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eddycurrents · 6 years

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Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus - Chapter Two

Story: Mike Mignola | Art: Jason Armstrong | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins

Originally published by Dark Horse in Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #2 | October 2007

Collected in Lobster Johnson - Volume 1: The Iron Prometheus

Plot Summary:

The Lobster and Sacks raid Memnan Saa’s warehouse to rescue the Professor and his daughter.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)

pg. 1 - I just love Jason Armstrong’s style. The shadows and shapes are just incredible, perfectly capturing the noir feel of the story.

pg. 3 - Surprise assassins.

pg. 4-6 - That suit sure is powerful. I very much like how Armstrong and Dave Stewart are showing the effect of its power by dropping out the colour to white. It’s a nice use of negative space to show the electricity.

pg. 7 - I think it’s interesting that the assassins were all burnt to a crisp and/or vaporized, whereas as the Lobster is barely even singed. Makes you wonder if that coat’s made of something other than just leather.

Also, love Sacks blundering.

pg. 9 - Establishing this as somewhere further along in the Lobster’s career, with already existing villains is interesting. Although this is the first appearance to us of Doctor Waxman, it gives the world an already lived-in feel with history.

There was also some of this in the first issue, but I love the overlap Clem Robins gives here for the word balloons to tie together some of the reaction and reveal panels. Some of it is probably due to space given, but it still adds a nice cohesion to the dialogue and art.

pg. 10 - There’s always Nazis.

pg. 11 - I think Jim’s being messed with.

Also, this sequence and the Nazi cyborg guy remind me of who else Jason Armstrong’s style reminds me of, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon.

pg. 13 - It’s Liz’s unfriendly neighbourhood vague guy!

pg. 14-17 - The intercutting between the Lobster’s battle with Nazi cyborg guy and Sacks being taken out by Liz’s vague guy is neat. Also, the Dracula eye-lighting effect for Memnan Saa is a nice nod to old film techniques for villains.

pg. 18 - Waxman’s fate is interesting.

pg. 19 - Mignola’s really pushing Memnan Saa as weird mysterious guy with motivations and machinations all his own. An antagonist, certainly, but not committing him to outright villainy as of yet.

pg. 20 - Again, I love the change here for the flashbacks. Not just the colour wash, but the border change. It’s a really nice visual shorthand.

pg. 22 - Impressive explosion.

pg. 23 - It would have been a pretty short series if that took out the title character at the onset. Though, you do have to wonder how he keeps surviving these things.

pg. 24 - Neat summation of the in-universe history of the “real” Lobster Johnson and his fictionalized stories in the pulps. It lends further credence to the story that Tom Manning told about him just being a pulp hero and radio drama back in Conqueror Worm.

Final Thoughts:

Actions that don’t go swimmingly seem to be a recurring theme all throughout the Hellboy universe. Hellboy himself oftentimes gets beaten up and the plot turns sour, Roger and Abe Sapien have had the tar beaten out of them, and now Lobster Johnson gets exploded. Kind of. I’m still impressed by how much of a beating the Lobster seems to be able to take. It also reinforces that things don’t always go so well for the characters, so don’t necessarily expect a happy ending.

It’s also interesting that the vague creepy guy that has been haunting Liz’s dreams and nightmares for a while now gets his full reveal here in Lobster Johnson. I suppose there’s still a sense of mystery carrying over in BPRD, and if you’re not reading the broader universe, you’d not necessarily have had that connection made, but it’s still a neat sign of the interconnectedness of the various titles.

d. emerson eddy has been electrocuted before, but he has not been blown up.

#Give 'em Hellboy #Hellboy #Lobster Johnson #The Iron Prometheus #Mike Mignola #Jason Armstrong #RaisingHellboy #73

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macaronis-telegraph · 6 years

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This is a part of a story that I started writing and never finished about 3-4 years ago. I still really enjoy the characters from this (they have so much baggage oh my gosh and I’m actually really proud of the development I managed to take them on throughout what I wrote), so I was re-reading parts of it and really wanted to share. Be prepared for some angst if you read on.

This particular scene would’ve taken place towards the end of their story:

“Well, I thought I’d come across you here.”

Slate stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of this voice, dropping Montgomery’s hand. Montgomery stumbled forward, catching himself, startled by the sudden halt in movement.

Across the way from where they now stood was Abe, silently chuckling to himself, Liz standing nearby..

“Slate- I’m-” Liz stuttered, trying to express that she wasn’t on Abe’s side.

“Shut up.” Were the only two words that escaped Slate’s mouth.

Slate felt his blood run cold. How long until the police showed up? He didn’t have time to deal with Abe… He felt stiff, hesitant to move, despite his eyes darting around, trying to pick the easiest escape route. There. Slate jolted, about to burst off again through the trees, even forgetting to take Montgomery with him.

He didn’t get far. Slate had only taken one step before he felt a hand wrap around his wrist. He turned to see Montgomery clutching his wrist, otherwise frozen with fear, his eyes held on the boy across the way.

“You should listen to your friend there more often.” Abe’s voice rang out through the still air.

Slate took this opportunity to join Montgomery in looking at Abe. And now, Slate too froze up. Abe’s arm was extended, a loaded gun sat in his hand. Liz slowly backed away from the armed man, the panic in her eyes extending through the dark.

“Abe please. Put that away.” She stammered, barely getting the words out as she continued to back up. “Please. This isn’t necessary.”

Abe tilted his head to look at the girl. “Aw, come on babe. Stop playing games with me. You said you hated him too.”

Liz raised her voice out of panic as she spoke, “Yeah, sure, I guess he can be a pain in the ass at times, but that doesn’t mean-”

“See? There - you said it.” Abe looked back over at Slate, his eyes crazed.

Montgomery felt his senses heighten as the world seemed to slow. The cold night air, the sounds of sirens in the distance, the sound of his own panicked breathing, the murderous lust that poured off of Abe’s being. Montgomery glanced at Slate. He was still frozen in place, his brain not quite processing the situation he was in, his eyes still looking for ways to run.

“Anyways, he deserves it.” The words were followed by a deafening bang, and shouts, coming from Liz. She had thrown herself towards Abe, an attempt to knock the gun out of his hand, but to no luck.

Montgomery acted without thinking, turning and stepping towards Slate…

As soon as the moment, started, it was over, accented by the sounds of footsteps pressing into the grass and twigs, disappearing off into the distance.

“Mont- Montgomery? Hey - hey, talk to me buddy.” Montgomery had fallen forward, his face landing against Slate’s chest. Slate wrapped his arms around him, and gently brought himself down to a kneeling position. Slate could feel his own heartbeat stop as his fingers touched wet fabric against Montgomery’s back. “Hey… Monty?”

A small groan came from the boy resting up against Slate’s body.

A wave of relief came over Slate - Montgomery was alive, if only barely. We need to stop the bleeding. His thoughts came to him loud, and soon he was unconsciously speaking them. “We need to… I need to stop the bleeding.” Slate glanced over Montgomery’s shoulder as he continued to mutter to himself, spotting the source of the blood on the boy’s back. He wasn’t sure what else to do other than to press the heel of his palm over the wound.

This action caused another weak groan to escape Montgomery.

“Hang in there… hang in there please. You’re all I have.” Slate didn’t even notice the tears pouring down his own face.

Liz sat in the dirt, on her hands and knees, staring at the ground. A few feet away was the gun, carelessly dropped on the ground as Abe had made his exit. Liz couldn’t bring herself to look at it or anything in the scene around her. Her mind raced, hoping that she didn’t touch the gun - she couldn’t bare to be accused of this. She would break. She saw herself as guilty enough, alerting Abe of the boy’s location. It was all her fault…

The sirens in the distance had grown significantly louder, the sounds of running footsteps got closer and closer. Slate still muttered nonsense as he tried to keep Montgomery alive. Liz still stared at the ground, wishing for the world to vanish.

“PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!”

Liz couldn’t even tell what direction the sound was coming from, but she threw her arms into the air all the same. It was this action that forced her to see the scene in front of her. All that registered was the blood.

Three officers ran into the area, guns out and energy high. One stood next to Liz, keeping an eye on her as the others went to deal with Slate and Montgomery.

Slate’s hands were still pressed into Montgomery’s back, ignoring their previous request. If he noticed the officer standing before him, he failed to acknowledge it. Guns were pointed at Slate as he was told to stand up and step away from the injured boy. The only movement he made was one of the head, looking up towards the officer, his mind ticking away, working out his next move. Unwanted tears were still streaming down his face.

One of the officers, a female, gestured to the other to put away his gun. She took in a deep breath, unsure of how to judge the silver haired boy. He was for sure the criminal they were after, but in this moment, she acknowledged that he was nothing more than a teenage boy who was scared for his friend. She crouched down before them, her words still coming across harsh.

“Let go of your friend - give him to me. I can help him.”

Slate hesitantly loosened his grip on Montgomery, and the female officer took Montgomery into her arms. She looked back at the officer who was with Liz, their eye contact communicating that he had already contacted back up, and an ambulance.

Slate felt a grip on his upper arm, and he was suddenly yanked into a standing position, and in one swift motion, rings of metal were locked around his wrists.

The man who was holding onto Slate spoke to his partners. “I’m taking this one back. Boyd - wait with Kerrigan until back up gets here, then take the girl back to the station.”

The man gave Slate a slight push to encourage him to start walking. Instead, Slate finally found a vocalization for his tears.

“d-Don’t… don’t… he didn’t do anything. Don’t do anything to him! He’s not guilty of anything… he-he was just trying to help me, help me get better… be better?” His loud sobs almost made him incoherent. “Shit that bullet was supposed to be for me just… just-just don’t let him die! Don’t… don’t let him die… he didn’t do nothing wrong…”

The man pushed him once again, and got Slate to walk. “We hear ya’ kid, we hear ya’.” He spoke nonchalantly as he took Slate off to his car.

Ambulance sirens began to roar as the vehicle got closer.

Liz looked up at the man standing near her, trying to clear the image of Slate’s sorry state out of her mind. Her brain felt like she had just been electrocuted - everything was so vivid, yet so fuzzy, at the same time.

The officer was standing over the gun that lay on the floor, staring at it.

“S-sir?” Liz spoke up to him, “There was another guy here… before… uh… he ran…” She wasn’t sure of the words to say. Her eyes fell back to the ground. She felt like she’d messed up.

“Yeah, we figured.” The officer spoke in reply. “We’re getting a team to go after him.”

#If anyone wants to ask me questions I'd love to ramble about these characters #whump #oc #my ocs #writing #writeblr #writers #hurt/comfort #fiction #old stuff #old story #my characters #original character #original characters #story #whumpblr

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doggonneit · 7 years

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The Last Red Scribble | Part 1/2

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Pairing/Characters: Kuroo/Tsukishima

Rating: T for Teen

Warnings: Single Parent AU

A.N. This is a part of the KuroTsuki Gift Exchange 2017, written for @moonislander on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy!

Italics is Tsukishima. Bold is Kuroo.

[Read on AO3]

Monday PM

(2:33) I’m about to slam my head into the wall. (2:33) Tobio got into another fight. (2:34) He’s fucking five, how does he keep picking fights.

(2:35) what a champ

(2:35) What the fuck, Akiteru. (2:35) You’re not supposed to say that.

(2:36) wrong number bud but legit (2:36) tobios got a future in cage fighting (2:36) whos tobio

(2:38) Oh, sorry. Wrong number.

(2:40) well dont leave me hanging (2:40) i need to know who to put my money on in the future

(2:41) Don’t make this weirder than it already is.

(2:41) :)))))

(2:42) Tobio’s my son.

(2:43) are you an old man (2:43) is that why you started texting me (2:44) STRANGER DANGER STRANGER DANGER

(2:45) What the fuck, no. (2:46) I messed up my brother’s new number. (2:46) Evidently.

(2:46) eviDENTly (2:47) arent you all smart and proper (2:47) thats how i like em

(2:49) Are you seriously flirting with me over text? (2:49) You don’t know stranger danger at all. (2:50) I don’t have time for this.

(2:53) :((((( (2:55) come back

(2:56) I have to deal with my son.

(2:56) what an adulty adult (2:57) tell tobio hes a fucken champ

Tuesday AM

(7:22) sooo (7:22) i know your brothers name and your sons name (7:22) but not your name

(7:25) …

(7:25) hint hint

(7:26) Have you seen the latest stranger danger campaign? (7:26) It’s got your face all over it.

(7:27) you think youre being funny but my mates crack jokes about my ugly mug making children cry (7:28) would tobio cry if he ever saw me

(7:30) He doesn’t even know what you look like.

(7:31) *image attached*

(7:34) I really don’t have time for this. I’m getting Tobio ready for school.

(7:35) if life were a party youd be the clown that sucks all the fun away (7:35) XP

(7:36) Why are you making that face?

(7:36) you hurt my feelings so im sticking my tongue out at you

(7:38) No-one uses that emoji for hurt feelings.

(7:39) i just did (7:39) XP (7:39) oh look i just did it again (7:39) XP (7:39) and again look at me go

(7:42) All right, all right, I’ll ask. (7:44) Tobio says you look like you killed a cat.

(7:44) how does someone even look like that (7:44) your son needs glasses (7:45) what do you think then (7:45) smouldering eyes wicked grin (7:45) admit it im pretty

(7:46) Yeah, pretty atrocious. (7:46) What’s with that hair?

(7:47) HI THIS IS KUROOS BEST FREIDN FOERVER BOKUTO PLS DONT METNION HIS BEHDEAD IT MAKES HM SELF CONSCOIUS

(7:47) Aww. Is Kuroo sulking now?

(7:47) sajfkdsjp (7:47) asdffhajlkkasdfghijkl

(7:48) I feel like I should be concerned. (7:50) I am actually concerned.

(7:51) how do i get rid of a body

(7:51) What.

(7:51) how do i (7:51) get rid of (7:51) a body

(7:51) Cook him and serve him to the police who knock on your door asking for his whereabouts.

(7:52) babe thats brilliant (7:52) youre a committed accomplice now

(7:52) On a scale of 1-10, how often do you hit on nameless and faceless strangers over the phone?

(7:52) 1 (7:53) its only ever been you (7:53) *heart emoji*

(7:53) I’m flattered.

(7:53) we have a dilemma (7:54) you know my name and my face (7:54) ive lost the advantage (7:54) who are you o mysterious phone man

(7:54) You really want to know?

(7:55) yes!!

(7:55) Well (7:55) My name is (7:55) *middle finger emoji*

(7:56) i am (7:56) fucking betrayed (7:56) my own accomplice

(7:57) :)))))

Wednesday PM

(4:17) *image attached* (4:17) fight gloves for tobio when he grows up lololol

(4:20) Don’t even joke about that.

(4:21) did he get into another fight (4:21) whatd he do steal another kids party pie

(4:22) He ruined someone’s sandcastle.

(4:22) that punk

(4:22) He also threw the bucket at their head and made them cry.

(4:23) holy shit (4:23) i know you cant see but im pissing myself laughing

(4:23) That’s the second time this month. (4:24) Is he going for a new record? How concerned should I be? (4:24) I should ask my brother for advice.

(4:24) okay but in all seriousness (4:25) dont kids usually act out because theyre upset about things

(4:26) Yep.

(4:26) you sound like you know whats going on

(4:27) Yep.

(4:27) is the thing not an easy fix

(4:28) Tobio can’t exactly move back into his old neighbourhood and old school.

(4:28) ohhh (4:28) i get that totally been there (4:29) though that happened to me in middle school so i handled it differently

(4:30) You mean you didn’t stomp on sandcastles and throw buckets at people’s heads? (4:30) Shocking.

(4:31) real mature of me ayy (4:31) but its chill tobio just needs time to adjust

(4:32) He’s been living with me for four months already.

(4:33) hes trying to survive a new environment (4:33) go easy on him

(4:35) All good and well until he accidentally kills one of his classmates.

(4:35) what could he possibly do (4:35) nah dont answer that

(4:36) You’re not inspiring much confidence right now.

(4:37) okay hows this (4:38) the most dangerous thing in a school is a pencil (4:38) if he stabs it through someones eye (4:38) what are the chances of a five year old having that good of an aim

(4:39) We could be surprised.

(4:40) lets give tobio the benefit of the doubt (4:40) have i brought your fears to rest or nah

(4:50) You’re interesting to talk to, I’ll give you that.

(4:50) is that why youve kept talking to me despite the anonymous and rather suspicious nature of our relationship

(4:50) Sure.

(4:51) *heart eyes emoji*

Thursday PM

(6:44) ive been thinking

(6:46) Make sure you give yourself a break every ten minutes. We wouldn’t want to strain your mental capabilities.

(6:47) hush child i got something to say (6:47) about tobio sort of

(6:48) I’m listening.

(6:49) so yesterdays conversation made me go all introspective (6:49) and if all tobios doing is throwing things (6:50) the lil guy will go far in life (6:50) i mean when i was five i was eating sand

(6:51) Congratulations, you just tripped over the lowest bar society set for its most basic standards.

(6:51) savage i love it (6:52) bokuto just called me a masochist (6:52) he doesnt even know what that means i bet he learned it from akaashi

(6:54) … (6:55) Who’s Akaashi?

(6:55) the most beautiful man to grace the earth and bokutos boyfriend (6:55) im not even kidding his face was sculpted by gods (6:56) *image attached*

(6:57) Wow.

(6:57) exactly (6:57) no one knows how bokuto snagged him (6:58) my moneys on witchcraft

(6:59) Have a little more faith in your Best Freidn Foerver.

(6:59) hes my best bro but he does NOT have that much game

(6:59) You misspelled Best Freidn Foerver.

(7:00) all right he types like an electrocuted toddler (7:00) hes there for me during the good bad and ugly (7:00) and i support him 100% (7:01) but theres no logical explanation for how he got akaashi

(7:01) Maybe he has charm.

(7:02) gasp (7:02) babe (7:02) did you just imply i dont have any charm

(7:03) I didn’t say anything of the sort but it’s an apt description.

(7:03) you really are a savage (7:04) totally my type just saying

(7:05) For all you know I’m a sixty year old man with whiskers and a pot belly.

(7:05) im a personality kinda guy anyway (7:05) so what do you look like

(7:07) Shh.

(7:07) ?

(7:07) Can you hear that?

(7:07) ??

(7:08) Stranger danger.

(7:08) DUDE COME ON (7:08) or are you actually a sixty year old man with whiskers and a pot belly (7:08) because no judgement if you are

(7:10) *image attached*

(7:11) holy shit (7:11) HOLYS HIT (7:11) AJGSFAJKALHHJKKKLLLL

(7:13) Uh. (7:14) Hello? (7:15) Are you there? (7:18) I’m actually kind of worried now.

(7:20) Hi, this is Akaashi. Kuroo’s fine; he’s muttering to himself on the floor. (7:21) Something about being sculpted by gods and touched by angels?

(7:22) What the fuck.

(7:22) Nice selfie :)

Friday PM

(9:28) arms (9:28) abs (9:28) legs (9:28) sore

(9:31) Do I really want to know? (9:31) No, I don’t.

(9:32) :( (9:32) i experienced life death and hell all in the same day

(9:33) Now I can’t not know.

(9:33) i had vball training for a match next week and it was torture (9:33) and when we thought it was done no (9:34) we had practice matches with alumni and it was torture round two (9:34) then i had coaching which i usually love (9:34) but the kids kept spiking balls at me (9:35) 10 POINTS IF YOU HIT HIS BODY 50 POINTS IF YOU HIT HIS HEAD 100 POINTS IF YOU HIT HIS NOSE

(9:36) You play volleyball?

(9:37) thats all you took from that

(9:37) I used to play volleyball in high school.

(9:37) wait are you serious (9:37) what position??

(9:38) Middle blocker.

(9:38) me too!! (9:38) what are the chances of us both playing vball and being middle blockers (9:39) this is destiny i feel it

(9:40) That was another lifetime ago lol.

(9:40) once a vball player always a vball player (9:40) how tall are you

(9:41) 195cm, why?

(9:43) 195 and yOU DONT PLAY VBALL (9:43) this is a crime (9:44) tell me tobio plays vball

(9:45) I... don’t think he’s ever tried it?

(9:46) the outrage (9:46) how could you (9:47) i just felt my heart crack (9:47) oohhh the pain

(9:47) Poor baby. Want me to kiss it better?

(9:47) i (9:47) ijakl

(9:48) ?? (9:50) Did you disappear on me again. (9:50) This seems to be a growing trend.

(9:51) Hi, this is Akaashi again. Kuroo is currently incapacifjskkl (9:51) WAHT DID U DO TO MY BSET FREIND FOREBER WHYS HE ALL RED N CHOKN ON HIS WORSD

(9:52) Oh. (9:52) Scroll up.

(9:52) OHO (9:53) OHOHO

Saturday AM

(11:10) my mates wont stop laughing at me (11:10) i live in a house of dicks (11:11) cant even escape them theyre on my team (11:11) i blame you

(11:15) Sucks to be you lol.

(11:15) are you taking pleasure in my pain

(11:15) It sounds wrong when you put it that way.

(11:15) ;) (11:16) i’m still upset though (11:16) make me feel better?

(11:17) You seem to think I possess the ability to feel pity. (11:17) I don’t.

(11:18) you know what you do possess (11:18) the ability to feel annoyance (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) is it annoying yet (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) ! (11:18) !

(11:19) ALL RIGHT, STOP.

(11:19) victory

(11:20) What do you want.

(11:17) whats your name

(11:17) Are you serious.

(11:17) i wanna know

(11:18) You reek of desperation.

(11:18) not gonna change my mind

(11:19) …

(11:19) wanna do the whole !!! thing again

(11:21) Fine. (11:21) You’ll ask politely.

(11:21) dom huh (11:21) im into that (11:22) will you pretty please with a cherry on top tell me what your name is

(11:22) N (11:22) O (11:22) *heart emoji*

(11:24) i cant believe (11:24) how could you (11:24) youre so mean

(11:24) :)))))

(11:25) shouldve expected it (11:25) do you always play with peoples hearts like this

(11:25) I enjoy jerking you around. You make some pretty good entertainment.

(11:26) glad to be of service :’)

(11:26) I suppose I could throw you a bone.

(11:26) im not falling for it this time

(11:26) Tsukishima.

(11:27) …

(11:27) My name is Tsukishima.

(11:27) it is (11:27) up down left right with you

(11:27) Disappointed?

(11:28) NEVER WITH YOU (11:28) TSUKKIIII

(11:28) No. (11:28) Do not.

(11:28) i love your name its beautiful like you

(11:29) I revoke your right to say my name ever again.

(11:29) TSUKKIIII (11:29) *heart eyes emoji*

(11:32) I have never regretted anything more in my life.

Sunday PM

(3:24) You said you have a volleyball match next week, right?

(3:28) is this a dream (3:28) are you actually texting me first

(3:29) Miracles abound today.

(3:29) yeah i have a match next week why

(3:29) I mentioned it to Tobio and he got really excited. (3:30) He made me explain everything. I spent hours talking about rules and moves.

(3:30) i knew that kid had the vball genes in him

(3:30) I even dug up some old practice tapes from high school. (3:31) He’s obsessed with setting.

(3:31) hed get along with my setter (3:31) that arrogant ass (3:31) i love him though

(3:32) *image attached*

(3:33) what… is that

(3:33) Tobio’s lack of artistic talent.

(3:33) i hope you didnt tell him that

(3:34) He said it was you blocking and scoring the winning point.

(3:35) he drew a picture of me?

(3:35) He captured your likeness down to the last red scribble.

(3:35) omg… omg...

(3:37) It’s not that big of a deal.

(3:37) youre not ruining this for me (3:37) this is the best day of my life

(3:37) Remember when we talked about low standards?

(3:37) your son loves me

(3:38) He drew a picture of you.

(3:38) and how many other people has he drawn???

(3:38) …

(3:38) thought so (3:39) tell my biggest fan i said hello and thank you (3:39) its the prettiest picture ive ever gotten

(3:39) Don’t get nudes much, huh.

(3:40) wow (3:40) WOWW (3:40) that went beyond savage (3:40) that was straight up murder

(3:41) You like it.

(3:41) yeah im really wondering about that masochistic streak

(3:41) About that.

(3:42) ??

(3:42) I was thinking (3:42) If you were interested (3:42) I could help you explore that.

(3:44) i just dropped my fuckign phone (3:44) are you fucking with me right now

(3:45) Yes.

(3:46) i fucking hate you

(3:46) No, you don’t.

(3:46) no i don’t

(3:46) Why do you keep falling for these things.

(3:47) actually im falling for you

(3:47) Seriously.

(3:47) hope (3:47) its all i got buddy (3:49) is this going to be like last time when you said no but then changed your mind

(3:50) No.

(3:50) dammit

Monday PM

(7:18) happy one week anniversary babe (7:18) do i get a gift (7:18) eyebrow wiggle

(7:21) Did you just type -eyebrow wiggle- at me

(7:22) *video attached*

(7:23) I did not ask for a video of you wiggling your eyebrows.

(7:23) its my gift to you

(7:23) I’m so… grateful.

(7:24) cmon gift gift gift

(7:24) I don’t know, I don’t have anything. (7:24) Actually (7:25) *image attached*

(7:25) omg is that tobio (7:25) hes so fucken cute wtf (7:26) look at those hamster cheeks (7:26) whats he eating

(7:26) Blueberry cupcake. (7:26) It’s his reward for behaving in school.

(7:27) aww no fights today?

(7:28) His teacher said he engaged positively with other students. He was trying to play volleyball with them.

(7:28) omg thats adorable (7:28) i see where he gets it from (7:28) are you teaching him how to play

(7:30) I taught him how to receive but I’m rusty. (7:30) I should look into classes for him. (7:30) Do they even have classes for kids that young?

(7:31) the rec centre where i coach does (7:31) idk about other places though

(7:31) Whereabouts is your rec centre?

(7:32) shh

(7:32) You’re not doing the stranger danger thing on me.

(7:32) do you hear that

(7:32) Can you hear my sigh travelling across the wind.

(7:33) STRANGER DANGER

(7:33) Are you done.

(7:33) my centres in tokyo lol

(7:34) It wouldn’t happen to be the Tokyo Sports and Recreation Centre?

(7:34) how did you know that (7:34) oh my god this is real (7:34) STRANGER DANGER

(7:36) It’s a twenty minute walk from my place.

(7:36) i know i just joked about stranger danger but should you really be telling me that

(7:37) Take it as proof that I don’t think you’re a predatory serial killer.

(7:37) thats the nicest thing youve ever said to me (7:38) *heart emoji* (7:38) well if youre interested the kiddy classes are wed 5pm and sat 10am (7:38) you can go to one or both

(7:40) Hmm.

(7:40) times no good?

(7:42) My brother has Tobio on both those days. (7:42) I’ll have to talk to him about this.

(7:43) ahh dont wanna encroach on uncle nephew bonding time

(7:43) I don’t think Akiteru will mind-- he used to play volleyball too.

(7:43) how did you ever think tobio wouldnt be a vball player (7:44) its clearly in his genes

(7:44) Wishful thinking. I never really liked volleyball.

(7:45) what no (7:45) why

(7:46) It was just a school club. I only did it because it was something to do.

(7:47) you come into my house

(7:48) Lol.

(7:48) well hey its paying off now (7:48) i bet tobio looks at you like youre a god

(7:49) Yeah. (7:49) It’s the first time he’s really looked at me. (7:50) So thanks. (7:50) :)

#kurotsuki #kurotsukiexchange #Kuroo Tetsurou #tsukishima kei #haikyuu!!

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gingerly-writing · 7 years

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Hello? I'm currently trying to write a superhero novel and I'm extremely bad at it. Can you help me, like just give a few tips? I'm really excited about this project so your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hello dear Anon! You have definitely come to the write (hehe) place. I have so much advice (and hard lessons learnt) to share that I almost burst with information when I saw this ask in my inbox. I’ve tried to trim it down a bit so I don’t clog up people’s dashes, but this is still gonna be pretty long. (Also, this is my 4,500 post on this blog, quite coincidentally, and I also just passed 700 followers. Consider this advice post my celebration!)

This is a novel, not a comic book series.

You won’t be able to convey every awesome aspect of your characters’ looks without boring the reader to death.

Some tropes don’t translate well. At all.

Nothing is wholly original, not anymore. But you can still come up with something you can comfortably call your own.

Action scenes will either become your trusty sidekick or your archnemesis (and each one can turn out to be either).

LESS. IS. MORE.

1) This is a novel, not a comic book series. Even if you write a whole series of novels, you don’t have the page space to waste on the tens or hundreds of smaller villains you might find littered across a Batman series. First of all, everyone your hero encounters has to be fleshed out at least somewhat, and that takes up both space on the page and in your reader’s mind as they try to keep track of everyone you’ve introduced. If you need to make your hero seem as though they’ve been around for a while and save a lot of lives on the regular, have them namedrop villains they’ve defeated or muse about just how many civilians they must have saved over the years and how that makes it all worth it.

What I’m saying is, you need a coherent plot. Obviously the journey from A to B needs ups and downs, but those probably shouldn’t consist of 18 minor villains with the Big Bad at the end unless all the attacks turn out to be related. Keep your plot tidy, and remember, this is a novel. For the first book at least, you might be better off sticking with one supervillain/group as your major antagonist, with subplots constructed from other, less major conflicts (tension with law enforcement, other heroes, collapsing marriage, love interest, high school issues etc. etc.). In my first attempt at a superhero novel, I had my hero (Ace) fighting gangs and cleaning up the streets, saving kids from their own stupidity, dealing with a new addictive and highly highly dangerous drug pouring into his city, trying to uncover who or what the Crime Syndicate was, fending off the police who were trying to arrest him, and a bunch of civilian life problems too, including his mother and best friend trying to work out what he was hiding, passing university and finding a job, all on top of tracking down and fighting his newfound nemesis. This is a slightly exaggerated list, but you can see what I’m talking about. Too much going on can kill your coherency, even if it’s the kind of winding plot you’re used to seeing on comics.

My tip here: pick one main villain, or gang, or anti-hero etc. –pick only one major villainous entity. Stack in one to three sideplots. Make sure everything is coherent and leads your hero from A to B, whether they know it or not. It might be a superhero novel, but it’s a novel above all. Stick to your basic plotting rules, and you’ll be a-okay.

2) You won’t be able to get down every aspect of your character’s awesome outfit. This is another rule applicable to everything, but it’s especially hard to resists in a genre where a hero’s public image is often built from their outfit and powers as much as what they stand for. But imagine if you had to read a block paragraph description of Batman’s outfit? He wears all-black, with a cowl covering the top half of his face that has pointy bat ears which electrocutes you if you try to take it off. He also wears eyeliner to cover the skin around his eyes. He never smiles, and his voice is a deep growl. His chest plate is black and decorated with false abs and a bat-symbol, which is yellow or black depending on whether he’s in camouflage- YAWN! I’m bored just typing all that out.

Pick defining characteristics for all of them. My villainess has candyfloss pink hair, a slow smile and a dappled black outfit fit for a thief. My hero is half-Japanese, wielding a glowing blue sword (which might become a shield in the edits) and donning his heirloom hero suit of black and matching glowing blue. It’s not a lot, and I drop in other details here and there (she carries smoke bombs and knives in her boots, he can’t wink), but sticking to core, important details when describing their outfits in particular can give a pretty clear idea without choking the reader.

3) Some tropes don’t translate well. At all. Put aside the rampant racism, the homophobia, the general mistreatment of many minorities in the comic industry. Put aside the America-centrism and the fridging of ‘pure’ girlfriends and the slutty villainess alike. These are all problems, but they also exist outside of the superhero genre.

Here, I’m talking space radiation giving people powers, killing their loved ones, serving the plot in any which way. I’m talking Superman’s 800 superpowers and Luthor’s inability to figure out his secret ID despite being the smartest man on the planet. I’m talking fallacies of logic, stretching the suspension of disbelief far past breaking point, Gary Stus galore. I’m talking Guy Gardener’s bowlcut. Y’know, just generally bad writing.

You’re going to have to come up with more original power-origins and better haircuts than they did in the Golden Age, I’m afraid. While I genuinely wish I could get in the invisible brainwave-controlled escape boomerangs from Captain Boomerang in the Silver Age, it doesn’t work so well in a pseudo-serious novel. But work a little harder at your worldbuilding than the golden oldies had to, and you’ll have everything down pat.

4) Nothing is wholly original, not anymore. But you can still come up with something you can comfortably call your own. This is linked to point three. Everything has been done. Every superpower, every storyline, every outfit, magic item, warping of genes. You name it, someone, somewhere, whether inside or outside the big comic houses, has done it. This is common with all ideas, but with superheroes you know some all-knowing jackass will pop out of the woodwork like ‘actually this was the plot of Assman #236 in 1987 and your just a hack’ if you ever publish your work.

Fuck ‘em. You might not be able to create something wholly original, but you can create something with a twist. From your superpowers and gadgets, to your plotlines and your worldbuilding, to your hero leagues and villain cadres and your mob squads –you can create something fresh, something we’ve never seen before, something that will open mouths and eyes and hearts. Everything can be original if you take it and play.

5) Action scenes will either become your trusty sidekick or your archnemesis (and each one can turn out to be either). Some will flow from your pen (or keyboard) as though the Muses themselves are scribing your words with golden ink. Other times, you will want to strangle every one of your characters, and throw their weapons, your writing implements and yourself out of the window. The real problem is that action scenes tend to be crucial to this genre, and you never know which fight scene is going to bite you in the ass.

It’s okay if you’re terrible at them (like me). Sketch what you need out of the scene in terms of plot, and then research to your heart’s content (while remembering this is a genre built on ridiculousness and you can stretch reality as far as you need). Then, as with wit, remember you don’t have to be an expert fighter. Unlike your characters, you can write and rewrite and play and mess with until everything is exactly how you want it.

LESS. IS. MORE. I think this is the sum total of my advice, though bear in mind that I’m a massive overwriter: if you underwrite, you might need to flip some of this advice on its head. In my experience, keep your original plot tight, because it will expand with heroic shenanigans and villainous sideplots. Keep your initial character description to key characteristics, and build in the cool, extraneous details over time. Watch out for some of the good old tropes (and not just the bigoted ones) that simply don’t translate well into a modern novel. Play with your assumptions, your tropes and anything else you can get your hands on, but don’t be too afraid to hang onto some of the old classics: this is a genre known for its fun tropes, after all.

If you need any more general writing advice, feel free to come back! You are talking to someone who wrote 60,000+ words of my core superhero novel and scrapped every single one of them, who’s plotted out seven superhero novels and counting, and who may or may not be far too in love with this genre.

But over everything else, remember to take all advice -including and especially mine- with a large pinch of salt. Come talk to me off anon if you just want to chat about superheroes, I don’t bite (and I really, really love superheroes).

Thanks for the ask!xx

#advice #my advice #heroes and villains #superhero novels #amwriting #writing advice #mine #superheroes #supervillains

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withloveishi · 7 years

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Weight Watchers Got Nothing On My Anorexic Approach to Weight Loss

So, #bodypositivity amiright? I know some people know that I was anorexic (like 5 years ago), and very few people know what may story was, so I’m gonna relay that now. DISCLAIMER (kinda): If you think I’m doing this to get likes and pity, I’m not even going to drag you, cause you can go drag yourself. Honestly, fuck you.

In 2011, I was 75 pounds. WHICH doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re only 4 feet tall, you look like a walking minion or some shit. I was just living my life as a normal failing middle schooler, but it was around the end of sixth grade where I started to become really conscious of my weight and how i looked. Most of this came from some family verbal abuse of my weight, as well as not knowing how to be positive about my body. So, I began to loose the weight, but like really fast. We’re taking like the Flash being fucking electrocuted fast. During the Summer of 2012, my family did a lot of hiking, so I took advantage of the exercise. My thought process was (and this was when I was not educated in how fucking nutrition works), to burn a lot of calories with a lot of walking, then eat like nothing. To give some perspective, my family and I would start hiking around 10 AM, then come back at around 4 PM, and all I would eat that entire day would be a slice of bread and a bowl of rice. Any sort of hunger pains I had felt, I would just sleep away. Initially, it was really hard to feel that hungry and keep living, but after like a week I got so addicted to how happy I felt to loose so much weight, and to “be less fat”. Even at home, I would limit myself to one bowl of rice a day and like some sort of salad without dressing.

Just like every one of these stories, it doesn’t get better quite yet. After about a month and a half, I had lost about 13 pounds off of my 4 foot body, and I because really addicted to seeing how skinny I had become. I vividly remember measuring how far my stomach caved in under my rib cage. But just because I was addicted to it doesn't mean I was happy with my body. I still hated the way I looked and felt. But I felt like at this point, I was too far in to the process to give up and just start eating again. Also at this point, my parents started to bully me at how awkward I looked now that my “head was way to small for my body”. Instead of realizing that I was probably anorexic, they continued to bully me, just on the flip side.

After about a year of trying to loose weight by being anorexic, my mom took me to go see a nutritionist (I think after about a year she was catching on), who basically confirmed that I was massively underweight. She basically told me to eat more, which I refused to do at first. But then soon go tired of trying to be hungry day in and day out, and slowly began to incorporate more food into my diet.

I realized much later on that, the fuel that kept me going to do this crap every single day to myself was not how fast I was loosing the weight, but what flaws I could find that I had not already corrected. Even after one and a half months, I could not get a thigh gap (why the fuck is this even a thing), and my face wasn’t at 90 degree angles at the jawline.

To this day, I still have times where I just won't eat things because I think I look a little of the fat side. And it takes constant reminding of myself just to eat. The willpower I had to not eat, back when I was anorexic, hasn't left me. When I stoped being anorexic, the mindset and all of the things I felt with never left. Its not like you just stop being anorexic, and you wake up the net day like “OMG old body, new phone who dis”, like thats not how that works. All of the bullshit you dealt with, whether that be emotions or memories, never go away. I think working my way out of my habits started with me first dealing with my emotions and trying to not rememberer the feeling of being hungry.

If you read anything in this post, read this (the actually interesting part of this and not the bullshitty sappy paragraphs). People become anorexic for many different reasons. Mine was because I hated my body and how it looked. And because of that, I thought changing the way my body looked would therefore change how I would feel. I realized that now it was a terrible idea, but also that I didn’t surround myself with people that gave a shit. And i think not being around d those people impacted me both in a positive and negative way. I because stronger and realized what it felt like to overcome something with my own fortitude, but also, I took me a long ass time and feeling shitty about my self to then feel like that. Now more people are spreading the message of being body positive, but even with that, the world can be degrading, even in the most innocent ways possible. Like people who are like 90 pounds with abs are calling themselves fat, and don’t you think thats also a problem (maybe I should write about it i dont know)? But most importantly, if you hate yourself, that’s a much deeper issue than changing the way your body looks. It doesn’t matter how fats you make it happen, or how much money you invest to make it happen. If you hate yourself, you won't ever be happy with yourself until you deal with your emotional bullshit first. It took me a year and a 900 calorie diet to realize that.

TL;DR: It’s so much easier to say “I love myself” then to not eat and oreo.

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albertcaldwellne · 6 years

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Tabata Training: A Four Minute Full Body Workout

You hear a lot of outlandish claims in the fitness world.

Drink beet juice to lose weight.

Electrocute your abs for a six pack.

Do this four minute workout to “get shredded.”

Hold the phone, that last one could really be true. It’s known as Tabata training, and the exercise can actually improve one’s physical endurance and increase muscle power[1].

Boom! That’s a 2-for-1 special right there

Of course, a brutal Tabata workout can also result in you passing out in a pile of your own drool and sweat at the end. Gross.

So what’s the dealio?

Should you be implementing this four minute workout strategy into your routines?

Or is it something best left to Olympic athletes and Spartan Race champions?

Grab your headband and let’s explore!

What is Tabata Training?

“Tabata” comes from Dr. Izumi Tabata, a former researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya. Tabata developed an extreme form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which can already be pretty extreme.

Let’s back up there a minute, because you may be asking, “What is HIIT, Steve-a-rino”?

HIIT is a form of interval training. It’s a sequence of intense exercise followed by a short pause to rest, then back to intense exercise, and then back to rest. Annnnnnd repeat!

In other words, doing sprints, then walking, then back to sprints. Alternating back and forth for roughly ten minutes. This would be an example of High Intensity Interval Training.

Dr. Tabata wanted to see just how short, and how intense, the interval training could be to observe measurable gains.

He got an answer:

Four minutes.

The doctor designed a training where participants gave their maximum effort for 20 seconds, then 10 seconds for rest. They repeated this cycle for four minutes – in other words, eight 30-second cycles. That in a nutshell is a Tabata exercise.

Brutal, but potentially very effective for improving cardiovascular health and endurance.

Let’s dig into the study itself and the results!

Does Tabata Training Work?

Dr. Tabata tested his routine on two groups of athletes[2]. Five days a week, for six weeks, they were prescribed the following routines:

For all five days, Group 1 pedaled a stationary bike for an hour at 70% capacity.

For the first four days, Group 2 did eight intervals on the bike using the Tabata principle (sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 10, repeat). On the last and fifth day, they did a 30 minute “moderate” ride, followed by an extra two minutes of Tabata sprints.

How’d the results go?

Group 1 strictly increased their maximum aerobic capacity by 9.5% (how long you can run). However, the second group crushed it.

Group 2 not only increased their aerobic capacity by 14%, but they also increased their anaerobic capacity (how long you can run at maximum effort) by 28%!

Said another way: after the experiment, the Tabata training group increased their ability to bike for longer, and harder, compared to the group who trained with regular cardio.

The amazing thing to consider is the time dedicated:

Group 1 worked out for 300 minutes a week.

Group 2 worked out for only 88 minutes (they did a 10 minute warm up prior to their intervals, which we’ll talk about shortly).

More results in less time? As a lazy nerd who also wants to look good, sign me up!

The experiment left Dr. Tabata with the belief that six to eight very hard 20-second intervals with 10-second rest periods may be one of the best possible training protocols when it comes to efficiency.

“Never train for more than 4 minutes, great! Back to the couch for me. Thanks Steve!”

Hold your horses there, partner.

For starters, what are you even doing with horses while reading this article?

Secondly, I need to mention this: Tabata developed and tested his protocol on Olympic athletes (skaters, specifically) with one specific type of exercise.

These folks are some of the top of the top when it comes to fitness. And the Tabata workout left them physically exhausted.

So, what if you’re not an Olympic athlete?

Can you still receive a lot of benefits from training in this style?

It’s worth giving it a chance.

The big point I want to make: “intense exercise” is purely subjective.

“Sprint” doesn’t have to mean ALL OUT SPRINT. If you are very out of shape and training for your first 5K, then your “sprint for 20 seconds” might be a VERY light jog.

And that’s perfectly okay.

The goal is to push yourself outside of your comfort zone for 20 seconds at a time, before resting for 10 seconds, and repeating. Everybody’s “comfort zone” is different. Which means everybody can challenge themselves.

We’ll touch on this again later.

For now, let’s chat about some practical ways to start Tabata training.

What are some Tabata Exercises?

You’ve got a lot of options for Tabata exercises, but you can’t do any Tabata training if you get hurt or end up collapsed on the ground, right!?

So no matter which one you pick, please always start with a 5-10 minute warm-up! You want your heart rate up and muscles loose so you don’t hurt yourself. Tabata himself made sure his athletes warmed up before going all out.

And then after you’re done, cool down! Your heart will be racing and your muscles will be twitching. You need to bring them back to down to normal levels. So go for a slow walk. Do some stretches or some yoga. Bust out that foam roller.

Deal? Deal.

Here are my favorite types of Tabata training:

Sprints. Simple enough. Sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 10. Sprint for 20, rest for 10. This is tough to do without a partner yelling out your times. Personally, I run with a stopwatch with big numbers and glance at it around 20 seconds to make sure I stay on time.

Elliptical Machine. Less wear and tear on your joints, but tougher to go “all out” because it can only go so fast. Crank the resistance all the way up if you can handle it.

Rowing Machine. This was the exercise of choice to shred pounds for Gerard Butler (King Leonidas in 300)

Stationary Bike. It’s a bike. Pedal like hell. This is what Tabata used with his athletes.

Jump Rope. Grab a jump rope, and go as quickly as possible following the Tabata protocol. Guaranteed to leave you jumping up and down like a little kid in a puddle…of sweat. Nasty. Effective.

Cardio workouts are generally the recommended type of exercise for Tabata. In theory, it’s pretty easy to rev up your effort to max when doing sprints or biking.

That’s why they are popular for Tabata.

However, I want to note that all sorts of other exercises can offer a full body workout when doing Tabata.

Consider these for Advanced Tabata movements, especially if you’re looking to build more than just endurance or cardiovascular health:

Squat Thrusters. Start by standing tall. You then want to squat down and explode your legs back into a plank position (top of a push-up). Then bring your legs forward to a squat position and jump up! Like so:

youtube

Push-Ups. Make sure you do your push-ups correctly! It pains me to see so many people with improper form at the gym. You can scope out my in-depth article right here, but I’ll mention an important point on form: think of your body as one giant straight line. Also, if you need to start on your knees, that’s okely-dokely. A knee push-up is WAY better than no push-up. Want a video to get started? Of course you do:

youtube

Burpees. A burpee is kind of like a squat thruster, but with a push-up included! Extra credit! Start just like you would with a squat thruster, but when you’re at the top of your push-up, go all the way down and back up. When your back at the top, bring your legs up to a squat and then jump. Like this:

youtube

Pull Ups. (Can’t do a pull-up yet? Read this). My favorite exercise. Start with your hands shoulder width apart on your chosen bar. As you lift, focus on pinching your shoulder blades down and back. Once at the top, lower yourself slowly. We’ll walk you through it here:

youtube

For all the above, try and follow the Tabata protocol the best you can. For 20 seconds, do as many burpees as possible while keeping perfect form. Then give yourself 10 seconds to catch your breath before jumping into more burpees. Follow the same cadence for any of the more advanced moves.

Hang in there.

Four minutes will go quick! Here’s Everclear’s “I Will Buy You a New Life,” which is almost exactly four minutes long, and is the most obscure reason I could work this wonderful band from my youth into this article:

youtube

When you’re done with your Tabata routine, record your results (once your hands stop shaking), and next time around – try to beat your score for total reps!

Let’s chat about some resources so you don’t have to count in your head. Or coordinate your workout to pop songs.

Tabata Timer Recommendations

A timer is useful for doing Tabata – especially if you’re running and aren’t able to look at a screen to see the time remaining for each segment.

As previously mentioned, you can rock an old school stopwatch like a boss, or you can get a bit more technologically advanced.

This is the dawning of the age of aquarius apps, so download one of the following and use it to track your Tabata workouts:

Runtastic. Don’t let the name fool you, this free app is for more than just running. You can customize for many different interval workouts, including Tabata. And the interface looks slick.

Seconds. It’s free and customizable to Tabata and other forms of HIIT. It can also integrate with your music, which is pretty sweet.

Tabata Stopwatch Pro. This app is specifically designed for Tabata. And it shows. The display can be seen from far away, useful for burpees or squat thrusters. Also, it’s free.

Tabata Timer for HIIT. This app is one of the best reviewed on the market. Which is awesome, considering it too is free. It can also track your weight, BMI and daily workout history. Plus, the trumpet sound effect found in the app is hilarious.

TABATACH. I’ll be honest, I just really like the name of this one. Makes me giggle.

We’ve gone over some tools to help you during a Tabata workout. I want to make an important point about Tabata training before we get too ahead of ourselves.

Mistakes to avoid when doing Tabata Training

You might hear that it’s actually extremely difficult to do true Tabata training. Tabata ran his experiment with Olympic athletes, who were able to reach a crazy amount of oxygen utilization, 170% VO2max.

For a normal person to get anywhere close would probably make them vomit from extreme exertion.

Who cares!?

I don’t care if you’re doing ugly push-ups and you can’t run.

You’re trying, right!? And you’re doing the work.

Worry about getting started first. Deal with getting better next.

Studies have replicated Tabata’s results with subjects who were “recreationally active” and did exercises such as burpees and squat thrusters[3]. So claims of not doing “true Tabata” miss the point.

Tabata himself has stated as such by explaining it’s the effort of going to one’s physical max, that is critical of the benefit of Tabata training[4]. Don’t worry about VO2max. If you try a Tabata program, the importance is going hard for YOU. We’re not going to worry about VO2max – we’re gonna worry about challenging ourselves.

This means if you need to do “Tabata” in a way that is just walking faster vs walking slower, it’s a start!

We all start somewhere, and it begins with taking the first step.

Still overwhelmed and need help on taking your first step?

Don’t beat yourself up, we can help!

One of the reasons we created our 1-on-1 coaching program is to make exercise less scary for busy people like you. We can help you get started with interval training, strength training, or help you find something else without a stopwatch that might be a better fit for you.

Want to learn more about our private coaching? We’ll be happy to talk with you and learn your story and see where we can help, no matter what! Click on the button below to schedule a free call with Team Nerd Fitness.

Will Tabata Training or HIIT help me lose weight?

Maybe!

Exercise is important for cardiovascular health and overall wellness. However, to ALSO lose weight, you need to focus on what you eat.

As we say in our Rules of the Rebellion, “you can’t outrun your fork.”

That means your nutrition is 80-90% of the battle in the war for weight loss. If you get most of your food via drive-thru, you don’t like veggies, or you’re just not quite sure how to fix your nutrition, I hear ya.

Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating for guidance on how to dial in your diet.

The other 10-20% of the battle for weight loss? It’s exercise. So if you’re already eating well, a Tabata or HIIT style workout would be a great tool. It’s not hard to find studies of HIIT helping with fat loss[5].

It’s one of the reasons interval training has become a staple in the fitness community.

Another beauty of Tabata: it only takes 4ish minutes, and ANYBODY can find 4 minutes in the day to get a quick workout in. The REAL benefits come from the fact that training for 4 minutes can:

Help you keep momentum. If you’re trying to stay consistent with your workouts during a hectic week, 4 minutes is better than no minutes!

Assist with thinking “I am exercising to be healthy, so I need to continue eating well.” I personally eat better on days when I exercise, because I know how important nutrition is for overall health.

Be done anytime, anywhere. It’s snowing out, your kid is sick, and you don’t have any gym equipment? Great – you still have the time (4 minutes), space (anywhere), and the equipment (nothing) to pick an exercise above and go for 4 minutes.

If the idea of Tabata or HIIT freaks you out and you’re afraid you’ll hurt yourself, check out our Beginner Body Weight Workout for a great alternative to begin.

If you are looking to develop more endurance and cardiovascular health, check out our Couch to 5K write-up and start there.

The most important thing: get moving, and course correct along the way. The best workout program is the workout you actually stick with. Tabata said as much himself with “Any exercise is beneficial.” That’s why he encouraged readers on Reddit to train in a way that is sustainable[6].

Starting a Tabata or a HIIT Workout Today

HIIT and Tabata can really shock your body. Which can be good. After all, the only way to grow and get better is to push yourself outside of your normal comfort zone.

Pushing yourself to run faster, or to do one extra push-up, or to lift one more pound…that’s where the real change starts to happen!

YOUR MISSION: Try a simple and safe Tabata protocol during your next workout.

Go to a park (or hop on a bike at the gym) and practice varying your speed by..

https://ift.tt/2pjy7VV

#Tabata Training: A Four Minute Full Body Workout

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almajonesnjna · 6 years