Coming soon: The Calisthenics Codex

Posted on April 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

Calis Codex cover final for webGet ready — pre-orders will be opening soon.  More to come!

More about the eBook:

Centuries old and still going strong, calisthenics remain the most effective and efficient way to get in shape and stay that way. Whether you are a beginner just starting out, a dedicated weekday or weekend warrior craving variety, or a hardcore athlete looking for a fresh perspective or a new challenge, “The Calisthenics Codex” has something for you.

People who know the truth about functional fitness — from elite military forces to boxers, MMA fighters, models and actors — rely on calisthenics to realize their goals. Are you sick of not being in the kind of shape you want to be in? All you need to remedy the situation is a copy of “The Calisthenics Codex”, fifty square feet of available floor space in your basement, garage, den, or backyard, and a little bit of attitude and determination. What are you waiting for?

Over 2,000,000 possible workouts! “The Calisthenics Codex” features 50 calisthenics, each fully explained, illustrated with photos, and arranged into lists that target your interests and fitness level. Choose one of 12 different workout types and then select exercises from 26 groupings like “Gym Class Flashback”, “Steampunk Nightmare”, and “Self Destruct Sequence” to create workouts that suit your goals, interests, and fitness level. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Beginners get started right, with easy calisthenics such as Front Planks, Dirty Dogs and Lunges, and learn how to warm up, cool down, and stretch. Advanced players are presented with brutal exercises like Barrel Roll Push-ups, Hindu Squats, and Bodybuilders, and face tough challenges like “Gut Check” and “Death March.”

And as an added bonus, you’ll find out how to complete any workout and get your name in the Calisthenics Codex Hall of Fame!

No equipment. No gym memberships. No excuses.

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts, Writing

Tagged , ,

SANDBAG COMBO #CABALFANG #WOD

Posted on April 24, 2015 | Leave a comment

image

Sandbag Combo workout: Put your sandbag (15% of your bodyweight, min.) in a backpack and hike/bike to a nearby park or recreational area. 3 sets to failure of Push-ups (on fists, gripping bag), Sit-ups (hugging bag), Squat-Presses, Crunches legs up (hugging bag), and Half Squats (bag on shoulder). Get home as fast as you can.

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts

Tagged ,

WEAPON C&M #CABALFANG #WOD

Posted on April 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

image

WEAPON COMMAND AND MASTERY DRILL: Choose your practice weapon (I used a wooden knife). Complete a full pyramid to 10 of Walking Push-ups (on knuckles w/ weapon hand), Jackknifes  (2 hits/cuts/strikes at top of each), and Side Lunges (2 hits/cuts/strikes at bottom of each). If applicable, switch grip for 2nd half of pyramid. Count errors (number of times you drop the weapon and/or the live end of practice weapon touches your body or the floor). When pyramid is complete, do 25 Squats (2 hits/cuts/strikes at bottom of each) for every error.

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts

Tagged ,

HIKE, SHADOWBOX #CABALFANG #WOD

Posted on April 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

image

HIKE (30 mins w/ pack = 30% bodyweight minimum); SHADOWBOX (3 x 3:00/1:00 with plenty of pops and pivots. Pick one kick and do as many as you can during the 1:00 “breaks”)

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts

Tagged ,

Ninth Annual! October Tenth! We are movinggggggggg!

Posted on April 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

Mark your calendars people! If you’ve never been to a zinefest before, make this your first. It’s kind of like browsing at Barnes & Noble, except that the authors, artists, editors, and publishers are sitting right there, ready to have a chat and share a coffee. How cool is that?

Richmond Zine Fest's avatarRichmond Zine Fest

2015 flyer announcement

As much we’ve enjoyed zine-festing under the shiny disco ball and will miss being in that rainbow building visible from the interstate, sometimes you gotta make changes just to see what other places have to offer!

Richmond Public Library, located at 101 East Franklin Street, has been an ardent supporter of community projects such as the People’s Library and Girls Rock! RVA. When an opportunity to investigate how Richmond Zine Fest could work within that space, we decided to invade!

We’re still in the planning stages, and if you’re interested in being involved in the making of the 9th Annual Richmond Zine Fest, please contact us at zine.fest@richmondzinefest.org! We need artists, writers, planners, and go-getters!

Keep checking in for more updates on events, including an exciting series of zine programs available at several Richmond Public Library branches during late June and throughout July aka International Zine Month. Perhaps this year…

View original post 30 more words

Leave a comment

Posted in Writing

“What is Mysticism? Is it not the attem

Posted on April 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

“What is Mysticism? Is it not the attempt to draw near to God, not by rites or ceremonies, but by inward disposition?” #Nightingale #quotes

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Riffing on a Fortune Cookie

Posted on April 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

wpid-20150419_055349.jpgI like fortune cookies.  To be clear, it’s not the cookies I like so much but the fortunes inside.  They’re fun.  I love that moment of anticipation as you prepare to pop it open and wonder what it’s going to say.  And afterward you can do that thing where you add “…in bed” or “…in jail” to the end of the message and make it funny.

(Pro Tip: When you order Chinese delivery they always give you way more cookies than you need.  Save them up so that next time you have people over for dinner you can give everybody a cookie at the end of the meal.)

Like all life’s experiences, opening a fortune cookie is what you make it.   I once got a message that said I was a true friend.  That message helped me realize that I wasn’t being such a good friend to someone.  If you want to learn things — here’s a shocker — you have to listen.  A fortune cookie can be the first sentence of a conversation with yourself.  Open one.  Read it.  Ask yourself if the message is appropriate, true, or possible.

On Saturday I got the message you see above: “Keep on charging the enemy so long as there is life.”  And yes, I added “…in bed” to the end.  Not so funny.  But when I thought about it, it came to me that the enemy is me.

Lately I’ve been following my writing and workout routines in a mechanical way.  I haven’t been taking joy in simple things.  In this context, “charging the enemy” means that I need to continuously challenge myself to be relaxed, open, and receptive.  I need to switch off my autopilot and engage the controls.

Without a sense of wonder, life is as dry and lifeless as a somewhat stale, vaguely sweet, mass-produced cookie in a plastic bag.  But when your sense of wonder is fully in gear, inside every experience there is a mystery, a joy, and a pleasure.

Leave a comment

Posted in Mysticism

Tagged ,

ANIMAL PT, DBs, WEAPONS #CABALFANG #WOD

Posted on April 20, 2015 | Leave a comment

image

Put a shop rag in your pocket and get to work.

ANIMAL PT (Set timer 10 mins. Gorilla walk to end of room/mat and back, Crab walk to the end and back, Seal walk and back, repeat until timer beeps). UNEVEN DUMBBELLS (4 x 13 of Military Presses and Squats. Add #5 to left side on odd sets, to right on even sets). WEAPON SHADOWFIGHTING (10 mins of all-in shadowboxing — kicks, punches, weapon attacks, etc. — with as much fluidity as possible and as few breaks as possible)

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts

Tagged ,

CHAINS, KICKS, BIKE #CABALFANG #WOD

Posted on April 17, 2015 | Leave a comment

image

CHAINS (6×10 w/#20 chain of Uneven Push-ups, Squats, Curl’n’Press, Sit-ups);KICKS (Choose 1 kick and do AMAYC in 10 mins); BIKE (15 mins AFAYC)

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts

Tagged ,

WEAPON MEDITATION #CABALFANG #WOD

Posted on April 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

wpid-20150416_080820.jpg

To use a weapon effectively you must allow yourself to fully bond with it.  This process is like the formation of a very dear friendship.  Associates influence you as much as you influence them, therefore you you must get to know them well before allowing yourself to become close.

WEAPON MEDITATION:  Select one of your primary martial arts weapons to meditate upon.*  Set and start a countdown timer for 10 minutes.  With weapon either in hand or on your lap, assume your customary meditation posture.  Take three deep breaths and relax.   Regulate your breathing into a steady and regular rhythm.  Meditate on the symbolism, power, purpose and potential of the weapon.  Consider it from all angles — the responsibilities involved in owning it, how it appears to others, how it works, its action, lethality, beauty, and so forth.  Ask yourself: “Is this a true friend with which I am prepared to become one?”

*I chose to meditate on my everyday carry knife (shown above).  Before I sat down I completed the LBRP to clear my head and set the stage for effective meditation.

Leave a comment

Posted in Martial arts

Tagged , ,