12/2/10

3 sets of:

8 minutes high intensity
2 minutes jog

4 sets of:
5 pistols e/ leg
10 pullups
6 side squats e/ direction
10 clap pushups

12/1/10

Run:
4 sets of:

4 minutes high intensity
2 minutes jog

4 sets of:

5 Squats on stability ball
10 shuttles
10 ring pushups

11/29/10

Tabata:
Run
Body Squat
Cone hop - alternate legs
2 hops forward, one backward
Reverse pushups

11/28/10

20 minute run

4 rounds for time
10 chest to ground pushups
12 thrusters
15 windshield wipers

11/27/10

Rest Day

11/25/20

3 a day:

Workout 1:

100 reps any way you can slice
- Knees to elbows
- situps
- 45 lb. KB swing

Workout 2:
30 minute bike
- 4 minutes high intensity
- 1 minute light

Workout 3:
Tabata:
- pushups

3 rounds of e/ exercise:
Put cones 10 yards apart

- left single arm KB swing 25 lb. 10 reps
- sprint forward, pedal back 8 times
- right arm
- side shuffle between cones
-left arm
- sprint forward cut and sprint back
- right arm
- hop forward two bounces, hop backward one
- left arm
- hop to cone on right leg by hopping side to side in quick short bounces; turn and hop to other cone on left with short side to sides
- right arm
- 10 V situps

11/23/10

Tough Mudder was awesome, though a lot of rabble clogs the course.

20 minutes of yoga

11/18/10

30 minute bike...

Race coming up so not doing too much to tire my legs

11/17/10

5 sets of:

20 step ups with weights
10 RDL's at same weight
20 walking pushups

Then straight into:

Run for 10 minutes of:

1 minute on high intensity
30 seconds recovery job

11/15/10

5 sets of:

800 meter run
15 reps of 45 lb. KB swing
13 pullups

RufioWOD

11/13/10

AMRAP

12 knee tucks
5 handstand pushups
6 push-press 45 lb.

11/12/10

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 9 minutes:

- 8 Goblet squats (hold weight under chin and squat keeping elbows in and squat into heels)
- 12 situps
- 8 clap pushups

and

5 sets as fast as you can of:
8 dips
8 thrusters

11/11/10

As many rounds as possible of

20 second sprint
12 GHD situps
4 Handstand Pushups

11/10/10 - WOD

Rest Day

11/9/10 - WOD

2 a day

5

sets of 2 min run at 10mph and 3 incline
alternate between 8 pullups and 8 dips
6 pistons (single leg squats) right
6 pistons left

4 sets for time
10 yard shuttles
25 double unders
10 ring pushups

11/7/10 - WOD

8 sets:

35 lb. dumbbell thrusters 10 reps
7 pull ups
10 hands release pushups


AND Then

2 miles in 12 minutes

11/6/10 - WOD

5.5 mile run

5 sets of 10 pushups, 10 situps as fast as you can
- release hands from floor on pushups

RUFIO RUFIO RUUUUFFFIIIOOOOOOOOO

11/4/10 - WOD

4 rounds of:

2/3 mile
- 5 burpees
- 5 pullups
- 5 weighted OH squats
- 5 diamond pushups
- 3 Handstand Pushups

Getting close to Tough Mudder - injury probably set me back but I'm making it up now.

Work out. Sleep.

Rufio

11/3/10 - WOD

I've been MIA - working until 4 am on average for 2 weeks now... Makes it a little bit difficult to post (rest assured, I have still been working out; I would never let Scott outrun me in a race, even if we are on the same team).

Here it is:

2-4-6-8...-20 of
Double Unders
Right arm KB swing
Left arm KB swing
Both arms KB swing

Enjoy.

10/17/10 - WOD

I have strained my groin again... With the tough mudder only 4 weeks away, I need to back off of it so I can be healthy come race time. I'm going to be doing pushups and biking (got a trainer on my Trek - it's sick). Sorry, but the workouts are going to be me biking for 45 minutes to an hour each day... Not too exciting.

Heal,

Rufio

10/14/10 - WOD

4 - 5 mile run

4 sets of:
20 OH squats with 45 lb. weight
20 reverse push ups
20 V-sit ups

Loving FiveFingers... Not sure if I'm going to be wearing shoes again...

10/13/10 - WOD

REST DAY

10/12/10 - WOD

I love running. So enjoyable to strip out of the suit and run naked and free for a bit, even if it is only for 20 minutes each day.

1.5 miles
15 pullups
15 "skiiers" (lunge from one leg to the other; be sure you are lunging as FAR AS YOU CAN; get some explosiveness in there)
15 2 frog hops forward 1 frog hop back (again, explosiveness)
1.5 miles home

Throw in 3 sets of:

10 weighted pullups (pinch a dumbbell between your feet; I'm going to go with 15-20 lbs. just to see how it feels)
20 weighted situps (put weight on your forehead and situp)

Rufio

10/11/10

3 sets of 15 clean to squat to press

3-4 miles

Brotherhood,

Rufio

10/10/10 - WOD

Interesting date.

Tabata:

Split Squats
Pushups
Body Squats
Situps
Double-Unders

10/9/10

2 rounds for time:

1/2 mile run
20 - 25 lb. KB swing left
15 - 20 inch box jumps
10 handstand pushups
1/2 mile run
20 - 25 lb. KB swing right
15 - 20 inch box jumps
10 handstand pushups

Afterward, if you are still feeling good, go ahead and throw in 4 sets of 15 pullups and 20 situps as fast as possible

Rufio

10/7/10 - WOD

I think my dating is jacked up b/c I do not get home from work before midnight. Anyway, FEAST:

Quick note - I have a tough mudder coming up so expect more running than you have seen...

3.5 to 4 miles

GET 'EM!!!!!

10/6/10

8 rounds of:

10 Burpees
10 Sit Ups
10 Body Squats
10 Barbell push press
10 Double Unders

PLAYA PLAY

Rufio

10/5/10

40 minutes of total workout:

break it up with 5 sets of 30 reps KB swings with a 45 lb. KB or 25-35 lb. plate (45 is a bit cumbersome)

Get after it.

Signing up for Tough Mudder - let's see what all the hype is about. Gotta think of a team name: the paladins, perhaps? Or Dennis Chambers? Either way.

Rufio

10/4/10

For time:
25 Walking lunge steps
20 Pull-ups
50 Box jumps, 20 inch box
20 Double-unders
25 dips
20 Knees to elbows
30 Kettlebell swings
30 Sit-ups
20 Hang squat cleans, 35 pound dumbells
25 Supermen
30 squats
10 handstand pushups

RUFIO RUFIO RUUUUFFFFIIIIIOOOOOOOOO

10/3/10 - WOD

5 sets of:

8 lunges with 25 lb. weight held overhead in left hand
10 situps
8 lunges with 25 lb. weight held overhead in right hand
10 situps

10/2/10 - WOD

I'm BACK!!

Still got a foot injury, but my groin feels great.

Here's the plan:

10 minutes of:
5 pushups
5 reverse pushups (lay on your back, grab the bar over you, and pull yourself up. Be careful to keep your body straight.
5 situps

So I'm going to do a second quick-mini workout:

As many rounds as possible of doing the same number of pullups as minutes i.e. minute 1: do one pullup, minute 2: do two pullups, minute 3: do three pullups, etc.

Anyone got any recommendations for a weighted vest?

Get 'em Get 'em

Ruf

9/28/10 - WOD

No, I haven't forgotten about the RUFIO WOD. I'm recovering from 3-4 months of intense exercising. I'm resting my body and restoring some flexibility to the joints, player.

9/26/10 - WOD

I made it 17 miles before my foot started killing me. I think I'm on the path of an overuse injury should I not rest it. That said, it's time for a recovery week. I'm going to be doing yoga and stretching every day this week. I am not going to be lifting weights, running, or using the elliptical until Friday, should all my little knocks heal up. In addition to my foot, something is up with my groin, which I believe to be a result of too many squat-based exercises. Overall, my flexibility needs to improve, and I'm going to use this week to get that done.

RUFIO

9/21/10 - WOD

I think I have a slightly strained groin... As a result, I'm going to go elliptical it up until the birthday celebration extravaganza.

SO

Elliptical

9/20/10

20 minute elliptical

Then 3 rounds for time of:

800 meter run
10-45lb. clean-squat-thruster
15 clap pushups

9/17/10 - WOD 2x

Threesome workout (if you count me).

Fran and Annie

Morning Fran

3 rounds for time of:

21-15-9 reps of:

95 lb. thruster
pullups

Adjust weight accordingly...

Evening Annie

50-40-30-20-10 reps:

Double-unders

Sit-ups

9/16/10 - WOD

Rest Day

9/16/10 - WOD

Pyramid of Burpees and 45 lb. KB swings:

For burpees
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

For KB swings
2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2

9/15/10 - WOD

Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Box jump, 24 inch box
20 Decline Clap Push Ups

Show 'em

Rufio

9/14/10 - WOD

15 minutes as many rounds as you can:

20 Double-Unders
20 KB Swings (alternate as needed between two-handed and one-handed)

I am going to put some tennis shoes on - my ankles are SHOT from barefoot shoes. They need a recovery day, but I, sensing the impending storm, do not have the luxury of being able to not take advantage of free time.

9/13/10 - WOD

I am going to go a bit heavy on the Kettlebell exercises. I did recently purchase some new toys.

Here's the set up. I am going to put 2 KB stations 50 yds. apart. One station is going to have a 25 lb. KB and the other is 45 lb.

8-9 rounds:

1 minute 30 seconds 2 armed KB swing at 45 lb.
Run 50 yards
1 minute 30 seconds single armed KB swing at 25 lb.
Run 50 yards

At the end, if you are down, throw in a couple sets of halo's and pistols.

A halo is when you take the KB/weight and rotate it around your head; a pistol is a single leg squat. Make sure you get deep on the single leg squat. That's what she said.

Anyone having problems with flexibility? My hips, hip flexors, and IT Bands grow unbelievably tight as a result of my squat/running heavy workouts (and sitting in a desk chair all day). The solution: a lax ball. It acts like a foam roller on steriods. Use the lax ball to massage out soreness. Place it on the ground and roll your hip around on top of it. Your body weight provides the deep-tissue massage pressure. The pain hurts so good, and afterward you feel the range of motion return to your joints and muscles.

GET IT GET IT

rufio

9/12/10 - WOD

For time:

25 V-ups
50 snatches
25 push ups
50 swings
50 burpees
50 clean and press
50 mountain climbers

Video

9/11/10 - WOD

Yoga day... I think I did six straight workout days, and I am feeling it pretty hard right now.

Tabata This score from yesterday (lowest number of reps and the order):

- 6 pullups
- 20 body squats
- 16 situps
- 14 pushups
- omitted the double-unders b/c I am too freaking sore from my Fivefingers to jump (I did 4 sets of 5 minutes on the elliptical and 5 sets of 200 jumps of rope-jumping). I am still adjusting to them, though the soreness is less severe and shorter in duration. When fresh, I can run over 2 miles; doing sprints, like 18-30's, is so much fun. Something about feeling the earth makes the run more enjoyable, as if one is in communion with Mother Earth... But seriously...

9/10/10 - WOD

"Tabata This!"

In any order:

Tabata Row
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Squat
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Pull-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Push-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Sit-up

Recommendations:

I think I've forgotten to try to "game" exercises. Believing that sprinting is the best option, I blindly thrust myself into a workout without formulating much of a game plan (besides what I actually am going to do). I think that the Tabata This workout presents a unique challenge: to get the highest score, one must strategize each lift.

What scoring, you ask?

During each exercise, the least amount of repetitions you do in 20 seconds is your score for that exercise. So if you do 15 pullups in one go around but get only 2 by your last set: unlucky. You scored a two.

If you can't do pullups, substitute with jumping pullups. And if you do not have a rowing machine lying around your apartment, replace it with Double Unders.

Here is my order as it stands now: push-up, squat, pull-up, sit-ups, Double Unders.

Get fit,

Rufio

9/8/10 - WOD

30 minute eliptical

9/7/10 - WOD

5 sets for time:

50 yd. sprint, cut and come back
35 lb. clean into squat into thruster
20 walking push ups

RUFIO

9/5/10 - WOD

As many rounds in fifteen minutes:

55 lb. farmer's walk 20 yards there and back 2x
5 pullups
30 lb. 1 arm overhead lunges
20 second treadmill sprint (11 mph. and 6 plus incline)

RUFIO

9/3/10 - WOD

Rest Day

9/2/10 - WOD

4 sets of:

25 squats
25 pullups
25 pushups
25 situps

--------------------------

A funny and awkward comment on a nytimes.com article about stretching (especially the part about showering. I see the writer's point, but I don't think he understands our point:

Walk.
Just walk.
It’s that simple.
Walking is surely our most natural motion — the stand-up version of crawling that is often accompanied by parental celebration as baby takes first steps toward independence and travel. Maybe someday a gold medal. Or not.
“Static stretching” before running is what this study tested and apparently that at least does no harm for the 84% who were told to use it. Poor pity the 30% who got talked into NOT using it after it was part of their natural habit.
The truth is that running is what you might call an “elite” exercise that seems a natural extension of walking — and a sport that is stressfully intense enough that 1) it is a frequent cause of injuries 2) a sport that seems to have a limited “life span” given pounding our muscles and bones take in the process. Surely the thrill running is hard to duplicate and appeals to those who’s bodies can withstand the stress.
The 50,000 entrants who show up for the NY Marathon in a fall can give one the impression that running it is wildly popular. Seems like the whole world is doing it when the race is on, but of course3 it’s still an “elite” drop in the bucket considering that that entrants drawn from our US population (350 million) comprise to less than 1% — or barely a smidgen if you consider the global universe of 6 billion. Those magnificent 50K runners that are at the extreme end of the sport can/must train vigorously for the grueling task. Their preparation is surely as varied as the bodies that must survive the mega-stresses of the event. Static stretching does not seem to be one that is very helpful — except for those for which it IS helpful. Kinda duh.
The common sense warm-up for these old bones starts from a natural morning stretches getting out of bed. Then comes a hot shower which evokes a natural loosening of the joints and muscles as I bend and extend. First small motions gradually working into larger motions. By the end you’ve had dynamic water massage with your body in motion. I follow that with rubbing in arnica gel or Topricin into areas where I can feel the stress of exertion that’s settled in the bones.
Then comes a three-mile walk from calm to brisk that takes about an hour. Along the way I work my upper body with a squeeze-ball (I use an old tennis ball) and and gradual extensions so that by the end of all this I’m worked out and ready to rock, sit, stairclimb and whatever else life requires of these 58-year vintage bag of bones. I always take along music along to pace myself and beat back the boredom.
This routine might sound painfully dull to an elite athlete striving for ongoing “persona bests” like a 4-minute mile or a marathon. On the other hand I haven’t missed a training day for nearly a decade because of injuries. How many runners can claim that? On the other hand, I claim no medals for winning the race. BUT my routine is likely one that could be adapted to nearly anybody who can walk.
The ongoing measurement of exercise wisdom as applied to “elite athletes” is useful because it shows how (some) bodies perform under the extreme duress of races and competition. It’s what makes the marathon — or Ultimate Fighting — fascinating to watch.
But the development of an exercise routine that will keep you going for 82 years — or however long your fate affords you — is worth the investment of time and habit. Learning what foods healthfully sustain your body and what exercise routine keeps your body limber and fit is the challenge of a lifetime.
Any activity where you challenge your natural range of motions — yoga, weight-lifting, parachuting — includes a risk of stress or injury — which means recovery and healing. ‘No pain, no gain” in my experience is also a pretty good marker of “no brain.” [I’m not talking about the natural “discomfort” of exertion, but the “pain” that is the body’s signal of damage — meaning “Stop!”
Finally “dynamic” is a pretty good word to keep in mind as it comes from the Greek dynasthai “be able to have power,” which we have been using at least since 1856. It’s what we need at the training table of life.
Ready. Steady. Go.

9/1/10

I realize that I have not actually sprinted in quite some time. With that in mind, here is the workout:

3 sets of:

5 "18-30's" - sprint about the length of the soccer field, 110-120 yards, in 18 seconds and light jog back to your starting point in 30 seconds. Repeat.

15 clap push ups - literally push off the ground clap your hands and catch yourself
20 supermen
20 of your favorite ab exercise

RUFIO

8/31/10

25 minute run

I'm putting my barefoot running muscles to the test.

RUFIO

--------------------------

The Wilderness Downtown

8/30/10 - WOD

STRETCH

Yoga or an equivalent

-------------------------------------------

The Cove Instrumental

8/29/10 - WOD

TABATA (20 seconds high intensity, 10 seconds rest for 8 sets)

- Burpees
- Superman's (supermen?)
- 2 cones 25 yards apart, cut when you reach one
- Pushups/Situps Alternating
- 2 Jumps Forward, 1 Jump Back (exactly how it sounds. Broad jump forward 2 times as far as you can and then explode backwards one jump. Focus on being quick. Minimize the amount of time that your feet are on the ground.)

Rufio

8/28/10 - WOD

For TIME:

1 mile run

100 ring pushups
60 KB swings
50 pullups
50 45 lb. thrusters

1 mile run

RUF

8/27/10 - WOD

30 minute run

I am too sore and it is too early for me to attempt to do this in my FiveFingers. Maybe in a couple of weeks.

8/25/10 - WOD

Rest Day

8/24/10 - WOD

Tie a five-pound plate to hang an honest 18" above your tiptoe reach and complete 5 rounds for time of:
50 Jump and touch
40 Squats
30 Sit-ups
20-Push-ups
10 Pull-ups

Straight from crossfit.com... too good to pass up.

--------------------------------------------------

I bought fivefingers trek running shoes. I run completely differently than before in them (and I mean that in a good way). Though I've only run for 12 minutes in them, I believe that they are a great investment. They definitely work muscles in your feet and ankles that normally go neglected in standard running shoes. Time will tell if they live up to the hype, but they passed the first test run.

8/23/10 - WOD

12 minute run

3 sets of 10:

Pullups
Pushups
Thrusters
Knees to Elbows

8/22/10

KB Class today...

I learned how to do some of those movements properly. I'd definitely recommend a tutorial in Kettlebells

------------------------------------------

"Babies everywhere!"

8/21/10

REST DAY

KB Class Tomorrow if I get the confirmation.

8/20/10

3 sets of:

5 minute run
15 push ups
15 sit ups

8/19/10

Rest Day

----------------------

20 year olds

8/18/10 - WOD

40 reps for time:

40 lb. dumbbells burpee into deadlift into clean into squat into press

I'd put up a demo video, but I am not sure if this has ever been done in the history of man. I just made it up.

---------------------------------------

How cool is Eric Cantona?

Substance

- Not sure which is better, the goal or the celebration.

Cheek

What?

8/17/10 - WOD

TABATA (20 seconds intense x 10 seconds rest x 8 sets)

- Bike
- Pushups
- Situps

----------------------------------

Mad Men recap:

Though people hate on Draper, I like the direction. It's nice to see him take his lumps as of late - the depression, excessive drinking, apathy at work, fits of rage with clients, etc. - and, frankly, the absolute worst parts of the previous seasons were those involving his family. From Betty's sterility to the daughter's bizarre lisp to the cipher of a son, I found myself checking the Drudge or WSJ whenever the show shifted to home life.

Maybe it's the banker in me or I'm channeling McCarthy, but the counterculture artists of the 60's come of as phony LOSERS (some dude was taking pictures of sleeping people on the subway. From my extensive experience as an art critic - I did visit the MoMA for 3 hours this weekend and let me tell you Starry Night is freaking good - I find projects like that a bit silly... Some of the stuff in the MoMA is quite silly. I'd provide links, but that requires effort and, like the "artist" taking pictures of sleeping people on the subway, being a quality blogger/artist requires effort; considering the readership numbers - can you call 4 friends and 2 brothers a readership - I ain't breaking my ass for nobody. However, in the interest of blabbering on further, I'll describe a couple of the highlights: a bike wheel connected to a stool, random metal pots that could not hold anything, and more asexual dongs/boobs than anyone could fathom. For me, there has to be technical ability involved in the art. If I could paint it, it's hard to call it art...

8/16/10 - WOD

2 WOD's:

For Time:

14 Burpees
14 Double-Unders
14Thrusters
13 Burpees
13 Double-Unders
13 Thrusters...

CONTINUE THROUGH UNTIL:

1 Burpee
1 Double-Under
1 Thruster

AND hours later

Tabata (20 seconds sprint, 10 seconds rest x 8 times):

Bike
Situps
Pushups

-------------------------------------------------------

Whale Wars

Japan's old people disappearing

7/15/10 - WOD

REST DAY

Signed up for KB Class next Sunday.

8/14/10 - WOD

2 sets of:

1/2 mile run
10 pullups
20 squat jumps
15 knees to elbows
3 Turkish get ups w/ each arm

8/13/10 - WOD

"Annie"

50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups

------------------------------------------------------

Happy, HAPPY!!!

8/12/10

Dropping the whole 3 days on 1 day off thing... with work, it's going to be workout as much as I possibly can when I can. My rest days will be forced.

That said, I dropped the old programming and am going to workout as much as I can.

Brazil Run:
4-5 sets of:

2 minutes high intensity
1 minute recovery jog
2 minutes high intensity
1 minute recovery jog

-------------------------------------

Now I am quietly waiting for
the catastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.

The country is grey and
brown and white in trees,
snows and skies of laughter
always diminishing, less funny
not just darker, not just grey.

It may be the coldest day of
the year, what does he think of
that? I mean, what do I? And if I do,
perhaps I am myself again.

8/11/10

4 rounds for time:

20 double-unders
20 thrusters
20 pushups
4 Turkish get-ups 30 lb. Right
4 Turkish get-ups 30 lb. Left

Bangarang

8/10/10

Tabata Run

4 sets for time of:
4 Turkish Get-Ups Right
4 Turkish Get-Ups Left
10 Deadlift 100 lbs.
20 Situps

8/9/10 - WOD

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
185 pound Back squat, 7 reps
45 pound dumbbell Overhead walking lunge, 10 steps (right hand)
7 Burpees
45 pound dumbbell Overhead walking lunge, 10 steps (left hand)

-----------------------------------------------

Rob and Big

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Bangarang,

RUFIO

8/8/10 - WOD

REST DAY

----------------------------------------------

Squating, dead-lifting, and cleaning make the rest day absolutely vital. I am so sore.

I don't really understand...

“I really don’t like it,” said Chris Radler, 13, who is entering ninth grade; he said it was unfair and would increase the pressure on students. “If you’re a little bit less than a C, but not quite an F, you’re still going to fail. Some kids aren’t at that level yet. They aren’t able to get that upper grade."
- Really? A "C" is going to be difficult to get? I went to high school and know for a fact that, to quote Tom Cruise, "a nutless monkey" could get a C in high school. The pressure?

8/7/10 - WOD

As many rounds in 10 minutes:

20 Double-Unders
15 Pushups
6 Squat Cleans

----------------------------------------

Tosh.O 24 Minute Human Centipede Break Down

8/6/10 - WOD

Five rounds for time of:
5 Muscle-ups
115 pound Overhead squat, 10 reps
15 Toes to bar
20 GHD Sit-ups

DAYUM

----------------------------------

So Banker

Kanye trying to stay relevant... He's like a bad, more egotistical version of P-Diddy

The apple does not fall far from the other apple that fell from the same tree.

8/5/10 - WOD

205 lb. Deadlift - 20 Reps
20 Thrusters
20 Pullups
20 Snatches
Tabata Run

-----------------------------

Halpin?

8/4/10 - WOD

DOMS

Additional Rest Day

------------------------------------

8/3/10 - WOD

REST DAY

------------------------------------

Life Aquatic

American writer Henry Adams saw something so remarkable he compared its influence to that of the Virgin Mary. It was a hall filled with machines - early power generators known as dynamos. Watching them at work, he "began to feel the forty-foot dynamos as a moral force, much as the early Christians felt the Cross," he wrote in The Education of Henry Adams. "The planet itself seemed less impressive, in its old-fashioned, deliberate, annual or daily revolution, than this huge wheel, revolving within arm's-length at some vertiginous speed, and barely murmuring."

The awe experienced by earlier generations was part of a different worldview, one that demonstrated greater humility about many things, not least of which concerned their own human limits and frailties. Today we believe our machines allow us to know a lot more, and in many ways they do. What we don't want to admit - but should - is that they also ensure that we directly experience less. Updating your Facebook page is a lot easier than venturing out into the world to confront a dynamo, as Adams did. But it is also, in the end, likely to be a lot less awe-inspiring.

Bangarang

8/2/10 - WOD

2 rounds for time:

50 Thrusters
50 KB Swings
50 OH Squats
50 Knees to Elbows

Tabata Run (Note: when I run on the treadmill, I typically turn the incline up to about 8 or 9 and run 12 mph. That is almost a sprint for me, and depending on how I am feeling, I turn the incline up or down... If I turn the incline up to max, I can run at around 9 mph. give or take a bit. Make sure that you know how to get off and on a moving treadmill properly before attempting a Tabata on a treadmill.)

-----------------------------------------

If you aren't exercising like this, you are wasting your time.

Gotta love Chris Spealler

Learning a language through social networking

8/1/10 - WOD

1 Mile
20 Burpees

1 Mile
20 Burpees

1 Mile
20 Burpees
--------------------------------------------

US drinking rate climbs up

Boy Scouts trying to evolve

7/31/10 - WOD

5 rounds for time:

.4 mile run
8 pistols e/ leg (a pistol is a one-legged squat)

--------------------------------------------------------

In an attempt to get more followers, I am going to tag my posts inappropriately.

Bangarang,

Rufio

7/30/10

Rest Day

----------------------------

Huge Bad Ass

7/29/10

Tabata

Pushups
Situps

Walk .5 miles with 2-30lb. weights in each hand

--------------------------------------

In Transit

Got a clocky alarm clock... hopefully getting up is now easier, or, at least, I'll have to chase an alarm clock all around the room.

I love how Crossfit names workouts after fallen soldiers. God Bless America.

7/28/10 - WOD

25 minute run

Tabata Thrusters

-------------------------------------

Spencer Pratt

7/27/10 - WOD

2.5 Mile Run

into

"Angie"
100 Pullups
100 Situps
100 Pushups
100 Squats

Got to get a paycheck to buy the camera for video/pictures.

Become a follower, Halpin. Just do it. Or at least spread Rufio to some people

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“I hate all of the utilities of my life. Venomous hatred. And because they’re monopolies, they feel no need to make me appreciate them. Cuz they know that I’m not going to give up water, power, sewage, or the Internet out of spite. Nor will most people give up Facebook, regardless of how much they grow to hate them.”
- Danah Boyd, social media researcher at Microsoft

Completely agree, although I have tried many times to go without Facebook. I really do hate it - but find myself checking it daily. During those times of abstinence, getting off the book felt good. The problem is that it is just so good for staying in touch with people and networking.

7/26/10 - WOD

REST DAY

--------------------------------------

Drawin' a blank

7/25/10 - WOD

3 Sets of Ten Each:

Skiiers
Push Ups
Sit Ups
Dips
Pull Ups
Knees to Elbows
KB Swings
Quick Feet Exercises (10 each foot or 20 touches total):
- Get a box about a foot high
- Alternate feet as fast as you can on the box
- left foot on then right foot on then left foot on the ground then right foot on the ground
- right then left
- shuffle over the box sidewise putting first one foot then the other on the box then one foot then the other on the ground before heading back over

If you feel up to it, run a 20 - 40 - 60 - 40 - 20

--------------------------------------------------------

Snooki

7/24/10 - WOD

30 minute run as much distance as possible

----------------------------------------------------

Soccer's Steady Growth

In 20, it will pass hockey.

Give 'em an inch, they'll take a yard.

Keep it real. Keep it fresh. Keep it real fresh,

Rufio

7/23/10 - WOD

TABATA:

Run
Pullups
Sit Ups
KB Swings

and

50 walking pushups

---------------------------------------------

Mr. Panda Bear walked through the bamboo forest. "What delightful foliage," he noted. "A real pleasure." The soft leaves tickled his face as he ambled between the shoots. He lesiurely chomped on the feast surrounding him skipping and laughing all the while.

He noticed an interesting phenomenon; for every branch he ingested, two took its place. "How sustainable!" he exclaimed. Intrigued by the curious rapid growth of the forest, Mr. Panda Bear voraciously devoured every leaf, branch, and shoot within his reach. He ate and ate and ate; the forest grew and grew and grew - until it had enclosed Mr. Panda Bear in a dark cage of shoots and leaves.

"Whafuhdon!" garbled Mr. Panda Bear, and by that he meant, "What have I done!?!" or maybe it was, "What have I done?!?"

"I'm trapped," he said after licking his lips to gulf down the last remnants of leaves lining his fat panda lips. Indeed, he was. Mr. Panda Bear had eat so much greenery that he had trapped himself in a bamboo tomb. Everywhere he looked, Mr. Panda Bear could only see bamboo.

"Help! Help!" he shouted, but if Mr. Panda Bear is trapped in a bamboo forest he doesn't make a sound. Feeling claustrophobic, he panicked much like a man does who has fallen into quicksand. Stuffing his face, the small space tightened. At first he felt the constriction around his panda belly. Then it squeezed his chest until the only appendage he could move were those fat panda lips.

"What a pickle!" he cried, and with his dying breaths, Mr. Panda Bear did the only thing he knew how. He curled his lips. He wrapped them around the life dangling in front of his face, and ripped it from the branch.

7/22/10 - WOD

REST DAY

-------------------------------------

A cocoon of steam
Massages and soothes my pores
So fresh and so clean

The subway breathes fire
Belched smoke burning my nostrils
The Hugo Boss wilts

An ENTP
Meyers Briggs holds life's secrets
I'm parts of my sum.

7/21/10

TABATA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- RUN
- THRUSTERS
- KNEES TO ELBOWS

Rest a couple of minutes and alternate running and resting for:

20 seconds run-20 seconds rest-40-60-40-20

------------------------------------------

Buzz words flying around got no idea what they are talking about synergy and culture and five different lists of four takeaways saying the same thing with different words.

Winner and Loser

7/20/10 - WOD

4 Sets of 10 for time:

KB Swings
Pullups
DB Cleans
Pushups
Sit Ups
Body Squats

And perhaps run 1.5 miles, if you feel lucky

----------------------------------------------------

Sick commercial

Dear Investment Banking,

I really do not know very much about you. You seem a bit foreign to me. From our brief, brief encounter I've noticed some things about you. You appear to bring out the worst in alpha males, and your constant obsession with rank and status and group and which-bank-do-you-work-at-I-value-myself-according-to-the-2Q-earnings-report-ness grows wearisome. But the one-up-manship I can handle. And the hours, though daunting, can't be nearly as bad as pulling two consecutive all-nighters in order to renovate paint and then re-renovate and re-paint a deaf man's bathroom puke orange only to not get paid upon completion. I guess what concerns me is that people keep telling me I will have to forgo working out. Right now, I remain confident that this will not happen. Maybe I won't be in pro-soccer shape, but I can be in semi-pro shape. Only time will tell. If I get fat and can't run sub 12 minute two miles, then I-Banking, you will have won.

As a true gentleman, I wish you best of luck in ruining my health,

Ruf "Don Draper" io

7/19/10 - WOD

For time:

100 hanging knees to elbows
100 pullups

4 sets of 5 minutes on elliptical/rowing/alternative cardio machine with 1 minute recovery between each set. Keep track of distance and hit your first set distance every time.

--------------------------------------------------

The Men Who Stare At Screens

I love Coke. I have three in my refrigerator. In an effort to cut back on sugar, that is all the Coke I am going to drink for 30 days starting now.

1

When keeping it real goes wrong,

RUFIO

7/18/10 - WOD

REST DAY

------------------------------------------------

I apologize for the absence. I have been moving into my apartment in NY the past couple of days and did not have internet until today.

How supermodels are made.

7/13/10

Power Hour:

40 Minute Bike Ride

20 Minute Run

---------------------------------------

Double Rainbow Dialog

Double Rainbow Song

I seem to be experiencing a stream of good luck. I receive an email notifying me that I have won millions and millions of assets from a man in India or China; all I have to do is write back with some of my personal information.

Dear Friend,

I am very happy to inform you that I have been able to work out a new way to which you will receive this your funds as parcel and as it may interest you to know I have been able to get in contact with a Diplomat who is going to deliver the parcel to your door step and as I made the plan he will be delivering a parcel to you and the content of the parcel will be your funds in total of $4.5Million us dollars as it was before although I did not revel to them about the content of the parcel because I simply told them that the content of the parcel is your personal belongings/ family valuables.

Listen, your Funds is still with us but we have deposited your funds as parcel for the delivery. Remember your fund will be registered as family valuables for security reasons under security monitoring department with a seal on it for security reasons according to the management of the despatching company this afternoon he said that You can find their code number by side of the parcel there is a place on it they will write ( 0118 ) when you open it through that side you will see the code to open it so contact and call the delivery company today on this information below,

Contact person: Kalu Hilary
Company Name:Sky View Courier (S.V.C)
Email: (skyviewcourier7@w.cn)
Tel +229-9896-8840

Note that Your fund as parcel will be register as family valuables with code( 0118 )At this point I wish to know your readiness to receive your fund as you will be required to reconfirm your receiving address once more so that I will make sure that I gave them your correct address to avoid any mistake about the delivery they told me that you will be required to pay for the Security Keeping Fee of the parcel for a little rate amount of money which will only cost you ( $105 dollar.) KINDLY RECOMFIRM YOUR FULL INFORMATIONS FOR THE DELIVERY.

Your Full Name................
Your Home Address..............
Your Country...............
Your current Phone Number ..............
Your Cell Number...............
Your personal identification............

Also I want to remind you that no body will tamper with the parcel until it gets to your destination waiting to hear from you soon about this and dont fail to indicate your direct and current phone number as well.

Regard.
Mrs. Frank Lord.

7/12/10 - WOD

10 sets of 10:

95 lb. cleans (6 reps)

Walking push ups

Plate swings

Sit Ups

Dips

Skiers (hug a weight to your chest and leap from side to side, landing on one foot before exploding onto the other)

STRETCH

---------------------------------------

Lance Armstrong Finished?

Biology of Fairness

Happy Birthday Calbert, Calbert Cheney, Big Cal, Calipers, Calduous Huxley, Caltini, Caltech, and Frank Caliendo.

7/11/10 - WOD

REST DAY

----------------------------------------

Sweet Diet Tracker

7/9/10 - WOD

4 rounds for time with 2 minute breaks in between:

.6 Mile Run
20 Pushups
20 Body Squats
10 O-H Plate Presses
20 Sit Ups

-----------------------------------------

College: where nobody studies

And a quality review from a nonnative English speaker:

Western tradition completely depend on statistical survey for any conclusion. I think this a faulty process. If every man is unique in all way how can you push him in dragonwagon?Those wholeheartedly love the knowledge they study without any reward or pressure. Those who not interested in knowledge they never study with great reward or with pressure.Those who are studying for examination they do not a touch a book after they start their carrier and those who remain student they read books life long.

And a dude with no balls...

You didn't actually think I was going to post a Ken doll, right?

7/8/10 - WOD

Burpee Broad Jumps Around the Entire Block

- try not to look as silly as this dude does

- and my ROUTE

--------------------------------------------------------

Soccer In America

Symphonies - Dan Black

Excited that I had "discovered" a quality track, I played the Dan Black song for my sister and my dad expecting them to enjoy the phat beats as much as I did. Much to my chagrin, they gave it pretty lukewarm reviews - perhaps more positive then their actual opinion because I had billed it as "sick" (not sure if my dad knows what "sick" means, but he pretended). It made me wonder why some people enjoy certain songs and artists and others hate them. There certainly is a bit of cultural baggage associated with songs/artists (see Lady Gaga: people either love or hate her; some people might actually enjoy her songs but hate what she represents, namely the union of music and image - kinda reminds me of Andre Agassi and his combination of tennis and image - "Image is Everything" - which peaked with this commercial, these jorts, and that mullet. Cultural baggage can ruin an entire branch of music for someone. At risk of associating with Nascar fans (sidebar: apparently Nascar is freaking popular. However, I do not know a single person that follows it. Nascar fans, where are you? If you do not live in Kansas, where could you possibly reside?), I restrict my country music library solely to Johnny Cash, and he is protected by the label "classic rock." I hate country music; I like to think this loathing is due to the actual crappiness of the music - Big and Rich, Rascal Flatts - but undoubtedly the hillbilliness of country music has some role (sidebar: I have worked more manual labor jobs than about every single person graduating from an Ivy League University so before someone accuses me of being a Yankee, let it be known I have landscaped, painted, cleaned, and put tiny boxes into bigger boxes full-time... I've done as much blue-collar work as anyone who has not devoted their life to it).
Another interesting thing - yeah, thing - about music is that within the first 3 seconds of turning a song on, I can tell if I like it. When I am driving, I can switch through radio stations seemingly faster than it should be possible to recognize what I'm listening to.
Our snap judgments for music seem to be on the money. Interestingly, our snap judgments about food, TV, shows, and people - when a decision for a person is based on interaction - are almost always correct.

7/7/10 - WOD

REST DAY

---------------------------------------

World's Ugliest Footballer: Wayne Rooney

7/4/10

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Thanks to all who have served our country.

10 mile ride

3 mile run

With a partner, alternate sets of 10 - 95 lb. squats, as many sets as you can.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I love America.

7/3/10 - WOD

REST DAY

--------------------------------------

Yeah. I had two friends in high school who sort of showed me how a piano works. And I just spent two years being terrible at it until I was good at it. That's just me. There's no way I'm actually intrinsically talented at writing, acting, playing music, puppeteering. It's that I'm willing to be shit at them for a while, until I'm good at them. It's like when you watch a kid in math class—at some point, they just shut off, like, "I'm not going to be good at this, ever." I don't ever reach the "Fuck it" point in anything. I'm willing to be bad for as long as it takes, until I'm good.

- Jason Segel

7/2/10 - WOD

10 Sets for Time:

10 Pullups
10 Situps
10 Puships
10 Body Squats

Remember to adjust workouts to your personal ability. If you cannot do a pullup, do a jumping pullup. Do your pushups from your knees instead of feet.

-------------------------------------------------------

"I've had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven't run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can't outwork you, then smarts aren't going to do them much good. That's just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you'd be surprised at how much fun you can have."
- Woody Hayes

"The one thing in my life that I can control is effort. How much energy I expend on a given activity is completely up to me. On occasions, my game may not be top notch: my touch may be off; I can't seem to make a shot; I'm not in the right place at the right time. But my effort level lies outside of the realm of influence of these variables. Effort is my constant."
- RUFIO

7/1/10 - WOD

4 minute body hold

Push up/Sit up Tabata

-------------------------------------------------

Picture and Video Coming Soon...

Horse Hooves?

I guess I knew that I was finished playing soccer when working out became a chore. Mind you, I love exercising, as seen by my blog. Often, I go over the top, challenging myself to things that I cannot do physically, mentally, or both. But I think, for me, that challenge is the point.

As a college soccer player not quite good enough to play professional soccer (USL-2 probably, but let's get real: is it worth playing on such a small stage? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? Are squirrels and deer and other "woodfolk," like elves and unicorns, sentient beings? Meaning if they are around that tree when it falls in the forest, does it make a sound? What is sound? Is sound something more than waves traveling through the air before it hits our ears? Existential crisis, much?) I have taken this fitness kick to be a level of validation. Can I still do "it?" Do I still have "it?" Sometimes yes and sometimes no - I'm looking at you 3 football fields of pushup burpees and "100 flights of stairs." But at least I am consciously trying. To make sure that I am setting up a true challenge, I write the workout down when I feel fresh - no aches, pains, soreness, or other ailments that could discourage me from ambition.

A friend once told me that I wise man once said, "Aim for the moon, and you'll land in the stars." I told him that an idiot said that. If you think about it, that phrase makes no sense. If anything, it should be aim for the stars, and you'll land on the moon - which also makes no sense. Realistically, for you to land on the moon, you would have to aim straight for the moon. If you aimed for a star and did not quite make it, you would not end up among any stairs. You would end up dead in space. If you were lucky, before the air is sucked out of you by a space vacuum, your shuttle would blow up in the atmosphere to serve as a reminder to all that here was an idiot who aimed for the moon/stars and most certainly did not end up among the moon/stars (which might be a sick epitaph on your tombstone). I revised that figure of speech to be this, "Aim for the moon and land on the moon. But just so you know, if you miss, you are in some serious s@*t. Can't say I didn't warn you."

While the above tangent has nothing to do with the previous paragraph - and, upon a second reading, sounds quite discouraging, kind of like a certain person's pregame speech... "Now this guy does not belong on the field with you. I mean he is head and shoulders above everyone else... now let's go out and win this game" - I am handing out life lessons, pearls of wisdom.

Take these pearls, one by one, tie them together, and string a necklace. But be careful to not spill on them and make sure to have a professional jeweler clean them for they are a porous stone, easily stained. Do not stain my pearls.

RUFIO

6/30/10 - WOD

100 Burpee Pull Ups

Tabata:

Run

Tabata: 20 seconds SPRINT SPRINT SPRINT; 10 seconds REST REST REST; 8 sets
It should go something like this: SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST, SPRINT-REST.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I go to the same place to write almost every day. I don't bring a cell phone. I don't take an iPod. My mind is thrown on its own resources. I make a little deal with myself. I say, just get five pages out. Five pages, and that's it. You're done. Of course I'll get to five pages and always want to write a little bit more, but without that quota, I'd have a hard time even starting. It used to be that I would work on something new in the daytime and then I would rewrite and work on something new at night, but those were the days when I drank a lot. There was a lot of liquid energy and Bolivian marching powder. " - Stephen King

DAILY AFFIRMATION

6/29/10

REST DAY

--------------------------------------

Dates got all messed up.

Mark Twain - My First Lie

6/27/10 - WOD

3 Rounds for time:

Burpee-Broad Jumps for 100 Yards
Sprint 100 Yards

3+ Hours Later

4 Rounds of:

3 minutes on, 1.5 minutes off

-------------------------------------------------------

Is anyone else excited for the forthcoming Strokes album? It has been way too long since they got together in the studio. In the meantime, here are three of my favorite solo songs by the Strokes members:

Albert Hammond Jr. - Everyone Gets a Star

Julian Casablancas - Left and Right in the Dark

Albert Hammond, Jr. - In Transit

6/26/10 - WOD

For Time:

800 Meter Run
10 Burpees
15 Dips

---------------------------------------

Employed at last... A bit ironic in light of the previous post... Still going to shoot for 5 workouts in 3 days.

Argentina makes 'em good, but it sure doesn't make 'em pretty.

6/26/10 - WOD

Tabata:
Body Squats/Split Squats
Walking Push Ups/Dips

AND: 2 sets of the stairwell - 17 stories up and down

3+ Hours Later:
Run:
1 minute high-intensity, 3 minutes low-intensity
2 minutes high-intensity, 2 minutes low-intensity
3 minutes high-intensity, 1 minute low intensity
4 minutes high-intnensity, 1 minute low intensity
3 minutes high-intensity, 1 minute low intensity
2 minutes high-intensity, 2 minutes low intensity
1 minute high-intensity, 3 minutes low-intensity

NOTES:
Tabata: 20 second SPRINT, 10 seconds REST, repeat for 4 minutes
High-Intensity means 75-85 percent; slow jog for the low-intensity

-------------------------------------------------------

I'm unemployed. I have accepted it. It could be for a short time. It could be for a long, long time. In any case, the result is the same - I have loooooaaaaaaaadddddsssssss of free time. I mean I have jack squat to do. Yeah, I should be networking, interviewing, and other activities that get me dollar bills, but, honestly, there is not that much to do... I do not know what else to do.

I am wandering in the forest. I am surrounded by trees. But I can't find the path.

Anyway, I might as well get really freaking fit and healthy. Five workouts in the ol' 3 day stretch (if you have not noticed, it goes 3 days on, 1 day off). I am going to post a WOD and a completely separate running workout. Word of advice: I am probably fitter than you - it's true - so make sure you scale this stuff down.

Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill

6/25/10 - WOD

REST DAY

Become a follower of RUFIO

----------------------------------------------

Click on this sentence to watch Germany clown on Ghana

And here is a Disney Channel interpretation of Franz Beckenbauer in that game

Is it just me, or was Ghana completely inept? In a span of fifteen years, Ghana went from garbage to making it to the knockout phase. Thanks to globalization, most games of the World Cup are proficiently played and competitive - every country is "Deese."

Except North Korea: proof that communism and isolationism do not work. Seriously, I expected more from them. One would have figured that they had been training together in a secret military-soccer camp in the Kumgang Mountains since the age of 13. BBC reports that:

"North Korea may ring the changes after picking the same starting XI in their opening two matches.
Coach Kim Jong-hun is likely revert to an even more defensive system as they look to salvage pride after their 7-0 thrashing against Portugal."

So instead of the revolutionary 5-4-1 that has thwarted Brazil and Portugal, we can expect to see a 6-4 or maybe a 7-3.

Scientists built a rat lung yesterday. Oh, the double-edged sword that is science. Here are the two options:

A. As an optimist, I hope the rat lung is the first step toward the creation of my very own clone who exists solely to be harvested for organs as needed.

B. As a realist, here is where I truly see this "breakthrough" heading. (Sidebar, this trailer actually motivated me to watch Splice. I am 3/4 of the way through (side-sidebar: I hit the 72 minute mark on Megavideo, freezing the movie and my life for another 54 minutes), and I do not like where this is heading. Dren, the lab-experiment-gone-wrong/proof-that-science-should-stop, will bang either the male or female scientist - disgusting in both cases. I really should have finished watching the Portugal-Brazil game instead, but the first half was soooo boring. Cristiano doesn't even look like he wants to be there.)

WOD - 6/24/10

Tabata:
Burpee Broad Jumps
Dips/Push Ups
10 Yd. Shuffles

-----------------------------------------------------------

Tell me what you know about dreams?

Tell me what you know about night terrors?

Ten hour tennis match. Are you kidding me? Ten hour tennis match. Things I can do for ten hours:

Sleep
Real Housewives of Orange County Marathon
Come into and then out of an existential crisis
Wait in an investment bank for one interview
Putter
Watch Huricanranas

6/22/10 - WOD

3 Rounds:

5 minute run
20 pushups
20 situps

RUFIO

------------------------------------------------------------

Pursuit of Happiness Cover

6/21/10 - WOD

For Time:

100 Burpees
100 Situps
50 Pushups
50 Dips

-----------------------------------------------

Yin: Jersey Shore Season 2 Preview

Yang: Unknowable Unkowns

RUFIO

6/19/10 - WOD

30 minute run

If you want, break it up into intervals, like 4 minutes at a fast pace and 2 minutes at a slower pace.

-----------------------------------------------------------

6/18/10 - WOD

REST DAY

Yoga/Stretch

----------------------------------------------------

Jon Harkes, American bad ass. First he bangs Wynalda's wife, and then he takes his job.

Did Robert Green star in Lost?

6/17/10 - WOD

For Time:

300 Body Squats
200 Knee Tucks
100 Push Ups
50 Dips (I am headed to the Yale Club, so I am going to do Pull-Ups)
Then 17 Floors (The number of floors in my apartment)

Yoga

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The second round of the World Cup started yesterday. I am writing this post during the early minutes of the South Africa vs. Uruguay game. To be honest, the first round was pretty boring. Yeah, there have been some highlights and great moments:
- New Zealand's last second comeback
- Brazil's two goals were gorgeous. We could debate whether Maicon intended to shoot on target from nearly no angle, but, judging from the way he struck the ball and his reaction I reside in the camp that believes it was on purpose. The second goal was a sublime through ball, the kind that catches a viewer by surprise. Perfect weight, perfect angle, perfect run.
- South Africa's goal and quality result tying Mexico, far exceeding expectations (to be fair, Mexico was much, much better and a bit unlucky to not win. The South African goal did feature a great through ball and superb finish; however, it came against the run of play. South Africa certainly gained confidence after the goal and started to play quite well, but the goal was not deserving).
- The upset of Spain by Switzerland (again, the scoreline is not indicative of the way the game went. I say this realizing that Switzerland's game plan was not to go toe-to-toe with Spain. Their defensive shell was an obvious tactical decision. Nonetheless, Spain did about everything except score).
- Messi: may not have scored but undoubtedly the player of the moment. He seemed to be creating scoring opportunities for himself at will. I thought he was going to have 4 goals in the opening game. His inability to get on the score sheet could be attributed to misfires and not being shut down. If Argentina's defense can improve on that first game performance - it has a long way to go - I think this team can go far.

The fact of the matter is that the World Cup, thus far, has been relatively boring:

- Dearth of goals: perhaps it's the ball. Perhaps it's the lack of chemistry inherent in the nature of putting together a national tea consisting of players tossed together for a couple of months. It appears that teams look scared, as if they are afraid of losing. See Mexico, England, Brazil (though their two goals were quality, their first half performance was dull. Every shot they took was 25-35 yards out and from very poor angles. The goal by Maicon liberated them.)
- Poor goalkeeping: Though I loved that the US scored, the goal let in by Robert Green of England was poor. Dempsey had a good turn, but his shot was as flavorful as oatmeal. The list of poor goalkeeping performances includes Faouzi Chouchi of Algeria and Villar of Paraguay. Off of Italy's corner, Villar flapped at the ball but made no serious attempt to catch or punch it out. De Rossi poked it in, salvaging a point for Italy.
- Ties. Okay, ties are not the end of the world. A 0-0 tie can still be an entertaining match so long as there are some close calls, good passing, clever dribbling, etc. But the manner in which these ties happen is most alarming. They are boring, drab stalemates with fear paralyzing both teams.

Diego Forlan scored the first long-distance strike. About freaking time. This bodes well for the rest of the tournament. More goals. Less fear.

WOD - 6/16/10

Tabata:
10 yard shuffles
Dips
Burpees
Sit up/Push up Alternating

Tabata = 4 minutes total of an exercise, 20 seconds of high intensity followed by 10 seconds of rest. The key to it is pushing yourself to the limit. SPRINT!!!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Real Life Lone Ranger

BRING THE WORLD CUP TO THE USA

ESPN snapshot of USA's bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cups

WOD - 6/15/10

My apartment complex workout of the day:

Six Sets for time of:
17 flights of stairs UP
10 clap push ups
10 jump squats
17 flights back down
10 sit ups

------------------------------------------------------

From Jerry Maguire:

Two nights later in Miami at our corporate conference, a breakthrough. Breakdown? Breakthrough. It was the oddest most unexpected thing. I began writing what they call a Mission Statement for my company. You know--a Mission Statement--a suggestion for the future. What started out as one page became twenty-five. Suddenly I was my father's son. I was remembering the simple pleasures of this job, how I ended up here out of law school, the way a stadium sounds when one of my players performs well on the field... I was remembering even the words of the late Dicky Fox, the original sports agent, who said: the key to this job is personal relationships. And suddenly it was all pretty clear. The answer was fewer clients. Caring for them, caring for ourselves, and the games, too. Hey, I'll be the first to admit it. What I was writing was somewhat "touchy feely." I didn't care. I had lost the ability to bullshit. It was the me I'd always wanted to be. Starting our lives, really.

WOD - 6/14/10

REST DAY

----------------------------------------

Are hedge funds evil?

Anthony Bourdain

WOD - 6/13/10

A bit late on this one but it's cool.

Tabata each of these:
Burpees
Sit Ups
Squats
Push Ups

-----------------------------------------------------

I can't tell if the World Cup is good or bad for me. On one hand, I am unemployed and able to enjoy every game (which I, happily/sadly have). On the other, I am unemployed and am watching every game, as opposed to job searching.

WOD - 6/12/10

3.5 mile run

Tabata push ups/sit ups

---------------------------------------------------------

CLINT DEMPSEY!

High on US Soccer,

RUFIO

WOD - 6/11/10

I am going to steal this one from the crossfit main website:

15 rounds for time of:

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 situps

AND then Tabata on the bike...

It has been brought to my attention that I never explained what Tabata is. Here you go:

TABATA = 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, 4 minutes; maximum effort

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rise of the set piece.

Ron Artest wears the number 37 because it was the same number of weeks "Thriller" topped the charts.

Will somebody please tell Joey Fatone to quit calling me? I can't give him free tickets to the Super Bowl.

I am an avid viewer of Bravo. I know what you are thinking - doesn't that make you "a gay." No, Andy, it does not make me a gay. Real Housewives of choose your city is dynamite. In the last episode, they taped a woman losing her mind. I mean she was literally going crazy in front of our very eyes ("Truth, you can't handle the truth!" "Oh my God, Al Sharpton. Al Sharpton!"). From Top Chef to Nine By Design to The channel consistently puts on quality programming.
Here is the main reason that I enjoy Bravo: outside of those misplaced Law and Order episodes (must be an old contract waiting to expire because that series does not fit the Bravo motif), Bravo plays its primetime shows around the clock. Whether its 2 a.m., 10 a.m., or 4 p.m., one can catch a marquee Bravo program.
This practice raises a valuable question. Why are reruns of Doogie Howser M.D. on TV? I do not understand why TV doesn't just play its quality programming around the clock. A given channel probably has about 4-5 good shows. AMC, just run episodes of Mad Men and Breaking Bad around the clock because I think I speak for everyone when I say we do not want to watch They Live. ("When two men put on special sunglasses they see aliens and subliminal messages." I am always amazed by the plots of some movies. I picture two guys sitting in their living room and one turns to the other and says, "Dude, I have a great idea for a movie. Picture this. Two guys find these special sunglasses." And then the other one finishes his thought, "And when they put them on they see aliens and subliminal messages..." Even more amazing than this initial jam session is that THEY END UP WRITING THE WHOLE THING. Never at any moment did they second guess themselves.)

Gwyneth.
-who's Gwyneth?
Paltrow,

RUFIO

WOD - 6/10/10

Rest Day

3 days on

1 day off

Light stretch if you must... might be a good idea actually

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The drummer might actually explode

Summertime Music Mashup - DJ Earworm

WOD - 6/9/10

Brazilian Run:

4 minute warm up jog

4 minutes high intensity
2 minutes recovery
4 minutes high intensity
2 minutes recovery
4 minutes high intensity
2 minutes recovery
4 minutes high intensity
2 minutes recovery

Cool Down and Stretch

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"The more successful you get, the smaller she gets"
- Kelly Cutrone

"Gotta spend money to make money, dude. Economics 101."


I was talking to my friend about the "burden" of having attended an Ivy League institution. He was saying how his two roommates were nice guys that attended Indiana University and that once they heard he went to Yale, they kept telling him how awesome and amazing it is. Not quite sure how to respond, he sheepishly said thanks. It appears that graduates from elite universities are a bit ashamed of their education. Another friend of mine told me that, when asked where he went, he responded, "New Haven." It's as if we are saying, "Yeah, I went to a douche bag university, but I'm not one of them." But we are. [Pause]. But we are.

End Scene,

Rufio

WOD - 6/8/10

I am in a pretty limited gym because I am job searching in New York. The only equipment available are a few dumbbells and space. That said, here is today's workout of the day:

Tabata on treadmill:
10 mph with 14 incline

Another Tabata of an assortment of exercises:
sit ups
pushups
dips
knees to chest

This got me pretty gassed; if it is too easy/too hard, adjust accordingly. To do a Tabata on a treadmill, set your speed and incline to a challenging level. It is preferable to set it at a level that might be just beyond your capabilities; you can always drop the speed/incline down. Plus, research has shown that running harder in the beginning confers more benefits than kicking it at the end. You cannot perform a running Tabata on a treadmill unless you can get off while it's moving. This feat may sound hard, but in actuality it's very simple. Grab a hold of the guard riles on your side and lift yourself off of the treadmill belt. Then rest your feet on the sides where the belt is not moving (obviously). If you have never done this before, practice at a slower pace until you can do it easily - I'd hate/love to see someone get shot off of a treadmill like it was a trebuchet.

LINKS

GOLD

Gold Prices shooting through the roof:

Why does anyone buy gold? Without any intrinsic value - one can't eat or drink gold unless it is, of course, Goldschlager - gold is useless. I think of gold as very heavy dollar bills. Perhaps too many people have been deceived by those misleading Glenn Beck commercials that eerily resemble and run during his TV show ("I've been spending time with the founding fathers..." Is he chilling with Jefferson on Friday nights and hitting the links during the week with Washington) or, perhaps even better, those campy Good Ol' Tom's Commercials that run in Connecticut.

First Real Post

Let me open with a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rvBc0-KoOM

I guess bench press is a really functional move... At least they aren't using the stationary weight lifting machines...

Smoke and Mirrors: "These men are like turtle. Flip them onto their back, and they can't move."

My whole life, I've played competitive soccer. After four years of D-I collegiate soccer, I look back on the fitness and strength portion of my exercise regime and wonder was any of it geared towards creating success on the field. Soccer makes broad, general physical demands - aerobic, anaerobic, strength, speed, power, and coordination. However, the exercise program we followed seemed steeped in the shadow of power lifting. Not to belittle that sport, but it is an extremely specialized activity, requiring one to make similar movements repeatedly - and certainly should not be the cornerstone of soccer training.

That said, from here on out my goal is general fitness - unspecialized, non-specific, and inclusive. I believe that during a workout, one should always be moving - and when you are not, seek "active rest." Doing a set of bench press and waiting a couple minutes before banging out another 8 reps is wasted time. A successful workout need not take hours of time and ought to incorporate the entire body. After all, we are not made of separate parts operating in isolation from each other.

I am going to test and evaluate exercise programs. I will follow the directions as they are outlined by the programs creator and keep a (mostly) daily diary of their effectiveness. Footage and pictures will accompany my text.

Also, I need to get a way better title for this blog... open to suggestions from my vast readership.

• I Scored in a World Cup Final - I especially enjoyed Materazzi
  
• James Cameron to the Rescue - Kind of... If only a tribe of blue people armed with sticks could solve the oil spill...
  

First Post

I am starting this new blog. Much much more to follow. I am about to get super busy, but I plan on writing this blog anyway.

PEACE