Machete

I bench in the power rack. My gym has no bench press, and I like that there is a safety. I just try not to do it on Monday (international chest day).

I think there is a discrepancy between how the military and civil society uses the term "discipline" in context. Perhaps I'm insane, but I've heard people say "have some self-discipline", which somehow resonates more with your previous definition and self-control. Then you bring up the military term for discipline, which is more of a state of being where a unit has achieved the satisfactory standards of behavior. Grunts are not known for having individual choice (or it is not a trait commonly acknowledged really), and discipline pretty much boils down to how much they respect/fear their overseer. Much like conditioning in the classical behaviorist point-of-view, the dog who salivates does not do so by choice; it is a conditioned response. If you were to apply your latest definition of discipline, regular, consistent training is not achieved by having discipline, but rather is the state of being disciplined. The person goes out of habit, and not because of watching the Rocky montage prior and feeling motivated. I wouldn't consider an unconscious choice as a choice. A choice affords one to be able to choose, and an automatic, unconscious action does not give one enough time to actually pick between A or B - it is merely a reaction, and that is what conditioning builds upon. An unconscious choice being considered an actual choice is tantamount to a drunk / roofied person's consent being considered actual consent. Yes, humans are capable of rational decisions and willpower and everything, but as interrogators know well, individual choice is an illusion. Eventually, everybody breaks. (I'm a bit of a determinist.) Discipline in the military is more about fear. A unit that is afraid of its leader will be considered "disciplined". Discipline ensures that they complete their training to a certain level of proficiency, which eventually translates to combat power. But it is love, not fear, that makes a soldier fight hard in combat. "It won't be long before they fear my spears more than your whips." (300) This was the principle behind the Sacred Band of Thebes. You can't discipline your way into unit cohesion; unit cohesion is built. (Whatever happened to Pat Tillman?) Probably no man will ever jump on a grenade because of discipline; every single one who did it did so out of love for his blood brothers. Discipline is about the fundamentals. Keep your sight picture, keep a stable position, breathe, squeeze. Soldiers engage 38 targets out of 40 in garrison. Then they go to Afghanistan and Iraq, where the US has fired an estimated 250'000 rounds for every one insurgent killed. (Where is the discipline in that?) 1. Maybe he believed it. But I don't think Wilde is the kind of person who troubles himself with trying to be not immoral. Maybe he believes it, and tries to influence people just to be an immoral asshole. 2. Knowledge is not influence. Rather, the interpretation of knowledge is. It is unavoidable to impart unbiased knowledge, and therefore I try to minimize it by usually only offering mine when asked. (And I usually end it with a disclaimer.) 3. (I ignored this one. I currently don't believe in nor comprehend the function of a so-called "soul". Only a few people have soul.) 4. The context was a young Dorian Gray sticking to and being strongly influenced by Lord Henry Wotton (who is, what we in modern times would call, a douchebag), which is rather ironic, with him preaching against influence. But from how I see it, that was the whole point. Allow yourself to be exposed to influences, but be aware of how influences affect you. There is no such thing as a "self" as we are merely a collection of the experiences we have had. A bit like with Socrates, philosopher extraordinaire and defiler of young boys, keep learning, but always know that you will never know anything.

This actually became pretty commonplace with the advent of the whole "functional strength" craze. Everyone is now talking about squats, and making pages like "She squats" and "Do you even lift, bro?" I believe it spread with CrossFit, which is based upon ridiculing people who don't CrossFit. A lot of people have become kind of functional movement snobs who make fun of bodybuilders, and judge another person's self-worth by the depth in one's squat.Disclaimer: I am not trying to call anyone out, as I am guilty of all of this, no matter how above it all I might believe myself to be.

You can Google a place that does resting metabolic rate testing. I did a gas exchange and they told me exactly what I needed.

Well, discipline, literally, is a specialization, a branch of knowledge, or an art. Later it meant punishing oneself, which is more associated with the term "conditioning", which in turn would result in your latest definition, the empirical state of being disciplined. The military definition is a bit of a subjective one, referring to the character developed through training. Your previous definition, however, sounded more synonymous with self-control. Pretty much asserting one's will over one's baser instincts in order to accomplish a predetermined goal; self-control, which requires willpower. Discipline is more associated with drill and ceremony. For a combat unit, it's all conditioning. You don't drive through minefields or rush through small arms fire or jump on grenades because of discipline. When the shit hits the fan, all that goes out the window. The only thing that matters is the guy to your left and to your right, and what you would do to get them home alive. The Army is built upon brotherhood and trust. Leave the discipline to the Old Guard. And mental toughness, though they could probably find a way to measure, does not mean anything when you're not getting results. You may have the best intentions and work the hardest, but life isn't fair. The only thing that matters is the result. You will notice a strong correlation between selection rate of Special Forces candidates and physical fitness. Because out there it's not all about how bad you want it and how mentally tough you are - it's also about how well you prepared yourself for it. Like I said, it's easier to be mentally tough when you're not tired. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." (Lombardi) I prefer to stay in my lane. If people want to be fat, they have a right to do so, and I reserve the right to call them such. I will only provide knowledge, not influence. I think of the dialogue in Oscar Wilde's novel: "There is no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral--immoral from the scientific point of view." "Why?" "Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of some one else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him. The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly--that is what each of us is here for. People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They have forgotten the highest of all duties, the duty that one owes to one's self." If being fat happens to prove an advantage over being fit in the future, then I will fall victim to the natural selection process. If not, then they will probably all die early of diabetes and chronic heart disease while the fit inherit the earth.

"Essential" is relative. The fact that he didn't define what he deemed essential liberty was makes the quote highly subject to interpretation, usually regarding the balance between liberty and security / positive and negative freedom.

Have you ever tried getting your metabolic rate tested? Some clinics do that.

No worries. I like expanding upon topics. It's the best way to learn. Consistency is more about a schedule and building habits, while discipline is more about willpower. And it is known that willpower is a finite resource, so putting too much reliance on it would be unwise. People hire personal trainers more for the accountability than the [alleged] training knowledge. It's also why people train better with a workout partner. When I was training for boxing my practice schedule was noon 6 days a week. I didn't want to go, and I'm lazy and undisciplined. What kept me going to practice was my coach constantly bitching at me every day to come to practice and not be late. If you rely on discipline and montages, like most people do, you just end up gaining all the weight back, like most people do. It's not about discipline, it's about a lifestyle change; making training part of your life. And I'm not saying don't try. But don't be delusional. In my experience, these delusions based off pop culture are what make people quit trying more often than not. They want to lose 100 pounds like they saw on the biggest loser, or they want to be the UFC champion. But after 4 months and only losing 25 pounds (which is not bad), or having their ass handed to them by some mediocre amateur they get hit by reality and how inconceivably far they are from their goals. So they quit. I've had too many people quit on me to keep feeding dreamers bullshit pipe dreams. Be realistic, find a smart goal, and live your life a quarter-mile at a time. (Hahaha. Had to use it.) Finally, this is America, not ancient Greece. Our citizens have the right to be as fat as they want to be. I only waste time with those who have expressed the desire not to be so.

A completely different topic though. While I was talking about the fitness attitude, you were referring to the largely sedentary, unchallenged population. I'm talking about people who train and go to the gym for a purpose, not just to 'work out' or exercise; people who follow actual scientific training principles and the General Adaptation Syndrome, not some motivational quote out of Instagram. And though there are times when "push until you puke" is appropriate, only Dan Gable trains like that on the reg. To mere mortals like us, it's just a shortcut to burnout. That sort of mindset is reserved for the competition, not the training. CrossFit was made as another competition that people can train for. It's a sport, not a workout. There is a method to the madness. Anyone, when put in a life-threatening situation, will perform the the best of one's ability in order to survive. That's why we hear about people lifting cars and seeing things in slow-motion. The brain acts as a safety break for a reason. The more important lesson that I think people need to learn these days (about training in particular) is attention span. Mao Tse Tsung said that "in general, any form of exercise, if pursued continuously, will help train us in perseverance. Long-distance running is particularly good training in perseverance." But who wants to run long distances now when people just want to run a short distance until they puke? The whole "it's all in your head" is technically correct when you factor in the neurological adaptations in training. But notice that the people who say that (usually out of context) are usually ones who are already fit. Because it's easier to be mentally tough when you're not tired; that's why people bother with training in the first place. The people who prevail aren't the ones who push harder the day of; they're usually the ones who trained better prior. The Karate Kid and Rocky weren't bad as movies in themselves; the sequels are what ruined them. Rocky going the distance with Apollo showed the importance of grit, but him becoming a champion was farfetched. (It's based on a true story, and the guy never became champ.) Yes, sometimes movies are motivating, but athletes don't have the luxury of only training when motivated. You always have to be motivated to begin with. Everyone has off-days, but you still have to train. You just have to suck it up and get to training, day-in day-out.

On the other hand, strength training does not hurt when you're trying to look good. Here's Andreia Brazier moving nearly twice her bodyweight for 6. Also, tanning and bronzing lotion go a long way. On resistance training affecting your marathon performance, here's a study suggesting that maximal aerobic may be compromised: > Glowacki, S.P., Martin, S.E., Maurer, A., Baek, W., Green, J.S., Crouse, S.F. (2004). Effects of resistance, endurance, and concurrent exercise on training outcomes in men. Texas A&M University. And a literature review on concurrent training if you would like to read any further: > Fyfe, J.F., Bishop, D.J., Stepto, N.K. (2014). Interference between Concurrent Resistance and Endurance Exercise: Molecular Bases and the Role of Individual Training Variables. Sports Med.

I think living in America is awesome. The absence of Cholera in the tap water, flat roads with minimal potholes where you can go anywhere and not have to take 30 minutes to travel 8 miles, pedestrian lanes, hot running water and showers, air conditioning, and thick, tasty steaks.

See also: justification for murder The "East" and the "West" have been at odds way before Islam or Christianity was even established, ever since Xerxes and the Persians crossed into the West to invade Greece. Or even earlier, when Agamemnon united the Greek city-states and sailed east to what is now Turkey. The Western Roman Empire and Eastern Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Turks, the constant war over Jerusalem, it's all an ancient territorial feud; an old Crips vs. Bloods rivalry that may never be settled. Arguably, one of the only people who were able to unite the East and the West was Alexander the Great, who went east and married princesses from modern-day Afghanistan and Iran. Or it could just be a battle between the gods. Who knows?

And the thing about virtue that makes it so difficult to define and generalize is that it is subjective, and although different cultures share common similarities we maintain different stories from which we base our ethical systems. You hear a lot of people making arguments against religion and how they are responsible for wars, but without a religious background what would be our basis for morality? Without the cultural myths and stories telling us of courageous, virtuous heroes, and evil monsters we would be nothing more than beasts - apes who learned more efficient ways to kill each other. And, contrary to what Nietzsche said, God isn't dead yet. We still generally praise people like Mother Teresa and detest people like Hitler on the grounds of moral virtue taught to us by religion. I mean there is nothing inherently morally wrong with murder. Modern law still constantly seeks justifiable ways to do it (self-defense, war, etc.). However, religions have long ago condemned the reasonless killing of another human being, probably because people just wantonly killing each other, like in Man's state of nature, would eventually result in the end of the human race, which would not make sense in the long-term survival of the species. Law enforcement should, in theory, be based on popular virtue. But there is no popular virtue that exists in the world. The fact that there is a US Constitution shows that the founding fathers did not trust us enough to act "virtuous" and to not be assholes, and that they would need to leave behind a piece of paper telling us exactly what to do (which we are still constantly trying to interpret in order to suit our own personal whims). Excellent topic, by the way.

That's the thing though. By choosing to live in a society, by compromising to respect every other individual's freedom, by acknowledging a government's legitimacy and authority over its populace, one has already technically given up some measure of individual liberty, no matter how negligible, in exchange for order, safety, and not having to worry about falling victim to roving packs of marauders like in Mad Max, The Book of Eli, or Fallout 2 - Man's "state of nature", in which one lives a life that is described as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" (Hobbes). If what Ben Franklin said is true, technically anyone who lives in a society, and/or under a government, is deserving of neither liberty nor safety. Theirs' were much simpler times. To frame this another way: "To Rousseau's mind, the origin of civil society itself can be traced to an act of deception, when one man invented the notion of provate property by enclosing a piece of land and convincing his simple neighbors "this is mine," while having no truthful basis whatsoever to do so." (Sparknotes)

The social contract. (This is much more apparent to those who have spent substantial time in developing countries, like yourself.) And coexistence with other "free" people (i.e. compromise). Because I'm from the free city of Braavos.

Though it is quite an achievement, I have seen some people who become too preoccupied with going low that they lose lumbar extension around 3/4 through their range of motion and just posterior-pelvic-tilt like crazy. I'm sure what I assume is his girlfriend saw the face I was probably making as I watched him enthusiastically go through those barbell speed squats. But at least they weren't curling on the power rack.

I just remembered, have you researched blood flow restriction training? You basically train with a tourniquet. It sounds really weird and messed-up, but there appears to be science behind it. Blood Flow Restriction Training by Brad Schoenfeld Low Intensity Alternatives for Strength and Hypertrophy by Jacob Wilson

I was thinking it's more passive-aggressive abuse. Telling you you're a piece of shit, and blaming you for being gullible and believing him. An example of proficient use of what I mean would be someone continually pushing a topic to the point of being borderline-offensive, and when someone is finally offended accusing him/her of having no sense of humor. Much like throwing out a shithead opinion and punctuating it with a "just sayin'". I personally do this all the time, because I'm a pussy and I refuse to take responsibility for my statements. (It's been pointed out for the first time in my life, and I'm trying to do something about it.) I'd say the most widely-known gesture of passive-aggression would be this: "Kill Jesus. Just sayin'." Ooh. Developing countries and their urban crime. Really scary stuff, especially once you look at it from the outside. I guess people just get used to it. Brazil, I have heard, has one of the finest police forces when it comes to urban operations. I attended a BJJ seminar once held by a sniper from Rio, who was like 5'0. Real bad ass. It blew my mind when I first heard of people not locking their doors at night in Arizona. I grew up in the densest city in the world, and your walls had to be high, with barbed wire fences and broken glass. You had to deadbolt your gate and your front door. I never really thought about it until I met people who lived in towns where they knew every single person. Now I look back and I remember bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling the malls, security guards armed with 12-gauges or sub-machine guns, my brother coming home from high school crying because some guys shoved a .45 to his side on his way home and took his wallet, me being mugged by cops at a checkpoint in some alley in broad daylight, and encountering a severed head wrapped in packaging tape surface during low tide as I was running by my school one day. It's a great place, but I am rather relieved to be out of there.

What is the verdict on a belt for the final PR set? My deadlift went to shit with a belt on, but I'm thinking it might stabilize the squat a bit more.

I do one "fail set" (eccentric) on every lift once a week. I load the bar with 110-120% of my max and lower it. Your muscles are capable of producing more force eccentrically than concentrically, and I believe that an eccentric set, although rather hard on the body, can help one overload the muscles further. (Much like eccentric pull-ups when one is not strong enough to do a full pull-up.) T NATION | Eccentrics with Pavel by Chad Waterbury

I want to get the troops fired up like Jean Claude Van Damme did in Street Fighter. I want to believe that the internet is merely populated with very persistent trolls with a lot of patience, and that nobody could possibly live through life, making it to adulthood, while maintaining a certain level of unbelievable ignorance. But humans have always surprised me. I am continually awed by the way that humans push past every conceivable limitation that we set upon ourselves. Here is an article written by one "Anthony Dream Johnson". The first reaction most of you would probably have is "Seriously, do you even lift?" Top 10 Reasons NOT to Barbell Squat Barbell Squat : the Worst Exercise in Existence? Disclaimer: Do not comment. Do not try to reason with him. It is impossible. I am merely illustrating how people like this exist. Yes, he may be writing a very controversial article just to get more hits on his blog. But honestly, some of the people arguing on the side of Squats aren't really helping. They just make us look bad. Still, pretty funny, once you get past being extremely frustrated and infuriated.

So you're pretty much saying MOAR ASS? Haha. Got it. Will try that tomorrow. (I did note underactive glutes in an assessment a few months ago. Probably form my former exclusive relationship with front squats.) I have really flexible adductors and have been trying to squat narrow. Would it be okay if my feet were at like a > 90 degree angle (knees still in line with the feet)? Also yeah, I think I've had that happen, where I collapsed forward. Mental note to smash that bar against my traps.

But you haven't even seen me in yoga pants yet.

Best I could do at the moment. I will try a better angle next time.

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