Phoenixes, packing, and meet prep

I’m making slow progress on spinning the phoenix yarn. I started getting repetitive strain injury symptoms in my right hand, so I took a few days off and did some active recovery work (stretching, band flossing, etc.) before starting up again. And I’m going fairly slowly, about half an hour a day.

Here’s today’s skein. I’m getting out of the orange section and into some lovely golds!

And here is the full gradient so far:

To jog your memory, I’m spinning these braids of silk fiber:

Gold and yellow are yet to come!

Move-wise, I’ve finally started packing my stuff. The move is still two or three months away, but I hate last-minute panics, and I’m planning to sell some things, so better to start sooner. I found a phenomenal iOS app called Boxes that is teeeeeeerrific not just for packing but for anything that involves labeling and inventorying. You create “spaces” (categories) first, then put boxes into each space. For each box, you can do a list of items, and add photos of each item. Then you can add tags (“weaving supplies”, “yarn,” etc.) And then, you can print a label with all the box info on it AND a QR code so you can scan the box and instantly bring up all your notes, pictures, etc. on your smartphone or tablet.

I think this is phenomenal even if you aren’t moving. It would be perfect for inventorying things for homeowner’s insurance, for example, or just to know where the heck you put that widget 10 months ago.

So I am gleefully packing up and photographing yarn. I’m not going overboard on inventorying everything, but I am taking photos and putting in general descriptions.

I’ve packed five small moving boxes so far, mostly silk and metallic threads. I’m guessing another 10 boxes at least to contain everything. Maybe more. I have at 400+ pounds of yarn! Don’t ask where it all came from, please. (I suspect it of multiplying when I’m not looking.)

Powerlifting-wise, I’m now only five weeks out from Nationals (SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!). The final week is typically a rest week, so I have four training weeks left to go. So my coach is pivoting me from general strength training to meet prep. That means that instead of doing 3-5 reps in my first (heaviest) set, I’m doing one HEAVY single-rep set before backing down and doing more work at lighter weights.

Here’s what a typical exercise entry in my training spreadsheet looks like now:

Translating the shorthand, it says to do 1 rep at a weight heavy enough that I could only do two additional reps if I continued.

Once I input that weight into the Set 1 row, the program estimates the maximum weight I can lift, and puts that in the bottom row.

Then I multiply that max weight by 80% and lift that weight (rounded to the nearest five pounds) for four reps, doing a total of four sets of four reps each.

The practical difference is that now, instead of doing an initial set of 3-5 reps at 140 pounds in bench press, I’m now doing a single rep at 160 pounds. That is roughly a 15% increase in weight from my usual training, and puts me up around 90-95% of my max lift. That is HEAVY.

This shift from lighter weights/more reps to heavy singles is prepping my body and my central nervous system for an all-out effort. It’s also giving the opportunity to perfect my form at heavy weights. You can get away with less than perfect form when you have lighter weights, but as you near your max, you have to be much tighter and more focused on getting everything perfect, or the bar won’t come up.

(You won’t hurt yourself if you fail, though – the rack’s safety arms will catch the weight. Powerlifting, and weightlifting generally, actually has one of the lowest injury rates of any sport.)

Here’s what 160 lbs x 1 rep in bench press looks like right now. Significant effort, but not a real struggle. I am hoping to hit 172 lbs at USPA Nationals to break the California state record for my age/weight class.