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the perfect Highland games Workout

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Topic: the perfect Highland games Workout
Posted By: JSiau10
Subject: the perfect Highland games Workout
Date Posted: 8/13/11 at 4:44pm
so, I'm finally getting to the gym. only thing is, I'm not sure what all to work on. can anyone give me a list of some good exercises to do, preferably free weights?

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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.



Replies:
Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/14/11 at 1:47am
Honestly, with your strength levels, something like SS or maybe 531 is what you should be doing.  

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Posted By: JSiau10
Date Posted: 8/14/11 at 1:46pm
what are those? I'm not familar with terminology.

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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.


Posted By: Jason Cherry
Date Posted: 8/14/11 at 3:30pm
SS = Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe (Aasgard Press)

5/3/1 = is a method promoted by Jim Wendler. Purchased as
a PDF for like 20-dollars.

I have done both and you can check my log. Highly
recommend reading the books. Do not be afraid to ask
advice these guys are spot on. Lift, eat, sleep, and
throw. Do not have ADHD when it comes to whatever program
you choose. Start low and move the chains slow and steady.

Good luck.

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"Example is the best precept." ~ Aesop


Posted By: JSiau10
Date Posted: 8/14/11 at 4:35pm

hmm. can you give me a breakdown of what they are?

 



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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.


Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/14/11 at 10:17pm
Originally posted by JSiau10 JSiau10 wrote:

hmm. can you give me a breakdown of what they are?

 




http://tinyurl.com/d44k5u - http://tinyurl.com/d44k5u


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Posted By: S McCracken
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 2:37am
lol!

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North American Highlander Ohio Chair

www.nahighlander.com



Posted By: vonguinness
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 3:30am
the google link is fantastic, gets 'em every time.

in regards to the perfect workout.

no workout, training or session exist anywhere. however, finding something that works specifically for each individual is probably more in line with what you should be looking for.


but 5/3/1 is a great way to start figuring this stuff out.



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jammin on the one.


Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 3:47am
Originally posted by vonguinness vonguinness wrote:



but 5/3/1 is a great way to start figuring this stuff out.



I think SS would be a better start for a total novice, then switch to 531 later on.


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Posted By: JSiau10
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 4:08am
alright thanks.

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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.


Posted By: vonguinness
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 4:34am
Originally posted by C. Smith C. Smith wrote:

Originally posted by vonguinness vonguinness wrote:



but 5/3/1 is a great way to start figuring this stuff out.



I think SS would be a better start for a total novice, then switch to 531 later on.


actually never read that one
a Rippetoe article I got a hold of once kinda turned me off to him.
although after a few minutes with teh google, it does seem like a better place to start.

Sometime I wish I could start over. Things would probably be lots different.


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jammin on the one.


Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 6:28am
Myles gave me a piece of advice...actually two pieces of advice, which have helped me on days when I look at ..like Dan McKims workout or Craigs workout or Sean Betz's workout or watch Greg Hadleys videos and feel like a total wuss.

1. Find what works for you and DO it.

2. Do not measure yourself by other peoples standards. Measure yourself by your own standards and strive for your own improvement.

Regarding #1... I'm still looking for what works best for me. That's why I posted about incline bench volume/weights the other day.

Also regarding #1 ... SOMETHING is hella better than NOTHING. So honestly, if you get into the gym and do something really simple..

 deadlifts ...the squats of your choice... incline bench...incline bench situps...pushups...push press....pullups .... lat pulls...bench rows.... upright rows.  If you just did THAT with weights that challenge you, but don't hurt you, then Josh...you WILL get stronger, and you WILL throw farther. None of that is rocket science.

Regarding #2 ... I claim Mike Pockoski as my "mentor"...  Poor Mike.  Mike doesn't put his workouts up here, but I know that he doesn't lift anything like the weights that Craig and Dan and Sean lift. He has limited time to lift because he has a demanding job, and a little girl at home (Bella, not Mindy!)   He  does most of his lifting in a very small home "gym"  which is seriously nothing fancy (I've been in it) and he gets pretty darned good results from a simple program that works for him. Trust me, it's not some super fancy program. It's straightforward, and I bet he's not in there an hour and a quarter a night.

You don't need 900 variations on a theme. What you CAN do is gather tons of information from guys on this forum. Figure that it's probably going to take you several months to really figure out a program that works for you and at least by my experience....don't assume that once you've got it down, that it will NEVER CHANGE.  Wrong. You will learn more stuff as time goes on and your workout will evolve. While you're figuring things out, just do that stuff on the list I wrote out.  And look up that 5-3-1 thing.

One other thing....get a buddy, doesn't matter who, and get him (or her) to log their workouts here at NASGA.  You have NO idea what a motivator that is. I know that if I skip out for a week or two without a good reason, then Bill and Todd and Andrew and Duncan are WATCHING MY LOG and I will *hear* about it...


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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: brandell
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 7:13am
Alan hits a very important nail on the head, do what YOU will actually do. If its just cleans, press, a little ab work and throw you are 1000% better off than not doing anything and honestly, you just covered a ton of bases as for as throwing strength in those 3 things.

I would also to echo the point, don't look at others gym numbers. Do what you can do.


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Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 7:43am
F that.

If your goal is to throw farther, be stronger, etc...Look at everyone's gym numbers.  If you want to throw the heavy weight 20', look at the strength levels of those guys.  If you want to throw it 30', look at the strength levels of those guys.  If you want to throw it 40', look at the strength levels of those guys.  There is more to the puzzle than just that, but it's a large piece. 

It honestly takes DECADES of training to get to the point where you can figure out "what works for you".  Prior to that you can research and analyze and look to those that have done it to see what is the closest to optimal for your specific goals. 

If your goal is to go out and throw and have fun and never worry about the numbers you throw, then do what Alan and Brian said and just do something.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

If you want to be good at this, then it's gonna take a little more than that. 


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Posted By: brandell
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 10:20am
Craig, ouch.

Not everyone wants to be a pro nor can they. But honestly doing something beats nothing. I do and don't agree with looking at others numbers as that isn't always the rule.

Some guys are just different from others, but I will agree to look at numbers as a whole. Look at throwers that might be like you somewhat stature and genetic wise. Some guys have a squat under 500lbs and toss the stone 50+ feet and the wob 16+ standing. Some guys have a 650lb squat and do the same, maybe a little less, maybe more.

I know my old ass is going to look at some of the gym numbers of guys somewhat like me and how I am built and how my body reacts and will work toward some of those numbers, but I also know that I have also out thrown guys that were much stronger than me gym wise. It really is a balance. But to improve over where I have ever been I know I need to increase my strength which with my experience will allow me greater control and better technique with the implements.

Now can someone point out for me the short, old guys that throw well so I can see their lifting numbers please?


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Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/15/11 at 10:18pm
I agree with all of that.

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Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/16/11 at 8:26am
Craig, Josh is pretty likely to never go Pro or be a Super A.  Never say never, but knowing him a little bit, I suspect that he has other things going on in his life and lifting/throwing...while important, are not going to become his very highest priorities.  He's a relatively small guy.  He has almost no gym background at all.   It would take many years of work to change his body into something that could heave a 28 pound weight, 80 feet.

That doesn't mean that in two-three years, with a LOT of hard work, he couldn't be heaving it 50-55 feet, though.... Nothing wrong with that!

It also depends on what Josh's goals are.  If Josh has an ultimate goal to say.....beat John Odden, then uh.... he's got some work ahead of him.   I might suggest to Josh that if your goal is  "Beat John"... or for that matter "Beat  -insert name here-"  that is maybe not the smartest goal.   On the other hand, if Josh has a goal to "Be a mid-level PNW A-level thrower"... that's different.   He still has got some work ahead of him. 

But on the other hand, if Josh's goal is something like this ...  "I want to throw better in the second half of this season, than I did in the first half...and next year I want to throw better in the first half of the season than I did at the end of this season."

Well... that's totally different.  I throw with guys who come out and throw and never practice. I mean, seriously...NEVER practice. They have moderate gym routines, not tailored towards throwing and they have a good time out on the field with the guys. They enjoy strapping on a kilt and busting a sweat, and that's fine.  A couple of those guys beat me at events I work VERY hard at, dammit!   But I'm not mad at them about it.  I am who I am, and I just wouldn't feel right making throwing important but not working at it.  That's not how my head works. But who am I to tell someone else how their head should work or what their priorities are?

I look at the routines  that you put up, and that Dan McKim and Sean Betz put up,  or look at Greg Hadleys videos and try to learn from WHAT you guys do.  On the other hand, as Myles wisely reminds me pretty often, it's stupid for me to measure myself by your standards. 

I can't squat what you can squat, eh?  It would be pretty stupid to feel like a failure because I can't come even close to Craig Smiths squat numbers.    But I can learn HOW to squat by looking at your videos, or I can learn more about how your frame of mind can improve your lifting and throwing by looking at your video's (I'm serious!)... Stuff like that.  I have learned HUGE amounts of stuff from you and other guys on this board.   Josh can do that, too.

Also I watch Bill Grays log a lot, because Bill and I are about the same age, though he's trained for a lot more years than I have. So if Bill is doing something and I'm just WAY off of what he's doing, then that's a clue that there might be room for improvement. I wish there were more 50 yo's logging, it would be a real help, seriously.

All I'm saying is that Josh should not look at your squat numbers and think that he's a failure if he doesn't develop to that level in 6 months.  He can't look at Dan's hang cleans and think that he's got to start out at half Dans level and that will give him room to grow so that 18 months from now he'll be knocking out numbers like Dans.  In fact he shouldn't look at ANYBODYS numbers and think that he doesn't match up, so therefore he's a failure and should just pack it in.

LEARN from other guys.  Oh yeah!

USE the logs from other guys, especially guys who are about your age and body type as a guideline to what you could/should/might want to be doing.  You bet!

But your goals are your goals. My goals are my goals...and Josh's goals are Josh's goals.


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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: JSiau10
Date Posted: 8/16/11 at 10:15am
Wow, this Josh seems like a popular guy, to have so many people fighting over him. thanks to everyone for all the advice and encouragement. I've figured out what I'm going to do, and I'm going to stick to it from here on in. for more updates, check out my log!

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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.


Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/17/11 at 12:19am
Alan - I agree with pretty much everything you've said there.

What I haven't seen is Josh say what his goal is with regards to highland games, just you saying that he's unlikely to ever get to a high level in this sport.  Ouch. 

And you already know that I have many things in my life that take priority over my throwing, so not wanting to get better as a result of that just seems like making excuses to me, if, in fact, his goal is to improve as an athlete

  

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Posted By: Silverback
Date Posted: 8/17/11 at 1:09am
Do what you do while your doing it.  In other words, when your doing something, do your best.  Yes, my god, my family, my work and many other things are in line before my throwing.  But that does not mean that when I am doing my thing I am not wide open and doing my best.  No reason that I can't be the best thrower I can be.  Does that make me love my wife less?  Nope.  Does it mean I can't worship each day?  In fact, I think god wants us to give our best.  I never understand why having other things in your life keeps you from getting down when your in the gym training for that hour.  I met a guy about 10 years ago that was not that tall and weighed about 200.  I don't think people would have picked the guy to win a ton of games and go pro, but Lannie Pullen did not hear all that and he did it.  Yea, the guy worked real hard at his game, but he also had a job and family.  So you just don't know what a person can do.

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Mule

Sportkilt
AST Sport Supplements


Posted By: JSiau10
Date Posted: 8/17/11 at 3:52am
to answer your question, Craig, my goal is to better myself and have a good time. I measure that by this: I want this years' lightweight throws to be next years heavyweight throws distance-wise. as long as I meet up to that, I'm happy. so far I'm succeeding.

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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.


Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/18/11 at 1:10am

Solid goal, so you want to throw a 35' 56wfd?  As I stated above, there are lots of training logs with guys who are throwing right in that range.  It's good to see how strong they are and what they are doing. 

Also, I would bust my ass to reach that goal if I were you just because Alan said you couldn't, lol.

Good luck.


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Posted By: mthompson33
Date Posted: 8/18/11 at 3:25am
35' 56# is a dirty, elusive, little b!tch...  I thought it was right around the corner last June when I went from 26' to 31' in one weekend.  I've added 2' since then.  Very humbling...  Go get it Josh!  That goal will require strength.  Hit the basics and hit them hard!  Don't get complicated at your stage in the game.  Lift, and when your lifting, lift hard.  Squats, Deadlifts and Presses (probably in that order of importance IMHO). 


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Matt Thompson

"If you wake up and you're not in pain, you know you're dead." -- Russian Proverb


Posted By: brandell
Date Posted: 8/18/11 at 4:44am
Originally posted by Silverback Silverback wrote:

Do what you do while your doing it.  In other words, when your doing something, do your best.  Yes, my god, my family, my work and many other things are in line before my throwing.  But that does not mean that when I am doing my thing I am not wide open and doing my best.  No reason that I can't be the best thrower I can be.  Does that make me love my wife less?  Nope.  Does it mean I can't worship each day?  In fact, I think god wants us to give our best.  I never understand why having other things in your life keeps you from getting down when your in the gym training for that hour.  I met a guy about 10 years ago that was not that tall and weighed about 200.  I don't think people would have picked the guy to win a ton of games and go pro, but Lannie Pullen did not hear all that and he did it.  Yea, the guy worked real hard at his game, but he also had a job and family.  So you just don't know what a person can do.


I will go so far as to say look at Mark Howe.  Look at that guy's top numbers and he is about 185 on a good day!


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Posted By: JSiau10
Date Posted: 8/18/11 at 5:58pm

Originally posted by C. Smith C. Smith wrote:


Solid goal, so you want to throw a 35' 56wfd?  As I stated above, there are lots of training logs with guys who are throwing right in that range.  It's good to see how strong they are and what they are doing. 

Also, I would bust my ass to reach that goal if I were you just because Alan said you couldn't, lol.

Good luck.

yeah ok, that might be shooting a little too high, even unrealistic. more like if I improve 10 feet each year, it's been a good season.



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I'm just an idiot, pretending to be smart.


Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:18pm
I think it's a good goal tbh.

10' in a year is also a good goal.  I put 9' on my 56 one year (2002 and actually like 7' in a month IIRC) and that was long before the days of youtube, etc... which makes it much easier to see what the top guys are doing, as well as get coaching/advice. 


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Posted By: S McCracken
Date Posted: 8/19/11 at 4:04am

Originally posted by C. Smith C. Smith wrote:

F that.

If your goal is to throw farther, be stronger, etc...Look at everyone's gym numbers.  If you want to throw the heavy weight 20', look at the strength levels of those guys.  If you want to throw it 30', look at the strength levels of those guys.  If you want to throw it 40', look at the strength levels of those guys.  There is more to the puzzle than just that, but it's a large piece. 

You should also look at what these guys weight.



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North American Highlander Ohio Chair

www.nahighlander.com



Posted By: Srokus
Date Posted: 8/26/11 at 4:12am
Originally posted by S McCracken S McCracken wrote:

Originally posted by C. Smith C. Smith wrote:

F that.

If your goal is to throw farther, be stronger, etc...Look at everyone's gym numbers.  If you want to throw the heavy weight 20', look at the strength levels of those guys.  If you want to throw it 30', look at the strength levels of those guys.  If you want to throw it 40', look at the strength levels of those guys.  There is more to the puzzle than just that, but it's a large piece. 

You should also look at what these guys weight.

According to one of Craig's adored youtube fans he weighs about 340-350. Thats a big boy right there.



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The competitor to be feared is not the one who worries about others, but the one who goes on making their business better at all times...

www.thestrengthagenda.com


Posted By: C. Smith
Date Posted: 8/27/11 at 1:41am
Originally posted by Srokus Srokus wrote:

According to one of Craig's adored youtube fans he weighs about 340-350. Thats a big boy right there.



Hahahahahhahah.

I wish I weighed 340.


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Posted By: rknebel
Date Posted: 8/27/11 at 10:25am

Josh,

My opinion would to be to set that goal up there at 35' and see what happens.  I would rather set a goal that may just be right out of reach that will motivate me to keep working hard than to set a very obtainable goal, reach it, and then get complacent.

If you aren't trying to be the best or trying to win then why play?  There can only be one "best" and one "winner" but if you aren't at least working to get there then it seems all for nothing in my mind.

Take Pleasanton coming up for an example.  Matt Vincent, Jon O'neil, and some of the other guys have been top amateurs for what seems like forever and I have every intention of going out there and winning.  Is it gonna happen???  The odds are stacked pretty heavily me but if I don't prepare as if I could win then I won't stand a chance.  Could be the difference between coming in 3rd or 13th, who knows!



Posted By: swollenknuck
Date Posted: 8/28/11 at 3:26pm
Originally posted by rknebel rknebel wrote:

Josh,

My opinion would to be to set that goal up there at 35' and see what happens.  I would rather set a goal that may just be right out of reach that will motivate me to keep working hard than to set a very obtainable goal, reach it, and then get complacent.

If you aren't trying to be the best or trying to win then why play?  There can only be one "best" and one "winner" but if you aren't at least working to get there then it seems all for nothing in my mind.

Take Pleasanton coming up for an example.  Matt Vincent, Jon O'neil, and some of the other guys have been top amateurs for what seems like forever and I have every intention of going out there and winning.  Is it gonna happen???  The odds are stacked pretty heavily me but if I don't prepare as if I could win then I won't stand a chance.  Could be the difference between coming in 3rd or 13th, who knows!



+1 Well said Robin.


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Ray Siochowicz

AD Victoria Highland Games Association

www.victoriahighlandgames.com



Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/28/11 at 3:38pm
Josh, my suggestion is to forget about 35, or 50, or 18 or whatever number of feet you think you want to throw in whatever event you are thinking about.  I bet you won't be able to do that completely, I know I can't. it's natural to think that way, and it's easy.

What I'd suggest is to get a towel, and put it four inches past your best throw of the season so far, in whatever event you are practicing. Then, after your warm-ups and stretches and drills for technique, just throw your heart out to beat the towel.

Beat the towel.  The rest will come.

Just my two cents.


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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/28/11 at 4:00pm
Originally posted by rknebel rknebel wrote:

If you aren't trying to be the best or trying to win then why play?  There can only be one "best" and one "winner" but if you aren't at least working to get there then it seems all for nothing in my mind.



We think very differently, you and I.  You throw a LOT farther than I do, BTW..

My goal is not to beat you, or Matt Vincent, or Duncan McCallum, or even to beat our local 50's guys that I see at all the Games, Kel Mulrey and Steve Elliott  and so on.  My goal is not to BE THE WINNER BY BEATING THE OTHER GUYS.

My goal is to beat myself. My goal is to do a little bit better today than I did last time.

I'm gonna tell a story, here. This is a true story, you can read it near the end of a book called "The Race" by Tim Hubbard, whom I actually know, a bit.  It's about sailing alone across the Atlantic Ocean.

Tim Hubbard was a Journalism professor at Syracuse University. He had a boat, kind of a slow boat, but strong and stout. It was a Westsail 32, sometimes laughingly called a Wetsnail 32 in hot sailboat racing circles.  Tim decided that he wanted to do the OSTAR, the solo sailing race across the Atlantic Ocean.

Tim sailed his boat, solo from Rhode Island to England. He then prepped the boat for the return trip. He did the race, very much one of the slowest boats on the course, compared to the hot 60 foot  ORMA trimarans and the million-dollar sponsored Open 60's. Those boats finish the race in about 2 weeks. They arrive in port, stay three or four days, and then paid professional delivery crews arrive who take them to the next port to prep for the next race.  None of those boats were even *there* when Tim arrived.

It took Tim a month and a couple of days to finish the OSTAR.  Tim Hubbard sailed his boat, solo, across the freaking Atlantic Ocean. When he got to England, he turned around and sailed his boat, solo BACK across the Atlantic Ocean AGAIN.  Un-freaking believable. Trust me, that is just balls-out...I can't even describe it.

...and when Tim was in Race Headquarters in Newport, some reporter from a magazine called up and wanted to talk to one of the racers. The staff person who was there at the time handed the phone to Tim. The reporter wanted to know when Tim finished....about two days ago.  Ummmm....had Tim won the race?  No, Tim had finished about 56th, overall. He wasn't actually sure, he had to check with the staff guy, and look at the overall roster to see where he had finished.

The reporter paused, and then coughed and finally asked..."Uh, it's nice to talk to you, um...but are there any WINNERS still there?"

And Tim responded....

"No, all the WINNERS are gone, now. There are only LOSERS here."

................and hung up.

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Robin, I mean no insult, but I suspect that you may think that my friend Tim was a failure because he didn't WIN the OSTAR.  But I bet that Josh will understand.




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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: rknebel
Date Posted: 8/28/11 at 5:19pm
Originally posted by Alan H Alan H wrote:

Originally posted by rknebel rknebel wrote:

If you aren't trying to be the best or trying to win then why play?  There can only be one "best" and one "winner" but if you aren't at least working to get there then it seems all for nothing in my mind.



Robin, I mean no insult, but I suspect that you may think that my friend Tim was a failure because he didn't WIN the OSTAR.  But I bet that Josh will understand.

Alan, none taken, but I am thinking that either you misunderstood what I was trying to get across or I said it in a way that led to a misunderstanding. 

It's not necessarily about winning and losing or being the best, it's about the desire and fight to win or be the best.  If Josh set his goal at 20' then he could probably work fairly hard and acheive 20' sometime next year.  But, what if he set his goal at 35'.  Maybe he would work that much harder and instead of throwing 20', maybe he would hit 25' or even 30'.  Although he didn't reach his goal I bet he would feel better about the work he put in knowing that he did everything he could to reach his goal and be even more motivated to eventually get to 35' or even 40'.  Possibly be even more motivated because he see's how much he can improve in 1 year.

I also have to understand that people throw for different reasons.  On a personal level I have been competing in atheltics at a fairly high level my entire life and the desire to win and the need for competition is basically mixed into my DNA.  Sometimes I have a hard time understanding that people would throw for any other reasons. 

Hopefully I was able to get my point across a little clearer and I too mean no insult if anything came across that way.

 



Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/29/11 at 3:16am
Couple of things...

1.)  I am TOTALLY in agreement with you that it makes sense to set goals that challenge you, and challenge you hard. If I'm throwing HWFD 20 feet today, and I've only been throwing one season, then   it seems kind of silly to me to set a lifetime goal of 22 feet.  I'll get there by middle of next year and then.................what........................ I'm done, forever?

Dumb.  Well, seems dumb to me, anyway.

But goals can change. How about setting that goal at 22 feet for the opening Games next year, and then 24 feet "by the end of the season" next year.  Then, for the year after that, be thinking...."I want 27".  And so on.  Goals aren't set in concrete, eh?  I work that way, well, I used to work that way. Now I have what I call  "towel goals".  My point is just that goals can change.

But hell yeah, what's the point of setting a goal that doesn't challenge you, and then when you achieve it, giving up?   I don't get that, at all.  So I'm 100% with you, there. You bet.

2.) About competing at high levels, athletically....

I could write paragraphs and paragraphs.... In fact, I have done exactly that, and erased them, twice.  Take it from the guy who placed 3rd in his league in HS wrestling....from the less than mediocre discus thrower, from the guy who placed last in every single hurdle race he ran in HS.

Take it from the guy who, as an adult, discovered that he really loved sailing, but that sailing as part of a big crew on a big glamour boat, with all the attitude  and money and team jerseys just didn't do it for him.  That's where the competition that people "see" is.  The America's Cup... the Admirals Cup, the Big Boat series.  Blecch.  Gag me.   Take it from the guy who decided to race his own little boat, alone, almost always alone and out of the spotlight  because that's where my heart was.

Take it from me.  Mister average athlete.

And from the people on the field...dozens of them, who busted ass in college in T&F to be "average" on a Div III team....and from the guys like Ted and Marty, whom I'm helping out right now, who started HG at age 63 and 57 because they saw the athletes on the field and thought "Hell, I'd like to try that".

Trust me. There are LOTS of reasons why people throw, and LOTS of definitions of what it means to succeed.

Your goals are your goals. If you want to win the Claw, if that's your goal, then tear it up, dude!  If you want to throw 140 foot light hammers, then when that day comes I will cheer and pound you on the back and the beers' on me! 





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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: rknebel
Date Posted: 8/29/11 at 4:10am

Originally posted by Alan H Alan H wrote:

Couple of things...

Take it from me.  Mister average athlete.

That's the thing Alan, in my eyes you are not the average athlete from what I can tell by viewing your workout logs and seeing how much work you put into improving and being the best you can be.  An average athlete sits on the couch knowing that they can go out and throw middle of the pack and are OK with it because they don't have to put the work in.  To me, a true athelte puts the time and effort into being the best and no matter what the outcome in competition they continue to strive for that.



Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/29/11 at 6:01am
It's funny how things change.

When I was 18, I was an average athlete. The Glory Guys played football and basketball.  Me?  I wrestled and threw discus and my REAL focus was playing clarinet in Band and tenor sax in Jazz Band. 

In college I raced bicycles competetively for a year, but I'm an ox, not a gazelle and so after one season, I stopped and worked the support truck for the team instead.  I was less than average as a bicycle racer....and again my REAL focus was clarinet, sax, and trumpet.  Oh, and that biology major, too. 

After college, for about 4-5 years, I was a more-than-recreational runner. I   did 60 miles a week, including sprint training, intervals and so on,  for a couple of years, there. But again, I'm an ox, not a gazelle, and my best 10K times never broke 38 minutes.  That's barely faster than Joe Schmoe.  Average runner, or actually for all the time I put in, quite a bit less than average.

I tried Cross  Country ski racing for a while, but again, I'm an ox, not a gazelle.  I never had the cardiovascular capacity to put out 110% effort at 8,000 feet elevation, for four hours.  I was a much less than average XC ski racer.

When I started sailing, I started having some successes in an athletic endeavor, but I didn't start out successful. In fact, I bombed as crew on a couple of regular boats, no "glory boats" for me. I only got on a "glory boat" once, and they didn't ask me back a second time.  I discovered that my heart was in singlehanded sailing (solo) and in fact I did well at it, but doing well at that sport is not really a physical thing...it's a mental thing.   Yes, you have to be in reasonable condition, and OH yeah, doing a headsail change in big waves and 30 knots of wind at 3:00 in the morning is freaking exhausting, but still....those moments are rare.    There are huge endurance issues, mostly centered around sleep management, and there are huge project management issues as well. I did well in the sport because I have "stick-to-it-iveness" not because I'm a great athlete.

I'm 54 years old. At this age, the overwhelming majority of guys who were outstanding athletes have retired to the couch and  the remote. There are exceptions, of course....look at Mike Baab.

I will NEVER retire to the couch and the remote. Ever.  My wife and I just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary by going backpacking in the Emigrant Wilderness. We had our big day at Pingree Lake, 12 miles in and 1,000 foot elevation gain, from the trailhead.  we will NEVER stop doing that, though of course we will slow down.

   I love trying new things, and because I am who I am, I like to go whole hog, when I jump in.  I'm a pretty good 54- year old Highland Athlete....but I'm not great, if the measurement is how far I throw a hammer or how high a toss a weight. I'll never win the MWC.   If the guys who were in my class and played football and basketball hadn't retired to the couch, they'd probably beat me now, just like they did, back then.

But they retired.

I didn't.

So I don't think  of myself as an outstanding athlete. I think of myself as a guy who refuses to quit, who refuses to think that since I'm not as tough as when I was 25, that the Game is over.  But most of all, I think of myself as a guy who likes to have fun doing physical stuff.....and this throwing stuff is fun. It's just that it's MORE fun if I challenge myself and put some work into it.


Anyway, thanks for the kind words!....and for reading my training log!


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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: KiltBill
Date Posted: 8/29/11 at 10:31am
Alan you always inspire me!
38 minute 10K? That's about a 6 minute mile average, Wow! For a
Clydesdale that's great.
I always learn from your log and the witty banter is the icing on the
cake. Thanks.

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Remember Kay Cummings, Father of the Highland Games in the Southeast and my friend. Lets Go Run With The Big Dogs!


Posted By: Alan H
Date Posted: 8/29/11 at 11:27am
Originally posted by KiltBill KiltBill wrote:

Alan you always inspire me!
38 minute 10K? That's about a 6 minute mile average, Wow! For a
Clydesdale that's great.
I always learn from your log and the witty banter is the icing on the
cake. Thanks.


Yeah, well that 38' 40"  10K PR was, um... gee.... if I was in HS at the fall of the Byzantine Empire, then the 10K was about the time the Visigoths sacked Rome. 

That'd be about 1985. I was 28 years old! (I also weighed 195 pounds!)

On the other hand, the Missus and I did the Tahoe-Truckee XC ski race (about 30 km) about ten years ago when I was in my mid-40's.  That's  about 19 miles.  We were way WAY back in the pack, like finishing in the 350's out of the 400 people who finished or something, but what the hell. We DID it.
http://www.thegreatskirace.com/ -
http://www.thegreatskirace.com/

I busted my ASS to get ready for that event..... but the gazelles ate me for lunch. That's OK, it was still a blast.


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Alan Hebert

Geezer-In-Training


Posted By: Sammy68123
Date Posted: 8/30/11 at 2:49pm

Competing against yourself is really the only thing that makes sense in the long run.  You have no control over who else shows up for the competition.  Or their performance: maybe they're struggling with an injury or the mental distraction of a family emergency, OR they're clicking on all cylinders and having their best day ever.

When I started in PL in 1990, the guy who got me started told me I had to lift my own meet, not anyone else's.  My own performance is the only thing I have more control over than anything else. 

Coming from a late-blooming "athlete" (I still find it hard to apply that term to myself, just a person who enjoys lifting as heavy as she can stand and perfecting new skills).



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Teresa Merrick
Bellevue, NE



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