Yes, I live in the desert.

Generally I am okay with the heat. After all, in the winter you don't have to shovel sunshine! This weekend, however, Loki must have turned up the thermostat. We've been seeing 114+ temperatures here, which is a mite bit warm. It's even nastier when you're riding on superslab highway and you feel like you're being baked alive with moto gear atop you and a hot motorcycle and blistering tarmac beneath you.

It's times like these you start thinking that being kidnapped and having your kidneys harvested wouldn't be a bad idea in exchange for a nice soak in a bathtub full of ice cubes.

--B.

tags: arizona, home

I spent all day today clambering around I-beams and steel cables and winches and pulleys in order to help replace some chain motors at the theater. I think this had an adverse affect on my muscular capabilities, because I went in to train tonight and my deadlifts were positively weak. Seriously, they were bad. I was hungry and tired and just couldn't lift sh*t. I lifted quite a bit less today than I did a week ago.

This is discouraging because next Saturday is the comp and I take the preceding week off of training.

Rest, recover, and recuperate. These Rs apply not only to my mission physically, but also mentally. Get my head into the game, drop a couple pounds, and go into the meet strong. Once there, win it. All.

--B.

mood: angry tags: powerlifting

I'm currently filling out my registration card for the NASA World Cup in August. Hot on the heels of the RAW Southwest Regionals, this meet is going to test my endurance. That said, I've some questions to put to my loyal audience.

Beginning at this meet, NASA will be maintaining unequipped world records. This means that so far as I perform well and win each event, everything I do will be a new record. On the other hand, these are new records -- not established, known records. On yet the other hand, I'm pretty strong and records I set are likely to last a little bit.

Here's the rub. The full powerlifting meet comprises the squat, bench press, deadlift and the resultant sum of the three for four total numbers (and records).
NASA is also using this meet as a power sports meet, which encompasses the strict curl, bench press, and deadlift and the total thereof. This would mean one more lift (the curl, one that I don't generally consider a powerlifting event) but potentially four more records (power sports and powerlifting records are generally kept separately).

Further stratifying my choice is the fact that powerlifting records are classified by age group. In NASA I am eligible for the Open (any age) and 24-29 categories. The Open group is generally more prestigious and is often used as a catch group for athletes in the prime ages of 24-34. In total I could enter up to four divisions (Open and 24-29 in both powerlifting and power sports). Each division carries with it four categories in which I could hang my numbers as records (or at least compete) for a potential total of 16 categories. Prima facie, 16 theoretical records is pretty attractive, eh?

Here, however, is the rub. A single-division entry fee is $60 and each subsequent division $35. The powerlifting (squat + bench + deadlift) meet is the most important to me but it'd be fun to do everything I possibly could (the next competition after this one is mid-October). On the other hand, entering every division and paying for flights would almost totally bust my budget and leave me with very little spending room for the RAW World Championships in Las Vegas. Then again, 16 categories. . .!

So: Halp!

Poll #1427084 In which events should I smash records?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

In which events and divisions should I enter?

I would definitely appreciate input.

Also, here's a fun fact: I hold the overall NASA record in unequipped men's deadlift -- including not only in my weight class (242) but also the 275, 308, and Superheavyweight (unlimited) classes. Neato! Let's push this forward, eh?

--B.

music: The Offspring - Get It Right tags: competition, plans, powerlifting

Terri and I went to our local Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping tonight.

After picking up some items, we rounded the corner into the soda/drinks aisle.
In front of us stood a remarkably overweight woman wearing a grey tee-shirt and elastic pants. She was standing on the seat of an electric "courtesy scooter." In her left hand she held a two-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper. She was soundlessly but furiously bashing this bottle over and over end-on into the other bottles of soda in the wall caddy. Later we saw her ambulating with a normal shopping cart carrying a half-dozen or more two-liter bottles of Dr. Pepper.

Your challenge, Dear Reader, is to explain this to me.

--B.

tags: miscellany, society

I started a new fitness journal (I couldn't remember the password/e-mail for my old one) to log my weight changes and detailed thoughts leading up to meets. Being specifically for numbers useful only to me, it is and will be tremendously boring. That said, if you are desperate to read about the minutia of weight fluctuations and such you can find it at LJ username brandonsmash.

My weight last night was 250.0. Today at 10:00AM it was 246.6. I need to make sure the weight loss is steady, though, not spastic and likely to cannibalize muscle. However, there's a huge part of me that has a knee-jerk reaction and just wants to shed any extra weight immediately!

I'm looking to take a number of records at this competition.
Specifically, I have my eyes on the following in the Men's 242lb. class (omitting duplicates):

• 25-29: State bench (355lb.; I hold this)
  
• 25-29, Open: State strict curl (145lb.)
  
• 25-29: World squat (625lb.)
  
• 25-29, Open: World deadlift (700lb.; I hold higher national records but need to set the worlds)
  
• 25-29, Open: World push/pull deadlift (680lb.; this is technically a separate category from the powerlifting meet)
  
• 25-29: World 3-lift total (1660lb.; again, my national records are higher.)

Obviously if I set a national record I'll set the state record alongside it, and if I get a world I'll catch the state and national title for that too. That said, I'm looking for 3 state records and perhaps 5 or 6 world records based on the classes in which I'm entered.

--B.

music: David Bowie - Space Oddity tags: competition, powerlifting

Oddly enough, I finally managed to gain weight like I'd wanted (I have hit as heavy as 252lb. according to our digital scale). Now I'm faced with the chore of intelligently dropping a few pounds to make my class weight of 242lb.

I don't want to lose too much weight, but on the other hand I don't want to weigh in heavy the night before the event. This means I'll be diligently logging my food intake and watching sodium and other variables. If I have to spend a while in a sauna room before heading up to Prescott on the 18th, well, I'll do so; I can always rehydrate after weigh-in.

I'm getting nervous (as always) and excited for this meet. Less than two weeks now! This means one more week to train hard and one week to recover before the meet!

If anyone would like to attend, the meet will be on July 18th at 6000 Longlook, Prescott, AZ. Lifting is scheduled to start at 9:30AM. This is a qualifier for the RAW world championships on October 17th-18th at The Riviera in Las Vegas (for which I've already pre-registered).

And so it goes!

--B.

music: Gogol Bordello - Ultimate tags: competition, powerlifting

Champion Nutrition came through with sponsorship papers today. Their terms are very generous, and I'm proud to be affiliated with them. I suppose this makes me a semi-professional athlete. Huh, imagine that!

Now I have yet another reason to train like hell on wheels and set more world records!

--B.

tags: happy, powerlifting

Today claudiag sent me a recipe for fancy cheesecake.

There can be only one response to this.

*turns Ministry up to 11*

*bakes cheesecake*

\m/

--B.

music: Ministry - Grace

I think I'll go for a walk!



--B.

tags: arizona, me, photos

We have new locks and keys for our gym property. Today I moved a couple barbells in. In the near future there will be lots of sweaty renovation work, but hey, it's our place!

Hooray!

--B.

tags: happy, work

Today I answered my first-ever summons for jury duty. The long and short of it is that being a part of democracy is a slow process with lots of waiting for disorganized people.

I was not selected to be a juror for the trial for which I was interviewed. The case -- a multiple-offense DUI -- may have perhaps conflicted with some of my personal values such that I would have an a priori opinion. Specifically, I acknowledged that as a motorcyclist I was more vulnerable to perpetrators of DUI offenses; I was also questioned to a moderate degree about my reasons for being a teetotaler.

It's an interesting thing. As inconvenient as it was for most of the people there to answer their summonses, should I ever have reason to go to trial I hope that the system still exists such that I may be given a fair and reasonable chance to appeal my case in front of a jury.

--B.

tags: arizona, miscellany, sobriety, social commentary

I am a competitive powerlifter and I lift heavy weights. To some people, the poundages that I move -- especially in comparison to my body weight -- seem unreal.

A weird side-effect of this is that some strangers who happen to see me lift at the gym feel oddly compelled to mortify (in the sense of "to make mortal") my accomplishments. While squatting not so long ago, for instance, an older gentleman came over to watch. After I finished a heavy work set he said, unbidden, "You know, my son's 15 in high school and he squats 500 pounds!" Ignoring the obvious that this is very clearly a massive exaggeration at best, it's an interesting glimpse into a psyche. Why would this person who's never seen me before feel it necessary to try to detract from my own efforts?

The deadlift is my specialty, and I routinely do work sets above 300% of my own bodyweight. I don't volunteer this information at the gym unless asked. "How much do you deadlift?" comes the inevitable question. My response is that I have pulled a competition 702 equipped at 220 and gym 770 unequipped at 242. "That's a lot of weight! Back when I was playing football, I used to deadlift about 600 or 650 pounds when I weighed about 190" (real example). My response to these bench kings is "Wow, that's a lot!" and then I walk away. Again, though, despite the fact that this is obvious prevarication or exaggeration, one has to question the psychology of this. At least comments like these are better than those from people who intimate that I must be using drugs: "I can't lift that much, but I'm clean." The assumption that I use steroids, hormones or other questionable means to achieve what I do really bothers me; thankfully, not many people suggest this to my face.

I postulate that this is all about humiliation. I don't mean this in the sense of embarrasment, but rather in the sense that folks (well, mostly guys) feel urged to humble my accomplishments to things they can understand or simply to make themselves feel better. It's in no small part a matter of jealousy, too. Have you ever heard sports cars, motorcycles, big trucks, or boats referred to as methods of compensation? "Oh, look at that Ferrari. That guy must have a small c@ck!" The same principle applies. Someone else is successful and has nice things? Oh, they must be compensating for something. Does this not sound like a similar method of humanizing someone to make oneself feel better?

An odd corollary of this is that there are many people who see or hear of what I do and express surprise and congratulations. Some of these folks want to be known by association; for instance, one guy in the gym last week stayed an extra hour and a half just to watch me deadlift. He made a point of taking cell phone video as I pulled 745# so he could post it to his Facebook page. The folks who want to observe and not make silly comparisons or tell big fish stories are generally among the more self-secure people I've met, and in the gym they're also the hardest-working.

--B.

music: Kanye West - Stronger tags: muscle, powerlifting, social commentary

Today we signed the lease for the property in which we'll be running our gym.
We're changing the locks and should have keys by Friday.

This is tremendously exciting. Now we have a place! We have plans and a facility and everything! Now it'll be my job to get in there and clean, strip, build, and paint.

Hooray!

--B.

tags: gym, work

I had expected to be about 250# by now, but I can't seem to gain any lasting weight. I've long fought an uphill battle in terms of putting on actual weight, in fact. Part of this is that I get tired of stuffing myself full of food; I regularly have to eat until "pleasant satiety" and then continue eating. Another facet is that I get very driven when I'm involved in a project and I neglect eating until I'm finished or until I'm shaking with hunger. Seriously. I hate losing my train of thought when working on something, and I'll put aside eating so I can maintain momentum. This is perhaps not the best thing for my goals.

In any case, I was making bodyweight progress after my last NASA meet; I was up to 247 for a while, but now I'm back down to 241 (I will weigh in under the ceiling of 242.25#). I'd planned, of course, to diet down a bit and have a wee bit more muscle but now, four weeks out, it looks like I just need to stay the course and train hard.

That said, I've been getting stronger. My strength took a big nose-dive after February when I took some time off PL training to let my body recuperate. Of course, prior to February I'd been gaining weight and was even up to nearly 260 for a bit! Now I've been making slow but steady gainss: I'm benching in the high 300s with no elbow support, squatting in the low 600s without knee wraps, and deadlifting around 750 with no gear but a belt.

July 18 is the day, and I'm excited. After July 18 I will have very little time to recover until the NASA World Cup Open on August 1-2 in Oklahoma. The next planned meet I have is in October in Las Vegas for the RAW World Championships.

I'm also working with a friend who's planning on competing in a local push/pull meet on June 27 here in the valley. Coaching is tremendously fun; I wish there were money in it! Since I started working with him on form and strategy, he has put a whopping TWO HUNDRED pounds on his deadlift since September. Obviously this rapid rate of progress is not sustainable, but still, that's impressive any way you cut it!

Lastly, I am pleased to announce that House of Pain is sponsoring me with apparel. Hopefully this will mean I can stay in non-explodey singlets!

--B.

tags: competition, powerlifting

Welcome the newest addition to my stable:



Now, a few of you have asked me how I can afford new bikes, et cetera.
The key is that I don't just buy bikes. I do make vehicle decisions on impulse, but they're generally reasonable. I'll trace the history of my R1 (this bike) so you can see exactly what I've done and why.

First, I'll preface things by saying that Arizona is not a property tax state. There are no sale taxes paid for previously-owned vehicles, so that's a huge chunk of money saved. Also, any registration money paid but not used is refunded after a vehicle is sold.

( LJ cut for secrets. . . and pictures! )

Therefore, I've had almost $1,000 in real profits and gained about $3,000 in equity over the past year just by following this line of trades. Meanwhile I've been able to own and ride four motorcycles I've enjoyed.

Frankly, I'd call that a pretty good deal.

--B.

music: Rancid - Motorcycle Ride tags: money, motorcycles, vehicles

Well, how do YOU spend your Friday nights?

--B.

tags: cats, love

The other day I put new tires on the GSX-R750. I rode it around the block a bit and, gosh darnit, I miss that sound and feeling of a high-revving inline-four engine. I've promised this bike to project_mayhem_ (speaking of whom: please pick up the white courtsey phone), which is all well and good because my garage really is too small with the fridge and five bikes.

But now, as much as I love it, I'm thinking of trading the SV1000 for a faired sportbike. I put it up on Craigslist this morning and have had a couple people express interest in trading or buying outright, so I may swap bikes by this weekend.

I make a lot of vehicle decisions on impulse, don't I?

--B.

music: Murs and Slug - Dirty Girl tags: motorcycles, vehicles

To-do: Routine tire change on the GSX-R.

Hang-up: Two rounded-off, stuck bolts on the left front brake caliper.

Difficulty: Six hours of hammering, begging, sweating, swearing and praying.

Destruction: Several tools, including 3 pieces of steel twisted trying to unscrew the bolt, 1 mandrel for the Dremel, 2 impact driver bits, and some sanity.

Result: Nada.

Solution: Call a buddy with a big-ass compressor and air hammer.

Today said buddy came over with big-ass compressor and air hammer.

Two minutes later, both bolts were off.

I need a big-ass compressor and pneumatic tools.

F you, bolt.



--B.

music: Pitbull - Dirty tags: motorcycles, rant, shop

The new bike is the one facing out of the garage (because I backed it in). It's a 1998 Suzuki GSX-R750, not at all unlike the one I had in Korea. Tasty stuff: Hindle high-mount pipe, Power Commander, polished frame, 16,000 original miles. Needs: Cam chain tensioner, a couple bolts, tires (I have spares), some elbow grease.

I did buy this one on impulse but I managed to get a damn good deal on it. The way I see it, I have three options:
1) Repair what little needs to be repaired and use this as a street/track bike.
2) Flip this bike for a profit.
3) Sell it at my cost to project_mayhem_, who is wasting away in Chicagoland (the land of outrageous motorcycle prices) without a bike.

I'm leaning towards number 3.

But doesn't it make a delicious addition to the stable?

--B.

music: White Zombie - Super-Charger Heaven tags: motorcycles, vehicles

I would just like to take a short moment to note that it has been a year since Terri's brother Andrew was killed in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident (30 May). It is also just a few weeks shy of the one-year anniversary of my own father's passing (11 July).

I miss both Andrew and my father but I have never allowed myself to be paralyzed by grief or emotion. Somehow my father's death was easier to accept; he had lived a full life, and it felt more the way of things. When I think back on Andrew's death, however, it still seems senseless and cruel.

These things said, I remember fondly the good times I had with both of these men and I have made as much peace as I can with the universe.

It has now been a year since that dark time spent attending funerals. Moving forward is the only way to continue, but it does warrant mention that my own world has changed. If nothing else, these deaths have brought me closer to my family. I'll not dote on the past, but I would like to take this space to honor the memories of my brother-in-law, Andrew Rettig, and my father, Edward Cox.

--B.

music: Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows tags: family, memories