Alpha Asian

I remember back in middle school and high school, whenever I had approach anxiety with girls, my friends ( especially the girls) would always give me the same advice: Be yourself. I don't know about you guys, but when you're a thirteen year old kid, probably one of the last things you know about is to be yourself. In my junior year of high school one of my final projects was to figure out a "career" for yourself. One of the requirements in that final was to take the MBTI test . I thought that this was such a great description of myself and as a really depressed Asian kid, I took to this like white on rice. I hear this is how cults recruit new members. I joined a now defunct forum for my specific personality type . I had a great time talking to like-minded people online and even met one of them in real life that I'm still friends with to this day. During that time, I honestly thought I was "figuring myself out". But after the the initial giddines...

Q:  My name is Ray and I'm a big fan of your Alpha Asian blog and book. I was checking out your Strength and Physique book on Amazon and thought it looked pretty intense (especially with the super-muscled guy on the cover who appears to have muscles on muscles). Do you think it's appropriate for average guys who just want to look get into good-- but not super jacked-- shape? The term "bodybuilding" actually really turns me off, because I'm not looking to get big. I think the words "lean", "toned" or "fit" are what I'm shooting for. Look forward to hearing your advice and seeing what's new on your blogs in the future. -Ray My Answer:  I'm glad you enjoy my blog and book, Ray.  I really appreciate the praise.  As far as whether or not the Strength and Physique book is for you, don't let the bodybuilding image on the front discourage you.   The book features a wide variety of exercises for you to choose from to develop...

As a strength trainer with an Asian American background, I often get questions and comments from Asian dudes all over the world. A common theme that pops up among Asian lifters is the belief that their Asian genes are limiting their progress in their quest for a muscular physique. I always tell them this: don't let race or ethnicity be a limiting factor in your training goals or any goal. It does not matter if you are Asian or a skinny bastard or a woman. If your goal is to be bigger, faster, stronger, then you still travel the same road that everyone else travels to size and strength. I mean look at Tommy Kono . Here was a Japanese American who grew up in an internment camp, and he became arguably the greatest Olympic weightlifter the US offered to the world.  He was also a successful bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Universe title in 1955 and 1957.  He built a phenomenal physique in an era before steroids. He didn't let race or ethnicity be a limiting factor i...

Q: "I wanted to inquire you on something: do you think the reason Asian males are suppressed (whether in the dating world or the corporate world) is simply because our cultural values does not match those of western values?  Regardless of whether one culture is better than the other." - J. Z. My Answer:   Cultural dissonance  plays a big part in the suppression of the Asian male in the western world.  You as an Asian male may be operating and behaving one way, but it could out of sync or even completely at odds with the way western society expects you to behave as a man.  This is what Wesley Yang articulated (11 PAGES!) in his Paper Tigers  article. The other factor involved in the suppression of the Asian male is, of course, racism and the fear of a Yellow World .  Some people are fearful of Asian men and don't want us to succeed.  The third factor in the suppression of the Asian male is that a lot of Asian men buy into these limiting...

The Asian American organization Thymos just published  Where Are You From? An Anthology of Asian American Writing .  This anthology includes writings from notable Asian American writers such as Lawson Inada and Darrell Hamamoto.  There are a wide variety of essays, short stories, poems and even artwork on a diverse set of topics.  Here are some of the stories and essays that stood out for me: "Dog Muncher" by Beth Kaufman Do you ever wonder what goes through the mind of an Asian American woman who rejects Asian men?  This funny story reveals the thought process of one such woman, a TV journalist, who  goes on a girls night out with a fellow news editor and a weather girl. On the surface it sounds like the crap-on-Asian-men-Sex-and-the-City-imitation China Dolls, but "Dog Muncher" is a very funny insightful story on the insecurities of a Korean adoptee and how rebelling against societal expectations can limit your choices in romance and...

Your browser does not support iframes. Kurt, the Washington Nationals catcher came through in the clutch the other evening against the defending champions St. Louis Cardinals. With the game tied, the Cardinals walked Danny Espinosa to get to Kurt. And Kurt made them pay. Nice going Kurt! The Washington Post's story about the game described it as thus:   "And in the 10th inning, when St. Louis Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny elected to walk the struggling Danny Espinosa to face Suzuki, he won the Nationals a game. Suzuki’s low liner of a double to left-center scored the winning runs in the Nationals’ 6-4 victory, and was just the latest bit of his handiwork. Since taking over from the worn-down, beleaguered Jesus Flores as the Nationals’ every-day catcher, Suzuki has added to and served to emphasize the depth in Washington’s lineup. He might hit eighth, but in his 40 games with Washington, he now has 25 RBI....   What he has done is complete what is now a surpris...

  Kind of old... but whatever.