Workout log

[flexagon]

I did upper-body weights today... the usual, pretty much, with 18 pullups total (5, 5, 8*) and then lazy stretching and playing in the stretching area. My back is still happy and my splits are still crap, so today I worked on dropbacks and fake back walkovers again. I also succeeded in falling back from a handstand into a bridge, for the first time ever -- yay! When I can do that consistently it'll be an important step toward being able to work handstands away from the wall, and, for that matter, toward doing a front walkover. See, bluechromis, I'm doing my walkover homework. :)

Today's moment of absolute shock was brought to you by my seeing Michael J. Fox on the cover of the AARP magazine at the gym.

Today's other moment of shock came from this sentence in my Scheme book: For example, we can approximate pi using the fact that 6/pi²is the probability that two integers chosen at random will have no factors in common; that is, that their greatest common divisor will be 1. I... we can!? Wow, I'd love to see the proof of that one. If anyone can track it down, I'll give you a cookie. For one thing, I really want to know how you pick a random integer out of an infinite set in the first place, or if you did, how you'd know you did. You can't exactly make sure that half your random integers are larger than the middle integer and half of them are smaller.

* Yeah, for this set I switched from the palms-parallel hand grip to palms-in.

Comments

[nevers.livejournal.com]

congrats on going from a hs to a bridge! the more you think about keeping your shoulders over your hands (rather than letting them fall into a bridge with you) the easier it will be. also do you know how to cartwheel out of a handstand? that's really the most important step toward being able to work on handstands away from the wall. it's wayyyy easier than going into a bridge every time you overbalance.

i lust over your pullups count! i am on a pullup break but i am looking forward to getting up to that many reps.

[flexagon]

thanks! i suppose my shoulders probably did fall with the rest of me. didn't notice. I was just so happy not to hit my head.

i dooooon't know how to cartwheel out of a handstand. that doesn't even quite make sense to me. do you have to take a step with one hand before you do this? i saw an advanced girl in yoga who was practicing away from the wall and she would sort of take a step with one hand, and then twist, when she started to go over.

your pullup reps will get there!

[nevers.livejournal.com]

yep, that's what she was doing. you don't have to take a step -- i don't -- but i think that's probably because i do it on canes so much, where i can't take a step, that i stopped.

i have been trying to teach other people to cartwheel out of their handstands by spotting them through it the way rebecca helped me back in sept, but it's not clicking with them, and i don't know if it's because of my spotting or because it just takes a while.

[heisenbug]

I bet you don't have to literally select from the infinite set of integers to get the approximiate effect. Probably selecting from 1 to a billion or so works almost as well.

I don't think I've seen the proof, but I'm guessing it involves a limit. Like, as the set of integers you're selecting from approaches infinity, the probability approaches 6/π².

[heisenbug]

Here it is. The proof uses the Riemann zeta function, which I've determined is a function that mathematicians use when they don't want you to understand.

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

Well, I've tried a few backbends, but my wrist can't support my weight bent like that. :( I guess I'll just have to go straight to back tucks. Man do I miss my trampoline. My kingdom for a yard!

[flexagon]

I'm pretty sure they have a trampoline at duPont!