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

[Mark E. Hurling]

Last day of Deload/Dynamic Effort/Speed Work

Squats: 195 for 10 sets of 2.

Hammer Curls: 75 for 3 sets of 5.

Pullover and Press: 45 for 3 sets of 5.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The squats left me sore from the waist down. So I took an easy walk around Lake Murphysboro on one of their side roads, Lake Shore Drive. Very pleasant walk before it warmed up too much.

As I watch the latest panic unfold, I am wondering if the USPA Nationals in Ohio will come off in September. None of this will end until Trump is out of office I suspect.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The SIU Rec Center reopened today. Yay. Sort of. Not until 11, and I like lifting earlier than that. Also, an utterly baffling yellow crime scene taping off of equipment for "distancing". And masks. Which I grudgingly complied with when sweetly asked by the nice young desk girl and then took immediately off. No one else who worked there challenged me either.

Bench Press: 215 for 7 singles.

Close Grip Incline Bench Press: 140 for 3 sets of 5.

Hammer Rows: 270 for for 3 sets of 5.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Back at the Rec Center again. Rounds of heavy bag, rower, prowler, elliptical, SciFit.

I found the free standing independent squat stands I can move in to get a wider grip on the bar. They got moved into the crossfit room off the indoor track. I'll be squatting and deadlifting there, since the west Weight room with the bulk of the free weights is steamy enough to do the now trendy hot yoga. Curry is as far as I go for the dot Indian stuff. Nope. I hate exertion in the heat. I had enough of that hauling hay bales as a young un.

In the "logic" of the Rec Center you can't check out a speed bag. But ANYONE can approach the heavy bags and whale on them. SMH. The room for boxing aficionados is even hotter. Happily there are other heavy bags in cooler areas there.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Deadlift: 325 for 7 singles. None of which felt too difficult or grinding.

Dips: 45 for 3 sets of 5.

Watching me first load the deadlift bar and then later hook up that plate to the dip belt nearly stopped a group of geriatric walkers my age in their tracks and the seriously slowed the setting up of a group exercise class around the indoor track where I was lifting.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Back to the Rec Center for some rounds of conditioning. I bought my own speed bag, then Jacob's Ladder, SciFit, heavy bag, prowler push, stretching.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Ball Cap.jpg

I encountered one of my Jujitsu students yesterday at Walmart. He was asking when Jujitsu would start again. Given the injury to his hand he showed me, he would be hard put to work any techniques. He really messed up some fingers on a ladder accident at work last month and his right forearm has an Ace bandage from his elbow to his fingertips, along with stitches and splints. Nasty.

I explained that I'd sent an email to the park district asking just that last month and hadn't gotten a respon se as of yet. What with the cluster in this state between Gauleiter Pritzker, the health department, and the high school athletic bureaucrats, sports are on, off, maybe, we aren't sure. So of course the park district isn't going to commit.

grumble

It's very frustrating, but I chose the park district route to teach from to get covered under their insurance and to avoid having any overhead for a building to teach in. Government regulation is the downside of this, but then I suspect all martial arts, no matter where they are taught, are in limbo now. I may lose one of my students anyway because one of her mommies didn't like a post I made in FB when someone else asked if they thought they should report food truck employees for not wearing a mask. I told him sure, report it to Pritzker's minions, maybe he'd get his 30 pieces of silver. Mommy castigated me for my bad attitude. Oh well.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Seated Press: Seven singles starting with 135 and finishing with 160. I got the right seated bench with a low back to allow a good layback to get my head and chin out of the way for the concentric portion of the lift. Found the groove I was striving for.

Lateral Raise: 90 for 3 sets of 12.

Cable Pulldown: 70 for 3 sets of 12.

Calf Raise: 200 for 3 sets of 12.

After lo these so many weeks I found a bench and squat stand. I had to drive 65 miles to the Academy Sporting Goods store in Paducah, KY, for it but worth it. Given the legerdemain the politicos are up to, I don't trust that there wont be another lockdown waiting in the wings. Also, I sent a query to the USPA Drug Tested Nationals meet organizers to see if the meet was still a go. Got an immediate auto-response saying good to go. So, fingers crossed.

[Mark E. Hurling]

I have no idea how my neck got so jacked up. Deadlifts? Bad sleeping angle on the pillow? But jacked up it is and VERY painful. So painful when I asked DB to massage it a little last night, even a light touch nearly launched me from my recliner. So I approached lifting with some trepidation this morning.

Sets of 5.

Hammer Curls: 125-125-125.

Cable Presses*:120-130-140.

Hammer Leg Press*: 190-280-370-460.

*My neck was just too sore to do a pullover and press or squat. I was prepared for some discomfort, but when I tried these two, first the neck muscles lit up and then my eye sockets felt like a current of electricity was circling them. Not conducive to having a bar passing over your head or an even heavier loaded one on your lower neck muscles.

[Mark E. Hurling]

My neck continues to give me the miseries. Now it's moving down the right side around my scapula. Which means it must be my trapezius muscles. Driving is a real trial given the limited range of motion of my head side to side. My chiropractor was closed today, but tomorrow I'm getting cracked. Which is going to be really owwie for the cerivical vertebrae adjustment, unless my neck muscles relent a little.

Today I did easy stuff that didn't tax my upper body at the Rec Center. Elliptical, walking, and recumbent bike. That, and get DB set up with some of the strength training machines.