Robert Mitchell Jr.

It is Mettlecraft Month at Cabal Fang!  This year’s goal of 100 Bodybuilders in under 20 minutes.  Play the home game and do it with us!  Post links to photoes, blogs and videos in the comments below.  We’re taking our shot as a club on Tues., 11/26.  That’s why every November T.I. contains Bodybuilders — to help you establish a base camp from which to make your assault on 100.

And now for this week’s T.I.!

Pick a name: the dreaded false dichotomy, the dualistic fallacy, black-and-white thinking, or the false choice.  By any name it is a dangerous adversary.  Examples?  Here you go.

I stand by my previous position on firm weapon grip.  I was right about that as far as it goes. Behind the scenes however, I got married to hammer grip.  Fencer’s grip, it seemed to me, was just too loose.

And then I tore the sub-sheath of my ECU wrist tendon, and learned from the immortal Mark Hatmaker that stabbing in hammer grip can tweak your wrist.  This is why swordsmen hold swords in the fencer’s grip — thumb along the spine of the weapon.  This only reveals itself fully when stabbing full force against a heavy bag, pell, or war post.  Light bulbs went off.

Fencer’s grip

Hammer grip

You don’t choose a grip the way you choose a spouse.  You tuck the thumb when swinging/slashing and switch to fencer’s grip when poking/stabbing.  It’s so painfully obvious that it’s embarrassing to admit that it took ten years to figure it out.

This will happen in life all the time.  Decisions will look like either/or choices when they are not.

Master your life in the same way that you master your weapons of choice.

Step back.  Question the questions. Switch, flex, move, breathe, adapt.

Do not be deceived.

Undeceived: Training Involution #184

• Warm-up thoroughly.  Jog, jump rope, lightly shadowbox, etc. for a total of at least 8 minutes.
• Blend in 25 Bodybuilders per day between now and next Tuesday’s challenge of 100. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking you must get all 25 in a row.  The idea is to establish a soreness-free baseline.  So, if you split them up two or even three ways — let’s say 10 in the morning, 10 around lunch, and 10 more at night, or maybe 12 early and 12 later — you will likely get even better results because you’ll be able to do more total reps.  Do as many as you like as often as you want, like maybe 4 every hour, as long as you’re not sore.  I repeat: the only rule is that you get a minimum of 25 without next day soreness.
• Blend in meditation and/or contemplation.  Instead of doing one long sit each day — you are doing your internal work every day, right? — spread it out.  Do 10 minutes twice a day, 8 minutes three times a day, 2 minutes every waking hour, or if you’re feeling particularly motivated, pray continually.

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books.  Why not check one out?

It is Mettlecraft Month at Cabal Fang.  What does that mean?  Well, during Mettlecraft Month we make it a point to ask just a little more of ourselves than normal — we test, and build, our mettle.  For more on the topic of Mettlecraft read this.

This month we’re all going to go after the cord and rule program goal of 100 Bodybuilders in under 20 minutes.  Those of us who have already succeeded are going to aim for new PRs.  We’ll make a pass at it on Tuesday night 11/26 (our last meeting of the month).

Work your way up 100 Bodybuilders using what I call MBF — “martial base fitness” (more details will be in my forthcoming book “Martial Grit”).  Build a base level with the Bodybuilders (or any other exercise) by doing let’s say 10 or 20% of the goal per day — however many you can do without being sore.  After a week or two at this level, without soreness, take a run at 50% of the goal to see how you’re doing.  If your run at 50% works out well, without much soreness, up your daily count to 25% of the goal.  If you do poorly, add a second session at 10% of the goal — that would be 20% early in your day and another 10% later on.  You still shouldn’t be sore.  The goal isn’t to crush yourself — it’s to establish a base.

Here’s a fun way to incorporate your 20% base into a nice martial training session.

Bodybuilders: Martial Arts Training Involution #182

• Bodybuilder HIIT.  After a full 8:00 warm-up, set a timer for  10 x 1:00 rounds (10 minutes total).  Square off against your heavy bag and get after it will malice for the full minute.  When the timer beeps, knock out as many Bodybuilders as you can for the minute (most folks get between 5 and 7).  When you gas out, take a 12-count break before you start your Bodybuilders. This should put your total Bodybuilder count somewhere around 20% – 30 % of this month’s 100-count goal.
• Reflection.  Set a timer for 10:00 and assume your meditative posture of choice.  Regulate your breathing.  Spend ten minutes reviewing your training — not verbally but emotionally and visually.  Look at your training in your mind’s eye.  Don’t think in words but in images.  Have you been forging your mettle?  Are you ready for the 100 Bodybuilder challenge?

If you enjoyed his training involution you’d probably enjoy my books.  Why not check one out?