I saw the above video about bench pressing and took it to heart. CT Fletcher says the most important thing for bench press:
“is not how much weight is on the bar… the most important thing is that you use every ounce, every bit, everything that you have in your attempt. Don’t worry so much about what’s on here. Worry about giving that fuckin rep everything you got and do it like it’s the last Goddamn thing you evah gonna do in your whole fucking miserable life! Put it all in there!
If you can get your mind trained to ‘I don’t give a fuck what’s on there, what’s on this bar, I’m gonna hit this thing as hard as I can, with everything I’ve got, every time I try to do it.’
The effort, the INTENSITY that you put into this, into your attempt, that is more important than the weight on the bar. Concentrate on that! Effort, intensity. Fuck the weight! I’m gonna give this shit, EVERYTHING I’VE GOT, EVERYTIME.”
In conjunction with what Amit told me last time about incorporating leg drive earlier in the set for every rep, I went at bench with intensity in mind. I got angry and focused while getting set up under the bar. I could feel the energy flowing through me. Even at 135#, I exhaled with forcefulness. Went up to 185#. I backed down to 155# and did two sets of 5 with pauses.
Still couldn’t do a full four sets of pull ups at 45#. In fact, I had to drop down for my 3rd and 4th sets.
I went to do dips (body weight only), but felt my left elbow popping each time I went down. I’m afraid my bursitis might be acting up again. I can’t remember what I did to inflame it, but I do recall doing something in a previous training where I first noticed it’s return. Am a little scared at how this may affect my training. I stopped when I couldn’t complete my third set without intense awareness of the elbow.
I went to do standing one arm rows with the 100#s, but I didn’t have it in me. Was just wasted.
I did burpees to end off my workout. Slowly, I’m adding conditioning into my training again.
Since my PB squat of 315x5x3, I have been unable to replicate it. Today, my warm up at 275# was rough. Instead of going for 325# again, I thought I would be conservative and go for 315#. Apparently, I was still too ambitious because after my first set of 5 which were really rough, I got stapled under my attempt at a second rep for second set.
I backed down to 275# which were still difficult. I added sets at 225# also.
It got worse when I went to RDLs. I felt a lot of strain pulling 225#. I gave up and finished what were supposed to be my work sets at 135#. FML.
I skipped hamstring curls and went straight to toes to bar. I decided to practice some Cross Fit movements. Decided on Fran and worked on barbell thrusters and kipping chest to bar pull ups. Felt really good about the thrusters and worked up to 85#. Racked the bar on my shoulders nicely and didn’t press until I had fully extended and stood tall. Really felt the bar launch up and seemed as if I hardly used my arms. Only problem was that my wrists felt stretched from converting from the rack position to the press. I’m definitely going to have to get wrist wraps. Am pretty bummed that I lost my one wrist band also, otherwise, I could have used them for some low level support and warmth.
I couldn’t press a full set of 5 reps at 125#. Could only muster enough strength for 3 reps.
I spent a lot of time working on my cleans. Started with some high pulls without getting into the rack position. I didn’t really do too many from the hang position, but instead worked on the pull from the floor. Spent a lot of reps practicing the the second pull after the bar cleared my knee. I think I finally have a feel for the explosive triple extension. My feet don’t really shift laterally from the start position. So my stance is the same when I am starting all the way through to when I am standing in tall.
I worked on band assisted bar muscle ups again. This time, my first attempt was with only the black band. I failed to convert. I couldn’t rotate my wrist into position.
One of the regulars, an incredibly lean black guy whom Matt says coaches Olympic sprinters, exclaimed that it was a really good idea to use bands as a progression. He proceeded to tell me that his athletes do the jump from a box progression in which they do a jump pull up to get to the start of the dip portion. I got some tips from him about wrist and elbow position. I have to actively rotate my arm to get into the dip position.
He also mentioned that my elbows were too low during my cleans. He complimented on my ankle position in that I didn’t leap off the ground with a jump, but that I had good plantar flexion. Basically, because I was doing power cleans, I was coming under the bar enough and was compensating by lowering my elbows to get under. It was good feedback.
Another thing he mentioned about the muscle up was that with my banded kip, my hips/thighs were too far forward in an L-sit position which made it difficult for me to rotate and convert to the dip. I should have a more vertical torso at the top of the pull up so I can rotate into the dip.
I also think that with the red and black band, I’m able to explode high enough so that I am rotating my wrists after the fact instead of turning them into the dip.
Press: 125×3+2, 125×3+1+1, 125×2+1+1+1
Push Press: 125×5, 115x5x2
Power Cleans: 65×5, 85×5, 95×5, 115×5, 125×5, 135x5x2
I didn’t do much shooting today. I spent a lot of it talking with people about bows. Held a bow with a metal riser for the first time and a bow with a carbon fiber riser. I worked on my hand and elbow position. Also tried to make sure my back posture was correct. I start to arch and lean backwards with my upper back when I start to fatigue.
There was a guy who just started shooting in September that I talked to. He got his own bow in January. We were talking about buying a bow and the differences in the heavier, metal bows compared to the club’s wooden recurve bows. He even let me shoot it 😀
The picture above is from when I shot using his bow. Also had a brief conversation with a guy who owned and shot with his own flat bow. It is made out of wood and looks like a long bow, but is a Native American design. He got it at a flea market for $20 without a string.
SF Archery Bow
I play to get my own bow in late April or May, but I will probably have to start researching now as stores don’t usually have the lower end items in stock. I’m really enjoying archery, but I won’t invest a lot of money into it yet. I’ll buy some economical equipment to begin with. Though I hope to make this a lifelong hobby, there is the possibility that it could be like curling for me. I love curling, but the expense of being part of a club as well as getting to a club in general has dropped it from my pastimes. A broom, curling shoes… would have been poor investments…
Much like my ice skates. So far used them only once each year that I have owned them.
I went for 225# for front squat. Normally, my warm up is to do 135×10, 155×5, 175×5, 195×5, and last week work sets of 215x5x3. This week, I changed it up a little bit. 135×10, 155×5, 185×5, 205×5, and then went for 225#. I did the first set unbroken, but had to break up the remainder of the reps to get to my 15 rep volume goal.
Deadlifts gave me trouble again, though I did better than last week. Last Thursday, I was only able to muster enough strength to do singles at 405#. I went did my 315# and 365# warm up sets with only 3 reps each. When I went to pull 405#, I couldn’t even get it off the ground. The crushing feeling of failure rushed through me.
There was this guy I saw for the second time. I’d seen him pull 315# the other day. He was directly behind me and made a comment about trying again. No question in my mind I was going to attempt it. I needed to psyche myself up. I began pacing around part of the gym, getting angry. Nothing in particular, not even in the lift. But I filled my body and mind with a rage that I could literally feel pulsate throughout my muscles.
I chalked up, got into position and when I put my hands to the bar, in a soft, steely voice, I told myself, “Lift it!”
Managed 5 reps off the floor. After a bit of rest, I let the anger flow through me again and repeated “Lift it!” to myself. This set of 5 was more difficult and on the last two reps had upper back rounding. I believe I shut my eyes during the 3rd rep. After the set, my back started getting tight, so I dropped down to 365×5 and then 315×5. I had anticipated this and only set up 3-45#, 25#, and 2-10# per side.
I think I will continue the self-talk and fury for my deadlifts.
I didn’t do hamstring curls. I’m going to drop them from deadlifts and only do them on days I RDL. I think I was overtraining them even with weight I felt was “light”.
To add to the “elbow up” cue for my draw arm, the same coach has identified how I hold the string as an area to improve. I have been holding the string in between the joint of the two most distal phalanges (tip of the fingers). However, my hand has been cupped with the big knuckle joint bent. My hand should be flat and flush with my wrist and forearm. I had to adjust the spacer on my finger tab because with the correction in form, I was having trouble holding the string.
I did not see improvement when I made the correction because I had become too used to my bad technique. After a workout at the gym, I did feel fatigued and had trouble stabilizing my aim during a couple ends. When it got less busy towards the end of the session, we shot 6 arrows per end. I really felt the strain then.
I sent one arrow into the net. Sailed clear over the buttress.
March 12, 2013 – Hart House – 6:45 to 7:55PM
27# no. 9 Bow – 1 Avalon and 2 Nightbloom arrows
3ax3 (9 shots)
Made hand correction. Too much info processing. Next end was not good with shots all over the place.
3ax5 (15 shots)
Switched to 6 arrows per end. Found another Avalon and used 2 Harmonium arrows
6ax6 (36 shots)
Hit the X! Worth 10 pts.
6 arrows plus my finger tab.
At least it’s a good grouping…
Better.
Still having some errant shots.
Switched targets because someone took my position.
Switched again. Another interesting target.
Decided to aim at the smaller target. First arrow sailed completely over.
I don’t do bicep isolation exercises… but maybe I should be yelling commands to my body during workouts. I wonder if he yells at plants too?
Today was another crappy bench day. Did a 500m row for warm up. Benched 185x5x3. Didn’t feel confident after the first set to go up to 195#. Got Amit to spot me for my last two sets. He gave me advice that I’m not using my leg drive until the 4th and 5th rep. Did weighted pull ups with a 45# plate with the chain through the handle. Didn’t really like the feel of it as it was swinging quite a lot, and I didn’t like keeping my legs together to secure it. Also couldn’t do 5 rep sets. I’ll do 45# again next week to hopefully get the reps in.
Did reverse grip bench press also. Really light weight. Didn’t really feel it in my triceps.
I’ve enjoyed listening to Pink since I was in high school. In a time when I wasn’t allowed to watch television and the only way to watch videos via the internet was to use P2P programs like Limewire over a dial-up connection, I listened to the radio a lot. In Grade 12, I mostly listened to CBC Radio One, but there were many a night where I would be listening to 107.9’s Top 8 at 8. I won’t deny having a taste for pop music. It’s certainly the junk food of the audio world, but there is that easy comfort and repeat-ability to the various hooks.
I have always equated pop music with the essence of America (K-pop’s rise notwithstanding). I love America. When I was young, while folding newspaper inserts before delivery, I would listen to Casey Kasem on American Top 40. Listening to it, I felt like I was in the United States. Through the medium of radio, I was connected to the place of my birth, one that I adored. Even when I’m driving nowadays, I’ll listen to a Top 40 station and depending on the song, will feel like I’m driving in Florida again (though of my summers there, I also remember listening to some of the numerous hip hop/urban stations).
I am unabashedly a fan of Pink’s songs (though it’s not as if I publicly announce the music I admire). She has an excellent voice and can actually sing.
She is a prolific and successful songwriter in the pop world and throughout the past decade and change, I have enjoyed many of her hits. When I found out she was coming to Toronto, I grabbed a ticket.
Much like the Carrie Underwood concert, the crowd was mostly female. A lot of older women, lesbian couples, and more children <10 years old than I expected. Most people were white and by their clothing, not from Toronto (according to the stereotype I have of Torontonians).
Pink is a spokewoman for Cover Girl, so it was interesting seeing their sponsorship all over the place. They even showed a 60 sec commercial featuring Pink on the screens pre-showtime.
Cover Girl sampling.
The Hives were the warm up act. I missed most of their show and didn’t hear any of the songs I’m familiar with.
The Hives.
They did a pseudo pre-show with a character we would see later on in the show. He was sort of a clown-type character in that he wore a very loud suit and was sitting in different parts of the arena. The camera would hone in on him as he mimed with various audience members. It wasn’t that funny, though think a better developed idea of this should be in other concerts to help pass the time.
Clown Host.
The performance was supposed to start at 9pm, but didn’t start until ~9:20 PM. The clown guy was the host of the “Truth About Love” show of which Pink was the featured contestant/participant. It wasn’t quite clear how the “show” would be incorporated into the performances and in hindsight, it wasn’t really. The stage and set design was pretty cool for what I’ve seen (I can only imagine what a Lady Gaga concert would be like…)
Cool atmosphere.
Her singing for her opening songs was hard to hear. The mixing really sucked, but I guess it’s a tactic to hide a poor singing voice while doing a lot aerobic activity. Because later on during the acoustic sets or when she was flying in the air, the mix was a lot better and her voice was more prominent. Speaking of which, she did have a lot of acts up in the air. She said she liked it because she doesn’t get out of breath as opposed to dancing. Her aerial feats were pretty awesome. I was amazed that for many of them she and the dancers/aerialists didn’t rely on any harnesses or wrist holds. There was a spinning cage/globe thing where the guys were hanging on with their hands against the centrifugal force. Beast strength.
One of the aerial spinning contraptions.
So to recap, Pink is not only a great singer but also an impressive aerialist. She’s a strong woman.
Throughout the concert, she sang a number of her hits, which I and the crowd enjoyed. The ending was a bit weird, because there were two separate “conclusions” instead of a definitive “encore”. However, the songs were great and her second last encore was a really cool thing where they use what I assume is the same setup for the Football skycams, but with her hanging from the cables. She literally zoomed all over the arena.
Taking a break on a perch while harnessed to the skycam-like system.
It was really cool and afforded those in various seats around the arena to get a closer look at her. All in all, I had a fantastic time and will definitely go to her next concert!
The YMCA was a sauna. It was really warm, humid, and stuffy. The place reeked of body odor. I didn’t have to wait too long to get a squat rack. I changed up my warm up by only doing 3 reps at 275# with the hopes of having more in the tank for my work sets. I set up for 325# and got 3 reps in. Got stapled under the 4th rep. The nonadjustable safety rails are about two inches too low forcing me to bend over in a really psudo good-morning to lower the bar onto it. I attempted to do another set of 3 reps. Quit after 1 rep.
This was my last weekend volunteering before the Michael Snow – Objects of Vision exhibition leaves us. After the Evan Penney – ReFigured show, this has been my second favourite exhibit to interpret with visitors. It’s also a personal favourite because I have experienced tremendous enjoyment interacting with and observing the objects.
Seated Sculpture was my favourite work. You got to touch it! You were supposed to even sit inside of it!!! Sitting in there was serene. It was a welcome respite from the crowds at the AGO and a place of solitude that I enjoyed.
Sitting.
I loved interpreting this work with visitors because most people didn’t realize they were not just allowed to but supposed to sit in it! Then instead of just being a passive participant, I would inquire about how they felt inside of there. Of all the people I surveyed, there were two types of people. Those who felt discomfited being inside, as if the metal was enveloping them, trapping them. One person told me it felt like a coffin. Other people were like me, in that theyexperienced a calm wash over them. That it was peaceful.
Inside.
I would also remind them about the theme of the exhibition, that the purpose of these objects were that they affected your vision, in either how you looked at the object itself or how the object directed your vision elsewhere. Here again, there were two sides. There were those who could only focus on the interior of the sculpture. Many mentioned a tunnel vision effect. While others felt their view “open” up, in that once their horizontal peripheral vision was blocked, they looked below and skywards.
Up.
During all of my sessions inside, I tended to look up. I loved the space and how open it was for the exhibition. The 70s or 80s era concrete architecture was pleasing to me. It wasn’t hideous like UWO’s Weldon Library or U of T’s Robarts Library. Instead, it was a reminder of the children’s tv show “Today’s Special” of which I have fond memories.
One other aspect of the interpretation is that it allowed the visitor to experience a cool side effect of Seated Sculpture, echo. Talking while inside of it produced a metallic echo as the sound waves of their voice reverberated throughout the sidewalls and back. Most people don’t think to talk while sitting inside, so the interpretation provided them the opportunity to do so.
I will also miss Transformer. I have spent much time observing it move. It’s tip pointing in a different direction each shift. Even in real time, it would change orientation due to the air circulation caused by visitors entering and exiting. Maybe also because of the occasions when I would blow air at it or fan it with my notebook, hehe.
Transformer (1982)
Interpreting this was also fun. Many people felt threatened by it, so I would play into that. I would talk about how it was suspended at chest height and have them stand right in front of the tip. We would then discuss that feeling and about our hearts. Centre mass. With younger folks, I’d have them bend down so that the point was at eye level. Depending on our conversation, I might have dropped a Final Destination movie reference…
