I am, in fact, an adult.

Maybe.  Whatever that means.

"City Councilman Sworn In With Captain America Shield."

Nicely done.  Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News: "Diep is the son of Vietnamese refugees. He was born in Houston where his parents first settled and moved to San Jose in 1999 where he graduated from Independence High School before going on to UC San Diego to get his degrees in political science and history before getting his law degree from University of the Pacific."

"You must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

whedonesque: "So we’re watching that Joss Whedon Facebook Live Q&A from yesterday and he says he wrote most of Stanley Tucci’s dialogue for Captain America. And we’re like oooooh."

Training.

7/19 - bench, seated rows, speedbag, stretch/foam roll

7/18 - foam roll/stretch

cool down - rhythm & timing - work in progress

The Real Reason Everyone's Fat | T Nation: "Do these things play a role in obesity? Indirectly, maybe. But the buck stops with you and your response to them... Is it really any wonder the world is becoming fatter? We're also becoming less capable of taking responsibility. It's a virtue that's going out of style. This sucks because the better you get at taking responsibility, the more likely you are to look for opportunity to fix your circumstances instead of becoming a victim of them. And if you haven't noticed, cry-baby victimhood is today's hottest trend. This is how mental weakness turns into physical weakness. Weak people are quick to point the finger at outside sources instead of finding opportunities to overcome their personal challenges...

Granted, the things they blame can be legitimate challenges. There are physiological and psychological factors that make fat loss and muscle gain seem impossible. But NOBODY gets a free pass. That means fit people often have just as many (or more) personal disadvantages to fight against as fat people...  Everybody who's in shape fights for it in some way. It's not given to us. We all have personal disadvantages and challenges to overcome. So unless you're among the very few genetically gifted and environmentally blessed, you can't get lean without a struggle. You can't build muscle without a struggle. And you certainly won't maintain either without struggling in some way...

You know that people who are out of shape could be making the best choices within their circumstances, no matter how unfortunate those circumstances are. And you know that "body acceptance" is a sham because their lives would be much easier if their frail frames and feeble joints weren't hauling around extra weight. You know they'd feel better about themselves, have more energy, move more freely, take fewer meds, sleep better, get out more, have fewer doctors' appointments, deal with less pain, have better sex, and (ironically) enjoy their food a lot more than they do now. There's a way to be both compassionate and honest. But by playing the sycophant you're encouraging people to be the victims rather than the masters of their circumstances. And I hope that people who are out of shape make the choices that prove you wrong. Because you see, if they can CHOOSE to get in better shape today, then they could've CHOSEN better behaviors in the first place that would have kept them from getting where they are now. There is a choice. Your patronizing pity is more insulting than the brutal honesty of someone who says, "You're fat and here's what you can do about it."

...Temptation is inescapable and everyone faces it. If you're still blaming your spouse for sabotaging you with tempting food, don't count on changing. We're all tempted by about the same shit; your challenges aren't special. And even if you're injured or ill, there's still a way to choose the best options within your given set of circumstances. Can't get support at home? Find it elsewhere, then be a role model for your family. It'll be a struggle, but it's supposed to be. Everyone experiences that. If you're not struggling, then you're probably not making progress. The struggle is what keeps you from getting weaker, fatter, less mobile, and more incompetent as the owner of your body."

#TeamCap All Day.

The Russos Tackle the Paradoxical Issue at the Center of "Captain America: Civil War" | Comic Book Resources: "If you break "Captain America: Civil War" down to its base storyline, it becomes a question of government control vs. individual freedom -- which is why, according to directors Joe and Anthony Russo, there's no real right answer to Captain America and Iron Man's conflict. "What we tried to do with the movie is we tried to represent both sides of the issue and make sure that both Cap and Tony had very emotional reasons for doing what they were doing and sound reasons for doing what they were doing," Joe Russo explained to The Hollywood Reporter. 

"Because they're complicated issues. They're not issues you can really answer. We wanted people to walk out of the theater arguing with each other about who was right. I tend to say if you support big government and governmental control but you also think that accountability is extremely important, you might side with [Iron Man] in this movie. He's all about accountability in the film. If you support individual freedom and you prioritize that over everything else then you might side with Cap in the movie. The movie doesn't attempt to answer these questions, it attempts to pose them."

""I think the most difficult thing about it is that it's a paradox at the center of our society and at the center of our political life," added Anthony Russo. "Yes, we do need government, and we need government to have control of people or else other people are vulnerable. At the same time we want the freedom to be individuals and do what we want and say what we want and go where we want. There's always an eternal war between those two needs, and it just depends on what your specific experiences are at any given moment, which pushes you one way or the other." "

Training.

5/3 - deadlifts, situps, stretch, bridge

5/2 - press, chins, pushdowns, face pulls, curls, stretch, shadowbox, neck nods/rotations/iso, handstand hold

#SeemsLegit

Civil War Week: Stick To Your Guns Like Cap | Nerd Fitness: "When Captain America is on the “wrong side” of the majority (as we saw in Captain America: Winter Soldier and again in this movie), he refuses to conform, is branded an outlaw, and thus gets hunted down by the government. Despite the overwhelming consequences of his decision, Steve Rogers sticks to his guns and stands by his creed. He stands up for what he believes in...

He’s removed emotion from the decision: there’s right, and there’s wrong. “If this, then I will do that. No matter what.” Yes, this is a VERY simplistic and idealistic way of looking at life; but whether we’re talking about making decisions about getting healthy, or moral problems that superheores wrangle with, sometimes standing your ground is the best way to do the most good. Even if those consequences mean coming down on the other side of a conflict from a great friend of yours...  you’re going to have to make tough decisions too. 

At every step in your journey you will have choices that aren’t black and white. You could have just one cookie or piece of candy. You could skip this workout just today. You could sleep in and not practice that skill you’re learning. You can not stand up for something you believe strongly in at work due to office politics or not wanting to offend your boss. 

Captain America would say enough is enough. Draw a line and take a stand. Otherwise you might as well quit now. In more practical terms for getting healthy, it helps to have a series of rules that you’ve established for yourself that remove emotion, guilt, and second-guessing from the equation. Nutrition: “I eat this. I don’t eat that.” Almost robotic in nature. No emotion involved. You either eat it or you don’t. Exercise: “I work out at 10AM on these days. I don’t skip them for ANY reason, no matter the consequences.” You put fitness first. Family: “I spend my evenings with my kids. I don’t bring work home with me after 5pm, no matter how ‘important’.” Commitments: “I don’t flake. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. I don’t say yes and then back out.” “It’s either a HELL YEAH, or a NO, regardless of whether it offends people. In each of the examples above, we all have thousands of things vying for our attention and focus. We need to have things we believe in, rules that we stick to, and live by. It might mean pissed off co-workers, an angry boss, or missed gatherings. It also means you get to do the things you need to do and spend time with the people you need to spend time with. These decisions do not come without consequences, but you have to stay strong.""

Steve Kamb (@stevekamb) • Instagram photos and videos: "Relying on motivation or waiting for inspiration to get in shape/travel/etc is a losing battle and it's why you're still where you are instead of where you say you want to be every year. Succeeding in those activities isn't a problem of motivation or willpower or inspiration. It's a problem of discipline. # Manufacture discipline and build systems in your life so you don't need to rely on those fleeting things. Want to "exercise more?" Sleep in your exercise clothes. Put your alarm clock across the room. Schedule your workouts in your calendar. No junk food in house. Give $50 to a political cause you hate every time you miss a workout. "

 Before After Female Muscle Bodybuilders and Weight Loss:

Bears Repeating.

"I could do this all day." #TeamCap

"...you don't give up."

GOD. DAMN.  

Cap is always thoughtful and polite.

Training - "Once more unto the breach..."

2/18 - stretch, squats, box jumps, leg press, sldl, hanging leg/knee raises, speed bag

Last week was vacation/travel PT, didn't do as much as I planned, but I did do some.  I blame South African wine.

2/14 - chins, pushups, stretch

2/12 - treadmill, pushups, situps, hindu squats, stretch

2/11 - pushups, situps, hindu squats, arm iso, stretch

2/9 - shadowbox, stretch

"Divided We Fall."

"I always wanted to be a professional athlete.  Because I wanted to have children in cities all over the world."

"Let's go to war."

Cap Gets It.

Preach.

 "You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"What do we do?"

"We fight."

"Foreigners aren't your enemy, son."

You tell 'em, Cap.

"...a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."

we are groot:

"Let's just take a day."

"Walk it off."

Never Gets Old.

Worlds Collide!