600

We recently hit 600 facebook friends, which is completely awesome. As you long-time supporters know, whenever we hit another 100 friends, we release a celebratory video. This time around, we wanted to do something a little different. The majority of our focus, both on the blog and in our videos, is on the movement and Parkour elements of training - indeed, that's the core of our curriculum. But, I fundamentally believe there is more to being a skillful athlete than just movement/gymnastic abilities. So, for this video, we wanted to showcase some combative stuff in a way that made it look challenging but fun - and not super "ultimate fighter-y" Enjoy:

Thanks so much for all of your support - it's amazing and you are amazing. You can help speed us on our way towards our next video by telling all of your friends about Fifth Ape, get them to join us on facebook, and, if you're in the Triangle area of North Carolina, bring them out for a class.

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Last time, I referenced some Big Things that were in the works. Well, we look like we're on track to deliver the first wave of Big Things next week. You should probably be excited. Or afraid. Or maybe both? Personally, I have a hard time distinguishing between fear and hunger, but that's just me. Anyways, the Big Things are coming...

What Day[9] and Starcraft can teach us about fitness

First thing’s first: I know things have been pretty quiet around here recently. I’ve intentionally gone radio-silent over the past month because I’m working on a few other things. Big things that I think you will all like a lot. Stay tuned...

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If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you are somehow involved with the Paleo/Ancestral Health/Functional Fitness community. There’s a decent chance you are in Boston right now for the Ancestral Health Symposium. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I guess that a lot of you folks don’t pay much attention to the eSports scene... or even know what that is.

In short, eSports is the professional competitive play of video games. I’m guessing that will strike some of you as a little silly or dumb; “playing video games isn’t a sport! Those competitors aren’t athletes!” Suspend your disbelief for a moment and consider these facts:

One of the most popular games in eSports is Starcraft. Starcraft is a real-time-strategy game (RTS) - you construct buildings that produce units and then you order those units to do things, like gather resources or fight enemy units. Every click of the mouse or tap on the keyboard is an “action” and RTS players often talk about APM, or “actions-per-minute.” Take someone who is not an RTS player but is comfortable with computers/video games and sit them down in front of Starcraft and their APM is somewhere between 10 - 20.

Pro Starcraft players have APMs in the 300s - 400s. That’s over 5 actions per second. And they can sustain it for 20 minute games. That’s monstrous. AND, not only are these players fast, they’re accurate too. They have to press the right keys, click on the right areas of the screen, etc. I could maybe get up to 300 APM for a moment, but only by mashing wildly at the keyboard. Watching a skilled Starcraft player in action is almost frightening - the amount of focus they bring to bear on the game boggles the mind.

How do you get that good? Practice. Then practice more. And then practice even more. The best pro gamers have rigorous training schedules - 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Practice is the only thing that will work - it’s true for Starcraft just as it’s true for everything else in life.

You need to love what you do to practice like that. You need to be 100% invested in the process. You need to get excited about it and then maintain your fire through the inevitable setbacks, discouragements, and difficult times. It doesn’t matter what we’re talking about; Starcraft, Parkour, the piano, your own health & wellness, etc, you need to find that love in order to succeed.

Once in a rare while, someone comes along who not only has that deep love, but can articulate it in a way that makes it accessible to other people. In the Starcraft world, this person is Sean Plott, a top level Starcraft player better know by the handle Day[9]. For the past few years, Day[9] has run a daily webcast where he analyses a Starcraft game, breaks down the strategies and delivers high level commentary in a way that is accessible to everyone. I strongly encourage all of you to watch a few episodes of his show. The games and strategies are interesting, but it’s the way Day[9} presents larger themes that I find so compelling. Woven into every show are simple but powerful ideas. Consistent practice. Relentlessly chasing down and eliminating weaknesses. Focus on fundamentals. And, most importantly, take pride in what you do. 

For his 100th show, Day[9] did an episode he called “My life of Starcraft.” It’s long - nearly 2 hours - but you should watch it. It’s ultimately less about Starcraft and more about working hard for success in doing something you love.

Day[9] loves what he does, loves that he loves it, and manages to get everyone who watches his shows interested and involved as well. He does this by showing vs telling. He helps you understand what’s happening and guides you through it in a way that makes you want to learn more. He doesn’t preach or push any agenda - he simply says, “This is interesting and here’s why...”

We in the fitness industry can learn a lot from this approach. We need to spend less time shouting about what to do, how to eat, etc. and spend more time helping people discover their own love of movement. We need to get people excited to discover what they are capable of. We need to spend less time pushing products and more time cultivating a community that is passionate about health, fitness, and physical skill. 

I try to convey to people how absolutely amazing the human body is and all the incredible things it can do. How cool is it that we can learn how to do spectacular things? How utterly wondrous is it that we can progress to do things we once thought literally impossible? How sublime is the feeling of pushing your body and your mind to the limit, to feel the blood course through your veins, your muscles tense and relax, your focus sharpen, your breath deepen? If I had a little bit more of Day[9]’s skill in connecting with people and conveying passion then maybe I could get everyone to a place where they couldn’t not exercise - where a life without movement would be be a bizarre notion indeed. We can do that, you know. We really can. We just need to practice our skills, walk our talk, push less, and guide more. We need to build communities. And, we need to keep working. I love this quotation:

“You want to know my secret? I just show up. Every damn day.”

Want to guess who said that? Day[9] did. We can all learn from him.

Stresscraft

Folks, I have some great news.

Frank Forencich, the Exuberant Animal himself, has written another book. It's called Stresscraft. I'll give you one guess as to what it's about.

Given our modern stressful lives, I will assume that you are short on time, so here's a "bottom line on top" summary:  Go to the website, buy it, and read it. I am hard pressed to think of a better use for $10.

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I've talked a lot about Exuberant Animal and Frank's other books in the past. Out of everyone in the primal health/fitness world, Frank stands apart as one of the few who understands and talks about Big Picture stuff. While a pathetically large percentage of the paleo community wastes time arguing with everyone (and themselves) about carbs, macro nutrient ratios, and whatever else they want to squawk about, Frank continues to tell a bigger and better story. If you haven't been to an Exuberant Animal event, heard Frank speak, and/or read his books, you are missing out on a fantastic voice within the community - one that has a lot of wisdom to share.

This book is a little different than some of Frank's previous ones in that it is tightly focused on discussing stress. Well, maybe tightly isn't the right word. As Frank points out early and often, stress is a far reaching force in all of our lives. The book is not so much about the physiological and psychological components of stress. If you're looking for that, as Frank mentions in the book, you should really read Robert Sapolsky's Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Stresscraft is more about how to actually manage stress in your day to day life.

It's important to say that this isn't a book about stress elimination. As Frank discusses, stress can be an extremely positive force... in the right amount. The trick, Frank says, is to hit the sweet spot between not enough stress and way too much. Dosage is everything.

The meat of the book, entitled "Arts and Crafts" dives into the nuts and bolts. The advice and techniques start small and specific. There's a lot about breathing, food, and movement. Then Frank steps back a bit and discusses learning, focus, attention, and flow. There's a fantastic chapter on Control that really spoke to me.  Then Frank blasts off into the stratosphere and does what he does best - talk about Big Picture. Emotions and Time are in there (including a great bit on Chronos vs. Kairos that really got me thinking) as is the importance of community, connection and compassion. Ubuntu is prominently featured (the font nerds among you have probably noticed my homage to Ubuntu on this website) Finally, there's some musings on creativity, story, beauty, and meaning that in the hands of a less talented writer and teacher would come across as simplistic puffery, but Frank really makes work.

I've read everything Frank has written and I think this is my favorite yet. Frank's writing is as engaging as ever and while there were some standard Exuberant Animal themes covered, there was also a lot of "new stuff" in this book. I strongly recommend you check it out.

And remember to breathe.