Clothing OPTional--90% More Salacious!

[Deserve]

I never said the anything about having the best mountains. I just said mountains. I'll conceded that there are nicer mountains in the world but really what good are mountains? Mountains are the appendix of geography. They served a purpose once put now that are just in the way and prone to cause problems. Once they were useful for dodging a posse but now what do they do? They should aspire to be more like a river. A river is useful. You use it as a natural border, move commerce, it can even act as a muse. The blues came from rivers. Mountains gave us John Denver.

I apologize for the marketing crack. The clever marketing was despite all that has gotten out in the popular press we've still managed to disguise the great features of the state in order to keep people from coming in, raising the home prices and crowding the Comal River on holidays.

[scribess]

Okay, I have to grant you the bit about John Denver. Rocky Mountain High Colorado may be the place where I belong, but screw me if I'm going to sing about it in a folk song.

Still.

1. Mountains make excellent natural borders. They're tall (I mean real mountains.) Hard to climb. Less oxygen. Hard to breathe. Very much a "you stay on your side and I'll stay on mine" type of thing.
2. Mountains still serve as muses. "Purple mountains' majesty." Classic. Not John Denver. Brokeback Mountain. Though I guess it wasn't about the mountains so much as the misunderstood gay cowboys. Still. Oscar winner. Mountain Dew. Popular soft drink. I don't drink it (or any other soft drink) personally, but it is a catchier name than "River Dew."
3. Many rivers have their sources in mountains. That whole gravity thing of making water run downhill.

And. Colorado still has rivers. Prime white-water rafting rivers, mind you. We're also the source of the Colorado River. Even if most of its tributaries start in other states. Still, it's the honkin' big river that goes through the Grand Canyon, yo. A mighty fine river, if I say so myself. And I do say so myself.

So why don't we just say I'd collapse in the heat of your state and you couldn't breathe at the elevation of mine?

P.S. I have to say I'm very glad JP allows all this off-topic stuff in our logs. I was part of another forum that was all like, "this board is for posting x; keep y out of your logs!" I like it that here we are equal-opportunity for the whole alphabet.

[Deserve]

Originally Posted by scribess

So why don't we just say I'd collapse in the heat of your state and you couldn't breathe at the elevation of mine?

I think together they would be the perfect state. Winter in Texas and Summers in Colorado. Texarado.

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by Deserve

I think together they would be the perfect state. Winter in Texas and Summers in Colorado. Texarado.

shh - we call it So Cal - beach & skiing on the same day. We don't want anyone else to know, we're already full.

[Willie]

Originally Posted by Deserve

I think together they would be the perfect state. Winter in Texas and Summers in Colorado. Texarado.

You should try Washington... it's 80 degrees, not at all humid, and I can see lots of real mountains!

[scribess]

Originally Posted by Deserve

I think together they would be the perfect state. Winter in Texas and Summers in Colorado. Texarado.

I'd suggest Coloraxas, but even I can see that's a dumb name.

Originally Posted by LisaS

shh - we call it So Cal - beach & skiing on the same day. We don't want anyone else to know, we're already full.

I had a vacation in San Diego around a year and a half ago and seriously thought I could see myself living there.

Originally Posted by Willie

You should try Washington... it's 80 degrees, not at all humid, and I can see lots of real mountains!

Never been, though Seattle is indeed on my list of places I need to visit!

Back to my own state elitism, I found this Gallup Poll on "well-being" rankings. We're number 4! We're number 4! We're--

--behind Utah. And Wyoming. I'd have never guessed. Being behind Hawaii isn't too big a shocker, though. It is also on my list of places to visit, though less attainable than Seattle.

[stingo]

I'll take States with more livestock than people $500, Alex

Failing that, I'll take States where you can live really far away from everyone else for $1000.

[realcdn]

My mother loved San Diego when we were there. I think if I won the lottery she would seriously consider moving there. I like Texas a lot (in the winter), but who knows where I would end up. Canada just doesn't have enough differences in the overall climate (ie. it pretty much snows at some point everywhere).

[Deserve]

Originally Posted by LisaS

shh - we call it So Cal - beach & skiing on the same day. We don't want anyone else to know, we're already full.

Love So Cal but I prefer natural disasters I can easily avoid. Hurricanes give me weeks of notice, it's my understanding that mud slides are pretty quick. Not to mention it seems half the state burns every year. San Diego was the first place I ever visited where I got home and looked at home prices. I haven't looked since. Did I mention the really cheap cost of living in the suburbs.

Originally Posted by Willie

You should try Washington... it's 80 degrees, not at all humid, and I can see lots of real mountains!

I've got to get over the rain. Unfortunately, for me rain is like snow. I don't mind it but I suck at driving it it. I'm afraid I would be locked inside all for months at a time. 80 is also the high in the summer. What are winters like? Anything lower than 30 I have to stay inside. +1 for the ocean though.

I'm telling you. Most states have to be combined with another one to be perfect.

[Espi]

I am sorry.. but we have mountains too

Except that our tallest one is 110 m (you do the math in feet ).

Here's a clip to one of the best hits from the 80s , yep , you guessed it , named "In the Dutch mountains". It's a hoot!

[scribess]

Originally Posted by stingo

I'll take States with more livestock than people $500, Alex

Failing that, I'll take States where you can live really far away from everyone else for $1000.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So you're saying the livestock threw the polls. I guess that's as sound an explanation as any.

That, or there genuinely is something to the whole "materialism doesn't make you happy" shtick. Who knew?

Originally Posted by realcdn

My mother loved San Diego when we were there. I think if I won the lottery she would seriously consider moving there. I like Texas a lot (in the winter), but who knows where I would end up. Canada just doesn't have enough differences in the overall climate (ie. it pretty much snows at some point everywhere).

I've often thought that if I won the lottery I'd consider moving somewhere.

Or maybe I'd just buy some property here. A nice townhouse with a spot of yard to enable me to have a dog and maybe do a little gardening. Ahh.

Originally Posted by Deserve

I've got to get over the rain. Unfortunately, for me rain is like snow. I don't mind it but I suck at driving it it. I'm afraid I would be locked inside all for months at a time. 80 is also the high in the summer. What are winters like? Anything lower than 30 I have to stay inside. +1 for the ocean though.

Seriously? Driving in rain is essentially like driving in snow, only without the freezing factor: go slow.

Then again, masses of Coloradans forget that key tactic at the start of the snow season every year. Ugh.

Originally Posted by Espi

I am sorry.. but we have mountains too

Except that our tallest one is 110 m (you do the math in feet ).

Approx 3,333 feet. (Yes, I had to look up the conversion on Google. Then I used a calculator. There is a reason I didn't major in math.)

Originally Posted by Espi

Here's a clip to one of the best hits from the 80s , yep , you guessed it , named "In the Dutch mountains". It's a hoot!

Ah, another case of mountains inspiring something-or-other! Glad I brought my ipod today because I can plug my earbuds into my computer and listen to it. Which I will do after posting this.

ETA: Um. Yeah. It's like the video is trying to make sense. Really, really it is. What with the rowing and the spinning water can and gratuitous close-up on the bucket. Yup. Full of epiphanies.

I think.

Maybe.

[Deserve]

It sucks that I can't drive in snow. But given every time it snows here the city shuts down. I hope you'll understand. We simply don't know how to handle it.

[scribess]

Sleep: 5:30; efficiency 80%. Seriously thought it was more actual sleep than that. I'm feeling fine, though maybe a little too alert, which I guess could be a symptom of excess cortisol. I'll have to really attempt to rest/sleep on the weekend. As I won't be getting up tomorrow morning for my usual Saturday bike ride (it's already been four weeks, alas) hopefully it should be easy to sleep a little more.

Weigh in: 147.2. Scale briefly flashed to 147, which would've been a new OPT low, but it settled at the .2. Maybe tomorrow.

Stats for Thursday, July 9
Cals burned: 2165
Cals consumed: 1363 (168p/57.5c/52.1f; 50%/17%/34%*)
Deficit: 802

Activity (still on rest week)

• 2 15-min walks at work
• Light walking while reading, 40 min

Short day at work today since I have a dentist appointment. Aside from that, my system of easing back into work after vacation is pretty nice: a 1.75-day workweek before the weekend.

*I know this adds up to 101%. But it's what Fitday says. Blame it.

[scribess]

Originally Posted by Deserve

It sucks that I can't drive in snow. But given every time it snows here the city shuts down. I hope you'll understand. We simply don't know how to handle it.

I do understand. I didn't have a car in college, but I was still amused whenever the Texans called the sleet falling from the sky "snow" and the entire campus shut down for precipitation that wouldn't have caused any delay in CO. I don't think the roads were ever quite cold enough for it to actually freeze, but of course there aren't really any snowplows or even salt trucks, I don't think, so I do get it. Mostly.

But still, the major key to driving in snow and rain is to go slow. Even if you have a 4-wheel drive SUV or truck. They're the ones I most often see in accidents out here. Us little front-wheel drive Toyota Corolla types (yours truly), not so much.

[NYC_Native]

As a person who's moved around a fair bit in the last few years, home is wherever I'm living in at the time. That said, there are a few places I love way more than others.

- Pennsylvania's on the top of my list, esp. the Lancaster area. There's access to lots of land, but you're not far from the cities, either, depending on where you're at. King of Prussia isn't bad, either, because they have the Compleat Strategist store.

-Florida has its charms. It's a fun and HUGE state - after all, it's home to Disney & Universal Studios, plus the Keys, the Everglades and the FL Panhandle (not a big fan of Miami, though). Don't know if I'll continue living here, though, as much as I'm enjoying my current residency.

-New Jersey's cool, too. I esp. love Hunterdon/Warren and Burlington Co.'s. They're quiet and spacious enough for me to enjoy, but drive for a bit and you're in a major hub once again. However, NJ has some of the most fucked-up political stuff going on, plenty of taxes, and there's a high cost of living index (being sandwiched between Philadelphia and New York City doesn't help).

My list will continue to grow as I ponder this question more, LOL.

Originally Posted by Willie

You should try Washington... it's 80 degrees, not at all humid, and I can see lots of real mountains!

My dh lived in WA for a year, and wants to move back there. He loves the fact that there are lots of rainy days (he actually doesn't care for the sun!), and that there are a lot of bookstores. And he'd agree w/you and Scribes that yes, mountains are important, too.

And I coud never live in New York City again. As much as I loved my upbringing and visiting it when I have the chance, I also love being away from people. That feeling grows stronger as the years go by.

[Espi]

Originally Posted by scribess

Approx 3,333 feet. (Yes, I had to look up the conversion on Google. Then I used a calculator. There is a reason I didn't major in math.)

If you're referring to the 110m, fail. Actually I'm failing too.. dunno where I got that number from, maybe it's how high the local 'mtn' is in Rhenen, called Grebbeberg (Grebbe MOUNTAIN!!!!)
Hmmm , that's only 52m or 170 ft.
The highest point in our entire country Vaalserberg which actually forms the border between 3 countries: NLs, Germany & Belgium would be a mere slope for you...
"The Vaalserberg ("Mount Vaals") is a hill 322.7 metres (1,059 ft) in height, the highest point in the Netherlands. "

So, to us.. the Texan mountains you called foot hills would be like dream come true for mtn loving cyclists .
Maybe you can now understand the tongue in cheek behind that song. It doesn't refer to actual mts at all.. that was probably why it was so popular at the time.

[scribess]

Originally Posted by NYC_Native

As a person who's moved around a fair bit in the last few years, home is wherever I'm living in at the time. That said, there are a few places I love way more than others.

- Pennsylvania's on the top of my list, esp. the Lancaster area. There's access to lots of land, but you're not far from the cities, either, depending on where you're at. King of Prussia isn't bad, either, because they have the Compleat Strategist store.

-Florida has its charms. It's a fun and HUGE state - after all, it's home to Disney & Universal Studios, plus the Keys, the Everglades and the FL Panhandle (not a big fan of Miami, though). Don't know if I'll continue living here, though, as much as I'm enjoying my current residency.

-New Jersey's cool, too. I esp. love Hunterdon/Warren and Burlington Co.'s. They're quiet and spacious enough for me to enjoy, but drive for a bit and you're in a major hub once again. However, NJ has some of the most fucked-up political stuff going on, plenty of taxes, and there's a high cost of living index (being sandwiched between Philadelphia and New York City doesn't help).

My list will continue to grow as I ponder this question more, LOL.

My dh lived in WA for a year, and wants to move back there. He loves the fact that there are lots of rainy days (he actually doesn't care for the sun!), and that there are a lot of bookstores. And he'd agree w/you and Scribes that yes, mountains are important, too.

And I coud never live in New York City again. As much as I loved my upbringing and visiting it when I have the chance, I also love being away from people. That feeling grows stronger as the years go by.

PA is also on my to-visit list. And NYC, just because. But no, I don't think I'd want to live there.

Maybe I should make a list of the places I don't want to visit.

Originally Posted by Espi

If you're referring to the 110m, fail. Actually I'm failing too.. dunno where I got that number from, maybe it's how high the local 'mtn' is in Rhenen, called Grebbeberg (Grebbe MOUNTAIN!!!!)
Hmmm , that's only 52m or 170 ft.

Yargh! Told you there was a reason I didn't major in math.

Originally Posted by Espi

So, to us.. the Texan mountains you called foot hills would be like dream come true for mtn loving cyclists .
Maybe you can now understand the tongue in cheek behind that song. It doesn't refer to actual mts at all.. that was probably why it was so popular at the time.

Ahh, gotcha! But I still think the video itself was very bizarre. Though I guess its bizarreness matches the bizarreness of the song.

[Willie]

Originally Posted by Deserve

I've got to get over the rain. Unfortunately, for me rain is like snow. I don't mind it but I suck at driving it it. I'm afraid I would be locked inside all for months at a time. 80 is also the high in the summer. What are winters like? Anything lower than 30 I have to stay inside. +1 for the ocean though.

I'm telling you. Most states have to be combined with another one to be perfect.

Well, that I've noticed, no one in Seattle owns an umbrella... rather, we all have several versions of rain coats, to be selected according to the weather report, which can change at the drop of a hat. What I'm getting at, though, is that I don't think people here who want to be outside, let the weather get to them. I row year-round, rain or shine!

if you suck at driving in the rain and / or snow, then all I have to say is that you'd be in good company here . Most Seattlites are not fans of snow (I LOVE driving in it, in my Jeep... but we don't get much of it, anyway).

Most winters are pretty mild. It gets below freezing at night, but *usually* warms up to the high 30s, mid-40's during the day. This winter was unusually cold (which is making this beautiful summer that much sweeter).

High today is 75, sun's out, light breeze... perfect

[Willie]

Originally Posted by NYC_Native

As a person who's moved around a fair bit in the last few years, home is wherever I'm living in at the time. That said, there are a few places I love way more than others.

- Pennsylvania's on the top of my list, esp. the Lancaster area. There's access to lots of land, but you're not far from the cities, either, depending on where you're at. King of Prussia isn't bad, either, because they have the Compleat Strategist store.

-Florida has its charms. It's a fun and HUGE state - after all, it's home to Disney & Universal Studios, plus the Keys, the Everglades and the FL Panhandle (not a big fan of Miami, though). Don't know if I'll continue living here, though, as much as I'm enjoying my current residency.

-New Jersey's cool, too. I esp. love Hunterdon/Warren and Burlington Co.'s. They're quiet and spacious enough for me to enjoy, but drive for a bit and you're in a major hub once again. However, NJ has some of the most fucked-up political stuff going on, plenty of taxes, and there's a high cost of living index (being sandwiched between Philadelphia and New York City doesn't help).

My list will continue to grow as I ponder this question more, LOL.



My dh lived in WA for a year, and wants to move back there. He loves the fact that there are lots of rainy days (he actually doesn't care for the sun!), and that there are a lot of bookstores. And he'd agree w/you and Scribes that yes, mountains are important, too.

And I coud never live in New York City again. As much as I loved my upbringing and visiting it when I have the chance, I also love being away from people. That feeling grows stronger as the years go by.

Yup. Home is what you make of it. This ^^ is how I feel about Boston. I LOVED going to college there, and I enjoy visiting, but I never want to live there again. Otherwise, I've only lived in Seattle (yay!) or Spokane (huge nay!).

I should admit that I love rain, too... something about a book, a latte, and a cozy sweater that makes me crave January in Seattle.

[scribess]

Originally Posted by Willie

I should admit that I love rain, too... something about a book, a latte, and a cozy sweater that makes me crave January in Seattle.

Replace the rain with snow, and you have why I'd never want to live somewhere where it doesn't snow. I just love feeling cozy.

[scribess]

Weigh in: 146.8--new OPT low!

Sleep: Didn't wear my GWF, but I'm guessing another night of 5:30. My fault--had iced tea at dinner (I don't do well with caffeine in the evening) and then stayed on the computer later than usual, which makes it harder for me to fall asleep. Oh well. My typical pattern has been that after a couple of low nights, I usually get around 7 hours the third night, so here's hoping.

Stats for Friday, July 10
Cals burned: 2230
Cals consumed: 1314 (170.5p/55.2c/43.1f; 55%/17%/30%)
Deficit: 916

Activity

• 10 min walk at work
• 30 min Pilates DVD (coworker and I didn't have an incredibly interesting discussion this time; I just had her tell me about the all-hands meeting I missed during vacation. My company's merging with another company, but the gist is that even though our future CEO [current prez of the other company] flew out, we didn't get any more details than when we first heard about the merger three weeks ago)

I haven't done so well with the recovery work this week. I did do it on Tuesday and Wednesday, forgot Thursday, and didn't have time yesterday. Though I guess I could've done that at 11pm instead of staying online, and maybe that would've helped the sleep issue. Anyway, if I do recovery today and tomorrow, I'd at least still hit the 4x/week minimum OPT recommends.

Then it's on to Week 5, and back to training.

[scribess]

Weigh in: 146.8 Back to my trend of hanging at the same weight for a couple of days.

Sleep: Again didn't wear my GWF, but I do think it was 7 hours total with 8 lying down.

Stats for Saturday, July 11
Cals burned: 2168
Cals consumed: 1395 (155.1p/82.1c/52.7f; 44%/23%/33%)
Deficit: 773

Activity
Light housework, and I admit it. I caved and did a 1/2 hour of DDR. But according to GWF, my cals/minute didn't even hit 6, which is about my average during walks at work. So I don't feel too guilty about it.

I also took advantage of my training-free Saturday to see The Proposal. I was in the mood for a girly flick. It was cute and I don't regret the $6 (cheapest you can really get for a movie around here) but I don't think I'll have to buy it when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray.

Anyway, I'd had plans for strolling around the pedestrian mall the movie theater's on, but I only made it to the used book store (not all that impressive, sadly) before I realized hanging around too long meant I'd stroll my way on to Crepes de Paris. Which I would like to try at some point. Just not while on a deficit. So like a good girl, I headed home and ate my salad for lunch.

[NYC_Native]

Good job on getting a new OPT low. And I would've caved in and tried that Crepes de Paris place, LOL.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by scribess

Anyway, I'd had plans for strolling around the pedestrian mall the movie theater's on, but I only made it to the used book store (not all that impressive, sadly) before I realized hanging around too long meant I'd stroll my way on to Crepes de Paris. Which I would like to try at some point. Just not while on a deficit. So like a good girl, I headed home and ate my salad for lunch.

This sounds like a reenactment for your theatre troupe.

[scribess]

Originally Posted by NYC_Native

Good job on getting a new OPT low. And I would've caved in and tried that Crepes de Paris place, LOL.

I find I'm regretting not being able to eat at maintenance or have the occasional goodie. Ridiculous as a week ago I was eating at maintenance and had more than the occasional goodie. Probably just an issue of out-of-sight, out of mind. Need to avoid going near those places to begin with.

Originally Posted by stingo

This sounds like a reenactment for your theatre troupe.

Oh, I see how it is. People just read my log for the sock puppets!

[Etana]

Originally Posted by scribess

Oh, I see how it is. People just read my log for the sock puppets!

sock it to me

[scribess]

Originally Posted by Etana

sock it to me

I'll see what I can do later this evening. My muse went AWOL. Time to hunt 'er down.

_____________________________

Let me just say I'm frighteningly addicted to the Internet. I don't particularly like how coming into work to find the Internet down immediately puts me in a grumpy mood, and that once everything's running again, it's all joy and sunshine. I shouldn't be this dependent on technology for my happiness.

Anyway.

Weigh in: 147.2 I anticipated a bump since my water intake wasn't up to par yesterday. Oh well.

Sleep: 6:35

Stats for Sunday, July 12
Cals burned: 2021
Cals consumed: 1388 (105.4p/85c/69.2f; 31%/24%/45%)
Deficit: 633

Activity
40-ish min walk. Would've been longer, but it started to rain.

[scribess]

July 6 through July 12*

Total cals burned: 14366
Total cals consumed: 10681
Deficit: 3685

Expected fat loss: 1.05 lbs

Pre-vacation weight: 147.2
Post-vacation weight: 149
OPT Week 4 end weight: 147.2 (low was 146.8)

So I'm just sayin' I broke even for the week, though I at least did reach a new low.

Measurements

Date/neck (my Excel doc's gone screwy; pound signs are supposed to be 11.75 on both)/R bicep/bust/ribcage/waist/abdom en/hips/thigh/R calf/week's inches lost

7/6/2009	#####	10.325	36.5	31.5	29.75	36.625	40	22	14	220.7	2.05
7/13/2009	#####	10.5	36.25	31	29.563	36.25	39.625	21.625	13.875	218.688	2.012

Measurements looked good until I looked at my pre-vacation measurments (which I should've included here but didn't; my Excel doc is on my home comp, so I don't have access currently) and realized many of the measurements are on par with that. Hips and ribcage decreased from those measurements; calf and bicep increased; everything else stayed the same. I think. but the decreases outweighed the increases, so I think I had a net loss of about an inch. I haven't really crunched the numbers yet.

Oh well. I'm back home now and back in a training week. Moving onward.

*I'm including July 6-7 even though they were also under my vacation post-mortem so I have a more realistic idea about the expected fat loss. Again, I didn't wear my GWF on those days, so I'm guesstimating cals burned based on sitting all day in the car for the trip down to TX.

[scribess]

I am officially NOT a fan of supersetting.

OPT B1
3s 12r unless otherwise noted. Weights are of single DB. Only the DB Pullover used a single DB.

Step-Up SS
12.5/10/10
Rear Lunge SS
12.5/10/10

DB Pullover SS
10/10/10
Swiss Rear Delt Fly SS
5/5/5

T-Ups SS
BW@10; on knees BW@12/knees BW@12
Swiss Ball Crunch
BW/BW/BW

Okay. First issue: Supersets with PowerBlocks don't work all that well. I guess using 10lbs for both the Step-Ups and Delt Flys is okay for now, but I used to be doing the Step-Ups with 12.5. But maybe 10 is all right simply b/c it is a superset. Anyway, it takes so long to change the weights on PBs that by the time I'd get done with that, it's not really a superset. Advice appreciated. Yes, I could buy some regular DBs, but the point of getting the PBs was that I wouldn't need regular DBs. I'd rather not spend the money on it or use up more space.

ETA: DB Pullover and Delt Flys I handled by using one of my PBs with an empty handle (5 lbs) and 1 adder plate (another 5 lbs) and then holding 2 small adder weights (2.5 lbs each) in each hand. I'm sure I can increase on the Pullover; just not sure if I could do it by the 5lbs I'd need to move up to the next plate and not have to use one of the 2.5 adder weights.

Second issue: My T-ups sucked. I mean, really absolutely, horrifyingly sucked. Note how I had to drop down to my knees. I don't think it's an issue with my core. It really felt like my deltoids/lats were just giving out. It kinda makes sense since I have long, thin arms. Length is great for leverage, but not so much for stability.

I know this is a forum and nobody reading this saw my poor attempts at the T-Ups, but if anyone could confirm whether this might be a shoulder stability issue, that'd be great. I did try to pay attention to my form and make sure my arms were aligned straight under my shoulders, like for a proper plank position.

Oh, how I miss those planks on forearms. *Sniff*

But of course the stuff I most despise is what I most need. I'll keep at it.

And check with me tomorrow, Etana, but right now I can't believe I'd hate the DB get-ups more than I do the T-Ups.

Oh, and I hope the T-Ups in OPT aren't actual T-Push-ups, 'cause that ain't happening anytime soon. The pictures in OPT seem to imply there's no push-up motion involved.

I'm off to sulk over my dinner.

[Etana]

Originally Posted by scribess

I am officially NOT a fan of supersetting.

Supersets are my favorite! I sweat so much...

OPT B1
Okay. First issue: Supersets with PowerBlocks don't work all that well. I guess using 10lbs for both the Step-Ups and Delt Flys is okay for now, but I used to be doing the Step-Ups with 12.5. But maybe 10 is all right simply b/c it is a superset. Anyway, it takes so long to change the weights on PBs that by the time I'd get done with that, it's not really a superset.

Whew, I have the dumbbells. Now I have a reason NOT to spend hundreds on the Powerblocks.

Second issue: My T-ups sucked. I mean, really absolutely, horrifyingly sucked. Note how I had to drop down to my knees. I don't think it's an issue with my core. It really felt like my deltoids/lats were just giving out. It kinda makes sense since I have long, thin arms. Length is great for leverage, but not so much for stability.

I know this is a forum and nobody reading this saw my poor attempts at the T-Ups, but if anyone could confirm whether this might be a shoulder stability issue, that'd be great. I did try to pay attention to my form and make sure my arms were aligned straight under my shoulders, like for a proper plank position.

It's interesting how different bodies are. I can do 20-25# and was up to 30# on the pullovers to your 10#... This might indicate why you're having so much trouble with the T-Ups: you're arms and shoulders are not your strongest bodyparts... I guess the point is to hate them, get through them and get better at them after 4 weeks.

And check with me tomorrow, Etana, but right now I can't believe I'd hate the DB get-ups more than I do the T-Ups.

I am right here with bated breath; do you have video for the DB get-ups? The best I could find was with Kettleball..... I have a pdf I made if you want it send me a PM with email address.

Oh, and I hope the T-Ups in OPT aren't actual T-Push-ups, 'cause that ain't happening anytime soon. The pictures in OPT seem to imply there's no push-up motion involved.

don't think there is push-up motion