VB efficacy

The efficacy of Vitamin B (burpee) depends greatly on keeping to a regular schedule. Miss a few doses and you find yourself regressing. That has been my experience.

Today's workout consisted of a 5 minute burpee session followed by a 10 minute single-arm db c&p set. Now, the last time I did this routine, I got 64 burpees and 60 db c&P's. I had not done any burpees since and today's number is telling:59. Surprisingly, I improved my c&p work capacity: 80 reps.

Yesterday, I tested myself on db snatches and completed an appallingly low 50 reps in 10 minutes. Lot's of room for improvement there.

I'l rate today's workout a 3.2 on the no-mas-ometer.

3,010

TGWTDT

After two failed attempts, my wife and I were finally able to watch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Noomi Rapace as the girl. At 2 1/2 hours, it was good that we watched the movie on DVD and from the comfort of our sofa, as opposed in a movie theater. Besides, it has recently been reported that bedbugs have infested NYC movie theaters and clothing stores. Gaaa! Anyway, the film hews closely to the novel. If you enjoyed the book, you won't be disappointed by the movie.

For today's workout, I set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and executed 94 single-arm c&p's. The no-mas-ometer reads 3.0.

Karate Kata's Rosetta Stone

I'm a karate guy. For years I've been obsessed with kata, the dance like moves performed solo. I believe these "dances" are a teaching syllabus of striking, wrestling and joint locking technique and not an imaginary stand-up fight against four or more opponents, or something only to be performed for the sake of choreographed movement. I was convinced there was something beneath the surface, something hiding in plain sight.

Our understanding of kata today is similar to what the last guy understands of a message in the game of telephone. As each person receives the message it mutates, gets edited or embellished and is then passed on. After many repetitions, the message contains some bits of the original but also nonsense. This situation is fine if kata were only a performance dance, but no so good for teaching practical fighting applications or simply for historical accuracy.

If the phone message were in a foreign language, accurate message taking and transferring becomes nearly impossible. At best we can relay the shapes and sounds, but lose the meaning. Knowledge of foreign languages, or other martial arts, can help in the interpretation of the fragments that are knowable. In the past I've used my limited experience in Judo and joint locking to understand bits of kata. There is so much more to learn.

The learning of it won't come from frequent repetition. No, I needed something to break the code; something to unlock the frequent patterns of seemingly arbitrary movement found in many martial arts. I needed a Rosetta Stone of kata, a key to unlock its mysteries.

If there were such a key, the likeliest place to find it would be where the message originated: for arguments sake, China. In other words, by understanding White Crane Kung Fu and Taijiquan, for example, our understanding of kata is greatly improved. In the telephone game, this is like skipping all the middlemen and receiving the message directly from the source.

Click the title of this post for a link to what I believe to be a key to understanding kata. On my first viewing, it made sense of karate technique such as manji uke, morote uke, mawashi uke and mawashi uchi, zenkutsu dachi, nekko and kokotsu dachi and more. For your reading pleasure, I recommend Analysis of Shaolin Chin Na by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming.

the scenic route

I ran along the river today at a pace with which you could hold a conversation. My youngest daughter came along riding her scooter and we chatted along the way. She pointed out a runner that needed to increase her caloric intake, a little girl who could reduce hers, and a shirtless runner who could use a shirt. She asked about our destination; if we were there yet; what we would do once we got there.

My daughter called it a playground and I conceded that our destination did look like a playground. The equipment consisted of parallel bars, high bars, rings and a decline-bench for sit-ups and leg-raises. I kept to the high-bars for some front levers and ice-cream makers, leaving the rest to several younger fellows sporting do rags. As I worked the high-bar (front levers (3x3), ice-cream makers (3x7)), my daughter noticed the same under-fed runner burning up the nearby track. I thought, sometimes it's better not to "just do it" and sit down for a sandwich instead.

On the run back we watched some sea-planes landing and taking off and wondered if the fishermen on the riverbank would eat their catch.

The no-mas-ometer barely registered a 2.0 but it was nice to be out with my little girl.

2x25kgs db push press for 10 minutes. I was good for 65 reps. No-mas-ometer says 3.0.

Throughout the day, random sets of ice cream makers.

vroom

Same workout today: 25kg single-arm c&p. Same result too: 87 in 10 minutes. I thought I was flying. Bleh, just my mind playing tricks.

My little sister calls me up today to see if I want to ride shotgun. The lease is up on her sedan and she's looking for something sporty in 4 wheel drive. Cool. Maybe a Porsche Carrera 4S, says I. Nah. We'll be test driving an Audi TT on Saturday.

lock and load

I posted this workout on K4L.

After a day off, I set the kitchen timer for a 5 minutes burpee test: 64. That I can continue to make improvements tells me how much I let it slip away from me.

After a five minute rest, I re-set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and attempted single-arm db c&p (25 kgs). Alternating arms every 10 reps, I completed 60 in 10 minutes. I was hoping for 100, but could not sustain the pace. Hmmn. Something to shoot for.

No-mas-ometer:3.5

2,951

I repeated the workout yesterday, without the burpees, and completed 87 single-arm db c&p. I thought that without the additional work required by the burpees, 100 db c&p's in 10 minutes were within grasp. Nope. The target is out of reach at the moment, but not for long. Now it's in my sights.

The no-mas-ometer reads 3.3.

grrier

I did this workout a few days ago. I think I miscounted the sets last time, because this iteration was nastier than I remembered it could be. Anyway, I warmed up with a 5 min burpee test: 61 reps. Creeping up there.

So, set the kitchen timer for 10 minute and do 3 weighted pull-ups (24 kgs)/3 db front squats (60 kgs) until time runs out. Time ran out as I was just about to start on the 9th set ( 24 pull-ups and 24 squats). Previously, I think I was just starting the last half of the 8th set, the squats, when the timer buzzed.

The no-mas-ometer reads 3.7 due to the copious amounts of sweat and uncontrolled breathing and heart rate.

Yesterday, I said I was going to do ice cream makers while preparing dinner. I did 3 or 4 sets (3 slow reps) while I had a one-pot chicken dish (chicken, onions, haricot verts) simmering on the stove. Tonight I'm thinking HSPU's and handstands. The menu has not been decided. Throughout the day, starting yesterday, I'll be doing random 15 rep sets of 10 lbs. plate curls.

2,887

flexibility routine

My preferred method of stretching is to sit with the legs spread out as wide as possible and bend forward so as to touch the chest to the floor. The key to this flexibility routine is to have Top Gear running on the tv. With multiple episodes recorded, you can get a nice stretch.:D

Today's short workout consisted of 5 minutes of burpees followed by 4x5 weighted pull-ups. In the evening I plan on doing sets of ice cream makers while I prepare the evening meal.

2,826

20 minutes

The kitchen timer saw a little action today. First, I set the timer for 5 minutes and did a straight set of burpees. Without stopping for a rest or taking an opportunity to shake out the legs, I completed 57 reps before the timer sounded off. I re-set the timer for another 5 minutes to see how many HSPU's I could do in that time period:20. Pft. Wish it were more. Finally, I set the timer for 10 minutes of db squat, db deadlift, power cleans and squat cleans. Reps and sets? I don't know. I just kept on going until time was up.

The no-mas-ometer says 2.9 because my heart stayed beating within my chest cavity.

2,767

Grrr

So I warmed up with VB50, then set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes of weighted pull-ups (3x24 kgs)/db squats (3x60kgs). I was hoping to do 1 round of pull-ups and squats per minute, but could only sustain that pace to the half-way point. I completed 8 and 1/2 rounds or 24 pull-ups and 21 squats in 10 minutes; paltry numbers that had me heaving and dripping with sweat.

The no-mas-ometer reads 3.5.

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no-mas-ometer

When I started my training journal on K4L the idea was to squeeze as much strength and conditioning training in 10-20 minutes. The no-mas-ometer, which functioned as a measure of my perceived effort, kept me honest and on track. Overtime, I drifted away from the no-mas-ometer as I focused on strength and skills that required more time. The result was a decline in conditioning and arbitrary gains in strength and skills. No more.

Today, I reintroduce the no-mas-ometer.
Warm up with VB50. That's right, burpees, baby!
Set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and go for as many rounds of:
- 3 cleans/4 HSPU

I copied this workout right off the Crossfit main site. What's not to like? It's got two of my favorite exercises.

no-mas-ometer: 3/5
I was right on the verge of tweaking my shoulder so the intensity was not as high as I'd have liked; nevertheless, a good workout considering I've been paddling in the shallow end for a while.

2,660

I scream, you scream

we all scream for ice cream makers. . .


I've fallen off the weighted pull-ups program. Actually, I haven't done weighted anything for a while it seems. I think it's the summer heat. I have no interest. I didn't lose my taste for bodyweight exercises though. I'm still doing headstands and handstands. I'm running. And on the pull-up bar, I've been doing these ice cream makers, but not as quickly as in the video. I go for slower reps and try to hold the horizontal position for a beat. Check 'em out.