updates

062613

clean + 2 front squats + jerk

muscle up/handstand practice

062813

AM Session

back Squats

- 3 reps every minute on the minute, 10 rounds

deficit deadlift

- Standing on 4 inch deficit, one deadlift every 30 seconds, 10 reps

metcon:

20-15-10-5

KB swings 70/53

burpees

PM session

 snatch complex

- muscle snatch + hang (full) from knees, every minute on the minute, 10 rounds

clean and jerk complex

- power clean + hi hang (full) + split jerk, every minute on the minute, 10 rounds

handstand work

volume on muscle ups > 30 reps

062513 plus play time

AM session

incline bench 3x3, last set rep-out

weighted chest to bar pullups 5x5
-5 sets with weight

push press
-triples working up to heavy set with good form. can rep out last set if feeling good


PM session

metcon: 5 RFT

5 power cleans @ 185#
10 close grip bench @ 145#
15 calorie row
2 min rest



Strength Bit: PLAY!

I work at crossfit gym, and a lot of the people I spend time with invest a lot of energy into working out. Recently I've been wondering if this investment is forced or if they enjoy the process. I guess I assume that people enjoy this self inflicted form of torture because I certainly do, but what if their fitness was forced. what if this aspect of their life was just one more check mark on their busy schedule that needs to be marked off?

I reflect on my schedule and realize while that I enjoy the process, my workouts are fairly obsessive and my day can be ruined if I miss a workout or have a lack luster session. additionally, i've realized that I have all this awesome capacity, but i never apply it. I can lift weight, move well, and keep going but i rarely apply my fitness to something more fun and entertaining.

In an attempt to embrace balance, I've been allocating days where i focus on recovery and fun activities. for the last couple weeks, I've been having a day where i just go swim for fun. If i feel like doing a couple sprints or practice holding my breath or just walking around and laying out afterwards I go for it. I avoid timing myself and try to keep the pressure off and just enjoy the time in the sun and water. On the weekends i've also been trying to do something recreational rather than doing a structured workout. whether this means i go for hike or go for another swim, I don't know but I just try to get out and move about.

This idea of unstructured, free time activities was an inspiration after reading and watching some material from Idol portal and some crossfitters, namely andrea ager. these individuals encourage "play time" and i'm beginning to see this as a very important aspect of my fitness and well being. And heck, its fun! So this was a bit of a rant, but really i'm just try to have more fun and apply my fitness. I'm also trying to encourage those around me to do the same and see what can come of this.

062413

AM session

Front squat 3x5
- First squat session of three week phase, expect to move up weight next three weeks

PM session

3 position snatch
- top down, keep the bar in your hands the entire time: hi hang, hang from knees, 2 in above ground
- heaviest possible


NOT for time
a) 100m sled drag, heavy (50 forward, 50 backward)
b) ME muscle up attempt
c) 12 toe to bar

062313

062313

mobility work

rowing intervals.
- :30 work/ :30 rest for 20 mins, moderate pace

062213

062113

hard day with a lot of work involved, but tends to be fun

AM sessions

Back squats
-3 reps with 65-75% of you max, EMOM for 10 sets

Deficit deadlifts
-1 rep every 30 secs, 10 reps total


PM session

muscle snatch
-heaviest single possible

power clean + hi hang (full) + push press
- 10 sets EMOM, around 80% of max clean and jerk

metcon (for time):
21 KB snatch Left, 21 KB snatch right, 21 burpees
15, 15, 15,
9, 9, 9


62213

active recovery

swim optional, practice breath holding skills, single breath distance swim.

6.20.13

yesterday's workout...

6.19.13

clean double +jerk

-try to build up to at least 90% of max

a) handstand practice (max shoulder touches)

b) 12 T2B

c) 5 oh squats, heaviest possible

- :30 to :60 rest between sets

easy row

- :30w / :30r for 10-15 mins or moderate distance and maintain medium pace.

6.20.13

rest day

optional: 1000 yard swim, or just walking in a pool.

spend minimum 1 hr stretching and mobilizing.

061813

Strength bit: Coaching

An important aspect of training is the hands on element were a coach is able to foster a rapport with their athlete and in turn know their strength and weaknesses. Once established, this athlete-coach relationship allows for coaches to get the most out of their athletes because they accurately monitor the intensity given by the athlete as well as make better adjustments, or tailor the program when needed.

Recently I've been asked to write programs for people, or I am asked what I do for my workouts. While it would be nice to be paid, these situations would probably produce OK results at best because I am unable to coach all these people in person. Also, people tend to mess programs up unless active coaching is involved because they often do not understand the program and often do not apply the appropriate intensity.

So i'm going to just start putting my workouts here in this blog. Hopefully this will encourage me to update strength bits more frequently, and hopefully get back to reading my bible again (you know, internets accountability). Additionally, if people ask what my program is they can follow along, but if they mess it up its on them. With that said, questions are welcome.

061813

am workout

some hip stretches and upper body mobility

incline bench
- 3x5 80-85% max, last set rep out

weighted Strict chest to bar pullups
-5x5

jerk supports
- build up to 3-5 heavy singles with ~110% max jerk


pm workout

ankle and hip mobility/distraction

power clean EMOM 10 sets of 2 reps

intended on doing bench press and row for calorie intervals but ended up doing gym wod instead: http://districthcrossfit.com/#!/wod/tuesday-june-18-2013

3.15.2013

Strength Bit

My brains a bit scattered right now as I write this post, probably because I have a lot of lifting related things on my mind right now. First and foremost I did a deadlift session this week for shits and giggles and also threw my wife a curveball and let her test her max. Needless to say she did not disappoint and once again stole the show with a 14# PR, 2.5x bodyweight, 300# deadlift - raw dog. Beast mode activated:

It's true, she serves as an inspiration to all the ladies and gentlemen out there, myself included. I suspect she'll be knocking on the 315# door in a couple of months.

Another thing on my mind is a good friend is about to get his smolov test day on and I can't help but feel like a parent watching their child step up to perform, knowing i'll be proud of him regardless of how he does. I'm not taking credit for his lifts, just saying i significantly contributed to him doing the routine to begin with, in a peer pressure kind of way. Peer pressure is kind of my super power. Additionally i know how much hard freakin work goes into completing this squat program, so whatever he PRs with he definitely deserves it. Although, so help me if this dude beats me on my squat PR, I will probably belt up right then and there and in a blind rage of fury crush me some squats which would be a fairly stupid idea, but sometimes you just have to throwdown. 

Final thought, I'm starting a Strength focused class at my crossfit gym to get all them yo pros strong. Most of them have an endurance-y background so getting them stronger will be a fairly straight forward project. However it's my first official crossfit class and I get to control programming and a WOD so i'm kind of excited, like first day of school excited.  I'll be basing the workouts off a conjugate style approach, and keeping their metcons fairly short and focused. The class will be a different vibe than what their used to, but it'll be fun. 

3.9.2013

Strength Bit

quick workout update:  i've been getting back into my olympic lifts lately after a frustrating winter break and some injuries that have popped up, but i feel my strength coming back around, and  hit a fairly solid weight in a snatch complex, definitely personal best range. The complex  was a simple, full snatch + hang full, here's my best lift at 175:

I have a bad tendency to leap forward; not sure if technique flaw or result of lifting form. One thing is for sure I need to get better extension in my knees and i think this will help my jumping forward problem. I'm also not as stable in the bottom as i have been in the past, but I feel that stability will come back as I get back into snatching more frequently.

I definitely feel stronger than I have in the past during my snatch work, just not as accurate and stable in the hole. I have a long standing competition to beat a good friend to a 100kg snatch, and I feel in a couple weeks I may be close to that goal. My friend may beat me to it though as he has recently and successfully completed a strength cycle for his squats and I foresee his olympic lifts jumping quickly once he reestablishes his groove. 

On lifting partners:

lifting partners can be a crucial component towards making progress. The competitive atmosphere can push you to break barriers that you may have been tentative to approach on your own. However, they can also cause you to push past reasonable work loads which could lead to injury.

within my experience I have made the best gains when my lifting partners were significantly  stronger than me. Their advanced level of development help to put my own  goals in perspective and help me to push appropriately, rather than be over competitive and just try to crush them continuously and in turn just crush myself.

3.1.2013

well, I fell of the boat on my bible reading this week which is truly unfortunate. I've been getting used to a new work schedule with hours all over the place and my sleep schedule even more erratic, so it's been hard for me to take control of my free time. This isn't really an excuse, just some insight into my life. I need to get back to reading.

Strength Bit: Movement (Ido Portal)

Ido Portal is an internet guru of sorts whose specializes in movement. He has a background in capoeira but admittedly dabbles in gymnastics, weightlifting and other forms of martials arts. I'm going to tell it to you straight - this guy is a mad scientist and moves with grace, precision, and clarity. Here is some highlights from an interview he did recently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLogFAbTlDI

The vid is short and well worth the watch. Over the course of his interview he lays down some seriously profound wisdom. I mean, the first snippet is him saying he practices movement and not fitness, which quickly guides us towards his perspective. 

His essential philosophy is that we move for the sake of movement, that our human brains are meant to process and develop complex movement patterns. This suggestion is truly beautiful. Often we see individuals working out, practicing yoga, performing martial arts, and dancing with other people. time and time again, especially with exercise, people ask why perform this movement? why push your body to various limits? what's the goal? what's the purpose? How fantastic an idea is it that we move for the sake of movement itself; movement is what we are meant to do and it's a form of expression. Movement gives insight about a person and shows their inner spirit. 

This relates to a movie I watched the other day called Man On Wire. The movie is about a french tight rope walker who traversed the gap between the twin towers in New York on a tight rope and his fantastic journey towards that feat. After he performed the stunt, he was prodded to answer one simple question: why? His answer baffled the world. he did it because he could - walking that tight rope was an expression of himself and that walk between the towers was the ultimate form of his self expression. How awesome is that. It's so pure, so elegant. I implore anyone who has not seen this movie to check it out. 

I guess the point of this post is my recommendation that you move for the sake of movement. Realize that when you move, you are extending yourself into the world, expressing yourself in a very primal way. recognize your own self expression and let whatever movement you prefer to do develop you and grow you as a person. 

2.22.2013

2 Kings 1-8

honestly I've just enjoyed reading the beginning of 2 Kings. It's very story like in nature with Elijah and Elisha performing miracles left and right, getting taken to heaven and a fiery chariot, and in general just being awesome. If anything it's just interesting to read. 

The passage that has stuck out the most was the Shunammite woman and her hospitality towards Elisha. Be gracious to guest of my home has always been important to me, probably because my mom always strove to feed people copious amounts of food when they came over, so I strive to be equally generous in my own handling of guests. My father in law is also very gracious to myself an my wife when we spend time with her family, and I admire his generosity and example. I appreciated how the Shunammite woman was blessed for her actions, but more than anything, her example was more of a conviction for me to continue to try and be generous when people come to my house, whether it is to hangout or stay for a while. 

Strength Bit: Foundation

No this is not a review on Isaac Asimov's awesome sci fi series, although I will say the title reminded me of the series and I shamelessly recommend it right now. If you have any interest in or appreciation of sci fi, taking a look at this series is a must.

Sorry for the side track. Recently I've been exposed to a crossfit gym environment and have had a really good experience thus far. They seek quality and diverse coaching, leading them to bring me in as a new coach because my background differs from your typical homegrown crossfit trainer.

In my experience, a concern I have with the crossfit and general fitness community is that the population they cater to demand quick results and the ability to perform highly skilled movements. Good gyms and coaches scale appropriately  but often times clients can be impatient. They want to be able to snatch when they don't have the mobility to do a proper bw squat or they want to bust out 20 kipping pullups when they don't have the strength to do 2-3 strict pullups. 

unfortunately these people often miss the point they need a foundation in which to be able to perform these movements. for example, if you have not developed the strength to do a couple of ring dips, trying to perform a ring muscle up will not only be a frustrating task, but a possibly injurious one. This concept applies to many movements.

An ideal situation would be to establish a base level of mobility and strength before throwing these individuals into fairly demand workouts. The deal breaker for most is not the difficulty of developing this base, but the time involved. developing the mobility to squat properly can take weeks to months assuming no pre-existing injuries or restrictions exist. likewise, developing a previously sedentary individuals ability to perform 3-5 strict pullups takes an equally length amount of time. 

I feel my job in the near future will be to stress the importance of a solid foundation to new clients and how it will take them much further in the long run and will keep them healthier. also, having a solid foundation makes it much easier to develop challenging skills and learning skills becomes fun and rewarding rather than frustrating and debilitating. 

My point is build a foundation and be patient about. Developing strength and fitness is never ending, enjoy the process and take your time with it, eventually you'll get better and be rewarded accordingly.

2.16.2013

1 Kings 19-22

These chapters chronicle the events that occur during Ahab's rule over Israel. There are three main characters to look at; Elijah is the last prophet of God left under Ahab's rule, Ahab is the king of Israel, and Jezebel is Ahab's wife. Jezebel is one bad woman and is responsible for the slaughter of all the Lord's prophets save Elijah. Her affect on Ahab's rule has help continue Israel's downward spiral. 

As mentioned previously Elijah is on the scene and decides to stand up to the false worship that is running rampant in Israel by confronting the false prophets at mount Carmel. The Lord consumes Elijah's sacrifice in fire from heaven while all the false prophets flail and appeal to their false deities in vain. As a result, Elijah slaughter's the false prophets on the spot.

After this point, as spiritual battle rages between Jezebel and Elijah. On one hand Jezebel pushes sin and general corruption while Elijah pushes repentance. Even Elijah must deal with and overcome the fear and doubt caused by Jezebel's threats. Ultimately God condemns Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab realizes all the crap he and has wife has pulled at expense of the people of Israel and God, and he proceeds to humble himself and submit himself to the Lord. The Lord takes pity on him and says it is not Ahab who will suffer but his children.

What I took from this passage that everyone suffers from spiritual warfare, both the "good" like Elijah and the misdirected and corrupt like Ahab. More importantly, Christians can always put their faith and god and stand against negative influence and sin as represented in Jezebel. Or even if we fallen to our lowest point, we can humble ourselves and repent and God will be merciful in the case of Ahab.

Strength Bit: Consistency

This is a quick rant. I work really hard to achieve goals, especially workout related goals. Then freaks come along that just make me shake my head and wonder what it is i'm doing wrong with my life. Point and case, Rich Froning. Trains so many different movements and components of fitness and has an inhuman work capacity. The guy freakin snatches 300lbs in NANOS and at 190lbs. Sometimes I wonder why I try

But I digress. There's something to be said about consistency and not the kind of consistency where you show up to work on time everyday. I'm talking about those special individuals that constantly plug away at a goal with the kind of relentless patience that is defined by tenacious doggedness. This kind of character and drive often requiring assistance and push from outside influences.

If you want to accomplish something fitness related do not give up. Always try to get better and keep plugging away at your goal. Look at it from different angles, look for ways to improve, get better coaching; always attack and strive for progress. 

2.10.2013

1 Kings 13-18

These series a of chapters show goes through a series of kings a shows Israel's general down hill tumble into pagan worship, civil war, and corrupt leadership. This all began with Solomon allowing and encouraging his wives to worship other gods. 

towards the end of this series, God finally sends Elijah the prophet to kinda shake some sense into the people. Elijah starts performing miracles and glorifying the lord will simultaneously discrediting all the false gods that have taken a foothold in Israel.

Elijah/the Lord's intervention and wake up call is exactly what was needed. sometimes, we get caught up in sin so much that we don't even know what is going on until we are shaken and shown the errors of our ways. For Israel, God's method of waking them up is Elijah the prophet. in our own lives, constant study of God's word and our relationship with God and other christians are what serve to be our wake up calls when we need them. this passage made me think a lot about accountability, but also about looking at my life and trying to recognize my own places in my life where i am oblivious to failings and sin. 

 Strength Bit: On Mentors/Coaches

Probably the very best way to become stronger or more successful is to have those who are better than you coach and guide you. In my own training, I have had periods where I made friends who were significantly stronger and more skilled than me and i made an effort to follow their lead by lifting and eating like they do and trying to understand their thought process, cues, programming and anything else that could possible make them be good at what they do. When I am fortunate enough to be in these situations, I generally progress leaps and bounds over what i would normally be accomplishing on my own efforts.

perfect example is for the longest time i have been trying to figure out a way to get my cleans off my hips more than my mid thigh so i get a higher pull and a more powerful hip vs. upper body drive. Today I had the opportunity to lift with a friend who is also a good/competitive weightlifter. After 15-30 mins of dicking around, he was able to make a few simple cues and points that instantly improved my clean and allowed me to understand how to get it into my hips better. the funny part was it also set me up better for my jerk.

My point of this fairly quick post is if you want to be good or at least better at something, find someone who is talented in the area you want to be good at and listen to/hangout with them. chances are you'll get improve quickly and save yourself a lot of time and grief. 

2.5.2013

1 Kings 7-12

These passages start off with Solomon becoming one of the richest kings the world has ever known. if something can be made of gold or something else lavish and expensive, it will be made. Temple filled with Gold? check. Throne of ivory and gold? check. cups made of gold? check. Silver as common as rock and pebbles?  you bet.

Unfortunately, despite knowing better and having been warned, Solomon starts allowing the worship of other gods and builds temples for them. he does this because he has many wives who are foreign and worshiped these gods before they came to Israel to be with Solomon, and Solomon is just trying to please his wives. Two things that struck me from this is that one, the people/person you are closest to have a huge impact on you so you should be careful who you let close to your heart, especially if you are planning on marrying that person. gives credence to the phrase "equally yoked." 

Second, Solomon had like 700 wives. That's crazy. A couple weeks ago my church sunday school discussed how polygamy was accepted in the bible as a culture necessity for having a work force for your family estate and having enough children so at least some of them survive so you bloodline can live on. However, polygamy is never mentioned in a positive light and often leads to rivalry and disputes between different wives and children, often tearing up a household. Point and case, Solomon's many wives impacted him negatively and encourage him to sin against god, which may have been prevented if he had chosen and stuck with some nice little Israeli girl. In turn, God decides Israel will be split up, become weaker, and in general just deal with a lot of other problems from the outside world.

Inspired tangent: cultural purity and national strength often go hand in hand. If a nation's people can be rallied behind a constant belief or idea that does not get diluted in the process, that nation can become and maintain itself as a powerful force to be reckoned with. Exhibit A: America. America has long been unified by the ideals of freedom and liberty which has made America one of the most powerful nations in the world. there are obviously other factors involved, but as America matures as a nation, slight changes to the core values are constantly happening, and overtime I feel are country has become weakened not by necessarily "bad" changes, but changes that take away from that strong unified core and make us more derisive towards ourselves.

Strength Bit: On Smolov

Smolov is a high volume/frequency squatting program whose intensity ramps up in a dramatic fashion. I'm not going to go over the specifics of Smolov, just my personal experiences with it. Here's a link to an actual description of the workout: smolov squat cycle

I'll start of by stating you have to be a bit sadistic to attempt this program. Seriously, Smolov is one of the most physically grueling programs you can possibly attempt. You're not even sore so much as you just ache and are physically and mentally exhausted all the time.

With the crazy factor accounted for, i'll go on and say that Smolov works. you keep getting more fatigued, stairs become your greatest enemy, yet somehow you get under the bar and you are able to squat the prescribed weight. some of the craziest gains i've ever had, regardless of training age, exercise, etc have been on Smolov. I'm not just restricting myself to squats gains which were outrageous, but other lifts i barely practiced while doing smolov. For example, my last attempt at smolov gave me a 30lb PR on both my overhead squat and bench press with only maintenance training during the squat program (weights on exercises >50% on overhead squats and >80% on bench).

some personal points:

• I've completed the Base cycle three times.
• I've only attempted the Intense Cycle once (failed)
• i've never been able to maintain the gains i've made post squat cycle

these points are important because they show how hard this program is. The first time I tried smolov, I was a fairly novice squatters so I did not attempt the program any further after the base because I felt my squat only improved because my squat kept getting higher and higher. the second time i squatted off a box to keep my depth constant, however i did not continue because i was pretty crushed physically and i felt that i was starting to rebound off the box too much.

My last attempt at Smolov I approached differently. Tired of unsatisfying results and being a more seasoned lifter, i had a plan. first rule, use 3 rep max(with belt) as Smolov max. i wasn't about to get crushed this time around. Second rule, no belt ever; i knew i needed my core to get strong and that i needed my whole body to develop without any aid. those two rules set in stone, I was now a permanent ass to grass squatter and had long forgone half squats and box squats. I had also been squatting 3x a week before starting and felt ready physically. I went hard to the paint and attacked the sum' bitch like i had nothing to loose.

my plan worked phenomenally. while difficult, i tested with a belt and was rewarded with a 30lb all time pr on my squat max and a 50 lb pr on what had been my current max just prior to smolov. I was stoked. other exercises i tested showed exceptional improvement and i became incredibly motivated to attack the intense cycle. probably too motivated; this is where i made mistakes. my enthusiasm caused me to use the test max as my actual max for the intense phase which in turn forced me to start using a belt.

The Intense phase was insane. I set crazy PRs for myself every workout, but only lasted 4 workouts. during the 4th workout i had to do a one set of 3, and then 2 sets of 4 with a given weight. i hit the first set of three, ground out the first set of 4, then went down for my first rep on the last set and could not stand up. i was toast. my low back had been getting outrageous pumps from using the belt. at the end of this particular workout i could not bend over, much less barely stand. That was the point i quit Intense phase.

it took me about week before i decided to do any squatting and another week before i decided to to any real weight with my lower body. my gains didn't actually disappear as quickly as they had at previous smolov attempts. for the next couple of months i was able to continue hitting rep PRs at various weights and hit new personal bests on the snatch and clean and jerk. 

In all i would rate my last smolov attempt as success overall because i did get much stronger and eventually lost strength do to non workout related reasons. 

Advice for those who would want to attempt this program:

1. > 90% of your max (intense phase use ~90% of retested max) or use beltless max
2. no belt ever
3. eat, sleep, and recover like it's your job
4. common sense stuff, like you don't need to be running or deadlifting or any other stupid ideas.

Chances are i will attempt smolov again. At this point it's a challenge for me to not only complete the program, but maintain/improve upon the gains i make from it. 

2.1.2013

1 Kings 3-6

In these passages, Solomon strongest trait wisdom is shown and rewarded. Solomon pray to the lord for wisdom and understanding so that he will be able to lead his people well. The Lord is pleased by this request and promises to grant Solomon not only wisdom, but also all the things he did not ask for such as wealth, prosperity, longevity, etc.

Solomon soon begins construction on the temple of God. By doing so he fulfills God's promise to David, and also reaffirms the beneficial relationship between Israel and Tyre, or himself and King Hiram. He asks Hiram to help him build the temple of the lord, keeping relations between the two kinds countries solid. 

one thing i took from the readings is that Solomon's prayer can be used as an example for all christians. often prayer can be misused asking for things we think we need or things we want rather than virtues such as wisdom or patience. interestingly, virtues help develop us as a person; virtues build character. On the other hand, asking for personal things is only momentarily gratifying and does not help in building character.

the second item is that Solomon was very wise to continue Israel's peaceful relationship with Hiram. his relationship with Hiram reflects the relationship between a christain and non christian. in the passage, their friendship literally allows God glory to be seen in the form of the temple, and likely converted many to believing in Solomon's God, perhaps even Hiram.

Strength Bit

today in my workout i did pause squats (back squats). my definition of a pause squat is a pause at the bottom to minimize recoil out of the bottom. I use them to practice for olympic lifts and my ability to maintain tightness in the bottom position of the squat. Position are posture are critical for squatting, and even more critical for olympic lifts. 

When i do pause squats (front or back) i generally build up to a triple, double, or single. I try my best to stay away from failure, generally if i hit a conservative PR, or hit a solid weight with good speed i'll shut it down and continue on with the workout. 

Pause squats are good exercise, if you're looking for variation and a lower intensity (weight wise) exercise, give them a shot.

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.