Thought it might be nice to log my kettlebell workouts here. If I become a coach I could pull some of these up for routines.
Today's workout, double kettlebells (2KB)
5 rounds of
5x kb pushup to clean
5x push press
5x renegade row each hand
5x double swing
rest 2 minutes between each round. performed with 2x28kg bells which i consider slightly heavy for me.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Are Women Oppressed in the Weight Room?
"Strong women run in the family." my mother loves to boast. I was, knowing my mother and grandmother, inclined to believe her. My mother is a woman who is not afraid of being honest with people about what she thinks, and this is a quality I have been raised to respect. I never saw the appeal that some people do in "submissive" girlfriends whose every wish was your command. Just as I try to cultivate strength of character in myself, I see the same trait as very attractive in a woman. "Sure, who doesn't like an independent woman? Men love bitches." is the chuckling response to me. It's fashionable to like strong women, especially on liberal college campuses.
But when we think of "strong women" and "iron ladies", it is all about strength of character, willpower, and spirit. It's Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir and Angela Merkel. But why is it not women like Aneta Florczyk?
When I first saw the video above I gaped in awe and fear. I quickly passed it around to some of my friends to gauge their shocked reactions. They were properly shocked, but it was their other exclamations that made me wonder:
"You sure that's a woman?"
"She's like a dude!"
"I wouldn't hit that. Not with a ten foot pole and a paper bag over my head."
Hm, being strong isn't womanly. Who'da thunk it?
I think it was Coach Mark Rippetoe of Starting Strength fame that mused:
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general."
While this sentiment resonates with me as an athlete, I see it as something that encompasses everything so wrong with male dominance and privilege in the weight room, and the accompanying oppression of females. It's been proven over and over that resistance training a.k.a. weight training a.k.a. moving heavy objects, is beneficial to almost every aspect of life. Keeps your bones strong, your muscles healthy, your body fat low, your immunity up, your endurance and work capacity at high levels... you wonder why everyone isn't already doing it.
The fact is, women are oppressed in the weight room. To even get there, a woman has to overcome the discouragement of her peers and family members, the insecurities about her femininity, the intimidation of stepping away from the elliptical machines to a part of the gym where there are a lot of big, sweaty men. When she gets there, she have to deal with the jeering and mocking of guys who hit on and patronize her, treating her like she don't know what she's doing, offering to "spot" her when she'd rather just be left alone. There's a system here that keeps women weak, and by definition less "useful" than men, whether or not it was designed with that intention in the first place. What else are you going to call a society that makes it acceptable for men to be physically strong, and not women?
Before you go and doubt me there, consider the "girl pushup" where you support yourself on your hands and knees instead of on your toes and knees. Also called the "partial pushup" because it only requires a partial amount of effort, and consequently imparts a partial amount of strength development. Men do it because they are too weak to do a full pushup, which they are expected to graduate to, however it's just fine for girls to do it their whole lives. When's the last time you walked into a gym and saw a girl doing a full pushup?
It's when men are regarded as "strong" and women as "weak." It's when women want to get in better shape but only go for the cardio machines and spinning classes, which hardly have any effect on muscle size or strength. It's when you never see a woman doing a bench press or a deadlift. It's when my male friend tells me he'll never date a swimmer because their shoulders are too broad. It's when my female friend tells me that she'll never touch a barbell for fear of getting "too big." That, by the way, is hardly a concern, but one that I'll talk about another time, if ever.
It's true that because of hormone levels and inherent biological differences, holding men and women to the same standards of strength is not entirely productive. But there's something wrong when women believe that it's unacceptable to be strong at all, that it's "unfeminine" or "unwomanly." It's hypocritical to tell people to be the best that they can be and then chide women for being too athletic, too muscular, too strong. Even women who are strong in non-physical aspects can't win - people throw around the term "bitch" to describe headstrong women thinking it's a compliment, when at the same time it ascribes a host of negative qualities that may or may not be true. Strong men are strong. Strong women are bitches. Women can't win.
It's easy to point to female athletes like Maria Sharapova and Alison Stokke and tell me that it's socially acceptable for women to be athletic now. But those two fit a socially constructed standard of beauty where women can't, for one thing, have big, powerful arms like Aneta, but guys can. If you're a guy, when's the last time you gushed over a powerlifter besides Marilou Dozois-Prevost?
[patriarchy]"that's a good snatch"[/patriarchy]
But when we think of "strong women" and "iron ladies", it is all about strength of character, willpower, and spirit. It's Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir and Angela Merkel. But why is it not women like Aneta Florczyk?
[patriarchy]"the world's scariest handjob"[/patriarchy]
When I first saw the video above I gaped in awe and fear. I quickly passed it around to some of my friends to gauge their shocked reactions. They were properly shocked, but it was their other exclamations that made me wonder:
"You sure that's a woman?"
"She's like a dude!"
"I wouldn't hit that. Not with a ten foot pole and a paper bag over my head."
Hm, being strong isn't womanly. Who'da thunk it?
I think it was Coach Mark Rippetoe of Starting Strength fame that mused:
"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general."
While this sentiment resonates with me as an athlete, I see it as something that encompasses everything so wrong with male dominance and privilege in the weight room, and the accompanying oppression of females. It's been proven over and over that resistance training a.k.a. weight training a.k.a. moving heavy objects, is beneficial to almost every aspect of life. Keeps your bones strong, your muscles healthy, your body fat low, your immunity up, your endurance and work capacity at high levels... you wonder why everyone isn't already doing it.
The fact is, women are oppressed in the weight room. To even get there, a woman has to overcome the discouragement of her peers and family members, the insecurities about her femininity, the intimidation of stepping away from the elliptical machines to a part of the gym where there are a lot of big, sweaty men. When she gets there, she have to deal with the jeering and mocking of guys who hit on and patronize her, treating her like she don't know what she's doing, offering to "spot" her when she'd rather just be left alone. There's a system here that keeps women weak, and by definition less "useful" than men, whether or not it was designed with that intention in the first place. What else are you going to call a society that makes it acceptable for men to be physically strong, and not women?
Before you go and doubt me there, consider the "girl pushup" where you support yourself on your hands and knees instead of on your toes and knees. Also called the "partial pushup" because it only requires a partial amount of effort, and consequently imparts a partial amount of strength development. Men do it because they are too weak to do a full pushup, which they are expected to graduate to, however it's just fine for girls to do it their whole lives. When's the last time you walked into a gym and saw a girl doing a full pushup?
It's when men are regarded as "strong" and women as "weak." It's when women want to get in better shape but only go for the cardio machines and spinning classes, which hardly have any effect on muscle size or strength. It's when you never see a woman doing a bench press or a deadlift. It's when my male friend tells me he'll never date a swimmer because their shoulders are too broad. It's when my female friend tells me that she'll never touch a barbell for fear of getting "too big." That, by the way, is hardly a concern, but one that I'll talk about another time, if ever.
It's true that because of hormone levels and inherent biological differences, holding men and women to the same standards of strength is not entirely productive. But there's something wrong when women believe that it's unacceptable to be strong at all, that it's "unfeminine" or "unwomanly." It's hypocritical to tell people to be the best that they can be and then chide women for being too athletic, too muscular, too strong. Even women who are strong in non-physical aspects can't win - people throw around the term "bitch" to describe headstrong women thinking it's a compliment, when at the same time it ascribes a host of negative qualities that may or may not be true. Strong men are strong. Strong women are bitches. Women can't win.
It's easy to point to female athletes like Maria Sharapova and Alison Stokke and tell me that it's socially acceptable for women to be athletic now. But those two fit a socially constructed standard of beauty where women can't, for one thing, have big, powerful arms like Aneta, but guys can. If you're a guy, when's the last time you gushed over a powerlifter besides Marilou Dozois-Prevost?
[patriarchy]"that's a good snatch"[/patriarchy]I guess what I've been trying to say this whole time is that women have a place in the weight room as much as men do. The fear of being too big and muscular is not only unfounded and completely without merit, it's a disservice to athletes like Aneta, who diet and train harder than 99% of gymgoers to get where they are. Women, embrace being strong and being athletic. Don't be afraid of achieving fitness that gives you not just cardiovascular endurance but also muscular strength. Here's to the empowerment of women everywhere!
And what can men do? Encourage your mom, your sister, your friends to go lift some weights for their health. Go with them if they're unsure if they want to do it. Stop making comments about how women are less feminine for being strong. Don't patronize women doing deadlifts or pullups. If you see it happening, go tell someone who works there to stop the harassment, because I'm not about to tell you to tell off that huge dude who squats 600.
I guess it's why I'm such a big fan of programs like Crossfit. Crossfit encourages both men and women to lift hard and heavy and develop all-around strength, going for elite fitness in all aspects, for everyone. Some people say Crossfit "makes men ripped and women hot." That's subjective I suppose, but then I see Jolie Gentry, who by Crossfit standards is the fittest woman in the world, and she's certainly easy to my eyes:
[patriarchy]yay, uggs on the beach![/patriarchy]
And what can men do? Encourage your mom, your sister, your friends to go lift some weights for their health. Go with them if they're unsure if they want to do it. Stop making comments about how women are less feminine for being strong. Don't patronize women doing deadlifts or pullups. If you see it happening, go tell someone who works there to stop the harassment, because I'm not about to tell you to tell off that huge dude who squats 600.
I guess it's why I'm such a big fan of programs like Crossfit. Crossfit encourages both men and women to lift hard and heavy and develop all-around strength, going for elite fitness in all aspects, for everyone. Some people say Crossfit "makes men ripped and women hot." That's subjective I suppose, but then I see Jolie Gentry, who by Crossfit standards is the fittest woman in the world, and she's certainly easy to my eyes:
[patriarchy]yay, uggs on the beach![/patriarchy]
Sunday, May 3, 2009
good day
So that was a hiatus, huh? I guess I just took some time to decompress after finals. Between being angry and stressed I had a decent amount to write about, and now I'm going to have to learn how to write when the good times are rolling.
Anyway, the best birthday greeting I got was easily this:
HEY 21 now the HELL DOORS are open for you
Wish you lot of sex, drugs and rock n hop
but be aware of the plastic it only counts what is inside or better what it means to you
I heard somebody is selling people water as wine, but he didn t charges 70 bucks
Truth is subjective be God with you
From Marco Pietschmann, San Franciscan Hamburger and mechanic extraordinaire, one of the coolest cats on the planet. Also notched another year on May the 3rd. Happy birthday to you too, man! Hope the HELL DOORS don't kick me in the face on the way in.
Anyway, the best birthday greeting I got was easily this:
HEY 21 now the HELL DOORS are open for you
Wish you lot of sex, drugs and rock n hop
but be aware of the plastic it only counts what is inside or better what it means to you
I heard somebody is selling people water as wine, but he didn t charges 70 bucks
Truth is subjective be God with you
From Marco Pietschmann, San Franciscan Hamburger and mechanic extraordinaire, one of the coolest cats on the planet. Also notched another year on May the 3rd. Happy birthday to you too, man! Hope the HELL DOORS don't kick me in the face on the way in.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Weighty Ounces
Fri: First Draft of PS 128 paper due. 7.5/10 pages currently written.
ALMOST THERE. EC 11 did not go as well as I had hoped, but at this point I'll take the grade. A B in that class will be enough to make me happy. Killed the EC 60 midterm though! I'm confident I won't need to take the final, but I don't want to jinx anything...
Only downside to all of this is that Andrea's didn't deliver my fried chicken!!! I'm probably going to walk over to broken yolk in about three hours, once I'm done with my paper. I can't wait to have an omelette I didn't have to make myself.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Martin Luther Keezy
I have just improved your lives by an order of 10^3. Now excuse me while my brain bleeds out through my nose.
Aside, anyone at Tufts want to catch Children of Invention? Showing tomorrow night at the Somerville Theatre.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Getting There
Thurs: EC 11 Final Exam, EC 60 Midterm which will be a final if I get a B
Fri: First Draft of PS 128 paper due. 0/10 pages currently written.
Striking the oral presentation too because I just wrote it. Huzzah! I guess the biggest reason I'm taking Chinese now is not to be able to converse fluently in Chinese, but more because of the thrill I get from learning how to express new words and ideas. I knew I was in higher level Chinese when I learned how to say "objectification of women." Getting ready to start the feminist movement in China now...
Snippet of thought:
Decrying racism out loud and voicing disapproval does not legitimize it, nor does it represent capitulation to racism's insidious power. It's different from getting hot under the collar before empty taunts. The objective of racism isn't to provoke people to careless action out of anger, it's to reinforce negative stereotypes associated with categorizing people according to socially constructed traits, like "whiteness", "blackness" or "chineseness" thus promoting subjugation according to these categories. Voicing your disapproval does not make the racist stronger. Activism and anti-racist discourse challenge racist views of the world, whereas silence and complicity with racism gives legitimacy, approval, and condonation to acts and words of racism.
Want a historical example? Black people didn't get whites to stop using the n-word by keeping quiet and brushing the dirt off their shoulder. The vocal disapproval of that racial slur made using it a path of great resistance in society, one rightfully so.
A Predictable Response
I cracked open today's copy of the Tufts Daily and couldn't help myself. The number and nature of the op-eds tell me that the process of ending racism on this campus is going to be long and hard, and many people are going to oppose me and my friends. Long entries to resume once the week is over, but for now, here's a video you might enjoy:
The size is weird but the sound is more important. Just click the screen and let it play.
The size is weird but the sound is more important. Just click the screen and let it play.
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