Loopsided
This morning's game was called "Loopsided": three mismatched weights all carried off-center, starring the Leaden Loop. People don't like one-arm or one-legged lifts very much, including me, because they take more time and tire the core muscles. But you need to work in the transverse (side-to-side) somehow, and you can check that box with weighted... Continue Reading →
Rhomboid Rodeo
Volodya surveys the valley after earning his blue-and-white David Rigert tel'nyashka To initiate Volodya the 28kg Kettlebell, I suitcase-carried him with the Backpack of Bricks up the summit. Today's game was that I could set him down when needed, but for the whole hike I had to hold my chest and head upright. No hunched backs.... Continue Reading →
US Soil Literally Ground Under Heel of Communist Jackboots
Since our posts on footwraps and jackboots, Lean Solid Dogs has been flooded with queries from peace-loving people of all fraternal nations. In response, I conducted harsh field trials on the Russian-style jackboots and footwraps, equipment worth over $20.05, assuming a value of one nickel for the remnants of my old pillowcase. Nothing but the best for... Continue Reading →
When In Doubt, Be Strong?
One school of thought says, “If you lack skill in some athletic event, you can compensate for a lot of your suckage by being strong and brute-forcing it. Therefore, make strength your top conditioning priority.” I have reservations about that, about which I’ll post, but in this particular event, being strong saved me. Had this... Continue Reading →
What Did We Learn, Class?
1. Things That Worked The Goofy Yoga Shorts. Never mind what the smart-alecks say [looking sideways at Lee], these were SOOOOO practical. They didn’t bind my legs and, when wet, they drip-dried in no time. Caffeine and Sugar. I drank the equivalent of six or seven cups of coffee. I only regret not drinking twice... Continue Reading →
“The Horror, The Horror”
The infamous “surf torture” was really fun for a short while. It was neat to find out firsthand why it’s so hard. (The answer is that when the waves recede, they pull the sand out from beneath you. Everyone starts tumbling and getting sucked out of line, so when the next wave hits, it’s not... Continue Reading →
Clichés For A Reason
We all made it! The all-night ruck confirmed some clichés that are cliché for good reason: 1) People metamorphose in shocking ways. A bantamweight guy who struggled with sand bags early in the night turned into the Incredible Hulk around 5am. Either he was free-basing something or he’s really, really a morning person. 2) When... Continue Reading →
With My Shield or On It!
"ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς" --Spartan moms in a time before enlightened parenting I am ready to ruck! I’ve trained for weeks, obsessed minutely over man-toys Vitally Important Equipment Choices,™ and I just managed to give myself a second-degree burn with a piece of paracord that caught on fire. (Don’t ask.) But now I’m ready!... Continue Reading →
Junkyard Orthopedics
A mentor of mine says, “A piece of exercise equipment is valuable in inverse proportion to its cost.” Meaning that if you spend $5000 on a Bowflex machine, you will receive no benefit from it, but an implement you make for $1 will be almost invaluable. By that measure, this is my pot of gold... Continue Reading →