Matt Winchar

Re: Lower back risk in a dead. Via http://chaosandpain.blogspot.com

For the average weekend warrior fuckface who sits on padded machines fucking around for a half hour in the gym a couple of times a week? He’s damn near guaranteed to fuck his back up completely. The reason for this is that he’s a terrible decision maker and has a job that involves sitting. Likewise for the chicks with office jobs who go to the gym and run on the treadmill all day long. There’s a reason why both of those populations are stoop-shoulders and bereft off asses- they have shitty posture when sitting and standing, which overstretches their lower backs and tightens their hip flexors, and they sit all fucking day long. They take the elevator up a couple of flights of stairs instead of walking up them like anyone with a modicum of fucking pride or interest in maintaining a body anyone on Earth wants to see naked. That shit drives me directly up the fucking wall and makes me want to line those fat fucks up against said wall and hose them down with a bit of lead, and then put them through a wood chipper so as to make their corpses easier for wild pigs to eat. Anyway, they then exacerbate this condition by going to the gym for more sitting, and then doing cardio on a machine that pulls their feet back for them, taking their posterior chain out of the equation, tightening their hip flexors further, and exponentially increasing the chances of a lower back catastrophe. To make matters even worse, it’s always those fucking retards who spend 30 minutes a day doing abs, as though exercising that bodypart will turn them into modern-day Dumbledores who can magically melt off their beer gut with some fantastical incantation and make them look like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. They’ll hurt themselves deadlifting, on the off-chance they ever try to, because they’re fucking retarded.

My new favorite person eBay ninja’d this shirt for me. I don’t think she knew I had been looking for this shirt in these colors for over three years. I am beyond stoked to have this on my wall, it’ll be a good daily reminder. THANKS CLARE.

“I love no one but you, I have discovered, but you are far away and I am here alone. Then this is my life and maybe, however unlikely, I’ll find my way back there. Or maybe, one day, I’ll settle for second best. And on that same day, hell will freeze over, the sun will burn out and the stars will fall from the sky.” ~A Series of Unfortunate Events

I’m someone who always prefers the stripped down version to anything. I ride a fixed gear bike with no brakes. I run shirtless with no waterbottles or extra gear. I prefer a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. There’s no difference when it comes to running style. This is about all there is to say about minimalist running. And I didn’t say it.

In recent medical journal articles,1;2 running with and without footwear was discussed. Studies on footwear and its effects on running styles, have found no scientific evidence of health benefits associated with cushioned, high-tech running shoes. A scientific paper3 comparing the foot strike patterns of barefoot versus shoe-wearing runners, stated that although “cushioned, high-heeled running shoes are comfortable, they limit proprioception and make it easier for runners to land on their heels. Furthermore, many running shoes have arch supports and stiffened soles that may lead to weaker foot muscles, thereby reducing arch strength.” There is a faulty notion that our feet need a lot of help or support, when they are actually very strong and resilient. Although there are four layers of muscle in our feet, the majority of those muscles are stimulated less when feet are covered with supportive footwear.1

In response to this research, many runners are foregoing traditional running shoes with padded heels, gel sacks, air pockets, arch supports and “motion control” technology. These shoes may actually weaken the muscles in the feet and encourage runners to forcefully strike the ground with their heels. Running barefoot, on the other hand, encourages people to take shorter strides and to land more softly on the middle or front of their feet. Some believe that minimalist footwear reduces injuries and strengthens foot muscles.1

Although barefoot running can help prevent injuries running year-round without shoes is simply not an option in some environments. Barefoot enthusiasts who live where winters are extremely cold, where the terrain is too rough, or where the sun gets hot enough in summer to turn sidewalks into stove-tops, often protect their feet with “minimalist shoes.” Popular brands include Vivobarefoot, Feelmax and Vibram FiveFingers (which look like gloves for feet).

There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more