GlibFit 4.0 – Coronavirus Edition XVII: And Then the Wheels Came Off

by | Jul 12, 2020 | Fitness, GlibFit | 261 comments

I really thought the Coronavirus Edition of GlibFit would be over, or at least irrelevant by now.  No such luck.

California, or is it my county (I’ve lost track by now), reimposed a mask requirement.  That resulted in my gym requiring us to wear masks when working out.  I knew that was going to blow.  I didn’t realize how hard.

I retested on the AthleanX 400 this week.  For those who don’t remember, it’s 100 pushups, 100 sit ups, 100 bodyweight squats, and 100 inverted rows.  The idea is to do it as fast as you can.  My personal best is just over 14 minutes.  I was optimistic I could make a new personal best this week.  It was not to be.

I have been doing so well with the training since gyms reopened.  Returning to work in the office full time has interfered with my conditioning but it hasn’t been fatal.  I’m certain I weigh less, am stronger, and have better wind than the last time I tested.  But I had to wear that damn mask in the gym.

I was doing pretty well through the first fifty of each exercise.  I didn’t like the mask but thought I was on pace.  A quick check on my watch and I saw I was just a little behind the pace I needed.  I tried upping my pace but couldn’t keep it up.  There was no missing breathing in my own CO2 was impeding me.

I finished with a time just shy of 15 minutes.  I was pissed.  I am certain I couldn’t get the pace I needed because I felt a little like I was getting smothered while working out.  I just couldn’t get enough oxygen to go for it.  What.The.Fuck?

I’m reevaluating what comes next.  I love this program but I need to be able to breathe freely when I’m doing exercise that requires strength and endurance.  There is no way I’m getting to the next level under these conditions.

This definitely discouraged me.  I only got one more workout during the week.  Yeah, I worked longer hours than were ideal.  Yeah, I hung out with Late Night Glibs™ more than I should have.  Yeah, I had some days I had to get to work earlier than usual.  But I still should have gotten those workouts in.  Once more Covid-19 has found a way to screw with my head.

I hope you lot had a better week.  I’m going to figure out how to go keep at it.

This week’s music.  And one more.  The video is cheesy as hell but I really like the song.  It’s a question I need to answer.

About The Author

Chafed

Chafed

I'm looking California but feeling Minnesota

261 Comments

  1. Nephilium

    Damn you for that song!

    I’ve really been stuck on the Interrupters recently.

    I hit a new post-lockdown weight this week, but my spin class today was fucking embarrassing. (I came in 10th out of 12). It was the worst ride I’ve had in months. My maxes were fine, but my sustained were for shit, and I didn’t really feel it today. Parts of it were that I had to cancel the ride I was hoping to do yesterday (I do have a preference on instructors) due to work).

    I need to find something to drive me forward.

    • Chafed

      Wow! #5 makes me want to move to Texas.

    • DEG

      YES

  2. westernsloper

    I’m reevaluating what comes next. I love this program but I need to be able to breathe freely when I’m doing exercise that requires strength and endurance.

    Ya, that sounds impossible to do wearing a mask. Maybe try a neck buff. Mine is so thin I can see through it but it meets the requirements at work. If it is any consolation, I could not even finish that routine, mask or not.

    I did stick to the diet last week and walked my ass off. Other than that, I am still being lazy.

    • Nephilium

      The studio I go to requires masks up to when class starts and after, but not during.

    • Crusty Juggler

      Yeah you can’t do that shit with a mask on.

      • Chafed

        No I can’t.

  3. Crusty Juggler

    I recently bought an Assault Air Bike because gyms are still closed here, I have no idea when they are opening and if they reopen if they will have limited people inside, and I was losing my mind, so I thought some intense cardio would help.

    And it did. Holy moly that thing is a monster and it’s a great mental test every time I hop on it.

    So, if you have 1,000 dollars buy one. If you don’t – and I don’t – buy one anyway.

    • Nephilium

      I’ve got a recumbent stationary and a trainer. I still hate riding both, because there’s no challenge or conflict. It may be petty, but I always ride faster when there’s someone else riding in my area.

      • Crusty Juggler

        Understood. The challenge of seeing others/being inspired by others/wanting to beat others is good.

        But I don’t know if and when that will happen again here. Plus its nice to have the option to just bust out 20 intense minutes before or after work. It takes the excuse away.

      • Nephilium

        For me, I can’t do 20 intense minutes on either. It’s a personal failing, I know. I just get bored. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy the spin class I go to, there’s stats, and always a challenge. Can I beat the gender and age adjusted stats to come out on top?

        And I can always come up with excuses. That’s the easy part. Putting my ass in the saddle for miles is the hard part.

    • Ozymandias

      I disdain “machines” for fitness, but there are two notable exceptions: Concept2 Erg and Assault Bike. You can get a LOT of fitness out of those two machines (which is a nice way of saying they are horrible, sadistic, soul-destroyers that can make 3 minutes feel like a lifetime).
      Think you’re fit? Try rowing a 2K as fast as ^%&^ing possible and see how you feel afterwards. Get it down to 7 minutes/2K (now you’re fit).
      The assault bike has some of those same kinds of workouts, especially for intervals. (Go a minute and then rest a minute against a friend for most cals/meters/whatever for 5-, or 7-, or even 10-rounds).

      • Nephilium

        Might I ask your average/max watts on a bike?

        I enjoy a challenge.

      • Crusty Juggler

        “The assault bike has some of those same kinds of workouts, especially for intervals”

        I haven’t exercised consistently since the pandemic so I’m starting with the 10 seconds work / 20 seconds rest intervals. I’m okay with those, but they are a constant challenge.

        The 20 work / 10 rest are out of my league. wtf.

        Great machine.

      • UnCivilServant

        Is an assault bike one with the shoulder thing that goes up?

      • IRBE

        I read somewhere..Mens Health or something that if you could row 500m at less than 90 sec that you were in pretty good shape. I “trained” for that once a couple years ago. I could not get close. There is a bit of technique required that I could not master but it was fun to try.

      • Jarflax

        a 1:30 pace on the erg (paces are measured as time per 500 meter split) is VERY good shape. That is a 480 watt performance. I never got to that point.

      • Ozymandias

        A 1:30/500m is smoking. I’m right at the fringes of that in my best shape. I know for certain I’ve pulled a mid-1:30s before for a single 500m piece. A 7:00 min 2K is 4 x 1:45 and that is a serious test of one’s ability to just suck it up and suffer. My PR is still 20 seconds off of that – so 4 x 1:50; close, but no stogie.

        Neph – I’m not as familiar with the numbers on an assault bike, so the answer is I don’t know. I know the C2 so well because I’ve owned a couple (still have my second one, a Model D, now). I’ve only used the assault bikes in the gym and never got as hooked on the numbers as I did with the erg. I just know they both produce a similar level of suck. Also, both produce an equivalent kind of punishment for calories v meters. i.e. You get meters for every stroke on both, but calories are “harder” to come by, so being able to sustain a harder rate matters – but it comes at a steep price on both.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        I have a Concept 2. Used to love it, now I have cervicalgia and it aggravates it.

        I generally hate stationary machines.

      • IRBE

        I can imagine that. Sometimes when trying to push it..I would get a strain/cramp at the ankle/shin that was as sharp a pain as I have ever felt. You can easily manage leg pain but neck pain not so much.

      • Jarflax

        Concept 2 has been the key to all my fitness gains, I got down from 320 to 174 dieting and rowing, then kept it off for a year rowing. Then I quit. Now I am starting the same journey again, sigh. You can get an incredibly intense workout with sprints and intervals. Or you can settle in to a sustainable pace and go long. For a while there I was doing 20-30 k a day. Those kind of workouts, or even the flat out 2k stuff will have to wait a bit. One downside to being obese is that your belly impedes your breathing. Still, I had done a bit over 24 million meters lifetime when I started this bout and that gives me a pretty impressive milestone to shoot for in the short term. Set the machine up in front of a tv or put on an audio book and go long if you find stationary exercise dull (which I do).

      • Nephilium

        Good for you!

        I wish just watching TV would keep me in the trainer. I need either competition or a goal to drive me.

      • Jarflax

        Good for you!

        Losing 145 lbs = Good for me!
        Keeping it off for a year = Good for me!
        Gaining all of it back over 2 years = SHAME
        Losing it again = Long damn road ahead.

      • Nephilium

        Keeping it off is the tough part. I was down to 160 at one point. That point has passed.

      • Surly Knott

        I’ve found that I really needed to think about and plan what and how I’m going to eat once a diet “ends.” The last weeks of a diet are the meal plan going forward.
        Portion control helps. Get a good, easy to use, kitchen scale and use it religiously.

      • LCDR_Fish

        Those are great machines – but I’m having so much trouble with my tailbone lately – if I have a folded up towel to sit on, I might be able to do a few minutes on the rower, but like bikes – pretty difficult to handle the last few years. Pretty much stick with the elliptical and occasional treadmill for the time being (pre-COVID….) – but I’d love to get back on a good Concept2.

      • Jarflax

        I use this

    • DEG

      My gym has some Airdyne bikes which are, if I remember correctly, similar.

      They were good to use back when I could use them. My physical therapist keeps nixing my use of them.

      • Crusty Juggler

        They essentially the same.

  4. Scruffy Nerfherder

    25 miles on the bike yesterday. 10% further and 5% faster. Slowly making progress.

    Overheard while waiting to get into the bike store:

    Lady brings $5000 Trek Madone in for a tuneup because she’s going on a 50 mile ride. Tech tells her it’s in good shape (which it was, I don’t think there was a spot of dirt on it, even the whitewall tires were clean), but she should bring it in after the ride to get the tape changed because the sweat will cause the handlebars to corrode and break prematurely. I almost said something but I figured if she had enough money to buy a $5K bike that she obviously doesn’t ride, she doesn’t need my advice.

    • Nephilium

      Good for you man. You can always go further if you prep for it. The faster is always the challenge.

    • Derpetologist

      Aluminum oxidizes quickly in contact with the water vapor in air. Corrugated aluminum is a common roofing material in many poor countries.

      the series of tubes says

      ***
      Aluminium has excellent corrosion resistance because it spontaneously forms a thin but effective oxide layer that prevents further oxidation. And aluminium oxide is impermeable. However, aluminium alloys perform differently in saltwater environments or in a saline atmosphere.
      ***

      I guess you knew that already.

      Fun fact: many gems are forms aluminum oxide. I used to work in a factory that made artificial sapphire from aluminum oxide. Products include cell phone screens and the nose cone of the Hellfire missile.

      ***
      Corundum is the most common naturally occurring crystalline form of aluminium oxide. Rubies and sapphires are gem-quality forms of corundum, which owe their characteristic colors to trace impurities. Rubies are given their characteristic deep red color and their laser qualities by traces of chromium.
      ***

  5. The Late P Brooks

    I was out tramping around on my property, earlier. Checking my weed crop and fixing a bit of fence. By the time I was done, the walk up the grade to the “house” had me breathing harder than it should. Sitting around doing pretty much nothing nothing nothing (while eating ice cream) for six weeks in Indiana was not good for me. Back to morning step-ups.

  6. The Late P Brooks

    get the tape changed because the sweat will cause the handlebars to corrode and break prematurely

    Wait, what?

    • Nephilium

      Depends on the metal the bike is made of, it’s potentially possible. But in her case, it was probably more money than sense.

  7. The Late P Brooks

    Try making a mask out of window screen. Or chicken wire.

    • Chafed

      Maybe I’ll just skip to barbed wire.

      • R C Dean

        A barbed wire fabric print mask would work for me.

  8. IRBE

    Hi Chafed, Thanks for the new edition. Not much new to report. Gym still closed! Still doing the bands and pull-ups. This week’s hiking was subpar usual (38 mi) b/c temps were a bit hot. Temps may reach 100 today. High temps bring out snakes…saw 3 rattlers this week and getting out early just catches them by surprise on the trail. Thinking positively, fear really ramps up the metabolism so the decrease in mileage didn’t change calories burnt (~2600 cal/day). I went OMAD for most of the week but indulged in a few too many adult refreshments. I am planning a 48hr fast this week.

    I saw an article this week that legislation in Japan allows for companies to be fined if their employees and pensioner gain too much weight. From my recollection, the fines are substantial enough that Japanese companies are making exercise and measurement compulsory for employees and retirees alike. I guess Japan is trying to flatten the curve so people don’t overrun hospitals with metabolic disorders that lead to Covid or vice versa…that’s progressive! I give it 5 years before it becomes a thing here. Shorter if they can “prove” the curve really is flattened.

    Speaking of Covid and masks…I am supposed to wear a mask, not to protect myself, but to protect others based on the assumption that I am bioreactor spewing virus type particles through breathing and single tissue is going to prevent the spread. Science. Made. Simple. FTW. Taken to a cynical end that is quite a humiliating way to view oneself…I mean the major function of our immune system is to prevent that from happening. Everyone that willingly wears a mask must deep down think they are defective…why not just stay at home if you are defective.

  9. LemonGrenade

    Afternoon, Glibs! So sorry to hear you had to wear a mask while working out, Chafed. My family and I have been fleeing lockdown restrictions and mask mandates. Our trip to Yellowstone is winding down, and I have definitely lost weight with all the hiking, which has been great since I put on the beginnings of a beer baby during the cower in place. Having escaped maskville so far, I’m determined that we continue the streak. So, while we were going to visit the Grand Tetons, Wyoming can fuck itself since it’s definitely slow-rolling reopening, and we’ll be heading to Lava Springs, ID next instead. I have no idea what it holds in store for us, but it’s further along in reopening, so it’s a winner.

    Visiting Yellowstone while international travel is pretty much at a standstill was a really lucky coincidence. The park is still crowded, but not so crowded we had trouble finding parking or getting to any of the attractions. There are even open campsites in some of the state parks in August, so if anyone is thinking of an escape, I’d recommend Yellowstone, just be sure to stay on the Montana side.

    • Nephilium

      I’m planning on using some vacation days to introduce the girlfriend to Put-In-Bay in the next couple weeks. She’s lived in NE Ohio her whole life and never been there. I expect we’ll be the oldest visitors on the island.

      If you’re making you’re way through Ohio, feel free to reach out if you would like.

      • LemonGrenade

        We may be, on the return trip. We still have at least a month on the road to go. Now that we don’t have to hurry home for the start of a school year, we’re honestly not sure when we’ll return. Camping is cheap when you cook most of your own meals.

      • Nephilium

        If you come through Cleveland, I can offer at a minimum a meal.

      • Tres Cool

        Or as I called it in my younger days….Put-OUT-Bay

      • Nephilium

        I’m more shocked she’s never been there. As I said last night, it’s known for overindulging in alcohol, and getting OVI’s on golf carts. The Beer Barrel was the only place that ever asked my the address on my license.

    • DEG

      Sounds like a good trip.

  10. Nephilium

    So, as this is a fitness post. Anyone have any good stretches for shoulders? Basic ones don’t work for me (since I’m what was called back in the day double jointed). And there’s nowhere in the house I could easily install a pull up bar to hang on (or I wouldn’t trust it to hold my weight).

      • Nephilium

        Stretching has always been a tough thing for me, since most stretches I can do without any issue (it may be that I’m doing them wrong). About the only ones I’ve found are good for my legs are crossing one leg in front of the other and bending down, and holding the foot and pulling it back while bending over.

  11. westernsloper

    I roasted all my vegetables for a weeks worth of lunches and in the process managed to allow the dome of the kettle to touch my leg as I was stirring. I branded my left thigh. Damn thing didn’t seem that hot. I need a medicinal beer and a soak in the pool.

    • Chafed

      Is your new brand the Glibs logo?

  12. Crusty Juggler

    Speaking of Yellowstone, how fun is that show?

    • LemonGrenade

      We’re staying outside the West Yellowstone entrance, in Montana, so it’s been great. Old Faithful Inn is not just closed to reservations but boarded up so even getting pictures of the exterior was no fun. But I walked out Geyser gill and the artist Paintpots and the mud volcano. Also saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and bison, elk, bats at night and other wildlife. Food has mostly been over the campfire so we haven’t been bothered by dining restrictions, and businesses only ask you to ‘please consider wearing a mask’ if that. It’s been a good escape.

      • Old Man With Candy

        SP and I visited the MT side a couple months before we left the state (it was maybe 2 hours drive from where we lived). It was terrific, and we were amused to get into a traffic jam caused by bison.

      • LemonGrenade

        We have one more day of visiting the park left, then will hit the road on Tuesday. I’m hoping to see at least one herd of bison; so far it’s all been scattered singles, although the bison that was just chilling out next to a steam vent at the mud volcano like he’d found his own spa was perfect viewing. I’m going to have to return in later years and camp in a different area so I can check out the Northern Range.

      • Jarflax

        Also sunrise through the Golden Gate of Yellowstone is an experience never to be forgotten (it is up near the Gardiner MT entrance.)

      • Jarflax

        I don’t know what your plans are but I strongly reccommend Glacier Park as well if you have the time/flexibility. It is breathtaking

    • Chafed

      I was expecting the guy who played Endo in Lethal Weapon.

  13. Mojeaux

    -3 lb.

    • Nephilium

      Good for you!

    • LemonGrenade

      Nice!

    • Tundra

      Boom!

      Great job!

    • egould310

      Alright! ?

    • Chafed

      Good for you. Bad for Tres Cool.

    • IRBE

      Did you fast…I thought you were going to try it.

      • Mojeaux

        Low-carb, half-assed meat/intermittent fasting. Low-carb for the last two weeks re-trained my stomach/brain to only eat when I was hungry.

        This thing happens on low-carb where the variety is so limited, I don’t feel like making anything or eating because I’m tired of it, so I have to evaluate just how hungry I really am. Laziness wins almost every time.

      • IRBE

        Well losing 3# is a great start and looks like you have a plan. I think getting used to being hungry like when you were kid and letting hunger just pass is very important to empowering yourself when temptation strikes. Variety in food is overrated if you think of it as fuel…if you think of it as entertainment…you can always challenge your Scoville tolerance; which will also increase your metabolism.

      • Mojeaux

        I’ve actually lost 7 in the last 3 weeks. 🙂 I was thinking I’d see if I could get more than 2 pounds per week.

      • IRBE

        Sorry, I was not keeping your tally. I think losing 2#/wk is easily doable. If your of CI/CO mindset that is only a 7K calorie deficit. Burn 3K more, eat 4K less. Simple!

      • Mojeaux

        Oh, goodness! I wouldn’t expect you to! I confess I was bragging a teensy bit.

        I’m post-menopausal. Any amount lost is precious.

    • DEG

      Excellent!

    • Gender Traitor

      w00t!!!

      ::makes a point of not stepping on the scale myself::

      • Nephilium

        GT:

        I’m a believer in stepping on the scale every day. That way you can build a trend line faster. If you’re not happy with the trend line, at least you have the information.

  14. The Late P Brooks

    Depends on the metal the bike is made of, it’s potentially possible.

    Unless those handlebars are made out of old tin cans, (not “recycled” tin cans but actual old tin cans, hammered into shape with a rock and a pointed stick) that’s just spectacularly dumb. In all likelihood, those bars are aluminum, and Hillary Clinton’s sweat couldn’t dissolve them.

    Why couldn’t the guy just say, “You don’t want people to see that nice bike with icky dirty handlebar tape, do you?”.

  15. Derpetologist

    the CDC on masks

    “Your cloth face covering may protect them. Their cloth face covering may protect you.”
    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

    “• The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.• Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker. ”
    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention-H.pdf

    Yesterday, I at one meal and ran 4 miles. If I can make a habit of that, I expect to be much more fit in the future.

    • Suthenboy

      May protect. May. I see.

      Got it.

      “Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker. ”
      Why not?

      • Derpetologist

        QUIET, YOU!

      • Suthenboy

        They can’t even give advice on a cold virus without lying their asses off.
        Did my taxes this morning….words cant describe how pissed off I am.

      • Derpetologist

        Let’s see what the CDC says about another respiratory virus:

        https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html

        ***
        You can help reduce your risk of getting a cold:

        Wash your hands often with soap and water. Wash them for 20 seconds, and help young children do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Viruses that cause colds can live on your hands, and regular handwashing can help protect you from getting sick.

        Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Viruses that cause colds can enter your body this way and make you sick
        Stay away from people who are sick. Sick people can spread viruses that cause the common cold through close contact with others.

        How to Protect Others

        If you have a cold, you should follow these tips to help prevent spreading it to other people:

        Stay at home while you are sick and keep children out of school or daycare while they are sick.

        Avoid close contact with others, such as hugging, kissing, or shaking hands.
        Move away from people before coughing or sneezing.
        Cough and sneeze into a tissue then throw it away, or cough and sneeze into your upper shirt sleeve, completely covering your mouth and nose.
        Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
        Disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects, such as toys and doorknobs.

        There is no vaccine to protect you against the common cold.
        ***

        Huh, a respiratory virus with no vaccine. That seems familiar, but no recommendation for face masks.

        [puffs on soap bubble pipe]

        Hum! Curiouser and curiouser indeed…

        Leave me, Watson. I must ponder in my study.

    • R C Dean

      Remember “may” = “may or may not”.

      • Jarflax

        I may have slept with all the girls in Q links while making a million dollars a week.

      • DEG

        Why settle for a million dollars a week? Go for ten million a week.

      • Spudalicious

        He’s too busy getting laid to work that hard.

  16. Don Escaped both Landslides

    My workout for today was refrios y cerveza

    • Tres Cool

      Órale vato!

    • Nephilium

      That’s a workout?

      /goes and gets another beer

    • Crusty Juggler

      THIS IS AMERICA

      SPEAK AMERICAN

  17. The Late P Brooks

    just be sure to stay on the Montana side.

    Buy some property, while you’re here.

    LemonGrenade- Swing out to Craters of the Moon while you’re in that part of Idaho, if you can. It’s pretty amazing.

    • Derpetologist

      Craters of the Moon is great. Make sure you hike up the big hill to take in the view. The EBR nuclear reactor museum in Arco is not too far away from it. I liked playing with the big mechanical hands and pretending I was Homer Simpson.

    • LemonGrenade

      Thanks for the recommendation! We were looking for things to do in the area, since it was mostly “Idaho isn’t locked down and there’s some availability for camping there.”

      I’ve really enjoyed Montana and South Dakota. They’ve made me rethink my hard no on harsh winters.

      • Derpetologist

        Other things out there that have my seal and walrus of approval: Little Bighorn battlefield, Glacier National Park, Hell’s Half Acre, CarHenge, Crow Heart Butte, Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles, Natural History Museum of the Rockies, Two Medicine Dinosaur Museum, Badlands of North Dakota

      • C. Anacreon

        I chose to drive through Craters of the Moon from Boise to Yellowstone, rather than take the freeway, on my solo visit after business in Boise a couple years back. Was very happy I did, it’s spectacular, though as dusk was settling I did notice a dearth of cars or any evidence of humans for miles, and of course no cell service, so had a twinge of concern should anything go wrong with the car. Luckily the rental Toyota proved dependable.

  18. The Late P Brooks

    The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.

    Fealty to the hive, above all!

    • Derpetologist

      Now let us all stridulate in solidarity!

  19. Crusty Juggler
  20. The Late P Brooks

    I stopped for gas out by Arco, a million years ago, at an old fashioned gas station from the forties, probably. There was an absolutely enormous elk head on the wall. It was so big it looked like they must have built the building around it, because there was no obvious way to have gotten it in there.

    • Derpetologist

      I remember a gas station in Idaho that had a little bar in the back with a pool table and some animal heads on the wall. It was the first gas station I ever saw that sold ammo.

      My thoughts were: wow, everything I need in one place!

  21. Tres Cool
    • DEG

      BeauSoleil is good.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Weird. I was listening to them yesterday.

      • Tres Cool

        Well, it IS Sunday

  22. Tundra

    Hi Chafed!

    Sorry to hear about the gym. I am fully expecting ours to mandate shortly. Since I only lift there, my plan is to wear a fishing neck gaiter and move it down at least past the nose for sets.

    It’s all so retarded.

    My week was good. I dropped another 3.8 lbs, but more importantly, my waist-to-height ratio finally hit .5. The more I read, the waist measurement is a much more important health marker than the scale.

    Gym is going well. I’m still weak but making progress each day. I hiked over 60 miles over the last week, too. My energy level has been really good. Thanks, modified keto!

    I’m down to the last two weeks of my 75Hard. I’ll be on vacation next week, so I’ll finish with a real challenge! It’s been a fantastic experience and I can’t recommend it enough.

    Good luck this week, people. Fuck the haters, you all rock!

    Oh, and Chafed you can deliver. Get after it motherfucker!

    • Nephilium

      This is what I’ve been wearing. It’s made in China, which entertains me.

      • Tundra

        Nice!

        This is mine.

        Very stylish in the Triumph as well.

      • Chafed

        How does it compare to a mask as far as constricting air flow.

      • Tundra

        Way. way better until it gets really sweaty. Then it’s like being waterboarded.

      • egould310

        Yes.

        I have a lot of Buff. But when this pandemic started I saw the writing on the wall and ordered a bunch of these AXBXCX 2 Pack – Camouflage Print… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYP943Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

        Good quality, cheaper than Buff. The camo is badass. Really freaks people out. 🙂

      • Spudalicious

        I wear a camo bandanna and no one gives me a second look.

      • Nephilium

        It’s mild. If I pull it up over my eyes, I can see through it. But it meets the requirements of the mask theater where I am. If you don’t have a beard it would probably be better for pulling up (I’ve learned it’s easier to take it off and put it back on to avoid getting my beard in my mouth).

      • Chafed

        No beard for me. I may pick one up. Thanks for the recommendation.

      • Nephilium

        No worries, it’s cheap, and meets the requirements. If R C Dean’s facehugger one wasn’t going to be delivered in September I would have gone that route.

        I’m very tempted to find the most offensive mask I can, but that requires effort. Considering when I’m walking around I’ll be wearing a shirt like this.

      • Nephilium

        Hype:

        I’ve gotten asked multiple times if I was Greek from people seeing me in this shirt. I then had to explain (and I’m sure Derpetologist or HM will correct me) that Polis means city/state, Or in simpler terms, it says to fuck the government/authority.

        Polis is the root for Polite, Politics, Politician, and many more.

      • UnCivilServant

        It’s not the shirt, it’s the copious chest hair…

      • Nephilium

        UCS: The people asking have only seen the shirt. I’m not in the habit of stripping my top off in social gatherings.

        The shaved head should help that.

      • Nephilium

        UCS: I’m supposed to get all the jokes?

        I thought I was supposed to be an autistic man child!

      • Ted S.

        Only the funny ones.

      • UnCivilServant

        Ignore Teds’, they’re all funny, from a certain point of view.

    • DEG

      It’s all so retarded.

      Understatement of the century.

  23. egould310

    Didn’t run during the week as I was on the road. Did pretty well as far as diet, but again; on the road.

    Ran yesterday and today. Eight miles today, in the rain. Plus steps! And ducks. https://twitter.com/egould310/status/1282370096409636869?s=21

    Will run all week, and low-carb keto diet should be maintained this week.

    • Nephilium

      Work travel always kills any idea of a diet I was on. Especially when we have to go out to a meal together.

      • egould310

        Restaurant dining really limits the low-cab options. Everything comes with bread and potatoes. I

      • Tundra

        Steak and salad is available almost everywhere. Smuggle in your own dressing.

      • egould310

        That’s what I usually order (meat and salad). But I did get a big ol cheesebuger and fries on Wednesday.

      • Nephilium

        Regardless, it’s really hard to pass up beer and cocktails when someone else is paying for them.

      • egould310

        Oh yeah. Beer. I did drink beers with dinner. I don’t drink beer at home usually. Beer, dammit! It tastes good, but it goes right to my gut, apparently.

      • Nephilium

        egould310:

        Almost all of my extra weight goes right to my gut. I’ve shifted to just drinking on the weekends, as I’m still trying to drop weight.

        /got down to a new post lockdown low!

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Most places will substitute vegetables for starch upon request.

    • Chafed

      Good work.

  24. DEG

    ​California, or is it my county (I’ve lost track by now), reimposed a mask requirement. That resulted in my gym requiring us to wear masks when working out. I knew that was going to blow. I didn’t realize how hard.

    Sorry. In my local mask news, the Nashua city government is supposed to meet to reconsider the mask ordinance. I think the idea is not to repeal it, but to tighten it up and deal with things the Board of Health and Board of Alderman didn’t think of when they rushed the ordinance through. The only exemptions allowing for customers to take their masks off while in a business is when seated for outdoor dining and if there is a health reason preventing masks. No exemption for working out or being seated for indoor dining.

    ​This definitely discouraged me. I only got one more workout during the week. Yeah, I worked longer hours than were ideal. Yeah, I hung out with Late Night Glibs™ more than I should have. Yeah, I had some days I had to get to work earlier than usual. But I still should have gotten those workouts in. Once more Covid-19 has found a way to screw with my head.

    You got some in. I’ll take that.

    I weighed myself Friday. I indulged a bit on the 4th and one night out during the week. My weight went from 277 to 280 lbs. I highly doubt I ate 10,500 extra calories during one week. I think this is water weight. We’ll see what happens next Friday.

    I’m going to try box squats with light weight on Monday. We’ll see how that goes.

    Friday, under supervision of a trainer at the gym, I did my first set of conventional deadlifts in about a year. I used a dowel rod for weight instead of a barbell. The trainer made some form suggestions as he noticed I was tending to collapse my knees. At one point, we tried a band around my knees to encourage me to push my knees out. Once we did that, no pain and almost full range of motion. I’ll take as my win last week. It helps with the weight fluctuation.

    My physical therapist is back from vacation this week, so I’ll have physical therapy again.

    I haven’t been in much pain. It’s been really easy to trigger though, in fact, easier than last week. We’ll see how this week goes.

    Once I finish this video, I’ll listen to the music video.

    Hopefully this week goes better for everyone, Chafed, me, everyone else.

    • Chafed

      Glad to hear you are making progress in the gym. As for the water weight, I’m sure a beer will help flush it out.

      • DEG

        🙂

      • DEG

        On a serious note, a local liberty-minded group is having a meet-up in about an hour or so at a local brewery. I will have a beer at the meet-up.

    • DEG

      Music links are OK.

    • C. Anacreon

      Our California Bay Area county has yet to reopen gyms (or indoor dining), mask or not. They were slated to reopen July 1st, but the spike led to their continued closing indefinitely. It would really be nice to do some muscle isolating circuit training, as my crushed spine pretty much rules out free weights, it’s been over four months now since they closed.

      I am worried for our little Vietnamese mani pedi place, too. Can’t imagine they had reserves to last five months of closure. And yet they all wore masks and had screens long before covid, can’t figure out what the risk could be.

  25. Crusty Juggler

    Can you guess who he’s voting for? Air Force veteran paints his entire yard with a 19,000sq ft Trump 2020 banner using 120 gallons of biodegradable chalk paint

    nitially, Majewski told Port Clinton News Herald that he planned to paint the National League of Families POW/MIA flag, but discovered there could be problems with the amount of black paint needed.

    The inspiration to create a campaign-like Trump banner sparked after speaking with other members of a local veterans group, many of which are Trump supporters.

    ‘You see and hear a lot from the president on his support of the military. New weapons, new equipment, new technology — all of those things matter,’ said Majewski.

    ‘I think as a veteran, it’s highly appreciated.’

    This man scares me.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I’m painting my yard with Crusty Juggler 2020 – Make America Perverted Again

      • LCDR_Fish

        “again”

    • Nephilium

      One of the local gyms was going to open another location. For some unknown reason, that’s on hold right now.

    • Sean

      I saw Joe Piscipo’s gym in flemington, nj moved their stuff outdoors to the parking lot to reopen. I haven’t seen a follow up on that since the original story.

      • Chafed

        I hope that works.

      • R C Dean

        Mrs. Dean’s gym did that, but as more of a gesture. After the early morning classes, it’s back in the A/C.

  26. LCDR_Fish

    This sucks.

    Sunday duty shift means something happened right after turnover. Looks like a maintenance availability, so a lot more flammable junk lying around (albeit minimal ordnance) – and normally you don’t have the junior folks doing hot work on a holiday routine either. Not normally more than a handful of contractors on a Sunday unless they’re wrapping things up and with only 200 mil onboard I doubt it. Hope we get some details soon. Thankfully no major casualties.

  27. mrfamous

    I cannot workout in a mask and the gym I was now going to (the one in Arizona that made all the fuss of suing the Governor) was not requiring it. Of course now all the gyms in the state are shut down (again) so…

    I’m guessing you might be able to lift heavy in a mask (though it will still almost certainly compromise your lifts), but anything even resembling cardio is stupid and probably dangerous.

    Of course nobody passing these mandates gives a flying shit about any of it.

    • DEG

      It’s not about saving lives.

      It’s about control.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        It’s probably mostly about being seen as doing something.

        For a few of them , they’re getting off on the control but I expect most of them are just scared shitless that someone will accuse them of not doing enough to save granny.

      • Chafed

        Agreed.

      • Drake

        Doing cardio with a mask is probably a good way to shorten lives.

    • Nephilium

      The spin class I go to requires masks to walk in, get on the bike, get clipped in, walking out, but not during the ride.

      And passing? Aren’t these all EO’s?

      I avoided speaking out in today’s spin class. Especially when they started talking that I owned myself and the time in there was all for me. While I had to put a mask on to walk out.

      • mrfamous

        Yeah they are all EO’s: demanded by the local Dem mayors, capitulated to by the spineless lame duck GOP governor. Upheld by the courts.

    • Derpetologist

      I’ve given up on gyms for the time being. Dumbbells and weight vest for strength training, running at night for cardio.

      And on the intake end, no booze and lo carbs.

      • mrfamous

        The gym has been my sanctuary for years. For long stretches of time it’s been the highlight of my days. It’s mental health benefits to me are irreplaceable. It probably literally saved my life (unlike the masks).

        So, yeah, I’m a little unhappy at the moment.

      • Drake

        Same here. I take all my stress in there, lift heavy and dump everything left in cardio. I’ve been half out of my mind without it.

      • The Hyperbole

        I’ve given up on gyms for the time being.

        #metoo

    • Chafed

      Agreed.

  28. Ted S.

    Two walks this weekend, since it rained Friday even.

    This afternoon was nice if a bit warm, passing two groups of bikers. The dog and I also heard some sort of crashing sound up the hill from the trail, but we couldn’t see if it was a bear.

    Yesterday morning, we ran into an idiot with a hunting rifle (I have no idea what season it is for the hunters) who had his dog off leash — and the dog wanted to approach us. Once we were off the woods road and back on the single-track trails, we heard shooting. Clearly, the “hunter” had no idea what was behind what he was shooting at, since there’s single track running fairly close to large sections of the woods road.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      All incoming people who test positive will be quarantined in a nursing home with grandma.

      • Fourscore

        Drove by the local nursing home today, parking lot was totally empty. Felt so sad for all the old people.

        I gave my grand daughter away yesterday (in marriage). I cried because I know it could be the last time I’ll ever see her. She leaves for Alaska in a few days. As we were dancing the father-daughter waltz she told me I was the most significant man in her life. A proud moment but one filled with sadness.

        Her husband is the grandson I never had, that’s the good news. We’ll miss them eveyday…

      • Sensei

        Trying to visit my in-laws in assisted living in nj is pita!

        You can do it now, but times are restricted and you have to go through temperature theater.

        Congrats, btw.

      • DEG

        Congratulations!

        Hopefully this won’t be the last time you see her.

      • Sensei

        Also, my Japanese class is online now and one of the students is 90!

        So don’t count yourself out just yet.

      • westernsloper

        ?

      • Fourscore

        Thanks, that’s why you Glibs need to come to the Honey Harvest, as long as I have a job to do I can’t neglect it.

      • DEG

        I plan to be at the Honey Harvest.

      • Tundra

        Congratulations, Fourscore!

        She is a great kid. You’ve done a fantastic job!

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Congratulations man. I’m happy and sad for you.

      • Jarflax

        That is a life win right there.

      • Mojeaux

        Awwwww. That’s sweet. 🙂

      • Chafed

        That’s very sweet. Congratulations Fourscore.

      • Gender Traitor

        Mazel tov, 4×20! I hope you’ll have many more opportunities to see them.

        I understand your granddaughter’s sentiment – my maternal grandfather was the most significant man in my life growing up. Of all my relatives who have passed on, he is the one I’d most want to see again. You done good.

      • Count Potato

        Congrats!

      • R C Dean

        “Drove by the local nursing home today, parking lot was totally empty. Felt so sad for all the old people.”

        Word. No visitors in the hospital also really blows. It’s also surprisingly hard on staff, who feel it as a burden they must shoulder.

    • DEG

      Officials said people who have traveled to Delaware,

      I think shutting down tax-free shopping and out-of-state booze shopping is factor in that decision.

    • RAHeinlein

      Don’t they have sanctuary cities for refugees from other states?

  29. Nephilium

    So, I’m finally making it a point to watch the director’s cut of Payback. It’s much better, closer to the books, and darker then the theatrical release.

    • LCDR_Fish

      The “Straight Up” cut? It’s fascinating to watch (technically the theatrical cut is still pretty tight too) – different color filter, different sound track, rearranged scenes – definitely a completely different movie. Love em both.

      Dark City directors cut is another one that’s vastly better than the theatrical cut.

      • Nephilium

        I have the theatrical release for Payback on DVD. Dark City, I only own the directors cut. Fuck the people who thought spoiling the twist in the opening credits was a good idea.

        I’m also a Westlake crime novel fan as well. I’m somewhat disappointed that they haven’t been able to make a good movie series about Parker yet.

    • LemonGrenade

      I didn’t know there was a directors cut, but liked the theatrical release. I’ll have to dig that up.

      • Nephilium

        The director’s cut downplays Parker being a good person and there’s no torture scene. Other then that, the changes are technical.

        I bought it with free Google credits because I heard that Mel Gibson hated the cut, because it made him look like a bad guy.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        LG, were you there when that woman “met” a bison?

      • LemonGrenade

        There were no weird animal encounters while I was in the park. I’m afraid to ask why ‘met’ is in quotes (but with a frisson of anticipation).

  30. The Hyperbole

    Why the fuck would you watch that when Lee Marvin and the genius behind Zardoz did it better thirty years earlier?

    • LCDR_Fish

      Distinct enough I think … although interesting to revisit Gibson now vs his 90s stuff. (I mean, Payback was just a couple years after Conspiracy Theory, etc…. but Payback is the one real connection to “Bloodfather”, “Get the Gringo”, “Dragged Across Concrete” cancellation Mel.

      • Ted S.

        And if you want to revisit Gibson’s 90s stuff, go back and watch the Glenn Ford version of “Ransom” instead.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      It’s hard not to want to see them get their skulls cracked.

      They’re just in it to get their jollies and see the world burn. A serious revolutionary would never make threats like that, they would just take action.

      • DEG

        A serious revolutionary would never make threats like that, they would just take action.

        SHE’S DISABLED!!11!!!1!1!

      • Chafed

        So true. I guess she is disabled but not so disabled she couldn’t go down town to mix it up with the cops.

  31. westernsloper

    Ha!

    • Nephilium

      Leeches for Walleye? Monster.

  32. Derpetologist

    https://www.npr.org/2020/07/12/890194877/iranian-report-details-chain-of-mistakes-in-shooting-down-ukrainian-passenger-pl

    Turns out the Iranians fired twice at that passenger plane.

    ***
    The first missile likely hit the plane, the report says. But the rogue unit, still tracking the object, fired again. By now, the aircraft had lost radio communication. It turned to the right. A fire broke out inside the plane. Two minutes later, it crashed into a playground in Khalajabad, exploding on impact. “The aircraft then kept hitting the ground and bouncing on a route towards the airport, making the aircraft pieces, victims’ properties, objects and body remains disintegrate completely in a vast area near a residential complex, recreational and sports park, gardens and the surrounding agricultural land,” the report says.
    ***

    • Sensei

      I seem to recall that was hypothesized when it first happened. They tracked two misses.

    • Mojeaux

      I called it. But I’m not going to go find the comment where I did. It’s not that deep.

    • Chafed

      Now show me it wasn’t deliberate.

    • juris imprudent

      In’sh’allah, no?

  33. The Hyperbole

    As much as I dislike panic buyers and hoarders, I swear to God the next time they have Claussen’s hearty garlic sandwich slices at Kroger I’m buying every fucking jar they got. Three weeks with replacement pickles in my sammiches is a bridge to far!

    • Nephilium

      That bad? You need me to ship some down?

      • Tres Cool

        Or I can drive some up. Meijer had plenty when I was in the store yesterday.

      • Gender Traitor

        Meijer needs to carry the Claussen’s BURGER slices, dagnabit!

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      It’s people like you that make it so we can’t have nice things.

      • Nephilium

        The pickles soaked in Hi-C were brought up last night.

      • UnCivilServant

        That’s just wrong.

        You ruin both the Pickles and Hi-C doing that.

      • Nephilium

        None of us thought they were a good idea, it’s a regional thing.

        Those people are probably monsters.

    • westernsloper

      I don’t even think it is panic buyers or hoarders anymore it is the supply chains are all fucked up. I could not find Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce yesterday and I am hankering for some of my world famous Asian chicken tacos.

  34. Nephilium

    /deletes a comment.

    Well shite, there’s been a shortage of article recently, instead of talking about movies that I think have a libertarian message, perhaps I’ll put an article together about it.

    • Crusty Juggler

      Rollerball!

      • Nephilium

        You mean roller derby? They cancelled this season.

      • Derpetologist

        If I was a roller derby girl, I’d be either Vanessa Bludgeons or Sarah Impalin’.

      • robc

        Rachel Arson.

      • westernsloper

        Tits McKracken

  35. Derpetologist

    tee hee!

    The joint US-Mongolian military exercise is called Khaan Quest.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaan_Quest

    Supposedly, Mongol exercise involved a lot of sprinting, wrestling, archery, and spear throwing.

    ***
    Sülde Tngri is an equestrian war god,[1] one of the tngri, the highest group of divinities in Mongolian shamanism.[2] He is usually depicted as an armored warrior riding a horse.[3] In Mongolian shamanism, everyone possesses a guardian spirit, called a sülde. “Sülde Tngri” can refer to the sülde of any great leader, but it primarily refers to the deified sülde of Genghis Khan. As a war god, Sülde Tngri’s primary function is protecting his devotees from their enemies and aiding them in battles against their foes.[2]
    ***

    Tanri was the word for god in Turkish before they adopted Islam.

    As for Viking diet and exercise, it was mostly fish, mead, and lots of rowing.

    • peachy rex

      And defiling.

  36. The Late P Brooks

    Doomsday LARPers

    It begins with a phone call.

    When the Gallatin City-County Health Department receives the name of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, a nurse, like Will Gavin, calls them.

    The call is the first step of contact tracing, the main tool health departments have to locate those with COVID-19 and slow the spread of the virus.

    ——-

    Gavin, or another health department worker, then reaches out to the person’s close contacts to alert them to their possible exposure to the virus. For close contacts outside the county, the health department contacts the state, which passes the information to the correct jurisdiction.

    Close contacts must then be tested for COVID-19 and remain at home for 14 days from their last exposure to the virus.

    It’s a race against time to notify everyone as quickly as possible to limit others’ exposure, which is why health department employees are working seven days a week and often completing long shifts.

    Contact tracing is dependent on the cooperation of those who have tested positive and their close contacts. If people are unwilling to share information with the health department, the investigation stalls and people who may have COVID-19 could be spreading it unknowingly.

    There have been times when Gavin has called people multiple times, left voicemails and reached out via text but still not heard back. In these instances, the health department can contact the state, which can use a law enforcement database to find additional contact information.

    “It’s critical that people get out of circulation in the population quickly, but there is only so much we can do,” Gavin said. “We don’t have the staff to go pound on doors.”

    In recent weeks, the health department has begun seeing some resistance to its inquiries. Some people don’t want their close contacts to have to quarantine for two weeks because it’s a significant inconvenience and could affect their employment. Others are skeptical of the department’s work, which is why nurses like Gavin emphasize trust and confidentiality.

    “Sometimes people are really unwilling to cooperate and view us as a hostile entity,” Gavin said. “We are not the bad guys. We are absolutely dedicated to keeping Gallatin County safe.”

    These motherfuckers are braver and more important than the the guys who landed on the beaches of Normandy. Without them, humanity is doooooomed. Respect these heroes. Or else.

  37. The Late P Brooks

    “As we do more testing, we generally identify more positive cases, so our staff has to respond to more positive cases and work with more local health departments,” Murphy said.

    State and local officials plan to continue working to isolate those with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent a single case from ballooning into several, sickening more people and stretching resources.

    “Contact tracing, isolation and quarantine are the best tools that we have right now to respond to this,” Murphy said. “We do not have a vaccine. We do not have a pill you can take to prevent infection. We will continue to use these tools for as long as we need to.”

    Every single person who gets it dies, but only after infecting dozens of other people merely by being in the same room, or walking on the same sidewalk, or licking the same doorknob. It’s a slaughterhouse, out there. Dead bodies piled in the road, awaiting disposal.

  38. The Late P Brooks

    As for Viking diet and exercise, it was mostly fish, mead, and lots of rowing.

    You forgot chopping wood.

    • westernsloper

      Raping and pillaging, don’t forget the raping and pillaging.

    • Jarflax

      You forgot chopping wood Irish.

    • Jarflax

      White Privilege strikes again

    • DEG

      WTF?

  39. Mojeaux

    Chafed, I’m sorry your workout sucked, but 15 minutes is nothing to sneeze at, especially when breathing carbon dioxide.

    Good luck next week!

    • Chafed

      Thanks Mo.

  40. Crusty Juggler

    Is there a better lite beer than Mic Ultra?

    Mic Ultra sounds like some complimentary Irish slur. It is also the official beer of cops.

    But I like it. I like light beer when I’m frequently peeling my scrotum off my thigh.

    Can it be topped?

    • DEG

      Yuengling?

    • Derpetologist

      To paraphrase Mencken:

      Light beer is actually the worst failure of civilized man. There has never been a really good one, and even those that are most tolerable are watery, bland, gassy, and unappealing.

      • Jarflax

        Your complaint is pretty small beer.

      • Derpetologist

        “And here’s a pot of good double beer, neighbor; drink and fear not your man.”

      • Tres Cool

        /opens another Milwaukee’s Beast Diet

    • robc

      Any English Mild?

      Literally any.

    • Derpetologist

      Guinness draft has the same ABV as Bud Light and Mic Ultra, but tastes way better.

      • R C Dean

        This is a fact that never ceases to amaze.

      • Derpetologist

        A pint of Guinness also has about the same calories (210) as a pint of 1% milk.

    • westernsloper

      * Raises Mich Ultra to Crusty and ignores nut sack reference

  41. Chafed

    Just had a Sam Adam’s 76 with lunch. Meh. I guess I’d rather have a lager or an ale than a mix of the two.

  42. robc

    Grilling steak. Drinking Holy City Pluff Mud Porter. Its pretty good. I think they are my favorite local.

    • Sean

      I’ve got some ribeyes with a coffee rub about to go on the grill. ?

      • juris imprudent

        Split a grass-fed, dry-aged porterhouse with the wife, off the grill with mushrooms, and home-made steak fries and green salad.

        Local sourced beef FTW!

    • Suthenboy

      Absolutely the left wants more violence and crime. Did anyone think they didn’t?

    • Gustave Lytton

      I’m sick of this shit. Live ammo, unlimited CS, and billy clubs. Hospital or morgue. Fill them.

      • commodious spittoon

        unlimited CS

        There’s only one me to go around, baby.

      • Jarflax

        #metoo

      • Chafed

        Exactly. Since when can you be a top newscaster and have no short term memory?

  43. Tejicano

    Before this thread goes into rigor mortis…

    Well, last week it felt like I had recovered enough to get back up on the pull-up bar. It had been 6 weeks since the little injury so I started slow. First day was 5 sets of 1 rep. Second day was 5 sets of 2 reps. The next tree days were 5 sets of 3 reps. I could probably have upped it to 4 reps but don’t want to push so hard until it feels easy. Nowhere near the 5 sets X 9 reps I was doing up to the day I got hurt but I’m just happy to be able be back at it.