Beards, Barbells, and Beer

[MilkManUK]

Tried a few new beers recently. This one is Murder of Crows Black IPA by Refined Fool Brewing Co. It starts off like a creamy stout with a big mocha flavour and finishes with a nice hops blast. All of the malt balances out the bitter hops so you get a lot of hops flavour without it being too bitter. This is the first beer I've tried from this brewery and it was excellent.

Nice.

 

[DrBdan]

Sun Aug 21, 2016

Hockey (league)
This was the semi-finals and we were missing a few key players, specifically our second-highest scorer and our highest scoring defenseman. Luckily our opponents weren't a high-scoring team so we just needed to play well defensively.

In the first period we controlled more of the play but you could tell we were missing a bit of offensive punch because despite numerous chance we only buried one goal to go up 1-0. In the second period we started to get sloppy in our own end and our opponents scored a pair of goals to go up 2-1.

In the third period we settled down and started to control the play again. We scored early to tie it 2-2 and then midway through the period we scored two quick goals to go up 4-2. From then on we just kept them at bay and they didn't really have a chance to mount a comeback. They pulled their goalie with a few minutes to go but we scored an empty net goal to win 5-2.

Next Sunday is the championship. We get our scoring defenseman back but will still be missing our second leading scorer. It's going to be a tough game because our opponents got bumped down from the division above us and they are a solid team. We'll need to bring our A game for sure.

 

[DrBdan]

Mon Aug 22, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Supine bridges (w/warrior lunge): 3x15

- Squats
45x8
95x5
135x5
170x6
200x5
200x5
200x5

Felt solid.

- DB step-ups: 3x10/side, 2x17.5 lb DBs
- Side hip thrusts: 3x10/side
- Dead bug twists: 3x15/side

Tues Aug 23, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching, DCSW

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x2
145x5
145x5
145x10

- T-bar rows
50x10
70x8
90x6
100x6
110x6
120x6
125x6
130x6

- Facepulls: 3x15, 37 lb
- Cable external rotations: 3x12/side, 5 lb

- Cable woodchoppers: 3x10/side, 33 lb

 

[DrBdan]

Wed Aug 24, 2016

Hockey (pick-up)
Again the one ringer kinda unbalanced the game last night. He probably scored more goals than the rest of his team combined so the organizer decided we'd just play mutiple games to 5 so the score didn't get out of hand. I think in the end both times won 2 games. I picked up a couple bruises as I took a shot off of my left hand and blocked another shot with my right ankle.

I also broke one of my sticks. It's an older stick that I had stopped using for a while and just started using when a newer stick broke. It turns out I really liked it so I'm hoping I can find a similar replacement for a decent price. I don't think they are made anymore so I'll have to see what the updated model goes for. It's the first time I've ever had a composite stick snap in my hands, it was totally from taking too many slashes and then when I went to make a pass it just snapped in half about 6 inches above the blade.

 

[DrBdan]

Thurs Aug 24, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Supine bridges (w/warrior lunge): 3x15

- Deadlifts
45x10
135x5
165x3
195x3
225x2
255x1
285x1
315x1
345x1x6 (singles)

Form fellt good but I'm quite obviously weaker because once upon a time 345 would have flown up. On the plus side with some consistency over the next couple of months I should get some noob-ish gains.

- Pull-throughs: 3x12, 35 lb
- Cable crunches: 3x15, 35 lb

 

[DrBdan]

Fri Aug 26, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching, DCSW

- Bench
45x10
65x8
85x6
105x4
120x10
120x10
120x10

Good bar speed on these. Usually I start to slow on the later reps but not this time.

- T-Bar Machine rows
50x10
80x10
90x10
100x10
110x10
120x10
125x10

- Single-arm low cable rows: 3x10/side, 35 lb

- Cable external rotations: 3x12/side, 5 lb

 

[DrBdan]

Sun Aug 28, 2016

Hockey (league)

Championship game this week and as you can see in the picture we won! Yeah we get a little mini Stanley Cup which is cool but will ultimately become clutter. We also got these nice light-weight hoodies which are pretty decent.

The game was a close one. I was score-less until late in the first period when we took a stupid too-many men on the ice penalty. They won the draw back to the d-man who took a shot which deflected off of two sticks and into the net to make it 1-0. Not too long after that we answered back with a nice wrist shot goal to tie it 1-1.

In the second period the other team benefited from a few lucky bounces and manged to go up 3-1. The game was pretty even but we just couldn't find the net. Thankfully late in the period we got a lucky bounce of our own as our guy banked a wrist shot off of their d-man's thigh and into the net to make it 3-2.

In the third period we started to press a bit more and build some momentum. About halfway through the period I took a faceoff in the offensive zone and off a scramble I managed to knock the puck to my right winger who flipped the puck over the goalie. It hit the crossbar and bounced out but hit the goalie's back and trickled into the net, tying the game at 3-3. For the rest of the period both teams had chances but both goalies stood their ground and the period ended tied so we were off to overtime.

In this league overtime is played 4 on 4 with only changes on the fly allowed. Right off the opening faceoff their best player knocked the puck passed me and charged in on our defence. We managed to keep him from getting a good chance but I totally thought "fuck this guy is gonna blow by me and end the game in 10 seconds". However he was totally in "do it all myself" mode so we just blanketed him and eventually he coughed up the puck.

Both teams had a few chances before I eventually picked up a loose pick in the offensive zone. I deked around one guy and protected the puck from a second guy. At this point their last defenseman rushed at me but before he could get to me I slide the puck to my winger who was wide-open in front of the net. Their d-man dropped me on my ass but it was too late and I watched from the ice as my winger buried the championship winning goal.

Overall this was a great season. The competition is always a bit weaker in the Summer but we played really well as a team and had a couple of come from behind victories to pull it out in the end. We were also missing our #2 scorer for the semi-finals and finals which I think shows how well we play as a team right now. A lot of the teams at this level (it's fairly low to be honest) are carried by one or two strong players but we have pretty good all-around scoring.

We now have 3 weeks off and then we're back at it for the Winter.

 

[DrBdan]

I recently picked up the 3x2 case from Collective Arts brewing. It contains 3 different styles of wheat beer, 2 of each hence the name:

Gose - Brewed with coriander and Himalayan sea salt, this beer was very dry and had a sour bite to it. If you paid attention you could notice a hint of salt but it was very mild. An odd, different beer. Not something you'd drink a lot of but pretty good.

Papaya Saison - Smooth and slightly fruity. A solid wheat beer with some papaya and pineapple notes. It reminded me a lot of Spearhead's Hawaiian Pale Ale but minus the hoppy finish. Very tasty, I would totally buy a six pack of it.

Hefeweizen - A standard hefeweizen. More on the banana end of the spectrum that citrus. Smooth and easy to drink.

I'm pretty impressed with Collective Arts. Prior to this six pack I'd had their blonde ale, extra pale ale, and porter and they are all very tasty and smooth. I'm always happy to find a brewery that makes full-flavoured beers that still manage to be balanced and smooth to drink. A lot of craft breweries go for bold flavours to capture your attention but neglect the drinkability of them but Collective Arts hits both notes. And they have cool bottles with designs done by local artists which is cool.

 

[DrBdan]

Mon Aug 29, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

I did supine bridges and warrior lunges in preparation for squats but the gym was super-busy so I benched instead. Squats tomorrow

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x2
150x5
150x5
150x10

Felt good

- T-bar rows
50x10
80x8
100x6
110x6
115x6
120x6
125x6
130x6

- Facepulls: 3x15, 37 lb
- Cable external rotations: 3x12/side, 7 lb

- Cable woodchoppers: 3x10/side, 33 lb

 

[DrBdan]

Tues Aug 30, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Supine bridges (w/warrior lunge): 3x15

- DB steps-ups: 5 sets of 6, 2x30 lb DBs

- Side hip thrusts: 3x12/side
- Dead bug twists: 3x15/side

I got to the gym late and it was really busy so I did some heavier step-ups instead of squats.

 

[DrBdan]

Wed Aug 31, 2016

Hockey (Pick-up)
Last game of the Summer and my last game with this group. I might sub in a few times in Sept/Oct but I'm not committed for the whole season. This wasn't a great game. Our opponents had the better skaters and my team didn't seem to be too motivated to keep up with them. We also had a couple forwards playing defense who liked to rush with the puck so you combine those two things together and there wasn't much flow to the game. Often one guy would rush in with no support and not much would happen.

I will miss playing with this group. The games were usually pretty fast paced and a decent skill level. I definitely think I improved from playing in this game because it pushed me play at a faster pace and also because you get so much more ice-time and time with the puck in a pick-up game. I'm thinking that I might do some conditioning on Wednesdays at the gym now so I still have the second day of cardio.

 

[DrBdan]

The bad news is that I tweaked my back on Monday afternoon while building a porch/stairs at the front of my house. My back was so stiff and sore on Monday night that I couldn't sleep and took a sick day on Tuesday. The good-ish news is that by last night the pain was reduced so I got a better night of sleep and today it just feels stiff and I only get pain when I stand up after sitting for too long.

Wed Sept 7, 2016

treadmill walking, light dynamic stretching

- DB Bench
15x12
20x12
30x10
40x10
45x10
50x10
50x10
50x10

I couldn't get much of an arch going but I don't usually have much for DB bench.

- Cable rows
35x10
50x10
60x10
70x10
75x10
75x10
75x10

- Facepulls: 3x20, 25 lb
- Planks: 3x30 seconds

Did a variety of lower body stretches to finish. My back felt okay the entire time though it feels a bit off and is stiff. I definitely won't squat or deadlift this week to give it a rest but given how much better it feels today I think it could be okay for some light lifts next week. I'm not going to rush back because I don't want to make it worse and have to miss hockey. Luckily we're between seasons so there is a bit of a break. Depending on how I'm feeling I might play pick-up next week to test it out.

 

[DrBdan]

Fri Sept 9, 2016

treadmill, dynamic stretching

- DB Bench
20x12
25x10
30x10
40x10
50x10
55x6
60x6
60x6
60x6

- T-bar Rows
50x10
80x10
100x6
110x6
120x6
130x6
140x6
140x6

- Rear delt flies: 3x20, 5 lb DBs
- Tricep pressdowns: 3x12, 27 lb
- Bicep curls: 3x12, 27 lb

Back is feeling about 70 percent today. It's still tight but I only have a bit of pain every now and then. I'll do some light squats next week and see how it feels.

 

[DrBdan]

Mon Sept 12, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Supine bridges (w/warrior lunge): 3x15

- Squats
45x8
95x5
115x5
135x5
145x5
155x5

My back felt okay. It's still a little stiff but the warm-up took care of that.

- DB step-ups: 3x8/side, 2x15 lb DBs
- Planks: 3x40 seconds
- Side planks: 3x20 seconds/side

 

[DrBdan]

Tues Sep 13, 2016

Hockey (pick-up)
I was a bit late to the game so I didn't get a warm-up which meant it took a handful of shifts to get back up to speed. I also hadn't been on the ice for two weeks so there was also that. Anyway, it was a pretty even game. Our opponents controlled more of the play early but we got things going and made a comeback in the second half. My line clicked pretty well and we all scored a few goals each.

My back felt fine during the game but was a little stiff this morning. Nothing major though and I"ll be fine for my Sunday league which starts this weekend. We've been bumped up a few division on account of having won our Summer division so we'll be in for a challenge. I think we'll end up being bumped down a division but maybe we'll rise to the occasion.

Wed Sept 14, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching, DCSW

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x2
155x5
155x5
155x11

I was feeling tired today but these felt good.

- Cable rows
35x10
50x10
70x10
70x10
75x10
75x10

- Facepulls: 3x15, 35 lb
- Cable external rotations: 3x12/side, 3 lb

- Plank: 3x45 seconds

Bit of lower body stretching to finish.

 

[DrBdan]

Sunday Sept 18, 2016

Hockey (league)
First game of the Winter season and we had a rematch against the team that we beat for the Summer championship. They picked up a couple good players and we were missing some skaters so it looked to be a tough game. To make it worse we started the game missing a few more skaters because of some bad traffic.

Our opponents definitely started the game at a faster pace than in our last game. They now have 3 solid forwards who present most of the offensive threat and they were buzzing in the first period. They scored first but we quickly answered back to make it 1-1 however they scored again late in the period to end the first period up 2-1. Also near the end of the first period our final skater arrived so we finally had two full lines a few minutes into the second period. In the second period we traded goals about 30 seconds apart to make it 3-2.

In the third period their top guys continued to press but we started to settle into the good team game that we usually play and did a better job of keeping them outside and limiting their chances. Midway through the period we started to get more chances and eventually tied the game 3-3. Our opponents really started pressing for another goal but we held them back and with less than a minute to go one of our d-men took off down the ice, caught a lucky break as the puck bounced past their d-man, and then he roofed the puck with about 30 seconds left to win the game 4-3.

So all that said, this might turn out to be the easiest game of the season. Since we won last season and finished first last Winter we've been bumped up 3 divisions. I think that's a bit much but we'll see. Next week we play the team that won the division two up from us last Winter so they will be a challenge for sure and a good benchmark of how we can expect the season to go.

Mon Sept 19, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Supine bridges (w/warrior lunge): 3x15

- Deadlifts
45x10
135x5
185x5
225x2
255x2
285x2
285x2
285x2

- Cable pull-throughs: 3x12, 35 lb
- Cable crunches: 3x15, 35 lb

I was tripped and slid into the boards awkwardly last night and my left hamstring is sore so I didn't go heavy today. Also probably a good idea to test out my back. Everything felt okay, other than just generally being weak.

 

[DrBdan]

Tues Sept 20, 2016

C2 rower, dynamic stretching, DCSW

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x2
160x5
160x5
160x10

- DB rows
20x10
40x10
60x10
80x10
80x10
80x10

- Facepulls: 3x15, 35 lb
- Cable external rotations: 3x12/side, 3 lb

 

[DrBdan]

Tues Sept 20, 2016

Hockey (pick-up)
Good game last night. Teams were pretty even so there was lots of back and forth. A few guys left early which meant the game slowed down in the last half hour or so but overall a fun game.

 

[TehWeak1]

Hey! You like beer. Did you hear about Beau's's new venture into Rwanda?

 

[DrBdan]

No, I hadn't but now I have. It sounds like a good idea and I'll probably donate to the Kickstarter. The Craft Beer scene seems to be full of pretty cool people.