My ramblings, the endless journey

Saturady afternoon, closed my building, put on all of the airconditioners on in one of our rental rooms, with giant windows and decent carpeting, and practiced for an hour and a half, did a whole hodgepodge of wamr ups and punch block kick sequences, and then worked my three testing forms. Twas a very nice way to end my day. And oh, holy sh*t, my dragon was decidedly dragon like a couple time through, who would have thunk it!

Sunday
Overhead Squats 3x 15: 47 lbs
Bench press/: 3x15 30 lbs x 1st set 16 second15, last set 16

Romanian deadlift 3x15 97lbs X 15

Chins: 3 to failure 2full, 6 negs 1 full 7 negitives last set 1 full 6 negatives, Boo!

Class was just terrible. Well not terrible, everybody was slow and sluggish.. everybody including Phan. He said to me your limping I had no idea, I guess I was, I said I'm just not "here" tonight, he said yeah, me neither... That was the tone of the room.

So it was remedial kicking 101, font kick, low kick, side kick, repeat. I felt like I was in kickboxing or something, we rarely drills like that, especially not for extended periods of time.

We didn't evn do all of bird, when we did forms, tiger 4 times, dragon 2 half a bird, and then we weould run through parts of the forms, but never to completion.

Side note I think a 4 1/2 year old is joining class. I guess  his parents, just moved to the area... he had been attending a Shoalin Kung Fu school. I swear to God, he is better than I am ... ROFL, but it is true, HAHAH. He showed Phan his form, he was really impressive, and he worked out with us most of the night. He was like a little fire hydrant that punched and kicked (sort of looked like YET, also funny cause it's true!!! HAHAH)

UMM. Somebody fell asleep on the couch last night at about 9 pm, right after she had pulled all of her weights out and set up, but had not lifted them yet... [&o]

The BF came home at 2 am woke me up, I went to bed.

So it is the ame story I am 5 - 6weeks into this routine and I am exshausted. I have a vacation tenitively set for mid end of July, and had my mind set on that being my off week. SO I perdict a serious struggle, to continue till vacation week. 

I ****ed myself again, and I am disgusted with myself.

I hope to double up tonight.

Damn I am old and pathetic.

Front squat 5x3 102 lbs X 3

I didn't hit my clavical once, so something is going right with the final pull. But I did try to do them from the floor rather than hang clean, and No way, at 102?? So something is still wrong with the bottom. Oh, Oh that is a half lie, I got one, I hit my knee on the way up with it but it was good otherwise.


Bench press: 3x5 45lb dumbbells x 6

Power clean: 5x3 87 lbs x 3 Better

Chin ups: 3 to failure 3 chins 6 neg 1st set , second 1 chin7 negs, third set 1 chins 7 negs

I really need to get the chin ups further from each other.

Went to Kung Fu, great class we worked on tiger applications so relly fighting with tiger form. I sparred with a guy who ha been there maybe a month longer than I, so we had to figure it out together, we did super fine!

and now ouchie. I am wicked sore. Double up with weights first much harder than the other way around, my joints are sptng, and I am walking quite funny.

THANKS FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT JANE.

Ok catch up records, thursday I could fit my lifting inb so for the second time this week I lifted and then went to kung Fu, so Friday....

Clean and press 5x3 77 lbs X 3 feel pretty good about those


Deadlift: 1x5 ramped up 127 lbs x5, 147 lbs X5, 167lbs x 5, 177 X 5 working set 197 lbs X5 PB!!!

and end scene.. last two reps, lower back posture was not perfect... It is in my best interests to stay at 197, rather than shoot for 202, for safeies sake.

Rows: 3x8 92 lbs X 8
 dropped it back down. I have been doing my rows 'pendley style" recently with deloading between reps, and I also have been careful to touch my torso with the bar each rep. Last weeks 97 was premature, I think next week I will stay at 92, I am not quite ready for the jump.

Kung fu that night went fairly well. I seem to have a good class when I lift right before, although when it is over I am total toast. 

I had a crappy spar partner, so I the fighting dragon style was totaly lost on me, surprise .

---

Saturday I went to open studio, had a good time i practiced and practiced my forms. Buddy john said I am much much m,uch better, abnd gave me lots of tips to fix little details.. Time well spent and a nice way to start Saturday/off day.

I helped a new guy and everything.. I warned him I am not the person to learn from, but he was having trouble with the part of dragon that gave me nightmares, so we just went through dragon. You might not want to copy my body movements but one things for sure, you can do the form to my call, 'cause, my dragon call is good, and correct.

---

Sunday
 
Overhead Squats 3x 15: 52 lbs, damn THAT WAS HARD.
I think that wll be another sticking point for the week. My first set I wasn't low enough on some of the reps.. The core, the core it was all about the core, once they got heavy.

Bench press/: 3x15 30 lbs x 1st set 17second16, last set 16
progress, reps are increasing, all be it slowly

Romanian deadlift 3x15 102lbs X 15

Chins: 3 to failure 2full, 6 negs 1 full 7 negitives last set 8 negatives, Boo!

Next cycle I hav to everything in my power to keep the 2 chin up days far away from each other. 
 

Had class I did well. Sparred with Hector again, I learn from him, and we have fun. Accidentally hit him real good in the kidney , makes up for my split lip. Hehe, not intentional at all I just didn't realise how hard I threw it. All and all my forms were fine and dandyish, feeling confidant. Blessing or curse my test is after my vacation, freekin after!! That means I have to practice on vacation, and hard to. To make up for the class time I am missing. It might work for me in the long run just working on my forms, people watching and ****.... But, but, but... I need my friends to catch my little wrongs, and they won't be there. This just means I have to be prefect leading up to my departure, and have all the bugs worked out. I have been activel doing that duble checking any bit that I am unsure of, hand postures fists, things I can fake with no one noticing. SO I am having people double check me left and right. 

So I am an idiot... I just went ahead and banged out my usual no changes no deload, no lghter weight (to the contrary keept my scheduled increase). I felt good, I actually went back and forth in my mind, for an hour or so. Truely my stupid ego was in the way, I looked at my log and realised this is the workout whrere I was supposed to surpass all my previous poundages, the ones I had reached before I revaluated my form. I wanted so badley to pass those (stupid, and arbitrary) numbers(dumbass ). When i pulled out the bar that still had the romanian dl weight, and it felt light, I figured I would be ok. I didn't push myself as will be evidant in bench and chins, but I didn't reduce, either.

I am glad I did, I feel pretty good this morning, nothing giving me grief, even my left knee is feeling good, which has been agrivating me, although I hadn't mentioned it here, because It (I am 99% sure) has  everything to do with bicycle and a seat that won't stay where I want it.

Front squat 5x3 107 lbs X 3

Pulled them from the FLOOR!!!! Not hang power clean, but just power clean. I think I am on to something. Oh the first one was good... after that (because I was aware I did a good one), the rest not as much. Doing them with not bar first as part of my warm ups is helping. It is to the point that if my feeet are in that position, and I jump my arms automatically whip around for the catch, so I am on my way to programed.

Bench press: 3x5 45lb dumbbells x 6

Power clean: 5x3 92 lbs x 3 Some were great others were just better

Chin ups: 3 to failure 1chins 9 neg 1st set , second 0 chin10 negs, third set 0 chins 8 negs WHat the ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


And while were are talking about things that make me angry about myself. I am so ****ing furious that I can't wear a bikini yet another summer.

Even if I sacrificed some of my strength to cut down further, damn that skin, I am so sick of having a belly button that looks like a frowny face.. I am so pissed that at my present body fat %, I would be fine, great actually have a really enviable body, but the way things hang.. I want to show my 4 pack and my obliques, I love my obliques................BOOOO!! HISSSSS

It has gotten better over the years It will continue to get better but the time line is so slow,. To add to my aggrivation, yeah, I know how to cut fat faster, I could get little, but the skin only rebounds so quick (translation very slowly), so If I committed to loosing strength, and cut down I could, but I still couldn't wear a bikini, cause, ****ing skin hang.

So I plod onward in the way that works best for me and keeps me as strong as possible, (well not as possible, but at an acceptable, size, weight and shape),and just deal with it.

and it doesn't help that 95% of the tankini's are made for people trying to cover ther fat stomach, so it is very difficult to find one that actually hugs my waist, and besides senior frowny face (who when cover you can not see) the shape is fantastic, why would I want to cover it up with billowy spandex...

And when I beach  what will I see  tons of fat peiople wearing bikinis, because they have no sense of how absolutely disgusting their bodies look, crisscrossed with dental floss, with all their damn fat just hanging off.

Ok I guess i am done.

Kung fu.. no worries. to easy. I am going to be ending Wednesday night class I belive in favor of regularly attending thursdays. I am gonna start fight night after the test. I  also like the Thursday regulars more than the Wednessday regulars.. But I ma not sure how i am goign to work it in all honesty. I doesn't work well for how I want to arange my time.  I sparred with Marty the oldest one in class and the decidedly most frail. I don't think he was well at all last night, spar was nearly non-existant. 

Well I shut down on Thursday (thursday I had total body pain, maybe I have lymes disease) nearly completely. I didn't make up thursdays workout nor did I do Sundays. I had friends in town, (my best friend, and husband) who live in Alexandria, Egypt currently, spending time with them was much more important, and extreemly rare. I did not expect to see them until next week when we go to the beach, but they snuck in the weekend. So f' it, I am tired, my joints still ache bad, and my knee is troublsome, and really loose.  It is making me nervous, although I have repaired my bike,  this time it is holding ( I still think that is the source of my knee problem, I have been through nearly the identical thing 6 years ago or so).

I kung fu'ed of friday, for two reasons,  my test, and my friends wanted to see what it was all about.

Saturday we hit the beach, the ocean was really violent for where we were, but it was swimable, sort of.

I love to swim, especially in the ocean. The area inbetween the wave breaks and the wave formation, was really short, and very deep. Up to my chin and once a wave formed and went through the sweet spot, it was purely swim action, the crests were a good three feet  or so (not that I really now how to gauge those heights, I don't know how to gauge swells). Anyway I had a solid 45- 1 hr's worth of hard swimming. Not my usual surf bob, it was too rough to bob, had to keep swimming, to stay alive. My friend didn't even make it out, she got smacked down very hard twice, so did I, we both flashed the beach, unintentionally, but her second one was the clincher. She is usually overly brave when it comes to swimming. I am the more cautious one, even though I am the stronger swimmer....because I am the stronger swimmer, If I feel I can't do a damn thing if she found herself in trouble, I usually pull us in a little closer to safety.

But not this time, There was one adventurous swim couple, who was doing what I was doing the swim in heavy surf past the breaks, so I felt comfortable out in no mans land.  I love having stranger buddies...  I think they felt the same way, as I was some distance away from them, but with in 5 minutes of my arrival, they sort of moved down close to where I was (safety in numbers ), I liked that too.

Traps, chest and upper back was really sore yesterday, they got worked hard.

I endevor to get a higher rep work out in 3 days this week, and take next week off, as unless I can't get off of work next week (I talk about it like it is a lock but it is far from it actually, I still don't know if I can take vaction next week), and limit my self to kung fu test prep, and lots and lots of swimming.... It must be genetic, I am adopted, raised by a German, but my ethnicity, is 100 % Sicillian, and the beach and hours of swimming, just makes everything better for me. Nothing calms me down like the beach, and all I want to do there is lay down and nap, then wake up and swimm, I can repeate that pattern for 10 hours no problem, for days and days on end.
 

Doubled up, luckily, it wasn't looking good there for a while, started lifting at 11 pm.

Kung fu fine except I found out something about bird I did not know, your supposed to cross after the first kick in the chops and punch sequence... chops, chops, punch, punch, backfist, uhoh, neither myself nor the other baby testers knew this information. That is a problem.

I FIGURED OUT MY KNEE!! Sleep related not work out. I curl up against my radiator at night, I guess I slam my knee quite frequently during the course of my sleep. I woke up after I totaly kneed the thing. The spot that bothers mew is ecactly the spot the hit the raditor.

Deconditioning for off week, or I am broken and tired and I am not going to make it to rest week , week.

Clean and press 5x3 72lbs X 3
left the clean and press at the same weight as last week, only because to work that form out (did good yesterday), the weight really needs to be some what significant. To easy to not do them right if it is light. Last set of three, I was wobbly.

Deadlift: 3 X 10 167 last set 8 (I just absolutely couldn't do 2 more!)


Rows: 3x8 87 lbs X 8

Kung FU last night, I didn't want to go at all, kept trying to come up with excuses, but I went.

Had a bad time through warmups and forms, there were just too many students, it was super crowded. I couldn't get into it.

Now spar on the other hand, youngish spry,  fighty boy partner, I progressed had a BLAST. He claimed to have had fun to. He has been added to the list of good spar partners for me!

Back from off week!!!

Vacation was good, and I feel rested mostly. My joints fianally stopped acheing about 5 days into my rest. = ). I did take longer off than I thought I would, but my bdoy responded beutifully to the tim,e off. Ate some crap. Swam as much as I was able to. My swimm buddy, finally lost her mojo, or her fearlessness, so I was left to swim the rough alone. And there were several days that were just outright unswimable. I got 3 or 4 hours of kayacking in as well, totally fun. I even saw a sting ray! I have never seen one in their natural habitat before.

Well I dropped every weight by about  10 lbs from where  I left off, and began my cycle again.

I thought I would change the routine around  a little. But when I reviewed it I was still,  so  happy with the exercise choices , and the pattern, I just ekpt it all the same. I don't feel I had reached my potential the first go aroud either, even though I was stalling,  on several lifts. I will see how it goes and reevalute in a few weeks.

Front squat 5x3 97 lbs X 3

Bench press: 3x5 35lb dumbbells x 5

Power clean: 5x3 82 lbs x 3 Better

Chin ups: 3 to failure 3 chins 5 neg 1st set , second 1 chin7 negs, third set 1 chins 5 negs


IT is my test night!!!!!!! I am frightened!

I was a good girl and studied my forms every day while I was away, more often than not in the morning and at night.


It was hard to do them in the sand I kept drilling myself into the ground. The ocean side beach was nearly impossible to work on them. The bay side sand was a little firmer, so that was more often my practice place. I tried to do my forms on the pavers that surrounded our beach house (the rest of the ground was little stone, equally unsuitabel). But I had to wear shoes and we fight bare foot, it just was too painfull otherwise, I al so couldn't drop to my knee like I need to in tiger.

I practiced at home when I got back, however, I don't have any matts, so while I feel it was benificial for me to prctice in the sand (it was very hard for me to stay balanced), it seems like I was more rock solid when I got back to more traditional surfaces. But again, I haven't been on a matt since week after last.

Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Knee pain had to be realted to my radiator, It went away while I was away. I woke myself to nights agao at home, cold ****ing the damn thing, so god only knows what I am doing in my sleep, and what ever I am dreaming about.

Welcome back HardWay....you were missed....there was a thread started...that went terribly off track...LOL....Good Luck!

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Who had the best beginner test in their class last night.............I did!!!!!! Or so I was told repeatedly by other older students.

Comments about my form
"it is very rare to see charictor in beginners test, but your's did"

"you usually don't see good tempo, or rythem, or forms done with power, and good charictor, you did all of those things"

"this was the test, this girl, we are going to have to get razor blades for her hair soon"

those statments were repeated over adn over again from various students, in various ways, but with the same basic point, minuas the razor blade comment, although the martial arts hair style, did prove to be a bonus, since several people also commented on how nicely the braid ponytail, moved when I did my forms, "awesome".

Phan told me that I had a good test , good charictor, good forms. And that was the one that mattered. All the other students got "almost, and good try you were nervous".

So it is moving on time for me. 5 elements and long bird.

Grats!  First round is on me.

President of the Emancipation Detoxification. DBB's oldest forum group, punching baby seals since 2/12/08

She can learn new forms now.  Pretty soon she'll be one of the few to meditate with Kung-Fu masters.

President of the Emancipation Detoxification. DBB's oldest forum group, punching baby seals since 2/12/08

ORIGINAL: Yet

She can learn new forms now.  Pretty soon she'll be one of the few to meditate with Kung-Fu masters.

he is exactly correct.

My class is mixed beginners and "master students" combined we only change our belts once after literally 10 years; but I get to learn new forms, and elaborate on the ones I already know. Forever perfecting, getting faster, smoother, more cursive in style.

6 more months I get to take weapons !!! Phan gives us a big stick and then we get taught how to hit people with them (fun). More weapons to follow after that, 2 sticks, sword, double sword, double pointed sticks, 3 section staff, knives. But that is all way in the future.

And to what Yet eluded to, in 6 more months I also a may be invited in to sit with the spirit fist students, to meditate, and fight on a whole other level (weird Taoist, as jheft would say oogy boogy nonesense, channeling dead kung fu master spirits, it wayyyyy out there), if I am not invited in I will be unbelievably disappointed. (today I am feeling good about the prospect, the one old student when complimenting me on my test, stated in his litney, "you had spirit form in there and everything!", I think he was talking about my audible breathing, or my dragon execution, my dragon was way swirley, I know it felt real good, and I know I just floated through it. But that is also far ito the future, and uncertain to say the least.

I did make a vow to myself, that after my first test I would start going to open free spar. *GULP*, so next week I shall start having my ass really kicked on a regular basis. Rather than the occasional open spar that we have in forms every so often.

Clean and press 5x3 first set 82 lbs x 3(oopsies!, forgoty to change the weight) rest 72lbs X 3, bodes well though for the up comming increases.

.

Deadlift: 1x5 ramped up 117 lbs x5, 137 lbs X5, 157lbs x 5, 177 X 5 working set 192 x 5


Rows: 3x8 87 lbs X 8

thanks for all the kung fu encouragement, guys.

Dammit! I can do 177x5 but not 192x5. It's on lady!

Add me on facebook!

HAHAHA, I actually had you in my mind while dealifting, I can feel you breathing down my neck, I almost went for the 197 X 5  again, because of you, but I guess, I have finally started growing up at age 33. Figured I would rather keep increasing than stall out at week 3.

Ripped honey, you have me beat, pound for pound you are the stronger lady !


Kung fu last night was fine and dandy.

I learned Long bird (part 2 for bird), it has some weird stuff in there, but I know half of it (beginner bird), and then there is some simular repaets and then all this new stuff, including a jump spin, in a low sweap positiion. I should probably start doing pylos, but I really don't see that happening, any time soon.

Casually feeling out gym prices, but haven't run into anything  remotely feasable, or  geared to the type of gym enviornment i am looking for.

I'm glad you think of me haha. I was telling 110percent about how I have to DL more because I have to get 200lbs "because hardway pulled 192x5 dammit!" So I think of you too.lol

Add me on facebook!

same as the past 2 workouts dropped everythign 10 lbs from where I left off before off week and began again.

so the work out was easy - ish but the heat dear god the heat, so not as easy as it should have been .

Overhead Squats 3x 15: 37 lbs x 15
Bench press/: 3x15 20 lbs x 15

Romanian deadlift 3x15 82lbs X 15

Pull ups band assisted (it didn't work ut like it did the last time and these are going to break even sooner. : 3 to failure 1st set 4, 2nd set 5, 3rd set 2 then the thing flew off my foot, got tangled in my hair.
It was around 92 degrees in my house, I called it a day.

Friday Kung Fu.
We did a lot of free sparing I have two good partners to work with, we l;earned long distance fighting attacking and moving kicks.

We also had to do some take downs, I got my partner good twice!!! And I got him good young mid 20's guy, serious student, the first one, "i just didn't even see that one coming", HAHA! The second time he was supposed to take me down, couldn't get me off my feet, and I reversed it on him, THWAPT< on the floor he went!!!! HAHAHAHAH!
Sunday
Front squat 5x3 102 lbs X 3

Bench press: 3x5 40 lb dumbbells x 6

Power clean: 5x3 87 lbs x 3

Chin ups: 3 to failure 2 chins 7 neg 1st set , second 2 chin 6 negs, third set 1 chins 7 negs

Power cleans and power clean to front squat, seemed like improvements. and No problem getting 102 up from the floor, so no more hang power clean (unless I need it for auxiliary work, not as necessity because my power clean form is bad )

All and all I did well that work out. I did it at about 2:00 Pm it was 94 degrees in the house, So I am glad I made it through. Still my weights are lighter than where I left them, but next week they will be where I left off.

---

11) fattest thigh            23 1/2        24
(no longer at fat,                             (current measurement
now at muscle)                                at fat sag is 23 1/2,
                                                   but it is in a different
                                                   spot, damn skin)

12) two fingers above knee 18           18 1/2

13) biggest calf                 15 1/2       15 3/4

14) 2 fingers above foot       9 1/2         9 3/4

15)  Neck                             13 1/2       13 1/2

Weight                                157           156


HA! even though the numbers seem sonfusing, I think it is evident that I gained muscle (look at my extremities), and lost fat from my fat stores... mainly hips and butt. The waist measurments seem miss leading, but my core muscles have increased in size, the skin land slide is still there. My smallest waist shrank a bit more, and my obliques are popping,  so I shall not complain.


Strength report 


Deadlift   7/07 3 x 10 @ 107
             1/ 08 1x 5 @ 157
             7/08  2x10 + 1x8 @ 167
              6/ 08 1x5 @ 197

Squat (no good comparables however)

            7/07 dumbell on shoulders (2) 45 lbs'ers 3 x10 (90lbs total)
            7/07 dumbell on shouldrs ATG (2) 20lbs'ers 3 x 10 (40 total)
             7/08  front squat ATG 107  3x5

Bench (UGGGH) (dumbells mutiply x 2 for dumbell total weight please)
               7/07 30 lbs 3x 10
               7/08 30 lbs 3 x 16
                max effort 6/08 50 X 2

Over head press
              7/07  5 x5 (dumbells)  25 lbs
                7/08 did 20lbs for 27 reps
                 7/08 clean and press 82 lbs X 3 = 3 x4 77 lbs
                  
Rows Bent over barball
                  7/07 BAD FORM NO TOUCH AT CHEST NO DELOAD TO FLOOR 72 5x5
                   7/08 Good form 82 3 x 10
                     max effort 102 x 2

Chin Ups          7/07 2 full, total not straight
                     6/08 7 full, total not straight




                                             

Magnificent job.

President of the Emancipation Detoxification. DBB's oldest forum group, punching baby seals since 2/12/08

wow hardway.  real impressed with your gains in the strength department.   almost 100 pounds gained in deadlifts.    you're a beast.  I don't think i'd want to fight you haha.. you'd whoop my ass .  keep up the GREAT work..   who knows what another year with dedication to your training/diet habits will bring.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

Thanks for the support!

I am at a funny place where I just want to shift a little of my body compositon around, while gaining strength, so my progress is slowwww.  My measurments can be misleading, as well, but year end results show that it may be slow but moving in the right direction. 

Last night in Fu town nothing too tricky basic spar paterns, although one or two of them i don't have down, at  all.

Going to start open spar next Thursday I think not this one as I have to adjust my schedule around, and go entirely diffeent days to make it work, with the lifting.

Got the 19 year old bouncy boy AJ to demonstrate and teach me the low jump spin.

welldone nice deadlifts there too

 

deadlifts: 550 lbs
bench press:370 lbs
militery press : 265 lbs
squat : 425
bw: 209

Hey thanks Grant, I don't think you have ever said a word to me, I appreciate the support.

Clean and press 5x3   77lbs x3
.

Deadlift: 1x5 ramped up 127 lbs x5, 137 lbs X5, 157lbs x 5, 177 X 5 working set 197x 5


Rows: 3x8 77 lbs X 8

Didi a large amount of heavy lifting at work yesterday, 1 I forgot my log at work and had no idea what my rows were supposed to be, so I screwed up by 15lbs, and honsetly I don't think I could have done them at 92 lbs, actually I know i couldn't hve. so I got them in with very clean form.

hey hardway,

is there anyway you could video yourself powercleaning and deadlifting sometime?    I'd really like to see those vids if you could do that.

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

Just waiting to call Bull- Sh*t aren't you ... HAHAH

I know, I do need to post vids. I could use 50 other sets of eyes. I have it planned, but I am going to get yelled at about my work out area (it's just not safe at all ), and I know better.


I might get one up next week, hoping that maybe... I'll post it here first (get some feedback ehhhem coldfire) and then post it at strength mill (if it seems ok, powerclean especially), and then have Mark Rippetoe critque.

Another stupid road block, the BF hates being in the same room when I work out, it intimadates him, so getting him to video, or any of my other friends for that matter is a difficult prospect, laden with favors.

I am a pussy, I have an over developed sense of personal shame, much props to you for posting your videos, BTW.  You are soo on the right track..