One week being without technology, well for the most part. No texting for the past week was nice. I actually got to talk to some people on the phone and hear their voices. I did have to look up a couple of things on the internet during this past week but I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. One thing I had to look up was a certain owl hoot. I had taken Penny the pup out to pee before bed when I heard it. A well rehearsed series of “who’s.” So naturally when I came in and had to know what kind of owl it was. It didn’t take but a few seconds, thanks to technology, to find a site where they have owl sounds. After clicking on a few wrong sounds I found it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fppKGJD3Y6c). The sounds came from a barred owl also known as eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, striped owl and hoot owl. One of the most common owls in north America and the only typical owl in the eastern USA to have brown eyes, most have yellow eyes. It was the same kind of owl that I wrote about back in May in the post "The Owl and Fox". It always nice when you live in the city to see or hear wildlife, it gives you a sense that there is still some wild places out there.
Working out has never been anything I have ever loved doing. But I have picked up more in the past year than I have done in awhile. In 2012 I did pretty well to work out 2-3 times per week, whether it was just doing some pushups or riding the bike or a full out workout I still did a little more than usual. I did have a few spurts where I wouldn’t work out for a week or two but for the most part I did better getting in shape last year. That brings to 2013, and my plan to continue to get better at working out.
For Christmas I got what is called Rock Rings made by a company called Metolius. Basically they are just a rock climbers training tool that hangs from the wherever like a pull-up bar. Even there are just a few exercises you can do on them and they are purely arm and shoulder exercises with a few core muscles being worked indirectly, they can still be tough. So first to warm up, I hang there. Seems easy right? Well its not. Keeping your back perfectly straight as if you were in an upside down pushup position, while hanging arms extended for about a minute then moving each hand down to the next position for another minute without letting your back drop, then down to the next, all the way to the bottom then climb your way back up. Still seem easy? Did I mention each position is smaller than the previous, so you start using your whole hand on the top then move to just four fingers then three, and the last is just two fingers only about one knuckle deep? Alright warm up done. Move on to pull ups. I know how hard is a pull up right? Not hard… at first. First five are easy using the whole hand then take a break. Now move onto four fingers, three, and finally two again, if you can manage five reps. Oh wait, I forgot an important part, after you climb to the bottom with your hangs and pull ups you have to climb back to the top. Pull ups done? Time to move on to more hanging with opposite hands in different positions followed by more pull ups with hands in different positions as well. Ultimately you work to build up to doing more minutes on hangs, more pull-ups, and eventually one handed everything and maybe one day two finger, one handed hangs and pull ups. That’s the goal anyway, right now I'm good for about 45 seconds on the two finger hang and no pull ups with just two fingers but a few on the other holds. Time to get to work.
My challenge for now is pretty much as above, so that’s what ill be working on for awhile. So until next time, hang on.
“It’s ideal to walk the middle line in life. It’s for sure the way of peace. I’m trying every day to find that way. I get lost on the path that from afar seems so simple. Sometimes I’m too lazy and sometimes I hurry so much. I’d like to be right between those extremes.” -Chris Sharma
No comments:
Post a Comment