antagonistic to the natural state

Okay, maybe those aren't actually his ears, maybe Argus just has really awesome hair.  Or maybe he has a sever ear hair problem, he is pretty old after all.  Whatever, i think he's still slightly higher in esteem than Asura, nobility is cool and all, but man...have some fucking fun.


The more higher-rep "heavy" sets i do, the more the idea of how full-body lifts provide a "cardio-ish" element gets driven home.  Sure, 265 isn't really that impressive of a squat number, but for me here and now it was fairly solid.  Front squats were a bit weird, i sorta feel like i need to hit more weight on those, ditto Romanian Deadlifts.  Now that my right hand grip is getting better I feel like i can probably hold quite a bit more, so i should probably do this.  

I'm not having weird food dreams yet/again, nor am i having incredibly vivid sex dreams, so I imagine i'm keeping my calories at a fairly normal-ish level.  It is funny how much of a different effect on my sleep walking has vs martial arts.  More incentive to make sure I get up at the right time.  There are other reasons, i won't lie, i think it's maybe my old age again, but you know...the timeslice encompassing the two-ish hours in the morning where i train, go for a walk, then take a shower is my favorite thing in the world right now.  Simplicity, it's awesome:

• Squat: 205/235/265x10
• Front Squat: 5x5 165
• Romanian: 5x5 165
• Barbell Split: 4x8 95
• DB Back Raise: 4x8 50
• Wide Grip EZ Curl: 3x12 45
• EZ Reverse Curl: 3x12 35

I really want to rant about game "journalism" right now, but you know, it's Friday, I'm going to bunker tonight, i'm going to eat good cheese for lunch, and we just made an offer to an awesome Sr Technical Artist.  I'm happy right now.

Today's TrainingTune: Stigmata - C-Lekktor.

i had a dream filled with machines

Almost fell back into a routine today, i need a big poster over my bed of one of the awesome VR scenes from Johnny Mnemonic (go 3ds max!) that says "HACK YOUR OWN BRAIN!" so i remember to get out of bed and go lift regardless, something like this:




See because he's hacking his brain and...ok if you saw the movie (which i hope you did), you know where i'm going with this.  Cycle 2 of 5/3/1 is almost over and man i gotta saw things have happened!  I'm gettin all strong again and have some size back, which is cool.  Really curious as to how this carb nite thing is going to work out becase it seems like a culmination of all the eating strategies i've tried over the last few years, or at least a culmination of all the eating strategies that WORKED (important qualifier).  So yeah we'll see, it's kinda interesting doing all this reading on conditions caused by depletion, esp when it's more from people who actually train since they can actually give you a relevant frame of reference.  Thankfully i'm not a hypochondriac so it's easy to call things out without panicking.  All in stride, i suppose you just have to accept that some things are part of the process and go on:

• Press: 105/115/135x4
• A1. Pullup: 5x5 12.5
• A2. DB Shoulder: 5x5 45
• B1. TBar Row: 4x8 115
• B2. DB Incline: 4x8 60
• C1. EZ Bar Curl: 3x12 75
• C2. EZ French: 3x12 35

Not much on the gaming front specifically, altho i had some really interesting thoughts about...i'm not sure if it's entitlement, well yeah it is.  I was reading an article on this whole uproar over DC's new sexified characters (which i personally think is awesome) and i some of the comments provoked some interesting thoughts.  The whole topic of "internet white knights" is something i could touch on for days, but i won't, though i will say it's probably unfair to assign this condition to just to internet, i mean let's be honest, get into any group of mixed sexes and i'm sure you'll see all the dudes put on their faux coat of arms declaring their allegiance to the army of the enlightened...which is probably why i tend not to talk too much in mixed company, honestly it's not worth being pegged as the uncouth boorish neanderthal who actually likes all the things men aren't supposed to like in public.  Whatever.

No the topic i was more thinking of was this idea that "just don't buy the product" somehow doesn't seem to be a valid argument.  I gotta say, if the media and corporations have gotten us all to the point where we need our fixes so badly that voting with our dollar isn't a viable option anymore, they've already won.  Get used to the current state of things and prepare for a tidal wave of sexified comic book characters.  I must say it always blows my mind to see a company like EA, Activision, or Blizzard backpedal on some announcement they make.  I'd love to see someone stick by their guns for once and run some metrics on how insignifcant the conversion from internet rage to actual revenue lost is.  I'd imagine it's pretty tiny.  Fuck PR.

Today's TrainingTune: initial reaction - pneumatic detach.

rooted

Day two of brain hacking is going surprisingly well, now i think i just need to focus on the physical.  I think there's something to be said for actively directing your body to do things, you know, you start by telling yourself, yes i'm going to do this, then ok now you HAVE to do this, then internalizing it.  I think it might be akin to feeling the muscles as some bodybuilders call it, but yeah, i think it's just the idea of actively putting your mind/mental self into your body/muscles, as weird as that sounds, but you know, i get the distinct impression people dont' do it.

I came to a realization this morning that there is a difference between pushing through actual physical distress and...let's just call it overall discomfort?  For example, i woke up this morning feeling kinda like shit, but not really in pain, just a little tired, a little sick at the stomach from bad sleep and work, and overall eating pattern changeup, but you know, i think that's just the sorta thing you don't even think about pushing through, you just do it.  Now if i had woken up puking organs up, that's different but extremes are...well you know.  Seriously, why do i even have to qualify shit like that anymore:

• Deadlift: 205/235/265x9
• GHR: 5x6
• Chinup: 5x5 10 
• Seated Row: 4x10 140
• Uni Shldr Press: 4x10/4x12 40
• DB Row: 4x10 70

Nagrand i think is my favorite WoW zone of pretty much all time, granted i haven't been to Northrend yet, so who knows?  I like big open nature spaces like that, virtual or otherwise.  It takes me back to my childhood, growing up hiking the Ozarks and the like.  I really miss getting into the outdoors, i haven't been camping in way too long.  It's funny, sometimes when i'm playing WoW, i'll setup a camp fire and just go hunting, etc.  It's stupid i know, and really i should just get out more.  Working on it...working on it.

Today's TrainingTune: 1200 - Mushroomhead.

sinner

So i'm going to start trying this mental hacking thing just for the hell of it.  I was reading an article about SEAL training and they make some interesting points.  Yeah, yeah, i know, i'm NOT a SEAL, but that doesn't mean there aren't things we can't learn and incorporate on some level.  For one, the idea of hell week.  Four hours of sleep at random intervals intersperced with days of INSANE amounts of physical activity.  Given that, why can't i condition myself to be able to train in the morning on less than optimal amounts of sleep?  I say thee yea, this can be done.  So let's see what happens.  Take a little page from Coach Dan Jon and just start by showing up, right?  Did that this morning and hey, got my bench back on track and even went an extra rep with heavier weight.  Good sign?  I think so.

I dunno you know, even tho i'm totally living in this weird fantasyland that's going to come crashing horribly down around me like it always does...well...i doubt it's going to be that horrible, i'm a bit older and better conditioned now, i suppose on some level i'll deal with it better, i mean hell, not even the waiting is killing me...but i digress..It's kinda nice to have some sort of placeholder for your goal that actually makes it real-ish, you know?  And when the sun burns out, none of it mattered and we center on a new star (or some other such poetic bullshit, i was never good at that sorta thing):

• Bench Press: 165/185/205x10
• A1. DB Incline: 5x5 70
• A2. Lat Raise: 5x5 35
• B1. DB Neutral: 4x10 70/65/65/65
• B2. Kneeling TC: 4x30 200
• C1. Cable Curl: 4x10 150/140/140/140
• C2. Rope Extension: 4x10 150

Haven't gamed a whole bunch between yesterday and today, nor really thought about.  Umm...Oh yeah, League Of Legends: Dominion is OUT!  Go PwnFace!!

Today's TrainingTune: When Death Embrace Me - Panzer AG.

burned on the ground

Always goes back to the little things, doesn't it?  A trip to your favorite coffee shop after a morning lift, but even that's not safe from change.  Why would you stop serving 20 oz Americanos?  I mean, it's not THAT much more water than a 16...is it?  Ahh who knows, the subtle science of resource management constantly eludes me, which is probably why i love RTSs but am really not any good at them.  Anywayz...

The adage about being able to trace pain up or down the chain continues to hold true, i have traced my elbow pain while benching to EXTREMELY tight wrists.  The minor swelling in my left wrist i can probably attribute to some of it as well.  Really hoping its not the onset of tendonitis, though if it is i suppose i can thank god i'm not a drummer anymore.  

Yeah still baffled by how a gym on a college campus doesn't have a decent bench station.  The "bench station" they have is just...not built for benching, and sadly even the squat rack is spaced odd for someone with short hobbit arms like me.  Almost lost the bar unracking for the 195s, that would have been fun.  Probably could have handled it if i had stretched a bit better, as it was, grinding out the 195s was setting my wrists and elbows on fire, had to squeeze the bar pretty hard to stave it off for the set:

• Bench Press: 155/175/195x9
• A1. DB Incline: 5x5 65
• A2. Lat Raise: 5x5 35
• B1. DB Neutral Decline: 4x10 65
• B2. Kneeling TC: 4x30 200
• C1. Cable Curl: 4x10 140
• C2. Rope Extension: 4x10 150

Spent some serious time with Horde mode in Gears 3...Holy God that shit's fun.  That may seriously be my new brainless timekiller game of the year.  I didn't realize there was actually some serious depth and progression to the fortification element, i just thought it was this cool twist on the norm.  Man, Firefight 3.0 better come with it, glove has seriously been tossed.  Kinda anxious to dive into Campaign too, you know, i gotta say, i've always been a fan of 3rd-person shooters in general, even moreso than FPSs, and Gears is really the pinnacle...well, if you don't count Earth Defense Force.  Altho...vertical split screen?  Let's see some proper horizontal split screen for EDF 3, eh?

Today's TrainingTune: Accelerant - Die Sektor.

under the guise

An odd morning of sorts, but it's funny how little effort a properly designed arm split can be. Admittedly, no really big numbers here either, like nothing extremely taxing, other than the close grip curls, which I sorta feel were only really hard because the technique is new.  I really did like this split overall, I've been looking for a good, fun, arm split i can do once a week just to keep things flowing.  One of the things I liked about the lower weights on some of these too was really being able to hit the range of motion.  Getting a REALLY good stretch at the top of the overhead extensions was a new feeling, which I'll keep.  It really makes you think alot about shoulder and overall joint health.  Something i'll have to keep in mind when designing arm splits going forward.

• Close Grip EZ Curl: 3x8 75
• High Hammer Curl: 3x8 30
• Kneeling Chindown: 3x20 200
• Stiff Arm Pushdown: 3x8 140
• Overhead Extension: 3x8 80
• Kneeling Neutral Grip: 3x25 200

Hard Reset on Easy is just pure brainless fun.  It reminds of how badly we need another Serious Sam game, but one closer to the original.  Don't get me wrong, SS2 was a fun game and did look really good, in fact, even played decently, but I came to miss those wide open arenas of massive gun carnage.  I'm not really sure what the trend towards levels that are incredibly complicated to traverse are nowadays, especially in FPSs.  I always had the thought that a good FPS level is one you could play running backwards.  I say this because this is the sort of thing that usually highlights the discrepancy between combat design and level design.  Your combat is designed such that i have to backpedal to not die, but your level is laid out in such a fashion that I back up into something immediately.  That's not called challenge, it's called bad, unfun design.  Sorta like how WoW likes to use grouping as a crutch and make it ok because you can only get the cool gear by leaning on the crutch and limping through the badly designed content that takes advantage of the fact that you're handicapped...

Snatch Is Not A Dirty Word

Today, I learned how to power snatch! The internet taught me (many videos), and Jessica, having dabbled in Oly lifting before, watched and corrected my form as I progressed. I gotta say, it was fun. Maybe I'll become an Oly lifter.... nah :)

A1. Hip/Shoulders Mobility/Prehab

B1. OH Squat (light warmup)

3 x 8 x 45#                  

C1. Snatch

8 x 45#
6 x 65#
4 x 85#
2 x 105#
1 x 125#
2 x 1 x 135#

These got hard around 125#- not so much the weight, but trusting myself to get under the bar and catch it at the end. Still, I liked how these all felt and am looking forward to the explosive strength they help me develop!

D1. JM Press

3 x 8 x 55#

D2. Pullups

4 x 6 x bw + medium band

E1.   Deadlift for Reps in 30 Seconds

8 x 315#
5 x 315#          

I got an endurance event in with the deadlifts at the end. it was supposed to be 3 sets of 30 seconds, but my hands laughed/screamed at me when I tried to grip the bar on the last one and I couldn't do a thing with it.


Overall, a good session!

memory never matches reality

This last week I've been in Colorado visiting my girlfriend/family, and it's been interesting (to say the least) getting away from the computer for a bit. P90x got put on hold while I scrambled to keep up with both work and a new social life, but after writing enough code that my manic quest to finish a certain allotment was appeased, I felt comfortable getting back into it. Moved up 5 lbs in the arm exercises, which is definitely feeling good today.

Without a pole in my living room, I had to go down to Oasis and use theirs... it was so strange being back.

Denver is... exactly how I remembered, and nothing like it. Maybe I've gotten used to suburbia... but I was really on my guard the whole time. At one point some guy in a white car slowed down to follow me on the street... fortunately I was by my car, so I ducked in through the passenger side and he drove off. I'm guessing that means he wasn't after my parking spot.

The city is just... vibrant, diverse, and filthy. Gigantic and tiny. I passionately love, and hate it. Walked by one old job (impossible pictures, where I did CG) and flipped it off on the way to my other old job, where I used to teach pole dancing. It smelled the same... the sweet scent of hookah that reminds me of lip gloss... but the lights were all on, and it seemed to have lost a bit of it's magic. The poles were stuffed in the back room, and we had to look all over to find the rubber foot pads. The classes had been discontinued... apparently the girl I left in charge did not keep up on marketing. I felt a little sad about that, but am not surprised. Most of my regulars were waitresses who worked with her... and I doubted they would have wanted to continue with someone they saw as an equal.

Practicing there was so reminiscent, in the strangest ways. I used to just hole up in that upstairs room, close the gate on the stairwell, and dance for hours, trying to find myself. I had just been through a divorce, and (at the time) felt so lost. It's funny... they still had the CD I left in the player. This song that used to mean so much is now just a nice melody.

by blind allegiance

Alright so day 1 of the assistance reset i feel went really well, the lower weights on the front squats let me focus alot on depth and mobility overall, so I may be sold on this a little more than I was last night.  Fair dues, I've been sold on it for the last couple of weeks at least the idea of.  I really hate bombing on lifts and I'm too old to really have any sort of ego about weights.  I keep saying that, I wonder if it's trying to reinforce it to myself or if it's just a go-to excuse at this point.  Ah well, either way, the statement stands.
I think i need to do more upper body mobility/prehab, i get the weirdest pain in my elbows when I do hanging stuff, but it's along the sides, more in the connective tissue than what you commonly think of as the joint?  Feelin like it's time to do a little more research on that, like...it doesn't feel threatening, usually goes away after the first set, and doesn't linger or pop up outside of training, so, i'll avoid panic for now:

• Squat: 190/225/245x10
• Jump Squat: 5x5 245
• Front Squat: 5x5 165
• BB Split: 5x5 95
• Romanian: 4x10 135
• Back Raise: 4x10 45
• Wukong: 5x6

Interesting about the whole Crytek doing Homefront 2.  You know, the original Homefront was a great premise and I did enjoy certain parts of it.  I dunno, so, I really like FPSs, but i wish people would stop doing crazy shit and just make an FPS with the basic, time honored FPS mechanics we all know and love, then maybe toss in some story elements that don't fuck with the gameplay by adding some stupid mechanic designed to make me somehow feel like i'm more connected to the world, cuz, much like that judo head throw stuff, that shit never works.  Hard Reset is in my download queue for this very reason, i like pure fun shooters.  Don't get me wrong, I like story alot, esp if it's well presented.  For this reason, you'd think I'd be a Halo fan, but the problem with Halo is that they didn't really tell a story, they exposited it, which is both boring and lazy.  Seriously, watch an action movie, then watch a game with a "good story", you'll see a marked difference between the techniques used.

TrainingTune o'the Morn: Unholy - Davantage ft Suicide Commando.

obstacles to climb

The reality of heavier main lifts is setting it, but let's be honest, my main lifts still aren't THAT heavy.  Another sign i'm getting old, a weekend of late nights cannot be offset by a single evening of good-ish sleep.  It was a good weekend though, i'd do it again.  I had a weird almost panic moment in the gym today, for a brief second, i started wondering about why i was lifting and what the point of progressing was, then a little feeling of dread hit me about what happens when i stop progressing.  Then i remembered i have bigger reasons to keep progressing now, and it was all good.  It's funny how logic escapes me sometimes.  For some reason, I had pushed aside the fact that you CAN'T progress forever at certain rates, at some point you have to progress slowly or even reset.  Jim Wendler says in 5/3/1 that at some point you need to drop your numbers back and start climbing again, why shouldn't it be the same with assistance work?  So i'm going to reset my assistance numbers to account for my bigger main numbers.  Honestly, this has been coming for a bit, i've been missing way more than i should the last couple of training sessions.  No big deal, we're in it for the long haul.  There's always a picture that keeps me going:

• Press: 95/110/125x6
• Pullup: 5x5 10
• A1. DB Push Press: 5x5 50
• A2. Front Raise: 5x5 30
• B1. DB Floor Press: 4x10 65
• B2. DB Shrug: 4x10 65
• C1. EZ Curl: 4x10 95
• C2. EZ French: 4x10 70

Gotta say I'm actually looking forward to Gears 3 quite a bit.  It's always fun to see what new tech Epic is tossing into the fray, me being the graphics whore that I am.  My Xbox gaming is quite a bit far behind, largely due to my property manager's inability to schedule eletrical repairs for my apartment.  Sucks, I'm really jonesin to play El Shaddai too:(  Well, maybe I'll make it a point to get that done by the end of October.  It's funny though, I'm noticing that I only play console exclusives on my Xbox, really diggin having a good gaming PC.  Saint's Row 3....awww yeah.

TrainingTune o'the Morn: Everything I Have (Xentrifuge Remix) - The Panic Lift

Shouldering a New Load

Day 2 of the new Strongman training split was ME Upper day. Oh push presses, how I have missed thee...

A1.   Hip/Shoulders Mobility/Prehab

B1.   Push Press

8 x 45#
8 x 95#
3 x 135#
2 x 155#
2 x 2 x 185#
2 x 3 x 185#

Jessica told me that the first double at 185# would have been laughed off the platform so I did an extra set just because.

C1.   1-Armed Rows

4 x 7 x 110#

C2.   Front Squat Holds

30s x 185#
2 x 30s x 225#

Haha the 185# was so light I was talking through it and laughed. So I went up. The 225# was right.

D1.   2" band Pressdown

3 x 8 x 2" band

D2.   3" Pinch Grip

3 x 25s x 20# (3 plates)

Man my pinch grip suuuuucks these days, but it was good to get it in.


Overall, a great session. Got home from work when I wanted to, training took a little bit longer than I wanted, but hey, strongman.

Back To It

After Raw Nationals, I needed a mental break from powerlifting, so I took one. Extra stress outside of lifting contributed to not lifting, as well, but I'm back to it with a new strongman training plan. Sort of.

A1. Hip/Shoulder Prehab/Mobility

B1. Deadlift

8 x 45#
2 x 8 x 135#
5 x 225#
2 x 315#
1 x 365#
0 x 405#
3 x 2 x 365#


I WAS gonna do doubles with the 405#, but it wasn't happening. So I dropped it to 365# and got a few in.


Perhaps events tomorrow while I make ribs on the grill...

another year

I'm going to cut this as short as possible because i've had alot to drink tonight and we all know what happens when alcohol.  Echoing my thoughts from fitocracy, i need to figure out weights relative to particular overall splits vs just tossing numbers out.  Need to stop missing dumbbell push presses.  Also, it's fucking scary how much stronger my right side is over my left side.  Unacceptable:

• Deadlift: 190/215/245x9
• A1. Good Morning: 5x5 225
• A2. Chinup: 5x5 10
• A3. GHR: 5x6

Windowed mode.  Let's talk about motherfucking Windowed Mode for PC games.  Alright, checkit PC devs, Windowed Mode is not optional, it's not something you patch in later, YOU FUCKING SHIP WITH IT.  Why is this?  Because honestly, your game is NOT GOOD ENOUGH for me to devote the entirety of my attention to it to where i MUST play if fullscreen.  Yes, i'm happy that DX:HR added Windowed Mode in patch (and no offense to the Nixxes dudes, i worked with them for years), but newsflash: The fact that a few fanboys on your forum drool and masturbate over how "Windowed mode detracts from the experience", is NOT AN EXCUSE TO NOT SHIP WITH IT.  Wanna know what i'm doing while i'm playing your game?  Checking twitter and G+, Skyping with someone, watching netflix, yeah all sorts of other shit.  So get the fuck over yourselves.

TrainingTune o'the PM: Destruktor - Phosgore.

estas la muerte

I had promised myself i was going to give split squats an honest go but you know, i just can't seem to get the technique.  Honestly I think i'm just going to have to go all the way back to zero and practice with the bar.  Maybe just get up to really high reps with the bar and THEN start adding on 10 lbs at a time or something silly like that.  Definitely a longer term progression, but overall i think worth it given what I get out of split squats.  Seriously, split squats are like curls for your quads, except you can do them in the squat rack.  So boss.

So, the Jon Stewart segment on Muscled Americans was hilarious, i never get tired of hearing about Planet Fitness. It's funny you know, it may just be because i'm getting old, or maybe i'm just tired all the time, or i dunno, maybe it's because i got married and had a kid (wait, no, what?), but you know, i just don't care anymore.  You wanna curl in the squat rack?  You know dude, that's fine, i'll get my lifts in when you're done, i can move my shit around, it's cool.  And this I think is what strikes me the funniest about Planet Fitness, is I guess they're under the impression that powerlifters, bodybuilders, strongmen, whatever are a judgmental lot, and fair dues, yeah i used to be, but you know...i think about alot of the powerlifters and otherwise heavy training dudes i know/hang out with and honestly, they don't really care either.  I mean yeah sure, we all make snide tweets about it, but that's just us being silly.  Planet Fitness's equating one who grunts with one who judges is definitely an interesting connection to make.  Ah well:

• Squat: 180/205/230x10
• RDL: 5x5 205
• Front Squat: 5x5 185
• Jump Squat: 5x5 275
• Back Raise: 4x10 40
• Wukong: 5x6

I'm feeling myself in a rather RPGish mood, i think probably having to do with all the media coming out of TGS.  Dragon's Dogma, despite what the too-cool-for-school editors at Joystiq think looks REALLY fuckin cool to me, sorta like a what Dragon Age would've been if it had been...fun and had real gameplay.  Trine 2 is looking rather sweetish as well, really tempted to go back and give Trine another shot.  It's funny how many RPGs are sitting on my hard drive right now just begging to be played, from Dungeons of Dredmor to DX:HR.  Still trying to convince myself to give Bastion more time, but that PC control scheme really just kills it, to the point where I'm not sure i'm going to finish the game, as much as i want to see more of the art:(  I'm sure i'll give it another go, I'm far enough along that it would probably be a waste of time and 15 bucks if i didn't finish it at this point.

I continue have hope for Asura's Wrath mainly just because of how often they show content.  It's like, every trade show, you see something new from the game, which makes me think it's either at a state where they can just cut off a chunk of content when the need arises or they burn the team into the ground every time a trade show approaches.  Either way, i'm diggin what's coming down that pipe...

TrainingTune o'the PM: Pulse Of The Deranged - Sonik Foundry

words are not enough for me to live on

As much as i want to try and balance leanness and strength, my priority has to be strength for now.  Meaning, if i have to eat a little more at lunch to get into a good lift in the afternoon, we're gonna do that for now.  I wonder if it's a mindset thing too, i think i dread workouts a bit less now.  Well, dread's not a good word, but i think not training twice a day is definitely a load off, so that's good.  After last night, i think there's this instinctive sleeping thing i might try.  I went to bed at about 1 last night and got up at...let's say 8?  Still got in a decent workout, altho i'm noticing I'm cutting the power stuff more frequently.  I need to figure out a way to make that shit work better, having a power component is going to become increasingly important.  It may be that i need to do some tweaking and figure out what the maximum rest i can do that both facilitates recovery but is still minimal enough to give the metabolism a good crank.  Gah, back to the mad training lab i guess, fun for the whole family:

• Bench Press: 150/170/195x9
• A1. DB Incline: 5x5 75
• A2. Lat Raise: 5x8 35
• B1. DB NG Dec: 4x10 60
• B2. Kneeling TC: 4x25 200
• C1. Cable Curl: 4x10 140
• C2. Rope Extension: 4x10 150

I think Space Marine may be the perfect game for this year.  It only has really one small issue, but otherwise it's the just fun shooty-slashy-stompy violence.  I haven't played it enough to comment on it more than that yet, but I'll be spending some quality time with it Sunday i think.  Or maybe even tomorrow night.

TrainingTune o'the PM: Princess Chaos (Metafakt Remix) - Angelspit

disposable heroes

Steaz.  It's the new hotness, pick up a 4 or 6 or whatever pack of it at Whole Foods next time you go, i think i'm pretty thoroughly addicted.  You know, one of these days i'm going to actually lift in the morning like keep saying i'm going to, for fuck's sake.  I'm getting better about sleeping for the most part, I think i'm just a little restless about work.  Not that i'm not digging it or anything's bad, just lots to do and my brain is all over the place.  Training of course keeps me grounded, as i'm sure it does for most of us.  It's weird you know, I was sitting at lunch pulling apart my chicken as i tend to do and...well, ok it's not that good of a story, at least not in my head right now.  The point i'm making is that other than video games i don't tend to indulge in non-physical pursuits, not sure why that is.  I used to think it was some sort of rebellion (and honestly, at some point it was, but that was back when i was younger and angrier or whatever), but now i'm not sure.  Again, maybe it's just...something i do?  Ahhh well.  Finally starting to hit a wall with the numbers:

• Press: 90/105/115x9
  
• Pullup: 3x5/2x4 10
  
• A1. DB NG Shoulder: 5x5 65
• A2. Front Raise: 5x5 45
• B1. Floor Press: 3x10/1x6 75
• B2. Power Shrug: 4x10 155
• C1. EZ Curl: 4x10 90
• C2. EZ French: 4x10 65

So...i'm not really sure about Blizzard's design philosophy on some of the Outland content, i.e. here are a ton of random drop quests, that's how we extend the length of our content.  Yeah i think there's probably a better solution.  Sorta feels like classic WoW, how as you got closer to 60 the solo content really took a bit of a dive.  Granted it was a slow dive, but it sorta feels the same.  I still have like...19 levels to cap, but it's already starting to feel like it's on a downward.  Flying mounts are pretty fucken sick tho.

TrainingTune o'the PM: Martyrdom - FGFC820.

like god

So there's this piece of advice i've been following from the man himself Christian Thibaudeu that goes something to the effect of do what you feel you can, not what you have to.  Ok that sounds like a bit of a copout, so let me explain.  Basically what it means is be aware of how you feel when you're training and evaluate if you're going to get the maximum gains out of each set based on that.  That doesn't mean puss out because you're just having a weepy day, but it does mean if you really feel like you've gone as far as you can, maybe it's not a bad idea to just pinch it off.  Recently, I've found myself getting about 80% through my stations, at weight, mind you, and then just stopping.  Like literally, i mean i try to go into the next station and i can't even move the weight.  Case in point today, made it through all but the last two stations (DB Rows and Cleans), like, i went to grab the DB for rows and it seriously wouldn't move.  Which was weird, because going through the triset i felt like i got my second wind, but nope...So i cut it off and decided to go get donuts instead, it being sunday and all.  You know, in my old age, i'm just into that push-thru-it-all, train till you puke bullshit mentality any more, i'd rather make the most of what I can do, in other words, i'd rather do 80% at 110% instead of doing 100% at 75%.  Actually i haven't procured donuts yet, i'm taking some time to post this and rest a bit for the arduous trek down Wilshire to the KK.

Asura, you know, he seemed like a cool guy until i got to know Argus a bit more.  Asura and Argus are kinda like Dante and Nero.  Argus and Dante seem to be the guys you'd wanna hang out with, eat good food drink fine wine sleep with beautiful women, that sorta thing, whereas Asura and Nero...well, they're kinda whiny emo bitches.  Don't get me wrong yeah yeah fighting for love whatever, that's all very noble, but fuck man, have some fun.  You've got these superhuman abilities and fighting mastery, milk that shit, for fuck's sake.  I dunno...:

• Deadlift: 190/215/240x12
• A1. Good Morning: 5x5 215
• A2. Chinup: 5x5
• A3. GHR: 5x5
• Uni Push: 4x10 60

Not a stellar workout overall, but not bad i guess.  Like i said, overall it felt pretty good, i mean i definitely don't feel like i DIDN'T do hard work.  Still tempted to get straps, but really?  Straps for anything under 400 just seems kinda pussy.  So i won't.

TrainingTune o'the PM: Electrical Tones - Pop Stream and Alternative Control.

threshhold of pain

It's always that first push which is the hardest to get over, in anything you do (be it psychological or physical)

I'm not sure if it was coincidence or if I had let myself become that out of shape, but this week back into my (normal) training routine, I got sick and re-inflamed an old shoulder injury. Fortunately my wolverine-like healing abilities seem to be in full working order, because the intense muscle pains let up after a day.

Meeting your threshold of pain... seems I've been here so many times before that it's just become an old friend by now. Someone you give a short nod on your way past.

I'm looking forward to the coming weeks, the coming months, the coming years.



New move: Gently lowering into the splits

the years went by and i lost track

I had some interesting thoughts last night, mainly related to maximizing use of time alloted, for probably obvious reasons.  Anyway, I've ranted about this before, but to re-iterate, as cliche as this is to say (weird how i've been saying very cliche things alot for the last week), be into things you're into for fuck's sake.  I arrived at this particular thought thinking about how people often ask me if they can train with me, or if i'll train them, or have i ever thought about training people, and honestly, my answer anymore is No.  Well, let me qualify.  If you want to train with me, that is, if you want to come to the gym with me, that's cool.  I'm not going to train you, but if you wanna hang out, that's fine.  Reason being that training i think is probably the only thing i do anymore that i do because i LOVE doing it.  I mean sure, i do tons of other things, but i don't consider any of them really sacred.  I guess i'm not saying i wouldn't ever train someone else, but the reality is, if you want me train you, training has to mean as much to you as it does to me.  You know, nowadays everyone works out at least, you know everyone does P90X, Crossfit, Insanity, Zumba, whatever, so of course everyone catches the bug and "wants to train"...I dunno tho, i've had too many people just stop showing up, and you know, if i let you train with me or if i offer to train you, i'm sharing something important with you.  And when you treat it like that, that's just disrespect.  Usually i can shrug it off, but you know, not when it comes to training.  Training is one of those things that i'm getting to the point that i'm selfish enough to just keep for myself.  I started doing it by myself, if you want it bad enough, you can too:

• Bench: 140/160/180x13
• A1. DB Incline Press 5x5 70
• A2. Lat Raise 5x5 40
• B1. DB Neutral Decline 4x10 55
• B2. Kneeling TC 4x25 200
• C2. Cable Curl 4x10 130
• C3. RopeX 4x10 140
• Push Press 5x5 155

Gah, wish that Vitamin Shoppe on Wilshire would just fucking open.  Then i'd never have to drive again.  Well technically i already don't have to, i mean i can walk to GNC on the promenade so...eh whatever.

TrainingTune o'the morn: Bring Me Violence - Tactical Sekt

safe travels, dear friend

I had words, but now they've gone from me.  All I can say is Godspeed and Thank You for everything, Erika, I love you always.


I did lift some stuff today too:

• Squat: 170/195/215x13
• RDL: 5x5 225
• Front Squat: 5x5 175
• BB Split: 4x5 155
• Wukong: 5x5
• Jump Squat: 5x5 265

I couldn't find a good song for tonight.  Sorry, i guess nothing to see here really...Move along.

the wind will bring my name to you

Alright so the new blogger interface keeps changing, not really sure why, it's not really disconcerting at all, just weird. Pistachios! Anyway, yeah I've gotta agree with Jason Ferruggia, even if i don't drink, staying up till 2 makes me feel like i did. Makes me glad i have a session like this one that i can toss in and get a good workout but not get totally cooked in the event i didn't sleep as much as i should have. Well...I'm partially lying, the first superset today was freakin brutal. Also, this took me almost twice as long as it usually does, which I'm going to chalk up to just being sluggish overall. But it was overall a good workout, got a good walk in afterwards, I'll sleep tonight and stay on track tomorrow.  Oh wait, what?  Hmm...apparently blogger now remembers what tab you were on last.  Ok fair enough.  I learned something new, that's awesome.  Still need to figure my way around this newfangled fancy shmancy blogger interface.  But that's a project for later:

• A1. TRX Chest Press: 4x15
• A2. TRX OH: 4x15
• B1. Band Y: 4x10
• B2. Band Curl: 4x30
• C1. TRX Curl: 4x20
• C2. TRX Chest Row: 4x20
• D1. Band Lat: 4x10
• D2. Band Kneeling Tri: 4x30

Definitely felt the reps today, in a good way for sure.  Now to drink my cocktail of chemical nutrients and hope i get a little bigger tonight.  The future, it's here!

TrainingTune o'the morn: Bleed You Dry - Project Rotten

the strength of the chosen

So I'm adjusting the way I look at Power Shrugs now, and I kinda think i was being a little silly.  I realized today that they're more akin to a Static Hold than say a row or something like that.  It's basically a static/dynamic hold, at least the way I do em, since I tend to try and keep my grip tight.  My hold number isn't that high, so I figured maybe I should drop my Power Shrug number to somewhere in the range of my hold.  Sure, I guess I could buy straps since i'm doing shrugs as shoulders primary, but I really don't like the idea of passing up any opportunity for grip training.  Time to check the ego and boost the technique:

• Press: 95/110/120x6
• A1. Pullup: 5x5
• A2. DB NG Shoulder: 5x5 60
• A3. Front Raise: 5x5 40
• B1. Floor Press: 4x10 70
• B2. Power Shrug: 4x10 135
• C1. EZ Curl: 4x10 85
• C2. EZ French: 4x10 60

Something that may just be me because I'm a weak little girl, but I think there's a secret hidden bonus point to Poliquin's idea of training your ass off for two weeks, and that is that after two weeks of that shit, you are MORE THAN HAPPY to go back to training like a normal person for a bit.  In fact, I'm totally looking forward to post-Thanksgiving when I'll only be training twice a week for a month.  Crazy!  Of course after that it's back to training my ass into the ground for a week to setup more growth, but whatever.  It'll come when it comes.

TrainingTune o'the morn: Blood Divine - The Synthetic Dream Foundation.

the art of war

Alright NOW i'm caught up for the week.  Sucks to really only have one day off, but that's alright.  I'm not sure if i'm sleeping better, but it sure feels like i am.  Possibly moving the bed was a good idea?  Whatever the answer is it's working.  Today starts 5 days off, hell yeah.  All i'm going to do is train, eat, play games, and sleep whenever's i feel likes it.  Soooo looking forward to doing nothing for a bit.  PAX was not a vacation, but man it was worth it.  Was funny, i caught myself in the mirror at the gym tonight and thought just for a fleeting second..."Maybe i'm getting too big?"  Then i laughed so hard i almost puked.  Whatever, what the hell does "too big" mean?  As long as i don't get crazy fat, i don't really give a fuck.  Worked my ass off, lost alot of weight, but at the end of the day, didn't look as good as i was hoping for PAX (speaking of), so fuck it.  Big and Bullstrong, that's the quest, or as Stallone put it speaking of his look for the most recent Rambo movie:

"Here’s a guy who never looks in the mirror and has basically become a beast: broad-shouldered, thick traps, thick forearms and heavy in the thigh."

Just gotta smash all the mirrors in the gyms i go to.  But yeah fuck it.  I like being big.  It's easy for me to get big, so...milk it:

• TRX Chest 4x15
• TRX OH 4x15
• Band Lat 4x10
• TRX Curl 4x20
• TRX Hi Row 4x20
• Band Curl 4x30
• Band Kneel Tri 4x30

Alright then, speaking of getting big, time to go eat some food...and by that i mean more food.  Workout track o'the PM: Honour - VNV Nation.

under my skin

And the cycle of 3's is complete.  I have plans but i'm not sure which one to follow.  They all involve figuring my 1RM based on Wendler's formula in 5/3/1 and taking some combination (weight avg, linear avg, etc) to figure out my max going forward.  I think i want to err on the side of low so i can get through this first cycle with no deload weeks cuz fuck deload weeks.  I know, i know, i should listen to myself a bit more, but let's be honest, we all know my incessant cries of "i'm getting old" are a fucking joke...right guys?  right?:

• Bench Press: 130/150/170x12
• A1. Lat Raise: 5x5 40
• A2. DB Incline Press: 5x5 70
• DB Neutral Decline: 4x10 55
• B1. Kneeling TC: 4x25 200
• B2. Cable Curl: 4x10 130
• B3. RopeX: 4x10 140
• Push Press: 5x5 155

I had some epic food dreams last night, which i'm going to attribute to my low fat high carb eating.  Why?  Because i dreamed about meat and eggs.  Seriously, i was at this wicked breakfast buffet that had like...20 egg dishes.  Or maybe i'm just low on baby?  Egg...baby chicken...baby...yeah anyway.  Workout track o'the morn: Wet Dream [Delobbo Remix] - XP8.

your hand did this

Nothing like a small tweak to remind you to pay attention to things, case in point, the jammed right finger. Really starting to pay attention to my right hand grip, which is good. It's funny, in retrospect, I'll admit i'd let it slip quite a bit and it really shows. Usually when I'm doing any sort of heavy or high rep grip stuff (rows, deads, etc), my right hand always fails first. Well, now i HAVE to fix it, which is awesome. I'll also admit that i went a little overboard on squat reps today, 3/3/15 is probably not how 5/3/1 is supposed to go:

• Squat: 160/180/205x15
• A1. RDL: 5x5 205
• A2. Wukong: 5x5
• Front Squat: 5x5 165
• Jump Squat: 5x5 245
• BB Split: 2x10 155
• Back Raise: 4x10 35

Almost at the end of cycle 2, just need to bench tomorrow morning and we'll be good. I'll probably two-a-day tomorrow, do my eccentricless stuff friday night just so i'm all nice and swole-ish for the outing. Workout track o'the morn: Autonomy Of The Will - Dym.