Heavy Bag blues and body progress

I got the heavy bag hung, though not entirely without damage.

But first, the steps. I built a  framework to support the main crossbar out of 2" x 6" mounted with 3.5" screws.

Because I am paranoid, I calculated the shear/load of the screws I used to mount the frame work.  I used the more conservative rating (shear vs load) even though I actually anticipate the diagonal forces will be a combination of the two.

In any case it should resist a load of 16,900 lbs of force.

That means I would have to run at almost exactly 39 miles and hour do a flying side kick and transfer *all* of my energy to it.  (Or more likely leap in the air and grab the bag transferring all my energy at once)

Considering that is almost 4 times faster then the average human can run... It is probably safe.

The crossbar itself is 4" x 4" angle cut to sit flush with the wall and held in place with some hefty rafter braces.

However, after I had put the first brace on, and started securing the crossbar I managed to knock said crossbar off the frame.  One side semi-secured it swung like a divine angry hammer of god and struck me in the side of the head and knocking off the 4' ladder onto the (thankfully) mat covered floor.

Whereupon I spent about twenty minutes curled up in a little ball whimpering in a manly fashion.

Needless to say there was concussion, and the next couple of days are sorta blurry.

But the end result is quite functional.

~~~~

In 4HB news, it is another cheat day and another weekly update.  I forgot to take my morning measurements before I made Paleo Compatible Coconut pankes (tasty... but odd texture) so using yesterdays measurements I am sitting at 22.6 lbs lost in 60 days.

That is a daily average loss of .37 lbs a week... and given what last week's midweek pasta binge did to my numbers I'm not surprised the overall average is down.

But all progress is good progress.  And I have no doubt I will meet my 90 day goal.

Crawlspace of DOOOOOOOM!

Here's a sample of what lurks under my kitchen.  I should have gotten a picture of the pit.  

Damn.

Dojo, dog hair, and cheat days.

I soft launched the Dojo on Friday, delivering flyers to friends and neighbors.  Response has been positive, but as of yet, no one is breaking down the door for lessons.

I am building a framework to hang the heavy bag.  I went shopping for one and the only ones I could find were really rather expensive.  So I am using some 2x6 I bought for other projects and bought a $15 rafter adapter designed to hang bags from pipes, beams etc.

The fun part will be getting the 100 lb bag hoisted in the air and then attached all by my lonesome.

Not quite sure how I'm going to accomplish that step yet.

Speaking of the Dojo, dog hair is going to be a constant problem.  Even though the winter has finally started to get a little chilly Cinnamon appears to have decided to drop her winter coat.  Frequent sweeping of the dojo (and the rest of the house) are a guaranteed necessity.

Bonus, she has decided that the bath mat outside the shower is her new bed instead of the nice comfy dog bed I'd tried to get her to use.  It was  chocolate brown...



So some quick measurements for you... for the good news part of this weeks 4HB update.

Since beginning 4HB I have lost a total of 9 inches from hips, waist, and chest (mostly from the first two locations.)

Weight loss this week has been an underwhelming 1.5 lbs, but there is an interesting little datum blip right in the middle.  In a recent post's comments I addressed what an impact cheat days can have and how clearly they effect the overall picture.

Now, I think cheat days are import both psychologically and clearly physically, they allow you body and soul to enjoy what you were craving.

But, this week there was an unexpected cheat day on Tuesday, which just dinner and dessert varying from the typical weekly meal.  It resulted in a 1.2 gain over the next two days (I forgot to measure Wednesday morning.)  Couple that with what would have been an expected loss of .8 lbs over that time span... and basically a single of cycle cheat day resulted in wasting 2.0 of progress... something that would take at least 3-4 days to recover from.

So instead of a daily average of .44 lbs... for the week the average was .02.

Is an extra cheat day worth halving your progress?

Why induction BF measurement scales are useless

Or at least are profoundly misleading.

Nope I'm going to go with useless.  You remember me mentioning I could get the percentage to jump by as much as 7% by flexing certain muscles?  Or perhaps 5% by drinking 16 oz of water and then waiting 15 minutes?

Anyway here is my Weight loss chart:

Note the steady (cheat days excepted) downward progression?

Here is my fat loss chart, as measured by my scale:

So... I have lost 20 lbs, increased my muscle mass through exercise and you are saying my BF% has gone up?

I don't think so.

Eagle eyed readers may note that my current weight and BF% are shown here, something I have avoided mentioning,  You may feel free to ignore it.  I didn't initially mention my starting weight, because frankly it's embarrassing.  People never believe me when I told them how much I weigh(ed) and apparently I carried it well.

However, as the weight comes off I feel more self confident, and less sensitive to the subject.  I still don't intend to trumpet my weight until I meet my three month goal.  Then I might post before and after pictures.

Or your reward for for me reaching it is not to do so.  :P

Moving, Cheat Day and Milestones

I am officially moved in with all of my sundry crap transferred.  Unpacking has commenced and I am making good progress.  Bedroom, Kitchen and Bathroom are all unpacked.  The dojo is 90% done with just the need to hang a kick bag and get mirrors (funds permitting.).  However, there still is a mound of boxes in the living room.  Most of it is metalsmithing, architecture or other art supplies  Ideally I will condense it to as few boxes as possible and put in the scary crawlspace of doom.

Crawlspace is a bit of a misnomer actually, the damn thing is 8' deep.  I guess it is a basement, just one that you access through a rickety ladder and descend into a collection of massive beam-works, rusting hardware and artifacts from the past.  My kitchen is the bottom of what used to be the elevator shaft for the mill.  When they tore down the shaft they just dumped all the rubble in the bottom and called it good.    I will try and remember to take pictures next time I go down... which I don't do alone.  A rickety ladder + 8' drop onto rubble sounds like and pretty gruesome way to get trapped with a broken leg/back and die of dehydration.

Anywho... onto more lively topics.

Today is um.. my 7th cheat day?  I think?  I said that on my 30 day was my third cheat day but that seems wrong.  In any case I have no special plans on my cheat day.  There was a cinnamon roll for breakfast and there might be pizza later.

Cheat day aside I realized yesterday I officially hit a milestone that I hadn't been consciously aware was coming up.  I have officially resumed a weight I was at nearly 10 years ago.  When I first was brought face to face with the fact I had gained a lot of weight.  It had sorta crept up on me and it hadn't weighed myself because I felt fine... and I never looked in mirror (I mean really looked.)

When I did I was shocked at what my weight had become.  I tried a few easy methods to deal with it, but frankly sought solace in food.  Consequently, over the last 10 years my weight crept up another 20 lbs.   At that rate it's hard to notice, I mean who notices  .5 pounds a year?

But now it's gone.

In 46 days I have lost 20.6 pounds, a loss of 7.6% of my body weight.  At .44 lbs a day average it means my daily loss average is slowing*, but I haven't been as vigilant as I could be.  Some of it may also be attributable to muscle gain from the daily walks, but I also have been not staying as hydrated as I need to be, taken an extra cheat day when going out with friends, etc.

But that's a good motivation to return to the straight and narrow, if I can undo 10 years of damage in less then 2 months... well the rest will be easy.


*One other thought that occurred to me is that shortly after my supplementation post, once I realized I was going to have  move and decided to launch the Kenpo studio, it was obvious I was going to have to cut all expenses to the bone.  No eating out, no lattes, and no $100 a month supplements.  I was also tired of the 21 pills a day regimen and and really didn't have money to spare to get the one that allowed 4 pills a day.  So I stopped taking them.

Right now there are to many variables to determine whether the supplements were the reason I was seeing .7-.6 pounds a day in the beginning, or if it was because I was starting and my body was reacting quickly, or if it was because I had just started I was really strict with my self.  But I can't discount the possibility that the damn hings work.

Dear Coworkers...

If you would like to stand in the hall outside my office and discuss bowel movements...

I will start playing Scottish Bagpipes and I will turn it up.

And no, I am not turning it back down.

Kenpo Update

3 posts in a day?  Am I mad?

Well no, but since I am hairs breadth away from taking by Brown Belt test I'm sort of excited.

Then Chris remembered we were supposed to be doing bare handed sparring.

So...what I have to say about that is...

OW OW OW OW OW OW OW

1) Chris' head is really hard and my left hand is swollen.  

2)  For the first time in 2 months I did not wear cup, mostly because I was in uniform practicing when he called and asked me to come to class early, so I leapt in my car and drove over.  

That was very nearly bad, like almost took a driving elbow in a crippling way bad.  

3) I am always amused when I follow behind Mike (another student) in sparring because it takes Chris a few minutes to adjust and remember that I am not 6.5' tall.  Particularly when he tries to hip-throw me, which is easy to do with Mike because... well his center of gravity is so high.

4) I will learn to not pause after successfully launching an attack or I will suffer for it. I.e the surprised "Hey that worked!" does not mean pause, it means press the advantage or I will catch an eagle beak in the solar plexus.

News update.

I realized I have been remiss in telling my followers that I have moved into a new space, with no roommates or other participants besides the dog.

It's basically a commercial space of maybe 2000 sqft, with a kitchen, 3/4 bath and the dojo; of which I provided pictures earlier.

I am also open a Kenpo studio, part time to teach Kenpo and hopefully deepen my understanding of the system through instruction.

You can view the rather basic site at BozemanKenpo.com and view the amazing art work my father has designed for me.

More news as it develops...

Damned Dog!

Trying to get through Kata practice is hard when dog takes "slide- shuffle step" part of Kata as "Let's play!"

There may have been some biting on her part, some swearing on my part, and kata ending abruptly with me chasing her around the dojo.

30 day update

Today is my third cheat day and the 30th day since I started the 4HB program,

In that time I have lost 3.25 inches combined around my hips waist and chest and gained 1 inch on thighs and calves.  Arms have remained unchanged.  I suspect the growth around the legs are from the twice day walks the dog and I are now taking, since I don't have a yard to fling her into when I go to work.  That or all the box carrying involved in moving.

I have also lost 18.2 lbs, which averages to about .60 lbs a day or decrease of 6.4% of my body mass.

Noticeable physical effect include the drastic reduction in heartburn symptoms and other digestive complaints.  Also, I have jumped down two pants sizes and I am wearing jeans I haven't worn in over a year.

Mood:  Jubilent