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

[Mark E. Hurling]

That Mustang Sally song has a really nice groove, is it Wilson Picket? Used to play it with my band in the seventies as a cover.

Yup. Wicked Wilson Pickett.

[Mark E. Hurling]

I have had "Madman Across the Water" stuck in my head for the last week. Thanks Mark!

At least it wasn't The Lunatic by Pink Floyd.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The Olympians did great yesterday. All five of them qualified for State Summer Games in June. That's two years in a row and one of the lifters, Sheridan, has only been lifting a few months and was in her first meet. Her courage and enthusiasm captured the hearts of everyone.

I've been lifting for over 50 years, since high school. Yesterday I saw two lifters doing one handed deadlifts. It's something I've read about and seen photos of with the likes of Hermann Goerner, and old German strongman doing them. One was a young woman who had only about half her left forearm and the other was a tall guy with a hooked under wrist that made gripping impossible with that hand. That, in addition to their learning disabilities. Just incredibly inspiring.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Cycle 1, Week 3, Sets of 3-3-3.

Bench Press: 160@70%, 180@80%, 205@90%.

Hammer High Row: 205@70%, 230@80%, 260@90%.


Cable Curl: Sets of 5, 115-130-145.

Music: Ride of the Valkyries, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Highway to Hell, Amazing Grace, The Stroke, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Discombobulate, Respect, Tush, Dying Gull, Give Me That Old Marine Corps Spirit, Hot Legs, 18 Hammers.

45 minutes average HR 117 BPM @ 79% of MHR.

Still tired after the Qualifier Sunday. My chassis needs realignment from too much running between two platforms with 5 lifters lifting at the same time and trying not to knock spectators and other coaches over. Time for the chiropractor. Add to that some bad dreams overnight that cast a pall over this day and a 90 minute drive to Paducah for a new oven. And teaching Jujitsu tonight.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Back to Jujitsu tonight. I taught Ken a common variation of the rear naked strangle called capping the head using the other hand behind the neck. I always considered it a little too slow to get both hands into position for, but once they are, the tweetie birds come on fast. Just in total, the first way works quicker for me. But I want to make sure he can find his own way for what will work best for him.

Then into a couple of clothing assisted chokes. First where one hand circles the neck and grabs a strong collar with the other forearm as counterpressure to the other side of the neck. A very strong and fast combination of a strangle AND a choke. Also very painful. Then the long and short collar choke as well as the counter for that choke.

After all that, we both needed a break from the dizzies. Especially me. So we worked on the short yawara stick of escapes, counters, and attacks. No one carries a yawara, but short powerful flashlights are becoming a thing increasingly carried by many people for all kinds of reasons. Then a little work with a longer stick, showing him the fuller potential of such larger blunt force trauma inflictors.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Today was supposed to be deadlifts, but my back was still ailing so it was conditioning instead. Rounds of speed bag, elliptical, supine medicine ball toss, crunches, heavy bag*, rower and hip flexor with knee stretching.

30 minutes average HR 127 BPM @ 85% of MHR.

Then some major adjustments and spinal stretching at the chiropractor.

*With open hands facing out in what looks like cowering subservience. But just in position for blocks and open hand counterstrikes to the ears, jaw, neck, or temples. Any of which feel like lightning arced between your ears and behind your eyeballs. As experienced by myself as a crash dummy for Master Bellman back in the California dojo.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Cycle 1, Week 3, Sets of 3-3-3.

Seated Press: 126@70%-3, 145@80%-3, 160@90%-3.

Hammer Row: 240@70%-3, 270@80%-3, 305@90%-5.

Close Grip Pin Press: Sets of 5, 155-160-165.

Music: The Thunderer, Her Strut, We Will Rock You, Eye of the Tiger, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Urgent, Ring of Fire, Shaft, Lunatic Fringe, Dirty Laundry, Tuff Enuff.

47 minutes average HR 120 BPM @ 81% of MHR.

[Mark E. Hurling]

As happens, life got in the way of training. Plumbing problems at our daughter's house that needed urgent attention.

Cycle 1, Week 4, Sets of 5-3-1.

Bench Press: 170@75%-5, 190@85%-3, 215@95%-1. I woke up a little creaky so I enlisted a spotter for the last single, just in case. It went up slowly, but no grinding was needed. I think I have 225 ready to go for the next cycle.

Hammer High Row: 220@75%-5, 245@85%-3, 275@95%-1. My confidence boosted by the relatively easy bench press I got ambitious and singled with 295 and then 300 which was a 10 lb. improvement over my last run at this.

Cable Curl: Sets of 5, 130-145-150.

Music: Hallelujah Chorus, Purple Haze, Takin' a Ride, Shipping Up to Boston, British Grenadiers, Rock You Like a Hurricane, Ghost Riders, Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher, George of the Jungle, My Sharona, Think, Washington Post March, Midnight Special.

49 minutes average HR 116 BPM @ 78% of MHR.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Ball Cap.jpg

Last night's jujitsu session had a new beginner. He said he'd had about a month of something he called Ryu Jujitsu. Never heard of it, but there's a lot of styles out there. I had Ken teaching him to get him back in the groove of teaching again. We were both a little rusty on our basic white belt techniques, even the blocking drill. A little embarrassing but not fatal. He's an adult and picked up things pretty quickly, even to stepping and moving during the techniques, which so many just don't seem to get without constant reminders.

So as not to shortchange Ken, I taught him a few more choking techniques, one was a single wing long-short choke. It's a variation of the basic over the shoulder reach where one arm reaches under the other arm of the guy being choked from behind. Then the dragon strangle with a reverse arm bar. The attacker throws a straight punch and is taken face down with an ulna press arm bar. Then the defender pushes his left foot under the chin and across the throat of the attacker while holding what has now become a reverse arm bar at the same time. Very uncomfortable and pain and unconsciousness can ensue quickly. The drawback is that it leaves the defender vulnerable to other attackers while he's tied up with the first attacker. After that I showed him a choke while the defender is on their back as the attacker drops down on them. The defender puts up a foot and positions the toes in the throat of the attacker while grabbing his arms or lapels pulling him into the choke.

We concluded with me demonstrating the "passive" palms-out defensive posture. I had Ken throw punches at me and trying to otherwise engage me in a lock or takedown. My hands blocked all the attempts and allowed me to counter with strikes of my own as well a takedown and a choke.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Cycle 1, Week 4, Sets of 5-5-5. Deload.

Bench Press: 95@40%-5, 115@50%-5, 135@60%-5.

Hammer High Row: 115@40%-5, 145@50%-5, 175@ 60%-5.

Curl: 85 for 3 sets of 5.

Music: When the Bullet Hits the Bone, Beethoven's 5th, Kashmir, Gloria.

30 minutes average HR 115 BPM @ 77% of MHR.