Thought for the day:
I have written about this many times, but, everyone needs a reminder. First: have a plan anytime you go into a public place, especially for us, the gym, but most important: pull your head out of the ass end of your phone. Read the article and think about what you would do.
Thought for the day:
A little science this morning from Dr. Woodard:
If you’re an athlete, you’ve probably heard the term “lactate threshold”, but a lot of people don’t really know what it means .
Let me explain:
When you train hard (keyword: hard), your body produces lactate as a byproduct from burning through fuel. At lower training intensities, you can clear that lactate easily. Push harder plus rest less, and lactate builds up faster than your body can get rid of it, that’s when you feel that awful but familiar burn.
Sciency time: lactate acts as a backup fuel for your muscles. When oxygen can’t keep up with your muscles’ demands, your body shifts to a faster energy system (the anaerobic one) that produces more lactate. Once oxygen availability improves, that lactate can be cleared and reused as energy.
So why would anyone intentionally put themselves through this?
Because you have a redline, a cap on your performance. Lactate threshold training teaches your body to push that limit, letting you go harder, faster, and longer before you hit that wall so soon. Over time, this translates to a stronger performance.
It’s not easy, but if you want to truly move the needle, this is the work that does it.
In wrestling conditioning season we would do circuit training and indian runs for this.
The indian runs were tough, but awesome. We’d run around the track single file, and when the whistle blows, the guy in back sprints to the front. Repeat for god knows how long, and everybody pukes. 
.
Fwiw- conditioning was never a problem in matches.
Unless you have actualy done it yourself, no one outside the sport knows how brutal training for wrestling competition is.
Yeah. You have to be ready to dig in and grapple with someone that wants to win just as much or possibly more than you.
Definitely good conditioning for anything that might come your way later in life.
What?! That’s really cool. What was it like? How did you prepare for it and how did you end up doing?
I did my first one not really knowing how to train for the physical part. As a CQB instructor, I felt my shooting was on par. I got smoked on my first one, finishing in the bottom five.
Since the first time, I have changed my workouts to a lot of “strong man” type movements: farmers walks with a trap bar, kettle bells, dumbells, etc. Started doing sprints for speed (well, I am not speedy, so, just pushing for better endurance). I was able to aquire too heavy sand bags from a former co-worker, try to use them often.
I have trained my all my life( military, SWAT, martial arts, etc.) but when I showed up for my second one, I realized, I was weak as a baby compared to the elite division, Damn, that is some strong men and women.
One of the worst mistakes you can make in the tactical world is to lie to yourself about your abilites, you willl just end of getting yourself or someone else killed. So, I realized I was lacking in strength and have tried to improve by switiching to large power moves and learning how to pick up heavy GORuck bags.
On my last one, I placed in the middle of pack, so some improvement. My shooting is fine, but, still weak physically compared to the others there, but, I go to challenge myself, not for first place, but, to always see improvement.
It is a great way to test your tactical and physical skills. The Tactical Games IG page is excellent and shows what a great community the competitors are.
Give it a try.
That is really impressive – especially with all the progress you made! Sounds like a lot of fun. I will check that page out. Keep us posted on your next one. I’d be curious to see how you prep for it.
Thought for the day:
“I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right.
I will hold.”
(Message to higher from First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, USMC, 96th Co., Soissons, 19 July 1918.)
Thought for the day:
Some Sunday science from Dr. Woodward:
As athletes, we’re really good at pushing through stress, soreness and fatigue.
Just over here skipping rest days, chasing high intensity and one rep maxes every day, running on adrenaline and preworkout, yet somehow, we still perform…honestly I think the more stressed out I was the better I would perform on competition day.
⠀
But let me tell ya, that’s not sustainable.
⠀
Cortisol, the stress hormone that once helped us stay lean, focused, and motivated, starts to work against us.
When our cortisol is high, it does a good job hiding hormone imbalances; but not forever. Call it “burn out” or “crashing” or “loss of motivation”…or “chronic injuries” heck, it can even rear its ugly head as mental health issues.
That’s where HRV (Heart Rate Variability) comes in. Think of it as a day to day reflection of your nervous system and hormone health.
⠀
HRV is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to measure how well you’re adapting and recovering. It’s even more simple now that we have so many different types of wearables that can track almost everything.
⠀
If you’re tracking it consistently, it becomes a cheat code for performance, recovery, and even hormonal health. Side note: hormones aren’t just for us girls, guys- your testosterone can tank from poor recovery.
There is one more piece to it though, you also need to be in tune with your body, paying attention if you feel your physiology waving the white flag. Self awareness is super important as an athlete.
⠀
Gosh I loved the days where I could live solely off of stress hormones and simple carbs, but the crash comes for everyone who thinks they’re above recovery. I’m just thankful I had great practitioners in my corner to help educate me and help me get the healthy hormones on board with my healthy nervous system so that I can start ramping back up my fitness now that I’m an “old” athlete.
Thought for the day:
“Skills that save lives are perishable. Without regular practice, they fade. Consistent, realistic, and pressure-tested training is what turns knowledge into capability. It ensures that when stress spikes and seconds count, your actions are sharp, controlled, and effective”.
Thought for the day:
*Don’t tell me who you are, show me what you can do.
Facta non verba*
Thought fpr the day:
One of my own personal criteria along with fixed blade is blade length. It has to be able to penetrate the deep arteries to be effective. Slashes and pokes are a repellent, but to make it count you have to be able to go deep and critically injure an attacker.
Also, blade thickness. I don’t want to get it jambed between some ribs and have the blade snap off in the scuffle.
Thought for the day:
Sunday science from Dr. Woodward:
*I used to think meditation or any “mindfulness training” was a waste of time.
If I wasn’t sweating, lifting heavy, or pushing my limits, I couldn’t count it as training.
But here’s what I’ve learned: you can actually use meditation as one of the most powerful performance tool.
Just a few things it can do for you:
Moral of the story, it can have the same benefits as your fitness training while also pushing your nervous system into more of a building mode.
So, if you’re like me and think the only way to get better is to push harder, it might be time to train your recovery with the same intention you train your strength, speed, and endurance. The athletes who learn to rest well don’t just get to compete longer, we perform better too.*
Thought for the day:
From EFT:
When dealing with a person who is trying to present a firearm, the optimal response is to pin it to the body and prevent them from presenting it altogether. However, if it is too late and the firearm is already coming out you need to get to the leverage point. This leverage point is the barrel/slide. Controlling the barrel/slide allows you to control the muzzle of the firearm. If you only control the person’s wrist they are still able to manipulate the direction of the muzzle and could get rounds on target.
Thought for the day:
Things happen at the speed of life, and no fight is won by standing still.
Thought for the day:
“If you think lifting weights is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous.”
Thought for the day:
Discipline is the price paid in advance of success. Do you have it when nobody can make you do the thing, except you?
Thought for the day:
Knife attack data shows that most times victims do not immediately realize they were being stabbed. This is due to a mix of factors:
• Adrenaline surge blunts pain perception.
• The shock of sudden violence distracts attention from the weapon.
• Attackers often use their free hand to latch or strike, drawing attention away from the knife.
• Many stabbings are rapid, shallow, or hidden (the blade striking multiple times in quick succession), so the victim only notices after significant blood loss or collapse.
• Misinterpretation of sensations
Victims sometimes mistake stabbing impacts for punches. Because knives are often hidden until after contact, the brain processes the event as a “strike” rather than a penetration.
