Funniest thing. Kinda wandered to the climbing gym today, 'cuz i ended up doing nothing at all yesterday, and i wanted to move. But i went in with really low expectations. Stretched really good and warmed up for a long time on the auto-belays and traversing. Did some pullups. i got a 5.11, but i kinda felt stale and frayed still. Wasn't sure i would even try any bouldering. Then i saw this guy climb a problem that looked int'resting. So i scoped it, and it was a v5. i thought it looked possible, but not so much for today. i threw to the first move, and it was easier than i expected. i botched the feet going to the second move. i threw again, and botched it. Then i stuck the move, and just kept climbing 'til i could see the finish hold. So i skipped the next hold and jumped. And it stuck. A v5 in three tries.
Then i thought i'd see what'd happen on another v5 i'd gotten shut down on a week ago. Horrible pinch problem, and i hadn't been able to do the second move. Today i swung into it, and nearly flashed that sucka'; only the tape rolled off my finger when i stuck the finish crimp, and i popped. Took the tape off and sent next try.
Then i felt like i must be on a roll, so i started working another 5 on the boulder. All sloper problem, and i was flailing on a high move. So i threw in with a group o' lads working a v4 next to it, and i thought it looked mighty doable. So i flashed it. Then i melted off that 5 several more times. i was about to give up, when this feller asked me why i didn't use this huge rail on the far left of the line. i totally had not noticed that the hold was on, and i had one of those light bulb moments. Sent next try after maybe 9 or 10 burns. And the topout turned out to be the worst part of the climb. i was already fried, but i got up there and there was a couple of tiny chips on this super-steep (and very high) slab. i got to this certain point where i was heel-hooked and melting off of sketchy micros 14 ft off the deck, and i was like you either jump and maybe you won't fracture anything, or you finish this thing. i haven't been that freaked on a climb in a very long time. i literally couldn't look down, 'cuz i knew i'd lose it.
Heehee! Finishes like that are what it's all about. You got one rep left--and that's it. That's a workout.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
...And exhale
It never ceases to amaze me how fast i can lose fitness. More to the point, it amazes me how fast i can get fat. Yesterday i climbed; but only 'cuz my climbing partner was moving to the east coast today. Hands didn't feel as arthritic as they'd been feeling, but it was not a power day. The day before i spent studying, so it was practically a bed-rest day. i felt like a geriatric. Bleh. Not gonna climb for a few more days fo' to heal, and it's not time for an iron workout; but i gotta do something. Maybe i'll try to run today. Got two tests outta the way today, so i have a li'l time to breathe.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Bile and Wine
The bad news is that i'm back over 200lbs. That, and i've got some perty mad bilateral biceps tendonitis. The good news is that 1) i'm pretty sure of why i've packed it back on, 2) i've got a couple of v6s and (possibly) a 7 in the crosshairs at Clydesdale weight, and 3) i locked out three reps with 305 on straight leg deads before my hands melted open today. Hadn't picked up more than 270 in quite a few moons, so that was encouraging. In fact, i was 'bout ready to pack it up and go home after the warm-up, 'cuz my hands and biceps were so thrashed. but i kept clipping off reps, and my back persisted in not throwing a spring, and my hands doggedly failed to drop the bar on my feet.
Also did the frenchies on p'lups again. Modified it this time, since i was dying. After a set with 45 and 70, i locked out at the top with 90, then just did another rep; then i just did a pullup with 110 followed by a couple of negatives. Skipped cable and BB rows to preserve a li'l muscle in the biceps--i'm hoping that some proteins might use the remaining threads as a kind of road map, and find their way to the original tendons. Decent workout. Now i gotta figure out how to trend downward weight-wise whilst not using my arms for a weekish.
Also did the frenchies on p'lups again. Modified it this time, since i was dying. After a set with 45 and 70, i locked out at the top with 90, then just did another rep; then i just did a pullup with 110 followed by a couple of negatives. Skipped cable and BB rows to preserve a li'l muscle in the biceps--i'm hoping that some proteins might use the remaining threads as a kind of road map, and find their way to the original tendons. Decent workout. Now i gotta figure out how to trend downward weight-wise whilst not using my arms for a weekish.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Climble
Too cold to ride today, in my humble opinion. So i climbled. i says to Steph on the phone, "Don't worry...it'll be a short session. Just a bunch of v2s." But v2s are mostly very boring, and i did laps in the pool yesterday. So i worked all the moves out on a 6 (but i didn't send. Yet.) Did go get a new 4. Worked all the moves on another 4, but didn't link. Got a 3 or so, then did some 2s. One of 'em actually was really cool. Took me maybe six tries. Very neat sloper problem; very balancy. Then i put on the harness and got on the auto-belay. Got a few 5.9s, then got my butt handed to me on an 11 and a 10 i think. Hands were opening up on everything except the kind of stuff i could wedge my bones into and lever off of. i actually wore a hole in my thumb flesh. First time i've had to tape my thumb, methinks. Now i've officially had to tape every digit on my left hand within the last two months. Makes me feel like i've accomplished something.
And i brought my pig's feet home along with some suturing materials. i'm gonna teach Annie to sew. Then i'll feel like i've done something useful as a parent.
Yesterday i got a call from a climbing bro who's moving to Maryland this week. So i climbed again. i only went to see him; veeeeery low expectations, climbing-wise. But we did an extensive warm-up. That was very in order. And it went surprisingly well. Toproped a 5.9, then downclimbed it, and jumped on a 10. Then did another 10, lowered, and sent an 11. Got 'em all with no falls (and, in fact, i downgraded all of 'em.) Then we bouldered for, like, 2 hrs solid. He was working a short v7+, and interestingly, i got it mostly worked out. i actually think it could go. i failed on a 5 that i felt like i should have flashed--pinchers did not show up for the ride after thrashing 'em to meatloaf the day before. i did flash a stiff new 3 though. i was ready to go home after that, but he wanted to go to the upstairs cave and show me a problem. i got obsessed with this roof problem that they'll probably call a 4 or 5. It involves tensioning yer whole body against a toe-hook on one edge of the roof, and a huge sloper on the opposite edge of the roof, maybe a five feet span. i got it by keeping the toe-hook on and heel-hooking beside my hands with my right foot--kinda an inverted front/back splits. Got some "holy craps!" from the spectators for that one, and i was mighty glad i'd stretched. Then i did it again to try a different sequence. Then he started wondering if it could be sent as a running jump start. So it turned into a pissing contest, and generally felt more like a skate park than the gym. That was some sick fun jumping off the vertical wall and hanging a five foot wide compression move. i definitely would not have thought that was possible if i'd been by myself. i left 'cuz i was starting to feel like i might need surgical intervention on my biceps. Raging -itis. i'm s'posed to do back today, but it ain't gonna happen. Gunna go do chest instead. That, i expect, will go exactly like it always does.
...And abs, as it turned out. There's some progress in just one week. i think if i worked chest more than once per month, i'd see maybe even bigger gains.
And i brought my pig's feet home along with some suturing materials. i'm gonna teach Annie to sew. Then i'll feel like i've done something useful as a parent.
Saturday continuance
------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday i got a call from a climbing bro who's moving to Maryland this week. So i climbed again. i only went to see him; veeeeery low expectations, climbing-wise. But we did an extensive warm-up. That was very in order. And it went surprisingly well. Toproped a 5.9, then downclimbed it, and jumped on a 10. Then did another 10, lowered, and sent an 11. Got 'em all with no falls (and, in fact, i downgraded all of 'em.) Then we bouldered for, like, 2 hrs solid. He was working a short v7+, and interestingly, i got it mostly worked out. i actually think it could go. i failed on a 5 that i felt like i should have flashed--pinchers did not show up for the ride after thrashing 'em to meatloaf the day before. i did flash a stiff new 3 though. i was ready to go home after that, but he wanted to go to the upstairs cave and show me a problem. i got obsessed with this roof problem that they'll probably call a 4 or 5. It involves tensioning yer whole body against a toe-hook on one edge of the roof, and a huge sloper on the opposite edge of the roof, maybe a five feet span. i got it by keeping the toe-hook on and heel-hooking beside my hands with my right foot--kinda an inverted front/back splits. Got some "holy craps!" from the spectators for that one, and i was mighty glad i'd stretched. Then i did it again to try a different sequence. Then he started wondering if it could be sent as a running jump start. So it turned into a pissing contest, and generally felt more like a skate park than the gym. That was some sick fun jumping off the vertical wall and hanging a five foot wide compression move. i definitely would not have thought that was possible if i'd been by myself. i left 'cuz i was starting to feel like i might need surgical intervention on my biceps. Raging -itis. i'm s'posed to do back today, but it ain't gonna happen. Gunna go do chest instead. That, i expect, will go exactly like it always does.
...And abs, as it turned out. There's some progress in just one week. i think if i worked chest more than once per month, i'd see maybe even bigger gains.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Schwim
Schwimmed today at lunch. 300w/u, 5 x 100s on a 10sec interval, 200 drill sets, 300 c/d. Then i et a bunch o' fruit and went 'n' bought some pig's feet. Get to do surgery on 'em tomorrow. Suturing lab. Oughrter be fun.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Diggin' Deep
Had a li'l time, so i clumb today. i was determined that it'd be a light, low-intensity day. i warmed up extra long and stretched. i climbed a v3 and it took me 3 tries. Leetle beet stale. Then i got that v5 i'd been wanting a few days ago. Took me 7 or 8 burns, and i sounded like i was passing a kidney stone, but i got it. Then i got on the auto-belays and ran laps. Pretty good workout. Even the v5 was a sloper problem, so nothing too heinous on the tendons. But i was definitely having that not-so-fresh feeling. Needin' a nice string of non-climbling days fo' to heal. i think if i could get my butt back on the bike, i wouldn't run outta stuff to do instead. i'm having a mental block or something. i don't like riding in the cold.
Anyhow, i gather i'm not the only one diggin' deep today. Here's a prost to the new parents!
Anyhow, i gather i'm not the only one diggin' deep today. Here's a prost to the new parents!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The All Stevia Diet
i earned me the right to sit on m' haunches and write a li'l bit with a nice, toasty swim. 300 w/u, 1,000 straight for a working set, 200 drill sets, 300 c/d for somewhere in the vicinity of 1,800 total.
Anyhow, i've decided to try something different. i went off of the Green Faces thing after a full week of it, but i'm kinda using it as a foundation. i think basically i'm just gonna try to keep my carbs really low. That's the main thing. i'd just go with the 100g/day thing, except i don't think it's very realistic with the high(ish) volume aerobic workouts. So i'm gonna try to concentrate on keeping my carbs as low as i can, while still feeling like i have enough juice to make it through. And i'm gonna include the EtOH in the count. That means if i want a workout that's worth a crud, i don't get to drink. Since i apparently have no self-control outside of math equation, i will engage in "quantified moderation." No calorie counting and no cheating; i just pay the price for every carb i take in. And it's Atkins for me if i don't work out. It sounds oversimplified, but i do believe it's the collective cereal, milk, bread, corn, cookies, and booze that's keeping me fat. And i know if i'm only gonna have a tiny number of carbs, i ain't gonna waste 'em on HFCS. i haven't calculated it out, but i'm allowing maybe 150ish g/day. And that may be too high, but it's a target. Plus--as i mentioned--i'm basically keeping it to the green faces, or maybe more of that Paleo sort of diet.
Lessee...catch-up on the workouts: sat i did chest. This would have been sad to witness, and, in fact, it was mildly embarrassing even though i was the only one in the gym. But you gotta start somewhere. It's just goofy that i have to start over every time i work chest. Sun i clumb at the gym with a mate from school. i should not have gone climbing, and i fully intended not to. But i didn't have the will power. i'll leave it with saying that i didn't get any projects cleared up, and after some concern, my wrist flexor bundle ended up not being ruptured. (Yea!)
Yesterday, i did back work. That was a good workout. Instead of plain ol' ME chinups, i did "frenchie" lock-offs with weight. my frenchies are pull-ups where you go all the way up, lower, go 3/4 up, lower, 1/2 way up, lower, 1/4 up, lower, then back to the top. i think these are backwards from normal frenchies, but i wanted the lock-offs to work. i did 'em with a 5sec lock-off at the top of each rep. 20 regular p'lups for a warmup, then frenchie sets with 45, 65, 80, and 2x105. Had to cheat my way up on most of the 105s, but i got most of the lock-offs. These were monstrous, and i recommend them highly. Also did straight leg deads, abs, one arm cable rows, bent-over bb rows, and wide grip pulldowns. Oddly, the arm i hurt climbing was pulling better than the other arm. Go figure.
It's really pretty outside, and i'm gunna try to run if i get a chance. Vamos a ver.
Got an hour run in. Actually went out at 1700 in shirt-sleeves and shorts. i'm diggin' summer here.
Any new babies out there?
Anyhow, i've decided to try something different. i went off of the Green Faces thing after a full week of it, but i'm kinda using it as a foundation. i think basically i'm just gonna try to keep my carbs really low. That's the main thing. i'd just go with the 100g/day thing, except i don't think it's very realistic with the high(ish) volume aerobic workouts. So i'm gonna try to concentrate on keeping my carbs as low as i can, while still feeling like i have enough juice to make it through. And i'm gonna include the EtOH in the count. That means if i want a workout that's worth a crud, i don't get to drink. Since i apparently have no self-control outside of math equation, i will engage in "quantified moderation." No calorie counting and no cheating; i just pay the price for every carb i take in. And it's Atkins for me if i don't work out. It sounds oversimplified, but i do believe it's the collective cereal, milk, bread, corn, cookies, and booze that's keeping me fat. And i know if i'm only gonna have a tiny number of carbs, i ain't gonna waste 'em on HFCS. i haven't calculated it out, but i'm allowing maybe 150ish g/day. And that may be too high, but it's a target. Plus--as i mentioned--i'm basically keeping it to the green faces, or maybe more of that Paleo sort of diet.
Lessee...catch-up on the workouts: sat i did chest. This would have been sad to witness, and, in fact, it was mildly embarrassing even though i was the only one in the gym. But you gotta start somewhere. It's just goofy that i have to start over every time i work chest. Sun i clumb at the gym with a mate from school. i should not have gone climbing, and i fully intended not to. But i didn't have the will power. i'll leave it with saying that i didn't get any projects cleared up, and after some concern, my wrist flexor bundle ended up not being ruptured. (Yea!)
Yesterday, i did back work. That was a good workout. Instead of plain ol' ME chinups, i did "frenchie" lock-offs with weight. my frenchies are pull-ups where you go all the way up, lower, go 3/4 up, lower, 1/2 way up, lower, 1/4 up, lower, then back to the top. i think these are backwards from normal frenchies, but i wanted the lock-offs to work. i did 'em with a 5sec lock-off at the top of each rep. 20 regular p'lups for a warmup, then frenchie sets with 45, 65, 80, and 2x105. Had to cheat my way up on most of the 105s, but i got most of the lock-offs. These were monstrous, and i recommend them highly. Also did straight leg deads, abs, one arm cable rows, bent-over bb rows, and wide grip pulldowns. Oddly, the arm i hurt climbing was pulling better than the other arm. Go figure.
It's really pretty outside, and i'm gunna try to run if i get a chance. Vamos a ver.
-----------------------------------------
Later:
Got an hour run in. Actually went out at 1700 in shirt-sleeves and shorts. i'm diggin' summer here.
Any new babies out there?
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Another week of green faces
i'm starting to tweak like a crack addict. i really like carbs, and i really like dairy. i miss them. Like the deserts miss the rain. i like pasta; and i especially like pasta when it's covered in cheese. Oh, and i like beer. i really wanted a beer last night. i guess that's why it's a diet. i just wish i could turn it into something a little less rigid and punishing, and a little more of a permanent lifestyle sort of thing. It has highlighted for me how much crap i've (again) become accustomed to packing down the pie-hole. i know i gained at least ten pounds since thanksgiving. i've gotten in the habit of eating stuff that even i don't normally allow into my body. i have gotten back down below 200lbs again.
Swam on thurs. 5 x 100s on a 10 sec interval for the working bit, for 1,300m total. Gotta get back on the bike. Gotta, gotta.
Went climbing on tues, wed and fri. Tues, Steph and the kids went with me, so it didn't end up being much of a workout; but it was fun. Started out on wed knowing that it was going to be a bad session. Began by getting shut down on a v3--which portended ill. i could not send that thing. Then i couldn't even get started on a v4 next to it. Irritating. But then i think the warm-up settled in. Ended up hooking up with a group of strong guys and sending a 5, and working all the moves on another 'un. Yesterday i went back and did a really long, serious warm-up; and i stretched really carefully. Sent that other 5 first try. Went to the cave and sent that v3 i'd been shut down on like the light hors d'ouevre it should'a been. Weird how strongly your attitude and pain-tolerance-du-jour figure into a workout. Then we spent most of an hour working out the moves on a ver' tricky v6. i'm 98% sure that'll go next time i get in to the gym fresh and strong. we climbed 'til i was falling off of 2s and i wore a hole in my finger flesh. i was ready to go home, when a v5 sloper smote me with desire. Worked all the moves on it into two parts, but i didn't have the juice left to link. That'll go next session methinks.
Anyhow, it was encouraging that i can still climb fairly hard after the damage i've done to me o'er the holidays. m' fingers are thrashed, and there is TENS unit time in my future, but i'm not the adipose-induced paraplegic i'd feared i'd be. And if i can send a v6 at 198lbs, that gives me huge motivation for losing more. i really do want to re-tool this diet into something less monotonous that works out to be just a really consistently healthy, controlled lifestyle. i really don't think my problem is nuts and yoghurt; i think my problem is total lack of discipline. (Although it's seriously good for me to be free of cheese, grains, and EtOH for some periods of time.)
i dunno...maybe something like week on, week off sort of a thing for a while: something demanding enough that i wouldn't have time to re-acclimatize to being a junk food-swilling alcoholic. i don't like what i became over the break, but i've got a pica-like craving for more carbs than i'm getting. i just really, really want to get down to 185lbs. Suggestions?
Swam on thurs. 5 x 100s on a 10 sec interval for the working bit, for 1,300m total. Gotta get back on the bike. Gotta, gotta.
Went climbing on tues, wed and fri. Tues, Steph and the kids went with me, so it didn't end up being much of a workout; but it was fun. Started out on wed knowing that it was going to be a bad session. Began by getting shut down on a v3--which portended ill. i could not send that thing. Then i couldn't even get started on a v4 next to it. Irritating. But then i think the warm-up settled in. Ended up hooking up with a group of strong guys and sending a 5, and working all the moves on another 'un. Yesterday i went back and did a really long, serious warm-up; and i stretched really carefully. Sent that other 5 first try. Went to the cave and sent that v3 i'd been shut down on like the light hors d'ouevre it should'a been. Weird how strongly your attitude and pain-tolerance-du-jour figure into a workout. Then we spent most of an hour working out the moves on a ver' tricky v6. i'm 98% sure that'll go next time i get in to the gym fresh and strong. we climbed 'til i was falling off of 2s and i wore a hole in my finger flesh. i was ready to go home, when a v5 sloper smote me with desire. Worked all the moves on it into two parts, but i didn't have the juice left to link. That'll go next session methinks.
Anyhow, it was encouraging that i can still climb fairly hard after the damage i've done to me o'er the holidays. m' fingers are thrashed, and there is TENS unit time in my future, but i'm not the adipose-induced paraplegic i'd feared i'd be. And if i can send a v6 at 198lbs, that gives me huge motivation for losing more. i really do want to re-tool this diet into something less monotonous that works out to be just a really consistently healthy, controlled lifestyle. i really don't think my problem is nuts and yoghurt; i think my problem is total lack of discipline. (Although it's seriously good for me to be free of cheese, grains, and EtOH for some periods of time.)
i dunno...maybe something like week on, week off sort of a thing for a while: something demanding enough that i wouldn't have time to re-acclimatize to being a junk food-swilling alcoholic. i don't like what i became over the break, but i've got a pica-like craving for more carbs than i'm getting. i just really, really want to get down to 185lbs. Suggestions?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Invigorating...
...but not really all that much fun. It's a balmy 32 degrees in the more enchanting bit of Enchantment Land, but it "feels" like 21. And with a 16mph wind straight outta the bowels of the Arctic, it's a fine day to not be on a bike. Did get a 45 minute run in though. The water in my bottle started slushing up before i got home, which is impressive since i had an electrolyte mix in there (colligative properties and freezing point depression, and so forth.) It was not a good run, and my lungs were not pleased with me; but it was not a good day to run, and my eyeballs are not pleased with my gut. So screw my lungs. i ran. And now i can justify indulging in this banana. Good times.
May the next workout be mo' fun than this one.
May the next workout be mo' fun than this one.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Kick Start my Heart
Bon Jovi RULZ!!! Except when Bryan Adams comes on right after Bon Jovi; then THAT RULZ!!!! (Headbanger devil fingers!!)
Yeah, there're days when i think i'd be happier if my iPod hadn't been washed in my pants' pocket.
i started back on the Green Faces diet today. So far so good. Also did a pretty hard workout at the irongym. Didn't feel nearly as nauseous as i expected after the ridiculously long layoff and almost-constant toxification, so i kept going and made a fairly torturous one out of it. i wanted to go for a run afterward, but Steph needed some daylight as well. i start back to school tomorrow, but i get out at lunch for the next few days, so i'll see if i can make a good go of it toward getting back onto the narrow path before it gets hard.
i went to that climbing comp on friday, but i ended up not competing really. i knew there was a comp, but for some reason i invited some friends from school to go climb. i guess i thought maybe they'd get into the spirit and have fun bouldering; but they wanted to toprope. So i walked around with a harness on the whole night. i really didn't mind, but i ended up not even belaying for 'em. They kinda did their own thing, and i literally walked around trying the occasional boulder problem with a harness on. The only way i could have fit the image better would'a' been to have worn socks. Annie went with me, and she pulled down a few problems though. That li'l chick could be real good if she'd get a tiny bit obsessed about it. i did end up pulling down 3 or 4 problems--a couple of 'em might go at v4. So i think i'm not as depressingly out of form as i'd feared. But i could definitely feel a difference from before we took off east. i know i gained most of a stone on my gut, and i could feel the extra weight even if i wasn't much weaker. It comes out in really low endurance. That's just infuriating to be in the best shape i've been in for a long, long time, and then to throw it away on eating too much and drinking like a fish. Very stupid. Ah well: hopefully i'm not too far down the drain, and maybe my pinger tendons are closer to healed.
Today i worked back. Clipped off 20 pullups for a warmup, and felt like i could keep going, but i feared what that would do to my last sets. Turned out it didn't matter. i was screaming to lock one out with 100. Did a couple of sets of that with negatives. On straight leg deads i think the layoff really did do me some good. i didn't go up super heavy, but there was no pain in my back. i needed that. Went back to one-arm cable rows instead of two-hands. i like them thar things. Then i did a bunch of other stuff. Ooo, and i did the weighted sidebends--couple o' sets o' those. And you'll be amused to know there was a guy in there doing 'em with a weight in each hand. i didn't think i'd ever actually seen anyone doing 'em that way before, so i was surprised, and had an internal chuckle. Not so good at physics maybe.
i am going to go have some herbal tea, and no ice cream. School starts back tomorrow at 0800, and i'm a tiny bit depressed about that. But it's nearly over with. :-)
Yeah, there're days when i think i'd be happier if my iPod hadn't been washed in my pants' pocket.
i started back on the Green Faces diet today. So far so good. Also did a pretty hard workout at the irongym. Didn't feel nearly as nauseous as i expected after the ridiculously long layoff and almost-constant toxification, so i kept going and made a fairly torturous one out of it. i wanted to go for a run afterward, but Steph needed some daylight as well. i start back to school tomorrow, but i get out at lunch for the next few days, so i'll see if i can make a good go of it toward getting back onto the narrow path before it gets hard.
i went to that climbing comp on friday, but i ended up not competing really. i knew there was a comp, but for some reason i invited some friends from school to go climb. i guess i thought maybe they'd get into the spirit and have fun bouldering; but they wanted to toprope. So i walked around with a harness on the whole night. i really didn't mind, but i ended up not even belaying for 'em. They kinda did their own thing, and i literally walked around trying the occasional boulder problem with a harness on. The only way i could have fit the image better would'a' been to have worn socks. Annie went with me, and she pulled down a few problems though. That li'l chick could be real good if she'd get a tiny bit obsessed about it. i did end up pulling down 3 or 4 problems--a couple of 'em might go at v4. So i think i'm not as depressingly out of form as i'd feared. But i could definitely feel a difference from before we took off east. i know i gained most of a stone on my gut, and i could feel the extra weight even if i wasn't much weaker. It comes out in really low endurance. That's just infuriating to be in the best shape i've been in for a long, long time, and then to throw it away on eating too much and drinking like a fish. Very stupid. Ah well: hopefully i'm not too far down the drain, and maybe my pinger tendons are closer to healed.
Today i worked back. Clipped off 20 pullups for a warmup, and felt like i could keep going, but i feared what that would do to my last sets. Turned out it didn't matter. i was screaming to lock one out with 100. Did a couple of sets of that with negatives. On straight leg deads i think the layoff really did do me some good. i didn't go up super heavy, but there was no pain in my back. i needed that. Went back to one-arm cable rows instead of two-hands. i like them thar things. Then i did a bunch of other stuff. Ooo, and i did the weighted sidebends--couple o' sets o' those. And you'll be amused to know there was a guy in there doing 'em with a weight in each hand. i didn't think i'd ever actually seen anyone doing 'em that way before, so i was surprised, and had an internal chuckle. Not so good at physics maybe.
i am going to go have some herbal tea, and no ice cream. School starts back tomorrow at 0800, and i'm a tiny bit depressed about that. But it's nearly over with. :-)
Friday, January 7, 2011
Review of ARCH
Whilst in Yellow, Tx, i endeavored to visit the Amarillo Rock Climbing House. Sometimes it takes having a look at how folk on the other side o' the tracks are living to appreciate what i've got. Since i went, i've been trying to find the words to describe my frustration with the place. i think i have it: i think "ultra-contrived" nutshells it. Now, to be fair, i'll preface this by admitting that i clumb deconditioned by two weeks of sitting in a car trying to lower my basal metabolic rate to that of a hibernating sloth. And i'd added a few layers of traveling blubber just to make me more attractive to the earth's core. Having said that, i noted the distinct flavor of "locals' evolutionary rating" on everything on the walls. Everything was sandbagged. You could stretch your imagination and concede that a "v3" probably would feel like a v3 if you'd done it 10 or 12 times and had all the moves wired. Every single problem was a sit-start 12" off the ground from a horrible slopey crimp or two and an off-center, glassy micro-sloper for a foot. And that was the funny bit--the crux of most of the problems was the first move. There was a group of locals working some stuff around me, and it was clearly the accepted practice for overcoming this problem by starting with hands on the start, one foot on a hold, then hopping off the ground to a better hand. This seemed especially odd after i got the strong impression that they'd set most of the routes. i guess the point of a start move 2 grades harder than the rest of the climb escaped me. Oh well...it served a good purpose. There's nothing like shredding the tips on teensy crimps to show a brother how fat he's gotten. i got some blood flowing in there, and i actually got a little dizzy from all the toxic crap i've taken aboard over the last month.
Tonight there's an informal comp at the home gym, and i'm thinking about taking Annie to it to see how bad i really have gotten. Tomorrow i'm planning on starting back on the Green Faces. i'm tired of making myself nauseous every time i look in the mirror. Now it's off to the store for some beast and greens...
Tonight there's an informal comp at the home gym, and i'm thinking about taking Annie to it to see how bad i really have gotten. Tomorrow i'm planning on starting back on the Green Faces. i'm tired of making myself nauseous every time i look in the mirror. Now it's off to the store for some beast and greens...
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