Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Vivosmart HR Update

So after about a week, I can't say that I love my Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It just doesn't seem to be that accurate.

Sleep
It says I got 10 hours of sleep last night. Ha. I went to bed at 11:30 PM and got up at 5:00 AM to run. I took it off around 8:00 PM to wash some dishes and somehow that was recorded as sleep.

Heart Rate
I thought it was reading high on both my resting and running heart rate. I did a track workout yesterday and it had my heart rate at 200 bpm for a lot of it.

I'm going to try some of the recommended troubleshooting (tighten the band, swap arms, move it up the arm, have it face the inside the wrist, etc.), but I really wanted it to just work.

Phone Notifications
The phone notifications are a nice. I didn't think I would care, but there is some value in being able to glance at my wrist and not pull the phone from my pocket.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Fitness Friday

Lots of things in the fitness arena converging today...

Running
Bad news for us older folks... the data shows a strong correlation between age and decline in speed:

By age 35, the rates of decline are so predictably linear that this calculator by a Yale economics professor maps out just how slowly you can expect to run the same distance as the years run by.

https://fairmodel.econ.yale.edu/aging/runoth.htm
The good news is that I don't think I've hit my peak yet, so I hope to keep seeing improvements for some years yet.

Cross Training
I've built a fairly large collection of dumbbells that my wife and I use to workout at home. I think something like these Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells would be a good supplement to our home gym. It would keep us from replicating all the weights and definitely would save space. (Our family room is also our gym.)

Fitness Tracker
I bit the bullet and after a small USPS delay, I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It monitors the usual steps and stairs, but I bought it for the heart rate monitor and sleep tracker. In addition to tracking my heart rate throughout the day, it will link to my Garmin GPS watch and share the heart rate information. I've only done that once - it's a little more awkward wearing the two devices than I expected.



The sleep monitoring is cool. I feel like I don't get a lot of quality sleep and I know I get up a lot. I'll have the data to back that up now.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Ninja Training

I've been kicking around the idea of going for my Extra class license or maybe getting a technical cert related to work, but after seeing this ad (via Misfires And Light Strikes) I have committed to some Ninja training.


I hope it is even better than Diemon Dave's Ninja School.



It doesn't mention it, but practicing with the Ninja Glock would be a great bonus.



And I think Sun Tzu would agree that knowing the way of the Ninja could come in handy.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Training

Monday, June 17, 2013

Training

Watch the video, but read the commentary at ENDO's place. I've seen some of the Magpul videos, but I don't have the Dynamic ABS set.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Extra Class Study Guide

Here is another gift idea. KB6NU has just released the Extra Class version of his No-Nonsense Study Guide. It is available in various formats (PDF, Nook, Kindle) for about $8.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Poor Craftsman

It is a poor craftsman that blames his tools. I agree in general, but would add that the tools do matter - especially at the extremes of quality or skill.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Brief Pit Stop

When milliseconds count, you will go to any extreme to save them. For one F1 team, this means hiring an Olympic runner to train the pit crew. Formula 1 cars are kinda fast.



Another comparison...

Friday, December 9, 2011

OODA in the Movies

First Neo. Now Han Solo. Also reminds me of this guy.

See you can learn stuff from movies.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Revolver Etiquette

As a newbie, I don't really appreciate their other "Gun Gripe" videos. When I go into the gun store, I know I am ignorant about lots of things (and being self/internet educated my teachers aren't always the best) when it comes to guns, but I hate being treated like an idiot. And I am sure they get lots of jerks and/or idiots darkening their doors.

However, I really liked this video. I bet I've fired revolvers less than 25 times, so this video did help me learn something.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Airsoft

It is all the rage.(And a follow-up.) I see the potential value. I just don't need another hobby right now or I might be more enthusiastic.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Grab the slide or use the slide release button?

I think the short answer is do what works for you. The longer answer includes some pros and cons for each.

I grab the slide because Travis told me to do it that way when he was teaching me about press outs.

Also, because on some guns the slide release is harder to reach than on others.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Rational Gun: Vickers Tactical Advanced Handgun 3 day class - a review

Rational Gun: Vickers Tactical Advanced Handgun 3 day class - a review:
"On the man himself: Prior to attending the course, I had heard many things on Larry himself and they were all good. His resume spoke for itself as not only being of the best but also as a former Delta Force instructor in which he would in turn train the best. I wasn’t quite sure if Larry would pull up in a gold Trans Am with Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” blaring on the stereo as he steps out wearing a pair of circa 1983 Gargoyle sunglasses, and a T-shirt that read “100% pure, uncut Larry.”  He didn’t rock the “don’t stare directly into my awesomeness” tough guy persona that I was used to dealing with in the security field nor did he present the let’s get this over with because my wife left me for a keyboard player in an REO Speedwagon cover band and I’ve been drinking Thunderbird all night” attitude I’ve endured many times in the past from certain Marine instructors in SOTG (Special Operations Training Group). Instead, Larry showed up with high energy, hilarious, good natured, and on top of his game; able to coordinate a small to large class with safety as well as efficiency at a level and speed I had not witnessed before."
Based on this review, I think I need to take a step back and reevaluate my first impression.

Via Tam (View from the Porch)

Monday, July 11, 2011

Shooting 9mm in a .40

The right way to shoot 9mm in .40 involves making some hardware changes.

The wrong way involves failures by multiple parties. I'm going to keep claiming to be a new shooter as long as people will let me get away with it. When this happened, I think it was my third time shooting pistols, so definitely qualifying as new. The first time shooting pistols was with a friend on his family farm. The second time was the Basic Hand Gun course at Coal Creek Armory. One of the goals of the course is to teach you "how to select proper ammunition." You probably see where this is going now that I've set the stage.

I was feeling good about what I learned in the course, so I convinced a buddy to go with me to CCA to rent some guns and a lane. I don't remember exactly what we were shooting initially - Beretta PX4 Storm, Kahr CW9, and maybe something else - all in 9mm. We finished up the box of ammo and decided to try the Glock 22.

We swapped guns and took our new box of ammo out to the lane. I started loading the magazine and took the first turn with the gun. After a string of failures to fire and feed, our trouble-shooting quickly revealed we were shooting 9mm instead of .40 S&W. I have visions of the bullet tumbling through and bouncing around the barrel.

Shame on the CCA employee who gave us the wrong ammo when we switched guns. I expect them to have some level of expertise and pay attention to details.

Shame on me for not checking the ammo. Ultimately I was the last safety as I loaded the magazine, but since I did not look at the box or closely at the rounds I failed, too. While I didn't have the experience to recognize the ammo by size, shape, or feel; I could have easily seen what was printed on the box.

No one got hurt and they didn't make us pay the rental fee. Lesson learned.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Ban on Bodies of Water

I think we should ban large bodies of water. Too many people drown because of large bodies of water.

What you say? Swimming lessons? That's just crazy talk. Next thing you know, you will want people to have basic firearm safety training, too.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Lesson of the Day

Via a comment on a post about using the front sight at Excels at Nothing.
"The reason that it's so important to focus on the front sight is because the sight alignment is a much finer adjustment than your point of aim.

If your point of aim is off by, say, one inch, but your sights are aligned properly, you're going to miss the bullseye by one inch.

If your point of aim is perfect on the bullseye, but your sights are misaligned by, say .075 inches. Assuming a sight radius of 5 inches (pretty generous in this day of compact guns) and a distance of 10 yards, you'll miss your bullseye by about 5 and a half inches."

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Dot Torture

An update on my Dot Torture training... I've done the drill on four different dates and my scores have continually improved as you can see in the table below. While my accuracy is getting better, my speed is not. If I can get my score up higher, then I can start going faster and/or move the target further out.

From Brick O'Lore