The Bar Press vs. the Ceiling Press

Well winter is back this cold 4 degree Saturday morning.  The girls (hens) have been working overtime to give us some beautiful deep orange colored yolks. That happens when they can get out in the barnyard and peck around for food.   For some reason the farm eggs have the ability to fluff up for an omelet that those pale store eggs could never do.  This is a 3 egg, bacon and a little blend of 3 cheese that made its way to the breakfast table.  An easy way to make an omelet is...... beat 3 eggs, 3 TBSP of half and half or cream together.  You can use milk but half and half or cream just gives that wow look and taste.   Then add any ingredients you want.  Pour in a hot medium sized skillet that has a TBSP of butter or your favorite oil added.  I use butter or grape seed oil.  Grape Seed oil takes high heat without burning.  Then I pour the egg mixture in and cook on low until the bottom has started to set.  Next it goes into the broiler on high until the top is set.  That's it, no turning.  Quick, easy and little mess.

Off to Home Depot and make a decision on the flooring and pick up some paint samples for the cabin.  Not sure what we will do once the cabin is done but I did hear........we should build another one. 

One thing I have learned many times in many years.......the real deal is the hardest.  I would walk, jog and run on our treadmill only to find out climbing a hill brought out more sweat, fast heart rate and heavy breathing  ending with more sore muscles the next day that the treadmill could ever do.  Again, the real thing wins.  I am an on again off again person.  Like a routine workout I tend to go strong for months and then stop for months.  Like knitting, painting, quilting and all the other things that occupy this mind..........each has its time and place with me.  Never predictable, just when the mood hits away I run with it.  Maybe that is what keeps me going, variety.  I am thinking I truly don't want to master any one thing because that would be the end, my interest would fade with nothing more to learn and practice.

A few weeks ago I woke up knowing it was back to the basement and start weight lifting again.  I am lucky to have a son that showed me the right way to squat, deadlift and press.  Then there is youtube with Mark Rippetoe and his beginning videos.  I spent a few hours that morning going over each one even though I have watched them each around a 100 times.  For about 3 months prior to starting back to lifting I felt the lower back reversing and not quite the pep in my step and always thinking stand up straight.  As we get older we tend to lean forward, that causes lower back pain and weakness for me.  When doing a regular barbell routine it goes away within 3-5 days.  Happy to say it has been 3 weeks lifting 2-3 times a week and always giving a 2-3 day rest period. 

Now,  back to the real deal.  I am up to 60 pounds with my presses of 3 sets of 5, 80 pound dead lift and 75 pound squat.  That should get these arms and shoulders ready.  Once we started putting up the tongue and groove I figured, piece of cake the boards don't weight much more than 2 pounds and we put 10-14 up a day.  Well............let me tell ya,  my shoulders and upper arms feel like those boards weigh a hundred pounds each.  The ceiling press is quite different from the bar press even though I tried to position my hands on that board so I had a correct stand as the bar lift.  There is something about pushing on that board so the groove will slip into the tongue for 12 ft.  I hold, Dick nails, joint effort.  I have never been good with a hammer and hitting a little tiny head of a finishing nail would more than likely ruin the board.  So, we have about 90 more boards to go.  I have a feeling the arms and shoulders could possibly be "baby Balboas" when finished.  If you are in the need for an upper body work out, give a call and I will give you the "proper" training to hold that board and work with a 6' guy that can bark orders. 

Not the proper press stance.  At some point ya have
to watch if the board is in the right position.

One thing about me and wood.  I love imperfections as the husband found out today.  He picked up a board and said, you don't want this one.  Well, yes I do.  So what if it has a variety of colors rather than plain with a few knots....I want character and design in a piece of wood.  I'm sure many don't but that is ok, we all have our different tastes and desires.

My imperfect board.  It was milled from our white pines.
How could I ignore and cast it aside?  It is what it is.

Every six boards and we get a break.