I'm Back

It is time to revive the blog. It has been on life support for some time but is showing signs of recovery.
I am currently getting ready to offer classes at Crossfit Upland.
The classes will run Mon through Friday at 8 AM and will be focused on the specific needs of older adults.
We will explore movement and play and develop the strength you need to enjoy them.
So that's it and now you must raise a cheer for the Growing Old Getting Strong blog because, it...is...alive.

Now what?

Although not the right forum for this I thought it was necessary to share some feelings on what happened in Orlando. As is usual the first reaction is horror. It is not, how can this happen here horror any more. It is, how can this happen again horror. The right to bear arms people are polishing up their rhetoric for the inevitable onslaught of criticism, they will come up with all sorts of reasons why controlling access to guns will not solve the problem but they are, quite simply, wrong.
If the psycho in question had walked in with a knife there would have been one maybe two fatalities before he was taken down.
Gun violence is caused by guns and access to guns and that is it.  You can squeal and yell about protecting your freedoms all you want but the fact remains that 49 people had their freedom to stay alive cut short because you want to play cowboy.
It appears to me that this country and its citizens are just not evolved enough to be allowed to have guns.
Guns do not protect freedom, Consciousness protects freedom. Awareness protects freedom. Tolerance protects freedom.
...and that is all.

When Is It Time To Say Enough is Enough.

I heard that question in a movie once. It went like this: If you love someone, truly love them, when is it time to say enough is enough? The correct answer is never and I hope that is the way you feel about my extended absences from posting.
Do ya truly love me?

I have been doing Alwyn Cosgrove's program from his New Rules of Lifting For Life and I am almost finished with a full 12 weeks, rare for me to complete a program, but since I have been making my bed every morning I feel like a new man.

TODAY'S WORKOUT
Original Strength Warm Up
Elbow whip roll
Baby Crawl box (30 steps forward/30 Lateral Right/30 backward/30 Lateral Left)
Rock x 10
Nod x 10
Dead bug x 5 each
Bird dog cross crawl x 5 each

W/O
Tabata Row.
Total Meters 709
Average Pace 1:52.8
Average Stroke Rate 34

I will try to be more consistent

Why Are Young People so Weird?

     I was talking to a young person on the phone today and I got the sense that he did not have any idea how to interact on the machine. It was as if he were on another planet. There seemed to be several things going on while he talked and he did not have any filters so all the events occurred at the same time and this confused him.

     I think it has something to do with the concept of multi-tasking. The idea that they are capable of doing several things at once and actually making any one of those things work has taken over. The simple truth is that no one is good at multi-tasking. There are those who can do several low level tasks at the same time but none of them will be done well.

     I am convinced that this is why they are strange. Their world requires that they be connected via the device at all times but then never tells them how to go about it and it drives them crazy and then they get weird.
   
     I am not 100% convinced that older people are that much better because, now, they are adopting the habits of younger people and, in my opinion, failing miserably.

     The point of this whole thing well, there isn't any point. Just me taking up your valuable time to rant about how strange I think young people are.

All Sciency and S**t

It recently came to my attention that some companies will use scientific studies to prove the efficacy of their product or contention and that they were relatively secure in the knowledge that no one would actually read the cited studies. They were right.
I decided to test this by writing an article on why I am the smartest person on the planet and one of the few who possess superpowers. Judiciously choosing keywords that I knew would produce results in Pub Med I was able to fill the references section of the piece with scientific studies that backed my contention. I came very close to publishing this article to see what sort of stir I could scare up, but, integrity got in the way, again, and I stopped myself.
The point is; the next time you see a claim by a supplement company or clothing manufacturer or widget maker that makes claims, backed by science, for the product in question I would suggest that you actually read the cited studies to make sure they refer to what is being sold, or, save your dollars and don't buy the pill that will make you burn fat faster or increase your recovery rate or send massive amounts of protein flooding into your muscles or will make all the rabbits in your yard go away or turn your dog into a water buffalo.
Here is an article that debunks the current bulletproof coffee "science".
Another one.
Here is an article about quacks that use fake science to back  their claims.

Some sites to peruse for better info.
Evidence based Fitness
Alan Aragon
Examine.com
Bret Contreras

There was another article which was the original inspiration for this piece but I can not find it right now and so will post it at a later date.

After an extended absence...

It appears that I have a much easier time bingeing  on Netflix series' than writing on the blog. I shall try to put that to rest.
During the time I was gone many things have happened. I have been spending Sunday mornings working with the amazing Dr. Mark Cheng at kettlebells Los Angeles. It has been an unequaled educational experience. He emphasizes slow controlled movement and mastery something that almost everyone else in my neck of the woods ignores in favor of balls out speed.
Slow and controlled translates into fast and controlled but not the other way around. So I have slowed everything down to practice control and it has reaped huge benefits in my overall movement skills.
I have also begun the process of infiltrating a crossfit gym in the hopes of being able to effect changes from the inside out. This, to date, has only been marginally successful. I do have my own class period, 7 to 8 AM Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
My own workouts currently consist of a combination of Doc Cheng's warm up with some original strength, Dan John patterning moves and Jon Engum Flexible Steel stuff. This is followed by Deadlifts on Monday, Presses on Wednesday and various carries on Friday and after that I will do Kettle bell swings, 10 - 20 on the minute for 10 minutes and then Turkish Get ups for 5 minutes.
...and then Pirate/Ninja skill practice (the subject of a different post)
The world of things to check out has expanded and I recommend that everyone take a look at The Natural Method recently translated from the French by Phillipe Til. Well worth the price of admission.
We'll talk soon.(I promise)

After an Extended Absence...He...Is....Alive!

I can hear the cheers and a rising tide of applause as I step back onto the stage of the blog world.
Re: my last post. The Justa singles program went along fine until the presses started to aggravate my shoulders, so I stopped.
Did some miscellany for a while and then in a fit of anger I dropped all my gym memberships. I have a decent bar, some weights,  kettle bells, a set of rings, some indian clubs, a tire for dragging and some dumb bells. This is more than enough to keep me happy and at home for a good long time. I appear to not like people all that much.
I  made it through 30 days of a 40 day program and then the ADD kicked in and I stopped, a pattern developing?
So today is the first day of something else fun: KB swings + pullups, KB swings + presses, KB swings + goblet squats on M/W/F and just KB swings on T/Th/Sa - and  Turkish Get Ups everyday.
I am signed up for Dean and Tony's big adventure  and if you live in the LA area you should think about going to this or just go to it without thinking. If you do go and you put my name on the pay page (Michael Campi) I get some credit.
These two guys are great and there will be guest fitness celebrities in attendance.
I have also, at long last, signed up for Kelly Starrett's show at Axiom crossfit in January.
Me: I'm back
You all: You don't know how happy that makes us.
Me: Thank you and good day.