J.T. Kalnay's Blog, page 5

Dear CrossFit, Back In The Box

After a brutal six weeks of travel, work, hobby, and committments, during which time I was able to walk, do some burpees, and do some self-directed CrossFit, I finally got back int he box today.  My observations?

When you’re outside the box, you think you’re working hard.  You’re not.

When you’re outside the box, you think you’re lifting heavy.  You’re not.

When you’re on your own, you think you’re going all out.  You’re not.

When someone tells you about a PR you think that’s the same as witnessing that PR. It’s not. Peach crushed it today, and I got to see it, not hear about it. I saw the sweat, felt the strain, smelled the grit from the dust blowing in through the rusted metal door, punched the air in joy as she crushed that front squat..

When you’re only helping yourself, you’re not.

Get back in the box.  Stay there.  And don’t come out until I say so.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, Today I Did 7 Sh*t-tons of Work

No “exercise” today, but for those familiar with CrossFit units of measure, I did a little over 5 “sh*t-tons” of work today.  This is measured by the amount of weight (approximately 10,500) pounds moved from below grade (up to 11′ below grade) up to and onto a truck.  I also did another 2 sh*t-tons of work as measured by swinging an 8# sledge approximately 500 times to bust through a cinder block foundation once it had been revealed by moving the aforementioned 5 sh*t-tons of sh*t.  Yes a backhoe would have been the right tool, but for the fact we were working under a building and could barely get ourselves down there.

I also did 5 C&J of an 8″x8″x12′ beam that we jacked up under the floor to support the floor weight while we removed the offending cinder block wall.  I’m not sure how much it weighed, but it was certainly my PR for C&J of lumber.

I wonder what tomorrow’s “WOD” will be….

Going Public… In Shorts!

June Is Audiobook Month (JIAM 2013)

As part of JIAM 2013, Spoken Freely presents Going Public … In Shorts.

  

I had the great pleasure of working with Scott O’Neil and Dawn Harvey on the audio version of The Topsail Accord.  Scott is an important part of the audiobook community.  Now, as part of his ongoing philanthropy, he is giving back by teaming with the Going Public Project to offer a serialized audio story collection.  All proceeds of sales during the Going Public Project will go to the literacy advocacy organization Reach Out and Read.  Throughout June, one or two stories will be released each day on the Going Public blog and on author/book blogs.  The stories will be free (online only – no downloads) for one week.  In collaboration with Blackstone Audio, all the stories will be available for download via Downpour. Please consider listening to Scott’s contribution, and please consider either making a purchase that will benefit Reach Out and Read or just making a contribution.

Here is a link to Scott’s Reading of The Nice People, by Henry Cuyler Bunner.

http://wp.me/p2vJbd-gd

 

Here are links to other blogs that are participating in this fund-raising effort.

http://lakesidemusing.blogspot.com/

 

http://bermudaonion.net/

http://www.audiogals.net/

 

Here is a link to another story that is also being released on June 14th.

http://www.michaelstephendaigle.com/

 

About Scott O’Neill

Scott O’Neill has narrated 24 audio books in genres as wildly diverse as comic satire, young adult, romance & mystery/thriller to non-fiction titles including Creating the Perfect Design Brief: How to Manage Design for StrategicAdvantage and Since My Last Confession: A Gay Catholic Memoir. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Scott is a seasoned veteran of many regional stage productions including Seattle’s long running production of Tony ‘N Tina’s Wedding, and the one man show: Apre`s Moi, le De`luge at ACT theatre.  Soon to be released on Audible is the atypical romance: The Topsail Accord, by J.T Kalnay, co-narrated with Dawn Harvey.  As part of this effort, one dollar from each sale of The Topsail Accord audiobook during June will be donated to Reach Out And Read.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Topsail-Accord/dp/B00CQW71ES/ref=tmm_aud_title_popover

http://mobile.audible.com/productDetail.htm?asin=B00CPASEAG&s=s

https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/topsail-accord-unabridged/id647874862

Dear CrossFit, Are Wall Ball Shots Harder For Shorter People? Part Two

In the first installment of this thread, we laid out some of the groundwork for analyzing this problem.

http://jtkalnaynovels.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/are-wall-ball-shots-easier-for-tall-people-or-short-people/

The first concept was that we had to find the bottom position of the wall ball shot so that we could determine how far the ball had to travel. It turns out that most adults between 5′ and 6’6″ will end up with the center of the ball approximately 24″ off the ground at the bottom of a legit wall ball shot. They will end up in substantially the same bottom position. This occurs because the tib/fib to femur ratio is fairly constant, so the fact that a tall person’s tib/fib is longer is offset by the fact that their femur is also longer. The femur generally accounts for 29% of your standing height, and the tib/fib tend to be 80% of the femur. The angle through which the shorter and taller person have to unfold their tib/fib and femur is the same, but the length of those levers is going to be important in understanding for whom wall ball shots are “easiest” (like they could be easy for anyone…)

The second installment now dives into the second measurement point. Your release point. It doesn’t matter how high you can reach, what matters is where you release the ball. So, put a tape measure against the wall and video yourself doing some wall ball shots so that you can figure out where your release point is. Once you have your release point, we can dive into the first tricky part of the analysis.

Imagine a hypothetical athlete whose release point is at 10′. This would be a tall person (or an average person with freakish “anti-t-rex” arms). Anyway, a person who can simply reach up and touch the 10′ target without throwing the ball would not have to throw the ball. All the rest of us have to throw the ball. How far you have to throw the ball figures mightily into how “hard” a wall ball shot is. So, once you’ve figured out the bottom position, which determines how far the ball has to travel, figure out your release point, so that we can figure out how far you will be “carrying” the ball on the way up and how far you have to actually “throw” the ball.

As you might expect, the farther you have to throw the ball means the faster you have to have the ball moving at your release point. So, the lower your release point means the faster you have to get the ball moving. Once again, many people stop their analysis right here and figure “I have to throw it farther so it’s harder.” Yes, you have to have the ball moving faster at your release point if you have a lower release point. But….

Ah yes, the but, and this is going to be very hard to understand and accept for many people. If you have to move the ball eight feet, of which you have to throw the ball three feet, that means you had to carry the ball five feet. If you have to move the ball eight feet, of which you have to throw the ball only two feet, that means you had to carry the ball six feet. The carrying occurred while you were unfolding the tib/fib to femur angle. The analysis is going to zero in on whether a five foot carry and three foot toss is “easier” or “harder” than a six foot carry and two foot toss. Yes there’s going to be some crazy hard math about “rate of force generation” and what it takes to unfold those levers.

And then it’s going to get even more complicated when we look at the downward movement (e.g., catch a ball after it has fallen two feet and carry it down six versus catch a ball after it has fallen three feet and carry it down five). This is going to touch on “what goes up must come down”.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, How Much Do You Weigh?

Okay, I don’t really want to know what the scale says.  What I do want to discuss is the difference that one pound can make.  I got to thinking about this while watching Regionals.  I didn’t see many people who looked like me (e.g., BMI 33+, BF% north of 20).  So that in turn got me to thinking about how much difference one pound of fat makes…

I measured how many steps it takes to walk a mile, and it’s roughly 2000.  2k steps times 1 extra pound per step, is a lot of extra work.  But computing how much extra work for walking is tough.  Computing how much extra work it is for a pullup, or an air squat, or a HSPU, or a thruster, or any other straight up and down action is much easier. 

Consider a 100# athlete and a 101# athlete that have otherwise identical measurements (same lever lengths, same height, same everything).  If each athlete does 1 pullup, the 101# athlete has to do more work than the 100# athlete.  Simple.  But how much extra work?  (It’s easy if you can think in terms of foot-pounds.  A foot pound is the amount of energy it takes to lift one pound one foot vertically).

Let’s assume our hypothetical athletes each move their center of gravity 2 feet on a pullup.  It turns out that these hypothetical athletes also move their center of gravity 2 feet for an air squat, a thruster, or a pistol.  These hypothetical athletes also move their center of gravity approximately 3 feet for a burpee.  So, the 101# athlete moves 1 extra pound 2 feet on every pullup, air squat, thruster, or pistol.  The 101# athlete moves 1 extra pound 3 feet on every burpee.  For 21-15-9 of pullups and burpees, that’s 45 times 2 feet times 1 pound (90 foot pounds) plus 45 times 3 feet times 1 pound (135 foot pounds).  It’s starting to add up.  The 101# athlete moved 1 pound 90 feet for the pullups and moved 1 pound 135 feet for the burpees.  That means the 101# athlete moved 1 pound 225 feet (225 foot pounds).  Doesn’t sound like much?  Pick up a one pound weight and throw it 225′.  I’ll bet you can’t do it.  I’ll bet you destroy your shoulder if you even try. 

It can be hard to visualize moving one pound 225 feet.  So let’s do a conversion to something that’s easier to imagine.  Moving 225 pounds 1 foot.  The 101# pound athlete has to do the same 21-15-9 as the 100# athlete, but then has to do a 225# deadlift. A 102# athlete would have to do 2×225# deadlift.  A 110# athlete would have to do 10×225# deadlift.  If these athletes are competing against each other, who is going to win?  Would you agree to a race where you have to do deadlifts after the pullups and burpees?  Would you?  All of who are burpees and pullups while carrying extra fat are doing just that every day!

I know many of you are at your optimal body weight.  I’m not.  There’s a lighter athlete in there who doesn’t want to do those 225# deadlifts anymore (btw, for me, it would be 60×225# deadlifts right now, which is an awful lot to add to a 21-15-9 of pullups and burpees).

That 1# makes an amazing difference, and it’s so easy to drop one pound of uneeded fat.  Let’s do it.  Let’s do it together.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Dear CrossFit, Playing Kickball With The Kids

Yesterday’s WOD was:

Alternate between: (EMOM: kick a ball, run around the bases, laugh while dodging 16,13,11,9, and 7 year old who think it is fun to try to tackle you or otherwise prevent you from running around the bases) and (EMOM: run after a ball that one of your nieces or nephews has kicked, try to stop the kid from running around the bases).  Occasionally, during the EMOM portions, power clean or deadlift or clean and jerk a kid weighing anywhere from 45 pounds to 150 pounds. Repeat for one hour.

This is a super fun WOD that really works your heart and lungs and heart.  It works your heart in a first way as you gasp for air running around the bases.  It works your heart in a second way as you laugh your *ss off at the crazy things done by a bunch of kids having fun on an early summer’s evening on the big back lawn as the sun slowly sets over the beans that have just poked up.  Try it.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…

Is The UK Media The Only One Watching The US Government?

For the second time this week, important US news comes from the UK. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data

I’m not surprised that the NSA has access to every single electronic communication.  I am surprised that none of the US “news” agencies are outing this information.  Have their news-gathering abilities been compromised or chilled by the investigations of reporters?  Or are they just lazy?

China To Build Panama Canal in Nicaragua

I’ve always thought the United States should build an alternative to the Panama Canal.  It could start in the Gulf of Mexico and go right along the border with Mexico, thus it could serve two purposes.  China has decided to build their own bigger/better version of the Panama Canal in Nicaragua.  What does this mean for global trade and for the balance of world power?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/nicaragua-china-panama-canal

New York Times Writes “The Adminstration Has Now Lost All Credibility.”

Did the New York Times go too far on June 6, 2013 when they wrote “The administration has now lost all credibility.”  Or are they months or years too slow?  Ultimately the gist of the article is that the Patriot Act needs to be repealed because the “executive will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it.”  It’s not just the current executive that is doing this now.  W abused the same act in the exact same way.  Thus, if two presidents in a row cannot resist the temptation of unlimted domestic spying provided by the Patriot Act, perhaps it is time for its repeal.  The NYT may have it right that this type of power can only produce abuse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/opinion/president-obamas-dragnet.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Are Wall Ball Shots Easier For Tall People Or Short People?

Few exercises are likely to generate as much moaning concerning the athlete’s height as wall ball shots.  Conventional wisdom, especially amongst shorter athletes, is that wall ball shots are easier for tall people.  As you know, conventional wisdom is frequently (in fact nearly always) wrong.  Similarly, taller people assume that snatches are harder for them because they have to put the weight higher up in the sky. Once again, their conventional wisdom may not be correct.  This is physics and math, and you can’t trick physics or math.  So let’s get ready to do some “myth busting” type analysis of wall ball shots and height.

Are wall ball shots actually easier for taller people?  The reasoning of shorter people is that taller people can reach higher and therefore they don’t have to throw the ball as far.  One short person was overheard saying “If I was seven feet tall I could just touch the ball to the target and I wouldn’t have to do any work.”  Hmmm….  Yes the hypothetical person with a ten foot reach wouldn’t have to throw the ball, but would that person have to do any work?  Let’s recall what “work” is…  Work is force times distance.  Distance is something we can measure, so let’s start there.

This is going to be a complicated analysis, so let’s start by measuring one thing, one very important thing, and it’s not how high you can reach.  Let’s measure where the ball is at the bottom of the movement.  We know that the ball has to hit a certain target.  For men it’s usually a 20# ball hitting a 10′ target.  For women it’s usually a 14# ball hitting a 9′ target.  It doesn’t matter if you’re 5′ tall or 6′ tall, you have to hit the same target.  So we know the ball has to reach the same high point.  To start this analysis we need to measure where the ball starts its upward trajectory so that we can measure how far the ball has to travel.

So, whether you are short or tall, let’s get the ball rolling on this analysis by measuring where the ball starts.  Once you know where it starts we can compute one of the most important parts of this analysis: how far the ball has to travel. 

I’ll start.  I am exactly 6′ tall.  When I am in the bottom of my squat with a Dynamax 20# wall ball, the midle of the wall ball is located exactly 24″ (2′) from the floor.  That means the middle of the ball has to travel 8′ to hit the 10′ target.  Why am I measuring the middle of the ball instead of the top of the ball?  Because the target is on the wall and therefore you can never get the top of the ball to hit the target.  You can only ever get the midline of a round ball to touch the target.  Before we go any further, go grab a wall ball and measure where its middle is when you are in the bottom of your movement.

Once you know where your bottom is, we can compute how much work you have to do.  Recall that W = F * D, and that F = M * A.  A (acceleration due to gravity) will be substantially the same for all of us.  M (at least of the ball) will be exactly the same for all of us.  M will likely be very different between us, especially between taller people and shorter people (whoops, a little foreshadowing there…)  Anyway, the F to move the ball is exactly the same for all of us.  It doesn’t matter how tall, short, heavy, light, co-ordinated, balanced we are, it takes the exact same amount of force to move a 20# ball 8′ for everyone.  However, we will all be moving the ball a different distance.  If the bottom of your movement puts the middle of the ball lower than my movement, then you are going to have to do more work (W = force times distance) than I am.  If the bottom of your movement puts the middle of the ball higher than my movement, then you are going to have to do less work (W = force times distance) than I am.  So, go measure where your bottom is, and let me know when you’ve got it.  Then and only then will we take the next step in this complicated analysis.

WARNING

Measuring and Exercising Are Inherently Dangerous Activities Where You May Be Seriously Injured Or Die.  You should not depend on any information in this post for your personal safety.  Your personal safety depends solely on your own good judgment, your own good choices, the quality and care of your equipment, and your abilities.  There are no warranties, express or implied, that this approach is beneficial, or safe, or that the information in it is reliable.  Your use of this post indicates your assumption of the risks inherent in exercising hard and is an acknowledgement of your sole responsibility for your own safety.  The user of this approach assumes all risks and responsibilities associated with the practice described herein and absolves the publisher and author of blame for any accident, injury, or harm that may occur through use of this information.  Those unfamiliar with the techniques and equipment required to perform any of the exercises described herein are advised to not perform these activities or to seek professional instruction.  If you do these workouts in this way you are likely to throw up, may be injured, and may die.  You expressly assume all the risks associated with using this information.