Shaping the body; adjusting the mind

[Rik]

2 hours ago, jaja said:

I know I'm not supposed to judge my sitting practice, but today session was kinda bad. Tension all over my face.

I like how you go: "I really should not do that thing" and then promptly do that thing.

[jaja]

@161803398874989

A log where errors aren’t reported isn’t really  a log, isn’t it?

[Kit_L]

4 hours ago, jaja said:

A log where errors aren’t reported it’s really  a log, isn’t it?

No, it isn't; I agree. We all have our own ways of doing things. 

Just pay attention to what's happening now; today's sit tension was experienced on the face. That's all, and that is an excellent sit—because you noticed what was happening. Full stop.

[jaja]

11 hours ago, Kit_L said:

Just pay attention to what's happening now; today's sit tension was experienced on the face. That's all, and that is an excellent sit—because you noticed what was happening. Full stop.

Maybe we already talked about this, I don't remember. If my attention is on the breath, shouldn't muscular tension be regarded as a distraction?

-----

20 minutes meditation session. Muscle spasms at the base of my neck (levator scapulae, maybe), some tension on my face, thoughts on the background. I got distracted often, but it was rather easy to come back to the breath.

[Nathan]

16 hours ago, jaja said:

Maybe we already talked about this, I don't remember. If my attention is on the breath, shouldn't muscular tension be regarded as a distraction?

I'm a novice through and through, but I believe the breath (or whatever your object is) is used simply because it keeps you present. If there is tension in the present and you notice it, that is fine. It is creating a narrative about that tension and leaving the present to follow such narratives that we're trying to avoid, I think. That said, there are many different kinds of meditation, and if the purpose of your meditation practice is developing focus then perhaps such a distraction would be unwanted.

[Kit_L]

4 hours ago, Nathan said:

I believe the breath (or whatever your object is) is used simply because it keeps you present.

Without an object, the awareness flits from idea to idea; the Tibetans say we have 60 new thoughts a second...

Let the awareness dwell on the sensations of the breath (or "find the movements in the body we call 'breathing'") and simple become aware of when the awareness is drawn to something else (like tension, or what's for dinner). Yes to no story about what's happening.

[Kit_L]

@jaja wrote (a page ago):

Quote

Day A

• DL (I'm putting it here because I usually get 2 days of rest before day A)
• Hammer Row
• Dead Hangs

Day B

• Chin ups / Pull ups (alternating every week)
• Bench press (currently my only pushing exercise)
  • The following week I could switch the order of these first two exercise. Is this ok, even if the chins/pulls would be done as second exercise?)
• Anti-pronation exercise

Day C

• Squat
• Pendlay Row
•  Dead Hangs or farmer carries

I will comment on each element, and the order/arrangement:

Day A

• DL (I'm putting it here because I usually get 2 days of rest before day A) OK
• Hammer Row. Horizontal pullups better, in my view. Explore both supinated and pronated grip
• Dead Hangs for time. Once you can do 2 minutes, one arm hangs.

Day B

• Chin ups / Pull ups (alternating every week) yes
• Bench press (currently my only pushing exercise) OK
  • The following week I could switch the order of these first two exercise. Is this ok, even if the chins/pulls would be done as second exercise?) Fine
• Anti-pronation exercise Yes

Day C

• Squat Yes. How many sets?
• Pendlay Row. I would use a supinated grip for these, and pull to the waist, not the chest. Check out Dorian Yates; and search on bent-over rows:
• He is using a pronated grip; you use a supinated one (you will lift more weight). Try both grips. Note the low waist position he pulls to: this is the secret.
•  Dead Hangs or farmer carries
• Yes

[jaja]

Thank you for taking the time to answer, @Kit_L

2 hours ago, Kit_L said:

Squat Yes. How many sets?

Currently I’m doing 4, RPT style. Every exercise I do 3 sets, 2 for the deadlift.

2 hours ago, Kit_L said:

search on bent-over rows:

Why bent over and not pendlay?

Also: I might need in the future to cram my training into 2 days a week. In that case what exercise should I avoid putting together? Squat and DL?

[Kit_L]

10 hours ago, jaja said:

Why bent over and not pendlay?

Because if you follow the instructions (supinated grip, pull to top of hips not to chest) you will be able to lift much heavier weights. if you are following Martin's reasoning, using heavier weights is always a Good Thing. Because in Peldlay rows you are pulling to the chest there is more load on the lower back and the weights will be significantly lighter. Do some decent bent over rows and please report back a day or two later. BORs are a old-time bodybuilding staple, and they work.

All powerlifters put squat and DL together, at least on contest day. You may consider squats to be the primary exercise, so always do them, and do DLs every second or fourth workout, a) when you have the time and b) feel strong. See what happens!

[jaja]

Alright, I'm gonna try the new routine, starting next week! Today I began experimenting a bit with the bent over row, though.

• Bench Press: 1x7x82,5kg + 1x8x77,5kg + 1x7x75kg
• Bent-over Row: 1x6x70(+20)kg + 1x7x65(+20)kg + 1x8x60kg
• Hip Thrust: 1x8x150kg + 1x9x135kg +1x10x125kg

The deload week didn't make me stronger, but today I managed to keep pain at bay. I felt discomfort in my left shoulder only during my first rep. The exact cause is still unknown, but probably it has to do with my tendency to anteriorly rotate that shoulder when I press. I tried my best to keep my upper-back tight, with shoulders up and down. I did 8 reps in my first set, but my spotter helped me a bit with the last one, so I didn't count it. My lifts were, in general, a little bit weaker than usual, but the weight felt more evenly distributed between my arms. After the exercise my right side felt more sore than the left one, which can be a good sign since my muscular imbalance favors the other side.

Bent-over Row. I'm trying to figure out what's the right torso inclination. The standard one is about 45° and it puts some strain on the lower back, while Dorian Yates has a slight more upward stance which makes the movement “easier”. At some point the grip will be a limiting factor here.

Hip trust: smooth and fun, but quite heavy. Felt it a bit more in the hamstrings than the glutes and probably didn't reach full hip extension. That's probably due to my HF more than the weight itself. Stretching them prior could help.

[Kit_L]

I just lost a very detailed reply. I have no idea why. Here's the précis.

Your grip is not strong, as you have said, so this means that the supinated Bent-Over Row (BOR) will allow you to lift more weight, once you get used to it. This is because when the grip is pronated, only brachialis and brachioradialis can flex the elbow; in people with average or weaker grip strength, these muscles will not be strong in this position, usually. When you hold the bar palms-up, biceps becomes the third flexor in the initial, straight arm position, and the weight you can pull will be more.

I am surprised that you feel BORs in the lower back; looking at how Pendlays are done, I thought that you would have felt these in the lower back more. And you must pull the bar to the hip crease, and no higher; this activates the middle and lower lats strongly. Think about pulling the elbows behind you, rather than lifting the weight off the floor.

Last, if BORs do affect the lower back, prepare over some weeks by doing Romanian Dead Lifts (RDLs) but keep the knee angle constant, rather than straightening the knee, if you can. I spent some time looking at all the tutorials on the RDL, and all miss this point (and look more like stiff-legged DLs as a result). If you do them as I recommend, off shin-height supports, keep the butt stuck out and only extend the trunk using glutes and hamstrings (no knee straightening), you will feel what I am talking about: massive hamstring and glute activation, and a clear awareness of a tight, slightly extended lumbar spine whose shape does not change—and it will feel very strong.

This is one of the better tutorials, but try keeping the knee angle constant. Bend the knees enough to touch the bar lightly to the floor, keeping tension in the whole body throughout the whole set.

[jaja]

Thank you for the suggestion, Kit. I'll try to perform the RDL the way you described it and report back.

----

40 minutes of meditation practice, today. Mind was racing, got distracted frequently. Tension in the face still present, but it decreased near the end of the session.

[Kit_L]

I look forward to hearing back; the BORs are truly excellent strength and mass-building exercises.

And re. meditation: as long as you notice the distractions, zero problem. 

[jaja]

• Squat: 1x7x110kg + 1x8x100kg + 1x9x90kg + 1x10x82,5kg
• Romanian Deadlift: 3x5x60kg
• Chin-ups: 1x7xBW+12,5kg + 1x8xBW+5 + 1x10xBW
• Anti-pronation exercise: 1x5x10kg
• Dead hangs: 2x60s

Squats left me really fatigued, but I'm happy because I pulled off really good numbers.

RDLs: I tried Kit's suggestion with a comfortable weight just to test them. Felt them in glutes and hams for sure, but I was expecting to feel them even more. I'm saying this because when I try the movement without any weight, I feel my bum much more engaged. Oh I also felt it a tiny bit in my lower back.

Chin-ups: I only marginally increased my total, compared to last week. No PR today.

------

20 minutes of meditation: some tension in my face and some distractions. Shallow breath.

[jaja]

 

• Partner HF stretch
  • My partner was lighter than me, I felt very little
• Partner wall-quad stretch
  • This was interesting, definitely worth it; anyway I got the most intese stretch out of a solo rectus femoris exercise
• Subscapularis stretch
• Human crossbow
  • Tried my best to keep the shoulders back and expose my pec minors. Was good, but still not as good as the one I experienced at the London workshop.
• Partner tailor pose

I consider myself a stiff person with especially tight HF, but a lot of people admire my flexibility whenever I get into the lounge position to have my flexors stretched. I am way better than few years ago and I feel the improvement in daily function, but still have APT and this is really bothering me from an aesthetic POV. I'll try to focus more on the rectus femoris in the near future and see how it goes.

The funniest part was to be a partner here: my friend is new to the method and the HF stretches were really intense for him (we were careful and he was in full control, of course). He is a yogi and is very flexible, but everyone has tight lines and apparently the HF are a really common one.

------

30 minutes meditation session: lot of tension in the eyes region. It's common for me, I experience it also during my lying relaxations (I do them daily, or at least try to) and it takes a wile to dissolve. It never goes away completely.

[jaja]

First day trying @Kit_L's routine:

• Dead hangs: 2x60s
  • Did these as the first thing because all the barbells were taken. First one was slightly longer than 60s, which is good.
• Deadlift: 1x4x120kg + 1x6x117,5kg
  • Smooth, powerful reps, with good form! Stretching properly the HF the day before deadlifting is definitely helping my gains!
• Chin-ups: 4xAMRAP (10-8-8-7)
  • I grabbed the bar determined to touch my waist at every rep, but of course it was too hard. So I committed myself to touch chest, a slightly easier feat.

Overall it was a good workout, I'm happy with the result. I'm also really really tired.

--------

Only 20 minutes of sitting meditation, today. A lot of tension on my eyes, which is a constant thing for me. I've noticed a lot of times I'm both aware of my breath and “distracted” by my thoughts, which is odd. I'm not sure if the right thing to do would be to force my attention to be locked on the breath, or to just notice what's happening. Probably the latter.

Yoga Nidra: really pleasant, today. But I still have a lot of tension in my neck-jaw-face that I cannot seem to let go.

[jaja]

Sat for 20 minutes, today. Mind was calmer than usual and the tension wasn't too strong.

During Yoga nidra I realized that opening my jaw wider than I usually do has a relaxing effect on the nearby muscles.

[jaja]

• Chin-ups: 1x7xBW+12,5kg + 1x9xBW+5 + 1x9xBW
  • Didn't make progress in my top set, but I did in the second one. I could say that overall I got stronger than last time, so it's good
• Bench Press: 1x7x82,5kg + 1x7x77,5kg + 1x5x75kg
  • Shitty, shitty numbers. Barbell felt heavy. Doing chin-ups prior the bench absolutely trashed me, possibly because I'm not used to this order of exercise. The new routine prescribes to alternate the exercise every week, so let's see how it goes. One thing for sure: my bench press is at a plateau. It sucks because, in theory, it should be my best lift, given my body proportions.
• Anti-pronation exercise: 1x5x10kg
  • Did this between chin-ups to save time. I'm going to increase the weight, next week.

------

Meditation: lots of distraction and usual tension. Noting more to report.

Yoga Nidra: nice, as always. Some spasm in the neck-shoulders area; I need to figure out how to get rid of this tension. I know it's possible: I've done it in the past.

[Nathan]

1 hour ago, jaja said:

Some spasm in the neck-shoulders area; I need to figure out how to get rid of this tension. I know it's possible: I've done it in the past.

Have you tried using some kind of support under the arch of your neck? A rolled-up towel, for example. Could be useful. I think @Cherie Seeto has posted a video about this in the past. I found the thread here, but it seems the video is no longer available. I'm sure she'll be happy to answer any questions you might have about specifics.

[jaja]

25 minutes ago, Nathan said:

Have you tried using some kind of support under the arch of your neck? A rolled-up towel, for example. Could be useful. I think @Cherie Seeto has posted a video about this in the past. I found the thread here, but it seems the video is no longer available. I'm sure she'll be happy to answer any questions you might have about specifics.

Uh that video would have been useful! I tried using neckrolls or small pillows, but I'm not that much comfortable with them. I also must point out that I sometimes have those spasms even during sitting meditation.

[Nathan]

3 hours ago, jaja said:

Uh that video would have been useful!

I watched it a long time ago, but I think one of the main takeaways was to roll it really tight. The neckrolls and small pillows are usually pretty soft and fluffy, so this might make all the difference for you. Cherie can go into detail about why if she happens to pop in, but in the meantime it might be worth a try 

[jaja]

I don't really know why, but the issue I had with my last thoracic vertebra is back. Yesterday I was standing in line and felt a slight discomfort on my spine, so I slid my finger on the vertebrae and felt a pesky sensation around T12. I have no discomfort in the gym so far, but I suspect arching during the bench press could be correlated. I no longer train the OHP because of this issue, but I don't want to sacrifice any other exercise I do: I deem everyone of them as essential.

[Nathan]

5 hours ago, jaja said:

I don't want to sacrifice any other exercise I do: I deem everyone of them as essential.

If you’re not a competitive powerlifter then you don’t need to arch when benching. Just something to consider.

[jaja]

3 hours ago, Nathan said:

If you’re not a competitive powerlifter then you don’t need to arch when benching. Just something to consider.

Not even to preserve my shoulder joints? Isn’t the arch supposed to do that (and of course to keep the body right)?

[Nathan]

1 hour ago, jaja said:

Not even to preserve my shoulder joints? Isn’t the arch supposed to do that (and of course to keep the body right)?

I'm no expert, but the arch is primarily to reduce ROM, which allows you to move more weight. From the Greg Nuckols How to Bench guide:

Quote

Once you’ve pulled your shoulder blades together, it’s time to get tight.  If you’re a powerlifter, that may involve arching your back as well.

I generally recommend most people to arch at least a little bit on the bench.  A little arch will help decrease range of motion a bit more.  This will generally help you lift more weight and, more importantly, it will make the lift a little bit safer for your shoulders since the bottom position is where your shoulders are the most vulnerable.

So a small arch might add a small protective element at the bottom position. If you want to avoid even a small arch, I think staying tight and lifting mindfully will be more than enough. But again, I'm no expert on benching.