Fitness

I’m a gymnast, spontaneous handstander and pushupper, phyzeek poaster hovering at 11% bodyfat and shooting for 6%. I can’t speak highly enough of the benefits of strength training and mobility: the coordination, confidence, presence it imbues, low resting heart rate, the ‘mirin looks. Check out the fitness instagram.

For those looking to look and feel good:

  • I’ve solved the problem of motivation by training for charismatic goals—feats of bodyweight strength like straddle planche, handstand, one-arm pull-ups, muscle-ups, as well as endurance events, mile-time, etc. I don’t have to drag myself to any gym or gymnastics facility because I’m training for something that’s cool as hell. You can harness that thrill for your benefit.
  • I train gymnastics once or twice a week. This is down from 12-16 hours a week pre-pandemic. I typically compete all six men’s events.
  • After experimenting with many training programs, I’m currently greasing the groove with a different exercise every day. That means I set a timer and every 30 minutes to an hour, I get up and do a set of exercises (for instance, five handstand push-ups). Because my rests are an ~hour long, the work is done with near perfect form and muscular recruitment. I calculate that I do as much work over an 8-hour day as I would in a 75-minute session at the gym when you factor in between-set rest periods.
  • I lift weight once or twice a week, schedule allowing. I tend towards whole body workouts—arms, legs, push and pull muscle splits, and end with a soak of my metabolic conditioning system (a few kilometer row, Tabata protocols, etc.)
  • Nutritionally: I skip breakfasts, fast for 24 hours once a week, eat a de facto low carb diet, high in meats and fruits. I don’t count calories or macros.

Essays

The Handstand - Thoughts on inversions.

Rings Strength Training - There’s strong. There’s really strong. And then there are rings specialists.

Why You Should Do Gymnastics - Yes, you.

Why I Fast - Written after a very long period of intermittent fasting and caloric restriction.