Saturday, May 20th 2023 - Squat 72% 4x6, Three years of the new lifestyle, Drum pedal retuning, Remembering old songs, Conceptualizing the album

 20.05.2023

Nice day. Very nice, actually. It's been three years since I've become a stander. And started working out 4 days a week. Also I developed and exctensively used the anabolic positivity doctrine. It's a psychological thing (that I think I really needed back then). And also I started doing physical culture to fix my right leg better (doing hamstring curls and such). Nowadays I think my right leg isn't crippled, just a little deviated in it's normal form ever since I spent a long time in a leg brace. But I can squat, deadlift , walk run and jump and that means it's not a problem. The thing that I can not do very well is curl my leg. So, if I were to do karate stuff I guess I'd mostly end up kicking with the left? Well, when it comes to kicks, you don't have to do them very slowly, right? Oh well, no matter. Maybe I'll do some right leg curls today. One thing I figured out is that when you think you have a small weakness somewhere a very viable way to fix it is often to do the exercise you need through pain (or nociception, as separated from pain, to help your mind think that it's only temporary). Pain is indicative of a problem, while nociception isn't that serious. (Another psychological trick. This time isn't not mine, but Alan Thrall's). What else?

Oh yeah, three years ago I got better discipline in me real desire to fix my issues. In order to reduce overwhelming negativity, I had a very limited amount of coffee over a defined period of time. And I didn't allow my sessions to last more than 90 minutes (with exceptions, of course). That was smart. But not strength oriented. Which leads me into another I did that summer - I didn't train for strength. I prefer to pay I trained for physcial culture, to fix my wweak points, but a good way to describe what I did would the somewhat cringy word "powerbuilding". It it was some smart concept, something on it's own, I wouldn't be disliking this word as much, but it's a word meant to appeal to a younger audience - a combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding. So, it's not a bad concept, but it seems a tiny bit cringy to me (which, in turn, is also indicative of another small problem I have (boomer thinking)).

No, I am not rambling. It's a training log and a diary. It's meant for stuff like this. Formatted just my thoughts. I delve from the main theme and go back to it once I've developed a side thought.

I think Sims 3 has been helping me stay positive. I had a lovely dream. Many dreams are nonsense, and this one wasn't an exception. First, I imagined myself in a semi-familiar place (like you get in your dreams often). A troubling group of people, doing things that they wouldn't have if they knew they were being listened to. I saw my little brother being influenced by that group, abused mentally, tricked and lied to - in my dream, that is. Possibly a reflection of what happened a week ago. Then, that dream sort of stepped aside as it turned into a martial arts colorful turn of the century platformer/fighting game based around Sims 3, a certain funny billionaire, robots, ai technologies etc. In my mind, I imaged there was a real wacky platformer game that was released on consoles alongside Sims 3, like Sims 2 used to have the wacky PSP version, and that was the missing wacky version of Sims 2. Oh well. Then my dream turned back to the previous subject, and my dream got a little violent, and I was awaked by a call from a delivery person, who got me my melatonin and two bottles of soda I ordered. And I also ordered funny colorful classical strings. I'll put on my cheap guitar. And it's actually not a bad guitar, after all this time. Action isn't the highest, it has a truss rod, sounds nice and mellow (that's probably the strings). Strings have easily gotten rusted, however, so maybe the frets are low quality. I've had good times in 2020 with this guitar, before I bought the SG.

And music. I made many little jams which haven't gone anywhere, and I made two songs. One made decently - the first one, Steel Of My Spear, another one went into a mini-play with Death On The Ice Lake, it was unfinished and it showed my lack of music production knowledge (Brothers Of War). Mayb want to rewrite it and rerecord it. Could be fun. Couldn't play the beats in it very well - they were my "oldschool" nonsense beats, often very varied and strangely structured. On As Yggdrasil I went more normal.

Good news - they got the thing today. A little victory for us. Makes me happy too. Would have been there, or maybe I wouldn't have already, if things were different. But, in the end, I am thankful to God that things are the way they are. I might still partake yet, I often think.

⏳⏳⌛

I find it curious that I'm such a slow coffee drinker. No wonder I got so hyped on Thursday, cause that I had over shorter periods of time and thus it probably didn't have much to dilute itself in my body.

Today we squat. What weight? Week 7, Session 1 - 4 sets of 6 with 72.5 percent. So, wait a second... Why do I feel like I've done it not long ago? Apparently, I did, just a couple weeks ago. Alright. That makes sense. So, we'll be going from 150 to more? Maybe up to 180? I find it possible. 150 - 160 - 170 - 180 for 6 reps. Sounds somewhat uneven, but okay. And I will be doing them well, so they're satisfying to look at. I think I should consider recording more of them on video. Hmm.

***

Workout

Warmup - some bw moves, calf raises and squat variations

20 - 70

120 for 6

160 - 2 sets of 6 a little janky, hips were creaky on the first set, not so much on second.

Damn, my "singing" is pretty nice on BoW. And there was actual note changes, despite the "natural vocal distortion". I had this, and I reckon I still do. And the bass sounds nice on it, you know.

170 for 6 nice, but technique feels very wacky. It's raining, so the garage is a bit colder once again.

180 for 6 nice depth, but technique was so bad 😁 I oughta lift lighter on days when I'm so fatigued from other sessions.

~~~

That's it, that's the main portion done.

In between first working sets I did some bass drum pedal retuning and drumming. Make the swivel rangle longer - cause the other end of the beater was digging into the bass drum head. Also I also tried retuning the harp with the drum key and a small wrench. For the longest time I did not realise that drum key fits the harp tuners. And those are bad tuners, sadly, with 12 strong guitar strings 😁 It's a miracle I was able to tune it with a normal wrench to record one instrumental.

Also, after third set (170) I've started watching the seminar I've been missing out on. I have to note it, cause I've been feeling so lazy. Better to do things bit by bit rather than not at all. Infinitely better, in fact, hehe.

Also, I must conclude that this was a rather fatiguing week. And last Staruday wasn't that light either. I simply must not go over my minimax on Monday, maybe even go lower. What do we plan on Monday?

It's gonna be 80 - 2 sets of 3 and 87 - 3 sets of 1. Well, singles are, in a way, easier than repping. So it'll be 110-115 and 120-125. Way too easy in comparison. But it's gonna be a hard workout for secondary movers and stabilizers.

~~~

Curls with 6 kg dumbbells - a few light sets.

Rubber pulls

Rubber supported pullups - 2 sets of 10 (switching legs on rubber). Second set was chinups

Pullups (normal, narrow grip) - 3 set of 10 - easy but creaky. Should do these more often, I think I overexaggerate it in my mind how fatiguing bodyweight pullups are. Third set was chinups. Imho underrated exercise.

***

Curious logic riddle for you that goes against common sense.

A sleeping person is very weak.

Why?

(it's a riddle intended for you to find out and disprove apparent fallacies)

***

Conceptualizing the unready album

Spire - Spire (2023) // note to self: do not be ashamed of afraid of instrumentals

1. Spire // have no idea, except that I want to do this. Maybe not the first one?

2. // song about the fans. Rewrite BoW? Maybe, maybe not. It'll have to be a really thoroughy rewriting.

3. Air, Acceleration, Power // stuff about literal and figurative metal

4. Barhbarian // (yes, with an H)

5. // number 5 - can make it goofier? Like "Warfork". That's a weapon. Or "battlefork"?

6. Respite (Instrumental) // harp

7. I Emanate Pain // have an idea for this one

8. // something really cool and good has to be in the end

I should just do anything and whatever, insprired or not. Jams that I do impulsive rock pretty hard sometimes. And ngl I'm undecided about guitar tuning and song keys. Hmm.

RPotD

Cool snowdozer pic from https://www.plowsite.com/threads/snowblowers-lets-seem.43949/page-2