Month: December 2018

While the rest of New England zombies out to latest itineration of Patriots fool’s ball football game I have a different habit.

Instead of spectating others being physical, I go and be physical myself instead.

I’d go to the gym in the past, and now instead of that I found myself lifting in the yard around kickoff time. Though I don’t have a gym membership I’m still going and doing something other than watching.

I’ve always figured it better to go be big and athletic myself than watch others doing so.

In high school I ran sprints Sundays at a playground.

College age and post college age it’s usually the weights instead.

There’s just no draw in watching for me. Relatives will tell me my disinterest is sad, yet in reality it’s their interest that is.

My best football memories were all out in the yard, at a playground, or pickup games with family or friends or friends and/or random people respectively. In fact the deep man to man conversations with a certain friend all involved that playground and a pigskin in hand, these wouldn’t have happened in front of a television screen.

Hell, another alternative…instead of watching football I’d rather go play rugby (the nearest adult action taking equivalent for most, because sadly tackle football pickup games are rare).

(At least soccer hooligans bring the ruckus…and do it in person instead of zombified in front of a screen.)

I actually typed this post workout while enjoying a 12oz glass bottle cream soda, which frankly I earned far more having had hit 10×10 military presses than if I’d been doing the same (probably in a much larger quantity) while watching the game dumb and sloth like.

That shit is hilarious, and just may have been today’s lifting music. However I’m admitting nothing.

Don’t view, go do.

As I lift in the yard a few things are obvious.

•The cold affects your wind.
•Some days the bar just feels absurdly heavier than it should.
•There’s no need to rush.

Pacing between sets and longer rest periods come naturally. Less frequency. Volume whatever it ends up being.

I’ve been liking higher reps usually. It’s a very different approach for me.

Olys from the hang. No squat rack.

The work boots, and winter gloves add a bit of difficulty.

If one day 205 is hard, but I’ve recently hit 245 I know it’s just the cold playing it’s tricks on me.

I know that the yard always tacks on a roughly -20% overall to ability, Blame the aforementioned boots, gloves, cold, and bad footing.

I’ve never been more ok with using such light %s of 1rm.

I’m a lot stronger than what shows, and as these #s move up…

Maybe someday on swanky gym mat flooring and out of the cold this base will get to show.

(Hairy beast having come in from the out of doors, likely to partial front squat.)

Lord knows I keep lifting through this and I’ll have learned some serious drive. I doubt others would still be lifting even at this point.

I don’t have to worry about the olys. The winter can be a season for building horsepower. The sldl instead of the olys, and if I insist on keeping olying, to do so only from the hang, and progressing at sets of 5+. Low reps from the “floor” can be a bit risky some days.

(Though…see Bill Starr on York Exhibitions.)

I seem to be learning to train again. Getting away from testing.

I’m beginning to be part of this yard lifting. Why so serious?

P&T

My buddy had been showing me some Larry Wheels pressing shit on Instagram.

I really couldn’t care less. I don’t give a damn about spectating anymore, haven’t for a while.

“Yeah it’s crazy, but realize there’s at least another at that level not online, no spotlight at all.”

He agreed with me, and I’ve been finding this is the case much more frequently the last 6 months or so.

Prior it was damn near impossible to get agreement from lifters on that, as if everyone lifts/lives by the camera.

The bodybuilding gym was cool, very few phones came out. Higher level, and barely Instagramming.

There were chicks fitness modeling that you wouldn’t even know had Instas as they rarely shot for them.

There’s something very wrong thinking the highest levels can be found online.

I stand by the statement that for every freak you find on the internet…there’s at least another, but probably more, that you’ll never hear of.

Out there is a guy swinging sledges all the livelong day who’d make the world forget about Halfthor.

Some midwesterner occasionally squats and benches the world records for sets of 3-5 in his shed alone for a laugh once he’s got home from his shift at the factory.

A potential hall of fame running back is right now drinking moonshine in a Nigerian shantytown.

I could go on.

A lot of potential and talent is in the shadows. It’ll never be “discovered” be it because of shyness, lack of access, not caring the slightest, etc.

It’s vanity and narcissism to think everyone has an online presence.

There’s a whole real world out there.

Are you in it, or do you only know the digital?