The Nemesis Journal, issue 2.3 is out! I have a couple of key Snatch Drills for you, as well as a bunch of coaching advice, and even some Aristotelian logic 😉 In this issue: Why Good Teachers K.I.S.S. The Iron-Arm Snatch Drill 7 Ways to Avoid Procrastination The 4 Habits of Highly Successful Coaches The… [Read More]
Deadlift Nemesis? Eric Marks Goes Guinea Pig
Will doing Deadlifts every day kill you? Find out! Eric Marks is writing a series about his experience doing a Deadlift version of Nemesis. He has 2 posts already HERE and HERE. If you are going to try this, please do read his advice. (And read all about Nemesis Programming HERE) I have done two… [Read More]
What Does “FAIL” Mean in Squat Nemesis? Eli: 220kg FAIL – Weightlifting Tip
Eli normally squats barefoot – being a hobbit, after all. But he recently started wearing his new Olympic lifting shoes while he squats. He hit 200kg and it looked easy, then 210kg, same… then took this 220kg – FAIL! Watch the video: I often say, “If you ain’t failin’, you ain’t trying’.” BUT… Notice how… [Read More]
No-Neck November Counter-Challenge: May The GainZ Be With You
Some of the members of our team are attempting a month-long challenge to see who can lose the most weight, drop a weight class, or otherwise change their body composition in favor of less fat, better Sinclair formulas, etc. You can certainly join them in this goal if you are so inclined. However, before you… [Read More]
Defending a Writers Right to Blog (Scribe Nemesis Challenge?)
John Danaher writes a defense of why he blogs, in spite of the fact that as an academic, it’s still somewhat of a taboo. I’ve been blogging for 10 years now, twice as long as he has, and I agree with every one of his reasons. Bottom Line: blogging is to a writer what training… [Read More]
Eliezer Yudkowski: Quote of the Day – Bayesian Probability & Chickens
Q: Why did the Bayesian cross the road? A: I’ll need more information to answer this question. — Eliezer Yudkowski Don’t know what Bayesian Probability is? Don’t worry, I’ll be explaining it in the appendix section of this months issue of the Rational Action Journal. Now go lift something heavy, Nick Horton
On Tap – Building Your B.S. Detector (Because Rational Action is Better than Stupid Inaction)
I wanted to let you know what is on tap (not just bourbon) in the VERY FIRST issue of our new monthly mag, Nemesis: the Journal of Rational Action, which is coming THIS FRIDAY, Oct 17th — my favorite prime number! Below is just some of what members will be learning. We have two Featured… [Read More]
Why You Can’t PR Every Day: Mountains, Muscles, Math
It’s time to stop acting like an alcoholic. You don’t get to have PR’s (Personal Records) all the time just because you WANT them. Your progress in the gym is not Linear.1 (It doesn’t go up in a straight line.) You won’t make a 5kg improvement on your snatch every week. You won’t make a… [Read More]
Dirty Vodka Smartini: Strength Recipe
My drink of choice when I’m out and about is a variant of a martini that I call a “smartini”. It’s nothing but a double-shot of vodka on the rocks, with olives, and some olive juice thrown in. I order it exactly like that, with my favorite reasonably priced vodka, Monopolowa (the ‘w’ is pronounced… [Read More]
Magic, Science, Fun: The Mystery Of Nemesis
“There is nothing new under the sun.” — God The Nemesis style of physical training can freak a lot of people out when they see it for the first time. Nemesis seems to break all of the rules your personal trainer told you, that your health teacher told you, and that the internet “Guru’s” keep… [Read More]
Western vs Eastern Training Philosophy :: Nemesis Q&A
I got this question in our 21 Day Squat Challenge Class: I don’t feel crappy enough. What can I do to push it? 1 Don’t laugh! 🙂 It’s a serious question in our world. It cuts to the core of an important mark of distinction between what most new people to serious training believe to… [Read More]
ep4 – Too Big To FAIL? Not
“A man can fail many times but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else” – John Burroughs Failure has to happen. It is the only way to be sure that you worked hard enough. The 21 Day Squat Challenge requires that you fail constantly. That’s a beautiful thing! The trouble is… [Read More]
ep3 – The Monty Hall Problem, OR, How You Feel Is A Lie
In this episode of Samurai Strength, I continue with answering a collection of questions about the 21 Day Squat Challenge. Today’s focus is the common phrase: “How you feel is a lie” — Milo the Greek I’ll explain why that is only true for beginners and how you can overcome it so that how YOU… [Read More]
Shogun’s Log: She’s Got Bruce Lee Eyes
Deadlift Nemesis – Day 8 Did two workouts today, one in the morning that was mostly volume, not too heavy. And another in the evening where I went WAY heavier than expected! AM WORKOUT SUMO DEADLIFT 10 x 125 pounds (ladies bar 🙂 = 1,250 pounds of load 10 x 125 = 1,250 7 x… [Read More]
Shogun’s Log – My Toe Is NOT Broken!
Deadlift Nemesis – Day 2 Despite the horror of dropping 265 pounds upon my poor unsuspecting toes last night – they seem completely fine today, save for some minor bruising. Disaster averted! I lifted at the gym tonight with the crew. Eli had a crazy good day with a PR snatch AND a massive PR… [Read More]
Shogun’s Log – How To Drop Heavy Iron On Your Toes
Double Deadlift Nemesis – Day 1 Seriously, I just dropped 265 pounds on my bare toes… ouch! Today is day one of my 6-week Deadlift Nemesis program in preparation for a deadlift meet we’re running at Asheville Strength. I actually plan to double that length and go for a full 90 days, but the meet… [Read More]
Q&A – Overtraining Doesn’t Exist
How Is Daily Heavy Work (As Detailed In Your Nemesis WODs) Doable Without Overtraining? “I have a question Nick: I have read that 3×10 at 60-70% is good for Sarcoplastic Hypertrophy, whereas heavy weight, low reps (per set) and lots of volume is good for strength/Oly lifting, as the CNS is trained, is this the… [Read More]
How Is YOUR Groin Doing?
I’m sitting outside drinking iced tea under an umbrella … with a back of ice on my groin. It’s not as hot out here as it was in Miami, but it’s still pretty humid. So, this bag of ice is helping to cool me down. That isn’t why I’m using it, however. Recently, I (re) injured… [Read More]
Shogun’s Log: August 8th, 2013
Shogun’s Log: August 8th, 2013 Had a fun time lifting with Lon tonight at the gym while the rest of crew kicked ass and looked pretty. My right hip was acting up (man, that makes me sound like an old man…), so I didn’t go as heavy as I otherwise would have on the Sumo…. [Read More]
Shogun’s Log: August 7th, 2013
Shogun’s Log: August 7th, 2013 We had some fun tonight doing a Ustream Live Chat while lifting in our Garage gym (The Kaidokan), drinking whiskey and coffee, and generally just goofing around. I decided against working up in Sumo this time, as I find it hard to load the bar enough while we’re both lifting… [Read More]