Earbuds Put Sound Into Your Brain As If It’s Your Thoughts
Taking that into account…
A badass self recorded mantra track could be one of the most powerful things you ever create.
Instead of likely shit music, or stuff without 100% raw messages, you could tailor this very well to yourself, then have a massive positive effect on yourself.
This can be made with your phone and used anywhere. (One could even have background music in it, I’d likely use bagpipes.)
Phone→Computer→IPOD
A Few Hours Of Personalized Mantras
Even a few hours of it on repeat will do a lot, think of how easy a song can get stuck in your mind, then imagine 3 hours of your own voice saying how you conquer like a modern day viking. Now picture this on a daily basis like during your workout.
Tailor the words to get raw. We live in an age where to be gelded in thought and action is the vile norm. This could be the trick to get your mind back.
Despite calisthenics being considered territory of little lean guys they’re actually of more benefit to heavier dudes.
You need high volume to get “gains” from calisthenics (as you’ll never lift heavier than bodyweight) and the bigger you are the more pounds of work is done allowing you to get more work per rep than a smaller guy.
For example:
Take a guy at 150lbs, and another at 300lbs. A pushup involves pushing roughly 60% of your bodyweight.
Say they both do 100 reps daily.
Little guy does 9000lbs of work, 4½ tons, “benching” 90lbs per rep.
Big guy does 18000lbs of work, 9 tons, “benching” 180lbs per rep.
Who do you think will show better (relative) bench strength from this alone?
For this very reason I say you should always perform calisthenics no matter how big you get.
In addition to keeping you athletic it can do a damn good job keeping you strong especially the bigger you are.
I’m not even factoring in high level gymnastics, I’m simply factoring in fairly vanilla PT style exercises.
One can maintain their bench if not grow it from pushups alone. The same with barbell squats and high rep Hindu squats.
Gyms are not necessary, and size while a hindrance to calisthenic ability actually is a strength towards their effectiveness.
You see these big guys that don’t really train, but are quite strong, and likely eat big.
This is an idea running through my head based partially on prior experience and things I’ve seen. Take it for what you will:
There’s a couple factors at play here.
First off food is anabolic. Doesn’t it make sense that with just a small amount of physical effort or even willing it into being that simply eating more would cause growth and strength increases? Yeah yeah nothing I just wrote there is anything new, I want you to take that and go a few levels deeper. For one think during formative years.
Often our brains limit us. If we don’t know something is “supposed to be” heavy it very likely won’t be. This is my issue with pussified culture leaching into the gym. The majority of gyms are naught but studios of convenience for Instagram photoshoots at this point where everyone fears double team nighttime rape from the overtraining monster under their bed and the injury monster in their closet.
And you no longer have a teddy bear protecting your Instagram ass
We are not meant to be weak and unathletic. At young ages we generally function properly ie are strong and athletic. Some people (often book dumber, more impulsive, more in touch with their animal side) retain this into adulthood.
(A Samoan guy I knew who lived off of meat, beer, island music, and cigs once impromptu blasted off a competitive 40yd dash in front of me after his cousin who had taken his ball cap, never having trained at maybe 5’7″ ~260lb, I’d seen his tall heavyweight sister do similar but at a distance of closer to a 100yds. This is not race/ethnicity related, all humans who don’t think themselves out of the abilities can have them.)
I truly believe by being self conscious of being fat and losing at least 38lbs my freshman year of high school I set myself back years strength wise and likely did something bad hormonally (temporarily) by doing lots of distance work, starving myself, and when eating having little other than carbs. Prior to that I had a natural strength and explosiveness if not one iota of endurance at the time.
If anyone had fed me some meat, told me to sprint 40s and squat I believe I’d have likely grown bigger and much stronger faster while healthily recomping along the way. This was a trade off, I did it all wrong, set myself back a ton (I could feel how much strength I lost, and it showed in sprint/explosive efforts, now coming back big time), but in the process learned to get mean.
Feasting and fasting is the way of the predator. Prey graze all day. I think a lot of bigger stronger people even when eating throughout the day are loading more of their calories at night in a feast. Think of big dudes guzzling beers and pounding down pounds of barbeque. At the end of the day I think enough calories are more important than perfect macros, and fat is likely the most important macro of the three.
The good thing is though we can emulate all we need to, and not take part in this party of weakness. We can get our natural strength back. No one is too far gone, it’s only them choosing to be rolly polly sad sack examples of humanity.
Humans are animals, and animals are meant to be strong and resilient.
I’m not sure entirely what caused this, I’d assume a combination of factors.
I had been fasting for ~20 hours, consuming nothing but maybe 64oz water.
The session was moderate volume and relatively heavy.
Deadlift up to a daily max (435 success I barely budged 485 possibly not even broke off floor)
Bench through 315 no problem.
335 I unintentionally pin pressed. The bench had long j hooks, I accidentally pressed the left side of the bar directly into it. The sensation was weird as hell.
Here I am with the bar 99% locked out, it being light in hands and not near failure but for some reason an isometric is happening on the left side while the right side was already fully locked out.
I’m counting this as successful rep, my spotter used his fingers to push my bars path forward an inch(down me) away from the unintentional pin and I finished the rep.
It was the weirdest shaped bench I’ve ever used. Unrack myself and there’s a good chance of hitting unintentional pin press via j hook. Yet I want to unrack myself.
I go for 345 as I had 335 on any other bench… and proceed to hit the bar on the middle set of hooks during the negative (it’s a bench with 3 unrack heights like you’d find in a commercial gym), I restabilize the bar, and fail at a far higher than normal sticking point, nearer lockout instead of off chest.
Ok back to 335 and get hand off as this time I’m so far down bench that an unrack just ain’t happening, there will be no hitting of j hooks either. Done lol, failure at normal point.
“Oh look a slingshot.” Pull it on, get spotter to continue pulling. ” You probably need a bigger size.”, “Yeah!” (picture the lil jon voice which I didn’t do).
With the slingshot on (not low enough I might add as it’s easily a size too small if not 2 sizes) I now hit 315 for 5 failing 6.
Arms are numb. Back to back.
2 awesome machine pulldowns and a machine shrug.
Some supersets some not.
Machine shrug: after 5 reps with 5p a side no straps, I strap up for 2×25. Both sets gave an amazing trap pump and have me feeling like I’m going down.
“My shoulder girdle looks phenomenal” the unconscious dream I could’ve had.
I start playing with this lower back lever machine thing (great good morning variant, like a hands free no quad all posterior rdl but a tad heavier on the lower back).
Fuck I forgot the 10×10 supersets! Pulldown + bench, bodybuilding bullshit I forgot to do, and this gym was perfect for it.
Play with the plate loadable circus dumbbell
Look at Popeye on it.
After collecting the gyms entire collection of 5s and 2 ½s, finding most 5s aren’t fitting (with all fitting 5s DB could’ve been solid ~160lb), I attempt to shoulder 90? lbs and as I am trying to figure this technique with one hand (I wasn’t sure if 2 hands to shoulder is cheating)…
I stop, rest the bell against my thigh, and move it to the side of my thigh only for the doubled clips to give out under the massive load of 22½ lbs in small plates on that side.
I hear “that could’ve been bad” my reply “yeah, but I saw it coming”
I’d already hit the bell on my glasses during an earlier rep and my spidey senses were heightened and had tingled.
The building is humid, I’m dehydrated, and decide to PT.
I end up doing about 3 sets of each as I didn’t like the range of motion on the first pushup set which had me making a funny face to contain the high possibility of nosebleed scrunching that nostril thinking “not today!”
So 3 sets of each exercise.
My right quad starts a cramping, I finish and check off PT for the day.
“Wheres the water fountain” I look around finding none.
“Damn it” then “Fuck it, I’ll refill with the bathroom sink.”
I’m that dehydrated.
“Ahh water.”
Grocery store after. Walking the frozen aisle looking like I’d worked a landscaper 10 and smelling like after a 3hr wrestling practice.
Pizza and egg nog.
Drink egg nog as pizza cooks. Eat ⅜ pizza, and drink ⅔ of that egg nog container.
“Shit, I’m on fire”
Go to different room, “fuck the fan doesn’t work”
Go outside and sit there in the cool air…until I’m about to shit myself.
Running parallel to starting at eating I typed this.
Thus endeth the story.
Today (yesterday as of posting) was a nice mental reset.
I’ve been thinking what is ideal, and what exactly do I want to do. I’ve found some answers.
There are many reasons that I don’t get injured such as:
•My refusal to acknowledge the possibility of such things.
•My not sucking at life.
•My not being an idiot.
•My not being weak sauce.
•The use of healing fire.
Healing fire: an esoteric visualization technique I picked up or came up with at some point in 2015 or possibly even late 2014.
Usually I do this in bed before sleep, although in near hurt situations I will do it on the spot:
It is started by saying a healing fire is running up and down my spine, I feel the warmth heeling me.
I visualize this starting at the base of my spine then running up the the top, the base of the skull.
From here I visualize it either going to the tips of all my toes and fingers one limb at a time and/or to the area that needs it most.
For example if the right quad is sore I picture the fire running to the proper bone and it’s healing warmth radiating outwards from the bone through the muscle. If it’s a sore joint I picture the fire healing from inside the joint itself. Tendons? Ligaments? I visualize the fire in a similar manner to how I do with joints.
My practice has changed over time.
In addition to the aforementioned visualizing of feeling it in the place of my body I’ve added an anatomical chart to the visualization.
A computer rendered blue image of me with a warm red fire on the chart in the same area as where I’m feeling it in my body.
I try to see myself looking at myself and at the fire in the proper area both on me and on the anatomical chart.
I’ve used this to great effect.
You may call this eastern like practice hocus, but I don’t. I believe it works and so it does.
Science can’t prove everything, many things unproven work.
Related: Wim Hof proving his breath work excites me as that opens up more esoteric methods affecting our physiology to being proven and accepted by the masses. More need to know.
I’ve talked about my daily PT and my recent foray into flexing many a time. What I’ve never stated is that most of it takes place in my bathroom which if you look at the dimensions and change the tub to a bunk bed is damn near identical to prison cell spacially.
People think they need a gym, a perfect program, and a perfect diet.
Really all you need is the right never say die mentality (and the proper calories). You can get plenty fit with no equipment in the dimensions of a prison cell.
Pushups and flexing for your upper body.
Hindu squats, calf raises, and flexing for your lower.
Calisthenics, isometrics, and dynamic tension are your friends here.
One could even develop power via kneeling jumps, tuck jumps, and broad jumps.
Burpees. Prisoners love burpees more than crossfitters, Drill Instructors, and wrestling coaches.
Take some ques from martial arts. Holds like horse stance aren’t a bad idea. Some Kata can fit in that space, Naihanchi for example, and shadow boxing is always a good idea. Hell knuckle conditioning can be done on the walls and via knuckle pushups.
No matter the circumstance you can make significant gains.
You look in the mirror, and see your face, yet something’s different. It sure looks like you, but something’s different about it.
It’s the eyes.
The eyes show an intensity. The face is leaner, there’s a large scar running across the face. Across the forehead, battered nose, and knarled lip.
In your face you are seeing one of your great grandfathers. An ancestor from many generations ago.
Unlike you he was raised in a more natural time.
His struggles were not over such trivialities as school work, job interviews, and bills.
He knew real hardship.
His 7th, 13th, and 15th winters saw the entire region down to starvation rations. Onion and cheese mixed into oats, but only in small amount.
The clan was embroiled in blood feuds more years than not.
His 12th summer saw him stone a man to death that would steal his father’s sheep.
At 14 he wielded axe in pitched battle.
At 16 he was ambushed by 5 or 6 members of a rival clan causing his magnificent scar. He walked out of that place alive, yet none else did that night.
Needless to say his life has been different than yours.
His mother did not nag and emasculate, for she wanted strong sons.
His father taught him the way of men, self sufficiency, strength.
He rode horses, shot bows, hunted, shepherded, farmed, and fought.
He went to no gym, there was no such thing, and yet he did not need one as he worked, ran the hills, lifted stones, and wrestled.
At your age he had already been married 4 years, his wife giving him two healthy sons and a daughter, while having only one stillborn.
Yes needless to say his life had been very different than yours. Yet know this…
His power, his strength flows in your veins. You must only choose to no longer be weak as shit to start the journey towards being like him. He had done it, and so can you.
In the West we have been raised in a manner divorced from our heritage, and stewed in an environment of degenerate weakness.
Look back to your roots, your ancestors, your bloodline. Honor them, gain strength.
“Today is front squat, power clean, and some type of pressing,” I think as I walk in.
Now it’s early am, I hadn’t slept, was tired, but had a medium sized meal in me. I feel like I need to shit (cause I ate junk food), but can’t. No matter, the gym’s mine.
Okay, I’m supposed to clean, 255 for either 5×2 or 4×3. I completely go off plan skipping the warm up, and attempting to up my cold clean max from 260 to 265.
1st rep?
High pull so damn close.
Reset grip, slowly now, explode, catch. Got it. Drop, high pull the next rep missing what would have been a double PR.
No matter 265 for almost 2 (265×1.9) says “I can get past 275 today”, I’m thinking I’ll hit a new PR.
Sit there for a while listening to some depressive country, then grab a pair of 35lb kettlebells.
Bottoms up press, both hands for 2 at the same time. So you know bottoms up presses are hard as hell using both hands, you can’t stabilize your wrists nearly as well.
I can rep a 50lb or 24kg kettlebell in my right hand alone, and get at least 1 rep with a 40 or 45 in my left, but together 35lb per hand is a near limit set.
I did very little work in this session, failed more reps than I completed, and going in thought I’d PR, didn’t, and lost interest in the workout big time.
You’re not going to win every session. Some workouts are shitty. At least I got in there though, and at times that’s the most important thing.
We have off days, and we have PR days. I’m getting close to the 315 clean. 285 will happen within a week should I max out again.
The fastest way to improve using isometrics is overcoming isometrics using 2 pairs of pins in a rack, and multiple positions.
What though if you want more frequency? What if you want this frequency, and contrary to your wishes do not have a power rack at home?
In comes flexing.
I’ve now tested this theory for a month or 6 weeks. I’m confident that it works.
I personally do this at night in front of the bathroom mirror.
I’ve been using this idea for the clean and jerk, more so for the jerk, but the bit of variance I do hits both.
Just like you would with pin isometrics get into as specific positions as possible and flex the hell out of many muscles as possible.
The Protocol:
Most sets I do body fully rigid and erect simulating the completed jerk.
Since doing this my overhead stability has gone from good to even better. I taught myself to use my lats as a shelf overhead, and the weights I’m jerking feel so light now that I don’t even feel my abs firing. Quads, lats, shoulders, and triceps yes, but abs no. Supporting weight overhead has become that easy, that the most important stabilizer doesn’t even need to fire.
Some sets I do with my feet shot out to the sides more (how the jerk looks for me using my high starfished squat jerk form) this position of legs bent 45° slightly starfished out simulates both my catch of a clean (with my “bad” form) in leg position, and again part of my jerk. I’m still flexing the hell out of my entire body.
Some sets are standing rigid flexing with arms at the bottom or mid positions, but I generally just do the above two.
The beauty of this?
You can train any lift hard anywhere with no equipment. It carries over impressively, and gets you quite efficient at firing the proper muscles.
The above Kelly Baggett articles make an interesting point:
Often the explosive people physically will be explosive personality wise as well, short fuses, etc.
It was guessing that there’s correlation and that one could see cross over should they modify one side or the other.
I know there’s far more to it than this, such as genetics and the contrary point of half asleep disinterested weightlifters cleaning monster weights, but I know this;
At times when I want nothing more than to palm smash jaws, snap necks, pull triggers, and bend bitches over, that my power clean ability is better than normal.
Grab, rip, drop, repeat. At the end of sets ramming it overhead for easy jerks.
Over the years no weight room efforts have been affected by and affected aggression in me like heavy power cleans.
The first time I cleaned 225 (after years stuck at 205) I saw red, screamed motherfucker at likely full volume (I can get loud), forgot to jerk it, and after the bar was on the floor I stood head touching the wall face first, fists clenched, fuming.
I was told by a friend after the fact that I had likely made the nearby MILFy blonde piss herself, and that one of the trainer girls in the next room ran over to check thinking that a severe injury had occurred.
I imagine a successful backflip would cause the same kind of reaction, being that it’s something that I’ve yet to do and is similarly badass. I’ve come quite close to landing one at 17, but have never done it. (At 6′ 235 after a track meet on a dare standing on the high jump mat I made the rotation but landed on my knees)
I’m liking explosive and power training lately. Get the clean from comfortable 255 and max 275 to 315 comfortable and an even higher max, then start getting backflips and vertical/dunking.
Outside of sprints I was not very explosive growing up, that’s changing and it feels great.
I’m finally beginning to horsepower my way through “bad” clean and jumping mechanics.
However it’s not hard for me to convert power into power endurance and that’s what I want big time for fighting.
