Hopping dips, Early morning burial, Set stage

Yesterday after work I headed outside to film my 2nd attempt at this month’s Bar-barian challenge.  My earlier attempt was disqualified because I didn’t have consistent extension at the top of the movement.  Just like the first attempt, I had issues getting back on top of the bar which frustrates the hell out of me.  It totally has to do with me not being able to get my long legs to work for me instead of against me.  I went slower this time to make sure my ROM was solid but it resulted in fewer reps, 20.  It’s a decent number but I hope to up that by at least 4 or 5 before the month is up.

Later on I headed back out to do some work on the parallel bars.  I decided I would try some hopping dips.  A hopping dip is when you push up hard off the bars so you can hop your hands forward.  I went back and forth the length of the bars several times, it didn’t take long at all to totally fatigue my triceps.  I also did reps where I pressed up on to the 4×4’s and then caught myself as I hopped down to the bars which are 9-10 inches below.  That is REALLY tough.  Stopping gravity with just your triceps is hard work.  This type of explosive movement is a great way to shock my arms, just as long as my elbows and shoulders don’t blow apart in the process.

So this morning I let the dogs outside as I always do after rolling out of bed.  As usual when I opened the door Sadie went running off, hoping to scare up some movement.  Nicki was dilly dallying inside so I walked back in to get her to hurry up.

So I let Nicki out and Sadie comes prancing back towards the door.  I see the outline of something large in her mouth as she approaches.  As she came into the light I was horrified when I saw what it was, a dead rabbit.

Sadie proudly dropped the rabbit at my feet.  I looked closely at the animal, at first hoping against hope that Sadie grabbed it, scared the hell out of it, but didn’t kill it.  It didn’t take long to ascertain that she snapped it’s neck, probably from shaking the hell out of it once she pinned the rabbit down.

Sadie was confused when I yelled at her for what she thought was a good thing, she FINALLY caught the rabbit.  For years Nicki and now Sadie have chased rabbits around our yard.  The rabbits however have always had the upper hand, being able to either scoot out under one of the gates or find refuge under the sheds or outdoor deck.  Their luck finally ran out.

I took the dogs inside and continued to scold Sadie.  Nicki sensed my anger and scurried back to the bedroom as well even though she was an innocent bystander.  I then went outside at 5:45 am to bury the rabbit.  You can imagine how I felt as I dug the grave via flashlight for the poor rabbit.  Remember I am the guy that captures wolf spiders and sets them free. It was a pretty awful way to start my day.

I am playing my first volleyball tournament of 2011 this weekend with Jeremy.  The last time I played was last summer, also with Jeremy.  It was in that tournament that we handed Randall an embarrassing, lopsided loss in the playoffs, complete with a presigned sympathy card.

Since that tournament I haven’t touched a volleyball, except maybe to pick one off the floor of the garage when it rolled off a shelf.  My focus has been on bodyweight and triathlon training.

Randall on the other hand has been working diligently since that epic loss.  He made a serious commitment to fitness and weight loss.  He has lost somewhere between 30-40 pounds depending on how high of a starting weight he is willing to fess up to.

Randall also has been playing A LOT of volleyball, participating in a league and playing more tournaments in a couple months than I have in a couple years.  He has had good success, winning a tournament (where they combined BB/B) and doing decent in the next level up in a later tournament.

In this weekend’s tournament Jeremy and I will be playing BB so we won’t have a chance to play “officially” but a grudge match will surely take place at some point. Randall has been trying to administer his customary pre-match smack talk.  I however am only mildly retaliating. You see all of the pressure is entirely on his shoulders.

Jeremy has also had a moratorium on any volleyball play since last year.  Any volleyball pundit would say based on Randall’s improved fitness level, dramatically more regular play combined with our complete void of play, they should wipe the court with us.  Just imagine if they lose again.  I will have to bring a shovel with for Randall to bury his head with.