Stay Calm and Chalk Up....experiencing some technical difficulties!

Yikes!  I have been so resistant to new technology because...well, I guess you could look at it two ways...  Lucky because I never worry about that stuff, you know computers and such. Or not lucky, because it's practically a foreign language to me and very intimidating.  Maybe the latter.

I've got a couple of video workouts I have yet to get the energy to figure out how to post from my iPad.  Also, I did a couple of new workouts this morning that will start to back up, so at the very least I've got to journal them so I don't forget!  One is called "See Saw" and the other is a killer "work into rest" variation.  Both of which I will repeat a few different ways this weekend...oh and I've got a "No Brainer" from Tuesday that is freakin' hard!  Luckily no brain cells required!

Really I just wish I could invite you all over to swing with me!

Funny thing happened this afternoon...

I introduced one of my newbies to chalk!  There is something hardcore about "chalking up".  She is relatively new to the problem of sweaty and calloused hands and was shy about using the chalk.  I walked over to her, motioned for her to hold out her hands and then aggressively rubbed a block of chalk thickly over her palms and fingers.

Rubbing chalk into your hands, walking back and forth to the chalk stand or whatever you've got a block of chalk sitting on or in, while doing hundreds of swing reps is cool!  And then when you get chalk dust all over your pants it's just bad ass (in a good way!)  So my new phrase is;

"Stay calm and chalk up!"

From that point on she was not shy about grabbing the chalk!  Guaranteed she is a different woman now!

Getting used to my new computer and stuff can feel like a drag, but in the mean time I'm so lucky to be married to a bad ass former gymnast and lifter that shared his chalk with me so I can chalk myself up and chalk up my peeps!

FYI  Above picture is of the chalk stand in our garage gym, also known as "Stone's Gym".  It was part of the original Iron Works Gym in Campbell CA that we purchased and took over 1989, renaming it World Gym, Campbell.  Iron Works Gym was the first major barbell gym in Northern California, and was host to some of the greatest Power and Olympic lifting athletes, as well as throwers, in the world.  This chalk stand is over 35 years old and maybe had the likes of Bruce Jenner, Mac Wilkins, Jim McGoldrick, Ben Pluncknett, Kevin Winter, Tore Gufstasson, and Scott Wilson, Nick Sweeny, as well as special guests like Louie Simmons for starters and many many more!  I was lucky enough to meet some of these amazing athletes (when I wasn't hiding out in shame about being fat!), and a few of them were some of Mark's very good friends (and still are!)

Another FYI  We purchased Iron Works Gym from it's original owner, the inventor and creator of Met RX Dr. Scott Connely...just sayin!

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!

There have been plenty of times in the past when I have tried to stick to a particular diet or eating plan only to end up eating foods, or amount of foods, not on the plan.  And there have been plenty of times when that has happened in the past that my thought process was something similar to how a lot of people think....

"What the heck!  I already blew it, so I might as well REALLY blow it!"  And then I would start grabbing everything I've been resisting, denying myself from, only to end up calling and ordering that 'Meat Lovers' pizza, and then some!  Call it a binge, a pig out, or losing control.  I never felt better afterward, never.

Never did I look back and think, "boy, I needed that".  I always felt regret, failure, weakness, and let's not forget fat!  But truly for me, it's rare when that happens anymore. Oh, the part when I eat something different from the "plan" is not rare, it's the out of control part, the binge, the pigging out above and beyond the first action of an extra serving (or two), or God forbid after eating a whole melon (is that just me?)

I am successful at stopping myself way before complete chaos.  How?  Well, first I relax about the judgement.  Eating a little bit more is not a big deal, eating a lot more, a ton more, is a big deal! The fact that I didn't, or couldn't be perfect and stay on whatever plan I had made with myself that day must not be that important or it would motivate me to act differently.  Hmnn, maybe some reflection, maybe not....move on, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water!

This mind set of "blowing it" can be very destructive, and is!  Because it's not just the extra calories, it's the feelings behind the judgements we make about our strength and character because of an extra serving once in a while.  And that's what it would be, an extra serving once in a while, until we turn it into a full blown frenzy of hating ourselves.  We say things to ourselves like, "there must be something wrong with me that I can't control this.  I have no willpower, I have no discipline, I will never lose this weight....I'll never be perfect...etc."

Personally I may have my extra servings, and find myself still triggered with that feeling of "F" it!  But I don't let myself fall into the trap. I already know the deal and it's not one I want to make anymore.  It's boring.  It's tiring.  Not worth it, in fact, really, really, really not worth it.

If you do find yourself eating more than you thought you wanted to just remind yourself to practice stopping sooner, maybe not completely, but sooner, and see how much better you feel!  Instead of looking back and beating yourself up you might feel proud that you relaxed a bit and didn't "blow it"!  Pride in how you didn't let a few cookies pull you into the depths of despair!  You might even feel successful and strong!

I know how much food can be consumed in one sitting!  Don't stuff yourself because you don't think you have another option.  You have all the options, all the choices.  Chose to feel good, and good feelings will choose you.

That reminds me....this is one of the reasons why I have really come to deeply disagree with all of the PC labels we've come to assign to foods and diets.  I'm really tired of other people putting themselves up on pedestals because they believe what and how they eat is "better", and making many of us to question how "good" do we eat?

But realistically I know at the end of the day, I'm the one making the choice to feel bad, or defensive....just a bit of a rant.  Maybe I'll write more in the morning....or maybe I'll waste another couple of hours trying to edit my video on my iPad (a little bit of anger and frutration?  maybe.)

No Brainer Swing Workout

If my two training partners agree to help me (in other words, be on camera!) I will video tape a version of this exact workout tomorrow, Saturday, that will be scaled for 3 levels of conditioning.  I will demonstrate how to change it to a 30, 40 rep per set workout, so don't worry if you are not up to swinging 50 reps yet!

Although the theme for the month is "49" I had to simply knock out some reps to end my workout yesterday morning and the easiest way for me to do that was 50 reps at a time.  500 swings was my goal and 20 minutes was about all I had left in me.  50 reps x 10 sets.  I really didn't want to do it so I had to trick myself and it worked!

I used all of my 10 rep swing combinations, and because I was concentrating on the order of it all, by the time I got to the 3rd set of 50 I had forgotten that I was thinking this was going to be torture and a new routine started to come together.  The first half is in fact a No Brainer, simply alternating 10 two hand swings with a 10 rep swing combination, but I changed a few things up instead of repeating the first 5 sets exactly...but you'll have to wait for that one if you are interested because I liked it so much I will repeat it this weekend.

No Brainer

#1 10 2 hd sw, 10 tr, 10 2 hd sw, 10 tr, 10 2 hd sw

#2 10 2 hd sw, 1/2 sw ld, 10 2 hd sw, 1/2 sw ld, 10 2 hd sw

#3 10 2 hd sw, 5/5, 10 2 hd sw, 5/5, 10 2 hd sw

these next two are a bit unexpected:

#4 10 2 hd sw, 10 R, 10 2 hd sw, 10 R 10 2 hd sw

#5 10 2 hd sw, 10 L, 10 2 hd sw, 10 L, 10 2 hd sw

In the last two set where I alternate 10 one hand swings with my 10 2 hd swings I return back to the same side within the set, so R and L are done separately.  It adds a little higher level of strength/difficulty which led me to experiment with the next progression, which lead me to the next routine.  But, repeat this starting again with the first rotation, or if you want to use a few brain cells, repeat it backwards, laddering down the progressions for the second half (rotation #5, 4, 3, 2, 1).

Times Change

This past weekend was, well, "interesting".  Truly, I did not want to leave my last post of "Biggest Person" hovering over the weekend without my computer to follow up on my thoughts with another blog post.  When I write about "old" thought patterns and sometimes feeling "less than", or "lack of", or invalidation, I'm not wanting it to come across, or sound, dramatic because I don't feel dramatic about it.  I really don't have that much charge about old feelings, instead I can reflect upon them, look at them, and move on.

My favorite philosophy right now is reminding myself when "feelings are not facts".  When I "feel" like the biggest person in the room, it's just a feeling, not a fact.  And if it is truly a "fact" I know it has nothing to do with my value as a human being.  But ultimately I look forward to the day that I don't notice my size, or anybody else's size either. (that could be today!)

I share my old thought patterns because I used to be stuck in them, and I used them as an excuse to validate the choices I made to prove I was right.  I was a victim of my size giving into thinking it was my destiny.  I thought there was nothing I could do to change it, much less change it entirely, and permanently.

I once heard this story about two brothers.  One brother was "stronger", one brother was "smarter".

"Some men where born to move pianos, and some men where born to play them."

Wow.  This analogy was used by the mother of the two boys, one obviously strong, muscular and tough, the other, thin, frail, and academic.....I heard the story from the "strong" brother, but I wonder if the "smart" brother would have felt the same sense of invalidation for not being strong as the strong brother felt for not being respected as smart?

I get tired of hearing that we can't have it all.  What does that mean?  Did the brother that physically moved pianos not have to be "smart enough" to figure out how to literally move that piano and fit it into his truck?  Did the brother that played the piano not need to have the strength and stamina to perform for 2-3 hours, in concert, under hot lights and with the pressure of delivering perfectly?

I may experience some old feelings, but reacting, or how I react to those feelings are my choice, as I become aware of how those thoughts and reactions limit me.  I can chose to rise above and see myself separate from the comparisons I put on myself.  No one else is thinking about me!  Everybody is thinking about themselves!  And so it should be!

Do not limit yourself to old feelings.  Choose new feelings!  You don't have to feel like the biggest, smallest, dumbest, weakest, ugliest, shortest, most poor, least lucky, etc....  Imagine the opposite feelings!  Yes!  That's what I'm going to do! Imagine the best of times!

Personally I refuse to accept that I can't have it all.  My definition of "all" may not be your definition, and it doesn't matter.  I don't mind some of those old feelings, I recognize them for what they are.  Those old feelings are just a way for me to gauge how lucky I know I am!  No drama, just reflection.

Off topic....I was in the Apple store this morning getting some help with my iPad that wouldn't hold a charge.  Apple ended up exchanging the computer for me and apologizing for making me wait.....what?  Making me wait to exchange a computer, lol!  I'm so freakin' lucky to have such a high quality problem of exchanging a computer that most of the country can't afford to own, am I going to complain about waiting 10 minutes?  I could have felt inconvenienced and impatient, instead I felt lucky.

Feelings. not facts.  Change how you feel.  Feel lucky, feel valid, feel smart, feel strong.  It's your life, no one else is keeping track.  Times change, feelings change, and so can you.

Picture above....I may be or feel "bigger" than some of the other Bikram practitioners I respect, but what does that mean? It's just me, nobody else.  

Snatch-aholics "49"

It's my birthday, it's my birthday....."49" is going to be a reoccurring theme this whole fabulous month of August, because it's my 49th birthday month!  Enjoy

40 snatch rep sets done 9 ways...or 9 sets of 40 snatches (progressively, of course!  Damn I'm good!)


I started with the 2 most difficult ones and laddered progressively down...

40 snatches R 
40 snatches L 
20 R, 20 L x 1
10/10 x 2 
6/6, 5/5, 4/4, 3/3, 2/2 downhill snatch ladder (this is the one I screwed up....forgive me, I'm 49!)
5/5 x 4
4/4 x 5
2/2 x 10
1/1 x 20

All sets with the exception of the last one took approx. 1.5 min, with a 30 sec rest.  So, I completed both work and rest within a 2 min interval.  9 sets = 18 min, 360 snatches....this workout also has almost 100 transfer swings!  (94 to be exact!)

PS It looks as if my Flip has done Flipped for the last time....sorry about the buzzing, I didn't notice it on the last video, but here it is again....time to start using the Bloggie or my iPad...argh!

A little post....

One of the biggest compliments I love hearing is when someone asks me for the swing routine we did in class!  I will be posting it when I have time, but it was so much fun I'll be training it myself again soon!  Here is one of the photos taken after class, and a solid hour of swings!

Happy 49th Birthday No-Brainer...49 sets of 25 reps

In celebration of my 49th birthday this weekend I did 49 sets of 25 reps w/16kg "on the minute"  That equals about 38 sec work/22 sec rest.  I did not do them consecutively though.  I did 15 sets with my first client (along with some snatches), I did another 15 with my second set of training partners (along with a different "49 theme swing routine and some presses), and I ended with 19 more set in my 2 hour of training.



I would have done them consecutively but that would have meant 49 minutes straight and my first appt is only 30 min, my sec 45 min, and my third another 30 min.....besides I couldn't do that to anybody else!  So I pieced it together.

BUT I do have to say that it felt harder than the 1000 24kg reps I did a few weeks ago!  Once I got to my calculator I discovered it came out to 1225 reps in 49 min!  And it felt like it!  Now I gotta go pack for St Paul!

See ya!