Monthly Archives: March 2012
Has it been a year already?
I can’t believe it’s been a year since I first set foot in a gym.
OK, it hasn’t strictly been a year, but it’s just a few days shy and close enough for a retrospective.
First “Program”
So about a year ago I opted to give lifting another try. I checked out a local gym, found it to my liking, and signed up. I started doing full-body “bodybuilder” type workouts. This is because the lifting knowledge I had up to this point was mainly what I gained in high school, worshiping Joe Weider. So I’m out to work “muscles”, how good do I look in the mirror, etc.. So I’d squat, then barbell rows, then bench press, then a dumbbell press, then calf raises, and end with some curls. You know… work to hit each muscle group with a basic exercise, 3 sets, 8-12 reps, etc.. I started light and easy because I was going from sedentary to work, and I knew I had to ease into it.
I did that for about a month and a half a couple of times a week. Then I came down with something that laid me up for 2-3 weeks. I hated it. But during that time I read all that I could. I learned about the Wendler 5/3/1 program via a caption on a video on the beastskills.com website. Reading on that eventually lead me to Mark Rippetoe and Starting Strength. I learned about some other programs too, but the more I read about 5/3/1 and SS, the more I realized those were the way to go.
Rippetoe and Wendler Come Along
Why those programs? What do I want? To be strong. To have some muscle mass. To lose fat. To look good. To have practical and useful strength, because strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and generally more useful (Rippetoe). But I realized that I don’t just want to have big puffy muscles that are useless. I want foremost to have strength and usefulness. If I have useful muscles, they’ll be big enough and look good enough. And so, programs like SS and 5/3/1 are the way to get there. Heck, SS is the way to start no matter what you want to do (get big, get strong, etc.), because it focuses on all the basics, so no matter what your goal, if it involves lifting weights, SS is the place to start.
And so I did, tho I actually did a variant, the Practical Programming Novice Program, because I couldn’t do cleans in my gym (I could now, but that’ll have to come later after I finish my current run). But it only worked for about 2 months for me because it’s just brutal. I don’t have the ability to dedicate to the recovery necessary because I’m not 18 and because I have other things in life to do than just train. Still, it helped me build a good foundation and I’m thankful for that. I still refer back to Rip’s books and videos.
Then I opted to switch to Wendler 5/3/1. Sure there’s stuff like Bill Starr’s stuff, StrongLifts 5×5, Texas Method, and countless other programs. But what appealed to me about Wendler was that it was a logical progression, it focused on making long-term gains, it was simple and straightforward, no bullshit, and there was focus on slow and steady while allowing for recovery. Sounds like what the old man needs. 
As I publish this, I’m finishing my 7th cycle on 5/3/1. I hit the gym 3 days a week, mostly having done the “boring but big” template, but then I changed things around trying to see how it would go, but in the end I’m back on BBB because it’s solid and simple, and until you really know what you’re weak at or if you have a particular goal, there’s little reason to do any other template, IMHO.
Progress/Results (the numbers stuff)
Well, it’s hard to compare strength changes because of how things started. So, I’ll just give some markers.
My initial “full body, bodybuilding-esque program”, I was squatting 95# for 3×12, tho my records show on the last set I only got 10. And I’m sure my form sucked and I wasn’t getting deep enough. I benched 65# for 3×12. I did a seated dumbbell press of 40# (I’m sure that is 2 20# dumbbells) for 2×12 and 1×8. That was literally from the first day I went into the gym a year ago. Oh, and I didn’t deadlift.
Practical Programming Novice program started with the first workout working up my squat to 105# for 3×5. My bench press worked up to 115# for 3×5. I couldn’t do a single chinup. My press came in at 65# 3×5. And my deadlift started at 1x5x135. When I stopped the PPNP program just shy of 2 months later, I was squatting 220# for 3×5, press 107.5# for 3×5, bench press 170# for 3×5, and deadlifted 240 for 5 reps. So you can see, SS/PPNP, due to the fast and constant linear progression every workout, really leads to fast gains. It’s a great thing for a novice to do.
But my form was sucking… in fact, that squat number wasn’t my last nor my highest during the cycle. 230# was the highest squat I achieved, but my form was terrible. I did reset the squat during the cycle, but things just weren’t working. I think in part because I didn’t get enough time under the bar to squat (odd I know, given how much you’re supposed to squat) and the weights went up quickly, and my form went to crap. It was just beating me up too much.
Wendler switch. I based the “working max” numbers upon what I had been doing on SS/PPNP and adjusted for the continued progression and any other little tweaks I felt I needed. So I started with working maxes of: press 110#, deadlift 265#, bench 180#, and squat 220#. The PR’s I set in my first cycle were: press 105# for 8, deadlift 255# for 5, bench 175# for 10, and squat 210# for 5.
Now 7 cycles later, my working maxes are: press 155#, deadlift 325#, bench press 225#, and squat 270#. In terms of what I’ve actually lifted, it was all this past cycle during the 5/3/1 week and I set new PR’s in every movement: press 150# for 3, deadlift 315# for 3, bench press 215# for 3, and squat 260# for 3. Limited to 3 reps because I’m on the “BBB 3 month challenge”, which really would have me only doing a single, but I want to do at least a triple. 
How much progress did I make? From the perspective of working max values (since it gets hard to compare reps), I went up 45# on my press and bench press, and 60# on my deadlift, and 50# on squat. Not bad for 7 cycles on the 5/3/1 program. Now if we compare just the plain weight PR’s today vs. my first day a year ago? My squat went from 95# to 260#. My bench press from 65# to 215#. Deadlift from 135# to 315#. Hard to compare “overhead pressing” since I started doing 2 20# dumbbells seated to 150# barbell standing, but it’s evident there was massive progress. Plus, whereas before I couldn’t do a chin-up to save my life, now I’m doing 5 sets of 3 reps of bodyweight chins; I still feel like a wuss, but it’s a step along the road to non-wuss-dom.
It’s cool to look back and see the weights that were once PR’s are now initial warm-up weights.
Other
Yes I feel a little beat up. I feel a little worn. But overall I feel great and I’m looking better. The fat loss is hard because to get big you have to eat big, and I’m still working on sticking to the diet and ONLY the diet. But I can tell there’s muscle growth, and I have lost overall weight, I can see some flab has been shed, and I know muscle is growing. So, all is good. The dietary stuff is the hardest part, the most difficult transformation to make.
I don’t take much for supplements. In the morning I’ll take: 2 NOW Adam softgel multivitamin, 3g of fish oil, 2g vitamin C. With my lunch I’ll have 3g of fish oil, 2g vitamin C, and 3 Citrical tablets. Before bed I’ll take ZMA; still experimenting with this, not sure if it makes any huge difference but I do feel like I get more rested and I really enjoy the weird dreams it gives me. I will consume some whey during the day because it’s quick and easy, but if I have time I’ll try to eat down a 10-12oz can of chicken instead. I’d prefer to use whole foods over whey, but sometimes the convenience factor matters. I am weighing my food to ensure I get what I should: not more, not less. I strive for 200-250g of protein a day; strive for 250 but if I get 225 I am not killing myself over it. I don’t monitor fat much, but I try to keep it lean-ish and don’t drink down a tall glass of lard every day. I eat fruit and veggies as much as I can handle. I do my best to cut out grains, but I realized this isn’t totally working for me, that I do need some carb source. This is what I’m playing around with most right now. It’s a matter of finding the right amount I need to take in. I’m getting there.
During the past year I tried a bunch of other “fancy” supplements. Mostly because I could. As a kid I always wanted to try the fancy shit, and now that I can I realize it’s just that: shit. Waste of money. Was good to try, got the curiosity out of my system. Moving on. Frankly the most “magical” supplement has been upping my fish oil intake. I read about how it helps reduce joint inflammation and once I started upping my dose from the massive underdosing on the label? I certainly felt the difference. I then dropped down/off, then back on, played with it to try to confirm it was in fact working, and as far as I can tell it sure is.
Looking Back. Looking Ahead.
I’m very happy with things, and so long as I can keep doing interesting things like the Wendler program, moving iron isn’t so boring any more. I guess it was all “mindless” to me before because there was no challenge; it was just moving iron through the air. But now I think about form, I think about technique, I have to involve my brain a lot because of the mental game. Plus, seeing the constant progression, the proof, the setting of PR’s… that’s so rewarding and keeps motivation high.
I realize I started out with a nebulous “goal”, to exercise, to keep my body from going to pot. That was a nice thought, but there was no real goal… I had no real way to set milestones and measure progress other than feeling good. But when I got to the Rippetoe and Wendler stuff, I was able to have a more focused goal (get strong(er)) and then ways to track and measure that progress, to have milestones, and to stay motivated with it. I think that’s in part why it’s been working well for me.
It’s also a mindset change. I’m no longer working “chest and abs” today. It’s not about working some muscle. It’s about working a movement and working to improve that movement. Focus on the big 4: press, bench press, deadlift, squat. Anything else done is to help make those better. And that there isn’t much else done! It’s not a zillion exercises per workout, it’s just a lot of sets of a few exercises, the stuff that works. It’s about keeping focus, that the work sets matter, and the bicep curls really don’t. It’s about breaking through mental barriers, like my life-long hangup with squatting. I still don’t love squatting, but I’m hating it a little less now. Like Henry Rollins said, “200 pounds is always 200 pounds“.
Of course, there’s a physical payoff in here too. No denying that. I can see some flab has been shed, tho I still have more to go before I’m satisfied. I don’t care to be a ripped bodybuilder or a douchebag showing off my abs, but consider this picture of Jim Wendler; that’d be good, with less tattoos and more hair. I do see muscle mass growth, perhaps not as much as I want, but this program is more about strength than size, but size is coming and that’s alright. I always liked John Stone Fitness, not just because of how the guy transformed his body, but because he keeps a good record of his progress and you can see how much growth you can have in a year, in 2 years, and how it takes a number of years before you can have that body like you see in all the sexy commercials. That’s all fine. I’m happy with the progress. I’m happy that my health is good, that I feel better than I have in a long time, and that I’m getting stronger.
What’s ahead? I’ll be staying the course on the Wendler program for the foreseeable future; I see no reason to change to something else, tho I’m sure I’ll change up the specifics slightly (e.g. I’ll finish the “BBB 3 month challenge” then go back to regular BBB). It’s possible by the end of this calendar year I could hit the 1000# club, but I am expecting to have to reset sooner or later and that may throw things off. If I’m over that milestone by this time next year? That’s fine. Or even if I’m not, that’s OK too because, as far as I can see it now, it’s only a question of when I pass the milestone, not if. If I can progress as I am, certainly within a year I’ll get there; only reason I won’t is because something big gets in the way (e.g. injury). And is it that big a deal to hit 1000#? I’d be lying if I said “no it isn’t”, but I’d be stupid to think that’s anything more than another marker along a longer road.
I’ve even had thoughts about competition. Certainly I don’t expect to win anything, but it’s not about winning. It’s about doing. About having the experience. About seeing how far I can push myself, and how disciplined I can make myself to prepare for it. How far can I go? What can I do? And what’s it all like. I am not certain of this, no hard and serious thoughts… but it runs through my head. I don’t think I should bother tho until I can put up some more reasonable numbers and get my form more locked in. I kinda feel like I should be in the 1000# club first. And of course, I’ll need to prep properly for it, probably switching to the “5/3/1 for powerlifting” version. And what sort of competition would I do? A formal federation-sponsored event? A local event (e.g. the Hyde Park Gym’s annual push/pull)? A full event? push-pull? single event? I don’t know… no promises nor guarantees, but it has crossed my mind a number of times.
It’s been a good year, and I look forward to the year ahead.
Things your burglar won’t tell you – #7
It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door — understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.
2012-03-30 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 7, squat 3
I ain’t doing jack shit, except setting a PR.
“Week ” – BBB 3 Month Challenge
- 5/3/1 – Squat (working max: 270#)
- 2x5x45 (warmup)
- 1x5x110
- 1x5x135
- 1x3x165
- 1x5x205 (work)
- 1x3x230
- 1x3x260 (PR)
I’ve been losing a lot of sleep the past few weeks. A bunch of things going on in my personal life, it weighs heavily on my mind, and if I wake up in the middle of the night to go pee, that’s it… I can’t get back to sleep because my mind instantly starts racing. *sigh* Only got 5 hours last night, and it’s all building up on me.
Consequently, I didn’t feel it would be wise to abuse my body. My right knee continues to feel bad, and I was worried I’d make it through today. So why bother putting more stress on my body that I just won’t be able to recover from due to the lack of sleep? Just do the work, set the PR, go home happy.
And that I did. Again I did work the magic 230 number, and that felt like nothing and my form felt damn good. I’m really working to move some more details of the squat out of Rippetoe mode and into more powerlifter mode, such as my eye positioning, and working to not get tight shoulders/traps by lifting the elbows back and up but instead just keeping tight and when coming out of the hole to drive the elbows under the bar and press up with the arms too. Everything pushes up. My form faltered some on the PR set, some leaning forward, but it was a mental thing… a “I’m going to move this damn weight 3 times, period” So that I had great form on 230 and then got sloppy on 260 well… not ideal, but I’ll take it. I’m just thrilled to keep moving along with my squat… overcoming my dislike of it.
That’s how to get better: do the things you hate, until you don’t hate them any more. I don’t love squatting yet, but I don’t hate and dread it like I used to. In fact, because of my wariness with the larger squat weights, I’ve always asked for a spot on the last set, even tho there’s the catch rails. Today, I thought about NOT asking for a spot, and I probably would have been fine because I felt NO struggle to get the weight up. I’m getting over the hump.
Anyways, deload next week. I have been tossing around a “jack shit” deload, but I’m going to go in, do a few things to keep moving, but nothing major. Like I might just do the assistance work for 3 sets, I might drop it all down 5-10# so it’s not as stressful. Just move, don’t kill myself. I need the recovery.
Things your burglar won’t tell you – #6
A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom — and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there, too.
It passed!
It looks like Texas Park and Wildlife has changed the hunting rules.
From the March 29, 2012 Commission Metting Agenda, Item 6, “2012-2013 Statewide Hunting Proclamation“
Here’s the text:
§65.11. Lawful Means. It is unlawful to hunt any of the wildlife resources of this state except by the means authorized by this section and as provided in §65.19 of this title (relating to Hunting Deer with Dogs).
(1) Firearms.
(A) It is lawful to hunt alligators, game animals, and game birds with any legal firearm, including muzzleloading firearms, and including a firearm equipped with a silencer [
weapons], except as specifically restricted in this section.(B) Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to relieve any person of compliance with any other federal, state, or local laws governing the possession or use of firearm silencers.
(C)[(
B)] Special muzzleloader –only deer seasons are restricted to muzzleloading firearms only.(D)[(
C)]It is unlawful to use rimfire ammunition to hunt alligator, deer, antelope, or desert bighorn sheep.(E)[(
D)]It is unlawful to hunt alligators, game animals, or game birds with a fully automatic firearm [or any firearm equipped with a silencer or sound-suppressing device].
So there you go.
Time to get your paperwork and tax stamps in order.
I know what I want for Christmas, but I guess I’d have to start my paperwork now. *grin*
Things your burglar won’t tell you – #5
If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.
A proper training mentality
I was pointed to this article, “On Being a Beast“. If you come to my blog for gun and self-defense stuff, you should read this. If you come to my blog for weightlifting stuff, you should read this. If you come to my blog period, you should read this.
The article may come primarily from the realm of strength training, but the message applies to any sort of training. The writer, Johnny Pain, talks about a conversation he was having with a friend about why they train. A question:
What if you were being sentenced in six weeks for a crime that you did not commit? (Or fuck it, what if you did commit it, I’m not one to judge).
How would you spend the next forty-five days? Think about it.
And all you gun folks reading this, oh yes, it could happen to you even if the situation was totally righteous. How would you spend the next 45 days?
Well, if it were me, I’d want to be the meanest, toughest, nastiest, most beast-like human being that I could be.
The concerns over training minutia would go out the window. Arguments over percentages or head and eye position on the squat would seem rightfully retarded. All that would matter is building a body that was strong and capable. Times to completion of various arbitrary tasks would be of little importance, as would one-rep maxes performed for other people’s benefit.
Things like biceps peak, body composition, quad sweep, or whether or not you could do a particular parlor trick on the rings would be unthinkable notions pushed aside by ever-present knowledge that your mind would be tested the most, but that your body could be called on to do very serious things. These tasks could be life or death, not win or lose. The stakes could be rectal integrity or death, not bragging rights on an internet forum.
You’d have to be strong, you’d have to be quick, and you’d have to have a decent set of lungs on you.
Quite the sound point. You get put into such a high pressure situation, and suddenly you gain great focus. You gain a greater insight into what really matters, and how most of the stuff we deal with in life doesn’t matter.
I know I get caught up in the details. I know I start to worry about all these sorts of minutia all the time. It’s just how I am. But one good lesson I’m learning right now is to just shut up and squat. The Wendler program I’m on right now? I’ve been analyzing too much, thinking about too much. I realized I was thinking way too much about it, and going back to the BBB template works better. Sure I still think about some details, like I am worrying about my knee angle because I’m concerned about the stresses it’s feeling since I don’t care to blow out my knee, but that’s different from just worrying about how good I look in the mirror.
There are situations in life where being an absolute beast could be very beneficial. Whether or not you plan on getting jammed up in the next few months, give some thought to the idea that you have one life and one shot at doing it right. We make decisions in finance and other realms based on long term payoff and relevancy, why not in why we train?
Don’t be the fat, beer bellied guy at the gun show who carries three cocked and locked 1911 .45’s and shit talks the 9mm round who loses his teenage daughter from choking because he didn’t possess basic first aid skills which would be much more likely needed in life than his 24 rounds of 230 grain hardball, or who can’t run to save his four year-old son from the drunk driver barreling down his street.
Get your basics down. Build your body up into that of a beast, a predator’s body, not a butter soft, tasty piece of food chain. It may very well all be in vain, and I hope to God that it is for your sake.
This is why I’m training to be strong. Oh sure I’m working to shed some body fat, but that’s because the fat is mostly useless. It doesn’t add anything useful, it doesn’t help me. I am not working my “chest” today because what’s the point of big pecs and big arms if I can’t do anything useful with them? I want to be strong(er) because that’s useful.
Preparing for the worst is never a bad thing. Be ready for anything. Prepare in the manner that gives you the most bang for your buck.
Oddly, some people think it is a bad thing… or at least, that you’re paranoid or have something to be afraid of. No, it’s just about being prepared because life can and does throw you curve balls, and you’ll never see them coming. It’s why we have insurance. It’s why we have smoke detectors. It’s why we wear seat belts. It’s why some of us choose to prepare ourselves physical and mentally for a confrontation we hope never comes, but we’ll be ready to meet it when it comes.
So when you train, train like you mean it. Focus on what’s really important. Yes, you’ll get caught up in minutia, but always be aware that you can, aware when you do, and willing to step back and refocus when it happens. Reading this article gave me a kick in the pants. Maybe it did for you as well.
I don’t understand racism
I don’t understand racism, I never understood it. I can’t understand the fact you could hate somebody from half a mile away and never even speak to them and hate them. That’s fucking so dumb. There are black assholes, white assholes, Japanese assholes, whatever assholes… there’s always plenty of assholes. But until you speak to people, you never know which they are, a good guy or an asshole. Give ‘em that chance. That’s the only thing I’m prejudiced against, that’s assholes.
- Lemmy
I love Motörhead. I love Lemmy. You can hear him saying the above at about 4:40 into this interview:
That’s how I feel about it. It doesn’t matter much what your skin color is, what your gender is, what your sexual orientation is, what your religious preference is, what your beer choice is, what your ethic background is, whatever. For the most part it doesn’t matter. All that matters — to me — is if you’re a good person or if you’re an asshole. The sort of person you are transcends all those other mundane attributes, and is really all that matters.
(I say “for the most part” because sometimes those things matter. Like the SNL sketch of Tim Meadows trying out for the Bill Clinton role. Because sometimes there are just realities.)
I guess I’m only a person of half-color… maybe even less, because mixing white and yellow just winds up some odd shade of pale. I’ve felt the sting of racism and discrimination because I’m Korean, I’ve felt it because I’m white, I’ve felt it because I’m a half-breed, I’ve felt it because I have long hair, I’ve felt it for numerous other reasons because someone judged me based upon shallow perceptions. I know it exists and have dealt with being the victim of racism and discrimination throughout my life.
I do understand where racism, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination comes from. It’s a very human thing to do, and we all do it. We all discriminate. We all attempt to take our experiences and classify them and draw conclusions from those experiences. And often it’s based upon very limited experience, very limited perception. It’s how humans function. The question is, what do you do with it? Because you can laugh at stereotypes, you can find ways to bring positive things out of them, or you can focus on being negative and hateful.
It saddens me deeply to see so much negativity, especially as of late. So much hate. So much anger and destruction. So much division. And some of the worst offenders are those that think they don’t do it, that they’re better, they’re above it (see my prior article). I have more respect for someone that’s racist and admits their racism, than someone that’s racist but denies it yet actively participates in it. That whole “log in your own eye” thing.
I’ll leave you with another song from another favorite band of mine, Tesla. The song is called “Caught In a Dream”:
If you can imagine this, the whole world sharing one big kiss
These are thoughts all through my brain, that I daydream everyday
That I’m alive and well, and right now, I’m alive, I’m feeling…well
It’s my life to live my way, so I’ll keep daydreaming away
And who knows, maybe someday, it will all come true
And I will get my way, and we will live as oneI’m caught up in a dream, I’m gonna wish for it all
No one’s gonna tell me how, no way, this is my dream now
I’m caught up in what seems simply impossible
I ain’t gonna change a thing, no way, it’s my dreamAnd what cannot will be done, for every living thing under the sun
Forget color, forget race, and just be one big happy face
Among this sea of people, live among God’s creatures, sharing love
That was sent down from above, here to share with one another
Father, brother, sister, mother, everybody sharing love, sharing loveI’m caught up in a dream, I’m gonna wish for it all
No one’s gonna tell me how, no way, this is my dream now
I’m caught up in what seems simply impossible
I ain’t gonna change a thing, no way, it’s my dream, this is my dreamWhat if…I close my eyes and everything will be alright
Here in my fantasy, living in harmony
Make my dream come aliveI’m caught up in a dream, I’m gonna wish for it all
No one’s gonna tell me how, no way, this is my dream now
I’m caught up in what seems simply impossible
I ain’t gonna change a thing, no way, it’s my dream
I’m caught up in a dream, I’m gonna wish for it all
No one’s gonna tell me how, no way, this is my dream now
I’m caught up in what seems simply impossible
I ain’t gonna change a thing, no way, it’s my dreamNow, if you can imagine this, the whole world sharing one big kiss
Take away the pain and hurt, make like heaven here on earth
Without reason to die, and giving everlasting life to all
Informational malnutrition, and the death of Truth
The George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin situation in Florida.
I’ve written numerous articles voicing my thoughts on the situation, but I’ve published none of them because nothing quite captured how I felt. But writing them, talking about the situation with some close friends, and watching everything unfold over the past some days, and I’ve begun to congeal my response to the situation.
My Understanding
My understanding of the situation at the time of this writing is there are few indisputable facts. Zimmerman was head of a neighborhood watch. Zimmerman has a CHL and had his gun on him. Zimmerman was patrolling the neighborhood and saw what he believed to be a suspicious person, Martin, behaving in a manner he considered suspicious. Zimmerman called 911 to report the situation, then began to follow Martin. Martin called his girlfriend. Both parties communicated with their respective callers. Eventually the two people came face to face, something happened, Martin is dead.
And as far as I know, that’s about all the true concrete information we have.
Sure there’s lots more information, but it’s all disputed. Lots of “he said she said”, lots of things that have nothing directly to do with the case but muddies the water (Geraldo), and lots of uncertainty. But, lots of new information comes out every day.
Bottom line to me: we just don’t have enough information.
My (perceived) bias
It’s possible that some will perceive me to defend Zimmerman. I have a CHL. I believe “stand your ground” laws are reasonable (I also believe many of those presently talking about such topics have demonstrated they don’t know what they are talking about). I believe it is OK to use deadly force if you are truly in fear of your life and it’s the last resort answer towards the preservation of your life or the life of someone you love.
But I’m not defending Zimmerman.
I can’t defend his actions.
I don’t have enough information to defend him nor persecute him.
Based upon what little information I do have, I do think Zimmerman failed the “beer and tv maxim“. I think his choice of tactics was unwise, because, at least as far as I can see, he pursued something he didn’t have to. Was he in fear of his life? Was there a loved one in danger? Yes, legally you can use force to defend property (well, here in Texas; I don’t know Florida law but roll with me here), but that doesn’t mean you always should. I wrote about this very topic just a few weeks ago. If I see someone in my neighborhood doing suspicious things, I might look a little harder to determine if it’s really a problem or nothing to worry about, but I don’t want to put myself in danger nor invite trouble into my world. I may have my gun on me, because I know shit happens and can unfold in an instant, but if my family or myself wasn’t in imminent danger, I’d call the police and let them deal with it. Beer and TV maxim.
But then, that’s me. I don’t know what Zimmerman considered important. I read some interviews with neighbors saying how the neighborhood had been the target of a lot of crime, a lot of burglaries, in recent months. I figure that will give someone a different perspective. Perhaps Zimmerman thought pursuing Martin was worth dying over. Or perhaps, Zimmerman wasn’t thinking at all.
I don’t know.
I don’t know what was going through Zimmerman’s head, and I’m not going to pretend nor assume to know.
I also don’t know what was going on in Martin’s head. And unfortunately, we’ll never know. Thus, lacking information, I can’t defend nor persecute him either.
But the bottom line is: I don’t know.
Where’s the Truth?
I admit I don’t know.
Alas, I don’t see that going on in the popular media, nor around the world. I see the news reports. I see postings on Facebook and Twitter. I see all sorts of things that make me wonder… how do these people know? They’re all speaking with such confidence. They know that Zimmerman is a murderer. They know he was motivated purely out of racial hatred. They know he needs to be brought to justice. They know that Martin is totally innocent. That Martin was doing nothing wrong. That Martin never did anything wrong in his life, just an innocent black kid whose life was snuffed out too quickly by this white (latino) man. They know what’s going on, and they are all capable of passing perfect judgment… and Zimmerman should be drawn and quartered for what he did.
How do these people know?
Must be some news network that I haven’t heard of or am not tuning in to. Or maybe the facts are floating around the Twitterverse now and I just missed the tweet.
Is no one interested in finding Truth?
I do know they want to make Zimmerman “pay” for things, regardless of facts, regardless of Truth. When you have the New Black Panther Party offering $10,000 for Zimmerman. When you have Spike Lee retweeting Zimmerman’s address (which apparently was incorrect, and the innocent elderly couple that lives there are in fear of their lives due to the death threats they’ve been receiving). Gee… I thought lynching was frowned upon? But that’s what is happening to Zimmerman. Look at how people are talking about him. Look at how the media portrays the situation, be it their choice of photos or creative editing of the 911 calls. And because of this severe anger, people are afraid to speak, even as more facts come to light.
Is this right?
Is this Truth?
Is this Justice?
I guess I’m only a person of half-color… maybe even less, because mixing white and yellow just winds up some odd shade of pale. I’ve felt the sting of racism and discrimination because I’m Korean, I’ve felt it because I’m white, I’ve felt it because I’m a half-breed, I’ve felt it because I have long hair, I’ve felt it for numerous other reasons because someone judged me based upon shallow perceptions. I know it exists and have dealt with being the victim of racism and discrimination throughout my life.
And that’s where it comes from: shallow perceptions. People unwilling to get the whole truth. They get the tidbit that they want, then that’s good enough for them. They pass judgement, they execute, and they are satisfied to leave it at that. George Carlin lamented about the “sound bite” and how it dominates modern news media… and how it’s “just a bite. No chewing, no digestion, no nourishment. Malnutrition.”
That’s the greater tragedy I see happening in this Martin/Zimmerman case, and countless other stories reported every day (regardless of the race issue). There’s only a morsel of information, but people pick from that what they want, especially if it lends support to their cause and their righteousness. Calling for justice in this and every criminal case is warranted, but by saying “bringing this man to justice” you have already convicted him based upon what scant solid facts and evidence there is out there. Is that just?
If we want justice, if we want Truth, then we must seek it. That means we must gather information before we reach a conclusion. That we must question, but not seek to harvest only data that supports our desired conclusion. We must not and must not tolerate twisting and misrepresentation of fact, since that only leads away from Truth. Truth may be ugly. Truth may offend our sensibilities. Truth may totally up-end everything we know and hold to, it may shake us to our core. We may be wrong about what we thought was Truth, and we must be willing to give up what we clung to if we realize it is false. But it is Truth, and hopefully what we’re seeking. Anything less doesn’t do anyone, nor society in general, any justice.
2012-03-28 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 7, bench press 3
PR week is always good.
“Week 3″ – BBB 3 Month Challenge
- 5/3/1 – Bench Press (working max: 225#)
- 2x5x45 (warmup)
- 1x5x95
- 1x5x115
- 1x3x135
- 1x5x170 (work)
- 1x3x193
- 1x3x215 (PR)
- Asst. #1A – Press
- 5 x 10 x 80
- Asst. #1B – 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows (supersetted with the Press)
- 5 x 10 x 65
- Asst. #2 – Rope Triceps Pushdowns
- 3 x 12 x 40
- Foam Rolling
This was a good PR. I felt strong. I felt like I could have done more than just the 3 reps. But I’m only fudging on the program a little bit. But it did feel good, and I feel really solid towards the 225 target.
On pressing, I’m working more on form, keeping my (lower) body tight and having more follow-through with my head… that’ll slack off as the reps get harder towards the end. But it’s rolling well.
And I opted to go for 12 reps on the pushdowns, just to add a little more something to the mix, given the exercise.
In the end, good day pressing things.
I’ll express a bit of concern here tho. My legs are feeling odd. Knees aren’t happy, some other things. I’m not sure what to make of it. I’ll still hit it hard on Friday, but I’m thinking next week I’ll do a “jack shit” deload. Foam roll, stretch, ice things down, maybe some light movements like pushups and hindu squats or something. But take the heavy stress off the body. I’ll make the call later.
