Training Sesh update: Skay Watts and Benchlings, a decrepit brewery, some stuff and things

It's been a busy week or so for the Hanselopolis.

No, I don't intend to refer to myself in the third person all the time. The royal third person.

Speaking of, the Brit royalty is in town for a wedding. I am a little offended they didn't call, what with me having a world famous blog and the princes' known love for squatting and deadlifting, and then there was that time we shared in a "lost night" painting Las Vegas red...

But that's a story for another time. Suffice it to say, Bill and Harry, I am offended.

Harrumph.

Anyhoo, work has been busy as this past week I narrowly avoided going to the graveyard shift, switched positions and functional areas, and got a whole new team under my oversight. Seems to be a good team overall but there is, of course, work to do, processes to tighten up, actions for which to hold people accountable.

My Lean Six Sigma green belt project was also scrapped, so I am about to start to scramble up and start a new one. Huzzah. Actually, fucking huzzah. Like so much GOD DAMNED HUZZAH IT MAKES MY FUCKING LOINS TINGLE.

Shoon

Pretty happy about it.

Frustrating, but there is still some time. Hopefully enough time to get another project done and get my green belt.

So training, right?

Lessee, hurr, Tuesday. Tuesday was squat day. Here is what occurred:

• Some active warm up, air squats, stretch, etc, about 10min
• Squats - 5xbar (Texas squat bar), 5x145lbs, 5x195lbs, 5x235lbs, 5x285lbs, 5x325lbs
• Good mornings - 10x145lbs, 10x165lbs, 10x195lbs
• Cable crunches - 10x100lbs, 10x110lbs, 10x120lbs, 10x130lbs
• Prayer squats - 3x30sec holds

Not an awful session, but after the previous one and game taping video from previous squat seshes, I decided to back the weight up a bit and concentrate on sitting back and getting my hips opened up a bit more, ie, hitting parallel and maintaining form. Lifted with gym bro Scott (thanks fer da cues, yo) with some calls for depth, etc, so everything should have been right on.

Didn't get video, and neither Prince Harry nor Prince Bill were there to attest for it, but just suffice it to say that everything rolled a little better and squats felt pretty good.

Do wish I had gotten video.

Le sigh.

Here's some video. And Meshuggah. It's like a double win, you lucky dog.

Dat Tomas Haake, doe

Thursday was benchling day. The occurrence:

• Shoulder traction, warm up, bout 5min
• Bench - 5xbar, 5x95lbs, 5x135lbs, 5x155lbs, 5x185lbs, 2x1x205lbs
• Bench - 3x10x135lbs
• Tbar row, paused - 4x8x45lbs
• Cable pressdown, left arm only - 10x30lbs, 10x40lbs, 10x50lbs, 10x40lbs, ~20x35lbs

Not the most awesome working sets of recent note, but I did do the 185 without wrist wraps and gpt under the 205. The 205 is the most weight I have benched since the injury occurred, so I guess that is pretty cool. Christian and one of his clients worked in, and Christian noticed I was dipping the bar at the chest the last few inches, ie dropping to the chest instead of controlling all the way down, and maybe overextending at the top of the lift. I am going to have to get more video of my bench to game tape for these issues, but opted to run with more bench instead of OHP to grease the groove, as it were, and work on reps with technique.

Work, work, work.

The other fun thing about Thursday was bleeding into my sinuses on that set of 185 on bench. I had gotten a minor nose bleed earlier in the day at work, which apparently decided to come back on a working set of lifting, go figure. This not an uncommon occurrence in lifting, but it is annoying as crap when you are on your back with a loaded barbell over your chest and you nose tries to drown you while you are lifting.

Come on, face, really? Really?

While David was proud of this instance, I suggested that it might actually be blood pressure related versus effort related, recalling the previous conversation in which we determined that one could be out of shape enough that mere existence was cardio, hence, high blood pressure is actually a sign of health.

Booyah.

Friday was also marked one year since the death of Jeff Hanneman, guitarist of Slayer.

This morning, though, we jumped out of bed bright eyed and bushy tailed at about 8:45AM (and I do mean, we, id est, the wife lady, the daughter lady, and I from the mine and my wife's bed) and headed down to ye olde Memphis Farmers Market, which is always good for some fresh veggies, a cookie for the littlest lady, and some delectable beef treats from Claybrook Farms. Picked up a few small pieces of pottery for the house, moved the car and walked on down to the Tennessee Brewery.

The brewery is a cool old building that is currently under threat of demolition and redevelopment, and the Untapped movement was started to save it and retain it as a historical landmark- it shut down in 1954, and generations of Memphis kids have been sneaking into it and tourists admiring it ever since.

Check out a video here.

What the Untapped folks have done is pretty fun- set up some visiting food trucks, a couple of tap bars, family games, etc. We walked over, wife and I grabbed a couple of beers (I enjoyed High Cotton Brewing's Bier de Garde), and we played all the games they had- cornhole (huh huh huh, cool...), air hockey, and a bit of bolo toss.

Good times.

Go forth and destroy. But not a historical building.

Thanks.