Author: hsoi

2017-06-02 training log

/ hsoi

Always nice to end the week with a great PR!

Today’s PR was cool on many fronts. Press has always been my toughest lift to progress. Back at the end of 2016 I worked up to 185 for 1, which was an all-time best. Today? 180 for 3. A nice PR in and of itself, but obviously I’m a good bit stronger than before.

What’s also cool is that the PR was solid all around. Technique rolled well. It’s good for reps and weight. I’m certainly stronger than before. The work-up for the 185 was trying to set a 1RM so volume was quite low, with just a warm-up then singles to the new max. Whereas today was normal workload, almost double the volume on the work-up, and still repping things.

So again, given it’s been my toughest lift to progress, seeing this sort of progress makes me quite happy.

Even the down-sets went well.

As one note, I continue to have weirdness about my breathing. I WANT to hold breath at the bottom, a slight exhale as I lock out, breathe at the top. But that’s actually been bad because at the top I need to be really tight, so breathing doesn’t work well there and has been cause for some problems lately. So I’m working to breathe at the bottom, but that’s really awkward. What I found was working alright for me today was allowing myself a slight exhale at lock-out but no inhale –– basically I’d get 2-3 reps “holding my breath”, but then in the bottom position I could get a slight inhale. That seemed to actually work quite well, tho the rhythm felt quite odd. I’ll work on it.

Pulldowns were pulldowns. While I’m still not supersetting because arm issues, the 1-minute rest and quickly moving through it has been quite a welcome change. But get this. I had my elbow sleeves on and while there was no issue while pressing, I had issue after pulldowns. I am starting to think that the added thickness, the added “bulk” then in my elbow crease as the elbow angle becomes more acute, that is attributing to things. I’m still not 100% sure, but data is leaning that direction. A few more tests…

Plate raises are actually more interesting now. To lean the torso slightly forward makes all the difference. These are just ass-kickers.

Skullcrushers are what they are. And curls are what they are.

All in all, a good day.

No deload next week. Starting next cycle.

  • Press
    • bar x whatever
    • 75 x 5
    • 95 x 5
    • 115 x 3
    • 140 x 5
    • 160 x 3
    • 180 x 3 (3 rep PR)
    • 160 x 6
    • 140 x 9
  • Lat Pulldowns (pronated grip, to chest)
    • 110 x 12
    • 120 x 12
    • 130 x 12
    • 130 x 12
    • 130 x 9
  • Front Plate Raises (all the way above head)
    • 25 x 27
    • 25 x 16
    • 25 x 16
  • Skullcrushers
    • 80 x 10
    • 80 x 10
    • 80 x 10
    • 80 x 7
  • Hammer Curl
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 7

2017-06-01 training log

/ hsoi

Today was short and sweet – a “jack shit” day because I got started late and had to be somewhere early.

That said, the work up went well. The new setup (over the 5th eyelet of my shoe; following a more Starting Strength-like setup a la Alan Thrall) is actually working quite well.

First, I am feeling a LOT of loading of the glutes and hams, more than ever. It still feels very strange to me because it feels like I have zero bend in my legs and that my legs (well, quads) aren’t doing much at all — there’s not as much “push with the legs” going on. But that’s just my body, the length of my parts (lower leg, femur, torso, arms, etc.), and how it all comes in.

But it does feel a LOT better. The pull feels better, stronger. Just still unfamiliar since it’s a new approach. But I am truly digging it.

I worked up to 4 reps and that was good. It’s a rep PR. I started on 5 but opted to shut it down and leave it in the tank.

Wished I could have dne the down sets, but I had to get going. I am looking forward to continuing working with this new setup.

  • Deadlift
    • 175 x 5
    • 220 x 5
    • 265 x 3
    • 330 x 5
    • 375 x 3
    • 420 x 4 (4 rep PR)

There’s more to it than “mah head on a swivel”

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

It seems any time the concept of “situational awareness” comes up, someone eventually trots out a tired phrase about having my/your “head on a swivel”. As if situation awareness is about constantly rollicking your head back and forth.

The other night, Wife and I were on a dinner date. As we were leaving and about to exit the building, I see on the other side of the door a small group about to enter. At the head of the line was a man being pushed in a wheelchair, followed by a woman leading a blind man (white cane). The door opened outwards (towards them), so it made best sense for Wife and I to just step aside so they could come on in. The man in the wheelchair was pushed in and went past us clearing the walkway, with the pusher eventually stopping to turn back to the rest of his party to decide where to sit.

Woman leading the blind man stepped just inside the door and stopped in front of us to respond to the “where to sit” question. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact she’s stopped in the doorway, blocking it, and that there were people waiting on them to move.

But who did notice?

The blind man.

He was standing right in front of me and after a few moments said to me “Sir, are we blocking your way?” I responded “No worries, you’re good.” And after a few more moments they were on their way and we on ours.

I don’t know how much vision the man had, but I suspect none. The bottleneck of the door area was tight, so the man was stopped literally in front of me – a distance that would normally be considered WAY too close for comfort. I guess he heard me there – breathing. I wasn’t being huffy or anything, just normal respiration.

But he noticed I was there.

He was the most situationally aware of their group.

And there was no ability for him to have “his head on a swivel”.

Yes, it’s important to have your head up and look at what is around and what is going on around you. But we have more senses than just our eyes. We can hear. We can smell. And we can even have that “Spidey sense” that tingles when our gut tells us something is off.

Think about how “situational awareness” can and should involve (all of, more of) your senses. And think about how abridging any of your senses can be a detriment to that same awareness.

Because it’s more than just looking around.

2017-05-30 training log

/ hsoi

Today was good. Set a nice rep PR, tho I did have some irritation of my arm pain.

The thing is, I don’t think the inclines necessarily were the source of the pain. For whatever reason, squats have started to cause the pain to flare up again. And then today, I wore elbow sleeves. What I think the issue may be? Acute angles. That is, having my arms really “in” during squats, that elbow angle? pressure. The sleeves? It adds thickness. Angle. Pressure. It’s just a hunch right now, but given what I’m expericing it feels like a good hunch.

I also went ahead and followed the 5/3/1 rep scheme. It wasn’t intentional – it’s just habit. It started down that road, so I just went with it. I was going to start that next cycle anyways so NBD.

All in all, things are feeling good with this modification. Just going to keep on truckin’.

  • Incline Bench Press
    • bar x whatever
    • 80 x 5
    • 100 x 5
    • 120 x 3
    • 150 x 5
    • 170 x 3
    • 190 x 10 (10 rep PR)
    • 170 x 8
    • 150 x 10
  • Flies
    • 20e x 15
    • 20e x 15
    • 20e x 15
  • Cable Rows
    • 110 x 12
    • 120 x 12
    • 130 x 12
    • 130 x 12
    • 130 x 12
  • DB Upright Row
    • 45e x 12
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 8
  • Seated French Press
    • 60 x 15
    • 60 x 15
    • 60 x 15
    • 60 x 12
  • Reverse EZ Bar Curl
    • 60 x 15
    • 60 x 12
    • 60 x 9
    • 60 x 9

2017-05-29 training log

/ hsoi

Today doesn’t count, because I suck.

I felt good going into today’s session, but I lost confidence as I went along. It resulted in 2 reps, but I missed depth. Not by much — maybe 1/2″, but it’s still missing depth. So, today doesn’t count.

Why? Confidence. What’s messed up is I know where I felt my sticking point and it wouldn’t have been a problem in the hole. But yet, I cut it just short out of fear. Not happy with myself.

What’s interesting is I can tell how it happened. It’s the descent. I get under the bar, set up, unrack, and as I go down I can feel when it’s in the groove and I know it’ll come up. But I can also know when it’s out of whack and it’s not going to happen. It does happen, but it’s all mental. I just throw myself off. On the 305 set I was out of groove, the 3rd rep didn’t come up easily, and it blew my confidence — “if it was hard to get 3 with 305, like he’ll I’ll get 3 with 340”.

I screwed myself.

So, I’m going to repeat this cycle; same weights.

But what I got from today? That the descent is something I need to focus on. Hard to describe here, but I know what I felt, I know what I went through, and I know that it’s something to work on. That should help.

We’ll see how things go with repeating this.

  • Squats
    • bar x whatever
    • 145 x 5
    • 180 x 5
    • 215 x 3
    • 270 x 5
    • 305 x 3
    • 340 x 2
  • Pause Squat
    • 270 x 3
    • 270 x 3
    • 270 x 3

Sunday Metal – Obituary

/ hsoi

Obituary, still going strong. Off their 2017 self-titled album, this is “Ten Thousand Ways To Die”.

This video is awesome. So many jokes, so many funny references. You will want to watch this video over and over, just to catch all the jokes. It’s hilarious!

And the song is awesome.

 

Thinking about putting a red dot scope on your carry gun?

/ hsoi

To put a red dot scope on a handgun used for personal protection and/or concealed carry is growing in popularity. But is it really an improvement? Is there something to be gained, beyond Instagram likes and “cool-kids points”?

In 2015 & 2016 KR Training partnered with the Texas A&M Huffines Institute to jointly fund and conduct an academic study comparing shooter performance using iron sights, green lasers, and slide mounted red dot sights (with and without backup iron sights).

Karl is finishing up publication of the complete study, but he’s been freely talking about  the key points from the study. He just wrote up an article summarizing the key points, and it’s well worth a read if you’re considering a red dot.

I was one of the participants in the study. I’m not a red dot shooter, and for sure it was a different beast to shoot with the red dot than irons. I spoke with other participants and they all echoed similar sentiments. One thing that truly surprised many of us was how well we all shot with the laser. I had poo-pooed lasers in the past, but after going through this I feel a laser is going to wind up on my gun one of these days.

Me personally? I don’t see myself getting a red dot any time soon (tho again a laser is a different story). However, don’t just go off my preferences. Give Karl’s study a read, take in the data, and seriously consider his final 5 advice points. And if you don’t like what you read, replicate the study perhaps adjusting for variables you have a contention point with. That’s what science is all about: one study isn’t the final word, merely a starting point.

Listen to the 911 operator, but blindly obey them? Well…

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

You call 911 for whatever reason, usually because something bad or dangerous is occurring.

What is the 911 operator going to do? They’re going to ask you a lot of questions. They have to ask questions because they aren’t there with you – they don’t know what’s going on and have to rely upon you to tell them. They are trying to assess the situation to determine who to send (police? fire? EMS?), and then to help relay as much information as possible to the responders so the responders can respond accordingly and know what they are about to walk in on.

This is quite reasonable.

However…

I am of the opinion that you do not and SHOULD not BLINDLY follow the directions of the 911 operator.

Should you listen to them? Yes.

Should you work to be as helpful as possible? Yes.

Should you risk your own personal safety? No!

Case in point (and what motivated me to write this).

Friends of mine woke up to a truck idling outside their house. The truck’s front bumper was pressed up against the tail their son’s car (parked on the street). Car running. Driver passed out.

911 operator told them to turn the car off.

Nope. Sorry.

That would require  me to approach the vehicle. That would require me to reach into the truck and/or open the door, and otherwise interact with someone that is demonstrably not within normal faculties.

Consider as well there have been numerous events where people have observed crime occurring, reported to 911, and the 911 operator tells the caller to follow the criminal! Often the caller proceeds to follow the criminal, risking their personal safety.

For example, Paul Saustrop was an Austin, Texas CHL holder who 911 dispatchers told to follow the attacker that had threatened him and his wife because there were no officers available four blocks from the police station. It resulted in a defensive shooting where the press crucified him for “chasing down the victim”. All kinds of errors there:  starting with listening to the dispatcher and following the threat. (h/t to John Kochan for jogging my memory on this event).

Why does this happen? One explanation is obedience to authority figures. See the Milgram Experiment.

Of course, it’s your choice to actually follow-through with any request from the operator because you are there and have better knowledge and context about what’s going on. Just remember, while the 911 operator may have requested it, if you feel it’s a risk to your personal safety, exercise judgment and politely refuse.

 

 

2017-05-26 training log

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Today was quite awesome.

I actually hadn’t thought about what it would take to make a PR. I mean, I did last night before bed, but totally forgot about it until AFTER my top set today. And today’s top-set was a GREAT PR.

Rep 4 almost didn’t happen as I got out of rhythm on my breathing, but I got it and kept going. Rep 5 was easy. I thought 7 was possible but on 6 I peeded out. So it was what it was. What was great tho was despite the weirdness, it was both a weight and rep PR, and a good one over what I had previously done at that weight and rep. As well, calculated theoretical 1RM is now over 200#, which is pretty cool. Of course it doesn’t mean I could hit a 200# press, but to see this degree of progress is welcome.

I’m quite happy with today.

Next week is the 1+ week, and it freaks me out a little bit because my top sets flirt with all-time maxes. For example, my squat 1RM best is 345 set back in December. Next week I’m to squat 340, and I want at least 2 but am going to aim for 3 reps — which, even with 2, exceeds my best. Pressing will be at 180, and my prior 1RM best is 185. So I’m a little nervous going into next week, but I’m also really excited about it because it’s awesome to venture into totally new territory.

  • Press
    • bar x whatever
    • 75 x 5
    • 95 x 5
    • 115 x 3
    • 135 x 3
    • 150 x 3
    • 170 x 6 (6 rep PR)
    • 150 x 7
    • 135 x 9
  • Lat Pulldowns (pronated grip, to chest)
    • 110 x 12
    • 120 x 12
    • 130 x 12
    • 130 x 10
    • 130 x 8
  • Front Plate Raises (all the way above head)
    • 25 x 22
    • 25 x 17
    • 25 x 13
  • Skullcrushers
    • 80 x 12
    • 80 x 10
    • 80 x 9
    • 80 x 8
  • Hammer Curl
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 10
    • 45e x 6

2017-05-25 training log

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Continuing to work on technique.

So I went back to setting up with the bar over the 3rd eyelet of my shoes (from 2nd). That was better. I tried 4th, but the bar just rolled away from me.

Well…

I woke up too early this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I watched some YouTube videos. I haven’t watched any of Alan Thrall’s videos in a long time, but I always liked them – Alan knows how to convey information, teach, and produce effective videos. As I was flipping through the ones I hadn’t seen, I came across this one about “How to Deadlift: Starting Strength 5 Step Deadlift”

It’s all about the setup, according to Starting Strength (which I have a soft spot for).

Since I have been adjusting my setup, I thought to try this today — what would be the harm.

My setup? Not over the 3rd eyelet, nor the 4th – but the 5th! Man, that feels so close, too close! But I used the cues from the video – especially step 4 (squeezing the chest out) – and lifting.

It was… strange. Actually, it felt good, it felt “right”. But as well, every rep felt totally strange because it’s a different setup. Because of the length of my limbs, torso, legs, it FEELS like I have barely any bend in my knees and my back is parallel to the ground. That’s not the case, but it sure feels that way. When I lift, I don’t feel like there’s much knee extension at all – like barely any “push” with the legs. That it’s mostly hip hinging. BUT that was interesting. On the last set I found myself working to reset better between each rep, and when I did step 4 and really worked to get the bar loaded, I also really felt it loading up on my hamstrings. Boy! They got quite taught, and I reckon I was feeling it on the last set (and not sooner) since they were getting exhausted.

I don’t do touch-and-go with deadlifts, but I’m going to need a little more pause-and-reset between each rep, at least until I get this technique down. Because one key part is the descent and ensuring the bar winds up in the right place to pull again, and pull again “properly”.

So I feel good enough about the technique that will keep going with it. It feels strange, but that’s purely a n00b issue. It does feel like a better pull.

That said, top set intended to do 6 (last night’s goal) but I stopped at 5 because of this new technique. I could have gone forward, but I was flip-flopping between lifting, rhythm, the new technique, etc. and things were just going to shit so it was best to stop. But this is part of why I am feeling the technique is good (for me), because I know how prior technique would have had me feeling vs. how I was feeling (even tho I was way sloppy); and this was feeling better, this was not feeling as worn out.

So, I’ll take today. Not a paper-PR, but a good learning point. I’m going to continue to work on this new technique.

  • Deadlift
    • 175 x 5
    • 220 x 5
    • 265 x 3
    • 310 x 3
    • 350 x 3
    • 395 x 5
    • 350 x 6
    • 310 x 8
  • Hyperextensions
    • BW x 15
    • BW x 15
    • BW x 15
    • BW x 13
  • Leg Curls
    • 55 x 12
    • 55 x 12
    • 55 x 8
  • Crunches
    • 25 x 12
    • 25 x 12
    • 25 x 8