Month: November 2021

11/20/21 Flow – “Weekend Warriors”, The Deadlift, The Beer Garden, & The Barbeque :

Honesty admits that the concept of “weekend warrior” is given a bad rap.

You don’t need to be in the gym everyday, and I almost can’t believe that I’m saying this…there are times where it makes sense not to be.

Any man putting in good effort on a leg or back compound exercise once a week, following something with a slow progression, will age far better than his inactive peers.

Buy a 300lb weight set – it’s great medicine…for life/for a lifetime.

Eventually stiff leg deadlift it with a snatch grip using some protocol involving effort, do this regularly, and you’re set.

Don’t necessarily make it solitary thing either, invite everyone to participate.

The german beer garden and gym combination strikes me as ideal.

Only in the current year is the gym far removed from healthy socialization AND the gaining of knowledge.

Socialization, knowledge, and lifting all in one – imagine…it puts a smile on my face.

The greeks had it set up that way.
The iranians and indians have their wrestling places be consecrated in addition!

Instead of watching “the game” in a gathering, imagine if the regular weekend thing was for you, your relatives, and your friends to meet up, barbeque, and deadlift!

Maybe too have a bonfire, throw some axes, shoot a bow, wrestle around, have a barbarian tribal party type thing instead of watching people you’ll never meet, who care nothing for you, run up and down a field on television.

I’m envisioning this already.
It too puts a smile on my face.

I should be in bed, but I have to type something regularly. Writing is a form of medicine for me, and I may think better with smartphone keyboard click clack clicking.

Thank you!

Persistence & Tenacity

11/19/21 Flow :

Balance in training?
You’re giving it way too much thought.

I’ve had multiple periods of my training being reverted to naught but pushups, and my build has always been proportionate.

Maybe pushups are the perfectly balanced full body exercise.

Maybe it’s the fact that I have the best genetics.

Whatever the case I care not an iota that I’m training almost nothing but pushups, that my programming is imbalanced – it works for me.

Be consistent for long enough and you realize that any program works – it’s just a matter of the effort applied over a length of time.

That’s the magic required for physical progress – effort consistently applied over time.

It’s funny to compare what gym goers obsess about vs what is the “normal” way to live.

Most aren’t paying particular attention to any aspect of their diet.

Meanwhile there’s a “diet freak” type gym goer obsessing over every minute detail of what goes in.

The middle ground is the way for me here – I don’t count macros or calories, my diet starts with milk, meat is my second food group, and I try to have some bacon and beef each and every day.

That’s the guideline.

I can only laugh when people think I drink a lot of milk, as right now it’s not gomad, and in the past I averaged 10-12 gallons a week for a decent length of time.

I eat like men of yesteryear, and therefore I am built as rugged as they.

Look to and emulate rugged yesteryear to not be of the pansy current.

Simple.

I have immense physical strength, and while yes my mother was scary strong when she lifted as a high schooler, it for me was a matter of my training consistency and the eating of power building foods.

I actually shot myself in the foot from a strength and power perspective going from 212 to 178 as a high school freshman.

So much the gym goer buys into is detrimental.

The whey is going to raise your metabolism, not bulk you up.

I’ve been using some whey powder and protein bars the last month or two because I felt like it, stopped drinking whey daily as I wanted to keep weight on (I was losing weight faster than I expected with the utmostly scientific program of barely eat and work as a line cook), and have gotten a few laughs from people by referring to the met-rx bars I enjoy as “dessert protein”.

If you go to wherever supplements are sold, observe the display a moment, and are honest with yourself that is what the entire aisle is…dessert protein.

You don’t need that stuff, it can be amusing to incorporate, but you don’t need it

You can always just eat real foods, and thrive.

Meat and dairy, in either order, and some whatever else.

As far as training, I just want to get some implement to press with high frequency.

While a keg or yard axle (everyone should have a yard axle) sounds nice, I still have the giant duffle bag I used for a sandbag years ago.

That’d be the most sensible option at present – rebuild and daily use my giant sandbag.

Just go buy 200+ lbs of sand, a pack of contractor cleanup bags, a roll of duct tape, make 25lb miniature bags, then get to putting the thing overhead – 50/20 programming, bump it 25lbs when you hit that.

All the covid gym closures of last year could’ve been nulled by the individual doing just this.

Funny, I don’t think I once thought to do so, instead rocking ~150 pushups and an 8 mile bike ride daily, plus the occasional pullups during that period.

Sandbag training makes sense to me. Press a 200lb sandbag first, and you’ll press a 225lb barbell that way.

But, as it has been always, and is to be forever – I’m good doing my pushups.

And they are MINE
MY PUSHUPS

Now to practice on duolingo, drink some banana flavored whey in milk, and to bed.

Past midnight it’s already friday, I expect a good day, as one must always – there’s a million blessings to focus on, and as I continue to wake each day, there’s life to live – amen.

Persistence & Tenacity

11/8/21 – Early Am – Combining A Few Flows – More Than One In One :

The greatest aspect of calisthenics is that wherever you are, anytime you can do them.

This is frequency.

Frequency for some is necessary to keep negativity out of mind.

As the laundry runs I shadow box, putting power into it.

In mind I’m emulating Mike Tyson, I’m similar in height and proportion, and feel that’d be my style should I box.

So I’m trying to bob, weave, and uppercut in something that resembles it visually.

The movement patterns are likely off, a coach would say so I’m sure, but this is me, alone, getting myself out of breath because it improves my state of mind.

I’m not going to be focussing on the little that is bad.

Out of breath, now enjoying some chocolate milk, and typing up my thoughts – I feel good.

I’m on two to three times daily pushups and bw squats.

I’ll probably be joining the gym my friend goes to, but on a once or twice weekly program.

I’m very strong.
I feel it, and I visualize it as I’m doing my calisthenics.

I was repping 405 in mind as I did pushups earlier.

This practice builds even more strength.

Let’s rewind ;

I look in the bathroom mirror and resemble a pale king kong.

This effect is only amplified with a pump, and after driving home shirtless I did some squats and triceps heavy pushup variants before going indoors, during rests I drank chocolate milk.

In the bathroom before the night’s shower I did another couple sets of vanilla pushups…but visualised heavy benching, a bench rep during each pushup, seeing myself first repping 315, 345, 365, 405, then on the next set 345, 365, 405, all powerfully executed, all for reps.

I look like king kong in the mirror.
My neck is thicker.
My traps have grown recently.

I have serious upper body development.

The comical thing is my calorie burn is quite high from work.

I’m barely eating.
Without the chocolate milk I’d be on starvation rations.

I am however pretty good about getting in some beef and some bacon each day.

Working in a restaurant has its perks.

My bacon cheeseburger grilled cheese sandwich with a root beer or dr pepper near the end of shift is what keeps me in the food.

I’ll usually eat something really small, cheese or chicken outside of work.

I stopped drinking whey again.
It was causing an even higher rate of…weight loss? fat loss?

I felt warmer, which makes sense as protein speeds the metabolism.

Don’t really want to feel even warmer working in a kitchen.

The coworker who wears a hoodie sometimes is nuts.

I could toy around, see what happens going back to up to 6 scoops daily.

Caffeine consumption is up.
I don’t dodge the soda fountain every shift.

However, instead of water or soda I mostly drink ginger ale at work.

It has taste, keeps some calories in you, and doesn’t have caffeine.
This was something I learned to do as a mover one summer.

At a point water bothered the stomach and didn’t have the necessary taste, while gatorade/powerade was too sugary.

Ginger ale hits the spot in this situation, while high quality ginger beer is downright medicinal.

I get little bits of free protein from mess up items.

I’m in a good place eating wise.
Leaning out is just what the time calls for, and I’m very strong right now.

My buddy will be happy if I join the gym he goes to.

I filmed there the other day, and the place would work for infrequent big lift training.

I can see myself just specializing on push/pull for a while there.

A man would be set training just back and shoulders.

Doing that right involves plenty of leg work.

You’re not going to clean & press nor deadlift without leg work happening.

If you’re worried about it throw in some heavy 10s or 20s on front squats, partial front squats, or do something meaningful overhead squatting for reps.

I know the type of programming that works.

•deadlifts
•partials
•c&p
•bent row
•front squats
•overhead squats

Any man would thrive on this.

Frequency?
Anywhere from multiple times daily to once every 10-14 days.

That’s the beauty of lifting. Whether high frequency or low frequency – all work.

Do what works for you, mentally, logistically, whatever.

I’d rather see you getting it in the gym than to not train.

The “weekend warrior” gets a bad rap.

A man could hit the big three or something similar on saturday or maybe after church each Sunday, not stress lifting or even waste a single thought about lifting the rest of the week, and be set.

It’s better to lift than not to lift.

Maintain a 405+ deadlift into your 80+. Aging needn’t be bad.

I know the path of aging I’m on.

I’m 27. I’ll never be weak.

37 will be stronger than 27.
47 will be stronger than 37.
etc, etc, etc, etc, etc

I’ve read accounts of the germanic tribes during the time of rome.

All the men were able bodied, all aged roughly 15 to 80 strapped on shields, picked up spears, and marched to battle joyously.

Heck, the roman legionaries served a 30 year enlistment term, aged 20 to 50.

A 50 year old roman was marching 18 miles a day under load, then building fortifications each and every night.

These were the norm.
Humans are meant to be awesome.

Aging in the modern world is a travesty.

In one of the icelandic sagas, one of the men became feeble in his 90s, was mocked by the women for his being feeble, and within a year or two was dead.

Feeble only came about on one’s deathbed.

This says that for many in modern times, their living is naught but a slow death.

The fuck are you waddling around slurping down naught but bullshit for?

WITH NOTHING FOR EQUIPMENT YOU CAN HIT YOUR PUSHUPS AND SQUATS TWICE A DAY!

An hour or less at minimum wage will feed you a gallon of milk and pound of ground beef each day.

The squats and pushups take 5:00 to 10:00 tops each day.

Aging is a choice.
I know the path I’ve chosen.

That “dad bod” thing is disgusting.

Hit your pushups and squats, your kids will love to be on your back for both.

“Dad used to duck walk considerable distances with me/us riding on his shoulders.” – my kids in the future

Yes, I envision and plan on doing calisthenics with my kids.

(Both with them as weight and doing them together.)

There are no excuses.

Your health and fitness is a part of you, it’s entirely under your control – always has been, always will be.

I refuse to be one of those looked at in disgust, for being…disgusting, a disgusting human body.

It’s not just physical, it’s spiritual.

Your spirit is reflected in your appearance.

Your spirit is slovenly?
Why!
THERE ARE PUSHUPS AND SQUATS TO DO!

Persistence & Tenacity

11/1/21 – Day Pass Shenanigans :

My buddy was going for a 700lb deadlift tonight. I had the today, and tomorrow off from work, so I wrangled up the money for a day pass, and joined him for the session.

The first thing I did on the gym floor was an off camera really clean 70lb bottoms up press.

He was pulling plate by plate, so I singled from 135-495, mixed grip on the 405 and 495 singles.

This was my 1st 495 pull in 3+ years. I last did 495+ in 2017 or maybe 2018.

Maybe ten minutes after the first bottoms up press and deadlifting I took a few tries to get something okay for the camera, not recalling if I had a 70lb bottoms up press on camera or not from years ago.

And…

I did.

Somewhere around this time I got absolutely nowhere with a 340lb and then a 320lb atlas stone.

Having saw me press the 70lber, my friend suggested I go both hands, so I ended up with video (not the best set) with the 53lber on the weak side.


You can hear my friend doubling? what I think was 600 something in the background. Boom around the :28 mark.

It was no dice managing to get a pair of 53s simultaneously bottoms up.

At least for more than a fraction of second anyway.

I tried.
Double bell bottoms up pressing is far more challenging than one handed.

Fun day, guest passing at the little hole in the wall place.

While my buddy zoned out amping up for a second attempt at 700, I no warm up, no spot, and on a weird bench (yet designed for and liked by powerlifters) hit a 10×275 bench…

Lifetime PR!
+ that 50% set 5×275 a minute later both what I consider wide gripped, my pinkies on the ring.

With the rolling thunder I pulled 135 each hand.

Having short term access to toys I put a 135lb?/150lb? (my buddy and the board stating equipment weights disagree) block overhead a few times for a laugh.


A laugh, very fun, the type of thing to leave outside year round to mess around with.

I did a few good form 10 rep sets of pullups.

I went back to the bench taking
315 as a warmup after spotting a dude at something like 170lbs bar weight

Then I took a lift off for a 345 bench that kinda counts, the spotter (the guy I’d just spotted) may have touched the bar when I slowed down at a high ¾ to lockout sticking point, and then I hit the j hook on the right side before locking out.

Within a couple minutes I took 345 for another spin, wanting to make it solidly, to solidify a lifetime 1 rep PR.

I took the lift off, and made sure I didn’t get out of line and hit the j hooks this time.

I too clarified to this spotter (another guy this time) not to touch it unless I told him to.

He actually had acted hesitant to spot 345, thinking it heavy, and I assured him it would be fine, then had him laughing at my “when a brazilian girl spots you at the SoCal bodybuilding gym” story.

I did pushups there, kicked into a couple handstands, and goofed around trying to, and kinda succeeding at bottoms up pressing a small keg with some sand in it.

That was humorous. I carried the keg around bottoms up in my right hand awhile, more than a minute, trash talking my buddy all the while.

I ended with a handful of axle deadlifts with a wicked thick, probably 3″ bar.

I hit what I think was 205 on it, unless it was 245. I was unclear as to which axle supposedly weighed what.

When I was mostly waiting for my buddy to finish his assistance work I was goofing around flexing, flexing at him (a few different bicep poses, the come at me bro victory pose variation, and a front double bi in kung fu leg raised position), flexing behind him making it look like he had extra arms, the best being flexing a front double bi in stork/kung fu/tae kwon leap pose.

I even mimicked his curling.

I was having a blast lifting barbells, playing with the toys, and goofing off.

Maybe I’ll end up joining the gym, on a regimen of once or twice weekly lifting as the guideline.

Like every program that too works.

Today I was wicked strong.
Why? Cause I’m the Man.

I was having a blast, and testing out top end strength after doing what really had been lots of reps lately.

Why so serious?
You can treat the gym as play, and make great gains.

And as we drove off I joked “have you ever seen me have post workout protein”, as I ate a chocolate chip cookie dough met-rx bar and drank a 24oz thermos full of milk.

Persistence & Tenacity