EPTAbout this blog/diary:+ Show Spoiler +
I'm a professional musician and (very) amateur gamer.
Blogging about improving and sticking to a program is very effective for my overall progress!
Having been inspired by Haulvern, I hope this humble blog can motivate another someone in need of positive change.
Thanks for checking this out and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions!
Blogging about improving and sticking to a program is very effective for my overall progress!
Having been inspired by Haulvern, I hope this humble blog can motivate another someone in need of positive change.
Thanks for checking this out and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions!
Week preview: Time to trim the fat off my routine and refocus on the basics. A big job I can easily win is on the calendar and it's go time!
Goals for the Week
Fitness Goals:
4 Weight-lifting sessions (program):
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/6/66/GreenCheck.png)
(opt.) Running/Hills/Weighted walk sessions (log):
1-Month of 2kcal Maintenance: + Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://tickers.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/1040/9942/10409942.png)
Gaming Goals:
Log write-ups of my team's OCC Blood Bowl games (Current Standings):
Log write-ups and session prep for my DND 5E Campaign (wiki):
Personal Goals:
4+ Self-Hypnosis or Affirmation sessions: (
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/5/5e/Icon_Armor.png){kind=icon}
) 4+ Meditation sessions: (
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/ob.gif)
)Log daily food intake: (log) (
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/thumb/3/30/Writers_Icon.png/15px-Writers_Icon.png){kind=icon}
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/0/0c/Vlc_ico.png)
)Quality challenge-seeking practice session: (
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/1/10/Gold.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/0/0b/Silver.png)
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/f/f2/Bronze.png)
)Weigh-in regularly (log): (
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/e/e2/Icon_Hitpoints.png){kind=icon}
) Previous Weeks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.
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Tuesday 2/3:
Iiiiii'm baaack! Woohoo! It feels good to be back and on the horse again. The last several weeks have had scattered attention. The northeast US has been inundated with snow, blocking up roads and cancelling schools and business. I was no exception and ended up getting most of last week and yesterday as comp days. So, basically my wife and I spent the majority of last week lodged up and lazing around the house. It was a beautiful time of exploring K-dramas and playing Agricola, but nothing other than lifting and rudimentary practice was accomplished.
Last week I did get some video of myself deadlifting which the TLHFI crew critiqued nicely. Deadlifting is by far my most conservative/self-conscious lift. Too often I've seen idiots backbow their way into injury, so I've been extra diligent making sure that form is pretty spot on. With this month's weight advancement I will have officially advanced into the novice category according to exrx.net. Woohoo! I hope to get the other core lifts to intermediate by the end of this year. Advancing that far on 5/3/1 with deadlift might not happen however.
You'll notice (if you've been here before) that my gaming goals section is basically gone. I realized that I'd lost interest/passion in working towards improving in CS:GO. Partly this is due to an extended period away from the computer, but mostly it comes down to the old problem of time invested vs. return. Each match taking an hour means I can play no more than twice a day, and aim practice became more and more a chore. I love the game and may come back to it (unlike Hearthstone) but probably not for a while.
I have been playing more Dark Souls! The wife and I started a Sorcerer that has been a blast. But the major gaming investment time wise these days is Card Hunter. Holy shit this game is soooo much fun! It's what Scrolls should have been! It's got a great itemization system, awesome ladder, daily automated tournaments.... Just so much stuff going for it. I've been tearing up the hilarious campaign and enjoying every minute of it. Haven't dallied too much into the multiplayer, but that will come with cards and experience.
Back to improving the mental game! I have the meditation course that I like back from the library and aim to begin that in earnest.
Wednesday 2/4:
Woohoo! Starting this OCC season in the win column! All right! Good stuff. I was playing against a troublesome little Skaven team who was able to score, but whose numbers were depleted by the end of the first half couldn't stop the reciprocating score. I was able to slow grind his team down in the second half and score on the last turn. All in all, I was pretty happy with my play though I did overcommit to a couple gutter runners.... I didn't foresee the extent of his mobility, and got caught on the back foot a couple of times. Thankfully his AV7 didn't hold up and it cost him in the end.
The first session/lesson of the meditation practice fits perfectly with what I want to accomplish. It's amazing the change in the experience with a small difference like leaving the eyes open and the mouth slightly ajar The forward focus and intention towards actively stilling the mind through external stimuli creates a much more involved experience. There is something to be said for transcendental meditation, but for everyday application I feel like this course is exactly what I need! Good stuff!
Thursday 2/5:
Press Day was quite good! This lift is going max out far soon than the others... I'm hitting 2 on my 1+ but it's a close endeavor. It may max out in two months or so... we'll see.
Trawling craiglist for a Concept 2 rower has me exhausted these days. I have yet to have my IFTTT alerts trigger effectively so I'm constantly wondering if something has been posted or not. The several recent posting this week I was too late for, but we'll see what happens if someone backs out at the last minute.
Time to go put myself under!
Friday 2/6:
A super fun day and one in which I nailed the shit out of my Deadlift workout, but I totally binged at night during a board game party.... Grrr.... It would've been better had I actually logged my food intake, but I wussed out at doing that. Some good practice was had this day though!
Saturday 2/7:
Big big news today! I pulled the trigger on a big home gym purchase, a new (to me) Concept 2 Model C rowing machine!!! It's sooo nice. I paid the max of what I was willing to spend on it (450$) and ended up driving 1:30 one way to pick it up, but I'm pretty happy with it all-in-all. The chain is functioning perfectly, the baffles are giving me the perfect drag ratio, and the seat bearings slide seamlessly and noiselessly.
Sunday 2/8:
This morning first thing, I knocked out a very strong Bench Day! With 4 reps on the 1+ weight, I was ecstatic with the effort. Definitely I'll be upping the 1RM estimate by 10lbs for the next 4-week cycle.
This afternoon is a small concert for which I have to get ready... bout to go do that. But right now I'm drawing up a schematic for the custom TV stand I'm hoping to build for the rower :-). Fuuuuun!
