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Damn, I forgot to post about this. I've been experimenting with this both on myself and a few other people with dramatic effects. What I found though is that it does not work as well as I thought while in the couch stretch (but it is the perfect position to see the before-after change), but it does while in the basic quad stretch; I have people start mostly upright and work on the VMO and VL, then they slowly start lowering (every single person I've tried this onto has been able to lower all the way down after working on the vasti, even the tight ones) until they are lying on the floor; then I start working on the rectus femoris (having them keep PPT). One interesting thing I noticed is that it's as if the rec fem can't be accessed if you don't first work on the vasti. The results is a massive decrease of the tension felt in the couch stretch, both immediately after and in the following days. The result also seems to be long-lasting (I've done it on two of my students in our long class three weeks ago, and yesterday they were at the same level they were immediately after receiving it).

2/10 Fri. Heavy LB. Bouncing, burpees, squat/hip mobilization, dislocates, light wrist stretches and handstand work, followed by: RTO Support: (Paired with DF) 3x30s@+0.75kg. Dragon Flags (straight arms): (Paired with RTO Support) 3x5@+0.75kg. Adding the weight at the very end of the lever makes even an extra 0.25kg substantial enough to really feel it. Stuck with 3x5, but definitely tougher than before so will stay here until a bit easier. Snatch Grip Deadlifts: 3x3@105kg. Romanian Deadlifts: 3x3@105kg. Prehab/Misc.: German Hang 3x45s, Feet-Elevated Bridge 3x20s, 1.25kg Curls 3x30 Finally got to use my new weights Of course the first thing I wanted to do is throw it all on and try deadlifting all of it, but I restrained myself I did load up one side to see how much the bar would hold, though. Looks like I'll be able to fit 127.5kg. I decided I would try adding 5kg each week and stay at 3x3, so assuming I can keep up the new weights should last me a month or so. I may hold the weight steady a few sessions and keep the effort comfortable, though. Will be on the lookout for more plates in the meantime. As for 105kg, I could definitely tell it was heavier but it wasn't bad. Feels nice being able to progress the weight, though! Threw in some light, high-rep curls to get some extra blood flowing to the biceps just for good measure after shocking them a bit yesterday Bridges feel really good after deadlifts. I wondered how that would work out the first time I tried them on deadlift day, but they feel better than on any other day. Think I'm about ready to push the holds up a bit next week. Will go for 25s holds and see how that feels.

Have definitely strained my right groin. Notice it only when in anterior pelvic tilt but it’s there. Not a lot of pain but some weakness and discomfort. Was due to squat tonight but will do an upper session instead and see how the squatting goes tomorrow. Goal for next week is to restart my morning routine. Last year and the year before I routinely woke at 5.30am to train even during the winter months. I have struggled with this the last 6 months even though it’s a lot warmer right now. I woke at 6.30 (pre-alarm) this morning and felt ok so will nudge it back to 6 for the next week and take it from there. I have had a virus (hand, foot and mouth - sounds worse than it is but kind of like chicken pox) on and off since December last year and I’m assuming this is partly to blame. The other part is no doubt pure laziness haha. Have also set myself a couple of substantial goals in learning two languages at the same time. I have dabbled in learning Korean over the course of the last 3-4 years. I never quite got past the advanced beginner stage though which was mainly due to lack of Korean people to practice with. I’m back into that and am adding Cantonese on top of it. I developed a love for the Korean language through my years learning Hapkido, finding new Korean friends and exploring the culture. Cantonese is pure and simple for my love of HK cinema. I do have a lot of friends who speak Canto so there is a natural crossover there. There are so many great language learning resources out there that I’m really excited to get stuck into these.

Jaja asks about how "broad" the meditation object - the point of focus - should be; and he mentions the issue of maintaining stillness. I would like to step back to consider these questions by beginning with the issue of what we call "distraction." At a fundamental level it does not matter how wide or narrow the meditation object is, or whether we are moving or still. The only thing that matters is the quality of our engagement with the meditation object. Let's start at the basics. Meditation deals with awareness. We are already aware; we don't have to do anything to be aware, because we are already aware. And, if we are aware, we are aware of something. In other words, awareness always has an object. If I am seeing, I am seeing something. If I am thinking, I am thinking something. In the context of meditation, we call this "something" the meditation object. Notice that if I choose to meditate on a specific object - let's say, breathing - then I am not just working with awareness itself, but attention. Attention chooses some aspect of the field of awareness and focuses on it. This act entails some degree of effort, and it necessarily introduces distraction. After all, I choose to be aware of breathing, but find myself lost in thinking - I am "distracted." Distraction is bad, from the perspective of attention - I am not focusing my awareness on my chosen object - but neutral from the perspective of awareness - I am aware, but at this point it is the distraction that I am aware of. So it is important, for me, not to get caught up in concerns about distraction. Distraction is inevitable, unless one's attention and concentration are perfect. Which they are not. Let's say I decide to focus for 30 minutes on my breathing. Can I? Some people can, but most cannot. For most, this is an impossible job. But this does not matter. What we all of us can do is be aware, now. Right now, what am I aware of? This is the central question, pointing to the central activity: now, aware of what? Forgetting what happened before, or what may happen later - because both these are just thoughts arising now. When we approach meditation from this angle, then although we may make certain craft decisions, like whether my meditation object should be wide or narrow, or whether it is permissible to move or not to move, once we begin to practise these are not the central issue. The central issue is: What's happening, now? The rest will take care of itself over time.

In the beginning, don't "try hard not to get distracted" it is the effort that creates the tension, or which amplifies the tension already present. Relax as much as possible and experience the sensations of breathing, even if this means you get distracted more often—the task of meditation is to simply be aware of, or note, the distractions; then in the instant of being aware that you are distracted, smile internally and bring your awareness back to the sensations. Concentration (which is what people mean when they use expressions like "I find it harder not to get distracted") will strengthen by itself, over time, through the repeated action of noticing. This is how it works. Trying harder only increases tension; the next time you do this activity, take a moment to experience this. Context is everything in understanding any instruction: yes, restless movement will agitate the mind, as "restless" means no control over the movement. If, on the other hand, you follow my instruction which was (to save you re-reading the ling post above): "Try to make any adjustments to your posture really slow—so slow, you can think, that if anyone were watching, they would not see any movement" you will experience the antithesis of restless. The very act of moving so slowly in the correction that an observer would not notice the movement guarantees that your full awareness will be in the doing of it—presence in each instant is the long-term goal of the practise, and if you do manage to move this way, you will experience this presence powerfully. Wonderful: consider making this your meditation object instead—it might be a better object because it is so clear. My colleague Patrick makes this point often on retreats: if there is some aspect of the experience that is really strong, then deliberately move your awareness to this—and see what happens. You might be surprised.