Things are certainly improving in the sex department (omg so naff).  We have had three deposits this week which will greatly increase our chances of conceiving compared to previous months’ attempts.  I suppose it is only natural that we needed a bit of practice and perseverance to get things back on track.  For three years, our marriage has been severely affected by Mr Man’s reluctance to procreate.  As a result, our sex life nose-dived (nose-dove?).  Sex became a reminder of what I wanted but what he did not want to give.  My enthusiasm for it naturally waned.

Now, I feel so much more into the whole thing and it is not just because we are making a baby (or trying to at least).  Our relationship has improved beyond all recognition now that we have reached this mutual decision.  I am still firmly in the ‘don’t panic’ stage of trying for a baby.  Let’s see how that hold up in a few months’ time if we are still in the same position.

Over the past couple of years I’ve suffered a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from pure misery at the very lows and pure ecstasy at the highs. But this wasn’t a rollercoaster I went on voluntarily, rather one that I was led on and then began to like when I got past the terrific thought of the next eclipse down to this Earth.

A change began with the very first moment I set foot back on this country’s soil, after returning from a 4 year stay in the U.K. A bloody marvelous journey I do say so myself, and this trip back to the U.S. wasn’t harsh for the mainstay of reasons a overseas move is hard, instead it was difficult in the psychological change from one location to another. Something in my head ticked and it hasn’t stammered it’s ticking one bit for the past couple of years, until recently.

This change was one of forthcoming, and it hit right at the same moment puberty itself hit. So some distinctions between the two may be muddled together, but it’s all the same.  At thirteen years of age I had already developed a deeper voice, this was the time I moved for the last time to back here in the states. At this point, the rollercoaster ride had just begun.

In some ways, this is no more than the average teenager’s growing up story. One which may be shared with the kids at a later time, when they’re going through the hardship themselves. In other ways, this is much more than a story of growing up, this is a story of growing on the inside.

Sooner or later, I finished the stay at a hotel here in the U.S. and our things had arrived in crates at a dock, where they were then transferred to a truck and shipped to us. It was hard seeing so many of our things broken in shipping, and sometimes it seemed as if it was deliberate that they were broken, as if some menace was at play for the entirety of the journey across the sea. Some menace, the seas the ship faced must’ve been very hard — the Atlantic is a cruel maiden to sail on. The moment our things arrived at our door, we didn’t grope in the destruction, just kept trudging on; like the ship’s bow as it trudged through the rough Atlantic seas.

Eventually, all of our things were unpacked; our house was finally assembled to completeness. It was now time to reassemble our lives.  My father retired from the military and then found a permanent civilian job here, and I started and am now finishing up my schooling, at home. Then I learned, it’s not so bad.

In the meantime, I’ve gone through a series of ups and downs. There were times I felt so in tune and had so many friends, and others where I was so out of it I nearly alienated all of them. A few of my very closest friends have stuck by me through and through, and I bet they can remember more of my struggle than I can.  I’ve learned that it isn’t so much about the things one goes through during the struggle, but rather what one does in the meantime to compensate for those hardships. In other words, everyone goes through hard times in their lives that to them are nearly proportional if not completely proportional to the hardships other people go through, they’re different in how each person handles what they’re given. In my case, a few of my hardships had very unique consequences, but that doesn’t set me apart by too much from the rest of the crowd. What sets me apart is that I have learned to keep my chin up, just like the bow of the ship trudging through the Atlantic sea.

• Do Chin and/or Pull Ups.

Chin ups and pull ups are great exercises.    The movement begins with the arms extended above the head, gripping a fixed chin-up bar with the palms either facing or away the exerciser depending whether a chin up or pull up is being performed.  The body is pulled up until the bar approaches or touches the upper chest.  The body is then lowered until the arms are straight, and the exercise is generally repeated.

Why should we do them?

• Build or tone back muscles, especially the latissimus dorsi muscle (aka lats) which is one of the more important muscles in our bodies.  Lats stabilize our shoulders and core.
• It’s a fundamental primal movement.
• They are great for athletes who play sports that require powerful upper body pulling action.  Chin ups will give them the upper body strength.
• If you ever in danger and need to pull yourself up to go over or climb a fence.  This reason sounds extreme but true and could save your life.

Tips to improve chin/pull ups:

• First, don’t cross your legs while performing chin ups.  When you cross your legs, you are shifting your pelvis or hips one side higher than the other.  The shifting will affect your lats in a way that you are likely to pull one side more than the other, and therefore, it will cause muscle imbalances.  Since the lat is the main target muscle in this exercise, an imbalance in the lats will cause a whole series of distortion in your body such as bad posture and core instability.  Remember that one of the main functions of the lats is to stabilize your core.
• Use elastic bands to assist you if you can’t perform one on your own (see below Youtube’s video).  You attach one side of the band to yourself (around your knees) and the other side to the chin-up bar.  The band will be stretched and you will feel it pulling you up.  Now grab the bar and complete a chin-up.  If you are still not able to complete a chin-up, you will need to use a stronger band.  This is better than the assisted chin up machine because it gets harder on the top unlike the machine and it forces you to work harder on the top where it is the most difficult part.  As the exercise gets easier, use a thinner band as progression until you can do one on your own.
• To achieve optimal results, do weighted chin ups.  Weight is added with dangling from a dipping belt, or via weighted belt or vest, ankle weights, chains, medicine ball between the knees, dumbbell between the feet or kettlebells on top of the feet.  Males should be adding half of the body weight on top of their own body weight.  For females, it should be a quarter of her weight as an addition.

I hope this helps and encourage everybody to do some chin ups and pull ups.  If you want to more advance progressions on the chin or pull ups, contact AF Performance Center for more information.

ZOINKS!

We’ve all met at least one person in our lives with the anti-Leno.  This is exactly what Scooby Doo would look like if he were a she and if he were a card-carrying member of Emo nation.

As if being plastered on Shavetown.com whilst being compared to everyone’s favorite Great Dane wasn’t bad enough, imagine how bullshit she is everytime she has to fold a shirt.

-CB

It is very hard for me

not to bend my head

at the dinners when people pray

to their vicious gods of antiquity

but I keep my back straight and chin up and out

Out of cultural pressure

I used to bend to the old authority

and pretend that I could logically

taste the purity that will anoint

the human condition in the phase

after this one

Now I keep my eyes open and the apology off my face

yes, it can be done.
how, you may ask?

150 pushups: 50 morning, 50 afternooon, 50 evening.
30 chinups: 10 morning, 10 afternoon, 10 evening.
7.5km run in 45mins for a start.

it worked for me.
there are some people who will say, i don’t have time i am lazy.
bullshit!
if you really want to see results you will definitely make time for it.
i am one such example.

oh well, if you manage to make time and try this regime, please let me know if it works for you.
thanks a million! (:

Resistance Training Day

Warm-up

• 5 min of Joint Mobility exercises & Dynamic Stretching

Workout

Superset #1

• 10 minutes of heavy bag work – fists, knees, feet & elbows
  

No rest between techniques…sweat pouring off me like Niagara Falls

60 sec rest between superset 1 & 2 as I moved from the heavy bag room to the weight room

Superset #2

• Push-Ups – various grips – Bodyweight – 10 sets of 10 reps, supersetted with
• BW Row on Smith Machine – Bodyweight – 10 sets of 10 reps, supersetted with
• Swing Snatch – 35 lb plate – 10 sets of 10 reps

No rest between sets

30 sec rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #3

• Straight Arm Pushdowns – Dynamic movement – lots of core involvement – 8 sets of 20 reps, weight pyramiding from 145 – 260 lbs., (last 3 sets 19, 16, 14 reps) supersetted with
• Jumping / Shuffling Split Lunges – 8 sets of 40 reps, Bodyweight

No rest between sets

60 sec rest between superset 3 & 4

Superset #4

• Cybex Incline Chest Press – 10 sets of 20 – 13 reps – weight increasing from 145 – 300 lbs, supersetted with
• Bulgarian Split Squat – 10 sets of 7 reps, Bodyweight,

Flexibility/Mobility Training

• no time to stretch…oops, gonna pay for that
  

Notes:

Short on time today. 35 minute workout. No rest between sets. No rest between supersets. Exhausted at the end of 35 minutes. Jogged to the gym and jogged/stumbled home from the gym

.

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Resistance Training Day

Warm-up

• 10 min of Joint Mobility exercises & Dynamic Stretching

Workout

Superset #1

• Rollouts – 10 sets of 10 reps, supersetted with
• alternating sets of Bodyweight Squats & Bodyweight Reverse Lunges – 10 sets of 20 reps

No rest between sets – Total reps – 100 rollouts & 200 reps squats/lunges

3 min rest between superset 1 & 2

Superset #2

• Pull-Ups – various grips – Bodyweight – 5 sets of 5 reps, supersetted with
• 1 Arm DB Press – 75 lbs – 5 sets of 3 reps, supersetted with
• Jumping Lunges – Bodyweight – 5 sets of 20 reps

No rest between sets

3 min rest between superset 2 & 3

Superset #3

• 1 Arm Kneeling Pulldowns – 8 sets of 5 reps, weight pyramiding from 145 – 250, supersetted with
• Glute Ham Raises – 8 sets of 5 reps, Bodyweight

No rest between sets

3 min rest between superset 3 & 4

Superset #4

• Standing Cable Crunch – 7 sets of 3 reps @ 135 lbs, supersetted with
• Bulgarian Split Squat – 7 sets of 7 reps, Bodyweight, supersetted with
• Standing Cable Row – 2 hand – focus on scap retraction not biceps – 7 sets of 7 reps @ 225 lbs

No rest between sets

3 min rest between superset 4 & 5

Superset #5

• Cybes Shoulder Press – 5 sets of 5 reps @ 205 lbs, supersetted with
• DB Concentration Curl – Hammer grip – 5 sets of 5 reps @ 50 lbs

No rest between sets

Flexibility/Mobility Training

• 15 min of stretching

Right, I’ve taken some measurements and discovered something I’ve always suspected – I have muscle weakness down the entire left side of my body.

Weight: 64kg
Body fat: 25.7%

Chest: 84cm
Left Bicep: 29cm
Right Bicep: 30cm
Waist: 74cm
Hips: 103cm
Left Thigh: 60cm
Right Thigh: 62cm
Left Calf: 35.5cm
Right Calf: 36cm

Next set of measurements will be on or around the 21st of June.

Exercise:
Since I’d rather work on building muscle all over than on my abs this month, I’ve skipped the ab curls I missed yesterday and gone straight back to Workout A (modified again):

• Machine Bench Presses 5×5 (14kg)
• Machine Bench Press 1 rep (18.5kg – multigym only goes up in 4.5kg steps )
• Lat Pulls 1×5 (14kg)
• Cable Underhand Pulldowns (2×18.5kg, 2×23kg)
• Dumbbell Snatches 5×5 (4.5kg again, doing them properly this time)
• Dumbbell Front Squats 5×5 (1×9kg, 4×4.6kg)

I’m not doing lat pulls any more. I realised that if I’m training for chin-ups and pull-ups, I should really do something that more resembles them so I’ve switched to Cable Underhand Pulldowns and whacked up the weight significantly. If I increase by the planned 2.5kg per exercise I’ll be doing proper chin-ups in only… 6 weeks! Perhaps I was hasty in buying the chin-up bar.

Pain Log:
I woke up feeling pretty good this morning! Bit of lower back pain but nothing unusual for me.

During the workout I made sure all effort was evenly distributed between both sides of my body, so now my left quad hurts like a bugger. I don’t think it’s injured, but must be careful. Everything else feels okay.

Personally, I am not big on products you can use at home; but one thing I do use is the P90X PULL-UP BAR.  It is not just a standard bar, it has many different handles so you can hit many different angles.  It is an excellent workout for your back, abs, and your arms!  I had even stated that the P90X program is not ideal for beginners, however; the P90X pull-up bar is an excellent choice for beginners.  It is fairly well priced, at $59.99 US.  

The most durable pull-up bar ever made!

Built for durability and comfort, this is the ultimate muscle fitness training tool to strengthen and develop your shoulders, back, arms, and abs, and more. There’s no better way to take your upper-body workout to the next level.

The P90X® Chin-Up Bar mounts easily to any doorframe to become your own personal gym. The patented design with 12 grip positions makes this the perfect tool for chin-ups and pull-ups.

Special features include:

• Patented design with multiple grip positions for building multiple muscle groups
• Heavy-gauge steel (holds up to 300 lbs.)
• Professional-grade foam-covered handles provide maximum comfort for extended use
• Quick and easy assembly
• Fits doorways up to 32″ wide (sturdy doorframe with trim required—minimum 5″ width, maximum 6.5″)
• Takes only minutes to safely remove from doorway when not in use

I started the StrongLifts 5×5 programme for beginners today. My housing estate’s gym doesn’t have free weights, so I’m attempting to do a modified dumbbells version. We have a fixed bench-press machine so I’m using that but the rest are dumbbell workouts.

I did it totally wrong. Seriously, I did my 5×5 dumbbell snatches and all I worked out was my thighs. It felt more like doing a wonky squat.
I now realise from reading this snatch technique page the squat-like knee-bend and straighten snatch I saw in the second half of this video?

Yeah, totally not the point of the snatch. D’oh! Well, my legs got a good workout at any rate. No leg-work for me tomorrow. I probably won’t even be able to walk.

Exercise Log:

• 86 crunches (40% improvement in 2 weeks!)
• 25 dumbbell squat-snatches at 4.5kg (too light)
• 25 imaginary-weight front squats (some other dude was using the 4.5kg dumbbells by then and I don’t think I could have completed a weighted version anyway)
• 25 bench-presses at setting 3, 2 sets slow, 3 sets fast
• 0.10 of a chin-up
• 20 lat pull downs on setting 3, 5 on setting 4, all sets fast

I’ve replaced the chin-ups with lat pull-downs and will try again in two weeks. My boyfriend will probably use the new doorway-installed chin-up bar until then (£19 from Waitrose).

Pre-workout Pain Log:

• Right forearm muscle-ache from bowling
• Quads still sore from Monday
• Pecs fully recovered

Post-workout Pain Log:

• OMGOMGOMG, I can’t move my legs!

I have been sort of off the wagon lately. I’m not eating very much food and what with being busy I have not been enthusiastic about training. Yesterday I did

bench press: 225×10x10 superset with

chin ups: bwx10×6

That’s all I did and even that was enough to make me feel sick. I’m only a little sore today and only in the outside of my chest where it meets my armpit/delts.

Today I went and walked a few miles since my hips/back felt so beat up. I tried to jog and felt a huge twinge in my hamstrings so I just took it nice and easy.

I’ve been preoccupied this past week with putting the final tweaks on my home crossfit gym.  The biggest hurdle I encountered was trying to figure out what kind of pull-up bar I would use.  I had tried a few different free-standing chin up stations but found that I couldn’t do the kipping pull-ups at all.  And to boot, my garage has a very low ceiling height which makes is awkward to do a static pull up let alone a kipping pull-up.   So my dilemma was what kind of bar system could I MacGyver together outside by my patio?  (and to do it in a way that wouldn’t upset my fellow townhouse neighbors?)

I looked at all the bars available (including about 5 of which I sell at my stores, but none of them would do).  So I settled upon a couple of heavy duty barn door handles and some massive 3.5″ wood screws and locking washers to attach them to the underside of my back deck.  And voila!  I’ve got Pull-up handles now.  And believe you-me that I was skeptical at first that they would handle my 215lbs frame.  But here’s the video to prove it worked and they are rock solid.

Now just to install my rings, pickup my ab mat and d-balls and I’m full-time, home crossfitting!

Les tractions classiques à la barre fixe sont un excellent exercice pour muscler les dorsaux supérieurs, ce qui accentue l’évasement du buste. Voici deux remarques. Tout d’abord, il ne faut pas hésiter à faire des tractions assistées à la machine pour gagner de la force.  À mesure que vous progresserez, vous arriverez à diminuer l’aide dont vous avez besoin pour effectuer une série donnée. Deuxièmement, il faut penser à la force de votre prise: si vos mains lâchent avant vos dorsaux, il faut utiliser des sangles. Comme avec les autres exercices pour le dos, le développement des muscles ne doit pas être freiné par la faiblesse de la prise. Vous pouvez toujours faire un travail spécifique de renforcement des avant-bras et des mains une fois que vous aurez terminé votre séance de dos.

Bon entraînement.

Ref.: Muscle & Fitness mars 2009

I did the fit test and just barely passed it.  I was dying toward the end of my 2 minutes of jumping jacks, and I cheated doing just one chin-up.  I had to use a chair.  It is embarrassing.

Honestly, if I can get through P90x and complete one chin-up using no separate apparatuses, I’ll be thoroughly impressed with myself.

I also took some pre-p90x pictures but I’m not going to post them until my body starts to change.  Holy crap they’re embarrassing.

Here are my measurements, though.  I didn’t have a tape measure so I took these with a ribbon and a ruler.  They probably aren’t terribly precise.

arm: 13 1/4 inches
Thigh: 25 1/4 inches
Waist 34 1/2 inches
bust 40 1/4 inches
Hips 42 inches

and by the way, I am 5′ 6.5″ and I weigh 180lbs.  Don’t tell.

P90x has three versions – Classic, Double and Lean.  I have decided to do the “lean” version, although the book warns that its not easier, it’s just geared toward more cardio and less weightlifting.  It’s mostly for people who want to burn extra fat rather than build extra muscle.  That works for me.  I’m also quite broad-shouldered for a gal, so if its possible to avoid bulking up that’s probably a good thing.

The lean program starts with Core Synergistics, which works out the abs and back… so that’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow morning.

Saturday 8am. Day 5. Last Day of the 1st Week of the 15 Weeks till the 2009 CrossFit Games Qualifiers. I’ve watched the footage. Studied it like a Contender would. Dem CrossFit guys aint no Jokes! So I aint laughin. I’m applauding. Internalizing it all. Getting my Head write… rite… right.

Below is footage of the 1st Circuit we BATL’d yesterday. This is an example of Functional Core and Endurance Training.

1. Batl’n Ropes: Jumping Jacks, Alternating and Simultaneous Ripples some with Jumps
2. Chin Ups: All Kipping
3. Sit Up-to-Squat Stand Ups: Dumbbells holding the feet (I know, we punked out. come see us in a couple weeks)

No Stops. No Brakes. No Hugs.

Better have drank yo Buckeye-ade (we aint no gator fans) before dancing with this devil cause he knows the Waltz Quickstep and he’ll leave yo bicep curlin (blankity) gasping for air with a dry throat and burning lungs. This is only a 3-part circuit with only 3-cycles. In other words, its kinda punkesque. If you agree, we don’t mind the company.

I’m signing out.

Eat your Vegies, Lose your TV Remote and Look Me Straight in the Eyes When You Give Me an Excuse Like That!

~Terrell The Body Technician

“GROW UP!”