Best Superpower? Being a Billionaire.

I thought I'd share this article published today from Cracked.com, entitled 6 Ways Iron Man Is Objectively Better Than Batman.  It sounds blasphemous, I know.  But no matter how relatable Tony Stark is because of his shortcomings (alcoholism, etc.), Bruce Wayne (and Batman) is the winner for me.  He's the hero the world deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

In any case, they're both bad ass and awesome super heroes.  And they both point out the obvious: with amazing intelligence and virtually unlimited funds, anyone can become a super hero.

And just imagine if they combined forces.  Nerdgasm.

New Dark Knight Rises Trailer!

Ok, I just saw this on Buzzfeed: The latest Dark Knight Rises trailer, complete with flying bat vehicle!

Had to post.

Bat-Caveman Diet

So, I've started to (again) adhere to something called the Paleo Diet (also known as the Stone Age Diet or the Caveman Diet).  The basic premise of this diet is that you're supposed to emulate what our paleolithic ancestors ate.  That is, no dairy, grains, refined sugars, or legumes.  Basically, I'm stuck eating just meats, fruits, and vegetables.  According to the philosophy of the diet, our bodies are not designed by nature to process certain foods readily available to us now.  Which begs the question, what would someone like Bruce Wayne eat?

I know right off the bat (zing!) that the Dark Knight does not indulge in any controlled substance in any form (illicit drugs, smoking, drinking, etc.). 


Seriously guys, it's iced tea.

But what is Bruce Wayne's everyday diet like?  I'm assuming it's low in fat.  But does he cut out carbs?  Someone active like Batman needs more than your average 2,000 daily calories.  I remember back during the 2008 Olympics, it was a big deal for everyone to find out that U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps consumed around 12,000 daily calories while he was in training!  I'm assuming Batman's caloric demand is similar, with a healthy ratio of carbs to protein (4:1, although I would think Batman needs more protein).

That's for Batman in his full form.  What about for someone like me who's no where near Batman's or Michael Phelps' level?  That's where the Paleo Diet comes in.  I'm basically limiting my sugars (complex carbohydrates like grains).  The diet also calls for cutting out dairy, which is ok by me.  Although I do love cheese, I always feel a bit heavy and weighed-down after eating it.  I've resorted to drinking unsweetened almond milk (because our paleolithic ancestors loved their almond milk) to get my calcium.  I need my calcium if my nose is ever going to heal . . .

Well Armed

While I’m busy shaping my body into a finely-tuned crime fighting machine, I’ll take this time to mention this piece of awesomeness:

This is the BodyGuard, designed and created by ArmStar.  It was featured in Popular Science in May of last year.  To quickly list off some features, this nugget of technology contains a “less than lethal” electronic deterrent (high voltage electric shock), an HD camera, flashlight, and acts as a defense shield.  This is something the Dark Knight would use.  I mean, look at it.

It even comes in black.

I remember when I first saw this I knew we were once step closer to having Batmen patrol the streets.  If you think about it, why wouldn’t law enforcement be equipped with something like this? And why stop at just a sleeve? 

These babies have been available for about a year now, and the website doesn't indicate how many have been sold.  The website doesn't even mention any new products in the pipeline.  How about a breastplate? A cape with memory cloth?  It should be noted though that the ArmStar's website does say that Kevin Costner is a co-owner of the company.  And he's even featured on the demo video from the PopSci page, so brace yourself before watching it.  It sort of takes away from the grittyness of a Batman-like piece of equipment.

In any case, I hope there's more stuff like this out there.



Starting with Kettlebells

I'm recovering from surgery.  Nothing super serious, I just had to have a quick operation to fix my broken, crooked nose.  Obviously my nose is still broken, but at least it's straight now.  It'll take at least 6-8 weeks for it to fully heal.  In the meantime, the doctor said I'm not allowed to do any contact sports (e.g. Muay Thai, BJJ).  He even said I can't do any hard exercise for at least two weeks following surgery.  And that's on top of resting for the initial two weeks following my injury (I didn't realize, but I had a concussion, as well).  You'd be surprised how quickly the body gets out of shape while you're "recovering."

This scenario reminds me of when Batman was critically injured during his fight with Bane in the Knightfall story arc.


Yes, this is exactly what my situation is like.


So, I'm going to start from scratch.

Even though the doctor said no exercise, I did a short kettlebell workout yesterday.  Quick kettlebell rant: Kettlebells are Russian and they're awesome.  Although I'm not completely certain Bruce Wayne trains with kettlebells, I'm sure he's aware of them, maybe even uses them.  If not, I'm sure he uses something similar like the japanese version, ishi sashi. The main advantage of kettlebells (and similar instruments) is that the weight is beyond the palm of the hand, contrary to typical dumbbells ubiquitously found in gyms here in the United States.  To quote Wikipedia (and come on, who doesn't quote Wikipedia), "by their nature, typical kettlebell exercises build strength and endurance, particularly in the lower back, legs, and shoulders, and increase grip strength."  I used a fairly lightweight kettlebell for my work out, a one pood kettlebell.  A pood is a Russian measurement the equivalent of which is around 16 kg.

Later this week I'll go for a medium distance, light run (maybe like 4-5 miles, and at a reasonable pace).

Broken Bones

So I broke my nose.  It was during a Muay Thai tournament.  My openent connected a powerful cross directly to the bridge of my nose and almost immediately blood began gushing.  Even though I was largely unfazed (don't get me wrong; I was definitely stunned for a seconds) and even doing well, the ref called the fight because I was just bleeding too much.  I was eliminated from the tournament in the first round.

I spent MONTHS training, eating right, cutting weight, etc., all for naught.  I was so busy training, I didn't even have time to update this blog, which was created for the sole purpose of keeping track of my training.  Now I'm injured and hungry for more. 


The Batman never smiles.

I lost a total of 25 pounds for the the tournament.  I weighed-in at 132, feather weight division.  I had to fast for 30 hours beforehand (only a couple sips of water), but I made weight.  The majority of my weight loss was due to two factors: lots of metabolic conditioning and a certain diet called the Paleo Diet.  I assume my training for a Muay Thai tournament is similar, even minimally, to Batman's daily training.  I worked out at most four times a day (including a metabolic condition workout, a long run, and at least an hour and a half of Muay Thai training: pad rounds, clinch work, technique, etc.).  No doubt Batman has had some exposure to Muay Thai.  The reason I chose to study it is because it's arguably one of the most efficient striking martial arts in existence.  The Science of Eight Limbs, it's called, due to the fact that you effectively learn to fight with your hands, legs, elbows, and knees.  In Amateur fights, however (at least in the U.S.), you're not allowed to use elbows or knees to the face.  Not to worry.  My opponent caught me with a good 'ol cross punch right to the schnoz.  And that's what took me out.

That was three days ago.  Since then, I haven't worked out and I've been eating crap.  It's easy to justify it to myself.  "I deserve it," I say.  But now I feel like crap.  And that's on top if my face being in pain.  So I'm back on the Batman bandwagon.  After this week, of course.  I still need to heal up (I have an appointment with an ENT physician this week, hopefully he/she can realign my face for me).  But like I said, I've never been hungrier to get back in to it.

Stay tuned for more frequent updates on my mission to become some semblance of Batman.

Batman Begins

When I'm just starting to get to know a person, one of the questions I ask them is "What super power would you choose if you had a choice?"  Not the best ice breaker and the response is usually initially a blank stare.  But really, who hasn't ever wanted to be a superhero of some sort?  Or have some super power?

Unfortunately, the chance that the yellow sun of the Earth will one day provide any of us with unimaginable power is rather small.  And even if someone could attain some type of super power, it would most likely not be all that it's cracked up to be (based on that pesky thing called science).  So, then what?

Enter the Batman.

"Let me just adjust my utility belt."

Unlike other superheroes without any explicit super power bestowed upon them, Batman is unique in that he spent a lifetime of hard work becoming a hero, earning his place among the greatest.  Tony Starks/Ironman achieved his “powers” through unattainable technology (I know, Batman himself has some wonderful toys).  Captain America was injected with what were basically anabolic steroids (his true super power is his unmatched sense of patriotism, God bless him).  Batman, on the other hand, continuously trains his body and mind to handle most of the shenanigans that Gotham’s worst come up with.  He exercises, eats right, trains in martial arts, sharpens his mind, etc., all with resources that are mostly available to any one of us.  Of course, I know billionaire Bruce Wayne has nearly unlimited resources with which to help his training, but for the most part, one can work on fitness, fighting, and increasing mental capabilities without having a trust fund.

I’m an average guy. I never considered myself athletic. Growing up, I was never ever in the top tier of athletes in any of the sports I played recreationally. But I’m definitely more fit now than I was when I was a kid.  Within the past couple years, I started training in Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and I enjoy doing crossfit a few times a week.  And it’s actually because of these extracurricular pursuits that I wondered how close I could come to being like Batman.  But I don’t fight crime regularly.  I don’t have time to even train as much as I’d like.  I have a desk job, 9-5.  Plus I’m 30. As in years-old (old).  But, like I said, I’m fitter now than I have been in a while.

Seeing what it takes to become Batman is by no means an original idea.  In fact, there’s a book titled Becoming Batman (by E. Paul Zehr) that gave me the idea of keeping this blog.  Dr. Zehr breaks down most of the physical and mental aspects Bruce Wayne would actually go through on his journey to Batmanhood.

Do I have what it takes?  No.  I seriously don't. Seriously.

But let's see how close I get!