Month: June 2012

2012-06-14 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 10, Deadlift/Press 3

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Just because you reset doesn’t mean you still can’t PR. 🙂

“Week “

  • 5/3/1 – Deadlift (working max: 325#)
    • 1x5x135 (warmup)
    • 1x5x165
    • 1x3x195
    • 1x5x245 (work)
    • 1x3x280
    • 1x6x315 (PR)
  • 5/3/1 – Press (working max: 145#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x60
    • 1x5x75
    • 1x3x90
    • 1x5x110 (work)
    • 1x3x125
    • 1x6x140
  • Asst. #1 – DB Row
    • 3 x 10 x 70
  • Asst. #2 – Hanging Leg Raises
    • 3 x 10/7/1 x BW
  • Asst. #3 – Dips
    • 3 x 5 x BW
  • Asst. #4 – DB Hammer Curls
    • 3 x 10/8/8 x 30

To me, it’s at least a rep record, doing 6 reps of 315 on the deadlift. I’ve actually moved 320 but only for 3 reps (during my aborted “3 month challenge” run, which forced the rep limit). But even during that run I only did 315 for 3 so… it’s at least a rep PR. Form continues to improve too. I felt good…. probably a bit due to the ego boost 3 wheels gave me.

The press wasn’t really a PR, since looking back over my notes I’ve done 140 for 6 before, but this was a lot easier and a lot better form, plus it was after deadlifting (i.e. not fresh first exercise). So hey, I don’t care what it really amounts to, other than I reckon I’m getting stronger, even if only slightly.

All of my assistance work I did as a circuit/superset… just one after the other, 2 minutes in between runs. On the 3rd set of leg raises, that weird shoulder issue in my right delt hit me HARD… sharp pain shot through me, it hurt like hell, I literally dropped off the bar, and that was all she wrote. I don’t know… I opted to try just 1 dip to see how it felt, but dips were fine. It’s gotta be a nerve thing, getting moved or pinched just the right way when I’m hanging, I guess.

But the circuit was kinda nice to do… it was harder, and should do a little better for my conditioning. I’m thinking on my “day 1” routine that I might try doing the same…. tho since that involves chins, the chins I might still do throughout… like after each set of squats, after each set of bench press… just whatever to get lots of volume on it, then the back raises, db bench, and face pulls do as one circuit and really push it to get my heart pumping.

Much to think about.

But it’s weird to be done with the cycle, have no deload, and start next week. I am liking how 2 days a week is working out for me in terms of my schedule and progress. We’ll see how it works for me long-term tho… at least 3-4 more cycles before I can make that call, I would assume.

on testing and qualification

/ hsoi

ToddG reveals something that many wouldn’t like to know — the truth about police shooting qualification courses.

For the non-gun public, I think the thing they’ll probably be shocked to realize is how little many police forces actually shoot their guns, and how when standards are made “more realistic” lots of cops can’t pass the minimum requirements.

The anti-gun folk say things like only police should have guns… you know, people with training and skill. You would be shocked to see how many don’t have either. Just because your job requires you to have a gun doesn’t mean you can use it (effectively). Conversely, just because you’re a normal Joe Citizen doesn’t mean you don’t have nor can’t acquire good gun handling skills, and their skill level can surpass those who have “gun” in their job description.

This is not to say it’s this way across the board. Many police officers are good shots, and a lot of PD’s are realizing a need to up the ante — which is ultimately the crux of Todd’s article.

What’s sad is when people blame the test instead of looking at themselves. It’s like anything in life. If something fails or goes wrong, where does the blame first go? It ought to be on you, to examine yourself and see what you can do better.

But it’s like any sort of mandated government “test”, be it a police qual or be it standardized testing. There’s lots of politics, lots of wrangling, and lots of weight put onto the test — even if the test has nothing to do with anything in the real world. But because such weight is put onto the test, all “education” then becomes is prepping for the test. So we don’t prepare people for the real world, we just prepare them for a test that really doesn’t matter much in the world — but it matters to some pencil-pusher or politician somewhere.

Well, at least in this area of life it seems some are trying to get it and improve the way things are.

Why NOT birdshot

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

So as long as we’re talking shotguns, let me again dispel the “common wisdom” that you should use birdshot.

Here’s a video of protesters in Bahrain getting shot with birdshot. Sorry I can’t embed it since it’s on liveleak. (h/t Cornered Cat)

From the FB posting:

Greg Ellifritz writes: “For everyone who thinks 12 gauge birdshot is a good defensive round…

“Apparently, in Bahrain they use bird shot to disperse crowds like cops here use tear gas. They shot one protestor in the back and later you can see his friends attempting to remove the birdshot. None of it penetrated deeper than 1/2 inch into his body. A painful bunch of little wounds, no doubt, but nothing that will reliably cause the rapid blood loss needed to make the guy stop quickly.

“Caution for the weak-stomachs out there. This one is a little bloody.”

I did find this YouTube video:

which is a different video, but the results are the same. No, it’s not pretty getting shot with birdshot. But it doesn’t really stop much of anything. These guys are in for a lot of medical treatment, it’s going to be sore, it’s going to suck, you’ll have lots of little scars, but the attackers were hardly stopped. In fact, consider that the police are specifically using birdshot to disperse the crowd — that is, they are seeking an annoying but non-lethal solution.

Food for thought.

Some will still find a way to argue and justify their decision to use birdshot. And yes, you may have a legit reason (perhaps you’re dove hunting). But on the whole, birdshot is a poor choice for personal defense. In personal defense a primary goal is to stop the attacker, and birdshot doesn’t stop the attacker.

Carry a gun in National Parks? This is why.

/ hsoi

Authorities confirmed tonight it was a stranger who stabbed and sexually assaulted a woman in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earlier today.

Full story. (h/t Unc)

There was much uproar a couple of years back when it became permissable to carry concealed weapons in national parks (so long as you still had credentials and obeyed the local laws).

Folks wondered why in the world would you need a gun in a national park?

Let’s ignore how much of our national parkland is used for the drug trade and wandering into a marijuana farmer’s camp is probably one of the most unexpected and undesirable things that you could do.

Let’s ignore the reality of wild animals and that your stumbling upon a baby bear will not elicit a warm hug from the momma bear.

And now, we have a stabbing and sexual-assault.

It wasn’t like the woman was in some remote area of the park either. She was on the Gatlinburg Trail, which is “frequently used by joggers, walkers, and bicyclists.”

“Things like this don’t happen everyday. It is definitely a rare incident,” Melissa Cobern with the Public Affairs Office of the National Park Service said.

That may be true. But just how much comfort should the victim take in being told “but it’s a rare event you were brutally stabbed and sexually assaulted”? Statistics are of little comfort when you’re the anomaly.

 

Shotgun Primer

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Over at The Art of Manliness, they have A Primer on the Shotgun.

It’s a nice introductory piece, done with the help of Mike Seeklander… so there’s no b.s. and just good solid advice.

There’s a lot more to shotgunning than what the article can present, but that’s the limits of the medium. But it is a nice starting point for those that have no idea about shotguns and are looking into them, especially for personal defense.

I’d also suggest you take a look at the shotgun ammo trials I did a little while back.

Once you’ve read the article, if you do buy a shotgun, consider getting some shotgun-specific training. Rangemaster’s Defensive Shotgun is a good start.

And then finally, consider that a few modifications to your shotgun can be useful and make the gun more shootable and more suitable to your needs.

 

2012-06-11 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 10, Squat/Bench 3

/ hsoi

The PR of no PR

“Week 3”

  • 5/3/1 – Squat (working max: 260#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x105
    • 1x5x135
    • 1x3x160
    • 1x5x195 (work)
    • 1x3x225
    • 1x4x250
  • Asst. #1 – Chin-ups (supersetted with Squats)
    • 6 x 4/4/4/3/3/3 x BW
  • 5/3/1 – Bench Press (working max: 230#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x80
    • 1x5x110
    • 1x3x130
    • 1x5x165 (work)
    • 1x3x185
    • 1x6x205
  • Asst. #2 – Back Raises (hands behind head, superset with Bench warmup sets)
    • 3 x 15/12/10 x BW
  • Asst. #3 – DB Bench Press
    • 3 x 10 x 90
  • Asst. #4 – Face Pulls
    • 3 x 12 x 70
  • Foam Rolling

I say the PR of no PR because strictly speaking I didn’t set any PR’s… that’s not going to happen this soon after a reset because you’re obviously moving less weight than before.

But there were some PR’s for me in the sense of personal improvement. Sure I only got 4 reps with the squat, but I was really working hard today to keep my form solid. No, it wasn’t 100% perfect form, but it was a heck of a lot better than last week. I’m going deep. I’m working to keep everything tight, get the arm drive, abs tight, head/chest up/in, and sure, it was a LOT tougher, but I’m working hard to make every set solid like this. So sure it means less weight/reps are moved, but if the form is better, it’s a win.

Benching felt better today than it has in a while… again, my cue for today was “tight”, and it sure helped.

I’m also stoked at how I’m improving on chins and other exercises. Sure it’s just assistance and nothing to set the world on fire with, but hey… chins are nice to improve upon. 🙂

FWIW, I’m enjoying 2-days a week, plus there’s more dietary fiddling I’m doing, which well… it might work out. We’ll see. I’m in a hurry, have to write more on this later.

Sunday Metal Special – In honor of her 60th

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

In Honor of Her Majesty’s 60th (and still in line with my current theme of metal bands doing cover tunes)… a special Sunday Metal salute from Motörhead, covering “God Save The Queen”

(h/t Karl)

 

So much can be taken from this

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

Napoleon Rutledge, a 67-year-old Chattanooga man and Vietnam vet, was the victim of an attempted robbery in a grocery store parking lot.

Rutledge refused to be a victim.

In fact, he was mad.

When the gunman held the gun up Rutledge said, “Why you wanna rob me? Why don’t you get a job? What I got, what I get, what I spend in this store, I earned it! I said if you gonna shoot me then shoot me. I got a wife and three kids that you’ll have to take care of.”

The gunman apparently got scared and took off, tho was apprehended along with two others.

Rutledge just doesn’t understand the mentality of people like Malone. “What is wrong with them? I got drafted to go to Vietnam, I didn’t have a choice. They got all the opportunities in the world now to make something of themselves but they don’t want it,” he said.

In hearing this story, I think about so many different things.

First, Rutledge is black, and his robber was black. So those of you wishing to inject race or racism as the root of all conflict are just out of luck here… sorry Jesse Jackson, sorry Al Sharpton, go pander somewhere else. Or better, how about you come and support Mr. Rutledge?

But it also demonstrates that race isn’t the issue. It’s an issue of people who work and earn their keep in this world, that are productive, and just don’t like people who come along and wish to take it from them… that expect a handout, or are unwilling to earn their keep, or are otherwise unproductive in society. And yes, the parallel between this robbery and the robbery going on by our government and so much “liberal compassion”, desire to “redistribute wealth”, and so on well… it’s about the same, both in behavior and in the anger it produces in the victim.

The there’s the coda to the article:

It should be noted this is not how the Chattanooga Police Department recommends you react in a similar situation, but in Napoleon’s case it seemed to work.

If you watch the video, it’s slightly different saying “it’s nice to see the good guy win for once”. Folks, if you want to keep seeing the good guy win, then the only way to do it is to stand up to the bad guy. Handling things the way the Police say will always let the bad guy win. No the good guys won’t always win, but if you always permit yourself to be the victim, you’ll never have a chance to be the victor.