Everything You Know About Fitness Is A Lie

[MediumTex]

The article linked below appeared in Men's Journal a few months back.

Since we are talking diet, I thought some physical fitness material might be helpful as well.

I enjoyed this article a lot.

(For some reason it doesn't want to print.)

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-y ... s-is-a-lie

[Lone Wolf]

Great stuff.  I completely agree.  "Starting Strength" is an outstanding book, although at this point I find squatting every workout to be way too much frequency.

If you get as strong as possible (injury-free) in big, basic compound exercises like these and maintain a low level of body-fat, you will be fitter than just about anyone you encounter on a daily basis.

[MediumTex]

I've always thought that one of the best all-around exercises was being able to climb a loose rope or climb a pole.

These exercises require strength, flexibility, coordination, and concentration.  (I suspect it's similar to rock-climbing, but there are more ropes and poles in Texas than sheer rock faces.)

Another simple exercise that I think is very useful is carrying a heavy load up or down stairs.  I own a machine that weighs about 100 pounds and every time I carry it up or down stairs I feel like I am getting a great whole-body workout.

[Lone Wolf]

Good ones!  I can't say that I have tried either rope-climbing or pole-climbing one in several years.  I would be a friggin' machine if I had to climb a rope to get to my office.

I think the next item on my list to try to learn will probably be handstand push-ups.  Those just look cool to me.

What's this 100-pound machine you are lugging up and down the stairs of your house all the time?  Stuff that heavy is usually very awkward to grip so that's impressive.

[Wonk]

Great article MT.  Also, in the back where he gives more resources, I strongly recommend Zatsiorsky's books if you want to get real deep into this stuff.  He was like the Godfather of Soviet training and WAYYYYYYYYY ahead of his time.  Most of today's top sport scientists lean on his methods of periodization for training not only muscular but neurological systems in elite athletes.  Zatsiorsky literally crushed the west for 20 years with his research and methods.

[MediumTex]

What's this 100-pound machine you are lugging up and down the stairs of your house all the time?  Stuff that heavy is usually very awkward to grip so that's impressive.

It's an oscillating pad carpet cleaning machine.  It looks like a floor buffer, but it has a counterbalance on the shaft of the motor that provides an oscillating motion rather than a simple circular rotation.  It works like a gigantic Sonicare toothbrush.

I do carpet cleaning on a part-time basis.  A few years ago, I noticed that when the guys came to clean our carpets they appeared to be getting a very intense workout.  It occurred to me that if you could arrange your affairs so that you only did this sort of thing occasionally, it could be a great workout program.

I researched carpet cleaning methods and discovered "oscillating pad" cleaning, which is basically a low moisture method that can be used with eco-friendly solutions and provides an appealing alternative to the hot water extraction method that often leaves the carpet very wet.  All of my equipment fits in the trunk of my car.  

Part of the routine of cleaning any two story house is carrying my machine up and down the stairs.  Thus, on most jobs I am getting some strength training as well as endurance training.

One of my very first jobs had me cleaning an area outside a workout room at a community's clubhouse.  I kept looking through the windows at the people running in place and lifting weights and knew that I had made a good decision.  It suprises me that more people who want to get in shape don't find a way to do it that can also be financially lucrative.  Unlike people who dread going to the gym, I love it when I get a carpet cleaning job--I get a good workout, I get to know the people in my community better, I usually do a better job for them than anyone has done before, and I get paid.  What's not to like there?

People look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that I do this (I'm an attorney by day), but it makes perfect sense to me.  Come to think of it, it's kind of like the way people usually react when I tell them about the permanent portfolio--there's that blank expression, as if to say: "what you're telling me just isn't making any sense."

[moda0306]

MT,

You're just full of surprises.  Lawyer by day, carpet cleaner and forum administrator by night.

[MediumTex]

MT,

You're just full of surprises.  Lawyer by day, carpet cleaner and forum administrator by night.

I used to have a friend whose dad was a dentist and he painted houses part-time.  I used to wonder about that, but I get it now.

[Lone Wolf]

I am very glad that I asked.  This is about 100x more interesting of an answer than I ever could have expected.  I like it!

If you want to really make an impression on people (and get even more fit), strap that machine to your body and rope-climb up to the second floor.  At this point, you can haul yourself through one of their second-story windows.  When finished, slide down the chimney a la Santa Claus to hit the first floor.

[MediumTex]

I am very glad that I asked.  This is about 100x more interesting of an answer than I ever could have expected.  I like it!

FWIW, back in 2005 I got completely sick of practicing law and decided I wanted to be a trucker.  I read up on it for months, got licensed, bought a truck and did over the road expedited freight work for about eight months.  After I started to get it out of my system, I had a chance to go to work for an accounting firm, so I came in off the road and re-joined the professional world.

I saw some really beautiful and interesting places in the U.S. during that period that most people never get to see.

I tell that story because it makes the carpet cleaning gig sound less crazy (or it may make me sound more crazy).  

I drove a straight truck that looked a little bit like this one:

[Lone Wolf]

FWIW, back in 2005 I got completely sick of practicing law and decided I wanted to be a trucker.  I read up on it for months, got licensed, bought a truck and did over the road expedited freight work for about eight months.  After I started to get it out of my system, I had a chance to go to work for an accounting firm, so I came in off the road and re-joined the professional world.

You've got more layers than just about any non-fictional entity I've encountered.

What made you want to try that hat on?  I've always assumed that it would be very boring, punishing work.  Did you find yourself under-stimulated?

[MediumTex]

What made you want to try that hat on?  I've always assumed that it would be very boring, punishing work.  Did you find yourself under-stimulated?

I think a trucking worm crawled into my ear at around age 9 and I never completely got rid of it.

If you are going somewhere different with a different load every day (one day it might be casino equipment, the next day it might be F-16 avionics), there is a level of excitement that keeps things interesting.

I found it overall to be a fun and challenging experience.  I think that doing it for years and having no better alternative would make it punishing.

As a group, truck drivers are IMHO a sad lot.  They are more or less invisible to society, generally in poor physical health (lots of sitting and smoking), and they tend to be just anti-social enough to prevent them from forging the bonds with others that we all need to stay emotionally healthy.  There are obviously exceptions to what I am describing, but I had few conversations with other truckers that were all that interesting.

[Wonk]

MT,

I already had a lot of respect for you, but your story is baked in the bitchin kitchen and smothered in awesomeness.  It takes a certain mind to make a commitment to getting paid for unconventional exercise, especially when you're a lawyer.  And the truck driving takes the cake--mainly because so many people don't have the stones do just do what's on their mind. 

It reminds me of the importance of the possibilities we all had in our minds as children.  We envisioned a future of abundance and possibility.  Somewhere along the way, most people lose that and get so disillusioned with their options.  Those options exist, but they require stepping into uncomfortable and unfamiliar surroundings.  You went there successfully, so congrats!  A fun read I just finished was "The Art of Non-Conformity."  You might like it.

I think we all need to be reminded to take action on the things in our heads.  We're just borrowing a short amount of time from eternity anyway, so most of what we think matters actually doesn't matter much at all.

So....where do you keep the cape and bat-mobile?

[Side note: MT strikes me as a good example of a modern day polymath and I suspect there are numerous others on this forum with similar qualities.  Very rare to find these types of people in the Brittany Spears era.]

[MediumTex]

It reminds me of the importance of the possibilities we all had in our minds as children.  We envisioned a future of abundance and possibility.  Somewhere along the way, most people lose that and get so disillusioned with their options.  Those options exist, but they require stepping into uncomfortable and unfamiliar surroundings. 

The movie "The Rookie" contains a lot of helpful insights into this matter.

In the movie, he was pursuing a dream that seemed ridiculous (an over-30 man trying out to be a major league pitcher), and the people around him (who genuinely cared about him) discouraged him from pursuing it.  They didn't discourage him because they wanted him to fail, they discouraged him because he was trying to step out of his persona in a way that they simply didn't understand.  They didn't want him to get hurt.

I think that any time you are thinking about doing something that seems outside the arc that your life is otherwise following (or the arc that your life appears to be following, as observed by others), you will get resistance from those around you that makes it hard to get from 0 to 5 mph.  If you can overcome this initial resistance, getting from 5 mph to 50 mph is not that hard.  It's getting started down a new road that is really the hard part, and as much of a cliche as that sounds like, I think the context of this discussion shows how true it is.

As interesting as my stories may sound today, people did their very best to talk me out of doing them at the time.

I think that practice also helps in these matters.  The more you step out in different directions, the more the people around you come to expect it and they stop discouraging you after a while.  This becomes the new arc of your life, and at that point the people around you may even start cheering you on.

Wonk, it's funny that you are talking about the awesomeness of my experiences, because I was thinking exactly the same thing about yours a while back when you were talking about backpacking in Australia and racing speedboats in China (and the whole theme of seeking out interesting experiences in life). 

Also, sharing your own interesting experiences with others can provide a "multiplier effect" in the form of the other person's imagination creating a mental image of the experience you are describing that may be far more exciting than the experience actually was for you.  I have had this experience many times, and been on both ends of it.  For example, any time I travel somewhere for business, when I tell my kids about it they are often in awe.  In their minds, they are probably visualizing something far more exciting than what I actually experienced.

[Gumby]

I enjoyed this article a lot.

(For some reason it doesn't want to print.)

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-y ... s-is-a-lie

Thanks for posting this article. I used to do a very similar routine back in the day — designed by a coach of mine who later went on to coach elite athletes — but I've since given the routine up due to lack of time/interest. As my body begins to atrophy more and more each year, this article has reminded me that I need to go back to basics. There seems to be nothing but useful information on this forum. Can't thank you enough.

It's funny, but I guess when you have an investment forum about a portfolio that runs on autopilot, in all conditions, there's an awful lot of time available to devote to other very interesting/helpful topics. Perhaps "gyroscopic" investing also means taking the time to invest in one's mind and body as well.

btw, here's the printer-friendly version of the article:

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-y ... lie/print/

[Lone Wolf]

Thanks for posting this article. I used to do a very similar routine back in the day — designed by a coach of mine who later went on to coach elite athletes — but I've since given the routine up due to lack of time/interest. As my body begins to atrophy more and more each year, this article has reminded me that I need to go back to basics. There seems to be nothing but useful information on this forum. Can't thank you enough.

Do it!  The fact that you used to perform a strength routine similar to this means that your body will re-acclimate very quickly.  Your first three months back will be extremely productive.  I think it'll be a great payoff.

I don't think I'm overselling the value of strength training.  Physicality and strength have deep roots in our genetic code and the body often get short shrift in comparison to the effort we spend catering to our minds.

[Jan Van]

FWIW, back in 2005 I got completely sick of practicing law and decided I wanted to be a trucker.

Awesome! I've been telling my wife for years that when I retire I want to be a trucker. Use it to criss-cross the country, stay in a place for a bit, then get another load and go somewhere else. Rinse. Repeat. Make some money and not have too dig into savings too much...

How did you go about getting your truck license?

Edit. Sorry, a bit OT. Still reading that fitness article :-)

[MediumTex]

How did you go about getting your truck license?

For the work I did, all I needed was a Class B with HAZMAT endorsement.  It's not hard (a few written tests and a driving test).  A Class A is a bit harder to get, but not a big deal.  I think I paid a guy $400 to use his truck for the driving test and he showed me how to make sure I passed it.  There are services to assist with this process.

The trucking part is harder than it looks, but it's still fun.  You quickly lose track of time and the hours and days run together.  It's a neat experience, though.  The U.S. is such a beautiful place and most people only see a small part of it.

[cabronjames]

any of you fitness gurus have experience with the Cybex ArcTrainer, cardio machine?

It looks like somewhat like an elliptical machine. I had a good experience with it.  I was/am able to consistently do it 4+ times per week for 60+ mins per time, which I never was able to with "running around the block".  I dropped my body fat percentage a decent amount with it.  Based on weighing 180 lb, the machine estimation of calories burned is 800-1050 cals per 60 minutes.

Before the ArcTrainer, I start off with some arm exercises using dumbbells.

My fitness goals is just for general health: better chance at longevity, maintain body fat pct comfortably far away from the obese range, more energy for the workday, stress relief, etc.

I had thought my dumbbell + ArcTrainer was a dece exercise routine.  But after reading this MJ article, I wonder if a workout as described in the article yields superior fitness in less workout time.

[dualstow]

So....where do you keep the cape and bat-mobile?

(laughing) That really was a great story! I'm somewhat tempted to try the carpet cleaning, though only in my own home.
I've got an HVAC guy who has a law degree "as backup". Reminds me of MediumTex a little bit. I have long ago given up trying to keep up with his end of the conversation about Italian vineyards, politics and piano. I just listen.

I was teaching English overseas ~'96 when the (then) oldest man in the world passed away. One of my students told me that the majority of his exercise habits comprised long walks and moving furniture around his own home.

[Pkg Man]

So....where do you keep the cape and bat-mobile?

(laughing) That really was a great story! I'm somewhat tempted to try the carpet cleaning, though only in my own home.
I've got an HVAC guy who has a law degree "as backup". Reminds me of MediumTex a little bit. I have long ago given up trying to keep up with his end of the conversation about Italian vineyards, politics and piano. I just listen.

I have a friend who is a pilot for JetBlue who is getting a JD as backup.  Before that he finished his master's degree in psychology while flying Huey and Blackhawk helicopters in the Army. 

[moda0306]

I've just read most of Starting Strength.

What a phenominal book.  Mark Rippetoe seems to know the body so incredibly well, and gives pointers the way they need to be given for good retention.  Squatting is so intense when done right.  I am more and more feeling like a terminator (not looking like one... just feeling more substantial in terms of strength.).

The simplicity of it all is astounding.  All the fancy machines out there can't make up for metal weights put on a smoothly fuctioning barbell.

Cleans are also amazing.  The explosive power you feel like you develop is like none other.

[stone]

Medium Tex, Texas has world class rock climbing. Loads of UK climbers regularly go to Hueco Tanks in Texas for rock climbing. If you're talking to a climber from Australia, Germany or Japan and describe a hold as a "Hueco" they'll understand what you mean.

Winston Churchill was a keen brick layer. He hand built several houses and used to record in his journal how many bricks he laid that day. He was also a card carrying member of the brick layer's trade union!

I'm a fan of gymnastics rings for exersize. http://www.ringtraining.com/

"Turkish get ups" are also a great exersize.

[Lone Wolf]

Congratulations, moda!  Sounds like you are having a great time.  Listen to your body, rest well, and eat well and you can't go wrong.

Squatting is so intense when done right.  I am more and more feeling like a terminator (not looking like one... just feeling more substantial in terms of strength.).

It's a great exercise.  Hang on madly to this enthusiasm for squats you currently feel because over time, mine has morphed into a sort of dread.    Tomorrow's squat day and that bar seems to look more intimidating every time I see it.

Cleans are also amazing.  The explosive power you feel like you develop is like none other.

Glad that one came naturally for you.  It's a good movement but a touch complex.  I found that my wrists didn't have quite as much natural flexibility as I'd like for that exercise so I never really got into it.

[stone]

moda " I am more and more feeling like a terminator "

It would be cool to be like that liquid metal terminator.