MacFhearchair's off-season anti-slack

[Alan H]

I can't do either, although the ones I attempt most frequently are chin-ups. My greatest performance comes from orienting my arms perpendicular to my body (neither a proper pull-up or chin-up) so that I'm sort of curling my body weight? That's the way that feels easiest, but I can usually match the weight I do that way with a chin-up.

Alan, I've thrown the light weight a couple times where, according to my step-offs, it's gone 48-50 feet. I'll believe it when that's what the tape says, but I'm eager to get it measured.

Nice!!!

[MacFhearchair]

Alright, so I've made it to 3 in a row now, albeit not all in the same week. I have every intention of going back Weds and Fri, but then again, I always have that intention.

Last night was a little bit sad. Reality thwapped me upside the head and said "beeyotch, you can't set PRs every time you work out!" As in my max squat was 155 and my max deadlift was 185 and I went home feeling vaguely like some kind of failure when the truth is I didn't eat very well beforehand and I'd been sick that morning.

BAH! Brains are weird.

OTOH, I'm more energetic today and I almost feel like going again like... now.

Other notes:

My overhead press was 85 and I really struggled with it - like, you can barely say I did it because I had to heft it up in a thrusting manner, but I failed my way through it with the hope that abusing my muscles thusly will help somehow idk.

I was able to do one lousy set of bench presses with 45 lb dumbbells. Guess I need to start smaller.

a 35 lb kettlebell kicked my **** after 20 swings. I guess it just wasn't my night.

[Alan H]

We all have 'em. Last night I was Thor. Tomorrow lunchtime I'll probably be Winnie-the Pooh.

[MacFhearchair]

Amazingly after the worst day ever, I still got my **** to the gym. This gets more habitual all the time - gotta love that.

Today I got thru a full set of 155# squats, so I upped it to a new high of 175# and I got one in before I failed. That's ok - I still got the PR.

I did a full set @ 205# on deadlifts. That's promising.

I did 2 sets of bench presses at 115#, thinking it was 95#. I was beating myself up for feeling so weak.

75# overhead presses are still asking a lot.

25 and then another 15 KB swings at 35#

20 knee-high box jumps (2 sets of 10)

Aaaaand some ab torture for good measure.

I've learned I reeeally don't like it when random strangers tell me what's what at the gym. Maybe it's the blood and hormones are flowing and I'm all hyped and energetic and I don't really want to talk to anyone anyway, let alone have them say something negative or bossy at me.

Maybe I'll get a t-shirt that simply says "go away". Tacky? Yeeeahh.... probably. I'll keep brainstorming.

[Alan H]

An ipod or your choice of mp3 player with ear buds plugged in is a sort of universal message: don't talk to me. Personally, it seems pretty anti-social to me, but hey...it works, and if you just want to go in there and get work done, then that's the ticket.

[RogerWS76]

Unfortunately, while it's not cool, it is more likely a gym neanderthal's socially inept attempt to get your attention. The ipod idea is good. Ignoring the ignorant will eventually work too. Lift on!

[Alan H]

See, if you weren't so beautimously gorgiferous, you wouldn't have this problem. I mean, *I* don't have this problem, though I bet that LitTrog has to fend off amourous advances several times, each time he goes to a public gym.

[MacFhearchair]

Haha yeah I'm suuuure these guys are all just falling over themselves with lust, and that's why they're being a bunch of boneheads. The problem is it's not just guys.

Once it was this girl (who btw always wears knee-high socks, mascara, and shorts that don't cover her **** to the gym) who crossed the room to tell me to stack my weights when I was done. I assured her I already had done so, and if there were any unstacked weights, they weren't mine. I then went and got a shower and when I came back, the weights she was complaining about were still unstacked (so it's not like she was concerned enough about the situation to stack them herself - only enough to come sass me.)


ANYWAY

Wednesday I lost my job. (long, stupid story - academia is like working for the Jerry Springer show sometimes) I went and did yoga with my old favorite instructor whose classes I can make it to again. I held my own better than I did before I stopped going, and I was keeping up with or exceeding people who weigh a good deal less than I do, but I still feel fat. The scale says I'm losing, so I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.

I finally made it to 3 lifting sessions in the same week, making the total number of gym days last week be 4 if you include the yoga. I intentionally did light sets with higher reps on Friday because my muscles were still crabby from my limit-pushing on Wednesday and yoga on Thurs. I also did 30 box jumps in a row. Maybe it's time to move up to the 2' box.

I wanna throw, dangit. >

Hey Alan you should ask Russ and Brian and them if their labs need a tech/admin. I was promised strong recommendations.

[o1d_dude]

Bummer about losing the job. As you say, academia can be like that. My daughter lost her annual summer gig at the community college this year and has been scuffling with interviews and such. Looks like she has found some part-time work in retail in the meantime.

You should have just growled at the poser at the gym and told her "You won't like me when I'm angry."

[Martin Roy]

Very sorry to hear about the job ending. Although I have no doubt you'll bounce back quickly, it is nonetheless a major pain in the butt.

Re the gym thing: The only thing worse than people leaving weights all over the place after they've used them is dealing with the self-appointed gym busybody who believes it is his or her calling to police the gym.