Monday, July 14th, 2008...2:38 pm
The evolution of personal goals.
I’m posting an entire workout today, not just parts. It spans the Spectrum (like most of our workouts do), from max force development to keeping up an intense workload for a chunk of time, but it also spans another spectrum, from utilizing the heaviest weights you can handle to a combo with no weights at all that feels just as brutal.
Crap Thunder combo. Go heavy on the goodmornings, keeping the rep scheme on the low end, and go HEAVY on the farmers walks.
Brick Don’t Hit Back combo. This will finish ya. The original combo is 5 rounds, but if you’d like to try 7 rounds for insanity or 10 rounds for stupidity, feel free.
My goals through the years have gone through an evolution, ranging from completely selfish aesthetic pursuits to global concerns. Here’s the timeline:
1993
Early goals: get fucking HUGE, man! Sick of being 130 pounds found me reading bodybuiding magazines and sucking down almost 5000 calories a day.
Evolutionary changes: Several years into it, The scale happily screamed at me that I had achieved an additional 50 pounds. But something deeper, and eventually louder, painted the picture that this quest has no real end, nor does it have any real purpose. My ‘love life’ at 130 pounds was no different at 180 pounds (meaning that I didn’t suddenly get a secret pass into the buff guys club, making me instantly more attractive to the opposite sex), and never have I been a real big brawler, so what was the purpose of all this muscle, if not to win babes and bar fights?
1997-ish
New goal: Get fucking strong!! Ya’d think the new 50 pounds on my frame would mean I could move some serious weight. Nah, I really couldn’t DO much with it, so then my quest was to compete in powerlifting, and learn every aspect of STRENGTH training.
Evolutionary changes: great, I’ve got a couple of dangerous looking trophies to hang on my wall that prove I’m slightly stronger than an average person my size. So I can squat double my bodyweight… now what? Do I want to keep pursuing the big squat until the bar bends or my back breaks? Again, no end and no purpose.
2000-ish
New goal: define what ’strength’ and ‘fitness’ truly mean. This is an ongoing process, a lifetime of homework. What does it mean to be ’strong’ or ‘fit?’ The easy way to answer that question is to ask why i want to be ’strong’ or ‘fit?’ There’s the definition. And it makes for a possible premise of a decent book.
Evolutionary changes: Once I started the ongoing process of defining these terms, I suddenly had training goals (and a book outline). Is ’strength’ just lifting something really heavy? Of course not. Now that I’m defining what it is and discovering what a big, beautiful world movement is, i have many paths to follow, things to try, areas to get better at.
2006
New Goal: Then what? If fitness is a personal empowerment through movement, then how does it affect the Tribe (culture, society)? Although it can be well meaning and not always in the ‘hey, look at me’ camp, the quest for fitness is still pretty darn selfish. How can we take it beyond that? Was Wittgenstein accurate when he wrote that the best way to better society was to better the self? If so, it only works if it is with purpose, it is not an instant transfer. What are the recognizable steps for this positive infection of self empowerment to Tribal Empowerment?
This is where I currently am at; trying to figure out what personal empowerment means in relation to the Tribe, as many of my previous posts have babbled on (and on and on) about.
TRIBULAR: \Trib”u*lar\, a. Of or relating to a tribe; tribal.
I have never used, or heard this word used in my life, and I was very excited to add it to my lexicon, of course thinking it was my own creation, like a groovy, almost hip hybrid word that the kids could use. Maybe, with some savvy and a handful of ducats, I could have it written into a soon-to-be released G-Unit song, making it instantly the coolest word on the planet.
I’m such an idiot. It’s been on the books for a century or more. Damn.
Although it supposedly takes a big man to admit he’s wrong, it takes a much smaller man to be FORCED to admit he’s wrong. Well discovering that my new word is neither mine nor new (sorry G-Unit) is just the beginning of my many faults.
Now I’m not admitting nothun’, but I have noticed something that I am construing as sort of anti-tribular in my own actions. We… okay, I (you won’t be dragged into my accusations here) sometimes fall into the habit of defining ourselves… uh… myself by what I’m NOT. This is not an accurate way to establish ourselves, set goals or ’speak our latent convictions.’ As my buddy Brian Fisher from Midtown Grid pointed out today, pointing out the squeaky wheel doesn’t grease it. I can point fingers at all the shit that bugs me about this fitness industry and I can rant about it until the robots take over the planet and enslave us (which isn’t that far away, people!!), but that doesn’t offer better options or define what I am.
So in the spirit of tribular expression, I’d like to define me by what inspires me or simply makes me smile. Here’s a super incomplete list, with more to come in the future (by the way… what does your list look like?):
If you thought that guy from So You Think You Can Dance was good…
But the first candidate for Who I Wanna Be When I Grow Up…
Or this guy…
The only thing better than listening to Slayer is the ability to laugh at the fact that you listen to Slayer:
The next two videos have been consistent in making me smile when it was imperative that I do so before there was bloodshed…
and of course this great little sing-a-long…
.
Art and Squats:
Friends:
More Friends:
and, of course You (this would be the cheesy part where I’d post a picture of a mirror so you’d stare at yourself, just like you might find at the zoo, where they have the “most dangerous animal in the world” display, which is always a cage with a mirror in it).
Thanks folks. Gotta go lift now.
13 Comments
July 14th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
So they have a second there where Knut shows his barbell mouth lifting technique, but I want to see him use his chains!
Fine, fine blog today. Thanks.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
1. Arcata strength camp
2. The few people that I have met in the tribe (you know who you are)
3. completing “a drill”
4. family and friends
5. neighbors
6. nature
7. dreams
8. other people smiling
9. sharing ideas
10. “snatches” of course
11. a spoon full of ice cream on occasion
12. hopes of the world becoming a more compassionate space.
13. possible future participation at bodytribe camps, etc.
14. it’s a two way mirror Chip
just another incomplete list……….
July 14th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Frank post. Honest and naked. True evolution.
Regards
Dan
July 14th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I like the way ice cream comes after snatches. My list would read….
12. Snatches
13. Double espresso with cream and sugar
14. Donut
15. Sleep
Dan
July 15th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Great post! Thank you Chip.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Chip, not sure exactly how you define tribal empowerment, but it seems (from my relatively newby perspective) there is quite a bit of positive movement and community being built in and around body tribe, which is what attracted me in the first place. I appreciate your sharing these thoughts and experiences. I look forward (at some point) to talking with you and others about what tribal empowerment might look like and how we can work collectively toward that end.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Erica: that’s been my goal, defining what the end product is so we at least know what to shoot for. We can’t achieve, teach or learn what isn’t defined, so that’s step one. In fact it is a big part of my next book. Some of my past posts over these last 5 months or so dabble at it a bit.
July 16th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I’m a little confused about what you’re getting at…
You say, “the quest for fitness is still pretty darn selfish.” Do you mean an individual’s quest for fitness? I can see it as being selfish in that the bulk of the “rewards” for one’s efforts in pursuing fitness are reaped by that individual, but for me to truly feel that it is “selfish,” it would need to be a zero-sum game. But I don’t really see my pursuit of fitness as taking anything away from other people. If anything, what quality it adds to my life enhances (if only marginally) the lives of those around me. I’m more fun to be around. I can do more, and I’m generally better at the things I do.
Beyond that, none of us pursue fitness in a vacuum. We all communicate and enhance each-others’ experiences. You may say your pursuit of fitness is selfish, but I’ve gained immensely by your documentation of and reflection on your experience, though this blog, your videos, your book, your workshops. And even doing something like training next to Andy, without saying a word to him, I can gain from that. Watching him “selfishly” pursuing an even more monstrous squat does something for me. I can take note of his form, his mental preparation, or I can simply be inspired by his mutant strength.
Beyond all this, I think the value to the “tribe” of what you do in captaining the ship that is Bodytribe is fairly evident. By training folks, communicating with a fitness-pursuing audience, and providing a damn-fine space in which folks can conduct their own pursuits of fitness, you are doing a lot to empower a lot of other people through movement.
As for where this is all heading? More folks being more empowered through more (fun) movement. And when I start thinking along these lines, the “tribe” concept suddenly becomes a lot more appropriate… Without delving into a bunch of Hakim Bey-inspired crap, it just seems that movement is such a “right” thing for us as humans to be doing. Using our bodies, pushing the boundaries of what our bodies can do (nod to what you wrote in Lift With Your Head) feels so right, appropriate, and primal. I feel that by pursuing fitness, by engaging in movement as a lifestyle, I am living a more complete life, a life more in line with what is intended for human experience, a life less fettered by the warped madness of the post-war western world.
I feel I am not making sense any longer, thus it is time to stop…
July 16th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
‘Selfish’ does instantly ring as a negative word for many of us, doesn’t it? You equate it to a sum of zero or a vacuum. Perhaps ’self-centered’ is a better choice of words then. Point being that fitness is a personal pursuit centered on the ’self,’ even if for the correct reasons. Then the rest of what I wrote may seem in better context.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I’m again drawn in by your post and the community comments.
I can only add that without precise attention to selfish needs and desires, it becomes difficult to be an effective community member. Balance, right?
Thanks for sharing the vids, too. Der kleiner Eisbaer Knut is too much. And if gonads and strife aren’t cutting it, have you ever tried this workout?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeZELhU2PJY
Cheers.
KK
btw- what are you grabbing at with the evil claw up there?
July 16th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Grabbing at? Life! Showing it my hard earned callouses.
July 16th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
“self centered” defined as concerned only with one’s own self
“selfish” defines as concerned with one’s own welfare excessively or without regard for others.
I like “self centered” better for this application…..
but don’t we do self centered things everyday outside of fitness ? Isn’t it part of being a individual ? Is eating survival or self centered ? Is going on a vacation self centered ? Maybe they are bad examples.
I’m not arguing. It just makes me think. I remember when Chip discussed this at the Arcata camp. Chip also posed a question something to the effect…….”How does our individual time spent in the gym make the world a better place”? This is a good question, and one I have not been able to answer yet.
As far as self centered, and the world go…..the only thing I can come up with is. When many of us spend time in the gym for example. The combination of all our healthy choices makes the world a better place ? Doesn’t it ? We feel better, we look better, we are more productive. This makes the world a better place. Unfortunately governments tend to set standards, and our fitness minded living is in the minority. The stats prove that with obesity, hypertension, etc.
So is our gym time really self centered looking at the big picture ?
I have been thinking about this ever since Chip talked about it in Arcata believe it or not……
Maybe something lies deeper in our souls. I want to keep looking……
questions, questions, questions
July 17th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
“Using our bodies, pushing the boundaries of what our bodies can do (nod to what you wrote in Lift With Your Head) feels so right, appropriate, and primal. I feel that by pursuing fitness, by engaging in movement as a lifestyle, I am living a more complete life, a life more in line with what is intended for human experience, a life less fettered by the warped madness of the post-war western world.”
Exactly! I do agree that ’selfish’ isn’t really accurate. I also feel that the process, when it is done with intelligence and focus- conciously, if you will- is in itself improveing of the areas around us. And not because anyone might look better- unless that is because they might then feel better about themselves. Which makes them more likely (in my experience) to DO better- to make good choices for themselves and others and act upon then. I personally think that a large portion of why the world is warped is that the the goal seems to be to escape- through more and more vicarious living, through mood stabilizers (why the hell are they moods, then? They aren’t suppossed to be all that stable!). Escape why? Are people really, truly trapped, or have we just walked into the cell with the TV and People and Us and turned our back on the door?
I believe that part of Physical Culture is realizing that our bodies are the door, not the cell. The examples of others certainly helps me in my quest for more doors, less walls, more life, less pain.
It’s fairly clear to me that I wasn’t made for sitting at a computer. My time with my K-Bells (and I have to apologize to the dancing girl, that’s a Pavel term!) and sandbags and club are active meditation. They are spiritual practice. Active recovery from my working life.
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