November 2017 - Page 2 of 2 - Persistence and Tenacity

Coming From Nothing + Honor Your Anscestors

Regardless of how little you came from materially it is an insult to the generations of your ancestors to say that you came from nothing.

For you to be here generation upon generation of people that looked something like you fought,starved,struggled,died, and overcame for your existence.

Our “modern” society would have us shit on our roots, live unnaturally, and isolated, weakly bonded to the ancestors and family nearest us, and have us completely forgetful of the more distant ones.

Take a minute and look at yourself in the mirror. Look at yourself and see in that face of yours others. See the look in their eyes. You’re in America right? That likely means that within the last 200 years or so someone like you made it across the Atlantic dirt poor, and today here you are.

My grandmother was put in an orphanage for a few years as her family couldn’t feed her and some of her siblings. (About half the siblings spent around 3 years in the orphanage before being taken back into the family home, in slightly better times. This was still far rougher than we have it.)

My grandfather spent his entire days outside the house to keep safe from his evil stepmother.

I’ve seen my father work blue collar, long hours, low pay, and bad weather for decades and still struggle.

I’ve seen my mother sick, I know she and I were near death in my childbirth. The advised “safe” option to abort was not taken.

And here I am! Thank god.

“Honor thy father and mother for it is good” I’d been looking at the verse wrong. Thinking about the stupid decisions they have made, looked at the degenerate television they choose to live in front of, and not looked at…the sacrifice.

This is how you honor your father and mother, how you honor your ancestors: You look to the hardship they have went through for you, and live!

Do you want to let them down? Waste not only your life, but their sacrifices? You damn sure better not. Inside of you should be a feverish drive to honor those sacrifices, and this feeling, the feeling of needing to do it proud , they’ve attempted to engineer this power out of you.

If this fire is not strong inside of your heart, GET IT FUCKING BACK!

-J

The One Hand/ One Arm Snatch

While mentally categorized as “party trick” like one arm anything that I can do (pushups), I find it highly enjoyable to do old time lifts that are no longer done by anyone outside the USAWA from time to time in the gym.

It allows me to goof off and have fun, get something amusing for the camera, and should I be lifting outside of anti-social hour put on a show for the crowd.

Of all manner of old tyme lifts to do, I’ve always generally chosen the one arm snatch. This small hobby likely goes back to a light session in my backyard wanting to do one arm presses somewhat old time bent press style and snatching it into position for the presses. That evening an amusing infrequent habit was born.

The Lack Of Training

Initially trying the lift power style and being able to hit 115 occasionally and inconsistently over what must have been a year, from time to time I’d play around with doing the snatch light and then squatting atg to see how the lift feels in the bottom, to feel the shoulder demands in that position.

(One such time with 115 on an axle)

One time the idea to try it split snatch style popped into mind (this was six months ago), and I practiced it on a day I’d failed to PR, but had solid grip strength.

I like using the axle, but sometimes it’s a regular barbell. This really only is something I play around at maybe a half dozen times a year. It’s fun and diverting, but not a main lift (at least so far, you never can tell what I’ll train).

The Technique

one arm snatch,one hand snatch, technique,old time,strongman,lifts,start,beginning — The beginning/start position of a one arm snatch. Model credit: Arthur Saxon

As you see in the start photo the free hand is pressed into the thigh. While a minor technique consideration (I didn’t heed this during my recent PR) this is not just set there loosely, it is actually driven into the thigh. Doing this allows a little extra “oomph”. I know this advice has been written before likely in whatever book written by Saxon that photo came from. Hat’s off to you should you find it.

one arm snatch,one hand snatch, technique,old time,strongman,lifts,end,finish,complete — Arthur Saxon demonstrating the lift 99% of the way done. A stickler for rules would say stand in a more proper lockout position, feet shoulder width,torso rigid etc.

Your catch being brought up into the completed lift will look quite close to the above photo. While some may catch in a squat, I’ve never bothered to complete the lift as such, and my breakthrough a few days ago was doing the lift split style while feeling like I had “pop”.

On the split style: for coordination reasons it makes far more sense for the leg jumping forward to be opposite the pulling arm. While being able to hit near the same numbers power style, being right handed, and possibly lacking the coordination to jump the opposite manner with the bar in my left hand I focus moreso on the right hand pulling, left foot jumping forward manner. That’s not to say don’t try in reverse (I do power style with both hands). I’d personally love to do an oly competition circa 1896 featuring a slew of one hand and two hand lifts. I just PR right hand due to superior coordination (but oddly not grip strength, my left hand grips better.)

All that aside it’s a snatch, and not rocket science. Grab it one handed (obviously) since its a one arm snatch, deadlift it to a little higher than knee level,then jump hard while pulling hard, dip, and catch it. Proceed to celebrate.

WHOO!!!!

Oddly Ric Flair manages to constantly be relevant.

The Result:

The vid inspiring this post aka watch this:

135 Booyah!

-J

P.S. Should you have made it this far this post popped into mind as an experiment to see if YouTube SEO is improved by writing up a related article, cross link time.

Eating Dirty : The Magic Of “Dirty” Foods

Without “dirty” eating I would not be as big as I am. Observation over the years tells me that I respond better to food that a bodybuilder pukes in his mouth (or masturbates furiously to) at just the thought of.

While eating cleaner may make one feel better as you go about your day, when you eat the way I eat stacking/loading calories closer to bed via a nightime feast you negate the sluggish feelings that are the biggest pitfall of dirty food.

When I eat dirty I feel frankly more manly. It’s likely a function of both higher fat and calorie intake causing me to pop more boners, be hornier, be stronger, and feel more aggressive.

I’m coming to think processed soy is not as bad as often claimed. I’ll eat a bunch of corndogs (soy batter) and that night have dreams of violence and/or rough sex and wake up painfully hard the next morning.

Maybe the soy intake is miniscule, maybe this a function of dietary fat working it’s magic, or maybe, just maybe soy is bad for your testosterone…initially, and your body combats it by going hard in the opposite manner raising your soy attacked test thoroughly.

It’s my conclusion that my ideal diet at this point is a mix of fatty meat,and processed “garbage” while varying the amounts of water and calorie containing liquids I drink based on feel.

(Sometimes soda makes me perform better, sometimes milk is what sustains me, sometimes I can stomach neither, and drink only water preferably chilled.)

Thus endeth today’s post.

-J

Outdoor Lifting

I think it’s a shame more gyms don’t have outdoor areas, or that there are not more public outoor lifting areas like the internet famous one in the Ukraine.

Hell even bars being more widespread would be nice.

(The LA park I’ve done pullups and dips at had a pretty cool bar workout inspired culture, a bunch of guys,some girls, some kids all doing pushups, dips, pullups, lunges, broad jumps, together. Amazingly friendly and polite.

It was here that myself and this rather jacked Armenian?Arab?Hispanic? guy did a one arm pushup off, laughing and shaking hands with a tie at around 20 reps each. Him looking at me and saying something like “Dude, I underestimated you, I began to think I was going to lose this”. That’s the story of my life when it comes to physical things.)

Personally I love training outdoors even in shitty weather more so than being in an air conditioned/heated fluorescent light lit gym.

The main selling point on gym membership for me purely is more equipment.

If you (or I) were to open a place, put it outside, and stock it with all the same shit, I’d be there in a heartbeat. (Imagine that Ukrainian gym but with known weights…heaven, and yes I’d use it in the winter, see below.)

Aside from all the exercising outdoors (I’m talking purely lifting with a barbell), I have fond memories of doing things people find insane like doing power cleans in the back yard while it’s snowing, on slightly uneven frozen ground, below freezing out, wearing work boots, shorts, a muscle shirt (not beater, but sleeveless), and those little black winter gloves.

There’s something about the fresh air. It’s just more invigorating, and when doing such things you know you’re doing something uncommon.

(I’ve been tempted to take photos and publish a collection of “gyms” I’ve worked out at under various circumstances, that Colorado rest stop at around 5 am, that tree at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania, the hill in McMansionville North Carolina, the beach, home bathroom, I could go on.)

It feels like tonight will be not a gym day, but a “I’m going to go out in the yard and improvise” kinda night. I’ve already done a few mini sessions throughout the day so far, ab wheel, kettlebell, isometrics, very high rep cheat pushups.

Didn’t want to write today, the streak is still alive.

Until tomorrow,

-J

Pornstar Sighting : An Anecdote

A SoCal Pornstar Sighting:

I was 18 years old visiting family and friends in Cali, I’m sure I’ve written this as I joke about it often, but that I drink copious amounts of milk.

Going from my friend’s house to my grandma’s I stop at a nearby gas station to buy a gallon as it was the cheapest place (oddly) to do so in the area (however I’ve found this is the same case elsewhere as well).

The observation I had was hysterical and odd and something which struck me years later.

Important Detail : I was 18, I really only watched porn seriously for about 2 years, staring at 20, so I didn’t recognize the “pornstar” at the time as I’d never seen him before.

So gas station:

4 people in the building.

Me, the cashier, a cameraman , and a pornstar. (This sounds like one of those a priest walked into a bar jokes.)

Guys Other Than Me
•1/2 Samoan 1/2 White ~6′ 3″ ~athletic 290
•white~~ish~~, scummy looking, scrawny, kinda sickly looking and pale, ~5’7″
•white~~ish~~, scummy looking, scrawny, kinda sickly looking and pale ~5’9″

I overheard the conversation, I recall most, but can’t recall if the cashier recognized the performer at first or not.

Which 2 were porn related?
Guess. Seriously guess.

Guess

Most guess one white guy is the cashier, one the cameraman, the big 1/2 islander/white as the performer.

That would be wrong, the white dudes were the porn dudes. The 1/2 Samoan was working the register totally missing his calling to instead be smashing heads as a linebacker or playing international rugby.

I was struck by just how sleazy both white guys were.

The conversation was hysterical.

Tidbits + Takeaways:

Rented house near water for shooting. (All those homes are nice as hell)
Their shopping was for the girls. The manner in which they said this was so pussy whipped (oddly?) that I had to work to contain laughing.
Both seemed completely jaded, I’m 50/50 on whether they were high or not.
Hilariously porn chicks seem to consume naught but cigs,booze (wine and I think it was vodka) and gum, LOTS of gum. The only way that truckload of gum would make sense is if they were feeding around 15 girls minimum on naught but gum ~~(maybe they always need sonething in their mouths)~~, but the amount of booze and cigs didn’t correlate to this. Booze and cigs said more like 2 or 3.
Cashier being like “I wish I was you guys” particularly to the performer. He recognized him now.
They then half assed asking him about his sex life. Which led to…
Them asking more about himself, what type of islander,etc. This is why I know he was half white. No one would’ve guessed that, he even was decked out in the island tats.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch Porn:

Those porn dudes were scummy, not even in the thug or drug dealer way, but the sleezy wanker manner. They were actually the stereotype of who watches their shit.

I’m not naming names (when do I ever?), but the performer is a big name in the industry. I guess the girls are really small/petite (do the research for yourself) for his disgustingly small build to not look on camera how it does in person. I recognized him years later, watching one time the recognition clicked, “holy shit I was in line behind him buying milk that day!” (Is this somehow an innuendo?)

~~One could joke that the majority of his bodyweight must be in his penis, which upon telling this story to a buddy he did lol.~~

Porn Optical Illusions:

I have to wonder what optical illusions are at play in porn. You’d have to see the guy in person to believe just how bad he looked in person. Sickly is the word for both build and complexion.

Are their dicks really that big?
How small is the girl truly?
Camera angle?

If you watch porn (you shouldn’t) have fun with that rabbit hole.

Porn + Society Take Aways:

Having this experience I’m surprised I ever started watching porn. I always knew it was shit, and even had first hand proof.

(Both from this and from years earlier seeing some weak looking dude at church, actually more than one over the years, who struggled with “porn addiction” left an impression on me as well, don’t be like that guy.

He creepeth and sneaketh is a solid description for one (old guy), the other (late 20s) just looked like he lived cock in hand in the dark in front of computer screens (pale, odd), and seemed weak as hell.)

That checkout line showed a lot of whats wrong with society.

Fathers are allowing that scum to fuck their barely legal teen daughters?
Fathers are allowing their barely legal teen daughters to get fucked by that scum on camera?

I believe disownment is still a legal measure although the Arabs seem to prefer honor killings for such things (imagine Shariah). Fathers in this country don’t seem to understand honor, have any access to the use of their balls, and have failed collectively at parenting.

“I don’t have a daughter”, this is a sentence with clout when enforced, but who has the balls to say it…and mean it?

Shunning/shaming scares the shit out of people (particularly females). Acceptance breeds sin, shunning breeds compliance with morals.

There’s something extremely unhealthy about widespread use of porn. What healthy people watch others dispassionately fuck…en masse?

What’s even funnier is how few will openly discuss such things. Unless you grew up Amish likely you viewed a ton of porn, how hardcore or weird is the question to ask. Most likely don’t want to admit that.

(I once had a guy admit to essentially cosplay Hello Kitty porn, I ribbed the shit out of him for that.)

Our society is fucked on fucking, and fucked in a lot of dynamics.

I say don’t add to the degeneracy, and fucking rip it’s tendrils out of you. It’s part of growing strong.

Say No To Porn!

You’re better off with your hand and no screen, with abstinence for religious reasons, or saying “Hey” to that cute blue eyed brunette in the grocery store.

-J