Musings - Road Gyms

"And what are you, reader, but a Loose-Fish and a Fast-Fish, too?" Herman Melville, Moby Dick Two days on the road; none of it productive due to an odd combination of technical failures and just plain bad planning. But Ogden was a decent town, with a large Gold's Gym heavily populated by very fit twenty somethings. Kbells were absent, but there was a lot of room for free weights, so it went like this: First Circuit 12 push-ups to renegade rows with 45lb dumbell 30 (15L/15/R) step back lunges with oly bar on shoulders 20 slalom squats with 35lb. plate 10 step backs off of 12 inch box, 25lb dumbells in each hand 3x Second Circuit 20 windmills, 10 each side with 35lb. plate 10 dumbbell snatches each side with 45lb dumbell; TGU's, 2/2/2/2 50lb dumbbell, first circuit, 45lb plate second two 15 jumping jacks with 25lb plate swings overhead 3x altitude got me a little, 50lb dumbbell got the left should more, so went to the plate. Body-building gym, I stayed in a corner and tried to keep a low profile. Salt Lake today, five miles on the hotel elliptical, would have done another but no socks and wore a nice blister in the left arch. Shit, that'll stay for a while. Dinner, good brew pub. Probably an off day tomorrow given work and travel. Friday will be nutty but hoping for a early evening blow out.

Musings - Berries at the end of summer

"I wasn't able to keep my mine stable, condition was labeled acute A.D.D." Sullivan Lane, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams Yoga keeps the mind stable. Labor day 90 minute flow class focused heavily on hamstrings. Going to feel that good soreness for at least a day. A mile on the elliptical first before yoga and then in the afternoon a leisurely three mile stroll through the marsh with Rose and Brigid. Mutiple berry picking stops. Multiple ball/stick in the water stops. Rose got to pee on a goose carcass. Football season is upon us. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Then Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the holidays. God I love this time of year.

Musings - 28kg Swings

"Well I wish I was in Austin, in the Chili Parlor bar drinkin' Mad Dog margaritas and not caring where you are." Guy Clark, Dublin Homesick Blues Leaving it to the end of the day on the weekend is usually a mistake; the cumulative effect of family matters and mundane tasks leaves me more in shape for a nap than a workout. But training is going to be hard with travel next week, and no matter what Pavel says I am not taking a kettlebell with me on three days of depositions. I'll find a gym someplace and hunker down if time permits at night. So after the 75 minute nap, started the workout at 6:15. Went like this: First Circuit 15 slow deep push-ups; 15 front squats, 20kg; 40 snatches, 10l/10r 16kg; 10l/10r, 20kg; 10 step back lunges, 20kg in rack 3x, but last circuit all the snatches were 16kg, gassed. Push-ups were harder than they should have been; usually can do 20 in a circuit just fine, but shoulders were sore and I was just tired. Second Circuit 20 windmills, 10l/10r; 20 swings, 30 seconds, 28 kg; TGUS, 20kg, with 2kg additional weight, 3,2,1 both sides alternating right/left; 20 Figure 8's to hold, 20 first circuit, 16 second two. 3x Windmills felt good after a coupla weeks off due to annoying small muscle pull in the ribs; 28 kg swings were new, and felt great. Figured TGUS would be good after the 32kg last week but they were hard, had to really grind. Lost the handle on the 20 on the first circuit of figure 8 to hold, went flyin off and came too close for Rose's comfort, dropped down to 16, which felt pretty light, but I was gassed. Workout took over an hour. The bells look like they are getting smaller; Rose got ball play, but felt like I kind of gypped her out.

Musings - Off Balance

" I think I'll stay up late with a few bandits of my choice and resist good advice." Stephen Dunn, Sixty Thursday, rolled off the boat and had four miles on the elliptical, which started with Kenny Aronoff www.kennyaronoff.com beating the shit out of two bass drums on the intro to John Mellenkamp's version of the Humble Pie rocker 30 Days In the Hole. If the legs were tired never felt it, given Kenny's adrenaline raising kick-off. Four miles wasn't shit so I resolved to do a night hike later. Raced home and hit the marsh with Rose and Ian for a two hour plus walk, starting at sunset and ending under a very bright moon, one night short of full. Was a delight, listening to Pink Floyd, 1970 from Fillmore West, Ian reviewing the discography and history of legal wranglings while Rose ran all over, checking in to again go racing off in the dark, asking politely to be leashed for the last ten minutes. When your teenaged child wants to do another loop aorund the marsh, you do, thankful that he asked, and praying he won't stop. We walked slow but covered a good five miles which put the weekly total to 22, in range of the targeted 23-27. Friday, worked all morning, hit the gym, went like this: First Circuit 12 pushups, hands on a bosu, softside down, feet on 75 cm physio ball Bulgarian split squats, 12 each side, 45 plate overhead 20 renegade rows (1ol/10r alternating) with 60lb dumbbell 30 body weight box squats 3x Second Circuit Overhead press, 10l/10r, 16kg kneeling on 75 cm physio ball, spine vertical, chest up, hips vertical, very tight in core. 30 swings, 24kg (about 50 seconds) TGU's, 2 32kg, l/r, 2 24 kg, l/r Single leg deadlift, 16 kg, 8 per side. Last round of single leg deadlifts were the worst set I have done in awhile but ground through it ugly. Barbeque at night, major ball session for Rose. This morning, drenching 90 minute Trance Flow Yoga class. Shoulder talking to me from yesterday and could only hold crow for a breath or two, but triangle and half moon were good, double pump on the chadarangha, MH had us hovering over the mat at one point down from plank, felt like I could have stayed for minutes. Rest of day, bike tire shopping with Brigid and Rose.

Oh never mind.

Musings - Dog Tired

"I wanna do right, but not right now" Gillian Welch, Miss Ohio Warm days. Left the house at dawn, six miles on the elliptical, boring and legs were pretty shot from yesterday. Surprising, felt great all day yesterday but woke with sore shoulder, back, and dead thighs. Residual roadkill from yesterday's snatch, swing, tgu fun. Picked up after 20 minutes, but still tired. Hour long Dynamic Vinyasa class. One leg stuff was laughable; but felt really good in half moon, Michael H. does such a job of keeping it new; nearly fell to sleep at the end. Schedule says circuit training tomorrow, but busy; may just do yoga and some cardio, see what tomorrow brings. Rose out of luck, full moon upcoming so night hike potential if I can roust a kid to go with us.

Musings - Snatches

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live." Joan Didion, The White Album Mondays suck; no revelation there. Late Monday am, four miles on the elliptical listening to Tower of Power. Good yoga in the afternoon, excellent slow move into warrior three, strong since no circuit training in the am. The two more miles on the elliptical, then a late ferry, hour watching Dragon Door videos on You Tube waiting for Ian to finishing dying some putrid death in his rpg. Cackling on the way home about his demented elf introducing the Paladin to the whorehouse. Yes, I AM proud. Rose screwed again. Tuesday roll onto the 6:15 bus, had to dump the coffee so arrive in SF bewildered and groggy, trying to figure out how I got there. Grab a cup, shoot down the cytomax and try to get ramped. Busy in the gym, searching for a corner to work on snatches. Went like this: First circuit Pushups to renegade rows, 12, 6l/6r with 50lb dumbbell; Squat to press, 24kg 5r/5l; 16kg 5r/5l; straight metalhead bicep curls with 80lb curl bar; focus on breathing, went well, don't and it sucked; 25 walking lunges, bodyweight only; 3x Second Circuit 40 Snatches, 16kg, 10r/10l/10r/10l, hard and fast, but focus on lockout at top, took 90-100 seconds for 40; 45 seconds swings, 25-29, 24kg; TGU, 24kg, 2r/2l/2r/2l minute plus plank, single foot & switch 30 seconds, rest two foot. 3x Last circuit smoked, snatches into swings were death, TGU's tough. No thought of the 32. Flee the city, no pm work. Rose gets major ball session for which she is, as always, joyful.