Monday, March 27, 2017

Hong Kong #8: [Interlude -- fitness]

This is technically a "Hong Kong" post, because it is about things that occurred in that place. But really it's a chatty post about "fitness services in dense urban markets", so I mean...if you're not into that, np: roll on. No Big Takeaway waits @ the end. ;)

The anchor workout I do when I travel, and certainly when I travel in Hong Kong, is run. Because you can do it anywhere, right? You bring your shoes you find runs you go run: hooray. I have written here about how great Hong Kong can be for running.

But it's also fun to "explore"; for me lately that means a disappointing comparison of every-city-but-L.A.'s yoga to L.A.'s yoga, and what I can find in terms of "other interesting stuff". In Hong Kong, re: "other...stuff", I have had the invaluable guidance of a man called Damien Brosnan, a f*cking human awesomemachine whose most obvious traits are conspicuous decency and intelligence.

DB has guided me to a few fun "other...stuff" workouts in HK, and this post is about a place called Ursus Fitness; I'm on record already as being very positive about this place and its people -- this post is really about how I personally respond to certain things in group-fitness context.

Here's a spreadsheet. No I'm not kidding. This is drawn from a blackboard they had up, tracking us all; it was neat and fun! Everyone else did what I did, too, which was take a snap on their phone at the end. From which I made this spreadsheet.

Only one name on here is the person's name, btw. Oh well actually none, I guess. But you know what I mean.

So here: "Ursus Fit Friday Whole Body F##k Up", that day that I took it in Feb 2017.

(you can totally skip it; it's incomprehensible)
AeroPressWall BallBurpeesRainbow TwistsKettle-bell Swings
Overall Average17.3461538526.2829.5769230816.11538462105.692307735.69230769
1st round overall19.3076923125.4615384628.3076923115.61538462104.923076934.84615385
2nd round overall15.3846153827.1666666730.8461538516.61538462106.461538536.53846154
Male overall average23.12529.62531.12518.625108.87535.5
Male 1st round2629.529.7518.5107.536.25
Male 2nd round20.2529.7532.518.75110.2534.75
Female overall average14.7777777824.7058823528.8888888915104.277777835.77777778
Female 1st round14.721.324.912.993.430.8
Female 2nd round11.92327.114.194.333.6
AeroPressWall BallBurpeesRainbow TwistsKettle-bell Swings
my 1st Round2930351713134
my 2nd Round2337392113135
Class 2-round Avg17.126.129.815.8103.635.0
my ⇑ vs avg51.7%28.4%24.0%20.2%26.5%-1.5%
Class 1st Round Avg18.324.228.415.1101.934.9
my ⇑ vs avg58.9%24.2%23.4%12.4%28.6%-2.5%
Class 2nd Round Avg16.427.530.816.3104.735.2
my ⇑ vs avg40.3%34.5%26.5%29.1%25.1%-0.4%
Male 2-round Avg14.424.329.616.198.636.8
my ⇑ vs avg80.9%38.1%24.9%17.8%32.8%-6.1%
Male 1st Round Avg11.822.827.816.092.036.8
my ⇑ vs avg146.8%31.9%26.1%6.3%42.4%-7.5%
Male 2nd Round Avg1725.7531.516.25105.2536.75
my ⇑ vs avg35.3%43.7%23.8%29.2%24.5%-4.8%
Female 2-round Avg17.628.230.116.1105.734.2
my ⇑ vs avg147.7%118.7%123.0%118.1%124.0%100.8%
Female 1st Round Avg16.222.223.712.886.528.1
my ⇑ vs avg79.4%35.1%47.9%32.4%51.5%20.8%
Female 2nd Round Avg14.625.727.714.795.030.7
my ⇑ vs avg57.1%44.0%40.9%43.0%37.9%14.2%

So okay literally the inclusion of this spreadsheet has made my whole point, in a "picture=1k werdz" way.

That point is: wtF is wrong with my kettle-bell swings?

No no no, l0l, the point is...

Well first lemme say: I do wish I had a place like Ursus near me. I have LOTS of crossfit/circuit training places near me, but (a) Ursus is just unusually rad, not cuz it's fun and in HK but because it is; and (b) it has a real emphasis on strength training in a circuit/interval context, and I could use more of that.


What the f##k does it do to my head? I don't have answers here. I'm saying workouts like this provoke that question in me. I mean look at this spreadsheet I f##king went and made. That is not a thing that I 'did for a post'.

I have friends who Do Stuff Seriously, and I've done some stuff seriously over the last few years. And I certainly take my physical regimen and my physical self pretty 'seriously'. But...straight up, honestly, I don't. I mean...I think it's important for me now, and will only get more important as time passes, to both affirm and activate the conviction that I do physical stuff, which I do a lot of!, because I am fundamentally if not exclusively motivated by joy. Plus, perhaps, a general sense that it's good to be healthy and active and moving, much as you can.

There's a whole host of other worthwhile motivations one could name; the last trap I'm going to fall into is pigeon-holing the psychology of people who throw themselves deeply into physical activity of one kind or another. I'm saying for me. And I also don't even mean, for me, to hate on Ursus's approach, here; if I were lucky enough to get an Ursus or Ursus-like place near me, I'm confident I could go a couple times a week and have a good time and not fall into any of the psychological traps I'd be prone to with this.

I'm really just ruminating in and around a thing: why I do fitness the way that I do. Why do you do fitness, the way that you do? (Do you do fitness? You should, some way). What the role of beating yourself is, in something recreational: i.e., something that is not 'your work'. What the role of beating other people is, in such things; I think I'm tabling cases where the point is, at least sometimes, beating someone else or the other team or whatever. I'm talking about the practice of setting up comparative metrics where it's not about winning the game.

Or: what is 'the game'? How do you define it?

Like, what: I don't notice when there's someone in yoga who's crushing it? I do -- and I like it: it's aspirational and inspirational, and makes me feel like I'm in the right class. But just...yeah.

I, me, have to cautious about, I have reservations about, this kind of stuff. For me. Also: I find value and pleasure in this kind of stuff! And also must be cautious about it.


Anyhow. S/b out.