Osu

[RisenPhoenix]

3 hours ago, Kishi said:

 

Wednesday was quiet without judo. I didn't make the best use of it - instead of going to bed at a regular time and getting up early to carpe the diem, I stayed up crazy late and got up at half past noon. Haven't done that in a while, but lemme tell you it's murder on your sense of motivation. I didn't do much beyond walking to the store to get groceries and puttering about, bingewatching anime and sharing memes. It didn't feel wrong precisely but it did feel like I didn't use the time all that well. I could have written, I could have cleaned, I could have done something. But I think I just took the notion of rest to heart a little too well.

 

Nah.  You're crazy busy and we all need the "Complete Non-Adulting" days here and there to keep sanity.  It's seriously good for mental health to just say screw it now and then.  The important part is not freaking about not doing things AFTER the fact. (Clearly these days should be calculated when you can shirk duties and not have things fall apart.  But most of the things you listed can wait 24 hours and not be worse for wear.  Breathe.)

 

On 7/3/2018 at 10:17 PM, ChrisWithaStick said:

Also - catching up on the battle log.  Do you ever, in fact, sleep? 

 

Yes.  But I also swear he owns a TARDIS and won't share it.

[Kishi]

13 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

Nah.  You're crazy busy and we all need the "Complete Non-Adulting" days here and there to keep sanity.  It's seriously good for mental health to just say screw it now and then.  The important part is not freaking about not doing things AFTER the fact. (Clearly these days should be calculated when you can shirk duties and not have things fall apart.  But most of the things you listed can wait 24 hours and not be worse for wear.  Breathe.)

 

Oh, I'm breathing. Taking a mental health day felt really good. I just have a lingering sense of wanting to have used that time in ways that I would have found constructive. I would have liked to write some yesterday, for instance, and I would have liked to get my laundry caught up some. But, I also wanted to watch anime and rest, and that's what won out. #NoRegrets. But yeah, thanks for the counsel.

 

15 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

Yes.  But I also swear he owns a TARDIS and won't share it.

 

It's not that I won't share, it's that she's picky and doesn't work with anyone else, and also she only works some of the time.

[Urgan]

21 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

Nah.  You're crazy busy and we all need the "Complete Non-Adulting" days here and there to keep sanity.  It's seriously good for mental health to just say screw it now and then.  The important part is not freaking about not doing things AFTER the fact. (Clearly these days should be calculated when you can shirk duties and not have things fall apart.  But most of the things you listed can wait 24 hours and not be worse for wear.  Breathe.)

 

Ah, now that's the real trick, isn't it?

 

5 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Oh, I'm breathing. Taking a mental health day felt really good. I just have a lingering sense of wanting to have used that time in ways that I would have found constructive. I would have liked to write some yesterday, for instance, and I would have liked to get my laundry caught up some. But, I also wanted to watch anime and rest, and that's what won out. #NoRegrets. But yeah, thanks for the counsel.

 

Pretty sure he meant don't hyperventilate lol.  

[Kishi]

18 hours ago, Urgan said:

Pretty sure he meant don't hyperventilate lol.

 

Nah, what are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine.

 

 

Yup. Nothing to see here.

 

*

 

Thursday done! Deload continues, and feels good.

 

Incline Push Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Push Ups: 5x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Slow eccentric, explosive concentric. Feels good. Me likey.

High Rows: 5x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Elbow continues to feel worked and then fine. Intermittent pain as opposed to constant is a good sign, I think.

Scap Push Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Scap Plank: 5x18s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• I think the decision to drop scap articulation from the push ups was a good one. It's allowed me to really dig into and articulate this motion, and I feel like I get more out of this movement for doing so.

Kneeling Push Ups: 1x11

• Progression standard get.

Karate afterward. Focused on kicking from off-center. Good skill. Sparring went well after, although Sensei now wants me to focus on keeping a light bounce in my feet as it forces me to center my weight as opposed to shifting my weight back and forth. It helped a lot, actually - my movement went a lot better, and the constant motion helped in terms of masking my movements. That being said, bouncing my way through three rounds? Tiresome, man. Gonna have to take up the dread jumping rope again. Dunno how that's gonna work - I'm kind of leaning toward using it as a thing to do at the end of the training sessions, although not really as a full-on finisher type deal.

 

Also got a good hane goshi in sparring, or at least I think I did. It was like harai only I didn't lift my sweeping leg - just chucked K-sensei over my hip and then rolled on him after. And got him a good knee too, although I feel kind of sheepish about that one because I managed to wind him with it and that really wasn't something I wanted to do. But yeah, it was a good, solid session. I even managed to start practicing blending into roundhouse, because good movement is a thing I really need to get right right now.

 

Yesterday also marked the first ESE-style fast. This followed a day of lower-calorie, keto-style eating, so I wasn't sure what I was in for. I did my strength training and martial arts both on an empty stomach. Amazingly enough, though, I wasn't ever hungry, you know? I was empty, and I was cognizant of it, and there were times when I was like, "Man, you would have food in your stomach right now if it was a normal day." But I never had any instances of low energy or brain fog or anything like that. I drank black coffee a couple of times and, really, I was okay. There was one point where I felt cold, like I was getting goosebumps, but that didn't persist, and I actually felt very warm later in the day. My performance wasn't off in the deload, and I didn't bonk out in martial arts.

 

That being said, when I went to eat my bison and rice, that ish was delish.

 

Anyway, weighed and measured myself today and I'm down 7 lbs which I'm certain is water weight. But not all of it - if the measurements are right, I'm preserving my lean tissue pretty well so far.

 

So, yeah. Riding pretty high today. Handstand work tonight, and maybe some skipping rope.

[Valette]

A great routine my boxing coach put me through to help me improve my central bounce was to hop on a tractor tire in fighting stance.  You could probably get a similar effect from bouncing on an upside down bosu ball with more emphasis on balance.  The latter couples as a nice way to work on your break falls in case you don't stay on. x_x Lol

I need to work on handstand too.   I have an aversion to inversion to overcome.  Do you kick up or walk up?  What helps you?

[Urgan]

Good day is good.

[Kishi]

29 minutes ago, Valette said:

A great routine my boxing coach put me through to help me improve my central bounce was to hop on a tractor tire in fighting stance.  You could probably get a similar effect from bouncing on an upside down bosu ball with more emphasis on balance.  The latter couples as a nice way to work on your break falls in case you don't stay on. x_x Lol

 

Lol! I think it's probably just a stamina issue at this point. It's not true bouncing so much as this constant gentle flexing of the calf, and for a minute or so it's not bad but after 15 you get right knackered.

 

31 minutes ago, Valette said:

I need to work on handstand too.   I have an aversion to inversion to overcome.  Do you kick up or walk up?  What helps you?

 

Well, right now I'm doing freestanding forearm headstands, so it's a kick up for me. Sort of? Except I don't really kick myself up into position so much as I curl into the bottom part and then raise my legs from there.

 

In any event, the key to either is being comfy with bailing out of the position. If you know you can fall safely, it frees you up to take the risk, I find.

[Valette]

5 minutes ago, Kishi said:

 

Lol! I think it's probably just a stamina issue at this point. It's not true bouncing so much as this constant gentle flexing of the calf, and for a minute or so it's not bad but after 15 you get right knackered.

 

 

Well, right now I'm doing freestanding forearm headstands, so it's a kick up for me. Sort of? Except I don't really kick myself up into position so much as I curl into the bottom part and then raise my legs from there.

 

In any event, the key to either is being comfy with bailing out of the position. If you know you can fall safely, it frees you up to take the risk, I find.

What I suggested is also not "true bouncing."  You would not lift the balls of your feet from the ground as a response to "staying light" during a drill or match nor should you jump up and down to simulate that activity unless you're working on some sort of power or endurance as is the case with skipping rope or other plyometrics (which I would highly recommend to fighters and martial artists as another factor in conditioning, too). So whether you're balancing on a ball or some sort, on a tire, dots, or lines, you would likewise focus on maintaining the same posture, positioning, and flexion through the ankles, knees, and hips and hopefully get the point where you can maintain the lightness through movement drills, e.g. pivots, turns, evasions, strikes, etc.

The upside down is definitely not a forte I spend time working on. Lol, I'll have to try some of those tips out and see where I get.  Another way to practice break falls!!!

[Kishi]

5 minutes ago, Valette said:

What I suggested is also not "true bouncing."  You would not lift the balls of your feet from the ground as a response to "staying light" during a drill or match nor should you jump up and down to simulate that activity unless you're working on some sort of power or endurance as is the case with skipping rope or other plyometrics (which I would highly recommend to fighters and martial artists as another factor in conditioning, too). So whether you're balancing on a ball or some sort, on a tire, dots, or lines, you would likewise focus on maintaining the same posture, positioning, and flexion through the ankles, knees, and hips and hopefully get the point where you can maintain the lightness through movement drills, e.g. pivots, turns, evasions, strikes, etc.

 

Ah, I didn't understand. Okay, this is interesting, then. I actually do have access to tires. So what does this drill end up looking like? Just get up on the tire and flex, or is there a dynamic component (ie, switching stance, bouncing back and forth, etc)?

[Valette]

Just now, Kishi said:

 

Ah, I didn't understand. Okay, this is interesting, then. I actually do have access to tires. So what does this drill end up looking like? Just get up on the tire and flex, or is there a dynamic component (ie, switching stance, bouncing back and forth, etc)?

You would do the exact same thing you do on a tire as you would on a hard floor; in my experience, I did it for both boxing and kickboxing, and I would do a variety of *jumping* and light bouncing intervals. The former is going to look like this dude: 

In the latter drill, you would do something similar but light enough that you keep contact with the tire the whole time and work toward endurance. I wouldn't aim to cramp up your calves as a goal, but you should feel them burn a bit. Switch stances and move around as you like to simulate your preferred movement patterns.

Jealous of your tire access!!! Lol.  I personally chose to do this as a 3 round warm-up to boxing and kickboxing sessions after shadow boxing/kickboxing (or after whatever you do for your dynamic warm-up pre-class/session). 

[Kishi]

1 hour ago, Valette said:

I personally chose to do this as a 3 round warm-up to boxing and kickboxing sessions after shadow boxing/kickboxing (or after whatever you do for your dynamic warm-up pre-class/session). 

 

Yeah, now see, I could see doing it this way. So like tonight that would probably work out to handstands -> shadow boxing -> tirework.

 

Although, there is also a boxing gym on my way home from work, and maybe, just maybe, I could have access to bags and tires, and wouldn't that be something.

[Valette]

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

 

Yeah, now see, I could see doing it this way. So like tonight that would probably work out to handstands -> shadow boxing -> tirework.

 

Although, there is also a boxing gym on my way home from work, and maybe, just maybe, I could have access to bags and tires, and wouldn't that be something.

I think you have a good recipe. Let me know how the tirework goes, and I'd be happy to learn/share thoughts on the journey!

Bagwork is killer. You can get in all your power work right there.

[ReturnOfTheDad]

I had the same issue for a while of not ‘bouncing’ enough to stay mobile in boxing and MMA. Recommendation from my coach was to ‘practice like you play’ so focused on incorporating that light bouncing movement into all my shadow boxing, mitt work, bag work, and sparring until it became natural. It was a surprisingly mental exercise, but ultimately paid off with MUCH better mobility. Jump rope and the half bosu ball helped (great recommendation @Valette) as I’m sure the tire will, but found that regardless of the training tool (tire is awesome though) I really had to practice the timing of that movement to incorporate it into my core combinations, clinch set ups, and take downs. It’s funny how something like a double hook, off the line kick, or tie up has to be timed so that bouncing rhythm isn’t thrown off.

 

Something else I ultimately found after I started to get it down is that it wasn’t my lower legs that kept me bouncing, it was my hips. It’s subtle, but like everything else with martial arts it was a lightness and rhythmic movement in my hips that let me bounce for longer, control how quickly I could change tempo, and allowed me to return to my rhythm after an exchange or takedown attempt/defense. Probably took me a good 3 months of daily work before it started feeling natural, but ended up saving me a lot of energy and made me more ‘springy’ in sparring. 

 

Here’s a video that shows a bit more of what I’m talking about adding boxing combos that go along with the footwork @Valetteshowedin the video above:

 

LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS STUFF!!

Ya’ll are seriously making me miss training. Might have to start Monking it up a bit more and get back to my roots! 

 

Please keep the updates coming! Excited to hear what you learn and what ends up working for you.

[nattynerd]

does anyone have advice on how to stick to a program????

 

i try to make different programs for myself, trying a WIDE variety of things to do (mainly in the gym/weight room) but can never seem to stick with a plan.

call me fickle but I just don't feel like doing the same thing every week for 4-12 weeks for example.

-- thoughts?      thanks

[Valette]

Ooh, good video @ReturnoftheDad - that's a lot more like what I wanted to explain.  Great one!  I agree with you about monking it up. I've actually taken a break from martial arts aside from the odd kata here and there.  I had to rehab my SI joint and hips and decided to focus elsewhere!!

 

@nattynerd - When you say program, what are your actual goals?  Do you want to strength gain, weight loss, more mobility, improved athletic performance?  Tell us where you're at, and we can piece stuff together with you.

[Treva]

On 7/5/2018 at 12:52 PM, Kishi said:

Nah, it's cool. I was working security one evening when a dude came in for services. He was wearing a big knife out where we could all see it. I didn't think it was a big deal, as we'd had some situational training from the local PD and they said that anyone who was open carrying was probably the last person you'd ever need to worry about. But the other security folk spooked. They wanted to have someone in to keep an eye on things. Nobody wanted to volunteer to do it, so I did, because I was the most violent person there that night and also the one with the least to lose - all I had was my life and my debts, everyone else had nearby families and burgeoning relationships. So, I didn't really care, in that bitter defiant way that one does when confronted with mortality.

 

Went in to the service, sat through, then went to be near the pastor at the end. Dude with the knife comes up, and my stomach drops, and all I can think is I'm gonna get stabbed for Jesus. I go to position myself - and the dude just reaches out, shakes hands with the pastor and says thank you for the service, and then walks out.

 

So the training turned out to be correct. Nothing bad happened. I got to go home and call my parents and tell them I loved them. Incidentally, it did embitter me pretty badly toward the church, though, because I felt like I made the calculation alone and nobody was able or willing to step up and bleed. All that talk about faith and trusting God's sovereignty, even to the point of leaving our lives behind, and in the end everyone else turned out to be cowards. I was the only one who was willing to his duty when the time came to do it. They could say that they were staying behind to watch over the children in case things had gone violent, but that doesn't change the fact that I would have been the first one to bleed if it had gone down.

 

(This is incidentally why I don't go back - in the end, they're going to need someone to Do The Work, and somehow it always winds up being me. There's no life there for me, for all their talk that I need it).

 

 

On 7/5/2018 at 1:05 PM, Urgan said:

 

Was gonna say, that's some serious chopped liver feels. But I totally understand having it up to your eyebrows with being the only one to do the hard work--it's a position you seem to find yourself in naturally more because I think lazy manipulative people look for guys like you on top of your default inclination to be helpful. Most people when push comes to shove turn out to be cowards, but members of a church profess something higher than the average. You're better off for having moved on, in multiple senses.

 

Jeeze I'm with Urgan here.  I hate to say it but I cannot say that I am surprised; you are a Good Human, and Urgan is per usual right about that lazy manipulative people look for Good Humans to foist their crap onto.  Church members can be cowards--I've got my own stories to back this too.  I can't honestly blame you at all for moving on and being who and where you need to be.  You do need life--just not whatever the hell is going on there.  You're a lovely human who should be around other lovely humans who won't make you take the literal knife for things.  

 

Criminey.  And other non PG rated swears.  

 

 

On 7/5/2018 at 4:03 PM, RisenPhoenix said:

 

Nah.  You're crazy busy and we all need the "Complete Non-Adulting" days here and there to keep sanity.  It's seriously good for mental health to just say screw it now and then.  The important part is not freaking about not doing things AFTER the fact. (Clearly these days should be calculated when you can shirk duties and not have things fall apart.  But most of the things you listed can wait 24 hours and not be worse for wear.  Breathe.)

 

 

Yes.  But I also swear he owns a TARDIS and won't share it.

if Kishi owns a tardis this would explain how he has time to have a full time job, the workout ethic of a god, and time to post on everyone's topic.  Sheesh.  Way to make the rest of us look bad.  It took me two days to get this up.  

Non adulting days are really important, given the level of adulting that you do on a regular basis, which frankly is enough for two people or five to seven hobbits, depending on your counting.

 

Bouncing sounds exhausting, but  I am glad it is working better for your mechanics and your fighting.  Also yay for throwing people!!  Whooo!!  And for your measurements shrinking too, that's great news and always good progress.  

Yeah I got nothing on how to bounce more, other than practicing is such a good.  

[Kishi]

18 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

I had the same issue for a while of not ‘bouncing’ enough to stay mobile in boxing and MMA. Recommendation from my coach was to ‘practice like you play’ so focused on incorporating that light bouncing movement into all my shadow boxing, mitt work, bag work, and sparring until it became natural. It was a surprisingly mental exercise, but ultimately paid off with MUCH better mobility. Jump rope and the half bosu ball helped (great recommendation @Valette) as I’m sure the tire will, but found that regardless of the training tool (tire is awesome though) I really had to practice the timing of that movement to incorporate it into my core combinations, clinch set ups, and take downs. It’s funny how something like a double hook, off the line kick, or tie up has to be timed so that bouncing rhythm isn’t thrown off.

 

Yeah, the mobility that you get is pretty insane, comparatively. It also forces you to center, and this is a huge thing for me because I have a tendency to drift back and forth in stance. Since so much of our game in Shotokan revolves around staying loaded and firing a heavy Cross, I'm essentially drifting between states of ready and unready. Keeping the bounce keeps me ready, and in just the few rounds I've done it it's made a huge difference. I have an easier time voiding and blending and hiding my Cross until the last second, and just being a real dick with movement. It is magic bananas.

 

But if you're managing all the different ranges of combat - distance and close, clinching, grappling, etc. - then you're right, there's a real mental challenge attached to it. Because all that lightness of being is great when you're on the outside and trying to play from distance. Dude gets close, though, and that lightness is a real problem, because it makes you easier to move, and harder to move the other guy. The mental challenge, then, is an added twist to the problem of distance and knowing ranges and what you can do where and when. It may be bigger to me than it actually is, though, because K-sensei has banned me from jab for the next 5 months or so, and I don't have that as a range finder anymore.

 

18 hours ago, nattynerd said:

does anyone have advice on how to stick to a program????

 

i try to make different programs for myself, trying a WIDE variety of things to do (mainly in the gym/weight room) but can never seem to stick with a plan.

call me fickle but I just don't feel like doing the same thing every week for 4-12 weeks for example.

-- thoughts?      thanks

 

Do Crossfit. You won't do the same thing day to day and you'll develop a wide movement vocabulary that covers a lot of different things. Admittedly, some of what they do is stupid - kipping pull ups and American Kettlebell Swings in particular - but ultimately it'll get you moving with a lot of stuff that's actually useful and good for you.

 

But let's say that Crossfit doesn't appeal to you and that you want to do your own program. I can relate to this problem. I used to be a really heavy program hopper. I can't speak to why this is something you're dealing with - I don't know you and there's a lot of possible reasons to hop - but for me, my biggest problem was an underlying insecurity about the results. More specifically that for a long time I didn't really know what results I wanted. I thought ultimately that I wanted to look good and that getting strong would help me out there - because that's what NF preaches, after all, I mean, have you seen the success stories for Spezzy and Steve and Saint? (also, why do so many of our success stories have S-named protagonists?). But as I moved from one thing to the next, even after sticking to programs for a while, I never quite found what it was that I was looking for. Even if I stuck with a program for 4-8 weeks, there was no change in my body and there was this underlying sense that I should be better at real life somehow that just never materialized.

 

Eventually, I did figure it out - I wanted to have strength and conditioning that would not only help me in the gym but would also carry over into martial arts and helping all the weaklings around me when they needed help. For me, that wound up being kettlebells and bodyweight. Not because either one necessarily makes me the Strongest Ever, but because they taught me a lot about how to use my strength in weird places and situations, and they gave me the ability to move hard while also moving well.

 

So, without knowing anything more, my advice to you would be to really dig into what it is that you want. I do not mean "I want to Squat" or "I want to get to a one arm push up." I mean, what is your why? What underlying purpose is there for you to exert yourself? If you have that purpose, and it aligns the most with what you want, it is my finding that following a program becomes super easy. It almost becomes automatic.

 

4 hours ago, Treva said:

Jeeze I'm with Urgan here.  I hate to say it but I cannot say that I am surprised; you are a Good Human, and Urgan is per usual right about that lazy manipulative people look for Good Humans to foist their crap onto.  Church members can be cowards--I've got my own stories to back this too.  I can't honestly blame you at all for moving on and being who and where you need to be.  You do need life--just not whatever the hell is going on there.  You're a lovely human who should be around other lovely humans who won't make you take the literal knife for things.  

 

Criminey.  And other non PG rated swears.

 

Thanks. I don't want to be ungracious. I think it was Rich Mullins who said that church is not a place where good people go, and I think he's right. Church is a jacked up space because it's filled with jacked up people, and I know I got my share of things that I need to have called out and dealt with. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss that on some level. But at the end of the day it always seemed to me that there was an aspect of work and effort that was necessary for life - a pursuit of rightness with a sort of indifference toward the end result because that's what faith is for - that I was willing to do and which was frankly rare. As evidenced.

 

Like, it was the kind of space that would work really hard on cultivating a religious experience for Ash Wednesday, and then you'd have people talking about where to go for beers afterward. Like WTF, church?

 

4 hours ago, Treva said:

Non adulting days are really important, given the level of adulting that you do on a regular basis, which frankly is enough for two people or five to seven hobbits, depending on your counting.

 

HAHAHA, thank you.

 

*

 

So, it rained and stormed hard enough yesterday to knock out the power at work. Good news was that I got to the gym, but the bad news was that the tires were outside.

 

So I practiced handstands and hit the heavy bag and then skipped rope, and then worked on bouncing in shadowboxing. Nearly rolled my ankle using a hook to pivot, but that's just a movement problem which I need to be cognizant of and work with.

 

Not much else to report. Kali and kettlebells today. Also, need to get my shoes over to a cobbler for repair as I popped a stitch and I need to get that worked on. Fortunately, one is close by...

[Urgan]

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

Thanks. I don't want to be ungracious. I think it was Rich Mullins who said that church is not a place where good people go, and I think he's right. Church is a jacked up space because it's filled with jacked up people, and I know I got my share of things that I need to have called out and dealt with. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss that on some level. But at the end of the day it always seemed to me that there was an aspect of work and effort that was necessary for life - a pursuit of rightness with a sort of indifference toward the end result because that's what faith is for - that I was willing to do and which was frankly rare. As evidenced.

 

Like, it was the kind of space that would work really hard on cultivating a religious experience for Ash Wednesday, and then you'd have people talking about where to go for beers afterward. Like WTF, church?

 

I've heard church compared to a hospital for the soul. It's good to spend time there healing and being healed, but ain't nobody called to lick ebola sores.

[Treva]

2 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

I've heard church compared to a hospital for the soul. It's good to spend time there healing and being healed, but ain't nobody called to lick ebola sores.

Urgan you are a gift to humanity.  Just so you know.  

Aint nobody called to lick ebola sores.  oh my gawd.  ROFL.  

 

4 hours ago, Kishi said:

Thanks. I don't want to be ungracious. I think it was Rich Mullins who said that church is not a place where good people go, and I think he's right. Church is a jacked up space because it's filled with jacked up people, and I know I got my share of things that I need to have called out and dealt with. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss that on some level. But at the end of the day it always seemed to me that there was an aspect of work and effort that was necessary for life - a pursuit of rightness with a sort of indifference toward the end result because that's what faith is for - that I was willing to do and which was frankly rare. As evidenced.

 

Like, it was the kind of space that would work really hard on cultivating a religious experience for Ash Wednesday, and then you'd have people talking about where to go for beers afterward. Like WTF, church?

You're not.  I've worked for more than my share of Emotionally Unstable priests/clergy, had choirs refuse to cooperate just because I was younger than they were, and congregations spew bile against minorities.  Depending on who shows up, churches can be as jacked as you say.

There are, however, a small number of communities that do walk the walk.  The work and the effort that you are looking for, that pursuit of righteousness and a higher goal, is a thing that exists in some faith communities.  Just, as you said, very rare.  Usually 1-3 in any given metropolitan area.  

 

Also, the only people who should be going out for beers after are the music ministers, because they have to manage the clergy, and that requires alcohol.  The congregation has to show up and feel appropriately penitent.

Which means they don't need beer afterwards and if they do, they're doing it wrong.

 

4 hours ago, Kishi said:

Do Crossfit. You won't do the same thing day to day and you'll develop a wide movement vocabulary that covers a lot of different things. Admittedly, some of what they do is stupid - kipping pull ups and American Kettlebell Swings in particular - but ultimately it'll get you moving with a lot of stuff that's actually useful and good for you.

What the everloving obsidian are american kettlebell swings and why do I have a feeling the biomechanics are crummy?

Also crossfit is a thing I see a lot of and it looks terrifying and like you need to be a marine to do any of it.  
 

4 hours ago, Kishi said:

So, without knowing anything more, my advice to you would be to really dig into what it is that you want. I do not mean "I want to Squat" or "I want to get to a one arm push up." I mean, what is your why? What underlying purpose is there for you to exert yourself? If you have that purpose, and it aligns the most with what you want, it is my finding that following a program becomes super easy. It almost becomes automatic.

I would like to support this thing that you have said, because it is The Best and also A Very Nice and Good Suggestion for planning a program.  Kishi know what he talk 'bout.

[Kishi]

19 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

 I've heard church compared to a hospital for the soul. It's good to spend time there healing and being healed, but ain't nobody called to lick ebola sores.

 

What? But I saw this thing from David "Avocado" Wolfe talking about the miraculous healing powers of saliva...

 

16 hours ago, Treva said:

You're not.  I've worked for more than my share of Emotionally Unstable priests/clergy, had choirs refuse to cooperate just because I was younger than they were, and congregations spew bile against minorities.  Depending on who shows up, churches can be as jacked as you say.

 

Right. And it's not just a race thing, it's also an LGBT thing. I've got friends in both communities, and this church in particular seemed less about meeting people where they were and more about bringing gender/orientation minorities in with the idea of God 'fixing' them eventually. Not gonna lie, that raised my hackles a bit.

 

16 hours ago, Treva said:

There are, however, a small number of communities that do walk the walk.  The work and the effort that you are looking for, that pursuit of righteousness and a higher goal, is a thing that exists in some faith communities.  Just, as you said, very rare.  Usually 1-3 in any given metropolitan area. 

 

This is probably true. It's also worth pointing out that I tend to keep my Sundays free for friend's and family's sake. So far, it doesn't seem like a poor trade, but if I could find those few, that would be something.

 

16 hours ago, Treva said:

Also, the only people who should be going out for beers after are the music ministers, because they have to manage the clergy, and that requires alcohol.  The congregation has to show up and feel appropriately penitent.

Which means they don't need beer afterwards and if they do, they're doing it wrong.

 

Girl, right? Like, "Guys, you just took up sackcloth and ashes and began the march to Calvary, and you think you deserve a beer? Weaksauce."

 

16 hours ago, Treva said:

What the everloving obsidian are american kettlebell swings and why do I have a feeling the biomechanics are crummy?

 

 

Frankly, I'd say to stick to the Russian style swings. Way safer, same results.

 

16 hours ago, Treva said:

Also crossfit is a thing I see a lot of and it looks terrifying and like you need to be a marine to do any of it.

 

Well, myself, I'm not a fan of it on a technical level, because a lot of what they do is about prioritizing quantity of reps over quality of reps. This is where things like the kipping pull up come from, because you get these people who can just rep out for some sick-high numbers, but don't really get a lot of benefit out of it. Also, I don't really approve of the randomized nature of the programming - it's good to the extent that it keeps the body from adapting too well and it gives you the opportunity to get consistent conditioning gainz. But the random nature of it means that you can get movements that really shouldn't be strung together because of how biomechanically dangerous they are, and when you add in the incentive for quantity of reps it can get dangerous.

 

That being said, the programs are fixable, and what Crossfit does really well is it builds a sense of community. You have a tribe of people who are competing alongside you to be better versions of themselves, and it's a heady thing. And like I said, they do a lot of different movements - barbell stuff, gymnastic stuff, and kettlebell stuff, and some of them will go even further into things like strongman or endurance type things too. And, to your fears, the training is designed to be scaleable, so in theory anyone should be capable of doing any workout anytime.

 

So. I don't think it's the Fitness Antichrist by any stretch, but it's not the perfect thing people think it is either.

 

*

 

Kali and kettlebells yesterday. 'twas quite good.

 

I got to Kali late, but we managed to play around with a few different movements. One big thing that I was excited about that we did was "The Sewing Machine." Basically, if you ever go online and look for videos of knife attacks, what you'll see is pretty much the same thing - angry person has a knife, and just proceeds to stab and stab and stab as much as they can. So we played around with that, and afterward we tried to convince Manong that this is something we need to do every class, because it's a high-percentage technique which even an untrained person can use, and probably will if we ever run into that kind of thing.

 

Did the Test with the 24 since I'm still on deload, and that felt good and easy.

 

Today on the docket we have Leg and Core day. I'm not sure what I'll do as far as anything afterward; I know I said earlier that it'd be something corrective/restorative at most, but I'm still kind of itchy to practice skipping rope and shadowboxing. I also miss sprinting something fierce, but man, I still don't know how to program that in. Wednesdays pre-judo would be ideal, I think, because I'd be doing this super-high intensity work very briefly for a little while and freeing a bunch of fatty acids into the bloodstream which I could then burn in newaza and uchikomi. That would have to be weighed against the fact that Wednesdays in general just don't go according to plan, and I'd have to risk cutting into newaza, which I'm pretty stoked about just to begin with. Also, I'd probably have to recalculate my macros again (although, this isn't as scary a thought as it might be since I've learned to take a longer view rather than just taking the days in isolation).

 

Ramble, ramble. I'll roll with it. Off to work!

[Machete]

I've used the tire to get students the proper foot placement for punches. It's quite common to see people slide their rear leg behind them as they throw a cross, which leaves a lot of power on the table. I believe it does little for footwork mobility though, and for that I prefer the old band around the legs. It forces the student to move around the mat while keeping at least a shoulder-width stance at all times, otherwise the band falls off.

 

I find it hard to explain though. A lot of the time if I use the word "bounce" people just overdo it.

 

The American Swing is like a narrow-handed Double Snatch, which very few people have the mobility for. It's an arbitrary standard set that performers have to adhere to, just like the arbitrary standard of having to squat to parallel. (Yes, I said it. ) Jeff Martone of the CrossFit Kettlebell Course teaches to train with the Russian Swing, but practice and mobilize for the American Swing for competition. Much like jumping off the box for Box Jumps--if you're not competing, just step down.

 

I think the Libertarian nature of the founder makes CrossFit as a whole diverge from what it supposedly is. Because they are so against quality control, it tends to make each "box" a unique manifestation of each owner's philosophy, and can be vastly different from the next one. I actually agree with a lot of what is in the CF Level 1 Manual. What I think drives the community together is a shared love and emphasis on intensity, or more appropriately RPE and "how much that workout sucked." This seems to be what sells to the general public, and because box owners have to make money to stay open, a big part of their business is pretty much about selling group suffering. (See also Tough Mudder, GORUCK, etc.) Hence each WOD programmed each day has to "suck" (while at the same time being entertaining) in order for members to keep coming back. The manual actually promotes a skill-based approach, even putting  "45-minutes Handstand practice" in one of the sample workouts. The CrossFit main site where it all started frequently has old-fashioned, boring workouts like bike for 10'000 meters, 5x5 Front Squats, and 10 100-yard Swim Repeats with 60 seconds of rest. However, most members of boxes are recreational exercisers who don't show up every day, and probably wouldn't appreciate a WOD of "10k run for time" on the one day they're able to make it to the box that week. Hence, every day at a box pretty much ends up more often than not looking like the basic Warmup-Strength-Metcon we all know, and the good coaches maybe try to sneak something in to make their members a little better each week. It's ironic that in order for a CrossFit gym to stay open they have to pander to what the public thinks CrossFit is. Capitalism is funny. There are however boxes that have "competition programming" for those seeking improvement instead of fun, and this is when the programming makes a lot more sense. (At my old box we would go through cycles of 5/3/1 and incorporating whichever skill we were working on at the time.) This, of course, is for the 1% of members--"firebreathers" as they are known in the community. Much like how boxing gyms only actually train a few people to be boxers, but are able to stay open because of the majority of paying members who have no interest in stepping into a ring.

[Kishi]

3 hours ago, Machete said:

I've used the tire to get students the proper foot placement for punches. It's quite common to see people slide their rear leg behind them as they throw a cross, which leaves a lot of power on the table. I believe it does little for footwork mobility though, and for that I prefer the old band around the legs. It forces the student to move around the mat while keeping at least a shoulder-width stance at all times, otherwise the band falls off.

 

I find it hard to explain though. A lot of the time if I use the word "bounce" people just overdo it.

 

I'm actually guilty of overdoing the bounce myself. K-sensei tends to explain it as a minor flexion of the calf muscle, just gentle up and down. You barely leave the ground when you do it the way that he describes, but you can feel the difference when you do it right. You feel heavy when your timing's off, but when you get it right it feels less like plodding and more like a dancer's step. We tend to feel it a lot in shotokan because we use something like a fencer's shift to dance in and out of the proper ranges.

 

 

Something like this. The huge cross Machida throws at the beginning is totally Shotokan. He doesn't shift in so much as he makes a lunge of it, but the basic mechanics are the same, even including a lightness of feet that allows him to get in and out of range. (and anyway, clean technique in the octagon? It doesn't exist unless it's a BJJ player).

 

But yeah, I definitely overdid it the first few times. Bounced way high, and that's wasted time because you can't throw a good punch if you're airborne. Still good for centering, tho.

 

What is this about using bands, though? Is this like what you see sometimes in the gyms, where the bands are wrapped around the thighs and then the trainee has to side step for a distance? That might work for boxing and Muay Thai, but I dunno if our stancework would sustain something like that...

 

3 hours ago, Machete said:

The American Swing is like a narrow-handed Double Snatch, which very few people have the mobility for. It's an arbitrary standard set that performers have to adhere to, just like the arbitrary standard of having to squat to parallel. (Yes, I said it. ) Jeff Martone of the CrossFit Kettlebell Course teaches to train with the Russian Swing, but practice and mobilize for the American Swing for competition. Much like jumping off the box for Box Jumps--if you're not competing, just step down.

 

gasp

 

Scandal! Strike through those words about squatting, for decency's sake, there are women and children reading. Don't you know that St. Mark of the Ripped Toe died for your squats so that you could get one inch below parallel and no lower and no higher!?

 

But yeah, man, my major beef with the AKS is that most people take their cues from Crossfit, and they don't have the mobility to actually swing that high safely, to say nothing of the fact that they don't know crap about generating power and that they're compensating with their arms. People do the AKS because they think that's what it's supposed to be, and it bugs me because I feel like I see people leaving gainz on the floor. It's worse than unracked weights.

 

3 hours ago, Machete said:

I think the Libertarian nature of the founder makes CrossFit as a whole diverge from what it supposedly is. Because they are so against quality control, it tends to make each "box" a unique manifestation of each owner's philosophy, and can be vastly different from the next one. I actually agree with a lot of what is in the CF Level 1 Manual. What I think drives the community together is a shared love and emphasis on intensity, or more appropriately RPE and "how much that workout sucked." This seems to be what sells to the general public, and because box owners have to make money to stay open, a big part of their business is pretty much about selling group suffering. (See also Tough Mudder, GORUCK, etc.) Hence each WOD programmed each day has to "suck" (while at the same time being entertaining) in order for members to keep coming back. The manual actually promotes a skill-based approach, even putting  "45-minutes Handstand practice" in one of the sample workouts. The CrossFit main site where it all started frequently has old-fashioned, boring workouts like bike for 10'000 meters, 5x5 Front Squats, and 10 100-yard Swim Repeats with 60 seconds of rest. However, most members of boxes are recreational exercisers who don't show up every day, and probably wouldn't appreciate a WOD of "10k run for time" on the one day they're able to make it to the box that week. Hence, every day at a box pretty much ends up more often than not looking like the basic Warmup-Strength-Metcon we all know, and the good coaches maybe try to sneak something in to make their members a little better each week. It's ironic that in order for a CrossFit gym to stay open they have to pander to what the public thinks CrossFit is. Capitalism is funny. There are however boxes that have "competition programming" for those seeking improvement instead of fun, and this is when the programming makes a lot more sense. (At my old box we would go through cycles of 5/3/1 and incorporating whichever skill we were working on at the time.) This, of course, is for the 1% of members--"firebreathers" as they are known in the community. Much like how boxing gyms only actually train a few people to be boxers, but are able to stay open because of the majority of paying members who have no interest in stepping into a ring.

 

QFT. I don't think Crossfit boxes set out to hurt their trainees or anything like that. A certain amount of what happens to people, after all, is their responsibility. It's just that I think there's a way to exceed the programming constraints, so that the trainees get actual GPP in addition to the PRs and such.

 

Like, with S&S, as long as I keep the minimal effective dose, I know that I could do any program I wanted, even a Crossfit program, and be just fine, because I know that it will give me what I expect of a S&C program, and it's practically designed to slot in with anything else. I dunno, maybe I'm just too content with bread and butter stuff. OTOH, though, you're doing some of StrongAsHec's programs and he varies it up whilst approaching with a SFG background. How would you say that's been?

 

*

 

SO MUCH FOOOOOOOOD

 

Realized that in order to keep to the average amount of food to keep my tiny cut tiny for the week, I'd have to eat a ton of food today to make up for it. Oh no, what a nightmare.

 

I still went hard to make up for it, though.

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Half Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 5x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• These were exciting in that I was able to break the movement down into separate component parts. So close squat, roll back, roll forward, hold the squat, and then pop back up. I understand that that seems like a very gimmicky, weird thing to be excited about, but close squatting for me with my levers involves a lot of control and fine sense of where my balance is, and these are things that I don't normally practice, so.

Hollow Body Tuck Hold: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Hollow Body Tuck Rock: 3x12

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Russian Twists: 1x30

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Side Plank Twists: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Side Over Arches: 3x2

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Tuck Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Straddle Tuck Ups: 5x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

In the end, I ultimately settled for the recumbent bike for 15 minutes, just to gently move for a little while at the end of the session. Reason being that I had to get back and watch my bro's stream on Twitch.

 

Anyway, I've been eating all the food since I got back home, as well as doing laundry and bingeing my way through Food Wars. I feel good here at the end of the week.

[LadyFenix]

On 7/5/2018 at 11:52 AM, Kishi said:

Nah, it's cool. I was working security one evening when a dude came in for services. He was wearing a big knife out where we could all see it. I didn't think it was a big deal, as we'd had some situational training from the local PD and they said that anyone who was open carrying was probably the last person you'd ever need to worry about. But the other security folk spooked. They wanted to have someone in to keep an eye on things. Nobody wanted to volunteer to do it, so I did, because I was the most violent person there that night and also the one with the least to lose - all I had was my life and my debts, everyone else had nearby families and burgeoning relationships. So, I didn't really care, in that bitter defiant way that one does when confronted with mortality.

 

Went in to the service, sat through, then went to be near the pastor at the end. Dude with the knife comes up, and my stomach drops, and all I can think is I'm gonna get stabbed for Jesus. I go to position myself - and the dude just reaches out, shakes hands with the pastor and says thank you for the service, and then walks out.

 

So the training turned out to be correct. Nothing bad happened. I got to go home and call my parents and tell them I loved them. Incidentally, it did embitter me pretty badly toward the church, though, because I felt like I made the calculation alone and nobody was able or willing to step up and bleed. All that talk about faith and trusting God's sovereignty, even to the point of leaving our lives behind, and in the end everyone else turned out to be cowards. I was the only one who was willing to his duty when the time came to do it. They could say that they were staying behind to watch over the children in case things had gone violent, but that doesn't change the fact that I would have been the first one to bleed if it had gone down.

 

Who on earth brings an open carry knife to church?!! I at least leave my weapons in the car, or buried at the bottom of my purse.  

 

It's hard when others can't walk their talk. Maybe your choice to remain present will convict someone else to be brave later. 

[Kishi]

51 minutes ago, ladylydia said:

Who on earth brings an open carry knife to church?!! I at least leave my weapons in the car, or buried at the bottom of my purse.

 

Well, back before the gentrification, our Church used to get all kinds of crazy people. Eventually we outgrew the space and moved into a building near a homeless shelter, so that hasn't changed.

 

55 minutes ago, ladylydia said:

It's hard when others can't walk their talk. Maybe your choice to remain present will convict someone else to be brave later. 

 

Maybe. We can't ever really know where we are in the causal chain of things. Perhaps someone will go on to do something great because of this.

 

*

 

Quiet day today because rest.

 

I think I'm ultimately going to hold off on sprints for now and just focus on letting this combination of diet and exercise do its work. If I stall out (which could happen) for a significant period of time, well, that'll be cause to tweak things, but until then? Not so much.

 

Normally I'd go off to gaming, but tonight I'm actually going to improv to support a friend of mine making her debut. There will be some old friends there from the churching days, which should be interesting. But otherwise, nothing of note.

[Kishi]

Well, nothing to report. Quiet day was quiet. My friend killed her debut, along with everyone else on her set. I'm always impressed whenever I get the chance to go.

 

Church friends were surprised to see me. They were not annoying. That was great. Strangely enough, I didn't get the chance to screw up my eating last night, as I normally do when I get the chance to go out. And even more strangely, the Chipotle nearby is open to 23:00, so I was able to break my fast in the way that I would have if I'd gone to gaming. A nice surprise, really.

 

Otherwise, I took the night to clean up my apartment a bit and do some batch cooking. Kitchen's in worse shape than I thought, and I'm sick of staring at all the junk I've got lying about. It felt good to do something about it, although how the hell I'm gonna do anything about it over the rest of the week with as busy as ish gets... I dunno. Maybe just do one thing on the busy days to keep it on my mind? Works for writing, maybe it'll work here.

 

Anyway. The deload is done and I'm feeling good. Time to hit it. S&S and Karate on the docket. I'm kind of tempted to hit some heavier TGUs by doing two KBs in one hand, as I've seen done by others, but I don't know how the elbow would take that. Still kind of want to, though.