Yes, there are things I hate:
lifting at 6:30 am,
the creatine-coffee cocktail,
the cattle prod to the hips sensation,
the cattle prod to the low back sensation; that one is just scary,
the sensation of pvc on IT band, although in a masochistic way I like this one,
the feeling that my right wrist is going to break,
being in knee wraps one second too long,
drinking enough water,
going to bed on time,
eating enough when it gets hot, which to me is now already,
eating one pound of Greek yogurt after lifting,
eating the quarter pound of Greek yogurt from my mustache; that's 11 grams of protein,
eating half a doughnut when I want two and know that even though this is a rare abuse, I should stop at a quarter doughnut,
walking up a flight of stairs and feeling like a normal person does halfway through 100 overhead squats at 75 pounds,
eating two cans of Spam because I blew my cooking and I still need protein,
getting advice from the guy who took his squat from 100 to 150 pounds; that's great man, I stopped being able to drive up my squat by walking to the mailbox a few years ago. Could you maybe experience the intermediate grind for a year or more and then maybe actually do a pull-up before you help me out?
people who don't understand lifts are performed on a platform in front of three judges,
and so on.
What I hate more than anything is never having turned around and seen three white lights on a 2.5 x body weight squat.
Yet.
And so here I am.
Rule #1: if you're not training with me, don't talk to me.
Exception to rule #1: look at the barbell. If you're comfortable with that much weight being dropped on your face, I'm comfortable with your chatter.
Rule #2: I touch the barbell, I lift the barbell. That's my job. It's the barbell's job to prove me wrong if it can. That is the real difference between me and most other people. They tell tell the barbell why they can't lift it, and I demand the barbell tell me why I can't lift it.
Afterthought: don't take me as arrogant. Part of the job of the intermediate is to know who the experts are. I know. Those guys cost a lot, more than I do, and when I can find a way, I'll be off to see them.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Beginners
I've been thinking it was time for a blog, and I've had plenty on my mind lately. Unfortunately it's mostly been angry stuff dealing mainly with people who can't differentiate between running their mouths incessantly and actually doing something. I have to admit though, that as yet I have nothing constructive to say, so perhaps I can be an example of shutting up and trying something, indeed anything.
I used to think that loyalty was my only character flaw; if I like you, that's it, we're down for life. I realize now that I'm also too honest. When someone completely fails to perform a clean, for example, and asks me if I'm laughing at them, I have to admit I am.
Here's the thing: you're a beginner, I see the universal beginner in you, and believe me, I remember when I was a beginner. And sometimes when I'm lucky I get to be a beginner still.
I've been learning to scull which in theory should be almost the same as rowing an erg, but in practice at times feels hopeless to me. It's the same legs, back, arms three part movement as erging but with a few minor tweaks that are more than enough to render me incompetent. If coach wants me to do something with my hands, I forget I have a back and legs. If she wants me to do something with my back, I forget I have arms and legs, and of course if she wants me to do something with my legs I forget I have back and arms.
Almost exactly the same way you can do all the parts of a clean progression and still fail miserably to clean.
But this should be fun, guys. You'll never make faster progress than when you first start, and as long as you're not injuring yourself, you're doing your body good. Consider if you will, and you must because this is after all my blog, the squat. I've put a good part of my body, mind, and soul into learning the squat for close to two years now. I am good, but I'm far from perfect and still working on my technique. If I work with you one hour, I'll probably laugh at you, but you will already have 85% of my technique and be able to squat safely and effectively. If you want to work with me a second hour, you'll have 95% of what I know and probably add an instant 20-50 pounds to your squat. There's really no point in doing a third hour. You might as well sign up for two years.
You will have enjoyed your two hours as a beginner.
I'll love you.
I'm loyal.
I used to think that loyalty was my only character flaw; if I like you, that's it, we're down for life. I realize now that I'm also too honest. When someone completely fails to perform a clean, for example, and asks me if I'm laughing at them, I have to admit I am.
Here's the thing: you're a beginner, I see the universal beginner in you, and believe me, I remember when I was a beginner. And sometimes when I'm lucky I get to be a beginner still.
I've been learning to scull which in theory should be almost the same as rowing an erg, but in practice at times feels hopeless to me. It's the same legs, back, arms three part movement as erging but with a few minor tweaks that are more than enough to render me incompetent. If coach wants me to do something with my hands, I forget I have a back and legs. If she wants me to do something with my back, I forget I have arms and legs, and of course if she wants me to do something with my legs I forget I have back and arms.
Almost exactly the same way you can do all the parts of a clean progression and still fail miserably to clean.
But this should be fun, guys. You'll never make faster progress than when you first start, and as long as you're not injuring yourself, you're doing your body good. Consider if you will, and you must because this is after all my blog, the squat. I've put a good part of my body, mind, and soul into learning the squat for close to two years now. I am good, but I'm far from perfect and still working on my technique. If I work with you one hour, I'll probably laugh at you, but you will already have 85% of my technique and be able to squat safely and effectively. If you want to work with me a second hour, you'll have 95% of what I know and probably add an instant 20-50 pounds to your squat. There's really no point in doing a third hour. You might as well sign up for two years.
You will have enjoyed your two hours as a beginner.
I'll love you.
I'm loyal.
Friday, May 20, 2011
267,082 Meters
From the C2 online log:
James Drebenstedt's Logbook
267,082m
Sorry, I was going to stop cleanly at a quarter million meters, but then I got the idea to row a half-marathon and I overshot by seventeen thousand. But that's not such a horrible margin of error for an advanced beginner.
I've done each of these meters since last October when I decided to get good at indoor rowing, and in the process I've learned a few things.
I've learned, for instance, that: the damper goes on 7; optimal cruising rate is 27 strokes per minute; I can keep decent form and generate power at 41 strokes per minute for 30 seconds or so; most of a 500 meter piece will be rowed in the mid - thirties per minute range; the last 150 meters of anything will be rowed at 22 strokes per minute which is where my power output is highest and it's nearly lethal to sustain that for 150 meters; nothing, absolutely nothing, hurts as bad as a maximal effort 500 meter sprint, and, yes, there really is probably something wrong with me for making this my chosen art form; and so on.
And all this of course means nothing unless you happen to be 5'10", weigh 190 - though claiming 181, can make an honest claim to be an anaerobic bad ass yet have to concede you're an aerobic wimp, and so on.
You'll have to row your own quarter million meters if you want to be an advanced beginner like me.
Probably and properly the subject here should be power lifting, but it would take me a long time to figure out how many tons I've lifted in the last half year or so, and I'm sure it wouldn't be 250,000 which sounds so good.
So here's what I propose - figure out what you want to be better at, figure out how to get better, and start doing it. I have to warn you that you'll have to make concessions to get good at something, and you can likely only get good at one thing though I admit I am attempting to take on two simultaneously.
Two years ago I was heavily into CrossFit and running 25 or so miles a week also. I weighed 167 pounds, and I have never felt better physically in my life. It was a huge concession for me to push my body weight up while becoming slower and feeling worse physically. On the other hand, I feel great psychologically; while I can't run away from as many threats as I used to, I'm capable of picking up, twisting, and casting aside more threats. I just had to make a decision which way I wanted it and then pursue my course of action relentlessly.
More things I've learned in 18 months of heavy lifting, and half a year of indoor rowing:
you might have to do your shit at 6:30am, or some equally inconvenient time
no one will ever quite understand why you do your shit
there will always be a few people who are so into their own awesome shit, that they will recognize your drive and help you out even though they won't quite understand you
yes, they will even do this at 6:30am
grow the mustache, the people who like you like you for who you are, and anyway, they don't notice the mustache until they first see the Greek yogurt smeared across your hoodie and the chalk on your sweats
chalk is good, ammonia is better
coffee and creatine ethyl-ester don't mix - it doesn't matter; it's 6:30 am, you don't know what you're ingesting, and you're on your way to being an awesome advanced beginner which is a fuck of a lot better than hanging out with your critics in continued mediocrity.
James Drebenstedt's Logbook
267,082m
Sorry, I was going to stop cleanly at a quarter million meters, but then I got the idea to row a half-marathon and I overshot by seventeen thousand. But that's not such a horrible margin of error for an advanced beginner.
I've done each of these meters since last October when I decided to get good at indoor rowing, and in the process I've learned a few things.
I've learned, for instance, that: the damper goes on 7; optimal cruising rate is 27 strokes per minute; I can keep decent form and generate power at 41 strokes per minute for 30 seconds or so; most of a 500 meter piece will be rowed in the mid - thirties per minute range; the last 150 meters of anything will be rowed at 22 strokes per minute which is where my power output is highest and it's nearly lethal to sustain that for 150 meters; nothing, absolutely nothing, hurts as bad as a maximal effort 500 meter sprint, and, yes, there really is probably something wrong with me for making this my chosen art form; and so on.
And all this of course means nothing unless you happen to be 5'10", weigh 190 - though claiming 181, can make an honest claim to be an anaerobic bad ass yet have to concede you're an aerobic wimp, and so on.
You'll have to row your own quarter million meters if you want to be an advanced beginner like me.
Probably and properly the subject here should be power lifting, but it would take me a long time to figure out how many tons I've lifted in the last half year or so, and I'm sure it wouldn't be 250,000 which sounds so good.
So here's what I propose - figure out what you want to be better at, figure out how to get better, and start doing it. I have to warn you that you'll have to make concessions to get good at something, and you can likely only get good at one thing though I admit I am attempting to take on two simultaneously.
Two years ago I was heavily into CrossFit and running 25 or so miles a week also. I weighed 167 pounds, and I have never felt better physically in my life. It was a huge concession for me to push my body weight up while becoming slower and feeling worse physically. On the other hand, I feel great psychologically; while I can't run away from as many threats as I used to, I'm capable of picking up, twisting, and casting aside more threats. I just had to make a decision which way I wanted it and then pursue my course of action relentlessly.
More things I've learned in 18 months of heavy lifting, and half a year of indoor rowing:
you might have to do your shit at 6:30am, or some equally inconvenient time
no one will ever quite understand why you do your shit
there will always be a few people who are so into their own awesome shit, that they will recognize your drive and help you out even though they won't quite understand you
yes, they will even do this at 6:30am
grow the mustache, the people who like you like you for who you are, and anyway, they don't notice the mustache until they first see the Greek yogurt smeared across your hoodie and the chalk on your sweats
chalk is good, ammonia is better
coffee and creatine ethyl-ester don't mix - it doesn't matter; it's 6:30 am, you don't know what you're ingesting, and you're on your way to being an awesome advanced beginner which is a fuck of a lot better than hanging out with your critics in continued mediocrity.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Caffeine, Music Periodization & Jim Wendler
And so after a month off coffee, I started working 60 or 70 hours a week, cracked, and got back on coffee. The first day I had coffee at work, I felt great physically, but I was trying to read and I noticed I had to re-read each paragraph numerous times before I could make sense of it. I'm also sleeping like shit again. Caffeine kills; I'll have to go through the painful process of quitting again.
My lifting is programmed all the way to August, but I'm starting to think already about how to train from August until November, and I'm strongly considering a conjugate periodization scheme, often incorrectly known as Westside or "Darkside" training. In short form this involves a maximal effort day (ME) when the lifter works up to a heavy triple or single, and a speed or dynamic effort day (DE) when the lifter will use loads around 50-60% of 1rm with an emphasis on maximizing bar speed.
Soon, I realize, I have to write a blog about my thoughts on mental intensity while lifting. Suffice it to say I never really lift at psycho intensity, or 10 on the volume scale, even though many people think I do. In truth I range from 6 to 9.5 depending on what I'm trying to do.
Because of my need to vary mental intensity, I constantly search for the perfect mood music for lifting. Crossfit is a musical no-brainer; you put on the NYC hardcore and 1,2,3 go, but lifting often requires slower, heavier music.
So yesterday I was at work, over-caffeinated and with an Internet connected pc, so I decided to get on EliteFTS Q&A and ask the great Jim Wendler about music:
"...would it be a good idea to try a ME music day with the emphasis on
heavy shit and then a DE music day with an emphasis on speed?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To which Mr. Wendler replied:
James,
This is a good idea, great idea, actually.
ME Music - Burning Witch, Sleep, Buried at Sea, etc.
DE Music - Infest, Brutal Truth, Kill the Client, Maruta, etc.
I think you are onto something here. Just have to define what is ME and
what is DE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lessons learned:
1) stay off the coffee
2) work is better if you can hang out on EliteFTS Q&A
3) Jim Wendler thinks I'm on to something, which is huge since he's been around long enough to see everything
4) If you don't like what I have playing on Pandora, tough shit. Not only am I maximizing your chances for success, I have made the effort to consult with world class experts on your behalf.
My lifting is programmed all the way to August, but I'm starting to think already about how to train from August until November, and I'm strongly considering a conjugate periodization scheme, often incorrectly known as Westside or "Darkside" training. In short form this involves a maximal effort day (ME) when the lifter works up to a heavy triple or single, and a speed or dynamic effort day (DE) when the lifter will use loads around 50-60% of 1rm with an emphasis on maximizing bar speed.
Soon, I realize, I have to write a blog about my thoughts on mental intensity while lifting. Suffice it to say I never really lift at psycho intensity, or 10 on the volume scale, even though many people think I do. In truth I range from 6 to 9.5 depending on what I'm trying to do.
Because of my need to vary mental intensity, I constantly search for the perfect mood music for lifting. Crossfit is a musical no-brainer; you put on the NYC hardcore and 1,2,3 go, but lifting often requires slower, heavier music.
So yesterday I was at work, over-caffeinated and with an Internet connected pc, so I decided to get on EliteFTS Q&A and ask the great Jim Wendler about music:
"...would it be a good idea to try a ME music day with the emphasis on
heavy shit and then a DE music day with an emphasis on speed?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To which Mr. Wendler replied:
James,
This is a good idea, great idea, actually.
ME Music - Burning Witch, Sleep, Buried at Sea, etc.
DE Music - Infest, Brutal Truth, Kill the Client, Maruta, etc.
I think you are onto something here. Just have to define what is ME and
what is DE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lessons learned:
1) stay off the coffee
2) work is better if you can hang out on EliteFTS Q&A
3) Jim Wendler thinks I'm on to something, which is huge since he's been around long enough to see everything
4) If you don't like what I have playing on Pandora, tough shit. Not only am I maximizing your chances for success, I have made the effort to consult with world class experts on your behalf.
Monday, April 25, 2011
2011 Reebok CrossFit Games
I had waffled for months on the question of whether or not I would compete in the 2011 Games Regionals. I've become a dedicated power lifter, and all my training for months has been directed towards the Colorado Regionals, November 12th, 2011. I try to do enough CrossFit to stay within 10 or so pounds of my competition weight of 181, but I don't focus on killing the work out and becoming a better CrossFitter. True, I'm an avid indoor rower, so my conditioning can never be truly horrible, but I've found - as the experts predict - training tends to force specific adaptations; while I've become formidable at rowing 500 meters and not completely hopeless at 2,000 meters, I haven't become any better at, say, wall ball shots or thrusters.
But hey, some of our athletes are trying the games, and so I'm in. That's how we roll.
Work Out 1:
AMRAP 10
30 Double Unders / 15 Power Snatches 75 pounds
What I thought going in: fuck
My plan: grind away
My Result: 122 repetitions
What I though going out: fuck, I am really bad at double unders
Work Out 2:
AMRAP 15
9 Dead Lifts - I forgot the weight, maybe 165 or so /12 Push-Ups / 15 Box Jumps @24"
What I thought going in: fuck, but not as bad as WOD 1 fuck
My plan: set a pace and sustain it, the tortoise
My Result: 251 repetitions
What I though going out: I should probably do more CrossFit
Work Out 3:
AMRAP 5
Squat Clean & Jerk 165 pounds
What I thought going in: fuck, yeah! Power endurance is my thing, especially under 10 minutes
My plan: kill, kill, kill
My Result: 36
What I though going out: I probably do enough CrossFit
Work Out 4:
AMRAP 10
60 Face-the-Bar Burpees / 30 Overhead Squats @ 120 / 10 Muscle-Ups
What I thought going in: This is a joke, right?
My plan: Endure the burpees, finish the overhead squats with 20 seconds left, run to the rings - slowly - and flatly insist I could have done a muscle-up
My Result: 74 repetitions; I didn't finish the squats
What I though going out: I hate burpees. 120 pounds should not be a heavy overhead squat, but it was post-burpee
Work Out 5:
AMRAP 20
5 Power Cleans @145 / 10 Toes-to-Bar / 15 Wall Ball Shots 20# to 10'
What I thought going in: what the fuck? 20 minutes? I signed up for CrossFit games, not an ultra-marathon
My plan: Keep moving, under no circumstances look at the clock
My Result: 191 Repetitions
What I though going out: what the fuck? 20 minutes? No more ultra-endurance events for me
Work Out 6:
AMRAP 5
3 Thrusters @ 95# / 3 Pull-Ups
then
6/6
9/9
12/12
15/15
18/18 (You get it, right?)
What I thought going in: This should be the best one since 3, and if not it's 7 minutes and the last one, so fuck it
My Plan: kill, kill, kill
My Result: 75 repetitions
What I thought going out: that was fun in a met-conny way (I'll do this one again maybe once or twice.)
Like Olympic lifting coach Max Mormont says, nobody is competitive until they lose.
I'm doing this again next year. Top 100 should suffice; I'm a power lifter, kids.
But hey, some of our athletes are trying the games, and so I'm in. That's how we roll.
Work Out 1:
AMRAP 10
30 Double Unders / 15 Power Snatches 75 pounds
What I thought going in: fuck
My plan: grind away
My Result: 122 repetitions
What I though going out: fuck, I am really bad at double unders
Work Out 2:
AMRAP 15
9 Dead Lifts - I forgot the weight, maybe 165 or so /12 Push-Ups / 15 Box Jumps @24"
What I thought going in: fuck, but not as bad as WOD 1 fuck
My plan: set a pace and sustain it, the tortoise
My Result: 251 repetitions
What I though going out: I should probably do more CrossFit
Work Out 3:
AMRAP 5
Squat Clean & Jerk 165 pounds
What I thought going in: fuck, yeah! Power endurance is my thing, especially under 10 minutes
My plan: kill, kill, kill
My Result: 36
What I though going out: I probably do enough CrossFit
Work Out 4:
AMRAP 10
60 Face-the-Bar Burpees / 30 Overhead Squats @ 120 / 10 Muscle-Ups
What I thought going in: This is a joke, right?
My plan: Endure the burpees, finish the overhead squats with 20 seconds left, run to the rings - slowly - and flatly insist I could have done a muscle-up
My Result: 74 repetitions; I didn't finish the squats
What I though going out: I hate burpees. 120 pounds should not be a heavy overhead squat, but it was post-burpee
Work Out 5:
AMRAP 20
5 Power Cleans @145 / 10 Toes-to-Bar / 15 Wall Ball Shots 20# to 10'
What I thought going in: what the fuck? 20 minutes? I signed up for CrossFit games, not an ultra-marathon
My plan: Keep moving, under no circumstances look at the clock
My Result: 191 Repetitions
What I though going out: what the fuck? 20 minutes? No more ultra-endurance events for me
Work Out 6:
AMRAP 5
3 Thrusters @ 95# / 3 Pull-Ups
then
6/6
9/9
12/12
15/15
18/18 (You get it, right?)
What I thought going in: This should be the best one since 3, and if not it's 7 minutes and the last one, so fuck it
My Plan: kill, kill, kill
My Result: 75 repetitions
What I thought going out: that was fun in a met-conny way (I'll do this one again maybe once or twice.)
Like Olympic lifting coach Max Mormont says, nobody is competitive until they lose.
I'm doing this again next year. Top 100 should suffice; I'm a power lifter, kids.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Karl Marx didn't Train
There was a time, not so long ago really, when I would have claimed to be a Green-Socialist. Over time I learn and evolve, which can happen at a fast rate for me since I spend a vast amount of my free time at the public library reading on an array of subjects, often including economics. I've seen that capitalism is the best of all the imperfect systems, and that it might not even kill us off early if it's intelligently regulated. In sum then, if you're a Democrat, I'm a liberal, and if you're a Republican, I'm still a Socialist.
If I understand Marx and his ilk correctly, the problem is just that under Capitalism assholes are going to exploit non-assholes, and remember the environment is a non-asshole, for their own gain. Uncle Karl apparently got this idea hanging out in English textile mills, which I gather were not much different than some of the contemporary factories I have worked in that made me a young Socialist.
The thing is just this: if Uncle Karl had spent his time in the gym, or in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy he wouldn't have bothered writing any manifestos.
Unlike in so many other environments, assholes don't thrive in the gym or the academy. In Fact, they don't even last. You might occasionally meet one, but if you stay with it a week or two, or maybe a couple months in an extreme case, he'll be gone. You can go in and be yourself without any central planning or regulation to protect you.
You, not the asshole, will thrive.
Over time your own experience will convince you I'm correct here, but this wouldn't really be a post without my personal experience, so I'll offer a couple anecdotes.
Let's just say I'm not a rich guy, and at times lately I could much better be described as poor. I had decided I could no longer afford BJJ, and after I had been gone a month the good people at Dark Horse BJJ contacted me, asked what the problem was, and provided a solution. Without going into detail, let's say I'm now creatively financed. This all happened, I'm sure, because I'm viewed in the academy as a team member and not an exploitable resource.
Now to be sure, some of my income gap, let's call it, is caused by my desire to run my own gym. I can't very well get any kind of normal job and still put in the time and effort I think my own team deserves. So, much of the time when I'm between library books, I think how nice it would be to have a high-paying, part time job with flexible hours and benefits. Unfortunately, you can't - or I should say I haven't - been able to find any such thing on any of the Internet job sites, so obviously print media isn't going to help.
I was beginning to think that perhaps there were no jobs meeting my criteria, when I was surprised to get an e-mail saying in effect, "James, send me a current resume. My company has an opening for a high-paying part time job with flexible hours and benefits."
What didn't surprise me is that the e-mail was from a young man I cut my training teeth on a few years ago. I taught him the Big Three and put him on a simple 5x5, and I guess he thought it was time to try paying me back. I'm not sure if I'll actually get the job, of course, but this is radically better than I had been doing on my own.
I do still admire the Chinese Communists who forged steel in their backyards, but I have been helped more by the steel relationships I have forged in the gym and the academy.
I leave it to you to decide how to act in the outside world, but I suggest you hit the gym or the academy and see how life is supposed to be.
Just don't be an asshole, eh?
If I understand Marx and his ilk correctly, the problem is just that under Capitalism assholes are going to exploit non-assholes, and remember the environment is a non-asshole, for their own gain. Uncle Karl apparently got this idea hanging out in English textile mills, which I gather were not much different than some of the contemporary factories I have worked in that made me a young Socialist.
The thing is just this: if Uncle Karl had spent his time in the gym, or in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy he wouldn't have bothered writing any manifestos.
Unlike in so many other environments, assholes don't thrive in the gym or the academy. In Fact, they don't even last. You might occasionally meet one, but if you stay with it a week or two, or maybe a couple months in an extreme case, he'll be gone. You can go in and be yourself without any central planning or regulation to protect you.
You, not the asshole, will thrive.
Over time your own experience will convince you I'm correct here, but this wouldn't really be a post without my personal experience, so I'll offer a couple anecdotes.
Let's just say I'm not a rich guy, and at times lately I could much better be described as poor. I had decided I could no longer afford BJJ, and after I had been gone a month the good people at Dark Horse BJJ contacted me, asked what the problem was, and provided a solution. Without going into detail, let's say I'm now creatively financed. This all happened, I'm sure, because I'm viewed in the academy as a team member and not an exploitable resource.
Now to be sure, some of my income gap, let's call it, is caused by my desire to run my own gym. I can't very well get any kind of normal job and still put in the time and effort I think my own team deserves. So, much of the time when I'm between library books, I think how nice it would be to have a high-paying, part time job with flexible hours and benefits. Unfortunately, you can't - or I should say I haven't - been able to find any such thing on any of the Internet job sites, so obviously print media isn't going to help.
I was beginning to think that perhaps there were no jobs meeting my criteria, when I was surprised to get an e-mail saying in effect, "James, send me a current resume. My company has an opening for a high-paying part time job with flexible hours and benefits."
What didn't surprise me is that the e-mail was from a young man I cut my training teeth on a few years ago. I taught him the Big Three and put him on a simple 5x5, and I guess he thought it was time to try paying me back. I'm not sure if I'll actually get the job, of course, but this is radically better than I had been doing on my own.
I do still admire the Chinese Communists who forged steel in their backyards, but I have been helped more by the steel relationships I have forged in the gym and the academy.
I leave it to you to decide how to act in the outside world, but I suggest you hit the gym or the academy and see how life is supposed to be.
Just don't be an asshole, eh?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Goals & it's Past Time to Fucking go off Here
I was happy to see that VP and MG took the initiative in putting up a goal board at TFCF, and I'm happy to watch it start filling up. There are many ways to get to where you want to go, but it's necessary to have some more or less defined idea of where exactly it is you're going. I suppose there is an anti-goal camp, and possibly that's okay for them, but I've always tried to set goals. There are many sources explaining effective goal setting, and they do a better job than I do. I'd only say make your goals meaningful to you. Maybe I'm biased, but I think the strangest looking thing on the board so far is my own goal of rowing a 1:26.4 500m. It seems arbitrary, but actually that represents a triple body weight in wattage 500 for me. I can't expect anyone to be as enamored of rowing as I am, but within our cult, the triple body weight 500 is a serious rite of passage, and it's a good example of what I think of as meaningful. Sure, if you really can't think of anything Earth shaking for you as an individual, join the pull-up club. At least you'll find new motivation to progress, and along the way maybe you'll discover another goal nearer your own heart.
Now I'd like to take some time to write on the difference between behaviors and outcomes. I didn't invent this line of thinking either, but after encountering it, it had a big impact on my thinking and my long term prospects for progress. It's simply this: rowing a 1:26.4 500 is an outcome, and in the end, I can't force a certain outcome. Focusing on outcomes can be dangerous in that if the outcome is not met, dejection sets in. I can provide my own perfect example. You'll see that my primary goal is acheiving a 200 kilo squat, and while it wasn't written publicly until a few days ago, that was also my primary goal back in July. At that time I was sure I would hit 200k by November 2010, when in reality I squatted 365 pounds, a full 10 less than I had done in July. Shit happens. I've learned that a healthier and ultimately more productive idea is to focus on behaviors. Squatting 200 k requires certain behaviors, for example I have to squat once a week, attend to my rest, eat well, and so on. These are behaviors, and in the end, I have perfect control over them. Further if I'm consistent in hitting my behavioral goals, there's a good chance I'll eventually get my desired outcomes also.
To fucking go off now, which I assure you has to be done lest I put a medicine ball through someone's head, let me start with some background without I hope giving too much detail. Basically, my personal life is chaotic, uncertain, and for those that have developed the stoicism I have had to, actually fun most of the time. Right now I'd assess my position as almost in the gutter, and yet perilously close to being successful. I never suspected that the two could be so close together. As further necessary background, let me admit that I have developed a fluid sort of morality as that seems to me to have been necessary to survive in the way I do. I can, however, unhesitatingly say I have never fucked over anyone who has earned my loyalty, and though I've regretted it more than once, one of the easiest things to do is earn my loyalty.
So the problem, it seems, is that some fuckhead is apparently threatened enough by my utter failure - wild success tightrope walking act, that he feels it necessary to start the kiddy, behind-the-back rumor mongering. Word on the street, or those streets behind my back at any rate, is that I'm shutting down my operation.
Nice try junior high.
I started doing what I do because I love it. I'm going to finish doing what I do because I still love it, and many of you have come to love it.
There is a good chance I'll downsize, but only to the extent that I'll get rid of unused capacity. I certainly won't be cutting service.
Don't believe the shit talk. You'll know when I'm quitting because it will be several months or years after I start sleeping in the gutter.
So immature shit-talker, have at it. Huff and puff and so on.
Me and mine are setting goals and exceeding them.
Now I'd like to take some time to write on the difference between behaviors and outcomes. I didn't invent this line of thinking either, but after encountering it, it had a big impact on my thinking and my long term prospects for progress. It's simply this: rowing a 1:26.4 500 is an outcome, and in the end, I can't force a certain outcome. Focusing on outcomes can be dangerous in that if the outcome is not met, dejection sets in. I can provide my own perfect example. You'll see that my primary goal is acheiving a 200 kilo squat, and while it wasn't written publicly until a few days ago, that was also my primary goal back in July. At that time I was sure I would hit 200k by November 2010, when in reality I squatted 365 pounds, a full 10 less than I had done in July. Shit happens. I've learned that a healthier and ultimately more productive idea is to focus on behaviors. Squatting 200 k requires certain behaviors, for example I have to squat once a week, attend to my rest, eat well, and so on. These are behaviors, and in the end, I have perfect control over them. Further if I'm consistent in hitting my behavioral goals, there's a good chance I'll eventually get my desired outcomes also.
To fucking go off now, which I assure you has to be done lest I put a medicine ball through someone's head, let me start with some background without I hope giving too much detail. Basically, my personal life is chaotic, uncertain, and for those that have developed the stoicism I have had to, actually fun most of the time. Right now I'd assess my position as almost in the gutter, and yet perilously close to being successful. I never suspected that the two could be so close together. As further necessary background, let me admit that I have developed a fluid sort of morality as that seems to me to have been necessary to survive in the way I do. I can, however, unhesitatingly say I have never fucked over anyone who has earned my loyalty, and though I've regretted it more than once, one of the easiest things to do is earn my loyalty.
So the problem, it seems, is that some fuckhead is apparently threatened enough by my utter failure - wild success tightrope walking act, that he feels it necessary to start the kiddy, behind-the-back rumor mongering. Word on the street, or those streets behind my back at any rate, is that I'm shutting down my operation.
Nice try junior high.
I started doing what I do because I love it. I'm going to finish doing what I do because I still love it, and many of you have come to love it.
There is a good chance I'll downsize, but only to the extent that I'll get rid of unused capacity. I certainly won't be cutting service.
Don't believe the shit talk. You'll know when I'm quitting because it will be several months or years after I start sleeping in the gutter.
So immature shit-talker, have at it. Huff and puff and so on.
Me and mine are setting goals and exceeding them.
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