Month: January 2013

Feeling safe vs. Being safe

/ hsoi

I could lay a strip of fabric across your shoulder while you drive a car. That might make you feel safe, since it would feel like a seat belt and look like a seat belt, but it wouldn’t actually make you safe because it’s not really a seat belt and will not work like one if the car crashed.

I could stamp the words “air bag” onto pieces of the car’s dashboard, but leave the space behind the dashboard empty. You’ll have an illusion of safety, but no real safety.

Seeing a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall is nice, but unless it’s the right type (e.g. ABC), full and functional (you did check the valve? you did inspect it at least yearly, right?) it won’t be much use when you need it.

I frequently see expressions of a “need to feel safe”. That this feeling trumps measures that actually provide true safety. I don’t understand this line of thinking because you’d rather have a measure that makes you feel safe but doesn’t actually make you safe, instead of a measure that actually would make you safe which would naturally also provide the feeling of safety (and the confidence of that knowledge). Both steps give you the feeling of safety, but only one actually makes you safe in the face of danger. Why choose the illusion over the reality?

This isn’t just about guns, so please don’t get hung up there. We could apply this to the TSA. We could apply this to “self defense” programs, including most martial arts. We can apply this to products in our homes. We can apply this to our homes and neighborhoods. We can apply this to laws and regulations. Really, it’s about a concept that can be applied throughout life. Step back and think about it. Be honest with yourself, and be willing to admit if you are holding on to an illusion. It’s good to follow dreams, but it can be unhealthy to cling to illusions.

 

2013-01-30 training log

/ hsoi

Was it a true PR? Does it matter?

Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 16 (mark 2), week 3

  • Work Set – Deadlift (working max: 355#)
    • 1x5x145 (warmup)
    • 1x5x185
    • 1x3x215
    • 1x5x270 (work)
    • 1x3x305
    • 1x5x340 (PR)
  • Assistance – Pulldown Abs (kneeling)
    • 3 x 15 x 140
  • Foam Rolling

Was it a true PR?

The term “personal record” means that you set your own record (not necessarily a world record, national record, etc…. your own personal, your best). And by record it’s the best you’ve ever done. There seems to be mentions of “PR” and then “rep PR”. The implication then is that a true PR involves some sort of weight max, since any lifting PR is going to involve weight and reps.

So was today a true PR? or just a rep PR? Before this session the best I had ever done in the deadlift was 340# for 3 reps. So I guess today was just a rep PR because I did 340# for 5 reps. But it’s still the most I’ve ever done period.

So rep PR? true PR? Who cares about the semantics (other than it makes for some blog fodder) 😉 The bottom line is that today I did more than I ever have done, I pushed hard, it wasn’t as bowling-shoe-ugly as last session’s lifts were, and that next session will be an ever better PR. Onwards to 405.

Interesting thing tho… first time I ever felt like I might blow out my biceps. I did notice towards the end I was trying to curl the damn bar. First time I’ve ever noticed myself doing that.

But after this? That was all I could do. The calluses on the inner folds of my fingers? They recently cracked and are peeling a bit. Between that and the aggressive knurling on the bar I prefer to deadlift with well… my hands were hurting pretty bad. After the PR I opted to do what I’ve been doing this past “week 3” and do the same main lift with 50% weight to really have a “form/technique clinic”. But I got through a few reps and just had to stop — too much hand hurt. Even the pulldown abs was difficult due to this. I type for a living (software developer) so I really can’t afford to fuck up my hands.

So whatever. Jack shit-ish. PR. Onwards.

THIS

/ hsoi

Here’s a step in the right direction: Dan and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A

We’ve (d)evolved into a world of bitterness, of ugliness. Where I’m right and you’re “fuck you!”. Where we preach and lecture, and never listen. It doesn’t matter what group you’re a part of or what labels you wear, you are guilty of this. I am guilty of this. People want to know what’s changed in our world that brought us to where we are now; I think this is a large part of it, and at least one of the root causes of our societal and cultural problems.

Shane Windmeyer is a 40-year-old gay man. He’s the founder of Campus Pride. He was one of the organizers of the protests against Chick-fil-A.

And thankfully, he’s a man willing to sit down and listen. As well, Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A is also a man willing to sit down and listen.

On Aug. 10, 2012, in the heat of the controversy, I got a surprise call from Dan Cathy. He had gotten my cell phone number from a mutual business contact serving campus groups. I took the call with great caution. He was going to tear me apart, right? Give me a piece of his mind? Turn his lawyers on me?

The first call lasted over an hour, and the private conversation led to more calls the next week and the week after. Dan Cathy knew how to text, and he would reach out to me as new questions came to his mind. This was not going to be a typical turn of events.

His questions and a series of deeper conversations ultimately led to a number of in-person meetings with Dan and representatives from Chick-fil-A. He had never before had such dialogue with any member of the LGBT community. It was awkward at times but always genuine and kind.

It is not often that people with deeply held and completely opposing viewpoints actually risk sitting down and listening to one another. We see this failure to listen and learn in our government, in our communities and in our own families. Dan Cathy and I would, together, try to do better than each of us had experienced before.

Reread that last paragraph.

In fact, don’t just reread that one paragraph because you will miss the depth of what happened. You need to read the full article.

Dan and Shane will not agree on some things, and neither apologized for their personal beliefs. But they both were willing to listen to each other, to gain understanding of the other and work to ensure they were understood. They both grew. They have both become better, and as a result, can use their position and influence to accordingly make the world better, even within their viewpoints and differing goals.

Now it is all about the future, one defined, let’s hope, by continued mutual respect. I will not change my views, and Dan will likely not change his, but we can continue to listen, learn and appreciate “the blessing of growth” that happens when we know each other better. I hope that our nation’s political leaders and campus leaders might do the same.

In the end, it is not about eating (or eating a certain chicken sandwich). It is about sitting down at a table together and sharing our views as human beings, engaged in real, respectful, civil dialogue. Dan would probably call this act the biblical definition of hospitality. I would call it human decency. So long as we are all at the same table and talking, does it matter what we call it or what we eat?

Emphasis added.

Focus your Mind

/ hsoi

Focus your mind on each exercise. If your mind wanders you will not develop strength. Consider the laborer who works all day long. He is not as strong as the wrestler for he does not concentrate on his labor but thinks about other things.

From an article about Vyayam on the ChAoS & PAIN website (NSFW)

I don’t always do this… my mind sometimes is off on other things and I go through the motions. But when I focus intensely on each rep, that 1 focused rep is more useful than 10 unfocused.

 

2013-01-28 training log

/ hsoi

Continuing to explore ways to press that don’t kill my shoulders….

Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 16 (mark 2), week 3

  • Work Set – Bench Press (working max: 225#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x95
    • 1x5x115
    • 1x3x135
    • 1x5x170 (work)
    • 1x3x195
    • 1x5x215
  • Assistance – Bench Press
    • 2 x 8 x 135
    • 3 x 8/9/8 x 125/105/105 * swiss bar
  • Assistance – Pull-ups (band assisted)
    • 5 x 6 x BW
  • Assistance – Stuff
    • Flat Bench DB Flies
    • JM Press
    • Hammer Curls
    • 3 sets, 8-15 reps, enough weight to make it hard; on 3rd set immediately drop weight and keep going to failure
  • sled drags
    • 8 runs, 75 yards each
    • 75# on the sled
    • 20 seconds rest every other run
    • attach sled around hips, walk forward with large, purposeful strides
  • Foam Rolling

No PR today, but it is progress along the continuum. It was interesting that I found myself very mentally into each rep, really focusing on form. Somehow today I really “locked” in terms of foot placement and leg drive. No it’s not pulling my feet back towards my ears and arching into a ball… my feet are “out in front” and pressing up and back. But Rippetoe seems to advocate that and screw it…. if that’s what it takes for me to get leg drive and decent arch without lifting my butt off the bench, so be it.

In between sets I found myself looking in the mirrors, imagining myself lying on the bench and going through the motions. I’m watching my arms, where my elbows go, tucking them, where things travel, where the bar should then end on my chest, etc.. No question the greater elbow tuck is welcome to my shoulders. In fact…. someone left a Swiss Bar at the gym (I think another patron, and the gym just has it on permanent loan). It’s been there a while and today it hit me to try it. Just like the prior squat session, when I did my assistance benching I didn’t care about weight or reps all that much, rather that I wanted to treat it like a “clinic” with every rep being under scrutiny. After a couple sets and then more examination of form in the mirror, I thought screw it — try the Swiss Bar because of how it positions the hands thus the arms/elbows.

I’m glad I did.

I like it and may well keep using it for my assistance pressing, to help emphasize anterior delts and triceps, and less shoulder stress.

That said, it was a little awkward. It balances very different in the hand, but it’s managable. I will get used to it. Also, the bar is 35# instead of the 45# of traditional olympic-sized bars, and the weights used will reflect that. So 125# on the swiss bar is a 45# plate on each side.

I also thought about switching away from JM Press to Dips. but thought better of it. I need the higher reps, I need to grow my triceps, and I need more bench-based pressing to help emphasize other aspects, like the leg drive and a solid foundation. Dips won’t give me that…. at least, not until I get much stronger.

Anyways, while it wasn’t a PR day, I think it was a good day in terms of the things I learned.

But next session…. deadlift…. I can and will set a true PR.

Sunday Metal – Twisted Sister

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Decibel Magazine had a great post with some video gold from metal’s early years.

I thought they’d make for some good Sunday Metal.

And yes children… behold “mobile phones” before the iPhone existed!

Question for those who support banning guns

/ hsoi

I need some enlightenment. Friends, please help me for I do not understand.

I’m reading through Sen. Feinstein’s bill.

By name she explicitly bans the Ruger Mini-14 Tactical Rifle. Later in the text, she exempts the Ruger Mini-14 (w/o folding stock) and the Ruger Mini-30.

Could you please explain to me the logic behind this? Truly, I am curious. I’d like to know how this qualifies as a “good law” founded in reason, facts, and logic. Is it not reasonable to expect our laws to be based upon such things? Is it unreasonable to want to know what those reasons, facts, and logic are? What Feinstein proposes here defies all logic and reason — towards the supposed goals of “stopping the mass murder of innocent children” — but if you know how such wording and logic achieves the goal, I would love to know.

And if you don’t understand what the problem is with the wording of her ban and exemptions, then I’d suggest taking an honest step back and admitting you don’t understand, that you are, well, ignorant about the topic. It’s not a bad thing to admit ignorance — but it is bad to willfully remain as such.

2A in 2013 – the Federal legal structure

/ hsoi

David B. Kopel, of the CATO Institute, takes a look at the Second Amendment in the scope of today’s political and legal environment.

While some will dismiss this out of hand because it’s Kopel and CATO, it presents a great deal of factual information about the federal legal structure that we presently operate within. It looks at the National Firearms Act of 1934. It looks at Executive Orders. It looks at magazine capacity restrictions. It talks about recent SCOTUS decisions. Given our current legal environment, what can be done? what can’t be done? What stands up to Constitutional scrutiny? This is a fair discussion, and I’m sure some of the things Kopel says will make pro-gun people cringe as much as other things he says will make anti-gun people cringe.

Kopel also makes a sound point about solutions that work now, that have immediate impact. Sure, maybe we can have greater solutions that may bring about greater change in time, but a solution that fixes things 5 years, 2 years, 2 months from now… is that too much time to let pass? too large a window of opportunity for the next madman spree? You may not agree with Kopel, but if you know anything about dealing with active shooter situations and how law-enforcement has changed their own procedures for dealing with active shooter situations then well… it’s tough to refute the present law enforcement tactics and the reasoning behind them. Thus, if you wish to offer up other solutions, that’s fine. If your solution is successful, how long will it take before it is? What do we do between now and then? Can you offer a solution that brings about immediate results, especially given the context law enforcement works within and why? It’s a fair point to consider when discussing solutions to this problem – the timeframe in which a solution will have the positive, desired impact.

2013-01-25 training log

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

It’s a different kind of PR.

Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 16 (mark 2), week 3

  • Work Set – Squat (working max: 285#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x115
    • 1x5x145
    • 1x3x175
    • 1x5x215 (work)
    • 1x3x245
    • 1x4x275 (PR*)
    • holding 315 (see below)
  • Assistance – Squat
    • 3 x 5 x 135

First, today was cut short because I have an early business meeting. That’s life.

Second, the PR is a PR, but different. First, I have never done 275 for 4 reps, and my max PR right now is 3 reps at 280. So today is a rep PR and calculated out to being better than the true PR. So, that’s kinda cool.

But.

The 4th rep was bowling shoe ugly (thank you Jim Ross). I’m sure in a competition it would have gotten 3 red lights. I’m pretty sure I didn’t go deep enough. But the reality is, it wasn’t about getting a 4th picture perfect technique rep.

It was about not getting crushed.

If you’ve followed my journey, I hate squatting. I have a lot less hate for it these days (I’m not ready to say I like it… but… maybe), and a lot of deep-seeded fear about it. It’s probably all from my childhood… Mom fears… “oh you’ll hurt yourself” and all that sort of shit. Fear of getting crushed… of getting pinned. I’m getting over it tho, because what’s the worst? I don’t get up… the bar hits the rails, it might make a lot of noise, but whatever. It is NOT the end of the world, it isn’t that big a deal. So that’s what it was for me — working to overcome the mental hurdles. I’m making progress here, and that’s what it was about. Rep 3 was a struggle, but I said “fuck it” and went for a fourth. Oh yes, ugly ugly ugly… but it was about “getting back up” no matter what and pushing myself further.

So to that end, that’s more important progress for me.

And yeah… maybe… maybe… I might be getting a little fond of squats. Tho I shouldn’t admit it yet…. 🙂

The other thing I did was put 315# on my back. All I did was put the plates on, get under the bar, unrack, walk back, stand there for about 10 seconds, then rack it. I’ve read about powerlifters doing this. I haven’t read why, but my guess is a mental thing. It’s about feeling that weight. Whatever your max weight is? Put more on your back. If 275 is the heaviest you’ve ever lifted, to your body and mind, that’s heavy. Put 315 on your back, now THAT is the threshold of “heavy”, and 275 is light by comparison, right? Also that in competition, if your third attempt is to be a PR, then when you’ve got all the pressure of competition going on, why add one more unknown to the mix? why let the first time you’ve ever felt this weight be at the competition? Let it be old-hat, at least in some regard, so it’s not a total surprise. So that’s why I tried it, on a whim. Just see what it feels like and what that might do for my mental outlook.

What did it feel like?

Heavy. When I read about guys lifting 600, 700, 800, 1000 pounds and how that weight crushes you… I can only imagine what that’s like, because the 315 felt like it was crushing me. But then, I’m sure when I was squatting 95# that 275 would have felt like it was crushing me. But there you go. It felt heavy, so hopefully 275 will feel lighter now. 🙂 Plus it was a bit of a mental thing to position myself for that goal — to have 3 wheels on the bar and how cool that’s going to be. My goal is before the end of 2013 to squat 315. Since I’m currently progressing at 5# a cycle, that’s 8 cycles… so, it’s do-able.

In other news….

Assistance squatting was light, because I wanted to. Given how ugly the last work rep was, I wanted to remind my body what a picture perfect rep should be. So just 135 on the bar, and every rep was really “doing a single” and trying to be as picture-damn-perfect as I know how to do a squat. It was again more about the mental.

And… in diet?

When I squat my belt gets hooked at the second to the last hole. I did that this morning and the belt felt loose! I went to the last hole… it was a little bit of a pull to get there, but I did and it felt right (just a hair tight, but good). So…. hey, if that means I am losing something around the middle, awesome.

I’m going to give it a week or so of seeing if it’s really the case or just was a fluke for today. But if it is the case, it will be time for me to order a new belt. And yes, I’ll order again from BestBelts.

Facepalm – Vice President Joe Biden

/ hsoi / 8 Comments

Vice President Joe Biden explains what one should do for self-defense: get a shotgun.

Biden, doing a Google+ “hangout” to promote President Barack Obama’s proposals for battling gun violence, had been asked whether a new assault weapons ban might infringe on the Second Amendment rights of those who want one “as a last line of defense” to fend off looters after “some terrible natural disaster.”

“Guess what? A shotgun will keep you a lot safer, a double-barreled shotgun, than the assault weapon in somebody’s hands [who] doesn’t know how to use it, even one who does know how to use it,” the outspoken vice president, a shotgun owner himself, replied. “It’s harder to use an assault weapon to hit something than it is a shotgun. You want to keep people away in an earthquake? Buy some shotgun shells.”

This is one of those things that is so stunningly misinformed and full of terrible advice that you just don’t know how to respond. I’ll try tho.

First, credentials.

I am an NRA Certified Instructor (Home Safety, Pistol, Rifle, Personal Protection Inside the Home, Personal Protection Outside the Home). I am an NRA Certified Range Safety Officer. I am certified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as a Concealed Handgun License Instructor. I have been an assistant Instructor with KR Training for four years. I’ve received hundreds of hours of instruction in firearms and self-defense, with a large stack of certifications. There’s more, but this is enough to make my point. And no, I’m not as awesome as Tom Givens or my mentor, Karl Rehn, but I’ve learned a thing or two.

Joe Biden’s credentials: owns a shotgun.

Maybe Mr. Biden has more credentials that would permit him to speak as an authority on this topic. I haven’t seen them, and even if he showed me a list, after hearing the above I couldn’t believe him.

Let’s see here…

First I will agree that a shotgun is a formidable weapon. It can do devastating things. I do keep shotguns as part of my personal defense plan. I find them to be a solid small armament. They can be the right tool for the job.

I’m curious how Mr. Biden’s statement holds up.

A double-barreled shotgun. So that’s 2 rounds. What if you miss? What if there’s a need to fire more than 2 shots? If the statistical average of a gunfight is “3 shots, within 3 yards, within 3 seconds” then 2 rounds leaves you below-average and behind the curve. Is it legally and morally sound to put good people at a disadvantage from bad people?

A shotgun is harder to hit something with than a shotgun? Um… I’m not sure about that. Well, perhaps. The point of a shotgun is to hit small flying objects, like birds (ducks, doves, pheasants, etc.) or clay discs (skeet, trap). It does this by using lots of little tiny pellets and has them spread out in a cloud. And yes, compared to trying to hit a small flying thing with a single bullet (rifle, pistol) well sure, a shotgun will improve your chances of success.

But we’re not talking about hitting small flying objects. We’re talking about personal defense — even Mr. Biden is speaking in the context of personal defense. In such a case, not only is the target much bigger and moves much more slowly, it needs a far different payload. It’s one thing to take down a 2 pound bird, it’s another to take down a 200# violent criminal actor. You still have to aim. A shotgun is not some “cloud of death”. The spread is not as vast as you think. In fact, you actually do NOT want your pellets to spread out because 1. less pellets on target means less ability to stop the attack, 2. less pellets on target means more pellets where you didn’t intend them to go, which could be bad.

I’ve written at length about rifle vs. shotgun, so just go read.

Let’s continue with Mr. Biden’s statements:

 “This town listens when people rise up and speak,” Biden said

I’m not sure what town he’s talking about. Lots of people are speaking in other ways, and then it’s not like y’all listen when it comes to other topics. It really sounds like you’re pushing a personal agenda.

Biden noted that “it’s not about keeping bad guns out of the hands of good people, it’s about keeping all guns out of the hands of bad people. There should be rational limits.”

Then I guess it’s just “collateral damage” that this also will keep the guns out of the hands of good people?

Or are we considered bad people too?

Mr. Biden, I am not sure upon what credentials you speak, but your words don’t make much sense.

I’ll just say this. If a double-barreled shotgun is all someone needs, then start by equipping your Secret Service detail with nothing but double-barreled shotguns. Your actions will speak far louder than your words.