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

[Mark E. Hurling]

Yeah, it is.

For the most part, Illinois is a level green state perfectly suited to growing corn, soybeans, and wheat. The Southern tip is hilly with winding roads and lots of lakes. Just far enough South to have not been scraped flat by the glaciers.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 265.

My chiro appointments are down to one a week now, and they still have me doing their exercises and stretches. Which was perfect for a low intensity kind of recovery day after the loooong ride Saturday. Session ran 30 minutes with an approximate average HR of 108 bpm @ 70% of MHR. Another trip to the gym saved.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 267.

I have developed late adult onset allergies and the last two days have kicked my ass. It's a double whammy of not having ever dealt with them before and having not lived through a Summer in the Midwest in 37 years. They were probably cycling up in CA for years but living near the coast I never had this kind of pollen load to deal with. Yesterday DB handed me a benadryl and I wasn't paying attention and took it. Laid me out in the twilight zone for the whole day. Most of today too.

But I slugged down a zyrtec, lots of coffee, and some advil to make it to Jujitsu tonight.

Lots of juggling between white and blue belt techniques with E. and G. Since I was promoting G. tonight, I used him as E.'s crash dummy. Also a good exposure for him to the techniques he will be learning. Both of them had a sense of the upcoming promotion and were trying to get me to hint at the outcome. But no go until the end of class when he got his blue belt and I tied his white belt into the knot of knowledge and handed it back to him.

Session provided me with 60 minutes of LISS with an average HR of 95 and burned 300 calories. Hopefully I have my allergy tolerance dialed in better for tomorrow.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 264.

OHP: 135 lbs. 5-3-2. Ugly. I took too big a jump from 125. Back to 130.

Deadlift: 295 lbs. for 3 sets of 5.

Hammer Curls: 105 lbs. for 3 sets of 8.

Stretched. Session ran 68 minutes burning 619 calories with an average HR of 122 bpm @ 79% of MHR.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 264.

I worked some upper body emphasis LISS today with a few interval rounds of bag strikes, arm only arm bike, and medicine ball throws interspersed with walking and stationary bike to down regulate my heart rate. The session ran 32 minutes buring 244 calories with an average HR of 112 bpm @ 72% of MHR and a peak of 128 bpm.

I was invited to witness promotions to yellow belt by the Karate guy for two of his white belts. One of them had expressed some interest in Jujitsu, and he introduced us. The kid is 15 and I explained what it was that was taught. I doubt he'll be interested in coming, he said he was also looking into an MMA class. I explained that what I taught was stand up Jujitsu based on principles of self defense rather than competition. He seemed to lose interest then. He's a lanky kid with long arms and legs and I'm guessing he wants to get in a ring with someone. The Karate session was pretty traditional and about performing katas with some light contact free sparring at the end.

OTOH, the other yellow belt was a grad student at SIU in his early 20s. He seemed interested in the class so I sent him the white belt curriculum with technique descriptions for him to review along with the park district's upcoming schedule. I have a break between now and September 6 when the next classes start. The town will be shut down in many respects in anticipation of the eclipse which will pass directly overhead there. Huge influx of 40K to 100K visitors are expected. Paralysis is expected.

I'm discussing buying a BOB for me and the Karate guy to share in teaching. I got a windfall of some back pay a couple months age from Boeing and will buy it myself.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 265.

Hip Belt Squats: 355 lbs. for 3 sets of 5.

CGBP: Sets of 8, 135-145-155. Got tired of the set up and form focus required for LTE's.

Hammer High Rows: 250 lbs. for 3 sets of 8.

Stretched. Session ran 60 minutes burning 545 calories with an average HR of 120 bpm @ 77% of MHR.

While I was lifting another geezer some 83 years old came over and started talking to me about hip belt squats and how he hadn't seen those in decades. This was while I was spotting a young guy bench pressing. The young guy professed to have been amazed himself. We explained that it's an old school thing from back when guys had round stone wheels instead of iron plates to lift. We immediately reverted to being the Statler and Waldorf of the weight room.

Bought the BOB at Dick's Sporting Goods this morning before going in to lift. Lots of jokes ensued with the young woman and man who helped me load it into my truck. I didn't quite have the nerve to make one about Bob's dick though.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 265.

My original plan was to paddle around our lake in my kayak, but intermittent thunderstorms put paid to that idea. So off to the Rec Center. Slow and easy on the rower, walking, arms and legs peddling on the arm bike and stretching. Session was 33 minutes burning 235 calories with an average HR of 110 bpm @ 71% of MHR and a peak of 122 bpm.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 266.

Got another treatment at the chiro's which included the techs running me through 36 minutes of exercises, foam rolling, with static and dynamic stretches. All of which were done with an average HR of 116 bpm. LISS done.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 267.

Push Press: 130 lbs. for 3 sets of 5.

High Pulls: 166 lbs. for 3 sets of 3.

Cable Rotations: 100 lbs. for 3 sets of 8.

External Rotations: 40 lbs. for 3 sets of 8.

Stretched. This session ran 60 minutes burning 484 calories with an average HR of 117 bpm @ 76% of MHR and a peak of 130 bpm.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 266.5.

Simple stuff today. A leisurely walk around Lake on the Campus. 35 minutes burning 232 calories with an average HR of 105 bpm @ 68% of MHR and a peak of 118 bpm. This appears to be about as dialed down as I can get.