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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #435 on: October 19, 2009, 09:35:47 PM » |
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Thanks, Spencer.  Hope you're right! October 15, 2009:Rest day. October 16, 2009:Interview day. Had to go all the way downtown, so there wasn't much time for training. Most noteworthy event of the day: While walking the mile and a quarter back from the train station (in a skirt and heels), I did a fairly awesome precision over a puddle onto a curb and stuck it, then proceeded to curb balance the rest of the way home (not the entire mile and a quarter, though). October 17, 2009:Jam downtown at UIC. - Climbup: Cement wall a couple inches higher than my head. This is a place I go fairly regularly, and this is the first time I was able to get up on top of the wall without stepping on something to help me! (Although I did kick off the wall.) I did it a few times in a row after I figured it out, but when we came back later I was too tired to do it again.
- Cat leaps. Little gap to a cement wall, in preparation for a bigger, scarier one that I've had my eye on for a while now.
- Wallrun: The brick wall by the dumpster. Added a couple inches! I can *just* touch the top of the wall now, with the very tips of my fingers, on a good run.
- Rail balance. Round rail. Mostly pretty short walks, but I did manage to get about 25-30 feet on one attempt.
- A few handstands by a wall. Kept kicking up strangely...
October 18, 2009:Concert day. Left shoulder started aching badly during the first half. Massaged a bit during intermission, and the second half was...well... less bad, anyway. October 19, 2009:Active recovery. I'm moving next week, so I'm packing and moving a lot of furniture around. This is probably what will be happening at least until the end of the week. |
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Just take the next step.
A day without a challenge is a wasted day.
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #437 on: October 22, 2009, 10:51:30 PM » |
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Thanks! I was pretty excited. Next goals for those two obstacles: be able to *consistently* get up on top of the little wall where I was doing the climbups and *consistently* touch the top of the tall wallrun wall. Lol, the problem with reaching your goals is that there are always more goals afterward! October 20-22, 2009:Sleep: Average of ~7 hours a night. Interviews all 3 days!!  Lots of stress, but hopefully this leads to me NOT being unemployed. GTG jumping pullups + negatives, and lots of box/furniture lifting during the (short) periods of time I wasn't otherwise occupied. Lifting and carrying all these things has reminded me how useful squats and deadlifts are! This was nowhere near this easy the last time I moved. It's kind of funny, though: I can't lift boxes anymore without using good form...which will probably be better for my back in the long run.   |
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Just take the next step.
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #438 on: November 03, 2009, 11:26:31 AM » |
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October 24-31, 2009:Moving carload after carload of boxes and furniture to my new apartment. One day of moving the big furniture from one second-floor apartment down into a truck, then back up to another second-floor apartment with one other person to help. Ugh. Piece of advice for the wise: never move on a weekday if you want anyone else to come and help you! Moved my pullup bar at some point in there and started doing GTG jumping pullups and negatives whenever I thought of it. The doorway it's in now seems to be just a bit higher than the one I used to use, so these were just a bit harder than normal. Yay for progression! Went to the gym on Sunday (the 25th) and did some light work demonstrating and trying to teach a friend how to squat and deadlift properly.  It will be VERY cool if I can start lifting with her! We'll see, though; she's a mom and a teacher, so she has a lot of other demands on her time. I also went and did that pilates class on Wednesday, but it was the day after we moved a lot of heavy junk so this class was made of fail and fatigue... November 1-2, 2009:Rest days!! Still did a couple of GTG things, but nothing too terribly focused.
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Just take the next step.
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Jesse "Wolf" Anderson
Oryctolagus cuniculus
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Posts: 8
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« Reply #439 on: November 03, 2009, 01:27:32 PM » |
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Congrats on over 9000 views. LOL
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #440 on: November 07, 2009, 03:39:21 PM » |
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Haha, Wolf! That was a while ago. November 3, 2009:Starting slowly: 2.5 hour orchestra rehearsal. November 4, 2009:Lots of stuff...to make up for a slow start the day before! Haha, j/k. But this seriously ended up being a lot more than I'd been planning on! All day: GTG: 1 jumping pullup + 1 slow negative. Morning: Pilates class/work rehabbing all the parts of me that are still a bit "off." Evening: A friend is starting to hold parkour classes during the open gym I go to on Wednesdays, so I participated this week. It was fun and felt pretty productive, so I'll probably try to keep this up! - Warmup: Rolls, ground kongs, etc.
- Precision practice: (1) Jumping from the floor to a balance beam set directly on the floor, about 3 feet away. (2) Jumping from the balance beam on the floor up to a balance beam that was ~1.5 feet off the ground, horizontal distance of 3 feet. (3) Jumping from the higher beam to the lower one. (3) Jumped from the high beam OVER the low one, to a raised line on the floor about 7-8 feet away (!!!). This is WAY farther than I thought I could jump! And I started off doing it from the floor to the line, so I can broad jump at least that far. I was definitely having trouble with the preciseness of the landings (kept landing with one foot on the line and the other foot trailing - I think it's a mental thing, not physical capability), but I was proud of myself anyway.
- Landing practice: Jumping up and trying to come down silently.
- Vault practice: A few speed vaults, but mostly trying to get my kong. It's coming along!
- Metcon thing (as a group): Pyramid of 21-15-9, doing pullups (jumping for me), pushups (as many NOT on my knees as possible), and situps. Did 21 of each before moving on to the sets of 15, etc. My time was 9:30. Not bad, considering the fact that this was after training all evening.
- A couple random handstands by the wall, on my own, just for the heck of it. Actually held 1 or 2 for a few seconds in a row.
November 5-6, 2009:Rest days. (Except for GTG.) Dialed up the fish oil dosage a bit...pretty sore. The second day really didn't need to be a rest day, but I was running around trying to get my driver's licence updated at the DMV and doing other necessary but boring stuff. |
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #441 on: November 11, 2009, 03:08:53 PM » |
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November 7, 2009:Rest day...unplanned...unless mini-golf counts as exercise, which it doesn't. Fail. November 8, 2009:Jam!! Outside!! In November!!! It was one of those random beautiful days that almost never happen in November in Chicago. Just HAD to be outside, so it was awfully convenient that there was already a jam planned! - Warmup: Mostly dynamic stretching, led by Jake.
- Rail balance by the parking garage.
- Couple attempted handstands near a wall; I managed to kick up into one w/o even touching the wall, so that was a nice accomplishment.
- Precisions: Jumping across evenly spaced gaps and landing on unevenly shaped rocks.
- Wall climbs. Getting some conflicting advice here: I either need to place my foot higher on the wall or lower, depending on who you ask. My money is on higher. I also need to focus on staying close to the wall when I pop up so that my momentum directs me up instead of out.
- Random rock climbing on some lovely walls in a park.
- More rail balancing, this time on some square-topped rails by the carillon bells.
- Precisions down some really wide stairs, the sort with concrete edges for people to sit on and grass across the rest of the flat space. Still need to tuck my legs UP more when I'm going for distance.
- Some vaults in a parking garage; a few lazies, a few speeds, and a bunch of attempted kongs. Tried to keep going after getting out, but lost momentum b/c the ground was higher on the far side of the barrier I was vaulting over. Oh well, at least I have something to work on for next time!
All in all, a very good day! November 9, 2009:Rest day...did some GTG with the pullup bar, though. November 10, 2009:Morning: Met at my gym with a training buddy...ugh, I hurt! Did a lot of good stuff: - Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 air squats, 10 pushups, 10 situps, and 10 pullups on the gravitron (started out with 70# assist, but quickly ended up with 100# assist)
- Tried to figure out the mechanics of an overhead press; I've done these before, but always on my own with my little bar/weights at home. So this was the first time I'd tried them with someone who actually knows what he's doing. I *think* this is pretty close to what I did (weight/reps might be a little off):
- 1x5, 45#
- 1 (or 2?) x3, 45#
- 1x1 (failed), 55#
- 3x1, 50#
I think it was somewhere around this point that I got super dizzy, and spots started dancing in front of my eyes. Took a break, drank some water, and felt a bit better, but wow! - Worked on learning the right way to do a push press (again, weights/reps are approximate):
- 1x5, 45#
- 1x3, 45# (?)
- 1x1, 50#
- 1x1, 55#
- 2x1, 60#
- Squats...I normally do high-bar back squats, but we checked those out and tried some low-bar. I can't find a position that feels good for low bar; dunno whether that's due to my scoliosis, or just to the fact that I'm not used to the movement yet. I'll probably check it out again on my own a bit, but so far everything I do (with any amount of weight on the bar) causes pain in my upper back, on the left side. Did so much stuff here I don't even remember how many I did with any given weight. Most were pretty light, but the last set was 5 high bar with 95#.
- Cooldown: Stretching, lil handstand stuff. I was TIRED at that point, so it mostly ended up being a lot of static stretches.
Evening: Orchestra rehearsal, 2.5 hours. I love the music we have for this concert! The holiday concert is always one of my favorites every year. Also got some music for the next concert because, let's face it, no matter how fun Polar Express is to play it's not exactly the most challenging piece in the repertoire. Luckily, the next concert looks pretty cool too. Cello section soli in William Tell, ftw!
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Just take the next step.
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #442 on: November 11, 2009, 10:26:36 PM » |
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November 11, 2009:Apparently Wednesdays are turning into class days? Hmm...I also did a few random jumping pullups and negatives, but not really enough to count as true GTG. Morning: Pilates class. 1 hour. Was sore starting out, but this helped a lot...until my muscles got cold again after class. Evening: Parkour class, lol: - Some random vaulting on my own before class.
 - Warmup: Dynamic stretching.
- QM (was this still part of the warmup?) Basic forwards backwards and sideways.
- Lazy vaults: Worked on getting this with my left hand; for some reason it's a lot more difficult than when I do it with my right!
- Speed vaults: Need to kick higher, but pretty good overall. Everything can always use a bit more work!
- Dash vaults: The next one I need to start working on! These were a mess at first, but I got to the point where I can *almost* do one w/o sitting down on the dratted foam block. It's not even really "sitting;" it's more like hitting the block with my butt on the way down, haha.
- Precisions: Jumped from the floor to a low balance beam that was ~4-5 feet away til I stuck 10 landings. Moved to the elevated beams...and stood there on one staring at a beam that was exactly as far away from me as the one on the floor was. The one I just conquered. ::sigh:: Managed to jump off of the tall balance beam onto the floor twice...jumped the distance on the floor *next to* the balance beams. Just failed to actually do it up high, even with a spotter.
- Metcon: 21-15-9 of burpees and situps, with QM in between sets. Time: 7:36.
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Just take the next step.
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #443 on: November 13, 2009, 02:58:49 PM » |
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November 12, 2009:Rest day. November 13, 2009:Gym day: - Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 air squats, 10 pushups (5 standard, 5 knees), 10 situps, and 10 pullups (the first set were jumping pullups; the others were on the gravitron, 100# assist)
- OH Press:
- 1x5, 45#
- 1x2 (+fail, +fail), 50#
 - 2x4 (+fail, +fail), 50# These make me think that the previous failure may have been due to technique, and not strength. Note: I'm pushing too much with my back when I get stuck. I have GOT to stop that!
- Deadlift:
- 1x5, 45#
- 1x5, 65#
- 1x5, 95#
- 2x5, 125# This should have included a third work set, but something felt really wrong in my lower back (I think from the bad OH presses). Seems like it's just an overworked muscle kind of thing, but it ached a bit after my first work set (felt fine during the lift) and *hurt* after the second work set. Decided to call it at that point rather than risking an injury.
- Cooldown: Stretching.
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #444 on: November 16, 2009, 10:29:47 AM » |
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November 14, 2009:Rest day. Muscles in my lower back hurt, and not really in a good "my muscles are tired" sort of way. Iced. November 15, 2009:Gym, late evening. My back was still a bit stiff, but it felt a lot better. Kept weights to ~80% of my previous maximums because lifting too much when you're already hurt/tired is a good way to injure yourself. Turns out it was a good thing I did; I had a hard time at even 80%, so PRing would've been a bad plan. - Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 air squats, 10 pushups (5 standard, 5 knees), 10 situps, and 10 pullups (100# assist, hammer grip this time, sets of 7+3)
- Push Press:
- 1x5, 45#
- 1x5, 50#
- 1x5, 55#
- 1x4 (+fail, +fail), 55# This felt pretty good until this last set, where it all went to heck. Was going for another set of 5, but decided to call it after that last fail. Concentrated on breathing properly. Back felt a bit painful after, but not bad.
- Squat:
- Messed around with low bar for a couple reps, but eventually ended up going back to high bar for everything listed here.
- 1x5, 45#
- 1x5, 75#
- 2x5, 105# I might've been able to do another set, but I was starting to get tired and sloppy where my back was concerned. Called it.
- Metcon segueing into a cooldown: ~20+ minutes at different levels on a stationary bike.
Iced some more when I got home.
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TraceuseDS
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« Reply #445 on: November 20, 2009, 09:49:04 PM » |
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November 16, 2009:Rest day. November 17, 2009:I did training for a job!  It's a contract position, but it's work for now. Did not ice my back. Got sore. When I got home that evening I did the warmup routine I've been doing lately, then had to fly out the door to get to rehearsal on time. Played my cello for a bit over 2.5 hours (we finished a bit late). November 18, 2009:Part parkour class and part open gym at the gymnastics gym: - Warmup: Primarily dynamic stretching, a little bit of static stretching (probably not the best time/place for this, but w/e).
- Rolls: Across the spring floor and back. We were just supposed to do a couple, but we ended up having some extra time...and I ended up playing a little, trying to see whether I could just keep rolling continuously from one end of the floor to the other. Yep. Rolling over my left shoulder still isn't as smooth as rolling over my right one, though. Need to work on that.
- Vaults: I focused mainly on some sloppy kongs over the smaller foam block (hip-to-waist height), then ended up switching to the higher block (waist-to-sternum height) for some attempts at speed vaults. Was unsuccessful. Bleh. I think it's just too high for me still. Not sure whether to perfect my technique on the short block, then try to move to the high one, or just keep trying the hard stuff. Also tried doing a kong-to-roll over the short block. This was messy, and there was too much of an impact, so it could definitely use some more work.
- Tried to figure out how to do a front flip WITHOUT a trampoline, because it has been forever. Jumped into a foam pit rather terribly several times. The lack of bounce (and lack of recent practice) definitely throws me off!
- Precisions: Bad tonight for some reason. Just couldn't find my balance. Worked on some short stuff: jumped up and down across two balance beams that were set about 3-4 feet apart. One was maybe a foot higher than the other.
- Cast offs (I think that's what they're called): Swung back and forth hanging on a bar, then released as my hips extended...flew forward into a foam pit.
- Metcon: A variation on "Tabata This." 8 x (20 seconds max effort + 10 seconds rest) of each of these: Air squats, pushups, situps, pullups. Counted and tallied all the numbers from all the sets. Phew! I don't remember my numbers right now, but I'll enter them when I find them. Did a bunch of knee pushups and jumping pullups.
EDIT-Did X squats, X knee pushups, X situps, and 46 jumping pullups.
November 19, 2009:Rest day. I was actually OK when I got up in the morning, but I started to feel progressively stiffer as the day went on. November 20, 2009:Gym day: - Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 air squats, 10 pushups (tried for 6 standard, 4 knees; was moderately successful), 10 situps, and 10 pullups (100# assist, switched grips around; had to break it into 7+3 and 4+3+3)
- Press:
- 1x5, 45#
- 3x5, 50# Much better. Still need to watch my back here, but remembering to use the Valsalva maneuver helped a lot.
- Squat:
- 1x5, 45#
- 1x5, 75#
- 1x5, 100#
- 3x5, 135# I GOT TO USE THE BIG WEIGHTS!!!!! I've never used the 45# plates before, so today was exciting!
- Cooldown: ~45 minutes of yoga. (A class was starting just as I was finishing, so I thought "Hey, why not?" It worked. I'm terrible at spending enough time cooling down when I'm by myself.)
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« Last Edit: Today at 03:32:06 PM by TraceuseDS »
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Spencer B
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« Reply #446 on: Today at 06:22:07 PM » |
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I did training for a job! It's a contract position, but it's work for now. 3x5, 135# I GOT TO USE THE BIG WEIGHTS!!!!! I've never used the 45# plates before, so today was exciting! Cooldown: ~45 minutes of yoga. (A class was starting just as I was finishing, so I thought "Hey, why not?" It worked. I'm terrible at spending enough time cooling down when I'm by myself.) These things. They made me smile. |
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