Self-Promoting Shallowness

After reading an article at T-Nation that compares various lifts with each other (i.e. if you bench X amount, you generally should be able to squat X) I came to the conclusion that I am pretty much balanced except for my deadlift. That is to say, my other lifts all compare pretty well with each other, but my deadlift is weak. In a dead you are basically pulling a weight up from the ground in the lift with your legs fashion. Now I only started doing deads about 8 months ago, and I started with 85 pounds which about killed me. So this morning I decided to test myself a little. I increased my PR to 250 pounds (from 235), and I probably could have done more (say 260-270). Compared to my other lifts I should be around 280, so I am not as far off as I thought. I have a few more weeks on my rest phase of 10 different movements at 1 set for 8-12 reps, and then I go back to my increase the weight phase. That will be fewer movements per work-out with multiple sets for about 5 reps apiece. My current goals are to get to a bodyweight bench of 250, which would correspond to a dead of about 450; and a squat of 320.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do;jsessionid=B98E11907CC5EB3EAC03521C8B92BA41.hydra?id=1823834

You Make the Call

Gunnar made the freshman basketball team and he brings home his randomly assigned jersey. Basically he said Gunnar had to have the large one. He is very excited because he figured out what NBA player had his number 41 (Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks). I am sure many of you that I went to high school with already remember that I was also number 41 when I played basketball. So I dug out my year book and we all enjoyed the twilight zone moment.

Cenneidigh grows up too fast

Cenny: Yeah, uh Mom, can you not buy me clothes anymore unless I am there with you to approve them first.

Sister Beck Lets Me Down

As most of you may know Sister Beck’s recent conference address really stirred a lot of people up. This household was no exception. We have four boys, so every Sunday morning after ironing my shirt I iron all of theirs. In 17 years of marriage, Lisa has never once ironed a shirt for me. Well I listen to the talk and tell her Sister Beck has just said ironing your kid’s shirts is part of her responsibilities. She refused to believe it and after review she showed me Sister Beck actually stated, “They bring daughters in clean and ironed dresses with hair brushed to perfection; their sons wear white shirts and ties and have missionary haircuts.” Lisa went with the literal interpretation that it did not say iron her son’s shirts. As I see it, Sister Beck did not go far enough.

You make the call

Was it coincidence or something more? Lisa is working (substitute teaching) so she arranges for her parents to pick JT up from his bus stop. I came home for lunch and started to not feel so well. After a long lunch time I decided to go back into the office and tough it out, but while there I change my mind and just go home (I am only 2 miles from work). I get home around 2pm. About 2:30 I hear a knock at the door and I find JT all by himself. It turns out his grandparents totally spaced picking him up and the bus driver also let him off the bus with no one there to get him. JT walks the 5 blocks home by himself (he is only 5). Because of events I happen to be home sick for the first time in eons, so I am there to let him in. This could have turned out really bad, but it didn’t.

Conversations with JT

Lisa and JT are at our local Hospital for the Flu Shot.
JT: What does that sign say?
Lisa: That this is one of the top 50 non-teaching hospitals in the US.
JT: What is a teaching hospital?
Lisa: That is where they teach doctors to become doctors.
JT (after thinking a bit): No, that is wrong. That is where they would teach people to become doctors.

Blind Love and Devotion

I was home teaching a young couple in the Ward last night (5 months married), and I asked if it was coincidental that they dressed exactly alike. They both had on brown shoes, tan khakis, and a white t-shirt under identically brown knit shirts. They both looked down at themselves and were amazed at what I said. She had dressed and left for work prior to her husband even waking up. She then hugged him and said we must just subconsciously be that cute couple still. Ahh :-)