Resolution For Failure
Since it’s the new year and many already see several weeks of effort thrown toward achieving their resolution, I thought I’d put together a stupid-simple, bulletproof set of rules to fail this year, just like so many millions did last year…and the year before that…and before that… More…
Synthetic Wisdom Equals True Bullshit
I’m not one to complain, but for a society catapulted to the pinnacle of world power by scientific achievement, we sure do love mystics. Not mystics in the neo-cultural sense that read palms, the stars or numbers to tell the future; I’m talking about the vintage mystics, witch doctors of former times who keenly watched the world and codified observations into a manual for health, happiness and curing the common ailments.
Tribal witch doctors never understood why anything worked, so they couldn’t modify or deviate from their code; they only knew if A happened, do B and expect C. And if C didn’t happen, then it was time to beat something—maybe a person—with a blunt object.
Go CrossFit!
It’s time I devote an article to CrossFit, and in so doing, reveal the secret origins of a pillar of the CrossFit lifestyle, WOD. What most of you don’t know is that WOD did not originally stand for Workout Of the Day. More…
Fixing the Damage, Part 2: Backloading
A little less than two weeks have passed since returning from Europe and I’m as lean as when I left, despite the more than ten pounds I gained—which, to be fair, was probably not all fat. In part one, I discussed eliminating breakfast, something I plan to continue through next Monday. This time, I want to explain back-loading carbs and calories. More…
Protein Super-Dosing: Performance Enhancing or Gastric Nightmare?
This post evolved out of the Protein 2.0 post and covers a subject still surrounded by mystery, mysticism and flat out stupidity, a subject where speculation and sensationalism are endemic and encouraged: protein super-dosing. Is there an advantage to doubling, tripling or even septupling the recommended daily allowance of protein (RDA)? I wish the answer came in a single-syllable flavor, like a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ and I could go to bed. Life, of course, never gets that simple. More…
Fat Forearm Training
Why the hell are so many guys taking up a bench performing wrist curls? Scientists have yet to find an explanation for this phenomenon, but the dominant theory has something to do with their lack of a girlfriend: the longer they’ve been single, the more wrist curls they do. More…
Being Hardcore Is Dangerous
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about goals, both physical and cerebral, and I’m considering breaking into the magazine writing industry. I took some time to explore the flavor, tone and subjects covered in popular fitness periodicals, both of the print and internet variety. What I’ve noticed, besides the lack of sound advice, is the multitude of workout programs designed for mass, power, ripped abs, bulging biceps and bigger benches that are free of risk. More…
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the backbone of achievement, or so I’ve heard. To achieve anything noteworthy, or to simply stand out from the crowd, one must sacrifice a normal life in exchange for deprivation. No television; no nights out at the bar; no junk food; no sleeping in; no straying from the all-but-ignored, “Your body is a temple”. Has my life become one of unending sacrifice? More…
No More Wimpy Calves
There’s no point in denying—so I won’t—that genetics play a significant role in the insertion, form and function of the lower leg, but the consequences of genetics do not excuse a pathetic lower limb.
Does Bow Flex® Really Works?
The short answer: no. You can stop reading now if you’d like. More…