Gone Feral

Recently made the switch from GPP (OPT's Big Dawg/CrossFit) to powerlifting (conjugate).

I'm currently in the last week of my second meso-cycle. As can be seen in my log, I've been toying with my accessory work trying to find the right set of stimuli. Progress on lower-body max-effort days has been slowing down so I've decided to take a couple steps back and reduce the intensity by shifting my main lift from max effort to repetition efforts on a cycling pendulum wave. Instead of a true maximal effort, my main lift will follow Wendler's 5/3/1 protocol followed by an accumulation of volume and intensity by repeated efforts at 85%-90% in accord with the recommendation's of Prilipin's chart. The two efforts (repetition + volume) will afterwards focus on assistance work. Upper body assistance work will focus on the development of basic gymnastic bar and floor work. The first skills I'm looking to develop are one arm pullups and free standing hand stands, the latter of which will also follow a 'grease the groove' protocol or repeated sub-maximal efforts. I've found myself responding very well to repetition efforts and will thus be using that as my primary assistance work for each lift.

What's the Deal with CrossFit?
A Response to Boyle: The Back Squat
Lifting Big and Eating Big: Not Just for the Boys
I'm a Woman, and I Love Powerlifting

The Power of Aggressive Weight Training and a Clean Diet
Big Boy vs. Elite
The Hell on Earth Fitness Plan

Screw the Scale - Get Me a Barbell

When VO2 Max is not Max

Reebok on a mission to get it's employees fit
I (Heart) My Supraspinatus
Got Pull-Up?
Ladies Lifting Weights: Get Strong, Not "Toned"

"It would be better if you had a penis"

Weightlifting Versus Powerlifting: Which is Right for You?

You Cert Suck (part 1)

Is She Right and We Are All Wrong?

12/5/2011

BSq 345x1+ (3)

12/6/2011

BoxSq + #2 band, 3RM (265-275-285)

BSq 315x5+ (7)

Squat Clean 5x3-5x2 OTM (175)

Wtd Box Jump @36.5" 4x5 (20-30-40-50)

GHD-SU 3x20

(hours later) Zercher Sq 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 245x3

12/7/2011

BP + #1 band, 3RM (185x3-195x3-200x2)

SP 130x5+ (7)

Stability BP 3x10-15 (115x15-125x15-135x14)

Rolling DB Tri-Ext 3x10-15 (35x12-35x12-35x12)

12/9/2011

BoxSq +#2 band 12x2, OTM @50% (205)

DL + #2 band 12x2, OTM @50% (220)

DL 340x5+ (10)

SqCl 10x2 OTM (180)

GHD-SU 3x20

Back Ext 3x20

12/10/2011

BP + #1 band 16x3 every 30 seconds, rest 1 min after every 4 sets @50% (120)

BP 185x5+ (10)

PP 3x10 (115-120-125)

Strict pullup 4x10

12/12/2011

BoxSq + #2 band, 3RM (260x3-280x1-295x3)

BSq 325x3+ (5)

Squat Clean OTM 9x2-1x3 (185)

Wtd Box Jump @39.75" 4x5 (30-40-50-60)

GHD-SU 3x20

Back Ext 3x20

12/13/2011

BP + #1 band, 3RM (200)

SP 135x3+ (6)

Rolling DB Tri-Ext 3x10 (40)

KB Sn 3x10/10 (24kg)

Strict pullup 12-12-12-8-8-7 (59)

12/15/2011

BoxSq +#2 band 12x2, OTM @55% (225)

DL + #2 band 12x2, OTM @55% (245)

DL 360x3+ (6)

(hours later) SqCl OTM 10x2 (190)"

GHD-SU 3x20

Wtd Back Ext 3x15 @20#"

12/16/2011

BP + #1 band 16x3 every 30 seconds, rest 1 min after every 4 sets @55% (135)

BP 195x3+ (7)

PP 3x10-15 (125-130-135)

Plyo pushups 3x10 @6.5"

Strict pullup 12-12-12-12-12-8 (68)

12/19/2011

BoxSq + #2 band 3RM (265x1-285x1-305x3)

BSq 335x1+ (3)

Squat Clean OTM 10x2 (195)

Wtd Box Jump @43", 5x3 (20)

GHD-SU 3x20

Wtd Back Ext 3x17 @20#

12/20/2011

BP + #1 band 3RM (205)

SP 140x1+ (4)

Hang power snatch 10x3, OTM (115)

Rolling DB Tri-Ext 4x12 (40)

Strict pullup 13-13-13-13-12-14 (78)

12/22/2011

BoxSq +#2 band 10x2, OTM @60% (235)

DL + #2 band 12x2, OTM @60% (265)

DL 380x1+ (4)

(hours later) SqCl OTM 10x2 (200)

Wtd GHD-SU 3x12 @20#

Wtd Back Ext 3x20 @20#

12/23/2011

BP + #1 band 16x3 every 30 seconds, rest 1 min after every 4 sets @60% (145)

BP 210x1+ (4)

PP 4x10 (135-140-145)

KB Jerk x8/8-6/6-4/4 (32kg)

Strict pullup 15-12-8-8 (43)

12/26/2011

No juice. Unwanted rest.

12/27/2011

BSq (355x2)

BSq 320x5+ (7)

Squat Clean OTM 9x2+1x1 (205)

Box Jump 3x3 43"

GHD-SU 3x22

12/28/2011

BP 2-3RM (220x3-225x3-230x2)

SP 135x5+ (7)

PP 3x8 (150-155-160)

Incline DB BP + #1 band 3x10 (50)

Wtd strict pullup @20# 10-10-10-10-10

12/29/2011

Pushup 3x25

Pullup 3x12

12/30/2011

BoxSq +#2 band 12x2, OTM @50% (205)

DL + #2 band 12x2, OTM @50% (230)

DL 345x5+ (8)

Sprint 10x40-60ish m

(hours later) GHD-SU 3x22

Wtd Back Ext 3x22 @20+20

12/31/2011

BP + #1 band 16x3 every 30 seconds, rest 1 min after every 4 sets @50% (125)

BP 190x5+ (9)

Ring pushup ext rot 3x12

Plyo pushup 3x12

Strict C2B 3x5

1/2/2012

BoxSq (365x1)

Tweaked hamstring while warming up. Had to stop. Boo! KAHN!!!

1/3/2012

BP 3RM (230x3-240x1)

SP 140x3+ (6), 6x2

Wtd strict pullup @20# 12-11-12

(hours later) BSq 315x5x5

1/4/2012

Pullup 4x12

SP 145x8x2

Pushup 3x25

1/5/2012

BoxSq +#2 band 12x2, OTM @55% (225)

DL + #2 band 12x2, OTM @55% (250)

DL 365x3+ (7)

Sprint 10x40-60ish m

1/6/2012

BP + #1 band 16x3 every 30 seconds, rest 1 min after every 4 sets @55% (140)

BP 200x3+ (7)

PP 3x5 (165-170-175)

Strict Pullup + #1 band (9-7-9)

1/7/2012

Cuban Press 45x5x5

Magical thinking, yoga, and human motion

2012-01-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

I am recently inordinately bothered by magical thinking. More inordinately than is normal for me, which is quite a lot. Perhaps it is it's near universal pervasiveness and the breadth of control it exerts over the minds of everyone in it's omnipresent thrall. It seems to permeate so much of thought as to be almost impossible to get away from for even a moment.

I was recently at a dinner with a yoga teacher (male) and a number of his friends (all women and all yoga aficionadas). Over the course of just a few minutes he managed to declare so many inane (possibly insane) things as fact it was a miracle my head didn't explode. These falsities cannot be listed in full due only to the failure of my memory from both the amount of nonsense and my level of shock at the depth of said nonsense.

One claim was made that yoga is nothing more than proper breathing and that upon achieving perfect breath one would unlock untold capacities such that virtually no physical feat would be out of reach and no physical ailment would be a threat to the body.

Then there was the claim of how "science" had "proven" the following procession of crazed nonsense: the heart is composed mostly of neurons and thus much of our thinking occurs in the heart, everything emits a particular frequency within some sort of projected energy field, having discovered the frequencies of the heart and Earth they could be brought into alignment by yoga thus literally fusing one with the Earth on some non-existant energetic level thereby allowing one total access to all knowledge contained within the Earth. I nearly fainted from shock and then fury.

There was much more. This "science" was sourced from an article in a new age internet publication without any citation or peer reviewed research yet rife with fantastically insane claims.

The nonsense didn't stop. This is just a sampling. Yet no one seemed to object and many seemed to be in agreement. Two of whom were high school science teachers. I find this infuriating on so many levels. Not only that anyone could believe such nonsense but that they could believe it on such transparently conjured garbage-evidence and that no-one was willing to openly question such absurdities. It is all the more depressing that two of the non-objectors were high school science teachers.

In 2007 I had a 6 month love affair with yoga. It was fun, I felt good, and (according to good evidence) it's quite good for you. I still love yoga, which as far as I'm concerned means, "I love stretching". Having said that I also have developed a level of antipathy for it. The dividing line occurs within the minutia of the definition of the word yoga. Like many words, "yoga" has multiple connotations. By failing to delineate the precise constituent elements that compose the word miscommunication would be eminent when using it. My antipathy is reserved for only a sliver of that definition and much of the "new age" culture that has metastasized around it.

Yoga is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word 'yeug', meaning 'to join' or 'to yoke'. It is a reference in common language to a later derived Indic religious discipline predicated on the eastern denial-mythos of world negation and escape. It refers to one being yoked to the spiritual discipline in question. One of the ritualized practices that developed within this religio-cultural discipline was the complement of a series of physical movements employed as a meditative device for the devotee. Congruently in certain indic/yogic schools the ritualized movement also came to be seen as part of the spiritual practice itself such that 'these series of movements will create such-and-such material/spiritual effect upon you the practitioner'.

So when I say 'yoga', several things are being implied in the word.
1. The early indic denial-mythos' spiritual practice of yoking
2. The series of physical motions as meditative device
3. The series of physical motions as material agent of change in the world
and
4. The series of physical motions as adopted from an ancient indic practice (i.e. plank, down-dog, child's pose, etc - this is in it's most modern incarnation)

Thus there are several levels of meaning, which we might divide into to two major subgroups.
1. The physical component of raw human movement
2. The metaphysical claims of an ancient mythology attached to and attributed to the practice of said human movement

As a naturalist (using the philosophical definition of one who believes only in natural explanations of phenomena) I do not believe in any kind of supernaturalism. Thus I do not believe that practicing a series of prescribed motions will be able to effect any kind of energy fields, chakras, auras, or anything else. Part of that may be attributed to the fact that neither energy fields, chakras, auras, prana, chi, ki, or whatever else that runs in the ilk exist. I do however find a great deal of value in yoga for the motions it contains (some of them, not all) and for the meditative or 'flow' effect that it may have on the practitioner. This is no different from any other kind of physically derived flow state very much like sports or dance, which are known to elicit similar cognitive states that we might call "meditative" or that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi might call "flow". What I do not value are the metaphysical and mystical claims that seem to inevitably follow suit with any yoga type group. These supernatural claims are unsupported by evidence and, not infrequently, irresponsible or outright dangerous.

There was a recent article in the New York Times titled, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body by William J. Broad, who is himself an ardent yoga practitioner. It is excerpted from his upcoming book The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards. It largely features "superstar" yoga teacher Glenn Black who is featured in the article dissuading people form doing yoga at all or doing particular yoga motions he deems to be too dangerous, unnecessary, or unimportant for the person in question wanting to perform them.

My finding is that, just as in the article, people have had an adverse if not explosive reaction to Black's attitude, not to mention the findings of yoga related injuries as cited therein. Here is what I see happening. I think people have a variety of emotional attachments to yoga and to the magical claims of religious yogis who are yoked to the ancient mythos of millennia past. When science comes in to examine the efficacy of the practice in question (yoga) it finds that some of it is beneficial and some of it is not. This is seen as an affront and an attack on yoga as a whole. 'How could any of it [the oh so wise ancients of yesteryear] be wrong?!'. Worse still, many have subsumed their love and practice of yoga as a part of their identity and to have it questioned is indeed very painful if even too risky as to be impossible whatsoever.

The reality is this... there is no magic. Yoga (as in my 4th definition) is merely a series of movements of the body. All there is is human movement, nothing else. There are no chakras, auras, and energies. There is just movement. The pantheon of yogic movement was developed by religious cultists thousands of years ago in India. They did not have an scientific methodology for developing movements and movement series. They had magical thinking which caused them to conflate whatever bizarre motion they were performing with a variety of aspects of their denial-mythos. It just so happens that they did happen upon a great number of fantastic stretches that are fun, healthful, and good for the body on a variety of levels (developing better postural alignment, flexibility, proprioception, balance, coordination, etc). So too did they develop motions that are of no benefit and others that offer high risk of injury. They did not have any methodology in place to determine on an empirical basis which were which, they were merely framed in a religious framework. Now to have that questioned is new age blasphemy.

Yoga has retained much of it's religious underpinnings to this day, even in the west. Likewise, much of it's component movement have not been sorted by efficacy into different categories such as between beneficial, high risk, or benign, etc. They are merely all lumped together under one title, "yoga". This is very similar to the situation with eastern medicine and herbalism. The scientific method is recently under application to test the efficacy of many of the claims of eastern medicine and herbalism. The result is that a number of the practices therein have been validated as legitimately effective therapies, whilst others have been revealed to be little better than placebo effects if not otherwise outright dangerous. I see a comparable situation currently in yoga, which has never gone under the knife of scientific reasoning.

This article more or less reflects this reality. Glenn Black is clearly (to my eye) a very developed and effective teacher who knows human movement well. He has distinguished for himself - through trial and error - which motions are useful and efficacious and which are not. He has also broken another taboo of yoga (as of any religious order) that it is not necessarily useful or advisable for every person desiring to adopt the practice to do so whatsoever. To many this appears to be heretical but it is merely fact. Some motions are dangerous and should not necessarily be performed by everyone or even anyone at all. What science should do is better discern which motions are efficacious and have positive impacts on the practitioners and which do not. Which are high risk or high skill and which are low risk or low skill. This should not be such a controversial claim, yet it appears to be blasphemy.

As I said above, I love yoga, I think it's great. Bottom line though, it is only the combination of two things... stretching and meditation (flow state) through movement. It bears saying again: there is no magic, there is only physical movement. Not all movement are advantageous. Some are benign and some are dangerous. Learn to distinguish between them. Bosu ball barbells quarter squats are not useful, USAPL standard squats are useful.

The article (and Glenn) are merely making the claim that some motions are efficacious and some are not. Some motions are more or less efficacious for different people. Period. Just because it is a part of the religious pantheon doesn't necessarily make it true.

I see comparable things in gyms in general where dogma reigns supreme and few people seem to be amenable to claims derived from actual scientific experimentation. Nautilus machines are ineffective, slow/steady state cardio is ineffective, high rep/low weight motions are ineffective, partial range of motion is ineffective, low intensity exercise is ineffective, etc (it's a very long list)... but who wants to give up their old ways and adopt an entirely new schema of the world? That might be too much work. People might have to stop doing bosu ball quarter squats, or [my personal favorite] bosu ball box jumps, or even the ever popular sets of 100x3# vinyl coated dumbbell curls.

People seem to be designed to marry themselves to dogma especially those bearing grandiose magical claims of the incredible. Religious/magical thinking is an unfortunate relic of our genetic heritage and is a source of endless personal consternation for me. I don't expect humans to ever be rid of it.

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body
Why "Magical Thinking" Works for Some People
Magical Thinking
Study Explores Distrust of Atheists by Believers
The Great Detox Deception

Education post - thoughts to be inserted shortly

2011-12-09T16:28:00.001-08:00

I accumulate and prioritize all kinds of reading but leave myself very little time for commentary or written analysis. I'm trying to remedy that and will return with a more thorough fleshing of the ideas contained herein.

Education, learning, schooling

How Students Can Take Charge of Their Education

It's Time For a Learning Revolution

11 Great Reasons to Skip College

Was This Professor Fired for Requiring Students to Think?

Is the U.S. at Risk of Having Too Many College Graduates?

Did a Harvard Economics Class Cause the Financial Crisis?

Higher Education Bubble in America

Autonomy, Mastery, & Purpose

Can We Play

My Parents Were Home-Schooling Anarchists

When an Adult Took Standardized Tests Forced on Kids

3 weeks of training and transition

2011-12-08T19:11:00.001-08:00

Here are the last 3 weeks of training since ending the Conjugate Hybrid Experiment. I have since decided to switch to powerlifting. This move was motivate by a myriad of factors not the least of which is that it is more in line with my goals. I also plan on making some basic changes to the Feral CrossFit program so as to provide a better service to our clientele. This of course will mean more strength training and a logical training progression beyond the often seeming inanity of what more often than not passes for CrossFit programming. This is now possible largely because we have shifted our training regime to a regular five day schedule with set rest days on Thursday and Sunday. These days are also acting as "make up days" for those who missed the scheduled programming.

Excellent article by Justin over at 70's Big [dot] com.
What's The Deal With CrossFit?

After this it's powerlifting (and perhaps some weightlifting) for the foreseeable future.

11/14/2011
BSq 345x1+ (3)

11/15/2011
SP 125x5+ (8)
+
3 sets:
3 SqCl
12 Burpee
12 KBS 32kg
36 DU
Rest 3 min
225/2:12
215/7:43
205/14:23

11/17/2011
DL 335x5+ (11)
6RFT:
6 PSn, 95#
6 Pushup
6 Box Jump, 20"
(4:28)

11/18/2011
BP 180x5+ (10)
+
1 SP
3 PP
5 PJ
rest (135/140/145)
+
Row 500m
25 Box Jump 24"
50 Pullup
25 Box Jump 24"
Row 500m (9:24)

11/19/2011
BSq 310x5+ (7-7)
150 DU
100 KBS, 24kg
50 Burpee
(11:48) *rope tangled

11/21/2011
SP 130x3+ (5)
3 sets:
10 BSq
Run 400m
amrap Pullup
rest 5 min
290/36
290/33-delirious, stopped to eat
295/37

11/22/2011
DL 355x3+ (7)
+
3 sets:
10 CJ 135
10 C2B
10 DB Burpee 35#
50 DU
rest 8 min
3:07
3:57
4:42

11/23/2011
BP 195x3+ (7)
20-16-12-8-4
Hand release pushup
Alt sledge strike, 16#
(6:47)

11/25/2011
BSq 330x3+ (6)
BSq 315x7-315x7

11/26/2011
A: BB-row, alt grip 185x10-195x10-195x8
B: DB incline BP 15-10-8, @60#
C: T bar row + band, alt grip 3x10@185#
D: Gravitron medball push 3x10
E: 3 sets:
Strict Pullup x15-10-8
KB-Sn x10/10, 24kg
F: DB rolling tri ext 3x10, 30-35-35#

11/29/2011
SP 140x1+ (4)
BP+#1 band, 1RM (215)
BP 1 x amrap @85% (187x9)
+
DB roll tri-ext (35#x8-8-8)
BB row (155x10-10-8)
2x rope pullup (3-5-7)
Ring pushup + ext rot (15-10-10)

11/30/2011
DL 1+ 375 (6)
+
amrap 10
3 DL, 315#
7 Ring Dip
(8+3)

12/2/2011
BP 205x1+ (6)
+
Row 1k
35 Thruster, 95#
45 Pullup
(9:10)

12/3/2011
6RFT:
3 Wall walk
12 KBS, 24kg
Run 200m
(21:00)

Conjugate Hybrid Experiment

2011-12-06T09:13:00.001-08:00

Following the Big Dawg I attempted a Conjugate style program, which I had aimed to bias towards capacity as a CrossFit athlete. Towards the end things started to fall apart for a variety of reasons. I did a lot of stuff incorrectly a hit a lot of snags along the way. Much was learned and will be tweaked in the coming cycle, which will not be biased towards CF but a pure PL program. Anyway, here's the log...

9/14/2011
A: BoxSq + #2 band 1RM (225x2-255x2-270x2-280x1)
B: 3 sets:
5 DL
15 GHD-SU
20 Back Ext
rest 4 min
(275-285-295)

9/15/2011
A: BP + #1 band 8x3, @60%, rest 1 min (135)
B: PC 8x3 @85%, rest 1 min (195)
C: 5 sets:
5 PSn
Row 350m
rest 3 min
1:34/135
1:52/145
1:53/140
1:53/140
1:57/140

9/16/2011
A: CJ 1RM (225, CJ - 235, Clean)
B: 5 sets:
Thruster 95# amrap 30 sec
rest 30 sec
DU amrap 30 sec
rest 30 sec

9/18/2011
A: SP 1RM (155)
B: SP 1x amrap @85% (130x6)
C: 3RFT
15 HPC 135
15 Burpee (6:17)

9/19/2011
A: BoxSq +#2 band 10x2, @50%, rest 1 min (170)
B: DL +#2 band 10x2, @50%, rest 1 min (215)
C: For time:
20 BSq 225
30 KBS 32kg
40 BJ 30"
(6:21)

9/21/2011
A: DL + #2 band, 1RM (385)
B: MU 3x5

9/22/2011
A: BP + #1 band 8x3, @65%, rest 1 min (145)
B: 5 sets:
20 cal row
amrap HSPU
rest 3 min
(7-5-5-4-4)

9/23/2011
A: SP 1x amrap@85% (130x7)
B: For time:
25 PP 95
50 Walking OH lunge 45#
100 DU
200m Run
(6:46)

9/25/2011
A: BP + #1 band, 1RM (205)
B: BP + #1 band, 5x1 @90% (187)
C: 1x amrap @85% (175x4)
D: Wtd pullup 5x3 (70-80-85-98-93x2)
E: Skin the cat 3x5

9/26/2011
A: BoxSq + #2 band 10x2, @55%, OTM (155)
B: DL + #2 band 10x2, @55%, OTM (235)
C: 3 sets:
5 Thruster
10 Burpee
15 C2B
20 BJ 24"
rest 5 min
135/2:04
135/2:21
135/2:36

9/28/2011
A: BoxSq + #2 band 1RM (295)
B: x10@95%+ (270-285-295-266-266-267-268-269-266-266)

9/29/2011
A: BP + chains 8x3, @70%, rest 1 min (155)
B: 4 sets:
5 OHS
amrap HSPU
rest 4 min
(135/5-145/0-145/1-145/0)
C. Behind neck SnGrSP x3 (45-65-75-85-95-100-105)

9/30/2011
A: 5 sets:
5 DL
10 BJ 30"
rest 3 min (315-325-335-345-355x4)
B: Wtd pullup 5x1-3 (90x3-100.5x1-105x1-110x1-115x1)

10/2/2011
A: SP, 1RM (160)
B: 1x amrap @85% (136x5)
C: x10@90%+
D: 5RFT:
5 BSq 245
30 DU
(8:08)

10/3/2011
A: Fran (4:08)

10/5/2011
A: DL + #2 band, 1RM (385)
B: 8-10x1 @90% (355-375-385-356-356-356-356)

10/6/2011
A: BP +#1 band 8x3, @150, OTM
C: SnGrSP x3 (95-105-108-112-113-115-117-120x1)

10/7/2011
A: SP 1x amrap@85% (136x6)
B: 6 sets:
3 BSq
amrap pullup
rest
(295/35-305/32-315/28-320/25)

10/9/2011
A: BP + #1 band, 1RM (220)
B: 1x amrap @85% (187x6)"
C: 3 sets:
Row 500m
Run 400m
rest
(2:57-3:06-3:11)

10/11/2011
A: BoxSq +#2 band 10x2, @155, rest 1 min
B: DL +#2 band 10x2, @215, rest 1 min

10/12/2011
A: BoxSq + #2 band 1RM (300)
B: BoxSq (305x2, 315x2, 325x1)
C: Wtd pullup 3x amrap 32kg (5-5-5)

10/13/2011
A: BP +#1 band 8x3, @155, OTM
Volkswagen 2.0
15-10-5:
BP @65% (150)
Strict Ring Dips
Strict Pull Ups (10:54)

10/14/2011
A: 4 sets:
3 DL
Row 250m
rest
(355/43.8-365/45.6-375/46-385/47.1)
B: DL 8x1
(315-335-355-375-395-405-405-405)

10/16/2011
A: SP, 1RM (155)
B: 1x amrap @85% (136x5)

10/17/2011
A: SnGrSP 4x3 (115-117-119-121)
B: SnGrSP 2x1 (125-130)
C: SP 3x2 @90% (145-145-145)
+
For time:
20 BSq 225
Run 1 mile
(8:00)

10/19/2011
A: DL + #2 band, 1RM (405)
B: DL 5-7x3
C: Wtd Pullup 4x amrap, 32kg (6-5-5)

10/20/2011
A: BP +#1 band 8x3, @160, OTM
B: 4 sets:
10 HSqCl 95
10 Burpee
10 KBS 32kg
30 DU
rest 3 min
(1:24-1:49-1:52-2:39)

10/21/2011
4-6 sets:
3 BSq
amrap pullup
rest
315/36-325/33-330/29-332/28

10/23/2011
A: BP + #1 band, 1RM (220)
B: 1x amrap @85% (187x5)
5RFT:
3 MU
Run 200m
(7:26)

10/26/2011
A: BoxSq + #2 band 1RM (305)
B: BoxSq 5x1 (315-325-335-345-355 fail)
C: SnGrSP 3x3
(120-122-123)

10/27/2011
SORE AS HELL
Barbell Row x5
(135-155-175-195-205-195-195-195-195)"

10/28/2011
A: 5 sets:
5 DL
10 BJ 30"
rest
365x5-375x4-385x2-365x3-365x3"
B: GHD-SU 4x20
Back Ext 4x20
C: Deficit KB GM 4x10, 32kg
Deficit KB Sq 4x10, 32kg

10/31/2011
BSq 20RM attempt (255x18)

11/2/2011
A: DL + #2 band, 1RM (415)
B: Rack pull 5x1 (405-425-435-445-455)"
B: SnGrSP x3 (115-120-125)

C: GHD-SU 3x22
Back Ext 3x22"

11/3/2011
A: Elizabeth (9:17)
B: amrap 7 minutes: Unbroken C2B ladder 1-5

11/4/2011
A: SP 10x1 (157)
B: BoxSq +#1 band 10x2, OTM, 85% (305)

11/6/2011
7RFT:
3 PSn, 135
Row 250m
(10:12)

11/7/2011
A: BP, 1RM (235)
B: BP 1x amrap @85% (200x6)"
5 sets:
10 DB-Thruster, 2x50
Partner Band Sprint
rest

11/9/2011
A: BoxSq + #2 band 1RM (315)
B: BoxSq 5x1 (355)"
C: SnGrSP 3x3 (115-125-128x2)
D: Wtd GHD-SU 3x15
E: Wtd Back Ext 3x20

11/10/2011
amrap 15 min
2 HSPU
2 MU
2 PSn
2 BJ, 30"
8+2

11/11/2011
A: 5-4-3-2-1:
SqCl, 155
BP, 155
Sprint 200m
(7:56)

11/13/2011
A: BSq 4x5 (315-325-335-345)
B: RKBS 3x25, 48kg

11/14/2011
3-5 sets:
10 Thruster
10 Burpee
10 C2B
30 DU
rest 5 min

End of the Big Dawg

2011-12-06T09:00:00.001-08:00

I am way behind on posting my training. This part of my log is significantly backlogged. I'll finish posting the remaining training cycles up to the present where I am now transitioning fully to powerlifting and putting CrossFit on the back-burner indefinitely. The Big Dawg is hand down one of the best programs I have ever encountered and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in broad, general, and inclusive fitness/work capacity. Since moving to Saratoga I haven't felt like I've really hit much a stride with training. I find that it is an impossible task for me to program for myself and require a coach to program for me. What's more I also require a training partner or partners otherwise my performance suffers dramatically. Both of these have been lacking. Given my current goals, reliance on a program, and training partners I am switching to powerlifting, which seems much more in accord with my current goals and needs.

8/1/2011
3RFT, w20# vest:
20KBS 32kg
Run 100m?
(6:04)

8/2/2011
Waiter carry w/ 20# vest
100m, 5x1/1, 32kg
+
3RFT:
10 Burpee
15 DB Thruster 20#
Run 100m?
(4:24)

8/3/2011
Roy, scaled to 3RFT (from 5):
15 DL @225
20 BJ @24"
25 Kip
11:10
+
150 DU for time:
3:04, shitty rope, 20-20-20-20-20-25-25

8/5/2011
The Bear
115-135-145-115-n/a

8/6/2011
Car push ('98 Dodge Intrepid) 1x forward + 1x backward, x5

8/7/2011
For Time:
20 Cal Row
30 Wall Ball
20 T2B
30 Box Jump 24"
20 SDHP 24kg KB
30 Burpee
20 S->OH 105#
120' Sled drag 125#
(14:13)

8/16/2011
BSq 3x5, 265-255-245
SP 3x5 125-115-115

8/17/2011
BSq 1x5, 265
For time:
Run 1 mile
30 BP 165
(15:11)
Static DB side raise, 15#, 30 sec x2
Static DB front raise, 15#, 30 sec
L-Sit, 30 sec

8/19/2011
BSq 3x5 245
SP 1x5 125 + 5x4 125"
PC 4x2-3, rest 3 min (215-215-215-215x3)
HPC x1/Split Jerk x1, OTM x6 (165)
C1. PC x10 TnG (185-165-155)
C2. KBS x20, 32kg, rest 2 min x3
Static DB side raise, 15#, 35 sec
Static DB front raise, 15#, 35 sec
L-Sit, 32 sec

8/20/2011
BSq 3x5 255
For time:
15 PSn 115#
9 BJ 24"
12 PSn
12 BJ
9 PSn
15 BJ
(5:00)

8/21/2011
BSq 3x5 265
5 sets:
5 FSq
10 Burpee
15 KBS 32kg
Rest 5:15
(135-155-165-175-185)

8/23/2011
A. ClGrDL 60% 1RM; 8x3; rest 45 sec (255)
B1. HHPC 3x3; rest 2 min (165-175-175)
B2. CGBP 3x5; rest 2 min (155-165-175)
+
4 sets, AFAP w/20# vest:
20 RKBS 32kg
10 BJ 34"
Rest 2 min

8/24/2011
A. OHS (185x3)
+
For time:
30 wall balls unbroken
50 walking lunges 2x45#db
15 muscle ups
50 walking lunges 2x45#db
30 wall balls unbroken
(17:06)

8/25/2011
BoxSq 9x2 (45-95-135-185-225-245-255-265-275)
SP 3x5 (125-125-125)

8/27/2011
A. PC 1RM (225)
B. CGBP 1RM (205)
C. BoxSq 6x2 275

8/29/2011
BoxSq x2 225-255-275-280-285-290-295-285x1
SP 3x3 135

8/30/2011
BP + #1 band x3 45-95-135-155-160-160-165-155
100 TGU 16kg NFT

8/31/2011
3 sets:
15 CJ 135
Run 200m
Row 250m
rest 10 min
(3:17-3:27-4:06)

9/1/2011
BoxSq + #2 band x2
(225-245-245-255-255-255-255-265)
BoxSq no bands x2 (285)
SP: 145x2-145x1-130x5

9/3/2011
DL 10x2 (315-345-335-345-335-315-335-315-315)
BP + #1 band 8x3
(135-160-165-170-175-175-175-165)

9/4/2011
A. DL 60% 7-7-7-5-5-5-3-3-3, rest 30 sec

9/5/2011
DL @60%, 7-7-7-5-5-5-3-3-3, rest 30 sec (255)

9/6/2011
BoxSq x2 + #2 band (225-245-255-265-270-275)
BoxSq x2 (285-290-295-300)
SP 7x2 @145

9/7/2011
7 sets, AFAP:
3 HPC, TnG tough
10 Burpee
200m Run
rest 5 min
1:21 - 165
1:14 - 175
1:21 - 180
1:23 - 175
1:26 - 175
1:22 - 175
1:18 - 175
(9:25)

9/8/2011
For time:
50 BJ 30"
Row 400m
50 KBS 32kg
Row 400m
50 DU
(10:52)

9/11/2011
Part 1
A: SqCl 1RM (230)
B: SqSn 1RM (165)
C: 25 HSPU for time (12:22)

Part 2
A: DL x1
315-335-355-(sumo)355-375-(sumo)375
B: Row 1 min, rest 5 min x6
335m/1:29.5
336m/1:29.2
334m/1:29.8
326m/1:32.0
319m/1:34.0
317m/1:34.6

Final set of quotes from Falk's "Islamic Terror"

2011-12-06T07:47:00.001-08:00

In reality, however, Muslim women are often abused by males in their family - their fathers, brothers, or husbands. The Israeli Arab scholar Muhammad Haj-Yahai has studied wife and child abuse in Arab society, which had already been observed by Patai and Laffin (Haj-Yahai 1999, 2000). Wife abuse and child abuse are connected. Abused and traumatized wives do not make good-enough mothers. They in turn traumatize, abuse, and enrage their child, whose rage at his mother may later be displaced to his future wife - or to America or Israel. Not having themselves a sense of inner security and "object constancy," these mothers fail to provide them to their children. The psychoanalysts Adelaide Johnson and S. A. Szurels have shown many years ago that an abused, traumatized mother unconsciously instigates antisocial behavior in her child, as if to vicariously get back at her abusers - the dominant males on her family and society (Johnson and Szurels 1952).

In the fundamentalist Muslim family, then, an endless and tragic vicious cycle of women-and-child abuse often exists, communicated and passed on from one generation to the next. Abused children often become abusive parents. The child in not only abused by his father but, perhaps unconsciously, also by his mother. Wife abuse is a common psychological problem in the Arab and Muslim family and society. The abuse of wives is not only a social phenomenon, as a way of asserting the husband's dominance, but also a psychological one: the rage at his mother, whom the son cannot beat or abuse, may be unconsciously displaced to his wife, whom he can beat and abuse when he becomes her husband and "owns her" - or to "America"
-Islamic Terror by Avner Falk, pg. 145

Severe historical trauma lives on in the cultural memory of a people, is transmitted from generation to generation, mostly in the form of survivor guilt and shame that must be expiated. This leads directly to the background of terrorism: A culture that abuses its children and inculcates blind obedience to authority creates suicide bombers. It continually re-creates new trauma, but is itself rooted in historical trauma. It deflects the rage created by incessant shaming (and reinforced by historical grievances) onto an outward enemy who symbolizes values antithetical to all that the culture claims to honor; there is a deep sense of humiliating deficiency (Wurmser 2004, p. 924; italics added).
-Islamic Terror by Avner Falk pg. 145

From a Psychodynamic point of view, the pathology of an archaic, shame-oriented superego, rooted in severe physical or emotional traumatization, is as important as historical injustices, economic deprivations, religious fanaticism, or the threat posed by modernity. On the one side, the shamed part of the self is projected onto the victim; it needs to be tortured and destroyed as a symbol of one's own image of weakness and victimhood. On the other side, a harsh superego - a punishing and absolving, absolute authority - is projected onto leaders, terrorist groups, and above all onto "God." Terrorism can thus be understood as an externalization of inner conflict with an archaic superego. This conflict is guided by pervasive resentment - "inner" here meaning with the individual, as well as within family, group, and large community. Terrorism's history is a tale of shame and resentment and their exploitation for power and profit (Wurmser 2004, p. 924; italics added)

Wurmser's "pervasive resentment" is shorthand for "boundless narcissistic rage." Indeed, feelings of shame and impotent rage at both parents often overwhelm the Arab boy from a very young age. The Arab boy's rage at his mother abandoning him at the age of seven, or even much earlier, psychologically, is she is traumatized and abused, may consolidate and crystallize his earlier infantile rage at the mother for her earlier psychological abandonments. The rage at his father for shaming or abusing him physically and emotionally fuels the inner volcano. In the best of cases, the Arab boy unconsciously channels his rage into constructive or creative avenues. In the worst cases, he may unconsciously displace them onto the American or Israeli enemy who, as he things and feels, has robbed him of his fatherland or motherland - the symbolic mother, or at America, the "Great Bad Mother."
-Islamic Terror by Avner Falk, pg. 146

While girl - and women - battering and honor murders are increasingly normalized in Islamic culture, the enemy-outsider, who must also be scapegoated, has been increasingly eroticized. Israel-hatred and Jew-hatred have achieved a level of political-erotic obsession among jihadists that may even surpass that of the Nazi era. Israel is no longer "feminine" and for some, this is its great, existential crime. Israel refuses to absorb the hatred and violence or to forever turn the other cheek. Individual Jewish women, though, may present a particularly tempting target to mentally ill and violent Muslims in a jihadic era. The "Jewess" is the most denigrated female in Islamic ideology. Zaynab bint Al-Harith, the Khaybar "Jewess," is the woman who was falsely accused of having poisoned the prophet Muhammed after having witnessed the beheading of her entire male community in the Battle of Khaybar. Not coincidentally, Hizbullah currently calls its missles "Khaybar." We have also been told that a new Iranian television station is known as "Lhaybar" (Chesler and Kobrin 2006).
-Islamic Terror by Avner Falk, pg. 148

Muslim terrorists, because of the fundamentalistic religious and cultural indoctrination and brainwashing do not have a perceived internal conflict [...] The terrorist, through years of ideological indoctrination, has a collapsing of developmental stages and in a fused primitive mode is pressured by strong instinctual urges that become expressed sadistically [...] The indoctrination of fundamentalistic belies does not permit a maturation of the instinctual urges into a socially modifiable and coherent whole. Rather it fosters a regression back to early pre-oedipal strivings and longings and early sexual awakenings, or to the sadism and envy the Klein described, as well as the erotic longings and early sexual awakenings Stoller has focused on. In other words, the victimizer functions at a very early, primitive and regressed emotional level. Bion tries to tie-together all these parts with a micro (individual) vs. macro (society) paradigm. The narcissistic investment in self does not move towards a merger with the group. Rather, it denudes the individual of psychic energy that could and should move him forward. This is the mindset of the terrorist (Berke and Schneider 2006; italics added)
-Islamic Terror by Avner Falk, pg. 157

If a child is repeatedly overwhelmed by shame and narcissistic rage, he or she will have trouble with his own self-esteem, will have a hard time setting up abstract ideals and may, in order to shore up their sense of well-being as an adult, opt to serve idealized parent-like figures; they become a version of those fervent men and women cheering at mass rallies in which hyperbole and blind allegiance are the norm. A psychologically vulnerable person, who has been traumatized with shame and humiliation, may create in his fantasy an idealized version of his or her own self, in order to maintain internal balance. Such grandiosity typically requires a reviled Other onto which one can unconsciously project one's personal deficiencies - members of a rival sect, women, men, homosexuals, or members of other races. For many fanatical Muslims who are filled with "ferocious hatred" and "boundless narcissistic rage" against the "oppressors," these are America, Europe, Israel, "the West," or "the Crusaders."
...Many fundamentalist religions and sets, like fanatical Islam, with their emphasis on suppressing the sexual drive and their elevation of the afterlife over life itself, are repressive in nature and resort to shaming people to keep them in line (Davis 2005). They grive strict directions at the expense of empathic understanding. The parents can provide their children with a coherent narrative but also with a "groupthink" that can lead to sanctioning the persecution of select groups that challenge that narrative (Charach 2006).
-Islamic Terror by Avner Falk, pg. 179

More on Islam, terrorism, narcissistic rage, psychopathology, and abuse

2011-11-11T20:05:00.001-08:00

There's so much excellent thinking going on here. Richard Landes of The Augean Stables has some of the most clear thinking on the clash of civilizations that I've encountered anywhere, which is perhaps more accurate to say his thinking seems to overlap with my own perhaps more than anyone else I've encountered. His analysis of the various lenses of perception of various groups, their origins, and effects are piercing in their accuracy and - though often enough totally ignored - of absolutely crucial importance in understanding any of the current global sociopolitical environment and the clash of civilizations. In the briefest of synopses, cultures are different. They have different values and develop people with different psychologies. To refer back to Sam Harris, some are better or worse at creating and fostering conditions for and states of human happiness, which is simply to say some are better or worse. The reality that many in the west are blind to for a variety of reasons is that the world of "Islamdom" (the greater cultural sphere of Islamic influence, which is largely an extension of primeval Arab culture whereby Islam is in effect the quintessence of Arab culture/mythos/psychology built for export) is hyper-misogynistic and violent shame-honor culture that has generated a perfect storm of narcissistic rage which finds expression in projections of hatred and violence. Meanwhile the west or occident is a guilt culture who's recent tradition of cultural relativism has blinded the reality of the danger of the psychopath with whom it is lodged.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

Paradigms and the Middle East Conflict part 1

Civil Society vs. Prime-Divider Society part 2

Honor-Shame Jihad (HJP) part 3

PCP 1 and 2

Moral Equivalence

Deconstructing the Trop: "We're criticized from both sides, so we must be doing something right."

LCE and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: Arab Mothers Are Just Like Everyone

Cognitive Egocentricism

Whose Racism? Reactions in Israel, Palestine and Elsewhere to the Gilad Shalit Prisoner Exchange

Palestinian "Moderates" Praise Terror to Arabic Media; Talk Peace to the West

Arab Spring or Islamist Surge?

"Honor" Murders - Why the Perps Get off Easy

Egotist Rex: Are a Dictator's Defiant Statements Indicative of Self-Delusion?

PomoMarx: Eaglton Tries to Make Marx and 21st Century Progressive

Dr Jacobs' Argument on MSM Coverage of Human Rights Abuses

Shame, the Arab Psyche, and Islam

The Psychopathology of Terrorism

Lethal Narratives: Weapons of Mass Destruction in the War Against the West

Marx in the American Academy: When Will its High Priests Ever Learn?

The Return of an Illusion

Said and Honor-Shame

First set of quotes from "Islamic Terror", Big Dawg training, and some links

2011-10-23T12:22:00.002-07:00

Relevant material excerpted from Islamic Terror: Conscious and Unconscious Motives by Avner Falk...

The Swiss psychoanalyst Arno Gruen thought that "behind all terrorism and violence stands an inner emptiness because no identity could be formed which would have been rooted in compassion and the sensibility for his own pain and the pain of the other. Instead of such a fundament, an identity structure arises that is based solely on identifications with authorities and obedience" (Gruence 2002, pp. 137-138, translated from German into English and quoted in Wrumser 2004, p. 918). Leon Wurmser added that
The loveless and cruel attitude of caregivers is being taken over by the child. What is his own is being split off as something foreign. Instead,revenge is taken on the supposed weakness of the other (their pain, their tenderness, their femininity, their affects altogether), which basically is one's own weakness. Violence becomes a source of feeling alive. Albert Speer described the greedy, even delirious joy with which Hitler watched movies of the burning London, of the firestorm over Warsaw, and of exploding convoys and grew ecstatic imagining the cataclysm of New York (Wurmser 2004, p. 918; italics added).
-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 50

The big question left unanswered by Ignatius, however, is whether and how the "West" can help the Muslim world, and above all Iran, gain a greater sense of dignity or "sharaf" that would make it desist from building nuclear weapons or engaging in murderous terrorist activity. For Muslims who suffer from a painful sense of shame and humiliation, an insult to their honor or sharaf, the traditional way of repairing that damage to their dignity is through humiliating those who they feel inflicted the shame and humiliation in the first place. And as Ahmadinejad perceives it, those who need be destroyed and humiliated are Israel and the United States.

-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 66

Narcissistic injury, which may encompass rejection, shame, humiliation, and other painful injuries to the self, produces narcissistic rage (Kohut 1972), which is boundless, and may be turned against the self. As it is true that adult love often repeats the early loves of our life for our parents, so it may be true that the loss of love through death or abandonment may repeat an earlier loss of love and cause deep depression. In this sense, love is the essence of life: receiving love from one's mother or caretaker at the outset of our life gives us the inner strength to go through life and its hardships. Losing that love at an early stage leaves us more vulnerable to be traumatized by later losses (Gaylin 1968, p. 10). In fact, losing one's mother's love, or not having a good-enough mother to begin with, can cause the infant panic and terror - which may eventually lead him or her to acts of terror, repeating the terror that he or she had experienced within.

-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 88-89

Kohut linked narcissistic rage directly to narcissistic injury: "Narcissistic rage occurs in many forms; they all share, however, a specific psychological flavor which gives them a distinct position within the wide realm of human aggressions. The need for revenge, for righting a wrong, for undoing a hurt by whatever means, and a deeply anchored, unrelenting compulsion in the pursuit of all these aims, which gives no rest to those who have suffered a narcissistic injury - these are the characteristic features of narcissistic rage in all its forms and which set it apart from other kinds of aggression" (Kohut 1978, pp. 637-638; italics added).

-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 100

Baruch felt that "the traumatic separation of the sexes in Islamic societies,: which prevented a normal expression of sexual feelings, was a major cause of Muslim fundamentalism, and that the fanatical Islamic search for violent political activity and suicide bombing was but "one result of hating one's own sexual impulses."

-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 106

Little girls live their lives under a communal death threat - the honor killing. Both male and female infants and children are brought up by mothers, too often debased and traumatized women. As such, children are forever psychologically "contaminated" by the humiliated yet all-powerful mother. Arab and Muslim boys must disassociate themselves from her, too often in spectacularly savage ways. But, on a deep unconscious level, they may also wish to remain merged with the source of contamination, a conflict that suicide bombers both act out and resolve when they manfully kill but also merge their blood eternally with that of their presumably most hated enemies, the Israeli Jews. Israeli Jews may actually function as substitutes or scapegoats for an even more primal, hated/loved enemy: woman (Chesler 2004a; italics added)

-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 132-133

The paranoid personality tends to misperceive and distort reality in selected areas. Persistent fantasies of outer or inner danger coexist with unreasonable expectation and exaggeration of hostile threat and hypersensitivity to minor mishaps and injuries. Affection and commitment are unreliable, and disappointments in relationships are regarded as potentially menacing or malevolent. Expectations or conviction of infidelity, betrayal, and conspiracy appear, with narcissistic rage and hate directed at "disappointing" love objects or their disguised, symbolic representation (Kohut 1972; Masterson 1981, 200; Blum 1981; Kernberg 1975, 2002).
In this connection, it is important to cite a study by the political scientists Marvin Zonis and Craig Joseph on conspiracy thinking in the Middle East (Zonis and Joseph 1994). The authors observed that suspicious, paranoid "conspiracy thinking" is more developed in the Middle East than it is in "Western" societies. Arab, Iranian, and Muslim societies in the Middle East tended to attribute their failures and disasters to conspiracies by the Western power, Jews, Zionists, Israelis, and other "enemies" of their societies.

-Avner Falk, Islamic Terror, Conscious and Unconscious Motives pg. 142

Israel, Islam, Terrorism:

From Anti-Semite to Zionist

The Real Obstacle to Palestinian Statehood

Terror at the Beach

Protocols of the Elders of Crazy

Evolution:

Lock of Hair Pins Down Early Migration of Aborigines

Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design

Denisovan DNA in the Islands, and an Australian Genome

Old American Theory is "Speared"

People Were Chipping Stone Tools in Texas More Than 15,000 Years Ago

Politics:

Confronting the Malefactors

Here's What the Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About...

Training:

Why Gamers are a Great Fit at the Gym

Are You Coachable? Lessons From Dara Torres

CrossFit Guide to a Hotter Sex Life

The Physics of the Bench Press: Science Applied

New Breed of Athletes Seeking Edge Through Food, Not Drugs

Diet, Health:

Why Grains Are Unhealthy

A Primal Primer: Leptin

Why is Celiac Disease Increasing? Clues From the Swedish Epidemic

Agrarian Diet and Diseases of Affluence - Do Evolutionary Novel Dietary Lectins Cause Leptin Resistance?

Science:

The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Paradigm

Other:

Where Child Sacrifice is a Business

Are Workers Too Productive?

All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed

Why Do Some People Learn Faster?

Twilight of Violence

Why Do Americans Still Dislike Atheists?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand some backlogged training from the Big Dawg...

6/27/2011

A: Walk 400m w/ 20# vest + 45#

B: Walk 400m w/ 20# vest + 45# sand bag + 25# sand bag

C: Walk 400m w/ 20# vest + 45# sand bag

6/28/2011

A. FSq, 30X1; 5x4-5; rest 5 min 215x5-220x5-215x5-215x4-205x4

B. L Pull Ups @ 2111; amrap x3; rest 2 min 10 pro-10 sup-5 pro

C. amrap 5 min rotational med ball throw x30/30 @20#

6/29/2011

5 sets:

3 CJ TnG

3 rds AFAP:

3 burpees

5 box jumps 24"

rest 7 min

185/1:02

195/1:04

195/1:28

185/1:28

185/1:23

7/3/2011

A. clean grip DL, tough triple; rest as needed (355)

B. clean grip DL, tough single, NOT 1RM; rest as needed (375)

for time:

150 DU

100 KBS 24kg

50 burpees

(13:08)

7/4/2011

A: BoxSq 10x2 + blue bands, no belt (185-195-205-215-225-235-240-225-230-235)

B: SPx3 (140-140-140x2)

Box Jump w/ vest 20#

L-sit rope climb

7/5/2011

"Tinkerbell", scaled 20 reps

Run 800m (pirouette at each corner = x8)

20 SqCl @95# - dance every time you release the bar

20 DU

20 Sledge hammer strike

20 Pistol Sq

20 BP @95# - dance every time you release the bar

20 Pistol Sq

20 Slede hammer strike

20 DU

20 SqCl @95# - dance every time you release the bar

Run 800m (high kick at each corner = x8)

(21:09)

7/6/2011

7 sets:

AMRAP HSPU (-1)

Row 250m

rest 3:30 b/t sets

HSPU / avgerage wattage / actual wattage:

6/562/565

6/449/465

5*/449/476

3*/389/403

4/390/422

5/415/408

4/420/456

* = set ended due to falling off of wall, not fatigue.

7/7/2011

100 TGU 24kg, (45:20)

7/9/2011

A. clean grip DL, tough triple; rest as needed (365x3)

B. clean grip DL, tough single, NOT 1RM; rest as needed (385x1)

for time:

row 150 cals for time (281avg-watts/177# = 1.59)

(score is avg watts divided by BWT in # - i.e. 320/170# = 1.88)

Mix grip DL + belt (405x1, 425x1)

7/10/2011

OHS, tough 3 (165)

7 sets:

5 TnG HSqC

10 burpees AFAP

rest 3:30 b/t sets

135/0:33

155/0:40

165/0:47

165/0:45

165/0:48

165/0:45

165/0:42

Mix grip DL, no belt 405x1

7/12/2011

3 sets:

10 TnG CJ

DU 90 sec

rest 2 min

145#/69 reps/2:15

135#/29 reps/2:15

135#/51 reps/2:30

3 sets:

10 TnG PP

Row 90 sec

rest 2 min

105#/318 watts/2:00

115#/253 watts/2:00

120#/225 watts/2:00

3 sets:

15 T2B

15 GHD-SU

15 Ring push ups

rest 2 min1.

1:37

1:57

3:00

7/13/2011

A. FSq 3x3; rest 2 min (225-225-225)

Walk 400m with 116# (26# vest + 40# vest + 50# sandbag)

Slam balls @ 20# and 50#

30# wall balls

Hurling slam balls as far as possible across the gym, thruster style @ 20# and 50#. This was a lot of fun.

7/16/2011

30-20-10:

Wall Ball

BJ 24"

KBS 32kg

(9:08)

7/17/2011

BoxSq 10x2 + #2 bands

(185-205-215-225-235-245-255-225-230-235)

7/18/2011

FSq 10x2 225

RKBS 3x15 48kg

Play: HSPU x4, L-sit 30 sec, 28 sec

7/19/2011

A1. SnGrDL, 3111, 8-6-6-4 rest 2 min

A2. Ring Dips wtd, 40X1, 6-6-4-4 rest 2 min

B1. GHR, 2010, 2x15, rest 90 sec

B2. Ring PU, 2222, 2x amrap (-2), rest 90 sec"

(A1: 205-225-245-275

A2: 25-35-45-55

B1: 15-15

B2: 12-10)

7/20/2011

A: BoxSq 5x3, 315, rest 5 min (3-3-3-3-2)

B: KB-CJ, 5x5/5, 32kg

C: RKBS, 5x20, 48kg

7/21/2011

5 sets:

10 OHS tough

AMRAP chin ups

rest 6 min

135x10/26

135x10/30

135x10/20

135x9/n/a

7/23/2011

group 5:

A. ClGrDL, tough single (395)

B. CGBP, 1RM (185)

C1. CGBP 3x12; rest 2 min

C2. ClGrDL 3x12; rest 2 min (145/275-145/275-140/275x10)

3 sets:

20 KBS 40kg

15 burpees

Row 20 sec

rest walk 5 min (complete, untimed)

7/26/2011

A1. SnGrDL, 3111, 8-6-6-4-4; rest 2 min (215x8 - 235x6 - 255x6 - 285x4 - 295x1)

A2. Ring Dips wtd, 40X1, 6-6-4-4-2, rest 2 min (30x6 - 40x6 - 45x4 - 55x4 - 60x2)

B1. GHR, 2010; 5x15, rest 90 sec (10-10-10-10-10)

B2. Ring PU, 2222; 5x amrap (-3); rest 90 sec (12-12-12-12-12 *not at tempo)

C. RKBS 3x21; rest 45 sec (40kg-40kg-40kg)

7/27/2011

row sprints:

25 sec @ max effort

rest 2:35 off rower x 7

(rest 8 min actively)

25 sec @ max effort

rest 2:35 off rower x 7

([7599 / 14] / 177 = 3.07)

A. TGU x3/3, unbroken (32kg)

B. Static Ring Holds for 10 sec; L Sit in Rings amsap; rest 1 min x5 (15-15-15-15-15)

C. Back Ext Hold, 1 set amsap (1:40)

D. 150 sit ups for time, anchored AbMat (6:15)

Dayyyyuuuum, I can't wait to get back to the Big Dawg.

A random, unimportant, post

2011-09-28T15:46:00.001-07:00

Psychology, Anger, Defense Mechanisms

What Your Anger May Be Hiding

Anger Problems: What They Say About You

Leaning Not To Lash Out

Anger Problems: A Smokescreen for Fear-Shame Phobia

Mad = Angry + Crazy + Dumb (Part 1 of 2)

Mad = Angry + Crazy + Dumb (Part 2 of 2)

Drugs and the Meaning of Life

What's The Point of Transcendence

Wiki: Displacement (Psychology)

displacement (German Verschiebung, 'shift' or 'move') is an unconscious defense mechanismwhereby the mind redirects affects from an object felt to be dangerous or unacceptable to an object felt to be safe or acceptable.^[1]The term originated with Sigmund Freud.^[2]
Displacement operates in the mind unconsciously and involves emotions, ideas, or wishes being transferred from their original object to a more acceptable substitute. It is most often used to allay anxiety; and can refer to the displacement of aggressive impulses or to the displacement of sexual impulses.

http://theprimalparent.com/
"Felix qui nihil debet" (Happy is he who owes nothing.)

Science, Reason, Rationality:

Glasgow University in Bid to Create 'Inorganic Life'

An Immune System Trained to Kill Cancer

Dolphins May "Talk" Like Humans

The Mind-Reading Salmon: The True Meaning of Statistical Significance

Study Finds That Injecting Old Mice With Young Mouse Blood has a Rejuvenating Effect

The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight

Imagine: On Failing to See What's Happening All Around Us

Lab Claims Faster Than Light Particle

Brain Imaging Reveals the Movies In Our Minds

The Local-Global Flop, or, "The Lanier Effect"

Gallup Poll: Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design

Training:

Neurodynamics (AKA meat & wire)

A Little Deception Helps Push Athletes to the Limit

The Benefits of Weights Training for Children

Other:

Why Did Japan Surrender?

Tax Expenditures: A Boring Thing You Should Be Outraged About

Did Americans in 1776 Have British Accents?

Diet, Health:

Paleo is EXPENSIVE!

Gary Taubes on Cherry Picking and Paradigm Shifts (a Brief Thought on Science)

The Protein Debate

How Ethical is Sustainable, Natural Meat? Is it Better to be a Vegetarian?

What Happens to Doctors Who Think Outside the Box?

Why Jay Parkinson is as Important as Mother Teresa

Framework Matters

Plant RNA Found in Mammals

Feed Your Genes: How Our Genes Respond to the Food We Eat

Israel, Islam, Terrorism

Truth and Lies at the Theatre of the Absurd

Push for Palestinian State at UN Must Be Rejected: It Will Hurt Arabs and Jews Alike

The Right of Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People in International Diplomacy

The Mounting Problem of Temple Denial

No Moral Equivalence Between Abbas and Netanyahu

A 63 Year Occupation?

How the Palestinian Leadership is Ignoring History

Palestinians Defy U.N. Charter

Backlog of news on Israel, Terrorism, and Islam

2011-09-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

Israel, Terrorism, Islam:

Cairo's Embassy Riots: Anti-Israel Sentiment in Egypt Has Nothing to do with Palestine [It has everything to do with anti-semitism]

Optimists Were Wrong About the Arab Spring [Duh.]

Arabs Rewriting History

Are Our Campuses Safe for Jews?

Jack Chivo: I Agree with the EU's Definition of Anti-Semitism

The Bizarre Alliance Against Israel

Eliminating Israel

Israel Trumps the Arab World

Not Stealing Palestine, But Purchasing Israel

Former British Armed Forces Commander Speaks About the IDF
Israel and the UN
Goldstone's Mea Culpa Has Come Too Late
Setting the Record Straight on Gaza Clash
The Goldstone Report and Israel's Moral Standing
The Palestinians' Own Goal
Accosted on Kingsway

'Israel Absent or Only Negative Presence in PA Textbooks'

'Egyptian Curricula States Jews, Christians are infidels'

Can There Be an Islamic Democracy?
Is the Arab World Ready for Democracy?

Tutu's War on Israel, Jews

The Devastating Truth About Water and Palestinian Statehood

The Republic of Anti-Israel

Israel Under Siege

Documents Show NY Police Watched Devout Muslims

Pew Poll Quantifies the Radical Minority of U.S. Muslims

Israel Surrounded as Arab Spring Turns Darker

Israel's Predicament

Israel's Hostile Neighborhood

Backlog #3: Rationality, Education, Miscellanea, Etc.

2011-08-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Science, Logic, Rationality, Atheism:

NASA Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars

Why is Religion Stronger in Economically Unequal Countries?

Science and Religion: God Didn't Make Man; Man Made Gods

The Great Afterlife

Homeopathy is Witchcraft, Say Doctors
I am the Homeopathy Vandal

You Don't Know Bleep-ing Anything [About Science]

Is the Brain a Quantum Device? [No.]

Beware Those Black Swans [I am sitting on sooo many articles on randomness]

The trend of pseudoscience nonsense that permeates popular culture absolutely infuriates me. The wealth of knowledge available from the scientific sphere is vast and potent. It is important to understand it or at least certain components of it and it is easily accessible via the internet however it is not easily understood and more easily misinterpreted by those without a foundation in science, and often enough, even by those with such a background (see the entire "paleo"/evolutionary medicine/health debate).

The following is excerpted from Wikipedia.org...

Academic reaction
Scientists who have reviewed What the Bleep Do We Know!?have described distinct assertions made in the film aspseudoscience.^[14] Amongst the assertions in the film that have been challenged are that water molecules can be influenced by thought (as popularized by Masaru Emoto),^[3]that meditation can reduce violent crime rates,^[15] and thatquantum physics implies that "consciousness is the ground of all being." The film was also discussed in a letter published inPhysics Today that challenges how physics is taught, saying teaching fails to "expose the mysteries physics has encountered [and] reveal the limits of our understanding." In the letter, the authors write "the movie illustrates the uncertainty principle with a bouncing basketball being in several places at once. There's nothing wrong with that. It's recognized as pedagogical exaggeration. But the movie gradually moves to quantum 'insights' that lead a woman to toss away her antidepressant medication, to the quantum channeling of Ramtha, the 35,000-year-old Lemurian warrior, and on to even greater nonsense." It went on to say that "Most laypeople cannot tell where the quantum physics ends and the quantum nonsense begins, and many are susceptible to being misguided," and that "a physics student may be unable to convincingly confront unjustified extrapolations of quantum mechanics," a shortcoming which the authors attribute to the current teaching of quantum mechanics, in which "we tacitly deny the mysteries physics has encountered."^[16]
Richard Dawkins stated that "the authors seem undecided whether their theme is quantum theory or consciousness. Both are indeed mysterious, and their genuine mystery needs none of the hype with which this film relentlessly and noisily belabours us", concluding that the film is "tosh." Professor Clive Greated wrote that "thinking on neurology and addiction are covered in some detail but, unfortunately, early references in the film to quantum physics are not followed through, leading to a confused message". Despite his caveats, he recommends that people see the movie, stating, "I hope it develops into a cult movie in the UK as it has in the US. Science and engineering are important for our future, and anything that engages the public can only be a good thing."Simon Singh called it pseudoscience and said the suggestion "that if observing water changes its molecular structure, and if we are 90% water, then by observing ourselves we can change at a fundamental level via the laws of quantum physics" was "ridiculous balderdash." According to João Magueijo, professor in theoretical physics at Imperial College, the film deliberately misquotes science.^[17] TheAmerican Chemical Society's review criticizes the film as a "pseudoscientific docudrama", saying "Among the more outlandish assertions are that people can travel backward in time, and that matter is actually thought."^[15]
Bernie Hobbs, a science writer with ABC Science Online, explains why the movie is wrong about quantum physics and reality; "The observer effect of quantum physics isn't about people or reality. It comes from the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and it's about the limitations of trying to measure the position and momentum of subatomic particles... this only applies to sub-atomic particles—a rock doesn't need you to bump into it to exist. It's there. The sub-atomic particles that make up the atoms that make up the rock are there too." Hobbs also discusses Hagelin's experiment with Transcendental Meditation and the Washington DC rate of violent crime, saying that "the number of murders actually went up." Hobbs also disputed the film's use of the ten percent myth.^[18]
David Albert, a physicist who appears in the film, has accused the filmmakers of selectively editing his interview to make it appear that he endorses the film's thesis that quantum mechanics is linked with consciousness. He says he is "profoundly unsympathetic to attempts at linking quantum mechanics with consciousness."^[19]These issues relate to the so called Quantum mind-body problem.
In the film, during a discussion of the influence of experience on perception,Candace Pert notes a story, which she says she believes is true, of Native Americans being unable to seeColumbus's ships because they were outside their experience. According to an article in Fortean Times by David Hambling, the origins of this story likely involved the voyages of CaptainJames Cook, not Columbus, and an account related by Robert Hughes which said Cook's ships were "...complex and unfamiliar as to defy the natives' understanding". Hambling says it is likely that both the Hughes account and the story told by Pert were exaggerations of the records left by Captain Cook and the botanist Joseph Banks. Historians believe the Native Americans likely saw the ships but ignored them as posing no immediate danger.^[20]
Skeptics such as James Randi described the film as "a fantasydocudrama" and "[a] rampant example of abuse by charlatans and cults."^[21] The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry dismisses it as "a hodgepodge of all kinds of crackpot nonsense," where "science [is] distorted and sensationalized."^[22] A BBCreviewer described it as "a documentary aimed at the totally gullible."^[23]
According to Margaret Wertheim, "History abounds with religious enthusiasts who have read spiritual portent into the arrangement of the planets, the vacuum of space, electromagnetic waves and the big bang. But no scientific discovery has proved so ripe for spiritual projection as the theories of quantum physics, replete with their quixotic qualities of uncertainty, simultaneity and parallelism." Werteim continues that the movie "abandons itself entirely to the ecstasies of quantum mysticism, finding in this aleatory description of nature the key to spiritual transformation. As one of the film’s characters gushes early in the proceedings, “The moment we acknowledge the quantum self, we say that somebody has become enlightened." A moment in which "the mathematical formalisms of quantum mechanics [...] are stripped of all empirical content and reduced to a set of syrupynostrums".^[24]
Journalist John Gorenfeld, writing in Salon, notes that the film's three directors are students of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, which he describes as having been called a "cult."^[19]

Education, Learning, Creativity, Schooling:

Isaac Asimov On Science and Creativity In Education [Asimov is prescient and brilliant as always]

10 Reason to Skip the Expensive Colleges

Why Successful People Leave Work Early

A Lack of Rigor Leaves Students "Adrift" in College

Your So Called Education
Burden of College Loans on Graduates Grows
The Creativity Crisis
New Nationwide Study Confirms Homeschool Academic Achievement
College is a Waste of Time

Miscellanea and assorted news/politics:

'Worms From Hell' Unearth Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

DARPA Wants Your Ideas for a 100 Year Star Ship

Shame On Them

ACLU Challenges DoD Policy to Regard Lawful Protest as "Low-Level Terrorism"

Fourteen Propaganda Techniques Fox "News" Uses to Brainwash Americans

America's Flesh Eating Cocaine Problem

Regulators Reject Proposal That Would Bring Fox-Style News to Canada

Backlog #2, food evolution, training (not my own, just in general)

2011-08-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Agriculture, Sustainability, Food

Rogue USDA Hands it all to Monsanto

Most Vegetarians Become Ex-Vegetarians

Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Maize Fields

USDA Finds In Favor of Grass-Fed Cows

Consumer Rights Victory as US Ends Opposition to GM labeling Guidelines

Roundup Birth Defects

Some Chicken May Contain Arsenic, FDA Says

Our Big Pig Problem

Plenty of Fish in the Sea? When will the nightmare that is civilization end?

Fuel for Thought

Training, Play, Movement:

Contraindicated Exercises Vs. Contraindicated Lifters

Virtual Contest, Real Sweat

Can a Playground be too Safe?

Sleeping Longer Helps Athletes Reach Peak Performance

Practice Makes Permanent

The Biggest Training Fallacy of All

Building Your CrossFit Skills

Top Five Reasons to Vary Tempo in Your Workout

Practicing On The Edge of Your Ability

Squatting Toes-Out

The Power of the Playground

Clean and "Bumping"

Understanding Russian Weightlifting Methods
The Merits of Bodybuilding

Kicking the (met-con) Habit

Super Running
Skill From Complex Movements Translate Better to Simple Movement Than Vice Versa

A New Perspective

Some Taboo Truths About Barefoot Running

"Paleo", Evolution, Diet, Health:

Dear Mark: Blood Markers

Walk This Way: What Prehistoric Footprints Reveal

That Anxiety May Be In Your Gut, Not In Your Head

The Paleo Identity Crisis: What is The Paleo Diet, Anyway?

All Non-Africans Part Neanderthal

Scientists Discover That Antimicrobial Wipes and Soaps May Be Making You (and Society) Sick

You Are A Radical And So Am I: Paleo Reaches The Ominous Stage 3

The Argumentative Theory [on the evolution of the human brain]

US News "Best" Diets Rebuttal
We Must Reclaim Human Health, Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and Morality From the Birdseed Brigade

How The Penis Lost it's Spikes

55 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Natural Selection for Sustaining Health

Why Are There So Many Food Allergies Now?
How Little Sleep Can You Get Away With?

So I Started Eating Meat Again...
Smacks of denial but it’s a step in the right direction. An omnivorous diet sourced from responsibly farmed/hunted/gathered animals and plants IS an ethical diet. Denial of death is not an ethical diet. An ethical diet means accepting one’s evolved ecological role as an obligate omnivore while seeking to minimize unnecessary suffering. It does not mean trying to ignore, deny, eliminate death or specifically just the deaths of mammals, birds, and fish.

Backlog #1

2011-08-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in quite some time partially due to laziness and partly due to distraction from my recent doings in life. I'm in the process of opening a CrossFit affiliate (Feral CrossFit), which is consuming the lions share of my time. So without further fondue, here is the first in a long series of backlogged posts.

GASLAND from WorldReport on Vimeo.

Tribalism and Islam merged, or converged, or became coterminous, at least in part. Tribal mores, customs, and rules were massively integrated into the body of Islamic jurisprudence and practices. This study argues that the tribal element did not have to wait to be absorbed and assimilated: It was present at creation. It is rather a selected body of tribal and quasi-tribal conceptions that presided in part over the birth and rise of Islam.

How could it be otherwise? We have ascertained that the tribe, kinship groups in general, are the substratum for the individual and collective identity of the Arab people, who have for 1,400 years been steeped in the religion of Islam, to the point that in Islam, "[t]he normative function of religion is manifested in the extent to which it regulates everyday behavior through positive and negative commandments, all of which, ideally, must be observed." "Islam permeated life, all of which came under its aegis. Religion was not one aspect of life, but the hub from which all else radiated. All customs and traditions was religion, and religions dos and don'ts extended throughout all activity, thought and feeling... [Religion was] the central normative force in life."

If Tribalism organizes and Islam pervades and prescribes, we must conclude, while taking into account the inevitable tensions and contradictions this implies, that the spectrum of tribalism and the spectrum of Islam intersect and overlap along wide segments of congruence. Must we not conclude that Islam, rather than a universal religion it believes itself to be, is a tribal religion generalized and projected onto a worldwide, specieswide screen?
- Laurent Murawiec, The Mind of Jihad pg. 150-151

Can Evolution Be Fooled by Randomness?
We end this chapter with the following thought. Recall that someone with only casual knowledge about the problems of randomness would believe that an animal is at the maximum fitness for the conditions of its time. This is not what evolution means; on average, animals will be fit, but not every single one of the them, and not at all times. Just as an animal could have survived because its sample path was lucky, the "best" operators in a given business can come from a subset of operators who survived because of overfitness to a sample path - a sample path that was free of the evolutionary rare event. One vicious attribute is that the longer these animals can go without encountering the rare event, the more vulnerable they will be to it. We said that should one etend time to infinity, then, by ergodicity, that event will happen with certainty - the species will be wiped out! For evolution means fitness to one and only one time series, not the average of all the possible environments.
-Nicholas Nassim Taleb, Fooled By Randomness, pg. 96

1. of or pertaining to the condition that, in an interval of sufficient duration, a system will return to states that are closely similar to previous ones: the assumption of such a condition underlies statistical methods used in modern dynamics and atomic theory.

Libertarians, corporations, some thoughts, and some quotes.

2011-07-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Bertrand Russel on God

Isaac Asimov on how to save civilization.

Asimov, part 2

Full lecture

The only myth that matters. Joseph Campbell sees the greatest utility of myths coming from their pedagogical/psychological function. There are lessons to be drawn from myth. The most important and central myth in my life LOTR, above and beyond all others even of my inheritance. It speaks so directly to the conditions that so concern me.

To my mind, the ring represents the tide of advanced technology. It yields great power to it's bearer, all are impossibly attracted to it, many would wield it to do good, others ill, but, despite intentions, it has a will of it's own and it is that will that will ultimately find expression. The nature of the ring is it's own and it cannot be changed by the wearer. It is beyond the power of the creatures of Middle Earth to bend the will of the ring to their own bidding. Even Frodo, as benign a creature as can be, is consumed by the power of the one ring.

"[The pace of human ecology] is determined by the progress of man's technology (p35)... human ecology (economy) is governed by mechanisms of POSITIVE feedback, defined as a mechanism which tends to encourage behavior rather than to attenuate it (p43). Positive feedback always involves the danger of an 'avalanche' effect... One particular kind of positive feedback occurs when individuals OF THE SAME SPECIES enter into competition among themselves... For many animal species, environmental factors keep... intraspecies selection from [leading to] disaster... But there is no force which exercises this type of healthy regulatory effect on humanity's cultural development; unfortunately for itself, humanity has learned to overcome all those environmental forces which are external to itself" p44. - Konrad Lorenz, Civilized Man's Eight Deadly Sins

"What has to be remembered is that it's always been hard for humans to know the rate at which they can safely harvest biological resources indefinitely, without depleting them. A significant decline in resources may not be easy to distinguish from a normal year-to-year fluctuation. It's even harder to assess the rate at which new resources are being produced. By the time that the signs of decline are clear enough to convince everybody, it may be too late to save the species or habitat. Thus, preindustrial peoples who couldn't sustain their resources were guilty not of moral sins, but of failures to solve a really difficult ecological problem. Those failures were tragic, because they caused a collapse in life-style for the people themselves.

Tragic Failures become moral sins only if one should have known better from the outset. In that regard there are two big differences between us and eleventh-century Anasazi Indians: scientific understanding, and literacy. We know, and they didn't know, how to draw graphs that plot sustainable resource population size as a function of resource harvesting rate. We can read about all the ecological disasters of the past; the Anasazi couldn't. Yet our generation continues to hunt whales and clear tropical rain forest as if no one had ever hunted moas or cleared piyon-juniper woodland. The past was still a Golden Age, of ignorance, while the present is an Iron Age of willful blindness.

From this point of view it's beyond understanding to see modern societies repeating the past's suicidal ecological mismanagement , with much more powerful tools of destruction in the hands of far more people. It's as if we hadn't already run that particular film many times before in human history, and as we didn't know the inevitable outcome. Shelley's sonnet 'Ozymandias' evokes Persepolis, Tikal, and Easter Island equally well; perhaps it will someday evoke to others the ruins of our own civilization..." - Jared Diamond, The Third Chimpanzee pg. 337

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." -Albert Einstein

Systems:

Limits to Growth in Natural Systems - I don't 100% agree with this but I do with the lions share and that material is good enough to warrant posting.

Libertarians: (more to come)

Stupid Things Libertarians Say, Part I

Stupid Things Libertarians Say, Part II: Simplicity Itself

Stupid Things Libertarians Say, Part III: Stupid, Evil, Children

Stupid Things Libertarians Say, Part IV: FREEEEEDOM!

Libertarians are Fucking Stupid

Libertarians are Stupid Children
Why Libertarians are Stupid

Why Libertarians are Wrong

Why Libertarians are Wrong on Free Trade

So Why Isn't the Austrian School of Economics Retarded Again? - Rhetorical. It is.

http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html - This website is hysterical.

Corporations:

Why Corporations are not People and the Consequences of Pretending that they are

Corporations are not Persons

Corporations are not People; Money is not Speech

Corporations are not People and Money is not Speech

While speech can be interpreted loosely as any form of expression, such an open, ambiguous definition would create a myriad of problems with all kinds of laws. An architect has a vision of a building: it is his art, his self expression, yet he cannot ignore local zoning laws that, for instance, restrict the height of his building. Should he sue the state for violation of his free speech, his right to expression? Equating money with speech also opens the door to sundry ludicrous claims by, for instance, an employer who objects to minimum wage laws since he’d like to express that his employees are only worth paying $3 an hour. There have to be restrictions on what constitutes free speech to prevent a bastardization of the terms and an overly liberal interpretation of the First Amendment. -Supreet Minhas

Corporations aren't People

We should be as clear-eyed today as Abraham Lincoln was in 1864 when he said that "as a result of the war, corporations have become enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow. The money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its rule by preying upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is concentrated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
And we should be as passionate in defense of popular government as Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in 1816: "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance the laws of our country." -Jamie Raskin

Let's Be Clear: Corporations are not People

Excerpted from wikipedia.org

Between 1973 and 1989, a government team of economists trained at the University of Chicago dismantled or decentralized the Chilean state as far as was humanly possible (the so-called miracle of Chile). Their program included privatizing welfare and social programs, deregulating the market, liberalizing trade, rolling back trade unions, and rewriting its constitution and laws... Chile's economy became more unstable than any other in Latin America... growth during this 16-year period was one of the slowest of any Latin American country. Worse, income inequality grew severe. The majority of workers actually earned less in 1989 than in 1973 (after adjusting for inflation), while the incomes of the rich skyrocketed. In the absence of market regulations, Chile also became one of the most polluted countries in Latin America. And Chile's lack of democracy was only possible by suppressing political opposition and labor unions under a reign of terror and widespread human rights abuses.^[5]
Libertarianism's critics argue that the real-world results in Chile and elsewhere demonstrate that libertarian economic theory is not only faulty, but potentially threatens freedom, democracy, human rights, and economic growth.
Of particular interest to economists is the "New Zealand Experiment," which began in 1984 when Roger Douglasbecame Minister of Finance and began radically restructuring the country's economy to fit the libertarian model.^[10]Over the next 15 years, New Zealand's economy and social capital faced a steady decline: the youth suicide rate grew sharply into one of the highest in the developed world;^[11] the proliferation of food banks increased dramatically;^[12] marked increases in violent and other crime were observed;^[13] the number of New Zealanders estimated to be living in poverty grew by at least 35% between 1989 and 1992;^[14] and health care has been especially hard-hit, leading to a significant deterioration in health standards among working and middle class people.^[15] In addition, many of the promised economic benefits of the experiment never materialised.^[16]
Free trade critics argue that trade barriers are necessary for economic growth in some or all situations.^[¹⁷

Government decentralization or shrinkage
John Donahue argues in The American Prospect that when power is shifted to local authorities, parochial local interests predominate at the expense of the whole, leading to inefficiency, corruption, and loss of freedom - as when limits on federal power were used to defend segregation. He claims with regard to proposals for federal devolution that,
Collective value is squandered in the name of a constricted definition of gain. States win advantages that seem worthwhile only because other states bear much of the costs. America's most urgent public challenges... involve the stewardship of common interests. The fragmentation of authority makes success less likely."^[18]
Deontological ethical theories
Siegfried Van Duffel argues that libertarian natural rights theory grounds rights, not in any familiar notion of liberty, but in the idea that a human is a sovereign being. The problem with this idea is that it does not allow one to ground obligations of other sovereigns to respect each other's sovereignty.^[19]
Jeffrey Friedman, editor of Critical Review, argues that libertarians often rely on the unproven assumption thateconomic growth andaffluence automatically result in happiness, and shift the burden of proof to their opponents without justification, when in fact "it is the libertarian who is committed to the grand claim that, for some reason, intervention must always be avoided." Friedman argues that natural law libertarianism's justification for the primacy of property is incoherent:
if (as Boaz maintains) the liberty of a human being to own another should be trumped by equal human rights (62), the liberty to own large amounts of property [at the expense of others] should... also be trumped by equal human rights. This alone would seem definitively to lay to rest the philosophical case for libertarianism... The very idea of ownership contains the relativistic seeds of arbitrary authority: the arbitrary authority of the individual's 'right to do wrong.'"^[20]
There are also criticisms of libertarian opposition to a standard, state-run educational system, and support for private education and home schooling with no government involvement. Paul Kienitz writes, "As increasing technology enables ever greater amplification of abilities, the separation between those who start out with abundant resources and those who don't, in terms of what they can then get out of the market, is likely to widen further... The least we can do is to not egregiously widen the gap ahead of time if we can help it. This is why I oppose such measures as fully privatizing education."^[21]^{[unreliable source?]}

My thoughts in response to a question of the culpability of corporations such as McDonalds in damaging human health...

Natural selection produces adaptation executors NOT fitness maximizers. The cognitive "organs" that constitute our various drives are adapted to the forces responsible for their formation (the EEA - environment of evolutionary adaptedness). When those organs were operating within that environment they constituted an ESS (evolutionary stable strategy) and that environment has changed radically. We are designed to covet a plethora of environmentally rare foods such as sugar dense fruits, which were quite rare in the Pleistocene in any bioregion. Yet we now live an environment practically rife with sugars, ergo diabetes, obesity, etc. Moreover hominids, humans especially, are unabashedly social organisms for whom the whims of social pressure exert inordinate force. Having the capacity to withstand the social pressure derived from the sensory saturation of advertising or of the whim of popular culture is nigh impossible. Gustatory self control and fitness maximizing are simply not part of the ESS and fail miserably against the forces of the modern environment, which is far stronger an influence than the desire for health, longevity, and fitness. McDonalds is in a position of great power and as such, at least in an ethical frame, bears the responsibility of acting to ensure it's customer's health because people are simply very bad at doing that for themselves. Ensuring customer health is not, however, their directive in any sense. Their only real concern is the drive to maximize profit, which means keeping customers happy and coming back for more, health has nothing to do with it their calculus. People simply aren't very good at overriding their natural drives, or the environmental forces seeking to exploit them, or thinking long term, or acting in their best self-interset let alone even knowing what that is. The advertising of corporations such as McDonalds is saturates and overload the sensory environment and does a profoundly good job of exploiting a perfectly natural predilection for craving carbohydrates and sugars, or in exploiting the desired satisfaction of short term gains, which, often enough, occur at the sacrifice of long term gains. Again, this is because all organisms are adaptation executors not fitness maximizers and are adapted to an environment that is effectively extinct. The one we are left with is grossly dissonant with the EEA and as such causes grave health effects. McDonalds and other fast food companies are big players in the fight to standardize and intensify industrial agriculture, the hegemony of annual monoculture crop farming, and CAFO farming. As far as I can tell they are nothing less than criminal in their conduct and though their charity work is admirable doesn't ameliorate the greater harm they are causing. If anything it reads more as a public relations stunt to improve their image than an act of compassion (of course, not ignoring the good it objectively does).

Governments regulate health and safety standards as well as offering monetary incentives and punishments. The same extends to agriculture on which fast food products are based. The government has the capacity to force McDonalds to change both their advertising practices and, more importantly, the content of their food. What's more, the people have the capacity to demand those changes be made and enforced by the government. Just because certain regulations don't yet exist doesn't necessitate that we should all just shrug our shoulders and say "oh well" to the status quo. Capitalism is intended to be an approximation of a natural ecology, which is to say, a self organizing system. The analogy however is incomplete because it is not a complete system and was designed prior to significant developments in systems theory that emerged from evolutionary biology, game theory, chaos theory. An agricultural (especially an industrial) economy, in my estimation, can never be a complete system and as such will always require the oversight and regulation of a power center, i.e. the government. Part of the problem is that it is an open system, not closed, which is necessary to secure the requisite feedback mechanisms that cause the emergence of self organization into ESS. The function of governments, by analogy to ecology, is to function as a kind of divine intercessor (which is purely a metaphor as no such thing exists) to plug up the imperfect holes in the capitalist system which are refusing to close the requisite feedback loop. Ergo regulation of power systems i.e. inter-governmental check and balances, and regulation of business practices such as in the case of environmental regulation, child labor laws, predatory lending, insider trading, health codes, farm subsidies (which are obviously misplaced in their current orientation), law enforcement, military, firefighting services, healthcare (apparently, and stupidly, not in the US), et cetera ad infinitum. It our responsibility as conscientious and responsible citizens to hold existing power structures accountable to just and ethical conduct. When we perceive that there is a breach of said conduct then we in turn should pressure our representative power structure (the government) to intercede on our behalf to address said injustice. Adam Smith was a smart bloke but he was limited in data to the knowledge base of the 1700's to which he belonged, much has since emerged since then and should inform our understanding of the organization of complex systems, self organization, and hominid societies. We should not be emboldened to any kind of dogma or arbitrary categorization of "capitalist" or "libertarian" or whatever other nonsense that people endorse in the face of a tidal wave of contrary data. What matters is that we are evolved wild animals born into a world beyond the range of our evolved adaptability and we must use our understanding of our biology and of ecological/complex systems to address these adaptation gaps. There are no capitalists, there are merely a bunch of naked apes trying to figure out how to best organize their society. The free market only exists in economic text books, it is a purely a work of fantasy. Real systems that are constructed require regulation and policing. Just as surely as human civil society has laws, police forces, and justice system in place to maintain optimal functioning of the system so too must the economic dimension be regulated by laws, enforced by a police force, and exacted by a justice system.

'Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' I notice a strong trend among libertarians who are so ready to fault the government and yet are so reticent to lump equivalent blame on corporations for just about any and every problem merely because corporations are part of the "public sector" and not under the - frankly arbitrary - categorization of "government". When the artificial categorizations are stripped away, I see only two different power nodes; on the one hand: the government, on the other: corporations. Both are in many ways merged and are, in many respects, equal in power. In fact I might even go as far as to argue that corporations trump the power of the government in our world. Regardless they are both power structures, one with the prerogative to serve the people, the other with the prerogative to maximize profit/serve the investors. This I see as the most important if not the only differentiation between the two. In a contest between the two directives I go with the government. Obviously both need to be regulated and much regulation is built into government to prevent it from accruing too much power or abusing it's existing power (both of which obviously need improvement). Corporations, on the other hand, do not face nearly as much regulation and are able to easily bypass or survive existing regulation due to their size of their power and the absence of appropriate punishment for their misdeeds.

Big Dawg, Regionals, 5/25/2011 - 6/26/2011

2011-06-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Regionals were awesome. Several of the standards were incredibly stupid. The experience put my weaknesses in stark relief and are now set to be addressed in the coming off-season training cycle. It was also an inspiration to improve as an athlete; get stronger, faster, better. I took about a week off and am now sooo ready to resume training. Feral Crossfit will be opening very, very shortly. I should be signing the lease and establishing the LLC within the week. Very excited about these developments.

5/25/2011
SP 3x5 (115-125-135)
+
21-15-9
SP, seated on floor, feet extended 75#
GHD-SU
(5:05)

5/26/2011
5RFT:
12 HPC 135
6 MU
(15:01)

5/28/2011
part 1:
A. BSq 3-3-2-2-1-1; rest 5 min (310-315-325-330-335-340)
B. HSqC x2 (45-65-85-105-125-145-165-185-205)"

part 2:
Tabata suicides
+
Run 400m every 2 minutes, 5 sets
+
3 rounds for reps
30 sec amrap KB-SDHP @32kg
30 sec amrap KBS @20kg
30 sec amrap DU
30 sec rest

5/29/2011
Team of 4 (Keith, Kurt, Jim, me)
200 C2B
200 KBS @24kg
200 DU
200 OHS @95#
(24:49)

5/31/2011
part 1
3 sets:
10 DL 315
10 Regional BJ 30"
rest 6 min
+
Row sprints:
20 sec max effort
rest 3:40 x5
(119-119-120-120-120m)

part 2
FSqx3 (185-215-225-245x2)
+
10!
DB-GTOH @2x45#
C2B
(11:45)

6/1/2011
5RFT:
7 KBS 24kg
7 DU
7 Burpee
14 DU
7 Pullup
21 DU
(12:24)

6/2/2011
part 1
Run 400m
max HSPU
rest 5 min
Run 400m
max HSPU
rest 7 min
Run 400m
max HSPU
1:18 - 6
1:13 - 5
1:20 - 5

part 2
Fran
DB@2x45/C2B
(7:20)"

6/4/2011
part 1
Team of 4
Row 750x4
50 HSPU
Row 750x4
(27:24)

part 2
10!
KBS @32kg
Burpee
Pushup
ASq
(10:11)
I lost count along the way and accidentally did a couple extra sets somewhere along the way.

6/5/2011
part 1
Team of 4
250 C2B
250 KBS @24kg
250 DU
250 OHS @95#
(29:21)

part 2
5 sets, skill work:
Wind Mill x5/5 @24kg
Hand Stand Hold
Pistol x5/5
+
For time @24kg:
KB-OHS x11/11
Push up x22
KB-OHS x8/8
Push up x16
KB-OHS x5/5
Push up x10
(3:46)

6/7/2011
PC 10x2, OTM 225

6/8/2011
OHS x5 165
+
21-15-9
OHS @95#
Kip
(3:57)

6/9/2011
3 sets:
10 SqCl 135#
15 Burpees
20 Kip
25 DU
rest 8 min
(2:40-2:55-2:56)"
+
BSq 2x5 315#

6/10/2011
Walk 150m w/ 20# vest, 210# farmers carry, 100# tire sled
(9:50)
+
Walk 400m w/ 210# farmers carry, 50# tire sled
(15:51)

6/11/2011
Team of 4:
Row 300x4
HSPU AMRAP x3
Row 300x4
(7-5-4)
+
DU AMRAP (85)
+
OHS @95# AMRAP (29)

6/12/2011
For time:
25 chin ups
5 burpees
20 chin ups
10 burpees
15 chin ups
15 burpees
10 chin ups
20 burpees
5 chin ups
25 burpees
(9:36)

6/14/2011
As a team of 4, (1 as rx, 3 scaled):
250 Pull ups C2B/COVP
250 Box Jumps 24/20""
250 KBS 32/24kg
250 OHS 95/75#
(37:56)

6/16/2011
Drove up to REGIONALS!

6/17/2011
REGIONALS!
Team of 4
Row 750x4
50 HSPU
Row 750x4
(26:53)

6/18/2011
REGIONALS!
Team of 4
250 C2B
250 KBS @24kg
250 DU
250 OHS @95#"
(I have no idea but we finished just a few seconds behind CF Tribe, who made it into day 3 in 10th place.)

6/19/2011
REGIONALS
Neolithic binge I:
Oreo's, milk, 2x double cheese burgers with bacon, avocado, and salsa.

6/20/2011
LONG WALK
Neolithic binge II:
Oreo's, milk, pancakes, general Tso's chicken.

Rest week!

6/26/2011
A. PSnx2, rest (95-115-135-155)
+
For time:
10 PSn 95#
20 Burpees
10 PSn 95#
20 Burpees
10 PSn 95#
(4:26)
+
HSPU, OTM 10x2, fail on rep 2 of set 7 = 13 reps

A regular dose of a sampling of my recent readings and excerpts thereof

2011-06-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Pattern Behind Self-Deception

Anti-Fragility

Look to Mother Nature for financial solutions

Alan Grayson and Nassim Taleb talk punishment

Benoit Mandelbrot thinks we're all screwed

Morality, Free Will, Atheism, Reason:
Morality Without "Free Will"
My Friend Einstein?
Birthers, Truthers, and Interrogation Deniers
You Do Not Choose What You Choose
Free Will (and Why You Still Don't Have it)

"Our belief in free will seems to arise from our moment-to-moment ignorance of the specific prior causes of our thoughts and actions. The phrase “free will” describes what it feels like to be identified with the content of each mental state as it arises in consciousness."
- Sam Harris

"It is generally argued that our sense of free will presents a compelling mystery: on the one hand, it is impossible to make sense of in causal terms; on the other, we feel that we are the authors of our own actions. However, I think that this mystery is itself a symptom of our confusion. It is not that free will is simply an illusion: our experience is not merely delivering a distorted view of reality; rather, we are mistaken about the character of our experience. We do not feel as free as we think we do. Our sense of our own freedom results from our not paying close attention to what it is like to be ourselves in the world. The moment we do pay attention, we begin to see that free will is nowhere to be found, and our subjectivity is perfectly compatible with this truth. Thoughts and intentions simply arise in the mind. What else could they do? The truth about us is stranger than many suppose: the illusion of free will is itself an illusion."
- Sam Harris

Evolution, Disease, Civilization:
Depression - Caused by Inflammation, Thus Like Other Diseases of Civilization
Shopping Brings Out Our Inner Hunter-Gatherer
Human Population Growth is Accelerating Species Change
The Enema of Your Enemy is Your Friend

Food, Diet, Nutrition:
Joel Salatin: How to Eat Animals and Respect Them Too

"It is a profound spiritual truth that you cannot have life without death. When you chomp down on a carrot and masticate it in your mouth, that carrot is being sacrificed in order for you to have life. Everything on the planet is eating and being eaten. If you don’t believe it, just lie naked in your flower bed for three days and see what gets eaten. That sacrifice is what feeds regeneration. In our very antiseptic culture today, people don’t have a visceral understanding of life and death."
- Joel Salatin

Israel, Islam, Terrorism:
The UN Can't Deliver a Palestinian State
Conflict Isn't Territorial
Is Gaza Still Occupied?
Rahm Emanuel? Really?
Goldstone Repents. How About Everyone Else?
Amram Hussain, British Muslim Speaks for Israel at the UN
The Islamic Reformation
Israel v. Palestine is not a Border Dispute
Friends of Israel Initiative at the AIPAC Policy Conference
'The Tyrannies are Doomed'
The Floating Theatre of Jihad (part 2)
The Depravity Factor
Post-Revolutionary

"...there is nothing rational about a society whose authorities believe that the Mossad exerts secret mind-control over sharks."

Training:
Super Running

Other:
College Students Are Less Empathic Than Generations Past
A Digital Diet
Storms Brewing
Cowboys and Pit Crews
A Little Meditation Goes a Long Way
Car That Runs On Nothing But Water
An Isolated Village Finds the Energy to Keep Going
Las Gaviotas

"...When, therefore, a consensus of opinions had been attained by the scholars of the second and third centuries on any given point, the promulgation of new ideas on the exposition of the relevant texts of the Koran and Hadith was as good as forbidden. Their decisions were irrevocable. The right of individual interpretation (ijtihad) was in theory (and very largely in practice also) confined to the points on which no general agreement had yet been reached. As these were narrowed down from generation to generation, the scholars of later centuries were limited to commenting and explaining the treatises in which those decisions were recorded. The great majority of Muslim doctors held that the "gate of Ijtihad" was shut once and for all and that no scholar, however eminent, could henceforth qualify as a mujtahid, an authoritative interpreter of the law; although some few later theologians did from time to time claim for themselves the right of ijtihad."
Professor Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb

"The contrast between the Jewish and the other three ideals of the Law, on the other hand, is that between a law derived, in some measure at least, organically from life, the actual experiences of an actual community, and laws spun out of an established text, to be impressed upon, or rendered through, an ideal community to come. The Jewish is an organic, pliant growth, the others, in contrast, being of a cerebrated, relatively brittle, and - for those standing outside of the system - unconvincing artificiality, or even incredible absurdity, to which their claims to universal application give a threatening turn of terror that far surpasses the merely fairytale threat of the Jewish-Apocalyptic Day of the Lord."
Joseph Cambpell, The Masks of God Vol. III, Occidental Mythology, pg. 339-340

"Appeasing of governments which revel in slaughter is an invitation to worldwide catastrophe"
-Fang Lizhi

"[Simon] Bolivar said, 'After fighting for 20 years, I have reached a few definite conclusions.' Chief among them was that Latin America's addiction to butchery would inevitably cause the Central and South American states to 'fall into the hands of an unruly multitude and then into the rule of petty tyrants.'
- Howard Bloom, paraphrasing Simon Bolivar

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stuart Mill

Big Dawg training 4/26/2011 - 5/24/2011

2011-05-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Team Virtuosity made it to the Northeast Regional Competition. I made it onto the team, although Gregg really should be in my place. I feel woefully unprepared but very happy to be on the team and in the comp nonetheless. This has definitely set my priorities in order in terms of working on my weaknesses much more frequently and aggressively.

4/26/2011
WoD at SFCF
A: DL 7x3 (315-335-355-375-395-405 FAIL-395 FAIL)
20# PR! I'm sure I've got more in me, I was just feeling zapped after all that pulling.
B: Weighted push up, establish 1RM (45-90-135#)
C: 3x Max C2B pull up (25-20-16)

4/27/2011
part 1
SECTIONAL WoD #6
AMRAP 7 minutes
Thruster @100 +3/round
C2B +3/round
(86) Very disappointing. I can do much better than this.

part 2
A: SDL 3x5 (375-375-375)
B: 25-20-15-10-5:
Kip
Push up
(7:37)

4/28/2011
A: OHS x1 (185-205-210-215)
B: Weighted pronated pullup x1 (70-95)
C: Sprint 80m x7

4/30/2011
21-15-9 (2xDU)
Burpee
DU
(4:24)
+
21-15-9 (2xDU)
Pushup
ASq
DU
(3:27)

5/1/2011
4RFT:
20 KBS @32kg
400m Run
(11:43)

5/3/2011
A. DL 8x2 @11X1; rest 30 sec (215-215-215-215-215-215-215-215)
B. BP 3x5; rest 2 min (185-195-185)
C. HPC x2/PP x2; rest 1 min x 6 (135-145-155-160-165-170)
D. Row 10 min @Z1 (2678m/192cal)

5/4/2011
part 1
A1. FSq 3x3; rest 2 min (215-220-225)
A2. Pullup unbroken 3x20; rest 2 min
+
3 sets:
10 Pistol Sq alt
10 Burpee
15 KBS 32kg
20 DU
rest 4 min (1:42-1:38-1:34)

part 2
BP: 185x5-190x5-195x4
KB Side Row 2x10 @32kg

5/5/2011
part 1
Run 200m
20 sit ups
rest 90 sec
Run 200m
20 sit ups
rest 120 sec
Run 200m
20 sit ups
rest 150 sec
(rest 8 min)
HSPU practice 10 min to a 25# plate (5-3-3-3-3)

part 2
BoxSq x3 (45-135-185-225-255-275-285-295-305x2-275-285-295x2) Felt off today. This should have been easy.

5/7/2011
A. PC 3x3; rest 2 min (225-225-225)
B. PC x1/Split Jerk x1 x4 sets; rest as needed (215-215-215-215)
C. Clean grip DL 4x4 rest 2 min (275-315-325-325)
D. FLR on rings - 240 sec total
+
21-15-9
Box Jump 24"
PSn @75#
C2B (7:53)

5/8/2011
SDL 3x5 (385-390-385)

5/11/2011
part 1
1RM Front Squat
(265) Aiming for 285 next time.
+
3RFT:
9 PC 135
12 FSq 135
15 BJ 24"
(7:27) I lost a LOT of time on the 3rd round of front squats.

part 2
A. PC x2/SqCl x1; rest 4 min x6 (205-210-215-220-225x2-215) The damned squat cleans are so difficult at high weight.
B. BP 3x3; rest 2 min (205-205-205) Pleased with this.
+
3 sets AFAP:
Row 30 sec
10 BJ 24"
10 DB thruster
rest 5 min - Didn't track time but was too damned slow on the box jump and thruster.

5/12/2011
For time, @135#:
12 Sn
6 MU
9 Sn
6 MU
6 Sn
6 MU
3 Sn
(9:26) Felt good about this. Could have gone much much faster but wanted to work on technique.
+
Baseline, for time:
Row 500m
40 ASq
30 Sit up
20 Pushup
10 Pullup
(3:50) Lost a few seconds searching for a free pullup bar and the ASq slowed me down a bit. I can probably shave off about 10-20 seconds.

5/14/2011
part 1:
30-25-20-15-10:
KBS 24kg
DU
Push Ups
(10:13)

part 2:
Run 800 m x 3
rest exactly 1 min b/t efforts
for total time
(11:08)

5/15/2011
Teams of 3, for time:
Run 400m (entire team)
150 BJ 24″
75 PP 95#
75 ASq
150 Walking Lunge 24kg
Run 400m (entire team)
(14:40)
+
For time, team of 6:
A: 150m relay
Immediately into:

B: “The Gauntlet”
30 KBS 32/24kg
30 Lateral Burpees
30 CJ 95/65
30 C2B Pullup
30 OHS 95/65
Rest
(21:53) - The combination of CJ+C2B+OHS was absolutely killer.

5/17/2011
Part 1
Run 30 min @Z1 (5100m)
+
30 sec max KBS 24kg
30 sec max pushup
rest 1 min x3 (16/26-17/17-17/15)
+
30 sec max burpee
30 sec row
rest 1 min x3 (13/121m-11/117-11/121)
+
30 sec max GHD-SU
30 sec max DU (13/41-13/41-14/42)
rest 1 min x3
+
30 sec max back ext
30 sec max BJ 20"
rest 1 min x3 (19/19-18/19-19/19)

Part 2
4 sets:
HSPU to 10# plate x3
Good Morning x8
(130-150-160-170)

5/18/2011
BoxSq 3x1 (305-315-325)
+
In 12 minutes
1 min max DL 265
1 min rest
1 min max Pistol Sq
1 min rest
1 min max cal row
1 RM Sh->OH (21-24-32-245)
+
3RFT:
25 SU 25#
25 Hip Ext 25# (5:19)

5/19/2011
Run 2k for time: (7:44)
+
HSPU 5-5-5-9-4
+
MU 3-2-2-3

5/20/2011
Part 1
BP + chains 8x3 (1xchain: 45-95-135, 2xchain: 135-155-175-185-175-165-155-145-135)
+
Regional 11.6
20 Cal row
30 Burpee
30 2x DB ground-OH 45#
30 T2B
100' OH lunge 45# plate
150' Sprint (N/A, must redo) - DB-CJ+T2B+OH lunge in succession was brutal.

Part 2
BoxSq 5x1 (315-315-315-315-315) - Wanted to go for a double but felt unsafe without a spotter.
DB Tri-extension 3x10 (25-25-25)

5/22/2011
For time:
Row 750m
HSPU 10
Row 750m
(N/A)
+
Thruster ladder x1, 20 sec work : 10 sec rest (155-165-175-185 Fail)

5/24/2011
5 sets:
10 DL
rest 5 sec
10 BJ
rest 5 min
(275#/34"-285/34-295/34-305/34-315/34)
+
Row sprints:
20 sec max effort
rest 3:40 x4
(122m-122-121-119)
+
30 sec run
30 sec walk x6

Part 2
HSPU, regional standards (4-2-2-3-2-3-1)
Thruster x3 (135-155-165-175x2)

A whole bunch of stuff I read recently and found stimulating

2011-05-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

There's far too much information to sort through. Damn you, internet!

http://insider.thomsonreuters.com/link.html?cn=share&ctype=group_channel&chid=3&cid=184337&shareToken=MzpkY2Y0NTQzNy02OGRkLTRkMDktODg4MS1jNDQyNjcyMzZjZTI%3D&start=0&end=4510&cn=share

Education and Schooling:
An Anti-College Backlash?
Guessing the Teacher's Password

Diet, Nutrition, Health:
With Liposuction, the Belly Finds What the Thighs Lose
When and Why, Did Everyone Stop Eating Gluten?
Caffeine and Glucose Metabolism
Three Eggs a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Why Being a Foodie Isn't Elitist
Is Sugar Toxic?

Politics, Economics:
The GOP's Stealth Plan to Redefine Rape
Malcolm Gladwell on Why Income Inequality is the Next Big Issue Facing America
Age of America Nears End
Why the Right-Wing Bullies Will Hold the Nation Hostage Again and Again
Restoring American Democracy
All Female Sect Worships Vladimir Putin as Paul the Apostle

Other:
http://theprimalparent.com/
The Quarterlife Crisis: Young, Insecure, and Depressed
Parents, Don't Dress Your Girls Like Tramps
The Unswisdom of Elites

Science:
Cryptomycota: New Branch of Life Discovered, Scientists Say
Men Think About Sleep & Food as Much as Sex
More Scientific Studies Indicate that Cell Phones are Harming Bees

Atheism, Reason, Morality:
The God Debate
Is There Any Place For Religious Faith in Science?
Debating God
The Moral Formula: How Facts Inform Our Ethics
An Interview with Sam Harris
Typicality and Asymmetrical Similarity
Should We Be Mormons in the Matrix?
Killing the Buddha

"The end game for civilization cannot be mutual tolerance of patent irrationality."

Training:
When it Comes to Squats, Easier Doesn't Work
Scale Subterfuge
Life Practice
Situps are Dead
Gym Rat Control

Israel, Islam, Terrorism, Anti-Semitism:
Norwegian Academic: 'Norway is the Most Anti-Semitic Country in the West'
The Politics of Unreality
Ideas Worth Spreading?
The Meme of the 'Disaffected Jew' Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
This is Zionism
"Oh! The Fools!"* (On a Palestinian Munich)
Pact or Fiction
Checkbook Jihad
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Sticks With Bin Laden
Double Standard When Fiends Slain
2,500 Year Old Preserved Human Brain Found
The Mourners of Bin Laden
Jerusalem Arabs Honor Bin Laden
Egypt Muslim Brotherhood Condemns Bin Laden Death
Hamas Denounces Killing of Bin Laden
USA: Anti-Israel Jewish Studies
Springtime for Hitler in Arabia

"Ironically, the Christians of Iraq were better off under Saddam Hussein. As Raymond Ibrahim, associate director of the Middle East Forum, points out: “[B]y empowering ‘the people,’ the U.S. has unwittingly undone Iraq’s Christian minority. Naively projecting Western values on Muslims, U.S. leadership continues to think that ‘people-power’ will naturally culminate into a liberal, egalitarian society – despite all the evidence otherwise. The fact is, in the Arab/Muslim world, ‘majority rule’ traditionally means domination by the largest tribe or sect; increasingly, it means Islamist domination.”

Survey: Majority of Palestinians Believe Israel Not Partner for Peace

"About how the respondents identify themselves, the majority, 57%, identified themselves as Muslims, 21% identified themselves as Palestinians first, 19% as human beings first and 5% as Arabs first. The increase in adherence to religious identity is also reflected in the system preferred by the Palestinian people."

Among the Palestinians, Some Sympathy for Bin Laden

"In a new Pew Global Attitudes poll, regard for bin Laden was down sharply across all eight Muslim populations surveyed but was highest among Palestinians, with 34% expressing confidence in him to "do the right thing in world affairs."

Quotes:

"I think there are universal principles that we should want to understand, but that are not necessarily good for us. We could recognize universal propensities which current cultures can't fully eradicate, which we would want to eradicate if we could. Let's say, a tendency for tribal violence. Or racism. Let's say all cultures are, at bottom, slightly xenophobic, or greatly xenophobic, and there are just degrees of the problem. I think our only reasonable goal now is to try and build a global civilization that can allow 9 billion people ultimately to flourish, so xenophobia is something that we want to get rid of. So the question for science is: what's the optimum way to raise children, create political institutions and to cooperate with one another so as to mitigate the congenital problem we all have with xenophobia, regardless of culture?
The point of interest for me is what happens the moment you grant the well-being of conscious creatures - in this case human beings - is tied to truths about the way the universe is. Then you have to grant that there are going to be right and wrong ways to navigate this space of possible experience. Then there will be cultures that will, by any reasonable definition, look pathological, because you could in principle find a culture that was worse than any other; you could rank order all of your values, and you could find a culture that was just not the best culture for maximizing any of those values.
And that's an impolitic thing to say; that's the antithesis of multiculturalism. But we should be aware: as a default setting, respect for other cultures and tolerance of diversity I think is a very wise principle. We've suffered a lot based on the opposite orientation. Tolerance, openness to argument, openness to self-doubt, willingness to see other people's points of view - these are very liberal and enlightened values that people are right to hold, but we can't allow them to delude us to the point where we can't recognize people who are needlessly perpetrating human misery."
- Sam Harris

"Yeah, and I think science can engage in a different project: we can recognize that things like right and wrong, good and evil, relate to the experience of conscious creatures, and to nothing else - and the consciousness of creatures is itself a natural phenomenon that is constrained in some way by the laws of nature. So, granted it's fantastically difficult to get down to the details and know you have right answers, just as it is in economics. Economics struggles to be a science, but just now we are blown about by uncertainty at every moment. But there's no question that there are right and wrong answers - we're talking about fantastically complicated systems, and here we're talking about brains and societies and it's all very complicated, but it's not so complicated that you can't recognize obviously wrong answers and obviously right answers."
- Sam Harris
"I wouldn't dispute that the horizon of what we know and consider true changes, but we do this in the context of a background reality which we are dimly coming to understand. I suspect that while you are reluctant to think we can ever grasp absolute truth, we can still recognize falsehood, or how implausible certain [religious] claims are."

- Sam Harris

"Moreover, the paramount concern of a popular religion cannot be, and never has been, "Truth," but the maintenance of a certain type of society, the inculcation in the young and refreshment in the old of an approved "system of sentiments" upon which the local institutions and government depends. And, as the documentation of our subject shows, the history of society itself has been marked over the millenniums by a gradual - ever so gradual - enlargement of group horizons: from the tribe or the village to the race or the nation, and beyond that, finally, with Buddhism and Hellenism, to the all-embracing concept of humanity - which is, however, not a governable but a spiritual unit of individuals. And in such a unit there have to be many mansions, as there were in Gnosticism. Nor is it proper to denigrate such separated orders (each minding its own business) by calling them coteries. They are rather schools for those of like disposition, for mutual instruction: more like, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous than, say, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which latter would teach us all to abstain from spirits too strong for some to imbibe.

Moreover, the paramount concern of a popular religion cannot be, and never has been, "Truth," but the maintenance of a certain type of society, the inculcation in the young and refreshment in the old of an approved "system of sentiments" upon which the local institutions and government depends. And, as the documentation of our subject shows, the history of society itself has been marked over the millenniums by a gradual - ever so gradual - enlargement of group horizons: from the tribe or the village to the race or the nation, and beyond that, finally, with Buddhism and Hellenism, to the all-embracing concept of humanity - which is, however, not a governable but a spiritual unit of individuals. And in such a unit there have to be many mansions, as there were in Gnosticism. Nor is it proper to denigrate such separated orders (each minding its own business) by calling them coteries. They are rather schools for those of like disposition, for mutual instruction: more like, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous than, say, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which latter would teach us all to abstain from spirits too strong for some to imbibe."

- Joseph Campbell, The Masks of God Vol. III, Occidental Mythology page 378

Reading and Big Dawg 4/7/11-4/23/11

2011-04-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Training:
Specialization, Training Volume, and Talent Development
Views of Muscled Women Vary with Era
Prilepin's Charts
Functional Muscle
Level 1 Syndrome
Fit Body, Fit Mind? Your Workout Makes You Smarter
Skinny Still Reigns
The Future of Fitness is Taking The Work Out of Working Out
Women and Muscle
Age and Crossfit Open Performance

Diet, Health, Nutrition:
The Argument Against Cereal Grains part 1
The Argument Against Cereal Grains part 2
Paleo Diet, Intense Workouts Halts Progress of MS
Obesity Explained
Eat Like a Predator, Not Like Prey
ADHD: It's the Food, Stupid
French Vegans in Dock Over Baby's Death
Patients Are Not Consumers
Oh, You're Vegan? Then You Can't Adopt in Crete
"The China Study" A Formal Analysis and Response
Compression of Morbidity
Tucker Max Eats Like a Caveman
Interview with an Ex-Vegan: Denise Minger
The Impact of Religious Fasting on Human Health
The Key to a Long Life: Conscientious Habits

Israel, Islam, Terrorism
A Pacifist? He Hated Israel
The Death of Vittoria Arrigoni
Red Cross Official: There is no Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Making Sense of Norwegian Anti-Semitism
The NYT Goldstones Israel Again
De Borchgrave: The Coming Political Upheaval
From Moscow to Mecca
The People of the Joke
Black Student Leaders Slam "Apartheid" Characterization

Politics, Republicans, Conservatives, Libertarians
Republican Attitudes Towards Slavery and Interracial Marriage
Why Glenn Beck Lost It
What Do Republicans Dream About?
27% of Communication by Members of Congress is Taunting, Professor Concludes
Does Your Brain Bleed Red, White, and Blue?

Religion, Atheism, Theism:
The Good Book Can't be Bettered
First Homosexual Caveman Found

Other:
The World's First Hybrid Car Created by Porsche 111 Years Ago
IMF Bombshell: Age of America Nears End
25 Everyday Things You Didn't Know Had Names
Modern Soldiers, Ancient Medicines

4/7/2011
A: SDL 5x5 (355-355-355-355-355)
B: BoxSq 10x2 +2x pair of chains (205-205-215-225-235-245-255-265-275-285)

4/9/2011
part 1:
SECTIONAL WoD#3
AMRAP 5 @ 165
SqCl
Jerk (16+1=33)

rest 20 min

part 2:
Max distance broad jump, 3 attempts (7' 9.5"" = 93.5"")
rest 1 min
1x AMRAP SP 95#, no pause at top or bottom (13)
rest 1 min
1x AMRAP strict pullup (16)

4/10/2011
A1. Med Grip BP@30X0; 5x3 @175; rest 30 sec
A2. kip 5x20; rest 3 min
B. Sit up 5x30; rest 1 min

4/12/2011
part 1
A1. PSn 3x2-3; rest 20 sec (155-160-160)
A2. Max Vertical Jump 3x2-3; rest 4 min
(10 sec b/t attempts)
B. PSn x1/SnBal x2/OHS x3; rest 2 min x3 (155-140-145x5)
C1. RKBS heavy 3x6; rest 10 sec (2x32kg) - Holy Shit!
C2. Knee Tucks 3x6; rest 2 min

no rest

5 sets:
10 HSqCl 95#
10 burpees
10 pull ups
10 burpees
35 DU
rest no activity 5 min (no timer) This was one of the hardest WoDs I've done in ages

4/13/2011
Part 1
BSq 3x5 (300-300-300)
+
TGU x20/20 @24kg
+
240 sec FLR

Part 2
Stability BP +70x5 (45-65-75-85-95-105x4)

4/14/2011
Part 1
3 sets:
3 PC (215-220-220)
5 BJ 24" AFAP
20 DU AFAP
rest 5 min
+
3 sets:
3 DL (365-370-370)
5 Burpee
20 DU
rest 5 min

Part 2
PCx1 OTM x10 (215)

4/16/2011
Part 1
SECTIONAL WoD#4
AMRAP 10
60 Bar facing burpee
30 OHS @120
10 MU (90) very disappointing, I can get another 5

Part 2
SDL 4x5+4 all @365

4/17/2011
Row 10 min @ Z1 (2396)
+
HSPU 7x5 progression on plates
+
dead hang to inverted on rings - pause at top for 2 sec 3x5
+
10 GHD sit ups
10 GHD ext's
rest 1 min x 3
+
AMRAP DU 20 sec on/40 sec off x6 (38ub-38ub-29-26-30-36ub)

4/19/2011
7 sets, each for time:
9 push jerk heavy touch and go
12 KBS 32kg
15 CTB chin ups
rest 4 min
1:28 (135)
1:48 (140)
2:26 (145)
2:27 (135)
2:30 (135)
3:01 (125)
3:28 (125)
This was excruciatingly hard

4/20/2011
Rest due to fatigue

4/21/2011
part 1
A. PC 3x2; rest 4 min (220-225-230 FAIL-225)
+
5 sets each for time:
3 PC
6 Burpee
9 CTB
rest 5 min
40.8 @220
41.7 @220
44.8 @220
44.2 @220
49 @220

part 2
BoxSq to parallel x2 45-95-13-185-225-245-255-265-275-285-295-300-305-310-315-320-325

4/23/2011
SECTIONAL WoD#5
AMRAP 20
5 PC 145
10 T2B
15 WB
(8+20) I can get 9

Reading and Big Dawg, 3/20/11 - 4/6/11

2011-04-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

http://marcusfilly.com/
http://roadtoelitefitness.blogspot.com/
http://garagegymblueprint.com/

Training:
My Experience With Crossfit
What Makes People So Crazy About Crossfit?
Mad Scientist Salazar Charts New Course
A Technical Description of the Pull in Weightlifting

Israel, Islam, Terrorism, Anti-Semitism:
Norway to Jews: You're Not Welcome Here
Norway's Boycott of Pro-Israel Speakers
Harvard for Tyrants
Obsession with Israel Makes us all Ignorant
Death to Apostates: Not a Perversion of Islam, but Islam
Mr. Goldstone Recants
Richard Goldstone's Legacy
Defund the UNRWA
First Hand Account: My Visit to UNRWA Palestinian Refugee Camps
Fighting Back Against Campus Anti-Semitism
Progressives Should Support Israel
Talking With Progressives About Israel
Is There a Chavez Terror Network on America's Doorstep?

Diet, Health, Nutrition:
Paleo 2.0 - A Diet Manifesto
Confirmed: 80% of all Antibacterial Drugs Used on Animals, Endangering Human Health
Tylenol and the War on Drugs
The Dose of Intervention and the Land of Dr. Oz
For Tendon Pain, Think Beyond the Needle
Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges

Other:
Vermont House Passes Single Payer Health Care Bill
Turn Your House into a Billboard, Get Free Mortgage
Solar Space Heater Made From Soda Cans & an Old Window

3/20/2011
part 1:
3RFT:
20 goblet sq 32kg
15 ring dips (7:09)
rest 10 min
3RFT:
Row 250 m
12 KBS 24kg (4:19)
rest 10 min
3RFT:
15 wall balls
15 chin ups (3:51)
rest 10 min
3RFT:
10 burpees
10 box jumps 24" (2:57)
18:16 total

3/22/2011
part 1:
A. PC x1/PP x2; rest 4 min x5 (165-170-175-180F-175-175)
B. SqC 5x2 reps @ 90% effort; rest 5 sec b/t reps; rest 3 min (185-195-205-210-215)
C1. KBS 15x4; rest 90 sec (40kg, all unbroken)
C2. Anchored Sit Ups - 30x4; rest 90 sec (all unbroken)

rest 6+ hours

part 2:
for time:
12 DB SqC 45#
36 ring dips
24 DB SqC
24 ring dips
36 DB SqC
12 ring dips
(19:34) SLOW, marked lack of "umph"

3/23/2011
part 1:
Row 10 min @Z1 (2646m, 276 strokes, 1:53.3 avg split)
+
30 unbroken DU
(breathe 10 times through belly in place)
x6
+
300 sec static ring hold accumulation (10 x 30 second sets)
+
Row 10 min @Z1 (2612m, 1:54.8 avg split)
rest 6+ hours

part 2:
30-25-20-15-10:
Chin Ups COVP
Back Extensions (8:26)

3/24/2011
part 1:
3 sets:
5 DL (335-355-345)
8 burpees AFAP high jump
rest walk 5 min
+
3 sets:
5 HPC (175x4-165-165)
8 burpees AFAP speed
rest walk 5 min
+
3 sets:
Row 20 sec @100%
rest 4:40
(120m/13 cal/1:23.3 avg
121m/13 cal/1:22.6 avg
122m/13 cal/1:21.9 avg)
rest 6+ hours

part 2:
Row 10 min @ Z1
Mobility 20 min
Ice bath 15 min, SO painful

3/26/2011
Rest due to pain in leg

3/27/2011
Rest day due to stupidity

Two more rest days than I wanted. Damnit.

3/29/2011
part 1:
5 sets:
PSn x1
SnBal x2
OHS x3
HSqSn x2
rest 3 min (95x8-115x7-100x8-105x6-105x8-110x8-115x8)
+
Dips x2-3; rest 20 sec
Chin Ups x2-3; rest 3 min x3 (70x2/70x3-70x3/80x3-75x3/85x3)

part 2:
DL 5x5 all 345

3/30/2011
part 1:
A. DL - 3x3 @80%; rest 3 min (335-345-355)
B. Clap Push Up 3x10; rest 1 min
C1. 6 DL @10X0 @155; rest 2 sec
C2. 9 push up; rest 2 sec
C3. 12 BJ 24"; rest 3 min x3 (36-44-36 sec)
D. Row 1 min @90%; Row 1 min @50% x5 (2531)

part 2:
BSq 3x5 (295-295-295)
OH 1 arm walk x5/5 @32kg

3/31/2011
part 1:
A. Split Jerk - build to tough double; rest as needed (135-185-205-215-225-235x1)
B. 15 C2B; rest 90 sec x3 (UB-12+12+1-7+3+3+2)
C. 20 unbroken DU; rest 30 sec x5 (UB-17-UB-1-UB-1-UB-19)

part 2:
Farm Walk x3 (390-390-390) this was WAY too much (by about 40#)
Yoke Walk x7 (135-225-315-335-355-365-315) I LOVED this but it smoked my legs

4/2/2011
SECTIONAL WoD#2
AMRAP 15 min:
9 DL 155
12 Pushup+release
15 BJ 24"
(9+19) Push ups were the only bottleneck, everything else was easy and unbroken for all rounds

4/3/2011
part 1:
A. HPC 3x3; rest 2 min 175-185x2-180-180
B. MU progression practice
C. Row 2K - Fail @1k
D: BP 185x5
135+1xchains x5
135+2xchains x5-x4-x3
part 1 was a truly terrible training session, which I tried to repent for in part 2

part 2:
Freddy Kruger
21-15-9:
KBS @32kg
Burpee
(4:44)

4/5/2011
3 SqCl (all 205)
rest 10 sec
AMRAP Push Ups (35-25-22-23-20)
rest 4 min x5
+
rest 90 minutes
+
Row 25 sec @100%
Rest 3:35 x5 (154-155-154-151-146m)
+
10 pullups
rest 45 sec x8 (all 15 sec)
+
death by burpee (14+13)
+
GHD-SU
5x15 unbroken; rest 2 min
+
SP random singles 115+blocks/chains
This was supposed to be divided into two sessions. No time. I feel like I got run over by a truck.

4/6/2011
part 1:
A. SP 5x1 from 45 (45-105-125-140-150)
B. PP to easy triple (165)
Couldn't even finish part 1 due to some severe soreness and lat pain. FINALLY a PR on SP and it felt easy. I'm sure I've got another 5-10 pounds.

Big Dawg, Training + Reading 3/1/2011 - 3/19/2011

2011-03-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

3/1/2011 Tuesday
part 1:
A. PC @ 13X1; 4x2; rest 4 min (205-215-225-225x1)
B. PC x1/Th x1; rest 4 min x5 (185-185-190-190-195)
C. KBS x21 unbroken @2pd; rest 90 sec x 3
part 2:
4 sets:
Th x10@95#
C2B Kip x10
Burpee x10
rest walk 4:30 min
+
4 sets:
Row 30 sec
walk rest 4:30 (170-177-171-168m)
+
4 sets:
25 unbroken sit ups
rest 1 min

3/2/2011 Wednesday
A. SP@95 - amrap 2 min x5; rest 2 min (18-12-12-10-12)
B. ring push ups - amrap 2 min x4; rest 2 min (29-28-26-19)
C. ring dips - amrap 2 min x3; rest 2 min (N/A)
D. GHR - 15x3; rest 90 sec (10 rounds)

3/3/2011 Thrusday
part 1 - 5 sets:
HPSn x3
Row 350m
walk rest 8 min
(115#/492watts - 120/456 - 125/309 - 127/248 - 127/290)
part 2 - AMRAP 19 min:
Kip unbroken x15
ASq unbroken x30
DU x45
(5+36DU)

3/5/2011 Saturday
A. 1 PP every 30 seconds, add 10# every rep. Begin at 95#. If rep fails, retry at following cycle. (195) Rest 2 min
B. AMRAP Box Jumps in 90 sec @20" (47) Rest 2 min
C. Row Max Meters in 90 sec (495) Rest 2 min
D. 30 bar dips + 30 strict pullups for time (7:52) Rest 2 min
E. Run 1 mile (6:48)

3/6/2011 Sunday
part 1:
A. HPC - build to a tough 1 in as few sets as possible - NOT a 1RM; rest as needed (195#)
B. KBS - 5x15; rest as needed (40kg)
C. SDL 3x10 @275# rest 1 min
D. Anchored Sit Ups - 4x30; rest 90 sec

rest 6+ hours
part 2:
Row 3 min @ 90%
Row 3 min @ 50%
Row 2 min @ 90%
Row 2 min @ 50%
Row 1 min @ 90%
Row 1 min @ 50%
(1:45/2:10)

3/8/2011
A. BSq 3x3 @20X1; rest 5 min (295-300-305)
B. SnBal 3x3 @80%; rest 1 min (135-135-135)
C. 20 unbroken CTB chin ups; rest 4 min x 3 (unbroken - 12+5+2+1 - 15+5)

3/9/2011
part 1:
2RFT:
30 SqCl @95#
Row 250m
(11:10)
part 2:
for time:
25 HSPU 2x red band
25 double unders
55 KBS @1.5pd
25 double unders
25 burpees
(9:09)

3/10/2011
10 min row @65-75% 2596m
+
25/25 TGU @24kg - 22:51
+
20 sit ups, rest 1 min x3
+
10 min row @65-75% 2613m
+
50/50 lunges slow and steady

3/12/2011
Every Rep Counts:
AMRAP 20 min:
10 Wall Balls - 20# to 10 ft
10 Box Jumps - 20"
10 Dead Lifts - 205#
10 Burpees
(7+4)

3/13/2011
part 1:
Run 5 min @Z1
+
6 sets:
Run 1 min @80%
Run 1 min @50%
+
Run 5 min @Z1
part 2:
A. mixed grip weighted pullups @21X0; 4x2-3, rest 3 min (65#x3-75#x3-85#x3-90#x2)
B. 1xMax strict chin ups - supinated medium grip (17)
C. back extensions @ 1010; 3x20, rest 2 min (20#-25#-25#)
D. 8 sets, amrap DU, 30 sec on/30 sec off (42-36-31-33-35-39-35-47)

3/15/2011
A. HPSn 3x3, rest 90 sec (125-130-132)
B. SnBal 3x3; rest 1 min (135-140-145)
C. 5 sets @100%:
5 CJ 135#
10 burpees
15 chin ups
rest walk 6 min
0:00-1:14 (1:14)
7:14-8:28 (1:14)
14:28-15:38 (1:10)
21:38-22:48 (1:10)
28:48-29:55 (1:07)

3/16/2011
Run 400m x5
rest 4:30 after set 1
rest 5:00 after set 2
rest 5:30 after set 3
rest 6:00 after set 4 (109.34-110.22-118.78-117.95-117.0)
+
20 sec AMRAP DU's
20 sec handstand hold
20 sec walk rest x 6 (34-23-31-32-20-30)
+
2 sets, rest between sets as needed:
30 DU unbroken
15 PSn @75 unbroken (0:55-0:54)

3/17/2011
A. Front Squat @ 30X0; 3,2,1; rest 5 min (215-225-235)
B. Power Snatch - build to a tough single quickly - leave some (95-125-145)
C. Power Snatch touch and go - 5 reps; rest 1 min x 3 - light and fast (145-145-145)

3/19/2011
Part 1
SECTIONAL WoD#1
AMRAP 10 min:
30 DU
15 PSn
(5+27)
Part 2
Row 90 sec @ 90%
Row 90 sec @ 50%
x5
HS hold 20 sec on/20 sec off x5
Row 90 sec @ 90%
Row 90 sec @ 50%
x5

Training:
Is Too Much Stretching Bad for You?
How Heavy is Too Heavy?
Sidewalk Is His Prison Yard

Evolution and Diet:
Are Carbs More Addictive Than Cocaine?
High Fat Diet Linked to Breast Cancer?
Will Eating Whole Grains Help You Live Longer? No.
Crossfit on a Low Carb Paleo Diet
The Origins of Agriculture: A Biological Perspective and a New Hypothesis
Clues to Gluten Sensitivity

Islam, Terrorism, and Israel:
Cult of Death
Massacre of the Innocents
Re: The Importance of Blockading Gaza
Israel Focus a Distortion of Real Concerns
The Inmates are Running the Asylum
A Mass Expression of Outrage Against Injustice
The 'Israel First' Myth
E xamples of P.A. Incitement
Palestinian Incitement - Jews Receive 'Der Sturmer' Depiction
Lets Stop Pretending

Other:
Google's Quest to Build a Better Boss
Parents, Take a Deep Breath
The Jungle Gym and Malaria
Is That a Banana Peel in Your Water?
Top 10 Dinosaurs That Aren't What They Were
How Dungeons and Dragons Changed My Life

How to Backflip in 10 minutes from cedric dahl on Vimeo.

"People talk about American imperialism as a danger. That is absolute nonsense.
People who talk about American imperialism in the Middle East either know nothing about America or know nothing about imperialism. American imperialism is a term which might justly be used to describe some of the processes by which the original 13 states increased to the present 50. But as applied to American policy in the Middle East at the present time, it is wrong to the point of absurdity. Take the classical examples of imperialism: When the Romans went to Britain 2,000 years ago, or when the British went to India 300 years ago, an exit strategy was not uppermost in their minds." - Bernard Lewis

"There’s one other group of people that I think one should bear in mind when considering the future of the Middle East, and that is women. The case has been made, and I think there is some force in it, that the main reason for the relative backwardness of the Islamic world compared to the West is the treatment of women. As far as I know, it was first made by a Turkish writer called Namik Kemal in about 1880. At that time an agonizing debate had been going on for more than a century: What went wrong? Why did we fall behind the West?

He said, “The answer is very clear. We fell behind the West because of the way we treat our women. By the way we treat our women we deprive ourselves of the talents and services of half the population. And we submit the early education of the other half to ignorant and downtrodden mothers.”

It goes further than that. A child who grows up in a traditional Muslim household is accustomed to authoritarian, autocratic rule from the start. I think the position of women is of crucial importance." - Bernard Lewis

"There are those who believe passionately that all human beings are inherently good and rational creatures, essentially the same once you get beyond surface disagreements. Such people cannot accept the reality of a culture that extols death over life, that inculcates a vitriolic hatred of Jews, that induces children to idolize terrorists. Since they would never murder a family in its sleep without being driven to it by some overpowering horror, they imagine that nobody would. This is the mindset that sees a massacre of Jews and concludes that Jews must in some way have provoked it. It’s the mindset behind the narrative that continually blames Israel for the enmity of its neighbors and makes it Israel’s responsibility to end their violence.

The truth is simpler, and bleaker. Human goodness is not hard-wired. It takes sustained effort and healthy values to produce good people; in the absence of those values, cruelty and intolerance are far more likely to flourish." - Jeff Jacoby

"We should be used to this pathological mass movement by now. We should be able to talk about such things. Yet when you look at the Western reaction to the Beslan massacres, you see people quick to divert their attention away from the core horror of this act, as if to say: We don't want to stare into this abyss. We don't want to acknowledge those parts of human nature that were on display in Beslan. Something here, if thought about too deeply, undermines the categories we use to live our lives, undermines our faith in the essential goodness of human beings.

Three years after Sept. 11, too many people have become experts at averting their eyes. If you look at the editorials and public pronouncements made in response to Beslan, you see that they glide over the perpetrators of this act and search for more conventional, more easily comprehensible targets for their rage...

Dissertations will be written about the euphemisms the media used to describe these murderers. They were called "separatists" and "hostage-takers." Three years after Sept. 11, many are still apparently unable to talk about this evil. They still try to rationalize terror. What drives the terrorists to do this? What are they trying to achieve?

They're still victims of the delusion that Paul Berman diagnosed after Sept. 11: "It was the belief that, in the modern world, even the enemies of reason cannot be the enemies of reason. Even the unreasonable must be, in some fashion, reasonable."

This death cult has no reason and is beyond negotiation. This is what makes it so frightening. This is what causes so many to engage in a sort of mental diversion. They don't want to confront this horror. So they rush off in search of more comprehensible things to hate." - David Brooks

Reading + Training 2/21/2011 - 2/24/2011

2011-03-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

Training:
The Ethonomics of CrossFit
How to NOT Get Hurt Doing CrossFit
The Workout that Time Forgot
Programming
Shoes, Sitting, and, Lower Body Dysfunctions
Israel, Terrorism, Islam:
Freezing Palestinian Myths
Our Absurd Obsession with Israel is Laid Bare
The Debauching of the LSE
Losing The Middle East
My Israel
The Failure of British Multiculturalism
The Beginning of the End of European Multiculturalism
The Reality of the Muslim Brotherhood
The Danger of the Muslim Brotherhood
Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood
Israel's Never Looked So Good
Missing a Moment of Truth
Religion, Myth, Cult:
The Apostate
Glenn Beck is a deranged paranoiac (and an anti-Semite):
Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Crusade
Glenn Beck Indulges in Classic Anti-Semitic Conspiracism
Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Attack on George Soros
Science, Reason, Logic:
The Banker's Paradox
An Epidemic of Ignorance
Video Games: An Hour a Day is Key to Success in Life
NASA Scientists Find Evidence of Alien Life!!!
Confirmed: 80% of all Antibiotic Drugs Consumed Used on Animals, Endangering Human Health
Programming I've been observing:
Windy City CrossFit
Cincinnati Strength & Conditioning
Prairie CrossFit
CrossFit GP
CrossFit Willmington
CrossFit Daytona
Other:
Sex is Cheap

2/21/2011
A: Front Lever Negative 5x1
B: Muscle Clean 3x1 145-150-155
C: CJ 5x1 165-185-205F-205-205F-205F - Something was REALLY off.
D: Sn x2 OTM x10 @125 N/A
E: Sprints 1x100m OTM x10 N/A
I was really feeling terrible and had no energy. I tried the CJ with a bunch of failures and afterwards decided to call it quits for the day.

2/22/2011
A: Hand Stand N/A
B: BSq 5x5 275-280-285-290-295
C: BP 5x5 185-190-192-194-196
D: Reverse Sled x1 OTM x10 N/A
The BSq felt great but I again was really low on energy and time. By the time I finished the bench it was late, I was tired, and famished so I again called it quits early. I'm having a hard time with this program.

2/24/2011
A: Double Under practice N/A
B: Muscle Sn 3x1 N/A
C: Sn 5x1 N/A
D: SnBal 3x1 N/A
E: CJ 1 OTM x 10 @50-65% N/A
F: Barbara 36:10
Barbara was awful. The pullups were easy and unbroken, the pushups were reasonably hard, the squats were easy and unbroken, but for some reason I simply could NOT do the situps. At one point I was stringing together reps in sets of 3 or 2. That consumed the vast majority of my time. Waaaay off from a PR.

I had two more scheduled days of training but this really cemented in my mind that Noey was not a good programming match for me. In part it's just a large time commitment but more importantly I don't feel motivated to push myself to perform well. I miss having some level of variation beyond 1 benchmark girl per week.

I took the rest of the week off to rest and then resume with OPT's Big Dawg.

Reading and training, Noey C1/W2: 2/14/11 - 2/19/11

2011-02-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

Sesquipedalian, ses·qui·pe·da·li·an [ses-kwi-pi-dey-lee-uhn, -deyl-yuhn]

-adjective,
1. Given to using long words
2. (of a word) containing many syllables

Training:
Why Speed Work is Necessary for Elite Endurance
Crossfit Endurance: To Hell and Back, Just Faster
Skill Guidelines for Building Strong, Useful, Adaptable Athletes
Fundamental Exercise Concepts [part 1]
Israel, Islam, Terrorism:
The Failure of British Multiculturalism
The Beginning of the End of European Multiculturalism
The Reality of the Muslim Brotherhood
The Danger of the Muslim Brotherhood
Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood
Israel's Never Looked So Good
Missing a Moment of Truth
Science, Reason, Rationality:
The Banker's Paradox
An Epidemic of Ignorance
Personalized Investigation
The Evil That Men Do
Other:
Video Games: An Hour a Day is Key to Success in Life
Ayn Rand is a sociopathic douche:
On Atlas Shrugged as a Guide to Our Times
Shrugging Off Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand - Back From the Dead and Still Dead Wrong
Was Ayn Rand Evil?
The Bitch is Back
Top 10 Reasons Ayn Rand Was Dead Wrong
How Ayn Rand Became an American Icon
Guardians of Ayn Rand

Noey cycle 1, week 2/4

So perhaps I've been trying to bite off more than I can chew by trying to fit in 5/3/1 with Noey, so I've chucked that from the program. Sooner or later I'll come back to 5/3/1 but for now it's at least 2 cycles of Noey and then perhaps OPT's Big Dawg. I plan on doing a lot more farmer's walks and reverse sled drags. Goddamn, I love those things.

2/14/11
A: SP x5@55, x5@70, x3@80, x3@95, x3@105, x3+@120=8
B: Dragon Flags 5x1
C: Muscle Clean 3x1 135-145-150
D: CJ 5x1 195-200-205-210FC-210-215FC-215FJ
E: Sn x2 OTM x10 @120
F: Sprint 1x100m OTM x10

2/15/11
A: DL x5@140, x5@175, x3@210, x3@245, x3@280, x3+@315=13
B: Hand Stand X - I was feeling rushed and just ended up skipping this. I really need to get more hand stand practice in.
C: BSq 5x5 290-290-290-290-290 - After making a form correction last week, these felt superb. It felt like my best sets of heavy squats ever.
D: BP 5x5 192-192-192-192-192
E: Pinch Grip DL 70
F: False Grip Pull Up
G: Farm Walk 328-348-368-388-408 - I can definitely go heavier and cant' wait to do this again. I love these things.

2/17/11
A: BP x5@80, x5@100, x3@120, x3@140, x3@155, x3+@175=9
B: MU 7x1
C: Muscle Sn 3x1 95-105-110-115-120
D: Sn 6x1 125-135-145-150-155-160F-155-155
E: SnBal 3x1 135-155-165-170F
F: CJx1 OTM x10@180"
G: Elizabeth 10:03 - PR but still only 3rd place at the box. I can't wait to redo this. I'm looking for at least a 1" PR.
H: Forward/Reverse Sled x1 alternating OTM x20@100# - Good gravy, the reverse sled was absurdly painful. I'll definitely be doing more of these.

2/18/11
A: BSq x5@115, x5@145, x3@175, x3@200, x3@230, x3+@260=10 - I really wanted 12.
B: Back Lever single leg negatives 5x1
C: SP 5x5 125-127-127x4-125-125x4
D: DL 5RM 360-365-345-335 - PR but form wasn't great.
E: RDL 3x5 335-345-355

2/19/11
A: HLR 3x10
B: Vest strict pullup 5xMax 9-9-8-9-10
C: Vest dip 5xMax 10-8-8-8-8
D: Walking Lunge 5x5/5 165-185-195-205-210
I really wanted to do more (farmer's walks) but felt pressed for time.

Training - Noey + 5/3/1 (2/7/11-2/13/11)

2011-02-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

2/7/11
A: SP x5@55, x5@70, x3@80, x5@85, x5@100, x5+@115=10
B: DUx200 (56 unbroken)
C: Muscle Clean 3x1 135-145-145 - First time with these. Very awkward. Intuitively want to re-bend.
D: CJ 5x1 185-190-195-200-205 - Going for 225 next time.
E: Sn x2 OTM x10 @115 - Felt super light. Form was solid. Going to up the weight next time.
F: Sprints 1x100m OTM x11 - This DESTROYED my legs.

2/8/11
A: DL x5@140, x5@175, x3@210, x5@230, x5@260, x5+@295=13
B: Hand Stand Practice - Insufficient work here.
C: BSq 5x5 285-285-285-285-285 - Discovered new form problem. Going to up the weight next time.
D: BP 5x5 185-190-190-190-190x4
E: Anchored Pinch Grip DL @60 - I placed 2 ten's between a pair of 25's, I should have kept them on the outside and gotten better purchase on the plate pinch.
F: Prowler 1x100' OTMx11 - I didn't feel like I had much drive to do this. There's too much damned friction on the BBC cement floor. We need astro-turf or less snow/ice.

2/10/11
A: BP x5@80, x5@100, x3@120, x5@130, x5@150, x5+@165=11
B: Muscle Up Practice 7x1 - Need to work on cycling between reps.
C: Muscle Snatch 3x1 65-85-105 - Intuitively want to re-bend.
D: Snatch 5x1 145-145-145-145-145 - Couldn't go heavy because I was lifting at The Black Box. NEVER AGAIN. I'll either switch Thursday's prescription with Friday's or find a way to snatch at the BBC.
E: SnBal 3x1 135-155-165 - I can definitely go heavier.
F: CJ 1 OTM x 10 @175 - Felt pretty easy.
G: Lynne@177: 8/32-7/32-6/32-5/32-5/32=191 - I simply COULD NOT pull up. I'm not sure what was going on but I just kept losing my grip. I should have been getting closer to 45+ in at least the first couple rounds. I'll retest in a few months.

2/11/2011
A: Skin the Cat 2x5 - I should have done more reps+sets
B: SP 5x5 120-122-123-124-125 - I should have started heavier but was unsure of my capacity.
C: DL 5RM 315-335-345-355 - I probably could have gone heavier. I really prefer the black belt.
D: RDL 3x5 315-325-325 - At this point my hands were so torn up I felt like I couldn't grip anything.
E: Row 1" on/1" off x10: 317-306-304-295-286-288-282-286-288-309 (total = 2962) - I could barely grip the rower. Next time I'll try to really sprint.

2/12/2011
A: L Sits: 30-20-20 - I've gotta do more of these.
B: Vest strict pullups 5xMax: 8-6-6-6-5 - I expect more than 31 reps next time.
C: Vest dips 5xMax: 8-7-7-8-7 - I expect more than 37 reps next time.
D: Weighted Lunges 2x10/10: 135-155... 3x5/5: 175-185-195 - I started with too many reps but then amended the program after consulting Coach Panda. These were horrible. I expect at least 205 next time.

2/13/11 BSq x5@115, x5@145, x3@175, x5@185, x5@215, x5+@245=14 - I meant to do this 2 days ago but didn't have time/energy. I wanted 15 but I lost the bar off my back.

Some reading...

Training:
Consumer Alert: The NO2/Arginine Scam [part 1]
Consumer Alert: The NO2/Arginine Scam [part 2]
John Brookfield's Grip Tips Index
The Characteristics of Hunter-Gatherer Fitness
Consistency
Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious
Women's Fitness Magazines are Bullshit
Too Much Muscle
Mobilizing!
Five Secrets of More Effective Training

Science!:
Homeopathy Gets a Reality Check in the UK
Homeopathy: There's Nothing To It
Personalized Investigation
Leda Cosmides & John Tooby present "Evolutionary Psychology" at Zurich Minds
Art de Vany presents "Evolutionary Fitness" at Zurich Minds
Michael Raissig presents "Battle of the Sexes" at Zurich Minds
Daniel Dennett presents "How Memes Make Minds: The Evolution of Reason" at Zurich Minds

Other:
64 Year Old Kayaker Completes Trans-Atlantic Voyage
The Best Questions for a First Date

I've got so many damned articles to get through, well over 100. More to come.

A small chunk of my recent readings. More to come.

2011-02-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Sockdolager:
Sock-dol-a-ger [sok-dol-uh-jer]
Noun- Older Slang.
1. Something unusually large, heavy, etc.
2. A decisive reply, argument, etc.
3. A heavy, finishing, blow: His right jab is a real sockdolager.

Training:
I'll be beginning my first cycle of Noey on Monday which will contain ton's of Olympic lifting and gymnastic work. See below.
The Olympic Lift Starting Position
The Dumb Jocks Myth
The Benefits of Weight Training for Kids
Basic Biomechanics, the Knee
Scientists Find Gene Clue to Athletic Endurance
What Are You Training For?
Hard to Train... But Training Hard
What Exercise Science Doesn't Know About Women
4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know
Proper Back Position for Power
Back Lever Progression

Evolution of a Front Lever
Christine! (from my gym, http://crossfitvirtuosity.com/)

City Athletes: Christine CrossFit Documentary from Justin Steele on Vimeo.

Science, Rationality:
Behaviorism for New Psychology: What Was Wrong With Behaviorism and What is Wrong With it Now
Kepler Planet Hunter Finds 1,200 Possibilities
A Response to Critics
Medical Journal: Study Linking Autism, Vaccines is 'elaborate fraud'
Politics:
A New Year's Resolution for the Rich
Bill Maher, at his best, delivers a sockdolager. This may be his greatest moment, ever.

Israel, Islam, Terrorism:
Beware the Islamists
The West Must be Wary of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood
Get Ready for the Muslim Brotherhood
Breaking the Silence? A Critical Reading
Infants Ascribe Social Dominance to Larger Individuals
Food:
Real Men Must Eat Meat, Say Women as They Turn Up Their Noses at Vegetarians
Why Bacon is a Gateway to Meat for Vegetarians
Sugar
I Told You to go Ahead and Fuck Those Vegetables!
Other:
Drugs

Training and related shizzle 1/3/11 - 2/4/11

2011-02-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

I have a ridiculous number of archived articles that need posting. I fully expect a posting bonanza in the next few days. I also expect to start posting a weekly training review as I am now training like a normal human being as my shoulder is mostly un-fucked (I believe that is the technical term).

Here is the last bit of my injured training protocol:

1/3/11
BSq 3x5 @295
DL 3x5 @325
RKBS w/20# vest 3x20 @2.5p
KB-Juggling

1/5/11
BSq 3x5 @300: x5-x4-x3
SDL 3x5 @335
GHD-SU/Back-Ext w/20# vest 3x20
2xRKBS 3x25 @1p
TGU 3/3 @2p

That was fast.

Since then I started up with a 5/3/1 cycle, which I am now in the de-load week of and which I will post as I finish. In the second week of the cycle I resumed doing more shoulder stuff, met-con's, and general CF stuff. It's been gradually picking up steam as my shoulder continues to feel better. It's still not 100% and is definitely a little bit tweaked but it's mostly there. Hopefully it'll be back to 100% and then some in the very near future.

I will finish the first 5/3/1+CF cycle this week and resume next week with the Noey program (+5/3/1 2nd cycle) that I had to bail on due to my shoulder injury back in October 2010. Here's what's been going down since my last post.

Wendler 5/3/1+CF Cycle 1:

Week 1:
1/10/2011
A: DU practice
B: BSq x5@110, x5@140, x3@165, x5@180, x5@210, x5+@235 = 12
C: Box Jump w/vest 20# 5x10@24"
D: Sled Pull x4

1/11/2011
A: Rehab PT/DU practice
B: DL x5@135, x5@170, x3@205, x5@220, x5@255, x5+@290 = 10
C: RKBS 3x30@2p

1/12/2011
Rehab PT

1/13/2011
A: DU practice
B: SP x5@50, x5@65, x3@75, x5@80, x5@95, x5@105 = 12
C: Lvl 1 test out partial

1/14/2011
A: DU practice
B: BP x5@70, x5@85, x3@100, x5@110, x5@125, x5+@145 = 15
C: Lvl 1 test out partial

Week 2:
1/17/2011
A: SP x5@50, x5@65, x3@75, x3@90, x3@100, x3+@110 = 10
B: Air Force WoD Lite:
@95#, 3 Burpees OTM:
Th x15, SDHP x15, PJ x15, OHS x15, FSq x15: (6:50)
Met-Con is super weak right now
C: OHSx1=205# failed at 215 due to shoulder instability from injury

1/18/2011
A: DL x5@135, x5@170, x3@205, x3@240, x3@270, x3+@305 = 10
B: Weighted Ring Dip x1: 32kg - didn't go heavier due to time limitations and concern about injured shoulder
C: 3RFT:
5 CJ x5@155, Kip x20, FSq x5@155, Push Up x20 (13:24)

1/20/2011
A: BP x5@70, x5@85, x3@100, x3@120, x3@135, x3+@150 = 14
B: Christine Rx+ BW@178, work weight@225 (12:09) - Met-con is still SO weak!
C: CJ 10x1@165 Just greasin' the groove

1/21/2011
A: BSq x5@110, x5@140, x3@165, x3@195, x3@220, x3+@250 = 12
B: Random strength play

1/22/2011
A: 3RFT: KBS x22@2p, Box Jump x22@24", DU x60, Burpees x22, Wall Ball x22 (28:10)
B: OTM x10: DL x1@315, Fat Bar-DL x1@265
C: OTM x10: DL x1@275, Fat Bar-DL x1@200

Week 3:
1/24/2011
A: SP x5@50, x5@65, x3@75, x5@95, x3@105, x1+@120 = 7
B: BP 1RM: 215#
C: 3RFT:
SDL x10@275, DU x50 (7:15) - My double unders are atrocious.
D: Deadhang Pull-up x30
E: BSq 3x5@265
F: CJ 10x1@175
G: PC 5x1@185

1/25/2011
A: DL x5@135, x5@170, x3@205, x5@255, x3@290, x1+@325 = 8
B: 30-20-10:
Wall Ball, KBS@1.5p, DU(x2 reps) (10:51) - Too late at night, all alone, zero motivation
C: SP 1RM (145)
D: Vest dead pull up 5x5

1/27/2011
A: BP x5@70, x5@85, x3@100, x5@125, x3@145, x1+@160 = 11
B: 7RFT:
Thruster x7@95
Kip x7 (6:41) - SO WEAK!
C: 2 rnd's, unbroken:
Thruster x15@95
Kip x15
Rest
D: For total reps:
DL xMax@225 (30)
BP xMax@155 (13)
HPC xMax@135 (18) = (61)
E: 5 rnd's w/20# vest:
DLx1@315
Box Jump x6@39"
F: Vest pull up 20# 5x6

1/28/11
A: BSq x5@110, x5@140, x3@165, x5@210, x3@235, x1+@265 = 10
B: CJ 6x1@185
C: 10 rounds for distance:
Row 1:00
Rest 0:30
(2869m)
C: Vest pull up 20#: 7-7-5

1/29/2011
A: Muscle Up 7x1
B: 21-15-9:
FSq@135
Burpee
(8:00)
C: BSq 3x5@275
D: Vest Push Up 10x10@30#

Week 4:
1/31/2011
A: SP x5@50, x5@65, x5@75
B: 5RFT:
CJ x5@155
C2B Pull ups x10
(8:58)
C: CJ 6x1@185
D: Plyo-work: lower body

2/1/2011
A: DL x5@135, x5@170, x5@205
B: BSq 1xMax@225 (15)
C: HPC 1xMa@155 (10)
Tired, minimal time, zero motivation. Barely did any work, no warm up, barely broke a sweat. Counting this as a zero.

1/31/11
A: SP x5@50, x5@65, x5@75
B: 5RFT:
CJ x5@155
C2B Pull ups x10
(8:58)
C: CJ 6x1@185
D: Plyo-work: lower body

2/1/11
A: DL x5@135, x5@170, x5@205
B: BSq 1xMax@225 (15)
C: HPC 1xMa@155 (10)

2/3/11
A: BP x5@70, x5@85, x5@100
B: Karen (8:43) Sooooooo weak! Missed my PR by 1:32.

2/4/11
A: BSq x5@110, x5@140, x5@165
B: DU 3 rounds: 3" on/1" off
C: HSn 3x3 125
D: Death by Pull ups 16 - mini effort
E: Farmer's Walk 4x310

Lots more to come.

Training related reading and videos

2011-01-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

Part 1 of 5

No, you will not bulk up. Now quite your lallygagging and lift!

Two Distinct Styles of Lifting

Teresa E Steele on The Evolution of the Human Diet

Eight Ways to Un-F*ck your CrossFit Gym
10 Hilarious Shake Weight Videos
De Franco's Strong: The Movie
Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious
Brains and Brawn
On Warped Body Standards and Embracing the Buff
Vegan Book Review
Do You Really Have Tight Hamstrings?
SMART Goals
Programming Philosophy
Go Inside One Triathlete's Venture into CrossFit Endurance
Nicki Violetti's Blog

Also, elevated, soft/gooey heels/soles, and orthotics don't work, unless you're trying to hurt yourself
If Your Running Shoe Fits, Wear It
Close Look at Orthotics Raises Welter of Doubts
Effectiveness of Foot Orthoses for Treatment and Prevention of Lower Limb Injuries

Some programming I've been paying attention to recently.
http://crossfitcalgary.ca/
http://prairiecrossfit.com/
http://thamescrossfit.com/
http://www.crossfitportland.com/
http://teamfaction.com/wod.html
http://www.crossfitmilwaukee.com/
http://www.crossfitpori.com/
http://theanvilgym.blogspot.com/
http://optimumperformancetraining.blogspot.com/

My shoulder is recently feeling much better and as such I have resumed a more normal training regimen. I am currently doing 5/3/1 on a 4 week cycle and CF 5 days per week. I'm taking this slow as I don't want to reinjure my shoulder. In the meantime my metabolic conditioning has gone out the window and my upper body strength has withered away. Back to the salt mines. I'll update my training log in the very near future.

Recent readings of interest

2011-01-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Despite being completely wrong about global warming and evolution, she's dead on about Israel, the "useful idiots" of the west, and the Arabs.

Go drink your watered down Oliver Cromwell urine and leave the world of medical and scientific inquiry alone with your nonsensical, unverifiable, and demonstrably falsifiable claims.

Angst Against Islamist Groups Goes Mainstream in Germany
Eek! A Male!
The Anatomy of Desire
Assisted Suicide
The Israeli Way of War
Baby Martyrdom Culture
In Defense of the Guilty, Ambivalent, Preoccupied Western Mother
Flinching From The Tiger Mom
Why Amy Chua is Wrong About Parenting
Four Decades in North Korea
Wiki-Bea Leaks
We Cannot Blame the White People Any Longer
Marty Nemko on the Bachelor's Degree
Religions Diagram According to Google
Learning in Humans: The School System
The Organization Kid
Children Educate Themselves
The Natural Environment For Children's Self-Education
Japan: It's Not Funny Anymore

Some interesting things I found:
http://www.undercity.org/
http://www.livemocha.com
https://www.rememberthemilk.com
https://bubbl.us/

Starting Strength on injured shoulder

2010-12-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

11/30/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 65
BSq 3x5 135
DL 3x5 185

12/1/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 75
BSq 3x5 155
Press 3x5 75

12/2/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 85
BSq 3x5 175
PC 3x5 135

12/3/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 95
BSq 5x5 195
DL 5x5 225

12/4/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 105
BSq 5x5 205
Press 5x5 95

12/6/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 115
BSq 5x5 215
PC 5x5 155

12/7/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 125
BSq 5x5 225
DL 5x5 265

12/8/10
BoxSq (dynamic effort) 10x2 135
BSq 5x5 235
Press 5x5 115

12/10/10
BSq 5x5 245
PC 5x5 175

12/11/10
BSq 3x5 255
DL 3x5 280
Sn 3x1 95-105-115

12/13/10
BSq 3x5 260
Press 3x5 120

12/15/10
BSq 3x5 265
PC 3x5 185

12/17/10
BSq 3x5 270
DL 3x5 295

12/20/10
BSq 3x5 275
Press 3x5 125: (130x3)-125-125-125x4
SDL 3x5 305

12/22/10
BSq 3x5 280
PC 3x5 195
GHD-SU/Back-Ext w/20# vest 3x20

12/24/10
BSq 3x5 285
DL 3x5 315
Farm Walk w/20# vest @2.5pood 100'x10

12/27/10
BSq 3x5 290
Press 3x5 115 - Reduced weight due to shoulder pain.
SDL 3x5 325 - This was easy.

12/29/10
BSq 3x5 295
PC 3x5 205: x5-x4-x5 - Sloppy footwork and rushed pull.
GHD-SU/Back-Ext w/20# vest 3x20

12/31/10
BSq 3x5 300: x5-x4 - Worst set ever. Lost the bar at the bottom of the 5th rep. Despite the failure it's still a 5# PR for 5 reps. Significant pain in my right arm, especially the injured shoulder. I intend to retry in two days on Monday @295 and cut out all overhead work. Depending on how I feel I may switch to 5/3/1 or take another rest period, which I am dreading.

Look! Over there! Behind You!

2010-12-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

Holy Battle or Scam?
Dirty Little Secret
Why People Believe in Conspiracies
The (Other) Secret
The Real Secret
How Can You Defend Israel?
Ever-Sharp Urchin Teeth May Yield Tools that Never Need Honing
Ancient Human Remains Found in Israel
Kevin Connolly's Guide to American Culture
Young Female Chimpanzees Treat Sticks as Dolls
Simple Ideas that are Borderline Genius Part 1/4
God is Imaginary
A Solitary Jailhouse Lawyer Argues His Way Out of Prison
The Most Dangerous Man In Endurance Training
Semen Acts as an Anti-Depressant
Archeologists Discover Lost Civilization Under the Melting Arctic
Young Men More Vulnerable to Relationship Ups and Downs Than Women
The Language of Ignorance
The Strange Case of Francis Collins
A Reversal on Carbs
Scientists Say Carbs - Not Fat - are the Biggest Problem with America's Diet

Ayaan Hirsi Ali 5/25/10 (My hero)

IQ2 Would we be better off without religion? Part 1/17 (YES)

The Qu'ran - Original Manuscript and Interpretation (Ignore the apologists who appear towards the end - to make a long story short, it's a crock of shit)

Stephen Fry on Catholicism

http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/24118/excerpt/9780521824118_excerpt.htm
"[6] To cope with this difficulty, a great deal of effort has been devoted to adorning religion, whether true or false, with pomp and ceremony, so that everyone would find it more impressive than anything else and observe it zealously with the highest degree of fidelity. The Turks [i.e., the Muslims] have organized this very effectively.⁴ Believing as they do that it is wicked even to argue about religion, they fill the minds of every individual with so many prejudices that they leave no room for sound reason, let alone for doubt."
- Benedict De Spinoza

"Okay, so there's a cosmic Jewish zombie who was his own father and can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because some rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree... yep, Christianity makes sense."
- Anonymous

"I read about an Eskimo hunter who asked the local missionary priest, ‘If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?’ ‘No,’ said the priest, ‘not if you did not know.’ ‘Then why,’ asked the Eskimo earnestly, ‘did you tell me?'"
– Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, 1974

I am so behind with this whole "blog" thing.

2010-12-09T19:51:00.001-08:00

The Fine Dopamine Line Between Creativity and Schizophrenia
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Social Scientists Build Case for "Survival of the Kindest"
An Afternoon Nap Markedly Boosts the Brain's Learning Capacity
Implant-Based Cancer Vaccine is First to Eliminate Tumors in Mice
Crash: A Tale of Two Species: The Benefits of Blue Blood
Cockroaches Have Super Antibiotics in Their Brains; We Must Steal Them
Frog Bladders Hunt and Remove Foreign Objects
12 Places to Educate Yourself Online For Free
The Relativity of Wrong
The Artwork of Peter Callesen
The New Germ Theory [PDF]

"The supreme arrogance of religious thinking: that a carbon-based bag of mostly water on a speck of iron-silicate dust around a boring dwarf star in a minor galaxy in an underpopulated local group of galaxies in an unfashionable suburb of a supercluster would look up at the sky and declare, 'It was all made so that I could exist!'"
-Peter Walker

also to be edited...

2010-10-28T23:31:00.001-07:00

Muslims Project Islam's Worst Traits Onto Israel and the Jews
Never Again?
Extraordinarily Ordinary Israel
The Shadow Scholar
The Term Paper Artist
The Moral Landscape: Why Science Should Shape Morality
Sam Harris Believes in God
The Palestinian Refugees: Why is Everyone Lying to Them?
Hamas isn't the IRA
How to Improve Mental Health with Neurofeedback
Poor Lauren Booth
How I escaped Islamism

11/13/10
Back Squat 5x5: 245-245-245-245-245
Sumo Dead Lift 5x5: 275-275-275-275-275

My shoulder has been feeling a hell of a lot better so I tried some lifts that didn't require extension over head. It didn't feel too bad but I'm disgustingly weak. I'm going to try to resume my strength protocol by easing really slowly into it. The last thing I want to do is make it worse. I'm mostly worried about anything over head, especially the snatch and jerk. I'll start super-duper light and ease my way up nice and slow. I was just testing the water on Saturday and Monday will be my first day of trying to actually follow the protocol.

11/15/10
Back Squat 5x5: 255-255-255-255-255
Shoulder Press 5x5: 95-95-95-95-95
Clean High Pull 3x3: 225-185-185

I can't tell if I'm being an idiot or not. My shoulder was a tad sore but there was no pain overhead or in the clean pull. I'm still keeping it light and I'll discuss it with my physical therapist during my next session but not lifting is KILLING me.

11/16/10
Sumo Dead Lift 5x5: 295-295-295-295-295
Jerk 1x5: 115-125-130-135-140
OHS 3x3: 95-105-115

Still keeping it light until my shoulder is fully healed but at least I'm back to work on the bar. Once the weight starts going up and I feel confident that I'm largely recovered from my injury I'll start up GOMAD and whey.

11/18/10
Snatch Balance 1x5: 115-125-125-130-135
Snatch 1x5: 85-95-105-125-135
Double Under practice with my new Buddy Lee swivel head rope and Valeo rope. I'm finally getting the hang of this bastard of a motion. 38 unbroken. I should be hitting 50 within the week. The snatches and snatch balances felt absolutely horrible. My shoulder hurts and is frustrating beyond all comprehension. I just want to be healed so I can lift properly again. For now I'll just continue to suck it up and lift light weights. Damnit.

11/19/10
Back Squat 5x5: 265x4-265-265-265-265
Box Squat: whole bunches of box squats.
Being injured is really beginning to piss me off. My squat form was corrected, which led to new form errors opening up upon correction, which led to box squats, which led to my realization that I am still injured and should take it easier on myself. Damnit.

Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up

Some reading and quasi training

2010-10-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

Training:
12 Step Guide to a Flawless Clean
How to Make the Best Improvements in Your Training
Ability
The Shoulder
Have a "Bad Shoulder"? Read this.

Science:
Testosterone Put to the Test
Pumped Up on the Paleo Diet
Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science
Physical Reality: Less is More
'Altruism Gene' Associated with Higher Willingness to Donate
Neanderthal Brains Retained Infantile Shape
Falling in Love Only Takes 1/5th of a Second

Israel and terrorism
Can Israel be Jewish and Democratic?
The Palestinian Tragedy
Palestinians: Why do they Attack Doctors and Ambulances?
The Arab Lobby
Why Do They Hate Us?
The Anti-Semite's Pointed Finger
Wiki-Leaks and the Gaza War
Are Settlements Really the Major Obstacle to Peace?
Why Israel Sees a Double Standard

Other:
World Gone Mad
Why I Support Legal Marijuana
16 Things I Wish They Had Taught me in School
How To Have Less Awkward Conversations

Here are whole bunch of other lectures/videos that are well worth watching but not worth taking up all kinds of space by embedding. Check 'em out.
Crises of Capitalism
Smile or Die
21st Century Enlightenment
The Story of Cosmetics
The Story of Bottled Water

11/10/10
Anakin's stop being a lazy bum chipper
with a 20# vest - Left arm only with 1.5pood KB
Run 400m
ASqx20
BJx20@20"
RussKBSx20
KB-CJx20
KB-Snx20
Run 400m
9:23 - FAIL

11/11/10
1-armed Isabel @ 95#
5:XX it might have been 45 seconds, I think - anyway, FAIL

I need to stop being a lazy bum and start training around my injury. My shoulder is feeling much better so I'm going to play around with the bar and see if I can manage to do some low bar back squats and sumo dead lifts. This is beyond frustrating. Not only am I getting slow and weak but I'm also soft and squishy. KAHN!!!

As soon as I'm able it's back to a strict strength protocol with GOMAD and whey. Hopefully that's soon. If not, I'm going to absolutely lose my freaking mind!

Must. Squat. Heavy. Now. I am in some serious withdrawal.

INJURED!!! Training, reading, and so forth

2010-10-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

Obion Fire Symbolizes Tea Party-Republican Vision of Government
How Both Parties Stood by as Our Country Burned
Do Jews Control the Media?
Matt Taibbi on the Tea Party
Top Ten Anti-Israel Activities in the U.S.
Who Are Israel's Friends?
What's Up With Twenty-Something? In a Word, Economics.
Turkish Journalist Contradicts IHH Narrative
Is Jerusalem Sacred For Muslims?
Hogan's Holometer: Testing the Hypothesis of a Holographic Universe
Improve Mental Health With Neurofeedback

Can vegetarianism end world hunger?

No. Eat meat.

Women 58kg Weighliting Worlds

9/29/10
Part 1
7 rounds, no time component, for weight + height: DLx1/BJx1: 345# across/45" across
Part 2
Helen: 8:31, I need to push harder on the run.

9/30/10
Part 1
Modified Cindy, PPx5@75# instead of Kip: 16+5PP
Part 2
Randy: 5:19, I need to partition the rounds to go faster.

10/2/10
Part 1
Jack: AMRAP: PPx10@115#/KBSx10@1.5pood/BJx10@24": 10+5PP, felt soooo slow and weak
Part 2
KB-Snatch practice, right shoulder is hurting from 9/28/10

10/3/10
BSq practice

10/5/10
Part 1
3 rounds, no time component: Front Leverx3/GHD-SUx15
then, tabata DL@135#/BJ@20": 193
Part 2
CJ practice, major form issues, I need to work on this... after I heal.

10/6/10
Press: 5-5-5-5-5: 125#, Must. Get. Stronger.
then, Bulgarian Split Squat: 5/5-5/5-5/5-5/5-5/5: 74kg
then, 10 Minutes in Heaven: Row 4min (cal)/Lateral Burpee 3min/Kip 2min/ASq 1min: 199

10/7/10
Isabel: PSn@30@135#: 2:50

10/8/10
ASqx100: 2:02
then, 21-15-9: BP@135#/Kip: 6:36
then, KBSx100@1.5pood: 4:42

10/9/10
21-15-9: OHS@95#/Kip: 5:08

10/10/10
15-12-9/30-24-18: CJ@135#/Kip: 10:54 - SLOW. FAIL. Over training. Must rest more.

Begin operation: Get Wicked Strong. Commence drinking chocolate milk post-WoD.
10/12/10
BSqx3: 45-95-135-155-185-225-245-265-285-295, Must. Get. Stronger.

10/13/10
SqCl: 45-65-95-135-155-185-205-225

10/14/10
BSq 5x5: 245-245-245-245-245
then, weighted pullup x1: 16kg-24kg-32kg-40kg-40kg+10#

10/16/10
BSq 5x5: 255-255-255-255-255
then, 3RFT: HPCx15@135#/Burpee: 6:36 - SLOW. FAIL. I need to work on my form (muted hip) and my burpees are SO SLOW.

10/17/10
DL 5x5: 275-275-275-275-275 My form sucks, I need to take the weight waaaaay down.
then, Air Force WoD: 4 burpees on the minute, every minute: @95# Thx20/SDHPx20/PJx20/OHSx20/FSqx20: 11:49 - Slow again. I didn't pace myself AT ALL.

10/18/10
Reality struck hard today. I injured my shoulder and have been damaging more since incurring the injury. I need to see a doctor (scheduled for 10/25/10) and work around the injury until I hear back from the doctor. No more Operation Get Wicked Strong, no more competitions, no more heavy lifting, no more chocolate milk, or extensive shoulder use.

10/19/10
2RFT: Run all sandbags 100' with 30# weighted vest on: 10:02 - this killed my calves and lower back. Lot's of fun. I'd like to do this again.

I injured my right shoulder on 9/28/10 but stupidly decided that I was invincible and didn't need to have it looked at, so I continued to train. I'm afraid I may have done some serious damage and am getting checked out on Monday 10/25/10. This basically dashes all hope of participating in The Trick or Treat Throwdown, The Beast of the East, and maybe even the 2011 NY-CF Games Sectional. Fuck.

This is beyond frustrating.

A bit of reading

2010-10-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Morality:
Can There be a Science of Good and Evil
The Moral Landscape: Q and A with Sam Harris
In Defense of Torture
Evolution (pdf):
The Cognitive Niche: Coevolution of Intelligence, Sociality, and Language
Politics:
Lets Not Die for Timid and Misguided Political Correctness
The West is Being Outmaneuvered by Violent Islamist Extremists
Mormon Prophecy Behind Glenn Beck's Message
Would You Let This House Burn?
The Day After Tomorrow
No Love for Muslims, Unless They're Palestinians
Training:
Alcohol vs. CrossFit
CrossFit Troops Fight for Their Right to Curl Till They Hurl
Think Saturated Fat Contributes to Heart Disease? Think Again...
Lack of Sleep Can Make Dieters Lose Muscle Instead of Fat
Other:
What Is It About 20-Somethings?

Training 9/8/10-9/28/10

2010-09-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

9/8/10
Running Grace: 6RFT: Run 400m/CJx5@135# (13:25)

9/9/10
Jackie: Row1k/Thx50@45#/Kipx30 (7:24)

9/11/10
DT: 5RFT: @155#: DLx12/HPCx9/PJx6 (16:38)

9/12/10
Linda Variations: 3RFT: 5!: DL@1.5BW(268)/PJ@BW(178)/SqCl@.75BW(135), Rest 1" between rounds (32:53) This was so stupid. I am an idiot.

9/14/10
Part 1
BSqx5: 45, 95, 135, 185, 205, 225, 245, 265, 275, 285-F* I can definitely get this... next time.
Then, For time: BJx150@24" (6:25) Sloooooooooow!
Part 2
10RFT: BSqx3@225#/KBSx5@40kg/Kipx7 (13:40)

9/16/10
Lynne@180#: 5 rounds: Max BP@BW/Max Kip (177) I brilliantly ripped my hands in three places.

9/18/10
With 21# vest, AMRAP 20": Run 150m/BSqx3@185#/KBSx12@1.5pood (11+150m)

9/19/10
For time: SPx100@45#/KBSx100@1pood (10:49) Slooooooooooow!

9/25/10
FGBV: 370. Must beat Gregg! Also planning on breaking 400+ on the next go around.

9/26/10
Part 1: Isabel: Snatchx30@135#: 3:52
Part 2: 3RFT: PSnx3@135#/KB-Sn-rightx5@24kg/KB-Sn-leftx5@24kg/KBSx10@32kg (4:32)

9/28/10
Part 1: 6 unbroken rounds: Weighted pull upx1/L-pull upx2/Kipx3 (50, 70, 70, 70, 70, 70)
Then, PCx1: 45, 95, 135, 185, 205, 225, 245-F*, 235#. I freaking had 245! I just bailed due to fear. I'll pull it next time.
Then, Tabata mashup, total: K2E/PU: 134
Part 2:
Rope Climbx10
Then, OHSx3: 45, 65, 95, 115, 135, 165, 175, 175#. I REALLY need to work on this.
Then, 5RFT: Shoulder Stonex3@112#/KBSx15@24kg (5:57)

Random thoughts, links, science

2010-09-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

I am often plagued by the question of what to do with my life. Though it is not synonymous, one's vocation is central in defining both the course of one's life and one's identity. As such I find myself wrestling with the question of what to do. I am pulled in two directions. On the one hand there is societal/cultural pressure. On the other there is my own internal drive. The two butt heads not infrequently causing me much grief and indigestion. Society's vocational directive is towards prestige, which endows high rank and sexual selective benefit as a higher order mate. In our techno-agrarian world, high prestige/social rank translates almost 1:1 to monetary wealth. The second internal directive generates a more ethereal pressure, pushing one this way and that consonant with the winds of the "soul". This second directive is what Campbell called one's "bliss". Simply, whatever it is one "gets off" on. For a long time I fancied a career in academia or in the field of it's clinical cousin. Now I find myself torn pretty well between the two. I love the intellectual stimulation of much of academia but find it sorely lacking in both real world application and physicality generally, which, for me, is a primary mode of expression. The latest incarnation of this silly dilemma has pitted me between two possible career moves. I could open a CrossFit gym somewhere in the boonies, or I could open a farm, also somewhere in the boonies. Sometimes I am still tickled by some of my other interests and discarded aspirations in psychotherapy and anthropology. I suppose this boils down to what do I want? What matters in life? What is important to me? Tolkein writes, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." What compass does one use to decide what to do with said time? Campbell repeatedly advises, "follow your bliss". Sometimes I feel like my bliss can't make up its damned mind.

I really need to write more. I'll fix this post later. I've got tons of new material to sort through that needs sharing, mostly psych, anthro, and bio. YAY SCIENCE!!!

A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs
The Inuit Paradox
Agrarian Diet and Diseases of Affluence - Do Evolutionary Novel Dietary Lectins Cause Leptin Resistance?
Staffan Lindeberg The Kitava Study
Staffan Lindeberg Literature Surveys
Staffan Lindeberg Diabetes Study
Rethinking Homework

I LOVE science!

Some stuff that I've been reading and Paleo day 13

2010-09-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Paleo Challenge, Day 13. I haven't been maintaining a food log but excepting one day of Oreo related weakness, I've been strictly Paleo. Lot's of meat, lots of eggs, lots of veggies. Tonight for dinner I shared a massive 32oz steak and 3 pieces of slab bacon, which is simply a very thick cut of bacon. I've never had slab bacon before tonight but let me just say, as calmly as I can manage,... WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!?? Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom. Below is a sample picture stolen from the interweb.

In CrossFit news, my hands are destroyed from Lynne, having ripped off three callouses in the 4th round. I stupidly re-gripped frequently. Lesson thoroughly learned.

I was wrong about veganism. Let them eat meat - but farm it properly
A Benign Extravagance?
Sexual Selection: The Lord of the Dance
Schools: The Disaster Movie
Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits
Ask a Real Musician: 5 Classic Male Metal Singers
Tractor Beams Get Real
Shop Class as Soulcraft
The Moral Landscape: Q & A with Sam Harris

PDF
Narcissism Guides Mate Selection

Links! And paleo challenge day 2

2010-09-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Below is an excellent 4 part meditation on the philosophy of fitness

Training:
Big Breath, Hold it, Exhale
Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don't Bulk Up the Female Athlete
Israel:
Fidel to Ahmadinejad: 'Stop Slandering the Jews'
It's About Time for an Apology to Israel
'Rhymes with Fagin'
For the Jews in Israel, Money Trumps All?
Hamas is not the IRA
Talking to Terrorists: The Myths, Misconceptions, and Misapplication of the Northern Ireland Peace Process
Other:
At What Price Happiness? $75,000
'Magic Mushrooms' Ingredient May Ease End-of-Life Anxiety

I freaking love this video.

Paleo challenge Day 2, 9/8/10
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 tbsp bacon fat, 1 apple w/almond butter
Lunch: a bunch of grilled chicken, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, 1 serving of almond butter
Post-WoD: grilled chicken, 3 eggs, 1 tbsp bacon fat, 1 tomato, 2 stalks of celery, 2 servings of almond butter
Dinner: 1 serving of asparagus, a frightening amount of meat (brisket, lamb chops, cornish hen), beet salad, cucumber salad

WoD: accumulate 1 min in L-sit
then, 6RFT: run 400m/CJx5@135# (13:25)
accumulate 1 min in L-handstand
DUx100, walk 135# overhead 100'

Training 8/6/10 - 9/7/10

2010-09-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

8/6/10
Part 1: Bulgarian Split Sqx5(5-L/R): 0kg, 48, 64, 64, 0kg
then, FT: Run 1200m/Good Morningx60@45#/Run 800m/GMx40/Run 400m/GMx20 (14:02)
Part 2: SnGr-HighPull w/straps: 65, 95, 115, 135, 155, 175, 185#
then, SqSn: 135#
then, 5rnd's on each leg, no time component: Bulgarian Split Sqx5/1-leg BJ@20"x5/1-leg sprint@50'

8/9/10
Roy: 5RFT: DLx15@225#/BJx20@24"/Kipx25 (23:10)

8/10/10
Rack Pullx3: 45, 95, 135, 225/x1: 315, 365, 385, 395, 405
then, 5RFT: SDHPx15@75#/WBx15 (7:18)
then, Tabata-SU: 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6

8/11/10
BPx3: 45, 95, 115, 135, 155, 175, 185, 195, 205x1, 185, 185#
then, Walking Lunge 400m for time: 11:07

8/13/10
Part 1: SqSnx1: 45, 65, 95, 115, 135, 155#
then, 3RFT: OHSx5@135#/K2Ex10/Burpx15 (6:51)
then, Strict Pull-upx30
Part 2: 5rnd's, individually timed: PCx5/tire flipx1 lap (2:29@185, 2:06@175, 2:02@175, 2:20@175, 2:13@175#)

8/15/10
Spartan Race
8/17/10
PJx1: 45, 95, 135, 155, 185, 205, 225#-F
then, 1RFT: Rope Climbx1/Kipx20/KBSx30@2pood/Row 400m (3:06)

8/18/10
Stalder Press Practice
then, 3RFT: Suitcase DL-rightx1/leftx1@135#/DB-Hang Split Snatch-rightx5/leftx5@35#/Ring Dipx10 (2:57)

8/19/10
1min PU/2min Ring Dip/3min TGU
then, Christine: 3RFT: Row 500m/DL@BW(178#)x12/BJx21@24" (9:47)

8/21/10
PJx1: 45, 95, 135, 155, 185, 205, 215, 225#-F
BSqx1: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 245#, *Major form correction went down here.

8/22/10
Linda@178#: DL@267, BP@178, SqCl@133.5#
DNF (due to last night's dinner)@35:36 in rnd #7(4's)+3BP *I totally burnt out on the pacing and ran to the bathroom immediately after collapsing on the floor. I'll be reattempting this on 9/12/10
8/24/10
Hand Stand Hold, accumulate 2 minutes
then, Tabata: ASq, rest 1 min, PP@75#, rest 1 min, Bent Over Row@75# (17, 8, 10=35)
then, Hanging L Holds, accumulate 2 minutes

8/25/10
Rack Pull: 3-3-3 (315# *Form correction)
then, 12-9-6: PJ@155#/Burpee (7:21) *I really need to work on my overhead strength

8/26/10
Angie: FT: Kipx100/PUx100/SUx100/ASqx100 (21:59) *This was WAY too slow.

8/28/10 BBC drink night
Kelly: 5RFT: Run 400m/BJx30@24"/WBx30 (24:11)
8/29/10 Water Park WoD!!!
21-15-9/42-30-18: Burpee/ASq (4:15)
8/31/10
PUx50
then, 3RFT, rest 1 min between rnds: DLx3@275#/Sprint 100m/Burpee Pullup (high bar)x10 (5:32)
then, Bottom to bottom tabata ASq, low score: 10 (I'm shooting for 13 next time)

9/1/10
Team WoD: Ongoing OH plate lunge @45#x200' while team remainder of team completes:
Assisted L-pullupsx120/Burpeesx120/all team members run 400m (13:54)

9/2/10
Karen: WBx150 (7:11) *I'm happy with this but I desperately want 6:30
then, T2Bx50 *I figured out the kip!!!

9/4/10 Level 1 cert weekend, day 1
Fran: 21-15-9: Th@95#/Kip (4:43) *I could have pushed SO much harder. I'm going to retest in about 60 days, aiming for sub 4. I'd like to hit sub 3:30 on the next attempt.

9/5/10 Level 1 cert weekend, day 2
AMRAP 10": Partner WoD: MB-Clx7@20#/Max PU for total reps (258) *I really wanted to do a double day. Oh well.

9/6/10 Active rest day.
DUx100, CJx1@185#

9/7/10
DUx100
DLx1RM: 375# (going for 405 in 2 months)
then, 21-15-9: ASq/Burpee (3:02)
then, L-Pull-up practicex5(2)

Paleo Challenge, Day 1

2010-09-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Paleo Challenge begins! 60 days of dietary accountability. Correction; 54 days of accountability.

Day 1, 9/7/10
Weight: 176#
Benchmark:
DLx1RM: 375#
21-15-9: ASq/Burpee (3:02)

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 tbsp bacon fat, 1 apple w/ a fair share of almond butter

Post-WoD lunch: 2 pieces of fish, 1/2 avocado, handful of raspberries, calamari/baby octopus salad with green bell pepper and red onion.

First Dinner: 4 sausage links with mustard, 1 celery stalk w/ almond butter, 1 carrot w/ almond butter

Second Dinner: 3 eggs, 1 tbsp bacon fat, 1 celery stalk w/ almond butter, 1 carrot w/ almond butter

Assorted links

2010-08-08T21:36:00.001-07:00

I've been doing some reading. I'll organize this mess soon. Until then, here are a ton of links to various articles. There are more articles I want to include. I will probably end up splitting all of this up into several posts.

Israel, Terrorism, Islam
How to Win the Clash of Civilizations
How Facts Backfire
Ground Zero Mosque Hurts Islam
What Obama Got Wrong About the Mosque
Column One: See No Evil
Hollow Men
Keep the Claws Sharp
Frozen in Time, Addicted to Pity
Derisionist History
We Owe the Jews
The Palestinians, Alone
Historical Fiction
The Revisionists and New Historians
The Flotilla Farce
The Root of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Classic Islamic View of Jews
Letters From the Imam
NY Temple Plot Jury Hears Suspect Rant About Jews

Other Politics
Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty
Female Infants Growing Breasts
Rough Justice in America: Too Many Laws, Too Many Prisoners
Calling All Future-Eaters

Training
Can Exercise Moderate Anger?
Four Things Your Girlfriend Should Know
If I Hear One More Personal Trainer Say That Squatting Below Parallel Is Dangerous...
EFS Classic: Squatting From Head to Toe
Top Ten Checklist: Do You Train?
Globo-Gym vs. CrossFit Gym
Mark Rippetoe Interview with Charles Staley
Mark Rippetoe Interview with Jim Wendler

Science (Evolution)
Food For Thought: Meat Diet Made Us Smarter
Find Suggests Tool Use Began Before Humans

Education
What's Wrong With the American University System?
In the Basement of the Ivory Tower
The Case for Working With Your Hands
Vocational Training: Too Narrow, Too Soon?

Misc.
Everything You Know About Mike Tyson is Wrong

currently reading
The Mystery of the Tainted Cocaine
The Kindness of Israelis
To the Chorus of Chronic, Compulsive Critics of Israel
Questions for the New York Times
The Despair of Zion
The Cholesterol Myth
Does Language Influence Culture?
The Broken Link: What Peace Won't Fix
The Nakba Obsession

Training 7/16/10 - 8/4/10

2010-08-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

7/16/10
Squat Snatch: 65, 95, 115, 135, 155, 165#, then
3RFT: ASqx20, DUx30, Run 400m (12:34)* DU sucks, then
DU practice

7/17/10
Part 1: 1"@each station for total reps:
DU: 43, Row (cal): 19, ASq: 36, SDHP@75#: 21, BJ@24": 17, SqSn@75#: 6, Jumping Pullup: 33, KBS@1pood: 25, Th@75#: 12, Walking Lunge: 24, K2E: 14, PP@75#: 20, Hip Ext: 23, Wall Ball@20#: 12, Burpee: 10 (315)

Part 2: For Time:
Row 500m, Prowler 100'~ @+90#, KBS@1.5pood, DUx30 (7:57)

7/18/10
SqSnx5: 65, 85, 95, 105#
SqSnx3: 115, 125, 135#
SnBalx5: 65, 95, 115#
SnBalx3: 125, 135#, rest, then
Death by DL@225: 12+7

7/19/10 Active rest day: 21-15-9: KBS@1.5pood/Kip (untimed)

7/20/10
Part 1: DLx3: 135, 225, 275, 295, 315#, then
7RFT: SqClx3@135#/HSPUx4*(not rx'd, assisted with bands - green and red) (5:50), then
Situp x50 w/25# plate

Part 2: Viking Grace: 3RFT: Row 500m/CJx10@135# (12:35)* no Oly bar or bumper plates =(

7/21/10
Part 1: SqSn: 65x3, 95x2, 115x2, 135x1, 155#x1, then
3RFT: Kipx10/Farmers Walk 100' w/2x40kg KB (3:51)* too slow, didn't run, then
Sled Drag: 26 seconds, rest, then

Part 2: Shoulder Stone x2@110# on the minute every minute, AMRAP burpees in remaining time until 50: 6:59, then
AMRAP in 7": DLx7@315#/Sprint 20m/Pistol Sqx14/DUx21/Sprint 20m*: 1+19DU, need to work on DU! work on pistols (only figured these out at the end), improve DL 1rm asap, then
Farmer's Walk 100'x10 w 2x40kg KB

7/22/10
AMRAP 7": DLx3@275#/Burpx4: 9+2DL* too slow on the burpees

7/24/10
TGU: 65, 75, 85, 95, 105-F (I freaking had this!!!)
Max Keg Press in 30 seconds @100#: 5
Atlas Stone series over bar: 112, 150, 165#: 20 seconds
Sled Drag 100' @160#: 16 seconds

Got sick. Upper respiratory system in shambles. Then 4 day wedding/family reunion bonanza. Feeling better and resuming training but still have residual phlegm. It's nearly cleared up. Just a couple more WoDs and I'll be all clear and back on top of my game.

8/2/10
PJx3 behind the neck + wide grip + split: 45, 95, 135, 155, 185, 195, 205, 215#x1, then
30-20-10 for time: Kip/Wall-Ball@20#/OH-Lunge@20#: (13:31)* still recovering from illness, should have been a good 5+ minutes faster.

8/3/10
SqSn: 65, 95, 115, 135, 155, 165, 170-F (I had trouble concentrating, this is SO close), then
Weighted Pullup x1: 25#, 24kg, 36kg, 40kg, 40kg+10# =98#, then
AMRAP 15": KBSx10@2pood/PUx10 (chest to deck): 12+5KBS (should have been 13 or 14, still recovering), then
Tabata ASq, low score: 16, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 17: 13 (too damn tired, should have been higher)

8/4/10
BSqx5: 45, 95, 135, 185, 225, 245, 265, 275, 285x3* (major form correction), 285#x1 (will resume to find 1rm - shooting for 315#), then
Hand Stand hold 1" x2, then
5RFT: PJx7@135#/Kipx9 (4:59)* Joey beat me by 9 seconds! Good game.

Recent interweb gleenings

2010-07-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Chris Hedges and Derrick Jensen on totalitarianism and resistance

8 Stupid myths about squatting (or, why you should stop whining and SQUAT!)
Plants can 'think and remember
Belly-buttons, the key to success in sports
Detroit gets growing
Is jousting the next extreme sport? (Lets certainly hope so)

Shazzam.

Training 7/06/10-7/14/10

2010-07-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

7/06/10
TGU@70#, then
Tabata, low score sit up: 12, R3", then
3RFT: DB-OH lunge(R)@35#x50', DB-OH lunge(L)@35#x50', PUx20, Kipx20 (10:54), R3", then
Back Extx50, then
Prowlerx100'@90#, 180#

7/08/10
Part1@12:30pm: Cindy: 16* FAIL, work on UB-PU, R5", then
5Rnds for reps untimed, rest b/t rnds: Fat Bar DL w/green band/RingPU w/chains: 10/10, 10/7, 15/10, 16/8, 11/8
Part2@8pm: OHSx1: 135, 155, 175PR, 185#-F
BJ vert maxx1: 24, 26.5, 30, 33.5, 37, 41, 44, 46" PR
BJx10@36"
OH-lunge w/plate@45#x100'

7/09/10
Turkish situp(L)x15/(R)x15@1.5pood, then
For time: DL@BW(180#)x10!/Run150m (9:44), then
Front plankx2", side plank(R)x2", (L)x2"

7/12/10
Part1@12pm: Snatch practice
3rnds, no time component: DLx5/HPCx5/FSqx5/PPx5 - 95, 115, 135#, then
TGU: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 85(BB)# PR
KB practice, Back Extx30, BSqx5@235#
Part2@8pm: SqSn: 65, 95, 115, 135, 155#PR, then
Snatch complex: SqSn/OHS/SnBal: 135, 145, 155#
SqSnx1@155#, then OHSx1: 165, 175, 185#PR
Sled Dragx50'@160#x3, @100#x2

7/13/10
Snatch Complex: SqSn/OHS/SnBal: 95, 115, 135, 155#, then
For time: 20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2/150m: Burp/Run (16:23), then
Tabata low score PP@95#: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

7/14/10
CJx1: 45, 95, 135, 155, 185, 195, 200, 205#PR, then
AMRAP in 5": Shoulder Stone@110#/BJx7@24" (10+1 shoulder/6 jumps)* missed 11 by 1 second, then
Keg CJ: 30, 50, 100#

Gotta keep working on the squat snatch, nearly at body weight. OHS is going up, exceeded body weight. Also burpee's, unbroken push ups, double unders, high weight front squat, and jerk.

Brace yourself, folks.

2010-07-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines by Richard Heinberg

Peak Oil (part 1 of 13) by Dr. Colin Campbell

The Crash Course by Chris Martenson

The Five Stages of Collapse by Dmitry Orlov (here's another version)

The Hirsch Report wiki (PDF of the report)

Preparing for a Post Peak Life

I posted some additional links about peak oil in the previous entry.

Unrelated but OMFG!!!

Humans are easily the stupidest species this side of the asteroid belt. What the FUCK were we thinking? What the fuck ARE we thinking? We are children toying with technological omnipotence. A power that far outstrips our biological/psychological/cultural development. We (Homo doofus) completely lack the capacity to adapt to our own technological machinations nor to the inherent analogue responsibilities. We seem to prove time and again that we are incapable of bearing the responsibilities implied in technological advancement. I am hard pressed to find very much good coming out of the past 10,000+ years. As per internet meme lingo, humanity = EPIC FAIL. In short, to quote Homer Simpson, "save me jeebus!"

A Bunch of Stuff!

2010-07-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

A recent online tiff has impressed me with the opinion that comment boards may very well be the worst form of communication ever devised by humanity. They seem to devolve into shear comment wars with an inordinate frequency so as to be normative. Consider that they plague virtually every single youtube video. I would rather communicate by way of passenger pigeon and would probably maintain better coherence and clarity of meaning. My most recent comment war concerned "intelligent design vs. evolution". Meanings were obfuscated, logic was skirted, and grammar was given short shrift. The silliness of it all impressed me to do some research and share with ya'll on the internets the following links which do a wonderful job of explaining ID and precisely why its a "crock of shit", to use the technical phrasing.

The Case Against Intelligent Design by Jerry Coyne
Creationism: God's Gift to the Ignorant by Richard Dawkins
Intelligent Design: Humans, Cockroaches, and the Laws of Physics by Victor J. Strenger
Design Yes, Intelligent No by Massimo Pigliucci
Unintelligent Design by Jim Holt
Devolution by Allen Orr
Intelligent Design Creationism: Fraudulent Science, Bad Philosophy by Donald Simanek

On a totally unrelated note, peak oil! I highly recommend reading this Peak Oil Primer, which comes from this great website called, Post Peak Living. They offer tons of free information and classes on skills and know-how relevant for peak oil survival.

Here is a great lecture on peak oil that I can't recommend enough.

Of course I couldn't finish a post about peak oil and the collapse of civilization without making mention of Derrick Jensen. Here are his words of wisdom.

Here's a bunch of old stuff that I wanted to share

2010-07-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Michael Pollan:
Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Dilemma
Revelle Forum: Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Next Dilemma
Authors@Google: Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan Interview, AIBS President's Citation Award
The Omnivores Dilemma Wiki

Happiness:
How to Increase Serotonin in the Human Brain Without Drugs
Mind Power
Evidence That Little Touches Do Mean So Much
Buying Experiences, Not Products, Leads to Greater Happiness
Happiness, A Buyer's Guide
Depression's Upside

Other stuff:
The Anosognosic's Dilemma

Michael Shermer is a logic ninja

Specialization is for Insects

2010-07-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” – Robert A. Heinlein

I think few would be surprised by the observation of a societal trend towards increased specialization. This arose as a consequence of the growth and glut of information and information accessibility. This is a result of the growth of technology, which has changed the means of data collection, storage, and sharing. The overwhelming amount of information has compelled people to narrow their attention band in order to function. Because of the excess of data people must now be more selective in what they choose to pay attention to. Subsequently it has become normative to structure life in an increasing specialized format. This has been a growing trend continuing from the Neolithic revolution, which allowed for and necessitated a division of labor. Labor division was not the norm previously during the Paleolithic era, during which time humans lives the obligatory generalist lifestyle of the hunter-gatherer.

Humans are then pitted in the crux of a dilemma. One must ask, “do I become a generalist or a specialist?” As a generalist I will know a little about a great deal. As a specialist I will know a great deal about very little. Because of the information surfeit in order to maintain an optimal level of proficiency in any given field one must allow the specialized knowledge of said field to monopolize one's consciousness and awareness. This kind of normative specialization is largely a new cultural trend originating in the Neolithic and as such is maladaptive to the life conditions for which we are evolved.

Anecdotally I have noticed a natural generalist bent, towards wanting to know information about a wide array of topics. Curiosity about the world is not circumscribed to one specialty. When environmental conditions have restricted my capacity to explore freely, such as in schooling, which favors specialization, it has left me perturbed and frustrated.

Humans are naturally curious. Innate curiosity may be a function of our prolonged childhood. When a human is born it is incapable of independent survival. The human infant must rely on its mother, family, tribal, and cultural unit to protect it and provide it with the necessities of life. This developmental period, culminating in independent survivability is the longest in the entire animal kingdom. In other animals this period is protracted where it exists at all. Instead of having the fill of IRM’s (Instinct Response Mechanisms), humans have a dearth, leaving room for imprinting or learning. The capacity to learn novel information is a central predicate of our evolutionary success. In order to facilitate better learning we are wired to be curious about the world.

Human curiosity is a principal element that augments our evolved role as generalists. The innate emotional drive to explore and cognitive capacity to learn both allows and inclines humans to adapt to a wide variety of environments. Our omnivorous gut and teeth allow us to thrive on a wider variety of foods. Tool making as a function of our intelligence allows us to occupy additional bioregions. Humans are thus able to occupy a diversity of niches. This does not mean that we can escape our niche, merely that said niche is wider or more flexible than others.

Paul Shepard wrote in The Tender Carnivore, “Niches are hard taskmasters. Escape from them is not freedom but loss of direction.” Shepard is alluding to the catastrophic consequences of leaving one’s niche. A niche is a particular role embedded with in a larger complex system. When the player of that role ceases to perform its function then the large system of which it is a part begins to break down. An ecosystem is a closed system. In so far as it becomes an open system then it begins to fundamentally change. When one ceases to play the role of the niche within the ecosystem, the closed loop system opens.

Insects are the paragon example of specialization. They occupy countless niches in virtually every single bioregion and ecosystem. Insects, from Insecta, are a class of organism. Each one of the millions of species employ specialized tools to satisfy their respective niches. The biological tools of humans, on the other hand, from genus Homo, are specialized only in so far as they advantage general application. The list of these tools, a recounting of anatomy, is long from the gut, skin, brain, hands, spine, to teeth, and on. These features allow diverse niche occupation.

I would argue that it is maladaptive to eschew the life of a generalist in favor of specialization. Specialization, which has its merits, is only capable of existing in the context of an agrarian culture. Agriculture is an artifice that is living on borrowed time and divides one from one’s bioregional ecosystem. It survives by consuming topsoil and, in its industrial incarnation, oil. These are highly limited resources that are now in drawdown. Specialization cuts one off from the realities of nature and survival.

Here's Rolf Pott's, author of Vagabonding, speaking at the 2009 "Do" lectures.

... and here is Tim Ferriss, author of The 4 Hour Work Week, at the 2008 "Do" lectures

Training 06/07/10-07/05/10

2010-07-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I'm finally going to straighten this thing [blog] out. To begin with I returned from Israel on June 5th. I'm back in NYC. Still hunting for a job (so if you happen to know of anything, then please let me know). The final stretch in Israel destroyed my training regimen. I effectively rebooted myself upon my return. Here is my resumed training log from 06/07/2010 to 07/05/2010...

6/7/10
A. OHS@155x1(3)
B. In 7": Run 800m, AMRAP OHS@95# (22)

6/8/10
A. Run 800m
B. Tabata Sprints
C. Run 800m

6/9/10
5rnd's, 1" per station, AMRAP: BJ@24", SDHP@95#, KBS@2pood (251)

6/11/10
21-15-9-15-21: PCl@95#, KBS@1.5pood, Kip (24:45)

6/12/10
10RFT: PUx10, ASqx15 (9:18)* lost count, may have been 11 rnd's

6/15/10
A. Tabata, low score:
PP@95#: 10/10/10/5/3/4/4/4 (3)
BJ@24": 7/7/7/7/7/7/8/8 (7)
SU: 12/12/12/10/8/8/8/9 (8)
B. 5rnd's, untimed: KBSx21@1.5pood

6/16/10
5RFT: DB-Sn(R)@40#x7, DB-Sn(L)@40#x7, Burpx14 (14:51)

6/17/10
Burgener WU
A. Sn, land @ 1/3, 2/3, full: 45, 65, 75, 85, 95#x3
B. FSqx3: 135, 155, 175x3#
C. Bulgarian DLx5: 225, 135, 155, 175#x3
D. OHS@95#x5

6/18/10
A. Sn-complex, 5rnd's, 25 seconds per rnd:
Sn-Gr-DL, PSn, OHS, SqSn: 105, 115, 115, 115, 125, 125#
B. 3RFT: CJx3@155#, KBSx6@2pood, BJx9@24" (4:43)

6/21/10
A. Sn practice@155#
B. AMRAP: HPC@95# (22), Fat Bar DL@160# (23), Ring Dip (13), K2E (20)
C. 3 RFT: FSqx15@135#, Burpx15 (12:00)

6/22/10
A. Death by Pullup: 14* stopped due to hand ripping, not failure or fatigue
B. Tabata, low score: sledgehammer (11), ring dip (1)* started at 8

6/23/10
3RFT: KBSx21@1.5pood, K2Ex21, DUx21 (12:50)

6/28/10
Running Bear: 5RFT: Run 400m, Bearx5, R3"
1: 3:02@95#, 2: 9:12@105#, 3: 15:45@115#, 4: 22:46@115#, 5: 30:17@115#

6/29/10
A. Snatch complex: Sn-Gr-DL, PSn, OHS, SqSn: 45, 95, 115, 135#
B1. In 7": Run 800m, AMRAP Th@95# (32), R3", then
B2. In 7": Run 800m, AMRAP Kip (56)

6/30/10
A. SqSn: 65, 95, 115, 135, 140#
B. 3rnd's, AMRAP, 1" per station, R1":
BP@95#: 30, 20, 19
KBS@1.5pood: 26, 26, 21
DU: 2, 4, 4
C. DU practice

7/2/10
A. SqSn: 65, 95, 115, 135#
B. 5RFT: Thx15@95#, Lateral Burp over barx15 (17:52)
C. DL w/green bandx1: 235, 245, 265, 285, 295#
D. BSqx5: 205#
E. 15-12-9/1-2-3: PSn@95#, Rope Climb (7:36)

7/4/10
A. SqSn: 65, 95, 115, 135, 145, 150#
B. 5RFT: HPCx10@135#, AMRAP OHS@95#, R1" (15, 10, 10, 10, 10 - 13:49)

7/5/10
A. SqSnx1: 65, 95, 115, 135, 155#* major form correction
B. SqSnx1: 95x5, 115x3, 135x6, 95, 135#
C. CJx1: 135, 155, 175, 185#
D. SqClx1: 195#

Goats: SqSn, DU, Burp, Ring Dip, Run, Th, MU, HSPU, K2E, FSq
Notes: Weak shoulders, tight hamstrings

Double standards and anti-semitism etc

2010-06-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Double standards and anti-semitism:
Beyond Bigotry
Anti-Semitism is Salonfahig Again
The Prejudice and Double Standards of Israel's Critics
Plenty of Blame to go Around in Gaza
Flotilla Rallies Terror Cheer Squad
Guilty Until Proven Guilty
Kuwaiti Columnist Defends Israeli's Actions (blames Hamas, IHH, Free Gaza, and Turkey)
Jewish Ethics and Flotilla Realities

Jewish genetics:
Genes set Jews Apart, Study Finds
Abraham's Children in the Genome Era
The Genome Wide Structure of the Jewish People

Atheism:
God, Science, and Philanthropy

This last thing is terrifying, please download, please read:
Citigroup Plutonomy memo part 1, Oct 16, 2005
Citigroup Plutonomy memo part 2, Mar 5, 2006

Gone Feral

A handful of science related articles, lectures, and interviews

Training updates - GPP to PL, 12.5.11-1.7.12

Magical thinking, yoga, and human motion

Education post - thoughts to be inserted shortly

3 weeks of training and transition

Conjugate Hybrid Experiment

End of the Big Dawg

Final set of quotes from Falk's "Islamic Terror"

More on Islam, terrorism, narcissistic rage, psychopathology, and abuse

First set of quotes from "Islamic Terror", Big Dawg training, and some links

A random, unimportant, post

Backlog of news on Israel, Terrorism, and Islam

Backlog #3: Rationality, Education, Miscellanea, Etc.

Academic reaction

Backlog #2, food evolution, training (not my own, just in general)

Backlog #1

er·god·ic

Libertarians, corporations, some thoughts, and some quotes.

Government decentralization or shrinkage

Deontological ethical theories

Big Dawg, Regionals, 5/25/2011 - 6/26/2011

A regular dose of a sampling of my recent readings and excerpts thereof

Big Dawg training 4/26/2011 - 5/24/2011

A whole bunch of stuff I read recently and found stimulating

Reading and Big Dawg 4/7/11-4/23/11

Reading and Big Dawg, 3/20/11 - 4/6/11

Big Dawg, Training + Reading 3/1/2011 - 3/19/2011

Reading + Training 2/21/2011 - 2/24/2011

Reading and training, Noey C1/W2: 2/14/11 - 2/19/11

Training - Noey + 5/3/1 (2/7/11-2/13/11)

A small chunk of my recent readings. More to come.

Training and related shizzle 1/3/11 - 2/4/11

Training related reading and videos

Recent readings of interest

Starting Strength on injured shoulder

Look! Over there! Behind You!

I am so behind with this whole "blog" thing.

also to be edited...

Some reading and quasi training

INJURED!!! Training, reading, and so forth

A bit of reading

Training 9/8/10-9/28/10

Random thoughts, links, science

Some stuff that I've been reading and Paleo day 13

Links! And paleo challenge day 2

Training 8/6/10 - 9/7/10

Paleo Challenge, Day 1

Assorted links

Training 7/16/10 - 8/4/10

Recent interweb gleenings

Training 7/06/10-7/14/10

Brace yourself, folks.

A Bunch of Stuff!

Here's a bunch of old stuff that I wanted to share

Specialization is for Insects

Training 06/07/10-07/05/10

Double standards and anti-semitism etc