Matt Metzgar

Variable Resistance

The normal method in weightlifting is "progressive resistance training".  Just as it sounds, the idea is to keep adding more weight as soon as a required number fo reps (or time) is reached.  While this works for beginners, anyone who has lifted for a while realizes that eventually you hit a plateau.  You can't keep adding 5 pounds a week to your bench press forever; otherwise, people would be bench pressing 2,000 lbs by now.

After this simple beginner model stalls out, then there are "intermediate" or "advanced" techniques.  This may involve periodization (two steps forward, one step back), different exercises, more or less sets, etc. 

As of late, I'm beginning to think the whole system misses the mark - primarily because the system does not match the biology of the human body. 

As said above, any type of linear training program eventually plateuas out.  This may show up in poundages staying the same, or it may show up in other less obvious (even unconscious) ways.  These other ways may be injury or sudden loss of motivation in lifting.  To me, injury and loss of motivation are really the body's way of showing its "displeasure" with the current activities being performed.

For example, I had some friends in my hometown who could lift gargantuan weights, who competed in powerlifting events and such.  But they never seemed to be lifting these heavy weights month after month.  Something would often happen: injury, loss of motivation, trying a new routine with lighter weights, etc. 

So if the body does not "want" linear progression, what does it want?  I believe the body is suited for "variable progression", the title of this post.  It goes back to out Stone Age ancestors, what type of "weights" did they lift, and how heavy were they?  Of course, they did not lift weights, but they did lift various things, such as carcasses, trees, rocks, etc.

For sure, they did not lift in a linear progression - a 20 pound rock this week, a 30 pound rock next week, etc.  What most likely happened is things were random - a 35 pound item one day, a 50 pound item another day, a 20 pound item the next week, etc. 

I would also think that this range of items had a "upper limit" in terms of weight.  In other words, would they have had to lift ever-increasing weights over time?  I doubt it.  More likely is that every now and then they would have to lift something extremely heavy.  But there's no reason to think this extremely heavy item would be heavier over time.

Hence, I am thinking of altering my weightlifting routine with all this in mind.  I am thinking of defining a range for each exercise, from a light poundage to a very heavy weight (for me).  Then I will randomly select a weight within that range for each lifting session.  For example, if the range on an exercise is 50 to 100 lbs, one session I will lift 65 lbs, the next 85 lbs, the next 50 lbs, etc., however it turns out.

I am not sure if I will randomize based on just my intuitive feelings, or if I will use some system to randomize.  One idea is one I had a few years ago, and that is to attach a poundage with each number on a die.  Before each workout, you roll the die and lift the associated poundage.

We'll see how it goes, but I'm betting my energy levels and resistance to injury will markedly improve under this routine.

Outdoor Lifting

For my weekly sprinting session, I usually go run at a local soccer field.  Just to mix things up, I took a few barbell plates with me this time.  After the sprints, I did a some impromptu lifts to work my upper body.

It was pretty neat doing some weightlifting exercises in the great outdoors.  I can't remember the last time I've done that.  It sure is a change from a typical commercial gym environment.

I recall reading that Schwarzenegger and his buddies would sometimes go lift outdoors.  They would load up a truck with weights, food, and their lady-friends, and head out to the country.  Then they would lift weights, cook up a feast, and have a good time.

Some friends and I joked about doing this one time in college, but we never did.  Oh well, maybe someday.  In the meantime, I may mix in some more outdoor lifting until Arnold calls.

Stretching

Motivated by a tweaked muscle in my back, I have been investigating stretching and flexibility.  I really don't stretch, because whenever I've tried it in the past it hasn't really yielded me any benefits.

Also, there isn't much science to support the notion that stretching prevents injuries.  As explained in this pdf , "The Great Stretching Debate", a recent meta-analysis showed that neither stretching before or after exercise helps reduce injuries. 

All this suggests one of two things: 1) stretching doesn't work, or 2) the type of stretching being tested doesn't work.  As I researched the different types of stretching, I was amazed at the varieties: static stretching, passive stretching, ballistic stretching, PNF, etc.  How can stretching be so complicated, I wondered.

For a stretching precedent, as always, I looked at our hunter-gather ancestors.  I am unaware of any evidence that they engaged in any formal stretching.  However, they did lead active lives and perhaps "stretched" in the course of their regular movements.

My other immediate thought was how animals stretch.  I see cats stretch quite a bit, and they aren't doing any bizarre stretches or holding stretches for a certain number of seconds.  Their stretching is always intuitive.

I only found one author that connected animal stretching to human stretching.  The author is Bob Cooley, and the book is "The Genius of Flexibility".  I just got the book, and it seems to have a lot of "fluff", but so far I agree with the theory.  His idea is that animals properly stretch by contracting and stretching a muscle at the same time.  While this sounds strange, the idea is just to have the muscle resist the stretch as the stretch is being applied.  He calls the idea "resistance stretching" and says it helped him rehabilitate after a serious accident.

I will experiment with resistance stretching and see how it goes.  This is, at least to me, a simple and understandable way to stretch.  Stretching just can't be that difficult; all of our furry friends seem to have already figured it out. 

San Diego

I was fortunate enough to go to San Diego for a conference recently.  I didn't get much out of the conference, but San Diego is just beautiful.  Below are a couple of pics from the trip.

Johnny Cash

I'm not really a country music fan, but I think the last few albums by Johnny Cash, the "American" albums, are just fantastic.  "American V" is coming out in a couple months, and there's even talk of an "American VI" album to be released eventually.

I think what makes the albums so great is the no-holds-barred approach that Cash took to them.  Cash was in bad health the last few years before he died, and producer Rick Rubin prodded him to record whatever songs he wanted to sing - while he still had the chance.

The resulting work is breathtaking.  I would imagine when you are nearing death and you're making music, you really don't care about hit songs or selling records.  You just want to sing the songs you want to sing, while there's still time.  We would all do better if we could utilize this philosophy earlier in life.  How much time is wasted creating work that is "socially acceptable", but not truly what we want to do?  Sure, everyone has to make a living, but this mindset of social approval and acceptance pervades other areas of life as well.  It's all too easy to take the brightly lit path that society lays out for us.  Yet often society is the beneficiary of this path, not the traveller himself.

Rebel For Sale

I read a couple of articles on the internet that sparked this post.  The main idea is simple: that "being a rebel" has now been commoditized, and that anyone can purchase certain goods and instantly become a rebel.

Here's an example of what I mean: when I taught college I was always amazed at the number of "rebel" students who sported the same trio of goods: Honda Civic, tinted windows, loud stereo system.  There was a big parking lot on campus where all the freshmen parked, and you could literally count dozens of these Honda Civics with tinted windows (and the boomin' system).  Here's a newsflash: after tons of people are doing something, it's no longer rebellion - it's conformity. 

Even tonight as I was out for a walk, I saw the exact same thing: a young guy in a Honda Civic with tinted windows, with rap music blaring.  Is that as rebellious and creative as youth get anymore?

By and large, I think the urge for rebellion has been commoditized, mostly by the hip-hop entrepreneurs.  Most of the "rebellious" young people I see look they've come straight out of a rap video. 

The adult version is probably no better.  I was unwillingly talking to this drunk weirdo at the airport the other day.  He was boasting about his Harley Davidson motorcycle and how cool it was.  Uh, I'm not so sure.  Aren't there spiffy Harley stores and licensed apparel now?  Do Harleys really represent anything different and wild anymore?

I could be a little out of the loop on this one, I don't really care for motorcycles.  You couldn't pay me to ride one; I think people who ride motorcycles maybe can't do statistics and figure out the increased chance of death and what not.  I'll stick to a ten-speed if I want some open-air riding.

I wonder if at some point in time, there were more real rebels.  I think maybe there were when the world was more disconnected, and a person could grow up in an area and develop without many outside (aka corporate and media) influences.

When Success Isn't Success

I've run into a number of people in life who personify the title of this blog post, "when success isn't success."  These people have all the trappings and outward signs of success, but in reality, have accomplished very little in life.

The corporate ladder is rife with people such as these.  They may hold prestigious sounding positions and make a good amount of money.  But actually, their contribution to the company may be minimal, or the contribution the company makes to society is very little.

How about an executive for a tobacco company?  Is there anything redeeming about a position such as this?  They promote poisonous, additive substances to the masses.  Isn't it strange that society looks down at drug dealers, but an executive for a tobacco might garner respect in some circles?

The tobacco industry is an extreme example, but there's many other companies whose contribution to society is minimal.  They may get work through favors and contacts, yet the work they produce may actually be of no value.  But from the outside, the company's employees appear successful, driving the fancy cars and showing up in all the right places.

I bet there are people working for non-profit agencies who produce 100 times more value than a high-paid executive in your average company.  I wish these people received more attention, press, and compensation. 

Changes

I'm thinking about splintering off a new site that will contain exclusively health information.  By doing it this way, it may open up avenues for some other projects.  I've been working on various projects for a while, and I think it will be easier just to put them all under one roof.

Don't worry, the blog will continue as is.