Month: February 2020

Ok, Benchmark accepted

Off to a Bradley Men’s Basketball game in just a bit.

I woke up early (of course) though I didn’t set the alarm.
And once again…I went to bed with high hopes and woke up with “OMG…everything hurts..workout is gonna suck!”
And it wasn’t entirely true.

Deadlifts (last “find my max” workout: (all done conventional except for the final set)

6 x 145
6 x 189
1 x 233 (not bad)

3 misses at 270; best one got almost to the knees..last miss was pulled from 45 plates so the problem is NOT the “off the ground” part)
My pull is weak.

5 x 233 (ok)
5 x 233 (easier than the first set?)
5 x 233 (harder than set 2; easier than set 1)

No, I didn’t bounce the sets; every rep was full stop, pause 1/2 second.
6 x 145 stiff legs.

That finished me off.

Then a walk on a sunny, 20-25 degree day: 5.65 miles in 1:27:20 (15:27 pace)

I was just over 31 at Sterling and just over 32 on the way back.
Not super fast, but ok following the deadlifts. Next time I make it 10K.

Guess whose supporters irritate me the most?

Let me start off by saying that most supporters of most candidates are fine.
Most Sanders supporters are fine.
If I said this on Twitter I’d get flamed, but most Trump supporters are fine.

The same goes for the rest of the candidates.

But, riddle me this: if someone said “You are (deficient in some way: dumb, naive, stupid, ill informed, bigoted, etc) if you don’t support my candidate, who are they backing?

It has been my experience: these are MAGAs, Bern Victims or…yes, Warren supporters.

Now about the rabid MAGAs, I really don’t associate with many of them, so I rarely encounter them. I did on one thread, where I complained about Trump wearing a KAG hat during the Army-Navy coin flip.
About the Bern Victims: I don’t encounter many of them either as I tend to avoid arguments online; I talk to a few Bernie people on Facebook but there is a selection process there.

But I tend to see more Warren supporters, probably because I am an academic and she is “one of us” (ok, as much as “one of us” a full professor at Harvard can be).

Yes, have deep respect for her as a person and as a scholar; she really is top notch. But as a politician: well, I find her annoying, and some of it might be a “classical conditioning” reaction to her podium mannerisms.
Others must have a negative reaction as well, given her weak approval numbers (bottom 10 among Senators) by her own constituents (per Morning Consult)

And she has some baggage: she is a favorite of the educated “activists” which means she is well versed in “woke speak.” And that is just stuff that others do not relate to. She kind of reminds one of the HR person who micro-manages approved workplace behavior and polices your jokes, etc.

And while that might make her appealing to feminist liberal arts faculty members and to UU Church congregations, it turns off a lot of people. And THAT, I think it what enrages her more rabid supporters.

I could be wrong, but I think she is going to get massacred on Super Tuesday and might not win her own state.

Benchmarks and benches

I mixed it up a bit. I was bit sleepy eyed after last night exciting Bradley 61-57 victory over Southern Illinois. SIU blew us out there and, for a time, it appeared that BU would return the favor. Bradley lead 54-38 and appeared to be in control. Oops.

SIU went into a withering press defense and Bradley struggled …badly. Turn overs, rushed shots, 5 second calls…before you knew it…it was 57-57. But BU made 4 of 6 free throws toward the end of the game to pull it out.

This morning
Mostly upper body, though I did a few sets of weightless squats practicing the motion.

pull ups: 5 sets of 10, 1 of 5: went VERY well.
rotator cuff.

Clean and press: I decided to get a baseline here:
5 x 65
1 x 95
1 x 105
1 x 110 (had to work for this one)
1 x 115 (I missed my first clean attempt, got the second and made the lift…all the way, legal, but it was tough..this is my max)
6 x 85 and my deltoids were toast.

Note: my recent best was 110 from the rack, and that was much harder than the 115 I got.

incline press: 10 x 135 (very slow..almost 10 singles)
decline press: 5 x 175, 10 x 165 (funny how much easier 165 is than 175..only 10 lb.)
Hammer rows: 3 sets of 10 x 200.
plank and McKenzie

Then 3 mile run on the track with .25 mile walk. (lane 2) 10:41, 10:14, 8:48 (29:44). That final mile HURT. Ugh…got the old lung burn.

Lung burn…at an 8:44 pace. OMG…aging isn’t for sissies.

reality

Quick workout note: due to some snow, I replaced my “long dam” section with the pass the “ball field and around the wall” section and came up about .22 miles short:

Time was 1:15:34 (about 15:49 mpm pace); but there were a few snow/tiny ice patches.

This was after a nice yoga class. Weight: just under 194 with shoes and shorts..just under 192 without.

I got a bit grumpy. When I drove home, I found my driveway blocked.

And I am going through a hassle of getting my car repaired because it was hit WHILE LEGALLY PARKED by a van from a company that is dragging its feet on the damages…I may turn it over to my insurance company to go after them.

It is interesting how other people’s mistakes or stupidity (or lack of consideration) can make your life harder.

But…have *I* ever made anyone else’s life harder because of my incompetence or deliberate indifference? I don’t know…I had better watch for that.

On an up note: the Bradley men won at Illinois State in overtime. They rallied from 13 points down in the first half and 10 in the second. Illinois State made 19 turnovers to Bradley’s 9 and that was the difference. BU was up 67-64 in regulation when ISU was fouled on a 3 point attempt and made all 3.
But in overtime, BU was up 74-71 toward the end and ISU’s last second 3 point attempt (from a reasonable distance) barely missed.

Snow shovel to cool down

Yes…I did some shoveling after my workout. It was light, fluffy stuff.

pull ups: 10, 5-5-5, 5-5-5, 5, 5 (I forgot how hard the 5-5-5 sets were)
rotator cuff
bench: BUTT DOWN. 10 x 135, 1 x 185 (yes, butt down), 5 x 170
decline bench: 4 x 180 (didn’t want to risk a 5’th rep attempt)
shoulder press: 7 x 50, 10 x 45, 10 x 40 (dumbbells)
goblet squats: 3 sets of 6 x 70; first, to the bench, next two were deeper
rows: 3 sets of 10 x 200 Hammer
lots of free squats
back squats: 5 x 45, 5 x 65, 5 x 95 (best in a while…ready to start adding weight?)
gym: hex bar 5 x 205 (HARD), 6 x 175 (emphasized legs..dead by now)
stiff leg dead lift: 8 x 135
also: plank, headstand

Early on, when was doing pull ups, shoulder pressing with goblet squats in between, I had a hard time catching my breath.

weight: 193 (196 with shoes and sweat pants)

Some about the debate later..

Aww…

I posted this on Instagram and Facebook

So far, basic “meat and potatoes” stuff…

and a friend made this for me (my Facebook persona is a goat)

I was so touched…

BTW, some Bernie Bros on my timeline were trying to tell me that Bernie was going to win the Minnesota primary. My goodness, these guys are idiots.

Doing my best…

I almost bailed on yoga class; it wasn’t that bad of a class but the instructor had a drum type song and the bass was turned up very high on the stereo. I was a bit like being near a busy street where lots of young guys drive.

But I hung in there and, given that I had left my gloves inside, ran on the track:

12:15, 11:43, 11:44, 11:42, 11:09 (58:36). I’ve done worse; I’ve done better. (8 lap segments, about 1.09 miles per 8 laps) This was 5.48 miles or 10:40 a mile for about 5.5.

This was a lot better than Thursday or Sunday..or last Tuesday for that matter.

Weight: 192.5 (just under 195 with shoes and shorts)

Don’t lament what you can’t do; celebrate what you CAN do.

No, I am not going to publish a math paper in Annals of Mathematics But with diligence, maybe I CAN finish the two outstanding projects I have going..by the end of the summer. There is no reason I can’t make a bit of progress with an hour or two on non-exam weekends.

No, I am not going to deadlift 500 lbs. Probably..not even 400 anymore (my old max was a bit over that..as a 2x year old). But I can work to add 5-10 lb. to what I can do right now…and maybe 3 wheels some day?
No, I won’t run 19:xx for the 5K again. But…maybe 10 minutes slower than that would be a good goal to aim for? No more sub 4 hour marathons, but finishing another walking marathon MIGHT be possible this fall?

This isn’t one of those inspirational videos but rather a practical one.

And as one ages and as stuff happens in life, one can either quit what one loves deep down, or one can make compromises.

Yes, I know..the beard, the type of music ….all kind of eye-rolling for me. But I like this guy’s stuff. He seems to give good advise (I can now do dead lifts without back pain…of course, I am not lifting heavy enough to hurt anything…) and he talks about his own issues and how he resolved them.

Method to Amy’s madness?

It appears that Amy Klobuchar is focusing her campaign on the smaller Super Tuesday states, especially those with non-diverse populations, in hopes of winning delegates. I also notice that Joe Biden appears to be doing well in some southern states.

Maybe there is a method to this madness: the idea that these candidates…maybe Pete Buttigieg too…are playing to their strengths and are therefore better able to take on Bernie Sanders in said states…maybe even win a few?

Is there some sort of “understanding” here? Our best bet might be to get to a brokered convention where Bernie’s plurality is a narrow one…then perhaps a coalition candidate might be able to get the nod.

Sickening Thought Illinois does not vote until 2 weeks after Super Tuesday (17 March). If Joe is still in the running, that is who gets my vote. But my contingency order is:

1. Biden
2. Klobuchar
3. Buttigieg

But what if none of these are left?

Bloomberg, Sanders and Warren?

Warren: super smart, but a dreadful politician; witness her going after Bloomberg so hard. She has the instincts of a scholar: attack the greatest problem that the country faces. But Bernie is taking a much greater toll on her than Bloomberg. A politician would wonder “what strategy is the best one to get me elected?”

Warren seems intent on being the super policy wonk…not that she is wrong, but she is not POTUS..she is campaigning. This is classic Warren:

She is featuring a policy on marijuana selling? Oh good lord..what percentage of likely voters are discussing THIS at their kitchen tables.

Bloomberg: cool ads..that’s about it.

Sanders: ugh…all he does is yell and frankly his supporters embarrass me. But…does that sound familiar?

Yes, Sanders might get us blown out..annihilated ….and …he …might…be …just…crazy…enough…to…pull…this….off.

So..Warren: better expected value…and I am somewhat more comfortable with most of her supporters… (sanctimonious woke liberal a**holes….but I am used to them) but almost a certain loss.

Sanders: loud, moronic supporters that I’d rather not associate with….but…I feel there is a greater variance with his outcome …he is like the “Hail Mary” pass at the end of close football games. Low percentage, but it might just work. Warren would be like running a short hook route ..higher percentage…greater expected gain..but all but guaranteed to be inadequate.

So, it makes me want to vomit to say this, but between Mike, Elizabeth and Bernie…I might vote Bernie.

starting the week off right …sort of

I got up and did:

Rotator cuff
pull ups: 5 sets of 10 (went ok)
incline press: 10 x 135, 3 x 155, 5 x 150
decline: 8 x 170
dumbbell shoulder: 3 sets of 10 x 45
goblet squats: 3 sets of 6 x 70 (1 to the bench, other decent depth)
Hammer rows: 3 sets of 10 x 200
clean and press: 3 x 95
back squats (numerous free sets), 6 x 45, 6 x 65 (better than before)
plank, headstand
dead: 6 x 189, 2 sets of 6 x 167 Romanian (felt it)

whew. Parts of this just about killed me; I didn’t rest that much but it seemed unusually hard.

Later, it seemed like I had just a touch of low-grade fever..not sure what is going on. I wonder if I am totally over that crud I had a week and a half ago.
I am just a touch weak, I think.