Power/Strength

Training

2012-02-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

How I feel about squatting.

This past Thursday I got the squats in. 10x2 @ 275# on the minute. This dynamic set took it out of me. I believe it had something to do with not being fully recovered from the deadlifts on Tuesday.

I've been lifting heavy pretty consistently for about six weeks now, and it's starting to catch up to me. This week the only bar I touch will be the pull-up bar, and that only if my shoulder feels good.

This past Tuesday I decided to condition because I wouldn't be lifting heavy, so I told my boss and a colleague that I was going to run a few suicides. If you are unfamiliar with this particular practice, it consists of having 100 feet marked in 25 foot increments, typically on a basketball court. The suicide itself is used most markedly in basketball, a sport which is mostly supported by running back and forth a lot, typically very quickly. So: you start at one line, run 25 feet, then go back to the beginning, then go 50 feet, then back to the start, and on until you've gotten to the 100 foot mark, then back, then you rest. You rest a lot.

In any event I made my intentions known to them. I mentioned that I may soon require medical help if I passed out on the pavement. They needed sustenance, having completed a vicious CrossFit mainsite WOD (8 x 400m run, 90 seconds rest between reps, total time = score), but my boss said, and this is a direct quote, "Well, we need food. But, Drew is our soldier, and he's going to do some cardio, which I never see him do, so we're going to support him." After that I think they got some protein from the machine up front and came to support me. Never at my place of work have I ever received that kind of speech or support, and it hit me pretty hard right in my heart.

Then the suicides hit me in everything else. I completed the first one in 38 seconds, the second in something like 42, and the third in 50. There were 2.5 minute rests between rounds, but it wasn't enough. I realized late that total footage for each repeat was 500. So I unintentionally ran about a third of a mile in two minutes and ten seconds. That's on pace for a 6:30 mile, which would have been quicker than anything I ever ran before. Anyway I only ran three and my right hamstring cramped up like a detoxing weasel so I let them go and did some row sprints with one of my clients that night. It was amusing.

On Erudition

2012-02-05T22:49:00.001-05:00

Shiva Nataraja

My education has taken place in private institutions for my entire life. As a boy I went to a parochial school, was raised Catholic, received communion, and was confirmed in that same faith. My mother is a cradle Catholic and my father is a convert from the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal sect in which he was raised, so when my Baptist wife wanted me to come to church with her, I had no trouble switching, and took no flak for it. God didn't change and my family never made a big deal about it; it was only remarkable in that I went back to a church of some kind after two years of stupid agnostic prancing in college.

At JK Mullen High School students had the option to take comparative religions. I thought this sounded awesome. When I was a kid we got these Dorling-Kindersley Discovery books that used copious images and short facts to communicate to young people just how awesome various subjects were. One of my favorites was the one about religion. Not just Christianity, either: it had some esoteric stuff in there, like Jainism and Sikhism, and some stuff that doesn't fit the mold, like Shinto and Zen. I learned a lot very quickly, and when a course opened up that focused on things I was super-primed to learn about I couldn't wait to start.

We got the big three (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) out of the way with minimal time wasted. We were thorough but quick. We slowed down for Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and touched on that last one combined with a smattering of Shinto and Zen philosophy. The final was 125 multiple choice questions. I turned in my test after twenty minutes and only missed three of them. I'm proud of that fact, but more proud of my multi-faith literacy.

Hinduism in particular was a source of wonder for me. 330 million gods and counting, back in 2003. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, the Vedas, against the backdrop of foggy mountains and sweltering jungles, the third eye of the consciousness transposed with ritual mudras and movements. The seamless blend of philosphy and faith very nearly took me captive. I would never have shaved my head and danced with a tambourine with the Hare Krishnas; even then there was too much fury and pride locked away in my center. I would have been an acolyte of Shiva in my own way, destroying ignorance and bringing the truth of my being into the world with my fists, my feet, and the iron. Always the iron.

...and Shiva Virabhadra

As you can tell I didn't jump a plane to New Delhi and become a wandering ascetic. All I really did was find a sweet picture of Shiva, print it out, and color his skin dark blue (as opposed to the light blue typically associated with his image). I still have that picture, and I still think about the three aspects of the Godhead.

At this same time I was reading my first Stover book, Traitor, and was undergoing a radical change in thought processes in general. So for me now the force was just the force, not separated by the user's intentions, nor by his or her goodness or badness. The force never chooses sides. It is more than a tool, but less than an entity; it is simply force. It is like gravity or the tides or the aurora borealis. Each is another manifestation of the universe's particular vibration in a particular area. Different facets of the same stone, as Stover would put it. This intrigued me deeply, and I immediately saw its parallel in Hinduism, applying specifically to the Godhead, and in Catholicism, with the Holy Trinity. There is more to come, I promise.

Training

2012-02-05T22:36:00.000-05:00

"You wanna know how I feel, Doc?"

Deadlift: worked up to 1x5 @ 460#

This was relatively hard, about an 8, maybe an 8.5 on the difficulty scale. If we call my most recent 1RM of 515# 100%, then 460# is 89%. Pretty cool, I guess.

I worked with Trey, Jimmy, and David for this one. David hit a PR of 405# and Trey tied his PR with 405#. Jimmy hit 1x2 with 335# and tried 365# but only got it about three inches above ground. Next time, Jimmy. Next time.

I'm feeling beat up. My shoulder hasn't been itself lately, and I'm getting care for it, but man, I just wanna rest up and be ready to rock next time the pressing demons come a-calling.

Training

2012-01-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

I know I'm behind the times, but it's worth it to me to say that this movie was freakin' sweet.

We had a pretty good crew in the CrossFit room on Friday. We all squatted with the Olympic bars.

Squat: worked up to 3x5 @ 315#

There were a couple of things upon which I wished to reflect.

The first is that the bar we used was "whippy," meaning it had a lot of spring to it. Once you get over 225# with an Oly bar the weight begins to bounce around and it's a bit tougher to control. The quality of steel is higher than the regular on-the-floor barbells, and the difficulty lies in squatting big weight with such a willowy implement. As Ryne descended with what should have been the first of an easy triple at 495#, the bar settled and drove him so deep into the hole he couldn't get out. We spotted him up, but it was demoralizing and he necessarily changed his work sets.

I got around this the same way I get around everything: years of practice. This phenomenon wasn't a problem for me because I bounced like a Superball at the rock-bottom of my ROM and took full advantage of the whip. I was mostly up before it settled again and nailed three sets of five to the wall.

The second is that training with Ryne is like a double-edged sword. The guy is as strong as an ox, lifts totally raw, and looks great doing it. These are all good things when you're a personal trainer and competitor in local contests. However, the same qualities inspire young men to do stupid things, like keep up with you when you put heavy weight on the bar. I've been down that road and it doesn't do you any good if you get hurt trying to be strong like ________. If you're lucky you won't get hurt and you will wise up and go at your own pace (Really this week should've had work sets at 305#, 320#, and 310#, but I'm still young so I went for three across at 315#--maybe I should take my own advice, huh?).

The crew who lifted with us is strong--everyone completed every rep they wanted, with Ryne being the only exception. But the ROM on some of the squats could be improved, as well as the overall technique. There is so much potential muscle hiding behind a full-ROM squat with 3/4 of the weight being used by some of the newer jacks, it almost hurts to think about. And when compared to regular gym rats, the depth on display was downright impossible. But above-parallel squats will only get you so far in life. Paul Anderson was a fan of lock-outs with heavy-ass weight, but yesterday was a full-on squat day, and it's our mission to get these guys to perform an honest, poignant, ATG squat at 315# within the next few months. They may be able to do it sooner than I think, owing to their youth and drive, if we just push them in the right direction.

Conan the Barbarian: A Review Part Deux

2012-01-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

Those were the times.

Having seen the movie a second and third time, I feel much more capable of relating my take on it.

If this film was in any way disappointing, it was only in truly minor details. Things a lot of people take for granted in the stories, like the amazing settings that come to life and are literally as dangerous as the foes our heroes face, weren't given enough time to transfer to us that sense of dread and fear Bob could conjure from thin air. Bob had a unique sense of proportion: he simultaneously spun up a character simply too large to actually exist, and then cast him into a yarn that dwarfed the character. From time to time the character gets a look through the glass and comprehends momentarily how infinitesimally small he is...and must turn away, either to face an imminent foe, or to preserve his own sanity (TMOTT, TROTG, BTBR).

This movie had none of that. Oh, to be sure, the Acheronian scourge is uncountably old, and the foes are numerous and savage. But true appreciation of Conan comes not just from his swagger and sword-slinging macho kill-lust, but also from his isolated, untouchable, and ultimately unrelatable barbarism. The man is as comfortable in a seat of power as he is strolling in his native highlands, commanding a warship, or making a bivouac in the hills of dinosaur country (BTBR, RN).

Yup.

Only for a few minutes do we glimpse Conan's interaction with a civilized female, and while he does utter faithful sentiments ("How many names do I need?"), what is totally absent is the frontier aspect in which Conan's ruggedness really glows. The dude was John Wayne with a better wardrobe, way less concern for settlers, and as conspicuously smooth a jaw (you can't convince me to believe that cowboys and Conan shaved every day. Not gonna happen). In just about every story Conan must overcome a hostile inhabitant of a hostile landscape, because that is the nature of the world in which he lived. I suppose the landscape was hostile enough, rife with Khalar Zym's henchmen, but the source material's land itself had skulking creatures every bit as real and imminent as a searching army (RN, THOTD).

Also lost was any real sense of Conan's strength: yes, his steel spins a wide and wicked swath of gore and gruesome mayhem, but nowhere was the savage, raw power of the man personified. In the first movies Arnie couldn't help but project the attitude of overwhelming force, because he was so huge. Momoa was dialed back in size but had an amplified athletic flair. The true balance, where Conan actually sits, is right in the middle of these qualities. Really, it's not even a trade-off for the guy, he's strong like a gorilla protecting his troop but quick like a mongoose baiting a cobra at the same time (TGITB, TOTE) A list of Conan's qualities inevitably ends thusly: "...all linked together by the lightning co-ordination of the fighting man" (TGITB, RITH, POTBO, AWSBB). Both his strength and his speed set him apart in every endeavor.

Remake indeed.

The plot and scope of this movie were negatively affected by the malaise afflicting modern cinema. There needs to be a national-level (if not planetary-level) threat in order for the audience to understand how much there is at stake for the protagonists. But plenty of Howard's Conan yarns involve only the regional disputes whose impact is only felt by local indigents (AWSBB, THOTD, TGITB, POTBO, RN, TOTE, RITH). Our favorite Cimmerian has no trouble strolling on through these locales with little regard for the feelings of the population at large, let alone the few people with whom he must interact to further his own aims (AWSBB, THOTD).

Just a neat picture. You're welcome.

As king of Aquilonia we see him hesitate when he thinks of the people he now governs; this kind of concern would get him dismembered on the open steppes (THOTD). Alas, this is not the scale in which the film was written, and whether the writers or the audience realized it, this is a big factor in selling the plot. Unfortunately for today most people only know Conan from the first movie and have no concept of Hyboria as imagined by Bob Howard, and so are only further confused by the flurry of unknown and unknowable locales that fly by, each a short mounted journey from the other. How big is this place, and how important is it that Acheron not rise again? Instead of impressing us with its immensity and complexity, the film should have had some clearly defined borders on the conflict and Conan's interests with them.

It makes sense for him to want revenge on his father's killer. It does not make sense for him to say "No one should live in chains" and free slaves he didn't have any allegiance or connection to and of whom he almost certainly killed a number moments before. It's little things like these that chip away at a person's interest in a sequel, or even in their recommendations to a friend. In this day of social media, a gargantuan effort was made to publicize the opening, as though the producers knew the weakness of the material and were eager for as many people to see it before they realized how hollow it actually was.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe this is an inestimable improvement on the first films. It's just gonna take more work to get the job done right. After all, if they keep using the fount of awesome as their inspiration, some enterprising young scholar might muster the moxy and the funding to put a good movie together. Mark Finn, I'm looking at you, and I want you to know I can do just about anything of which you can think, then do more, better.

Author's note: throughout this text I used acronyms and initialisms to refer to Howard stories, about both Conan and Kull. Although another whole paper could be written about one's influence upon the other, it is relevant enough to simply state that Kull stories have better examples of some points than any Conan yarn. The acronym is followed by the full name of each tale, in order of appearance.

TMOTT - The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune
TROTG - The Ringing of the Gong
BTBR - Beyond the Black River
RN - Red Nails
THOTD - The Hour of the Dragon
TGITB - The God in the Bowl
TOTE - The Tower of the Elephant
RITH - Rogues in the House
POTBO -The Pool of the Black One
AWSBB - A Witch Shall Be Born

Training

2012-01-24T19:43:00.000-05:00

This.

Deadlift: work up to 1x5 @ 450#
Ab wheel roll-outs: 5x15

Ten rounds for time of
10 box jumps
5 hollow rocks
Elapsed time: 9:13

Pretty good PR. I'm gonna have whoever I'm training with start evaluating my form, but I didn't feel any undue stress in my back, so I'm probably good. Conditioning was reasonably cool. Friday is 3x5 squat and next Tuesday will be DE deadlift @ 315#.

Training

2012-01-24T19:18:00.000-05:00

Make it happen, grasshopper.

Thursday D-Murph and I got some squatting in. Just some DE stuff, 10x2 on the minute. It looked like this:

Squat:
1x10 @ 135#, 1x5 @ 185#, 1x5 @ 225#
10x2 on the minute @ 275#
Ab wheel roll-outs: 5x15

My buddy was hit with a large dose of emotional and physical trauma recently. He's an Army Ranger about to ship out for his third deployment when he gets told that his past wounds, sustained while fighting with an elite unit he dreamed of joining all his life, make him a liability in the field. This is bad.

Immediately following that news, he's got to go in for routine surgery to bolster a measures taken to repair his jaw after a big accident when he was very young. About five hours after we worked out yesterday, he's walking into his apartment when he blacks out. Severely dehydrated and weak, his fiancee gives him a ride to the hospital and picks him up later. This is worse.

The next day he goes to work out. His fiancee's parents are in town, and she's thinking about going home with them and maybe not coming back. While at the gym he gets the news that she's definitely moving out. He trains for a long time, avoiding going home, but knowing he has to, and gets as much emotion out as he can. Another wave of pain will hit, without a doubt, but this one passes. Then he has to go and help her move out. This is plain awful.

My buddy is a big boy; he can take care of himself. He's trying to find a job now and he's got money left over from the Army. He's going to school at the local college and my SEAL friend has contacts in the world of contract defense he can help with. But there are times, like this, when Life. Just. Sucks. And I feel for him. A five-year relationship, spanning the entire globe, has just ended. He's not going to be a Ranger any more. Two aspects of his being, his profession and his companion, are null values now. Voids. He spoke to me a few moments ago, and said how empty it felt in his place.

I don't know what that pain is like. I hope I never know. But I can see it in the way he walks, the way his face is set. I don't have to go through what he has to know how much he must hurt. What it is like to have two howling black holes adjacent to your heart, trying to split it between them. All there is to do is put out my hand and let him know he's got a friend.

2011-12-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

Been a minute; sorry about that. I'm writing this from my in-law's house in Boonville, Indiana. Training from this past week has been pretty awesome. Notable feats include the following:

Deadlift: work up to 1x6 @ 415#

Ab wheel roll-outs: 2x15, 2x10 @ 45#

Pull-ups: 1x10, 3x3 @ 80#

Bench press: 1x5 @ 215#, 1x5 @ 235#, 1x5 @ 245#

2x single-arm snatch R @ 75#
2x single-arm snatch L @ 75#
2x pull-up
Total sets equalled 20, with 1-1.5 minutes rest between sets

This is what KT's stance looks like. She just picks up fewer plates is all.

At lunch:
Deadlift:
Three reps at 315# every minute on the minute for ten minutes.
Ab wheel roll-outs: 5x10

After work:
Med ball push-ups: 3x15
Pull-ups: 5x8

I have developed a click in my left shoulder, and while it isn't painful and in no way restricts my movements, it scares me. Doing wide-handed push-ups, my go-to pec developer/maintainer, makes it click a lot, so those are out. Close-handed push-ups are still way okay though. Then recently I remembered how I felt when I did med ball push-ups. My pecs always feel like tectonic plates colliding under the ocean: implacable, unstoppable. Majestic, maybe.

The deadlifting was glorious. Monday was supposed to be the day that work took place, but my job got in the way. That's a good problem to have. I've got two clients now, and both have fantastic progress to make in the way of strength. KT is also on the verge of a big threshold: by next week she'll be moving 200# in the deadlift. She wants to max out every time she does the lift, which is not optimal, but her aggression is very much appreciated.

Training

2011-09-08T22:37:00.000-04:00

Pictured: the process.

CrossFit beat me up and took my lunch money.

7 rounds for time of:
7 chest-to-bar pull-ups
7 KB swings @ 53#
7 burpees

Elapsed time: 12:12

I had the gratifying experience of signing my first official paying client as a personal trainer today. I can tell he's committed to the process. He's also picked up on the sheer nerdery involved in this business, which has helped immensely, and I can't wait to get him mobile, agile, and hostile.

Training

2011-09-07T21:48:00.000-04:00

I'd like to compete in Highland games sometime in the next two years.

So today was supposed to have a limit set of deadlifts. But what I was really feeling was less "415x5" and more "sick and tired of 405# being heavy."

Deadlift:

work up to 3x3 @ 405#

And that was that. 405# is no longer heavy.

Training

2011-07-12T18:42:00.004-04:00

This is my post-weigh-in meal, and that's burger number two. Both Cokes were mine.

Breakfast was bacon (duh), eggs, biscuits, milk, and fish oil. My division was slated to start around 1PM, and I wanted to get there around 11:30 in case that estimation was incorrect. It was incorrect but on the other end; my division got called around 1:30, we got sent down at 2, and started fighting on the far side of 2:15.

Pre-match funnies.

But that was not unexpected. One thing about NAGA, it's extremely efficient and these people know what they're doing. The meet took place at Jonesboro's own Mt. Zion High School, and the layout was great: it's set up so that there's a huge pit where the basketball court is, and the stadium seating is on the sides, and then there's a mezzanine level that's open and has retractable bleachers for more spectators. It was a great venue, and closer than Riverdale was last year.

Nathan and I warmed up on the mats they'd set out on the mezzanine, with a lot of emphasis on placing position over submission. My transitions felt pretty good, and Nathan reminded me I'd most likely be facing someone a lot smaller than he was. Looking around made me feel my height. There were many competitors who looked a little like me, shorter but strong, and that was kind of intimidating. But I tried to keep in mind that there weren't going to be many novices with my kind of strength. There were a lot of guys who looked like they didn't care about much outside of grappling, or at least wanted everyone to think so. I don't hang out with a lot of grapplers like that because they try so hard to be so hard, and the tattoos and scowls just aren't for me.

Nathan and Rory frikkin' Singer.

Quick note: there was a guy there walking around in a UGA shirt, and I totally recognized him. He was UFC vet Rory Singer, and when the guys in front of me in the bleachers started talking to him, I seized the moment and jumped down to babble like an idiot to him for twenty seconds. I had him sign a piece of paper and my dad took a picture (I haven't seen the frame, but I'm relatively certain I resemble a child on Christmas who just received his Double Mongoose Overdrive Burninating Huffy Schwinn 8-speed trick bike). Rory wished me luck. Later on he was coaching a fighter at the same ring I was to compete in later, and he recognized me and clapped me on the shoulder. He was extremely cool.

Like I said, they called us in pretty good time, but the real hang-up was when one division of three dudes got finished. They had to wait for the photographer and bannerman to come over to get it on film. Balls. That was at least a five minute wait, if not longer, between three three-minute matches. Then there were three more matches, then one more, and finally mine.

Taller, but definitely thinner. Spidery. Long. Difficult.

My opponent, henceforth referred to as JB, was a little late. I didn't know at the time, but dude was fighting in two divisions, which meant that he had already fought one battle with the lanky guy Rory Singer coached. He'd won that match by points which meant he'd already gone the distance once. So when he showed up and was the guy who had fought ten or fifteen minutes ago, I was confused. I asked if he was JB and he said yes. Through my mouthpiece I said, "I'm Drew." We shook hands and the ref came over. The match began.

The first and last time I got ripped from the clinch.

When the pressure is on and I am performing I often cannot recall what happened or what was going through my head the entire time. The scraps of action I do remember are disordered and sometimes erroneous (you know how memory is). Watching the video brought back a lot of the memories and helped with the timeline. I have been unsuccessfully trying to post a video for a couple of days now, but I promise one day soon it will be up.

Explosiveness does a body good.

In the first twenty seconds I do remember getting ripped from the clinch. Being a former Thai boxer this galled me, and after it happened once, it didn't happen again. I didn't remember how I pulled his head down and how he didn't shoot. That was good for him because I would have gladly given him the guillotine of his life if he had. My strength surprised him, I think, and so did my explosiveness: I don't remember jumping over his guard into side mount, I just remember being there and working to stay.

The mean mug was intentional. That dude made himself seven feet long when I was in his guard.

I do remember grinning madly when I saw the ref give me some points. I remembered how bad I did last year and was proud of myself. The match could've ended there and I would've been happy. I remember trying to take his back, and latching my feet together when he was in my guard. I remember being angry when he took my back and not knowing how his arm got under my chin. I remember him rolling onto his back with his hooks in and I remember looking at the clock and wondering if I could last another fifteen seconds with that choke in as deep as it was. When the black seeped in I dropped my hand on his leg and tapped. Just a few more seconds were on the clock.

See how his left hand is locked behind his own head? He knew he had to nail this sub.

When the match was over my opponent just laid on his side for a second. He was exhausted. I had fought him hard, and he was walking dead after that. I helped pull him out of the way of the ref on the other mat. In the pictures you can see me showing the world my mouthguard; I was smiling because I had done so damn good compared to last time. I was proud of myself, had pushed and fought and clawed as strongly as I could and nothing could take that away from me.

Dude had already fought once before, and at this point he was nothing but wreckage. He submitted me in his second match of the day, and was as respectful and appreciative of my participation as I was of his. This sport, especially when run by NAGA, is a credit to martial arts.

HIJACKED!

2011-07-10T11:59:00.001-04:00

This isn't over, buddy.

Nathan Bradley is, quite possibly, the greatest man that ever walked this planet. His beard is the second greatest man that ever walked this planet.

Edit: Nice commas. Too bad they aren't necessary. And since you named yourself, the correct diction in the second half of your awful awful sentence is "...man who ever walked this planet." In any event it's all blasphemy because Chuck Norris's beard and Chuck Norris are numbers one and two, respectively. You know that. He knows that. Enjoy being the prey of Chuck Norris.

Making Weight

2011-07-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

Boom.

I have made weight. I saw the numbers, they read 177, the guy called it 176. Iunno, perhaps he knows that scale's quirks and one of them is that it goes a pound heavy.

This morning we got up and I put on some sweats. At the gym I pulled down my hood and closed my eyes. Having locked my wrists into the handholds on the treadmill I walked and listened to some very rousing music. Fifty minutes later I floated back out the door and proceeded not to eat or drink anything except water, a popcicle, and a diet Coke when I got to my parents' place. That was after my mom's scale said I weighed 177.7.

I stripped to my Iron Man skivvies, replete with some cheek exposure but not enough to warrant a citation for indecent exposure, and weighed in like a boss. When I got back to my parents' house I ingested roughly two pounds of food in the form of burgers, beans, and potatoes.

Katie was there for moral support, as she has been from the beginning, and Nathan and Amber arrived safely and drove us to Jonesboro for the weigh-ins. They all honor me with their presence.

The presence and proximity of the beard add ten points of charisma and two of strength and hardiness to my stats.

Nathan will corner me and Katie will film. Amber is on still pic detail and my parents will sport the posterboard. Tomorrow, I dine in hell. And turn twenty-five.

Final Prep

2011-07-06T22:11:00.004-04:00

The Bare Necessities.

Between traveling this past weekend, my own employment modification, and training for this weekend's grapple-palooza, I have been remiss in updating my blog. I hope you had an enjoyable Fourth of July. Sorry for the rampant boredom.

On Friday a riotous piece of metal almost derailed my dreams of groundfighting grinder glory when it slapped my face under the left eye at work. I bled a lot but that's expected, it's the face. Whatev. It's all better, healed near to scarhood, so it is not a factor. But now I look like I've been to prison and am not afraid to go back. Later on Friday KT and I went up to Indiana for the Fourth.

In Indiana there is a park which contains a lake named after this guy Scales. At Scales Lake, there is a beach house. Outside this beach house there is a playground. This playground has a three-tier pull-up bar and waist-high parallel bars like you see in old-school gyms. Awesome.

I hit up that crazy scorching metallic deathtrap at nine in the morning, and knocked out 10x10 pull-ups and dips and loved every friggin' second of it. The day was spent playing badminton, ladderball, washers, and more badminton. Roundabouts five I made a second trip up and did five more sets of ten pull-ups and dips. My arms were screaming and I was pretty much satisfied.

Sunday I took a rest day. Monday we got back later than I anticipated and so no training was accomplished. Tuesday I repeated Saturday's morning antics, for 100 pull-ups and dips in about thirty minutes. Today I slammed 26 rounds of VWC and 10x10 ab wheel roll-outs.

Totally unnecessary. And uncomfortable.

I'm cutting weight for the competition and it's kinda rough. An all-protein and fat diet with a two-hour window to carb up a little and recover from training are making it possible, and I have maybe seven pounds left to lose in two whole days. This is EZPZ. I've never had to lose weight to compete before. But with a little help from Jamie over at C&P and Ori Hofmekler of Warrior Diet fame, this last week has been a hell of a learning experience.

I dropped a lot of body fat and kept my strength and conditioning really high, and that's what cutting weight should be about. At least one more update is coming after I weigh in, and of course the pre- and post-tourney write-ups are also on the docket.

WOD

2011-06-28T19:53:00.004-04:00

If you watch this movie with no dialogue, it makes about as much sense, and you can ignore the gaping plot holes and Sean Connery's Spainish-by-way-of-Egypt accent.

From yesterday and today. I'm going to apologize now for the length of today's post because there's a lot of stuff to get out.

Monday I was a worthless tangle of nerves and jittery spasming muscle; I was simply too overwrought about my changing employment situation to do anything useful aside from train like a demon. Now that I've cooled off and formed my resolve, I can tell you what transpired in the gym.

From 6/27:
Press: 5x10 @ 95#
Push-ups: 2x25
Dips: 5x10
Ab wheel roll-outs: 5x15

I wanted a heavy preponderance of pressing exercises, so that's what I did. In the recent past (say the last two years) I remember dips, even stationary ones, being ridiculously hard. All the one-armed push-ups are doing their work, though, and the ease with which I banged out 50 dips yesterday is proof of that. Also I found out yesterday that ever since I started pressing I've been doing it wrong. My hands have always been too far outside my shoulders to really activate muscle and generate power. The following video from Martin Rooney (are you seeing a pattern here?) informed me of my ignorance.

Hilarious and informative. That's two out of three, which makes it extremely useful.

So a lot of good work got done yesterday and at a pretty good pace, too. This set me up for success going in today for more VWC. My goal was to hit 30 sets of 7 at a 15:15 work/rest cadence.

VWC 15:15, 7 rep cadence:

32 sets completed

Pull-ups: 10, 15, 12, 12, 12

That's all I did today, but recovery came quickly. The pull-ups were hard as hell toward the end, and that's what's going to be tough on the day of the meet: pulling even when there's no more pull.

Today The Consumerist published the findings of a metastudy done to explore the efficacy of a bodybuilding mainstay: fasted cardio, or cardio done in the morning before breakfast to more efficiently oxidize fat and get rid of it. It was found that fasted cardio did not increase the amount of fat burned during a bout of exercise, and in some instances could even be harmful, causing the use of muscle mass as fuel for the activity.

My friend's buzz feed threw this up a couple of hours ago, and my response isn't meant to slight him in any way. But there is a problem with the study, and I elaborated in my comment to the post:

"Whoa whoa whoa. The idea of fasted cardio, which is the mode of exercise this article discusses, is a concept rooted deeply in the world of bodybuilding. 6-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates swore by fasted cardio and was extremely good at it. He was also very conscious of the effects too much could have on his body, like burning muscle mass for fuel. That's why he used a heart rate monitor and had a painstakingly precise diet to match his routine and hit his goal.

For a 260-300 pound bodybuilder to walk at a brisk pace, it takes a LOT more energy than some skinny, malnourished, and possibly overworked cyclist would need to elicit the training effect. From Marty Gallagher's "Purposeful Primitive:" "The walking rationale is a matter of basic thermodynamics, physics, payload (bodyweight) and propulsion. A truck loaded with 40,000 pounds of steel beams burns far more fuel traveling at 35 miles an hour for 60 miles than a 3,000 minivan does traveling at 70 miles an hour for the same 60 miles" (PP, 333). Essentially, Yates's brisk walk elevated his heart rate to 75-80% of his age-related heart rate max, enough to burn excess calories in the form of fat before the first meal of the day. Anyone who weighs more than 250 pounds could probably benefit in the same way, if they so desired, and had good nutrition and recovery to back up their efforts.

Yates at around 275#.

The fat-oxidizing effects of fasted cardio are what allowed Yates to keep his razor-sharp definition and iron-bending strength. For cyclists to be examined for results from methods that are traditionally (and effectively) used by bodybuilders is senseless and pointless. Who cares about the fat oxidation of people who probably don't need it anymore, and probably do rely on the burning of muscle for fuel when gritting it out for the top spot in a tough race?

Yes, "being able to exercise longer and harder is key to better fitness and weight loss results." But when the studies to validate certain ideas are using people with different goals and training adaptations than overweight and/or out-of-shape individuals, they are flawed from the outset. /Rant."

The little article write-up on The Consumerist included this gem of personal training advice: "you might not be able to hit your peak intensity because you don't have enough fuel in your body." You know something about fasted cardio? The idea is steady state of intensity, not "peak intensity." Peak intensity is something for sprinting, or, God forbid, smashing iron. The writer even had the gall to insert his own experience into what should be a piece without personal bias. If you're gonna post a scientific article, leave your opinion and experience out of it the same way the people who wrote the article did. What should stick with readers of those articles are the facts of the study, not the half-informed and under-experienced memoirs of the guy who reposted and summarized it. I know I'm not scraping the bottom of the physiological barrel by a long shot and have probably omitted a few good bits. Like how fasted steady state cardio helps with insulin resistance and burning of lipids for fuel all day. Oh wait. You know the best part about that last article? You don't have to pay to read it, unlike the one from the NSCA. Consider your sources, people, and know your subject. Just because you once lost five pounds after Thanksgiving doesn't mean you're an expert on nutrition and exercise.

WOD

2011-06-26T15:22:00.000-04:00

Unrealistic, but inspiring.

This past week KT and I were in North Carolina on a mission trip. We went with the wife of our pastor and four youths. At beautiful Wingate University we helped at recycling centers and led in activities that (we hoped) modeled Christian ethics and behaviors for kids. It was a refreshing break and awesome opportunity to work for more than oneself.

I was a bit apprehensive about training while on the road but I needn't have been; I found the gym and on the second day took my free time and smashed iron.

From 6/20:
Squat: 5x5 @ 275#

Rest 3:00

5 rounds of:
5 1-arm push-ups R and L
8 pull-ups, varied grips
10 ab wheel roll-outs from the knees (henceforth ROFTK)

The squats were a little slow, especially the last two sets, but there was never any question of completing the full ROM repetition every time. The metcon was wild and wooly and lacked a timer. Also squirreled away in the weightroom was a seated version of the T-bar row machine, which delighted me. So the next day, pumped full of adrenaline, I hit that thing up hard.

From 6/21:
Seated T-bar rows: 1x10 @ 45#, 4x8 @ 100#, 1x20 @ 45#

No real reason for doing that; it just felt right. The following day is usually Sadiv set day, but I didn't have as much time as I would have liked. So I hit a limit set of five on the deadlift.

From 6/22:
Deadlift: work up to 1x5 @ 405#
Pull-ups: 12, 10, 12, 10, 8, 5

No real conditioning work that day, but my arms felt great when I got through. A word about the bars in that place: they were all old used Olympic bars, meaning that they were 27mm around and easier to hold than the bars at my local globo. I had gotten the bar I used to deadlift from the stand-up rack against the wall, and when I replaced it, it had a noticeable curve that wasn't there when I first arrived on the scene. I don't think it was entirely my fault that it bent; more likely it was weak from years of use and I just exacerbated an existing problem. All the same it made me feel good.

Also this past week I hit 200 push-ups (in sets of 25) every day except Friday. I experienced no ill effects from that volume, and was able to work in 50 one-armed push-ups on Monday.

Invented by idle Russians. The legend is that the cannons took so long to load that out of boredom they put handles on the shells to play with. First person to drop one lost the game.

Today I felt bratty. I ate like crap last night and appalled myself by not caring. Today I made up for my lapses with a 16kg kettlebell and 24 rounds of Viking Warrior Conditioning. Remember that stuff from about a year ago when I was training for the Warrior Dash? I'm going to hit up conditioning, push-ups, grip, pull-ups, and ab work every day except Saturday, when I'll deadlift or squat for maybe 3x5 and do pull-ups with added weight. That will be my strength training until the tourney.

I guess my goal is to see how far I can push my conditioning until the meet, and strip fat in the process. I want to see if I can get up to 50 or more sets of VWC in T minus 13 days. 50 sets was my previous best with VWC.

VWC: 16kg bell: 24 rounds of 15:15 at 7 reps per round
Pull-ups: 15, 12, 10, 10, 10

Stronger

2011-06-18T16:52:00.005-04:00

"To change with change is the changeless state." -Bruce Lee

I’ve only felt strong three times in my life. The first was when I held 405# in my hands a couple of weeks before a powerlifting meet, and set it down under control after holding it for two or three seconds. The second was when I held the feet of a 122# girl over my head and pressed up to maintain the stability I needed to keep her from falling on her face.

I did this for a year at college. It's harder than it looks.

The third time I felt strong was a few months ago, when I picked up 400# again for the first time in more than four years.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the meaning of strength or power. But the ignorance can be dispelled very easily: a 600# deadlift takes longer than a 300# power clean, but the power clean = more distance more quickly. There is no difficulty in understanding these concepts if taught correctly. The physical difficulty arises in applying them. The mental difficulty lies in applying them well—the taxing and exacting task of the most dedicated student of the art.

WOD

2011-05-26T18:53:00.003-04:00

Lostprophets is the best band that ever created music. In December 2001 I crept downstairs into the office and turned on MTV2, where "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" was just coming on. I fell head over heels into sonic love. The realm of their music lay like the frontier before me. Before the screamo there was an album called "thefakesoundofprogress" and it helped shape my life.

Today's workout provided a much needed outlet for stored energy. Toward the end of my warm-up I swear I saw sparks coming from my fingertips. Chain lightning leapt to the bar before I bent for every rep of the Sadiv set.

Deadlift, Sadiv set:
Max single reps in 12:00
30 repetitions completed with 315#
Push-ups:
5x20 @ bodyweight
Pull-ups:
5x10 @ bodyweight

Metallica + deadlifting = awesomeness, every. Single. Time.

On Saturday I'll squat again, probably 3x5 @ 265#. I will also try a 5RM deadlift, depending on how I feel that day. I may or may not try to get back on a MWF lifting schedule the week after that. The competition in July occurs on a Saturday, and if I have that in my head as a max-effort day for a few weeks, it will aid the transition into competition mode. Availability of an actual Olympic bar will determine the feasibility of that option.

I'm also going to try to up the push-up content to 100 a day for at least four days a week. Two on, one off, until the end of the week, then repeat, next time with 20 extra push-ups a day. Then 40 extra and five days/week.

WOD and Weekend Recap

2011-05-24T19:32:00.004-04:00

Hugo Weaving plays the Red Skull in the upcoming Captain America film. In my humble opinion Red Skull is one of the best villains in comics.

Today I surprised myself and squatted with no pain whatsoever. It's still tough, but it's supposed to be. Next week I think I'm going to start doing sets across at 265# and progress from there.

Squat:
1x8 @ 135#, 1x5 @ 185#, 1x5 @ 225#
1x5 @ 235#, 1x5 @ 245#, 1x5 @ 255#, 1x5 @ 225#
Press:
1x10 @ 105#, 1x8 @ 135#
Push press:
1x5 @ 155#, 1x5 @ 160#, 1x5 @ 165#, 2x5 @ 170#
Pull-ups:
6x8 @ bodyweight, 2x8 w/ 20#
Ab wheel roll-outs from the knees:
5x10, then 5x5

This past weekend I went to practice grappling with my friend Nathan and a couple of his buddies from his softball team. Before you start scratching your heads, the way he met them was through his college jiu-jitsu class. These weren't just random idiots with visions of UFC greatness. A couple of Nate's other friends have access to an MMA gym and let us use the mats to roll around.

The guy on top has side control, which is known as a dominant position. That just means he has optimal control and can pretty safely attempt any number of submissions.

Nate and the other guys all had valuable insights on just about every aspect of the game for me to absorb. I felt like a sponge. I reacted to verbal cues and learned to defend from the guard with my eyes closed, and could even transition from mount to defending from guard to side control to full mount blindfolded while reciting Shakespeare. Exaggerations aside, I am now ten times the grappler I was last February. I feel like six months of training were packed into two days.

WOD

2011-05-19T17:15:00.003-04:00

...from yesterday.

Sadiv set: 300# for max reps in 12 minutes
30 reps completed

Push-ups: 10x20
Pull-ups: 10x8

The Sadiv set was awesome. We went at a particularly busy time for the gym which meant we saw a lot of people doing a lot of stuff that doesn't work particularly well. As Jamie of ChAoS & PAIN is wont to mention, average workouts will get you an average body. Want more? Give more when you train. Your body always repays its debts.

Arrakis. . .Dune. . .desert planet. Beginnings are such delicate times. Do you bring the Shortening of the Way? I'm something unexpected. Lisan al-Gaib! Kwisatz Haderach! More art like this can be found here.

WOD

2011-05-16T20:06:00.002-04:00

Today the subject of Captain America and other heroes came up. One peer professed the superiority of Thor over all comers due to his nigh-omnipotent powers of storm. Another agreed, stating that Steve Rogers was just "bulked up." I retaliated with logic, pointing out that Cap has the coordination of a gymnast, the power of an offensive lineman, and the focus of a martial artist, and before the super soldier serum he had none of these things. I then pointed out that Rogers has never appeared more bulky than any wide receiver in the NFL. This is because that's essentially what he is: fast, agile, strong, capable. He marshals the minds and hearts of the men near him and they achieve the objective before them without a thought of failure.

I squatted today for the first time in a while. My back feels great, and I found the groove that doesn't hurt my knee. It wasn't a lot of tonnage but it was good to get under the bar again.

Squat:
1x5 @ 135#, 1x5 @ 185#, 5x5 @ 225#
Press:
1x10 @ 105#, 1x6 @ 135#
Push press:
2x6 @ 155# 1x5 @ 160#, 165#, 170#
Pull-ups:
One set of eight between all pressing exercises, so 7x8 = 56

That was all, and it was good to get back into the rhythm of the iron.

WOD

2011-05-11T20:00:00.000-04:00

Bravestarr and his sidekick Thirty-thirty. This show was awesome.

After a weekend in my wife's native Boonville we returned and rested for a few days. Her schedule hasn't allowed a workout since Saturday and I got sidetracked yesterday.

I made up for it today.

Deadlift: Sadiv set at 300#
30 reps completed in 12:00

Push press:
1x10 @ 95#, 1x8 @ 135#, 5x5 @ 155#
Pull-ups: 8x8 @ bodyweight

The Sadiv set was pretty freakin' sweet, and my grip feels stronger than ever. On the last rep, if it comes late enough, I hold the bar until the timer goes off, which can be from 10-20 seconds. At 300# and even at 275# this was enough to strengthen my grip.

Rest day

2011-05-07T09:33:00.007-04:00

I figure since I spend so much time talking about movies I want to see that a review of one would be cool. This movie has been hinted at, whined about, and written off since its five-minute preview leaked at the end of last July. I saw it when it opened, as you might have guessed. Here's my plot summary and review, so beware: SPOILER ALERT!

The film opens on astrophysicist Jane Foster and her friends Dr. Erik Selvig and assistant Darcy (Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgaard, and Kat Dennings) as they are looking for some crazy atmospheric phenomenon that she's been tracking for some time. It arrives late, and then a big rainbow tube spits something that hits the ground, and they hit it: it's a disoriented blonde man and he's asking for a hammer.

What we find out is that an alien race calling themselves Asgardians has achieved such a paradisal state of balance between power and technology that they can wormhole their way around the galaxy and win wars by dint of their magical-seeming-technology and stance on injustice. Another race referred to as frost giants or Jotuns are from Jotunheim, a realm of ice and savagery, and they come to earth to plunder and conquer. Odin, leader of the Asgardians, has something to say about that, and drives the Jotuns back to their homeworld. He takes the source of their power and leaves, peace earned at the cost of blood.

King Laufey of the frost giants.

A few centuries into the future, because these people are seriously long-lived, and Odin's son Thor is almost ready to ascend the throne of Asgard as its king. The coronation is stopped when a group of frost giants evade the notice of Heimdall the guardian of the Bifrost (the rainbow bridge/wormhole maker) and try to steal a weapon from the armory. Thor is enraged; his brother Loki agrees that this breach is an act of war. Thor resolves to go to Jotunheim and look for answers with his friends, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and Sif. They barely escape with their lives but lacking any answers and Odin is beyond angry, and banishes Thor on Midgard. He whispers to the ensorcelled hammer Mjolnir that "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." The hammer follows its erstwhile owner to Earth.

So much like I hypothesized in August, Thor's journey was one to find worthiness, and as a plot, that's pretty compelling. But does it happen in the space of two days? No it doesn't. Oh wait. Yes it does. The largest flaw in this movie is that the plot doesn't give Thor enough time to learn to be worthy. So instead he learns it in the space of maybe 72 hours and sacrifices himself to save some humans, which pulls the hammer from its resting place in the desert and makes possible Thor's return to Asgard. Once there he learns that his father has fallen into the Odinsleep and Loki had sent the Destroyer to keep Thor from coming back.

ANOTHER EPIC BATTLE ENSUES, AND THE FATE OF ASGARD AND JOTUNHEIM HANG IN THE BALANCE! HAMMER AND SPEAR CLASH, THUNDER CRASHES AND THE LIGHTNING COMES DOWN! THE SONS OF ODIN GRAPPLE AND ONLY ONE CAN EMERGE THE VICTOR!

Well, you can probably guess how it ends, but one thing I didn't expect was for Thor to destroy the Bifrost to save Jotunheim. I guess he's a little worthy, kind of. Whatever.

The movie had several funny moments but for the most part it was a seriously-toned film. Director Kenneth Branagh has made a fantastic first film for this Avenger, despite having foisted some of the requisite depth onto him. The part of Loki was expertly played, and I truly appreciated the reserve Tom Hiddleston used portraying him. His deviousness is relegated to a few telling facial expressions rather than his comic-canon silver tongue in the first few scenes. And the final revealing scene after the credits was the most ambiguous one to date. I have no idea what it hinted at, and neither did my friend, who is more versed in comics lore than I'll ever be. I won't give that scene away but Nick Fury reappears. In all, don't go see it in 3D, but it's worth a viewing in the theater, just to see Mjolnir and Odin and Thor on the silver screen. This is a very well-crafted movie.

. . .and just kidding about the rest day.

We (meaning myself, KT and her brother henceforth referred to as B) headed to the Y after KT's former roommate and best friend KJ graduated. B is a runner by nature, but he has serious potential in the muscle department a la his parents, who are both genetic treasuries of awesome waiting to be mined. In any event he opted to stay on the elliptical, which meant more iron for me and the wife.

Deadlift:
1x8 @ 135#, 1x5 @ 225#, 1x5 @ 275#, 1x3 315#
1x3 @ 375#, 1x3 @ 415#, 1x5 @ 315#, 1x5 @ 295#
Press:
1x10 @ 95#, 1x10 @ 115#, 1x7 @ 135#
Push press:
1x5 @ 155#, 1x5 @ 160#, 1x5 @ 165#, 1x10 @ 135#
Pull-ups:
8x8 @ bodyweight

It was kinda righteous until I realized that the bars at the Y were even thicker than the ones at my gym. Balls. So what happened was not complete demolishment of my prior PRs, but maintenance of a prior one. Not all bad, but not all good, either. Tomorrow I will Sadiv set with 300# or maybe 305, if I feel froggy. I probably will feel froggy or resentful, so count on 305#.

WOD

2011-05-04T19:46:00.003-04:00

A very creative look at Thor vs. Hulk. I enjoy this picture very much.

Conditioning was the order of the day, but I did manage a few push- and pull-ups.

Push-ups:
5x20 @ bodyweight
Pull-ups:
5x10 @ bodyweight
Roll-outs:
5x10 @ bodyweight

Single-arm DB snatches (sets per arm):
1x3 @ 70#, 1x3 @ 75#, 8x3 @ 80#
1x3 @ 75#, 70#, 65#, 60#, and 55#

Seated DB press:
4x10 @ 40# DBs
Pull-ups:
4x10 @ bodyweight

WOD

2011-05-02T18:23:00.003-04:00

One of the most pants-pissingly terrifying things you can see if you're the leader of the terrorist organization that carried out the 9/11 attacks. Thank you, gentlemen and ladies of the armed forces, intelligence, and executive communities, for doing what needed to be done. Your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed and they will never be forgotten.

Deadlift, Sadiv set:
25 reps at 295# in 12 minutes

Press:
1x12 @ 75#, 1x10 @ 105#
DB push press:
1x10 @ 55#, 3x6 @ 70#, 1x15 @ 55#, 1x8 @ 55#

Pull-ups:
One set of at least eight between every set of presses, so 8x8 = 64 total reps

Ab wheel:
5x10 @ bodyweight

Great work today. I was really spoiling for a struggle after a weekend of laying around. My shoulders still protest at a weight over 100# and that's bothersome because I'm supposed to be a man, not a whinging hypocrite. So this week will see the correct template, with a low load/high volume day on Wednesday. This means single-arm DB snatches and large quantities of pull-ups and push-ups and roll-outs. Friday will feature 5-1RM training on the DL and push press.

WOD

2011-04-30T11:03:00.004-04:00

2011-04-06T17:28:00.004-04:00

A new post was made on the Conan movie blog about which REH stories the movie draws its main inspiration from. People actually took offense when the author of the blog said (frankly) that some stories were better than others. The Milius script from 1982 was mentioned...only for derisive purposes. The author of the script for the 2011 version didn't even look at it; why would he? Once the movie's writer showed up, people started making bones about the profusion of lower-body apparel this new Conan traipses around in. Someone (again derisively) brought up the work of comic book artist Cary Nord, who is responsible for the fantastic penciling of the latest Conan comic incarnations (see below).
This wardrobe, as you can see, is more like what we'll get in this year's film adaptation, and there's nothing wrong with that. I know Conan sashayed around in a loincloth and sandals (at most, except when he was in the jungle or wearing a crown), but seriously, there are worse things to make the guy wear. Like bear-fur briefs. Because that's what Arnie wore. By incorporating bits from several versions of this household character, the producers are ensuring that the widest audience finds the new film appealing, and goes to see it. The same people who want to see "Hour of the Dragon" (a stilted, heavy tale, to be sure) on the silver screen whine about their $5 seats at baseball games. Shut up and enjoy yourselves. Why go to the stadium if you're gonna moan for the whole game?

Deadlift:
1x5 @ 135#, 1x5 @ 225#, 1x3 @ 275#, 1x3 @ 315#
1x2 @ 375#, 1x2 @ 415#, 2x2 @ 405#, 1x5 @ 315#

Kroc row (each arm):
1x10 @ 45#, 2x15 @ 85#

Ab wheel roll-outs from the knees (ROFTK):
5x10 @ bodyweight

Deadlifting kicked my pansy butt today. I almost tore my right bicep pulling on the second rep of 415# (okay, exaggerating, but not much) and really had to rally my mental forces for the next two sets. The long and short: I took too long between work outs, and guess what? My right hand was the weaker for this session. Look for more grip work EVERY DAY leading up to NAGA Georgia this July 9th.