2024 Training Log Part 19

On the stereo this morning: Houses of the Holy- Led Zeppelin. It was raining yesterday really heavily so I put on Rain Song for my daughter. Music for me is like a time travel device. When I listen to that song, I’m 16 again, and I just bought my new stereo with my first pay packet. I’m in my room in my old gaf, on my back on the bed just looking at the ceiling listening to this album. Things are good.

Monday

Sparring. 8×6 min rounds. Now let me tell ya something I did on Sunday night. I made steaks for dinner, and we got a bottle of red. In the fuss of getting the steaks off the griddle and glazing the vegetables on the pan and what have you, I forgot to open the wine. Would have been nice, but the rib eyes didn’t need much backing music, so we sat down to watch a movie and I opened it then (on a school night). My wife had a half glass, and I had a glass, then I had a “top up”, then I might have topped up again and then next thing you know, the bottle is empty, and I was the culprit.

So my sparring was not great. Now what’s that? 3 glasses of wine, 24 hours earlier? Not exactly peak partying. But when you want to train right, alcohol has a major effect. I don’t think people realise it. I was dozy all day, tired and unfocused. For what? Not a big night out, just a sit down and a movie.

And to top it off, I injured my finger mid session and it’s still swollen and sore a week later.

Tuesday

Despite my fat finger I went to the gym for some work. I spoke last week about using some more dynamism now that my low back has calmed down a bit.

1. Half kneeling Kettlebell Press- 5×8, 1×5
2. Half kneeling cable row- 5×8
3. Pec deck 2x failure
4. Bench row 3×12
5. Plank 3x60s
6. 45 degree back raise holds
7. Cable kickbacks 3×10

Wednesday

Finger kept me just to coaching. Boo.

Thursday

Conditioning session.

1. 10 min bike. “hill climbs” for 30 seconds on 30 seconds off
2. 10 minutes of A) Floor Press x8, B) kettlebell high pull x8,8, C) Goblet squat x8
3. 5 minutes bike.
4. 10 minutes of A) Neutral push ups x15 B) Unsupported row x10,10 C) High Step Ups x5,5
5. 10 min bike. “Hill climbs”

Rough but definitely more manageable than last week’s, and a massive improvement in fitness from 2 weeks ago.

Friday

Reps in the gym for recovery. Look, I don’t know what I did here. I just drifted around doing vanity exercises and beach muscles. Faffing is probably a better word.

Saturday

Finger still huge but donned some tape and went at it. 10×5 minute rounds. The plan was to set a very high pace for 5 of the 10 and to use the other 5 as movement rounds. As it was, I think I probably did 7 of the ten fairly high paced just because the opponent’s required it, which is a good thing on any mat. I had none of my brown and only one of my black belts on the mat on Saturday, so that it was that hot is a good sign for the gym.

Training Thoughts of the Week

I hate the term mindfulness. Oh it’s all grand and all, but whenever I see anything about mindfulness it always seems to be wishy washy new age plink plonk music in the background crap talk about your feelings. But I like the term for training. Some call it focus. Others call it being present. being aware of your movements, your position, your balance. Even just lifting weights, feeling your connection to the ground, the way the weight shifts you off balance, feeling the muscles contract to compensate. It’s all good. Understand where you are in space. All good. All good.

Non-Training Thoughts of the Week

I read my daughter an Enid Blyton story last night. It was about a gnome, bit of an arsehole, who gets his villagers to make him a lamppost for outside his gaf with taxpayers money. Now it doesn’t specifically use the word taxpayer but the implication was clear that this guy was a corrupt politician. The gnomes carry out a series of tricks on him and eventually get him sacked by the king. The lesson being, when you’re in a position of power, treat your subjects with respect or they’ll dissent. Something like that anyway.

I thought about it this morning, not about gnomes, but I wondered how much of our morality is absorbed from the stories we read, the movies we watch, and not just from our parents and families. Are we the way we are because we watched movies and read books where the heroes were strong and brave, morally upright, and who did the right thing, and bad guys got their’s in the end? It’s possible.

So what does that mean for the social media age? Whenever I’m shown some of the videos and interactions that go around, even for younger kids, there’s a lot of cruelty. Some of the themes are pretty unusual, with adult themes even when it’s animated. They lack the simple morality of right and wrong. Videos for teens have a mocking tone- look at this “lib” with blue hair screeching. Look at this overweight person falling over. Look at this guy trying to sing. Now comment. Mock. Join the mob.

Okay, the album is over. I’m out of here!

Barry