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Kevin Kelly 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice

KK turned 68 today and shared this brilliant post. Give it a read.

A vacation + a disaster = an adventure.

^ And who doesn’t like adventure.

April 30th, 2020

At home work outs

Now that we’re a few weeks in to this, I’ve started to get a good rhythm, which seems to work.

Firstly, I’ve been adding in 1-2 5km runs each week. Not worrying about pace. Just getting out there and doing it.

Typically I’d run 26 weeks/out of the year according to Nike Run Club. So this is an increase.

Secondly, my friend Colin (@CJN) put me on to the Marsoc Short Card, a series of exercises from the marine core. That you can do anywhere – but I have found doing it outside is better. Here’s a video and the list – copied/pasted from here.

  1. 30 Push-ups
  2. 30 Air squats
  3. 30 Crunches
  4. 10 Burpees
  5. 10 Windmills
  6. 30 Push-ups
  7. 30 Mountain climbers
  8. 30 Flutter kicks
  9. 10 Burpees
  10. 10 Cherry pickers (4-count)
  11. 30 Push-ups
  12. 30 Star jumpers (or jumping jacks)
  13. 30 Back Extensions (โ€œsupermansโ€)
  14. 10 Burpees
  15. 10 Chain breakers
  16. 30 Push-ups
  17. 30 Lunges
  18. 30 Hello dollies
  19. 10 Burpees
  20. 10 Trunk twists
  21. 3 Max sets of dead-hang pull-ups or flexed-arm hangs

I copied/pasted the above in to notes on my phone and loaded the video in parallel in the YouTube app. As wasn’t familiar with all the exercises.

First time I tried to do them at the full amount, but couldn’t deliver on the 30 push ups by the end. So adjusted that down to 10 push ups. Then will pull up as I get repetition. This is what makes this exercise great, you can scale it up/down as you need.

You could start with just doing 5 of everything. The rhythm also builds in breaks so the list may look daunting but you get through it quick.

Thirdly, I have a bench at home, and kettle bells.

So I made a work out using that:

  • Bench press, one arm at a time, with the kettlebell.
  • Push ups, or push ups with my feet on the bench or couch.
  • Kettlebell row, with one knee on the bench.
  • Dips.
  • Bicep curls.
  • Goblet squats or Lunges.
  • Single Leg Deadlift.
  • Sit ups.

Each time I aim to do 6-7 of these. Squats/Deadlifts something I interchangeably do. The rest are each time.

My old trainer Victor has been sharing some exercises from his Instagram channel as well. A few I picked up from that.

  • Doing push ups on pot.
  • Hip flexes.
  • Burpee to squat

Send him a DM on Instagram and schedule a remote session if you need some help crafting a, at home workout, with whatever you’ve got around.

I think that is key – make do with what you’ve got, on space, gear, time. Then adjust frequency based on that.

Finally, I log all my exercises. Each day blurs in to the next. This helps keep track of it.

The logging is a habit I have now kept up for the last two years which has been helpful for ensuring I get good balance in my workouts.

Here’s a screenshot:

Example of my logs in Evernote.

I will sometimes jot down some exercises for the next work out too. Or if have stiffness or some external factor like jet lag or lack of sleep note that. Just to help future me better understand past performance.

What apps do I use? For run tracking I use Nike Run Club on Apple Watch. Strava is a popular alternative. I use the Nike guided runs every now and again to mix it up but also to improve my form and pace. Helpful if you haven’t run in a while.

For logging work outs, just Evernote, Notion would be just as good as well.

In terms of stretches, I do use a foam roller pre-workout. Given the working from home, less walking in general, I find this helps a bunch with my back and shoulders.

Before running, I tend to stretch my shoulders/chest/upper back. Again the good form helps a better run.

That’s it. I’ll update/revise as I improve the rhythm. If you have any tips or improvements on these, please do tweet me too.

April 14th, 2020

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