Results matching “Bird”

After several weeks of box squatting it was time to bring the bar around to the front for a Zercher-style attack. Despite generating red elbows - mostly as a result of widening the grip beyond the smooth sections of the bar - these were a lot of fun. I'll certainly be including them more often.

Next came the hanging knee raises, which made it clear that the recent flu had taken a bit more of a toll than I realised. Finished the sets OK, but I was quite glad that there were no more scheduled.

Closed the session with some standing calf raises, and I lowered the weight slightly as a trade-off for doing them extremely slowly, with a static hold on the first rep of each set.

A brief session, but quite enough following this morning's fun with a stability ball. Time to bring that (or at least a burst-proof version) back to the weight room.

Any time I'm out of action - even for a day or two - I find myself watching Bruce Lee films. Probably as it heightens the difference between my own situation and the near-perfect physical control he was well known for.

Following an email I received the other day I grew a little curious as to the nature of the back injury he sustained during his weight training. Watching any of the work he did following 'recovery' (he suffered chronic back pain for the remainder or his life) it's hard to believe he injured himself at all.

Here's what seems to have happened :

On Aug 13, 1970 Lee was performing Good Mornings with 60kg / 135lb - his bodyweight at the time - and was completing his first set of 8 (he usually did 2 sets) without sufficiently warming up when he heard a loud popping sound, and dropped the weighted bar. For several days he tried heat treatments and massage, until the steadily increasing pain forced him to seek medical advice.

He had severely damaged a 4th sacral nerve (diagram of spinal nerve locations), and it was unlikely that he would ever be able to kick again; in fact walking unaided was in doubt. He was forced to rest, and for the next six months he spent most of his time either lying or sitting up reading from his extensive library. During this time he also designed a bed which would afford him greater comfort in his injured state.

Eventually he resumed teaching and training, not because he was fully healed, but simply as he felt he had given himself enough time and was unable to refrain from his active life any longer. He would suffer chronic back pain for the remainder of his life, and began taking marijuana as this helped numb the pain. In his films from this point on he used a stunt double for somersaults (seen in both Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon).

Thoughts on this :

Reading about this injury actually makes me want to incorporate more low back work into my own training routine, and certainly doesn't dissuade me from using Good Mornings to their fullest extent. As with any exercise, Good Mornings are only dangerous if performed incorrectly (which may be due to tiredness or a brief loss of concentration, as much as poor technique); although there is a little more at stake than with other exercises such as a Barbell Curl.

NB : I am well aware that he is not performing Good Mornings in the above photograph.

Since I stopped relying on medication for relatively minor illnesses (such as colds and flu) I have noticed that they are of a greater intensity, over a shorter period of time. I would much prefer to suffer for a couple of days than feel less-than-perfect for a week or more.

The phases are the same, with the only difference being the way in which I respond to the symptoms.

The phases are :

Throughout these phases, I respond by :

• avoiding alcohol, caffeine (other than small amounts found in some teas), sugar, dairy products, smoke-filled environments
• reducing consumption of meat and soy products
• increasing daily supplementation of Vitamin C from 1750mg to around 6250mg (spread throughout day)
• increasing consumption of water, fruit juice (such as the pineapple, orange and ginger concoction pictured) and herbal teas
• cleaning all clothes, towels and bed sheets
• increasing rest � I generally sleep 4-5 hours per night, and this may increase to as much as 12-14 (of reduced quality due to high temperature and poor breathing)

I particularly avoid the use of drugs of any kind, and generally do not seek additional medical advice. I tend to eat less � although more frequently. This generally takes the form of fresh fruit, soups, rice crackers and simple pasta meals.

Notes for next time :

As much as I would like to think that staying healthy will prevent the dreaded flu from ever making a comeback, that's somewhat unlikely. My aim now is to reduce the frequency, severity and duration (by at least 24 hours) of attacks.

A major part of this is to strengthen the immune system immediately following the most severe phases of the flu; the time when you feel well enough to return to life-as-usual but are not yet back to full strength.

During this period I still avoid anything mucus-forming (notably dairy products), and eat mainly hot (yang) foods such as chili, garlic, ginger, honey, onions and a small amount of red meat. Soups such as the tasty, light and cleansing Chicken and Ginseng Soup (a personal favorite, whether ill or not) are also good.

Born in a country mansion near Karnack, Texas, in 1912, Claudia Alta Taylor received the nickname ‘Lady Bird’ as a young child. It is as Lady Bird that she is still known today.

Her mother, Minnie Pattillo Taylor, died when she was five and she was reared by her father, aunt and family servants. Claudia learnt much about the business world from her father, Thomas Jefferson Taylor, and studied at the University of Texas where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Arts and in Journalism.

In 1934 Claudia met Lyndon Baines Johnson, then a Congressional secretary, and they married in November that same year. For a number of years her life was devoted to her husband’s political career, and it was not until 1944 that she gave birth to their first child, Lynda Bird. Three years later the couple welcomed another child, Luci Baines.

In 1960, and for the decade that followed, Claudia once again became heavily involved in her husband’s political life. The couple moved to the Whitehouse following Kennedy’s murder, and she took highly active roles in both her own projects (such as the First Lady’s Committee for a More Beautiful Capital) and her husbands war-on-poverty initiatives; particularly the Head Start project for pre-school children.

With the end of the Presidential term the couple moved back to Texas, where L.B. Johnson died in 1973. Claudia devoted her life to her husband’s memory, her children and grandchildren; as well as continuing to support the many causes dear to her. In 1982 she founded the National Wildflower Research Centre (www.wildflower.org); she continues to support the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library (www.lbjlib.utexas.edu) and serves on the board of the National Geographic Society (www.ngs.org) as a trustee emeritus.

References

Born in a country mansion near Karnack, Texas, in 1912, Claudia Alta Taylor received the nickname ‘Lady Bird’ as a young child. It is as Lady Bird that she is still known today.

Her mother, Minnie Pattillo Taylor, died when she was five and she was reared by her father, aunt and family servants. Claudia learnt much about the business world from her father, Thomas Jefferson Taylor, and studied at the University of Texas where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Arts and in Journalism.

In 1934 Claudia met Lyndon Baines Johnson, then a Congressional secretary, and they married in November that same year. For a number of years her life was devoted to her husband’s political career, and it was not until 1944 that she gave birth to their first child, Lynda Bird. Three years later the couple welcomed another child, Luci Baines.

In 1960, and for the decade that followed, Claudia once again became heavily involved in her husband’s political life. The couple moved to the Whitehouse following Kennedy’s murder, and she took highly active roles in both her own projects (such as the First Lady’s Committee for a More Beautiful Capital) and her husbands war-on-poverty initiatives; particularly the Head Start project for pre-school children.

With the end of the Presidential term the couple moved back to Texas, where L.B. Johnson died in 1973. Claudia devoted her life to her husband’s memory, her children and grandchildren; as well as continuing to support the many causes dear to her. In 1982 she founded the National Wildflower Research Centre (www.wildflower.org); she continues to support the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library (www.lbjlib.utexas.edu) and serves on the board of the National Geographic Society (www.ngs.org) as a trustee emeritus.

References

Apart from managing to shed 3kg whilst hiking around The Netherlands for a week, my recent trip suggested working on two main areas : calf muscles and upper back. There's nothing quite like a solid week of backpacking to point out weaknesses.

I rarely watch television, with the exception of during travel (hotel rooms being such exciting places) and still have the music from Frans Bauer's commercial for Bel in my head. For anyone unfamiliar with Frans Bauer, have a listen to the polyphonic ringtone for 'Heb je even voor mij' (the title alone will probably give it away - 'Have you a moment for me'). Not exactly optimum workout music.

I blasted this away with a bit of AC/DC, as I hit the ground for some floor presses. The routine was otherwise the same as last week, largely so I could compare weights and see what impact (if any) the trip had.

The routine :

As for the impact of the trip, nothing too radical - no doubt the 3kg lost will find their way back over the next few weeks.

Having felt the beginnings of a new appreciation of the box squat on Friday, I figured I'd better poke around and find my current max. I was pleasantly surprised to find it about 20kg heavier than expected, coming in at 85kg. Looks like I'll have to adjust the dynamic lifts a bit.

This was despite a bit of experimentation with bar position in the early sets. Supporting the bar quite low is definitely more comfortable, as well as encouraging a bit more of hamstring-glute action than quads.

Having warmed the hams a little with the squats, I threw them in the direction of that old favourite, the Romanian Deadlift. Not sure whether it was the result of being well-warmed or the musical inspiration from the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (not exactly heavy, but the tempo was right) but the RDLs seemed much easier than last time, and I threw a bit more weight on the bar to compensate.

After the RDLs I was forced to cut the session a little short, as I'm heading to Amsterdam in the morning for a week-long training break. I suspect I'll manage to survive a gym-free week without too much trouble.

I tried to ignore the near-perfect Sunday weather and headed back to the bench for a bit of explosive pressing. The slight increase in weight seemed to make little difference, and several triples later I was ready for a bit of lat action.

The lat work took the form of the T-Bar row, making a grand return after a few weeks' vacation. Oddly, I'm still pulling more weight here than a simple flat bench press, though that's gradually evening itself out. A bit more triceps work wil undoubtedly help.

Today's triceps hit began with a couple of super-slow dips, closely followed by a few sets of close-grip incline bench presses. The incline shifts the supporting role away from the lower-and-outer pecs toward the upper-and-inner, which in my case seem to have quite a bit of catching up to do. This was far more tiring (partly thanks to the slow dip pre-exhaustion) than a flat close-grip press. The Bradford presses which followed left me in no doubt of this, and I stopped after two sets to avoid hitting myself in the back of the head whilst trying to convince my shoulders that they weren't all that tired.

Today's cold weather was more than enough incentive to take full advantage of a weight session. After an intense warm-up sprint on the bike it was time to once again get familiar with the box squat.

Box squats are gradually feeling more natural, and they were faster than last week despite the extra weight. After a quick bit of ab work, I took the opportunity to put the bar on my shoulders once again for some front, rear and side lunges.

Whilst doing the side lunges I started thinking of ways to exercise hip abduction/adduction; whilst the hips are lower than the knee (as the muscles are used in the low part of a squat). I ended up placing a few weight plates on a towel on a wooden floor, sitting behind it and pushing it from side-to-side with my foot (one foot at a time). Simple and effective. No doubt these would've come in handy during my Judo years.

The Weather Gods were out in force this morning (view from the flat), causing the usual array of wet-weather mischief. Definitely a good time to enjoy the comforts of lifting at home.

It's been a while since I last did flat, common-or-garden variety bench presses, and I decided to find out my current max. Worked up to a respectable 65kg, which makes the short-term goal of pressing bodyweight (74kg) a lot closer than it seemed a month ago.

These were closely followed by several gruelling sets of close-grip benches, which seemed far more tiring than usual; the combination of additional weight and effects of the max attempts taking their toll. Will be interesting to see how these are when I'm a little fresher.

The chinning bar was calling to me again, and I decided to have a go at one of Charles Poliquin's gymnastic training routines. This is nothing more than an extended set of pull-ups and chin-ups, using gradually decreasing grip widths; which I followed immediately with some heavy shrugs. Note : if you do these, make sure to have a towel and bottle of water nearby. I suspect that if I ever convinced myself to take up running, this is how I'd feel after a race.

The routine :