Nordic Blood: Climbing And Lifting / Lifting And Climbing

Training Training Logs
1544

Yeah, so, they brought me in fairly acutely. Triaging with regards to psychiatric care here works fairly well as long as the patient is honest with what they are experiencing. I got brought in a day or two after reaching out and assessed. There’s a lot of criticism I have for how it works after but the process is started. It’s also summer, so people are on vacation and generally swamped.

As I wrote to @dagill2, this language isn’t coming from a place of blame, but rather owning up to the fact that in life the one thing ever present in how something affects a person is that person themselves.

I’m not ruminating about how this is my fault. I’m merely acknowledging that there are other decisions I could have made that would have led down a different path.

Why do I feel the need to put this in writing? I don’t feel that nearly enough people accept the role they themselves play in how their life pans out.

Absolutely, I appreciate that. And I thank you for writing it out. That is something I do struggle with, which is why I delayed seeking help for so long. The, “is it bad enough, really?”-bit. That is affirmation that I need. When I got it during my “first” psych treatment (this time) it was a weight off of my chest.

Your presumption was wrong, but I made it very easy for you to make that presumption!

Please share.

Yeah, well, I mean. The alternative isn’t really an alternative.

Personally, I group suicidal thoughts into two categories. I’m not a professional, so I’m probably not using the right language here.

I distinguish between suicidal ideation as a coping mechanism which is a form of escapism, it’s a way to visualize freedom and peace (rest in peace) which I view as something that is serious and needs to be addressed. This is one category.

This actual planning or attempts which I view as an acute medical state. This is the other category.

For me, my experience recently has been the former. I have experienced the latter previously in life. If I experience it again, I’m calling our version of 911.

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1545

Good to hear that healthcare is working reasonably well over there (I think…?). Literally the only possibility of being admitted that fast over here is stating that you are acutely suicidal. Although that speeds up the process, it generally speaking isn’t that helpful because the main objective is to prevent suicide and you don’t actually get real treatment. Just a shit load of Lorazepam or something comparable and you’re closely monitored. Something I haven’t experienced myself but discussed once (psychiatrist explained the process to me but ultimately adviced me to not go down that route in order to get admitted faster). Demand is super high, supply can’t meet that.

I can definitely relate to that. When I seriously broke down for the first time, this is the one thing I did SO WRONG (not seeking help, not telling anybody until I reached a point in which I was too disfunctional to go on with daily life, turning to excessive drinking etc.). Second time I did better but still crashed hard (it is a learning curve, eh). Trying to tough it out is not an option in the long run. It never is and I absolutely get the instinct behind it, especially with what you told us about your uprbinging in the posts above. Nowadays I view seeking help as actually fighting a lot harder instead of less. It’s like asking for a weapon in order to better you’re fighting chances. I don’t know if that is similar for others but it was an important step for me to learn that.

That’s good. I’m happy to be wrong here! I’m sure you’ll forive me since things like that are easy to misinterpret, especially through a cliffnote version of an immensly complex topic.

It’s nothing scientific or anything but I sometimes try to analyze myself in these situations. I think there are a few possible reasons and which applies depends on the situation and individual:

  1. If you truly know rock bottom, you want to shield people from it. Assuming that you are an emphatic person in the first place. I know I personally don’t want people close to me (and even less close to me) to suffer the way I have and do. The personal experience sensitized me.
    The therapist in question stated that she had the impression I am very empathic in regards to others but fail to show any empathy for myself. She said that they definitely believe me when I say I am miserable but also that it is hard to actually spot that in the setting of the clinic, since I don’t show any external signs of distress and am always very positive and helpful with my advice to others.
  2. If you take on other people’s problems, you don’t have to deal with your own.
  3. I can give other people advice because I can rationalize and analize. I am so disconnected from my own emotions (major work in progress) that I often have to literally guess (a big tell/ example of that is my inability to cry). Meanwhile I can imagine clearly how other people would feel in a certain situation and take that into account when trying to find a solution or just offering emotional support.

Ok maybe I should have said personal observation instead of theory…

Sure it is. Just a shit one. I’m not talking suicide either but periods of giving up and being literally unable to see any hope (I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about that).

Yeah I think that’s a good assesment, although it probably depends on the individual.

1546

I have many thoughts on this, but sadly little time. I will reply when I’m able.

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1547

That’s appreciated, thank you.

I believe it’s in the exact article you’ve linked to above. I find it hard to keep track with Dan John because the majority of his concepts seem to spill over and appear in so many different places and forms. But my interpretation of the idea is that the 4 different areas of life (work, rest, play and pray) all impact each other (the body is one piece).

I don’t believe the two need to be mutually exclusive at all. In fact, I find the opposite to be true for myself. I find myself to be more content when I’m pushing the most to improve, the caveat being that I need that push to improvement to be something that I honestly want and care about. Something that matches my principles.

Totally off topic, but I read somewhere (no clue where, sorry), the idea that real winners cheer other winners because they realise that life is not a zero sum game. Its stuck with me and has literally this second clicked in my mind as the difference between independence and the more advanced interdependence of Steven R Covey

I’m not quite sure I’m following here, forgive me. Does this time feel different than previously? How so? Is that a result of strategies you’ve previously developed?

I absolutely applaud that decision.

Way outside my knowledge base, I’m sorry.

I see this idea of discipline a fair bit, I’m sure you can think of other logs this could easily sit in. My understanding of discipline is simply “doing what’s necessary”. To me, the discipline is in making the right decision in spite of your emotions telling you differently. To my mind, both of the examples you’ve listed would probably (without knowing the full situation) be considered a lack of discipline.

I feel I miscommunicated here, because I absolutely agree that you should be being attentive to your emotions at the minute.

I think I will have to come back another day and explain though because that’s now the second “long nod” of this message, so I don’t think I’ll be able to put words to e-paper coherently tonight.

Many apologies, I will absolutely come and edit this to a more readable and useful form when I’m able.

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1548

Apologies for the long absence on this one, its been a bit of a full on few days and I haven’t been in the right mind space to put my thoughts down.

This post has been edited heavily to remove the mental masturbation.

My thoughts are, in essence, that you rely on your emotions and intuition a lot in regards to things that are important to you, and that you could probably benefit from planning things a little more proactively in lifting and life to allow for the fluctuations that you know you will have.

Despite how it would seem to many people who know me, I have many tell tale signs, and I watch myself very closely for signs that I need a course correction. I also have several different tactics to bring to bare when I see they are needed, and they’re all pre planned. Intuition doesn’t come into it, and because of that, all I’m doing is following the plan. To me, that leads to far fewer decisions that I later regret because I can’t bring myself to fault poor planning, only poor decisions that deviate from the plan.

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1549

Read it though. Will have to think it over. Delete if you feel the need. Entirely your call

1550

That’s a shame, because I’m not very proud of that outpouring.

I very much hope it brings some value to you anyway.

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1551

Don’t beat yourself up over it. There’s something there worth considering

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1552

You’ve been very quiet lately. How are you doing? Are you okay? How are the cats?

That hike sounds fun by the way. You definitely deserved the pizza :wink:

1553

I’m okay! Cats seem to not care much that I’m back meaning they’ve been well taken care of in my absence. Hike was a tremendous experience.

How are you?

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1554

Glad to hear you and your cats are doing well!

I’m pretty meh
I’m starting a new research project so that’s nice, but Math isn’t going great and my body is rebelling a bit.
Mum also had a nasty health shock, but that (at least consciousmy) hasn’t really affected me

1555

Excuse me @planetcybertron @EmilyQ do either of you know the proper terminology for this? When someone has conditioned themselves into a certain behaviour and can’t really step outside of it?

1556

That lines up quite well with the terminology of addiction.

There’s also obsession. Either two share similar terminologies.

1557

I was going to suggest addiction, too. Which is, in and of itself, an obsessive-compulsive behavior. Obsession = can’t stop thinking about the thing, compulsive = overwhelming urge to engage in certain behavior/s.

1558

Yeah.

Yeah.

As you likely know, addiction/recovery is my frame of reference for these things.

1559

I can resonate with OCD. Addiction, maybe. Initially. When it felt as a means to exercise control rather than being controlled.

1560

Committing (maybe)

My default work will look like this

Day 1: Press + assistance (delts, tris, maybe back)
Day 2: Back Squat + assistance (quads, posterior chain, abs)
Day 3: Climbing
Day 4: Bench + assistance (chest, shoulders, tris, maybe back)
Day 5: Climbing
Day 6: Deadlift + assistance (quads, posterior chain, traps, maybe back)
Day 7: Off

Right now my weaknesses are my quads and my triceps. My hips shoot up on the squat, and on benching and overhead pressing my lockout is where I have the most trouble. Meanwhile, I have a way too easy time activating my chest and delts respectively.

“maybe back” means rhomboids/rear delts/lats. I have to figure out how much back work I need/can do anew. Ideally, I’d plan vertical pull on press, and horizontal pull on bench but might be a better bet to do both on deadlift day with all the climbing.

Therefore, out of the gate, I imagine I’ll run

Press: Push Press & DB Incline
Back Squat: Front Squat & Walking Lunges Front Rack
Bench: CGBP or JM Press & Incline
Deadlift: Frankenstein Squat from pins. Deadlifts are my strongest lift so I’d rather invest in my weak quads.

Taking a number from 531/HSS-100/A Fatal Mistake in Size Training (really, 351 gave me the idea), I borrow the progression and go,

“7/5/9/3”

It’ll play out like this

Block 1: 4x6-8; moderate intensity
Deload: Undecided

Block 2: 5x4-6; higher intensity
Deload: Undecided

Block 3: 3x8-10 (15/12/8/20 for squat); highest volume
Deload: TM test

Block 4: 6-8x1-3; highest intensity — emphasis on hard conditioning
Deload: Pump work

That’s for the main lift at least. The assistance lift(s) varies a little. If it’s a decent mass builder, it might be 6-8, 8-10, 12-15 (drop sets/RP et al), and 4-6 in a strength phase. But, for instance, with the front squat I want 5 sets of 3 good reps. And dead start frankenstein will be clusters.

The ranges might be double progression, or waves, or whatever the fuck that honors the spirit of the range. I.e., I might go into block 4 feeling like 3/2/1-waves and then that’s what I’ll do.

It becomes somewhat similar to two leaders and an anchor. A block is 3-4 weeks long and a “deload” is 1-2 weeks. I’ll also take every 6th or 7th week off from climbing totally to stop fucking up my hands.

And gain weight, because fuck.

I’d change assistance exercises every 4-6 weeks to something else that targets a weakness.

Climbing days usually involve some ab-work/handstand work/lever work so no real planned abs or carries. The lever work is another nail in the coffin for hitting my back 3x weekly as part of my gym sessions.

The deloads are meant to stave off the ADD’ness and just do whatever I’m not really doing in the main block. That might mean 3x full-body, or some olympic days, or going hiking, I really don’t care. Just… opposite.

And I really need to get back to doing yoga after my sessions because I’m sore as hell everywhere as it is right now.

Feedback welcome. I realise this is about as non-commital a plan can get as it… touches on everything. But at least it doesn’t touch on everything simultaneously! 4-6 exercises per session BTW.

Inspiration: 531,

and this guy had the same weaknesses as me so,

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2020 ADD Challenge
1561

That’s a whole lot of work every week man. I’m a mix of slightly jealous and slightly concerned for your recovery.

1562

Yeah, might work. Parts of it has in the past at least. Otherwise, SVR II looked bang on so I might commit to trying the above and letting SVR be a fallback if reality goes “nope”

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1563

I cannot recommend SVR II enough. It’s the perfect ADD program.

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