Joshua Citarella
patreon
Fitness Program & Syllabus: 2025
🕑 Added 2025-06-25 12:00:12 +0000 UTC
This project began as an elaborate shitpost where posting gym selfies would pipeline people into reading socialist books. As stupid as that sounds — it has been wildly successful.
More seriously, there has been an endless amount of mainstream media think-pieces that desperately seek to connect weight lifting with right-wing politics. Blue check journalists have done just about everything they can to villainize the most popular American pastimes (exercise, video games and more).
For the past few years, I’ve released an annual summer syllabus and fitness program. From the hundreds of messages that I receive throughout the year, the most frequently expressed sentiment is: ‘this $5 syllabus is a better education than my fancy university’. Of the many layers of trolling at work in this project, this is perhaps the most satisfying.
As the scale of this project has grown, I’ve had to consider that my audience is no longer a niche intellectual publication designed to troll a handful of journalists and academics. Instead, this newsletter has become a participant in mass culture and the broader alt-media landscape. For me, an “exercise program + syllabus” is a much harder troll when its point of comparison is a university course. But when it exists alongside actual influencers and fitness content, it starts to feel less resonant. For all of these reasons, this will probably be the last fitness syllabus that I publish.
In summary, this year’s program is comprised of all the most impactful links and course materials from the previous 4 years. Everything contained here is freely available online. (You don’t need to buy any additional books or materials.) If you’re new to this project — this is the ideal place to start and quickly be brought up to speed.
This is a 9 week program. Its a bit shorter than previous iterations and so the weekly course materials are proportionately heavier. (Think of this as low rep + heavy weight, intellectual hypertrophy training.) Once you complete this program, you can go back and do the rest of them in order: 2024 & 2023. If you finish all of them— congratulations, you’ve been working out for 75% of the year and you should upgrade to something that isn’t also a college syllabus. And yes, this is the actual program that I do. I wouldn’t assign you anything that I haven’t already done myself.
Disclaimer: when taking this photo I was not aware that the lead signer from Iced Earth was arrested at the capitol on January 6th lol
The Wall (for him)
“The wall” is an internet slang term used to describe the point at which a woman's attractiveness rapidly starts to fade. It is often seen in the context of; most women hit the wall in their early to mid thirties. Far less is said about male aging and desirability.
Growing up in the US, during the era of zero percent interest rates (ZIRP), every aspect of American culture became suffused with the ethos of ‘fake it till you make it’. In this environment, the only path to upward mobility was bootstrapping a cultural product or service with the hopes to quickly catapult it into luxury status. This general economic road-map applied to culture (fashion, artworks, gentrification and virality), as well as the basic financial model for all start ups. This was the common sense of the time.
During the ZIRP era, this underlying economic structure drove culture to create massive hype cycles. During these hype cycles, people hoped to get some form of investment before the bubble collapsed. Start ups could begin in your garage and then skyrocket to a blue chip stock. Collectibles, such as toys or streetwear, could quickly multiply in their resale value. In a speculation-driven economy, all commodities began to function as financial assets. Anything that did not catch this wave of attention-capital would eventually wither and dissolve.
ZIRP lasted from 2008 to late 2015. It began in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. It ended when American populism shattered the Overton window. This era is what Mark Fisher called “zombie neoliberalism”.
On an individual level, ZIRP culture created strong incentives for fraud while punishing those who put in hard work. This unique environment heavily rewarded clever start up pitches, like Theranos’ ludicrous $9 billion valuation, over the retirement funds and pensions of workers (most of which evaporated in the financial crisis of 2008). To our generation, it seemed foolish to dutifully clock into work every day when a good pitch deck could make you obscenely rich overnight. But now the bubble has burst and it is never coming back.
Today, many of us are looking around and wondering how we made it through such an insane hype period with so little to show for it? We didn’t walk away with high value financial assets but we also never set aside the time to build something long term. (Spoiler alert: hyperstition is a pseudo-intellectual way of rationalizing an investor culture of cheap money. The Federal Reserve always beats Nick Land.)
On a personal level, ZIRP meant that few of us internalized the value of hard work. We never got to experience the fruits of slowly and steadily working on something. As the first digital native generation, we were raised to gamble via online culture. (Our best bet was to one day get lucky on the internet slot machine.) Now, in our early to mid thirties, we are realizing that we never actually read the important books, seriously considered the maintenance of our health or basically looked out for any long term prospects whatsoever. We neglected the steady cultivation of our minds and bodies because our society was hyper focused on the short term.
This is the philosophical, physical and intellectual wall that many young people are now hitting. This inflection point helps to explain the break in mainstream consensus as well as the post-2016 cultural shift toward both the left and right. As people are unable to access the benefits of the mainstream, they move to the further edges of the political spectrum.
You were likely raised with general progressive values. You may consider yourself to be well educated and you may even have a degree of some kind. But while scrolling your newsfeed, you come across a viral clip of some NRx ghoul quoting Joseph de Maistre and you actually have no idea what to say. The best you can muster is to scoff and dismiss it as “problematic”. But somewhere deep inside it sits with you. Looking back, you never actually read the canon. If we’re being honest, you never even read Karl Marx. You just felt like you “absorbed it” by hearing people talk about Judith Butler.
During ZIRP, our intellectual climate was all about “faking it” and demonstrating the proper elite codes “till you make it”. You didn’t actually need to read it, you only had to prove familiarity when you got name-checked. As a result, many people don’t really know what backs up their ideas. They only have a general sense of acceptable social codes. Right now, our political opponents are winning. Not because they rigged the game, but because they slowly and steadily built on a project while we never actually put in the work.
At the same time, there’s a physical transformation happening. Liberal folklore insists that men grow more attractive as they age (because somehow patriarchy). But actually looking at anyone over the age of 40 will instantly dispel this myth. Its cute to be a waifish 25 year old boy who parties all night, shows up hung over and lives life on the edge. But its sad to see an overweight, pushing 40 guy who drinks too much and can’t get his projects together. You can choose to laugh this off and sink into denial. Or you can put in the effort to take care of yourself like an adult. The truth is that its your responsibility. Exercise is fully unalienated because no one can lift the weights for you. The same goes for reading.
In particular, people who have left-wing politics are especially susceptible to this kind of social infantilization. Culturally, we have become allergic to any sense of personal responsibility. This happened for a good reason.
Beginning in the 1980’s, under the ideological project of neoliberalism, state-run universal programs were privatized and their costs were pushed onto all of us as individuals. This process of responsibilization was meant to penalize, by way of the market, individual bad behavior. In this way, bad actors were disincentivized from selfishly over-exploiting public resources. Well, that is how it was ‘supposed to work’ lol.
In reality, everything got way too expensive and society was put through a paper shredder. Ironically, the administrative cost of means testing often proved more expensive than the old universal programs. During this period of privatization, inarticulate rhetoric within most left-wing academies and subcultures developed as a knee-jerk reflex to all proposals for personal responsibility.
But this well intentioned intellectual defense has reached a crisis point. It now prevents personal and intellectual growth. It also obscures the necessary hard work that is required for movement building. Its no coincidence that today’s political commonsense is to start a viral hashtag campaign and hope to get lucky overnight.
At this point in history, and in your own personal life, it seems like the right time to reevaluate the bad assumptions that we were brought up with. Its time to focus on slowly and steadily building things that are long lasting. There is no shortcut to hard work. Stop faking it and actually make it. Otherwise, enjoy twink death and finally admit you’re a libertarian.
***
The Program
This is a 9 week program. Don’t do it for more than 9 weeks. If you finish this program and want further instruction, do these:
Fitness Program & Syllabus: Summer 2024
Fitness Program & Syllabus: Summer 2023
In this program you will find a new list of exercises and educational materials. This program is an upper / lower + A / B / C program paced at 4 days a week. Its especially good for maintaining muscle mass while cutting fat, if that’s what you’re doing this summer.
Super Secret Syllabus v.2025 — Summer
This syllabus is drawn from materials discussed in the Discord and videos reviewed on the live stream. Coursework is portioned out to ~90 minutes a week over a 9 week semester. If you’re only here for the syllabus, scroll all the way down.
***
Instructions
This is an intermediate guide to weight lifting. If you’re reading this part, you also have access to all previous programs: 2024 fitness program & syllabus, 2023 fitness program & syllabus, 2022 summer, 2022 spring, 2021 fall, 2021 spring, and 2020 fall.
If you have not exercised before, you can just as easily begin any compound lift program, such as starting strength. However, people prefer to do it like this, so please do read the instructions.
For both lifting and studying, you need to take notes as you go. Each week you should record your progress for weights and completed reps. Write this down in a notebook or at least your notes app. The key to making progress begins with writing everything down — you will need to refer to these numbers the following week.
Most exercises are to be performed on machines. This style of isolation training targets individual muscles with minimal overlap — so don’t hold back! You can and should go all out on every exercise. Stop when you cannot physically complete another rep -OR- when your form has become so degraded that you need to dramatically change posture to complete another rep. If you find yourself changing positions, its time to stop! Going further will risk injury and could put you out of the gym for several weeks.
For each new movement, the first week is about finding the amount of weight that you can comfortably move at the assigned rep range. Each following week will either increase the number of reps (meaning you will use the same weight as last week’s set), or reduce the number of reps (meaning you will increase the weight for that set). Keep good records and always try to beat the numbers you made last week. If you keep good notes, you are guaranteed to see progress.
Control the tempo and use a full range of motion. If you find yourself speeding through a set or doing partial reps, you are likely lifting too heavy. Remember, your ego is often the heaviest thing in the room. Sometimes a lighter weight will give you a better work out and yield more results in the end.
~Warm ups & back offs: To warm up, reduce the weight of your first set by 50%. You don’t need to record this in your notes. Just know to do at least 1 warm up set before starting. In the later weeks of the program we will introduce a fourth “back off set”. For back of sets: reduce the weight of your third set by 10 - 20%. If you hit failure again on the last assigned rep, you know you’re at the right loading.
Lastly, any serious training regimen also requires a thoughtful diet. While lifting, be sure to consume: 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I personally recommend the Cronometer app for tracking your nutrition. Calculate your maintenance level calories and adjust as needed for your goals. If you are untrained or just out of practice, do not start this program and eat at a caloric deficit. If your goal is to lose fat + gain muscle, you should begin this program and continue to eat at your maintenance calories. Fat loss will naturally occur as your muscle mass increases. In either case, tracking your protein consumption will already make a big difference.
***
Week 1
Read
Mark Fisher: Capitalist Realism, Zero Books (2009)
Chapters 1, 2, 3 (pages 1-20)
Bhaskar Sunkara: The "Anarcho-Liberal", Dissent Magazine (2011)
Anna Khachiyan: Art Won't Save Us, SF MoMA: Heavy Machinery (2018)
Watch
Mark Fisher: The Slow Cancellation of the Future, MaMa (2014)
Dis & Sean Monahan: Obama Baroque, Dis.art (2018)
-
Monday — Upper 1
Converging Chest Press
10, 6, 8
Chest Supported Lat Row
10, 6, 8
Kelso Shrugs
10, 6, 8
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
10, 6, 8
One Arm Triceps Pushdowns
10, 6, 8
-
Tuesday — Lower 1
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 8
Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
10, 6, 8
Leg Extensions
10, 6, 8
Seated Leg Curls
10, 6, 8
-
Thursday — Upper 2
Clavicular Chest Press
10, 6, 8
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
10, 6, 8
Lying Cable Laterals
10, 6, 8, 8
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
10, 8, 8
Machine Tricep Extensions
10, 6, 8
-
Friday — Lower 2
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 8
Lying Leg Curl
10, 6, 8
Leg Extension (Unilateral)
10, 6, 8
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
10, 6, 8
-
Week 2
Read
Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams: Inventing the Future, Verso Books (2015)
Introduction + chapter 1 (pages 0-24)
Zeynep Tufecki: How Social Media Took Us from Tahrir Square to Donald Trump, MIT Technology Review (2018)
Sections 1, 2, 4
Watch
Nick Srnicek: About Platform Capitalism, Ars Industrialis (2016)
Daniel Keller: From the Sovereign Individual to the Targeted Individual, New Festival (2016)
-
Monday — Upper 3
Machine Overhead Press
10, 6, 8
Wide Grip Pulldowns
10, 6, 8
Rear Delt Pec Deck
10, 6, 8
Dip Machine
10, 6, 8
One Arm Machine Preacher Curls
10, 6, 8
-
Tuesday — Lower 3
Calf Press
10, 6, 8
Adductor Machine
10, 6, 8
One Legged Leg Curl
10, 6, 8
Quad Leg Press
10, 6, 8
-
Thursday — Upper 1
Converging Chest Press
10, 6, 8, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported Lat Row
10, 6, 8, 6 (back off)
Kelso Shrugs
10, 6, 8, 6 (back off)
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
10, 6, 8
One Arm Triceps Pushdowns
10, 6, 8
-
Friday — Lower 1
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 8
Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
10, 6, 8
Leg Extensions
10, 6, 8
Seated Leg Curls
10, 6, 8
-
Week 3
Read
Peter Frase: Four Futures, Jacobin Magazine (2011)
Amber A’Lee Frost: The Declining Taste of the Global Super Rich, Current Affairs (2016)
Mike Pepi: Elements of Technology Criticism (2018)
Watch
David Graeber vs. Peter Thiel: Where Did the Future Go?, The Baffler (2014)
Listen
Joshua Citarella: Choose Your Future, KW Institute for Contemporary Art: Open Secret (2021)
-
Monday — Upper 2
Clavicular Chest Press
10, 6, 7, 7 (back off)
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Lying Cable Laterals
10, 6, 7, 7 (back off)
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
10, 8, 8, 8 (back off)
Machine Tricep Extensions
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
-
Tuesday — Lower 2
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 4, 8 (back off)
Lying Leg Curl
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Leg Extension (Unilateral)
10, 6, 6
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
10, 6, 8
-
Thursday — Upper 3
Machine Overhead Press
10, 6, 8, 6 (back off)
Wide Grip Pulldowns
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Rear Delt Pec Deck
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Dip Machine
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Arm Machine Preacher Curls
10, 6, 8
-
Friday — Lower 3
Calf Press
10, 6, 5, 8 (back off)
Adductor Machine
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Legged Leg Curl
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Quad Leg Press
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
-
Week 4
Read
Vilem Flusser: Towards a Philosophy of Photography, University of Chicago Press (1983, 2013)
Chapter: 8 “The Photographic Universe” (pages 69-75)
Chris Anderson: The Long Tail, Wired Magazine (2004)
Politigram & the Post-left
Introduction, stop at “Transhumanism and the Radical Right”
Watch
Hito Steyerl: The Photographic Universe, The New School (2013)
0:00 - 17:35
Dylan Levine: My Dad the Facebook Addict (2019)
Listen
Joshua Citarella: Combination Game (2024)
Browse
Find 1 example of "the long tail" (ex: Seapunk, Witchhouse, Health Goth) in online politics or culture, the more niche the better
-
Monday — Upper 1
Converging Chest Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported Lat Row
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Kelso Shrugs
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
10, 6, 8
One Arm Triceps Pushdowns
10, 8, 8
-
Tuesday — Lower 1
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Leg Extensions
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Seated Leg Curls
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
-
Thursday — Upper 2
Clavicular Chest Press
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Lying Cable Laterals
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Machine Tricep Extensions
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
-
Friday — Lower 2
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Lying Leg Curl
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Leg Extension (Unilateral)
10, 6, 8
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
10, 6, 8
-
Week 5
Read
Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams: Inventing the Future, Verso Books (2015)
Chapter 2: “Why Aren’t We Winning?” (pages 25-50)
Metahaven: Can Jokes Bring Down Governments?, Strelka Press (2013)
Chapter 3: “The Meme”
CIA: Simple Sabotage Field Manual (1944)
“General Interference with Organizations and Production” (page 28)
Browse
Whole Earth Catalog (1968)
“All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” (page 41)
Watch
Fred Turner: From Counter-culture to Cyberculture, HKW (2013)
Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman: The Day Facebook Ruined the Internet, New York Times (2021)
-
Monday — Upper 3
Machine Overhead Press
10, 6, 8, 6 (back off)
Wide Grip Pulldowns
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Rear Delt Pec Deck
10, 8, 6, 6 (back off)
Dip Machine
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Arm Machine Preacher Curls
10, 6, 6
-
Tuesday — Lower 3
Calf Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Adductor Machine
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Legged Leg Curl
10, 8, 8
Quad Leg Press
10, 6, 10, 8 (back off)
-
Thursday — Upper 1
Converging Chest Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported Lat Row
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Kelso Shrugs
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
10, 6, 6
One Arm Triceps Pushdowns
10, 6, 6
-
Friday — Lower 1
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Leg Extensions
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Seated Leg Curls
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
-
Week 6
Read
David Harvey: A Brief History of Neoliberalism, Oxford University Press (2007)
Introduction + chapter 1 (pages 1-38)
Watch
Quinn Slobodian: What is Neoliberalism? | Doomscroll (2025)
Balaji Srinivasan: Silicon Valley's Ultimate Exit, Y Combinator (2013)
John McAfee: How to Uninstall McAfee Antivirus (2013)
-
Monday — Upper 2
Clavicular Chest Press
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Lying Cable Laterals
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Machine Tricep Extensions
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
-
Tuesday — Lower 2
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Lying Leg Curl
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Leg Extension (Unilateral)
10, 6, 8
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
10, 6, 8
-
Thursday — Upper 3
Machine Overhead Press
10, 6, 7, 8 (back off)
Wide Grip Pulldowns
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Rear Delt Pec Deck
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Dip Machine
10, 8, 8, 8 (back off)
One Arm Machine Preacher Curls
10, 6, 8
-
Friday — Lower 3
Calf Press
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Adductor Machine
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Legged Leg Curl
10, 6, 5
Quad Leg Press
10, 6, 10, 10 (back off)
-
Week 7
Read
Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams: Inventing the Future, Verso Books (2015)
Chapter 3: “Why Are They Winning?” (pages 51-68)
Metahaven: Can Jokes Bring Down Governments?, Strelka Press (2013)
Chapter 4: “Jokes”
K-hole: Youthmode (2013)
Watch
Fredric Jameson: An American Utopia, CUNY Graduate Center (2014)
9:01 - 59:37
-
Monday — Upper 1
Converging Chest Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported Lat Row
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Kelso Shrugs
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
10, 6, 6
One Arm Triceps Pushdowns
10, 8, 8
-
Tuesday — Lower 1
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Leg Extensions
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Seated Leg Curls
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
-
Thursday — Upper 2
Clavicular Chest Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Lying Cable Laterals
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Machine Tricep Extensions
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
-
Friday — Lower 2
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Lying Leg Curl
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Leg Extension (Unilateral)
10, 6, 6
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
10, 6, 8
-
Week 8
Read
Balaji Srinivasan: The Network State: Summary (2021)
Yancey Strickler: The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet (2019)
Benjamin Bratton: The Black Stack, e-Flux (2014)
Nikhil Sonnad: All the “Wellness” Products Americans Love to Buy are Sold on Both Infowars and Goop, Quartz (2017)
Watch
Patrick Forestier: Blood Coltan, Java Films (2007)
Andrew Norman Wilson: Workers Leaving the Googleplex (2011)
-
Monday — Upper 3
Machine Overhead Press
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Wide Grip Pulldowns
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Rear Delt Pec Deck
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Dip Machine
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
One Arm Machine Preacher Curls
10, 6, 6
-
Tuesday — Lower 3
Calf Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Adductor Machine
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
One Legged Leg Curl
10, 6, 5
Quad Leg Press
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
-
Thursday — Upper 1
Converging Chest Press
10, 6, 5, 5 (back off)
Chest Supported Lat Row
10, 6, 8, 6 (back off)
Kelso Shrugs
10, 6, 6,6 (back off)
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
10, 6, 6
One Arm Triceps Pushdowns
10, 6, 8
-
Friday — Lower 1
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 8, 6, 6 (back off)
Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Machine)
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Leg Extensions
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Seated Leg Curls
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
-
Week 9
Read
Leigh Phillips & Michal Rozworski: The People’s Republic of Walmart, Verso Books (2019)
Chapters 1 & 2 (pages 1-28)
Dustin Guastella: Anti-Social Socialism Club, Damage Magazine (2023)
Jen Pan: Bernie Deradicalized Me (2025)
Watch
The Future of Critique: Keynote from New Models, Bundeskunstahlle (2022)
-
Monday — Upper 2
Clavicular Chest Press
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Lying Cable Laterals
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
Machine Tricep Extensions
10, 6, 6, 8 (back off)
-
Tuesday — Lower 2
Single Legged Calf Press (Machine Leg Press)
10, 6, 4, 6 (back off)
Lying Leg Curl
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Leg Extension (Unilateral)
10, 6, 6
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
10, 6, 8
-
Thursday — Upper 3
Machine Overhead Press
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Wide Grip Pulldowns
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
Rear Delt Pec Deck
10, 6, 5, 6 (back off)
Dip Machine
10, 6, 8, 8 (back off)
One Arm Machine Preacher Curls
10, 6, 6
-
Friday — Lower 3
Calf Press
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
Adductor Machine
10, 6, 6, 6 (back off)
One Legged Leg Curl
10, 6, 6
Quad Leg Press
10, 6, 8, 6
-
***
Just the Syllabus:
Week 1
Read
Mark Fisher: Capitalist Realism, Zero Books (2009)
Chapters 1, 2, 3 (pages 1-20)
Bhaskar Sunkara: The "Anarcho-Liberal", Dissent Magazine (2011)
Anna Khachiyan: Art Won't Save Us, SF MoMA: Heavy Machinery (2018)
Watch
Mark Fisher: The Slow Cancellation of the Future, MaMa (2014)
Dis & Sean Monahan: Obama Baroque, Dis.art (2018)
-
Week 2
Read
Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams: Inventing the Future, Verso Books (2015)
Introduction + chapter 1 (pages 0-24)
Zeynep Tufecki: How Social Media Took Us from Tahrir Square to Donald Trump, MIT Technology Review (2018)
Sections 1, 2, 4
Watch
Nick Srnicek: About Platform Capitalism, Ars Industrialis (2016)
Daniel Keller: From the Sovereign Individual to the Targeted Individual, New Festival (2016)
-
Week 3
Read
Peter Frase: Four Futures, Jacobin Magazine (2011)
Amber A’Lee Frost: The Declining Taste of the Global Super Rich, Current Affairs (2016)
Mike Pepi: Elements of Technology Criticism (2018)
Watch
David Graeber vs. Peter Thiel: Where Did the Future Go?, The Baffler (2014)
Listen
Joshua Citarella: Choose Your Future, KW Institute for Contemporary Art: Open Secret (2021)
-
Week 4
Read
Vilem Flusser: Towards a Philosophy of Photography, University of Chicago Press (1983, 2013)
Chapter: 8 “The Photographic Universe” (pages 69-75)
Chris Anderson: The Long Tail, Wired Magazine (2004)
Politigram & the Post-left
Introduction, stop at “Transhumanism and the Radical Right”
Watch
Hito Steyerl: The Photographic Universe, The New School (2013)
0:00 - 17:35
Dylan Levine: My Dad the Facebook Addict (2019)
Listen
Joshua Citarella: Combination Game (2024)
Browse
Find 1 example of "the long tail" (ex: Seapunk, Witchhouse, Health Goth) in online politics or culture, the more niche the better
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Week 5
Read
Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams: Inventing the Future, Verso Books (2015)
Chapter 2: “Why Aren’t We Winning?” (pages 25-50)
Metahaven: Can Jokes Bring Down Governments?, Strelka Press (2013)
Chapter 3: “The Meme”
CIA: Simple Sabotage Field Manual (1944)
“General Interference with Organizations and Production” (page 28)
Browse
Whole Earth Catalog (1968)
“All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” (page 41)
Watch
Fred Turner: From Counter-culture to Cyberculture, HKW (2013)
Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman: The Day Facebook Ruined the Internet, New York Times (2021)
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Week 6
Read
David Harvey: A Brief History of Neoliberalism, Oxford University Press (2007)
Introduction + chapter 1 (pages 1-38)
Watch
Quinn Slobodian: What is Neoliberalism? | Doomscroll (2025)
Balaji Srinivasan: Silicon Valley's Ultimate Exit, Y Combinator (2013)
John McAfee: How to Uninstall McAfee Antivirus (2013)
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Week 7
Read
Nick Srnicek & Alex Williams: Inventing the Future, Verso Books (2015)
Chapter 3: “Why Are They Winning?” (pages 51-68)
Metahaven: Can Jokes Bring Down Governments?, Strelka Press (2013)
Chapter 4: “Jokes”
K-hole: Youthmode (2013)
Watch
Fredric Jameson: An American Utopia, CUNY Graduate Center (2014)
9:01 - 59:37
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Week 8
Read
Balaji Srinivasan: The Network State: Summary (2021)
Yancey Strickler: The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet (2019)
Benjamin Bratton: The Black Stack, e-Flux (2014)
Nikhil Sonnad: All the “Wellness” Products Americans Love to Buy are Sold on Both Infowars and Goop, Quartz (2017)
Watch
Patrick Forestier: Blood Coltan, Java Films (2007)
Andrew Norman Wilson: Workers Leaving the Googleplex (2011)
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Week 9
Read
Leigh Phillips & Michal Rozworski: The People’s Republic of Walmart, Verso Books (2019)
Chapters 1 & 2 (pages 1-28)
Dustin Guastella: Anti-Social Socialism Club, Damage Magazine (2023)
Jen Pan: Bernie Deradicalized Me (2025)
Watch
The Future of Critique: Keynote from New Models, Bundeskunstahlle (2022)
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Bonus Materials
Richard Barbrook & Andy Cameron: The Californian Ideology, Mute Magazine (1995)
Adam Curtis: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace: 1, 2 & 3, BBC (2011)
Caroline Busta: Counterculture Is Not Dead, It's Just Sleeping in a Dark Forest, The Stoa (2021)
Holly Jean Buck: After Geoengineering, Verso Books (2019)
Quinn Slobodian: Crack up Capitalism, Macmillan Publishers (2023)
Vincent Bevins: If We Burn, Public Affairs (2023)
The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet (2024)
Ondi Timoner: We Live in Public (2009)
Brad Troemel: Replacement Theory: How Memes Rendered Art Obsolete (2021)
Comments
Christopher Rieth
Has anyone read K-hole: Youthmode (2013) yet? I was laughing-out-loud midway through. Who comes up with this stuff?
Simon
Anyone want to start a reading discussion group?
Christopher Rieth
Is this a mixup? “Whole Earth Catalog (1968) 'All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace' (page 41)” I'm not sure what 'Machines of Loving Grace' has to do with the 'Whole Earth Catalogue'.
sofiairene
60’
DJC583
Any recommendations for rest times between sets?
JD Nonce
Greetings from Osaka, Japan (although I’m not Japanese). I’m 38, getting married soon and feel my body getting softer after a period of being in pretty good shape. I’ve gotten too comfortable recently. I’ve also probably let myself go intellectually as well, feeling like ‘I have read enough’ and can therefore let go. I will start the 9 week challenge next week
