JohnnyKuo.net

I have recently come across a couple of writings advocating a more barebones (or more specifically, barefoot) approach to footwear.  The first is an article expaining how running shoes do nothing to reduce injuries; the second is

I've never been a big book reader, except for maybe a brief stint during my middle school years. Being educated and all, I seem to be the exception rather than norm in this regard amongst my peers. Almost everyone I know seems to be more well read than me. Sure, I read plenty of stuff, but it just doesn't tend to be in book format. I'm more likely to be reading articles (online and dead tree), blogs, forums, etc. Maybe it's because I tend to read more of the "how to do stuff" and "how stuff works" sort of things that my fascination with books never quite took off.

My wrists have been hurting for the past week. After some research and consultation with friends, I'm guessing I have inflamed tendons. I have to lay off for a week or two from exercises involving my grip. That really sucks. What exercises do I usually do for my upper body that don't involve my hands? Not many. I'm going to have to be pretty creative for the next several workouts.

We didn't make it to our regular gym today, so we had to go to the campus gym today. I'm not a huge fan of the campus gym. It looks nice, but it's not exactly a gym set up for people with above average training goals. Anyhow, I lugged along my dip belt and 3/4" rope to the gym in an attempt to get a decent workout. Folding over the rope two times gave me 4 strands to imitate a 3" rope for rope pullups. Oof! That was a serious grip killer. I barely got 8 reps before my forearms were telling me to let go.

Well, I don't exactly have a mini genetic clone of myself.

I know it's not being modest when I say that I'm more fit than the average person. But the thing is, while I like knowing that I'm in the upper percentiles, I don't think I should be in the upper ranks of fit people! The only reason I'm more fit than the average is because, well let's face it, the average ain't that fit. Properly taken care of, the human body is amazing and can easily maintain high levels of physical fitness. Don't believe me, well, these guys are genuine senior citizens can put most people to shame.

I'm not a big fan of running. I know it's great exercise, but I'm short and I have flat feet. That's not a great combination for excelling at running. If I run for distance, my shins kill me. Add that to the fact that I always ran with people taller than me and with longer legs than me (i.e. longer strides), and it's no surprise that I'm usually the last one in the pack. Things have gotten better recently, but it's not because I run regularly.

They really do. I just started getting up into the 115-135 lb range on my front squats. I know that doesn't sound like much (and it probably isn't), but I am doing them pretty deep. I squat down until the tops of my thighs go about 15-20 degrees below horizontal. Anyhow, I'm finding that the first night my quads are really tired, and then my glutes and hamstrings are sore for the next two days. Sore and tired legs make stance training a lot more interesting.