Indigenous Ability

  Why’s the Old Man Smilin’? Cuz he can eat whatever he damn well pleases. And…so can you. Read on… [From the upcoming book Unleaded Conditioning: Old School Principles for the Modern Warrior.] Brace yourselves, we Modern Ones, this one is gonna bruise egos a bit and leave no quarter for excuses. Part 1 of this series can be read here: https://indigenousability.blogspot.com/2025/02/were-they-tougher-in-old-days-work-rate.html For a podcast version of Part 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fTpfVp2wi232k4y5EakVv?si=8eeDrVaRQGSXdWn4FcAJnw The Men and Women that pushed across the American Continent braved harsh environments, tumbling seas in what we would now consider subpar craft were giants. And yet…not literally. Take a visit to any historical museum, be it one of New England Whalers, or the Baltimore Social Dress Display and one is struck by how, well, tiny the preserved clothing is. The clothes from the stays on women’s skirts to the pants sizes of men from Fo...

[Excerpted from our book Boxing Like the Champs Round Two . Available here .] Lou Ambers, a two-time lightweight champion, was born in 1913 in Herkimer, New York, hence one half of his ring name. Lou was one of those fighters who skipped amateur bouts and jumped right into being a pro. Usually without early experience one would suffer with this jump directly to the big leagues as it were, but Mr. Ambers racked up 32 straight victories at the beginning of his career. This pro-jump and success rate did not go unnoticed as he was ranked the 9 th best lightweight contender in 1933 a mere year after getting into the game. Lest we think that he stepped fully formed out of the womb, what Ambers did in place of amateur bouts was potentially a more formidable school of hard knocks. He fought many a “bootleg” fight before his pro debut. This is essentially off-the-books bouts where anyone with heart could be grist for the fight viewing entertainment mill. Mr. Ambers, in the phraseology ...

    Old School Fast Twitch Muscle The Entry ·         You have an approximate 50/50 mix of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers comprising your skeletal muscles. ·         Different muscles [muscle-groups] have different fiber type compositions, meaning the ratio is not a strict 50/50 across the body. ·         For example, your calves and postural muscles tend to have more slow-twitch fibers— Note this fact . ·         The higher ratio of slow-twitch vs. fast-twitch in the calves and postural muscles is one reason we see higher incidence of falls as we age.   Why? ·         Think of anytime you’ve stumbled [or actually fell] that quick involuntary sudden shift of balance and position to get a foot out to prevent the fall, that split-second alteration of the torso/postural musc...