Lesson of the day

Just visited Jim’ Wendler’s site today, www.jimwendler.com (duh!?), and once again got inspired by another one of his short and ass-kicking write-ups. If you have seen videos or read any of Jim’s works, you know that the guy has a penchant for striking the heart and soul of people with his no-BS attitude in training and in life Here’s another poignant quote by Mr. Wendler:

“The problem with the increase in assistance work is that everyone wants to have their cake and eat it  too. It doesn’t work like that – you can’t be strong like a powerlifter, fast as sprinter, and as big as a linebacker. Well, you can, but these people are so rare that teams pay them millions of dollars and television stations have billion dollar contracts to broadcast them to you. They’re called  professional football players, and if you’re one of them, you aren’t reading this, as you’re too busy counting your  money and cracking skulls.

So if you want to increase the volume of your assistance work, follow the plans above and use your head. Also, less typing – more training and eating.”

This statement definitely hits the ball out of park. Just yesterday, I ended my deadlift day kind of disappointed. I felt fresh and strong at the start of the session and thought of adding another 5kgs to my Power Clean. I start every leg strength session with the Power Clean with the dual purpose of improving my power output and to warm up for the actual main lift for the day, which is either the squat or the deadlift. I have never maxed out on a Clean lift so I always take the side of caution only lifting sub 70kgs. This day though was different and I tried to up the ante with a pitiful weight of 72kgs (158.4 lbs) for 5 sets of 2 reps, which is actually my new PR.

I completed the sets then proceeded with the main lift of the day, the deadlift. Being only the 5’s week, I know I can easily complete the required sets and I did. After deadlifting though, came the swift carnage of lactic build up on every part of my lower body. I was spent. I tried to complete the remaining accessory work but my energy level was below super-saiyan level. I was disappointed with my performance. I left the gym feeling as if I’ve got butt raped with nothing to show for but the pitiful PR on the Power Clean.  

The statement above definitely put things in perspective. In hindsight, I probably actually made a huge progress without skewing off of my goal overall strength gain. With that experience, I came away with a different plan of attack. I now need to thinker my lifting programming to compensate for the added assault of training 2x a week of MT. I came to the realization that no matter how I view myself, I am at a stage where I am no longer capable achieving elite world class level abilities. And If I have to improve on one aspect of my life, I have to taper off on another. Something’s gotta give.

Thanks Jim for the training lesson and another life-check.

Pre-amp tube replacement for Orange Micro Terror: JJ 5751 review

I recently purchased JJ’s iteration of the 5751 pre-amp tube. I have been using the stock JJ EC883 tube on my Micro Terror for the past year and thought a replacement, or at least a backup that I can experiment with, wouldn’t hurt.

I specifically chose the 5751 tube based on the description I found on Eurotubes.com.

The JJ 5751 has all of the qualities we have come to expect from JJ Electronic, a nice tight low end, a natural open mid, a great harmonic structure and a sweet high end that is not brittle. This is a great tube for V1 if you’re trying to drop the gain a little and improve headroom. You can also use a balanced version of this tube as a phase inverter to further increase headroom in amps that incorporate a long tail phase inverter circuit and usually use a 12AX7 or ECC83.

I liked how it was described and I would say that they are right on 100% with the description. Now, the main reason I selected this tube was to somewhat improve the amps’ gain tone. If you’ve played through a Micro Terror before, you’d know that coaxing any high gain setting with the volume cranked would sound really muddy and un-refined. JJ’s 5751 was the perfect cure. It instantly took away the unbearable mud you’d usually hear with gain knob past 3 o’clock and volume cranked. This tube is definitely a keeper. I have now shelved the stock EC833s.

Clean. My Lace Hemi humbuckers are described as having sparkly, bell-like tones. For a while, I’ve never really paid much attention to this as I am down tuned to C# standard 100% of the time. I really don’t expect to hear Fender-esque tones, nor have the desire to. The very first tune I played after plugging into the Terror with the replacement 5751 tube was APC’s The Stranger, one my favorites off their 2nd album. With the tone knob on my guitar rolled off to about 3-4, I was really amazed to hear an acoustic like tone with a really sweet high end yet still retaining that woody mid sound which I really like. Far from a Fender type clean, but a clean sound that I really like. Detuned, acoustic-like, with bell like top end that is strong and refined.

Distortion. I made a few adjustments on the rest of my rig to compensate for the change in the Micro Terror’s tone after changing into the 5751. The verdict is still in progress, but I do love my distortion sound on the stock EC833s. If plugged in direct, the 5751s gain is no question better than the ec833s as it retained clarity even with the amps gain knob past 3 o’clock and volume cranked. The predicament is with balancing and eq’ing the rest of my pedalboard in, which is something I still have to experiment with.

Settings: Amp volume cranked, tone at 1 o’clock, gain at 11 o’clock if using pedalboard distortion/OD. Gain at almost 3 o’clock when plugged in direct.

Verdict. Definitely a keeper. I would reckon that the JJ’s 5751 would sound good with any amp from Orange’s Terror series. I also think it would sound good in any V1 position of an all-tube amp. If you’re looking to tame the gain stage of your amp without losing volume, then this is for you. I play mostly classic riffigin’ and modern sludge, doom, stoner tunes and the tone I get from the 5751 suits me fine. Now, I need to secure funds to try out some JAN 5751s. 

2013 Twins Special Velcro Camo glove review

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My brother and I recently bought a heavy bag and next on my radar was of course a pair of boxing and Muay Thai gloves to protect my hands. For years, I have relied on just using a pair of boxing wraps for heavy bag work. On occasions, I would borrow my bros’ Twins Special 12oz BGVL3 gloves and liked how it felt. Hence, my decision to go with the same size and brand. Besides, locally, Twins Special is the go-to brand for both boxing and Muay Thai users for its durability and value. Every gym I’ve gone to uses the brand for all striking related implements: pads, heavy bag, speed ball, gloves you name it.

Here’s my initial review:

Info. The glove I have is the Twins Special Velcro wrist strap version. Primarily, a Muay Thai training glove but is also being used for boxing and other forms of fighting arts. It was manufactured circa 2013 and of course was made in Thailand. It is made out of genuine cowhide leather painted in green camo. Model number is FBGV-FG-12.  I bought the pair from Philippines’s Twins Special exclusive distributor, www.K1extreme.com.

Look. I personally made my way to K1 extreme’s shop located near Greenhills, QC. It isn’t hard to find as amidst the signages littered along the street, you’ll spot that theirs’ stand out with a bold red letter and number combination: K-1. Being the exclusive distributor of the brand, they have an impressive rack of Twins Special gloves of different sizes, color ways and designs.  I remember seeing some Fairtex, Kings, and also a Venum glove as well.

While visually inspecting the Twins Special rack, 1 pair instantly jumped out of the pack and made an impression. The 12oz Camo designed Velcro version of the infamous TS Muay Thai glove. I have a fixation for anything camo. For me, the pattern just screams sexy and overall total badass look. I’ve been warned before to pick basics over form. But hell, I can’t resist this camo-ed beast looking straight back at me. The pocket got hit with 2,800php. A real steal considering TS designed gloves, especially uncommon ones, sell over 90$ in the states.

My pair scratched easily and the camo design chipped on different outer parts of the glove.  This happened on the very first heavy bag session I had with it. Not a big deal since the leather itself is intact and unscathed.

Training. I have and will be using these gloves for fight-related training. For heavy bag, mitt work, shadow box, sparring and everything in between.

Feel. I have now spent several weeks using the new pair. I have to admit that it doesn’t feel as comfortable compared to a 2008 TS pair I’ve used before. The internal hand compartment felt too compressed. The hook grip, I feel, adds to weird feeling that is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. Just plain awkward. The awkward feel is a small price to pay though for the serious padding and overall quality of the gloves construction. That attention to detail: Thai handmade, heavy and thick padding, reinforced stitching, cowhide leather, quality and durable craftsmanship is the selling point of this fine product.

Recommendation. I highly recommend these gloves and any pair made and sold my Twins. I always find myself preaching about and recommending these to friends to anyone who bothers to ask. Just an FYI, tall and people with really longish fingers might run into sizing issues. I have medium hands and the tips of my fingers are almost touching the padding. My pink also felt a little too compressed for comfort, but I guess this will improve once I have properly broken-in the pair. A 9/10 rating for me only because nothings perfect.

2014 New Year training resolution

For 2014, I plan to incorporate boxing and Muay Thai to my regimen to mainly improve on speed, balance and conditioning. Doing years and years of heavy lifting does take its toll. I feel like the extra poundage I have gained through the years made me sloppy, uncoordinated and unbalanced. I’ve been into martial arts since attending Wushu classes in my early teens. And through the years, I have sporadically picked up different forms of fight arts, albeit informally, from many people I came across. The last several years though, I had committed myself to the iron game and had set aside any form of fight training. Now, I have a renewed sense of improving all aspects of my physical well-being. My goal this year is to turn my body into a human wrecking ball. J