Posts Tagged ‘Review’

The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield

(Directly from Amazon)

WARS CHANGE, WARRIORS DON’T

We are all warriors. Each of us struggles every day to define and defend our sense of purpose and integrity, to justify our existence on the planet and to understand, if only within our own hearts, who we are and what we believe in. Do we fight by a code? If so, what is it? What is the Warrior Ethos? Where did it come from? What form does it take today? How do we (and how can we) use it and be true to it in our internal and external lives?

The Warrior Ethos is intended not only for men and women in uniform, but artists, entrepreneurs and other warriors in other walks of life. The book examines the evolution of the warrior code of honor and “mental toughness.” It goes back to the ancient Spartans and Athenians, to Caesar’s Romans, Alexander’s Macedonians and the Persians of Cyrus the Great (not excluding the Garden of Eden and the primitive hunting band). Sources include Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Xenophon, Vegetius, Arrian and Curtius–and on down to Gen. George Patton, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan.

Features at a Glance:

Pros:

  • Short Read
  • Full Of Popular Anecdotes

Cons:

  • Too many anecdotes.  Hardly any original content.  It is just full of stories and points from movies, myths, and other books.
  • Feels like a poorly researched high school term paper
  • A pamphlet of what seems to just be titles of chapters.
  • Very overpriced for the content that was included.

Where to buy:

I got mine as a birthday present.  I did have it on my Amazon wishlist because I thought it looked interesting.  Had I wanted to read a bunch of stories of ancient warriors, I would have just looked them up online.

 

 

wp-1466558794478.jpgI recently received a pair of Matt Wenning’s Lifting Straps.  The craftsmanship on these straps is amazing.  They stitching is impeccable.  The materials used are of great quality and held up to some testing.  These straps are very effective for the purpose of strapping your hands to a barbell or dumbbell.  They are even long enough to use for axle bars.  I would definitely recommend these straps to anyone.  They will become a staple of my training programs.  You can find them soon at http://www.wenningstrength.com.  I believe they will be $14.99 plus S&H.

After a long hiatus from blogging I have decided to return to the world of digital journaling. (thats basically what my blog is) I have begun a new training program supplied by Renaissance Periodization.  It will include a 15 week Hypertrophy Block, a 12-16 week Strength Block, and a 4 week Peaking Block before my next competition.  I just started week 1/workout 1 today.  Check out the blog entitled Hypertrophy Block 6/20/16 if you want to see what it included. I will try to do a better job next time discussing my feelings (like a social justice warrior/triggered person) next time on how I think that particular training session went.  I will also resume my book reviews and product reviews. I have started DIY (Do-It-Yourself) pre-workout and post-workout supplements and will review that process too, as well as give you an easy receipe you could follow. I will also post DIY projects that I have been working on in regards to equipment or gym accessories. Hopefully, I will also start posting videos again and I will introduce you to my new training partner Nick. This is just a heads up.  Look for more posts coming soon.

PS: Here is my daily selfie coming back. This is a shirt I got for helping carry the giant Warner Bros balloon during a parade a few years back.

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Product: Wrist Roller

Brand: DIY (Do It Yourself…tried the manly thing, making something myself)

Specs: Section of 2″ PVC Pipe, 2+” Stainless Steel Hose Clamp, Dog Leash

Review: First off, cut (we just used a hand saw) the section of 2″ PVC Pipe to fit over the safety bars on any standard squat rack.  (If you don’t have a squat rack or safety bars, this product won’t really work for you as it is intended.) Mine ended up being around 22″. Then secure the loop of the Dog Leash around the PVC Pipe.  After you loop it around, attach the Stainless Steel Hose Clamp to secure the Dog Leash in place. Tighten it down with a screw driver.  You now have a DIY Wrist Roller. Total cost was around $12.00.  My friend, and sometimes lifting buddy, Paul Ebsen gave me the idea and helped me make it. All you have to do now is attach any weight plates to it by looping the dog leash through the center hole on the plates and attach the clip to itself on the leash.  So far, mine has held 45lbs with no issues.  I am sure it can go heavier, but my wrists/forearms can’t yet. Here are some pictures:

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Here is where I got the materials:

Home Depot:

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Wal-Mart:Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 9.44.16 AM

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments section.  I will reply to comments as soon as possible.