Countdown

i didn't work out tonight. did go climbing, which started out very well. After sunday's travesty, it was very nice to know i can still climb. Warmed up on a bunch of 2s and 3s, and made some fine efforts on one of my projects. Steph met the kids and me there, but she wasn't into it at all (one of her kids at work hanged himself over the weekend-- she was understandably bummed.) So we left way early. It was good to feel strong, even if it was because i didn't work out. i'm gunna do tomorrow's workout, God allowing. i just feel like i'm sorta hanging on till this thing is over. i'm seriously disenchanted with the diet, and while i like that the workout bit has gotten me back into a program of sorts, and i like that i've been forced to try some weird crap i probably wouldn't have otherwise messed with, i'm looking forward to streamlining it and getting a li'l harder core with it. i do feel like i've built a decent little base to springboard off of though. That's kinda nice. You guys need to come see me soon. we'll climb some and have a beer...or two.

And yet another 'un...

Today is the three week mark for me on this diet. Weighed in at 189 li'l bit ago. That means i'm down four lbs. in under three weeks! (Woohoo!) i guess that's a little depressing since i could'a lost four lbs. by just not drinking beer for 3 weeks or jacking up my exercise magnitude. i haven't quite figured out what the diet part of this screwy diet plan has accomplished for me, except putting me in a nearly perpetually bad mood. Maybe i have a deeper appreciation for food or something, but if i can't lose the gut eating 1450 cals/day, then i don't really know what'll work. Maybe i'll take up ultramarathoning. Then at least i could eat. i just am hungry all the time, and have no energy--which would be fine for a while if i were losing weight. Ah well. One more week of it. i'm just bummed.

Once again, we got in too late to do the v burn thing yesterday. we went to Las Conchas (where we went climbing that time) for the day. That was fun. i climbed like crap cuz i was wasted tired, but then we hiked, and that was cool. So i guess i'll stack that with tonight's workout again. i just have zero energy. And we ate Indian food yesterday, which i'll take the opportunity to suggest you skip. That stuff's not so healthy. But it's tasty.

A Leather for my Fred

As anticipated, the chin-ups were less than awe inspiring. But we went back for a second session of climbing this afternoon 'cuz i wanted to make absolutely sure i had 1) taxed my tendons to the point of rupture, and 2) a good excuse for sucking as bad as i knew i was gunna suck anyhow. 20 seconds between sets didn't seem like much like time, by the way.

CG Bench:
5x5x135 (Bleh.)

Chin Ups:
3x5xbw+35
1x4xsame
2x3xsame (Bleh.)

Front Squats:
5x5x135 (Bleh.)

Push Out Thingies:
5x5x70 (Got a theme here, dig? Bleh.)

All in all it was an especially active day, and i'm about 12 hrs. behind on sleep. i did stick the crux 3 point huck to a half-pad crimp on a v5+++/maybe 6ish proj. That was nice. It'll go when i'm fresh. 'S good to have something to look forward to. i think i need a week off to go snowboarding.

A Letter for my Fred

Took the young'uns with to the climbgym this mornin' after dropping Annie off at school. Thought it'd be some good nepa, and'd be a good idea for to get some blood flowing early on. Only, i felt stale as a crouton. Not a bad session for its intended purpose, but i got thrown off of some stuff i really wanted to take down. Oh well. i just have a forboding premonition about the workout this evening. my elbow is hurting, and i'm afraid that when i bench my arm will collapse like that chick's that turns into a cockroach in whatever Nightmare On Elm Street that was. And i was really hoping chin-ups were on mon. 'cuz it might be bad today. we'll see.

but a bucket and a mop and an illustrated book about birds...and a pizza

Lo, and i have witnessed an injustice under the sun: i have gas that'd drop an adrenalined lioness with cubs in tow, and i've eaten exactly the same thing for each meal for nearly three weeks. Ooo, i have a quest for you. Find me (and then purchase for me, if necessary) the song Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave with Kylie Minogue (i think). Can't find it on iTunes. Right. So anyhow, it turns out that hard bouldering just before wednesday's workout is a subgood idear. Started on this v3 i was planning to just onsight, only some chick wasn't paying attention and was gonna climb right through me, so i stopped on a hold and waited because i refused to not flash the problem. Then i botched the sequence, downclimbed a bit and re-did it for the flash. Then i got obsessed with a bloody hard, shouldery v4 gnarcrimper (which i failed to finish). All that was after i put in eight or 10 burns on a v6 i was too tired to even be on when i got there. i felt like doodoo; totally sluggish and unmotivated and [friggin] hungry. So then i went home and energized with a splash of cotton candy flavored Surge, and went for the iron workout:

WG Pullups:
3x8xbw
1x5xbw
1x8x180 (on the machine)
1x3x180

Incline NG Bench:
5x8x40
(These started out feeling like i had an ice pick in my right shoulder joint, but it got mildly better)

Deads:
3x8x215
2x6x215
1x4x215 (This sucked. i literally couldn't hold onto the bar i was sweating so bad. Almost went out and grabbed a chalk bag, but didn't want to fritter the time away.)

BB Curl:
3x8x60
2x6x60
1x4x60 (No excuses here. i just have feminine biceps.)

Hanging Straight Leg Raises:
4x8x?
1x6x?
1x2x? (After about 10 secs. rest. Did these with an indeterminate amount of weight strapped to my ankles. i'm guessing they were 5 lbs-ish. First set felt easy. Last set did not.)

i didn't get to climb yesterday, and i didn't want to go that long without. But i had a real low pain tolerance, and just no energy. i feel like some pizza and a coldbeer'd cure that, but i'm gonna stay on the Ethiopian wagon with you blokes. 'Cuz i like yas. Now the cats are chasing a fly aobut the house, and they sound like those hippo ballet dancers in Fantasia, but without the soundtrack. Hopefully they'll get bored before i have to end their lives. Nastrovya.

Bigger Stetson Please

She came in today. (They threw in some extra holds just to be nice after taking a month to get it to me.) Sucka' weighs about 45 lbs. and it's hollow backed. i will use this to get strong just as soon as there is some flesh on my hands again with which to stick to such a hold. Very happy am i.

Halfway There

Weighed yesterday at 188 lbs. i have lost not an ounce since last week. So i'm expecting a 5 lb. poop this morning.

Well. Ended up doing monday's workout yesterday too. Turns out that's a fairly tough stack, the V-burn and the reg. workout. Even the ab-wheel thingies were a bit harder after hand walkouts. i literally felt like i'd been Vicodin'd when i woke up this morning. Had trouble functioning. And the flesh on my hands looks more like that chick at the beginning of Hellraiser 3 after the bad guy excoriates her. Worked out at 6:30, which is prime time at the gym, and i pretty much felt like a homo for a half hour.

Dips:
5x4xbw

Ab Wheels:
5x4xregular (i really wanted to add the elastic band and see how that works, but i really want to experiment with that first so i don't waste a bunch of time screwing with it.)

Upright Rows:
5x4x175 (These got hard on the last set. Weight was 'bout right.)

Overhead Squats:
5x4x45 (Next time i'm gunna try these in full length spandex pants whilst holding a fake gemstone in my navel.)

i'm very glad today is an off day. Everything in me either hurts or just refuses to move.

V-Burnin' in the desert

Alrighty. Now i can write about healthysolidmeal with a good conscience. Had a very fine HSM yesterday. Made a fat veggie stirfry of red bell, poblano, jalapeno, white mushrooms, shiitake, red cabbage, bean sprouts, garlic, onion, saffron, cilantro, cardomom, fennel, rosemary, cracked black, ton of salt...mmmm. Threw that on some brown rice and radish seeds and piled some baked swordfish and ahi tuna steaks on that. (So happy).

Problem was i didn't manage to get the v-burn in last night. we went bowling with nate and beryl and clan instead. Dealing with my three crybabies for three games was enough to make me want strong liquor. Exercise didn't happen. So i did it today. Didn't feel quite as puke-inducing as last weeks. First set of hand walkouts i did on 90 deg. dirt blistered and shredded my hands, so i ended up stopping for a tape up after set five. That was by far the most agonizing bit of the workout. i'm hoping i haven't screwed up the rest of the workouts this week. Monday's workout felt real easy last week, but i wonder how those ab-wheels're gunna feel after the hand walkouts same day. Guess i'll write about that when i get to it.

Wochenende

Yesterday was a good day. The workout was significantly...more doable than last friday's. Still kicked my butt, but i finished it and felt fairly good afterwards. Even went climbing after it.

Front Squats:
5x5x135 (These are just hard. Did manage to hold it higher on my delts this time, so no bruising.)

NG Bench:
4x5x135
1x3x135
1x2x135

Chin Ups:
4x5x+35
1x3x+35
1x2x+35

BB Push Press:
1x5x50 (too light)
5x5x60 (These felt good, but i think i can bump up next week)

At least i finished it all this time. Steph and i sloughed the chiddlers off on Ouma and Oupa and went climbing. They had most of the routes down for a comp today, but we got some nice toproping in. Steph did a set of four in a row: a 6+, 7, 7+, and an 8. She popped off the 8 one move before the end, but it was an impressive burn. i think she liked it. Most of what was up didn't have ratings on it cuz they were setting a bunch of new routes and taking stuff down, so it was kinda fun to wander around and just climb random stuff. Flashed a suuuper thin slab route that i think'll go at stiff 10 or 11-. Mostly it was fun to just jump on a bunch of gradeless routes and flow a bit. Good nepa, that.

And merry b-day to G.

Numma' Nine

Today was a good day, i think. i spent parts of it rather hungry. Maybe my metabolism is picking up a bit. Dunno. Weighed in at 188 this morning, which is a five lb. drop from start day. See if that sticks, but i don't see why not. And i felt it climbing today. Met Steph at the gym after she got off work to do some routes. we didn't get many routes done cuz the kiddoes were there, but she flashed a 5.8 (which i was very pleasantly surprised about) and i floated a 10+. Then i sent a handful of v3s, some of which i hadn't seen before, and a bunch of 2s. Maybe a 4. Don't have a clear idea of what a v4 is anymore. Then i went from there to the irongym for today's workout. Very pleased that it sucked 1000fold less than it did last week.

WG Pullups:
3x8xbw
1x4xbw (after this i went to the pulldown machine)
1x8x165
1x4x165

Neut.G Incline DB Press:
4x8x40s
1x5x40s
1x3x40s (Still have no shoulders)

Deads:
5x8x205 (These i like. Got the weight dialed pretty good this time)

Str.BB Curls:
4x8x50
1x5x50 (ow)
1x3x50 (maybe better not to climb right before this particular workout)

Hanging Straight Leg Raises:
1x20
2x10 (Hardest bit was hanging onto the bar. Need to add ankle weights for next week)

That felt good. i didn't feel like puking so much this time. Also worked really well to swill half the surge on the way to the gym. i drank my 5:00 HDS on the way to climb, and had the surge right after, and i felt plenty fueled for the second workout. Also, thanks for the beta on the cinnamon in the p.b. choco shake. Mighty tasty. Bis Morgan.

Klettertag

Smooth enough day, i'd reckon. Climbed today. Sent that thing i tried tearing my rotator cuff out on from sun. Got my lead cert for the gym today finally. That was kind'a funny. Had to clip everything right, of course; but i had to take a fall on the climb. my partner is this chick maybe sixty lbs. lighter than me. So i get up almost to the anchors, and the guy watching's like, "ok, just climb up to where the bolt's at yer feet and jump." So i say ok, and get up there and said take, and look down and she's got me locke off with probably six or eight foot of rope dangling. So i squinted a bit and said you sure you're ready? and she says yep, so i hucked off hard backwards and sucked her probably six feet off the ground and slammed into her. This is from the top of the route. guy doing the test said it was the coolest fall he'd seen anyone take on a lead test. Anyhow, i passed.

Still don't exactly know how to classify climbing exercise-wise. Is it a workout or is it nepa? At any rate, i anticipated wanting to gnaw my arm off before i was done and i put a scoop of surge in with my 2:00 HDS. Worked real well, and i was still on empty at 5:00. i'm hoping i sleep better tonight.

1/4 down

Gotta say, today's workout was by far the easiest thus far. i felt kinda' odd about drinking the extra calories in the Surge, but i did it anyway. The whole workout took maybe 20 mins. She proceeded:

Bent-o'er BB Rows:
1 x 5 x 155
4 x 5 x 165
Had to add those fives in a hurry to get 'er done in 30 sec. Think i could go a tad heavier next time.

Overhead Squat:
5 x 5 x 45 (seriously, the bar)
These are just plain awkward. The weight felt like nothin' even on my scrawny delts, but i nearly fell on my face trying to do the motion with more weight. It felt more like a core/stability exercise-- which maybe it's supposed to.

Dips:
5x5xbw
i hate dips. i hate them because i have no shoulders and no triceps to speak of, but i hate them because they exactly manage to hurt every joint in my upper body. Anyways, i finished 'em with no discernible injuries.

Ab Wheel:
5 x 5 on knees
i really like these things. i didn't even take the thing in the gym with me, partly 'cuz i felt like a homo carrying my wheel around with me, and partly 'cuz i was mildly afraid i would wheel out to the end of my extension and simply fall flat on my face. Wasn't nearly as hard as i was expecting, and it was a fabulous stretch.

i took (and plan in the future to take) half of the alotted Surge before m' workout, and the other half afterwards. It seems to settle just fine that way, and i have some juice to work out on. Plus i don't have so much of the filthy grog left to swill when my stomach is less stable. Also i bought some lemon and lime and orange flavored mineral waters at the store today. That stuff's nice. i love mineral water anyway, but it fills yer stomach up with air, and it has no calories or sweeteners of any kind. And i really didn't feel like i wanted food so badly after i got to eat yesterday. That was a nice change.

Reckoning

Odd day. Very poorly planned i guess. Dunno. Did the HSM today. we went to Ghengis Grill, and i had a lovely stir fry with some steak and calamari and crab and tofu and an egg, pile of veggies. Splurged and opted for the udon noodles instead of rice. But i only ate about half my bowl full or so. Couldn't finish it. Was supposed to replace just one meal with it, but we were in church at 11, and we ate ca. 1:30, so it took up two. Then we went climbing, and i sent my monthlong project first try, and linked through an 11 (on toprope) that i've never quite been able to finish without hanging. Then i thought i was gonna flash this funky v3, and instead i nearly ripped my rotator cuff off it moorings.

Dang it. i'll be back...

There: i did the v-burn challenge. i was gunna write how i managed not to do it today, 'cuz i was never home today and we just dragged in at 10:30 and i was about to fall over dizzy sleepy; but then i read your blogs and you heaped burning coals on my head, and i'll be da(r)ned if i'll give you two wankers an occasion to call me a wuss. That sucked worse than most anything. i have rarely experienced that magnitude of raw suckiness. i was so out of it, i had to write the exercises on the sidewalk in chalk so i could remember 'em. i'll go ahead and admit i did take some rest between sets. In fact on a few of 'em, i took some time between reps, wandered around in circles and tried to talk my heart out down off of the balcony railing. Turns out there isn't a single level spot on my lawn, and it wouldn't really matter if there were because i did the thing in the dark. But God sent a nice light rain on me for my last set of squat thrusts, for which i was grateful. Then i spent the last thirty minutes or so trying not to puke on my feet. Now i'm gunna go to bed and try not to puke there either. Hang in there, Jungs.

Day 5 (i think)

Well, lads, i'm looking down the barrel of my first Healthy Solid Meal today or tomorrow. Probably make it today. i'm afraid if i do it tomorrow (Sun.) we'll end up going for Indian, and i'll shove down a ton of ultra high fat curry. It hasn't been too bad; i'm getting used to the shake schedule. The workouts are tearing my outta-shape butt down, but it's nice to be back on a program. i think i need to do more of the NEPA though. i've been climbing on my off days a bit, so that definitely counts, but i do think some daily walking would seriously ramp this thang up. Here's yesterday's workout:

C G Bench:
5 x 5 x 135 (Nearly dropped the bar on me on the last rep)

Chin-ups:
1 x 5 x bw
3 x 5 x +35lbs.
2 x 4 x bw (fried; couldn't finish the sets clean)

Front Squats:
3 x 5 x 135
1 x 2ish x 135
Quit in pain: think i blew a butt spring. These things were super awkward for me.

Push press:
1 x 5 x 40 (way too light)
4 x 5 x 60 (These felt about right. Might could go up a hair next time.)

Stay strong lads. The V Challenge thing is coming up.

Reflections on wed.

Did the first workout yesterday. Got my butt kicked. i felt like puking as i wove my way outside to the car. Then i took a swig of the "original" [i.e. cotton candy flavored] surge. Just nearly reversed digestive polarity on m' steering wheel. i am way outta shape. i can say on day 3 here that the eating part is getting a little bit easier. And as of today i'm done with school, so i should be able to patch my schedule together a li'l tighter now. Peace out.

Why i don't climb shirtless

Little reflection on m' first day of the V diet. First of all, i have a serious addiction to food. i really love eating. Love. It. The number of times today i've had to stop myself from unconsciously grabbing easy food and cramming it in my mouth...

Second, it's entirely possible to pack down an extra few hundred calories in ground flax seed meal. :-)

The shake with peanut butter rocketh. Put that stuff in the blender with the chocolate mix and it's real nice. i licked the spoon shiny clean afterwards.

Tomorrow i'm gunna try to go up to the full dosage of hot rox and see if it stops my heart. i climbed a bit today, and i felt kinda sluggish, but i'm perfectly willing to chalk that up sleep deprivation. i've been decidedly hungry all day, but i definitely haven't felt shaky or bad (at least not for too long.) Anyhow, any doubts or questions i've had today are allayed by looking at my altogether unflattering pics here. There's a silver lining though: if i can climb v5/6 looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, maybe i have some room to move; and maybe i'll see some bigger numbers fall at the end of this.

i'll have to put up tape measurements after i find a tape. Also [note to self] i wanna get some fiber tablets. And it looks like i need one o' them there ab wheels. Suggestions on such creatures' native habitat?

Ground Zero

193 lbs. in my underoos s/p poopication. i'll hafta get tape measurements and the "before" pic up a bit later.

Started the V diet this morning. i'm looking forward to this thing. The shake is really good. i'm gonna hafta get a system going here. Gotta bust out the blender and get used to the timing. The diet plan itself tells how many calories, etc. to take on regular days vs. workout days, but it doesn't have separate plans. It doesn't say take this many shakes/ scoops on workout days vs. on regular days. i'm gonna have to research that a bit. Also it says to take the hot rocks on an empty stomach, but it doesn't say how long before you can eat. i took one this morning, and i'm probably gonna suffer for having coffee with it. we'll see. i might just be leaving off the coffee for the month as well.

i'm already seeing some deeply engrained habits. Making breakfast for the kids this morning i've had to refrain from munching on whatever i'm making for 'em. It's funny, 'cuz i barely noticed i was about to stick food in my mouth. Got a math final at 3:30 today, so we'll see if i've the juice to make it through. i'm also gonna try to climb a bit today. i'll post on how it goes.

Wash'd out

Well. Joshy's married. Light and balance have temporarily been restored to the universe. And i will spend today trying to heal from it. Think i've strung together a collective 12 or 14 hours of sleep in the last four nights. i wuz gunna start the v-diet today, but i got in way late and didn't have time to sort it all out. Anyhow, Washington rock-ed. i've missed those people so dang much... Think i'm gonna do that again in less than a decade this time if God allows it. It's hard to see what a dead, hollow shell of a human one has become without some light from the outside to shine in. There's catharsis there. And a thousand miles of cold river, and pear orchards, and rocks, and the crazy, endless snow-covered mountains that haunt my dreams. Hell, they even got me to go dancing. Today i get my bearings and sleep (and some fiber). Tomorrow i start purifying fer real. Also, i have finals this week. Your prayers are needed, Jungs.

"Give a man $300 worth of protein, and he'll eat for a month..."

She's arrived. Sustenance for the month of May. G's thinkin' of how yummy that b-day cake is not going to taste.

Amazing how warm it can be outside, and how cold it can be in this effin' house. That should be a country song. Ha ha! "'S too hot to golf... 's too hot to fish... and too cooold at hooome." Right. Screw it.

The rest of the day went well though. Got an A on my chem exam and a 98 on math. Put down another decent endurance day at the gym (and my joints felt really really good quite unexpectedly after the thurs./sat. onslaught) and ended with a third try send on a new v4, and i even almost tagged my project. In just over one week i'll be done with the semester (and the angels erupted in a lofty chorus), and in 2 probably very long days i'm off to Wa for Josh's wadding. i'm fairly happy about that. Yes i am. Any suggestions for wedding presents?

Happy Shredfest to me

Shwag Count: High.

Scored me the Arc'teryx S-240 sport harness at ye olde 2009 Shredfest today. Hundred dollar harness; clocks in at 8.5 oz. :-)

That was a pretty good time, Shredfest. we showed up early to clean up the trails/crag, then had a bouldering contest followed by a raffle/num-nums which i was blest at (i was seriously needing a new harness). Pulled down some fairly cool problems, even though i was still torn down from thursday's destruction. my hands are thrashed and bloody. Climbing at U-Mound is an exercise in pain tolerance: there are no truly positive holds, so you gun off of frictiony slopers to two-finger micro-crimps on quartz crystals, high step onto the same bits of natural glass, and grovel over the top out four moves later and twenty feet off the ground. Consequently there is no flesh left on my hands (one climb involved a series of hand jams on the crap, so the backs of my hands are also flayed) and it hurts to allow my consciousness to waft in their general direction. Good times. Good times...and some very cool folks to climb with, to boot.

Then yesterday my lovely, attentive wife gave me for the b-day permission to order The Master from Detroit Rock-- that skull hold i've wanted now for some time. If all goes well, i should have a trick campus wall in the very near future. Then maybe i can get strong for real. And shaving twenty lbs. off shouldn't hurt a thing, i'd think... assuming the numbskulls at Fed-Ex can figure out which bit of the U.S. Nuevo Mexico comprises.

i go now to heavily lubricate my tattered nubbins.