11/9/23
Doing burpees last night after yesterday’s second session 2x220lb presses, man! Burpees are a triceps/lats thing the way I drop and pop up.
Especially tricep after good, heavy, pressing!
It’s like an upper body strength enhancer, do the right other stuff, and the burpee will add a multiplayer effect.
Boomshaka!
…..
Awhile back I screen grabbed some comments on prison fitness, dudes saying they did cali time – saw guys built like hulk hogan on daily pushups, pullups, dips, and a 10+ year 500 burpee a day habit.
Honestly, I’m inclined to believe those anecdotes.
Could be entirely false or whatever, but placebo effect – I believe in that possibility, therefore my burpees are worth a whole lot more than just what they would say on paper.
Doesn’t matter if it’s real or not, ride the belief, harness the placebo, true or false = irrelevant, in your favor.
…..
Today’s Press Every Day :
I went outside barefoot, 30°f – so a tad below freezing, spent about ten minutes outside barefoot and shirtless, really only no gloves, no hat for the filming of the video.
I’d thought it funny to title the video Wim Hof in some way, use the first snow of the season for barefoot cold exposure, and on camera throw my hat and gloves off.
To keep it a short vs a video (doing my best to cut it to 59 seconds from a minute and four seconds without losing anything) well you don’t get to see me take steps barefoot.
Whoops.
…..
Interestingly, I pressed that bell for 20 reps with my right, then way later in the day, did the even it out set…10 reps left, and those felt heavier, were slower.
(plus 9th to 9th, this was a month of squat every day with tonight’s set of 12 x bar overhead squats)
Whoah! What a difference between strong side and weak side.
You see how the shot put came off the right, there’s just way more oomph, power endurance especially, to that side.
However, there’s no doubt in my mind I could press the 40kg either hand.
I’m trying not to spend money on gym stuff right now (other than food, which sorta counts – right now I’m ravenous), and I can’t justify $1000 for the concept2 rower, and am on this wishy washy line over the 40kg kettlebell.
Another, heavier bell, would open up heavier kettlebell pressing which travels and bypasses well the footing issue that the barbell presents on particle board in the yard.
Of course kettlebell cleans too!
Heavier on the grip and bicep than the barbell, and really most all from the hang which is the position I need work most.
Note : just run barbell hang clean and press every rep style for the videos for a time – that helps my clean, and to a large degree bypasses the footing issue.
A shower thought was ; go to the hardware store, get a full size piece of particle board and use that as a cover…probably as a burpee platform too.
Dang, getting a 40kg kettlebell just makes sense though…
…..
We’re now on an article type note ; with today’s overhead squatting I’ve now done some barbell squats every day for a month.
Doing something for your legs every day is a good habit to have.
Your legs are your base, and you want your base to be solid.
Now nothing I did this month was heavy, front squats or overhead squats mostly – didn’t use squat stands once, did breathing squats with 65lbs, 75lbs at the start…
Honestly I think an average of 15 squats a day, usually with the empty bar, put some size on my thighs.
The heaviest I went was 135lbs, maybe a tad heavier, on overhead squats.
The most awkward front squat variation could see more play if I decide to move in the direction of more leg work.
I also think the light squatting added some oomph/horsepower to the cleans.
Interesting that, and it does have 1950s weightlifting precedence, that leg training can be light to moderate in weight and yet still nicely build up your other lifts.
The 215 and 220 cleans yesterday were not quite crisp, but they weren’t as heavy as they usually are cold, outdoors, on this set up.
I attribute that to the squats.
It’s pretty high muscular activation just pumping out reps with the empty barbell on overhead squats…
That effect is also, more easily I might add, found with kettlebell one arm swings – go slightly underbell, I use a 20kg.
The high rep overhead squat, mostly with the empty bar, for sets of 15s to 50s, it’s MY THING.
I’ve never heard of another doing it, never seen another doing it – hope my blogging of it causes someone to benefit from the practice (note to self – 50 rep overhead squat with voiceover about the practice as video).
The real thing, the purpose behind it – it’s not a squat thing per se…it’s about work capacity, to have your legs used to doing work.
It could be lots of walking lunges/walking swamp lunges.
About this time last year, wearing nasty line cook kitchen clothing, my short thrown off, I’d be in the yard first swinging my tree branch mace, then lunging across the yard down and back.
You don’t realize how well 15, or 20, or 50-100 reps legs, light serves you in being a strong human being.
It’s just good practice.
Do your 35+ pushups, your 15+ leg reps, maybe some chins (I’ve had these as habit anywhere from 3-150 daily before, depending on the period).
That’s like the minimal, uninvested, still stay strong always programming – no gym required, can get it done anywhere…
Which is the most important thing.
Persistence & Tenacity