RickInOz

Sorry all this is going to be somewhat boring but necessary.

Just to clarify our very rough itinerary for August, this should allow some of you to make plans in advance in case you’d like to catch up.

2nd – 3rd – in Singapore

3rd – land into LHR (and kiss ground etc)

4th – 5th – in Kettering

5th – 9th – in Leicester. We’ll be sitting in the Oadby Grange from midday till kicking out time on the 7th – come and join us if you’re around. Gym visits will undoubtedly be scheduled around that to work off all those beery calories.

9th – 11th – in Nottingham.

11th – 12th – overnighting in Newcastle

12th – 15th – in Edinburgh

15th – 16th – somewhere in the Lake District (TBD)

16th – 19th – in Guildford.

19th – 21st  - in London. We’ll be sitting in the All Bar None under the London Eye from approx 2pm till kicking out time on the 19th – if you’re in the London area, please come and buy us a drink as we’ll be getting a bit broke by that point in the holiday. If the 20th suits you better, no worries … we’ll be thirsty then too. We can also traipse into the suburbs for those who are less mobile than we’ll be.

22nd –  back on the plane and farewell!

It would be good to see as many of you as possible and we’re willing to be flexible to accommodate your hectic lifestyles since we’ll be the lucky leisure types on holiday.

Now, exactly how many hundreds of pounds can I get for a dollar? Or how much is Crete going for … we hear the Greeks are a bit short of cash these days.

All together now …. “Monorail!”.

Well actually it’s “The Carbon Tax”, the Labor government’s latest white elephant. It seems that they haven’t found enough ways to tax every aspect of our lives so now we are being taxed for producing, as Jezza would put it, see-oh-twos. I have a number of major objections to and problems with the implementation of this latest burden.

1. This is virtually the same tax that Julia Gillard persuaded Kevin Rudd not to introduce when he was Prime Minister. A capitulation  that lead to his political assassination. Now in charge, she has a volte-face and decides it’s a good idea after all.
2. In the run up to the last election we were promised by Ms Gillard that “there will be no carbon tax under the government I lead”. Yet now in power she has forced the exact same thing through parliament. So how are we supposed to believe anything else she says?
3. We have been told by Ms Gillard that the whole country is behind her on this tax. I’d like to know which sycophants she’s been talking to as most of the polls I’ve seen showed overwhelming opposition.
4. The tax has been paired with a complicated rebate scheme. We’re told this has been introduced to prevent the average person from being penalised. To my mind it begs the question “Why have the tax at all if you’re just going to give it back?”.
5. We still haven’t been told how much this tax will cost the country in terms of the additional layers of bureaucracy and manpower required to collect it and then refund it. Is there a chance it might cost more to enact than it yields in revenue?
6. How will they actually calculate the exact quantity of emissions from the large polluters? And how much will it cost to measure it?
7. Despite this tax being touted as a means of reducing emissions, I doubt that will actually happen. Let’s face it: people still need to drive to work, freight still needs to be transported, no alternatives for the existing coal-burning power stations have been built, mines still need to operate as Australia’s economy is dependent on their profitability and economically-viable green technology is still not practical.
8. Despite the tax being touted as a means of reducing emissions, the revenue is not being directly channelled into green technology, building non-fossil-fuel methods of power generation or other strategies that might actually make a difference. As far as I can tell, the money raised will just vanish into the black-hole of general taxation revenue.
9. All stick and no carrot is a poor way of galvanising activity. This is a missed opportunity to engage large industry and collaborate on mechanisms to achieve real reductions. Instead, I suspect that the large corporate giants who are being targeted by this tax will just hire expensive accountants and lawyers to ensure they pay as little as possible.
10. Despite the government’s propaganda to the contrary, this will still wind up costing the public. They say they are singling out large industrial polluters, but do they naively think those companies will just absorb the cost internally. Of course the tax will be passed on and we will wind up paying it, not those it was intended for.

Don’t worry, I’m not one of those blinkered fools who believes that recklessly polluting this planet will have no long-term consequences. However, there are better ways to engender change than reflexly digging into our pockets again. Enormous creativity and expertise exists in the technology and finance sectors. Rather than side-lining that human resource into finding ways to dodge a needless tax, why not put them to work finding pragmatic solutions. We do need to solve our dependence on a dwindling fossil fuel stock but this is not the way to do it.

On a more bitter note, this is yet another display of arrogance by a Prime Minister who is increasingly out-of-touch with the people she claims to represent. And one I suspect she will be punished for at the next election.

Last year, when my folks were here, Iceland decided to explode and the subsequent ash cloud grounded all flights in and out of Europe. Now, with our return journey almost here, it’s our turn to have pyroclastic material floating about the upper trophosphere over our heads.

So, just in case anyone was wondering whether we’ll still be making over, the answer is yes. I can’t see the cloud lingering for another month and, in any case, the international carriers are still flying. So, unless the unforeseen occurs, we should be on our reunion as planned.

There is always some good from every disappointment. While some unfortunate people have been stranded in Melbourne and Sydney, we’ve benefited from the lull in air traffic (given the Adelaide glidepath goes directly over our house).

I’ll be in touch with many of you over the next couple of weeks so we can finalise an itinerary. Stay posted.

It’s been a long time coming, only held once a year and delayed through procrastination on my part. The implied reference is to getting the official nod from our college that one has “made it”. That is, the transition to fully fledged member and recognition of becoming a peer.

I really should have “graduated” last year. After all that is when I made the leap. But, not appreciating the opportunity, I deferred attending. The carrot for going was a complimentary ticket into our college annual meeting. And getting to shake the hand of our president.

Made it.

A couple of years ago we decided that Rupert Murdoch wasn’t rich enough so upgraded our subscription to a package that allows us to record television. Very handy you might think; and you’d be right. It’s great being able to record shows that would otherwise be missed.

Unfortunately the good folks at Channel Nine are clearly somewhat jealous, so in an attempt to sabotage our planning, they run their schedule late every day. But Rupert didn’t get to be one of the wealthiest media magnates in Australia without learning a trick or two. His company has provided settings to allow the recording to extend beyond the prescribed broadcast period thus providing some insurance against 9′s sloppy time-keeping.

Our sense of smugness was scuppered by 9 upping the ante by slipping so far behind that our 10 minute overrun allowance wasn’t enough. I’m sure you can imagine our frustration when a programme abruptly ends just before the dénouement.

It would be nice to think this was an isolated occurrence. But unfortunately not as the network routinely runs progressively later and later during the day so they can cram in as much advertising as possible. At night, they catch up again due to the reduced demand for advertising timeslots. An astute display of revenue maximisation but frustrating for their viewers. Yet there is no restriction, regulation or legislative clause obliging them to stay on time. So the rot continues and, as a result, they are complained about and to. All in vain as little change has been effected.

This is symptomatic of a wider problem …. namely that of the absolution of individual responsibility. No problem can be blamed on the person any longer. Rather we say it’s society’s fault. Or that the system failed. The list of excuses I’ve heard is endless and arbitrary. Perhaps only a matter of time before the phase of the moon will be considered acceptable grounds for misdemeanour. Whatever happened to the concept that people should be held responsible for their actions.

When I was a kid (and no, this is not one of those “back in the good old days” onion stories) if we screwed around we got a smack. Pretty quickly you worked out the meaning of the word consequence. But in this era of the oppressive nanny-state, any parent who dares to discipline their offspring is vilified as a child-abuser. Naturally I’m not advocating physical violence but wish there was some stick with the carrot. Otherwise, what incentive or, more importantly, disincentive is there for poor performance? And what brake on an atrophy in standards?

Maybe the situation would be resolved if only I could put the Chief Executive of Channel 9 over my knee … metaphorically at least.

As those of you with proboscidean memories will recall that I have been working steadily, albeit inconsistently, on a clinical trial on the use of potassium infusions on the intensive care unit.

At long last we have reached the write-up stage and a manuscript is now in draft form undergoing revisions. It will be some weeks, or maybe even months, before it will reach a publishable state. But at least this now represents some forward progress. Many times I have wondered if it would simply stall and leave me with an academic folly.

If subsequent appearance in print does occur, this will help boost my research credentials at a time when our department is trying to pull its weight as a functional unit of the university. We have great hopes that once expanded and better resourced, we will be able to raise our reputation both locally and internationally. Then I may be able to actually justify the positions the university has bestowed.

While all of this is ongoing, I’m still in the middle of my Masters and having to complete half a dozen assignments a semester, not to mention the 3 hour exams too. The saying is supposed to go “if you want something done, give the task to a busy person” but I reckon my in-tray is sufficiently overflowing at the moment. All of the mental exertion will pay off eventually but it’s hard yards time currently.

So this blog will slow to a bit of a trickle …. well it already has. I think the prolific posting rate of the first couple of years will not return. But hopefully in its place, while rarer, the posts will be off quality and interest. Well, to me at least … and as long as this site remains a benign dictatorship. Speaking of which, after watching “Question Time” in the federal parliament last week, I’m convinced that democracy is fundamentally flawed. A bunch of 10 year old would have been embarrassed.

Best wishes from the Gold Coast. It would be nice to think I’m here on pleasure but sadly not. In an attempt to stay abreast of medical advances and keep my MOPS points up, I’m learning yet more tricks and skills with ultrasound.

This is only one of quite a few trips around the country on business this year as I’ve already been up to the Gold Coast this year, then will be going to Canberra and possibly even Melbourne too. All of which comes as quite a contrast from the hermit years as a pre-exam registrar. Talking to colleagues, this seems the way of modern medicine in Australia as few cities have the resources to provide all of the required teaching and conference opportunities.

The upshot for the individual is the chance to earn some extra airmiles and see different parts of the country. But right now I’m still in the amateur leagues. The next stage is to find some international conferences or meetings to attend. Those provide a great excuse for foreign travel under the guise of professional development. Little wonder that such events are invariably held in rather nice bits of the world. For example, the US critical care society meeting last year was held in Waikiki.

It’s a hard life!

Welcome to my review of the latest release – BodyPump 77. I’ve been out for the past couple of months with a back injury, but made sure to get into the studio for the launch. The tracklisting can be found two posts below so I won’t repeat them here.

Warmup:
In a deviation from normal, we start with a wide-grip. Thereafter it’s fairly standard stuff warming up the back first before moving onto the shoulders. Our legs yet again get pretty scant chance to build any heat with only a dozen squats and the usual 8 lunges per leg. The transition from the lunges feels a bit rushed so you have to be on the ball to get into set position for the underhand rows and lifts. As always we finish with too many biceps reps.

Squats:
This is billed as an easier track than normal, mainly as it’s shorter than we typically get. As such you’ll be advised to add extra weight. I didn’t think it was soft by any means mainly due to the 49 bottom-half reps. The track compromises 4 rounds with the latter two with wide stance. Quick reps are interspersed with slower ones to allow some recovery and the bottom-halves are all in sets of 4 so fatigue isn’t too bad a factor. The intensity does build throughout the track so save something for the last round.

Chest:
A basic but solid track with this release. Rather than try to be too clever it sticks with 4 rounds of near duplicate rep sets. As with Squats, bottom-halves are the order of the day. Each round uses the standard order of slow reps, singles and then the aforementioned bottom ranges. We get a break between rounds 3 and 4 just to shake out some lactic acid, but it’s not a long one and almost worth not bothering to sit up for.

Back:
Be prepared for something very different with this one. The new “innovation” is a clean, press and then rather than bringing the bar back to the knees, we are asked to overhead press it two more times. The track starts with a short warmer round of underhand rows. Then there are 3 main working rounds of lifts, the “innovation”, and then the seemingly obligatory wide-grip triple rows. Each round we are asked to do repeat the overhead work 4 times, so by the end of the track you will have overhead pressed your back weight 36 times. As a result, I’d strongly recommend dropping your weights significantly. The official line is to use Chest weight, but I think even this is too much otherwise loss of technique is almost an inevitability. The inclusion of this move seems rather illogical to me as it puts almost no work into the back muscles (save the trapezii). Instead it becomes a second shoulder track and this is a whopping big error in judgement by the program directors.

Triceps:
This is another good track with enough variety to keep interest, yet sensible structure to maintain the pace. We get 3 rounds on the bench with overhead extensions, presses and the now familiar pullover move. There is a short break after round 2 for a little light relief, but the mix of exercises is such that this break isn’t really necessary. Then we finish with some standing overhead extensions. Normally this type of round seems to be just put in to run out the clock, but this time there is some real bite. There are loads of singles, so to keep proper form and not flare the elbows requires real grit and muscle tone.

Biceps:
Now for the highlight of the release and the pick of the tracks. I’ve roundly criticised many recent releases for having too fast a beat to make the workout worthwhile and feasible. This time the tempo is just right and while the slower ranges almost seem prolonged, it provides sufficient time for the singles not to feel rushed. As with other tracks, bottom-halves are supplied by the truck-load. We also get some full range singles, but there are only 4 each set sandwiched between the bottom-halves so fatigue is more manageable. The last round seems to go on forever, but such is the chop-and-change in rep type that you can keep going.

Lunges:
A rather soft lunge track again, mostly because we only use free weights for the lunges and then only for the static ones. The sets are also pretty short but even with loads of singles both in the static and dynamic lunges, I still barely felt out of breath. There is an option to use the step and you might as well take it as this track needs all the added challenge it can get. We finish with squats which add some intensity into the track but depend on putting a decent amount of weight on. The two sets of 8 bottom-halves finish nicely, but it’s too little too late.

Shoulders:
This is one of the tougher tracks of the release, mainly due to the fast incessant pace. We start with a quick burst of push-ups as a warm-up so no excuses for not doing them all on your knees. Then the reverse fly from #76 gets another run, only this time there are way more reps. We get slow ranges, singles and more slower reps and your rear-delts will definitely feel the strain. Then there are lateral raises and rotator cuff singles. There’s nothing too fancy this time, just a robust challenge. If there is any gas left in your tank, then grab you bar and push out some overhead presses. There aren’t too many but you can be forgiven for feeling them after the punishment of the back track.

Abs:
To start with this track is a good one. We get some crunches with the option to hold a weight for added resistance. Then a sound addition, the oblique crunch. We’ve had this move in Pump before, but not for some time and it’s always good to work muscles outside the rectus sheath. So far so good, but then it all gets let down with the hovers. The plank is a valuable means of building core muscle endurance and working the deeper abdominal muscles. But the program directors have sacrificed function in their quest for “innovation”. We are asked to do the walking legs and walking hands as in previous releases. They are hard enough to do when clustered but now we have to alternate arms and legs. This move is extremely challenging even for those with fantastic core stability and way beyond the bounds of the average Pumper. I’ve been doing a lot of core work recently to get my back strong again and even I found this too much. The studio was full of rocking hips and backs as technique went out the window. Instructors should cue the basics and then offer the LM version as an advanced option to be tried if managing well.

Cool-down:
A relaxed track with all the usual moves. It seemed to be over rather quickly so I wonder if too many minutes are being devoted to the working tracks at the cost of the beginning and finishing tracks. Not much else to say.

Overall Impressions:
On the whole this is a pretty strong release. The music seems to work quite well with the moves and is sufficiently motivating even for dance-heads like me. However there are two major flaws in this release. No prizes for guessing which I’m going to mention – the dangerous inclusion of overhead presses in the back track and the over-complicated hovers.

I think this is becoming an increasing problem for Les Mills and their BodyPump program. It’s been around for quite a number of years now and they are faced with two options. They could stick with getting the basics right and delivering a sound and dependable workout each time. Unfortunately this will be seen as boring or predictable and participant attrition will inevitably accelerate.

The other option would be to keep trying new moves as they are. This works on the gym floor where the variety of machines, decks and weights allow for endless ways of challenging muscle groups. Indeed it is a proven regime keeping the muscles in shock and mandating development of fitness, strength and endurance. However in the studio, there is only so much they can do with a barbell and gravity. As a result, the available exercises are restricted by the limitations of what can be achieved with the available resources. The program directors are obviously keen to try as many variations as possible. But in doing this, they keep finding lemons. And far too many, far too often for my liking. It risks making the program seem confused and directionless. They also keep finding exercises that are frankly too risky and it’s only a matter of time before injuries occur amongst participants … maybe they already are.

The solution has always been to encourage participants to use such small weights that injury risk is negated even if technique is sloppy or exercises unsafe. But this is another problem as it discourages use of decent resistance and, as a result, too many people never add anything and, thus, never really exert any change on their bodies. Too many missed opportunities.

As a result, I’m starting to question the value of BodyPump for anyone other than the casual gymgoer. It’s simply too limited for anyone looking to build serious condition. The cardio components are neither long or frequent enough and the strength components are restricted by the limitations of what can be done with just a barbell.

My fitness levels and strength have increased just from getting back into the gym for the past two months. So maybe I’m going to have to view Pump as just a fun distraction or variety item rather than a core component of my exercise regime from now on.

Communism and oppressive oligarchies have few upsides, but one of them is worker efficiency. In their sweatshops, slackness is punished and outputs maintained by threat. This is, of course, far from utopia but it’s hard to argue with results. Little surprise then that China with it’s parlous human and worker rights is leading the way with its bull economy. Most of this is off the back of a near endless exploitable workforce who are forced to maintain productivity.

Compare that with a certain non-medical department at the hospital I work at. One I am obliged to share an open-plan office with. They have turned dossing and lounging into a science. An average day seems to consist of endless coffee breaks, strolling about the office, irrelevant conversations and other inventive forms of time-wasting. In fact it almost brokers a challenge to find ways to fill the day such that employees superficially appear to be busy, yet have achieved nothing by closing time.

This is not isolated to our office as, on chatting with a colleague who used to work in the insurance industry, it transpires it is commonplace. Obviously my anecdotal evidence is far from infallible, but I suspect it represents a wider phenomenon.

By way of another example, one of the employees of the office I co-share has developed fast reflexes with the “Boss Button“. The door to the office overlooks his desk and on more than a few occasions I have observed a swift maximising of an officious-looking spreadsheet replace a non-work-related website.

I’m not a complete pendant and don’t expect workers to spend every second of the working day slaving away. However the majority of rostered hours should be spent doing the work that people are paid for. It would be interesting to see how much more work output would be achieved if this were the case. Who knows, productivity may actually increase and economies grow without government trickery. Productivity …. what’s that? Just ask the Chinese.

The “Sizzler” previews of upcoming releases were always published in the Revolution magazine released by Les Mills Asia Pacific. It’s not clear whether they were written by the program directors or someone within the LMAP office as they didn’t seem to appear in marketing materials released to other territories.

Those “Sizzlers” published on websites, fora and blogs (including this one) tended to be copy&paste jobs straight from the PDF version of the magazine which was always made available on the LMAP site.

It seems that the magazine has ceased publication as all mention of it and all back-issues have disappeared without trace. Revolution used to mainly act as notice of when the instructor training sessions were due, but now that information is freely available directly on their website so it probably won’t be coming back.

The net result is that, in all likelihood, we won’t get any more “Sizzlers”. Les Mills are even being somewhat coy about the new release as there is no mention of it on their official website.

However, the song/track listing has still leaked and will be:

Warmup: Commander – Spacegliderz
Squats: It’s My life – Swade
Chest: DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love – Usher feat. Pitbull
Back: Hold Me Tonight (Manox Remix) – Manian
Triceps: I Like It – Tokyo Haze
Biceps: Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom) – Shinedown
Lunges: Only Girl In The World (E-Nergy Remix) – Nick Skitz vs DJ Lotus
Shoulders: Ti Sento – Scooter
Abs: We No Speak Americano – Yolanda Be Cool vrs DCUP
Cooldown: One Last Chance – Daughtry

South Australia gets the Instructor Quarterly Workshops next weekend. Which means our local clubs should be launching in early April …. a very late Quarter-1, especially since last year we launched at the end of February, and 76 was as long ago as November.

With my back still under reconstruction, it’s hard to know whether I’ll be able to get into the #77 launch class or not. Either way I’ll still put up a review, but it may be a “side-line” one.