Cacophony Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 I'm not 100% sure there's such a thing as "me in a nutshell". For one thing, I'm not totally certain I'm a true nut. I'm more of a hybrid: half predatory critter, half kender. Before I get any farther, there is one thing you need to know: I emote. A lot. I hate miscommunication and without access to body language, inflection, or tone it's far too easy to have something taken the wrong way so I add my own. Get use to reading around * * in my posts. I am a Fast Twitch Girl. My fitness background involves baseball, Olympic lifting, and short distance track during my teens. Before I had my kids I was a glorified gym bunny. Now... well, it's a lot more complicated. I wear a lot of hats. Professionally I own my own grooming business based out of the house so I can be home. After 20 years standing over a table with a pair of scissors in my hand, I'm in the process of switching careers. Don't get me wrong, I love working with animals and this job has afforded me the flexibility to pay my bills and keep the kids out of daycare. However, the last one is three and in two years I'll be free to pursue another career. The ball is rolling and I'm currently an online student through NAIT taking my Personal Fitness Trainer. Six courses down, three on my plate, and eleven more to tackle to get my diploma. In a year and a half I'll move up the leash, so to speak. I'm a certified Agatsu Kettlebell Instructor, I've been Paleo for about six months now (as long as we forget Christmas happened... *sighs* So many family dinners, so many people to offend. My poor digestive system....) and I'm gearing up to go for my Agatsu Level 2. Which scares the hell out of me. I do what I can to fit physical activity around laundry, school, clients, -30 weather, cooking, taxi'cabbing kids to martial arts, doctors appointments, training the dogs... oh, right, and occassionally sleeping. I hear that's good for you. *winks* I'm a hostage to my own To-Do List. There's a fitness requirement for the AKC2 which I have five months to conquer. Here's the list: 100 Snatches, Max 5 min, 1 Hand Switch, 16k kettlebell (I have to switch after 30) 25 Double Jerks, 16k kettlebells (I can do about 15 before failure) 10 Pistols (Does landing on my ass count as a rep?) 30 Ring Pushups (I can do about 12) 15 Pull Ups (..... *bursts out laughing*) 25 Knees to Elbows (I can do 8) I'm dragging around ten odd pounds that I'm sure I'll misplace in the process of getting ready. I'm trying really hard to psyche myself up and tell myself it's do-able without completely sacrificing the rest of my family to the Gym Gods. I have a high competitive drive and not passing isn't an option. We'll just see how many pieces they ship me home in... I'm not worried about the kettlebell stuff, my technique is solid enough that I can work those two up without hassle and if I REALLY needed to I could proabably pull them off with a good dose of adreniline. The pistols and the pull ups have me worried. I need to work on flexibility in my hamstrings and my right abductor's acting weird. My core/ab complex is behind the 8-ball and needs to catch up. Skill wise, the biggest hurdle I've found so far is trying to figure out how to maintain full body tension throughout the entire range of the movement which is the key technical aspect to both the pistol and the pull up. Sandman pointed me in this direction and I'm not too proud to sign up for a cheering section. Or a friendly motivational tail kicking. I'm going to need all the help I get to make this thing work and it's been a long time since I've RPG'd. I kinda miss it. *wicked grin* Though skill leveling looks like it's gonna hurt more than it did with tabletop.... Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
Brometheus Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Don't worry, after my posts that drag on forever and my constant use of emoticons and *sarcasm* I think they should [hopefully] be okay with another one joining the club And yay! Kettlebells rule! Though I'm more following the Pavel method taught by my trainer [russian kettlebell hell] than anything else... It looks like you have a fun time [sarcastic] ahead of you. Welcome and don't worry, the cheerleaders are around here somewhere *glances around*. Quote Link to comment
CapN_Tommy_Sunshine Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Welcome to the Rebellion. You'll find that a lot of us tend to write very lengthy posts, so you should fit right in. Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Shawn Mozen with Agatsu started with his RKC as one of the first in Canada to certify and has been working his tail off to bring kettlebells to Canada in the same way Pavel did to the US. The methodology is very similiar. =) Trying to get an old tool out of the "new fad craze" stage and back as a functional piece of equipment is an uphill battle no matter which side you take it from and a fellow girevik classifies as family in my books. Looking at your avatar, maybe a distant cousin a couple of times removed... who was adopted... but hey, family non-the-less! Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
Alethea Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hey, Cacophony!! Welcome to the boards! That's quite a To Do List you've got ahead of you, but you can definitely do it! I particularily sympathize with the pullups - I'm still working on 1, but trying every day! I am trying Grease the Groove principles of doing negative pullups (jump, hold, slow release down) several times a day to build conditioning. So far, I think it's working because I've gone from not being able to move at all to being able to raise myself possibly 2 inches up. Progress! Quote "Let another say. 'Perhaps the worst will not happen.' You yourself must say. 'Well, what if it does happen? Let us see who wins!' ". - Seneca, 63 AD "There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength." - Henry Rollins Link to comment
Brometheus Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Yay for family! My nerdy family...That's okay though. I was talking to someone this last week and they commented that nerds can fight and geeks can't, so I take my nerd status with pride! Boo-yah and let's to go find some geeks to throw down with... Oh, and good luck on the pull-ups. I'd offer tips but trying to pull up 320 pounds of deadweight means I'm a bit off from being able to do one Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Ahhh... there's the trick! It's not DEADWEIGHT!!! =) That's the whole full body tension thing I was talking about. To successfully do a pull up you pull with every single freaking muscle you have from your toes to your eyeballs. As soon as you relax at the bottom you're toasted. I keep relaxing at the bottom, more than likely in relief... Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
sandman Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 w00t! Welcome to the party Cacaphony! I'm stoked you signed up - I think you'll find most of us to be in awe of what you've already accomplished - nevermind where you still want to go. Not that I don't already read about it in your blog, but I'm looking forward to following your progress here too. Quote Jason Follow my adventures! Me | My Youtube | Facebook | RunKeeper Link to comment
joshua.m1001 Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 moved this question out of my vibram thread to avoid too much off-topic wandering. You mentioned a dojo in that thread, what martial art/combat style do you practice? Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 ...what martial art/combat style do you practice?I found out I was expecting my youngest three years ago in the middle of my first-stripe white belt BJJ test and I was starting to take Muay Thai at the same time. The kids are active in BJJ and Shotokan Karate and as soon as the little one hits kindergarden, I'll be back on the mats. I LOVE the ground work, however I take my job as a Mommy very seriously and it's been more important working with her than developing my own training. Almost there... I've been keeping a casual tabs on my reading and I watch the classes whenever I can. It's not the same but at least I'm still absorbing information. =)You take a martial art or are you interested in starting to? Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
joshua.m1001 Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 Cool, I would really like to try both Muay Thai and BJJ. My martial art is Japanese Swordsmanship, Iaido/Iaijutsu. Though I haven't done much training since my sensei moved away and I live too far from the next available one. Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 I would recommend BJJ to any woman. To be perfectly honest, if a guy tries to do anything I don't want him to the position most women end up in is flat on their back - which is the base for the safest place you can be in BJJ. It's also designed to negate the size difference in opponents through technique and joint manipulation that doesn't rely on strength. I've done a double leg throw to a guy in my class who weighed a lean 280lbs... No problem at all and with very little effort. Did I mention I can't wait to get back? Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
Brometheus Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 BJJ is hell on earth, but at least I learned a couple killer choke holds (pun intended) Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 BJJ is hell on earth, but at least I learned a couple killer choke holds (pun intended) Awww... BJJ is not hell on Earth. A buddy of mine who's BJJ style is somewhat snake-like is. *wicked grin* There's nothing quite so intimdating as a guy on top of you slooooooooooowly tightening into a submission that you can see coming more than halfway before he's finished it and you can't get out of. The fact that he's grinning the entire time doesn't help. *beams* Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
CapN_Tommy_Sunshine Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 The fact that he's grinning the entire time doesn't helpNothing worse than someone grinning at you during a fight (or sparing session). I had a friend that would go psycho crazy at bars sometimes (back in the crazy punk rock days of my youth). He always got a huge smile when things got a little rough (often this was enough for the opposing parties to back down). Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 He always got a huge smile when things got a little rough (often this was enough for the opposing parties to back down).People will take on the angry and the afraid. What they worry about is the psychotic... know why? You have a pretty good idea of what a pissed off guy is going to do. When a crazy guy starts swinging, however, all the normal rules are off and you're never sure if he's going to do something crazy like bite you. *chuckles* Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
zielperson Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Brahahaha...For all my Martial Arts, all I ever did was break up fights.One time I found myself in the middle ground between two parties of 10 guys each, ready to fight each other (over a beer, for all it was worth).Me (of all people) calmly giving orders had the effect of dispersing the crowd.Five minutes later the guys who started it were drinking together.Don't try this at home. Fighting is never worth it, it is soooo easy to get really, really hurt. Avoid at all costs. Me? I am just dumb. (I call it "stupidbrave", walking the fine line. People are always disappointed they can't faze me with stuff like bungee jumping or skydiving, etc..)::zielperson:: Quote More about me | Battle Log | Current Challenge: June to July Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Fighting is never worth it, it is soooo easy to get really, really hurt. Avoid at all costs.I find that a lot with people who actually take martial arts: you get punched in the face by accident a few times by your sparring partner and realize that it's not half as much fun as you thought you remembered it being when you were drunk.... I find my biggest issue is I wasn't born with a "flight" response. Doesn't matter the emotion, my first instinct seems to be to hit things that startle me. LOL Or to tuck and turtle, which is nearly as bad depending on the situation. *sighs* Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
zielperson Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 I read a very true sentence in some RPG rulebook (yes, I used to play with dice, pencils and heaps of imagination): "When you think the healing times / effects of wounds are too severe, remember the last time you stubbed your toe. A swordfight is much worse." Yeah, if getting hit in the face, bruised ribs from kicks and punches and a black eye in sparring is not enough to turn you off fighting, I can't help you. ::zielperson:: Quote More about me | Battle Log | Current Challenge: June to July Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I read a very true sentence in some RPG rulebook (yes, I used to play with dice, pencils and heaps of imagination)Me too. I miss tabletop. The graphics might be cooler in some of the cut scenes but you can do much much more damage to a storyline in person. *sighs* Maybe one day I'll have some free time again. When I'm 80 maybe. *wicked grin* Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
zielperson Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 hahaha... we'll all be sitting in the dining hall at the elderlie's home playing DnD. Before snatching those kettlebells, of course. ::zielperson:: Quote More about me | Battle Log | Current Challenge: June to July Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 hahaha... we'll all be sitting in the dining hall at the elderlie's home playing DnD. Before snatching those kettlebells, of course.Whoooot! I get to be the Halfling Theif!!!! Where's my lucky purple D20.... Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
CapN_Tommy_Sunshine Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Whoooot! I get to be the Halfling Theif!!!! Where's my lucky purple D20.... Make sure that you have pre-rolled all the ones out of it! Can I be a barbarian using the Dragon Magazine rules (they may be the same as 2nd edition)? Quote Link to comment
Cacophony Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Make sure that you have pre-rolled all the ones out of it! Can I be a barbarian using the Dragon Magazine rules (they may be the same as 2nd edition)?Totally. Does everyone end up retiring in Arizona still, or is there a new hot spot? We can toss KBs in the desert in between pop runs.... Quote . ~*~ Some things make ripples... I prefer to make waves. ~*~ . Link to comment
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