I have been seeing an alarming trend, of late. People come across my blog several ways, not the least of which is a Google search. Here's a list of things people have searched to end up here:
My fucking back hurts
how to deadlift
Alexis Texas
my back hurts from fucking
deadlifts
i overdid it on deadlifts
Darth Revan
The clear point to most of these searches is that people most likely used a fuck load of effort to achieve whatever it is they were going for--at least for most of the search terms.
Arielle and I were watching Revenge of the Sith the other day, and she made a point that Jedi always used the minimal effective amount of effort to achieve their task, and that the Sith used great efforts. This was particularly true when Darth Sidious uses his force lighting and Yoda absorbs and redirects it, also in Episode 2, Count Dooku uses his force lightning and Obi-Wan Kenobi effortlessly absorbs it into his lightsaber. In fact, the effort it takes to wield force lightning becomes so great that it can deform and burn the user (as is the case with Darth Sidious).
I also found out that Frankie uses this as a teaching model as well, and will guide his students to train like the Jedi.
So, how does one train like a Jedi? It is very simple.
First, test your movements. Here's how:
That's me from two years ago. The same basic principles still apply. Substitute any exercise instead of a plate curl, and test.
After you find the movements you want to do, test the variations. One variation might yield a better test. Variations include, but are not limited to, stances, implements, and grips.
Third, test your rest periods. After you do a set, and you are resting, do your ROM test and if it is a good test (you moved a lot of checkers, to use the same terminology in the video) practice your movement some more.
Important things to consider: do not squeeze out one more rep, do not do things to the detriment of your form, and do not move through pain. Be aware of your speed, your tension, your form and your form you use when you perform your gym movements. If you slow down, your form detoriorates and/or you start to use more tension, calm the fuck down and stop. If you ignore this, you will reach failure, pain and (hopefully not) damage. Stop well before failure, and if you can help it, stop at loss of speed. The strain is not worth it. Physiologically, or psychologically.
You will love to fight another day, and things that don't often test well, will test well and your limits will be expanded.
To be a Sith, ignore this advice at your own discretion. But remember the cost of being a Sith--betrayal from your apprentices, losing limbs, and dying. All associated with more effort (and with them, a lot of arrogance).
When did leading an active lifestyle become so fucking hard? Barring cases of being dead, paralyzed, maimed or cryogenically frozen in carbonite there are no real good reasons not to be active. I don't mean going to the gymnasium, necessarily. You can literally do any activity you want. Movement co founder Craig Keaton and his wife go out and play or jump and walls and stuff and seem to have a good time doing so.
In fact--and this is really great if you have children--you can go to a playground and play on the monkey bars, the sliding polls, the jungle gym, etc. You can even sprint, if you are into that sort of thing.
If you have friends, instead of opting for lifting all the time, you can engage in sporting activities. Recently, I have begun playing racquetball again which is far more exciting than powerlifting (which I still do) and involves way more movement that I don't get out of lifting, or Jiu-Jitsu--namely all the footwork and the eye-hand coordination along with a better grasp of mathematical angles.
If you don't have friends, make some.
If you have kids, consider them your friends until they start rebelling and resenting you. If they see you regaining lost function and being active, they will most likely follow suit and lead active lifestyles growing up. They might resent you less, too. If you sit around with your hands on your balls watching Law and Order repeats, they'll likely grow up the same way. You are their biggest influence for at least the first 13 years of their life, at which point they start hanging around with other idiots their age and doing dumb shit and getting trouble into school.
Plus, if you engage in activities the majority of the time compared to gym movements, you might get a lot of good socialization out of it, as will your children.
If you have a job that requires you to work a lot of hours, and you fall into the category of people who make excuses as to why you aren't active (specifically using your job as that crutch) evaluate your current situation in life, and proceed how you see fit. The direction allowing for more movement will likely make you happier, physically at the very minimum.
If you're in school and you throw away your whole active lifestyle the moment it's time for finals, evaluate how you learn/study. Likely, if you are in college, you spend a lot of time fucking around, when you could be looking for better ways of learning that are specific to you. (I graduated. I fucked around a lot in college, never studied, and still made it out above C level).
Above all, do some other shit so as to move in new directions. You'll likely get better at your goals, and you won't "plateau." This can be any kind of movement. Study something new, do a new sport, write differently, watch new movies, or what have you. Then you will know the true meaning of "PR everyday."
I love May. Last year, Adam posed a challenge to Pick Shit Off The Floor Edvery Day in May. It is called PSOTFED. I intend to do this all 31 days in May. Anything counts. Kettlebell swings/snatches, Axle deadlifts, Pendlay Rows, Barbell Snatches, Rack pulls, Pinch Lifts, etc.
I don't give a shit what you do, as long as it falls in that criteria. You might have to be creative. Take a video. If you do something cool, or potentially useful or it makes you proud and you want to share, post it as a comment, email it, or post it here.
Make it fun, hit the PRs and notice your body comp improve. You'll be thankful.
The other day, I posted my latest post on my facebook page. (Go like it, if you have not). Some motherfucker asked what it had to do with death metal and/or deadlifting, then proceeded to call me a motherfucker. Fair enough. I rarely post about death metal, though I come from a land where it was once revered like the holy grail of all music, much like powerlifters tend to think three lifts are the holy grail of exercise. Consequently, those who fall into both camps stagnate.
Opeth: as innovative as Pink Floyd, Meshuggah and Iron Maiden
It's quite easy to make a comparison of death metal and deadlifting. Both appeal to a small minority of the general population, both are generally male dominated fields, and the practitioners of both seem to have deeply focused anger issues (though, in actuality this is not the case--many in both camps are genuine people and are very humble).
With such a fringe appeal, it's difficult to market either practice. If you have ever been to a powerlifting meet, it's fairly boring, from an excitement perspective and from a movement perspective. The psyching up and what not can be somewhat laughable, if you aren't used to it, and the same thing goes for a crowd of metalheads getting ready to mosh. If you have been to a death metal concert and have but a passing interest in the genre, you probably won't have a fucking clue as to what's going on, since the majority of bands don't do a lot in the way of theatrics--which is to be expected, since they have normal jobs and lack the budget to go as theatrical as a band like Pink Floyd can do. Moreover, you probably don't understand a word they are saying, unless you are a fan and have listened before.
With such an obvious lacking in the formula department, nothing catches on. It makes it less marketable. The one thing we notice in all art forms are thematic elements that repeat themselves that are communicated coherently. My favorite song has all of these, and consequently it is regarded as one of the best songs of all time.
In powerlifting, as well as metal, there are also ridiculous amounts of division. If you ask someone what metal is, the answer will be different, and the genre preference will be wide (death core, death metal, metal core, djent, grind core, black metal, symphonic epic metal, etc.). Compare this to powerlifting. There are so many federations in existence that it is almost becoming meaningless to set world records because someone is bound to do it sooner or later (though the all time records are a bit tougher to touch). With these divisions, it makes it even less appealing to the general public than it already is.
Combine all this with a lack of interest from the public (if I knew five years ago how to sell people in the death metal capital on the music I played, I would probably still be in a metal band) unless it is someone that established themselves 20 years ago, it makes it a seemingly godless endeavor.
I don't purport to know the full answers on how to make either of these avenues extremely marketable again, aside from assembling a loyal fan base. For lifting and metal, I think getting more women involved will probably help immensely. From what I have seen, colleagues are accepting of women in these two fringe areas than in other areas. (I'm sure sexism will still exist in both, but based on watching bands like Arch Enemy succeed, and athletes like Kara Bohigian, or Ronda Rousey do their thing, acceptance is more common, than it would be in both, since in all fringe events it seems like overall ability, at the end of the day, is key).
Angela is a far superior vocalist compared to the last guy singing for them.
So, there you have it. A few of my critiques on the entitled subjects.
Usually, I talk about stuff I do, as opposed to talking about myself. Since I don't get a lot of comments from the readership, I thought I would post several factoids about myself in an effort to let you all get to know me, and together we might share experiences with each other. That said, I'll make a list of ten things I find interesting about myself (though you may not).
I am neurotic when it comes to time. I never like to be late to things that have a formal start time. Concerts, movies, classes, work, plays, etc. If I am late to any of these types of events, I feel like I committed a moral failure on my end. This idiosyncrasy was so great that in 2006 Arielle and I (this was our first go round at dating) were driving to a show I was playing for the band I was in at the time, and we got there two hours early. The venue was empty with the exception of another musician I knew, so I immediately left Arielle alone to talk to my friend. It went something like this:
I was fairly poor growing up. My father and I moved to a quaint redneck town called Plant City when I was four years old, and my grandfather and he converted a brick building into a home for us. The down side of this was that the only rooms were a bathroom and a living room, so privacy was very minimal. This made things like watching internet porn, or masturbating very difficult. It also destroyed my belief in Santa Claus at an early age, since we had no chimney and my dad never dressed up as Santa. I also could never sleep on Christmas eve, so without having a room I had full view of the distribution of presents. This same setup allowed me to get exposed to great cinema as a kid, too. I saw movies like Silence of the Lambs and A Clockwork Orange before I was ten years old. Some people say it fucked my mind up a little bit, but I see no evidence of that.
My mother, several uncles and cousins have/had substance abuse problems ranging from alcohol to crack. Thankfully, my mother managed to quit smoking crack sometime around ten years ago and is living a sober life. Others of my family are not so lucky, and are still addicted to these drugs. I am thankful that in all my experimentation, the only thing that took hold of me was cigarette smoking, which I started when I was 12. As of now, I do not smoke or do any sorts of recreational drug and I rarely take NSAIDs or anything similar. I will occasionally get some cheap bottles of wine from CVS (3 for $10) and enjoy a few of those.
Speaking of substance abuse, the first person who introduced me to anything resembling Westside Barbell methodology or powerlifting at all worked at a gym in Plant City. He claimed he trained there and maybe he did. He later stopped showing up to our lifting sessions due to a warrant out for his arrest involving meth.
Plant City was also home to a lot of protestant Christians, and I grew up with a lot of disdain for them. I took a class on the New Testament in college so I could argue with the Christians in my town. Later, I would go on to get a degree in religion, focusing on Black Muslims and Malcolm X. The highlight of this was when I spoke at the American Academy of Religion South Eastern Regional Conference. My paper was on the Nation of Islam and Gnostic elements within the religion and was a blast to present. It was the first original thought I had, and I am still proud of it. To top it off, I had an interesting homeless person encounter. I was pumping gas on the way back home from Atlanta, and a homeless guy approached me. He asked for food money as I was pumping gas. He offered a leather jacket in exchange for this food money. I told him to hold on and he waited. I went inside to buy some coffee and a bottle of water. I also bought the homeless guy a burrito, which I warmed up for him. I went out to hand him his burrito, and he said, "Well, I actually wanted $8.00 so I can get some Boston Market." I convinced him to take the burrito, and he offered up a leather jacket. As it turns out, he had a bunch of jackets sitting on the ice chests. I declined, and wound up in Tampa, Florida eight hours later. I unwound myself by watching my favorite live action television show--Married with Children.
The first person I fell in love with and lost my virginity to was a black immigrant woman from Trinidad. Her mother was a doctor, and together they had the best grasp and command of the English language out of anyone I have met to this day. We met at a concert when we were in chorus in high school. I put ice down her shirt, and that was the catalyst that started our relationship.
In no particular order, my favorite movies are Apocalypse Now Redux, Terminator 1 & 2, Blade Runner, Malcolm X, and Natural Born Killers.
My favorite musical artist is Prince. I was fortunate enough to see a concert of his in April of 2004. It is one of the best shows I have seen, and even for a 46 year old man, he still danced and sang like he did back in the 80's. The highlight of the show was when he performed an acoustic set of his older material in the center of the stage. All by his lonesome--and a rhythm guitar accompanist in the shadows.
My favorite song is "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles. I think it is the best example of songwriting as a craft, insofar as it defines, develops and resolves a plot relevant to many people. It does so simply, without any superfluousness and moreover, it has a memorable refrain over a simple chord progression.
I am more physically and mentally active at 27 years old than I was at 17, despite having a shitty job at the moment (which most use as an excuse not to do anything at all). Had I been lifting or playing Jiu Jitsu since I was, I would probably be really good at both of them. At the very least, I am getting better daily.
Often times we get bombarded with other people telling us to adhere to their standards. When I was in high school, I had to get a 1270 SAT score and 75 community service hours to get the state of Florida to pay for 100% of my college education. I damn sure did not get a 1270 SAT score (1110) and I sure as hell was not interested in serving my community when I was 14-18 years old.
If someone is giving you something for meeting those standards, that's well and good. For health and exercise, however, you won't be rewarded by an outside party for your efforts--except maybe your significant other, or what have you. If you compete and meet their standards of "Win" you'll likely be rewarded with a trophy or something.
Usually, when you see marketing for exercise books and fitness products, the makers will tell you what you need to do to be a "real man," or some other nonsense. Here is one example:
The ad copy for Convict Conditioning. Do you really need someone to tell you what it takes to be elite, or to be a man? If you were in a bodyweight competition with standards judging for what an elite bodyweight athlete should do, it might make sense. Otherwise, set your own standards.
This book seems to be marketed towards people who have low self esteem. On the other hand, other products merely give you features and benefits, and will allow you to set your own bench marks. Here is an example of that:
There is ad copy for one of Adam's products. All it promises is better, which is true. It also does not berate you, the buyer, and it does not tell you what you should do to meet an arbitrary standard.
Keep in mind, this kind of stuff applies to all sorts of marketing, be it on a porn site, the television, or at the cinema. Now, they even have sleazy commercials at gas pumps. Infomercials are probably the worst, since they think we are all the dumbest fucks who have ever walked the earth.
One of the things I like about the marketing within the movement is that the only thing we all promise is better. We won't tell you you will be a real man, or an elite athlete. All that shit is up to you.
The point of all this is simple. People in your life who set standards for you often under (or over)estimate you. I'd like to think mostly underestimate you. The government, your university board of trustees and admission directors, your bosses, CEO's, Tyler Durden, might not think you are a unique snowflake, but you are. The best thing about this is that your goals are truly your own. Sure, you might share them, but only you can hit them or miss them. As such, your dedication to a goal(s) is wholly your own, and will set you apart from everyone else as an individual. You have goals. If not, set some. Then own them. Don't let anyone else set standards for you.
I guess powerlifting is like a double edged sword. When I imagine a powerlifter, the first image that comes to mind is an obese guy with a red face who is really fucking strong. Oftentimes, this image is accompanied by no other practical value--like being able to walk a flight of stairs and not be winded.
We can spin obesity into somewhat of a positive with this kind of thinking.
Thankfully, I know tons of lifters who do not fit that stereotype, and many of them can walk stairs and push prowlers just fine--in fact, some have great physiques and can walk several flights of stairs and keep their breath.
I think the point of what I said was to note that I overlooked an audience of people who just want to look good, and don't really give a shit about competing in a sport that involves probably the narrowest set of movements around. Furthermore, not everyone likes the smell of ointment, or ammonia.
There is a reason for this gravitation and it is not without merit. If you take a beanpole of the street, and they get strong, that's a good thing. They get more lean muscle tissue, they'll get a faster metabolism, men and/or women might want to fuck them more, and they won't get sand kicked in their face like the old comic shows.
Poor guy.
Take a larger person and you get them stronger, they lose fat, and generally feel better about themselves. Bonus: if they are a big son of a bitch who also happens to be really strong, they have a good physique hidden away.
That being said, there are more ways to get strong besides the squat, the bench and the deadlift, though I don't see any rational reason why a person wouldn't want a heavy ass deadlift.
Before I go further on that, let me just say that what follows will be an alternative. Hopefully, you will find it fun. But if you are of the mindset that you need to waste your life on a treadmill or an elliptical or anything that has you standing next to a motherfucker worse than you are, with horrible BO or hangover breath, or garlic smelling sweat, this is for you.
I am a fan of Paul Chek's primal patterns of movement--Squat, Lunge, Push, Pull, Bend, and Twist. It makes shit simple. PC said that those types of movements are what we start doing as infants. Squatting to stand up, lunging to get back up after falling after a few steps, pushing their weight up from a crawl to a stand, bending to pick shit up and so on.
Aside from the bowling pin fetish they seem to have, this is pretty good at demonstrating what PC was talking about. The good thing about these movements are is that you can make them as complex or as minimal as you have to depending on where you are. One of my favorite starting points for bigger people is the Turkish Get-Up. Before the RKC fucked it up and made it less efficient with extra hip bridges and shit, the idea was really simple. You press a weight, you stand up and get back down with it. It's a hybrid of several PM patterns, and the good news for big folk is that your body will be the heftiest thing you lift during it.
Here's a guy doing a TGU with a woman. Pretty rad. Here's a good starting point for moving. Getting up and getting back down. If you can't do it from the floor, a couch or a chair can be a good place to start (though it is my sincere hope that none of you reading are that bad off). Get better at it using minimal effort, then hold some weight. If you can't use a woman, a kettlebell, dumbbell, light backpack or anything similar will do. The main key point is don't drop the weight on your face, or otherwise hurt yourself. Always err on the side of caution.
For other movements, you can also squat. You don't need a barbell. Use your body weight. Can't get low? Get where you can, and you will be able to get low over time. Key points for that: push your butt back, drop between your legs and keep a douche bag chest for max efficiency. Fuck with it til it feels good, scale it back as needed. If you really need to, use a counter top, or a door handle to help.
If you want more lunging, you can actually do lunges. You need to throw in some twisting, you can lunge and twists. Need some minimal pushing movements? Push-ups are good. Can't do full push ups? Do half push-ups or the ill named "girl push-ups," which will be termed "knee push-ups" from now on.
Hopefully, you get the idea. Call it whatever you want--primal moving, animal movements, etc. The limit is your creativity. And if you are severely uncreative, here is an idea for you: take a twister game and lay it out. Spin the spinner 10 or 15 times and write out the spots it landed on a white board. Hit each spot as fast as you can, using the minimal effective amount of effort. Do this a few times. You might enjoy it. If you video it and send it to me I'll give you a handshake and some praise.
The take home point is that you can start your path to better by getting strong. It will pay off dividends over paying for a gym membership to walk or "eliptic." You can do this stuff in your home, or outside if you want. And if you must do steady state cardio, at least use God's treadmill (the earth).
And a final example of how complex and awesome human movement can be.
