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.