brianmackenzie

[brianmackenzie]

Turns out, having a “disability” might be an advantage. We’ve speculated that we are not really faster, and that technology has played an incredible role in making we human beings seem great (1936 100m vs now: http://bit.ly/2aXQTJA). Back to the drawing board… Thank you @nerdreinvented

[brianmackenzie]

What's wrong with Big Pharma and Medicine? It may not be what you think. The most important thing to understand here is this... It is not the drugs, it is not the band aides that are the issues. It is the fact that they all want you to believe that they can enable your lifestyle choices and buffer off all the terrible shit you want to do to yourself that has consequences so severe that without the drugs, that without their help you will literally die. And we bought in, hook-line-sinker. Sad fact, if you can't live without specific medications (there are legitimate cases, your lazy butt isn't one of them) or interventions without making lifestyle changes you are in for a whirlwind of a suffer fest. We want to believe we are all so different and that life dealt us horrible cards, and for some, this may have truth, but for the vast majority we are covering up the BS of our dysfunctional life and nobody we've surrounded ourselves with is willing to say, no. Our vast majority of doctors have no idea how to treat people but with drugs, and the companies supplying the dope are not concerned with your health. They are all concerned with profit, hence why making a device that can stimulate the vagus nerve (the only way Big Pharma and doctors can make money here), something you can do simply by changing a breathing pattern (simply reduce your breathing to 5 breaths per minute, if that's a chore, try 7). Because they all believe you are so lazy, you are unwilling to deal with your dysfunction (unwilling to learn more) they can capitalize off of this for thousands of dollars out of your pocket and into the doctors and their constituents.... Our health care has nothing to do with health, it has to do with medicine and band-aids which keep you coming back for more. Healthy people don't need doctors unless it's an emergency because doctors don't provide services of health, they provide services of medicine, hence why it's called Medical School, not health.

[brianmackenzie]

Ah, Football. A great place to stand or sit for your rights, in the delusion of one of America's greatest sports/businesses. For the record, I am of the opinion that this man or any man can stand or sit for whatever the hell he/she wants. Even if he was "raised by the man" or he's half black, 1/200 Cherokee, or he's "Whitey Ford Singing the Blues". It matters none, of color or sexuality. I've got a lot of friends who've serve(d), and lots of friends who don't like the current administration or the last, and/or either party that may get elected. Lots of these people currently serving do not have a choice at the end of the day on who they take orders from, good, bad, or indifferent. They gave up that choice for you, and for me, and for the black kid sitting down during the national anthem, or maybe the machine? The irony in this statement is we love to assume that when a dangerous man fights for our country that they are fighting for our version of the system machine. Or they are fighting for our particular view on what patriotism is. They are. The only problem is, they are fighting for good, bad, or indifferent and that means that they are fighting for that white über conservative "Evangelical of enlightened Judeo-Christian" republican, the dirt twirling hippy, the liberal delusional elite democrat, the money hungry capitalist, the bum on first street, the prostitute on camera ("porn is nothing more than legalized prostitution, you just need a buddy w/ a camera" Jim Jeffries), the NRA, PETA, and every other identity crisis we can come up with... They serve ALL of this shit. Including my ever evolving self as well. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.... They serve me. Therefore they serve my view of this spinning rock. And they serve, yours, and yours, and yours, and yours. Or... They serve none of this. Maybe, they are just serving their own view of what they see this country as? I'm curious if any of us has ever really considered or sat down with someone in Special Operations or someone from the front lines of battle and got an in depth view of how they see this country. I use the SpecOp community because this has been a place where I've known most men of war. People who are very different from you or I. People who can handle more stress in an afternoon than you and I will ever see in a lifetime most likely and then come home to pretend it didn't happen, all for the better of you and I? They return home to see what's left of a family, only to leave for 4 months to train again for the next cycle, then leave for 4 months again to some place nobody knows about because "the man" felt it necessary to keep relations with some foreign political figure who's running drugs or guns to a country we like to use as a vacation spot. All the while, this guy who's hunting the boogeyman, because they felt the need to protect the very essence of what makes this country great to them... Not you, nor I. WTF does this have to do with Kyle Kipenbarger or whatever his god damn name is? Nothing, because it DOES NOT matter. You are bored. I am bored (currently inspired to write), and we have found these really boring things to attach ourselves to and comment on the internet about how we think our opinions matter. All the while making heroes or demons out of people who actually are out living and not commenting on superfluous shit on the Internet or TV. "Man jumps out of plane with no parachute into a net." "First female Army Rangers get through selection." "Ryan Lochte lied to Rio police, but he didn't, but man it made a great story."... So when you head to the polls to identify yourself as the greatest version of the "über conservative 'Evagelical of Enlightened Judeo-Christian' republican, the oh so smart liberal delusional elite democrat, or the mighty saviors of 'Merica, libertarians" know this... It's all about me. Me and my tweaked insecure views of what I've insulated myself to view the world as, because God damn if I'm actually thinking about a career of 4 months of training, 4 months of war, and 4 months of trying to keep a family together on a paycheck that couldn't keep Kris Kiperdorf's Maserati running for a week. And for the record, he deserves that Maserati, and every dime he makes. He made his choices and so did you and I. So let's all fuck off, and get busy not worrying about who stood for what, so that you can actually stand for something yourself. And I don't mean standing for you current political party. I mean for YOU and the you that isn't following mommy or daddy's views... Maybe raise your children to understand respect, understand creativity, understand passion, and understand you are entitled to nothing, and will earn everything, and that money, celebrity, or power is not going to make you a better person, it is only going to make the person you already are a bigger version of that, and quite frankly we've got enough rich, famous, powerful douchebags (then again, we've got a lot of poor and middle class douchebags too). So if you think the money, fame or control is going to change that, that is exactly why you need to understand this last statement. The world does not need you to make more, or be more popular, or be in charge. You are the quintessential version of douchebag (ladies too!!!), and we have enough. We need you to understand something far greater. We need to understand self reflection and everything about it. Most importantly how to actually care about ourselves more in that reflection. Because what we hate most in this world is but a reflection of ourselves. Be the person you believe you are! Stop trying to identify yourself as anything other than you. In the end you might learn that Santa Clause isn't real, the Easter Bunny doesn't lay eggs, there is no tooth fairy, your birthday is just another reason to celebrate you, the earth is not flat nor is it the center of our solar system or the universe, we can grow more muscle fiber, particles can and do escape black holes, we don't know how big the universe is and if we are the only one, and that my opinion does NOT matter. If you are so inclined to have an opinion, then by all means, get inspired and write or draw, or create something about it. If you want the world to change stop supplying the system with the feedback loop. There is nothing more frustrating than watching people complain about shit that they are literally partaking in.... Don't worry, the transparency of our behavior will let us know who's been naughty and who's been nice. We are, watching. Go play.

[brianmackenzie]

This weekend only! #Running as you've never seen it, and its constituents. Link in my bio. #Repost @pwrspdendurance ・・・ RUN CLINIC STARTS SATURDAY! This weekend -- Team PSE is bringing you the ONLY Run Performance Clinic to be held on the West Coast in 2016. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Spend two full days with Brian MacKenzie, Human Performance Expert, and PSE Master Trainers learning, studying and applying the principles of Power, Speed and Endurance. This Clinic is an indispensable tool to learn how to effectively train yourself and others in understanding the skill of running and intelligent training. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ This clinic will provide an understanding in running mechanics and functional human movement as a diagnostic tool for sport. In addition to the movement and mechanics material covered at this clinic, attendees will learn about programming, nutrition, recovery (including breath work), mobility, and injury prevention and care. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Register now, link in bio. @iamunscared @jfordfit @nerdreinvented @erincafaro @rachaels_runners @xptlife Photo thanks to @koshairby #everythingiseverything #powerspeedendurance #pse #marathon #marathontraining #marathons #marathonrunning #runner #runnersworld #runhappy #runnerscommunity #instarunners #endurance #endurancetraining #intervaltraining #swimbikerun #triathlontraining #triathlete #triathlon #swimbikerun #trilife #tritraining #ironmantraining #ironmantri #ironman703 #tritraining

[brianmackenzie]

Training people, coaching, human movement, human performance, whatever I do was never a passion. Ever! I had a background in sports. I failed miserably and was a hot mess at many diff jobs (car wash, bus boy, Jet Ski mechanic asst, Restaurant Asst Manager, Insurance, & bum) before I found Exercise Science Program in an Community College program (mind you I had 6yrs of obscure nothing special Ed before I found this) that garnered straight A's and a notion that I was good at something professionally, which is still questionable (😘 for the haters)... Passion is what you do w/ what you find, not something I chose.

[brianmackenzie]

Training systems can be quite dogmatic. No way around that. They can give results for sure, but before cognitive dissonance has its way with you, lets see if this can resonate a bit. In 1912 the 100m sprint was one by a guy who wore baggy shorts, a baggy shirt, unconventional shoes & training, not too mention on a non-specialized track at 10.8 seconds. Usain Bolt and all the technological advances that we've made in 100yrs has a time of 9.58 on specialized track, shoes & training, skin tight spandex, a $20MM a year salary to have any and all the recovery protocols and specialists at his side. And there is not a damn thing wrong with any of it. Just let it sit in. 1.3 sec difference in 100yrs. Roger Banister broke the 4:00 mile on a shite track while in medical school... Why did that record drop so fast after that? What was impossible became possible? This analogy could be used for cycling and even looking at the great Miguel Indurain vs Lance Armstrong... Drugs or not Indurain had no access to the technology, medical, recovery, and equipment today's riders do. He won 5 Tour de France's and regardless of what the UCI says Armstrong 7 with a team that would die for him. Skateboarding, Snowboarding, Surfing, BMX, Moto, and anything else in the extreme/XGames market in the span of 10yrs in any of those sports has made evolutions so great, most can't really be quantified. While technological advancements have changed a lot for some of these sports most in the last 20yrs though are pretty much man (meaning man & woman) pushing its limits of understanding what is possible. From the McTwist to 1080's, triple back flips on a motorcycle, forward flips, reverse alley-oops, 720 gazelle flip to shit I don't even understand... It really is tough to be equated! Why? When there is no limit to what we do, when the dogma of coaches, "ideas" and programs is discarded and vulnerability is a way of life. You can't imagine what is possible. Imagine that.

[brianmackenzie]

Can you show competence in a jump (bounce)? If the knees touch (or we see them come together) we need to adjust. The landing (deceleration) and jumping (acceleration -> bounce) are the speed (skill) portion of moving. The mapping of your neural network (motor patterns) will tell us your bodies level of understanding this. It is nothing more than the language you speak. If the knee shoots medially (-><-) we are not integrated through the structure (bones/joints) for support. We are literally and figuratively hanging off the "meat" (tissue: muscle/tendon/ligaments) for support... Which does not allow us to set up an optimal position to actually "bounce"/run/jump/fall in. If you run, walk, jump, fall, squat, deadlift, clean, snatch... Or, you are human this is as simple as it gets to rewire the pattern. Learn to bounce connected to your body weight. Use this as a warm up, a cool down, an in-between-er between sets of things to reinforce this position. The more interesting pieces surround this are that if we are in our heels (toes are no longer connected through ground, toe lift), land on our heels (heel striking, loaded) you have no real way of generating the torsion/torque needed for this pattern. You simply are balancing on your calcaneus bone and fat pad for a brief period of time searching for a stable position, only to find an end range of the tissue. All the while we are just getting better at compensation vs just being connected through our bodies. Just another reason why we should not be loaded up through our heels.

[brianmackenzie]

SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE, ONE WEEK FROM YESTERDAY! Join us for our Virginia Breathing + Performance Clinic at @crossfitvirginiabeach next Saturday, April 30. Link on our website and FB page. The ability to breathe is something that most people take for granted until they are in a situation when breathing becomes difficult. Whether its induced by stress or health issues, restricted by water or metabolic capacity, all of us have been to that place where we realize we are limited by our ability to breathe. What if you could learn how to be a better breather and open up more athletic, health and all around wellness as a result? #powerspeedendurance #pse #everythingiseverything #breathemotherfucker @iamunscared @trainingmask #Repost @pwrspdendurance

[brianmackenzie]

Too much food, too little moving, too convenient. Strictly Theory. Based on some history and what little I understand through mostly experience. The diet of the future works like this: there will be a certain period of time that you will have to make use of specific foods. These foods will include; plants and animals. You may choose to eat more or one or none of one. There may only be an abundance of one of these too which you won't fret about bc when it comes time for the other, you'll enjoy it that much more... You will figure out the ancient art of fermentation and how to store specific foods based on some crazy biological processes. The ideological belief that one outweighs the other is the great voodoo mind trick we've played on ourselves called "letting el ego run wild". Plants will grow and or produce edible things (nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies, etc) at a specific time dependent on a series of events that we as humans don't fully understand (yes one of these things is sun light). Animals will graze on said plants (mostly specific to what they can and can't eat, which means they will need to travel to find food), and will ebb and flow from place to place, and if we don't respect that they have a specific cycle to breeding and living well, we will most likely drive them to extinction. Respect will come from many angles, where it won't come from is telling one group what they are doing is wrong, and what you are doing is right (insert terrorism here). Instead it will be a sharing of "secrets". We'd love to believe it's all dependent on things we understand but the fact is if the Sun farts a plume of radiation at us from its ESE side that picks up on some gravitational wave kicked off of some quasar that could make some changes in our atmosphere by the time it reaches us (this is absolute conjecture... But maybe not. Smile). Our own planet could kick out an earthquake so devastating that we could shift our planetary tilt. Changing the seasons a bit... Blame me, I pee'd on some chick from my tree fort when I was 15 and I'm sure that trickles down to this (true story, not conjecture). That said we could continue to use up water and fossil fuels to burn things and raise acidity of planet and do some similar shit that other things do naturally as well (insert super volcano here), which inevitably will speed up the process of things that require every species to adapt or die much quicker (insert every documentary ever done on blaming man for global warming here, but failing to provide real solutions. Stop the blame. Everyone is guilty of destroying this place. Everyone! You threw out trash today, you shit on the planet. Being angry about any of this is only a reactive ego problem and you're angry because the previous statement is the truth, and we are all to blame including you. Yes, even you hippy who shits in his hand and lays it in his garden... You still needed to wash your hands to do that, self righteous prick). Regardless of what "truth" you see, and there are quite a few my fun loving "believers" and "non-believers", you will need to adapt. If you don't, it's okay. Nobody is getting out alive. You don't need to prolong you're suffering (a choice). We will come up with some interesting shit along the way, and I've bought into most of it too. From taking a pill to prolong a life entangled in suffering (a choice), to eating the same thing everyday because they have a drive-thru (a choice), to sitting at your desk and giving in to the comfort of tucking your hip under, making an ass out of your low back (a choice), to wanting to run a marathon, and destroying your knees only to blame running, of which you were never really running in the first place. It was more like relentless-broken-forward-motion (a choice)... And yet it all comes down to one thing. WTF do you feel? If you're not happy, let's start looking at why. Instead of shutting down a bunch a neural networks with meds for the next 20yrs. Only to find out those were the connections I needed to understand some of my solutions. Making them more important than I thought (not a doctor, so if you're on meds, discuss with one about other solutions. There is far more to this than my lame statements). If you've got constant diarrhea, putting on excessive weight, skin issues, heart burn... Let's stop eating for convenience. Starving people don't have food allergies. Connect some dots here and start varying up your choices and dependency on time of eating. Let's eat actual things that were alive or have an excessive amount of good bacterias that follow them.... Fermented, alive, breaks down = natural. If your back hurts, it's not because you have a bad back, and even if you do, I know plenty of kids with scoliosis and amputees who don't have back pain or don't complain or need to use up tax dollars for some shit they could of fixed by paying attention to one of natures greatest gifts... PAIN! If it is painful, change it. If you can't breath while doing it, change it. If you don't, you will compensate for it, then you will suffer because of it (a choice). I know. I know. Of course all of this was actually once a way of life. There were some really shitty things that happened throughout history and although there has never really been from my understanding of history (and I speak not of George Washington history taught in school, I speak of the things that were left out. The rapes, the murders, enslavement, torture, racism, terrorism, dictators, etc etc... Real education.) that was roses and peaches, there is plenty to learn. Of course we could just let nature takes it course here and wipe out the weak?

[brianmackenzie]

The correlation is not a coincidence. It is synonymous. An unstable hip, is an unstable hip. The simplest way for identifying these problems is.... Wait for it... Moving. Top pics are examples of a hip that is not supporting the leg (unstable). Knee is slightly medial, and arch is most likely collapsed (yes, if you have no arch, there is direct relationship to your hip not properly working). Bottom pics show a much more stable hip. Knee is almost slightly lateral, and there is an arch in the foot. Hence seeing a much stronger or much more stable looking and feeling of position. Not all solutions are the same though! Maybe it's simply understanding and reinforcing an optimal position through skill development. Maybe it is actually developing a squat. Maybe it's using several different diagnostic tools in order to understand stability, motor-control, mobility, or just fatigue. Doesn't matter, if you're working with others, or if you care about you enough, you are the solution in understanding what feels like a good position or bad position. We could use cycling, and a deadlift, or swimming, paddling and a press... And maybe we will. Maybe we will.... #powerspeedendurance

[brianmackenzie]

If it can read wattage in real time, our 6 week @assaultairbike program can help build your “Engine”. Based 100% on your numbers, this is the most accurate way to measure any work. #Cycling has long worked in this manner as reality is 300 Watts downhill is 300 Watts uphill. There is no free lunch but there is a variable way to improve all that “Fitting” you’re doing. Link to program -> http://bit.ly/AB6W123 *FYI SoCal/Orange County Area kids - We will be holding a 3 day per week Endurance Building course at @eaglewingcrossfit in the very near future that will have a testing week every 6 weeks to re-evaluate your performance based on all of this. This will be available to the public for a small fee too. Suffer together! (at EagleWing Crossfit)

[brianmackenzie]

Imagination can be the curator of all that is great in this world. It can also be the most destructive force we ever have. An imagination that is free to create and devoid of the illusions fear can present is what creation is about... Living. Whether it be a painting, sculpture, playing an instrument, how you run a trail, or dive in water... It is limitless. When we embrace the fears, and let our minds wander into a void that has us too scared to move, to leave our house, to try something new, to reach out, to control our kids, wives, husbands, or even keeps you out of a plane or even water, we have allowed our imaginations to overtake life. We become grounded and unable to believe the realities outside the fear loop our minds are creating... We are not living, and are therefore vicariously living through media, and gossip to direct us on what great, or even extreme things other people are doing thinking we would never be able to do this ourselves. Yet, the answer is so easy, which makes it so difficult... Stop living in the mind and act on your fears. Let your imagination be your action. #unscared

[brianmackenzie]

Other than modus operandi, not much.

[brianmackenzie]

Ahh, the garden hose! If you were born before 1985 (give or take) you might remember this was where your water came from. A number of things cross my mind and come up in conversations quite frequently that remind me how simple things really were and are. It seems to me the only time we started really caring about how much we need to hydrate was when we needed to go to the store to get the same thing we got out of a hose or faucet. Yeah, I'm well aware that water quality is quite different from the bottle vs the faucet.... But would it have been had we demanded better water supplies go into place? The irony here is right around the same time in sports a lot of companies were starting to make a great deal of money selling high GI carbohydrate infused salt water with prescriptions on when to take. Know what happens when you drink sugar water w/ salt (See quoted study below pic on more addictive properties surrounding sugar water)? Insulin spikes and things get shuttled into cells rather quickly. Including, you may have guessed it, hydration/water. Then the crash, of which we all know. The odd thing about that crash is our need for more sugar/salt to maintain energy, but that we need more water. Of course I could be wrong, and the fact that every single person I know who eats clean, is fat adapted and trains has never worried or discussed how much they actually need to hydrate, ever. And that my friends is a lot of people.

[brianmackenzie]

Boo boo got some swelling? Want to see exactly why @themarcpro works. Inflammation murderer. Find the bulkiest tissue surround the area, set on low intensity, and turn up between 5-9 intensity.

[brianmackenzie]

On Monday October 5, we will OPEN limited spots to a 1 day Breathing Performance Camp at our private facility for October 24, 0900-1500. Things to expect (camp cost covers) - 1 @trainingmask w/ best practices and mechanical advantages, understanding position through the breath, exercises and warm up protocols used with and without the TM, training with the TM, better breathing practices, breathing advantages, and techniques for better performance and over all health. This is a limited deal, and limited space. #breathe #breathemotherfucker #airspace @trainingmask @athletecell @unscaredinc @erincafaro @mobilitywod @bryanediaz @nerdreinvented

[brianmackenzie]

Sugar, quite possibly is the leading cause of disease and disfunction we see from a health standpoint in the course of the last 200yrs. Making it public enemy number one. Most who will read this, have a basic understanding of this. From Vegans, to Paleo, now even the First Lady gets it. Sugar bad, real food good. Hell, the medical community is even jumping on the bandwagon. See, we can all get along.

Our bodies absorb sugar fast! Think racing fuel, but don’t get hung up on the analogy as racing cars don’t last long. This product comes in many different forms. Sucrose, fructose, dextrose, glucose, etc… Each of these types of carbohydrates has a commonality. They absorb fast and shuttle things into the cells by raising insulin levels. One of the more important things shuttled is hydration (among several other things). Another is it helps add mass to tissue if ingested post workout. Hence why so many products have these ingredients. They are a fast way to get things done. It is no surprise that they are cheap and fueled by a shit ton of ca$h.

People are becoming more and more aware that food is the gateway to health. Some won’t have that ability based on the information being provided in the areas they live, and when you live below the poverty line, guess what costs less money to eat? Real food or cheap processed foods that use carbohydrate sources like the above mentioned. Subsidized corn farm anyone? Sad as it can be, it isn’t real food once it’s been processed. Yet id bet, most people reading this know this and eat a fairly complete diet that is made of real food. After all we exist in the 1% of the population that does not need to really understand that sugar and simple carbohydrates are bad. Right? Oh yeah…

If simple carbohydrates are something you don’t mess with in your everyday life, what leads most athletes to believe this creates a hall pass to using them in supplements? Is it the marketing? Is it “gains”? Think about this, animals in natural environments don’t eat any of these things. Yes, they sure as shit would lap up a doughnut if it were available… Key word, available.

What happens after we ingest something like a doughnut (yes, I have)? “It tastes so good when it hits my lips”, then about 30min to 1hr later, crash? Ever drink a Coke? Same thing, except add caffeine. This is exactly how it works if training or competing. Hence why you’ll need to take something like a fructose (or whatever simple sugar you’ve ingested. The body uses the fastest absorbing thing first) gel every 45min or so… What goes up (shuttles hydration and raises blood sugar, insulin), goes down! And so the cycle begins… Yo, yo. Constant refueling of hydration, and of energy. But you’re an athlete, and training makes you healthy… So you can eat sugar because it gives you bigger muscles quicker and allows you to race longer and even stay hydrated more. Or does it? This is something you need to answer yourself, and if you’re in the game of “I train so I can do cheat meals”, you’ve got bigger problems than sugar.

The question is this… If you wouldn’t eat it normally everyday, why would you “supplement” it? A supplement by definition is to provide something you are lacking. Are you lacking sugar? One of the leading causes of dysfunction in sport is “the bonk” (blood sugar crash, hypoglycemia). Fact: things that bonk are liabilities. Nothing in nature bonks. If it does it dies. We seem to believe the same things responsible for creating metabolic syndrome/diabetes/obesity won’t have the same reaction because we workout.

Think about that.