Sunday, January 26, 2020
Belated 51st USA Archery Indoor Nationals Pictures
So last weekend, I shot at the 51st USA Archery Indoor Nationals at Easton-Newberry. This also drew the attention of 1988 Olympian and 6x World Champion, Tatyana Muntyan.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Unbroken Ocala
I didn't really get any photography at Unbroken Ocala, but I did get some filming and photography done by my buddy T. Harris on the Hercules Hold, which I did rather fatigued so I didn't last too long. Plus with me getting ready for an archery event next week, I DO like my hands in decent shape!
I also did three other stations, limiting myself due to safety concerns. I completed a 400 meter run in 1:46, which was pretty good for me and apparently was the fastest female time in the day. There was Grace, which was 30 clean & jerks at 65 lbs for scaled females, and I completed in a shade over 3 minutes, although my form did go into the toilet. Best part of that one was I heard Coach J's voice through the ENTIRE workout reminding me of all the cues I've had, including "chest up", "explode at the pocket", "slow and controlled dip", "bring knees back under bar", and "breathe" along with seeing him standing there staring and grinning at me on the last few reps when things were starting to get a little blurry. The final workout was scaled Diane, which was 21-15-9 of 95 lb deadlifts and chest-to-deck push-ups. I completed that one in a bit shy of 3 minutes, think the judge told me something like 2:45, which is pretty darned good for me. Again, I kept hearing Coach J's voice in my head reminding me to keep my movement tight and controlled. He's definitely gotten into my skull!
There may be some other pictures coming in if Valkyrie Photography caught me off-guard!
I also did three other stations, limiting myself due to safety concerns. I completed a 400 meter run in 1:46, which was pretty good for me and apparently was the fastest female time in the day. There was Grace, which was 30 clean & jerks at 65 lbs for scaled females, and I completed in a shade over 3 minutes, although my form did go into the toilet. Best part of that one was I heard Coach J's voice through the ENTIRE workout reminding me of all the cues I've had, including "chest up", "explode at the pocket", "slow and controlled dip", "bring knees back under bar", and "breathe" along with seeing him standing there staring and grinning at me on the last few reps when things were starting to get a little blurry. The final workout was scaled Diane, which was 21-15-9 of 95 lb deadlifts and chest-to-deck push-ups. I completed that one in a bit shy of 3 minutes, think the judge told me something like 2:45, which is pretty darned good for me. Again, I kept hearing Coach J's voice in my head reminding me to keep my movement tight and controlled. He's definitely gotten into my skull!
There may be some other pictures coming in if Valkyrie Photography caught me off-guard!
Wednesday, January 01, 2020
Early Celebration with the Three Musketeers
So because of scheduling logistics, we celebrated my birthday a day early with my ride-or-die group with a tasty dinner downtown.
Wickerman 2020!
As always, Sir Erika and the Noble Toad put on a fun gathering as we sent our messages and wishes into the Veil! This year, we had a Wicker Dwarf, and it took a little longer to burn him, but we sent 2019 off with a nice fire!
Friday, December 27, 2019
Drills and More Drills!
So today, I got some solid weightlifting form drills in with Coach V today. I do miss Coach J's mix of infectious energy, insane genius, broad technical background, and enchanting singing, but Coach V also has a very solid technical background and is also very patient with those of us who need more time to process and occasionally struggle with verbal directions.
Today we focused on form, with an emphasis on engaging the lats throughout, especially at the thigh to force improved leg drive. Results? I caught the bar lower and didn't feel as much of my typical piece-wise function. Now the rest of what Coach J has been teaching me has become much easier to execute properly!
And then there was work on clean and jerk. Thank goodness Coach V was quite aware that I'm a squat jerker! My cleans tend to be a lot more effective, but I was able to integrate the cues I had from Coach J with some of the new materials I got today, and I think things got a little less piecewise. My jerks suffered a bit from being fatigued from this morning's WOD plus some archery drills I did, but the cleans are getting to look, well, cleaner.
Besides barbell, I also did the CrossFit Iron Legion baseline workout. Suffice to say, it's been so long since I did it that we didn't have any verifiable record of me actually doing it. My time today: 5:35 for a 400 meter run, 40 air squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 strict push-ups, and 20 burpees, with me completing the run in just under 1:50. The first time I did it, it took me over 10 minutes to do it, and I think a couple years ago, I was still pushing 8 minutes.
And the best part of today... archery drills. Amusingly enough, this is how I found my lats a little more accurately! I had some trouble with premature releases, plucking, and maintaining back-tension throughout, so I ended up going back to blank baling and using the Form-Master to correct my form.
Pre-corrective drills blank baling... I'm having a lot of creep forward...
Corrective drill with the Form-Master to address back-tension issues...
Today we focused on form, with an emphasis on engaging the lats throughout, especially at the thigh to force improved leg drive. Results? I caught the bar lower and didn't feel as much of my typical piece-wise function. Now the rest of what Coach J has been teaching me has become much easier to execute properly!
And then there was work on clean and jerk. Thank goodness Coach V was quite aware that I'm a squat jerker! My cleans tend to be a lot more effective, but I was able to integrate the cues I had from Coach J with some of the new materials I got today, and I think things got a little less piecewise. My jerks suffered a bit from being fatigued from this morning's WOD plus some archery drills I did, but the cleans are getting to look, well, cleaner.
Besides barbell, I also did the CrossFit Iron Legion baseline workout. Suffice to say, it's been so long since I did it that we didn't have any verifiable record of me actually doing it. My time today: 5:35 for a 400 meter run, 40 air squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 strict push-ups, and 20 burpees, with me completing the run in just under 1:50. The first time I did it, it took me over 10 minutes to do it, and I think a couple years ago, I was still pushing 8 minutes.
Pre-corrective drills blank baling... I'm having a lot of creep forward...
Corrective drill with the Form-Master to address back-tension issues...
Post-corrective drills... release has gotten cleaner and there's significantly less "creep forward".
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Taikatalvi: Winter Magic
So part of not having much of a functional respiratory system and having some do-not-disturb time also means I get to spend some time on the keyboard. For your musical amusement, here's a few pieces I got to play with... at least the ones that came out looking better than my protein-and-fiber Reese's cups style brownies that were jokingly dubbed "BM Brownies"...
":Taikatalvi" apparently is Finnish for "Winter Magic" and it was one of many random pieces I dug up, so I figure, why not? The score was a bit sparse, so I had to do a little improvisation here and there. It's the opening track for Nightwish's "Imaginaerum" album. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it!
And then there's a holiday classic, "Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite", although this rendition is probably better for either a tortoise or a 250 lb Battlebot!
I also stumbled across some Metallica sheet music from their self-titled album. The first is "Nothing Else Matters". This was a logistical nightmare with repeat signs, codas, and page turning logistics, but technically, this was relatively low-key and gave me a great chance to play a bit more with phrasing and expression.
The second Metallica piece is "The Unforgiven". This one was a little less of a repeat sign and coda mess than the other one.
Also, here's a little shout-out to my camera crew, although I did give him a bit of a break here and there, especially today! Killer Parakeet certainly earned his time in the audience!
Killer Parakeet and I also wish you a happy whatever holiday you may celebrate! And yes, he's very happy that he actually gets to spend time with me. I think he got a little flustered that I was taking more pictures with my fellow humans than with him this year, especially in the CrossFit and weightlifting meets!
":Taikatalvi" apparently is Finnish for "Winter Magic" and it was one of many random pieces I dug up, so I figure, why not? The score was a bit sparse, so I had to do a little improvisation here and there. It's the opening track for Nightwish's "Imaginaerum" album. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it!
And then there's a holiday classic, "Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite", although this rendition is probably better for either a tortoise or a 250 lb Battlebot!
I also stumbled across some Metallica sheet music from their self-titled album. The first is "Nothing Else Matters". This was a logistical nightmare with repeat signs, codas, and page turning logistics, but technically, this was relatively low-key and gave me a great chance to play a bit more with phrasing and expression.
The second Metallica piece is "The Unforgiven". This one was a little less of a repeat sign and coda mess than the other one.
Also, here's a little shout-out to my camera crew, although I did give him a bit of a break here and there, especially today! Killer Parakeet certainly earned his time in the audience!
Killer Parakeet and I also wish you a happy whatever holiday you may celebrate! And yes, he's very happy that he actually gets to spend time with me. I think he got a little flustered that I was taking more pictures with my fellow humans than with him this year, especially in the CrossFit and weightlifting meets!
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
New Barbell Program
So I'm still reeling a bit at not having Coach J around, but he's given me the tools to at least help me get by until I can get my schedule back and see how well I work with Coach V. Whenever I do my lifts, I keep hearing Coach J's cues in my head as well as recalling all those times he's poked and prodded me. All I can say is that I have been spoiled pretty badly!
First was the three position snatch... I have a tendency to not always remember to engage my lats and glutes upon setup as well as sending my balance a little too far forward because I have a tendency to have a more forward balance than most. By engaging my lats and glutes, I can maintain better connection throughout the lift, increasing my probability of a controlled squeeze up and facilitating my ability to pull myself under the bar. Granted, I still catch VERY high, and it seems like I'm having some trouble transitioning at my knees. I did remember the "chest up" cue though! So far, that seems to have been my best verbal cue, although I still have some form of asynchrony between my glutes, legs, and shoulders.
And then there were the snatch grip push presses with overhead squats. I'm pretty comfortable doing overhead squats and need to mostly remember to keep my balance a little further back than I usually tend to keep it so I don't lurch forward and to remember to keep pushing my knees outwards. For the push presses, I have to generally remember a smooth dip and a more powerful drive as well as NOT to do a push jerk or snatch balance.
The snatch pulls are where I tend to be very hit or miss. Basically I need to remember my starting position and balance as well as to engage my lats and glutes while keeping arms and shoulders relatively relaxed so I don't row the barbell in once I get above my knees. I also have a tendency to disconnect my posterior chain and need to focus on squeezing upwards in a smooth, controlled motion.
First was the three position snatch... I have a tendency to not always remember to engage my lats and glutes upon setup as well as sending my balance a little too far forward because I have a tendency to have a more forward balance than most. By engaging my lats and glutes, I can maintain better connection throughout the lift, increasing my probability of a controlled squeeze up and facilitating my ability to pull myself under the bar. Granted, I still catch VERY high, and it seems like I'm having some trouble transitioning at my knees. I did remember the "chest up" cue though! So far, that seems to have been my best verbal cue, although I still have some form of asynchrony between my glutes, legs, and shoulders.
And then there were the snatch grip push presses with overhead squats. I'm pretty comfortable doing overhead squats and need to mostly remember to keep my balance a little further back than I usually tend to keep it so I don't lurch forward and to remember to keep pushing my knees outwards. For the push presses, I have to generally remember a smooth dip and a more powerful drive as well as NOT to do a push jerk or snatch balance.
The snatch pulls are where I tend to be very hit or miss. Basically I need to remember my starting position and balance as well as to engage my lats and glutes while keeping arms and shoulders relatively relaxed so I don't row the barbell in once I get above my knees. I also have a tendency to disconnect my posterior chain and need to focus on squeezing upwards in a smooth, controlled motion.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Yuletide Celebration, Valkyrie Photography Style
As always, I. Ramirez of Valkyrie Photography, our resident photographer, did an AMAZING job of taking some great pictures!
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