Tuesday, June 8, 2010
More Than One Could Ask
To understand. To have it all and need nothing. To turn out the lights and have the time of my life. To revel. To believe. To laugh hard, even when it's a bad joke about a savage Oriental. To Live without darkness in the heart. To fail again and again at giving up vices. To live with it. To know there isn't anything. To know the universe is indifferent. To know that no one has the answers except William S. Burroughs who said no one has the answers. To read William Gibson. To realize that the future won't wait. To heed the call. To crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women. To love. To love. To love.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Your Kung Fu is Weak Because Kung Fu is Weak
Originally envisioned, this blog was a place to record what I hoped would be the movement towards some sort of satori. Physical exercise would be, I hoped, the catalyst to a greater discipline. The greater discipline would lead to a more ordered life.
I've tried pretty much everything now. All sorts of martial arts, workout plans, Crossfit, rock climbing, running, powerlifting, etc. I am an athletic dilettante.
I find over and over that I am often turned off by the culture surrounding a particular activity; yoga too blissed, Crossfit to aggro, MMA too retarded. My last foray into martial arts, one day of Wing Chun Kung Fu, was perhaps the saddest. A room full of dorks and overweight old men twisting their wrists hundreds of times while standing in a knee shearing position just isn't my idea of useful, cool, or effective.
What I want is a forward looking full body regimen that is essentially modern and American, has practical effect in the world, and will provide an hour of thought crushing physical exertion.
Any ideas?
I've tried pretty much everything now. All sorts of martial arts, workout plans, Crossfit, rock climbing, running, powerlifting, etc. I am an athletic dilettante.
I find over and over that I am often turned off by the culture surrounding a particular activity; yoga too blissed, Crossfit to aggro, MMA too retarded. My last foray into martial arts, one day of Wing Chun Kung Fu, was perhaps the saddest. A room full of dorks and overweight old men twisting their wrists hundreds of times while standing in a knee shearing position just isn't my idea of useful, cool, or effective.
What I want is a forward looking full body regimen that is essentially modern and American, has practical effect in the world, and will provide an hour of thought crushing physical exertion.
Any ideas?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Strong Lifts 5x5
Yesterday was day 1 of Strong Lifts 5x5 program. Switching from three working sets to five working sets reveals how quickly a body adapts to a specific regimen. Before a crushing case of lazy ass set in, I was moving along quite well with the 3x3 Starting Strength shit.
Strong Lifts is essentially as simple as Starting Strength. I would say it is a little less rotational, meaning each of the two workouts are basically full body, but the internets praise it and I'm trying it.
There isn't really any reason for changing to this plan. I like it because it is simple and fast. Three days a week with about an hour in the gym. I started with a pretty light weight (155 lbs. for squats and 50 lb. dumbbells for bench) yet today I am crazy sore.
The bummer about my gym is that it's so far away. 20 minutes by motorcycle. Almost an hour to get there and back if you include changing out of my biker gear. I think if I could walk to the gym in my workout clothes I'd be more consistent. Unfortunately no other gym is outfitted as well or has the yoga classes I like.
Wish I had the room for a squat rack.
Strong Lifts is essentially as simple as Starting Strength. I would say it is a little less rotational, meaning each of the two workouts are basically full body, but the internets praise it and I'm trying it.
There isn't really any reason for changing to this plan. I like it because it is simple and fast. Three days a week with about an hour in the gym. I started with a pretty light weight (155 lbs. for squats and 50 lb. dumbbells for bench) yet today I am crazy sore.
The bummer about my gym is that it's so far away. 20 minutes by motorcycle. Almost an hour to get there and back if you include changing out of my biker gear. I think if I could walk to the gym in my workout clothes I'd be more consistent. Unfortunately no other gym is outfitted as well or has the yoga classes I like.
Wish I had the room for a squat rack.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Bear-Fit
I love the 70s Big site. Especially in the context of web 2.0 tribalism. Their program and food philosophy does exactly what it's supposed to do, make you big and strong. Fat maybe, but if you've got a big ass beard it doesn't really matter. Lift heavy and drink a ton of milk. I have tried it and can attest that no regimen I have ever done worked as quickly at it's claimed effect than this.
Beards and muscles rule, okay?
Speaking of beards and muscles, I worked at the Castro Market today and the whole god damn scene is like a 70s Big wet dream. Big muscled/fat dudes with facial hair, shorts, and tight 70s t-shirts abound in the Castro. Out here in San Francisco we call them Bears. They're sort of a staple around here. 70s Big should be renamed Bear-Fit.
I think 70s Big just might be unaware of how homoerotic it is. I mean, eating, hanging out with other hairy dudes and picking heavy iron off the ground is as manly as it gets, right? Sure. But look around at the places where guys like this hang out and you realize...They're gay.
Yesterday I found myself in a yoga class. Yeah, yeah. I know. There is no other pursuit as unmanly and indicative of the dreaded 90s Small physique as Yoga. But as I looked around at the incredibly well sculpted abs and asses of the rock climber yogis all around me I was filled with joy. One particular thong right in front of me was just magnificent.
Now what's a dude like me to do? I like lifting weights and I like yoga. I also like rock climbing. Fortunately my gym has all three of these things, so I don't have to go get all retarded joining a million gyms. Now all I need is some sort of program. And here it is:
Wendler 5/3/1 on one day and Yoga on alternating days. Repeat indefinitely. My plan is to maintain the 3 day Wendler schedule (M,W,F) and get the Yoga classes in the rest of the days. I don't plan on keeping a specific rest day. They just seem to come naturally.
The Wendler lifting is basically a single lift worked up to maximal loads (kind of like a 5X5) of the big four lifts (squat, deadlift, benchpress, press) and then two more "assisting" exercises that are decided on by the lifter. Usually the program calls for something variant on the main lift like incline dumbell presses on bench days, but sometimes it calls for an opposite. Basically if you do a push you might want to do a pull; bench and row, as an example.
Conditioning is achieved by hill sprints.
To make it more in line with climbing, the assists I plan to use are hard traverses, frenches, plenty of pullups, and isometric holds. It boils down to 20 minutes or so of lifting and then climbing/bouldering for about 45 minutes.
Conditioning will be achieved by bouldering circuits and occasional hill sprints. No runs of over 3 miles at all.
Today I did the program start benching, dumbell french rows (something I think I made up, basically like frenching where you hold the pullup at various angles for a few seconds, but with a weight), warmed up on a circuit of V0s, and did Planet Granite's ironically named "warmup traverse". I couldn't make it all the way in one continuous attempt so I rested where I fell and continued from the last hold.
I don't anticipate getting really large with this strategy, but I do think I will be very strong. My goal for this is to be around 155 and about 15% stronger than I was at 160 with a good improvement in climbing. After eight weeks of this I want to be able to climb at least a V4.
Nutrition will be dictated by finances and availability of food at the farmer's markets. The expense of getting to 160 lbs was a lot to maintain over a long period of time. I would rather keep food quality high and supplementation low this time around. Being a caveman is really fucking expensive.
I'm not sure at all what effect the Yoga will have other than on my libido. God I love Yoga asses.
Beards and muscles rule, okay?
Speaking of beards and muscles, I worked at the Castro Market today and the whole god damn scene is like a 70s Big wet dream. Big muscled/fat dudes with facial hair, shorts, and tight 70s t-shirts abound in the Castro. Out here in San Francisco we call them Bears. They're sort of a staple around here. 70s Big should be renamed Bear-Fit.
I think 70s Big just might be unaware of how homoerotic it is. I mean, eating, hanging out with other hairy dudes and picking heavy iron off the ground is as manly as it gets, right? Sure. But look around at the places where guys like this hang out and you realize...They're gay.
Yesterday I found myself in a yoga class. Yeah, yeah. I know. There is no other pursuit as unmanly and indicative of the dreaded 90s Small physique as Yoga. But as I looked around at the incredibly well sculpted abs and asses of the rock climber yogis all around me I was filled with joy. One particular thong right in front of me was just magnificent.
Now what's a dude like me to do? I like lifting weights and I like yoga. I also like rock climbing. Fortunately my gym has all three of these things, so I don't have to go get all retarded joining a million gyms. Now all I need is some sort of program. And here it is:
Wendler 5/3/1 on one day and Yoga on alternating days. Repeat indefinitely. My plan is to maintain the 3 day Wendler schedule (M,W,F) and get the Yoga classes in the rest of the days. I don't plan on keeping a specific rest day. They just seem to come naturally.
The Wendler lifting is basically a single lift worked up to maximal loads (kind of like a 5X5) of the big four lifts (squat, deadlift, benchpress, press) and then two more "assisting" exercises that are decided on by the lifter. Usually the program calls for something variant on the main lift like incline dumbell presses on bench days, but sometimes it calls for an opposite. Basically if you do a push you might want to do a pull; bench and row, as an example.
Conditioning is achieved by hill sprints.
To make it more in line with climbing, the assists I plan to use are hard traverses, frenches, plenty of pullups, and isometric holds. It boils down to 20 minutes or so of lifting and then climbing/bouldering for about 45 minutes.
Conditioning will be achieved by bouldering circuits and occasional hill sprints. No runs of over 3 miles at all.
Today I did the program start benching, dumbell french rows (something I think I made up, basically like frenching where you hold the pullup at various angles for a few seconds, but with a weight), warmed up on a circuit of V0s, and did Planet Granite's ironically named "warmup traverse". I couldn't make it all the way in one continuous attempt so I rested where I fell and continued from the last hold.
I don't anticipate getting really large with this strategy, but I do think I will be very strong. My goal for this is to be around 155 and about 15% stronger than I was at 160 with a good improvement in climbing. After eight weeks of this I want to be able to climb at least a V4.
Nutrition will be dictated by finances and availability of food at the farmer's markets. The expense of getting to 160 lbs was a lot to maintain over a long period of time. I would rather keep food quality high and supplementation low this time around. Being a caveman is really fucking expensive.
I'm not sure at all what effect the Yoga will have other than on my libido. God I love Yoga asses.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Blogs a Plenty
I've come across some really great blogs lately. Of them, my favorite is D&D With Pornstars. It is basically what you'd imagine; Dungeons and Dragons played with pornstars. While it's not exactly work and family safe the vast majority of the focus is on actual gaming, which I haven't done in nearly 15 years.
One of the reasons I really like this site is that is exegetic in nature. It is about how to make a better story and how to enjoy the people you make that story with. The writing is excellent and the porn thing is handled so lightly that the effect is to normalize it as a career. The odd thing here is that D&D is being played by adults, not that there are pornstars.
I'll admit to being a little jealous of these guys. I wonder what sort of amazing stories I could've come up with if I had matured as I played. Would I have been a really amazing DM? I have friends that never stopped playing RPGs and I often regret the distance I have between them now. They were all really good, funny people drawn together by a creative endeavor. Most of my friends now are bar staff, which is a bit like hanging out with salty old pirates (in a bad way).
I am also forced to re-examine my relationship with narrative creation. I grew up not writing short stories or novels, but games. I had literally dozens of notebooks filled with maps and characters and storylines and whatnot. Whenever I sit down to write a story now I often think about the reader's reaction (even while blogging) and how it will effect them in the real world. How many people went vagabonding after reading On The Road? How many drugs were consumed after reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
This is a habit formed from playing games with small groups and writing to small audiences (Jerry, Chris, this means you). In the old days you could never conceive of a game being extremely large. the closest thing you got to that was some gay LARP action. For some reason I never liked the live action stuff as much as the table top stuff.
I've also been reading The Hacker Manifesto by McKenzie Wark. So far it's not about computers so much as a class struggle between those that create and those that seek to profit from those creations. It pairs very well with my rekindled interest in multi-person narrative methods and I'll hopefully be able to write something more intelligent about the two as I finish the book.
Another book I've been reading is Tribes by Seth Godin. It's one of those books that they make hopeless business school dorks struggling up the corporate ladder read to try and make them "think outside the box". Like The Tipping Point or something. Basically it advances a moderately interesting thesis and seeks to back it up with largely non -replicable examples. The one or two of my remaining Crossfit friends will be interested to note that Crossfit is actually profiled.
The thesis is basically that the future of business/social groups/etc. are smaller tribal systems organized around bold and interesting leadership capable of producing a new idea and growing a community around it while utilizing emerging communications technology
. Interesting enough, but it could've been a twelve page research paper. It fails to address what happens when that group is no longer the newest and boldest or what to do when leadership betrays the most loyal members for the sake of profit (I'm looking at you Crossfit). Presumably you just have to come up with a new idea and run with it.
Philosophical Anarchists will be familiar with the idea that small, autonomous groups work better, but most of the really good Anarchist thought was written way before global economies and Facebook. What now? This is where I believe the Hacker Ethos comes into play. I mean Hacker in the way that I believe McKenzie Wark seems to define it: someone that forges a new creative direction that drives narrative and progress without the permission of controlling interests. Not Angelina Jolie waxing poetic about a 28 baud modem or some shit.
One of the reasons I really like this site is that is exegetic in nature. It is about how to make a better story and how to enjoy the people you make that story with. The writing is excellent and the porn thing is handled so lightly that the effect is to normalize it as a career. The odd thing here is that D&D is being played by adults, not that there are pornstars.
I'll admit to being a little jealous of these guys. I wonder what sort of amazing stories I could've come up with if I had matured as I played. Would I have been a really amazing DM? I have friends that never stopped playing RPGs and I often regret the distance I have between them now. They were all really good, funny people drawn together by a creative endeavor. Most of my friends now are bar staff, which is a bit like hanging out with salty old pirates (in a bad way).
I am also forced to re-examine my relationship with narrative creation. I grew up not writing short stories or novels, but games. I had literally dozens of notebooks filled with maps and characters and storylines and whatnot. Whenever I sit down to write a story now I often think about the reader's reaction (even while blogging) and how it will effect them in the real world. How many people went vagabonding after reading On The Road? How many drugs were consumed after reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
This is a habit formed from playing games with small groups and writing to small audiences (Jerry, Chris, this means you). In the old days you could never conceive of a game being extremely large. the closest thing you got to that was some gay LARP action. For some reason I never liked the live action stuff as much as the table top stuff.
I've also been reading The Hacker Manifesto by McKenzie Wark. So far it's not about computers so much as a class struggle between those that create and those that seek to profit from those creations. It pairs very well with my rekindled interest in multi-person narrative methods and I'll hopefully be able to write something more intelligent about the two as I finish the book.
Another book I've been reading is Tribes by Seth Godin. It's one of those books that they make hopeless business school dorks struggling up the corporate ladder read to try and make them "think outside the box". Like The Tipping Point or something. Basically it advances a moderately interesting thesis and seeks to back it up with largely non -replicable examples. The one or two of my remaining Crossfit friends will be interested to note that Crossfit is actually profiled.
The thesis is basically that the future of business/social groups/etc. are smaller tribal systems organized around bold and interesting leadership capable of producing a new idea and growing a community around it while utilizing emerging communications technology
. Interesting enough, but it could've been a twelve page research paper. It fails to address what happens when that group is no longer the newest and boldest or what to do when leadership betrays the most loyal members for the sake of profit (I'm looking at you Crossfit). Presumably you just have to come up with a new idea and run with it.
Philosophical Anarchists will be familiar with the idea that small, autonomous groups work better, but most of the really good Anarchist thought was written way before global economies and Facebook. What now? This is where I believe the Hacker Ethos comes into play. I mean Hacker in the way that I believe McKenzie Wark seems to define it: someone that forges a new creative direction that drives narrative and progress without the permission of controlling interests. Not Angelina Jolie waxing poetic about a 28 baud modem or some shit.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Die Young as Late as Possible
Career choices were never my strong suit. Despite having nearly zero musical ability I still hold on to the fantasy that one day I will lead a revival of the Outlaw Country sound. I imagine myself to be someone Merle Haggard would've passed the torch too.
This is clearly insane, but not nearly as tragic as the legions of sad bastards that have just enough talent to convince themselves that they are going to make it. How terrible a curse be the three chord lure of fame.
As I've already stated, I have no chance of becoming musical. I'm like Ritchie Tennenbaum; I never developed as an artist (though not of the type that paints creepy portraits of a sister).
The dark clouds of Law School have been gathering for some time and I believe nothing short of a miracle will disperse them. It wouldn't be a bad life. It could even be fun. I have this imaginary scenario in my head where I only do DUIs and divorces. My card wold say either "Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts" or "Specializing in tearing apart what only got can craft" (sort of a biblical reference). I also think making a criminal defense card that looks like the "Get out of Jail For Free" card from Monopoly would be mildly hilarious. Maybe instead of free it would have my hourly rate.
In other news, my wife is out of town, leaving me to my own devices which basically means marathon viewing of The Wire and late night meat cooking. Right now I've got a buffalo stew simmering in old wine from the bar I work at. When she's not around I guess I'm even more boring than usual.
This is clearly insane, but not nearly as tragic as the legions of sad bastards that have just enough talent to convince themselves that they are going to make it. How terrible a curse be the three chord lure of fame.
As I've already stated, I have no chance of becoming musical. I'm like Ritchie Tennenbaum; I never developed as an artist (though not of the type that paints creepy portraits of a sister).
The dark clouds of Law School have been gathering for some time and I believe nothing short of a miracle will disperse them. It wouldn't be a bad life. It could even be fun. I have this imaginary scenario in my head where I only do DUIs and divorces. My card wold say either "Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts" or "Specializing in tearing apart what only got can craft" (sort of a biblical reference). I also think making a criminal defense card that looks like the "Get out of Jail For Free" card from Monopoly would be mildly hilarious. Maybe instead of free it would have my hourly rate.
In other news, my wife is out of town, leaving me to my own devices which basically means marathon viewing of The Wire and late night meat cooking. Right now I've got a buffalo stew simmering in old wine from the bar I work at. When she's not around I guess I'm even more boring than usual.
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