ABOUT THIS BLOG

“I want to look good naked,” bluntly answers a middle-aged Lester Burnham. He jogs along his neigborhood. He accidentally runs along two of his next-door neigbors. They seem very athletic. Lester brags about his new found passion for fitness. He is asked what his goals are – is it to increase flexibility, strength, or endurance? He is stomped. All he could come up with were the opening phrases above.

Of course, like the character in the film American Beauty, don’t we all want to appear great in our birthday suits? To be honest, I started like Lester. I used to want to be sexy. I used to desire to be like underwear models with their enormous tarpaulins. Even up to now, I sometimes wish I could swap bodies with them. Until I found out about the dark parts of the gym, so to speak. I heard about crash diets, fake products, steroids, anorexia, “bangkok pills”, photoshopped magazines, starvation diets, etc. I realized that looking sexy does not necessarily equate to being healthy. In fact, most of the time, it’s the opposite. I had to change my long-term goal from looking good to being physically fit.

What do I mean? Instead of staring at my chest in the mirror, which Lester does, I aim for the capability to perform one-arm pushups. I measure my health by feats of strength.* I deem that this is related to Functional Strength. According to Paul “Coach” Wade, the author of Convict Conditioning, functional strength is the ability to move one’s body through space. Note that it’s about moving your body, not a barbell. Wade strongly argues that this type of strength is the most useful in matter-of-life-and-death situations. For example, we lift our body when we sprint, climb a tree, execute a roundhouse kick, hurdle over a wall, etc. This is the poor man’s exercise: functional but not costly. One should be able to exercise even without any equipment, any time, anywhere, and even in areas that resemble the post-apocalyptic period.

Beginners' One-arm pushups.

The more difficult variation is with feet together.
You may also try the one-arm one-leg pushups, if you dare.

I still lift weights because I enjoy it. However, I have a different focus and mind-set during workouts. I’m an eternal beginner.** You may see a lot of bad forms in this blog. Let me be clear, I support good form. I believe that before trying out an exercise one should know the proper form. Know it! Do it! However, I don’t desire to be too rigid. I don’t want to be a perfectionist to the point where it prevents me from exercising; stop me from having fun in my workouts.

Click Paeng’s Profile to know more about me. You may also read my other writings from the tab Links. Finally, tick Contact Me in order to talk with me.

So do you want to increase flexibility, strength, or endurance? I hope that with this blog I could help you find out for yourself. If we are fortunate, we keep working out until old age; maybe even use our abilities to slay zombies.#

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* This is a one-sided view of health, however. To ensure fitness one needs proper nutrition, regular sleep, exercise, and less stress. Consult your doctor frequently for a complete check-up.

** From Schuler and Cosgrove’s “The New Rules of Lifting”

Click here to read more about the film American Beauty.

Click here to read more about Paul "Coach" Wade.