tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338929140372568542024-03-05T17:15:20.359-07:00World's Strongest LibrarianI'm taking the title until someone calls me out.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-71161597271476235082009-04-12T22:30:00.001-06:002009-04-12T22:31:36.378-06:00New site is live!Hi everyone. worldsstrongestlibrarian.com is now live. Please come over and check out the video, the free e-book, the book reviews, and the slew of articles that are coming down the pipeline. <br /><br />thanks!<br />JoshJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-58207418966118757582009-04-10T06:49:00.002-06:002009-04-10T06:52:35.712-06:00Enter the Librarian (video)Here's the video teaser for the new site on Monday. www.worldsstrongestlibrarian.com (just in case you can't read the perverse font in the video at the end. Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AnUbZ2aFgWI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AnUbZ2aFgWI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-60963988917800912192009-04-07T07:26:00.004-06:002009-04-07T07:33:13.931-06:00Website is moving! Free ebook @ launchHi everyone. Sorry it's been a while. Just a quick announcement--the response to WSL has been enough that I've been encouraged to upgrade the site. Later this week, (Saturday, I hope), I'll be moving to worldsstrongestlibrarian.com. The site is already there, so you can go look at it and sign up if you like, but there's no content on it yet. Actually, do go there, because the banner with the kettlebells and books is just too cool and I'm a vulture for compliments.<br /><br />I'll no longer be posting my workouts in the blog, but will be keeping them at the Dragondoor forum under "blogs." My member name over there is jhanagarne. <br /><br />The new site is going to be about three things:<br /><br />1. Getting stronger<br />2. Getting smarter<br />3. Living better (by doing 1 and 2). <br /><br /><br />Any article you see there is going to be about one (or all) of these things. If you want to write for WSL, you'll be able to send me guest posts. Muscles, memory improvement, songs you have to have at the gym, songs you have to leave at home when you go to the gym, nutrition articles--whatever will help is going to be fair game and you'll find it there. <br /><br /><br />If you want to be sure to get the first content when it posts, just go over and hit that big orange RSS button. Then whatever shows up on the new site will be put in your inbox when it hits. <br /><br />I'll be launching the site with a free ebook I've been writing called "Getting Stronger at Work When Your Boss Isn't Looking." It's full of ideas for people trying to sneak in some extra work while they're at "work." <br /><br />Thanks for all the support! I'm really excited about the move.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-1586442432382043912009-03-28T15:08:00.003-06:002009-03-28T15:12:15.354-06:00A Million and Two snatches, give or take nearly a millionWanted to do something with a light weight today, and also to prepare for the June RKC, so I just decided to do a bunch of snatches with the 16kg and see what happened.<br /><br />Here's what happened, and it was harder than I'd expected:<br /><br />15:15 (15 seconds snatching, 15 resting) with 6 snatches per round for 35 rounds. Total of 210. Then my form and breathing got ugly. This was a really interesting practice--not a brutal workout, but hard. Almost more of a mental hard than physical. I'll definitely be coming back to this at least once a week until June's RKC.<br /><br />In other news, I just finished reading a horrific teen book called <span style="font-style: italic;">Living Dead Girl. </span>I can't remember who it's by and don't want to look it up. If any librarians happen to be reading this, this is the book to force on all those morbid teens who are always asking for <span style="font-style: italic;">A Child Called It </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Burn Journals.</span> HP Lovecraft was no laugh riot, but tentacles and gibbering fishmen are nowhere near as depressing as abuse.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-68924002860090751452009-03-28T08:10:00.005-06:002009-03-29T17:54:12.562-06:00H.P. Lovecraft dayI have decided that today is officially <a href="http://www.hplovecraft.com/">HP Lovecraft </a>day. If you don't know good old HP, he was a miserable wretch of an author who died too young and was very concerned about things like Gods living at the bottom of the ocean, people breeding with giant white monkeys, tentacles galore, and other terrible things. He is also possibly the greatest short story writer of all time.<br /><br />If you have never heard of him, now you have. If you don't know where to start, read the story "The Outsider" or "The Call of Cthulhu" (also a less-great Metallica instrumental).<br /><br />If nothing else, you will surely agree that he is a handsome devil, offspring of giant white apes or no.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-44141015002082747282009-03-27T16:38:00.001-06:002009-03-27T16:38:46.244-06:00Last couple of daysWednesday:<br /><br />1 arm beast swings<br />5/armx3 = 30 total<br /><br />Friday: Grip<br /><br />COC#1<br />R:6,4<br />L: 6,2<br /><br />Pinching 2 25s for reps<br />R: 6,6<br />L:2,2<br /><br />Lots of bar twirls with 4 foot thin bar (each hand)<br /><br />Some 8lb levers from front<br /><br />Towel roll ups= 10/arm<br /><br />Explosive hand opens/closes in 90 seconds<br />Right: 186 (20 fewer than last time)<br />Left: 195 (20 better than last time)Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-14735485363729212602009-03-24T17:49:00.001-06:002009-03-24T17:50:46.602-06:00A few SnatchesJust did 5/5 on the minute with the 24kg<br /><br />5 sets for 25/arm. Shoulder felt okay. I'm going to start working in at least one snatch workout a week for RKC prep.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-33018459741204397202009-03-24T06:46:00.002-06:002009-03-24T06:49:14.628-06:00Dinosaur TrainingJust finished reading Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik. Can't recommend it enough. You can get a copy off of the Dinosaur Training website for cheap. It's an easy read but a lot of fun, with a ton of great information about old-time training methods. Brooks is a brilliant guy who is also incredibly strong. His comments about the mullets and the gym bunnies made me laugh on every page. <br /><br />Check it out if you're looking to shake up your program or make it harder.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-49022238686822385412009-03-23T07:06:00.006-06:002009-03-23T13:01:52.652-06:00Tried a homemade thick bar, The Suicide CollectorsSaturday I bought some pipe insulation and snapped it over the bar this morning for deadlift. It increases the diameter of the bar by a little more than an inch. It made the exercise much harder and my focus completely shifted from lifting it with my legs to holding onto it with my hands. I also switched to a double-overhand grip.<br /><br />Sumo DL: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5x2<br /><br />Lots of arm bars and half get ups with 16 kg.<br /><br />In other news, I'm about halfway through The Suicide Collectors, a new book that is surprisingly good and pretty creepy. If you're looking for something to read, you could do worse.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-40066816051196799652009-03-20T19:53:00.004-06:002009-03-20T19:55:49.473-06:00TGUs and hands16kg TGUs= 5/side<br /><br />towel rolls: 10/hand<br />plate levers with all five fingers, wrist on table: 30/arm<br />Same lift but with extensors: 12/arm<br />lots of weaver stick holds for 10 seconds, forward and reverse<br />extensor opens with opposite hand resistance: 30/hand<br /><br />explosive hand opens/closes in 90 seconds<br />right: 206<br />Left: 175<br /><br />Ouch!<br /><br />Great nightJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-43837462567738283822009-03-19T20:04:00.002-06:002009-03-19T20:06:59.687-06:00225 Beast swings, holy crap that is hardNot sure what got into me, but tonight I did a ladder with the 48kg, two hand swings from 1-15 and back down again for a total of 225. Must have been more annoyed at work than I realized, but I think I got it all out of my system. Took enough rest to get every rep perfect. I feel good, but also feel like if I lie down to go to sleep I may never wake up. <br /><br />Then I did a ton of back bends and hamstring stretches to loosen up. If you're got a heavy bell and aren't swinging it, do it.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-46396698511552504512009-03-18T09:20:00.003-06:002009-03-18T09:23:13.893-06:00PInch daythumbless ez bar reverse curls: 45x3x8<br />plate curls: Left--20x5<br /> Right--20x5<br /> Left--25x4<br /> Right--25x6<br /><br />Two-hand wrist curls: 50x2x6<br /><br />two-hand pinch for time: 90x3x10 seconds<br /><br />sledge rotations<br /><br />high pull crimp grip with a board and bands: 2x10<br />for time: 20 secondsJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-80225837879997971322009-03-17T21:52:00.002-06:002009-03-17T21:53:56.738-06:00wrecked diet in NBA box seats, TGUsMy brother got box seats to a Jazz game tonight, so I pigged out on ice cream and tacos and Cokes in the suite. The game was a blowout, the TGUs didn't go that much better. I started with the 24kg and that was too much for my healing shoulder and 9:30 PM, so I switched to the 16kg.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-638338692436416212009-03-16T19:18:00.004-06:002009-03-17T12:39:33.320-06:00Swings, grip, American vs. foreign filmsArm Bars<br /><br />16kg swings, alternating left, right, two hand whenever needed:<br />150x1, 50x1 in 8 minutes. 200 total. Stopped when my back tightened up slightly.<br /><br />COC#1: 4 closes left, held last rep for 17 seconds.<br /> 8 closes right, held for 14 seconds<br /><br />Lots of sledge levers from every angle<br />I took two leaves out of our kitchen table and did some isometric pinches, holding them together.<br />3x10 seconds.<br /><br />This weekend, I watched a Swedish movie, Let The Right One In. It's not a lot of fun, but it was very affecting.<br /><br /> I've gotten pretty tired of Hollywood--even many of the best American films are still predictable because they're all made by the same machine. Too many remakes, too much lowest common denominator plots, too many special effects masquerading as plots.<br /><br />A mediocre foreign film can still surprise me by being better than some great American films, simply because they're made by a different engine that isn't tied to our expectations or dollars. Unnerving but beautiful--can't recommend highly enough if you're looking for something different that will stick with you for a while.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="file:///Users/joshhanagarne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /></div>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-89979923395935866882009-03-14T18:14:00.003-06:002009-03-14T18:17:41.677-06:00Egoscue book, Max's first stepsI've spent the last couple of months doing a joint mobility routine from Pete Egoscue's book <span style="font-style: italic;">The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion. </span>I've really enjoyed it and have noticed definite improvements in my duck-walk feet and brittle knees. I'd recommend it to anyone who's aching or looking to move a little better. <br /><br />I went through the routine again today, and that was it. I've been pretty achy and this weekend of nothing has felt great, so I'm going to rest tomorrow as well.<br /><br />In other news, Max took his first steps tonight. He barely even knows he did it, but our whole world just changed.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-9829103257576508562009-03-13T19:10:00.002-06:002009-03-13T19:11:56.459-06:00grip nightjoint mobility, shoulder work with bands<br /><br />lots of pinch block curls, sledge levers, and beast holds for time.<br /><br />I get distracted easily during March--I love the NCAA tournament. I did most of the workout tonight staring at the TV with my mouth open.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-56035617539270931572009-03-12T19:52:00.002-06:002009-03-12T19:53:46.597-06:00Just a few swingsDidn't sleep well last night. This evening I just did some two hand 24kg swings at an easy pace, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off for a total of 108.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-59185148092501872772009-03-10T14:10:00.001-06:002009-03-10T15:56:33.600-06:00First full deck of cards torn, some phone booksToday at lunch I tore a full deck of cards in half. They were cheap cards and it took about 20 seconds. Ugly as hell, but I did it. Time to start working on the much harder bicycle decks.<br /><br />Tore five 2 inch phone books. They won't stop showing up at work, so rather than stick them in the recycling bin, I tear them and then put them in the recycling bin.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-27756453765191233282009-03-09T20:50:00.001-06:002009-03-09T20:57:53.211-06:00New articleNew article is up over on straight to the bar. Check it out here:<br /><br />http://www.straighttothebar.com/2009/03/jungles_12_steppers_and_ufos_j.html<br /><br />thanks for reading!Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-70032483679672560822009-03-09T18:37:00.000-06:002009-03-09T18:38:31.279-06:00C&P ladders and beast swings24kg C&P ladders (left hand): 5x(1,2,3)<br />16kg C&P ladders (right, rehab shoulder): 3x(1,2,3)<br />No pain in weak shoulder.<br /><br />Two hand swings with The Beast in 5 minutes: 63<br /><br />stretching and contrast bath<br /><br />Great night.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-60504759896060663412009-03-06T19:13:00.000-07:002009-03-06T19:14:26.277-07:00COC#1Got 12 gripper closes per hand tonight.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-27905756468449862962009-03-06T12:36:00.002-07:002009-03-06T12:38:38.292-07:00Card practice at lunchI tried a new method of card tearing today and had better luck. Here's how it went:<br /><br />1x20 (cards) heels of palms facing each other<br />1x25<br />1x20 overhand<br />1x30 heels of palms facing each other<br />1x35 heels of palms facing each other (PR)Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-39844979648977712802009-03-06T10:35:00.002-07:002009-03-06T10:38:22.835-07:00UFOs!I was looking in the classified ads yesterday and noticed a blurb for a support group. If you've been waking up bowlegged and aren't sure why, there is help for you. <br /><br />The post-alien-abduction readjustment support group will get you back on your feet. This is for people who have been, or suspect they have been, kidnapped by aliens and then returned to planet Earth, but with something missing...something different.<br /><br />You are not alone and you now have a bunch of weird shoulders to cry on. Help is on the way!Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-40808105179408416402009-03-05T19:48:00.002-07:002009-03-05T19:51:30.044-07:00Presses and swings and very tired...My right shoulder felt great all day. Never started aching, never needed to be stretched, although I stretched it anyways. I tested two presses tonight with a 16kg and didn't have any pain, but laid off quick. I'm still not going to do even a light press workout with that arm until the 15th.<br /><br />here was tonight, made a little more difficult by a one year old who's increasingly interested in kbs. <br /><br />24kg C&P ladders Left arm: 5x(1,2,3,4)<br />24kg left-hand swings: 1x30,1x15, 1x11, 1x10 for a total of 81. <br />Took 15 seconds rest in between sets. <br /><br />i can't believe how much harder these are than two-hand swings. Was going to do some gripper work tonight, but after fumbling and failing to open the peanut butter jar with my left hand, I am done. It was a good night.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233892914037256854.post-16029939197718077402009-03-05T07:59:00.004-07:002009-03-05T08:02:51.754-07:00Icy shower, bandsI have to say I'm coming around on the contrast baths. It snowed last night so it took some psyching up to get into a freezing shower at 6 AM, but I'm glad I did. I start and end with cold, alternating in 30 second bursts. <br /><br />The first time is the worst. Going from hot back to cold is not bad if you can remember to breath. But that first time---ugh. <br /><br />I do have to say I feel way more alert and energized. Maybe it's all psychological. It if helps, I don't care. <br /><br />My shoulder is doing much better. I got up and did a PT routine with a band, moving up to a heavier resistance than before. I've still got a week left of no other activity with the right shoulder, though.<br /><br />Tonight will be more kettlebells.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15821023151471244033noreply@blogger.com1