A Revolutionary Ranger's Training Log in the Age of Zombie Capitalism

[Al Raven]

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March... This year it means to me : a new house (yay!) and also planning a moving with a 5 and a 2 y.o. (noooooo!), also planning the carnaval with the town school's association, and an egg hunt and a vide grenier (which is a garage sale but not in front of your house and with other people doing the same thing at the same time as you. I don't know how to translate this) also with the school's association, which are on the same weekend as my moving
I can't wait for march to be over

not sure where you're from but I'm in a French-speaking region so I'm familiar w/ "vide grenier"
Read about your eating disorder, I empathize as it's also been part of my life for a long time, largely due to narcolepsy (overnight issue especially, but also during the day to a lesser extent). Stay brave with everything you've got to deal with especially this month, I can feel the stress just thinking about all of this!
I often feel like whatever level or specific thing we're doing individually, a major upside and benefit of regular exercise is to PARTLY (it can't erase the stress or even pain/problem but it gives some breathing room for mind and body, and emotions!) "keep us sane" through all the stresses and especially erratic/intense moments and periods like for you right now!

 

[Tileenah]

Thank you for your message
It's a bit stressful for me right now, I have to change lots of habits and routines and I don't deal well with that. And I agree, working out is a big help in keeping us mentally healthy
I'm from France, near Switzerland. I thought I had read you were in england for your studies (but maybe I misread? Or mixed with someone else) so I assumed you wouldn't know about vide-greniers (sorry ). The "tractions" should have been a clue
Where are you from? (If it's okay to ask?)

 

[Tileenah]

So I read back your thread and you said you were a fan of manchester united and a student in the same post and I completely invented the rest sorry for the mix-up

 

[Al Raven]

Haha I'm from (and living in) Lausanne!

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout
One-hour GtG workout with 4 pushups + 1 (s)pullup every 5min.
Total: 13 (s)pull-ups, 52 pushups.

 

[Tileenah]

I was thinking of your post about you preparing to live in a capitalist/consumerist world and all of that and wondered if you knew the podcast "meta de choc"? It's about understanding why we think what we think. I discovered it last year and I kind of wish I would have learned about zététique and cognitive biases before I started working. Maybe that's not your thing but I thought I'd share

 

[Al Raven]

I'll take a look^^ Thank you

 

[Al Raven]

I'm a HUGE podcast addict (btw the name of the best podcast app, just saying) so this is perfect for me

 

[Tileenah]

I'm a HUGE podcast addict (btw the name of the best podcast app, just saying) so this is perfect for me

Podcasts have saved my sanity as a stay-at-home mom so I understand

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout

1. 3xamrap pullups (first two underhand, last one neutral grip): 5, 3, 3.
2. 3xamrap pushups: 16, 8, 8.
3. 3x5 squats @ 100kg
4. 1x5 deadlifts @ 120kg

 

[HellYeah]

So you don't plan which grip you're gonna use, or you just know it in your head?

I usually do the ones that come to my mind. I also change gripstyles from one set to the other. From hard to easy, in waves... whatever suits me... At some point, I did a lot of ring pullups, what lead to starting in overhand and ending with a underhand grip... my favourite version.

There are also the fun grips, like bottlegrip (vertikal zylinder), granade (small wodden balls), swinging big bar (6cm diameter) or rotating bar...

Oh and less finger pullups(one/two/three/ without thumb)

I am planning to do a bit more peg board or campusboard training in the future, but I have to re-strengthen my tendons first.

And for sure the classic fingerboard, but these I do not use for pullups.

The gripping style of pullups in itself is so versitile. I love it.

 

[Al Raven]

Yesterday's workout

1. 3xamrap s-pullups: 5, 4, 2.
2. 15min jog/run

Today's workout

• 1x amrap pushups: 16 (failed 17).
• Gonna do a 1- or 2-hour GtG workout later on... + stretching

 

[Al Raven]

So I've done a total of 16 s-pullups - in sets of 2 - and 40 pushups - in sets of 5 - in 1h45, doing so every 15' (starting at 0:00 aka 4:15pm).

Side bar: To be needlessly purist, this isn't strictly speaking "Greasing the Groove", which was designed deliberately as NOT being physically exhausting (original context was Soviet weightlifting, but it is indeed great for things like pushups or pullups). The point in the original definition is to do some exercise (very) often/a lot but without ever reaching a level of intensity that starts being tiring/significantly challenging -> the goal is to train the moves/exercises in an almost "neurological" way, in the logic that like learning violin or drawing/painting everyday, you teach yourself - body and mind - to become better at it at a technical/skill level. Strength as a skill not as pushing your muscles to the max. Anyways, for many ppl the 2-rep and 5-rep ranges I did here are perfect for that kind of philosophy, and possibly a bit too low (for some ppl 10 pushups are easy and not tiring); but for me this is harder simply because of how heavy I am. So it's indeed a great workout - but it's more intensive than the pure "GtG" idea in its original form (which for me would be doing up to 5 pushups and 1 or 2 pullups EVERY HOUR, for example). In other words GtG is very much a "Throughout the day" "casual reps" approach! But don't get me wrong, these kinds of 1+ hour (or less) "every X min" format is really cool, and it's actually great for me since I have narcolepsy

 

[Tileenah]

I learned a lot of stuff reading your post thank you!

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout: I'm gonna find (on this site) or put together a cardio/high burn + combat wkt!

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout: Heel Workout
5 sets/level II

 

[Al Raven]

In my experience, few things are as exhausting and tough as exercises that involve dropping down to do pushups and then coming back up for other things (cardio, jumps, combat moves)

 

[Fremen]

In my experience, few things are as exhausting and tough as exercises that involve dropping down to do pushups and then coming back up for other things (cardio, jumps, combat moves)

In one word: Berpee

 

[BetaCorvi]

In my experience, few things are as exhausting and tough as exercises that involve dropping down to do pushups and then coming back up for other things (cardio, jumps, combat moves)

This 100%! Don't think any exercise has ever filled me with quite as much dread as seeing '20 push-up + kicks' or 'push-up + punches', or anything like that in a workout

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout
Just Greasing the Groove, baby! ^^
From 10am to ... we'll see: every hour doing 2 pullups (underhand/supinated) + 5 (slow) pushups.
Gotta get stronger by getting more proficient at these kinds of low-rep numbers! -> another metric for increased bodyweight strength (rather than just the max amount one can when pushing 'to failure')

 

[Al Raven]

Totals:
18 s-pullups
45 pushups

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout
Peripheralwkt, 3 sets. Pushups: 15, 10, 8.

 

[Al Raven]

Yesterday's workout
Doing 2 (s)pullups + 5 pushups every 15min for 3 hours (2pm to 5pm)
Totals:

• S-pullups: 26
• Pushups: 65

As you go through this type of workout you start getting more tired (*), but since it's not high(er) intensity (**) I'm able to keep doing the exercises regularly. By the end of it I did feel like I had reached the point I might not be able to keep doing them (without lowering reps...) every 15min (versus a "throughout the day" classic GtG scheme where you're not supposed to ever reach that point)
*the origins of GtG (mentioned previously) notwithstanding (I think it's useful to keep in mind the aim of the original method by Soviet weightlifters and kettlebell warriors), it's a similar philosophy, i.e. doing manageable relatively low-volume reps often over a longer period of time rather than a short more intense workout
**for example I can do a max of ~15 to 17 pushups, ~10-12-range are ~2/3-80% of max; but in this workout in the past few weeks I've only been doing sets of 4 or 5, to gradually build up my ability to do pushups without going full "to failure"; for others 10 would be that "comfortable" rep-range ofc!

Since I work from home and have narcolepsy this is a really nice way to practice pushups and pullups that suits me well!

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout
Monkey wkt, goal is lvl II/5 sets but burpees are not to be underestimated, esp. because I had stopped doing them for a long while...

managed 5 sets, not far from being able to continue (for 7) but not yet, I needed to stop here... (maybe next time!)

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout
Super Jump wkt, + amrap s-pullups at end of each set.
Total sets: 5. Probably (or certainly) could have done 7 sets without the pullups. (but where's the fun in that?)
S-pullups: 5, 3, 3, 3, 2.

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout
2 s-pullups + 5 pushups every 30min from 10am to (3pm?)
totals: 20 s-pullups, 50 pushups

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout

• so far (it's 3pm) I've actually done a non-workout type of exercising in the form of transporting/moving things around, including getting to buy 25kg sandbags which I had to move in the store, to the car, and to the house. Also practiced some gardening/home-crafts things, which was pretty nice (this is a bit of an overstatement, we're just renovating our balcony with various stuff)
• maybe will do some more or other stuff later on

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout

1. (S-)Pullups 3xamrap: 5, 3, 3.
2. Jump rope.
3. Pushups 3xamrap: 15, 10, 6.
4. Squats: warm up sets (5@20kg/bar, 3@70kg, 1@90kg) + 1x5 @ 100kg.
5. Deadlifts: warm up set (few reps@100kg) + 1x5 @ 120kg.

 

[Al Raven]

I'm gonna try losing ~4-5kg (this is a guess, not a fixed goal) in the next ~100 days. I actually have never felt better in terms of body shape/strength/fitness (not to say it's the fittest I've been, but it feels just "right for me", you know?) I don't mind being a bit heavy (179cm, ~95kg) if I'm pretty fit and pretty strong, which is a point I feel like I reached about a year (or a bit less or more) ago. But I do think that there is an certain amount of fat/extra weight that makes it really hard for me to be able to keep progressing in getting fitter (say, for running, athleticism, bodyweight strength, etc).
And a couple kgs/extra-fat less would make me look even better, possibly... It's not really that important, I feel great and I'm generally against the idea that ppl have to obsess over losing (lots of) weight and fat to be beautiful/hot -> I think there are many ways to live perfectly healthily while being a bit heavy and 'round', it's all about whether people are active, eat well/balanced, sleep well/manage stress/etc and know how to stay healthy at weight they feel good/comfortable about (and ofc obesity is not part of that range, which doesn't mean society hasn't done a lot of harm to the people suffering from it - in a similar way as some disabillities lead ppl to be bullied/dehumanized).

I'll also add that one major reason for me being in the 90-97kg range over the past ten years is narcolepsy, including the fact that in my own case the auto-immune reaction which (is thought to have) started it probably attacked a nearby region (near to the place where some sleep hormones are produced, in the hypothalamus) of the brain which is tasked with regulating appetite (another thing I've already mentioned in the past - and which ppl with insomnia and other sleeping disorders (or even depression) are probably familiar with - is overnight eating, due to being awaken/struggling to sleep several times each night). Not to mention some "side effects" of some narcolepsy meds can be overeating (luckily I haven't had to take those specific meds for about 10 years, but I suffered quite a lot as a kid for a few years at the beginning).
The way I see it: struggling with over/binge-eating is a lifelong battle/struggle/self-care journey because it's not gonna go away in our modern hyperconsumerist capitalist society in Western/rich countries, both for me through narcolepsy and like everyone else with the struggle to not overeat or fall into binges and junk food etc.

 

[Al Raven]

It's no rocket science: get the binges/overeating under control, eat more vegetable and more balanced diet, do cardio/hiit/etc 4-5 times a week, + learn to cook better/more in the whole process. I'll keep doing 1x/week my basic lifts (100kg squats, 120kg deadlifts), and practice and progress pushups and s-pullups ("chin-ups", and perhaps at some point p/overhand-pullups too).
"Cardio/hiit/etc" means endurance, (running, rowing, jump rope, skierg, etc), high intensity training, HIIT, combat moves, mixed/hardcore/"functional training" circuits, etc.... --> there are tons of options for these (and a lot of "fun" stuff, for us high-intensity freaks^^) both on this site/darebee wkts and at my gym/stuff I can come up with myself.

 

[Al Raven]

I think I've been on a multi-year gradual progression of wellness and training, taking things patiently and without self-hatred/self-blrame/etc.... The whole point is trying to build durable/sustainable habits and progressions, rather than quick fixes and so on.
I may find it in me to switch to a meatless diet/life at some point in the future, but I have to take things slowly because I'm constantly living on a depleted reserve of energy and willpower (see: narcolepsy + my own personality to some extent). This is surely a long term goal, not completely sure I'll really go for it one day (*), but I have it as a big "one day I need try it fully" because too much is at stake (plus if done right it's healthy and I'm sure quite fun too!)
I'm at a point in my life where I need to be able to fully rely on my own organization and skills (cooking, planning) because I'll soon be living fully on my own (in the next 1-3/5 years). So getting into the habit of smart + healthy + enjoyable cooking/eating in // to regular workout/stretching, is an important thing to commit to. And I'm only interested in building a long-term, lifelong habit of getting these things right, nothing short term will satisfy me. I've often said I'm not really a "workout warrior/fitness fanatic/etc"-type of person, but I do care about (and of course need) exercising - "training", how I prefer to think of it (or even "moving" in an even broader sense^^). And I have a bunch of fitness benchmarks that I care about, without making it an unhealthy obsession as some ppl do (think: crossfit, or many young testosterone-fueled men who are way too intense (i.e. getting abs and biceps won't erase the fact you have to become a kind person who cares about others and knows how to interact socially and take care of others lmao) about "working out" - good for them though haha!)

*because I feel like completely meatless isn't necessarily the only way to go, it's surely in any case a drastic change that includes a drastic reduction and re-organization (ethically, economically, ecologically) (and possibly complete stop...) of meat-eating practices, but the way I see it this could mean you eat once or twice a meal with meat each week (which is how people used to eat a few generations ago in Western countries, not to mention different food traditions in other regions that sometimes still today don't eat much meat), rather than never ever doing it. Massive respect for full vegeterians and vegans, though, this isn't disputing that they made a brave and admirable choice

 

[Al Raven]

Sorry for the the walls of text^^

 

[Tileenah]

Sorry for the the walls of text^^

It's your own thread ! Do as you please !
If you're interested in eating more ethically and more ecologicaly, without feeling going like "full vegan or vegetarian" I can share a few links of sourced reviews that are very interesting. This is why I changed my behaviour with food 2 years ago. What I mean is you'll don't have to forego meat completely if you don't feel like it (at least not every type of meat). But I'll share only if you feel like it because at the time it hit me on the head and made me go through a rough patch and I wouldn't want to impose that on anyone.
I hope you find the energy and focus you need to achieve all your goals !

 

[Al Raven]

It's your own thread ! Do as you please !
If you're interested in eating more ethically and more ecologicaly, without feeling going like "full vegan or vegetarian" I can share a few links of sourced reviews that are very interesting. This is why I changed my behaviour with food 2 years ago. What I mean is you'll don't have to forego meat completely if you don't feel like it (at least not every type of meat). But I'll share only if you feel like it because at the time it hit me on the head and made me go through a rough patch and I wouldn't want to impose that on anyone.
I hope you find the energy and focus you need to achieve all your goals !

For sure, please share!

 

[Al Raven]

Today's workout

1. 4 sets of: at lleast two rounds of 40 jump rope skips then 100-200m Skierg. I think I did two rounds the first time (not having warmed up beyond the usual basic moves) then three for the other sets. I also added a few kettlebell swings once or twice, just for fun. I tried limiting rest between sets to a minimum.
2. 500m rowing (didn't write down the time but around 2:15-2:30 is my guess)
3. 10min running/jogging (threadmill, 7kph)

Was "knackered", as they say in England!^^

 

[Al Raven]

Also, good news!
I think my knee issue is almost completely gone (although I've been working out and increasing intensity for 3-4 weeks already, but it was in the "full squat" (biomechanically: knee flexion) range of motion/mobility that it still hurt...)
More stretching and continuing to increase the intensity of wkts should do it^^

 

[Al Raven]

The hardest meat to move away from for me will be chicken, that's obvious for me. It's by far what I enjoy most...

 

[Al Raven]

Also, good news!
I think my knee issue is almost completely gone (although I've been working out and increasing intensity for 3-4 weeks already, but it was in the "full squat" (biomechanically: knee flexion) range of motion/mobility that it still hurt...)
More stretching and continuing to increase the intensity of wkts should do it^^

For some reason, when I was stretching yesterday, doing the pigeon stretch, the left leg - which wasn't the one I was stretching - where my knee injury is, popped at the knee whereas it hadn't done so since I got injured (and for context, my joints pop all the the time, that's just how it is...). And then I really felt a changed when going down to the bottom of a deep squat sit..
Since I started moving and working out, I'd still feel tension and pain in that kind of knee joint position/flexion, even tho it didn't prevent me from doing moves and even heavy squats or running. I'm glad it looks like it's (at least almost) gone!

 

[Tileenah]

Environmental Impacts of Food Production

What are the environmental impacts of food production? How do we reduce the impacts of agriculture on the environment?

ourworldindata.org

 

[Tileenah]

You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local

‘Eat local’ is a common recommendation to reduce the carbon footprint of your diet. But transport tends to account for a small share of greenhouse gas emissions. How does the impact of what you eat compare to where it’s come from?

ourworldindata.org

Yields vs. Land Use: How the Green Revolution enabled us to feed a growing population

Over the last 50 years global population has more than doubled. This factor has inevitably reduced the land available per person to live and grow food. How have we managed to feed a rapidly growing population with ever-shrinking land resources?

ourworldindata.org

 

[Tileenah]

I won't copy/paste all the links for the research and data collected about food on this website but it's what convinced me to let go of cheese, coffee and chocolate (which were a big part of my diet as a vegetarian). I now define myself as more of a vegan because that's how I eat everyday, but I'm a weird vegan because if those are my only choices I will take the chicken sandwich over the cheese sandwich because of the environmental issue and the fact that I want to eat in a way that lets every human being have their share of food.

 

[Al Raven]

To be honest I don't really need convincing, I'm painfully aware of all this (thanks still, I will definitely check these links out, it's always useful!). The global agricultural-capitalist food production/distribution system is horrendous, both ethically and ecologically/environmentally.
In any case, implementing meaningful change will be a long-term process for me, but I do aim to make the transition in some shape or form...

 

[Al Raven]

Also, good news!
I think my knee issue is almost completely gone (although I've been working out and increasing intensity for 3-4 weeks already, but it was in the "full squat" (biomechanically: knee flexion) range of motion/mobility that it still hurt...)
More stretching and continuing to increase the intensity of wkts should do it^^

It's not completely solved/recovered but good to see some real progress, so far I still haven't felt the pain at full knee flexion (aka bridge position with knees bent, or "lowest squat possible" stance) again...

 

[Al Raven]

It's workout/HIT (high intensity training, without the "interval" in "HIIT" but same concept^^) time!

 

[Al Raven]

Here's the list of workouts I preselected in the past weeks (apart from the stuff I come up on my own, e.g. with equipment that I can use at my gym^^):

• Over & Under wkt.
• Bite Me wkt.
• Epic Cardio wkt.
• Gutsy wkt.
• Feeling Bold Today wkt.
• Rocking It wkt.
• Lord Grim wkt.
• Override wkt.
• Ring of Fire wkt.
• Origin Story wkt.
• Bat Out of Hell wkt.
• Stand & Deliver! wkt.
• Power Run wkt.
• Big Bang wkt.

There's an infinity of possibilities on this website (for example combat stuff is also sth I've taken up again, e.g. Peripheral wkt I did last week), but these are cardio/plyo/high-intensity/weight-loss workouts that I can pick and choose.

 

[Al Raven]

Shortlist for today: Epic Cardio, Power Run.
Final decision: Epic Cardio, goal is completing 7 sets.
Let's do it!

 

[Al Raven]

7 sets completed, with 1min rest in between.

 

[Al Raven]

My calves are on fire. 7x60 (2x30 per set) = 420 jumping jacks. That's the reason lol

 

[Tileenah]

congrats on all the JJ!
For myself the path to a durable change is the easiest step first. Then when it's integrated (like 3 weeks later) the next easiest. Good luck on your journey to living a life that's close to your heart's values!

 

[Al Raven]

Calves hell day 2: digging deeper
Today I did ~1 hour of badminton despite feeling (before warm up, for some reason I had no problem once running an doing it) like I had knives stabbing my calves

It was fun, and a great workout!