Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
My "New" Toys
No newfangled training equipment for me! I received a big box filled with 40' of 2" thick manila rope. If you don't know what manila rope is, just envision a dock with a very big ship tied there by a very large rope. Chances are that that is manila rope. I think I read that it has a weight capacity of 27,000 pounds per foot. That's a lot of rope.
So, what does one do with manila rope? Basically you run it around a pole or a weight on the ground and grab each end of the 20' length (half of 40 is 20). You can then begin to wave it up and down, side to side, circular or any which way. Because of the huge displacement, it forces your body to root down and stabilize especially around the "core" muscles of the abdomen and thorax. It only takes a few whips of the rope to get exhausted. Right now, getting to 30 seconds is a lot of work.
The real beauty of this tool is its simplicity. A rope, a pole/weight and effort. Like most old-fashioned tools, it works multiple body parts at once and creates a stronger, more unified type of bodily strength.
So, what does one do with manila rope? Basically you run it around a pole or a weight on the ground and grab each end of the 20' length (half of 40 is 20). You can then begin to wave it up and down, side to side, circular or any which way. Because of the huge displacement, it forces your body to root down and stabilize especially around the "core" muscles of the abdomen and thorax. It only takes a few whips of the rope to get exhausted. Right now, getting to 30 seconds is a lot of work.
The real beauty of this tool is its simplicity. A rope, a pole/weight and effort. Like most old-fashioned tools, it works multiple body parts at once and creates a stronger, more unified type of bodily strength.
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Best Exercise for Weight Loss is...
...the one you do!
C'mon, you must have seen that coming.
But seriously, my feeling is that if you are going to get into an exercise program then it should be performed to the best of your ability and should be practiced in such a way as to offer a significant challenge, and thus, growth.
I do not endorse the notion that "something is better than nothing". My father, bless him, says this all too often and it creates a permissive attitude that settles for the least possible amount of exercise given any opportunity to push a little harder. I say, take it as far as your body can safely allow and see what challenges you can overcome or at least endure.
In this modern world where physical beauty is a cartoonish distortion of the human body and marketing strategies prey on our mating instinct in one fashion or another, there are few avenues left for honorable self-mastery and introspection. One of the best and time-tested is the arena of physical fitness for it's own sake or for the sake of the philosophical lessons of humility, determination and focused awareness.
C'mon, you must have seen that coming.
But seriously, my feeling is that if you are going to get into an exercise program then it should be performed to the best of your ability and should be practiced in such a way as to offer a significant challenge, and thus, growth.
I do not endorse the notion that "something is better than nothing". My father, bless him, says this all too often and it creates a permissive attitude that settles for the least possible amount of exercise given any opportunity to push a little harder. I say, take it as far as your body can safely allow and see what challenges you can overcome or at least endure.
In this modern world where physical beauty is a cartoonish distortion of the human body and marketing strategies prey on our mating instinct in one fashion or another, there are few avenues left for honorable self-mastery and introspection. One of the best and time-tested is the arena of physical fitness for it's own sake or for the sake of the philosophical lessons of humility, determination and focused awareness.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Home gym vs. Away gym
I've never liked going to the gym. I've never had a gym membership unless it was for a martial arts class or something of that sort.
I worked as a personal trainer at B***'s gym in West Los Angeles when I was still working on my Master's degree in Chinese Medicine. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least.
The environment was chaotic, constant activity combined with a cacophony of sounds from the TV monitors and the exercise equipment. Throngs of people would gather after the work day or weekends and grunt, churn and grimace their way to fitness. Meanwhile, as a trainer, it was my job to get member's started on a solid routine and offer nutritional advice wherever possible.
I walked away with the opinion that personal trainers are, mostly, incompetent. They are cheerleaders with a bit of anatomical knowledge but not much more. Trainers are not medical personnel nor are they nutritionists (again, mostly) but just well-meaning retail employees who earn a living on commission.
Don't get me wrong, there are those who enjoy going to the gym. It is a place away from home and work where some personal time can be spent towards the overall betterment of the body. It's simply that I don't like them.
Home gym. That's me. I have my boxing station, freeweights, yoga mat, pull up bar, dip station and, recently, kettlebells and my routine of running to keep me fit. Natural exercises using bodyweight and maybe a weight belt for added stress are more than enough for me.
I worked as a personal trainer at B***'s gym in West Los Angeles when I was still working on my Master's degree in Chinese Medicine. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least.
The environment was chaotic, constant activity combined with a cacophony of sounds from the TV monitors and the exercise equipment. Throngs of people would gather after the work day or weekends and grunt, churn and grimace their way to fitness. Meanwhile, as a trainer, it was my job to get member's started on a solid routine and offer nutritional advice wherever possible.
I walked away with the opinion that personal trainers are, mostly, incompetent. They are cheerleaders with a bit of anatomical knowledge but not much more. Trainers are not medical personnel nor are they nutritionists (again, mostly) but just well-meaning retail employees who earn a living on commission.
Don't get me wrong, there are those who enjoy going to the gym. It is a place away from home and work where some personal time can be spent towards the overall betterment of the body. It's simply that I don't like them.
Home gym. That's me. I have my boxing station, freeweights, yoga mat, pull up bar, dip station and, recently, kettlebells and my routine of running to keep me fit. Natural exercises using bodyweight and maybe a weight belt for added stress are more than enough for me.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Mirror Mirror on the Wall #2
The mirror provides the separate-but-same objectification that the Agent can then go on to alter. One of the best discourses on the subject is Allen Klein's Little Big Men: Bodybuilding Subculture and Gender Construction.
(http://www.amazon.com/Little-Big-Men-Bodybuilding-Construction/dp/0791415600/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207241603&sr=1-1)
In this book he discusses how the image then become divided, much in the way a butcher looks at the carcass of a cow, and each piece is then reworked until an acceptable state of musculature (the desired form in bodybuilding) has been achieved.
We can extend this analogy to encompass a total body appearance, numeric values (body fat percentage, heart rates) or certain functions (yogic postures, striking or grappling positions).
Once an acceptable condition has been arrived at, the Agent can then take that activity and awareness away from the mirror. The self-sufficiency that is (hopefully) derived from the refinement process should yield a new state of confidence coupled with vigilance. This confidence can also come from other activities such as meditation, prayer or public service if applied as a form of mindful awareness.
(http://www.amazon.com/Little-Big-Men-Bodybuilding-Construction/dp/0791415600/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207241603&sr=1-1)
In this book he discusses how the image then become divided, much in the way a butcher looks at the carcass of a cow, and each piece is then reworked until an acceptable state of musculature (the desired form in bodybuilding) has been achieved.
We can extend this analogy to encompass a total body appearance, numeric values (body fat percentage, heart rates) or certain functions (yogic postures, striking or grappling positions).
Once an acceptable condition has been arrived at, the Agent can then take that activity and awareness away from the mirror. The self-sufficiency that is (hopefully) derived from the refinement process should yield a new state of confidence coupled with vigilance. This confidence can also come from other activities such as meditation, prayer or public service if applied as a form of mindful awareness.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall #1
The use of mirrors in training is usually not given much attention in spite of their ubiquity. On a sociological level, the mirror fulfills an interesting psychological function, i.e. it divides the viewer into two parts, that of the viewer and the viewed. Stated another way, the mirror creates a situation where the observer can also become the observed.
This division allows the observer, who is the causal agent in the relationship, to act upon the observed, i.e. the mirror image, as the object of change.
What does this mean?
First, it allows the Agent (I prefer agent over observer because this is a dynamic relationship in which intention (read: willpower) and force are applied) the freedom to objectify her target and de-personalize it. In an athletic or fitness context the image is normally seen as undesirable and must be re-formed into a competitive or aesthetically pleasing state.
Seen in a context of self-mastery, the objectified self is infinitely imperfect and, therefore, always subject to improvement. If the objectified self were to attain a perfected state then there would be no need for the Agent to remain an agent of change and could, theoretically, revert to a state of passive observation and self-satisfaction.
However, and again, theoretically, the ravages of time on the human body will always ensure that any state of satisfaction will only last a short while before "imperfection" sets in again requiring willpower and force to bring the body back into its idealized vision.
This division allows the observer, who is the causal agent in the relationship, to act upon the observed, i.e. the mirror image, as the object of change.
What does this mean?
First, it allows the Agent (I prefer agent over observer because this is a dynamic relationship in which intention (read: willpower) and force are applied) the freedom to objectify her target and de-personalize it. In an athletic or fitness context the image is normally seen as undesirable and must be re-formed into a competitive or aesthetically pleasing state.
Seen in a context of self-mastery, the objectified self is infinitely imperfect and, therefore, always subject to improvement. If the objectified self were to attain a perfected state then there would be no need for the Agent to remain an agent of change and could, theoretically, revert to a state of passive observation and self-satisfaction.
However, and again, theoretically, the ravages of time on the human body will always ensure that any state of satisfaction will only last a short while before "imperfection" sets in again requiring willpower and force to bring the body back into its idealized vision.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
