Alexus' Adventure in Wonderland

Training
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the happy medium always eludes me. i expect i wouldn’t find other people so draining if assertiveness came easier to me… or if other people were more sensitive such that i didn’t need to expend so much energy figuring out how to be appropriately assertive… but whatever.

i’ve been interested in martial arts for a while. one of the first things i did when i discovered this site was read Pch’s log all about her bjj… then was full of excuses for myself about why i couldn’t do it… but basically i was just scared, i guess. of the physical contact, i think.

anyway… i had a play today with punching and a bit of kicking the bag in the yoga gym. enjoyed it a lot, actually. there is nothing wrong with my arms and skipping has helped me be lighter on my feet and there is some cool stuff going on with using the hips to generate rotational force that is quite unlike the hip drive that i’m used to for lifting.

people do ju jitsu around the course… i’ll try and figure a way of doing some of it. will be good for my self confidence, i think.

i’m not sure about oly lifting… or even weights more generally (well, powerlifting)… i think i’ve come to a bit of a realization… i have osteoathritis in my spine and ankles. i can get stronger, for sure… but after a session or two of really training hard with decent work weights i can hardly move my back / my ankles. i can tune out the pain, but i can’t ignore the loss of mobility / instability of the spine and ankles. sometimes i can feel that my lack of strength is limiting. not often though, in all honesty. mostly i’ve got a panicky feeling because of the crunchiness / instability. i’m not sure that significant loading will ever be on the cards for me. sometimes i get sick of sucking…

cycling. rowing. swimming. apparently. unfortunately middle / long distance has no appeal. even the ‘sprints’. i don’t know. maybe i just don’t want to do something i might be potentially good at. too much pressure. this was supposed to be fun. best dissertation writing procrastination strategy ever. quality of movement. guess i need to remain focused. for me… that was what it was supposed to be about. just to get the best quality of movement that i can. then strengthen that as best i can. i guess we can only do what it is that we can do.

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Lexy,

I think it would be good for you to try something different, although I wouldnt totally give up on lifting.
I personally like cycling… its really easy on the joints. You can do it by yourself or in groups. It can be a social thing, and you get to take part in fundraiser events now and again. You can ride hard or easy. You have the option of hill sprints etc to work on different energy systems.

I have arthritis of my left ankle aswell. Ive started to ice my foot at the end of any session that involves my ankle joint. Its not going to cure things, but might make thinkgs a bit more managable. I also rub “elmore oil” on my ankle most nights and sleep in my strassburg sock every second night. Im thinking about visiting an podiatrist to see if there is anything else I can be doing… maybe a heel lift thing in my shoe… lifting my heel up even a few millimeters may be enough to keep the arthritis at bay.

Im moving town in a weeks time to a small country town. “Bird Cage 2; Aviar dreams” will commence shortly after the move.

tweet

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Lexi doing BJJ! Woo hoo!

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Hmm, decisions decisions, eh? Yeah I agree with theBird, don’t give up on weights, but maybe you just need a different approach, one that doesn’t wear you down. This should all be fun, remember?

elmore oil, interesting, I have very crabby ankles.

Good luck with the move!

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i rolled for a bit today. mostly because pch somehow seemed to think i’d promised so i felt committed…

we started with an exercise circuit for a while on an interval timer with rests. throwing strength bags around and doing mount to arm bar with / on a strength bag and lunge crawls and stuff like that. tire flips (around 120-140kg). i didn’t get to the tire flips - but i’ve flipped it once before and think i could do more with a bit of technique practice for my grip.

then the leader guy (there is probably a name for that) showed everyone a new move and a couple different ways of deflecting / getting out of it. i know there was just two of them but i swear it looked to my untrained eye like there were about 10 different arms and legs all up to different things. made no sense to my brain at all.

then he showed me a couple moves that i’m not sure the name of…

we start from kneeling. then you grab their wrist with one hand and their same bicep with your other. then pull yourself and them forwards so you can choke them from behind. i was having trouble with getting the choke. putting my hand on one of my biceps then the other one round behind the head and squeezing (the elbows together?)… weird squishy feeling… i guess you get used to it. it felt pretty weird for me being choked, too… not panicky… just odd. i think my choke is pretty ineffectual, really…

then one which is similar but you get your arms around them like a seatbelt then roll onto your back flipping them over on top you you and you hook your legs round the outside of their legs and then choke them from there. i think that is the main aim. i liked using my / their bodyweight leverage for the roll back. that was fun. maybe i’m a little spastic with that because i like throwing my bodyweight around? not sure… i keep worrying that i might hurt them even though i’m pretty sure that is crazy. have absolutely no sense of appropriate force at all.

i did a bit with a couple of the other guys. the smallest guy to start and he was fun. kind of quirky and i bet he can move real fast. then somehow i asked the biggest guy… not entirely sure what i was thinking. freaky in a surprising way. was having trouble getting myself wrapped around him cause he was so big lolz. then another guy who seemed a bit weirded out… and maybe i made things worse by sort of backing off instead of being more assertive in rolling with him… then watched a couple guys rolling for a bit which was fun because people were yelling out different things for them to try… then i left to do weightlifting.

i think the ones who are a bit weird are more scared of me than i am of them. just need time to show them that i’m okay about rolling with them. and i am. except i have this weird thing about thinking i’ll hurt them if i’m not careful which is pretty crazy. i’m finding some psychological barrier to putting much force into it anyway. maybe because i’m just learning the movement. feel a bit bad for the guys, though. it is kinda like ‘mind if you let me move you about for a bit while you play dead’ because i don’t really know how to do anything else… i guess the only way to suck less is to keep at it. i guess everybody sucked once upon a time.

will go back tomorrow for some more. apparently i’m doing a weightlifting competition this saturday so will be good for the guys to see this other chick (who is really good) and learn that i’m not actually all that strong and they really better work hard if they want to kick her ass!! i’ll be happy if i match my training maxes since i’m really out of practice with oly stuff. need to do it since i didn’t do the last comp, though. think it is an important part of showing the new people about the whole strength to bodyweight thing… i mean, i think that is why there is one so early on… but i don’t know…

only sucky thing is that i usually do weightlifting from 4pm but the bjj is at 3.30. some guys do a bit of both… but i guess they have picked their priority. i’ll need to figure some kind of workable trade-off. maybe prioritize a bit differently on different days… might be able to train weightlifting at lunch time some days…

pretty darned exhausted now, though. wonder if i’ll get neck bruises tomorrow…

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Lexi you may be the wordiest person on here, but i cant stop reading, and I know this sounds odd, but
I end up being “there” with you. I love sitting here waking up my mind, your my caffeine this morning!

So much I can relate to, i suppose that is why…

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so i kinda sorta get that stuff has been going on and a bunch of posters have been banned and a bunch of posters have voluntarily left. if it is true… damn i’m gonna miss nadia (thanks so much for putting me onto pullup guy) and cal (i felt like we were training buds with out squats for a while there) and nimain (i learned a lot about powerlifting following your journey and the whole wall squats thing). and masch who did the whole learning oly lifting thing… and others… who i don’t even know have left… dammit… i hate it when shit like this happens.

i rolled for a bit again yesterday. i think they started earlier than usual so things were well underway when i’d arrived. i didn’t get what was going on so i just kinda watched from the sidelines. then started hitting up the injured people who were watching to see if anyone would let me practice choking them… basically i kinda fucked up because it took me a while to figure that it didn’t matter that i didn’t matter that i didn’t know what was going on i was supposed to get my ass on the damned mat if i wanted to learn. i really can be a social retard sometimes.

another chick is learning. i think she is the girlfriend of the big dude i rolled with last week. that is fabulous because it means they rolled together so we won’t be rolling together all the time but we can roll together some of the time. pretty sure pch said that it can suck to get stuck with one training partner instead of mixing it up with different people. so looks like this might be the best of both worlds.

a different chick is the girlfriend of one of the other guys who trains (i think). i was asking her if she wanted to learn with me last week but she wasn’t keen… this week i asked her again and she mentioned boxing. maybe i’ll do some of that, too… i think they are MMA people with the no gi bjj and boxing. that is cool. i’ve been interested to do it for a while… like the oly lifting. it just got put down on my list of things i didn’t think i could possibly do and i’m too darned scared to try.

i rolled with a guy who is learning oly lifting. i think we get on pretty good. he is biggish and kinda cuddly to roll with. he reckons i choked him good but i’m not 100% convinced he wasn’t being too nice… he has only been rolling for 4 months. he told me a bunch of stuff that mostly went over my head. told me to look at youtube, though… i do need to watch more. get a better idea of how things are supposed to go. i guess i was / am a bit of a spazz because i think i should be working hard… but it is like oly lifting with the broomstick. people move in slow motion trying to get the positions and transitions sorted out (in bjj) so i need to slow the fuck down and be gentle, yeah, and gradually things will get faster / more forceful once the motor pattern starts to get sussed. i reckon.

need to learn different positions like starting ones and then mount, side control etc i think…

or probably… just immerse myself in learning whatever move we are learning for that day as best i can. actually… that is probably it. i think one of the hardest things about this for me is that i don’t know how to learn if that makes sense. like just getting on the mat. like what i’m supposed to do when people do stuff (am i supposed to play dead since i don’t know a counter move or is trying to wiggle out of it as best i can actually helpful to the other person??)

did some snatch pulls (the bar took a beating lolz) then some light-ish front squat doubles. rest today. comp tomorrow…

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[quote]alexus wrote:
so i kinda sorta get that stuff has been going on and a bunch of posters have been banned and a bunch of posters have voluntarily left. if it is true… damn i’m gonna miss nadia (thanks so much for putting me onto pullup guy) and cal (i felt like we were training buds with out squats for a while there) and nimain (i learned a lot about powerlifting following your journey and the whole wall squats thing). and masch who did the whole learning oly lifting thing… and others… who i don’t even know have left… dammit… i hate it when shit like this happens.

[/quote]

Me too Lex.

sniff.

sniff.

WAHHHHHH.

HOLD ME LEX!!<

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[quote]alexus wrote:
i rolled for a bit today. mostly because pch somehow seemed to think i’d promised so i felt committed…[/quote]

Woo hoo! I’m going to sectionn up your post and give you names for stuff, so I may end up doing a bunch of little posts. Be warned!

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What you call the guy in charge changes from place to place, so no help from me there.

[quote]alexus wrote:
we start from kneeling. then you grab their wrist with one hand and their same bicep with your other. [/quote]

This is an arm drag from the knees

This is a Rear Naked Choke. You’ll get better. Try it without the dude, you’ll see the space where his head goes. You want it to get smaller. Thus bring elbows closer, don’t flex your biceps, and puff your chest out a bit.

If you recall I had a mini panic attack the first time I was really choked and considered bailing on BJJ as a whole. It gets better. Better to panic on while drilling and get it out of your system then panic when it matters. Also,

Yup, main aim. First he showed you the choke, then he showed you where you would use the choke. Where you use the choke is when you’ve taken the back. It’s considered a back take if you have both your feet hooked called having your hooks in.

It’s part of being a white belt, feeling all those things out. Enjoy being a white belt and having the ability to be spastic. If you really fuck up, they’ll let you know. If you hurt them, they’ll let you know. You’ll get a feel for the force, much like with oly.

[quote]i did a bit with a couple of the other guys. the smallest guy to start and he was fun. kind of quirky and i bet he can move real fast. then somehow i asked the biggest guy… not entirely sure what i was thinking. freaky in a surprising way. was having trouble getting myself wrapped around him cause he was so big lolz. then another guy who seemed a bit weirded out… and maybe i made things worse by sort of backing off instead of being more assertive in rolling with him… then watched a couple guys rolling for a bit which was fun because people were yelling out different things for them to try… then i left to do weightlifting.

i think the ones who are a bit weird are more scared of me than i am of them. just need time to show them that i’m okay about rolling with them. and i am. except i have this weird thing about thinking i’ll hurt them if i’m not careful which is pretty crazy. i’m finding some psychological barrier to putting much force into it anyway. maybe because i’m just learning the movement. feel a bit bad for the guys, though. it is kinda like ‘mind if you let me move you about for a bit while you play dead’ because i don’t really know how to do anything else… i guess the only way to suck less is to keep at it. i guess everybody sucked once upon a time.[/quote]

You’re spot on there. It’s weird, you’re rolling around on the ground with grown ass men in pajamas. Embrace that it’s wierd and have fun. Once they start hurting you, you’ll overcome the worry that you’re hurting them or using too much force. For now, enjoy just playing. It’s play, have fun!

[quote]will go back tomorrow for some more. apparently i’m doing a weightlifting competition this saturday so will be good for the guys to see this other chick (who is really good) and learn that i’m not actually all that strong and they really better work hard if they want to kick her ass!! i’ll be happy if i match my training maxes since i’m really out of practice with oly stuff. need to do it since i didn’t do the last comp, though. think it is an important part of showing the new people about the whole strength to bodyweight thing… i mean, i think that is why there is one so early on… but i don’t know…

only sucky thing is that i usually do weightlifting from 4pm but the bjj is at 3.30. some guys do a bit of both… but i guess they have picked their priority. i’ll need to figure some kind of workable trade-off. maybe prioritize a bit differently on different days… might be able to train weightlifting at lunch time some days…

pretty darned exhausted now, though. wonder if i’ll get neck bruises tomorrow…[/quote]

Lifting and BJJ can be a bit much at first, pace yourself. Actively think about pacing yourself, I know you sometimes push too much.

Oh and what kind of meet is this?

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Hey lexi, great to see you in the gym and working it.

I’m still here, only in Over 35.

Re: stuffs – a damned shame, really.

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thanks for letting me know kimba, i’ll be sure to follow along.

weighed in @ 68kg on digital scales (so under 69).

snatch
35 easy so:
40 miss
40 miss

s’okay. i know i got some technique work to do etc etc.

clean and jerk (powerclean and powerjerk for me since that is how i’m strongest)
40 didn’t quite lock out left elbow miss
40 got it - a bit more omph in the drive
45 bit of a yelp and i got it! most i’ve held locked out.

got a head cold… don’t think i was weaker because of it, though.

this was still an ‘informal’ comp since the third judge had a delayed flight so we only had 2 registered judges so the comp couldn’t count… i wore trackies (and aren’t registered so can’t take part in an official comp anyways)… but they said i should be registered since i’m getting free coaching (fair enough - i never thought of it like that). aside from that all official. 2 minutes between lifts etc. proper pause for commands etc.

i didn’t think i’d enjoy it. but i did. it is a different beastie… lifting when you are told… but i did like it. will register and do more… think my compression gear will be okay for a costume with the rule changes around long arms / legs being okay now…

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i had to follow myself on all my lifts, too, since everyone else was much stronger.

thanks for the names pch that really helped me look them up. the guys call it ‘ju jitzu’ (though i can’t spell it) which was why i never paid much attention to start with (thinking that ju jitzu was more about standing kicks and throws and my ankles aren’t up to that). i didn’t get that they meant bjj - or… well… perhaps they don’t really… perhaps it is some adapted version of bjj for mma??? i think they are about mma really… mma gear rather than gi…

my reading leads me to believe that you (as a purist who learned gi) learn a much more technical game?? anyhoo… i’m learning no gi and might possibly get to learn some boxing, too (which should help my skipping or vice versa)

:slight_smile:

i will be careful not to overdo it…
but i’m really enjoying taking up the opportunities i’ve got right now.
am the happiest i’ve been in a long long time :slight_smile:

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and if i don’t get 100% on a physiology test because i’ve been spending more time in the gym than the library then who the fuck cares???
i mean, really. priorities.

this is most unlike me

:slight_smile:

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[quote]alexus wrote:

am the happiest i’ve been in a long long time :-)[/quote]

this makes me happy :slight_smile:

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[quote]cholulalula wrote:

[quote]alexus wrote:

am the happiest i’ve been in a long long time :-)[/quote]

this makes me happy :)[/quote]

x2…this makes me a little happier than I am now…NICE

this foray into BJJ is very interesting especially from the female point of view

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haha. yes, happy. also sick, which means i’m out of the gym and back into the books haha. very nearly 3 months quit. i think this sickness is just your regular cold that happens a few weeks into the start of class rather than something more sinister that is smoking related but i suppose time will tell.

hope to do a little lifting tomorrow or at least a little free play. go along to watch bjj, but stay off the mats since i’m probably contagious…

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Aww sorry to hear that you’re feeling sick! I hear ya on the back-to-class illness (hopefully that’s what it is for you)–not fun. Hopefully you’re back up and at it as soon as possible!

Also, BJJ sounds real neat, keep it up!

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I’m a bit behind on the logs. Glad you enjoyed the informal comp. Get better!

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didn’t watch the rolling today but did some oly lifting…

playing around with one armed snatches and one armed barbell farmers walks (20kg still a mission)

they are setting up cameras and / or projectors or somesuch… i think so we can watch replays? or watch live? i’m hoping it is more replay / bar trajectory / velocity type stuff. suspect it might be…

clean and jerk (power both since that is how i’m strongest. worked up to 5x2@35. getting the hang of shoving my head through (thus reducing the height i need to get on the bar to lockout). something funky is going on with my grip / knees, but whatever…

  • people seem to struggle with the bar falling down on them in their cleans and choking them out. my coach seems to think that this is partly because they are doing wide grip pulls (apparently this helps them pull it higher??) and unsuccessfully narrowing their grip for the rack / racking it with their neck rather than their delts. he says one should keep the grip the same (thus practicing with straps is pretty useful). i suspect he may be right about that… i don’t see the point it pulling it any higher than you need to fit your ass down under it at any rate. i mean how many people find their clean and jerks are limited by how much they can pull into position???

i personally think that one should simply get used to pulling the bar to the exact same height (high enough to fit your ass under) every. single. fucking. time. but whatever whatever nobody listens to me… pull pull pull lets get those pulls nice and strong… now the bar is crashing down. whopsie. okay so lets now forget about squat cleans and just do powercleans until your front squat is strong enough… which is like, when?? bye bye technique mastery.

anyway… powerclean and powerjerk it is. because that is how i’m strongest.

cleanpulls. worked up to 3x3@65kg. easy (hey, its lighter than me). i think he might go easy on me with these since i simply do get lumbar overuse injury if I put the real weights on. i would like to see these side on. i have issues with my knees / grip that i’d like to sort out… i want to get the bar moving back properly from the floor (pretty sure it is bumping forwards off the floor at the moment). i’m sure my hips are rising a bit too fast (which is partly what is setting me up for lumbar overuse injury) and I’d like to work on really keeping them down low and keeping my hips in close to the bar and torso upright… anyway… hopefully once the cameras are set up i’ll be able to work on all that stuff without having to set up my computer (which i simply haven’t been doing since it is getting pretty old buggy / clunky these days)…

high bar back squat. resisted the urge to turn it into a low bar squat and / or cut them a little bit higher. 3x3@55kg which is a good honest effort for me. nearly needed a bit of a yell near the end.

some rows because i need to do my chins on monday (they have regressed a lot).

will do oly tomorrow and possibly some boxing on friday and hopefully get back into rolling next week.