Strengthening my lower back and all the surrounding core structures should probably get my lower back to shut up. My back doctor and P.T. are both on board with this, so here we go.
To this end, I've started Rippetoe's Starting Strength Novice program.
The books and dvd:
-Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe
-Practical Programming for Strength Training by Rippetoe
-Starting Strength Basic Barbell Training DVD
I've talked about these books before, so this time I'll just say it is the sheer level of detail on each lift that really got me into them. Last night was my B workout so I found my working weight for the Power Clean. Coach Adam was there, who conveniently just got SST barbell certified. I think learning this lift is a little bizarre because it's a power lift, meaning you've gotta get some acceleration going. Luckily Coach Adam basically knows approximately where I should start and about how much I can lift from coaching CrossFit on days I was there. For Workout A, his guess was spot on for my squats and for my deadlift so I went with his suggestions for Power Clean as well.
There's really no "go through the motions slowly" type of ramp-up. You have to get a little weight on the bar for it to behave properly (i.e. be accelerated). Of course if you put too much weight on you're headed for disaster. Once you pick a weight that you think will behave correctly and is the magic not-too-heavy but not-too-light you just gotta go for it. I've been working on the timing of it a bit with a ball. Last night was time to move to a bar. So, I started with a 15K bar and went up in little tiny increments from there. That old sternoclavicular tear doesn't like shrugging, at all. So I kept it light and kept working on getting that shoulder to move. I think I challenged it just enough to know that it's there, but not too much. That golden place of getting that shoulder unstuck. This morning my traps are a little 'good' sore and my sternum is a tad 'hello' sore so I probably hit it just about right.
Sweet.
2010-12-15
Engineering a personal Paleo Solution Part 1 (#*&@ grains)
I say engineering because I'm such a "gear and learning materials" nerd that if there wasn't a manual and a piece of gear I don't understand it.
Last February my girlfriend was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, so I did two things, I went on a learning spree and I began eating only what she could eat while we are together. (We don't live together so this means I was gluten free about half-time). I made a gluten free shelf in my pantry and in my fridge and I learned all about cross-contamination, etc.
I read:
-Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide- Expanded and Revised Edition
-The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
-Cooking with Coconut Flour: A Delicious Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Alternative to Wheat
-Gluten-Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine
and I got her this bread machine for her birthday (it is AWESOME and it goes with the above-mentioned book):
-Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker
Then, in October, I had a conversation with my mom and it turns out she is allergic to wheat. I have inherited the rest of my mother's allergies (grass, trees, etc), so I thought what if I am also allergic to wheat. There is a distinct difference between Celiac Disease and a Wheat Allergy and in my effort to understand this I read:
Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.
So, in mid October I went wheat free permanently. This fit nicely into the Paleo stuff I'd heard about so I read:
-The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
-The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat
Both are brilliant books that I totally recommend. So, totally sipping the kool-aid, I got myself some tools:
-Deni 7600 3-Tier 9-1/2-Quart Stainless-Steel Digital Food Steamer
-LUX color changing egg timer
-Calphalon HE600CG Removable-Plate Nonstick Countertop Grill
-Blanched Almond Meal Flour, 5 lb.
So that's the rundown of the prep and information gathering. Lots of great books and information out there. Next was testing out new tools and there's the little detail of learning how to cook. Seriously, notice the hard boiled egg timer, I couldn't even hardboil eggs properly so I have to get tools to make up for my shortcomings. The most major shortcoming is that I don't enjoy cooking at all, in fact I'd go so far as to say I resent it...deeply. Cooking *with* someone else is okay, or watching cooking shows with the girlfriend. As a shared activity, spending time together, I don't mind it, I can ask really stupid questions and we're cooking or eating together. But alone, in sheer terms of feeding myself, it is just a huge timesuck so anything I can do to make it more hands-off the better. It is an important recurring event that deserves more attention and time than I want to devote to it and there is the problem. Enter the tools. :)
The maiden voyage of the Calphalon grill included unboxing, reading the manual, preheating, slap the steaks on, take a guess and set the timer and walk away, return upon ding, et voila there's dinner and some lunches. Same for the steamer; each basket has 6 evenly spaced subtle little divots to place an egg in so I hardboiled 18 eggs just by checking in on my LUX egg timer. Now I know the time ballpark.
So, between my cool new tools and others out there also embarking on Paleo ( like Dagney's revelation of making her own mayo), well there may be hope for me yet.
Last February my girlfriend was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, so I did two things, I went on a learning spree and I began eating only what she could eat while we are together. (We don't live together so this means I was gluten free about half-time). I made a gluten free shelf in my pantry and in my fridge and I learned all about cross-contamination, etc.
I read:
-Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide- Expanded and Revised Edition
-The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
-Cooking with Coconut Flour: A Delicious Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Alternative to Wheat
-Gluten-Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine
and I got her this bread machine for her birthday (it is AWESOME and it goes with the above-mentioned book):
-Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker
Then, in October, I had a conversation with my mom and it turns out she is allergic to wheat. I have inherited the rest of my mother's allergies (grass, trees, etc), so I thought what if I am also allergic to wheat. There is a distinct difference between Celiac Disease and a Wheat Allergy and in my effort to understand this I read:
Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.
So, in mid October I went wheat free permanently. This fit nicely into the Paleo stuff I'd heard about so I read:
-The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet
-The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat
Both are brilliant books that I totally recommend. So, totally sipping the kool-aid, I got myself some tools:
-Deni 7600 3-Tier 9-1/2-Quart Stainless-Steel Digital Food Steamer
-LUX color changing egg timer
-Calphalon HE600CG Removable-Plate Nonstick Countertop Grill
-Blanched Almond Meal Flour, 5 lb.
So that's the rundown of the prep and information gathering. Lots of great books and information out there. Next was testing out new tools and there's the little detail of learning how to cook. Seriously, notice the hard boiled egg timer, I couldn't even hardboil eggs properly so I have to get tools to make up for my shortcomings. The most major shortcoming is that I don't enjoy cooking at all, in fact I'd go so far as to say I resent it...deeply. Cooking *with* someone else is okay, or watching cooking shows with the girlfriend. As a shared activity, spending time together, I don't mind it, I can ask really stupid questions and we're cooking or eating together. But alone, in sheer terms of feeding myself, it is just a huge timesuck so anything I can do to make it more hands-off the better. It is an important recurring event that deserves more attention and time than I want to devote to it and there is the problem. Enter the tools. :)
The maiden voyage of the Calphalon grill included unboxing, reading the manual, preheating, slap the steaks on, take a guess and set the timer and walk away, return upon ding, et voila there's dinner and some lunches. Same for the steamer; each basket has 6 evenly spaced subtle little divots to place an egg in so I hardboiled 18 eggs just by checking in on my LUX egg timer. Now I know the time ballpark.
So, between my cool new tools and others out there also embarking on Paleo ( like Dagney's revelation of making her own mayo), well there may be hope for me yet.
2010-11-27
New BJJ books for vacay
So, between the laying on the beach and the traveling time I figured I needed a good sampling of reading materials. I hit the bookstore, and with some quick internet hits to slideyfoot's reviews I purchased:
(the links are to slideyfoot's reviews)
The Guard (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Details and Techniques)
and
Passing the Guard: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Details and Techniques: Volume 1
So, thanks for the good reviews as always. They helped me make the purchasing decision to put out over $70 for both books. But I won't be without a jits fix.
I also decided to get a classic Sci-Fi book:
Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation by Asimov
I know, I know, I am a software engineer and Sci-Fi fan and have come this long without reading Asimov. Hey, I did read all 53 Dune novels and I own all BSG on DVD so back off. ;) This is a good size book for the beach. So, now that I will be plenty mentally stimulated I think I'm ready to go.
Also looking at taking the next PADI cert, Advanced Open Water Diver.
2010-11-04
If Coach Rippetoe and Stumptuous had a baby.....
...I would propose to it. ;)
I found Stumptuous recently. She's a strong chic who puts up some seriously, seriously good information for women who train. She has training information that will make you go, "Oh yeah, I forgot about those, they're good" or "That's a great order to do those in" or "That's a good plan to start with". She has rants that will put you in an "Amen, sister" mood. The tone is not just conversational, it's chick-locker-room, hence my increasing girlcrush. She feels, to me, like a teammate. Probably the parity of our values and beliefs about the role of training in the health, sanity, and self-esteem of women. From her 2010 predictions "Get some big garbage bags — real or metaphysical — and start throwing shit out, whether that’s energy vampire people who don’t support you, crap “food” that poisons you, or assumptions and mindsets that are fundamentally self destructive." Amen, Sister!! And, her training stuff isn't just for the girls, her advice is sound and relevant to anyone who trains; lots of cool guys read too, as evident in the comments. But, if "Our Bodies Ourselves" had offspring, one of them would be stumptuous.com.
Next, to Coach Rippetoe. I read Starting Strength a few months ago and now I just carry it with me to the gym. If you Oly lift and you haven't read it, seriously, go get it. I mean it's got like 67 pages on just the squat. Proper mechanics, anatomy, tips while learning, ways to check yourself. The tone is conversational and includes such gems as, "If your gym makes a lot of money selling gloves, you have another reason to look for another gym. and if you insist on using them, make sure they match your purse." in a paragraph about the importance and utility of chalk.
Because Starting Strength was so ridiculously awesome, I bought Practical Programming for Strength Training. I read the first 30 pages and I put the book down when I got to "Hydration" so I wouldn't get sucked in and stay up all night. It starts with the Introduction which includes a lot of info about Periodization and how "Periodization is practiced widely in track and field and is used by a majority of NFL and viturally all NCAA strength and conditioning programs...The idea that the practice of a sport itself was sufficient conditioning for the sport became inadequate for preparing high-level athletes many years ago." Now, granted I am a very, very low-level athlete, but I agree with this completely. This is exactly what I'm thinking right now in terms of my Jiu-Jitsu. Well, it's two-fold. One, a strong fitness base (specifically a strong core) will protect me from injury (and further Lumbar compression). Two, a strength base will allow me to absorb and enjoy the technical details more fully as I'll be able to put my attention to the details instead of my lack of fitness (which is followed by self-loathing and negative self talk).
Off to the treadmill and a circuit including Turkish Getups (thanks Dagny...grrr)...
I found Stumptuous recently. She's a strong chic who puts up some seriously, seriously good information for women who train. She has training information that will make you go, "Oh yeah, I forgot about those, they're good" or "That's a great order to do those in" or "That's a good plan to start with". She has rants that will put you in an "Amen, sister" mood. The tone is not just conversational, it's chick-locker-room, hence my increasing girlcrush. She feels, to me, like a teammate. Probably the parity of our values and beliefs about the role of training in the health, sanity, and self-esteem of women. From her 2010 predictions "Get some big garbage bags — real or metaphysical — and start throwing shit out, whether that’s energy vampire people who don’t support you, crap “food” that poisons you, or assumptions and mindsets that are fundamentally self destructive." Amen, Sister!! And, her training stuff isn't just for the girls, her advice is sound and relevant to anyone who trains; lots of cool guys read too, as evident in the comments. But, if "Our Bodies Ourselves" had offspring, one of them would be stumptuous.com.
Next, to Coach Rippetoe. I read Starting Strength a few months ago and now I just carry it with me to the gym. If you Oly lift and you haven't read it, seriously, go get it. I mean it's got like 67 pages on just the squat. Proper mechanics, anatomy, tips while learning, ways to check yourself. The tone is conversational and includes such gems as, "If your gym makes a lot of money selling gloves, you have another reason to look for another gym. and if you insist on using them, make sure they match your purse." in a paragraph about the importance and utility of chalk.
Because Starting Strength was so ridiculously awesome, I bought Practical Programming for Strength Training. I read the first 30 pages and I put the book down when I got to "Hydration" so I wouldn't get sucked in and stay up all night. It starts with the Introduction which includes a lot of info about Periodization and how "Periodization is practiced widely in track and field and is used by a majority of NFL and viturally all NCAA strength and conditioning programs...The idea that the practice of a sport itself was sufficient conditioning for the sport became inadequate for preparing high-level athletes many years ago." Now, granted I am a very, very low-level athlete, but I agree with this completely. This is exactly what I'm thinking right now in terms of my Jiu-Jitsu. Well, it's two-fold. One, a strong fitness base (specifically a strong core) will protect me from injury (and further Lumbar compression). Two, a strength base will allow me to absorb and enjoy the technical details more fully as I'll be able to put my attention to the details instead of my lack of fitness (which is followed by self-loathing and negative self talk).
Off to the treadmill and a circuit including Turkish Getups (thanks Dagny...grrr)...
2010-10-28
Fake it ‘til ya make it
I’ve finally realized that I don’t post or comment in a lot of situations because of some weird internet form of perfection anxiety and timidity.
I go through about 42 iterations of “Am I saying anything that is of value to anyone”, “Could this possibly be news to anyone or have they all already solved this / been there / done that?”, “I’m not going to complain about this, everybody goes through this.”, and a million other internal judgements before I either just don’t post or I decide “Whatever, nobody knows about my little blog anyway.”. I’m constantly thinking, worrying, planning, wondering about training, but I rarely ever post because I always feel like if I can’t spend the time that I want at the task, for example making a readable blog post with reasonable punctuation (should I have used a semicolon there?), then I just shouldn’t post at all. I mean, every little blog post doesn't have to single-handedly define and represent me as a person for crying out loud. I just need to get over it. Where is my Tyler Durden?
Another thing that stops me from posting is that I’ve trained so little BJJ since last November because of injury (sternoclavicular separation) and issue (Lumbar disc compression = ick nerve). I got over the injury and now I’m just working on coming back from the weakness; hey, I can do 5 whole pushups. I’ve been working on the Lumbar issue...and I may be hallucinating or it may be improving ever so slightly, ever so slowly. Anyway, because I haven’t trained BJJ regularly in so long, I start to feel like, well, like an imposter, like a poser, when I want to be involved still in the jits community. I know, I know, that’s stupid. We all get injured or have downtimes and they don’t revoke our belt, right?
Screw it, I’m going to break all of my own rules in an effort to...to what exactly....to put what I feel out there. Mostly so that when I communicate with someone (via the internet), they can have a sense of who I am. Grok me? I mean, if some of the blogs that I read regularly had never blogged I would still be trying to figure out a number of things related to BJJ, some CrossFit, nutrition, mobility, etc. And I wouldn’t have made some great friends. And one day, when I get my jitsabbatical on, I’ll have a couch or two to crash on.
I found BJJ and I got pulled in (avoiding the swept up pun, poorly) right away. I loved wrestling with my dad when I was a kid. He used to tell me that monkeys that didn’t get enough contact got lonely and depressed and that we weren’t going to be lonely monkeys. My mom wasn’t the wrestling type and probably spent years nagging my dad to be careful. I’m pretty sure he wanted a boy. She wanted a girl. They both won and both lost. They got a girl that can’t stand dresses...or pink...or barbie.
In addition to the overwhelming number of BJJ videos on youtube, I also found the blogger “network” and I read bits and pieces of my own story, concerns, and issues reflected in a number of different places. I believe that Valerie Worthington’s blog is the first one that I found, actually via an article on CrossFit and BJJ, and I read the blog literally straight through, like a book. *That* is an introduction to BJJ. It’s like, “Hello, welcome to BJJ. Would you like to sell your house, quit your job, and couch surf the country training BJJ now or would you like to put that off until slightly later?”. I had to take a seriously deep breath and remind myself that as a brand spankin’ new white belt, with like 6 months training, it was highly unlikely that following in those Valhalla footsteps would have good R.O.I. for me at such an early stage. I keep telling myself I can do that trip when I’m a fresh purple to really get the most out of it. Who knows, it is debatable, highly debatable, at what stage a jitsabbatical would best serve a person. I assume that being in your own personal best physical shape would help wring the most technical bang for your buck out of such travels. That is factored into my plan [dream/concept].
Shortly thereafter I found Georgette, slideyfoot, BJJGrrl, A.D. McClish, Dev (and many, many more great bloggers) and all the good advice out there about training, competition nerves, ego-less improvement, etc. Thank you guys, thank you all. Know that there are new people out there reading even when they don’t follow or post or contact you. They’re there and tomorrow somewhere someone will walk into a BJJ school for their first time or for their 30th with at least one new concept in their head. Recently I found Dagney Taggert’s blog (best.blogname.ever, spelling mod on purpose), which is fascinating to me because she sounds like the truly positive mental spirit (like A.D. McClish, above)...unlike myself. I don’t feel like "I can do anything". I feel like "I should be telling myself I can do anything." So, one of my topics lately is how to get from telling myself that I can do anything to just *feeling* like I can do anything. I’m thinking it’s a learned skill. I shall keep running in the morning, going to CrossFit after work, researching nutrition and leaning toward Paleo, (stopped wheat already). I’m thinking that in the short term I’m gonna fake it ‘til I make it.
I can do 5 real pushups. In February I couldn’t do 1 pushup. In May/June I could do 2 pushups. I’m trying not to feel sorry for myself, but it sneaks in. I feel guilty when I feel sorry for myself...super guilty. I keep telling myself to JUST KEEP DOING THE WORK. That is where blogs come in handy. I follow you guys’ progress and love of the sport and it keeps me in touch with jits and with how I feel about jits. I’ve thought lately about going back, but I don’t want to have a stutter start. I’ve been back just enough this year (May/June) to get promoted to Blue, but my new Blue belt is just that...crispy. It’s taunting me...”I’m so crispy, what’s wrong with you?”. Wow.
I was thinking that I should set a couple of CrossFit type goals (pushups, FGB score, etc) and once I make those CrossFit goals then I can go back to jits. Having that specific barrier to entry will keep me from constantly guessing whether I should go to jits now or keep getting stronger first, etc. It’s not a trick question; for me the answer is get stronger first (specifically core) to protect my Lumbar discs and facets. The minute I step back on the mat it will be the instant rampup that it was last year and it will start out with 1 hour classes, then work its way up to 3 hours at a time. That wouldn’t be smart with Vertebrae and facets grinding on each other. So, I’m brainstorming (and taking suggestions) for my goals that I have to hit in order to go back to Jits. For example, 5 pushups ain’t gonna get me far in jits (and protecting the Lumbar), so I definitely need to pick the magic pushup number to shoot for. I’m thinking a minimum Plank hold time would be good...maybe 4 minutes...more? Maybe a specific “Fight Gone Bad” score and...
Fakin’ it ‘til I make it...
I go through about 42 iterations of “Am I saying anything that is of value to anyone”, “Could this possibly be news to anyone or have they all already solved this / been there / done that?”, “I’m not going to complain about this, everybody goes through this.”, and a million other internal judgements before I either just don’t post or I decide “Whatever, nobody knows about my little blog anyway.”. I’m constantly thinking, worrying, planning, wondering about training, but I rarely ever post because I always feel like if I can’t spend the time that I want at the task, for example making a readable blog post with reasonable punctuation (should I have used a semicolon there?), then I just shouldn’t post at all. I mean, every little blog post doesn't have to single-handedly define and represent me as a person for crying out loud. I just need to get over it. Where is my Tyler Durden?
Another thing that stops me from posting is that I’ve trained so little BJJ since last November because of injury (sternoclavicular separation) and issue (Lumbar disc compression = ick nerve). I got over the injury and now I’m just working on coming back from the weakness; hey, I can do 5 whole pushups. I’ve been working on the Lumbar issue...and I may be hallucinating or it may be improving ever so slightly, ever so slowly. Anyway, because I haven’t trained BJJ regularly in so long, I start to feel like, well, like an imposter, like a poser, when I want to be involved still in the jits community. I know, I know, that’s stupid. We all get injured or have downtimes and they don’t revoke our belt, right?
Screw it, I’m going to break all of my own rules in an effort to...to what exactly....to put what I feel out there. Mostly so that when I communicate with someone (via the internet), they can have a sense of who I am. Grok me? I mean, if some of the blogs that I read regularly had never blogged I would still be trying to figure out a number of things related to BJJ, some CrossFit, nutrition, mobility, etc. And I wouldn’t have made some great friends. And one day, when I get my jitsabbatical on, I’ll have a couch or two to crash on.
I found BJJ and I got pulled in (avoiding the swept up pun, poorly) right away. I loved wrestling with my dad when I was a kid. He used to tell me that monkeys that didn’t get enough contact got lonely and depressed and that we weren’t going to be lonely monkeys. My mom wasn’t the wrestling type and probably spent years nagging my dad to be careful. I’m pretty sure he wanted a boy. She wanted a girl. They both won and both lost. They got a girl that can’t stand dresses...or pink...or barbie.
In addition to the overwhelming number of BJJ videos on youtube, I also found the blogger “network” and I read bits and pieces of my own story, concerns, and issues reflected in a number of different places. I believe that Valerie Worthington’s blog is the first one that I found, actually via an article on CrossFit and BJJ, and I read the blog literally straight through, like a book. *That* is an introduction to BJJ. It’s like, “Hello, welcome to BJJ. Would you like to sell your house, quit your job, and couch surf the country training BJJ now or would you like to put that off until slightly later?”. I had to take a seriously deep breath and remind myself that as a brand spankin’ new white belt, with like 6 months training, it was highly unlikely that following in those Valhalla footsteps would have good R.O.I. for me at such an early stage. I keep telling myself I can do that trip when I’m a fresh purple to really get the most out of it. Who knows, it is debatable, highly debatable, at what stage a jitsabbatical would best serve a person. I assume that being in your own personal best physical shape would help wring the most technical bang for your buck out of such travels. That is factored into my plan [dream/concept].
Shortly thereafter I found Georgette, slideyfoot, BJJGrrl, A.D. McClish, Dev (and many, many more great bloggers) and all the good advice out there about training, competition nerves, ego-less improvement, etc. Thank you guys, thank you all. Know that there are new people out there reading even when they don’t follow or post or contact you. They’re there and tomorrow somewhere someone will walk into a BJJ school for their first time or for their 30th with at least one new concept in their head. Recently I found Dagney Taggert’s blog (best.blogname.ever, spelling mod on purpose), which is fascinating to me because she sounds like the truly positive mental spirit (like A.D. McClish, above)...unlike myself. I don’t feel like "I can do anything". I feel like "I should be telling myself I can do anything." So, one of my topics lately is how to get from telling myself that I can do anything to just *feeling* like I can do anything. I’m thinking it’s a learned skill. I shall keep running in the morning, going to CrossFit after work, researching nutrition and leaning toward Paleo, (stopped wheat already). I’m thinking that in the short term I’m gonna fake it ‘til I make it.
I can do 5 real pushups. In February I couldn’t do 1 pushup. In May/June I could do 2 pushups. I’m trying not to feel sorry for myself, but it sneaks in. I feel guilty when I feel sorry for myself...super guilty. I keep telling myself to JUST KEEP DOING THE WORK. That is where blogs come in handy. I follow you guys’ progress and love of the sport and it keeps me in touch with jits and with how I feel about jits. I’ve thought lately about going back, but I don’t want to have a stutter start. I’ve been back just enough this year (May/June) to get promoted to Blue, but my new Blue belt is just that...crispy. It’s taunting me...”I’m so crispy, what’s wrong with you?”. Wow.
I was thinking that I should set a couple of CrossFit type goals (pushups, FGB score, etc) and once I make those CrossFit goals then I can go back to jits. Having that specific barrier to entry will keep me from constantly guessing whether I should go to jits now or keep getting stronger first, etc. It’s not a trick question; for me the answer is get stronger first (specifically core) to protect my Lumbar discs and facets. The minute I step back on the mat it will be the instant rampup that it was last year and it will start out with 1 hour classes, then work its way up to 3 hours at a time. That wouldn’t be smart with Vertebrae and facets grinding on each other. So, I’m brainstorming (and taking suggestions) for my goals that I have to hit in order to go back to Jits. For example, 5 pushups ain’t gonna get me far in jits (and protecting the Lumbar), so I definitely need to pick the magic pushup number to shoot for. I’m thinking a minimum Plank hold time would be good...maybe 4 minutes...more? Maybe a specific “Fight Gone Bad” score and...
Fakin’ it ‘til I make it...
2010-10-22
CrossFit works...
I have no idea how this equates in the real world, but I've been struggling for months to break 28 minutes on my treadmill 2 mile time (at 1.5 incline). The other day I hit 26:46 and this morning 26:36, but I haven't been putting in a lot of mileage. I am convinced it is the CrossFit that is improving my run time. Yay for one little stepping stone and yay for CrossFit. I followed that up with my P.T.'s circuit of strength exercises for my back and I'm experiencing the anti-depressant properties of the a.m. workout right now. :)
2010-10-07
CrossFit Clean (with the ball) / working to get back to jits
I had that little tiny moment in CrossFit this morning of finally feeling the basic concept of a Clean. Granted it was with the ball only. I think that my shoulder is finally loose enough to actually get a shrug and the ball seemed like an easier way to learn it. I have had little to no luck learning it with the bar.
It feels great when you've shrugged it enough to get that moment in time where the ball is at the top of its arc and you're able to get under it cleanly. It was awesome. And the timing was perfect because I was just starting to feel too uncoordinated to ever succeed at some of the Oly lifts. :)
I'm in this phase where I REALLY want to go back to Jiu-Jitsu, but I've really got to strengthen and stretch my back and tighten up my core first. I don't want to have a stutter-start at jits. I just want to do the work to make a good athletic foundation and then go back. Impatient.
It feels great when you've shrugged it enough to get that moment in time where the ball is at the top of its arc and you're able to get under it cleanly. It was awesome. And the timing was perfect because I was just starting to feel too uncoordinated to ever succeed at some of the Oly lifts. :)
I'm in this phase where I REALLY want to go back to Jiu-Jitsu, but I've really got to strengthen and stretch my back and tighten up my core first. I don't want to have a stutter-start at jits. I just want to do the work to make a good athletic foundation and then go back. Impatient.
2010-09-28
Smart Goal [Bodyweight] 2010.10.24
After the sternoclavicular fiasco and the ongoing back problem, I got up to 174lbs (ridiculous). I've been averaging 164 for about 2 months, but clearly still need to lose more. So, now that I'm easing back into CrossFit and probably very soon easing back into jits, I should be able to average 158 in about 4 weeks. I would like to head off at the pass the couple of lbs of winter weight; there's no reason for it.
********************************************
**** Smart Goal [Bodyweight] 2010.10.24 ****
********************************************
Specific: Average 158 lbs by 10/24/2010
Measurable: Weigh 158.0 (from average 164)
Action:
Treadmill, CrossFit, Home P.T. circuit & Calorie reduction
CrossFit 3xWeek
Treadmill 3xWeek
Physical Therapy circuit every day(BOSU, ball, and bodyweight circuit)
Reign in the food/calories/eat smart
Realistic: sure ;)
TimeBound:
Start: 09/28/2010
Achieve: 10/24/2010
********************************************
**** Smart Goal [Bodyweight] 2010.10.24 ****
********************************************
Specific: Average 158 lbs by 10/24/2010
Measurable: Weigh 158.0 (from average 164)
Action:
Treadmill, CrossFit, Home P.T. circuit & Calorie reduction
CrossFit 3xWeek
Treadmill 3xWeek
Physical Therapy circuit every day(BOSU, ball, and bodyweight circuit)
Reign in the food/calories/eat smart
Realistic: sure ;)
TimeBound:
Start: 09/28/2010
Achieve: 10/24/2010
2010-04-19
Get off your back....
Hit jits again yesterday for the 2nd time in two days. Rolled with a few different partners including a new female partner. Well, she's a Blue Belt, but she's new to me. :) I spent a lot of time under what I think is called Kurusa Kesa Gatame(both arms in), thinking how the hell do I get my knee in there OR get an underhook. (I am open to suggestions and to video links) I struggled to bridge and/or try to get up on one side and/or get my elbow to the ground, but all to no avail. And in my after action review I'm thinking a few things were wrong. Probably #1 is that I was fatiguing fast and lost faith in my bridging. Huge no no. #2 is that after I lost faith in my bridge, that broke my will altogether. Another huge no no. Since I really enjoy the positional game of it all, I'll obviously have to work on that bridge and that spirit. ;)
I also rolled with a guy whom, since I don't know his name, I will call Spider. Spider was the epitome of perfect partner. He was very skilled, but because we were trying to drill cycling through some things for practice, I could feel when he slowed something to give me a chance to catch it or when he baited me with something and practically pointed at it (say, his arm) as if to say, "gee, that would make a great americana". Anyway, I appreciated his skill and his patience and his total lack of ego. I always feel humbled and like I don't deserve that type of patience and time from someone who is there to improve their own game. But, in the future I will just take it, say thank you, and pay it forward when I am capable. Later when I paired with him in light sparring he actually could maintain a 52% effort and he spun a web around me. However, I did give him what resistance I could and I took copious mental notes. So, thank you Spider. Roll on buddy.
Today, the shoulder is on fire, the pain meds aren't helping, but I don't care I'm going tonight anyway. For the record, the shoulder is on "wow, lots of use"-fire, but not on "ooh, stop, something is bad"-fire.
(p.s. Youtube rules; I just found a couple of escapes from Kurusa Kesa Gatame that I think would have worked brilliantly)
I also rolled with a guy whom, since I don't know his name, I will call Spider. Spider was the epitome of perfect partner. He was very skilled, but because we were trying to drill cycling through some things for practice, I could feel when he slowed something to give me a chance to catch it or when he baited me with something and practically pointed at it (say, his arm) as if to say, "gee, that would make a great americana". Anyway, I appreciated his skill and his patience and his total lack of ego. I always feel humbled and like I don't deserve that type of patience and time from someone who is there to improve their own game. But, in the future I will just take it, say thank you, and pay it forward when I am capable. Later when I paired with him in light sparring he actually could maintain a 52% effort and he spun a web around me. However, I did give him what resistance I could and I took copious mental notes. So, thank you Spider. Roll on buddy.
Today, the shoulder is on fire, the pain meds aren't helping, but I don't care I'm going tonight anyway. For the record, the shoulder is on "wow, lots of use"-fire, but not on "ooh, stop, something is bad"-fire.
(p.s. Youtube rules; I just found a couple of escapes from Kurusa Kesa Gatame that I think would have worked brilliantly)
2010-03-03
Smart Goal [Bodyweight] 2010.04.01
********************************************
**** Smart Goal [Bodyweight] 2010.04.01 ****
********************************************
Specific: Attain 160 lbs by 04/01/2010
Measurable: Weigh 160.0 (from 173)
Action:
BSG,BJJ,CF, & Calorie reduction
CrossFit Ramp-up (easy on the shoulder) MON, TUE, THUR?
BSG Treadmill 3xWeek
Reign in the food/calories/eat smart
Realistic: sure ;)
TimeBound:
Start: 03/03/2010
Achieve: 04/01/2010
**** Smart Goal [Bodyweight] 2010.04.01 ****
********************************************
Specific: Attain 160 lbs by 04/01/2010
Measurable: Weigh 160.0 (from 173)
Action:
BSG,BJJ,CF, & Calorie reduction
CrossFit Ramp-up (easy on the shoulder) MON, TUE, THUR?
BSG Treadmill 3xWeek
Reign in the food/calories/eat smart
Realistic: sure ;)
TimeBound:
Start: 03/03/2010
Achieve: 04/01/2010
Some progress on Smart Goal [Running] 2010.03.01
I am SO NOT A RUNNER. After my injury I went from consistent weight of about 159 back up to 175. Since the treadmill was the first thing I was allowed to get back to after the Shoulder injury I had set a SMART goal. I was just starting again so 2 miles was taking me anywhere from 35 minutes to 45 minutes depending on how I was feeling. So my first goal was to get 2 treadmill miles under 30 minutes. When I hit that twice I changed the goal to:
********************************************
**** Smart Goal [Running] 2010.03.01 ****
********************************************
Specific: Run a 14min/mile for 2 treadmill miles (1.5 incline)
Measurable: 28min/2mi.
Action: BSG 3xWeek (BSG is BattleStar Galactica...what I watch on the treadmill)
Realistic: Now ~30min. Need to drop 2 minutes
TimeBound:
Start: 02/05/2010
Achieve: 03/01/2010
History:
2010.03.01 close, but reached it with interruptions
2010.02.04 reached just under 30 minutes
1996.01.17 - 1996.03.17 (Basic Training) went from 24:00/2mi to 13:30/2mi
~10:30 lost in 16w = ~39s/w shaved off very aggressively during Basic Training
I ran 2 miles on the treadmill in just under 28 minutes the other day, BUT I had to step off twice for other things which is cheating. So I missed my goal of having this done by 03/01, BUT I'm very close...so I'm revising the goal end date to 03/20. So now it's 2 treadmill miles under 28 minutes, strict, by 03/20.
********************************************
**** Smart Goal [Running] 2010.03.01 ****
********************************************
Specific: Run a 14min/mile for 2 treadmill miles (1.5 incline)
Measurable: 28min/2mi.
Action: BSG 3xWeek (BSG is BattleStar Galactica...what I watch on the treadmill)
Realistic: Now ~30min. Need to drop 2 minutes
TimeBound:
Start: 02/05/2010
Achieve: 03/01/2010
History:
2010.03.01 close, but reached it with interruptions
2010.02.04 reached just under 30 minutes
1996.01.17 - 1996.03.17 (Basic Training) went from 24:00/2mi to 13:30/2mi
~10:30 lost in 16w = ~39s/w shaved off very aggressively during Basic Training
I ran 2 miles on the treadmill in just under 28 minutes the other day, BUT I had to step off twice for other things which is cheating. So I missed my goal of having this done by 03/01, BUT I'm very close...so I'm revising the goal end date to 03/20. So now it's 2 treadmill miles under 28 minutes, strict, by 03/20.
2010-02-23
Taking longer than I thought
This injury is really irritating me. :) Yes, this is after 3 months. I thought, a few weeks ago, that I would be going back to jits very shortly, but I still can't roll over that shoulder, shrimp on that shoulder, or Upa over that shoulder. I'm getting a lot of treadmill time in, drilling in my living room, and stretching, stretching, stretching my shoulder. It hurts a lot lately, kind of like it did in the 2nd month. I don't think I'm overdoing it, but apparently it's still a fine line.
2010-02-04
Wow, I fell off the planet
The only way I can describe the last 8 months is:
1. Prepping for Grappler's Quest; lost 14 pounds, felt great, great, great.
2. Got hurt in a match 11/14 (3 weeks before GQ). Ripped the ligament between sternum and clavicle, tore a lot of surrounding tissue. Difficult to explain, but they had both of my arms for an armbar attempt but my thumbs were facing inward (toward them) so when they pushed with their hips my chest got the leverage and ripped. It was a freak thing. There was time for me to tap out if I had known I was in trouble. 8-12 week estimated recovery and it's been just under 3 months so the Dr's were pretty much right on.
3. Went to GQ to cheer my team on.
4. Many mental ups and downs about why I grapple, what are my goals, what do I enjoy, how to improve, tournament mentality, etc, etc.
5. About 2 months into the injury, finally got comfortable in my head
6. Last week the P.T. gave me the go to start using my shoulder in controlled exercises, no plyometrics, no partner, just solo, controlled drills.
7. Immediately moved all furniture out of my living room and put down mats. Now there's plenty of room for drills. ;)
8. Found out quickly that I lost so much strength that I literally can't do 1 single pushup.
9. Fuck it, I'll come back from this
10. This morning 2 miles on the treadmill and tested out a few bodyweight exercises
The most dissapointing thing that happened is that I had to miss Women's Grappling Camp. The best thing that happened is some of the understanding I've gained about match mentality, etc.
Gotta keep recovering my strength, flexibility, etc. Gotta lose the 15 pounds I put back on. Forward, forward, forward.
**** Smart Goal Bodyweight 2010.04.01 (post-injury) ****
Specific: Lose 15 lbs by 04/01/2010
Measurable: Weigh 160.0 (from 175. I did it once, I'll do it again.)
Action:
Treadmill TUE & (SAT or SUN). Some weeknights.
BJJ MON,WED,SAT
CrossFit TUE, THUR?
1300 calories a day
Realistic: 2.5lbs/week
TimeBound: April 1
1. Prepping for Grappler's Quest; lost 14 pounds, felt great, great, great.
2. Got hurt in a match 11/14 (3 weeks before GQ). Ripped the ligament between sternum and clavicle, tore a lot of surrounding tissue. Difficult to explain, but they had both of my arms for an armbar attempt but my thumbs were facing inward (toward them) so when they pushed with their hips my chest got the leverage and ripped. It was a freak thing. There was time for me to tap out if I had known I was in trouble. 8-12 week estimated recovery and it's been just under 3 months so the Dr's were pretty much right on.
3. Went to GQ to cheer my team on.
4. Many mental ups and downs about why I grapple, what are my goals, what do I enjoy, how to improve, tournament mentality, etc, etc.
5. About 2 months into the injury, finally got comfortable in my head
6. Last week the P.T. gave me the go to start using my shoulder in controlled exercises, no plyometrics, no partner, just solo, controlled drills.
7. Immediately moved all furniture out of my living room and put down mats. Now there's plenty of room for drills. ;)
8. Found out quickly that I lost so much strength that I literally can't do 1 single pushup.
9. Fuck it, I'll come back from this
10. This morning 2 miles on the treadmill and tested out a few bodyweight exercises
The most dissapointing thing that happened is that I had to miss Women's Grappling Camp. The best thing that happened is some of the understanding I've gained about match mentality, etc.
Gotta keep recovering my strength, flexibility, etc. Gotta lose the 15 pounds I put back on. Forward, forward, forward.
**** Smart Goal Bodyweight 2010.04.01 (post-injury) ****
Specific: Lose 15 lbs by 04/01/2010
Measurable: Weigh 160.0 (from 175. I did it once, I'll do it again.)
Action:
Treadmill TUE & (SAT or SUN). Some weeknights.
BJJ MON,WED,SAT
CrossFit TUE, THUR?
1300 calories a day
Realistic: 2.5lbs/week
TimeBound: April 1
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