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Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 4:07 pm
by David1917
Lockdown took its toll, as did the constantly-hunched-over nature of grad school. In November I really started focusing on daily mobility work and going to the chiropractor every few weeks. Now we are getting strong again.

Still no gym access (technically my uni's gym is now open but with reservations/masks I'm not interested. I acquired home gym stuff in the meantime) so the goals are kettlebell oriented. The first one is to get up to 2x50 swings with the 24kg bell. I can do 30 with the 16kg and 30 with the 20kg, so I think the 6-week block I'm on it should be doable to get that goal. The next goal will be oriented towards the RKC standard of 100 KB snatches with the 24kg in under 5 minutes. Not necessarily trying to do the RKC cert but that seems like a good thing to be able to do.

After our brief winter subsided I am on 3 walks/day. Morning and evening 25-30 min around the neighborhood with the dog, mid-day with weights on a 2-mile trail. Once our insane summer hits I will have to stop the mid-day walks and do something else.

Language-wise I want to read as much as possible in Russian, German, French, and Spanish; finally complete the damn DeFrancis Chinese Readers; and get to a good reading level in Persian. I'd like to play around with Japanese and/or Korean as well as Greek and Turkish but those will be backburner projects.

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 1:30 pm
by Cavesa
I want to share some success: I've lost enough to wear a new dress I bought last year. I'm wearing it for an interview tomorrow. And I am finally at BMI 25, normal weight. Yes, I know all the problems of using BMI to evaluate individuals (it is a tool meant for populations), but it is stll a good sign in the end. Just 3-5 kg to go! And then maintenance, I know...

And I've entered the 6wc quite well. I think I am doing quite well in both these disciplines. I wish the rest would go as well too :-)

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:30 pm
by coldrainwater
In lieu of measurable progress, I add toys to my collection. The first is a pair of Functional Heavy Duty Dip Stands. I should have bought these decades ago. I use them for inverted rows. I do them as in the picture below except that I elevate my feet on a box and place a 50 pound dumbbell on my chest for added resistance. You don't need a special piece of equipment for inverted rows technically, just an elevated bar.

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For pushups, I grabbed, somewhat literally a small pair of pushup bars that have made doing them more versatile and fun.

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And to complete the mini jungle gym, I also bought one of these Vivere Double Cotton Hammock for hardcore language learning purposes of course.
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Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 5:48 pm
by clara
Haven't been in these parts for a while, but have really enjoyed reading everyone's updates! I was sidetracked by surgery in March which derailed all my plans. I'm currently taking medication that is wreaking havoc on my hunger signals, and after finally recovering from surgery I sprained my thumb. My only goal for this month is to get back into eating nutritious food: more protein and vegetables.

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Wed May 12, 2021 2:02 pm
by IronMike
coldrainwater wrote:And to complete the mini jungle gym, I also bought one of these Vivere Double Cotton Hammock for hardcore language learning purposes of course.
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You're strong, coldrainwater. Put me in that hammock, and I'll be snoozing in less than 5. ;)

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Sat May 22, 2021 2:44 am
by David1917
David1917 wrote:I acquired home gym stuff in the meantime) so the goals are kettlebell oriented. The first one is to get up to 2x50 swings with the 24kg bell. I can do 30 with the 16kg and 30 with the 20kg, so I think the 6-week block I'm on it should be doable to get that goal.


Smoked this goal the other day, at the beginning of week 6. The rest of week 6 has been spent stuffing my face while on vaca, with no kettlebell in sight.

Next week we finish week 6 of the training and then move on. Not sure the next goal just keep moving and keep swinging.

Purchased some language books for the shelf while on vacation. Intend to start Japanese when back home, as well.

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:34 pm
by IronMike
How's everyone's challenge going?

I've pulled something in my neck, which came at a bad time as I was going back to the pool this morning. But looking to the right (my dominant breathing side) was damn near impossible. End of day now and it feels better, so we'll try again in the morning.

Weird goings on here. The oddly shaped pool I used to swim at in north end Boston (42 yards long...yes, I'm serious) couldn't afford to hire enough lifeguards so now there's no lap swimming in the mornings. That sucks as that place was right by work, between the train station and work.

Also, tragically someone drowned in Walden Pond (yes, that Walden) so now in a knee-jerk reaction, the government has outright banned open water swimming there. People have been swimming in that pond/lake since, arguably, the 1800s. The open water swimming community is up in arms, but luckily, many of our legislators are as well. Turns out some of them are swimmers or triathletes, so they are approaching the Commissioner of DCR (Dept of Conservation and Recreation, or something like that) and asking that s/he overturn this rash decision. Further, the governor has instituted a $500 fine to those caught swimming where they're not supposed to. Sad really; I've seen more people of marginal groups swimming open water (ocean and lake) than in my local pools. Hmmm...wonder what it could be? Oh, I know! You don't have to pay $85 a month for gym membership to go to the beach! /sarc/

Started back up with the weights, but then had the kids over. 3/4 of my kids were together, so that took precedence since they're "all growed up" and I don't get to see them enough. But I have started back up. Very slowly as it has been since March 2020. :o To state that squat now is weak would be the greatest understatement of the year. Thankfully, my overhead press isn't so bad, so I don't look so terrible in the gym.

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:16 am
by IronMike
Watching the women's marathon swim in Tokyo. Won't spoil it for those who are watching and/or have recorded it. Great swim. Makes me miss open water. I think tomorrow I'll swim in Pleasure Bay, Boston, one last open water before we move back to DC. I still have Swim the Suck in Chattanooga on the schedule for this year.

In the weight-lifting part of my polyglot fitness challenge, I'm getting back into it after a 15-month absence. Boy oh boy but how 115 lbs feels so heavy for a squat. Can't believe that was my one-rep max for overhead press at one time! And now 85 lbs is killing me.

How's everyone else doing?

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:48 am
by Deinonysus
This morning I went on my first run in quite a few months! I'm hoping to keep up the habit and run at least twice a week.

I've been through a bunch of different languages since I declared some French-specific language goals earlier in the thread, so I'm revising the language portion of my goal to: work on whatever language I happen to be working on.

Re: Polyglot Fitness Challenge 2021

Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 8:39 pm
by jmar257
Fitness: Weight loss has stalled for the most part, due to me being lax at summer events/vacation and in general just snacking more. Getting that back under control, although college football season will tempt me greatly to drink beer all day on Saturdays. New goal is to drop 20 more pounds by Thanksgiving, which is more than doable. Getting back to deadlifting more, alternating weeks with squatting (switching back to low bar, which I hadn't done in years). Weights are still roughly the same despite lifting 1-2x a week and eating at a deficit (although obviously not a big enough one lately). Slacking on doing martial arts classes due to work and other things, going to focus on getting back to those so my cardio doesn't go to crap again.

Languages: I've not been wanting to read lately in any language, so my Super Challenge progress has stalled. That said, I've been watching a little more TV and listening to a lot more podcasts since I'm in the office a few days per week now, so on that front I've been good. On the flip side, waking up earlier (really, struggling to do so) has prevented me from doing Assimil lessons before work some days so my march through German with Ease has slowed considerably.