Rest Day Read February 28, 2011

Rest Day Read (SR-77)
Terry Pratchett's Alzheimer's Speech in Full
"Soon after I told the world (about his Alzheimer's diagnosis) my website fell over and my PA had to spend the evening negotiating more bandwidth.
I had more than 60,000 messages within the first few hours.
Most of them were readers and well-wishers.
Some of them wanted to sell me snake oil and I'm not necessarily going to dismiss all of these, as I have never found a rusty snake." 
Terry Pratchett is one of the most talented writers of our time.  A satirist known for his Discworld series and for GOOD OMENS, co-written with Neil Gaiman, the creations he crafts are extremely entertaining and humorous.  Personally, I just discovered his work not long ago.  I don't know what rock I have been living under, but I am glad I've finally seen the light.
Neil Gaiman may have given Mr. Pratchett the ultimate writer compliment in his comments on working with Terry Prachett on GOOD OMENS.
"Terry is that rarity, the kind of author who likes Writing, not Having Written, or Being a Writer, but the actual sitting there and making things up in front of a screen. At the time we met, he was still working as a press officer for the South Western Electricity board.  He wrote four hundred words a night, every night: it was the only way for him to keep a real job and still write books.  One night, a year later, he finished a novel, with a hundred words still to go, so he put a piece of paper into his typewriter, and wrote a hundred words of the next novel."
It is a cruel fate with his diagnosis of Alzheimer's.  No matter how prolific Mr. Pratchett can be, there will still be a wonderful tale trapped in his brain without synaptic release for all of us to enjoy.
Thank you, Sir Terry Pratchett, for all you have done and all you will do.  Keep pushing forward.
Humor in the face of tragic news. Hope over despair.  Courage over fear.  And (which would make Hemingway proud), grace under pressure.  Class.

Sunday February 27, 2011

Fam-Fit
Swings
20 minutes of 20 rep sets, rest as needed

Saturday February 26, 2011

Off to the Land of KCK to:
1. Face to face observation of parents who have been ill in one way or the other and have had a rough start to the year 2011.
2. Prom dress shop for the girls.
3.  Nebraska Furniture Mart/Cabela's for the boys.

Friday February 25, 2011

Fam-Fit
Squat
3,3,3,3,3

Thursday February 24, 2011

Fam-Fit
ROW, ROW, ROW THE SNOW
Shovel snow using row-like shovel motion
AFAP (as fast as possible without losing form)

By the way, yes, it did snow AGAIN!

Wednesday February 23, 2011

Fam-Fit
Increasing Increments on Treadmill
Minute 1-5 Power Walk
Minute 6-15 Increase incline 0.1 every minute.
Minute 16-25 Incline flat, increase speed 0.1 MPH every 2 minutes.
Minute 26-30 Power Walk

Rest Day Read February 22, 2011

Rest Day Read (SR-76)
The Viking Laws
I don't really know for sure who wrote the Viking Laws.  In fact, I cannot even recollect where I originally ran into them, but I am grateful to have found them. There almost has to be some fantastic legend that goes along with their origin. A great wisdom flows through, around and into the Viking Laws, no matter where their origin lies.
The Viking Laws work very well as a road map in a football strength & conditioning environment.  The attack mode and human weapon philosophy required to prepare one to physically, mentally and emotionally compete is mapped out in the Viking Laws. 
Believe me, there is a lot to be learned in these 138 words. 

THE VIKING LAWS

• 1. BE BRAVE AND AGGRESSIVE
      • BE DIRECT
      • GRAB ALL OPPORTUNITIES
      • USE VARYING METHODS OF ATTACK
      • BE VERSATILE AND AGILE
      • ATTACK ONE TARGET AT A TIME
      • DON’T PLAN EVERYTHING IN DETAIL
      • USE TOP QUALITY WEAPONS
  
  2. BE PREPARED
      • KEEP WEAPONS IN GOOD CONDITION
      • KEEP IN SHAPE
      • FIND GOOD BATTLE COMRADES
      • AGREE ON IMPORTANT POINTS
      • CHOOSE ONE CHIEF
  
  3. BE A GOOD MERCHANT
      • FIND OUT WHAT THE MARKET NEEDS
      • DON’T PROMISE WHAT YOU CANNOT DELIVER
      • DON’T DEMAND OVERPAYMENT
      • ARRANGE THINGS SO THAT YOU CAN RETURN
  
  4. KEEP THE CAMP IN ORDER
      • KEEP THINGS TIDY AND ORGANIZED
      • ARRANGE ENJOYABLE ACTIVITIES WHICH STRENGTHEN THE GROUP
      • MAKE SURE EVERYBODY DOES USEFUL WORK
      • CONSULT ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP FOR ADVICE

Monday Febrauary 21, 2011

Fam-Fit
135# Barbell Combo
10 reps Straight Leg Deadlift
3 Hang Cleans
-5 Rounds

Sunday February 20, 2011

Fam-Fit
Interval Mile
Warm up 1/10 mile
Jog 1/10 mile
Sprint 1/10 mile
Alternated Jog and Spring for 1.0 mile
Cool down

Saturday February 19, 2011

Fam-Fit
Thrusters
3,3,3,3,3

Friday February 18, 2011

Fam-Fit
30 Minutes of Movement

Rest Day Read Thursday February 17, 2011

Rest Day Read (SR-75)
Bugs in the Arroyo by Steven Gould
(chapter excerpt from his forthcoming novel, 7th SIGMA. Release July 2011) 
"Bugs care about three things, near as Kimball could figure. They loved metal. That’s what they’re after, what they’re made of, what they ate to turn into even more bugs.
You don’t want to have an artificial joint in the Territory. Ditto for metal fillings.
In preference over metal, though, they go after electro-magnetic radiation. This means they love radio and really, any of the humming frequencies caused by current flowing through conductors.
Forget computers, radios, cell phones, generators, and—remember fillings and crowns?—well, a pacemaker, an imbedded insulin pump, a vagal stimulator brings them quicker.
But there is one thing that brings them even faster than all of those, that makes them swarm.
A broken bug is to the territory what blood is to a shark pool. They come in numbers, they come fast, and they come with their coal-black nano snouts ready to eat through anything."

They say a good writing does not just tell about the action, good writing shows the reader the action. GREAT writing drops the reader into the action, not only telling the reader it is raining, but making the reader feel the drops hit the face.  In BUGS IN THE ARROYO, I felt I was walking around the desert scene looking over Kimballs shoulder the entire time.  GREAT STORY, folks.  Please, give it a try.
I stumbled across Steven Gould's BUGS IN THE ARROYO around the end of 2010 when I registered to win free ebooks of his novels in a Twitter contest.  I had known him as the author of JUMPER, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Steven Gould.  After I registered, I went to his website, www.digitalnoir.com, roamed around and found a link to this story on TOR.com.  It is impressive to say the least and cranks up the anticipation for the July 2011 release of his novel, 7th SIGMA, from which this story is a chapter of.
Hope you enjoy!

Wednesday February 16, 2011

Fam-Fit
Uphill Both Ways
-Max incline and max speed for 20 minutes on treadmill

Tuesday February 15, 2011

Fam-Fit
Snatch Hops @ Light Weight
-Full snatch, explode from deep bottom position and drive weight up to a 6-12" box jump.
3,3,3,3,3

Monday February 14, 2011

Fam-Fit
M.O.M. (Move One Mile)

Sunday February 13, 2011

Fam-Fit
Pull Combo
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 10 reps/round
Dead Hang Pull-Ups @Max reps/round
-10 Rounds

Rest Day Read Saturday February 12, 2011

Rest Day Read (SR-74)
Whose name is written on YOUR foot?
by Coach Hays
I sat down in my man-chair.  It was comfortable. It was quiet. It was peaceful.  I was reading some Sherlock Holmes. Life was good.  In comes offspring #2, who plops down on the sofa and turns on the TV.  Toy Story followed by Toy Story 2.  I cough.  Then I loudly clear my throat, but to no avail.  And wanting to avoid an international incident requiring mediators and negotiators, I let the intrusion slide.   I ignored Offspring #2 and went back to reading.
But pretty soon...well, you all know what happened.  The giggling and laughing from the sofa caught my attention and before you know it, the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is safely closed on the end table with me and Offspring #2 both laughing and reciting lines by heart.  (Admit it.  "Positive is positive and negative is negative!" is one of the greatest quotations ever recorded on the intricacies of battery polarity engineering and placement.) 
Well, the following morning, in that magical mental place between the alarm ringing and full consciousness wrestling back the proper mental faculties, I had a thought flash into my head with the vivid mental image of Woody looking at the faded name of ANDY written on the bottom of his boot. ANDY.  The name that represents belonging to and being a part of.  ANDY. The name that gives Woody purpose.  Looks what happens to Woody in Toy Story 2 when the cleaner wipes those four letters off his boot.  He gives up trying to get back to Andy and the others. Gives up and floats away from all that is important to him.  When the name disappears, so does the very core of who he is.  Eventually, it takes a monumental effort by his friends to bring him back.

 

Then came the big question.  Whose name do I have written on the bottom of my foot in permanent marker?  Who do I choose belong to? Who do I choose to give myself up to?  What is the purpose, what is the driving force I stand on?  Is it a name to provide solid footing or is it one that will cause me to slip and fall?  I know now.  After some mistakes and some trial and error (see here), I now know.  
God on the right foot.
Faith on the left.
Family on the toes. 

Friday February 11, 2011

Fam-Fit
Soreness
15 PVC Front Squats
15 Swings
15 PVC OH Squats
-5 Rounds

Thursday February 10, 2011

Fam-Fit
Wii Sports Boxing
5 straight bouts or 15 rounds total

Wednesday February 9, 2011

Fam-Fit
30 Minutes of Movement

Tuesday February 8, 2011

Fam-Fit
Pull-Up Ladder
7 Rounds of Max Reps/Round

Monday Febrauary 7, 2011

Fam-Fit
100 Push-Ups

Super Bowl Sunday

Steelers vs. Packers
Two great defenses.
Two great franchises.
Two great traditions.
Hard to pick a winner. Like them both. 

Cheer for the sport and all the good things about it. 
Have a great time and please be careful.

Saturday February 5, 2011

Fam-Fit
Four Quarters
Q1- 25 Minute Run
Q2- 25 Swings
Q3- 25 OH Squats
Q4- 25 Front Squats

Friday February 4, 2011

Fam-Fit
30 Minutes of Movement

Thursday February 3, 2011

Fam-Fit
Heavy Hands Walk

Wednesday February 2, 2011

Fam-Fit
Uphill Both Ways
Treadmill on max incline, speed AFAP(as fast as possible) for 15 minutes

Rest Day Read Tuesday February 1, 2011

Rest Day Read (SR-73)
The Steeler Way by Coach Hays
The Pttsburgh Steelers, with another  team of virtual nobody’s, are in the Super Bowl again.  I heard something astounding about the Steelers the other day on ESPN Radio.  Since 1975, the Steelers have had only seven sub .500 (losing) seasons. That means over that 35 year time period, in an age where the very league they participate in (THE NFL) legislates parity and a organization quality cycle, the Pittsburgh Steelers had winning seasons 80% of the time. That is a remarkable success rate that goes far beyond the raw athletic talent on the field.
How do they do it?  (Here are the humble opinions and observations of Coach Hays)
A. Plan
The Steelers ownership have a vision of what they want to accomplish.  They paint the picture of what their vision looks like and post it on the wall for all in the management to see.  They then sit down and decide how they want to go about the business of attaining the goal.  In other words, they develop the personality of what their team needs to be. Once they know what they want to do and how they want to go about doing it, they take their picture of their goal vision off the wall and cut it up into pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle.
B. Personnel
The Steelers ownership goes about finding the people that fit each piece of the big picture puzzle.  First the outside frame pieces are found and assembled, the right general manager, a top flight scouting staff, the right head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators and position coaches.  Now, the magic begins.  The aforementioned group watches hours of film, performs thousands of scouting visits, hundreds of interviews to find, select and sign the individual athletes that fit perfectly, like a glove, into each of the puzzle pieces.  Once each piece is found, the often undervalued ability in the NFL  to coach each of these pieces into a proper “fit” in the puzzle picture occurs.  Finally, the goal and vision picture is now ready to assemble from the pieces.
Personnel Note:
37 men on the Pittsburgh Steelers 53 man roster for the Super Bowl are homegrown draft picks or un-drafted free agent signings.  Here is a list of their first round draft choices of the past decade.  Impressive.
2001 Casey Hampton (DT)
2002 Kendall Simmons (G)
2003 Troy Polamalu (DB)
2004 Ben Roethisberger (QB)
2005 Heath Miller (TE)
2006 Santonio Holmes (WR)
2007 Lawrence Timmons (LB)
2008 Rashard Mendenhall (RB)
2009 Ziggy Hood (DT)
2010 Maurkice Pouncey (C)
C. Performance
Through the course of the season, the organization goes about the business of working through the peaks and valleys of a 16 game NFL season in order to hang the picture back in a place of esteem on the wall.  In the case of 2010-2011 season, that place of esteem is a return to the Super Bowl.
Calm and steady, moving forward one step at a time. Every man does their job on every play. Blue collar, hard hat, lunch pail, sprinkled with a healthy dose of Pittsburgh attitude.  That is the Steeler Way.

Monday January 31, 2011

Fam-Fit
Time Trial
NordicTrack Ski Machine 
Measure distance covered in 20 minutes
-weather is crappy, ice and snow, wind and cold.  Thought this an appropriate use of exercise today.

Saturday/Sunday January 29 & 30, 2011

Paint the Basement
The location of The Man Corner, former The Man Room, previously The Man Coach Room, is once again in flux.  The corner of the basement formerly know as The Man Corner, et al., is being painted as part of a project to establish a high quality family recreational area in the basement.  TwirlerGirl picked out the paint and said please, so I must adhere strictly to the Dad code and paint this weekend.  Pictures will surely follow, as will location announcement of The Man Area.

Friday January 28, 2011

Fam-Fit
M.O.M (Move One Mile)

Thursday January 27, 2011

Fam-Fit
A Trio
10 Straight Leg Deadlifts
20 SDLHP
30 Rope Jumps
-5 Rounds