Good for you, I could not running with a mask on under any circumstances.
As for the punishment you’ll jsut have to see when you’re bad. 
When I’m stuck a day
That’s gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!
giterdone, you are absolutely right. I’ll try to keep on moving with less thinking until the world looks sunny again.
George, thanks for your encouraging words. I got a bit better sleep last night and am hoping for even better sleep tonight. That always helps, as well you know!
Nadia, ROAR! right back atcha. The even better news is that my foot did not hurt at all, during or after. I may have rehabbed that one correctly.
Joe, I have gotten somewhat used to the mask but I understand exactly what you mean. Its not super comfortable.
Betty, that was wonderful. Thank you!
Another snowstorm this AM, but the sun just came out. So helpful to see the sun! Looking forward to gettin’ after it in the gym tonight.
you guys in the east are getting more snow that I am at 9600 feet altitude in Colorado! what’s up with that!
George, I really wish I could send all of this snow to you.
I’m a bit behind in my logging, but let me start with Friday night’s training where I attempted to implement the following suggestion from Meat:
"saw the dead video as well. you have a good bit of back rounding going on. that comes from starting the lift with your back. the sumo is all about using the lower body to start the lift. start the lift by forcing the knees out and driving out of the hole just like when squatting. if you watch your video the upper body starts moving before the lower does anything. the upper body should be basically motionless when starting the lift. the upper body is really only used to lockout the lift.
i would suggest doing some elevated deads starting with the bar just below the knee. at that level you will basically be just pushing the hips through to lockout. videotape yourself from that height and once you perfect that, lower the height a little bit. keep videotaping and be sure that the upper body is staying tight with the chest high. over time you can work your way down to floor level. it’s all about gett’n the lower body into the lift and your back out of it."
Sumo Rackpulls from 4 risers
135# 1 x 5
155# 1 x 5
175# 1 x 5
185# 1 x 5
190# 1 x 5
What say you, is this what Meat meant? Can I take away a riser next time? I’ve never held up 190 lbs. before and found this challenging but do-able. BTW, my glutes were pretty smoked after this session.
RDLs
135# 1 x 10
Now my glutes were finished off. Time for some upper body!
Military Press
Bar 1 x 3
48# 1 x 3
54# 1 x 5 <–money set
I’m only pretending to do my 5/3/1 weights…I’ll repeat this entire wave in a few weeks time and see if I can do better.
Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 15, 1 x 20
With absolutely NO RESULTS except some smoked abs. Darn.
Seated Shoulder Presses
20s 1 x 10
22.5s 1 x 10 <–last 2 reps were hard
Seated Front and Sides
7.5s 1 x 10, 1 x 5
Yesterday’s training was 45 minutes of hard XC ski skating…this is the time actually spent skiing, not including the rest time after each ~8 min. lap around the loop.
In nutrition news, after a couple of days of really full-on eating (Chinese on Fri. night and tapas last nite plus alot of great wine) I finally weighed in this AM at one pound above my goal weight. This is good news considering how low I’ve been for a number of weeks.
You can remove a riser. If you watch the vid, your shoulder and hip are rising in unison, keeping your back angle constant, and then you lock out. This is what you want.
As said before, sumo is basically a wide stance, high squat. The the hips come through due to back extension at the end.
If it was me, next session I would keep the weight the same, remove a riser and video a single rep and review. If you see your hips move first, then drop some weight for the next set. Vid a single rep. If it looks good then do another set with some reps. If it was me.
Far be it for me to talk form. But I will say ‘Wow to your arms poppin!’ Bi’s, tri’s, & shoulders look strong.
Yeah, Miss Kimba definitely has some tasty delts.
nice work kimba! I think I need to figure out a setup to work that move…
Yay, I’m glad you ran. Weather’s been crappy over here too.
I’m glad you got back to your goal weight, with an extra pound. Chinese will do that, I’m still trying to work my recent Chinese meal off 
No MSG my ass.
Great training Dearheart, your strength never ceases to amaze me.
I’d second what git said about removing a riser and then seeing if you back and hips keep moving together.
what did YOU think about the rack pulls?
giterdone, thanks for your thoughts and ideas for next time. I’d have to warm up a bit before trying a heavy weight rack pull single, but other than than tweak, I like it.
print, thanks for the compliment. Whenever I wear a t-shirt with sleeves, I think my arms are hidden but I guess I’m mistaken on that.
Cal, I rather like being described as “tasty”.
George, couldn’t you just fix the pins on your rack to the right height and pull in the rack? I would VASTLY prefer a power rack to my mickey mouse aerobics riser setup.
Nikki, its YOU that always amazes ME. Seriously! I’ll take your crappy weather if you want my six foot high fucking snowbanks. Deal?
Joe, thanks as always for your input.
Betty, I thought they looked like they were supposed to look. But its nice to hear it from more unbiased observers.
Hey Kimba! Glad you’re feeling better and you’re back up to your regular weight (ps. damn you and your metabolism!). I’m also perpetually cold, but I’ve got some natural insulation, so i can only imagine the chill you’ve been feeling. And I’m glad you got outside for your vit D! Hopefully that will help with the mood situ.
Thats some great form critique with the DL - i’ll have to incorporate those cues as well. I also think “like a lever, like a lever” and that helps a bit. Nice work with the risers. Back looked great! ANd of course, those arms are BEYOND tasty.
I just assumed you would do a warm-up since you are smart like that
I can do and have done rack pulls, but with my long legs I can’t get to sumo width in the rack. Also, pulling from a box setup like you have allows the bar to be “live” just like pulling from the floor.
Kimba: DLs looked easy for you. 190 feels nice–doesn’t it? I’m also pretending to do 5-3-1 with my MP. Deja had a comment in her log about behind the neck presses having helped her MP to go up. I don’t know what Behind the neck presses are, but these might be worth a google. That’s a goodly amount of HLRs–and nothing? Are you trying to keep your legs straight and toes pointed? Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Re the running club: That could be great for you. Certainly worth further investigation. In my experience, indoor track running is a step up from a treadmill, but not much of one. The air can be oppressive in such places, but perhaps the facilities at MIT are exceptional.
Anyway, although there are a lot of running clubs in my area, I’ve never joined any of them. I 'm certain I would be a better runner if I had though. But, I can’t get past the convenience of the door to door aspect of my training and the solitude. Also, many of my friends run so I feel plenty connected to the running community should I need advice or support.
Maschy, thanks for coming 'round even when you are crazy-work-swamped. I hope you get a better work-life balance soon.
giterdone, sometimes I’m lax with warmup sets because I fatigue pretty easily. Its tough for me to know exactly what is too little and what is overkill.
George, I forgot how tall you are! I can totally see how the rack might not work for you. I’m just a tad over 5’4", so I do think a power rack would work for me, but that is a moot issue since I don’t have access to one. I’ll bet you can figure out a box solution. Perhaps you can find some aerobic risers on Craigslist or perhaps build something out of 2x4s?
Nadia, the rack pulls at that high height were pretty easy. But that is not my sticking point: the floor is. I’m sure when I pull out a riser, I’ll find holding my chest up and pulling with my butt and legs a whole lot harder. I’m sure that is the point of the exercise. Yeah, I was pointing the toes and squeezing…nada. Of course I’ll try again! 
As for the track club, I’m actively considering it but like you, the convenience factor of just running from my house is so compelling. Fighting rush-hour traffic in order to run is a huge negative.
Sunday AM training was hampered by the consumption of too much delicious Spanish wine on Saturday night. I can’t drink that much (2 glasses) and I wasn’t drunk, but I could definitely feel the effects dragging my energy down. Alcohol is, sadly, poison for me.
Squat Rehab and fake 5/3/1 Bench Day
Squat
Bar 1 x 5
75# 1 x 5 ← OK
85# 1 x 5 <–legs feeling weak
90# 3 x 3 <–knee wiggle, felt hard, some reps not quite low enough
I just wasn’t feeling this today, so moved on.
Bench Press, 5’s day
Bar 1 x 5
61.5# 1 x 5
71# 1 x 5
80.5# 1 x 4 <–failed on 5
When I repeat these weights in a few weeks, I’ll try to do better.
DB Bench
30s 1 x 0 <FAIL! Couldn’t even get them up.
20s 2 x 20
Kroc Rows
20# 2 x 15
At the end here, I just went for some volume and felt the burn. Better luck next time.
in that cold weather, gotta take the burn where you can get it.
keep your head up mama, spring’s on her way!
=+)