Loneliness and Aloneness

I feel that being alone is something that I don't mind--and in many cases, is something I actively enjoy.  This typically invites people to look at me quizzically and say something like "Don't you get lonely?"  I DO get lonely (I am a human being after all) but loneliness and aloneness are completely unrelated.

Aloneness is simply the state of being by oneself--it is to be alone.  Personally I like being alone--having my own time to do the things that I want to do, talking to myself.  I'm not sure where this constant desire to be completely on my own comes from but its a constant desire--and one that I've ALWAYS had.

Loneliness on the other hand is the desire for company--it is not necessarily a function of the amount of people around you (you CAN feel lonely without being alone), but rather stems from the desire to relate to another human being on a personal level.

Even when I am completely alone I like to send a few  texts to my little brother and sisters, a quick phone call to my dad, an email to a friend, or a skype chat with my sweetheart--because as much as I love to be by myself--I like being able to reach out to someone who I knows cares about me--and that I care about in return.  After all, I am only human right?

Train with Ferocity

Once a long time ago I was asked how one should train.

At the time I was on the spot, as a totally amateur weight-trainer, and quite green so I had no qualifications to answer a question like this.  I firmly believe that weightlifting is the one area where you are allowed to strike down someone else's arguments with a simple "but I lift more than you so shut up" (see previous posts).

Back to my original story--I was asked how to train, or more specifically, how one should train their arms.  I ended-up mumbling something about performing exercises that train all heads of the biceps and triceps and making sure to perform them on the same day (or some antagonistic bull like that) and in the end I think I actually recommended that he perform Preacher Curls--I know right, ridiculous!  I guess that's a good way to show you how green I was...

I have JUST returned to weightlifting after taking a much-needed break.  Every once in a while after a stretch of consecutive weight training, it is important to take a week off--even if you don't feel tired yet--even if your weights are continuing to increase.  I tend to do this myself after eight to ten weeks of a program.  Last week was spent relaxing--catching up on my reading--and refocusing myself so I could really hit the weights HARD upon my return.

The thing is--you NEVER get a second chance--if you dog it on one set, you will never get that set back.  There are no do-overs with weightlifting; if you don't attack each set with everything you have, then you may as well stay home--because you're just taking up space.

I live a mile and a half from my gym--and the walk back takes me nearly an hour simply because I'm so spent.  On "squat day" I have to drag myself home, legs shaking--and it takes even longer.  This is a measure of a good workout in many cases.  It SHOULD be hard.  It SHOULD be heavy.

In the end there is only one answer to that question, "how should I train?"  You should always train with ferocity.

Expertice through Experience

Two weeks ago at MIT's gym (second-worst gym I've ever used) I was performing a Twisting Dumbell Shoulder Press from a Seated position where the seat-back wasn't perfectly straight--but rather one notch down--maybe at 100 degrees.  The committee is still out on what is the standard way of performing the movement--totally vertical is marked with stimulating more fibers of the shoulder while slightly declined allows fuller contraction at lockout and heavier weights.

Noting the fact that my bench wasn't at the 90 degree setting, some guy at the MIT gym approached me and told me that I would hit the shoulder with more intensity if I were to raise the seat back to 90 degrees.  He was not being rude--he was simply trying to offer a tip that seemed to work for him. 

He was visibly smaller as a whole with less-developed shoulders as a whole--and since he was doing the same thing on the other side of the gym I made note of his weights--30 pounds.  Not bad--for a beginner.

What do you do?

I very nicely told him that I was pressing 95 pounds in each hand and I would gladly listen to him when he reaches my level.

This is not rudeness on my part either--he honestly thought he had something to contribute and experience told me that he didn't.  The fact that his tip worked for him doesn't mean that he can instruct someone clearly out of his league--and likewise I would never try to correct someone else's bench press or abdominal work--because frankly I'm average on my best day in these areas. 

Even if you are certified as a trainer, there will always be some things that you are just plan unqualified to remark upon--if you've been a bodybuilder your whole life, it just makes no sense to instruct someone in powerlifting.  I do not run--I hate running with the heat of 1000 suns.  You will NEVER see me instructing anyone on cardiovascular work, so don't even ask.

As a result I would like to add a subheading to my "Three Laws of Weightlifting" in the category of etiquette. 

a) Thou Shalt not offer tips in an area where you are not an expert THROUGH EXPERIENCE.

So next time someone helpful wants to correct your method, it is safe to just go ahead and ask them how much weight they use--if they're not at your level you can go ahead and ignore them--tell them Ben said so.

Bad Costume Design, Flash

So E3 is upon us and its time for us all to be extremely cross and disappointed in the videogame industry.  I never quite understood hype--it seems to pass up incredibly good games (Kingdoms of Amalur, anyone?) for whatever new Call of Duty or Super Mario title shows its face.The way things work is a new title comes up, it's praised by the media and the fans for months, it comes out. and then everyone tries to convince themselves that it was worth all that spent energy...remember the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword?  Rubbish.  Remember Gears of War 3?  Preteen testosterone caricature nonsense...didn't answer any of the interesting questions the previous titles brought up.  That's another story.

This time its a DC Comics fighting game developed by the guys behind that Mortal Kombat reboot of a few years past called Injustice: Gods Among Us.  This title dares to ask that question that everyone else has been busy knowing the answer to all these years, "What would happen if superheroes went bad?"

You would think that a DC Comics-themed fighting game would be EXACTLY what I would want, you know, being such a Detective Comics fanboy and whatnot.  I am a current subscriber to seven of their monthly comic books and have a countless number of trade paperback collections.  I currently have a batman costume in my closet--I may actually end up wearing it by the time this post is done.

The first red flag that came up for me was the costume design for the Flash.  What's up with all those shoulder pads and moving pieces?  It's like someone started drawing him and then never stopped.  With all those hard edges and pockets and pieces sticking-off his frame, you would think that there would be a tremendous amount of drag huh?  Especially if he is running faster than light?

There's another thing--why are we even having this discussion anymore?  The Flash would win hands down.  How do you fight someone who can move and react faster than the speed of light?  He can literally dodge lasers!  You can't fight someone like that--there is no argument there.  Even if you do find a way to even the field (maybe by fighting on an ice rink?) he can vibrate through solid objects--what are you going to do?

In the Justice League of America arc: Tower of Babel, Ras al'Ghul finds a way to take every member of the Justice League out of commission with incredible efficiency--he causes Martian Manhunter to erupt into flames do to small magnesium bugs, makes Aquaman develop a fear of water, blinds the Green Lantern, etc.  As it were, this is all from Batman's files--since Bruce Wayne is so paranoid he has developed a contingency plan for every member of the League just in case they go bad some day.

His solution for the Flash was a special bullet designed to attach itself to the spine when it senses the Flash trying to vibrate through it--this bullet causes the Flash to experience seizures at light speed.

My point?  Unless the "X" button on the controller is mapped to "Use the Special Vibrating Bullet", No one has a chance against this guy.

NOT excited about this title--going back to play more Kingdoms of Amalur.

Why I Won't Talk to You at Night

People (most of them women and wanting attention) often ask me why I don't like to tell them about my day.

When I come home after a day of work, this is what I do: take my pants off, cook dinner, eat while watching a funny show/monster movie/"Farscape" rerun, play videogames, go to sleep.  Nowhere in that list is the word: talk.

In these times it’s not like I’m upset or angry or frustrated with anything—I am just plain tired and I don’t care to talk about anything.  There is nothing wrong with me—I’m just spent.  If I respond with one-word answers without asking any questions about how your super-duper big presentation went, it’s not that I don’t care about it—it’s just that I literally have no words left in me to spend.
 
My theory is that everyone has a certain number of words (and this statistic is unique to them) that they can say each day before they have to expend willpower to actually talk.  This isn’t any crystal-healing-chi-yoga-nonsense either, I’m positive of the science.  Have you ever realized how tired you are after a day you spend catching-up with friends?  It’s absolutely exhausting to be so happy.  In general, being energetic and talkative for a significant amount of time expends a tremendous amount of energy!

So—if you had a great day and you just can’t wait to tell me all about it—please, go ahead and tell me all about your awesome adventures.  Just because I respond with a smile and a grunt of approval doesn’t mean that you’re not interesting.  And besides, sometimes that grunt of approval means just as much to me—the one giving it out—as the biggest hug you could get.

Three Undeniable Laws of Weightlifting

I have a few interesting weightlifting-science posts running around my head that I want to get to, but in order to go through with them I need to throw some hardcore science out there least they make little sense.

In weight-training, I like to use a mathematical term called the "inflection point" to describe when the force on one muscle group transfers to a different, typically antagonistic muscle group (this is because the classical definition of an inflection point is that it describes when the slope change in a graphed curve goes from positive to negative or vice-versa).

The way the human form works with respect to musculo-skeletal (DEFINITELY just made that word up) work is that the absolute maximum range of motion for a particular joint cannot exceed 180 degrees of arc.  In practice, this arc varies from muscle group to muscle group and averages-out to be something closer to 150 degrees or less.  Furthermore, in many cases, this arc-range should be limited for safety reasons--for example, it is both impractical and sometimes dangerous for your knees if you perform a squat  from 0 degrees (legs at lockout) down past 100 degrees (10 degrees past parallel).

When choosing exercises, it is typically prudent to choose motions that maximize the amount of strain on a particular muscle group--and given that each repetition can only travel over a certain arc, it is important to optimize the both of these (in most cases) in parallel.

Now the way that force is generated is through gravity, whose direction is always down (even in the case of a stack-and-pin cable which uses pulleys to change the imminent direction of pull).  Muscular strain works against gravity in order for force to be generated--and this force is affected by weight (mass) and acceleration, (which is a vector quantity--that is, it is a value that is directionally dependent) F=mA.  Given both this AND the factoid that each repetition can ONLY be performed over an arc of 150 degrees, it is obvious that the bulk of your range of motion should be performed such that the force on the muscle is maximized with respect to gravity.

Furthermore, I would like to point out that muscular contraction and force is minimized around the aforementioned inflection points just because force is being transferred rather than focused. There is NEVER a reason to do an exercise that works both the bicep and the tricep at the same time--you're just poorly optimizing the 150 degrees you have available to you.

So, here are my THREE UNDENIABLE LAWS OF WEIGHTLIFTING:

1) Thou shalt never take a set off. (Strength Optimization)
2) Thou shalt perform all repetitions optimized with respect to both force and arc-range. (Range-Of-Motion Optimization)
3) Thou shalt avoid inflection points at all times. (Form Optimization)

A Few of My Favorite Things

Because I am currently running the risk of having this page turn into a health and fitness blog (which is just one step above a Wellness blog), its time for me to write about something else.

So its time for me to list off a few of my favorite things in what will be the first iteration of:

Meathead Post #1

 I recently finished week 4 of AST's MAX-OT weightlifting program, so its time for me  to be a meathead and to evaluate my progress and change the regimen.  I have done this program before--in late 2010, and since I am a packrat who never throws out his workout logs, I can compare my progress across the years.  For once my destructive habits are useful!  YAY!

As it were, it looks like I am stronger in every muscle group across all exercises EXCEPT THE BICEPS.  For these it looks like I'm more-or-less the same. EDIT: Just ran the calculation, I've had a 1.6% increase.

So overall this is a pretty exciting time--I didn't break my Deadlift Personal Record on this cycle (405 lbs. for 8 reps), but I was able to experiment a little between styles.  I typically perform them Sumo-style, but tried classic deadlifts this time.  These both target the same muscle groups--hamstrings, quads, erector spinae--the difference is that with the regular deadlift, the sticking point (the most difficult part of the exercise--where the repetition is most often failed) is about 3-4 inches above the ground, and with sumo-style 'lifts, it is on the ground.  For shorter people--like myself--this sticking point is incredibly small, so naturally the sumo deadlift is my method of choice--but it was good to go outside of my comfort zone this cycle.

It looks like in the upcoming cycle I'll be doing a lot of pullups...also I should use this opportunity to reassess strict form on my Bent-Over Rows--which have been sloppy recently.  I'll have to find an alternative to the Seated Military Press since THERE IS NO WAY TO PERFORM A SEATED BARBELL PRESS AT MIT'S GYM.  Which is totally ridiculous to me to be blunt.

---------------------
Also remember that since it is the first Saturday in May, today is Free Comic Book Day for participating stores.

Going Primal

Yes, as the title states I just recently started trying that popular primal diet/way-of-living/thing and am currently on day 7.  Yeah  I cheated a little at the start--I'm terrible at starting something "hot turkey" (because there is no reason that "stopping cold turkey" can be a thing while "starting hot turkey" cannot--tell your friends) but it looks like I'm doing great now. 

 

For those of you who either live under a bridge or just plain don't care enough to learn about these things, the "Primal Diet" (that link is the best outline there is) is a variation of another lifestyle called "Paleo"--the ideas of which promote eating habits that mimic those of the cavemen.  You are allowed as much meat and veg and fish (but seriously, who likes fish anyways?) as you want, but no grains, sugar, and limited dairy intake.  The idea is to avoid processed foods--steering towards natural sources of fats and proteins.  Oh--and you can eat nuts too...but not fruit because it's too sugary.

Recently I woke-up with a splitting headache--feeling loathsome in general.  I have been incredibly tired as a whole as well--which my father (the certified personal trainer and dietician) attributes to a "sugar withdrawal"...sounds like black magic to me too.  My dad is very gifted as a trainer and diet counselor but whenever he tells me about something crazy like "sugar withdrawal" I remember that this is coming from a man who doesn't believe in the lunar landing and go on my way.

The Obligatory Introduction Post

The prologue of a story is in many ways the most important part--it sets the stage and the tone for everything to come.  In many ways a prologue can either make or break a story entire.  Now I am not so pretentious to describe my daily goings-on as some sort of epic, nor the stuff I think about to even be worth a story, but my philosophy is that if you're going to do something--you do it right the first time.  As master Yoda said, "there is no try--do" (paraphrased of course).

So this is the obligatory introductions post where I talk about who I am and, more importantly, why you should care.  So...

My name is Ben, or Benjamin, or Benny if you're feeling smart.  I love bad horror movies, talking about metaphysics, and red Starbursts.  I currently live in Cambridge outside Boston.  A lot of the people I know would love to live in this area, but I don't like it here--and I'm not quite sure why yet.  I love reading, lifting weights, and vanilla ice cream with peanut butter in it.  I have an M.S. in Physics, but my three major interests are writing short stories, paleontology, and astrobiology (my undergraduate degree is technically Applied Physics with a concentration in Astrobiology).  Despite all this, my idea of a "best day ever" would probably involve an early morning work out, an excellent book (currently I'm reading A Clash of Kings), and a nap--and I'd probably like to end the day by ordering a pizza (extra sauce, mushrooms, and meatballs of course) and watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Farscape reruns.

Now as far as the "why you should care" part is concerned I believe that is something best left for experience rather than explanation.  I won't promise that you will care at all--or even that I will be updating this page as often as I would like...

...this is usually the place where I would put a "...but..." and go on to offer something cute to convince you to read on, but who am I to do anything that is expected of me?

...puppies...puppies are cute.