Now that's a pushup

I just love watching this.



I would love to be able to do the planche pushup, and the planche to handstand. I'm toying with the idea that if I gave myself 2 years to train for this, I could do it. Why 2 years? To make allowances for the fact that I have a very full life with not a lot of extra time to dedicate to training. I've done some reading but need to do more research about the way to approach it.

It would be wicked cool.

Resurrection of the Body

Things Ferrous

Sweat is my friend, and sore muscles are my trusted companions. I don't believe in working out, but I am a huge fan of playing hard. It just so happens that I like to play with large chunks of iron, and I like to play with them in rather non-conventional ways.

Now at the start of this year, I launched on a fitness program called P90X. It's created and marketed by a company called BeachBody (that name just says sooo much, don't it?) and it's a DVD based program that you can do in your own home using basic weights (dumbells), resistance bands, a pullup bar, etc. Pretty old school in a lot of ways. I never really thought I would like working to a DVD, but this program is terrific. I love it. I ran through two 12 week cycles -- although the second cycle was pretty messed up by a demanding work schedule that forced me to train only 3 times a week much of the time. I like to go 6 days a week and use Sunday as a free day/rest day. I won't say a lot more about p90X here, except that if you seriously want to get stronger, faster, and/or thinner, this is a most excellent place to go. If you want to know more, contact me. I actually an an Independent BeachBody Coach and can sell you this program. But...that's another story.

After 6 months in front of the TV, the weather was warming up nicely and it was time to go outside to play, so I returned to an old strength tool of mine that I've been playing with off and on for a couple of years -- the Kettlebell. For those of you unfamiliar with the Kettlebell, it is a large iron ball with a loop shaped handle. Mine is a standard 16 kilogram -- about 36 lbs of solid iron. That's it. It's pretty simple.

Yet...as such things go, the kbell is a fiendishly wonderful device for building strength, stripping fat, getting fit, and just having a ball doing it. Rather than increasing the weight that you lift, the idea is to find creative ways to move the thing around that are in and of themselves increasingly difficult. This forces your body to respond and adapt and become strong and hard. Because the weight is actually centered some 6-8 inches beyond your hand, the force generated to moving or manage the weight is increased. The Kettlebell has been around for many years, used my many of the old time strongmen for their development. It's lineage seems to be Russian -- at least that's is where it has been most commonly used until recently. Many of the movements have a dance-like, fluid quality to them. It's very playful.

The press. The snatch. The clean. The jerk All basic olympic weight lifting movenents. Add to these such fun moves at the Tactical Get Up, the Windmill, The Bent Press, The Circle Clean, The Figure 8 to Hold, and Wood Choppers. I have invented a few of my own including the Good Morning Row, and The Side Swing. I have worked out 5 different sets of exercises for myself that each take about 1/2 hour to do and leave me completely blown out when completed. I don't intend to explain or document the entire workout process here, but I sure am having fun. I regularly prowl the Kettlebell sites and YouTube looking for new ideas on different moves to add to my repetoire. I came across one video that I just had to post here. It is just too terrific. The music alone is makes it totally worthwhile. As one of the commenters posted, this music should be required for every Kbell workout. It stands as a most delightful contrast to most of the workout videos which feature some kind of wall-of-sound metal music. Too much like work. These guys are having fun.

Oh...and that's the other great part of this video. Doesn't that just look like a blast? They are tossing 36 lb iron balls. I can tell you from personal experience that it is indeed fun. I have not reached that level of juggling, but I have managed some of the basic moves they show here. I'm working up to the behind the back toss. I'll let you know when I get it.

I'll also post soon on my forays into barefoot running.

Physik

My work is mostly sitting on my can, or standing and talking. My business does not involve hard (or even moderate) physical labor. The problem is that I really like having a body that is capable of doing things – lots of things. To make that possible, I must train my body.

Exercise is not a drudgery for me. I actually enjoy it in it’s own right. The sweat, the discomfort, the exertion, even the pain. It’s good. I know it makes me stronger. I enjoy my body, and making it do things.

And that is one of the pillars of my philosophy of physical training. It’s about DOING THINGS, more than it is about looking good. Don’t get me wrong…I like looking good. Moreover it also pleases me that my appearance pleases others – especially my bride. I would say that for a 45 year old guy, I'm in better shape than most men my age. Yet I see this as a side benefit.

What are the real benefits?

I can tumble with my kids without fear of injury.
I can put up wood to heat our house for the winter.
I can walk among the mountains and enjoy it.
I rarely have to go to the doctor.
I can eat healthy without being a food nazi
I can DO things.

I appreciate anything that gets someone off their can and moving around. I’m not a big fan of bodybuilding (I thinks it’s focus is all wrong) but it’s way better than not exercising. I’m not a huge fan of “fitness” workouts like you see on TV (I think most people don’t do them with enough focus and intensity to get real results), but again, if you enjoy it and you actually DO it, I support you completely. I think gyms are mostly a waste of money, and most exercise equipment is silly and over rated. The more complex it is, the sillier and more over rated it is.

I prefer simple direct forms of exercise, closely related to the fundamental types of work that mankind has done for millenia -- basically running and lifting. Therefore, I’m more inclined toward things like powerlifting, Olympic style lifting, Kettlebell workouts, body weight training (calisthenics), martial arts training or gymnastics. If it involves compound movement that recruits your whole body, I like it. If it involves isolation and focuses on size rather than strength, endurance, flexibility or agility, I tend to stay away. Even Yoga or dance is great stuff IF you do it with focus and intensity. It’s not that any of these is wrong or right, it’s more about will it get you the results you want – and are you doing it properly to get those results?

I like to read the blog over at Ross Training. This guy is a former boxer, now personal trainer. He uses a variety of conventional, old school, and unconventional approaches to physical training. I’m thinking this guy can do pretty much whatever he wants to do with his body. When it comes to a strong healthy body, this is where I would like to go.

I’m especially impressed by the 1 arm rollouts, the 1leg squats, and the ballistic pull-ups where he lets go of the bar. As they say in Wisconsin, “OOF-DAH!”