Jason's Epsilon Countdown

[JasonE]

June 29, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - 1-1/3 cups baked beans, 1/3 cup cheese curds, and water

With just under 4 weeks to CST Epsilon, I am re-examining my progress and what I think I need to work on. Since the old CST requirements are officially scrapped, I will use them as a guideline, but must expect that the new guidelines will be either higher or more comprehensive.

At risk of oversimplifying this, I am looking at my preparation as a 3-headed beast:

1 - Clubbell Training - developing correct technique and ability to handle 15# CBs comfortably. I had the good fortune to work with Billy Cook and Asif Rafeek recently, and they showed me what I've been doing wrong and how to correct it. I will be retraining my techniques as I build up my comfort level with the heavier CBs.

2 - Bodyflow - developing a reasonable level of comfort and coordination with the movements in the book and on the tapes. I will continue to deepen my practice of Warrior Wellness and flexibility development to help this process.

3 - Breathing / Diet - I am fairly comfortable with Performance Breathing as part of my CB practice, but I have slacked on Be Breathed practice. My eating habits need to improve as well. With better food and breathing, I should be able to see rapid improvements in my other practices.

This week I will formulate a plan of action to attack and overcome the 3-headed beast in time for Epsilon. :twisted:

[JasonE]

June 30, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - Two 1-1/2 oz. chicken strips, organic bagel, and water

AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate

CST w/ CBs
10# - pair
Swings - 3x7 - RT 7
Dead-Hang CTO - 3x7 - RT 6

15# - single - choked up
Press to Torch - 3x5 - RT 6
Shoulder Cast to Muscle Out- 3x5 - RT 5
Head Cast to Leverage Hold- 3x5 - RT 6

Overall RPE 7

Warrior Wellness Intermediate felt GREAT! After several days of not working out, I was surprised to go through it with almost none of the usual clicks, pops, jumps, and other internal noise that I usually have. It felt very smooth and my DROM was better than usual until I got to my legs. My dynamic balance wasn't that great but I struggled through and finished the whole routine.

Today I incorporated the tips and suggestions I got from Billy and Asif on Friday, and really focused on the hip snap, pec-lat lock, and Performance Breathing aspects of the techniques. Once-familiar movements felt completely new, and I was struggling to not fall into my familiar habits. To maximize the challenge, I was doing Dead-Hang CTOs for the first time, and I had to completely reset between each rep. :oops: Getting the appropriate hip snap is hard to do, and it has compromised my Performance Breathing more than I thought it had. Relearning the Ballistic movements is going to be a challenge! :) :!:

I continued working grinds with the 15#, and this was easier than expected. 8) The hip snap didn't come into it as much, and I was able to focus on improving my pec-lat lock and Performance Breathing. The Press was new but not too hard. The Shoulder Cast was harder than expected, due to difficulty keeping weight balanced upright at side extension. The Head Cast was most familiar and was the easiest to control at extension.

Future CB sessions will feature a similar combination of Ballistic movements designed to retrain my hip snap and breathing, and Grinds with the 15# to develop strength and coordination.

[cbeltrante]

Jason you stated that
Since the old CST™ requirements are officially scrapped

Where and when did you hear about this??? Is there any info on the requirements we will need at Epsilon??? Any info is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!!

[JasonE]

June 30, 2004
PM - Stretching Session - Focus on back, hams, and adductors
Started with light movement, then did following sequence:

Shoulder Arch, grasping ankles - 60 secs
Pike position - 60 secs
Back Arch, hands and head on floor - 60 secs
Pike position - 60 secs
Back Arch, hands on floor w/ arms bent - 60 secs
Pike position - 60 secs
Pilates 100 w/ legs straight - 100 beats

Finished with PNF stretches for low back, obliques and hip abductors, hip rotator muscles, and more hamstring stretches.

This was a nice relaxing session that gave me some excellent releases without making it hard to go to bed and get to sleep. Future sessions will build up isometric strength in various positions to open my hips and allow my back to move through a greater range of motion without upsetting my balance.

July 1, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - Two 1-1/2 oz. chicken strips, organic bagel, and water

AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate and Bodyflow

Bodyflow Practice - 35 minutes
Elevated Scorpion
Circular Scorpion
Long Leg Roll
Leg Thread
Spinal Rock w/Knee Drop
Spinal Rock w/Pike position

Felt some noise and slight roughness in movements during Warrior Wellness. Overall was pretty good, and dynamic balance portion of leg and hip mobility was much better, as was 4CBD. Am not sure if improved balance was direct result of last night's stretching session or not. Will keep stretching and see how I progress.

Scorpion movements are challenging due to tightness of my hips, but I am patient. :wink: The Long Leg Roll was very challenging as I kept getting elbows and shoulders caught somehow. The carpet I was on made the Leg Thread almost impossible to do correctly due to friction, but I have the basic concept and will work it on a smoother surface in the future. The Spinal Rocks aren't too difficult, but I still have an issue with extending my legs straight as my hips come over my head, as my hamstrings are still tight. :?

PM - Found some open space at work and spent 10 minutes working Circular Scorpions and some light stretching. I had trouble coming into balance in an upright position without using my hands. I suspect that it has to do with the placement of the foot I am bringing up and over, so will focus on that for a bit.

PPM - Took G/F out for Swing Dancing and spent a few hours doing that. Got a good sweat and a decent aerobic workout! FUN!

[JasonE]

July 2, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking: two 1-1/2 oz chicken strips, 8 peeled baby carrots, and water. I must go grocery shopping... I am getting tired of chicken strips. :roll:

[JasonE]

July 3, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - three 1-1/2 oz chicken strips, cinnamon-raisin bagel, and water.

July 4, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - 3 eggs, 8 breakfast sausages, cinnamon-raisin bagel, and V-8.

Mid-Day:
Warrior Wellness Intermediate

CST w/CBs
10# pair
Swings - 2x10 - RT 8
15# single
Shoulder Cast - 3x5 - RT 7.5
Head Cast - 3x5 - RT 7.5
Shield Cast - 3x5 - RT 7
Parry Cast - 1x10 - RT 9
Reverse Parry Cast - 1x10 - RT 8

Bodyflow - 15 minutes
Squat Creep
Long Leg Creep
Circular Scorpion

Overall RPE 7

Was a bit stiff from long drive and sleeping on a hard mattress. Warrior Wellness helped tremendously, and I thought I was home free. :oops: During the 10# Swings I managed to tweak a lower back muscle, so cut the Ballistic movements short and went to the Grinds.

Friends that were on trip were intrigued by what I was doing and I ended up helping them work on Swings a bit. Ended up doing some more Swings to demo for them, but I was careful about how hard I did the hip-snap. :? Also did a few other simple Ballistics and Grinds so they could see a bit more variety. After all this I did a little Bodyflow to round out the session.

July 5, 2004
Breakfast over an hour after waking - Tortilla stuffed w/ Egg Beaters, cheddar cheese, 3 strips turkey bacon, and salsa.

[JasonE]

July 6, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - 3 Tblspns peanut butter, cinnamon-raisin bagel, and water

Had opportunity to limber up and work the kink out of my back, but felt de-motivated and watched "World Series of Poker" on TV instead. :? Not sure why.

[JasonE]

July 7, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - 3 Tblspns peanut butter, cinnamon-raisin bagel, and water

AM - Warrior Wellness and Stretching
Tweaked muscle(s) in left low back still haven't relaxed, so attacked the tension today. I used a combination of Warrior Wellness, PNF, and Isometric stretching to get some relief. Was extremely stiff at first, such that arm circles would cause tiny flares. After 45 minutes I was much looser and more mobile, but still had major knots in back. :evil:

It looks like I will have to suspend all other training to rehab back for Epsilon so I don't get there and retweak it the first day, then spend the rest of the weekend watching. :roll:

[Scott Sonnon]

Jason,
The timing matches up perfectly. Active recovery until Epsilon. It's your intuition talking to you.

[JasonE]

Intuition and the occasional flare of pain. :lol:

I won't have developed my ability to handle the 15# CBs as well as I'd like, but I'll bring my 10# CBs as backups. :? I'm cleaning the damn slate as fast as I can so I can move however I need to for Epsilon. :twisted:

See you there!

[JasonE]

July 8, 2004
Breakfast an hour after waking - 1/4 lb turkey burger patty, 8 baby carrots, V8, and water

Warrior Wellness and some stretching throughout day while at work.

[JasonE]

July 9, 2004
Breakfast an hour after waking - 4 Tblspns peanut butter and water - forgot my complex carbs! :oops:

AM - Warrior Wellness and Stretching - focused on releasing tightness around hip and deep in low back. Very little discomfort except when I moved through certain ranges of motion, but I could tell the source of the problem was still in there, inhibiting me in ways I wouldn't have noticed 6 months ago.

[JasonE]

July 10, 2004
Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - 1/4 turkey burger patty, 8 strawberries, and water

Spent day in class - got certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED.

July 11, 2004
Breakfast about 2 hours after waking - 8 strawberries and water

PM - Ate too much today, and workout consisted of laying on the couch, rubbing my stomach, and groaning in discomfort while G/F laughed. Low intensity, but spent about 90 minutes so figure it must count for something. :oops: :?

[JasonE]

July 12, 2004 - Starting my detailed nutritional and mood-swing log with my practice log!

12:00 pm: Breakfast w/in an hour of waking - 2 Tblspns Peanut Butter, organic bagel, and water. Feeling pretty good inside and out.

1:00 pm: Started drinking 20 oz. Pepsi - feel okay but want something sweet.

3:30 pm: Busy time at work, getting very irritable.

4:05 pm: Ate oatmeal cream pie - Yum!

5:20 pm: Finished last 6 oz of Pepsi. Have also been drinking water. Feel pretty good and less stressed.

5:35 pm: Ate Subway deli sandwich with beef, cheddar cheese, spinach, onion, tomato, and cucumber. Very tasty!

7:25 pm: Getting tired and cranky going into last break. Yawning and wanting a soda. Back a bit stiff, mostly from slouching.

7:30 pm: Started another 20 oz Pepsi; resisted urge to eat cookie.

9:00 pm: End of shift & have drunk 1/2 of Pepsi. Not yawning anymore and feel okay, but the taste is cloying and it bothers my throat a little. Feeling a bit stiff overall.

9:30 pm: Dinner - 8 oz steak, potato w/skin, 1/2 cup green beans, and water. Yum! Feels good to have real food. :)

1:05 am: Inhaled 8 chocolate chip cookies. Delicious! Was only planning on 1 or 2.

1:30 am: Warrior Wellness Intermediate w/ stretching and some Be Breathed reps. Back opened up pretty well, and my hamstrings were surprisingly loose. :D

:arrow: It feels weird to track so much info now, but I have decided to track everything for a while to see what patterns emerge. I am consciously trying not to censor or resist my urges to get a baseline. Since I am actively Cleaning the Slate leading up to CST Epsilon, this seemed to be as good a time as any.