Random Thought

I think I've realized part of what makes people enjoy life is actually using their brain. Many will claim that they simply want to relax and not have to put much mental energy into things, but honestly, I think that's the exact opposite of what they really want. Now, this is admittedly a bit of an N=1 study, so take it for what it's worth, but many of the people I know who are unhappy with their jobs, and almost by extension, their lives, work in jobs that are almost unskilled labor. Before I go any further, this doesn't mean these people are unskilled or dumb. Quite the opposite, which is why I think it is such an issue for them. The job may require quite a bit of training, possibly even a degree or 2, but in the end, it is a job where the requirements are pretty plainly outlined - they get orders, follow the steps, and spit out the product. They have nowhere to think outside the box, because the box has been very clearly created for them. Do not deviate from the plan. Because of that, while their brain does have to work to remember the steps and what to do, the brain is not having new thoughts. It is simply a re-hashing of old ones. There is no creativity, no place for coming up with something new. Even trying to generate new strategies can be met with resistance, and as such, things continue along, in a "production line" fashion.
Unless they switch careers or find an outlet for this creativity, these people will forever be unhappy. I've never thought of myself as an overly creative person in the classic sense of creating art or writing fiction books. Those things just don't really happen for me, as I tend to be a more science and math-oriented person - I work well off facts, and being creative within that framework. Don't misunderstand - there are others in my field far more creative than myself. And with more understanding will come more creativity, I am sure. But the fact that I even have that leeway, I think, contributes to my overall well-being.

Training Log

Military press - 135 - 6x3, 1x10


Felt like hot garbage yesterday, through nobody's fault but my own. Slept in later than I wanted, decided I wasn't going to eat before lifting, which wouldn't have been so bad, except by the time I got around to lifting I was starving, so I went and got some breakfast pizza, let that settle, then went at it. Again, it's what I get for being a dipshit.


Onto another rant, though.


Why the fuck do people surround themselves with negativity? Everything they watch, everything they read, the way they talk and act - it's all centered around negativity. And then these same people will decry that the world is out to get them, that nothing good could ever possibly happen to them. And if you present them with an alternate option? A chance to change things? Nope, can't be done. All is shit. The world hates them.


Fuck them. I leave them in my dust. People are sometimes awed by how positive I am about things. I have my moments of negativity, don't get me wrong. But I CHOOSE to surround myself with positivity. The people I read, the things I watch, the things I listen to. Doesn't mean I avoid reality, or anything with an alternate view. But when you really step back, you realize that it really is all about framing. How you choose to view the things that happen to you.


You can accept them as a never-ending current of shit that will constantly be hitting you in the face as you swim up the stream of life, or you can see it for what it is - the inevitable difficulties that will come your way in an otherwise pretty damn good life. Another hurdle with the opportunity for overcoming and growing. Or you can piss and moan some more. Just don't do it around me.

Training Log

Felt like hot garbage yesterday by the time I finally lifted


Power cleans - 165 - 12x2, 1 min b/w
Deadlift - 315 - 6x3, 1x6


No assistance work.


Yet another reason the US needs to get good at Olympic lifting again - so they put the shit on TV. NBC's coverage of it is pretty much nonexistent, which fucking blows. I can watch it online I'm guessing, but that will also require me to find a really good internet connection at what I'm assuming will be some odd hours.

Training Log

Bench Press yesterday

250 - 6x3, 1x8

Did Yates Rows & Tricep pushdowns - only 2x10 each

Bicep is still pretty fucked up, so between the pain from that and the fact that I was tired as hell, I had no ambition to push hard on, well, anything. Cut the assistance work off and said fuck it. Hopefully continued Graston and ART work will get this fucking thing healed.

Do you know anyone with the "it's just my luck" syndrome? Might be the most annoying Goddamn thing in the world. You know, the people who, whenever something bad happens will be sure to say, without fail, that it's "just their luck." Really? You have a steady job, a family, a house, and yet bad shit just can't help but happen to you? Give me a fucking break. There are plenty of things to get down about in the world - a few shitty things happening to you at work or in your life aren't worthy of it. "Whoa is me, everything isn't going exactly as I had hoped and I'm having to put up with a little bit of shit being flung my way, boo hoo." It's a hell of a lot better than being forced to sit in a latrine. I know and am sure there have been times in my past I've been guilty of this, but one of the beautiful things about getting older is we (hopefully) mature and learn. And one of the things we learn is that things that are relatively shitty are going to happen to us. But we also learn that this doesn't mean that they always happen to us. And that should give you a lot of hope, not pull you down.

Training Log

Decided to go right ahead without deloading this week, because I still feel pretty good and want to attack the weights - so I did.


Squat - 250 - 6x3, 1x6
Power snatch - worked up to 195 (PR!)
Single-leg RDL - 35 - 3x6
Kneeling Band Crunches - 3x12


And then, of course, I didn't sleep worth a shit last night, so right back to the issue of little sleep...oh well.


Of course, the big news of yesterday was the Penn State punishment handed down by the NCAA. While it is, overall, a bit of a complex topic, my thoughts are pretty simple. I think Penn State got all it deserved, and the NCAA is doing all it can not to actually punish the current players by allowing them to transfer, penalty free, at any point in the next few years. For those who are mad that it punishes the current players, I disagree, for 2 main reasons:


1. If they chose Penn State due to its academics (I realize this might be, maybe, 1 guy?), nothing changes. They are getting a free education that is at a very good school.


2. If they chose Penn State due to its football program or coaching staff (particularly the old staff), they can leave with no penalty, so they can find another football situation that fits the bill.


If they are worried about going too far from home, there are schools like Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, and a few in Ohio that I can't imagine aren't too far away (I'm not real familiar with the geography of that area). It's certainly a sad situation all around, and a friend of my brother's is actually a coach there under the new staff, so I definitely feel for him. But at the end of the day, it's just football, and there are still a lot of people getting paid decent money and a lot of kids who get a free education for playing. None of that changes.


But a lot of the people close to the situation - namely PSU fans - that are decrying this are, in my opinion, simply too close to the situation. They can't grasp the enormity of it. They feel like they already did what they needed to, they are on their own healing path, they've cleared out everyone who was in any way tied to what happened...but it's not enough. It was a culture that was supportive of all of it, and that has to change to a certain extent. As a Iowa fan and UNI graduate and fan, I would really like to think that if something like this came out, I would have the balls to not support them. And to a certain extent, I think that was the case with Iowa basketball and the Pierre Pierce rape case a few years back. But, it's apples and oranges, and a far smaller scale.


In any event, it's a case where there simply are no winners, and Penn State will struggle for a loooong time, unless Bill O'Brien is the right man for the job, in which case he hangs around for a few decades, and gets them back to respectability.

Training Log

Last week to week and a half have been shit for sleep, so I was thinking of taking a week or so off, but the last couple nights I've been diligent about getting to bed early, and I'm feeling good, so I'm going to start up the last 3 week cycle this week to finish strong. I was thinking about waiting until Wednesday or so, but since I'm feeling good, I'll just plow ahead. It's kind of amazing to me to even think that way - probably as recently as a year ago, I don't think I mentally could have gotten past the roadblock of not starting a training week on a Monday. Ah, stupidity. 
In any event, did some conditioning on Saturday. I haven't been doing much outside of playing basketball on Tuesday nights and very occasionally running sprints. So I decided to try the Jim Wendler conditioning test - basically, he says he wants to always be "in shape" enough that he can do 10 40-yard prowler pushes, with a 45 on each handle, with 1 minute rest between sprints. Well, it sure as shit wasn't easy, but I did it somehow. I can also honestly say performance didn't decline much, as pretty much every sprint was right around 10 seconds.
It was, honestly, as much a mental exercise as physical. I watched a video Friday that was a speech delivered by a Navy SEAL to the Oakland Raiders from about 8 years ago. In it, he talks about when he was going through the training, they have a saying that goes something to the effect of, "If I have a beat in my heart, I'm not dead, and if I have a thought running through my head, I can't think to quit." I'm sure I butchered that, but he also notes that it was to long to think of during training, so he shortened it to "Not dead, Can't quit." This was, quite literally what was running through my head.


After 7 - wanted to quit, but couldn't
After 8 - same
After 9 - shit, you've made it this far, you better fucking finish


I say none of this to show I'm a badass - I'm sure as shit not. It's much more so to show that your mind is ridiculously powerful. I know that part of the reason I got through it was knowing that I only had 10 of them to do. So my mind did sort of wonder after - what if I had 20? Would I have made it? That may be a challenge for another day.
One last quote that I recall seeing recently went something like, "every day that you do not challenge yourself is a wasted day." Obviously this doesn't have to be physical, but as with everything, pushing our boundaries is where change and growth happen. Find a way to push your limits physically and mentally, and take the opportunity to grow.

Dark Knight Review

Went to the midnight premier of the Dark Knight Rises - totally worth it. Of course it was, for a few reasons:


A) It's fucking Batman
B) It's a damn good movie
C) It's fucking Batman - he's the best superhero of all time


Now, the argument can be made (and hell, maybe it's already been settled; I love me some Batman, but I'm not a huge comic book nerd) that he's not a superhero due to the fact that he doesn't have a superpower. I can get on board with this. So maybe just the greatest hero ever. I don't know.
In any event, due to my unabashed love of all things Batman, I will readily admit I'm not the most impartial observer. That said, I loved it. Bane was awesome - clearly he wasn't the character the Joker was in the first one, but there's no shame in that. He was creepy in a far different, yet still awesome way. He didn't look massive, but good camera work also made him appear slightly larger than he really is, which added to his mystique. I never thought much of Anne Hathaway before this (she's certainly not ugly, I just was pretty indifferent to her), but she looks damn sexy in this, so that was a plus as well - and light years better than Maggie fucking Gyllenhall. In the end, I highly recommend it if you've got the inclination to go, though at a 2:45 run time, don't plan to do much else for a while.

Training Log

Deadlift - 355x5


Fuck. Training has been going really well. Not necessarily hitting PR's, but making constant progress. Got the 5 I was required to get, but it wasn't pretty. All that said, it underscores the importance of taking care of your shit away from the gym - sleep & nutrition (both of which I have been doing a shit job with). I'll take a few days to get shitloads of sleep in, some light recovery work, and get back at it in a week.

Training Log

250x7 bench today


Bicep is still jacked up, but getting better. I feel like the pain may have cost me a rep or 2 on the back end, but no excuses. It'll get better.


I really don't understand the infatuation with distance running. I get that it's a cheap way to get some activity in, but seriously, many people are actually too out of shape to run - they carry too much fat, are too weak, and have horrendous gaits. But it's been shoved down everyone's throats since God knows when that you must run in order to get in shape. All this of course failing to note that some diet tweaks combined with sound training would likely give even better results. The thing that really gets me is that, if you look at people who do marathons on any time of consistent basis, they look nearly emaciated. Apparently someone forgot to take note that the BMI charts that people like to roll out to show that being to heavy is detrimental to health, also show that being underweight is just as dangerous to mortality rate, if not moreso. So eat a fucking cow, lift weights, and maybe do some lighter running.

Training Log

Training is really going well. It honestly makes me look back at all the time spent dicking around not wanting to train wondering what the hell I was thinking, considering the progress I could have been making. Of course, it's important to remember that these things ebb and flow. As well as it's going now, there will be a time when I will need to "cruise," when the gains won't come as quickly. But for now, I have to use it to my advantage and keep pushing ahead.


Squat - 275x8
Snatch Pull - 185x2, 205x2x2


Then I remembered I didn't press on Saturday and needed to do that
Press - 150x7 or 8 (don't remember for sure)


Finished with:
1-leg, 1-arm RDL - 3x6/leg superset with
Ab wheel - 3x10

It's A Mindset

Seth Godin recently had a post with this as the title. He referenced an emergency room surgeon – it’s not just their job, it’s their mentality. You don’t need to waste time explaining to them they should improve their bedside manner, because it’s irrelevant to them – they are essentially a last resort. As usual, I was thinking about how it relates to fitness and life in general. So often we hear people say “I want to be thin,” or “healthy,” or whatever adjective they choose to use to describe their ideal. However, what they don’t realize is that, to make that last, it must be a mindset. Many people look at it in terms of 4 or 6 weeks here or there, or a part-time thing. The problem is, it has to be an all the time thing, particularly if you want it to define you.

As an aside - “Healthy” is a catch-all term that is going to mean entirely different things to different people. The problem is, “healthy” is not merely a disease-free state. It has much more to do with the interplay between the organs and various systems of the body. However, food companies know that people really have no clue what the term means, and will therefore promote anything and everything as “healthy” – yep, even that sugar-laden ice cream you’re so fond of. Because it’s fat free! But I digress.

We’ve become conditioned to think that buying that one magic pill or device, or doing that 6 week program will deliver us the body and life we want. The advertising tells us that by buying that magic supplement, we will get the body of our dreams, which will get us the job of our dreams, which will get us the life of our dreams. However, as all who get suckered in can attest, it doesn’t work that way. Health and fitness (and any aspect of your life, really) are multi-factorial. That is, there are many aspects that impact them. It’s not as simple as just going to the gym 3 days per week. Or every day for that matter. If your diet still sucks, you won’t lose weight. If you don’t teach yourself what decent food choices are, you’ll still eat like shit. If you don’t sleep enough or reduce stress, you’ll be compelled to eat tons of sugary shit. If you don’t plan and possibly prepare some of your meals ahead of time, you’ll be left with few choices (and almost no good ones) once it comes time to eat. And these are just a few of the obstacles. But by changing your mindset from “I need to start working out” to realizing that it isn’t as simple as changing one habit will do wonders. You must realize that it will be a constant grind to change your life and mindset to what it needs to be. No one is perfect. Everyone has things they want to change. But once you embrace that, and face that grind on a daily basis, it is very freeing. You can attack your weaknesses and get better. You realize that you have the power, if you’re willing to do the work. I know of no better feeling (OK, a few, but not many).

Keeping Up With Trends

I've always laughed a bit when I read or hear coaches and trainers talk about the need to "keep up with the trends in the industry" because they're always changing. But here's the thing - trends may change, but what actually works doesn't change all that much. Which is why chasing trends is about the dumbest thing you can do. This doesn't mean it's completely useless. Only partly. But chasing trends just leads to chasing your tail, because eventually, you'll come back around to where you started and realize that you just wasted a lot of time. And this doesn't just go for exercise or training - it applies to damn near anything.
Admittedly, I did this to an extent even a few years ago. Because when you don't fully understand the "why," it becomes easy to get suckered in by bullshit and marketing. But now, if I see something that challenges the way I do things, I look at it, figure out why it supposedly works, where it can fit in with what I'm doing, or if I need to really change my paradigm. And usually, I don't. Because the basics have been around for a long time for a reason, and gimmicks aren't.

KISS

Yesterday was squat day:


Squats - 250, 3x5, 1x8
Snatch Pulls - 3x2 (I think) @ 185
Single-leg RDL - 16 kg KB, 3x6/leg
Kneeling Band Crunches - 3x15


"The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity." -Bruce Lee


We have a tendency to complicate things, thinking that things can't possibly be as easy or simple as we think.  What Bruce Lee is saying is that, the more you learn, the more you realize that it really is about doing the most basic, simple things well and on a consistent basis. He also talks about the fact that he would rather face a man who has practiced 1000 different kicks 1 time each than 1 kick 1000 times. Perfecting something will always bring greater results than trying to be a jack of all trades. Becoming a master requires so much time and attention to detail that many people almost unconsciously refuse to do it. But it's the price to be paid. Cut out the useless shit, and stick to the simple things, and you will be surprised by what happens, methinks.

Fight Predictions

Just figured I would do some fight predictions for today's blog. UFC 148 is tonight, and to be honest I don't even remember who all is fighting. But in the co-main event, it's Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz 3. This one will probably come down to which guy gives more of a shit. It's Tito's last fight, so you would think it will be him, but Forrest is also the better fighter, IMO. Unfortunately, he also just had a kid and hasn't really looked as into it lately. I'll guess Tito goes out on top with a UD, but would not be shocked if Forrest gets it done. In the main event, I think it's pretty straight forward. Anderson by destruction.

Training Log & Sleep

Haven't posted the last few, and I don't remember exactly what I've posted in regards to training, so I'll keep it short and sweet:


Main lifts only -
Monday - squat - 225, 4x5, 1x10
Wednesday - bench - 205, 4x5, 1x10
Friday - dead - 295, 4x5, 1x8


Everyone should know (though I realize they don't) that sleep is, literally, the best recovery system we have. As such, I continually stress to my athletes and everyone else the importance of getting good sleep. Of course - spoiler alert - I don't always take my own advice. For about a week straight, I was sleeping maybe 5 hours per night, burning the candle at both ends. In acute situations (generally a few days at a time, a week max), I can function pretty well in this state, and sometimes even thrive, as I'm sometimes extremely focused. But yesterday, I finally hit my breaking point as I was feeling like dogshit. Combined with the heat and humidity, I was just a grumpy fuck. BUT, toward the end of the day, I became mindful (mindfulness people! I've talked about this!) of my state, and made a conscious decision to change it. I also vowed to get a good night's sleep. I was in bed at 9, woke up at 4:30 feeling like a new man. Even one night of solid sleep can do wonders, but imagine what stacking many nights on top of one another will do.

Who Gives A Fuck?

This morning, while getting ready to head out the door, my mother-in-law had the radio turned to whatever the "hit music station" is in the area, and the jockeys were discussing the divorce of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. All I could think to myself is, "who gives a fuck?" Seriously, why does anyone give a shit what celebrities do? I know everyone hates their life, so they feel better picking apart the lives of others, but good lord, go do something noteworthy rather than paying attention to what others are doing.

Expect More From Yourself

“If you place a small value on yourself, rest assured the world will not raise your price.”

You have to expect more from yourself than anyone else can or would. By and large, that's what we suffer from as a country. We constantly expect others to prop us up, to do the work for us. I know, I suffered from it too, for quite some time. But eventually, you realize, if you truly want something, you have to be the one to do it. But if you don't expect big things from yourself, hold yourself to a higher standard, you can believe that no one else will, either. Start expecting those bigger things from yourself and you might be shocked at what you can accomplish.