Results matching “log”

This won't come as a surprise to anyone who's ever held their breath during a heavy squat, but a study published in September's Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that performing the Valsalva maneuver increases intraocular pressure (the pressure within the eyeballs).

The downside of this long-term is that there is a slightly increased risk of getting normal-tension glaucoma, which is a little more common in people who've experienced frequent pressure changes in their eyes. I suspect bungee-jumping instructors are at the top of the 'most likely' list.

This won't come as a surprise to anyone who's ever held their breath during a heavy squat, but a study published in September's Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that performing the Valsalva maneuver increases intraocular pressure (the pressure within the eyeballs).

The downside of this long-term is that there is a slightly increased risk of getting normal-tension glaucoma, which is a little more common in people who've experienced frequent pressure changes in their eyes. I suspect bungee-jumping instructors are at the top of the 'most likely' list.

Or 'The spear, the shield and the crazy monkey'.

Urban Combatives' Lee Morrison looks at several styles of 'default position' often used in various forms of combat. Morrison defines this as :

where we have found ourselves in a confrontational sense, reacting to something that someone is either doing or in the midst of doing to us.

Narcotics Enforcement Agent 'Southnarc' defines the primary role of the default position :

No default position will prevent you from getting hit, its objective is damage limitation during the transition from lost initiative to regaining the upper hand. What the default should do first is prevent you from getting knocked down or knocked over.

There are many more types of 'modified flinch' than you might expect. Very interesting. Thanks to Physical Strategies' Tom Furman.

Or 'The spear, the shield and the crazy monkey'.

Urban Combatives' Lee Morrison looks at several styles of 'default position' often used in various forms of combat. Morrison defines this as :

where we have found ourselves in a confrontational sense, reacting to something that someone is either doing or in the midst of doing to us.

Narcotics Enforcement Agent 'Southnarc' defines the primary role of the default position :

No default position will prevent you from getting hit, its objective is damage limitation during the transition from lost initiative to regaining the upper hand. What the default should do first is prevent you from getting knocked down or knocked over.

There are many more types of 'modified flinch' than you might expect. Very interesting. Thanks to Physical Strategies' Tom Furman.

I've been interested in sleep for some time now, and the other day's articles on biphasic sleep - particularly the Glen Rhodes model - have convinced me to give it a go. A 30 day trial seems a reasonable length (read Steve Pavlina's article 30 days to success if you need further persuading) and the first of those days (or nights) is today.


The plan is a simple one : a 90-minute nap in the evening followed by a 3-hour sleep a few hours later. This worked out especially well tonight as the Italian Grand Prix (I'll watch anything involving fast cars) starts at 23:10 Sydney time, which gave me a chance to squeeze in a nap beforehand.

Initial thoughts (I'm writing this shortly after the first nap, with a luxurious 3 hours of sleep to look forward to) :

I expect there'll be a few days - at least - of adaptation, and the nap demonstrated that beautifully. Trying to sleep when you're not tired is rather like trying to relax; it isn't something you can force. Although lying comfortably in a darkened room, with the soothing sound of light rain to accompany me (and after more than 6 years in drought here, it's soothing indeed), I was permanently aware of 'trying to sleep'. I managed to survive 45 minutes of light sleep before returning to the world.

Fortunately I'd managed to elude the slightly groggy state that often accompanies waking from a deep slumber. I suspect I'd feel about the same after sitting in a dark room listening to relaxing music for 45 minutes.

I've been interested in sleep for some time now, and the other day's articles on biphasic sleep - particularly the Glen Rhodes model - have convinced me to give it a go. A 30 day trial seems a reasonable length (read Steve Pavlina's article 30 days to success if you need further persuading) and the first of those days (or nights) is today.

The plan is a simple one : a 90-minute nap in the evening followed by a 3-hour sleep a few hours later. This worked out especially well tonight as the Italian Grand Prix (I'll watch anything involving fast cars) starts at 23:10 Sydney time, which gave me a chance to squeeze in a nap beforehand.

Initial thoughts (I'm writing this shortly after the first nap, with a luxurious 3 hours of sleep to look forward to) :

I expect there'll be a few days - at least - of adaptation, and the nap demonstrated that beautifully. Trying to sleep when you're not tired is rather like trying to relax; it isn't something you can force. Although lying comfortably in a darkened room, with the soothing sound of light rain to accompany me (and after more than 6 years in drought here, it's soothing indeed), I was permanently aware of 'trying to sleep'. I managed to survive 45 minutes of light sleep before returning to the world.

Fortunately I'd managed to elude the slightly groggy state that often accompanies waking from a deep slumber. I suspect I'd feel about the same after sitting in a dark room listening to relaxing music for 45 minutes.

The real test will begin once I wake up tomorrow after 3 hours' sleep. I've certainly done that many times in the past, but never for more than a week or two. Additionally, one day per week (usually Sunday) has traditionally been devoted to 'catching up'; sleeping as long as my body deems necessary. No more of that I'm afraid.

One of the aspects of this experiment that I'm particularly curious about is the effect of late-night eating. The nap will most likely take place sometime around 20:30 - 22:00, with the longer sleep at something like 02:30 - 05:30. That leaves plenty of time for a meal in between (possibly topped up with a protein shake shortly after rising at 05:30). I suspect that'll be quite enough to keep things going.

Another thing that's made me curious enough to try this is the effect of training in between the nap and main sleep. I think I'll wait though until I've adapted to the new sleep times before throwing heavy objects into the mix.

Looking forward to it.

Sleep.

Typically, I sleep 3 hours a night, and nap for 90 minutes in the evening. That's a total of 4.5 hours, and I am always alert, always awake and always feel rested and refreshed.

There are a couple of benefits to this, the most obvious one being the time saving. Unless you're one of the few people who routinely gets less than 4.5 hours per night (and functions well on that), you'll suddenly find yourself with a bit more free time. Perfect.

The other day I came across this post on 43 Folders, which started me thinking about the possibilities of biphasic sleeping. For some time now I've comtemplated moving to a polyphasic sleeping pattern (several small doses of sleep rather than a single nightly slumber); initially prompted by the self-tests of Steve Pavlina. For the moment though, I'm indulging myself with the usual nightly rest (plus a brief nap during the last 10 minutes of any good late-night film).

Biphasic sleeping (getting your sleep in two chunks) seems like a reasonable compromise. This is usually based around the theory of the 90 minute sleep cycle, and the most likely option seems to be along the lines of Glen Rhodes' current behaviour. As he states in the article:

Typically, I sleep 3 hours a night, and nap for 90 minutes in the evening. That's a total of 4.5 hours, and I am always alert, always awake and always feel rested and refreshed.

There are a couple of benefits to this, the most obvious one being the time saving. Unless you're one of the few people who routinely gets less than 4.5 hours per night (and functions well on that), you'll suddenly find yourself with a bit more free time. Perfect.

The secondary benefit - which goes on the heap of 'requires a few more years of research' is the fact that your body resets things such as sodium/potassium ratios whilst in the Theta state (the edge of the 'subconscious' part of sleep). It seems as though the timing of this additional nap - as well as the timing of workouts - could prove to be one more factor in working toward optimal strength.

Noticed this over on Pete Diaz's site : a great video demonstrating a few unusual bodyweight exercise complexes on YouTube.

For more videos in this vein head over to BodyWeightCulture.com. If you need a further incentive, there are currently 4 competitions running there with cash prizes. Be warned though - they're not as easy as they sound.

Noticed this over on Pete Diaz's site : a great video demonstrating a few unusual bodyweight exercise complexes on YouTube.

For more videos in this vein head over to BodyWeightCulture.com. If you need a further incentive, there are currently 4 competitions running there with cash prizes. Be warned though - they're not as easy as they sound.