What I'm talking about is a way of looking at lifting weights and exercising to maximize results. This idea of mine came from watching the movie 300 and thinking, damn, those guys are freakin' jacked. What did they do for training to get so ripped? Despite a number of historical, factual, and cultural problems with the depiction of both the Spartans and the Persians (the movie never actually claimed to be historically accurate; it was based on a comic book), I thoroughly loved that movie. It was awesome. I especially loved the stylized action, and how the actors portraying the best, most elite army in the world thoroughly looked the part.
Doing some quick research finds that the 300 actors worked out at a Utah Gym called Gym Jones. From the description given of the gym, this sounds like one hard-core place. From their website,
Gym Jones is not a cozy place. There's no AC, no comfortable spot to sit and there are no mirrors. Stressors are intentionally designed to cause discomfort and apprehension. Effort and pain may not be avoided. Physical and psychological breakdowns occur.
Sounds badass, right up my alley. The type of training the 300 actors and stuntmen went through is outlined here. It basically sounds like they did a lot of 'old fashioned' lifting techniques, constantly changed what they did, doing no same workout twice. What is 'old fashioned'? Kettlebells, squats, clean and jerk, dirty dumbells, rings, medicine balls. No fancy pants machines with digital readouts are used in that gym. They basically kicked the crap out of themselves, certainly shocking their body, and their conscience, into submission, and into ripped Spartan warriors. (One of the workouts was apparently called 'Louder than 11', presumably named after the super louds amps in the movie SPINAL TAP.)
The day I read all this, I thought it would be good for me to do more old school lifting techniques, and vary it up more. I need to 'shock my conscience' or shock my system for better workouts. What does this mean? More varied, keep my body guessing what will happen next, etc. I've starting doing more old school lifting such as deadlifts, lunges, clean and snatch (or is it clean and jerk, I always mix up the names), explosive pushups.
Even though I love running, I would like to vary my cardio more. Partially inspired by the Veg Triathlete, I'd like to do more biking, including to work one to two days a week starting in the spring (32 miles round trip!).
Will all this make me stronger and fitter? I guess we'll see soon. It certainly worked for the '300' actors, then again, they were working out 8-10 hours a day to prepare for the movie.
"Spartans, lay down your weapons" "Persians, come and get them"
UPDATE: Just found the video of the training on Youtube. Badass. Check it here.
10 comments:
Hi Alec, I thought I would respond to you here instead of clogging up The Little One's comments!
As I see it, house cats are so far removed from nature these days that those arguments are a bit old. I agree with what you say about mice (and birds)--but who feeds their cats mice? Non-vegan cat food is not really natural, because chickens and cows mixed with plant proteins and baked into little pellets isn't part of a cat's natural diet. With that in mind, I'm happy to feed my cat Veganpet, which is an Australian brand. Even if you're not in oz, Sandy's web page (veganpet.com.au) answers a lot of questions about vegan cats. Check it out--she is far more knowledgable on the subject than I am.
What it boiled down to for me was price (veganpet is comparable), nutrition (almost identical to science diet) and--most importantly--whether or not my kitty eats it. Since she switched over with no worries, I'll keep her vegan!
Feel free to email me if you want, tropicalvegan (at) gmail.com
Hey. I came to answer as well, but looks like theresa did a great job. I don't have much to add. My dogs are vegs and I'd like my cats to be, but haven't found food that works for them. I'm still on the hunt (so to speak).
On varying workouts, totally a great idea. I get bored with the same thing. I know I need to lift weights, but never end up doing it.
That is utterly insane. I don't think passing out and having break downs can be too healthy. :-/
I totally wouldn't have the energy to last even five minutes doing that.
Guess ya better load up on complex carbs and protein!
That's some crazy training!
Speaking of dreams about races, I keep having weird dreams about the marathon and triathlon. The last one had me run the marathon and then be forced to stop at a ski lodge for lunch and I was trapped and couldn't get out! Maybe it's just nervousness about the event coming up?
Suzie - you're right, that kind of training requires lots of protein and complex carbs; but without eating meat where would I get protein from? Maybe I should secretly eat some steaks... ya right (this reminds me of that recent WSJ article on Tony Gonzalez, the 247lb 'vegan'. Great reading about another vegan professional athlete, except for the fact that he eats chicken and fish and so isn't a vegan!). I wonder if any of those actors or stunt guys is vegetarian or vegan? Doing a quick search on the google unfortunately doesn't turn up anything.
Heather- maybe you've got secret subconscious desires to compete in the biathlon or a new sport that combines running and skiing?
Suzie, all that super vegan food you cook, plus all the running around on stage during your concerts must put you in great physical shape.
Oh, I just noticed the "inspired by" bit! Thanks! 32 miles is quite a trip & should be really fun. Biking provides such a great complement to running - keeps your quads balanced with your hammies! Though this bad ass workout you described should do that, too!
I don't know exactly where you have to commute from & to, but I know some people with long commutes like yours will sometimes split it between different forms of transportation. Isn't there a trail system associated with the alewife, for example? You might want to check out options for some kind of park & ride, or train & ride, or something. (Not that I'm trying to discourage from doing the full 32 miles, mind you. I just want it to be easy enough that you do it everyday ;-)
Also, re: the vegan cat food question, do ever listen to the Vegan Freaks podcast? Bob & Jenna recently discussed the vegan cat food issue & sparked quite a bit of discussion on the forums. There's some interesting info to consider...
yo diesel - if you want to take the mental effort out of having to plan crazy 300-like workouts, check out http://www.crossfit.com/. the training is along the lines of what you've described and they give you a workout per day.
Yo B, that's a sweet website. Gracias por el consejo. Does dancing like a prick to ATB for 3 hours while being fueled by Smithwicks, Jameson, and assorted green beers count as a good workout? I think yes...
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