Geezer's Long March Toward the Elite Sneaking Up On the Finish Line

[Mark E. Hurling]

Back into the lifting today. Explosive, although light and carefully.

One Arm DB Push Press: 45 for 3 sets of 3. I could feel the still bruised left illiopsoas when I slammed out right side push presses. Not real bad, but like some big teeth were working over my side.

High Pulls off 18" Blocks: 135 for 3 sets of 3. The warmup sets hurt my left side more, but they smoothed out after the 2nd work set.

Cable Rotations: 100 for 3 sets of 5. Surprisingly, these didn't hurt at all.

Stretched.

Session ran 37 minutes burning 285 calories with an average HR of 115 bpm @ 75% of MHR and a peak of 128 bpm.

[Mark E. Hurling]

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Nice little turnout tonight. The new guy, B, showed up. Nice guy too. Corrections at Menard and was (is) one of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. Very stiff in his movements, but I think we can all fix that. G and K were there too. It's funny, G has decided on his own to try to accelerate K's promotion to Blue Belt. He and I alternated teaching, and I caught him teaching Blue Belt techniques to K. That's OK, but I razzed them both about it. K will get there soon enough. I am ordering a blue belt for him and a white belt for B.

I got B through the entire course and he's got a ways to go, but did reasonably well. I finished by teaching him the nuances of the upper cut, the vertical fist, the knife hand, and the palm heel strike.

The session burned 447 calories with an average HR of 104 bpm @ 67% of MHR and a peak of 120 bpm.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The monsoons have hit. The second wave of a lotta rain and the waterways backing up. When I was in college here, we called it the monsoons. Nonetheless, off to the gym.

Whole body rounds of SciFit, elliptical trainer with cross arms, rower, stretches. Session was 31 minutes burning 231 calories with an average HR of 109 bpm @ 71% of MHR and a peak of 129 bpm.

In other news, I bought an adjustable kettlebell.

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A perfect device for loading and deloading the weights for throwing in the highland games. Dick's was the only one who had them and I was prepared to drive 40-60 miles to either Cape Girardeau, MO or Paducah, KY to buy one at Academy Sports. But they didn't carry it. Now to figger out how to put together a caber. Two 10' posts put together will probably do it, and I wouldn't have to strap the damn thing to my roof.

Finally, I ordered a white belt for the new guy, B, and a blue belt for K, for his impending promotion. The sweet older Japanese lady who answered the phone made me think of Mrs. Miyagi. Had she survived Manzanar.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Random choices for today's LISS. Rounds of speed bag, Jacob's Ladder, Rogue 25 lb. ball slam, cable side curls, stretching. Session ran 33 minutes burning 217 calories with an average HR of 108 bpm @ 71% of MHR and a peak of 120 bpm.

[codger]

Now to figger out how to put together a caber.

Where do you practice the caber toss?

[Mark E. Hurling]

I'll let you know when I get permission. Since I teach Jujitsu at the park district, I have an in with those folks and they have soccer, softball, and other fields all over town.

I'm thinking I'll buy some 7' fence posts and figger out how to attach them together. That way I don't have to put a 20' one on the roof of my Edge.

I should add that I've thus far handled a caber a grand total of three times. All at the Highland Games last October. Thus far, practice has been a goal after the weather got better. Just now, we are in the monsoons here, and I'm waiting for the ground to dry out.

[codger]

Sounds like fun. When I was a kid my father took me to the old Boston Garden to watch a very spirited bunch of guys from Scotland demonstrate some of their traditional games. It was exciting. I wonder how the caber toss originated, if it evolved from some sort of ancient practical chore?

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sounds like fun. When I was a kid my father took me to the old Boston Garden to watch a very spirited bunch of guys from Scotland demonstrate some of their traditional games. It was exciting. I wonder how the caber toss originated, if it evolved from some sort of ancient practical chore?

The caber has always fascinated me. When I was 15, I saw a photo of a Norwegian (of all things!) picking a caber in a National Geographic magazine. WTF? Why? There's no consensus as to the why. The tale most likely to have some relevance is to cross a stream dry footed. None of which explains the turn or the O' clock position rating. But then, the Scots invented golf too. So logic need not necessarily apply.

[Mark E. Hurling]

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Intermediate class tonight. Sadly E was a no-show. I don't hold it against him. As I tell all of them, you have a life, school, family, and other interests and responsibilities that are not comprehended within the dojo. Probably he is visiting extended family for Easter in Chicago. But he is certain to be falling behind G who continues to improve apace. K showed up as well, so I had them alternate between White Belt and Blue Belt techniques. K too, is getting better and his mind is wide open toward integrating the Karate he already knows with what he is learning now. I reminded them both to bring their belts with them, which was a not so subtle hint that a promotion may be in the offing soon. Unless E demonstrates some really solid technique, I will promote G ahead of him.

Once again, I found myself learning things tonight, while teaching others to learn. After correcting some of K's hand placement in effecting a choke release, it struck me why we teach hooking the hands at the wrists under the thumbs rather than on the forearms or elbows. Why? The leverage for the defender is better and the weak moment arm created between the attacker's shoulders and wrists is nearly impossible to overcome. Even if they are much stronger than the defender. Likewise, I could see some of the translation of keeping the hands over the midfoot to maximize the defender's strength. Most of what is taught uses these principles and while I believe my own teacher, Master Bellman, intuited these things, I doubt he could articulate them in the teaching of them.

I have Starting Strength having taught those concepts to me to thank for this deeper understanding. All the Eastern ooga-booga aside I have gotten shit for. It's a great debt I owe to the concepts, even if the man behind them decided to crap all over me.

Ah well, not the first or last disappointment in life and people to overcome, endure, and achieve despite it all.

I burned 374 calories with an average HR of 100 bpm @ 65% of MHR and a peak of 116 bpm.

[codger]

But then, the Scots invented golf too. So logic need not necessarily apply.

Not to mention haggis...