31 October 2013

Running 31-10-2013

Considering how hard this felt on my legs I was pleased with the final time and pace.
Legs haven't had a break all week and the intervals were still taking a bit of a toll but this is sure proof my lungs are still my wekaness, legs tired and pace barley changed.

5.38 miles in 42:10 pace 7.66mph

Squats 30-Oct-2013

Better late than never.
This block hasn't been great on squats. In part because I decided to put in an outdoor exercise during one of the wettest times of year which hasn't happened much.
End of next week is the end of this block so will have to be more realistic about time of year rather than obsessed about playing with new toys.

Squats
Warm up 3 x 10 x 70kg
Sets 3 x 10 x 120kg want to increase this next week as felt like I could safely have done so at the end.

Step forward lunges with fat gripz. Decided to go for these as novelty on lighter weight to challenge co-ordination.
3 x 10 x 10kg plus handle each side.

Legs were still fatigued from interval running so even though this was cut short by not having farmers walk I certainly felt it.

29 October 2013

Intervals 29-Oct-2013

Well I decided to ditch the Tabata style and increase the number of Timmons in one session.
Session was set as 5 minutes warm up and cool down (cool down ended early as I got to the office 30 seconds or so early) with 10 sets of 20 seconds flat out and 2 minutes slow recovery.
The distance etc. mean little because only 3:20 was at any real pace but here they are anyway. 3.5 miles in 33:49 average pace 6.21mph.
Important part is the sprints were fairly consistant with a gradual slowing over the session until the last one which was a good bit slower, so I had the number of them right in my opinion. Was sure glad to hear ccol down 5 minutes when it came along.

28 October 2013

Running 28-Oct-2013

5.38 miles in 42:11 pace 7.65mph

Deadlift 25-Oct-2013

This was destined not to be a very good session but I was actually pleased with how it went.

The day before I decided that it would be a good idea to train with my wife during her session, an all over routine incorporating squats, deadlifts etc. This on a day when I had done bench and the day before my own deadlift session was a bit daft to say the least. Not bothering to put exact details of waht was done, partially because I don't remember all of it and partly because I'm lazy.

Deadlift with fat gripz
Warm up 3 x 10 x 70kg some of these were with hook grip which I have discovered is easier.
Messed up putting next weihgt on and failed to lift 120kg which was supposed to have been 100, doh!
Sets 3 x 4 x 100kg, 1.75 x 110kg, second rep got most of the way so giving myself .75 for that one.

Single arm deadlift with 80kg plus walk handle
8, 6, 4 Seems like the heavier deadlift and previos fatigue started to catch up on me, and I was sweating ridiculoously.

Wide grip chins, yes these definately qualified even with gripz
3 x 4


24 October 2013

Bench 24-Oct-2013

The joy of training on day off.

Bench
Warm up 3 x 10 x 40kg
Sets 3 x 10 70kg

Kettlebell clean and press
24kg/20kg 4/4 4/6 6/4

Drop through push ups on suspension trainer level
3 x 10

22 October 2013

HIIT 22-Oct-2013

Couldn't decide which type of HIIT to do so I tried doing 2 of them. Due to some basic incompetence on my part setting up the sessions I also managed to end up doing 2 more sprints than I should have between the two before getting the second one right.

Did Tabata with 5 min warm up and cool down followed by Timmons
Average pace etc. is so irrelevant not even posting. Both of them show sprints well above 10mph which but as momentary spikes and on tabata there weren't many and each got slower. The one issue with GPS monitoring is by the time it works out what you are doing on short sprints you've already slowed down again.

Squats 21-Oct-2013

Getting a tad fed up with not finishing squat sessions of late. This time cracked my head on bar getting other kit and made a good enough job of it to make me dizzy and unstable so will see if can do what I missed this evening.

Squats
Warm up 3 x 10 x 70kg
Sets 2 x 10 x 120kg, 6 x 120kg

21 October 2013

Anti-theists aka The New Religious Zealots

I have been atheist most of my life and proud to be so but the basic hypocrisy of many declaring they loath the dogmatic way religions declare they are right whilst declaring they have all the answers and are the true path insulting to all, especially me as an atheist. This group are calling themselves anti-theists and to my mind are as guilty of being religious zealots as any faith before them.
There was a thing i watched on you tube about whether the catholic church is a power for good which directed me to one of them. The debate itself was a whitewash against and in fairness I don't think any group who go beyond the scriptures to ban contraception causing poverty, child starvation and spread of fatal disease can expect anything else. They do some very good things but as long as they maintain this standpoint the harm will always go beyond their good. Anyway I digress.

This is going to take a step by step approach to explain why and has some fundamental parts to it.

Disproving one part doesn't automatically disprove others.
Someone proving I didn't have eggs for breakfast this morning doesn't prove I don't like eggs and certainly doesn't prove I am dead because we have to eat to survive, if this looks ridiculous then consider some of the below.
Evolution was dismissed by many when the missing link showing we evolved from modern apes wasn't found, more so when the one exhibit hailed as the missing link proved to be a fake. This doesn't disprove evolution, there is plenty of evidence and there have now been documented and researched cases of this in action over the last few hundred years.
Jonah wasn't swallowed by a whale, the giant whales from the stories can't swallow anything larger than an orange. Noah couldn't have built an ark carrying 7 of every clean animal and 2 of all beasts for 40 days and nights without more than a few pooper scoopers, several other boats full of food and a way of controlling population that allowed the animals that don't live 40 days to breed but not infest. These and all of the other snippets of scientific fact don't disprove the existence of one or more controlling beings or gods as we tend to refer to them.

Science isn't absolute truth, it's current understanding
There are a lot of areas where science has disproven things from various religious texts. Big deal there are equally as many where science has disproven previously long held scientific theories.
Much of science is a bit like a house of cards where so much is built on other areas that a new discovery can have far reaching consequences. This is why those worshipping the science books instead of religious alternatives need to remember the ground they are standing on is not stable, and also that this is not a bad thing.
I enjoy science precisely because it tries to explain answers with our current understanding and when you get to the really intelligent scientists they will declare the limits of their understanding.
We are disproving stories that are thousands of years old with state of the art technology and science. If that impresses you I can only imagine how thrilled you were to find out pigs don't build houses and wolves don't blow them over.
One thing I am proud of with science is the discoveries showing flaws in these stories have virtually all been part of other research not done just to show fiction in religious writings. Most scientists are too mature to waste time doing so.

Atheism is a faith
Faith is believing in something without absolute proof.
I believe to the very core of my being that there is no divine presence single or multiple in control of our world or lives. I don't not believe in god for that statement implies there is one and I just haven't recognised them and is the arena of agnostics, I believe there is no such thing outside of the minds of believers.
There is absolutely no proof whatsoever that I am right. Finding there was no beardy guy sitting on a cloud didn't prove it, and nothing since has either. I don't need proof, in my mind there is no doubt that there is nothing out there guiding our lives, that is the strength of my faith.
My faith has helped me in my life in many ways. I have set my own moral standards, which have changed over time but often been more stringent than a number of religious settings insist upon. I do good things because I want to not in the hope of eternal reward after death but because I feel better for doing them now. If I do something wrong to someone I apologise to them and if suitable ask their forgiveness not someone separate from the entire reason. When I was asked what I believe in years ago my response was simple, I believe in me and that is very important.

Peaceful atheists, yeah right
One of the biggest criticisms of religion is religious wars, something I hate as much as any other pacifist but peace isn't just absence of war it is living in an environment without fear. I have witnessed first hand the verbal and physical bullying carried out against religious people by atheists, both as a child and an adult. As a child I was just glad they were picking on someone else not me, but as an adult I have stood up for others in support of freedom to choose.
Not all atheists will do so but that doesn't make us right, in the same way as not every Christian will be starting a crusade into Jerusalem or every Muslim is part of a jihad. If we want to use the argument of being peaceful in our faith, it must be universal and we aren't.

I reject dogma and insist you all should
This is where I take serious objection to anti-theists. We all take our journeys of faith. We can and should seek advice and knowledge before making a choice and continue to question it after as well. At no point should we change from this to blind obedience because that is when we start to be used by those in charge of the faith rather than be enriched by it.
Insisting that only their way is right is the very thing criticised about dogma, so how can someone justify doing this only to declare they have all the answers and the way we should live. That is the very definition of a religious zealot and a disgrace to every decent atheist in the world.

The truth as I see it
The as I see it is very important here, this is my opinion so please don't set up a religion about me or jump to following my example, in fact by doing so you wouldn't be following my example.
We all have to choose our own path.
Acceptance means you have stopped questioning and become blindly obedient.
Faith should enrich you not control you.
If it feels right and improves you as a person accuracy is not important.
Accepting faith is belief without proof shouldn't stop you trying to find some.
Give people advice and information, not conclusions.
There is no winning side in religion vs. science or religion vs. religion.
None of us are likely to know if we are right before death so don't let it ruin your life.

Running 21-Oct-2013

Today was wet. The sort of weather that's hard to set off in but feels really good once you are actually running. Not hot, cold or windy just raining.

5.38 miles in 41:57 pace 7.69mph and felt good.

17 October 2013

Running 17-Oct-2013

Not nearly as bad as I expected. Tired recovering from seizure and no stretches after squat session left me with very low expectations. It certainly wasn't impressive but I am happier than I expected.

5.37 miles in 42:52 pace 7.52mph

Bench 16-Oct-2013

This should have been a total unmitigated disaster. Really tired, seizure the night before all the ingredients to say training was a stupid idea.
All considered I think it went well.

Bench with fat gripz
Warm up 3 x 10 x 40kg
Sets 2 x 10 x 65kg, 1 x 8 x 65kg

Clean and press
One set 2 reps with 24kg 4 with 20kg, bit of pain in right bicep made me stop. Stupid to be training anyway downright foolhardy pushing through damage.

Drop trhough push ups on suspension trainer. Feet on catchers.
3 sets of 8. Body virtually straight throughout, few moments of poor form but better than last week.

16 October 2013

Squats 15-Oct-2013

There are 2 people in my life worth losing sleep over and one of them needed additional care on Monday night, meaning I ended up tired and was stressed on Tuesday. Combination of this and just time since last seizure meant I ended up having another last night.
I didn't know this was coming before squats, assumed fatigue was just tiredness, too tired to notice the difference. Got up for third set, felt instantly dizzy and tired so decided not safe to continue, was annoyed last night when stopped, this morning I am glad I did.

Squats
Warm up 3 x 10 x 70kg
Sets 2 x 10 x 120kg

15 October 2013

Running 15-Oct-2013

Well plans went straight out of the window. Squats session disappeared in a blur of activity which meant needing to leave the car I use elsewhere and drive the main car home with family in it.

Subsequently today's run was totally non-standard. Route was overall downhill, needed to carry a pack with work clothes and lunch in it. Will not be factoring in this on trends as so abnormal for me lately.

3.07 miles in 23:33 pace 7.81mph

Will try getting squats done this evening.

14 October 2013

Running 14-Oct-2013

Note to self on single arm deadlifts, forcing through the hips to get extra few inches of movement is not worth it. never had any spinal pain or discomfort from any variation of deadlift etc. until the last one and that was fortunately minor. Hyperextending the spine with a twist is something I know caries risk and I will not be doing it again.

Anyway the run. Not spectacular but acceptable none the less.

5.39 miles in 42:18 pace 7.65mph

11 October 2013

Running 11-Oct-2013

Still windy but got breathing sorted. Body worn from training etc. but still not too bad.

5.36 miles (despite beign the same route as always) in 41:19 pace 7.78mph

Deadlift 10-Oct-2013

More fun with fat gripz, this time with more focus on technique.

Deadlift
3 x 10 x 70kg
3.5 (one rep was failure half way up), 3, 4 with 100kg

Single arm deadlift
10, 6, 6 with 80kg + handle

Pull ups
6, 5, 4

10 October 2013

Running 10-Oct-2013

Today was one of those plesently surprising runs. Felt comfortable but hard work due to high winds, finished off with a bit of rain which was a nice touch. Then turned out to be a good run at a respectable pace, when I was expecting mediocre at best.

5.41 in 41:25 pace 7.84mph

Bench 09-Oct-2013

Bench was a good one, not often I say that. Used gripz on bench and kettlework and ditched the press with handles in favour of suspension trainer work, kept hitting the rack with the handles and that can't be good for either.

Bench
3 x 10 x 40kg, 1 x 10 x 60kg, 1 x 8 x 65kg, 1 x 6 x 65kg, getting to gripz with these now. Comedian I am not.
Kettlebell clean and press
1 x 10 x 20kg, 1 x 8 x 24kg, 1 x 4 with 24kg then 2 with 20kg
Drop through press ups on suspension trainer no pin, feet and handles at same height.
5, 6, 6 If I said technique was great on these I would be lying, a lot of dip in the back, but will correct over coming weeks.

9 October 2013

Squats (sort of) 08-Oct-2013

My wife wasn't feeling up to going to the gym but was training at home so I tried fitting in around her. Not 100% anyway so no real hardship. Session was seriously abbreviated but at least it happened.

Squats
10 x 70kg, 10 x 90kg, 8 x 120kg
Farmers walk
1 full walk both wayw with turn 50kg a side plus handles
1 messed up turn causing me to have to stop half way back but finished on attempt 2 same weight
Lunges without weight, feeling a bit light headed decided this was safest.

8 October 2013

Running 08-Oct-2013

Well surprise, surprise I pushed myslef outside of training to the point of near illness and couldn't train. Not the first or last time I will have done this to be trying to care for family. I know making myself ill doesn't help them but it's hard to remember to look after me when trying to care for one of them.

Anyway back to running today and not too bad really. Will be doing squats this evening, though may have to moderate, the joy!

5.4 miles in 42:20 pace 7.65mph Felt more comfortable than I expected in fairness.

4 October 2013

Running 04-Oct-2013

Well today was rubbish, no other way to discribe it.
There is serious humidity out there and I struggled from start to premature finish.
At 3.5 miles I wanted to stop, my body had given up due to lack of air, I managed to get another mile out before grinding to a dizzy halt.
I probably could have done the whole route if I'd set out a little slower based on the above minimum pace but the movement felt comfortable, my breathing was the killer.

4.51 miles in 35:47 pace 7.55mph

Deadlift 03-Oct-2013

This was interesting. Starting to get used to the fat gripz so was able to give a bit more earlier on and died at the end.

Deadlift with gripz
Warm up 3 x 10 x 70kg
Main 2 x 3 x 100kg 1 x 4 x 100kg really pleased with that best weight with gripz and upped by a rep too.

Single arme deadlift
All 80kg + handle 6, 8, 10 First set felt like hell and I doubted the intelligence of going up a weight, second got slippy and by the marvel that is climbing chalk the last one was a 10

Wide grip pull ups
3 with grips, 2 with 1 without 1 with, 3 with 3 without
By this time my hands were dead and it really doesn't matter what the rest of you can do if you can't hold the bar securely you are going nowhere fast.
Bit of a pathetic display.

3 October 2013

Running 03-Oct-2013

No weights so far this week, somethign I will be remedying this evening.
Today's run wasn't bad but not as good as earlier this week. Very humid making breathing difficult but feel it should have been better, just had no energy at the end.

5.4 miles in 42:36 pace 7.6mph

1 October 2013

Running 01-Oct-2013

Well I really let myself down today, 0.01 mils less and a second slower than yesterday. Unforgivable!

5.37 miles in 41:03 pace 7.85mph

Obviously I am happy with getting 2 consitantly good runs this week. Just need to keep to it now.

Truth about home education (without scaremongering)

The chances of anyone getting to this thread who will benefit from it is slim to none but still enough to make it worth posting.

In the UK and likely elsewhere there is a lot of fear and panic being spread to such an extent people are becoming scared to involve local authorities in the process. As with most situations there is nothing to be afraid of unless you are a major cause of damage to your children and based on what I have seen even when I thought they were.
There are some very negative impressions given on some facebook threads, one in particular which is administered by someone who will ban anyone who doesn't agree with her scare stories. These areas make it seem that the only outcome from telling the authorities you are educating at home is a surprise doorstep visit from the police and social services and intimidation to get your child back to state education. When you are looking at something as major as home educating this is the last thing you want to see and the reality is instead of supporting fellow home educators this will simply scare them and set them to focusing on imagined hazards instead of providing an education.

The reality of home education law UK version.
If you never send your child to school there is no legal requirement to advise the authorities, if you are removing them from a school you have to advise the school and local education authority. How approachable etc. they are is dependant on the individual, same as anything else but I would advise notifying them whether you have to or not. It isn't essential to eat more than every few days but most of us do and not doing so is pretty stupid.
Removing your child form a school without notifying the authorities is illegal, plain and simple and considering the most common abusers of children are the parents this will raise flags with police and social services who are not only empowered but duty bound to investigate this in order to protect the child(ren) in question. If you are scared out of doing so you will find yourself in a truly terrifying situation and your names will be entered onto a few watch lists as they should be to ensure children at risk are protected. This doesn't mean you are an abuser, but does mean you have behaved as one would.
You can notify and request no visits and the authorities have to abide by your request, but this will be seen as potentially having something to hide so you will be a bit further down the list of putting children at risk. Considering there appears to be no minimum standard you have to teach to, a fact that disgusts me to the core, I cannot see why anyone will not allow a standard scheduled visit, which is the authorities preferred. The fact is offering this will result in a 25% or less chance of the asking for one unless you absolutely insist due to their workload and you will be so far down the list of at risk as not to be seen unless you start burning crosses n your front garden or ordering weapons grde plutonium over the internet.

Personal experience dealing with the local education authority was mixed. The boss in charge of the home education department was an ex-teacher and I felt very much that she demonstrated a case of those who can do, those who can't teach and if you really can't you become boss of home education, she has since gone and everyone else we have dealt with has been fine. We asked them to give us annual visits to assess if we were educating our son to a suitable standard, we have had one initial assessment and not seen them since, the appointment was booked, rescheduled by them and took place with no police or social services presence. The paperwork from the assessment came back saying we were providing for our son better than the state would be able to with reasoning, not a sign of intimidation etc. We havent' seen them since but send them plans and details of the assessments we do every year to be sure we aren't letting our son down and they write back saying thank you.
Truth is they are there to provide a service, not a very good one as they have virtually no information to help you find resources etc. but working with them is very easy and totally painless.

I have witnessed one set of parents who I would say have to be one of the worst set of home educators going and even though they did everything in the most stupid and obstructive way possible they can still educate at home, I use the term very loosely.
The parents in question have multiple children who attended school for a few years and have been removed for home education. On leaving school they were reading at below the level they would be expected to for thier age, math ability similarly below so they would be seen as needing support in standard state schools. After almost 2 years of home education their abilities in basic english and math were below that on leaving school.
For reasons totally seperate they were investigated by social services and because they home educate this had to be investigate this as part of the process. End result with a family evidently educating their children so badly they were not only failing to learn new things but losing the abilities school had given them and at least one having openly stated they wanted to go back to school, was an advisory to return their children to school without any enforcement.
These will undoubtedly have posted on forums about how badly treated they were by the authorities they were constantly fighting with, while totally missing how little education they are providing at home. But even they still continue to be allowed to neglect their responsibilities without fear of reprisals.

The idea of this post is not to encourage people to think in terms of not bothering to educate knowing they can do so, even though it appears parents in the UK can. It is to show people that following the rules is simple and far less stressful than being obstructive. Knowing it's all done by the book and that if you are going to get a visit it will be one organised with a letter coming to you with a requested date and time.
Education authorities are generally quite lazy regarding home education, and there is a lot of work involved in setting up scary visits by police and social services so they won't do it unless they really feel it's needed.
They won't care if you are teaching on a dining table in fact most do, when we showed a desk they were shocked. They know it's expensive so will not expect you to have spent several thousands on kit either.
They want you to have considered all options first and will tell you about the best schools for your child and what they could provide, because many parents don't find out for themselves or schools fail to tell them. This is not pressure it is information, treat it as such.
They want to see what provisions you have made for education and social interaction their opinions on this will be drafted into a report if you get a visit. In the same way as anything else this should be viewed as a tool, none of us will get everything right and arrogantly assuming we do can only damage our children, so take notice even if you disagree.

Making a mistake often means potentially damaging something. Making a mistake on educating your children could easily damage their entire future, so take it seriously and get any help you can. If you advise the authorities and they give you one website link you didn't have, it was worth it. Better to go by the book and get nothing in return than have fear anyway.
Also remember that you may decide to return a child to school, good relationship with the education authority will help here. It is worth it and they aren't the devil's army.