Still hitting the weights, still hitting the books…

You can peruse my BBEDU training log for my struggles against entropy and various other tidbits in my life. I hope to get a few more chapters of SCG up tonight and more again tomorrow. Alas, though, I have not been diligent about my Latin studies. I have let to many days pass without doing exercises. There are just so many books to distract me, though! To wit, I've been reading, with pleasure, A. C. Grayling's An Introduction to Philosophical Logic (1st ed.) and began Harwood Fisher's Self, Logic, and Figurative Thinking last night as I couldn't fall asleep. I find Fisher's style distracting. He's already used an unseemly number of exclamation in just the first two or three chapters and he keeps announcing his intentions, whereas I would rather he just into the meat of his theory. I might be disappointed since it is more about the logic of social theory and cognition than about "pure" logic. Call me a logic junkie, I guess. To wit, I also began Kneale and Kneale's The Development of Logic, and can't wait to plow through it, but I will wait until other minor readings are cleared away before I set in.

Wind's up…

I recently acquired a complete Latin text of Summa contra gentiles––Is the Internet Archive the best website… or the best website ever?––and have decided to post only significant excerpts or doctrines and my own glosses from my reading of SCG. I will refer to the Latin myself in study. I need to be moving more quickly through SCG and the blog formatting is too tedious.

Henceforth my plan is to post readings from Saints and Augustine only when they are related to feast days or the Mass when the Spirit moves me. I will continue to post German "lessons" for myself, but that will be catch as catch can. I also want to keep posting Albert's De adhaerendo Deo, but, again, will do so as time permits.

In addition, I have decided to adopt a new gym regimen which requires me to be in the gym only two days a week: Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday. I will train my grip on Wednesdays and do some core/ab and aerobic exercise on off days, which may entail using aerobic equipment at the gym if I feel like it. I recently devised my own mace bell (a design which I will tweak once I find longer sections of slightly thicker pipe), and just last night I figured out how to make my own "Gut Wrench" device from the mace as well, so training my core is a breeze now. I've also resolved to start working out in the mornings. I think this will help me get up and sleep earlier, partially because I am obliged to wake up to hit the weights and partially because not working out at night will make me less agitated or "wired" at night.

In other words, enough farting around.

I went on a wonderful retreat with old friends/parishioners this weekend and my Lenten focus got a boost. I also read Sertillanges's splendid The Intellectual Life over the weekend and feel a new resolve to live a more disciplined, more organized, which is to say a humbler life towards my intellectual vocation [my latest readings, btw]. Thus have I weeded out a few more books that are more extraneous than not to my research interests and am taking steps to increase greatly my engagement of Aquinas (and other auctores) in Latin. Interesting what one must do to make up for a relatively poor education, and what one can do based on a relatively excellent education.

Stay tuned.

The latest from…

…BBEDU, my weight training blog.

My "Squats and Milk" regimen is going well.

No injuries lately to speak of.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A3 workout: Back and hamstrings: 50 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: ski machine, stretching, pullups

Leg curl: 15, 10, 8 @ 40kg, 50kg, 50kg

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 65kg, 80kg, 90kg

Deadlift: 12, 9, 6, 4 @ 85kg, 95kg, 105kg, 115kg

Cable pulldown: 15, 12, 9 @ 80kg, 85kg, 90kg

Lever bench row: 10/4, 8/4, 6/4 @ 80kg, 90kg, 100kg
[4 reps of hammer-grip rows after the underhand-grip rows.]

One-arm dumbbell bench row: 10, 8, 8 @ 22kg, 32kg, 36kg

+ + +

Gym regimen - October 2010

A2: Chest and Calves (TUESDAY): 50 mins
Non-circuit
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, ski machine, pushups, pec deck

Bench press: 10, 6/2, 8* @ 75kg, 85kg/80kg, 85kg
[Last 8 reps I had a spotter, but forget about tabulating what fraction of the reps/weight he helped with.]

Incline bench press: 6/4, 6/2, 10* @ 65kg/50g, 65kg/60kg, 70kg
[Last 10 reps were with a spotter and he pushed me from my planned 6 to 10 reps. Hoorah!]

Incline/Prone cable flye: 12, 10, 8 @ 18kg, 27kg, 32kg
[Kind of awkward since this is the first time I tried this exercise and I had to jerry-rig my own bench. I eventually discovered it's best just to lie prone on a couple stacked small benches and do the flyes. Good burn!]

Pullover: 12, 12, 12 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg
[These are way more effective and grueling at the end of a chest workout!]

Seated calf raise (alternating angles): 40, 40, 40 @ 45kg

Ski machine: 3 min, 3 min, 2 min
[Must train my left foot back to pain-free motility. Plus, more cardio is good.]

Cooldown:
Pec deck: 15 @ 45kg

+ + +
This was a very experimental workout, but I was pleased with the results. I have been doing some research on how to train the chest, which I have said over and over again is my weak spot. This article cued me into the importance of the order of the exercises. Hence, not only did I flip everything around and do flat bench and incline bench before flyes and pullovers, but also did a straight-set routine, rather than a circuit workout. The drops I had to make in my weight attest to how much more intense the straight sets can be than the circuits (at least for how I've been doing my circuits). Seeing as my chest is my weak spot, I decided to go for broke and "take it to the base." If I'm not sore in the pecs the next few days, I demand a refund from Galileo and Newton! Better to drop some weight from my ego and see results. Need to work my abs tomorrow. Patience, Humility, Confidence.

Gym regimen - October 2010

[Someone was confused about my routine and asked, so I thought I should point out that I do these exercises in circuits. Meaning: I do one exercise and then another, rather than three sets of one exercise, followed by the other exercises. Warmup and Cooldown are, of course, shown in "chronological order."]

A1: Quads and Biceps (MONDAY): 50 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: Ski machine, stretching, curls, squats

Leg extension: 15, 12, 9 @ 40kg, 45kg, 55kg

Decline leg press: 12, 8, 6 @ 150kg, 190kg, 200kg
[A funny case of "strength by accident": I miscalculated the weights on the pegs my 2nd set, so I did 20kg more than I intended. And then I just had to go heavier on my last set!]

Squat: 12, 9, 6, 6 @ 75kg, 90kg, 110kg, 100kg
[I decided to challenge myself--if not on the squat, then when!--so I went for 110kg on my 3rd set--after an already fairly demanding regimen of leg extensions and leg presses--and ended up using my back too much a few reps. But I took the set fairly slowly and finished it without undue pain or risk of falling.]

EZ Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 45kg, 50kg
[I was feeling distinct pain in my forearm on the 2nd and 3rd sets, a pain that developed a couple months ago from barbell curls. This thread, among many others, shows how common a problem it is. I haven't pinned down the anatomical source of pain, but it's where some muscle attaches to my ulna midway between wrist and elbow. I might swap the EZ bar curl out for chinups (which are not pullups!) {If chinups and pullups really were equivalent, why aren't over- and underhand cable pulldowns equivalent?}.]

Incline dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 14kg, 18kg, 20kg
[Kept tight form on these, better than last week.]

Hammer barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg
[A little lighter than last week, but also tighter form, though still cheated a bit with the backward lean.]

Cooldown:
Plate curl: 18, 18 @ 15kg
[I sort of made this up on the spot, or rather, while loading plates for my last squat set. Hold the plate in front of you with hands at 9 and 3 o'clock for X reps, then shift hands to 10 and 2 o'clock for X reps, and finally grip with both hands at 12 o'clock for X reps.]

+++

Gym regimen - October 2010

A4: Tris, Shoulders, Traps: 50–60 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: Ski machine, stretching, extensions, presses, etc.

Military press (barbell, standing): 10, 8, 4/3 @ 40kg, 45kg, 55kg/50kg

Upright row (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Kowtow rear delt flye: 10/4, 8/4, 6/4 @ 16kg, 18kg, 18kg
[4 reps of standing median delt flyes after each set. Too heavy, should have gone for stricter form.]

Elbows-out extension (dumbbells): 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg

Dips: 15, 14, 13**
[The last 2 reps of the 3rd set were partial cheats.]

Cable pulldown: 10, 8, 6 @ 25kg, 30kg, 35kg

Shrugs (barbell): 10, 10 @ 90kg, 100kg
[I did some behind-the-back shrugs on the Smith machine, which was very awkward and frustrating. Then another guy was using the little power rack in the freeweight section, so I only squeezed in a final, rushed set as the gym was closing.]

+ + +
I felt tired: it was the end of another week. But I worked the marzipan out of my triceps. Went too heavy on the military press and delt flyes, but I will keep at it with… Patience, Humility, Confidence.

The weather has cleared up enough in my friend's opinion that he is willing again to drive, so, lo and behold, I'm off for another weekend in Yilan. :diffident emoticon:

Gym regimen - October 2010

A3 workout: Back and hamstrings: 50 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: ski machine, stretching, leg curls, deadlifts, lat pulldowns, lever rows

Leg curl: 12, 10, 8 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 65kg, 80kg, 90kg

Deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 80kg, 90kg, 100kg

Lever pulldown: 12, 9, 7 @ 80kg, 100kg, 120kg

Lever bench row: 10/4, 8/4, 6/4 @ 80kg, 90kg, 110kg
[I did 4 reps of hammer-grip rows after the underhand-grip rows. Set the seat lower, which seemed to work the lats better.]

One-arm dumbbell bench row: 12, 8, 6/6 @ 18kg, 26kg, 32kg
[I did 2 quick sets of 6 reps on my last set, since, as I say, I love working my back, and I wanted to push myself.]

Abs:
30 alternating incline crunches
50, 40 Russian twists

+ + +
I went significantly heavier on some exercises this time compared to last week. I feel more confident about the deadlift and my back feels stronger too. I could feel my lats during the deadlift, which is awesome. I probably need to go a good deal heavier on my one-arm bench rows, but I can feel I should stick with 110kg and 120kg on the lever row and lever pulldown, respectively, for another week or two. I'm already at the "event horizon" of losing good form at those weights. Patience, Humility, Confidence.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A2: Chest and Calves (TUESDAY): 50 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, ski machine, bench press, delt flyes

Pullovers: 12, 12, 12 @ 14kg, 18kg, 26kg

Dumbbell flye: 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg

Seated calf raise: 20, 25, 30 @ 50kg

Incline bench press: 10, 8, 6 @ 50kg, 60kg, 70kg

Bench press: 10, 8, 7** @ 65kg, 70kg, 80kg
[** means I got a spot on the 6th and 7th reps, the 7th being an extra rep my spot urged me to do.]

Seated calf raise (outer and inner angle): 20, 20, 20 @ 50kg

Ski machine: 2 min, 2 min, 4 min

Cooldown:
Bench press: 10, 10 @ 50kg
30 Alternating incline crunches
50, 50 Russian twists

+ + +
I still find the chest my least satisfying workout, probably for two reasons. First, as I've noted before, it's my weakest muscle group. Second, it is a fairly small muscle group. Nothing compares to the awesome pump I get from working my legs and back. Even so, I notice objective gains from last week's A2, so I shouldn't fret too much. Plus, pump or no pump, fun or no fun, it's all about Patience, Humility, and Confidence.

A friend of mine recently suggested I post my workout updates on a separate page, or some such, seeing as clearer divisions in my content would allow readers to focus on, or not have to wade through, theology, or exercise, or philosophy, etc. I've tried running disparate thematic blogs before (technically, I still manage five blogs, or so), but the thing about FCA is, it's The Me Blog: it expresses the natural combination of Fides, Cogitatio, et Actio which drives my life. I think the few people who still bother to visit this blog enjoy that blend. If not, however, they at least don't mind ignoring the posts that don't interest them. Heavens to Betsy, I'm already bending over backwards, as far as FCA's reader-friendliness goes, by doing away with my beloved blacked-out links! :smirking emoticon:

On a different front, I had a very touching experience this morning while teaching. I teach first- and second-graders in the morning and this week we began a new lesson. I only see each class once a week, so I try to make it effective and energetic. The students go bananas singing the song for each lesson, apparently because I add simple dance moves and have them compete in teams. Today we sang "What Color Is It?" I had already introduced the grammar point by drilling them to show one finger to say "It's red," two fingers to say "It's yellow," three for blue, and four for green. During the song they had to do those hand motions while singing along. I was so deeply touched by how rapt their attention was that I nearly broke into tears.

Truth be told, this has happened to me a few times the past few weeks. I have had similar emotional rushes over the past seven years teaching middle-schoolers, high-schoolers, and kindergartners, but I think the relatively new experience of teaching lots of young elementary school students every day has reopened that "soft spot" I think all teachers admit they have for "the little ones." I was blown away by how pure their attention and glee were while singing such an otherwise mundane song. They were in the palm of my hand. How easily I could have lashed out at them when their psyches were so open to me, and yet how blessed it is to serve as a teacher and nourish their natural curiosity and animal affections. Partially the experience welled up from the horror and outrage I feel about child molesters––yes, clergy of any stripe included––and partially it wells up from the feeling I have gotten increasingly over the past seven years: God has gifted me as a teacher. Like Eric Liddell (about 45 seconds in), "When I teach, I feel His pleasure."

[ADDENDUM: I should mention that my giftedness as a teacher may only extend to teaching English (et relata) in this culture, or perhaps non-English-speaking cultures. I readily admit I am not a "real teacher" as far as all the red tape, meetings, lesson planning, PTA politics, etc. go for teachers in the USA, and other native teachers. In many ways, it's a piece of cake teaching here, so I don't mean to sound boastful. In many other ways, though, teaching here is very taxing, so I do mean to thank God for making me such an apparently able and appreciated teacher all these years.]

Gym regimen - October 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps (MONDAY): 50 mins
92kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: Calisthenics, stretching, leg extensions, curls, incline leg press, squats

Leg extension: 12, 10, 8 @ 35kg, 40kg, 50kg

Decline leg press: 12, 8, 6 @ 140kg, 160kg, 180kg

Squat: 12, 9, 6, 4 @ 70kg, 80kg, 95kg, 100kg

EZ Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 42.5kg, 50kg

Incline dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 14kg, 18kg, 20kg

Hammer barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 47.5kg

Cooldown:
30 Alternating incline crunches
40, 40 Russian twists
Massage vibrating machine (Thighs and back loved it.)

+++
A new PR on the squat tonight! From what I've read (e.g. here1 and here2), part of the reason the squat is "the king of exercises," is because it uniquely stimulates the body as a whole to grow muscle. So I decided to try 100kg as a kind of "cooldown" set. Originally I was only going to do 2, but then 4 felt felt. I think I could have done 6 with a spotter, maybe even without. But all things in due time. Really worked the biceps hard tonight.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A4: Tris, Shoulders, Traps: 50 mins
92kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: Ski machine, stretching, extensions, presses, etc.

Military press (barbell, standing): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg
[I could definitely feel myself "using the core" doing these standing versus sitting. The core is the groin/waist/lumbar/stomach/rib "midsection" and is often neglected by people who only train "celebrity" muscles in the appendages. Crew gave me a good sense of working the core and I've tried to focus on "core strength" over the years.]

Upright row (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Kowtow rear delt flye: 10/4, 8/4, 6/4 @ 10kg, 14kg, 18kg
[After each set I stood to do 2 reps of median delt flyes.]

Dips: 12, 13, 15*
[The 15th rep was a negative. It may be that I should go deeper on my dips, but I feel that would my chest more than my triceps.]

Elbows-out extension (dumbbells): 10, 8, 6 @ 14kg, 22kg, 26kg
[The last set was brutal. I admit to losing good form my last set, but I just love rocking these elbows-out extensions.]

Cable pulldown: 10, 8, 6 @ 25kg, 30kg, 35kg

Shrugs (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg

Abs:
Alternating rowing crunches: 30
Russian twists: 40, 40

+++
Yes, I could "feel it" this workout: it's the end of another week. I think I will cut all my weight by 10% or so next wee, and then get back to heavier weights. Two weeks of good gains on a basically new regimen, I figure merits an off-week. Meh. We'll see how I feel after this weekend.

Off to Yilan tomorrow! Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A3 workout: Back and hamstrings: 50 mins
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: stationary bike, stretching, leg curls, deadlifts, lat pulldowns, lever rows

Leg curl: 10, 10, 10 @ 30kg, 40kg, 45kg

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 60kg, 65kg, 70kg

Deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 60kg, 65kg, 75kg

Lever pulldown: 12, 9, 7 @ 80kg, 100kg, 120kg

Lever bench row: 12/6, 9/4, 7/4 @ 65kg, 90kg, 110kg
[I did 4 reps of hammer-grip rows after the underhand-grip rows. The hammer-grip handles are closer together, which works the middle back more, while the underhand handles are wider so as to work the outer back (latissimus dorsi). I may have had the seat too high. I'll need to think/read about how the angle works various muscles.]

One-arm dumbbell bench row: 12, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 32kg

Abs:
30 alternating incline crunches [Call an ambulance, folks!]
40, 40 Russian twists [Call the ambulance back!]

+ + +

As you may notice, I took it rather easy on the stiff-leg deadlift and conventional deadlift. This is the first time I've done the deadlift--arguably the Queen of Exercises to King Squat--and I didn't want to risk lower back strain. I want to get a feel for good technique and gradually build the weight. Plus, two forms of deadlifting one after the other can easily be too much for the lumbar if you're not careful. My lower back felt huge--a great pump--after my first set of stiff-leg and regular deadlift, so that was a mental boost.

Apart from my caution with those exercises, I did go rather heavy on the leg curls and took it to the base with my back exercises. Pulling 120kg on the lever pulldown was one of the rare occasions when I've actually wondered if I could do it. Tomorrow is triceps, shoulders, and traps, then I'll be off to Yilan for the weekend.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A2: Chest and Calves (TUESDAY): 45 mins (or so)
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, bench press, delt flyes, ski machine

Dumbbell flye: 10, 8, 8 @ 12kg, 22kg, 26kg

Pullovers: 12, 12, 12 @ 10kg, 18kg, 22kg

Incline bench press: 10, 8, 6 @ 50kg, 60kg, 70kg

Bench press: 10, 8, 3/3* @ 60kg, 70kg, 80kg
[I had to get a spot on my last 3 reps. This was to be expected, and welcome, since I was already doing three other chest exercises. Good pump by the 6th rep.]

Seated calf raise: 20, 25, 30 @ 50kg

Ski machine: 3 min, 3 min, 3 min

Cooldown:
Delt flyes 15x @ 18kg
Ab cable pulldowns 30x, 30x @ 35kg

+ + +
"When life gives you a T-Rex, go Ninja-kick it in the head."
– Rayne Summers

Gym regimen - October 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps (MONDAY): 50 mins
92kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: Calisthenics, stretching, leg extensions, curls, squats

Leg extension: 12, 10, 8 @ 30kg, 40kg, 50kg [110 lbs]

Decline leg press: 12, 10, 6 @ 140kg, 160kg, 180kg [~400 lbs]

Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 95kg [210 lbs]

EZ Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 47.5kg [105 lbs]

Incline dumbbell curl (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 16kg, 18kg, 20kg [45 lbs]

Hammer and Underhand barbell curl: 6/4, 5/3, 6/6 @ 25kg, 35kg, 45kg/25kg [100 lbs / 55 lbs]

Cooldown: 27 Alternating incline crunches, 40 Russian twists, stretching

+++
Yes, boys and girls, tonight was a mental workout. While driving to the gym after work, I looked at my workout plan and realized, "Oh, shit, I have to squat tonight." I had remembered tonight was a biceps night, but I guess I had "blocked out" the reality of the squat. It's a tough exercise, well known, and justly, as "the King of Exercises." I didn't do any real exercise this weekend, except for some walking and rowing in a moat during a lovely trip to Tainan. Of course, all weekend I was nursing my traps after my heavy shoulder and shrug routine last Friday. It was the closest thing to a tendon injury I've ever felt in my shoulder muscles, which is cool, since it means gains. Already my traps feel fine. I managed to get a lot of sleep since last week, so I felt well rested. I didn't feel I worked my biceps as hard as I could have tonight, but then again, my main target was the squat. I went heavier on all three quad exercises: leg extensions, leg presses, and squats. I think 95kg is a new PR for me on the squat, so, high five for me. I made a point of breathing more deeply and placing the bar lower on my traps, which I have read takes stress off the lower back. I felt very strong on these.

Meanwhile, I was once more astounded at how some big guys do such "fluff" sets. One guy with a much, much larger torso than me was doing maybe 20kg dumbbell shrugs. Combined 40kg shrugs! Are you joking? In my understanding, and in my own recent experience, shrugs should be done with at least your own bodyweight. So many people just want to get a pump, take enhancements (if not outright anabolics), get swollen, and "look good." I guess I'm into BB, by contrast, for the heavy, mentally challenging sets, the muscle shredding-and-repair cycle, the hormone release for growth, and ultimately real functional power. I'm not bragging––I never want to come across as a bragger, in BB or anything else. It's just interesting how some guys have totally different conceptions of what a good workout is.

I also experienced the "relativity of strength" tonight, perhaps more vividly than ever. A coworker of mine also works out at Central and I really respect his build, his intensity, and his knowledge of BB. He's the one that got me back into dips, for instance, and he swears by pullups and the deadlift, so, mad props! (At the same time, though, he doesn't do the squat because "he just doesn't like them." This is often code for "squats are hard.") Tonight I had to wait for him to finish his last set of deadlifts before my last set of squats, so, while respecting the gym etiquette of not staring or hovering, I had a chance to observe his form and his physique. I was spontaneously struck by the thought, "Hey, he's not so big after all." This is a common occurrence for guys who are making gains in mass, as I am. At first some guy looks huge but after a few weeks or months, if he's not training as hard as you are, he starts to look smaller, weaker. The same thing happened tonight when I was walking behind the "big torso guy" into the free weights section. "He's got no traps, and look at those calves. Come on, dude, push yourself!"

This kind of "predatory assessment" is endemic to athletics, so, while I try not to dwell on it and feed the fires of pride, I also realize it's a natural mechanism for assessing your own progress. Indeed, I applied the same kind of analysis to myself when I noticed there's not much a "cleft" between my bicep and deltoid. I visualized focusing heavily, in the coming weeks, on the long head of my bicep and median deltoids so as to "tighten the seam" between them. I've already thrashed out my inner anxiety about the narcissism of BB, months ago when I first got into the sport, so I will only say that the kind of mental sculpting I am doing is no more narcissistic than a runner noticing his stride is too short because he doesn't stretch his hamstrings enough, or a cyclist noticing his cadence is too low because his quads still need work. Or an architect noticing his spine is curved because he leans sideways ten hours a day in his chair in front of a computer monitor.

Patience, Humility, Confidence… Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A4: Tris, Shoulders, Traps: 50+ mins
91.5kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, shrugs, pulldowns, etc.

Military press (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg

Kowtow rear delt flye: 10/2, 8/2, 6/2 @ 10kg, 14kg, 18kg
[After each set I stood to do 2 reps of median delt flyes. Rear delt flyes train the... rear delt, and the military press works the front deltoid, so I figured I should hit all sections of the deltoid at least a little.]

Upright row (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg

Elbows-out extension (per hand): 14kg, 18kg, 22kg

Dips: 12, 11, 12
[Gotta love the dips! Gonna feel the pain tomorrow and the next day!]

Cable pulldown: 10/5*, 8/6*, 6/10* @ 25kg, 30kg, 35kg / 10kg
[The * indicates that after each set I did 10kg pulldowns with only my left arm. My right tricep is stronger than my left--for all those little reasons we fail to notice over the years, such as how I lean on the sink while brushing with my left hand, or how I do a right arm extension and pulldown every time I take a shirt off over my head or pull it on, or how I mostly use my right hand to erase the board while teaching, etc.--, so I am going to work my left arm slightly more till it catches up. BEEEEE the Platonic ball you are meant to be! {Plato, you see, believed that the ideal shape of the body, and perhaps of all bodies, is a perfect sphere. Spheres are of course symmetrical, so making my body symmetrical, etc. Yes... I actually think about these things even while pumping iron.}]

"Cooldown":
Shrugs (barbell): 12, 10, 8 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg
Alternating rowing crunches: 50, 50

+++
I didn't do my A2 workout this Tuesday, but I hammered my triceps tonight and the dips worked my chest a bit. I also did some "falling pushups" and a few sets with the ab roller Wednesday, both of which worked my chest to some extent. So, meh. Falling pushups are just a kind of plyometric exercise I do now and then. You stand a few feet from a wall, a high table, a chair, etc. and then fall forward, stopping yourself on the object and then vigorously pushing yourself back upright to fall forward again, etc. Wide grip for the pecs, narrow grip for the triceps. 2 sets of 20 reps will get your heart rate up, trust me. Speaking of pulse rate, I estimate that my heart rate is 130-170 bpm during my bodybuilding workouts, which is comforting for a guy like me whose background is predominantly "aerobic" (crew, cross country, cycling, swimming, etc.).

Onward!

Gym regimen - October 2010

A3 workout: Back and hamstrings: 45 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: stretching, Ski machine, step-ups

Leg curl: 15, 10, 8 @ 30kg, 35kg, 45kg

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 65kg, 75kg, 85kg

Lever pulldown: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 90kg, 110kg

Lever bench row: 12/6, 8/6, 6/6 @ 65kg, 85kg, 100kg
[I did 6 reps of hammer-grip rows after the underhand-grip rows. The hammer-grip handles are closer together, which works the middle back more, while the underhand handles are wider so as to work the outer back (latissimus dorsi).]

One-arm dumbbell bench row: 12, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 27kg

Ski machine: 3 mins, 3 mins, 3 mins

+ + +
I love working my back! I also felt more secure on the stiff-leg deadlifts. Tonight I will work traps, tris, and delts and maaaaay go paintballing this weekend. But I'm just so stingy. The outing to Tainan tomorrow is enough "fun time" for me for one weekend. I feel fairly confident in saying that the last of Taiwan's "really hot days" have passed until next June or so. Still gets muggy and bright but for the most part we are now in that great, blustery, cool season called fall.

I've been sleeping more lately, admittedly, with the help of some great afternoon naps. I had a very elaborate but rapidly foggier and foggier dream last night. It was set in a modern metropolis, like New York in Manhattan, but the first sequence of action took place in a Greenwich Village/Oxford burrough that was decidedly creepy and mysteriously run down. The opening "sequence" had me and two other blokes going into a cellar apartment of a man who seemingly dealt in rare books. Once in his lair, though, his Gollum-like perversity became disturbingly clear. For not only was an oily, bedraggled blend of Hannibal Lecter and Count Olaf in frumpy, dusty clothes, but he also seemed to have three rows of teeth, one lower and two upper. His inner teeth were fairly normal, although rather "English", but his outer row of teeth was oversized and gap-toothed all the way around. I gathered that he wore them like dentures. Why? Well, it seems his fetish was to trade books not for money but for bites of people's flesh. At first he set upon the younger fellow with us and bit a chunk from his cheek, I believe. The young man wept but quickly pulled himself together without losing much blood. Then, once we got the biter to settle down and talk shop, things seemed fairly stable, until suddenly he bit into my older friend's right sleeve and tore off a small chunk of flesh and fabric. The older friend was used to this kind of treatment, so he reacted with a painful chuckle (or was it a chuckling groan of pain?). Right away he grabbed a pair of scissors and wrapped a wad of cotton around the front so as to clean out and mend the wound in his arm. The biter could barely contain himself while my wounded older friend tried once more to discuss what books they might obtain on this visit. Finally, the biter hovered in my direction, working his jaws like a dog chewing an invisible bone. He wanted to bite my fingers, so I had the awkward challenge of both fending him off with my hands and not presenting them as gifts to be bitten. This is when I got a close look at his teeth. Very upsetting.

Teeth have been a vivid trope for me ever since reading Anna Karenin as a senior in high school.

I made it out with my hands intact and I think we got a few books. It was a breezy, slightly moist day in "Oxfordhattan."

Suddenly the action had me in uptown and a high bird's eye view allowed me to dream of a giant alien spacecraft crashing into the city. It wasn't totally devastating, since the chip came in almost parallel and slid along the tops of many skyscrapers before it came to a halt. On top of the spaceship was huge statue of what was apparently their leader. He looked like a (blue) mix of Stitch, The Brain, and Al Capone. Once the debris and some of the frenzy had settled down, I somehow found myself on top of the ship as it opened and met the blue Stitch Capone. He looked exactly like the statue, so much so that even when he spoke he retained the half-open smirk in the corner of his mouth.
After that things get hazy. The ship didn't belong to a race or tribe of aliens but seems to have been manned by aliens of all kinds who served under the Stitch Capone like a team of smugglers or rock & roll space bandits. I think it became increasingly evident that the bandits were on earth to harvest human tissue, perhaps to sell on the interstellar market ("blackhole market"?). The last parts of the dream were a mix of City of God and District 9, as far as the gritty, impoverished surroundings went, and the wobbly, edgy camera work went.

Gym regimen - October 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps (MONDAY): 45 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: Calisthenics, stretching, leg extensions, curls, squats

Leg extension: 10, 10, 10 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

Decline leg press: 10, 8, 6 @ 130kg, 150kg, 170kg

Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg

EZ Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg

Incline dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 10kg, 14kg, 18kg

Hammer barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 25kg, 35kg, 45kg

Cooldown: Ski machine, crunches, Russian twists, Hindu squats, stretching

+ + +
I was tired of hour-long workouts, so I've switched back to a 4-day A-routine and cut each exercise down to three sets. Plus, my Wednesday has become busy enough that's it's too much of a hassle to stick to a 3-day routine on Monday, Wednesday, Friday/Saturday. So it's actually more economical to do shorter workouts on more days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, with a whole weekend of rest.

I had a great pump on the incline curls and hammer-grip curls. The squat felt nice too, but I'll have to research about how to protect my lower back. It wasn't sore from my last workout, but I can definitely "feel it" on my last set of squats. The key, I think, is that I must keep my back more erect than forward. It was nice to finish quickly enough that I had time to do some ab work.

Lately, I've been having some interesting, relatively vivid dreams. We've also got a "cold" snap in Taiwan these days, which is a delight. This past weekend I made a concerted effort to sleep a lot, and probably slept at least 24 hours in two days. I find it's very easy to get sick during season changes in Taiwan, and all my teaching hours do put a strain on my system, as always. I just can't afford to get an otorhinopharyngeal infection like I've had a plenty of times in the past. With age comes weakness, no doubt, but also wisdom to counter that weakness. I'm actually healthier on a regular basis these days than I have been in years prior. Finally in a good groove, knowing my limits, giving more time to rest. Adequate sleep makes such a difference. God help me to sacrifice my night-owlish fears (or pride?).

Gym regimen - October 2010

1 October 2010
Ur-Workout, 60 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5

0. Warmup: Stretching, curls, flyes, dips, squats

1. Bench press: 10, 8*, 8 @ 70kg, 80kg, 70kg
[It was Friday, the end of a weekly cycle and I haven't slept enough lately, so I felt fatigued. It was obvious on the bench. I couldn't get the 8th rep onto the latches my 2nd set, so I had to lower it onto my stomach and roll it into my lap so I could sit up.]

2. Lat pulldown: 12, 9, 6 @ 75kg, 85kg, 90kg
[I caught a few eyes on these, since everyone else was pulling 35-55kg but by my 3rd set, I was pulling all the plates on the machine. Not bragging, just noting, again, how crew gave me a great foundation of back and leg strength. I want to stick with the lat pulldown machine for at least another week and maybe just raise my reps to, say, 15, 12, 9.]

3. Dumbbell curl (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 20kg, 22kg
[Turns out I was right about being wrong in my last notes about these curls. The last dumbbells were 22kg, not 27kg. I did these nice and slow and tight, but sure felt the fatigue. 40lb and 50lb curls aren't anything to be ashamed of, though. So, progress... and Patience, Humility, Confidence.]

4. Dumbbell military press (seated, per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 27kg

5. Dips: 11, 12, 12*
[The 12th rep of the 3rd set was a negative.]

6. Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg
[My 2nd set felt awesome, very clean and efficient. I think my lower back might be a little sore from the 3rd set, however, since the fatigue combined with my going for 90kg had me lifting bent too far forward at the hips. It's the day after now and my back doesn't feel bad, but maybe tomorrow there will be residual soreness.]

7. Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 60kg, 70kg, 80kg

+ + +

Gym regimen - September 2010

28 September 2010
Ur-Workout, 60 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5

0. Warmup: Stretching, curls, flyes, dips, squats

1. Bench press: 12, 9, 6 @ 65kg, 75kg, 85kg

2. Lat pulldown: 12, 9, 6 @ 65kg, 75kg, 85kg

3. Dumbbell curl (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 17–27kg
[Something about these weights––as I've written them––seems off. I mean to tell me that I curled 59lb for 6 reps per hand on my last set?! Or, then again, that I curled the equivalent of 54kg for two hands?! I guess dumbbell curls are just easier. Admittedly, I alternated hands, which gave the opposite hand a slight rest every rep. I will have to confirm the weights next time I am at the gym. Maybe I've been using kilograms so long now that I've lost my sense of how many pounds I should be able to do, but 60lb curls sounds, well… either sadly inaccurate or… totally awesome!]

4. Barbell military press (seated): 10, 8, 6 @ 40–45kg

5. Dips: 10, 11, 12

6. Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 77.5kg, 85kg

7. Stiff-leg deadlift (EZ bar): 12, 9, 6 @ 57kg, 67kg, 77kg

+ + +
I went lighter on the bench press today and did dips for my triceps. Dips! Holy tricep, Batman! It was the first time I have done dips in a very long time, so I wasn't sure about my form, and don't even have a recollection of it now, since I just wanted to do what I could on a diagnostic test run. I definitely felt stronger when I crossed my feet and the dips gave me an awesome pump. According to this page, the benefits of dips fall out like so: "Push-ups have your feet planted. Dips move your whole body through space. Dips are harder and thus superior to Push-ups because you have to balance your body. Other benefits of Dips: Build Strength. Dips build lockout strength: straightening your elbows. This helps the Bench Press & the Overhead Press. Build Muscle. Dips will develop your triceps & chest muscles." You can say that again.

I'll work traps and abs tomorrow. I need to sleep better.

Had a great confessor last Sunday. I love the Mass. I love the Mass. I love the Mass!

I've got a good number of posts I hope I can get out in the next few weeks but I've got a lot of teaching hours and I'm collaborating to author an ESL textbook, among other things.

I recently saw Miami Blues and Glengarry Glen Ross, the former which stars Alec Baldwin and the latter which features him in a seven-minute quasi-monologue––and then not again––, for which he nearly won an Oscar. I have a new found respect for Alec Baldwin as a phenomenal actor. A true screen "presence." And very versatile: tender, comical, wounded, sadistic, innocuous.

I also recently got around to watching City of God, the award-winning 2002 Brazilian film about life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. It's a searing depiction of even more searing realities. Well worth more than one viewing. It is the film that Slumdog Millionaire tried to be. (Tried to be, mind you.) The director, Fernando Meirelles, has been likened to Martin Scorsese, and City of God would be an interesting film to watch in conjunction with Mean Streets.

The thought that persists most vividly for me is, "What sense can the Christian Gospel make of the antagonist, Li'l Zé?" He is a sadist from childhood and grows up to become, for a time, the lord of crime in Rio de Janeiro. From that perspective, he is a disturbingly vivid instance of the truth of original sin. On the other hand, I can't fathom what it would be like trying to evangelize and convert someone like him. (I should mention that Li'l Zé is merely one token of a more pervasive type in the favela, which only amplifies my discomfiture.) To say that life is cheap in the favelas is a truism, and to say life is cheap in Li'l Zé's eyes is virtually a tautology. I can't imagine what would move him, on a purely human, psychological level, to repent and pursue anything like a chaste life of humble piety. Warning him of Hell would, I fear, do nothing: he would either say, "Bring it," or simply be unable to imagine a difference between Hell and life as he's known it. Conversely, enticing him with the prospect of Heaven would, I suspect, only fuel his incorrigible lust for power––"What will my take be when we get there, how big will my turf be?"

Hence, I suppose the only "sense" Christianity can make of someone like Li'l Zé, or the only way the Gospel can "handle" the Li'l Zé's of the world is by truly supernatural means. Only the Holy Spirit can, or would, change a heart like Li'l Zé's. Unfortunately, he so consistently hardens his heart against natural goodness––and has been so deeply hardened by life––that it may be just as much an act of God's glory, as a just God, to release Li'l Zé to a perpetual insensibility to supernatural goodness. This is an important truth: if you can't love anything natural, the supernatural has that much less ability to generate divine love in such a craggy heart. If you don't have a natural affection for animals, you lack one step in the ladder that rises to loving the Maker of animals. Perhaps because Li'l Zé insists the world be as bleak and mercenary as he feels it is, he ends up with exactly the world he deserves, that is, the world of his own making. Getting a whole world all to yourself, all by yourself––that is, in a sense, all that the doctrine of Hell means: you get to wallow in your own delusions and fears forever since you chose to wallow in them, and make others wallow with you, before dying.

It dawns on me, of course, that a secular ethic has an even harder time making sense of Li'l Zé, since, on that ethic, life is about maximizing your own human potential without causing inordinate suffering in others. And while Li'l Zé certainly caused plenty of suffering in others, it is arguably impossible to say he caused inordinate suffering, since he instinctively followed a fiercely self-authentic "inner compass" and a socially regulated ethic that can only be judged from within the very milieu in which it functions. To deny the reality of absolute good and evil is to allow for two absurdities: first, that nothing Li'l Zé, or someone like him, does is intrinsically evil, and, second, that there is no truly greater good for which Li'l Zé, or any other person, could live and be called simply good. Goodness resides in an execution of one's will, as the power of affection, to gravitate towards that which is good. If, however, that-which-is-good simpliciter does not exist, there is nothing toward which the will can gravitate in principle, and thus, no one is good. Consequently, if no one is good, no one is bad, and Li'l Zé is not evil or mean or villainous: he's simply amoral in a different way. Which is of course just more bullshit to be shoveled out by secularist ethics.

Gym regimen - September 2010

25 September 2010
Ur-Workout, 60 mins
90kg, BMI 25

0. Warmup: Stretching, curls, tricep extensions, squats

1. Bench press: 12, 8, 4 @ 65kg, 75kg, 90kg
[New all-time PR!]

2. Pullups: 14, 14/1*, 16/1*
[The 1* rep was a negative, about a 15 count.]

3. Hammer-grip curls (H-bar): 10, 8, 5 @ 35kg, 40kg, 55kg
[I accidentally threaded 10kg plates instead of 5kg plates and was too lazy to switch it back to 45kg, so I did 5 not very tight reps at 55kg. Meh.]

4. EZ Barbell military press (seated): 10, 8, 8 @ 40–50kg

5. Elbows-out extensions (per hand): 10, 8, 8 @ 19–22kg

6. Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 65–90kg

7. Stiff-leg deadlift: 15, 12, 9 @ 60–75kg

8. Dumbbell pullovers: 10 @ 22kg

+ + +
An annoying day in some respects. I was late to a meeting at my first school, since I tried a new route to work. Then I took an awesome nap after lunch but overslept and was late to my second school, missed an entire class and was in the doghouse. I can't find my cellphone charger so my phone was dead and I didn't get the call from the second school. I know I set my alarm but must have shut it off in a semi-conscious state. At least I had a good workout and God loves me.

That's right, God loves me. Oh, and, yes, I achieved one of my basic BB goals: tonight I cracked my bench press APR from college, when I benched 200+ pounds once or twice. Tonight I was "feeling lucky, punk" so I went for 90kg (198lbs) and managed to crank out 4 reps, which means I could have easily done 200+lbs once or twice. So, there. I did it. Now I'm out to keep making gains.

Nonetheless, I think I will go lighter on the bench next week and add a set of dips. Squatting felt very good and I even did a small set of calf presses on a machine, so my left foot is pretty much all healed up. I think I'll also try weighted pullups next week.