It's not easy being king.
March 11, 2007 6:10 PM Subscribe
The "300" workout that turns you into a Greek statue (or homoerotic dreamboat). From Men's Health: Without resting between exercises, Butler performs 25 pullups, 50 deadlifts with 135 pounds, 50 pushups, 50 jumps on a 24-inch box, 50 floor wipers (*3), 50 single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettle bell, and 25 more pullups. At least it works, and in only four months! In time for swimsuit season.
I bet real Spartan warriors were probably pretty fat, rather then this ripped muscle style. I mean look at the people in the world's strongest man competitions. Those guys don't look like body builders, although they are obviously very strong.
posted by delmoi at 6:23 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by delmoi at 6:23 PM on March 11, 2007
Delmoi: Marching ancient armies that got food mainly from looting and carried large amounts of armour/weapony did not tend to be fat. a) There just aren't the spare calories. b) You don't have to be strong to march, you have to be fit.
posted by jaduncan at 6:27 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by jaduncan at 6:27 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
This is completely crazy, but it's also a weird sort of testament to how hard an actor can work for a part. My will extends to being able to refrain from watching an episode of television that I really want to watch, so I'm speaking from personal experience when I say, JESUS.
posted by cgc373 at 6:31 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by cgc373 at 6:31 PM on March 11, 2007
This does not make me feel any better for not making it to the gym in the last month.
posted by photoslob at 6:36 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by photoslob at 6:36 PM on March 11, 2007
Mark believes that there is something that happens on a mountain - when you are totally exhausted and when your life is on the line - that strips away all of the pretense of our modern existance and all that is left is your humanity.
I'm doing an all-nighter designing a logo which is due tomorrow. Know what you're sayin', bro. I hear ya.
posted by hal9k at 6:37 PM on March 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
I'm doing an all-nighter designing a logo which is due tomorrow. Know what you're sayin', bro. I hear ya.
posted by hal9k at 6:37 PM on March 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
Why not be a Greek statue and a homoerotic dreamboat. Spartan warrior indeed...
posted by geos at 6:38 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by geos at 6:38 PM on March 11, 2007
MetaFilter gets the award for two "300" posts in two days... :)
Mark Twight's workouts were amazing... the 300 group brought him in two months before shooting started to get the actors into shape. It was brutal.
When I went to Montreal to watch the filming I walked into the set and found these guys hanging out waiting for the next scene... I looked at them, looked at the abs, and thought, "these are fake..."
Nope, everything was real.....these guys were sculpted!
Mark knows how to build bodies...!
posted by HuronBob at 6:42 PM on March 11, 2007
Mark Twight's workouts were amazing... the 300 group brought him in two months before shooting started to get the actors into shape. It was brutal.
When I went to Montreal to watch the filming I walked into the set and found these guys hanging out waiting for the next scene... I looked at them, looked at the abs, and thought, "these are fake..."
Nope, everything was real.....these guys were sculpted!
Mark knows how to build bodies...!
posted by HuronBob at 6:42 PM on March 11, 2007
Workout!!? See this is why America's full of us fat people. Someone's still perpetuating this fallacy that working out actually works. That's utter bullshit. All it does is make you sore all the time, and more hungry, and a year later you're still fat.
This is the 21st century dammit! Where's my PILL that just magically makes the beer gut go away over night, and then the other pill I can take to bring it back if I want it? Hell, if they can make the viagra pill, they can make the 'beer gut no more' pill. And I ain't talking about what they sell at three in the morning on infomercials. I'm talking about a pill you can buy in any convenience store, right next to the candy bars, that actually works.
And where's my flying car!!!
posted by ZachsMind at 6:44 PM on March 11, 2007
This is the 21st century dammit! Where's my PILL that just magically makes the beer gut go away over night, and then the other pill I can take to bring it back if I want it? Hell, if they can make the viagra pill, they can make the 'beer gut no more' pill. And I ain't talking about what they sell at three in the morning on infomercials. I'm talking about a pill you can buy in any convenience store, right next to the candy bars, that actually works.
And where's my flying car!!!
posted by ZachsMind at 6:44 PM on March 11, 2007
"Gym Jones" is just about the best possible name for a gym. That's awesome!
posted by grobstein at 6:48 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by grobstein at 6:48 PM on March 11, 2007
Dear Mens,
Please get started on this ASAP. I like hawt abs but not killings.
Love,
Dame
PS: When you come over, bring ice cream and beer.
posted by dame at 6:54 PM on March 11, 2007 [6 favorites]
Please get started on this ASAP. I like hawt abs but not killings.
Love,
Dame
PS: When you come over, bring ice cream and beer.
posted by dame at 6:54 PM on March 11, 2007 [6 favorites]
Sorry, Dame, but if this regimen makes men anything like Spartan warriors, you're not going to be getting any, except explicitly for procreation.
posted by Flunkie at 6:56 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by Flunkie at 6:56 PM on March 11, 2007
ZachsMind, you may want to consider doing "tabata intervals". The four minutes you spend each day working out are quite harsh and leave you gasping, but it's only four minutes. And it does produce good results. Not exactly a pill, but hell -- four minutes.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:59 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:59 PM on March 11, 2007
Boo. Well, can you just come over with beer and ice cream? And maybe do some sit ups? Besides, Gym Jones is mean anyways: We are not interested in helping beginners, the indolent, or the ignorant. This is a serious place, for serious people. Lol.
posted by dame at 7:01 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by dame at 7:01 PM on March 11, 2007
Do you like gladiator movies?
posted by Dave Faris at 7:11 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by Dave Faris at 7:11 PM on March 11, 2007
dame beat me to it, but the Gym Jones "membership" page is very LOL.
posted by mullacc at 7:14 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by mullacc at 7:14 PM on March 11, 2007
I struggle to imagine a Spartan warrior dieting to get down to 3% body fat.
posted by The Straightener at 7:15 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by The Straightener at 7:15 PM on March 11, 2007
Regardless of the workout's merit, I can't help but wonder if this cultural development means that '300' creator Frank Miller has gone too Hollywood. It also has me wondering if you couldn't cook up some calisthenics based on his other works.
There's Hartigan's neck hang, where you build muscle all over by swinging from a noose. Or the Daredevil Tympanum Stretch, where you sit for half an hour each night and listen really hard. Then you finish up with some Dark Knight chin-ups. which are thirty a set and done wearing a cowl, counted off by reciting sentence-fragment captions. For Dark Knight 2 chin-ups, just take down the bar and swing it around while screaming gibberish.
posted by EatTheWeek at 7:18 PM on March 11, 2007 [4 favorites]
There's Hartigan's neck hang, where you build muscle all over by swinging from a noose. Or the Daredevil Tympanum Stretch, where you sit for half an hour each night and listen really hard. Then you finish up with some Dark Knight chin-ups. which are thirty a set and done wearing a cowl, counted off by reciting sentence-fragment captions. For Dark Knight 2 chin-ups, just take down the bar and swing it around while screaming gibberish.
posted by EatTheWeek at 7:18 PM on March 11, 2007 [4 favorites]
Sean-there's usually a warmup and cooldown leading to Tabata and following tabata intervals. Here is a great progression to the tabata interval, by personal trainer Liam Bauer.
The Gym Jones philosophy is based, I think, on Crossfit, which Marc Twight was maybe associated with once? I'm not sure on the history there; they may have had a falling out. I've done crossfit on and off for a while, and it's an incredible program. I did it seriously for four months to get ready for a jiu-jitsu tournament, and was in great shape. I could wrestle for a long time and push the pace the whole match. I'm getting back into crossfit right now. I think, for sports that demand a wide range of fitness needs, it's a phenomenal program. Many of the workouts are timed, and your goal is to do them faster and faster; this way, they never get easier.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 7:22 PM on March 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
The Gym Jones philosophy is based, I think, on Crossfit, which Marc Twight was maybe associated with once? I'm not sure on the history there; they may have had a falling out. I've done crossfit on and off for a while, and it's an incredible program. I did it seriously for four months to get ready for a jiu-jitsu tournament, and was in great shape. I could wrestle for a long time and push the pace the whole match. I'm getting back into crossfit right now. I think, for sports that demand a wide range of fitness needs, it's a phenomenal program. Many of the workouts are timed, and your goal is to do them faster and faster; this way, they never get easier.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 7:22 PM on March 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
This is essentially the compressed intensity and over-macho version of the Cross-Fit work-out philosophy. I've done a more reasonable version of this for years. I recommend it.
However. The way Twight is training is NOT a "work out." This is NOT for getting in shape.
Trust me. You do that work out year round like these guys did for this film and you are asking for trouble. Even elite athletes periodize their training. The 300 dudes were treating training like one would training for specific event. This is not a "lifestyle" workout.
You will fuck your self up bad working out like this all the time. Especially if your over 35.
50 pull-ups a session? What the fuck for? Look forward to some serious chronic tendinitis down the road.
I bet real Spartan warriors were probably pretty fat, rather then this ripped muscle style.
No. You would be wrong. The statues you see from ancient Greece are certainly over-idealized but fairly accurate of how you look if train martially all the time. You run everywhere you need to go, you practice fighting three or four hours a day every day, and you only eat the foods a Bronze Age provides... you will NOT be fat.
posted by tkchrist at 7:28 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
However. The way Twight is training is NOT a "work out." This is NOT for getting in shape.
Trust me. You do that work out year round like these guys did for this film and you are asking for trouble. Even elite athletes periodize their training. The 300 dudes were treating training like one would training for specific event. This is not a "lifestyle" workout.
You will fuck your self up bad working out like this all the time. Especially if your over 35.
50 pull-ups a session? What the fuck for? Look forward to some serious chronic tendinitis down the road.
I bet real Spartan warriors were probably pretty fat, rather then this ripped muscle style.
No. You would be wrong. The statues you see from ancient Greece are certainly over-idealized but fairly accurate of how you look if train martially all the time. You run everywhere you need to go, you practice fighting three or four hours a day every day, and you only eat the foods a Bronze Age provides... you will NOT be fat.
posted by tkchrist at 7:28 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
dame, mullacc - i especially enjoyed the "redemption@" portion of the sign-up email.
posted by EatTheWeek at 7:29 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by EatTheWeek at 7:29 PM on March 11, 2007
...it's the lingering effects of his just-completed session of eye- movement desensitization and reprocessing, a laser-light show of sorts that supposedly hot-wires the synapses of your gray matter. "It's normally used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder," the 37-year-old actor says. However, his hope is that it will help coordinate the analytical and creative lobes of his brain, enabling him to better manage his life.
Oh how I wish something like this worked instead of being the hokum it no doubt is. My brain parts don't get along at all.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 7:37 PM on March 11, 2007
Oh how I wish something like this worked instead of being the hokum it no doubt is. My brain parts don't get along at all.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 7:37 PM on March 11, 2007
"turns you into a Greek statue?"
Seems a bit misleading, for sure. You would have to be at least half way towards a Greek statue build to begin with to do 25 straight chinups (even with an under-grip) or 50 straight pushups.
It's not as if the average Joe can just jump straight into anything near that sort of intensity.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:49 PM on March 11, 2007
Seems a bit misleading, for sure. You would have to be at least half way towards a Greek statue build to begin with to do 25 straight chinups (even with an under-grip) or 50 straight pushups.
It's not as if the average Joe can just jump straight into anything near that sort of intensity.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:49 PM on March 11, 2007
Smooches, dame, you lewd wench.
PS I can bench like a hunnert pounds.
PPS If I could do twenty-five pull-ups I wouldn't need the dang workout.
posted by Mister_A at 7:54 PM on March 11, 2007
PS I can bench like a hunnert pounds.
PPS If I could do twenty-five pull-ups I wouldn't need the dang workout.
posted by Mister_A at 7:54 PM on March 11, 2007
I don't think that I know anyone who can do 25 chinups straight.
posted by I Foody at 7:56 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by I Foody at 7:56 PM on March 11, 2007
I don't think that I know anyone who can do 25 chinups straight.
I know many who can do 25 chinups gay.
posted by ericb at 8:10 PM on March 11, 2007 [4 favorites]
I know many who can do 25 chinups gay.
posted by ericb at 8:10 PM on March 11, 2007 [4 favorites]
The crossfit thang (which this is a form of?) allows you to do your pullups assisted, and take as long as you need to complete everything - even if you're talking many many hours ....
posted by jamesonandwater at 8:16 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by jamesonandwater at 8:16 PM on March 11, 2007
I don't think that I know anyone who can do 25 chinups straight.
I can. Or. I could until very recently. Painful tendinitis set in.
I did Pull-ups. I used to do three sets. One of twenty, Two of 15. The last set holding a 11lb medicine ball between my thighs. Three or four times per week.
After the tendinitis I went to a Sports MD guy who simply looked at me and said:
"You're 44. Your not going for a pull-up national championship. So. Why? Do a couple of sets of fifteen and call it good."
BTW. Chin-ups are actually easier. I could do maybe thirty of those.
posted by tkchrist at 8:25 PM on March 11, 2007
Where's my PILL that just magically makes the beer gut go away over night
It was called fen-phen and it had this nasty habit of killing people.
posted by frogan at 8:30 PM on March 11, 2007
It was called fen-phen and it had this nasty habit of killing people.
posted by frogan at 8:30 PM on March 11, 2007
paging Henry Rollins, ready for some Spartan wrestling:
You're haunted because you remember having something more. With each drag of the razor you ask yourself why you piss your blood into another man's cup. Working at the job he offered, your future is between his thumb and forefinger. And the necessary accessories, the proclamations of success you thought gave you stability provide your boss security. Your debt encourages acquiescence, the heavy mortgage makes you polite.
Aren't you sick of being tempted by an alternative lifestyle, but bound by chains of your own choosing? Of the gnawing doubt that the college graduate, path of least resistance is the right way for you - for ever?
posted by geos at 8:33 PM on March 11, 2007
You're haunted because you remember having something more. With each drag of the razor you ask yourself why you piss your blood into another man's cup. Working at the job he offered, your future is between his thumb and forefinger. And the necessary accessories, the proclamations of success you thought gave you stability provide your boss security. Your debt encourages acquiescence, the heavy mortgage makes you polite.
Aren't you sick of being tempted by an alternative lifestyle, but bound by chains of your own choosing? Of the gnawing doubt that the college graduate, path of least resistance is the right way for you - for ever?
posted by geos at 8:33 PM on March 11, 2007
I wish I had 3 or 4 months to train intensely like actors get to do.
How bad is 'overtraining' in the long run? I had been plateaued at 14 chin ups doing chin ups every other-day/third/er... fourth-day to exhaustion for about a half-year when it took a month to go from 6 when I first started to 10, then several months again to 12. In two weeks of doing it every day (and doing two sets instead of one) I'm up to a set of 17 and another set of 15 sandwiching a bunch of crunches.
I'm very slightly built so there's a lot less of me to pull up so the numbers are likely inflated since the power/mass ratio is helping out. Still, though, I'm aiming at being able to do 2 sets of 20 by the time summer starts. The sad thing is, I'm not gaining any noticeable weight/size =(
I'm thinking that the "strongest man" competition winners are genetically predisposed to have lots and lots of muscle fibre bundles (like that Russian 5 yo who could hold a several kg weight at arms length for ... like, really really long) and it only looks like fat. We all know some "big guy" who looks fat but is actually extremely strong and the fat is just a thin (?) sheath over the oodles of muscle underneath and tend not to look 'cut'. Perhaps the look has to do with how the muscle fibres are arranged?
Hmm, I know Western guys who are like that and Chinese and Japanese guys (ie., those who could make good sumo wrestlers if they had started training early). I wonder if it could be linked to a particular gene mutation or duplication?
posted by porpoise at 8:33 PM on March 11, 2007
How bad is 'overtraining' in the long run? I had been plateaued at 14 chin ups doing chin ups every other-day/third/er... fourth-day to exhaustion for about a half-year when it took a month to go from 6 when I first started to 10, then several months again to 12. In two weeks of doing it every day (and doing two sets instead of one) I'm up to a set of 17 and another set of 15 sandwiching a bunch of crunches.
I'm very slightly built so there's a lot less of me to pull up so the numbers are likely inflated since the power/mass ratio is helping out. Still, though, I'm aiming at being able to do 2 sets of 20 by the time summer starts. The sad thing is, I'm not gaining any noticeable weight/size =(
I'm thinking that the "strongest man" competition winners are genetically predisposed to have lots and lots of muscle fibre bundles (like that Russian 5 yo who could hold a several kg weight at arms length for ... like, really really long) and it only looks like fat. We all know some "big guy" who looks fat but is actually extremely strong and the fat is just a thin (?) sheath over the oodles of muscle underneath and tend not to look 'cut'. Perhaps the look has to do with how the muscle fibres are arranged?
Hmm, I know Western guys who are like that and Chinese and Japanese guys (ie., those who could make good sumo wrestlers if they had started training early). I wonder if it could be linked to a particular gene mutation or duplication?
posted by porpoise at 8:33 PM on March 11, 2007
tkchrist - do you do them wide grip (fists at shoulder width) or closed grip (fights and elbows together)? I find the wide grip a lot easier (back muscles helping to cheat?) but I switched to the closed since I felt more burn in the arms.
BTW, does anyone have a working link to the USMC 16?
posted by porpoise at 8:44 PM on March 11, 2007
BTW, does anyone have a working link to the USMC 16?
posted by porpoise at 8:44 PM on March 11, 2007
I alternate grip width and do palms facing away. I might occasionally do palms in to get a bicep burn. For me Pull-ups are for shoulder, back, and lat development— mostly to prevent injury while punching.
I have long monkey arms. Pull ups are always harder for guys with long arms and take a while do perfect. Also you risk more joint injury with long limbs on movements like that. So it's best to start small.
If you notice those strongman guys all have very similar stocky limb/torso proportions.
posted by tkchrist at 8:51 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
I have long monkey arms. Pull ups are always harder for guys with long arms and take a while do perfect. Also you risk more joint injury with long limbs on movements like that. So it's best to start small.
If you notice those strongman guys all have very similar stocky limb/torso proportions.
posted by tkchrist at 8:51 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
I hate Jared Leto (Diaz and Lohan?), for the whole faux emo thing among other reasons. This makes me feel better about him when I get down.
posted by geoff. at 9:54 PM on March 11, 2007
posted by geoff. at 9:54 PM on March 11, 2007
While I'm sure the Gym Jones workout probably completely kicks your ass and gets you into shape in no time flat, I couldn't help but wince when I saw some of the exercises they were doing—or more specifically, how they were doing them. When you use momentum and start swinging around heavy weights, your joints take a fucking beating. And tendons don't "grow" like muscles do. Not to mention the increased danger of getting hurt by a falling weight.
I wonder if it could be linked to a particular gene mutation or duplication?
I wouldn't be surprised. My oldest friend is half Chinese/Filipino, is about 5'7", and weighs a bit more than 200 lbs. By all accepted definitions, he is overweight. But all the fat is concentrated around his mid-section. His arms, and especially his legs, are insanely huge. To give you an idea of just how ludicrously developed his leg muscles are, when we were in Thailand we met a couple of Thai boxers on the street who actually came up to us and started talking to him because they were so astounded at the size of his calf muscles. He's like an overweight Asian amputee walking around on two tree trunks.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:23 PM on March 11, 2007
I wonder if it could be linked to a particular gene mutation or duplication?
I wouldn't be surprised. My oldest friend is half Chinese/Filipino, is about 5'7", and weighs a bit more than 200 lbs. By all accepted definitions, he is overweight. But all the fat is concentrated around his mid-section. His arms, and especially his legs, are insanely huge. To give you an idea of just how ludicrously developed his leg muscles are, when we were in Thailand we met a couple of Thai boxers on the street who actually came up to us and started talking to him because they were so astounded at the size of his calf muscles. He's like an overweight Asian amputee walking around on two tree trunks.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:23 PM on March 11, 2007
I was looking for a 20 minute workout that would take for fucking ever in slow motion. Awesome!
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:26 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:26 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
Tabata intervals? Holy shit! You have gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me. No really. Where's the fuckin' beer-gut-gone' pill?
We've mapped the Human Genome for Christ's sake. We got that stem-cell research thing going. Granted so long as Bush is in office it's at a snail's pace, and if Gore had been in office maybe by now Chris and Michael and Richard would be in much better shape now, instead of dead, shaking and dead. Still. They can use some stem-cells currently, and soon as we can convince the right people that life doesn't begin for a fetus until some time AFTER the baby poops its first diaper, we'll be able to give the scientists all the stem-cells they could possibly want.
Really. Honestly. Life doesn't begin at conception. When you're a baby and you can put your own foot in your mouth, that's living. When you get to suck on your momma's tit, that's living. Conception is just a biochemical reaction. Hanging out inside a womb playing jumprope with an umbilical cord - you're about as alive as your mom's liver. Getting out of the womb so you can puke on your sister: that's living.
We got quantum mechanics. We accelerated molecules into each other and know there are particles smaller than subatomic particles. We travel in space so regularly it's become passe. We got dried fruit, powdered fruit drinks, we can put entire libraries of information on coaster-sized laminated discs that are read by lasers. We got rich people buying their way into joy rides in outer space. We got Stephen Hawking doing the vomit comet. We got communication satelites connecting the furthest corners of the planet at the speed of light. We got electric hybrid cars, and we'd have actual electric cars if car manufacturers and gas companies weren't such utter putzes.
Where's my damned beer-gut-gone pill? While we're at it, there's been more than enough time for cures for cancer and AIDS. How many scientists have been just laying down on the job, huh? Why was Viagra such a big deal? They had to get that problem solved immediately, but cancer! and AIDS! and my beer gut! Those alleged brilliant minds of the world think they can just take their sweet time and wait on?
Exercise stopped being fashionable when they invented twinkies. This is the 21st century. Let's get with the program here.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:30 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
We've mapped the Human Genome for Christ's sake. We got that stem-cell research thing going. Granted so long as Bush is in office it's at a snail's pace, and if Gore had been in office maybe by now Chris and Michael and Richard would be in much better shape now, instead of dead, shaking and dead. Still. They can use some stem-cells currently, and soon as we can convince the right people that life doesn't begin for a fetus until some time AFTER the baby poops its first diaper, we'll be able to give the scientists all the stem-cells they could possibly want.
Really. Honestly. Life doesn't begin at conception. When you're a baby and you can put your own foot in your mouth, that's living. When you get to suck on your momma's tit, that's living. Conception is just a biochemical reaction. Hanging out inside a womb playing jumprope with an umbilical cord - you're about as alive as your mom's liver. Getting out of the womb so you can puke on your sister: that's living.
We got quantum mechanics. We accelerated molecules into each other and know there are particles smaller than subatomic particles. We travel in space so regularly it's become passe. We got dried fruit, powdered fruit drinks, we can put entire libraries of information on coaster-sized laminated discs that are read by lasers. We got rich people buying their way into joy rides in outer space. We got Stephen Hawking doing the vomit comet. We got communication satelites connecting the furthest corners of the planet at the speed of light. We got electric hybrid cars, and we'd have actual electric cars if car manufacturers and gas companies weren't such utter putzes.
Where's my damned beer-gut-gone pill? While we're at it, there's been more than enough time for cures for cancer and AIDS. How many scientists have been just laying down on the job, huh? Why was Viagra such a big deal? They had to get that problem solved immediately, but cancer! and AIDS! and my beer gut! Those alleged brilliant minds of the world think they can just take their sweet time and wait on?
Exercise stopped being fashionable when they invented twinkies. This is the 21st century. Let's get with the program here.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:30 PM on March 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
Also, from geos's link:
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:38 PM on March 11, 2007
Give up this renaissance man, dilettante bullshit of doing a lot of different things (and none of them very well by real standards). Get to the guts of one thing; accept, without casuistry, the responsibility of making a choice.Yeah, but what if that one thing is putting on a suit and tie? What if that one thing is sitting in front of a computer screen all day? Just because you cut the line of the anchor doesn't make you any more of a superman simply because you have to deal with all the waves of ramification.
Use the razor to cut away what you don't need. The life you want to live has no recipe. Following the recipe got you here in the first placeNot following a recipe is itself a recipe, you know. It's called, The Selfish, Smug Quest for Self-Discovery at the Expense of Compromise. I know, I know, compromise is so fucking slave-culture, right? I'm guessing a lot of these dudes are single. Something about acting like an adolescent at 50 doesn't sound all that appealing. Gym Jones' manifestos sound like advertisements for guys suffering a mid-life crisis.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:38 PM on March 11, 2007
Mark Twight is perhaps the greatest American alpinist ever. His contribution to the climbing world in terms of new ideas about training, technique, etc. is immeasurable. Sure his writing can be a little abrasive at times, but it's the kind of dedication and commitment that put him at the top of the game and kept him alive for so long. If you want to be the best at something (anything really) it requires a level of commitment and sacrafice that most people aren't willing to go to. Is it "The selfish, smug quest for self discovery at the expense of compromise" when an athelete trains relentlessly to the detriment of everything else in their lives for their chance to compete in the olympics or to win the super bowl? What about Lance Armstrong? Is he totally selfish and smug? I'm sure his training schedule never interfered with other aspects of his life. Do you consider his actions adolescent? Is climbing or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Twight trains a lot of fighters) worthy of scorn because they aren't mainstream sports with mainstream superstars and a whole lot of money in them?
posted by alpinist at 12:11 AM on March 12, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by alpinist at 12:11 AM on March 12, 2007 [1 favorite]
Mark Twight is perhaps the greatest....
For some reason, I read that as "Mark Twain is perhaps the greatest..." and it completely changed my reading of the paragraph and improved my day by 150%.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:45 AM on March 12, 2007
For some reason, I read that as "Mark Twain is perhaps the greatest..." and it completely changed my reading of the paragraph and improved my day by 150%.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:45 AM on March 12, 2007
I'm sure his training schedule never interfered with other aspects of his life. Do you consider his actions adolescent? Is climbing or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Twight trains a lot of fighters) worthy of scorn because they aren't mainstream sports with mainstream superstars and a whole lot of money in them?
It looks like you've reversed what I said. My point was the opposite: that just because you're not an alpinist or cyclist or (insert physical activity here)-ist, but instead decide to take a more "traditional" path, that doesn't make you any less self-actualized, which is pretty-much the point of the screed that was linked above.
Another excerpt:
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:06 AM on March 12, 2007
It looks like you've reversed what I said. My point was the opposite: that just because you're not an alpinist or cyclist or (insert physical activity here)-ist, but instead decide to take a more "traditional" path, that doesn't make you any less self-actualized, which is pretty-much the point of the screed that was linked above.
Another excerpt:
Because the ground is hard. Monday morning is harsh. You wear the hangover of your weekend rush under a strict and proper suit and tie. You listen to NPR because it's inoffensive, PFC: Politically Fucking Correct. Where's the counter-cultural righteousness that had you flirting with Bad Religion and the vintage Pistols tape over the weekend? On Monday you eat frozen food and live the homogenized city experience. But Sunday you thought about cutting your hair very short. You wanted a little more volume and wondered how out of place you looked in the Sub Pop Music Store. Flipping through the import section, you didn't recognize any of the bands. KMFDM? It stands for Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode. Didn't you know? How could you not?In a world of disease, open your eyes! Also: your favorite self-actualizing band sucks.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:06 AM on March 12, 2007
Is it "The selfish, smug quest for self discovery at the expense of compromise" when an athelete trains relentlessly to the detriment of everything else in their lives for their chance to compete in the olympics or to win the super bowl?
Yes. I mean, it can be worthwhile for many other reasons, and many Olympic athletes are much less smug than whats-his-face, but yes. Even though that wasn't what C_D meant.
Mister_A, you know just how to talk to a girl. Pls send pix.
posted by dame at 5:54 AM on March 12, 2007
Yes. I mean, it can be worthwhile for many other reasons, and many Olympic athletes are much less smug than whats-his-face, but yes. Even though that wasn't what C_D meant.
Mister_A, you know just how to talk to a girl. Pls send pix.
posted by dame at 5:54 AM on March 12, 2007
Regardless of the workout's merit, I can't help but wonder if this cultural development means that '300' creator Frank Miller has gone too Hollywood. It also has me wondering if you couldn't cook up some calisthenics based on his other works.
At this point, it's pretty clear that Frank Miller went completely insane when whatever ship it is he's controlling kicked into Hyperdrive towards the Zone of Diminishing Creative Returns. I predict he'll be on a clocktower (in Hollywood) with a rifle within two years.
posted by COBRA! at 7:07 AM on March 12, 2007
At this point, it's pretty clear that Frank Miller went completely insane when whatever ship it is he's controlling kicked into Hyperdrive towards the Zone of Diminishing Creative Returns. I predict he'll be on a clocktower (in Hollywood) with a rifle within two years.
posted by COBRA! at 7:07 AM on March 12, 2007
My body and I have trouble believing it now, but 25 behind-the-neck, wide-apart pull-ups used to be a routine thing. And I used to run six miles every night on hills w/ a brick in each hand, although I didn't run up any art-institute steps afterward. But that was back when Ronald Reagan was President and we all listened to bad music.
Now I'm in my mid-40s and can do 50 push-ups and 50 leg lifts in the mornings vice the 30 that I did when I was in college. And for cardio, I speedmarch three times a week on some moderately hilly terrain, carrying about 65 lb. (and I weigh under 200). My personal best seems to be about 7.6 mi in just under two hours.
I don't think I look all that athletic or buff -- just reasonably trim -- but when I see a snapshot of myself from a couple of years ago, I notice I've lost the spare tire and the incipient chipmunk cheeks. I'm not really obsessing over nutrition; I still hit the Taco Bell once in a while and generally have a drink before bed every night, and the above is enough to keep my weight under control despite a middle-class American diet and a desk job.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either a compulsion with positive side effects or a worthwhile investment of 6 hours a week to be able to feel OK the other 180.
All that said, I wonder why anybody would want the intensive workout described in the FPP -- that seems a bit much even to me, and what I'm doing has raised some eyebrows when I tell people it's just my routine and not training for something.
posted by pax digita at 7:13 AM on March 12, 2007
Now I'm in my mid-40s and can do 50 push-ups and 50 leg lifts in the mornings vice the 30 that I did when I was in college. And for cardio, I speedmarch three times a week on some moderately hilly terrain, carrying about 65 lb. (and I weigh under 200). My personal best seems to be about 7.6 mi in just under two hours.
I don't think I look all that athletic or buff -- just reasonably trim -- but when I see a snapshot of myself from a couple of years ago, I notice I've lost the spare tire and the incipient chipmunk cheeks. I'm not really obsessing over nutrition; I still hit the Taco Bell once in a while and generally have a drink before bed every night, and the above is enough to keep my weight under control despite a middle-class American diet and a desk job.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either a compulsion with positive side effects or a worthwhile investment of 6 hours a week to be able to feel OK the other 180.
All that said, I wonder why anybody would want the intensive workout described in the FPP -- that seems a bit much even to me, and what I'm doing has raised some eyebrows when I tell people it's just my routine and not training for something.
posted by pax digita at 7:13 AM on March 12, 2007
Four months of working like an animal, of going into overtraining, followed by eight months of doing absolutely nothing.
That doesn't sound like a very healthy pattern.
posted by jason's_planet at 7:59 AM on March 12, 2007
That doesn't sound like a very healthy pattern.
posted by jason's_planet at 7:59 AM on March 12, 2007
That doesn't sound like a very healthy pattern.
It isn't. The work out itself is really "event" specific. You would then periodize the intensity way down after the event. There really is a science to the periodizing itself.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either a compulsion with positive side effects or a worthwhile investment of 6 hours a week to be able to feel OK the other 180.
If you do want to simply get in great shape then ramping up with three low intensity workouts with one high intensity work out per week will do it. Otherwise spending all your time in a gym is just silly unless you want to be a personal trainer, have crush on a gym-bunny, or are a competitive weight lifter or something like that.
Fitness should be experiential, and frankly incidental, to an activity (or sport or competition) you already enjoy.
posted by tkchrist at 9:44 AM on March 12, 2007
It isn't. The work out itself is really "event" specific. You would then periodize the intensity way down after the event. There really is a science to the periodizing itself.
Depending on how you look at it, it's either a compulsion with positive side effects or a worthwhile investment of 6 hours a week to be able to feel OK the other 180.
If you do want to simply get in great shape then ramping up with three low intensity workouts with one high intensity work out per week will do it. Otherwise spending all your time in a gym is just silly unless you want to be a personal trainer, have crush on a gym-bunny, or are a competitive weight lifter or something like that.
Fitness should be experiential, and frankly incidental, to an activity (or sport or competition) you already enjoy.
posted by tkchrist at 9:44 AM on March 12, 2007
ramping up with three low intensity workouts with one high intensity work out per week
If my body starts rebelling, I'll probably adopt that pattern, but for now, this is working as a great stress reliever and I like the feeling of "Yes! I can still do this!" It's not even all the stuff I do -- there's some weightlifting, dancing and running big dogs at a shelter too, so it's not all strap 'em on and humping.
posted by pax digita at 10:07 AM on March 12, 2007
If my body starts rebelling, I'll probably adopt that pattern, but for now, this is working as a great stress reliever and I like the feeling of "Yes! I can still do this!" It's not even all the stuff I do -- there's some weightlifting, dancing and running big dogs at a shelter too, so it's not all strap 'em on and humping.
posted by pax digita at 10:07 AM on March 12, 2007
Wait...what’s this ‘diet’ and ‘exercise’ I’ve been hearing about?
I don’t know that Spartans would have gotten fat. I think that’s endemic to modern, particularly American, amateur athletes when they stop training. No one teaches you how to eat really. Although that’s changing a bit in colleges.
posted by Smedleyman at 10:16 AM on March 12, 2007
I don’t know that Spartans would have gotten fat. I think that’s endemic to modern, particularly American, amateur athletes when they stop training. No one teaches you how to eat really. Although that’s changing a bit in colleges.
posted by Smedleyman at 10:16 AM on March 12, 2007
I don’t know that Spartans would have gotten fat. I think that’s endemic to modern, particularly American, amateur athletes when they stop training.
Exactly. These guys get to be 35-40 years old, with a desk job and several hours of tv/internet when they get home at night and they believe they can still eat the way they did when they were 18-20 years old, walking everywhere, heavy practice schedule, higher levels of testosterone and growth hormone, etc.
posted by jason's_planet at 11:01 AM on March 12, 2007
Exactly. These guys get to be 35-40 years old, with a desk job and several hours of tv/internet when they get home at night and they believe they can still eat the way they did when they were 18-20 years old, walking everywhere, heavy practice schedule, higher levels of testosterone and growth hormone, etc.
posted by jason's_planet at 11:01 AM on March 12, 2007
I also wackyparsed Mark Twain as the greatest American alpinist - brilliant.
posted by wilberforce at 11:26 AM on March 12, 2007
posted by wilberforce at 11:26 AM on March 12, 2007
Ok, everyone get started on this and then meet back here in 4 months in your leather bikinis to compare results!
posted by thekilgore at 11:45 AM on March 12, 2007
posted by thekilgore at 11:45 AM on March 12, 2007
I can eat 50 eggs.
posted by sidereal at 12:48 PM on March 12, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by sidereal at 12:48 PM on March 12, 2007 [1 favorite]
That movie is totally (retrograde and derogatory for the most part) gay porn--do all the straight boys going to see it realize? It makes even Top Gun seem straight.
... What's more, director Zack Snyder admits to using Rodrigo Santoro's man-loving character, Xerex, to perpetuate gay panic. ...
posted by amberglow at 3:21 PM on March 12, 2007
... What's more, director Zack Snyder admits to using Rodrigo Santoro's man-loving character, Xerex, to perpetuate gay panic. ...
posted by amberglow at 3:21 PM on March 12, 2007
It's hysterical too, that leather codpieces/jocks were used instead of the short skirts they really wore, and those are on the supposed to be "straight" good guys.
posted by amberglow at 3:28 PM on March 12, 2007
posted by amberglow at 3:28 PM on March 12, 2007
there's some weightlifting, dancing and running big dogs at a shelter too, so it's not all strap 'em on and humping.
If you enjoy the humping that's great. The important part is enjoying it and creating a form personal physical expression no matter what it is.
posted by tkchrist at 3:38 PM on March 12, 2007
If you enjoy the humping that's great. The important part is enjoying it and creating a form personal physical expression no matter what it is.
posted by tkchrist at 3:38 PM on March 12, 2007
From amberglows link: makes a crack about the Athenians being “boy-lovers”
Oh. God. They were ALL boy lovers.
See this is why I hate Frank Miller.
On one hand he just adores all the most adolescent and grotesque qualities of these bigger than life mythical guys... the blood lust, the subjugation and slavery, the wanton militarism... but the fact they fucked each other... well... that is just TOO real for him.
posted by tkchrist at 3:44 PM on March 12, 2007
Oh. God. They were ALL boy lovers.
See this is why I hate Frank Miller.
On one hand he just adores all the most adolescent and grotesque qualities of these bigger than life mythical guys... the blood lust, the subjugation and slavery, the wanton militarism... but the fact they fucked each other... well... that is just TOO real for him.
posted by tkchrist at 3:44 PM on March 12, 2007
This is not a rest day, folks. Just post your age/height/weight, any scaling or modifications to the workout, and your time to complete it! Thanks.
posted by chudder at 8:01 PM on March 12, 2007
posted by chudder at 8:01 PM on March 12, 2007
Fine fine, no one else is doing it. Today is the Ides of March so I might as well!
26, 5'8", 160 lbs.
posted by every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes at 7:51 PM on March 15, 2007
26, 5'8", 160 lbs.
posted by every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes at 7:51 PM on March 15, 2007
Now that we know your vital stats, every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes, want to let us know how long it took you to complete the workout? You get a gold star if you can complete it in less than 20 minutes.
posted by chudder at 10:35 PM on March 17, 2007
posted by chudder at 10:35 PM on March 17, 2007
1 week!
posted by every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes at 9:28 PM on March 29, 2007
posted by every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes at 9:28 PM on March 29, 2007
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I think I'd take my chances with steroids.
Also the link to the actual gym: Gym Jones.
posted by geoff. at 6:13 PM on March 11, 2007