Bugs and Iron

An entomology graduate student, mom to a toddler, and new powerlifter.

[jimmykudos-deactivated20150608]

im an atheist because i think that science is wonderful and reality itself is so mysterious and wonderful that there is no need to believe in a god

but if a philosophy and a belief system makes you appreciate life and makes you happy and you arent hurting anyone with it

then god damn no one should be a shit to you about it

[themanesex]

How come you can only like a post once.

[powerentomama]

Aaaaaaaaaamen

[snorlaxismyspiritanimal]

Training: 11/7/2013

Speed bench day.  

Barbell bench:

45x20, x20

135x15

185x5

205x3,x3,x3,x3,x3,x3,x11,x10

Overhead press (seated because the only place I can do them standing was occupied):

45x15

95x10

135x5

155x5,x5,x5,x5,x5

135x13,x6

Db curls and cable pulldowns.

Easy, fast day, which it’s supposed to be. When I get more used to gzcl volume again I’ll up the T3 work and add heavy doubles/triples on OHP.

[powerentomama]

HAPPY NOW?

[thoughtsandsquats-deactivated20]

Brandon Lilly on 3 common bench press mistakes.  Some good stuff here.

[powerentomama]

for watching later

[carlispro-deactivated20150102]

Bout to hit the gym, watching Dan’s vids get me so pumped. Dan Green is a BEAST!

[powerentomama]

reblogging to watch later

[catsbeaversandducks]

Dog Finds A Tiny Kitten, Risks Everything To Save Her

Animal control officers in Anderson, S.C., thought that a barking shih tzu was stuck in a ravine. Turns out, she was there nursing and protecting a tiny abandoned kitten she had found.

Photos/caption via BuzzFeed

[powerentomama]

Fitspo

Strong is the new skinny!

When you feel like giving up just keep pushing!

Make your fat cry!

Torture your dumb muscles into compliance!

Here is a woman with visible abs doing lunges on a smith machine!

Me: *sneaks up behind you and sets you on fire*

Me: *grills burgers on the flames*

[powerentomama]

I knew I shouldn'ta done that cold

When you go to swing your leg over your bike seat to get through an intersection and your glute cramps up

[powerentomama]

Fiona Apple writes the anthems of my life, really.

Cause I'm full as a tick

And I'm scratching at the surface

(Fiona Apple.  She gets it.  And is generally amazing)

A brief thought from the Lady in a Chair who I see sometimes

I guess I just must be a daredevil I don't feel anything until I smash it up I'm caught on the cold, I'm caught on the hot Not so with the warmer lot And all I want's a confidante To help me laugh it off

And don't let me ruin me I may need a chaperone

More Fiona Apple.  This is kind of the theme song of my life.

[powerentomama]

Good lifts this morning.  I really look forward to seeing my Dirty at Six-Thirty folks.  I was not expecting to make friends with such fantastic people as a consequence of powerlifting,  Hooray me.

Pin presses: 3 x 5 @ 95 lbs.  challenging, solid

Close grip bench: 4 x 8 @ 75 lbs

DB rows:  4 x 10 @ 30 lbs

Standing Abs: 3 X 10 @ 70 lbs

Plus some emergency myofascial release help from a swell/swole guy.

[powerentomama]

I always feel really silly taking selfies, but what is a tumblr if not a place for selfies?  This dress is a little...uh, "Hawaiian Pixie", but I'm digging it today.

[powerentomama]

Peak Week 5 training: squats and bench

Oh lordy.  It's a good thing I had that ah-mazing deadlift day earlier this week.  I squashed squats and bench presses into the same workout.  I was tired and out of sorts.  

Here's how it went down, a.k.a. what am I even doing?!

Squat

The plan:  work up to 3 X 5 @ 135 lbs

The reality:  did it, but man were they UGLY ugly ugly.  I have video of one set but I can't watch it without grimacing so I'm not posting.

Bench

The plan:  work up to 3 X 5 @ 100 lbs..

The reality:  first set felt smooth and solid, and left me with "sweet!  I got this" feeling.  But the second set I only got 4, and the third I only got 3.  I went ahead and did two more reps after the 3.  I blame the following

1)  Combining workouts

2)  Experimenting too much with the width of my grip

3)  I don't know WTF is wrong with me.

4)  I hate to admit it, but I partied a little too hard on Friday night, ironically with friends from the powerlifting club.  These people are fantastic, and I had a truly enjoyable night, but I did overdo it a bit.  You would think by Sunday morning I'd be all set, but apparently I am old now.

I'm going to do everything I can to get my training this weekend to go well.  It's been a few weeks since I've had a squat session I've been proud of and I don't want to go into the meet without confidence.  I might suck it up and go to the squad training session on Saturday.  Those who know me know that I can be very outgoing, but on the inside I am ridden with all kinds of social anxiety.  I bet the encouraging atmosphere would help, though.  

[powerentomama]

This is a redundant post for some of you (i.e.probably the only people who read my blog anyway).  But I was REALLY REALLY excited that I actually got 3 x 5 with 198lb.  This was my 3 rep max not very long ago and I really wasn't sure i'd be capable of this.

Secondarily I am excited about the sudden appearance of my delts.  Halloooooo.

[powerentomama]

One set of today's pin presses.  3 X 6 @ 90 lb.  You can see how I have to re-tighten real quick between reps.  These felt good!  skipped most of my assistance because I have a little strain in my lat that is bothering me.

[powerentomama]

oh man oh man

I just double, triple checked my program and it says I'm to do 3 sets of 5 at 90% this week.  UH.  Obviously this is 90% of my starting max, and the program is banking on my having gotten strong enough to do sets of 5 with that. 

Still, that means on deadlift day, I am looking at 3 sets of 198 x 5.  One ninety fucking eight.  For FIVE.  Three times.  My program says I can do it.  We'll see.  

Commence the chugging of milk and the praying to Muscle Jesus.

[powerentomama]

Catching up: Week 4 of peaking

I have been super busy, but still training hard.  Just lazy about logging.  Here is each day in a nutshell

Upper body supplement:  Pin presses, 3 x 6 @ 85 lb

Good, solid, got a little angst out.  Pecs are sore as hell.

Deadlifts: 3 x 6 @ 185lb.

Challenging but successful.  Nervous for the jump next session.

Squats:  3 x 6 @ 120 lb

This was one of those days when I got in the rack and tussled with some demons.  My crazy (not my fun crazy, my OTHER crazy) rears its head periodically.  It was hard and painful, but solid and cleansing.  I'm feeling a solid squat workout coming this next week.

Bench:  3 x 5 @ 100lb, 2 x 6 @ 97.2lb   

Misjudged the weight a bit and had to use a non-ideal bench on which I slipped around a lot.  But still really happy with how solid 5 x 100lbs felt.

Therapy Squats:  5 x 5 @ 75lb

Light squats with good people (notably Serge and Sara) for the sake of recovery, followed by sauna time.  Super fantastic.

[powerentomama]

long overdue for a post. one is coming though re: mostly training.  but for now i will say

 sauna/ stretching in the sauna is the best

[symphonyofawesomeness]

[powerentomama]

Sorry Jill, but that's not actually true.  At least in Drosophila melanogaster (a model organism for many genomic studies), longevity has been found to be genetically encoded.  Obviously there are interacting environmental factors, too, and it's all very complex.  So nice thought but nope.  

ALSO I just want to say that the fact that we have sequenced the human genome does not mean that we have all the facts about our genes- far, far, FAR from it.  So you should never say "there is no gene that does X" because there is always the possibility and we just don't know. 

/end entomologist/scientist rant