Osu

[Kishi]

2 hours ago, Treva said:

This sounds super neat, and I'm glad that it's something you can do while you're rehabing.  I haven't looked at the price points yet, but given the fact that you call them hefty means I'm not sure I'll jump to them until I can work myself to more basic fitness feats.  but they seem very practical, and you know I of course like that it would blend with S&S.  Which, of course, I will swear by until I die.

 

 I am so glad to hear that you got so much good out of S&S. I probably sound like a cultist whenever I bring it up, but it's just that good. But yeah, there's no reason to go adding more stuff on top right now, especially given how much you're carrying right now.

 

2 hours ago, Treva said:

NOT more than I wanted to know, exactly what I wanted to know.  thank you for the discourse.  It was useful, educational, and I am grateful.

 

Glad you got something from it.  It's probably quite clear by now that I'm a movement/training nerd and I love to talk about this stuff. So, thanks for the opportunity.

 

2 hours ago, Treva said:

Yowch on the having to take over time.  I am glad you have a way period to make your bills work, but I am sorry it comes at the cost of, you know, having a life.

 

Eh. It'll pass. I am kind of fried, but I'm trying to see this as an enforced rest period in some ways, which it is. The fact that I'm on deload this week will make it even more so, and I am grateful.

 

2 hours ago, Treva said:

I am curious about this new program cookie.

 

Ah, well, basically I had access to the beginner's handstand series which is designed to build towards a freestanding handstand. The Unlimited "tier" basically gave me access to more advanced stuff even beyond that, including press-to-handstand and one-arm handstand. It also unlocked all the levels of all the movements I was training already, and it also gave out some of the 'play' stuff, mostly having to do with cartwheels, handsprings, quadrupedal movement, etc. as well as all the stretch programs.

 

So not just a new cookie, but the whole jar.

 

2 hours ago, Treva said:

Also I have done enough reading to understand your program now finally I think. GO YOU DO ALL THE PLANKS ALSO THE PAINFUL PUSHUPS.

(I Hate pushups, I admire you for doing two different kinds of sets)

 

Oh. You think that's something. Wait 'til I get to Pseudo Planche Push Ups.

 

*

 

Saturday I got back on the mats. It was groovy.

 

Of course, it didn't happen smoothly. I got up and figured I'd go hit some weekend OT at work, and that was a good decision, but it took longer to get things done than I thought it would, and I didn't get to the dojo on time. When I did, they were working on barehanded applications - think dirty boxing type stuff. It's weird, because a lot of it seems to be really niche-type stuff that I don't think I could ever apply, and we can't spar with it because elbows. But OTOH, it might be useful if I find myself in those positions and have my hands free as opposed to tied up in 16-oz gloves. Everything is harder with 16-oz gloves.

 

But yeah, did that, got done, got home, did S&S. I've got a complaint somewhere in the medial aspect of my right glute because of the integrated mobility work, I think, but it didn't flare up or anything on swings or get ups, so I'm grateful for that.

 

Sunday I went and trained people. I had that burnt out feeling, though, and while I did get out and do my training, I really didn't want to.

 

Still.

 

Hollow Body Tuck Hold: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Hollow Body Tuck Rock: 5x36

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

• Failed in the last set at 32 reps. Will probably have to stay here for a while to iron this out. But, I failed forward. When I walked this back initially, I was only doing 90 reps. Now I'm at 176 reps, and with better form. So, can't really be distressed about that.

 

Russian Twist: 1x42

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Side Plank Twist: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Arch Up: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Back Raise: 3x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Tuck Up: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Straddle Tuck Up: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

V Up: 5x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

• Little paranoid about these, just because I never quite seem to get that nice, pretty straight leg like what you see in demonstration. They also seem to be going up easier than I've been told they should, so that's probably a sign I need to recheck something.

 

Otherwise, yeah. Went home, burnt dinner in the instant pot (cursed starch deposits!), and went to bed.

 

Today marks the start of deload week, and more OT. So, a physically restful time, for which I am grateful. My discipline for writing is slipping, though. I do write at work on my lunch break, but I don't seem to do it at home when I ostensibly have the time to make that happen. Which is not ideal. Understandable right now, all things considered, but not ideal. I deserve better of myself than that.

[Kishi]

Quiet Monday was quiet. Worked. Shadowboxed. Ate. Figured out that mixing frozen veggies into the IP promotes those starch deposits, so I'm going to figure out how to work both the microwave and the IP (it's a struggle because they have to share a single outlet, and I haven't got a surge protector yet. Also, not sure how good an idea a surge protector is given the nature of the devices and foods and liquids etc).

 

But I'm optimistic. A friend of mine gave me a bunch of farm fresh eggs and I was afraid I wouldn't have a way to use them, but I can totally do those in the microwave and everything will be fine. It'll be fun to add those to dinners now.

 

Anyway, taking a short day today. One of the local theaters is doing a showing of the My Hero Academia OAV because that's not a dead artform yet, dammit. So I'll be going home early for that. I suspect I can hit S&S in time, and it'll be a nice deloaded session. Pavel normally recommends shadow swings and pause get ups, but he also recommends those with a lighter weight than what is used in practice, and I'm at the lowest weights right now as it is. So it'll probably just be regular one arms and unweighted Get Ups done with 10s pauses. Interesting change of pace.

[RisenPhoenix]

47 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Figured out that mixing frozen veggies into the IP promotes those starch deposits,

 

Wait, wut? So frozen veggies + IP = some resistant starch stuff?  Cuz that'd be a nifty thing for me to utilize for potential work lunches...

[Mistr]

14 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Quiet Monday was quiet. Worked. Shadowboxed. Ate. Figured out that mixing frozen veggies into the IP promotes those starch deposits, so I'm going to figure out how to work both the microwave and the IP (it's a struggle because they have to share a single outlet, and I haven't got a surge protector yet. Also, not sure how good an idea a surge protector is given the nature of the devices and foods and liquids etc).

 

A surge protector works as a filter to protect your appliances from extra power coming out from the outlet. It won't do anything to protect the outlet from overloading the circuit.

 

You may already know this, if so, just skip ahead. To figure out the power needed, you can look at the amps listed on your microwave and instant pot. It may give the capacity in watts.

Watts = amps x volts. Your voltage is either 110 or 120. So for a 1000W instant pot and 110V service, it is using 9 amps of current. An average microwave uses about 1200W, which gives 10.9 amps. So if your circuit is 25 amps, you are fine using both. If it is a 20 amp circuit, chances are good you are going to trip the circuit breaker (or blow the fuse) if anything else is also using that circuit.

 

Good job on doing your training on Sunday even though you were burnt out.

[Kishi]

18 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

 

Wait, wut? So frozen veggies + IP = some resistant starch stuff?  Cuz that'd be a nifty thing for me to utilize for potential work lunches...

 

Nononono, frozen veggies + IP = burnt starches on the bottom of the inner liner. The IP basically freaks when it has to cook foods at a bunch of different temperatures, and if you put starches on the bottom, it tends to dissipate the heat and make it harder for the pot to come to come to temp/pressure. If it goes as hot as it can and can't detect the pressure after a certain amount of time, it triggers a "Burn Notice" (haaaaar) and cuts itself off, but it typically won't do that before it's burnt most of your rice to the bottom and left the rest of it crunchy.

 

So, how do you prevent this? By making sure that whatever foods you cook all come together at relatively the same temperature and with enough water to burn off as steam. Since I tend to buy my veggies frozen, that seems to mean thawing them out beforehand, which is totally doable. It's just one new thing to worry about.

 

15 minutes ago, Mistr said:

A surge protector works as a filter to protect your appliances from extra power coming out from the outlet. It won't do anything to protect the outlet from overloading the circuit.

 

You may already know this, if so, just skip ahead. To figure out the power needed, you can look at the amps listed on your microwave and instant pot. It may give the capacity in watts.

Watts = amps x volts. Your voltage is either 110 or 120. So for a 1000W instant pot and 110V service, it is using 9 amps of current. An average microwave uses about 1200W, which gives 10.9 amps. So if your circuit is 25 amps, you are fine using both. If it is a 20 amp circuit, chances are good you are going to trip the circuit breaker (or blow the fuse) if anything else is also using that circuit.

 

Well, I know about how the surge protector won't necessarily forestall outages, but I'm just thinking in terms of giving me more outlets to work with. Although, you do make a good point about checking the breakers to make sure that this is viable before trying to rig something up and blowing the circuit. Worst case, I can just switch between one and the other, as the IP can keep things warm for a while.

 

15 minutes ago, Mistr said:

Good job on doing your training on Sunday even though you were burnt out.

 

Thanks! I could feel it. It was time for a rest cycle. I already feel loads better for having taken a quiet night to just shadowbox a little. I will feel loads better throughout the rest of the week and I predict I will be chomping at the bit come Sunday.

 

Although, that's going to be interesting, as the Boxing dude is going to be opening up that day, and he wants to do lots of core work, so I'm going to have to switch my training around a bit so that they don't interfere with each other. Thanks for reminding me.

[RisenPhoenix]

1 hour ago, Kishi said:

Nononono, frozen veggies + IP = burnt starches on the bottom of the inner liner. The IP basically freaks when it has to cook foods at a bunch of different temperatures, and if you put starches on the bottom, it tends to dissipate the heat and make it harder for the pot to come to come to temp/pressure. If it goes as hot as it can and can't detect the pressure after a certain amount of time, it triggers a "Burn Notice" (haaaaar) and cuts itself off, but it typically won't do that before it's burnt most of your rice to the bottom and left the rest of it crunchy.

  

So, how do you prevent this? By making sure that whatever foods you cook all come together at relatively the same temperature and with enough water to burn off as steam. Since I tend to buy my veggies frozen, that seems to mean thawing them out beforehand, which is totally doable. It's just one new thing to worry about.

 

Ahhhhhh, I see now.  For that purpose, assuming you're not just going to leave the veggies out in the fridge during the day, maybe a quick basket steamer?  Get them mostly defrosted and then tossed in?  Rachael got me one of those years ago, and I seriously use it every day.  Even realized I could do a microwaved sweet potato in the thing pretty easily (and therefore save all of my papertowel waste).

[Kishi]

23 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

 

Ahhhhhh, I see now.  For that purpose, assuming you're not just going to leave the veggies out in the fridge during the day, maybe a quick basket steamer?  Get them mostly defrosted and then tossed in?  Rachael got me one of those years ago, and I seriously use it every day.  Even realized I could do a microwaved sweet potato in the thing pretty easily (and therefore save all of my papertowel waste).

 

Well, I can thaw them out pretty effectively right now as it is and for about the same amount of time. Although, if I could run both the microwave and the IP out of that same outlet, that steamer could be useful for doing up potatoes at the same time, which would be hecking convenient. So it's definitely something to look into.

[Treva]

21 hours ago, Kishi said:

Pavel normally recommends shadow swings and pause get ups, but he also recommends those with a lighter weight than what is used in practice, and I'm at the lowest weights right now as it is. So it'll probably just be regular one arms and unweighted Get Ups done with 10s pauses. Interesting change of pace.

Wait Pavel's got a deload method?  did I not read the book clearly enough?  waaaat.

 

On 9/24/2018 at 10:31 AM, Kishi said:

 

 I am so glad to hear that you got so much good out of S&S. I probably sound like a cultist whenever I bring it up, but it's just that good. But yeah, there's no reason to go adding more stuff on top right now, especially given how much you're carrying right now.

You're not a cultist if you're following the one True Way, you're just enlightened. 
She says, also probably a frickin cultist who has no insight into how crazy this must sound.

 

On 9/24/2018 at 10:31 AM, Kishi said:

Glad you got something from it.  It's probably quite clear by now that I'm a movement/training nerd and I love to talk about this stuff. So, thanks for the opportunity

I too am a movement training nerd, apparently, I think, so literally any time you want to talk about this stuff

 

On 9/24/2018 at 10:31 AM, Kishi said:

Oh. You think that's something. Wait 'til I get to Pseudo Planche Push Ups.

oh those look awful.  Ow.  Ow my arms hurt looking at those

 

 

I hope the movie theatre going was fun!

[Kishi]

5 hours ago, Treva said:

Wait Pavel's got a deload method?  did I not read the book clearly enough?  waaaat.

 

Oh yes. Pavel's a big believer in Soviet-style training, which is marked by emphases on daily practice and working inside your limits to gradually expand them. Check the section titled "The Goals And How To Reach Them." Also, this.

 

5 hours ago, Treva said:

You're not a cultist if you're following the one True Way, you're just enlightened. 
She says, also probably a frickin cultist who has no insight into how crazy this must sound.

 

ONE OF US! ONE OF US! IA! IA!

 

*ahem*

 

5 hours ago, Treva said:

I too am a movement training nerd, apparently, I think, so literally any time you want to talk about this stuff

 

 

5 hours ago, Treva said:

oh those look awful.  Ow.  Ow my arms hurt looking at those

 

Well, I mean, call me crazy, but they look exciting to me. More worried about my wrists than anything else.

 

5 hours ago, Treva said:

I hope the movie theatre going was fun!

 

Yup! See below!

 

*

 

Tuesday down. Felt so weird to get out of work on time. I actually felt kind of guilty about it, you know, like how dare I leave with so much to do. But there's always so much to do, and staying late isn't going to change that.

 

Got home and after some thought decided to just blast through 100 continuous one arm swings, so 10-switch-10-switch with the 8 kg. It was easy-peasy. Did pause get ups afterward with one of my shoes to test the smoothness of the transitions and did just fine, although I wound up doing some quick when I realized how much time I had to get cleaned up and out the door. Oh well. Kishi is a bad comrade.

 

Went off to the theater and saw My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, which is essentially a bit of All Might's origin story and an exploration of the ghosts of the present. It was the dub version, which I like. My Hero is good in both the Japanese and the English, and I've seen enough Japanese dubs where the seiyuu were bad to know that language != quality. I've also got a soft spot, given that my bro is trying to get into voice acting and also some of the Nerds I've known as well.

 

So, how was it?

 

Well, story-wise, it was... fine. The series itself has actually marched past the events of the OAV, so we already know that there aren't any casualties, and it's not a prequel (which is hard enough to do well anyway, but that's a whole other rant) so you're not really getting an indepth look at events that shaped the world as it is now. To be clear, it had some genuine laugh out loud moments, but it didn't plumb the same set of depths which the show has. The show has made me weep before, because it's not the deepest story but it's told with such a simple earnestness that you can't help it. (The protagonist, Izuku, is born without a superpower in a world where those things are normal, and all he wants is to be a hero. We're completely sold on his heartbreak in the first episode, and in the second episode when the greatest hero in the world tells him that he can in fact be a hero and he breaks down? Holy crap. I found myself wiping my eyes and muttering "Stupid show. Stupid... rah." It's got lots of moments like that).

 

That being said, we weren't going for that. We were going for the sakuga, and boy howdy did this deliver. The audience frigging clapped and cheered at the animation, which should tell you something. (Also, some of the signature moves are called "[State] SMASH!" and when one of them called out "CAROLINA SMASH!" holy crap. Representation in anime, y'all. It's a thing).

 

Speaking of representation, one of the characters in the OAV is quirkless, and it's interesting when you consider that it's essentially code for a kind of disability in the setting. But the quirkless character isn't really defined by it, and she outright rejects any attempt by the powered characters to aid her or make things easier. If anything, she contributes in a way that makes a huge difference to the outcome of the story, and it's an interesting little bit of representation, especially when you consider that anime typically isn't really big on this kind of thing. (especially when you consider Izuku as similarly coded but then has his disability dealt with. Forgivable, probably, but I could have a blindspot on this as a fan, so).

 

So, on the whole? Worth it. I ate like an asshole, because. And then continued when I got home, because. This is a poor pattern of behavior that's going to have to be dealt with, especially since I'm experimenting with cutting again.

 

Anyway. Today, leg day. I'm going to drop my height substantially, as I found myself experiment with deck squats at the dojo with our mats, which are about an inch thick, and I was actually able to complete some painless reps. Which was a pleasant surprise. Need to play with this more now that I know this is there.

[Kishi]

Another day down. Just a couple more days of OT and then back to normal. When's Friday get here? Tomorrow? Phew.

 

Leg day was had.

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Half Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 3x2

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Not bad. I was able to complete some reps at depth, but not all. I think I managed 4/6 total? But even then, the form still needs work; couldn't do it and keep my feet together. Better than it had been before, for sure, loads better actually, but just not there yet. So, I reckon it's probably better for me to stick to the original plan for now, start a relatively high height and just go from there.

 

But hey, at least I know.

 

Food was littered with suboptimal choices again. This is just a rough week for it, I think, given that it's the end of the fiscal year and we have one of my coworkers retiring, which will be an excuse to go out and eat and such. It's not business as usual, but it's annoying, and it's kind of a foreshadowing for the upcoming holiday months. Gonna need to start practicing my blends, I think, if I'm not interested in restricting myself on days when the food goes sideways.

 

OTOH, though, hey, at least I'm able to cook eggs again. I'd totally allowed myself to forget that microwaved scrambled eggs in a cup is totally a thing. I did them up along with bison and rice last night and that was really good.  Nice to have those back in rotation.

 

Handstands and shadowboxing tonight. Groovy. Let's get it done.

[Kishi]

So, took my weight today and I am up. Back into the 190s with me.

 

Kinda sanguine about it, though. Judo rewards heavier players anyway.

 

Not cool with the uptick in bodyfat, though. That is probably a thing that I am going to have to address. So:

• Plan for the next month is to stay off the scale. I use those variations as justification for dietary breaks - oh, I'm a touch leaner, I earned this, I earned that - and that's not useful for me.
• Cut protocols in place. Miyaki-ryu it is, on account of him having heart and hormonal health at the core of his recommendations, and also my body likes his macros.
• Miyaki-ryu Secret Technique: quantify exactly how many days I'm on and how many days I'm off. Based on that data, adjust approach. I'm good at managing day-by-day, but I kind of want a macrocosmic sense of my actions rather than micro. I used to have that. I need to get it back.

Stoked and ready.

 

Handstand work went off without a hitch yesterday. Deload felt good.

 

Tripod: 1x15s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Headstand: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Forearm Headstand: 3x12s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

In pull and strain and tear news, my hamstring is feeling loads better, but there's still something up under the glute that's not happy with me. So I hit Restore Protocols for Hips instead and my hips were ensorcelled like my hamstrings were. Things are still tight, but feel loads better. It is good.

 

Today, Kali and Core work. Diet will be off today on account of goodbye lunch for a retiring worker. Steakhouse and cake to follow. Day 1. Rock.

[Urgan]

57 minutes ago, Kishi said:

macrocosmic

 

I love this word.

[Kishi]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 11:35 AM, Urgan said:

 

I love this word.

 

Me too. I should use it more.

 

*

 

I just have one question -- what the blankety blank happened to my weekend!?

 

Okay. Friday was goodbye to a coworker. Steakhouse and cake. Wound up way off my macros on that one. No regerts.

 

Did Kali at the teaching gig. It went well. Everything flowed nice and smooth, and I was able to point out some flawed techniques and make corrections. These people at the self-defense place like to hit things hard. You don't have to do that with a knife. The knife does the work.

 

Core work went well, deloaded.

 

Hollow Body Tuck Hold: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Hollow Body Tuck Rock: 5x18

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Russian Twists: 1x42

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Side Plank Twists: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Arch Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Back Raises: 3x2

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Not sure what the formal name is for these; it's the one where you get yourself into the frame and then bow forward, and then raise yourself up using your lower back. It's not weighted, and I don't think it's a reverse hyper... unless it is?

Tuck Ups: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Straddle Tuck Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

V Ups: 5x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Not much to report. Sometimes you just do the work. These are not bad times.

 

Next day, I was supposed to game with the folks, but I messed up and thought it was Sunday. Fortunately, everyone else did too, so it'll be next Saturday instead. I wound up going out to breakfast with a friend of mine, who is a deep, well-thought young man trying to do right by everyone. Technically, I was off on my macros again (2 days!), but the character of it was different, because I ate healthy - good proteins and fats and strong coffee - as opposed to cake and junk, and while I'm logging it as an off day, the nature of the damage is different and far more easily recovered.

 

So for posterity, that's 1 day of excessive damage and 1 day of moderate damage.

 

I had a bunch of time afterward, but I wasted it. After the month I've had, it was probably overdue. Slacker!S&S happened, though. I did end up going to Kali and found that everyone had grown up a lot in my absence. Their flows are much improved; they cut on the sticks like I do. It was fun to see everyone caught up.

 

Sunday wound up being a restful day as well, up until I went back to the dojo again. New class there: boxing.  So that was an hour and a half of fun - the guy wants to run it like it's a conditioning class in addition to a fighting class, so lots of push ups, sit ups, and squats. Fun times. I'm doing this specifically because I'm trying to teach my hands what to do when they're not in use, how to cover and counter with good position, basically. It jibes pretty well with the karate, actually, although some of my defaults in terms of shifting and length of stance are problems. So this is probably more like a clinic on close fighting (you want to keep a shorter stance and closer hands when close because otherwise you risk giving the opponent your back, which is never good) which again I will take.

 

My only regret was deciding to do upper body afterward. That was a mistake.

 

Incline Push Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Push Ups: 5x3

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

High Rows: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Lower Rows: 4x3

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Scap Push Ups: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Scap Plank: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Scap Plank On Hands: 3x12s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Decided to allot myself more calories when I realized that, with the end of OT, I'd be back to doing lots of two-a-days, and I need some friggin' energy to make this work. So, ~2000 calories a day or so. Again avoiding measurements to keep things consistent and boring and not give myself room to cheat. It's already working.

 

Which brings us to Monday. Rest day. Got my flu shot because vaccinations are something I view as a personal responsibility. But otherwise, there's nothing else to do today. I'll probably wind up with some shadowboxing before the day is out, but that stuff is done more for flow and such.

 

Also, it impresses upon me how much I want to clean this damn place up. But at least I vacuumed yesterday, and even that little bit helped me feel better about life and such.

[Mistr]

Glad you got in some relaxation time after all that work.

 

I think you have a good plan on not weighing yourself as often. Those strict eating guides just don't match up with real life. Sure, eat more veggies and fewer donuts. But you have to have enough flexibility to deal with social events.

[Urgan]

2 hours ago, Mistr said:

I think you have a good plan on not weighing yourself as often. Those strict eating guides just don't match up with real life. Sure, eat more veggies and fewer donuts. But you have to have enough flexibility to deal with social events.

 

I think he uses lower measurements as an excuse to eat more as an offset, yes? This is an amusing Issue with measuring too often.

[Kishi]

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:20 PM, Mistr said:

I think you have a good plan on not weighing yourself as often. Those strict eating guides just don't match up with real life. Sure, eat more veggies and fewer donuts. But you have to have enough flexibility to deal with social events.

 

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 8:45 PM, Urgan said:

 

I think he uses lower measurements as an excuse to eat more as an offset, yes? This is an amusing Issue with measuring too often.

 

As usual, @Urgan has my number. I tended not to look at the numbers as a sign I was doing a good job. Instead, it was more like, "ah, I can take my foot off the gas a bit." And that wound up with me slamming on the brakes, to continue the metaphor.

 

*

 

So, let's catch up.

 

Monday wound up not being gaming. Somehow most of us just didn't show up. Not sure if we were all just tired or what, although being my paranoid self I have a hunch that there's some interpersonal issues that would have been exacerbated by the present political moment, and most of us didn't want to deal with it.

 

Fine with me, though. I went and made good food and did my laundry, which sorely needed doing. And shadowboxed.

 

Tuesday wound up being a bit different. Normally what I try to do is I try to do S&S and get that done before Karate. I've always done that because I know that Karate is built to take it out of me and I didn't want to bring a weakened body to the bells. But as a result of that, I'm usually fatigued in class, and there's a lot of forward flexion in our movements there, and per Pavel's warnings I can't help but wonder if that might be exacerbating some of my issues with the hamstring and such.

 

On the flip side, I've been worried about exercising too late at night and the Tonic Effect keeping me up too late.

 

But I got out of work late and barely had time to get dinner in the IP before I had to take off for class, so I thought it might be worth experimenting. Got to class, where we worked on constructive retreats and getting off the line. Afterward, went home and did S&S.

 

And... it worked out really well. I did my swings with the added weight and everything felt fine. I had time to stretch out. I did experience a little bit of the Tonic Effect, but the only thing that did was give me enough energy and gumption to take a cold shower to cool off, and afterward I ate dinner, which for me is a huge, carb-heavy affair, which between size and serotonin put me right to sleep without any trouble.

 

Best part? I woke up today with no pain. Freaking yes.

 

The only downside is I didn't have/make time to shadowbox; this can be addressed in future Tuesday nights, although I suspect in some ways it will be circumstantial depending on what time I get out of work. OTOH, though, I still got to class, so it's not like I *didn't* practice.

 

Today normally would be leg work and judo, but we're changing it up a bit. In a bid for a bit of a life off the mats, I'm going off to hang with that gentleman friend of mine tonight instead. Judo will probably be shifted over to Saturday for practice instead, except for this Saturday being family gaming. Not sure what food will look like tonight, as he's trying to get in shape for a foot race and does value physical activity, but doesn't really seem to know how to eat optimally for it. I guess I'mma find out.

[Urgan]

6 minutes ago, Kishi said:

As usual, @Urgan has my number. I tended not to look at the numbers as a sign I was doing a good job. Instead, it was more like, "ah, I can take my foot off the gas a bit." And that wound up with me slamming on the brakes, to continue the metaphor.

 

I'm not going to throw shade on anything that encourages you to let up the proverbial gas pedal, however yes it is very amusing. It will be interesting to see the results of this psychological experiment in black boxing your measurements.

 

7 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Best part? I woke up today with no pain. Freaking yes.

 

The best part of waking up...

[Kishi]

On ‎10‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 9:55 AM, Urgan said:

The best part of waking up...

 

is to know you ain't effed up!

 

*

 

So, let's talk about Wednesday.

 

Trained as follows:

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Half Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 4x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Notable for the fact that the elevated surface I'd been using wasn't available, so I wound up with a lower one. Could still complete my reps, but still need to work on keeping those legs together, getting my legs to 'bite' into the ground so I can get back over them again and all that. Now that I have it to think about, I didn't really track how many of these reps were "fouls" as opposed to one where I "failed." An operating standard I've been working with is to not fail more than 10% of my reps. I only failed one, but if I expanded that to include the fouls then it would have been more than 10%. So, you look at it that way, that probably means I need to stay where I am.
• Still, no need to regress. I can only recall three fouled reps, and even if you figure that the one failure counts as a separate rep, it still means I had 12 solid, which was the last step (3x4). And those at a lower elevation, which is good. So, there's no real point in regressing right now, I think, but all the more reason to stay here and practice.
• On that note, need to track fouls and fails and whether they happen separately or not.

After that, went to visit with my friend. We watched a few episodes of The Expanse. Had a few beers, left, had a crisis of macros and ultimately wound up at the grocery store where I picked up some microwaveables and some groceries and some Halo Top to control the damage.

 

So, that's 3 off days - 2 bad, 1 moderated. And I'm thoughtful about it now because drinking is probably going to be a regular thing if I do this. Which I don't object to; it's just something I have to make room for. I've mulled over a lot of permutations of things, and I've decided that going forward, I will regard 1 drink as equivalent to 1 serving of carbs. Which is concurrent with most lifting wisdom on the matter. In which case, I can make room for it in my macros by just skipping out on carbs at lunch. I could still hit Chipotle afterward and basically run ish like it's normal. (which was what caused the crisis in macros - I had carbs at lunch like normal and then 3 beers, and in my head that was equivalent to 3 servings of rice at night which I couldn't figure out how to make work if I was going to grab dinner afterward and then I remembered I had to grocery shop anyway and and and)

 

At least with this, I didn't eat myself to the point of food hangover, which is a good sign.

 

Anyway. Handstand work and karate on the docket tonight. And, need to keep working on planning out the novel, what with NaNoWriMo being up next month.

[Kishi]

Thursday down.

 

Planning happened. Headstands happened.

 

Tripod: 1x15s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Headstand: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Forearm Headstand: 4x24s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Good and quick. Unfortunately, didn't get back in time to get my gi washed for class, so wound up going without. Lots of practice at karate on controlling lines of attack. Lot of bouncing. Very cardio-heavy. Sparred afterward; sparred so well, actually, that K-sensei actually told me I looked skillful. That is high praise.

 

Anyway, work is being a bear, so I'm staying late to finish some stuff off. Core and bagwork tonight.

[Treva]

On 9/27/2018 at 9:55 AM, Kishi said:

OTOH, though, hey, at least I'm able to cook eggs again. I'd totally allowed myself to forget that microwaved scrambled eggs in a cup is totally a thing. I did them up along with bison and rice last night and that was really good.  Nice to have those back in rotation.

That sounds INSANELY delicious.  Bison and eggs and rice.  That is amazing.  Do you do anything to season it specially?

 

On 10/1/2018 at 10:44 AM, Kishi said:

Which brings us to Monday. Rest day. Got my flu shot because vaccinations are something I view as a personal responsibility. 

Thank you for getting your flu shot.  Even though it sometimes knocks you out for a day or two.

 

On 10/3/2018 at 9:47 AM, Kishi said:

And... it worked out really well. I did my swings with the added weight and everything felt fine. I had time to stretch out. I did experience a little bit of the Tonic Effect, but the only thing that did was give me enough energy and gumption to take a cold shower to cool off, and afterward I ate dinner, which for me is a huge, carb-heavy affair, which between size and serotonin put me right to sleep without any trouble.

 

Best part? I woke up today with no pain. Freaking yes.

No pain and sleeping well?  That's so wonderful!   i'm glad to hear it!!  (cold showers and carbs sound nice).

Although maybe I missed something, what is the tonic effect?

 

On 10/4/2018 at 2:17 PM, Kishi said:

After that, went to visit with my friend. We watched a few episodes of The Expanse. Had a few beers, left, had a crisis of macros and ultimately wound up at the grocery store where I picked up some microwaveables and some groceries and some Halo Top to control the damage.

 

I feel this.  Halo Top is so nice to control the damage.  Good on you for solving The Great Macro Crisis.   Do you have favorite microwaveables for Macro Crises?  

 

18 hours ago, Kishi said:

Sparred afterward; sparred so well, actually, that K-sensei actually told me I looked skillful. That is high praise.

Yay!!!! Go you!! I'm so glad to hear that you got lots of positive reinforcement!!  because you are a BAMF.  

[Kishi]

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 11:54 AM, Treva said:

That sounds INSANELY delicious.  Bison and eggs and rice.  That is amazing.  Do you do anything to season it specially?

 

Well, since I have a sweet tooth, I tend to use Stevia to sweeten the rice, and cinnamon to warm it. Otherwise, with bison, I find that you can spice it like beef, so any spices you use for that can also be used for bison. I'm partial to basil, myself, but that's because I'm kind of a lazy cook, and when I find something that works, I generally tend to stick with it. Although come to think of it, given that I tend toward Tex-Mex flavors in my cooking, it might be better to go for Cayenne instead?

 

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 11:54 AM, Treva said:

Thank you for getting your flu shot.  Even though it sometimes knocks you out for a day or two.

 

It's no problem. It's something my body can stand, and not everyone can, and also with the anti-vax movement being a thing and having an effect, I just don't see how I can't.

 

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 11:54 AM, Treva said:

No pain and sleeping well?  That's so wonderful!   i'm glad to hear it!!  (cold showers and carbs sound nice).

 

Yup! They're pretty wonderful, honestly.

 

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 11:54 AM, Treva said:

Although maybe I missed something, what is the tonic effect?

 

Tonic effect is something that Pavel talked about in his earlier works where you exercise and then get that endorphine effect that can wake you up. It is apparently more pronounced in Soviet training.

 

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 11:54 AM, Treva said:

I feel this.  Halo Top is so nice to control the damage.  Good on you for solving The Great Macro Crisis.   Do you have favorite microwaveables for Macro Crises?

 

For me, my two favorites are Jamaican meat pastries and microwaveable pizza. There's this one brand in the grocery store which is just the most aggressively, needlessly masculine thing I've ever seen. It's got a punch-out cardboard mustache in the back, and instead of saying it has one pizza in it, it instead has a sign in big bold letters that says "I'M SINGLE."

 

And I'm like, whoa, man, whoa. This pizza box needs some chill. But OTOH, it's kind of glorious and also delicious, so I do it. I tend to favor the meat-lover's myself.

 

I've tried other stuff like pot pies and instant dinners, but they're so much like what I do already and so much worse. I tend to prefer my own handiwork instead.

 

*

 

So, gosh, nothing since Friday. 'kay.

 

So Friday, the original thought was get out early and hit up the mats again over in Durham. That did not happen. Work turned sideways - lots of calls on top of a more-than-full workload. I ultimately felt too guilty to leave, which was silly of me - the productive work was done on time, and there wasn't a reason for me to stay.

 

I did the Core work that day, and it's notable in that I found a way to tighten up the Tuck Rocks. I think there was some weakness in what I was doing before, in that I had a tendency to scoot. I basically tightened up my core even more, and as a result, no scoots, but also way harder comparatively. So I'll be dropping reps on that one again (sigh) but I've made notes about the technique and I should be able to advance farther next time. I hit the bag for a bit and that was the end of that.

 

Friday night was when my luck ran out. Finally got pulled by the cops for outdated tags. Luckily, got off with a warning, as the paperwork was up to date as of last month and I'm still in the grace period. Have I mentioned out grateful I am for my family?

 

Speaking of, Saturday I gamed with the family. The folks are looking good - losing weight and such. It's funny - they practice intermittent fasting/restricted eating patterns now too, and even though we'd made all this food, we didn't touch it until late in the session. I couldn't help laughing about it, but I was proud of them too. Could've been the game too, tho. Little Brother is a skilled storyteller. Also, he gave me a set of metal dice, which I am now going to use for everything. He actually put a lot of thought into picking out dice for us, based on the designs and how he feels they match the characters, and... it's a lot more thoughtful of him than I would normally give him credit for.

 

Dropped off some books and movies I don't need anymore, then went to Knife-kido. Played there for a while. Then got off the mats and did S&S with the added weight, and... it came off fine. Nothing was exacerbated; everything played in good working order. I'm finally cleared to advance. About bloody time.

 

Anyway, food wound up being an asshole affair again. Brings it to 4 off days - 3 bad, 1 moderated. Basically, in the past week since I declared myself back in cut, every other day I've been off. Holy crap. Good thing I'm not tracking weight all the time anymore or else this would have been just damn demoralizing. But as it is, there's still plenty of time between here and the next check in, and I know how to manage this so it's not a problem.

 

Also, I woke up hungry the next day, so I can't have done that much harm. Way better than the old days of food hangover.

 

Did Upper Body training, and hit all my sets and reps but had to grind for a couple at the end, so that means stay and get 'em right for a minute. Afterward, went to boxing practice and it was like paying for my sins. Tons of core work - lots of boxer's crunches, planks, and also coach dropped a medicine ball on me. Also, lots of shadowboxing and pads. A lot of good stuff in the practice, though, that seems to work well with what I do already. And, the karate serves me well - I already know how to cut angles and move around on the line of attack, so making my technique fit boxing only requires a relatively minor degree of refinement.

 

And... as tiring as it is, it feels really good to practice. Coach is a very positive-minded person, very enthusiastic. I enjoy the practice.

 

Manong came in afterward and pulled in a third guy who practices Kali with us and has an MBA, and we tried to brainstorm some ways to grow the school. We have thoughts about this, specifically reaching out to private and charter schools in the area to do some kind of after school programs, which, I mean, sounds great in theory, but isn't something I have any time to commit.

 

Today should be gaming, but it seems some of our key players are out and I dunno what we're doing. It's been encouraged that we come out and hang, but given that the problematic player will be there, and given that the DM will probably try to pull us into another one shot that lasts two or three weeks with us staying 'til 23:00 or so, I just dunno if I feel like going. The answer is less than a "Hell Yeah!" right now and I could use the night to catch up on some chores.

[Urgan]

Now I'm no high powered marketing mind, but it sounds like the microwave pizza company has their target demographic on lockdown.

[Kishi]

14 hours ago, Urgan said:

Now I'm no high powered marketing mind, but it sounds like the microwave pizza company has their target demographic on lockdown.

 

Well, I mean, they got me.

 

*

 

So, Monday. Didn't go to gaming. Didn't feel like it and wanted to clean up, so that was what I did. Running into some storage issues for lots of little stuff, but realized this morning I could repurpose some of my space for storing things and it wouldn't be a Bad. So, will probably do that when I get home and while that won't solve everything it will definitely solve some things.

 

But yeah, otherwise, ate good food, chatted up a cute girl at the grocery register on my way home and generally just had a quiet night to myself. Felt good, actually.

 

Today, karate and kettlebells, in that order.

[Kishi]

Tuesday down!

 

Tuesday was Karate and the bells, and that was what I did. Lots of footwork practice, a little bit of comboing, and a round of sparring at the end. Got some lessons on how to throw when wearing thick boxing gloves, which is always useful.

 

Kettlebells happened after, and there was no disruption in sleep. I was able to go up to two sets of swings with the 16, which felt good on an emotional level in addition to physical. There was a little bit of back ache which happened with reps, but this tied to some stretching I've been doing lately and also the fact that the boxer's crunches exacerbate some issues with a hyperactive left psoas which loves to take up for my abs. I tried to do a set of 'em on Monday and realized I shouldn't have after the fact; as it is, I can probably handle once a week or so but not really more than that.

 

But there's no pain today and I'm moving well, so.

 

Otherwise, the only really notable thing was that I was kind of stressed yesterday. The auto place that I was going to get my car fixed bumped my appointment out about a week or so, past the end of the grace period. And with me having been pulled by the cops, and with an elevated police presence in my area due to road work being done, it's kind of got me on edge. Granted, I've gone a whole year with just a warning and that in the past few days, but even so. Just feeling like I got screwed. I've considered going to other places, but so far the result has been that they know it'll be pricey and they don't have the part in stock, so they'd delay even longer than the place I'm going now.

 

I tried to get my warranty to cover it, since the car doesn't even have 100k miles on it, but I made the mistake of telling them that I had a pre-existing condition, so they're not going to cover the repairs. I renewed the warranty anyway, and I even managed to negotiate a lower rate for high coverage than what they wanted to charge me initially. But it's still the principle of the thing.

 

So, basically, I've got this feeling that I'm going to be screwed for trying to do the right thing, and that bothers me. I mean, it kind of figures - I get a lucky break, haul ass trying to get the money together, and finally do just to get my plates removed at the last second, leading to all kinds of new problems for me to solve. (which hasn't happened yet, so it's not worth worrying about, but dammit if my bad luck doesn't have me on edge).

 

Still, there is hope. Grace period ends 10/15 which is the new date of the repairs, and I was contacted via text by the repair place, so I have documentation that it's not my fault. I suppose if I'm pulled between here and there that it'll come down to the mercy of whichever cop pulls me. So, no sense in getting all bothered about it.

 

Today, we had pizza to celebrate the fact that we are good government drones. Macros are blown despite the plans. 5 off days out of 10. Holy crow. I'm looking at the calendar and I see 3 more coming that I know about. Dang. No wonder losing weight is hard for me.

 

Still, though, I'm eating at a cut when left to my own devices, so who knows? I might get back into the 180s at the end of the month anyway. Still not going to measure until then.

 

Legwork and The Expanse tonight.

[Kishi]

Wednesday down!

 

Legwork went as follows:

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Half Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 4x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

High quality reps all except for one, which is an acceptable margin of error. (For the record: I consider an acceptable margin to be less than 10% of my total reps that day. 1/16 = 6.25%). Really pleased with how I did here - I'd somehow convinced myself that I couldn't hit depth with proper form, so I got the chance to prove myself wrong in a good way.

 

Beer and The Expanse happened after. My original plan would have worked if work hadn't got in the way. I strongly suspect this is the thing that will get the most in my way, or more accurately my attitudes toward food and its social functions and that it shouldn't be wasted.

 

In any event, it looks like Hurricane Michael is kicking things up around here and I don't know what the night's plans are. Handstands will be on the docket for sure; I don't know if karate is going to be cancelled or what. I suspect not, but plans do go awry.