Flash Vs. Arrow

"The Flash" series has landed on Netflix. It's D.C.'s newest foray into turning comics into television shows. First there was "Smallville". I have to admit, I was a fan. Then came along "Arrow." And now there Arrow. While Smallville may be a show far away in the rear view mirror, Arrow and Flash are running presently and concurrently. There's quite a bit of cross over between the two shows.

I will be frank with you. I've always been a Green Arrow fan. One of the first comics I read as a kid was a stand alone where Green Arrow and Green Lantern team up to beat the ills of drugs. It was one of those "special" issues. It was gritty, it was real, and it had quite an impact on my young self.

Since then, I've come to love the Oliver Queen/Green Arrow character in his many different iterations. From robin-hood like character with a juvenile sense of humor to an extreme environmental terrorist, he's a great character to unravel and understand. I think my favorite depiction was in Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Strikes Back" as a one-armed, underground self-proclaimed freedom fighter. 

That being said, the show "Arrow" is awful. It's a turd of a show. The guy playing Oliver Queen can't act and the writing is dreadful. Furthermore, all the interpersonal drama between Oliver Queen and his mother, his step-father, and his sister all seem forced, contrived, and excessive. All of the drama is supposed to humanize Oliver Queen and make us like him more, but there's simply too much of it. Everyone is supposed to be having all of these personal breakthroughs and strengthening of relationships all the time. It comes off as very... soap-operay. On the other hand, as a fitness and martial arts fan, I love things like this:

"The Flash" is a much better show. Nothing seems quite nearly as contrived as in Arrow. I was worried that when the first episode introduced a love triangle that it would play a central role in the show's overall story. It seems pretty downplayed so far, even though I'm only halfway through season 1. The writing is pretty good, not great, and the premise is simplistic enough that it provides a pretty framework in which they can build decent stories. The premise is just like Smallville: an event caused metahumans to exist and every week one of them crawls out of the woodwork. In Smallville it was the meteor shower that brought Superman to earth and in Flash it's a supercollider explosion. 

I liked the premise of Arrow involving a vast conspiracy of corrupt one percenters and the Green Arrow on a quest to bring them down. But the conspiracy unraveling mixed with the story-telling element of constant flashbacks just made it all too far convoluted. Plus I think they were trying to appeal to far too many demographics by making his sister a teenager in the throws of rebellion. It was an entirely unnecessary plot point and it made me hate the show even more. So that's just my two cents. Hope you enjoyed that. Also, here's a great workout based on the Green Arrow:

Riddick

If you're going to bring a knife to a gun fight, then you had better be smart, fast, and bulletproof. And more often than not, life doesn't give you the opportunity to run back to your armory when you're taken by surprise. You can't always expect to have your climbing gear with you when the cliff crumbles beneath your feet.

So what does it mean to be tough, agile, and bulletproof in any situation? Perhaps we can derive answers from one of my favorite sci-fi tough guys: Riddick. The Furyan bad-ass who refuses to bow to any man has proven time and again, across three different movies, that he can handle himself in just about any situation. In Pitch Black, he escapes his chains, fights off swarms of killer creatures, and overall exhibits consistent bad-assery all the while saving lives of his fellow survivors. 

In order for Riddick to have the strength to lift, climb, and fight the way he does, a great chest, back, and set of arms are crucial. Take the pull-up for example. The pull-up works the latimus dorci, pectorals, and triceps. But its also the ultimate survival exercise. When your hanging off a cliff and your feet find no purchase, being able to do an adequate pull-up is going to mean your survival. Given that I am yet to be able to do a pull-up, there are other exercises that I can do that can increase my chest, arm, and back strengths. 

Push-ups, push-ups, and more push-ups. Close grip push-ups places heavier emphasis on the triceps,. while the wide grip works the lats. All of these will bring the signature Riddick muscles to exhaustion, but will force you to push forward. Do you think there is time to stop or slow when escape a prison planet, the sunrise on which literally sets the world ablaze? Add some plyometric push-ups at the end of this regimen and you'll find the will to exert explosive power even when pushed to your limits. The burn you feel in your chest is the fire of the Furyans, it is your racial inheritance. Push beyond your known limits, and bow to no man!

Batman V. Bane

It's been a little while since I've written a post. It's been a little while since I last exercised. So things are pretty serious. I let the ball drop. Hell, I let the ball drop, laid down on the floor, and let it roll away into oblivion. The Blerch started to win. I gave myself every excuse not to run, not to work out, not to achieve my goals. I picked more hours at work. I had been doing so well, so I deserved some rest days. Everyday the reasons to fail seemed to stack up, and I started bending under their collective weight.

My whole life is suffering as a result. I've been less motivated and driven at work. I've slacked in my duties at home. The dishes have piled up, the laundry has been done with less frequency. And as many people who have been in my position before (including myself on multiple occasions) know, the farther you slide, the harder it is to dig deep within yourself to find the motivation to climb out. Once your so far down, you feel that there's no point in even trying.

All of the greatest heroes face this moment. In fact, its a crucial element to the story of the every-man. But I don't want to be the one of the every man. I want mine to be the story of the Batman. And it's at this point that Bane has broken my back. 

And I really like Nolan's treatment of the story arc in "Dark Knight Rises." It is my time to rise. Bane is my Blerch. He is ever-present. Like he promised Gotham, he tempts me with anarchistic "freedom." I am "free" to do whatever I want. I can eat a whole pint of ice cream if I so choose. I can drink a 12 pack of cheap beer all while smoking 2 cigars at once. It would be great. For a while. And like Bane promised, that freedom has an end point, an ultimate consequence. Only with me, instead of a massive explosion, it would end with a massive beer gut.

My back broken, I am going to endure the painful road t recovery, instead of sulking in a sling. I must make that final leap out of the hole I have found myself in, like the great Batman before me. And every day it will be a struggle. Every day I will have Batman on one shoulder, telling me to push on and that the war against fear and weakness must go on. On the other shoulder is Bane, telling that resistance is futile, to live as is everyday were my last, and that anarchy is the way to be. Today, Batman is winning the day. Today, I'm taking that leap out of the pit. To that end, today's workout is Batman themed. 

And for the next 7 days, I will be working out, drawing inspiration from my heroes like Nightwing, Riddick, and others. I'm also going to be working on strengthening my core and increasing my flexibility. You can find all my workouts on Darebee. Since Batman was also trained by the league of Shadows, I am engaging in the 30 day Assassin's Challenge. Furthermore, a great chest was one of the hallmarks of the most recent portrayal of Batman. After his first night out as Batman, Bruce Wayne drops to the floor to crank out a bunch of push ups. I want a great chest. So I will be doing a bunch of push ups. A thousand push ups in the next 30 days. So even if I fail in my week-long quest, maybe I'll find the fortitude to stick to a less intense 30 day regimen. Like always, wish me luck.