I completed the fourth week of Burn Count. Results:
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Low Angle: 40s, 105lbs
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 40s, 40lbs
Drag Curl: 45s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 24s, 25lbs
Chest Press: 34s, 20lbs
Seated Row: 45s, 55lbs
I resumed Romanian Deadlift with the spring carabiner attached to "link zero", which is the carbiner assembly attached to the bar. The load was set to 105lbs. The bar height is low enough to get a good stretch from the hamstrings when I pull the knees back a bit, yet the load on the lower back does not feel too dangerous.
Good progress in Shoulder Press and Drag Curl, increasing the hold times to 40 seconds or more at their respective loads.
After my Day A session, I did the club work again, but because of the effort expended on the Shoulder Press and Curl, I did only 4 sets of 5 reps of the Shield Cast, Inside Circle and Outside Circle, because my form dropped significantly for the 4th set.
I lowered the load for Zercher Lunge to 25lbs to make it even easier to focus on holding for time and not so much on applying enough force to set off the Isochain beeper. I may lower the load again next week, this time to 20lbs because my endurance in this position is so low that the load does not really matter.
Progress in Chest Press was pretty good. I held 45-seconds at 20lbs without much trouble. For the 2nd rep, I tried holding the bar with my hands closer to each other, which made the drill harder. In the evening I tried one more rep with my hands at the width I've settled on, and once again did at least 45s relatively easily. I'll count this as meeting the progression requirement, and move up to 25lbs next time.
Seated Row progress is great, hitting the 45-second threshold at 55lbs with little issue.
I continued adding the mini-band shoulder workout I started doing last Friday. I still feel uncomfortable when reaching overhead with the left arm sometimes, but it's early. Hopefully a few weeks of this mini-band workout will produce results. I lack the endurance to hit 15 reps a set on all the exercises, so there's room for improvement.
Friday, September 24, 2021
Friday, September 17, 2021
Isochain Burn Count: Week 3
I completed the third week of Burn Count. Results:
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Low Angle: Aborted (see below)
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 34s, 40lbs
Drag Curl: 30s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 21s, 35lbs
Chest Press: 45s, 15lbs
Seated Row: 30s, 55lbs
I had to cut short the Romanian Deadlift training for my one Day A session for this week. I tried attaching the Isochain bar's carabiner assembly directly to the spring. Normally the carabiner assembly is attached to one end of the chain, and a single carabiner attaches the chain to the spring. I have color-coded zip tie tags attached to various links in the chain so that I can set the chain length, between the spring and the bar, for each drill without having to guess which link is the correct one for the drill. When I started Burn Count, I had the spring carabiner attached to the link that I tagged for high-angle regular Deadlift. This proved to be too high, in that Romanian Deadlift felt just like regular Deadlift. I wasn't feel much of a stretch in the hamstrings. So I started lowering the bar. For my previous Day A session, I had the spring carabiner attached to the carabiner assembly on the bar, which felt fine. I had thought that attaching the carabiner assembly directly to the spring would set the bar to the same height. However, I did not account for the length of the spring carabiner. Eliminating the spring carabiner actually lowered the bar by the equivalent of about 3 chain links, which for my lower back is actually a significant increase in load, along with risk to the lower back. So for my next Day A session, I'll use the spring carabiner again, attaching it between the spring and the bar carbiner assembly. The load will be set to 105lbs instead of 110lbs because I want to see if I can get closer to a 45-second hold. Burn Count after all is more about holding for time than just force output.
Good progress in Shoulder Press and Drag Curl, increasing the hold times to 30 seconds or more at their respective loads.
After my Day A session, I did the club work again, but because of the effort expended on the Shoulder Press and Curl, I did only 4 sets of 5 reps of the Shield Cast, Inside Circle and Outside Circle, because my form dropped significantly for the 4th set.
I tried lowering the load for Zercher Lunge to 35lbs to see if I could get a better hold time with either leg. The answer was no. Oh well. The position is just hard for me to hold for time. Clearly, lowering the load more is not going to make a difference, because at 35lbs the slightest pressure is already triggering the Isochain's beeper.
For the Chest Press, the decision to lower the load to 15 lbs. turned out to be useful. I could focus more on just sustaining the minimum required effort for 45 seconds, instead of struggling to reach the target load and then also sustain force at that load. Having the display on the bar facing me continues to be a good decision, as the angle of the display helps me ensure the eye bolt on the bar is in line with the chain. Holds of 45s or more were easily achieved for the Friday session, so I'll set the load back at 20lbs. next time.
After the Friday session, I did these miniband exercises for the shoulder to try to strengthen the slow-twitch fibers in the external rotators. I slightly modified the External Rotation and Overhead Press to have the palms facing away from me as that seemed to feel a little better for my shoulder.
The video does not include suggestions for how many sets and reps to do. I knew I wanted to make sure I train the slow-twich fibers as those are better known for stabilizing the joints than the fast-twitch. This article on fast and slow twitch muscle training suggests 3 sets of 15-30 reps. I could not do 15 reps at least one of the drills, even with the lightest miniband. So I'll stick to the 3 sets of at least 15 reps for now. I went for a basic 2-sec concentric, 2-sec. eccentric tempo.
Dragondoor put up a new article by Matt Schifferle, the man behind Red Delta Project, on 3 ways to integrate Isochain into a dynamic workout, regardless of what tools (kettlebells, barbells, etc.) are being utilized, or if the workout is bodyweight-only. This expands the possibilities quite a bit beyond the tempates in the manual for incorporating Isochain with weightlifting, kettlebell lifting, etc.
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Low Angle: Aborted (see below)
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 34s, 40lbs
Drag Curl: 30s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 21s, 35lbs
Chest Press: 45s, 15lbs
Seated Row: 30s, 55lbs
I had to cut short the Romanian Deadlift training for my one Day A session for this week. I tried attaching the Isochain bar's carabiner assembly directly to the spring. Normally the carabiner assembly is attached to one end of the chain, and a single carabiner attaches the chain to the spring. I have color-coded zip tie tags attached to various links in the chain so that I can set the chain length, between the spring and the bar, for each drill without having to guess which link is the correct one for the drill. When I started Burn Count, I had the spring carabiner attached to the link that I tagged for high-angle regular Deadlift. This proved to be too high, in that Romanian Deadlift felt just like regular Deadlift. I wasn't feel much of a stretch in the hamstrings. So I started lowering the bar. For my previous Day A session, I had the spring carabiner attached to the carabiner assembly on the bar, which felt fine. I had thought that attaching the carabiner assembly directly to the spring would set the bar to the same height. However, I did not account for the length of the spring carabiner. Eliminating the spring carabiner actually lowered the bar by the equivalent of about 3 chain links, which for my lower back is actually a significant increase in load, along with risk to the lower back. So for my next Day A session, I'll use the spring carabiner again, attaching it between the spring and the bar carbiner assembly. The load will be set to 105lbs instead of 110lbs because I want to see if I can get closer to a 45-second hold. Burn Count after all is more about holding for time than just force output.
Good progress in Shoulder Press and Drag Curl, increasing the hold times to 30 seconds or more at their respective loads.
After my Day A session, I did the club work again, but because of the effort expended on the Shoulder Press and Curl, I did only 4 sets of 5 reps of the Shield Cast, Inside Circle and Outside Circle, because my form dropped significantly for the 4th set.
I tried lowering the load for Zercher Lunge to 35lbs to see if I could get a better hold time with either leg. The answer was no. Oh well. The position is just hard for me to hold for time. Clearly, lowering the load more is not going to make a difference, because at 35lbs the slightest pressure is already triggering the Isochain's beeper.
For the Chest Press, the decision to lower the load to 15 lbs. turned out to be useful. I could focus more on just sustaining the minimum required effort for 45 seconds, instead of struggling to reach the target load and then also sustain force at that load. Having the display on the bar facing me continues to be a good decision, as the angle of the display helps me ensure the eye bolt on the bar is in line with the chain. Holds of 45s or more were easily achieved for the Friday session, so I'll set the load back at 20lbs. next time.
After the Friday session, I did these miniband exercises for the shoulder to try to strengthen the slow-twitch fibers in the external rotators. I slightly modified the External Rotation and Overhead Press to have the palms facing away from me as that seemed to feel a little better for my shoulder.
The video does not include suggestions for how many sets and reps to do. I knew I wanted to make sure I train the slow-twich fibers as those are better known for stabilizing the joints than the fast-twitch. This article on fast and slow twitch muscle training suggests 3 sets of 15-30 reps. I could not do 15 reps at least one of the drills, even with the lightest miniband. So I'll stick to the 3 sets of at least 15 reps for now. I went for a basic 2-sec concentric, 2-sec. eccentric tempo.
Dragondoor put up a new article by Matt Schifferle, the man behind Red Delta Project, on 3 ways to integrate Isochain into a dynamic workout, regardless of what tools (kettlebells, barbells, etc.) are being utilized, or if the workout is bodyweight-only. This expands the possibilities quite a bit beyond the tempates in the manual for incorporating Isochain with weightlifting, kettlebell lifting, etc.
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Isochain Burn Count: Week 2
I completed the second week of Burn Count. Results:
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Low Angle: 25s, 110lbs
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 23s, 40lbs
Drag Curl: 24s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 21s, 40lbs
Chest Press: 35s, 35lbs
Seated Row: 40s, 50lbs
Lowered the Romanian Deadlift load from 130lbs. to 110lbs because I decided to try training with the bar at the lowest possible setting, by attaching the rotating carabiner assembly on the bar directly to the tension spring, instead of attaching the chain between the spring and bar. This lower angle increases the stretch on the hamstrings and makes this drill feel less like a regular deadlifht, which can happen when the bar is high enough. The lower angle also increases the load on the lower back muscles. This is one reason I lowered the load, as well as wanting to lower the risk of another low back injury. So far, thankfully, the back has felt fine after training.
Progressed in Shoulder Press working load from 35lbs to 40lbs.
I raised the bar one link higher for the Drag Curl, which put more load on the biceps, and thus dropped my hold time for a bit, but I finished the week with pretty much the same hold time in this drill that I had when the bar was 2 links lower - which had placed more load on the forearms. Having experienced Golfer's Elbow, I'm not keen on the forearms "helping" the biceps again in this drill.
After my Day A session on Monday, I skipped the single-arm heavy club work. My shoulder felt a little too easy to get out of alignment. After my Day A session on Friday, I did the club work and my shoulder felt a lot better. So lesson learned: Do the club work after Shoulder Press for joint traction for the shoulder.
Performance in the Chest Press and Zercher Lunge was about the same this week. I'm still not used to applying single-leg force with the thigh being parallel to the ground, or close to that angle. I'm still experiencing some soreness in the area of the MCL of my left knee when I walk. The knee feels fine during the Zercher Lunge. I'll keep doing at least one set of an easy variation of Shrimp Squat after Isochain work to try to reset the alignment of the hips, knees, and ankles. I will also see if I need to do my hip stretches immediately after Zercher Lunge and Shrimp Squat to prevent the knee soreness.
The problem with the Chest Press is the higher skill requirement compared to all the other drills I'm currently practicing. It seems that all of the following conditions have to be met:
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Low Angle: 25s, 110lbs
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 23s, 40lbs
Drag Curl: 24s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 21s, 40lbs
Chest Press: 35s, 35lbs
Seated Row: 40s, 50lbs
Lowered the Romanian Deadlift load from 130lbs. to 110lbs because I decided to try training with the bar at the lowest possible setting, by attaching the rotating carabiner assembly on the bar directly to the tension spring, instead of attaching the chain between the spring and bar. This lower angle increases the stretch on the hamstrings and makes this drill feel less like a regular deadlifht, which can happen when the bar is high enough. The lower angle also increases the load on the lower back muscles. This is one reason I lowered the load, as well as wanting to lower the risk of another low back injury. So far, thankfully, the back has felt fine after training.
Progressed in Shoulder Press working load from 35lbs to 40lbs.
I raised the bar one link higher for the Drag Curl, which put more load on the biceps, and thus dropped my hold time for a bit, but I finished the week with pretty much the same hold time in this drill that I had when the bar was 2 links lower - which had placed more load on the forearms. Having experienced Golfer's Elbow, I'm not keen on the forearms "helping" the biceps again in this drill.
After my Day A session on Monday, I skipped the single-arm heavy club work. My shoulder felt a little too easy to get out of alignment. After my Day A session on Friday, I did the club work and my shoulder felt a lot better. So lesson learned: Do the club work after Shoulder Press for joint traction for the shoulder.
Performance in the Chest Press and Zercher Lunge was about the same this week. I'm still not used to applying single-leg force with the thigh being parallel to the ground, or close to that angle. I'm still experiencing some soreness in the area of the MCL of my left knee when I walk. The knee feels fine during the Zercher Lunge. I'll keep doing at least one set of an easy variation of Shrimp Squat after Isochain work to try to reset the alignment of the hips, knees, and ankles. I will also see if I need to do my hip stretches immediately after Zercher Lunge and Shrimp Squat to prevent the knee soreness.
The problem with the Chest Press is the higher skill requirement compared to all the other drills I'm currently practicing. It seems that all of the following conditions have to be met:
- Bar should be at a good height so that the pectorals do more work than the shoulders
- Bar should be at about chest height but does not need to be close to the chest
- Forearms should be parallel to torso
- Upper arms should be touching the chest
- Elbows do not have to touch torso but should be in line with upper arms and hands
- Think of pulling elbows towards each other, without breaking alignment, then think of elbows being pulled away from the torso and up
- Anterior pelvic tilt might help, which would make sense as this action turns on the abs for pushups.
- Angle of the chain will probably be diagonal rather than vertical, because of the bar being pushed both up and away from the body.
Saturday, September 04, 2021
Guitar Strumming Lesson and Charlie Parker Licks
https://www.guitarplayer.com/technique/guthrie-govans-fabulous-funk-flare-ups?fbclid=IwAR1hFRCO_bNeo6P0j0ieFrmaeeb1rZ9MrvQENPJObSGXAZnaRuEIZqleA7I
https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/charlie-parker/
https://bulletproofmusician.com/nicole-newman-on-using-yoga-to-develop-sustained-focused-attention-and-practice-getting-into-the-zone/?fbclid=IwAR221yVpnnZsOCSqtB1KUCjEKcR4jvB7Z1kibGYOXvXqUx02Cye0IHMCT0M
Julian Lage Shares His Advice For Improvisation
Isochain Burn Count: Week 1
I completed the first full week of Burn Count. This is how I did:
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Medium Angle: 25s, 130lbs
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 35s, 35lbs
Drag Curl: 25s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 21s, 40lbs
Chest Press Low Angle: 35s, 35lbs
Seated Row: 25-27s, 50lbs
Shoulder Press is going well. 30s in for the first Burn Count session last week. 35s this week. Also, I have recovered enough pain-free range of motion to do the "swimming backstroke" joint mobility exercise with minimal discomfort.
After my Day A session, I did 5 sets of 5 of each of the following single-arm drills with my 15lb heavy club on each arm: Shield Cast, Inside Circle, Outside Circle. This was, again, for joint traction for the shoulder - since brachial hang from the pullup bar is stil uncomfortable, and some forearm work to try to balance out the Drag Curl.
After lowering the load to 40lbs, I still struggled to hold for the minimum 20s in the Zercher Lunge. But since I did reach 21s per leg for both reps, I will keep working this drill at 40lbs. After the first session with Zercher Lunge, there was discomfort in my left knee around the MCL whenever I walked, due to the external hip rotator seemingly "turning off" for the day. I had to consciously keep my left foot pointing straight ahead while walking. After my 2nd Day B session, I did a couple of sets of Shrimp Squat with arms forward, to retrain my hips, knees, and ankles to move together without losing alignment. Adding frog stretch to my cooldown also seems to help.
After my 2nd Day B session, I did a couple of sets of pushups on the floor. This was a pleasant surprise as I had not done pushups on the floor in almost 2 years. Last year, I didn't have the strength to do pushups on the floor at all. For my 2nd rep of Chest Press, I tried with the hand closer together and my performance dropped. I took a minute break, then did a 3rd rep wiht my hands back where I had them beofre. I misunderstood Red Delta Project's coaching for this drill in the below video. I thought for some reason that he said the elbows should be close to the rips. No. He said the arms should be close to the chest. Big difference!
Day A drills:
Romanian Deadlift Medium Angle: 25s, 130lbs
Shoulder Press Low Angle: 35s, 35lbs
Drag Curl: 25s, 20lbs
Day B drills:
Zercher Lunge: 21s, 40lbs
Chest Press Low Angle: 35s, 35lbs
Seated Row: 25-27s, 50lbs
Shoulder Press is going well. 30s in for the first Burn Count session last week. 35s this week. Also, I have recovered enough pain-free range of motion to do the "swimming backstroke" joint mobility exercise with minimal discomfort.
After my Day A session, I did 5 sets of 5 of each of the following single-arm drills with my 15lb heavy club on each arm: Shield Cast, Inside Circle, Outside Circle. This was, again, for joint traction for the shoulder - since brachial hang from the pullup bar is stil uncomfortable, and some forearm work to try to balance out the Drag Curl.
After lowering the load to 40lbs, I still struggled to hold for the minimum 20s in the Zercher Lunge. But since I did reach 21s per leg for both reps, I will keep working this drill at 40lbs. After the first session with Zercher Lunge, there was discomfort in my left knee around the MCL whenever I walked, due to the external hip rotator seemingly "turning off" for the day. I had to consciously keep my left foot pointing straight ahead while walking. After my 2nd Day B session, I did a couple of sets of Shrimp Squat with arms forward, to retrain my hips, knees, and ankles to move together without losing alignment. Adding frog stretch to my cooldown also seems to help.
After my 2nd Day B session, I did a couple of sets of pushups on the floor. This was a pleasant surprise as I had not done pushups on the floor in almost 2 years. Last year, I didn't have the strength to do pushups on the floor at all. For my 2nd rep of Chest Press, I tried with the hand closer together and my performance dropped. I took a minute break, then did a 3rd rep wiht my hands back where I had them beofre. I misunderstood Red Delta Project's coaching for this drill in the below video. I thought for some reason that he said the elbows should be close to the rips. No. He said the arms should be close to the chest. Big difference!
So, there are the key points for Chest Press on Isochain or other bar-and-chain isometric device:
- Bar should be at a good height for pectoral activation, but not too high as the shoulders make take over
- Bar should be at about chest height but does not need to be close to the chest
- Forearms should be parallel to torso
- Upper arms should be touching the chest
- Elbows do not have to touch torso but should be in line with upper arms and hands
- Think of pulling elbows towards each other, without breaking alignment, then think of elbows being pulled away from the torso and up, in an arc.
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