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

[Mark E. Hurling]

3rd Cycle, Week 4. 5 reps @ 40%, 5 reps @ 50%, 5 rep @ 60%.

Push Press: 60-75-90.

High Pulls from Blocks: 85-110-130.

Resistance Band Rotations: 3 sets of 5 with thick green band.

As it happened, I learned last night that today's powerlifting coaching certification class would be held at another location. The Bloomington Barbell Club. So my research on the nearby gym got tossed in the can and I went to the BBC this morning. A basic black iron gym mixing on powerlifting, Olympic, strongman, and (shudder) crosshit. No cable stack there, so when in Rome, I used a resistance band. Really nice platforms, racks, and Eleiko bars and plates. So I hadda translate good old imperial pounds into kilos. (muter-grumble) A great gym nonetheless. This afternoon, I was told, will be about learning the lifts and proper form. Should be interesting as perhaps a study in contrasts.

The principles of coaching certification class was packed with detail encompassing all manner of athletic events. As well as motivation, team management, fund raising and budgeting, handling recalcitrant learning disabled athletes along with their parents, the organization and structure of Special Olympics, and a whole lot more. Very good and interesting stuff. DB took a sports first aid certification which she found valuable and which I will take during the next training cycle.

Altogether a tiring, but enlightening weekend so far.

[Mark E. Hurling]

A pretty good powerlifting certification class. There were 6 of us in it, and I was the only one who had competed. For the most part there was little to disagree with given my own training practices and the Starting Strength training doctrines I mostly follow these days.

It consisted of lifting form, errors that will get a lifter red lighted, and things to avoid so as protect the lifters from injury. Low bar squatting, a little nonsense (IMO) about screwing the feet in to open the hips, but some good explanation of hip drive out of the bottom of the movement. Setting the upper back in both the squat and the bench press as well as the deadlift. How to align and position the lifter on the bench for the bench press. How to set up for the deadlift over the midfoot. Sounded pretty familiar.

Then again, there was some of what I considered specious doctrine for pre-lifting band stretches and hamstring activation. All it seemed likely to do was pre-fatigue the affected muscles. Warm up sets do the job adequately. A few and done, then into the work sets.

But, not bad. I thanked the head instructor without quibbling over what seemed superfluous.

[SeanThornton]

Did Bill and Brett teach it? Sorry, I don't remember their last names. Awesome guys, from Yorkville.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The class was taught by Chris McFarland. Also a good guy.

On a side note, a squat assessment program is being promulgated starting soon. In it, a prospective lifter must have their squat assessed for safety reasons prior to competing. A lot of unanswered questions at this point. Us folks down here in the wilds of Region K may have a long trip for such an assessment, unless that training class qualified me to perform the assessment. Which frankly, I am a little leery of without more information. I'd hate to get crossways of an injured lifter's parents unless S/O indemnifies the assessors.

[Mark E. Hurling]

3rd Cycle, Week 4. 5 reps @ 40%, 5 reps @ 50%, 5 rep @ 60%. The deload abides.

Incline Press: 80-100-120.

Hammer Row: 170-190-230.

Deadlift: 135-170-200.

My taking up the cause of Special Olympics cost me a couple of Highland Games meets so far. But it appears that there will be no conflict over the Peoria Irish Festival at the end of August.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Last training session with John before Summer Games. A light deload bunch of sets with John showing the best form on his deadlift in a month. He's good to go.

Also, the Peoria Highland Games look good to go as well.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Quite a day.

The conditioning was nothing terribly special. Rounds of elliptical, prowler, medicine ball toss, SciFit, crunch, and stretching.

Then things got busy.

I headed to the DMV and ordered some Special Olympics plates. Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics License Plates

Since these are some of the specialty plates you get to choose what to put on them. LIFT wasn't taken, so I jumped on it.

A vintage B-17 warbird was offering flights and ground tours at the Marion Veteran's Airport. DB and I took the ground tour. I've seen 12 O Clock High, Memphis Belle, and oh so many others about the bombing missions over Germany. It really brings it home to you what those aircrews had to deal with in terms of AAA fire and incoming Messerschmitts swarming their formations. Even though that old bird bristled with .50 calibers, and as large as it was, that thin riveted aluminum offered almost no protection. A humbling climb and crawl through it and back out onto the tarmac. World War II B-17 airplane lands in Marion, Illinois, for tours

Lastly, we raced from that to a surprise birthday for the Karate guy and also to congratulate him on his promotion to Sandan (3rd degree black belt). I had a gift made for him, a bamboo post it note holder that I had engraved with a black belt with 3 stripes. Sadly, the photo won't post here because of size limitations.

[Mark E. Hurling]

4th Cycle, Week 1. 5 reps @ 65%, 5 reps @ 75%, as many reps as possible @ 85% and a backoff set of 12 reps

Seated Press: 100-115-130/7-100.

Hammer Curls: 100-115-130/7-100.

Close Grip EZ Curl Floor: 100-115-130/7-100.

Stretched.

[Mark E. Hurling]

First night of the current Jujitsu session. Jacob and Zach showed along with Ken to assist in teaching. I had thought I'd pick 1-2 new students based on some email queries, but no.

Jacob settled into a horse stance that was near perfect. This was a huge accomplishment for him, since a month ago he was struggling so badly getting all of his body parts into balance and alignment. Once upon a time, I wouldn't have thought such a basic was so important, but it paid off for him because his other techniques were executed quite well. He still wants to lean into techniques which compromises his balance, but glowed under my praise of his improvements and vowed to fix the rest of his flaws. I get the sense that he doesn't have a lot of successes to cling to. If new students had showed, I told him part of his evaluation for promotion was to assist in teaching like Ken and Ethan do. All part of the way Mushin Ryu was taught by my own teacher Master Bellman, and a good way to better develop martial artists and prepare them to teach before they get to be a black belt.

Zach was his usual disruptive self. At one point I told Ken and Jacob to sit down on the side chairs surrounding the mat, and I sat down as well. Zach was left out in the middle of the mat perplexed. I told him that since he thought he knew so much and wouldn't shut up when I was teaching that he could teach the class. It quieted him down for a while.

[Mark E. Hurling]

I have been itching to get in some more Highland Games related training, especially given the pending Games at the end of August in Peoria, but my lingering finger problems make me leery of it. Most of the events involve a strong grip from the pulls needed and my middle finger is still aggravating me. I got some more prednisone from my doc and that, along with some CBD salve I got at the local Co-Op seem to be helping.

So this morning's conditioning was rounds of the elliptical, leg raises, Jacob's Ladder, prowler, and finished off by stretching.

DB and I get the planning for the Special Olympics Summer Games this weekend tonight, so I'll see if I can sneak in some lifting tomorrow morning before heading back to Bloomington.