26 February 2012

Fibonacci Ferrari

I am convinced that people consider objects to be 'beautiful' when those objects demonstrate as many instances of the golden ratio (1.618) as possible. The ratio appears constantly in the human body, art, nature, and the financial markets. A few days ago I was discussing sexy cars with my apartment manager, and I assumed that the golden ratio theory also applies here. I decided to test the theory.

When I think of a sexy car, I would say that a Ferrari comes to mind right away. I found a picture of a side view of a Ferrari and looked for instances of the golden ratio. Not surprisingly, it was almost everywhere:


Conversely, when I searched for "!GI ugly car" on DuckDuckGo, almost every image that came up was a car that looks like a cube:


While the Austrian school teaches us that everyone values objects differently, I doubt that many people are buying these ugly ass cubes because they think that they look sexy.

16 February 2012

The Male Physique and Fibonacci Proportions

Bruce Lee killed Chuck Norris
in the Roman Colosseum.
My goal in life is to perfect all aspects of humanity. Throughout my youth I focused mainly on my natural strength of philosophy: thinking the correct way (logic) and expressing those ideas clearly (writing). In my twenties I focused more on the sciences of humanity, such as nutrition, psychology, and economics. My latest interest is the science of physical fitness.

I have neglected this area for a few reasons. I am an ectomorph, and so I've never worried about being fat. Fatness is primarily what I consider unattractive. I've considered myself 'fit' because my perfect diet ensures that I'm healthy, full of energy, and, again, not fat. I also do a lot of walking and lifting at work, and I considered that a workout.

Steve Reeves is a V.
Additionally, my inspiration is a fellow ectomorph, Mr. Bruce Lee. I share his philosophy. I have never aimed to become as 'big' as possible just to look good. I want to be powerful and fast for defensive purposes. Despite his size, Mr. Lee may have been the powerful human who ever lived. What I have recently realized, however, is that I can still aim for this goal while combining it with proper physique proportions. Proportion is what I have overlooked.

I have looked at the Eugene Sandow 'Grecian Ideal' as well as the Steve Reeves 'symmetry ratios.' I think they are very interesting ideas. But I decided to put my own twist on them. For example, Mr. Reeves thinks that the ideal male arm (bicep) size is 252% of the wrist size. I am not sure where he got this number. But it made a lot more sense to me when I thought "the bicep should be a 61.8% Fibonacci extension of the forearm." And so I just tweaked some of the values to conform to golden ratios that made sense.

Cromartie Fibonacci Proportions for men:

1. The forearm extends 61.8% of the wrist (6.25" wrist -> 10.1" forearm)
2. The biceps and neck should extend 61.8% of the forearm. (10.1" forearm -> 16.4" biceps.)
3. The (ideal) waist should extend 61.8% of the neck. (16.4" neck -> 26.5" waist)
4. The chest should extend 61.8% of the waist. (26.5" waist -> 43" chest)

5. The calves should extend 61.8% of the ankle. (8" ankle -> 13" calves.)
6. The thigh should extend 61.8% of the knee/calves. (13" calves -> 21" thigh.)


Workout schedule:

Monday: Shoulders and forearms
Tuesday: Trapezius and back
Wednesday: Chest
Thursday: Abs
Friday: Quads, hamstrings, calves
Saturday: Biceps and triceps
Sunday: Stretches

"When you're talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then, baby you'd better train every part of your body!" -Bruce Lee