One Hundred Pushups

[MacFall]

The respect is earned, never given.

Exactly right. Which is why I will never call someone "sir" until they prove to me that they deserve it. Being more physically fit than me or being an "expert" of any kind is not sufficient proof; and being a government employee doesn't help very much either. Not trying to tell anyone what to do here, but my personal standards don't permit subservience.

 

[Orange_County_Chopper]

I think Stew Smith can help you reach the 100 push ups goal.

 

[ImperialPhantom]

I don't agree with that. I believe in mutual respect. I also believe in mutual accountability rather than subordination to other men. I think that I would probably be unable to keep from laughing if some gasbag in a uniform started yelling at me. It's just not the sort of thing that I can take seriously.

Well I mean, it's not like the military is the only thing that has a "pecking order" so to speak. What career field do you work in? Are you self-employed?

 

[ImperialPhantom]

This.

And if it doesnt look like this:

Or this:

Its a sissy squat.

Oh, and my legs have gotten so big I cant comfortably wear boxers. haha.

Yessirree. I really need to start squatting again - last time I did the 20-reppers, I put on 31 lbs in 8 weeks, and my 20-rep max went from 135 to 235.

 

[BranwenUerchLlyr]

I'll join you for the squats.

 

[gzt]

I might do 20 rep squats sometime, since my training is mostly low-rep stuff. I have a weightlifting meet in about a month, might as well try after that. I'll probably start with 225 just because I'm a showboat.

 

[MacFall]

Well I mean, it's not like the military is the only thing that has a "pecking order" so to speak. What career field do you work in? Are you self-employed?

Yes, though I am willing to work with an established company in order to grow my savings for a while. But notice I say work WITH, not work FOR. "Employees" are people who sell their labor to others; your so-called "boss" is your customer. A person who acts on that principle is by default an independent contractor; even to some extent an entrepreneur. It's a healthy state of mind to have.

 

[Apeleutheros]

1.so like 100 push ups in one sitting, touching chest to the floor and all the way up?
...I can do like 50-60 but its very hard. I couldn't imagine doing 100.

2.The squats for me would be harder on my cardio than my muscles. I think I'd be sucking wind at 100.

3. 200 sit-ups isn't so hard

4. 25 pull ups would be tough for me. I weigh like 210lbs. I think I might be able to do 15.

 

[ProAntiRevolution]

Yes, though I am willing to work with an established company in order to grow my savings for a while. But notice I say work WITH, not work FOR. "Employees" are people who sell their labor to others; your so-called "boss" is your customer. A person who acts on that principle is by default an independent contractor; even to some extent an entrepreneur. It's a healthy state of mind to have.

This is the mentality they try to push when big companies call the peons "associates." The reality is if you're a W-2 wage withholding employee then you're company property. While the modern corporate world has adopted a less authoritarian style in it's trappings, pay day is still Friday and poo rolls down the rank structure. The semantics of the thing is really very meaningless. The first time you don't see eye to eye with those higher on the authority ladder and you'll quickly find it's their way, or the highway. A real independent contractor does not operate with those kinds of restraints.

 

[Keri]

I kind of want to start this, but I can only do girl pushups.

 

[MacFall]

This is the mentality they try to push when big companies call the peons "associates." The reality is if you're a W-2 wage withholding employee then you're company property. While the modern corporate world has adopted a less authoritarian style in it's trappings, pay day is still Friday and poo rolls down the rank structure. The semantics of the thing is really very meaningless. The first time you don't see eye to eye with those higher on the authority ladder and you'll quickly find it's their way, or the highway. A real independent contractor does not operate with those kinds of restraints.

Realizing that you own yourself is always meaningful. You just have to decide whether acting like a self-owning individual instead of a cog in a machine is worth it. That is why I say such people are entrepreneurs. They are risk-takers. They are willing to risk the security that comes from being under someone else's heel for the freedom - and with it, the possibility for financial gain - that comes from being independent. Nobody ever got rich working for someone else. But working with others is necessary to becoming wealthy. So a good way to find out whether there is long-term benefit in a job is in the attitude of its owners and managers toward their employees; whether they see them as associates to be treated with respect, or as resources to be exploited and discarded.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

Exactly right. Which is why I will never call someone "sir" until they prove to me that they deserve it. Being more physically fit than me or being an "expert" of any kind is not sufficient proof; and being a government employee doesn't help very much either. Not trying to tell anyone what to do here, but my personal standards don't permit subservience.

If I could be the Bible thumping fanatic for just a moment... Ephesians 6:6 pretty much says that respect is given, not earned. No matter how obnoxious a superior is, if it's in the contract to say "sir" then you damn well better say "sir", or ask "how high" or show up at 7AM, or write down how many minutes you took for bathroom breaks or whatever it happens to be.

Of course, not being in a slave society, we can choose who we are subservient to so we've got that going for us. I dislike being told how to engineer things and then run the risk of taking the fall when it blows up... so I left the W-2 and Form 1099 world to start my own business.

At least if things are going to blow up I'll be able to gain some satisfaction from having been the one to press the button.

A person who acts on that principle is by default an independent contractor; even to some extent an entrepreneur. It's a healthy state of mind to have.

Am I just being a nit-picking jerk here? "A person who acts on principle" is by default "a person who acts on principle." A person who files 1099s and Schedule Cs is an independent contractor.

The first time you don't see eye to eye with those higher on the authority ladder and you'll quickly find it's their way, or the highway. A real independent contractor does not operate with those kinds of restraints.

I think any question of me being a nit-picking jerk is about to be removed. A real independent contractor operates within the restraints of whoever sends him a 1099 form (speaking in US terms, sorry ). So poo collection is just as possible for that person. In fact, in my experience contractors are even more liable to catch some manure because they're often very high priced and expected to know everything twice and fix things yesterday.

Sucks to be a contractor. Hence I started my own business.


Okay, okay. In an attempt to dull my jerky edge and get things back on topic: MacFall, how's this coming along? Are you sore? =) I did my ab routine this morning and wondered how you were making it.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

I kind of want to start this, but I can only do girl pushups.

You can do pushups with a girl on your back? Wow. Pics please!

 

[MacFall]

A person who files 1099s and Schedule Cs is an independent contractor.

A person who is not dependent on others is independent. For people with normal physical and mental capacities, that is largely a matter of mindset. A person who makes contracts with others is a contractor. Any agreement is, ethically speaking, a contract, so anyone who interacts on a voluntary basis with others is a contractor. I'm not talking in legal terms. I don't believe in giving the government the power to define words. Maybe that makes me the nitpicking jerk, but it's one of the principles I stand on.

MacFall, how's this coming along? Are you sore? =) I did my ab routine this morning and wondered how you were making it.

Well, actually could have skipped week 1, but I didn't. So far then, no soreness in the arms and legs. Abs are a different story. I felt like someone was strumming a chord on them when I stood up and stretched this morning. I'm going to have to take that program nice and slow.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

A person who is not dependent on others is independent. For people with normal physical and mental capacities, that is largely a matter of mindset. A person who makes contracts with others is a contractor. Any agreement is, ethically speaking, a contract, so anyone who interacts on a voluntary basis with others is a contractor. I'm not talking in legal terms. I don't believe in giving the government the power to define words. Maybe that makes me the nitpicking jerk, but it's one of the principles I stand on.

Okay, I see it's more of a misunderstanding of semantics between us. I can be very "by the book" when discussing so non standard or abstracted terms can make me skid off the road a bit.

Well, actually could have skipped week 1, but I didn't. So far then, no soreness in the arms and legs. Abs are a different story. I felt like someone was strumming a chord on them when I stood up and stretched this morning. I'm going to have to take that program nice and slow.

I have the same issue, if I'm understand you right. Sometimes I feel like someone plucked a big cello string near my obliques when I get up or move. I think it's a matter of stretching. Search "Ab stretches" and you find some good ones. I just lay on the floor face down and then use my palms to push my torso up. Kinda like pushing your body into a reverse C. I'd post a link but I'm just a few posts shy of the required post count. Gotto go hunt for some threads to spam so I can get my 50.

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

Alright MacFall (when I say your name I think of Biff from Back to the Future yelling "MCFLY!!"), you're back. So how's this undertaking going?

 

[MacFall]

Well I didn't really work out at camp - it was pretty strenuous activity to begin with. So I'm going to try week three starting tonight. If I can't do it I'll do week 2 over, no biggie.

 

[Blank123]

Me either!

neither can i, but thats okay. i'll be hanging out with you and noggy while the others are doing their pushups

 

[NoodlesNoodlesNoodles]

S'alright. You girls can sit on our backs while we do them.

 

[TanteBelle]

I've started these two programs:

one hundred push ups
two hundred squats

Once I get some strength and endurance built up I'll also be doing these:

two hundred sit-ups
twenty five pull ups

Currently I can do about 20 pushups and 50 squats, so at least I'm not starting completely dry. I'll be charting my progress in this thread. Anyone want to join me?

I have a question. I use to be in all the working out thing as well when I was younger (11-14). I use to work out 5 hours a day on weights, boxing bag, martial arts, running, 60 push ups and 1,000 stomach work outs. But the reason I quit was because I found that it made me so much more angry and just agro! I had a real problem with controlling my emotions and so I'd lash out. Whenever I was too mad, I'd beat the living daylights out of the boxing bag until I was too exhausted to go on. Do blokes go through that as well or is it just me? Maybe it's girls in general coz I heard of one female body builder who was bragging of how she threw her hubby against the wall and beat him to a pulp. When I read that, I gave up immediately. So, does it have to do with the work out regime or is it just something that I went through? Do all folks have a bit of an agro nature when they work out? I ended up doing pilates and found that very relaxing but I haven't worked out since I became an arborist. I want to learn Jeet Kune Do purely for self defence but I don't want to fall back into that old way of .... living really!