beginnings

First blog post so quick introduction. I'm trying to put myself out there in the big world and show people who I am. Expression is not a quality I lack, just something I could be better at and blogging is a tool that will be used in the betterment process.

The goal of this blog is two fold. First, I would like to try to hold myself accountable for reading the bible. I don't have a fancy plan or any set schedule, but I will be starting in 1 Kings and try to have a small general discussion on what I read. Second, I would like to share and expand upon training, lifting, dieting, and other health ideas that take up the majority of my time; I continually develop knowledge both personally and professionally on the subject and I feel the time has come for me to start giving some of that knowledge back in what I'll call strength bits for now.

1 Kings 1-2

these chapters are about King David giving up his rule to his son Solomon. David is dying and must be decisive in giving his throne to Solomon because his older son Adonijah is making moves towards the throne. 

At a particular point (after Solomon is king and David is dead), Adonijah makes a request through Solomon through his mother. His request is for Abishag's hand in marriage and Solomon swiftly responds be rebuking his brother and putting him to death. I understood Solomon's decisiveness towards his brother, but not the motive for his harshness towards his brother. I looked up some information and came to this webpage http://www.spwickstrom.com/adonijah/. Essentially Abishag was the very last women (~property in a sense) welcomed into King David's house, and as the new king, Solomon had inherited everything from the previous king. Adonijah's request directly attacked Solomon's possessions and challenged his royal holdings, and since his brother had previously tried to take the throne from him, Solomon's response was severe.

The thing that struck me most clearly from the readings was Solomon's effectiveness at establishing his rule. he was both wise and swift in his decisions, setting a precedent for what is to come i'm sure and also give him credibility as the new leader of Israel; I believe in my own current life i need to act more swiftly on wisdom whether it is given or revealed to me. Adonijah's treachery and foolishness towards his brother also stood out and makes me think about my own perspective of the world and how my naivete can open me up to crushed expectations. 

 Strength Bit

First strength musing ever, what will it be? A friend and I were chatting today and discussing generalized motor programs/development, at least that's what i'm referring to it as. We had watched some olympic lifters make some impressive lifts on movements they did not train which made me think of strength development and transfer to athletic movement.

the idea of generalized motor program means that the body has set patterns for accomplishing movement goals or open-looped patterns. Modifications can be made as different force requirements or obstacles are encountered, however the idea of a set pattern is more important when considering transfer, especially in athletic movement. The idea as it applies to strength training can be thought of as performing the movement that has the most bang for its buck. movements that qualify as giving the most transfer need to have certain characteristics which I will attempt to identify:

1. they must emphasize position and posture.

2. they must capitalize on full body, fundamental human movements such as squatting and pulling.

3. acceleration/limb velocity patterns should mimic natural jumping or sprinting mechanics. 

I'm sure there are more but these are the most important i can think of off the top of my head. If you're giving or receiving lifting ques, chances are these cues are geared towards achieving these positions or movement goals. often cues fail to accomplish their goal as either the lifter or person giving the advice fail to grasp the positions and movements that are being attempted.

so much more could be said about the characteristics needed for movement transfer, but that can be saved for another day. I'll finish this up by going back to the olympic lifters. What they do is effective; they build their body's structurally, they practice basic movements such as squatting and pulling daily, and they move weight in a fashion that develop elite level acceleration and power. because of these things, when you see a weight lifter jump, sprint, stretch, do regular lifting, abs, etc they perform them exceptionally. on the downside, learning the lifts properly demands an exceptional amount of time and patience which is often why you see trainees doing modified lifts such as power cleans/snatches. additionally, some of the qualities developed through weightlifting are developed through sport practice, so athletes actively competing may need to spend their time in the gym accomplish other goals.

I kinda bounced around a bit. my main point is develop that generalized motor program. so recap squat and pull more with better technique, and always ALWAYS emphasize position and posture, no matter the movement.