Hello, Copper

[Frank.S]

How old do you have to be to get your full licence? Alberta has some crap like that now.

[Matthew]

September 4
box jumps
5 reebok steps, all open - 39-40 inches

chin ups
9,7,6

push ups
22,15,16
-did these slower than usual, and used three different hand placements. I just needed to change it up a bit

seated shrug
135x12x2

front squat
135x8x2
-I have a really bad problem with not being able to keep my back straight during these. I always curl forward, and then my arms drop and the bar wants to slide out of its groove. I thought lowering the weight would help, but it didn't. I could've gotten at least 10-12 reps with this weight if it hadn't been for that.

hanging leg raise
bridge-hands x 100sec
bridge-elbows x 80sec
side bends 80x6x2
side walks (held a cable out in front of me and shuffled to either side)
push/pulls (one cable in front, one behind, press and pull) - these really burned

[Matthew]

It's not an age thing for your full licence. You have to be 16 to get your G1 (written test). Then you have to wait 8-12 months(eight if you took driving school, 12 without) to get your G2 (road test). Then you have up to five years to get your G (another road test). I think you have to wait a year after getting your G2 though, I'm not really sure. I tried looking it up but I can't find any information on waiting periods, just the restrictions of each licence.

As I was writing this the first time, the power went out in my house and the computer shut off. So I turned the computer on again, and clicked on the internet and chose to 'restore session'. Usually I would have lost everything I wrote because it's just a text box and nothing was saved, but when the page loaded everything I wrote was still there. Cool.

[Frank.S]

sounds similar to here, i dont know i beat all the restrictions.

On the front squat, put a 10lb plate under your heals.. it will keep your more upright. At least, this works for me.

[Matthew]

Hmm.. I could try it. I squat in my socks though, so that might not be too comfortable. Especially since all the plates have an edge on both sides. I'll see if it helps though.

[Matthew]

So I called the career counselor that I was thinking of going to see. She said that because I'm not unemployed (I had to lie and say that I was) that she can't help me. This tells me one thing: the only thing she could have helped me with anyway was getting me a job.
I can go to an employment agency if I just want a job. I need someone who can help me create a plan in the case that I'm not hired by the police. A plan that may lead me to something semi-permanent, outside a damn warehouse. So I'll have to look around for someone else to go to, someone who hopefully doesn't charge a whole lot.

A long time friend of the family's said that her husband, also a friend of the family, is friends with a cop. So if I pass the physical/written tests, he can help me to get through the interviews. This is VERY good news.

By the way my running is going lately, I think I'll be ok on that portion of the test. I won't do amazing on it, but I should definitely pass. All I need is a pass.
Things that can still bring me down: push ups.sit and reach.
I *should* be good on the rest.

[Matthew]

I'm realizing this is more of a blog than a log. Oops.

[gobbla]

The Canadian Military has one of the more professional, hardy, well equipped forces of those I've dealt with. If you don't mind doing that sort of thing it might be an option.

[Matthew]

If I don't pass this test I'll look into it. I need a 75% to pass, and I think I'm somewhere between 70-80% now. Closer to 70 though.

I can get a university degree while serving, that's what makes it so appealing. But if I take that I'll have to sign for 4 years of service after I graduate. So it could end up being 8+ years total. 8 Years is a long time..



Sept 6
close grip power snatch from hang (I always just write snatch, but this is more accurate of what I'm doing)
warm up only

bench
160x7
185x1 - failed 2nd rep
170x3
170x2
135x11 - failed 12th rep

chin up - half reps
12,8,6
pull up
5

seated row
165x6
165x8
150x8

RDL
265x10
265x6+3
265x5+2+1


The strength is there for the RDL, I could've gotten 10+ on each of those sets but my grip kept slipping.
I've lost the ability to grind out a rep on the bench.
Also, I learned that I bench better in my socks. Go figure.

[Matthew]

Sept 8
high pull

deadlift
275x4
295x4
315x3

chin up
5x5

push up
25,20


Coming up is the last week of training before the test.
Gobbla, I'm seriously considering serving. I haven't stopped reading this site since yesterday. I might find a recruiting office nearby and just talk to them about my options. Then if I don't pass the test I'll have a good plan ready.
I know there are a few people on here who've served, maybe I'll start a thread about it and get some opinions. And maybe some tips on how to come out with the most $ saved...

[Alcoholiday]

serving in canada wouldn't be as bad as the us. in the us, we're always at war. you guys are always neutral, happy canadians. i think when the president asks you guys if you want to go to war, you just say "eh??" and they get confused and leave.

[Frank.S]

Canada sends troops and stuff more then most americans/other countries think, its just rarely reconized.

Military can be a good option, wouldnt be my first choice, but a very respectible option/career.

[Matthew]

Ya, we definitely send more people out than anyone realizes. But we also definitely send a hell of a lot less people than America, for example.

I know for most people it's about "serving your country", but honestly, that's not it for me.
As much as I love Canada, I'm looking at this as a secure job. Somewhere I can get an education (free, btw), a little discipline/maturity, a whole lot of experience and hopefully a couple dollars in my bank account.

I need to speak with a recruiter. There's so many job options (check out the 'browse all jobs' tab on the site from my last post) I don't know which one I should be thinking of.
Do I pick one that could set me up for a potential career after I'm done serving, so I won't have to go back to school afterwards? (electrical engineer, aerospace engineer/aircraft structures technician - which would be awesome, construction technician, the list goes on)
Or do I choose to become an infantry soldier, to learn the skills needed to later become a member of the T.R.U. if I still choose to.

First option = earn a degree/participate in training during the summer, serve four years or more afterwards. Jobs are pretty much safe. Shouldn't interfere with weight training. Sets me up for a civilian career afterwards.
Second option = no degree necessary, train for months before being assigned. Not sure how long I'd have to serve. Will build me as a person WAY more than any other job could. Will prepare me for work as a police officer/member of the TRU. I could probably forget about weight training during my time there.


Am I over-thinking everything, or is my obsessive analyzing a good thing?

[Alcoholiday]

i was half joking w/ my last post.

[gobbla]

The Canadians are hard. The ones I've talked to mentioned that they're a lot more interchangeable between their services and jobs than we are (specialists across the board). They're pretty much everywhere that we are.

I dunno how you guys operate. On our side if you want to save money go overseas (I think this is the same) and...don't spend money. You've got everything provided for you that you *need*, make a budget and live by it. Pt 2 is get your degree first if that means you get more rank. We need the degree to be an officer, officers make 3x the pay of enlisted. Money is cool. If you're going to go to college ANYWAY then just knock that 4 years off of what you're imagining. You've already budgeted it, you're already going to do it, it's not an actual factor. You just have a project on the weekends\over summer...how ever it works.

If you want to contact some people that are in, I can get you some e-mail addresses. There's a WO that's almost certain to be willing to help. A "now" civilian. A handful of others.

Always consider your outside job first. You're not going to be in the military for ever. If you don't have a skill then you're not leaving doors open to get out. If you have a skill and your contract is up you can jet.

None of our special forces stuff requires you to be infantry or anything. You go take the physical and if you pass then they'll teach you everything you ever need to know.

[Matthew]

Thanks gobbla, 'preciate it.

I don't know for sure that I'll go through college anyway. I probably will, and probably should, because you need a degree to do anything worth doing nowadays. I guess just because I don't know what I'd go for, I can't say for sure that I'd go. Know what I mean?

I've been looking through all the different jobs the military offers, I've been looking through the programs the Royal Military College offers. I just don't know what I'd be good at. It's been so long since I've done anything that required any kind of skill, I don't even know what my skills are anymore.
I'm good at problem solving. I'm good with numbers. I'm good with blueprints and stuff like that.
Fucking hell. I could go for mechanical engineering. That looks like exactly the kind of job I'd like - and bonus, I had wanted to be a mechanical engineer a few years ago.
Sweet. I think I'll talk to the guys at the recruiting office about this, see if this is at all possible.

Gobbla, I thank you once again. Thank you.

[Matthew]

Sept 11
box jumps

chin up
10,7

front squat
135x8x2
-form semi fixed. sit straight down instead of back/down. bar no slippy.

seated row, lat pulldown bar
125x10
135x10x2

push up
23,17,16


Not really sure what happened with the push ups. Early last week I did 25. Then it dropped to 22 at the end of the week. Now I seem to be working my way up from 22 again.

Test in six days.

[gregl515]

Do you think the fact you always do pushups last might have something to do with it? Try them first for a change.