Infinite Intensity

I asked for and received a fitness/training book called "Infinite Intensity" for christmas. The subtitle is "The ultimate low-tech / high-effect program for maximum speed, endurance, and strength." Sweet. It's by this dude named Ross Enamit, a combat athlete and really scary-looking dude. He has built his own dumbbells and referes to "the Iron" as if it were a living, breathing human being. The book is geared toward "fighters", but there is still much an Ultimate player can take from it.

When Enamit makes a claim about how a certain practice impacts performance, or what exactly weight lifting does to the cellular structure of your muscles, he includes a reference. This alone makes makes the book worthwhile. But quality of information aside, the book is awesome for the flippant phrases Enamit saves for bodybuilders, uninformed strength coaches, and the lazy among us reading his book. Some of the exercises, being geared toward combat athletes, are also amusing to contemplate.

I've copied below some of the more hilarious passages. Enjoy.


"The concept of trying was created to rationalize failure...Let's flush this mindset down the toilet."

"Looks will not get you anywhere on the battlefield."

"Ignorance is dangerous. The iron is not." (in regards to whether or not weight-lifting is dangerous.

"Lift the iron. Throw the iron. Carry the iron."

"Stop making excuses and start pressing those dumbbells!"

"Our next movement, the dumbbell shot put, will generate some unusual looks from the neighborhood soccer moms."

"The average gym member is only concerned with how he looks with his shrit off. Consequently, the legs are forgotten. Big mistake!"

"Find time for hamstring training!"

"Before we begin, let's smash this myth to pieces with a sledgehammer."

"Let's face it, certain athletes have peanuts for kahoonas."

"Maximize your time and minimize the bullshit."

"Use the five-minute heavy bag session as a finisher...Punish the bag as if it stole something from you."

"One last benefit of heavy bag training is the fun factor. Let's face it, there are few training drills as enjoyable as punching a bag. If I had to chose between running or beating the shit out of a heavy bag, I'll chose my heavy bag every time."

"In the illustration above, I am swinging the sledgehammer into an old tractor tire."

"I've seen man posers walk into the boxing gym. After a few rounds of sparring, they have a face to face with the canvas floor, courtesy of a well placed left hook to the midsection."

"Would an architect build a high-rise building without a plan? Of course not! You must become the architect of your body."

"If you believe this statement, you should look into new hobbies such as basket weaving or crochet."

"I once worked with an athlete who was unsure of the pace he should run during the 200 meter interval. I was fortunate to have my roadwork assistant with me. My assistant Tank, an American Pit Bull Terrier, was happy to lend a hand (or paw). I told the athlete to run as if Tank was chasing him down. I let him start the interval session 5 secons of Tank. I then follwed him with Tank on the leash in hot pursuit. The leash was necessary to prevent any potential lawsuits. The athlete quickly learned two valuable lessons. First, always run fast when a pit bull is chasing you. Second, run shorter distance intervals at top speed."