Workout - Splosion

A little over two weeks ago, I shared my plans for workouts leading up until a couple days ago. We're now in the process of repeating those 14 days of workouts (making some changes along the way to keep things fun, of course). We're now back to a workout that I named "Splosion". I took a couple exercise ideas for pushups and squats that I found somewhere online (I forget where) and added in some single-arm kettlebell clean and presses. We've enjoyed the workout so much that I figured I'd share it here. Check it out below:

Splosion

3 RFT (rounds-for-time)

- 20 pushups, 10 second plank, 4 clap/plyo pushups

- 20 squats, 10 second hold in mid-squat position, 4 jump squats

- 34 single-arm KB C&P (17 per arm, alternating)

This workout is lots of fun. It's short and sweet but still hits some major muscle groups (it made us sweat pretty good as well). The combination of static holds before explosive movements as well as the round finishing move of the KB clean and press makes the workout a bit more challenging than it sounds, but it's still accessible to pretty much anyone with a decent level of fitness. Definitely get in a good warm-up before you do the workout. 

If you want to try Splosion but don't have clap pushups yet, then try a plyo pushup (push to the top of the pushup position quickly and let your fingers leave the ground a little bit). Also, a dumbbell could easily be used in place of a kettlebell for the C&Ps.

Three rounds of these exercises will definitely get you sweaty. We're in the 11 to 12 minute range right now, but are looking to take that down to 8-10 minutes. If you try this workout, let me know and tell me your time!

Young Einstein (1988)

Albert Einstein: Dad, I want to be a physicist.

Mr. Einstein: What do they grow, son?

Albert Einstein: They don't grow anything.

Mr. Einstein: Well what's the use of them then?

In 1988, a then little-known Australian man who had his name changed to Yahoo Serious came to short-lived fame globally due to the release of a film he wrote, directed, and starred in. That film was Young Einstein and it remains my favorite film to this day. 

Young Einstein is an imagined myth of the life of Albert Einstein, but, in this tale, Einstein is a young Tasmanian apple farmer's son who discovers the theory of relativity while figuring out how to split a "Tasmanian beer atom" (to put bubbles into beer, ya know) and who falls in love with Marie Curie (in the end saving Curie and many others from gruesome deaths due to a massive atomic bomb, which Einstein has to defuse by playing roll-and-rock music). Okay, I know that sounds like a bit much. Maybe you'd dig the trailer for the film. Check it out:

Okay, so it's an older film now and the trailer doesn't really do it justice. The film is definitely visually stunning for the time when it was produced. The overall story isn't going to drive anyone to tears or impact your life greatly (unless you see it as a child and think that Albert Einstein was really a Tasmanian who split beer atoms - as has been the case for some people). However, the wittiness of the film and the awesome 80s rock score will certainly keep any of us who are past our tweens amused. You should definitely check out Young Einstein. It won't be the worst 1.5 hours of your life. Maybe drink while you watch it, though.

I personally love Young Einstein. It's the first film that I fully remember seeing. I was 5 years old when it came out. My parents took me to the theater to see it. I went home that night and tried to build a guitar (which didn't pan out, but later my mom helped me build a shoebox guitar which actually worked a bit). Young Einstein impacted me as a young person as it helped me to wonder about how we can re-imagine the lives of great scientists and inventors while having some fun along the way. It helped me to formulate my earliest stories. I still watch it at least once a year. Surely due to the nostalgia, but also because it's a really fun movie.
I'll close with this, the dedication to the real Albert Einstein that is offered at the very end of the film, just before the credits roll:

Young Einstein is dedicated to a genius, a rebel, a pacifist, an eccentric with a clowning sense of humour who once remarked about his own theories:

"...I never thought that others would take 

them so much more seriously than I did." 

Albert Einstein 1879-1955

Climb the Mountain

Climb the Mountain, by sunrise666 at Deviant Art

“Climb the mountain 

not to plant your flag, 

but to embrace the challenge, 

enjoy the air and behold the view. 

Climb it so you can see the world, 

not so the world can see you.”

- David McCullough Jr.

"Dune - Leto II, Transformation" - artwork by Andrew Ryan

Here's a piece of beautiful artwork by Andrew Ryan (username AndrewRyanArt at Deviant Art). This illustration shows the transformation of Leto Atreides II, the son of Paul Atreides and the God Emperor of Dune within the Dune Universe. In this fictional world, Leto II transforms from prescient human to sandworm. Ryan's artwork showing part of this transformation is a bit different than what I figured when reading the original novels (I saw the change more as a mottling of the skin in scales than in whisps that look like tribal tattoos). Nonetheless, this is still a beautiful piece of Dune artwork.

"Historians exercise great power, and some of them know it.
They recreate the past, changing it to fit their own interpretations. Thus, they change the future as well."

      -Leto II, His Voice, from Dar-es-Balat (Frank Herbert)

Star Wars a cappella by Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and some "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" cast members!

Star Wars a capella, from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Certainly, most of us from all of geekdom are super stoked for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (I can see 8 year old me playing with Legos I had cut and shaped to resemble Star Wars characters, playing Star Wars nintendo games, and dreaming of what more might come from the Star Wars Universe). Well, as if we didn't need another reason to get excited about this film, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots brought some of the cast members of the upcoming film onto The Tonight Show and put together this awesome a capella Star Wars medley. It's going to be an awesome weekend!

May the force be with you, always.

Two Weeks of Fun Workouts

Monday	“Severin” 50 pullups - strict 100 pushups – hand release Run 5 K	C&P + Thrusters
Tuesday	The Warrior	Combat
Wednesday	“Splosion” 3 RFT 20/10/4 of: squats – squat hold – jump squats pushups – second plank – clap pushups then 34 single-arm KB C&Ps	Core + 100 dips
Thursday	Combat	Isometrix
Friday	Core + 100 KB Swings	PAP Upper
Saturday	Isometrix	PAP Lower
Sunday	Deadlift + 5RFT - 5-10-15-20 Pullups-pushups-situps-squats	Core

I don't normally share my workouts routines online, but I like the current plan I have for the next two weeks. You can see that plan above. It mixes together a Crossfit Hero workout called Severin with some of my own bodyweight workouts (like the one I call "Splosion", which mixes an approach to squats and pushups that I found online with some kettlebell clean and press moves) as well as some of the workouts that can be found in the Beachbody collection. If you're interested, here's a quick breakdown of the workouts:

Severin
This one is pretty fun. It's 50 strict pullups followed by 100 pushups (with hands coming off the ground at the bottom, resting the chest momentarily) and then a 5 kilometer run. The goal is to work up to doing the workout with a 20 lb. weight vest. 

The Warrior
This is one of the workouts from P90X3. It's a fun mix of sets of exercises for the upper body, cardio, core, and lower body. The Warrior is one that definitely builds up some sweet. 

Splosion
This is a routine that I put together. I found a suggestion online to mix squats with squat holds and jump squats as well as pushups with plank holds and plyometric pushups. I do it as 20 reps followed by 10 seconds of holding and then 4 reps (so 20 squats followed by 10 seconds holding a low squat followed by 4 jump squats). Each set will see this 20-10-4 progression for squats and then for pushups and then I add in 34 reps of single-arm kettlebell clean and press. I then do three rounds for time (3 RFT) of this progression.

Combat
For these days, we do any of the cardio kickboxing workouts from the Les Mills Combat series. Lots of punching, kicking, knees, and elbows (which I throw in, since they're not included in the workouts).

Core
This is a 10 minute core routine from the Les Mills Pump series. I've done lots of core routines over the years, but this one is by far one of the best. It targets the upper abs, lower abs, obliques, transverse abdominis, and the lower back. It's a great workout for targeting the core. I have either bench dips or kettlebell swings added in on the end of my core routines a couple times in this two week progression (just to add some more to the workout!).

Isometrix
This is another of the P90X3 workout routines. Isometrix targets the core and includes lots of balance exercises. The exercises alternate from planks and down-dogs of various kinds with standing balance poses (mostly from yoga). I feel like balance is a super important component of fitness that too few people focus on. It's definitely worth running through this routine from time to time.

Other Resistance Workouts
I also have a couple of workouts in this progression that include deadlifts, pullups-pushups-situps-squats, barbell clean & press, and barbell thrusters. These exercises are a great mix of compound movements with bodyweight exercises.

PAP Upper and PAP Lower
These workouts are from the P90X2 series. The PAP part of the names comes from post activation potentiation, a way to exercise where a heavy load is placed upon a muscle followed by lighter loads and fuller ranges of movement. Although I don't personally think the P90X2 workouts do a great job of incorporating PAP, they're still fantastic workouts. Each workout is composed of four rounds each of two supersets of 4 exercises that target either the upper body or the lower body. These are hour-long workouts that end in a heavy sweat, but they're a lot of fun as well!

Like I said, it's not usually my thing to share my workouts online, but if you dig these and want some more info, feel free to ask.

Writing Motivation - Almost There

Sometimes writing can feel like your stuck on a ledge on a cliff (writer's block), sometimes it can feel like your falling (self-doubt), and sometimes it can just feel like your looking up at a mountain and thinking about climbing it (just start writing already!). I'm definitely at the point now where I'm just climbing away. I'm nearing the top of the first major section (the first full draft). I can feel it coming. I'm almost there. Then it goes off to my adviser for reviewing while I focus on other stuff. So close. Almost there. Write on!

Writing Motivation - Slaying this Dragon

I have a pretty sweet collection of cards with old school fantasy and sci-fi art on them (much like these images). I've had those cards since I was a kid, though I have no idea where I got them from. One of my favorite themes is the knight slaying the dragon. Much like the modern connotation of the biblical story of David and Goliath, the knight slaying the dragon (or really any character slaying a dragon) makes us think of situations where great foe can be conquered, usually with some bravery and hopefully some intelligence. That's kind of how I feel with my current writing work. This paper that I'm writing is my dragon. I know that I must slay this dragon. It is a great foe, but I know, somewhere inside, I am greater. Write On!

Writing Motivation - "writer s surf"

writer s surf, by Medi Belortaja

I most certainly need motivation right now to continue working on a current research article, which is also going to be part of my graduate dissertation. Beyond my habitual coffee, I like to jump into my writing by first reflecting on the work ahead and by considering the thoughts and creations of others.

Sometimes, writing seems to come naturally to me, while there are other times where it most certainly requires some personal taunting, teasing, inspiring, and just plain ol' "sucking-it-up-and-getting-it-done". In looking for a quick spot of motivation on my day's writing, I found this beautiful cartoon by Medi Belortaja. He titled the piece "writer s surf". 

"Writer s surf" brings to mind those feelings of the surge of a wave under my board as the ocean picks me up and thrusts me toward shore (a feeling I haven't experienced in reality in too many years). The piece also evokes the feeling of being sucked in to a work of writing or of reading. Some writings (be they short articles, fantastical stories, scientific research reports, or epic journeys into other worlds) really do take the author/reader on rides, much as surfing a wave.

Belotaja brings forward in his cartoon the feeling of riding the page, surfing the written word, and embracing the motions of the cosmos as we engage with a moving force of nature. Write on!

How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Coffee is one of the most consumed products on the planet. Especially among Northern European nations (Finland actually ranks the highest) but also growing in countries like India and China, coffee consumption has become a daily part of life for many people. Some people take their coffee black, some like a little cream and sugar, and some people prefer all the dressings of flavors, creams, sugars, and foams that lattes and the like have to offer.

Some of my best moments with my family when I was younger was when we would sit around, drink coffee, and talk about anything and everything in life. Nowadays, I tend to enjoy my coffee with either lots of fat or with some nice spices. 

Coffee with Butter and Oil

If you pay any attention to nutrition fads and trends, fitness media, or anything related to Crossfit, then you've probably heard of Bulletproof Coffee. If not, then be warned: you might find this gross. But, then again, you might really like it. I do.

Bulletproof Coffee is a recipe (but also a brand) created by Dave Asprey, who goes by the handle, The Bulletproof Executive. He's taken the Asian idea of Yak Butter Tea and introduced it into mainstream America in the form of coffee with lots of fat. Asprey's original recipe called for 1-2 tablespoons (~15-30 mL) each of butter and medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) added to a cup of coffee and blended. One great source of MCTs is coconut oil, which is also tasty.

I don't really care right now to argue for or against the health benefits of getting lots of fat in your diet. There's a lot of information out there in that realm, and maybe I'll write a post some day about MCTs and why I choose to get lots of fat in my diet, but, for now, let me just say that I love drinking my coffee with butter and oil! 

I personally rock about about 3 tablespoons (~45 mL) each of butter and coconut oil in my coffee each morning. I like to drink it while checking email, doing some brain training, and reading articles online. I estimate that it gives me about 700 calories, mostly in fat. Most mornings, that's all that I have for breakfast and I usually feel awesome for most of the day after that.

Want to give it a try? Do it! You might hate it. You might love it. However, please take this warning: try it the first time with a very small amount of coconut oil. When people start including coconut oil or straight MCTs into their diet, they tend to get diarrhea. No one wants to get through their morning coffee only to have the runs waylay them before they can kick some ass out of their day!

Sometimes a Little Spice is Everything Nice

Even though I rock my morning coffee with lots of fat (see above) sometimes I like to have a second coffee in the day, usually in the early-to-mid afternoon (evening coffees can also be fun from time to time, but they're also good at messing up sleeping patterns). When I have that second coffee in day, I tend to prefer it with some spice, specifically with some cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Cinnamon and nutmeg, along with spices like clove or allspice, are the kinds of spices that are great at adding lots of flavor and enjoyment with just a small dash of the spice. There are plenty of arguments out there for the health benefits of using these spices as well, however, again, I choose not to get into that here. I just want to talk about the coffee! 

I like a little flick of cinnamon and nutmeg in my coffee along with some half-and-half cream or some heavy whipping cream (none of that low-fat stuff for me!). It tastes super yummy and the spice seems to help me with taking smaller sips (maybe I just want to savor each sip all the more).

I've told you about two of my favorite ways to enjoy coffee. So, tell me, how do you take your coffee?