad Hatter]

Yay for getting in some good classes and for overcoming a scary thing! That's awesome! 

 

Sorry about your d-bag ex, that's really despicable behaviour. Glad that's over! 

[LouCarJo]

Wednesday I tried to squat, managed 2 sets of 3 with 60kg, then failed at 62.5kg and gave up.  

 

THURSDAY, 7 DECEMBER

1 hour hoop - good class.  Big hoop was put out for me!  I didn't ask, but I think my mentioning of feeling too big for the medium hoop etc might have been passed on by a little bird.  There was a couple of newbies in the class too, one of whom is taller and broader than me, so it was for her benefit too.  I used the medium hoop to do the straddle mounts, because the big hoop was too close to the floor to do them properly.  But I moved onto the big hoop to do a gazelle splits progression (leg nearest the face left bent) and it felt so good!  Even though the hoop's obviously bigger, I found it easier to climb into it, and then on the trick itself I felt I could actually open up properly.  My hips in particular just felt good.  I was watching the smallest person in the class in the small hoop - when she's sitting in it, she has more clearance above her head than I do even when I'm sitting in the big hoop!  It was also novel and nice to be in a class where I wasn't the worst - before you say anything, I don't mind having loads to learn etc, but it was just more relaxing to me not to have to keep on striving to keep up.  I could then concentrate on honing technique and I could also engage with another in the class about how to get into certain positions - when you're lagging behind, you kind of miss out on that interaction.  At the moment hoop classes are mixed ability, but they are going to be separated out in the new year sometime.

 

1 hour aerial yoga - I was tired and hadn't been looking forward to this, as it's usually quite hard work, all strength stuff with the silks really, just a bit of relaxation in the hammock at the end.  But everyone from the previous class stayed on and there was just one addition, and again everyone was lower level than usual, so it was an easier class.  I definitely needed it and appreciated it.  

 

Today I  had to come into the office.  My boss asked me to cover something.  I arrived (after an almost 3 hour journey) only to find that someone else was covering it and I wasn't needed.  My boss is on holiday today so I got to keep my annoyance to myself.  I'm at my desk getting on with stuff instead.  Then I was told that they're basically trying someone out for a promotion (internal) so he'd amended my work and could I look at it.  I did - and he's introduced stuff that's outright wrong.  So I got to tell the person supervising it that it's no good, which annoyed her as she now has to turn her mind to it.  One problem with my job is that people tend to look at stuff on a superficial level and make sure the style is right and don't check the substance.  She'd just satisfied herself on the former and now she has to think about the latter - she wasn't really able to engage in the issues I raised and needs to go away and read in more before she can decide whether she agrees with me or not.  (She should!)  I've also picked up the slack from someone else, doing their work (the sixth person I've done this for now, whilst I've passed none of my work onto anyone else), and it's a bit of a mess.  I'm just a bit peeved by work today, it just feels a bit unfair, and I hate injustice!  Oh well, almost the weekend (and holidays!).

[The Most Loathed]

2 minutes ago, LouCarJo said:

One problem with my job is that people tend to look at stuff on a superficial level and make sure the style is right and don't check the substance

This isn't just your job, it's everyone's. Most people want someone else to handle the details and they just do their little part or even just check a box to say a thing is done. There's some value to this as, if we all do our part well and no one has to look at it more than is their specialty, we can accomplish a lot more. However, a lot of folks get really bent out of shape when you ask them to go just a little bit further than they think they ought to. That seems to be where trouble starts. That's how really good employees, like you, who make a habit of going our of their way to get all the things right, not just their little window, make the decision to leave. 

My wife is like you and it's exactly the attitude you described above that is pushing her to look elsewhere.

[Mad Hatter]

Yay glad you had another good class!

 

4 minutes ago, LouCarJo said:

could then concentrate on honing technique and I could also engage with another in the class about how to get into certain positions - when you're lagging behind, you kind of miss out on that interaction.

Very true!

 

Boo about work stuff. Can you just tell them to go away next time they want you to pick up their slack?

[Mad Hatter]

Just now, The Most Loathed said:

This isn't just your job, it's everyone's.

You mean it should be. I think there are many places where people don't take responsibility for their work, and even if they do they only care about covering their own ass and not about the product or service as a whole. Especially in larger and/or more bureaucratic companies.

[LouCarJo]

4 minutes ago, The Most Loathed said:

This isn't just your job, it's everyone's. Most people want someone else to handle the details and they just do their little part or even just check a box to say a thing is done. There's some value to this as, if we all do our part well and no one has to look at it more than is their specialty, we can accomplish a lot more. However, a lot of folks get really bent out of shape when you ask them to go just a little bit further than they think they ought to. That seems to be where trouble starts. That's how really good employees, like you, who make a habit of going our of their way to get all the things right, not just their little window, make the decision to leave. 

My wife is like you and it's exactly the attitude you described above that is pushing her to look elsewhere.

 

Just now, Mad Hatter said:

You mean it should be. I think there are many places where people don't take responsibility for their work, and even if they do they only care about covering their own ass and not about the product or service as a whole. Especially in larger and/or more bureaucratic companies.

My job has a lot of very persnickety points about it, like tagging text so it cross-refers to stuff (electronically) properly, capitalising the right letters, spelling words that can take two different spellings the approved way, etc etc.  All important (and away from this forum I actually pay attention to it and am good at getting it right, bar the normal human error factor) but the substance is much more so.  I have, however, just had a conversation with the overall supervisor here, who's actually read and absorbed very quickly and agreed with me on the substance.  So yay, win to me ;-).  What I did gets reinstated and she gets to see my ability.

 

I suppose what's really getting to me is that I think I'm paid less than others here but have ended up doing more.  I'm getting ready for pay review time next year (February for increases in April) - I really want/expect to see something of significance as I think I deserve it.  On that, I was a bit annoyed that this one guy is clearly being helped/considered for a promotion when my feeling already was that he wasn't really of the right calibre (yet).  Also, what am I doing all this work for?!  I need to remember the whole cobra analogy thing whereby you put in the effort when it's going to show, and relax when not.

 

There's not that much ass covering here compared with my old job, it's more a lack of oomph/independent thought.  And I have a tendency to speak my mind on work substance points, and not care too much about hierarchies :-)

[Mad Hatter]

Hearing all this I think the best solution is for you to move to Scandinavia  

[The Most Loathed]

32 minutes ago, LouCarJo said:

I suppose what's really getting to me is that I think I'm paid less than others here but have ended up doing more.  I'm getting ready for pay review time next year (February for increases in April) - I really want/expect to see something of significance as I think I deserve it.  On that, I was a bit annoyed that this one guy is clearly being helped/considered for a promotion when my feeling already was that he wasn't really of the right calibre (yet).  Also, what am I doing all this work for?!  I need to remember the whole cobra analogy thing whereby you put in the effort when it's going to show, and relax when not.

yep. This sounds exactly like Laura.

Most business people are taught to look for two things: big and bold but imperfect "disruptive" moves or people who will "do what it takes", meaning be doormats whenever the boss asks. What they don't look for or even sometimes want are people who take the time to get it right. It's a serious problem that will never go away. The people who will grind out the right answers are worth their weight in gold but get paid peanuts. I respect the hell out of those people (you) because I am, frankly, not one of them. I think they deserve more credit.

[LouCarJo]

Argh, it's definitely another one of those days: dog walker just left a voicemail to say dog jumped up at a jogger and bikes, and "we need to talk as obviously he needs to learn not to do this".  He's young and exuberant and I keep him on a tight leash when around bikes/joggers to prevent precisely this problem.  Not quite sure what she wants me to do.  Can I just curl up somewhere and not deal with anything requiring anything of me for a bit?!

[LouCarJo]

SATURDAY, 9 DECEMBER

1 hour pole class - apart from my usual neuroses about not looking good enough, this was a good class.  I feel I’m suddenly more comfortable on the pole, can actually grip etc.  We did a side star then pulling up to move a leg around the pole and come into a martini.  Slight issue there in that my tight hamstrings were preventing me getting my leg straight enough, but that’ll come and I think some of it was just not getting the technique quite right.  By the time I realised I needed to grip with the straight leg too though it was too late.  Next time.  We also did some progressions towards inversions, which was fun - beginners classes don’t cover inversions and I am impatient to get upside down!  I did do a really good tuck and then straddle right at the end of the class, when I realised that leaning back made it a lot easier to hold that position because gravity.

 

45 minutes stretchy class - all over stretches, not much to report. 

[LouCarJo]

I JUST GOT A 100KG DEADLIFT!!!!

 

(And a new squat PB of 65kg without even really trying seeing as it was right after the deadlifts.)

 

Then just some core stuff:

3 sets of 12 single arm ab wheels and 20 second prone cobra holds

3 sets of 12 anti-rotation 6kg KB moves from one side to another whilst in plank position and some push outs from plank position on Swiss ball (hands elevated)

[WhiteGhost]

26 minutes ago, LouCarJo said:

I JUST GOT A 100KG DEADLIFT!!!!

Beast Mode activated!!! 

 

Congratulations, that is awesome!

[Mad Hatter]

AWESOMEEEE!!!

[Sloth the Enduring]

Woot! Woot! Congratulations on the deadlift and squat PR.

[The Most Loathed]

On 12/11/2017 at 5:52 AM, LouCarJo said:

I JUST GOT A 100KG DEADLIFT!!!!

Awesome!

[LouCarJo]

On 11/12/2017 at 12:19 PM, WhiteGhost said:

Beast Mode activated!!! 

 

Congratulations, that is awesome!

 

On 11/12/2017 at 12:48 PM, Mad Hatter said:

AWESOMEEEE!!!

 

On 11/12/2017 at 2:28 PM, Sloth the Enduring said:

Woot! Woot! Congratulations on the deadlift and squat PR.

 

On 12/12/2017 at 9:09 PM, The Most Loathed said:

Awesome!

It’s weird - you work for ages to achieve something and then when you finally get it, it feels quite easy so you’re, like, “was that it?!”  I am pleased though.  And people in the know are suitably impressed :-)

[LouCarJo]

I missed hoop on Tuesday because of the snow and ice.  I did have a really good sleep, so perhaps I needed it.

 

THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER

1 hour hoop - I shared the hoop with a complete newbie so ended up helping her out quite a lot, which I actually quite liked. I got grouped together with another two in the class to do the more difficult variations of stuff - so I guess I’m no longer a total beginner!  It was quite a slow class in that I could do all the moves so it was more a focus on technique.  One of my hoop goals is to be able to do a big enough sit up from the hocks hang that I can get my hands high enough up the hoop to be able to do a big pull up and get up to seated without having to shuffle up.

 

1 hour aerial yoga - we ended up doing a kind of silks routine.  It was hard work on the arms and shoulders.  I could do it on one side only - the other is clearly a bit tight somewhere as my leg would not move into the position it was meant to be going into!