Random thoughts

I've been playing more and more flute lately and enjoying it, although it does have quite a major leak in the auxiliary F key (not sure thats the name).  At this point, playing music in general is just plain fun.  I'll probably get more and more into it and then stop only to do it all over again like before.  The local technician is not cheap at all either (95$ per hour) so that is just a bit discouraging when it comes to fixing my flute.  Doesn't help that they do not give estimates either.  Oh well, guess they won't be receiving my business for a while...if ever.

Recently, I've revisited some old sheet music from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, namely Tank!.  The solo isn't complete by any means, but its pretty well done over all.  It's pretty tough (actually I'm just not that good) but I know that I would get it one day if I were to continue playing that is.  It doesn't help that I've caught yet another cold (though going away as we speak) so I couldn't play any music for the past 3 days or so.

I've accidentally (kinda) ignored translating/responding to an email that I had [apparently] received from the school I will be attending in Japan for about 11 days (!!).  Pretty unprofessional....it was during my gaming period (Chrono Trigger to be precise).  So I've sent the letter of certification or entry back to them so I can get a new version stating that I will be entering the school in July term.  Speaking of the school, looks like the website got a updated a bit (not that I've been checking regularly mind you).  I'm still deciding on how to break the news that I'm still going to Japan despite the natural disaster that just occurred.  Ideally, I would just say I'm leaving, and be gone the next day (if this were to really be the case, I would ideally get a job as soon as 2 years are up...in Japan of course).  This is just something I can't really mess up...

Anyhow, I gotta eat and then pick up some Dear Boy at the 'port.

DAYS 7,8,9,10

Day 7 Lower:

Leg press ----------------------------- 250 for 10 10
Standing calf ------------------------ 120 for 10 10
Seated calf -------------------------- 70 for 10 10
Abs ----------------------------------- 5 for 15 15

Day 8 Upper:

Cable rows -------------------------- 110 for 10 10
pull ups ------------------------------ 15 for 10 10
push press --------------------------- 70 for 10 10
DB bench --------------------------- 50 for 10 10

Day 9 Lower:

Squats -------------------------------- 245 for 10 10
leg press calves -------------------- 245 for 10 10
seated calf --------------------------- 80 for 10 10
Abs ----------------------------------- 5 for 15 15

Day 10 Upper:

Dips --------------------------------- 50 for 10 10
Pull-ups ----------------------------- 20 for 10 10
Push Press -------------------------- 75 for 10 10
rows --------------------------------- 55 for 10 10

Everything is going smoothly and my sleeping has returned.  It feels good (yet strange) to actually feel tired.  I believe the main cause has been the amount of tea that I've been drinking for the past month and a half or so.  It's really been so much that I didn't realize....it was going to affect me in this way.  Anyhow, I've stopped steeping the loose leaf tea (with wrong proportions to begin with) and started actually feeling tired again.  I think some anxiety still haunts me but either way, it feels good to be sleeping more normally.  (not quite 100% tho).

On a different note...I really want to get my bike operational again....all those bikers in the city are making me jealous (and feel lazy for myself).

Lower/Upper Split Day 5 and 6

Here's the numbers I put up for the first half of the week:

Lower:
Squats ------------------------- 225 8, 4, 3***
leg press calves -------------- 225 10, 10
Adductor ---------------------- 50 10, 10
Abs ---------------------------- 5 15, 15

***the squats were tough seeing as how my legs weren't quite ready for that amount of weight.  In fact, I had to throw in an extra week for the each macrocycle because the increments would kill me at this rate.

Upper:
Rows ---------------------------- 40 10, 10
Pull ups ------------------------- 10 10, 10
Push press ---------------------- 65 10, 10
dip ------------------------------- 35 10, 10



(been playing more flute lately...)

Lower/Upper Split Day 3 and 4

Here's the numbers I put up today:

Lower:

Leg press ----------------- 230 for 15 15
Standing calf ------------ 120 for 15 15
Seated calf --------------- 45 for 15 15
Abs ------------------------ 5 for 15 15

Upper:

Pull-up -------------------- 0 for 15 15
Cable row ---------------- 100 for 15 15
Push press ---------------- 75 15 15
Db bench ----------------- 50 for 15 15

Easy days so far, tho I noticed I may have to lower the increments for the push press seeing as how they are not easy.  Everything else should be fine.

Lower/Upper Split Day 1

So, this whole blog may seem all convoluted, but well...it is.  Whatever, I've decided to tweak things for recovery's sake.  Don't feel like explaining in full detail...just that the website www.BodyRecomposition.com is largely responsible for my shift.

In any case, here's my Lower and Upper initial days.  Yesterday (Monday) was my lower day and today was the upper day.  So...without further adieu, here are the numbers.

Monday (Lower)

Squat --------------- 135 for 15
leg press calf ------ 200 for 15
seated calf --------- 45 for 15
decline abs -------- 0 for 20

Tuesday (Upper)

Pull ups ------------ 0 for 15, 15
Dips ---------------- 0 for 15, 15
Rows --------------- 25 for 15, 15
Push press --------- 65 for 15, 15

Thats about it, today was a busy ass day so actually I didn't get to use the barbell for the push press...instead I decided to use the smith machine.  Probably not going to be the same, but it felt good using it.

____________________________________________________________________________

Just when I thought I had found my sound...what a fool I still am.  I went back to my plastic mouthpiece for a while now, still like it and actually improved on my altissimo.  I ordered a Rico Graftonite B3 to see how it plays (possibly the cheapest mpc one can possibly find) and also decided to order a Metalite M5 for tenor to see how it plays as well.  The metalite seems to have been re-instated the mouthpiece line from Rico.  They took it out for a few years only to offer them again due to player's lobbying.  We'll see how it goes~

In the mean time, keep listen to James Carter and enjoy...

Mission Aborted

I decided to abort HST as of today.

While I am still a proponent for its theories (being as how they are scientific), there is one part that still gets me in full-body workouts: the fatigue generated by squats.  In this case, it is just too great to overcome once I reach the higher weights because my recovery abilities are just not that fast it appears.  The first 2 cycles were actually great, but this third cycle deals with weight that is just great enough to be perhaps too much.

I've been reading articles from BodyRecomposition lately and decided that training the upper and lower extremities twice a week will probably prove much better for me because that extra day of rest will allow my body to recover from the previous workout.  These days that 48 hour period just didn't seem to cut it (my last workout was possibly the worst workout I've have in my life because I didn't feel recovered one bit).  I do not train to complete fatigue (a.k.a. failure) mind you.

I will re-visit this blog soon with my new workout which has been looming in my head for quite a while now.  It's going to be an Upper/Lower split down on Mon Tues Thur Fri....  I basically know what I will do and how.

Getting late now.