Savage/ Zen Newsletter No. 94
Freud said that neurosis is no excuse for bad manners. There’s a lot of bad manners and desperate neuroticism in the attention economy of social media.
Authentic candid from an experiment in February 2022: 1/4 mile “sprint” carrying 135# and pulling 90#.
I was planning to write this month’s reflection essay on “the dark side of monk mode.” However, like many folks, I’ve been hustling and bustling at the end of the year. The words weren’t coming; at least not in a meaningful way that I haven’t already said a few dozen times.
If you’re hungry for a different perspective, my colleague Bill Anthes hit the nail on the head a few months ago, saying:
“Part of doing the work is no longer having this insatiable urge to constantly be doing the work.” (ref.)
For my own edification I’m reviewing and re-assessing my training terminology, as discussed in this week’s training chat.
Part of what I would like to develop in the future is a set of self-guided curriculums to aide in the expression of emotions through physical effort.
One’s “fitness” and “conditioning” are highly relative terms. However, many of the psychological and physical sensations we experience in the expression of various energy systems is quite transcendental. Of course, there is a requisite investment of effort and accuracy that must be paid.
My vision for the “final product” isn’t a “training manual.” There are a lot of those out there already and many are quite good.
It’s more accurate to think of these projects in terms of “my body is my teacher” and “movement is the canvas.” Of course, like any mode of “self improvement” one will need to push well beyond familiar discomforts in order to achieve something truly transformational.
If you’d like to contribute to the process, please fill out the Google Form below. It’s 6 simple questions asking about the sensations you experience for each of the 6 energy systems I describe in my training practices.
What I’m Reading & Listening To:
Decreasing Incidence of Youth Wrestling Injuries…
TL;DR: Learn to break fall.
“Our study showed a trend in the decrease in overall injuries and concussions in high school wrestlers. Strains/sprains were the most common diagnoses with the shoulder being the most common site. Youth wrestlers would benefit from future research analyzing risks associated with these injuries as well as advances in protective gear.”
Understanding the Ruminant Animal’s Digestive System
TL;DR: Cows eat mostly carbs (mouth-to-gut), but metabloize (gut-to-blood) fatty acids.
“The reticulorumen is home to a population of microorganisms (microbes or “rumen bugs”) that include bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. These microbes ferment and break down plant cell walls into their carbohydrate fractions and produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs), such as acetate (used for fat synthesis), priopionate (used for glucose synthesis), and butyrate from these carbohydrates. The animal later uses these VFAs for energy.”
What’s New:
Content has continued to build up in the premium chat. At present there’s a complete power / Olympic weightlifting program, 4 sets of “Weekly WODs”, and a couple BJJ technique clips and training insights.
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