Month: March 2020

With everything closed down I’ve basically been at home for 48, 72 hours now.

I have a distaste towards discussing lowest common denominator things, yet still am writing on it. I could be doing a COVID gym related video(s) for the views, maybe I’ll still do so.

(Of course I want a 225lb press filmed in an empty parking lot.)

Life always provides topics. Here goes :

Though I’m watching a lot of YouTube, I’ve dodged covid related stuff.

Three guys I would watch usually, and haven’t, dodging the covid content.

•Wim Hof
•Wes Watson
•Savage Studios

Educated Guesses :

Wim – through the mind, and breathing you’ll be immune to this flu variant, able to beat it if you caught it

Wes – stay home, diet hard since the grocery store can be bonkers, do a shit ton of volume on the exercises available to you

Savage – title says it all, he’s saying to do burpees at home with the gym closed

Last night I got a good laugh from reading Operation Werewolf’s “It’s The Plague” to which I agreed.

The sickness cases, and deaths are and will stay statistically insignificant. I doubt I’ll know a single person affected physically.

The person I’ve seen most affected was that scared shut in old woman a few floors below our customer frantically calling and screaming into her phone about every cough or sneeze she heard.

(Our customer had a cough, and a mover sneezing because of dust off of a box isn’t uncommon.)

Hilariously my uncle likened covid’s affecting you in opposite of how one relates to Jesus…this was to the ghetto females at the hotel pool on the 16th. They probably thought him a Bible thumper. “Corona only affects you if you believe, like how Jesus only helps you if you believe.”

While everyone is freaked out over a sickness I feel phenomenal.

There’s food on the table, I’m doing my PT, and military pressing outdoors.

Despite what appears to be daily rain through the duration I’ll be pressing everyday.

PT as usual, ecstacy in the title from doing an extra 3:00 high horse stance hold.

2, 3 days of not leaving the house, looking at near three weeks of this, it reminds me of being depressed, shut in, with my thoughts. How did I waste so much time! I’ll be rip roaring to be outside, social, gym, and working when this has passed.

I’m not eating too much, but despite the pressing, and PT, it’s not a huge energy turnover.

You’ve got to tire yourself out, so that’s why I did the extra horse stance and an extra set of pushups.

I don’t like sitting around. Enough years of depression not social or physical enough makes me very averse to doing so. Yeah, it is what it is, past is past, and it did strengthen me…I’m looking to go put in work.

True work :

I like being outgoing, have noticed I have a positive effect on people, and know! Know, know. That I have knowledge, useful knowledge, on improvement, particularly physical training that can help a lot of people, that I have to get out there.

You know what hurts me?

Giving good actionable advice, particularly to the ones I love, and it being ignored.

It slightly saddens me when an acquaintance doesn’t take it, as 99% of the time I’m pulling for you.

And on the flipside, I felt amazing when that old man implemented my advice, learned to feel his lats, just like I couldn’t help but smile as I walked away knowing my joking about how this is all an irrational fear response visibly calmed down the teenage cashier a few days back.

Everywhere I go I’m making positive impressions, and that’s how I want it to be.

The gym? I’ve got big and strong actionable and teachable figured out. I feel the need to spread the knowledge, and desire seeing it put to use.

“A positive mind is gonna win every time.” – Wes Watson ; I’ve internalized a lot with his audio. Thank you.

Persistence & Tenacity

The Covid (Clean &) Press Release :

My planet fitness home club is closed for about two weeks.

(Yes, I even checked other locations.)

Based on their advertising and fitness youtube (not to mention everything else) you could see this coming.

Work is super slow. Luckily I took the weekend shifts. It’s not a $0/zero hours paycheck.

What’s going on is a mass panic attack. This corona shit is only supposed to be like the flu and slightly threatening to those with very weak immune systems, and yet certain items are being hoarded, bought out as quickly as they arrive, people are piss scared…for nothing.

Me? I’m annoyed that the gym is closed, about groceries being sketchy, but like always I make do.

Upon finding out pf is closed my initial thoughts were burpees in empty public spaces, and military pressing in the yard.

Day 1 : March 18 – Thus far I’ve done more barbell work than I’ve done in quite some time (first time this year) actually lifting in the yard instead of my calisthenics and machines as routine at pf.

I’m going to overhead press every day while the gym is closed. Likely in the yard every day, but a day pass could be on the table, and I’d like to get some video from a parking lot.

This is a bulgarian pressing run. I’m big and strong, corona may equal video of a 225lb press for me.

(I want borrow a friend’s pickup, bring the bar to an empty parking lot, and get an amusing video of the press complete with celebration probably dancing beforehand.)

And “worst” case scenario, if I don’t try to peak over the next couple weeks, high reps are a base. 10×10 or greater, progressively heavier, is a launching pad to press heavy off of again. I’ll probably be mixing the rep ranges some. I’ve long enjoyed sets of 15-30 on presses, imagine how strong you’d be hitting something in the 1rm range (~205lb) for a 30rm. This is possible with conscious effort on high reps.

Persistence & Tenacity

Before I get in the pool I do some pushups.

“He’s doing pushups.”
“On that army shit.”
“He’s muscular.”
(Ghetto female commentary.)

Like when I lived in Vegas I relearned how pools are a great place for isometrics.

In Vegas I did a deadlift simulation against the steps handle, today I did squat and press (overhead variation) in the pool. The cut/shape of a pool matters as to what you can do. Oddly I could’ve and didn’t do the old deadlift simulation isometric from 2015.

Isometrics are as abundant as your creativity. The options are without limits.

At 3′ deep I also tested jumping out of the pool. I was close to the requisite height to land the box jump, but with bruised shin from work didn’t attempt a landing. My tuck jump was so close, the box jump was on the table. Water is resistance, I can see why Alexeev would weightlift in a river.

Persistence & Tenacity

I think of doing this :

Somewhere foreign. I like the idea of a muay thai training “holiday”, but it’d be far cheaper and more lonesome to just go to some beach off the beaten path…and train.

Just some months, squat thrusts/burpees, and a camera.

I have no desire to go fuck asian girls wherever. This boggled the mind of a coworker when I told this some months back.

Just pennies on food, maybe naught but chicken, maybe keto, maybe including rice or ramen.

I don’t see america being the place for this, maybe if I’m out in the woods, a cabin. But probably asia, city or beach, whatever.

(I love the idea of this on the Cali beach though.)

Burpees and chicken, while vlogging.

Vision quest.

I’m not the only man thinking along these lines either, my uncle recently spoke to me of similar. This was in rough draft stage only a month or so prior. I told my coworker 6 or 8 months back.

Just massive calisthenic volume on a cutting diet for some months to change…vision quest.

Persistence & Tenacity

The grocery store shelves are a third empty. Talking with staff there is no break down of supply lines, and the day before the place was so packed that they couldn’t close at usual time, they couldn’t get people out until an hour past closing.

Local schools are all cancelled, on average 3 weeks, though I’ve heard ranges from 2-6.

Talking with coworkers, grocery store customers and staff… every two years we’re gonna die from something, in a few weeks everyone will realize we’re all still alive. The cashier figured once she’s back in school everyone will be back to normal. She seemed visibly less worried/stressed after our conversation.

Be oblivious to the news.

Most of reality is in our head. The only people going to have issue are those worrying, stressing, and obsessing over the it’s current year’s fear mongering.

Today? (15th) I worried so much about the corona flu that I ate McDonalds prepared by a bunch of 5′ latinas unable to speak english in an area that likely has cases.

I did chin ups, machine preacher curls, and navy seal burpees at the gym today.

Over the weekend I worked about 20 hours total.

Walmart was also fairly sold out.

I’m enjoying the chins and navy seals. It’s simple as all hell. So effective, burpees for a week or two has already made a difference in the appearance of my midsection. Most won’t go this simple and straight forward though…cause burpees are challenging. How far am I going to go on a chin up and burpee regimen?

3/14/20

Up at 4am, well before alarm.

In the dream I awoke from, at the very last minute I joined my high school football team, senior year, state championship, 4th quarter, seconds left, goal line, at my current size (265) playing right defensive end. I smashed the running back causing a fumble, picked it up, and returned it for a 97yd touchdown, winning the state championship.

Work 13¼ hours.

Bringing boxes up stairs via a chain is slightly quicker, but much more tiring than everyone on the crew simply grabbing a box(es) in the truck, walking three flights of stairs, then down a stretch of hallway into the apartment.

That way no one is stuck in a spot without airflow, no one is only going up/down stairs while others get to walk flat hallway, it allows more even levels of suck/leisure for the entire crew.

Back in May 2019 we delivered what was nearly an entire truck of book boxes to a lesbian couples attic in a big ass old house in the junkie od part of town. It sucked, was just as many hours up flights of stairs and hallways as today, but that day we all were going truck to attic. I prefer that way, mentally and physically I find it less draining and more fair overall.

I told the crew lead (from the other shop), “Hey, have you heard of W.S. Movers & Co”, “No, I’ve never come across them”, “it’s we smash movers and company, we’re not them”, the wind had caused a picture frame to fall earlier, he was about to apologise to the customer, he laughed. It’s a canned line for me now. I said it originally to the managers son back in the summer.

A coworker was debating an attempt at box jumping into the box, and didn’t. I pushed a couple ottomans to the left, looked to the pad stack on my right, and took a shot at it (the asphalt was weird, I jumped from a spot maybe 2″ higher than flat, and a bit further from the truck than I should have) I got in…sorta, my left boot caught, forcing me to land on one foot and one shin. A little cut and a bruise. Sorta a waist height box jump in work boots.

We had an old woman angrily tell us to get back to work…not the customer, just a nosy neighbor. The crew lead was telling her ever so politely “ma’am, we’ve delivered 1½ trucks out of 3. I’ve giving my guys a rest”, she didn’t like that, telling us ever so (un)kindly “well you have a shit ton left, get back to work”. I laughed very loudly, to which after that coworkers kept telling me she was angrily staring at me whenever I happened to be down at the truck.
The whole thing made me feel kinda bad, we all laughed and talked about it where she could hear us. Probably a sad existence, she seemed like a shut in. Her apartment seemed dark, the only visible light a television, and the only thing to do yell at the men at work nearby. She actually yelled at us in front of our customer (also an old woman) about 5 minutes before we left, “what did she say”, “ma’am, she was telling us how she doesn’t like our work ethic”.

Hydration makes everything easier physically.

It may not be sore from stimulus, but dehydrated.

When you’re low on hydration, and have spent a good deal of energy, you can get muscular pumps when you start sipping water and eating food.

Cramps around the rib cage I find to be a sign of growth.

Burpees change the body super quickly.

Arnold/Orowheat (depends on your coast) oatnut bread, butter, American cheese, and salami…a solid sandwich.

Have a planet fitness black card? Why not go to as many locations as possible.

At a gas station, $2.50 for a Powerade…or down a half gallon of whole milk. A coworker gave me props for the rationale. Milk gives you much more.

Training high volume on what you can’t do high reps with (ie chins), and doing meaningful sets of 50-100+ reps on what you can (hint hint machines) you can’t help but be large.

Say it aloud. Worst case is they just don’t go for it. Often they will, and to your benefit.

What you do physically in youth stays with you. I have pushups initially from karate age 7, roundhouse kicks from the same (and the ability to trip out half japanese chicks and whites fluent in japanese by counting in japanese from yet again karate age 7).

How you are being dehydrated and carrying box after box up a stuffy aired hot stairwell is far harder physically than what you do for leisure activity at the gym.

Saying yes to opportunity… obviously gives you the benefits of said opportunity. I’m getting I’d say over 16 hours this weekend by having said yes to this morning and then “yeah I’ll work” about possibly being an extra hand tommorow.
(Winter moving hours are usually slow.)

Laying on a towel under a ceiling fan is the way to dry off.

Writing is an incredibly enjoyable habit.

Putting a barbell in a storage unit, clean & press, deadlifts, bent row, and burpees could be where you train your first clients.

Conception is likely challenging when both guy and girl are using the usual suspects of bodybuilding drugs. I was reminded of this today.

There is opportunity!

High energy, and positivity!

The news is meant to create fear in your heart. I’m predicting this “corona virus” to be the false soapbox huffing of blowhard windbags. The creation of fear is a reason I don’t watch news, I can see how the television affects your thinking.

Every time at work when hearing a cough I’d do a bad asian accent and say corona in a questioning tone. Coworkers joined in, making three races in on the joke.

I used to run to this junior year wrestling.

At 265 I may be too heavy, 235 may be my sweat spot overall, jumping is most powerful at 255+, my heaviest has been low 270s. I could eat and train to 300lbs. At 205-215 I have crazy wind, and walk around animalisticly. My coworker asked me how I think I’d be at 180. My answer? I’d be a wiry rangy near sickly looking hyper aggressive dangerously strong and crazy enduring individual. Smaller sizes can be the most primal.

And there’s zero reason to be looking at chicks instagrams, porn, etc. Why waste time thirsty over digital images? Go get some or not as necessary. Zero thirst.

A modified warrior pose, all statics, are solid fall back leg work.

As far as grain, I’ve found corn cereals to be just about the best source of carbs. 11pm, still up, eating corn pops with cream instead of milk, testosterone producing saturated animal fat over an easily digested carb.

There’s something in 100% apple and grape juice I find revitalizing.

Tire yourself out daily. You need the high energy drain. You’re better for it. Better in every way.

As masculine as possible. In every way.

This is how you enjoy your day, and sleep deep.

Persistence & Tenacity

Archives : February 2020

If at all possible I like eating a high calorie meal and then going back to bed.

Work was cancelled due to weather. I’d done massive gym volume the day before, and decided I’d wait out the storm by eating a big breakfast and at least attempting to go back to sleep.

Sumo wrestlers, the largest group of physically able bodied men, do this.

Sleep is the factory, nutrition the laborers. Sleep is when nutrition shows up to work.

A big breakfast on a “day off” followed by extra sleep speeds up recovery in every sense of the word. While good sleeping is a useful sorcery as to your ability to grow.

“Are you just one of those guys that is just freakishly strong?”

“Were you always like that.”
(Referring to being big)

To some degree I think I was going to grow up big and strong regardless. I’d say forcefeeding and years of training made it so I’m over 215-235lbs, we do have a natural fighting bodyweight, that we can even outgrow through training and eating (not steroids/gear motherfucker, if I was on gear I’d be 50lbs heavier and leaner, I just weight trained and ate up past my natural fighting weight).

I just find it easier to give the crowd what it wants, tell them I’m a genetic freak, and then wait.
By waiting you learn about the other. Are they the kind who truly believes in genetic freaks, or do they believe in human potential?

I believe all people have the capability to be physically robust.

“Genetic freak” isn’t as large a factor as weaklings online like to screech while attempting to cuddle their tears away as they lay awake at night.

When they’ve an open mind, and give props for the work I’ve put in, acknowledging I’m not just some freak of the genetic lottery, and start asking questions on bulking then I’ll go into story time about force feeding from 225 to 253 at 17 years old, and give good advice on how to eat more, and how easy it is to drink your nutritious calories.

It’s a shame when advice isn’t taken, it’s lovely when the advice is listened to attentively and acted upon.

(Often it’s every demographic but young men who act on the advice. A 70 year old man recently asked me a question and implemented my advice immediately. I enjoyed that, refreshing to have given implemented advice, and to make it even cooler a few days later he told me he passed the advice along.)