More fun w/searches that hit my blog August 15, 2008
Posted by hardly Kettlebell, Uncategorized
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Today, someone hit my blog after they used the following search string:
“how long does it take to see the results of kettlebell squats”
See, feel, hear, or smell? ;-
Seriously, there are several answers to this question.
Let’s say that you’re staring fresh, never used a kettlebell in your life, and you grab one of moderate mass, clean it to your chest, cross your free hand over, and then start doing squats. You keep going a while. Let’s say you get to 35 reps before you run out of oxygen and your legs are tired or sore . What you hear is your breathing, at a fast clip. What you feel is soreness in your legs and butt. Then, you start up again, and you get 20 reps in before you’re out of breath and your legs are sore again. You take another break, catch your breath. Start back up, get to 10 before things really unwind. Besides being out of breath and having a hard time walking, you are also starting to see sweat break out on your arms, or maybe your forehead or back; maybe you feel it, but don’t see it. Regardless, something is going on - your body is reacting to doing work.
I suspect that the author of the string didn’t really have this in mind, though.
What will you see if you perform a typical high-rep kettlebell or crossfit-ish regimene? How long until results?
First, you body will immediately start to react to the work, as noted above. If you keep doing this over days and weeks, then you’ll see add’l results regarding the ability of your muscles to work, and your ability to use oxygen, and you might even start seeing a little muscle being developed. These are the same reactions your body has to any work.
The difference is that when you’re using free weights, many more muscles get engaged in the work than if you’re doing straight aerobics, or working out on weight machines. So, you’ll start seeing muscles change all over your body, instead of strictly in one area.
If you want to see what long-term results look like, go to the photo pages on Gravity Janes. All of the people in these pictures who are working out have lean bodies, with low fat percentages. They don’t look big and hulky, but you’re going to see a lot of definition.
India v. U.S. August 15, 2008
Posted by hardly Career Development
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Had a great conversation the other day w/a Sr. SDE in India who was pondering the following question:
Should I stay here and develop my career and skills, or should I go to the U.S. right now and do the same?
This question was about three things: 1) Is it a good time to start doing your own career development in the U.S. if you're not already living here because the economy is not the best; 2) Are there things here that one can learn in the U.S. that are difficult to learn in India; 3) What do I want to do?
There is certainly no question that the overall economy in the U.S. is troubled, but pull the covers back, and the software/internet sector is doing fairly well (exceptions being products that are related to housing, autos, finance, travel). So, for a Sr. SDE looking to work in a company that is focused on delivering technology-focused products, not such a big deal.
As to what such a person might learn that might be more difficult in India, that one is a tough call. India today is not the India of 20 years ago. If someone really needed to learn the U.S. market, or needed to integrate into the culture for some long-term benefit, that makes a lot of sense. Or maybe, to go get their MBA at a top-10 school. It's not the clear-cut choice it was 20 years ago, and ask any of the former expats who have returned to India (Happy Birthday, Nagesh!).
But the last point, "What do you want to do?" is the really big nag. My sense of it is that there are a lot of Indian Engineers who are torn between two stark realities. First is the rather traditional path into reputable companies, doing reputable things, thus building a reputable career. Your parents will be so proud! But, wow, talk about the stress on an Engineer! The other is the entrepreneurial zeal to start your own company.
These two choices are not mutually incompatible, of course. And, most importantly, they are not uniquely Indian choices - we all face these same choices.
So, what do you want to do with your life? What do you need to learn to get to what you want? Big world out there, just waiting for you!
Augh! Not working out August 15, 2008
Posted by hardly Uncategorized
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Last night, I had one of those odd events wher you wake up in pain because one of your muscles decided to twitch (hard) for no good apparent conscious reason.
This time, it was in my upper arm, and it’s still frickin’ sore. Decided it was better to not work out today since I’ll be on the trail for 3 days (and thus, getting some work in there).
