June 2022 Flow – Whispering The Secret Of How To Workout :

I’m going to let you in on a secret. You ready? I’ll tell you how to train.

You’ve got a barbell? Good. That allows more variance, though you can be the strongest person you know simply doing thousands of pushups.

Put the barbell on the ground, shoulder it, press it.

Sometimes go a bit lighter and power snatch it.

Sometimes overhead squat it, as many as you can. Reps? From 15-50 is good here.

I like the high rep overhead squat.

If you want to, go heavier, simply pick it up – deadlift.

This is better with snatch grip or as an sldl, conventional and sumo are best as occasional tests, the other variants the better choices for training and muscle building.

To mix it up on occasion do any of the above one handed.

A staggered stance, “b stance” (kickstand), is worth mixing in, particularly on your power snatches both one and two handed.

I too like it with the deadlift.

The old time strongman had it right, just lifting the barbell off the floor every which a way.

And when you don’t have a barbell or any improvised equipment ; the military has it right – dominate the space when you’re on your face.

Everything you could possibly need to train is seen in the blend of old time strongman, girevoy sport, military pt, prison workouts, wrestling, and boxing.

Lift – weightlifting in all rep ranges like you mean it.

Calisthenic – with a passion, lots of reps, even weighted, weight can be anything.

Improvise – with the right mind you often don’t have to workout without equipment, something in the environment can be used.

The tree branch becomes a mace.

That rock a perfect implement for one arm pressing.

All sorts of places to do pullups to be found, used.

Random things to shoulder, stand, attempt to get overhead, like a waterlogged log.

I’ve spun a wok around in my kitchen as a grip exercise before.

And yes, I try to pick up that large piece of railroad track. I do every summer.

I think with my strongman strong buddy it would be done as a two man lift.

Best store for exercise equipment?
Walmart? Dick’s?
Nah, try the hardware store.

A heavy sandbag is civilization’s accessible, great logistics version of a manhood stone.

it is (& this should be an affiliate link)

Persistence & Tenacity

June 2022 Flow – The Bruce Lee Front Raise Hold :

There’s that Bruce Lee story of him holding an 8lb steel ball for hours, alternating hands, in a front raise hold.

riughly this positioning – dumbbell in hand, arm parallel, glutes tight

The front raise hold isn’t given the credit it’s due.

One light dumbbell kept bedside (I have a pair of 10s in my bedroom) easily becomes a front raise hold as a shoulder feeder workout and results in fairly quick gains.

Even :60 is great, meditative, you breath in and out deep, and you find it’s not just the shoulders firing, like horse stance you feel your legs, glutes firing, and the grip is worked.

Lengths of time see the entire body pulling that dumbbell up.

June 2022 Flow – Big Eating & A High Metabolism :

Big Eating & A High Metabolism :

Generally I feel better when I both feel hunger and eat more.

Long periods of intermittent fasting trained my body to not often feel hunger.

I’m looking to change this.

By barely eating three days in a row at the dead end job I’ve been working, then eating as much as the hunger I’ve been feeling on days off dictates – I view this as an interesting experiment.

I am not counting calories nor am I counting macros.

I know my body is responding well to this, the same as it it to the front squats I’ve added back into the mix.

It’s comical how quickly front squats improve your midsection, and at least while doing them cross arm bodybuilder style – they’re a bicep and upper back movement.

That being said, for the time, I’m reimplementing…

The Dirty Bulk Life :

Even intermittent fasting I’ve never strayed far from “dirty bulking”.

With a big appetite it’s nothing to break 4000+ calories in two, even one sitting.

The fact I can easily eat big is why I easily stay big, even when I mathematically shouldn’t.

The human body is far more capable than everyone gives it credit for.

And it’s not science, you can’t quantify it.

Take it as a given that what we think of as superhuman is what was intended for human.

Humanity slipped!

We are, as designed, capable of far greater!

I get a laugh out of how quickly on the Internet you’ll find the mantra of the weak rationalizing “eat clen – tren hard”.

Like we can only absorb 30g protein at a time ; yet hunter gatherers were gorging on damn wooly mammoths back in the day.

Somehow I doubt they had the numbers or the preservation techniques to get so little per person off of a literal ton of meat.

It seems a badge of honor type indicator to “will he successfully muscle up or not” by simply looking at “can he eat a pound or more of beef in one sitting”.

Another useful one is “will he consistently drink milk, gomad, for months”.

I’m going to insert the thought here again, as I’ve oft typed…gym chicks tend to bring it, do whatever it takes far more than gym dudes on average.

I don’t think you ever really “need” over 200g protein a day, and notice the two indicators have you hit that in one solid meal of a beef and cheese bowl while drinking milk, with or without food, throughout the day.

Easy peasy.

Calories are the more important part of the anabolic equation.

And the guideline “some nutrition” is what you live by.

Opens you up to basically eating anything and everything, while you naturally tend to shy away from most things they are total garbage unless your body really needs it.

Meat and dairy first.
Plants second.

Trust your gut, follow your instinct.

Look at what worked for your ancestors, and then for the empowerment of your mind picture your ancestors as big, strong, rugged motherfuckers.

Everytime someone calls you a viking, says you could be a bouncer, asks how much you bench, etc – yep, fuel for the fire, positive reinforcement.

Shit bro, I’M REGULARLY SWINGING A TREE BRANCH!

That strikes me as a barbarian type of thing to be doing.

No gym?
Swing a tree branch under the night sky for an awesome upper body workout.

It can be that easy.

Persistence & Tenacity

June 2022 Flow – Front Squats ; The Ultimate Ab Exercise :

6/23/22
It’s been a couple applications of front squats, and on the half the week away from the dead end job I’ve been pointedly eating more.

Stomach looks tighter, I could easily ride this to some visible abs.

more lifting, more calories = more muscular & leaner

The price of gatorade is stupid, I’ll switch back to a half gallon of milk or chocolate milk for work.

It’s more calories, fat, and protein that way.

I came across this marine corps article on fitness, everyone interviewed in it talking two a days.

“take what is useful, discard what is not”

It’d be worthwhile to go from 7x pushups, and 3-4 brief lifts, to include a bleacher run, some sprints…

Get back to my train all the time roots.

Working out really seems to me a modern day white collar thing.

I am doing well on yard weightlifting, and could easily direct it towards bodybuilding or strongman.

I occasionally carry a barbell, deadlift, straight bar, walk, funny you never hear of this – it’s all “farmer’s walk”, yet anything can be carried.

A long sand pit would be better training facilities than any platform…power snatch throws ala the old time egyptian weightlifting team, carries, in general lifting in the sun and sand.

You can walk with a bar overhead. I like doing so.

Training outdoors barefoot and shirtless?
I love it.

Yesterday I pressed 210lbs, a new lifetime 1 rep PR, leaving reps and weight in the tank.

Legs were sore, but you know my mantra ; “if it’s sore do more”, a couple of 10s front squatting the empty bar made me human again.

Rest weakens you. Active “recovery” progressed to just all the time training allows you the physicality of a caveman.

I like the barbell heave to shoulder.

Squats, both front and back, are a back builder.

It seems that regardless of what I do…with the yard barbell I’m always going to be back building.

No one takes a 300lb weight set to it’s limit, no one. Yard weightlifting provides a hell of a lot of potential for the everyman.

Fuck your climate controlled, level floored, platform, and bumper plate facilities – the world is a better place for those who lift outdoors.

Aside Alert! Aside Alert!
(Apparently I only do pullups consistently at a gym – funny to be developing a really strong, good looking back without a single chin or pullup.)

(Aside Ended. Aside Ended.)
lol

Go outdoors, c&p, starting with heave to shoulder, getting nicer form til you’re power cleaning with crisp pretty form for the heavier presses – this is minimalist program nirvana, lifting heaven on earth for unperfect logistics, the barbell touched by god.

hyperbole?

I’m genuinely curious to see how I’m going to look and how strong I’ll by the start of fall.

I am upping lift frequency, and always lifting barefoot, shirtless, in the sun.

The beard shall he proper length again.

Lots of yard barbell “light” is a lengthy period of base building.

It’s going well.

Persistence & Tenacity

June 2022 Flow – All Must Train :

I came across the concept while reading today “the fighter had a broken hand so he was working his kicks”.

It got me to thinking of other articles I’ve read stating the same principle, and I believe it’s a Winston Churchill quote ;

“If you can’t run – walk. If you can’t walk – crawl. If you can’t crawl – blink.”

All can do something.

The bedridden can study, and often could do arm and grip work, besides tense any muscle you can!

Imagine if the seriously disabled flexed with a purpose for years. Some would stop being disabled!

Oh, it’s an upper body injury is it then?
Train legs.

You hurt your what?
Dude, that’s lower body, train upper. You’re managing to walk, so walk between upper body machines.

All must train. There are zero excuses.
You are all the gym you need.

Boo hoo I don’t have a gym membership.
Lunges are free. Step outside.

I do so many pushups in the kitchen!
More coming up…

Limp around between upper body machines! I felt complimented that no one felt the need to ask why I was limping, they knew it didn’t matter – I train irregardless!

I’ve seen a dude in a wheelchair dip himself into and out of the chair, and onto a machine.

Completely paralyzed legs doing dips on his wheelchair. And at the gym doing what he can!

I’ve seen a dude with mostly paralyzed legs, crutch himself to the lat pulldown – where, as a gym floor regular, he spent significant time.

He had a big upper body, and talking with him he had powerlifted to a ~600 pull before a car accident. It looked to me that he still had his 181lb weight class upper body despite shriveled legs, if not having bodybuilt it larger since!

People have told me my consistency inspires them, I’ve heard this from everyone from late teen beginners to a rather upper body strong 50 something who you wouldn’t guess to be past 40 smashing pullups and dips.

What I do shouldn’t be inspiring!
My consistency should be the norm.
There are people making it happen in spite of way worse!

There are disabled gym floor regulars with significant upper body development, while I’m about to step outside and power snatch.

I’ve got it easy.

-J
6/8/22

And the strongest legged girl I’ve ever met, 19yo, squatting mid 300s, was doing this with cast over a broken forearm.

June 2022 Flow – Some Silly? Bulking Tips :

Bowl & Spoon :

I’ve been doing this I was 16 or so, it ties into when I first “got big” eating and lifting…

One step past cereal with a spoon down the bodybuilding rabbit hole…

Trail mix? With a bowl & spoon.
M&Ms? With a bowl & spoon.
Any nut or seed – with bowl & spoon.

(The entire 1lb+ of ground beef with cheese – with bowl & spoon)

Your fingers stay clean, and alongside the bowl you’ve got your glass of milk to drink.
The gallon seated with you at the table.

Walmart sold bags of trail mix for about $7, no clue what the covid price now is as the bag got smaller a couple years ago, inflation is stupid right now, but it was 3500 calories, then something like 3000 calories for the whole bag, $7, easily eaten, no prep involved.

A bag of trail mix the supplementary, though substantial (able to be more than ½) portion of the day’s calories.

Olive Oil :

At 16 years old my mom insisted on whole milk not being in fridge.

I insisted on more calories per glass…

With whey, sometimes soy powder, and whatever not full fat milk it was whether skim or 2%…

I poured in olive oil, stirred, and drank.
Stirred again if it separated, and continued to drink it.

7000+ Calories For Quick Size (& Fatness lol) :

The summer between my junior and senior years of high school I force fed an average of 7200-7500 calories a day.

I gained weight quickly, from 230ish to 253 in ≤½ of summer break.

I ate like this the entire time though.

For breakfast it was frozen breaded chicken, frozen waffles, greek yogurt, and milk not leaving the table until I’d taken in 100g+ protein.

I had lunch at home.

I then had lunch at my aunt’s.

I’d eat a bunch of hostess/little debbie’s/ring dings at my aunt’s , and drink her 1% milk.

I’d then either eat dinner at my aunt’s then have a second dinner of my mom’s cooking at home or I’d eat dinner at home and after dinner eat half a frozen pizza.

In some cases I ate all three large dinners because…to grow big you eat big.

Some days the other half of the frozen pizza was eaten in addition.

I drank a gallon of milk, my whole milk, every day.

Those who “can’t get big” haven’t spent 3+ months taking in 7k+ calories daily.

Bowl Everything :

Similar to the first, as contrary to what that comedian said about kfc bowls, it is a much more efficient presentation of calories to have All OF IT stirred up in a bowl, your meats, your cheese, your carb(s) fried up, served in a giant bowl ready to be shoveled down.

Sit W/Juice & Milk + The Candy :

At the table you set down your whole milk, and your grape juice, apple juice, and/or apple cider.

You also have a bag of candy within arms reach, maybe twix or kit kats individually wrapped, maybe m&ms with bowl and spoon.

Milk is the palette cleanse.

You eat the bowl of nutrition til starting to slow down, drink juice or milk, make sure your pallette is cleansed with milk, eat a bit of candy which reignites your appetite, and get a whole lot (think 4000 calories minimum) down in one sitting.

Any Food Combinations You Enjoy :

GOMAD? Try 10-12 Gallons A Week :

Did that for about 6 months at 17.

Corn Dogs & Cream Soda :

One summer working as a mover I was losing weight far too quickly.

It was red alert, eat however you can to keep weight on.

I could barely eat while carrying boxes in the heat. I’d eat at most 5 of those quaker type rice bars, eating a grand total of maybe 500 calories, and drink a powerade – 700 calories tops until after the gym late night.

It was 8 corn dogs, I’ve found they can be put down in limitless amount, and I drank a liter of cream soda, plus ⅓-½ gallon of milk with it.

10,000 Calories In A Day?

Between ;
•having a gym membership
•not having a job

On one particularly hungry day I had three 3000+ calorie meals, coming very close to 10k calories on the day.

A Dozen Eggs :

A dozen fried eggs is rather filling, but is not more challenging to consume with ketchup, melted chocolate chips, mexican mix cheese, a can or two of tuna, and a sizeable bunch (up to 1lb) of ends, usually pepperoni, sold at discount from the deli mixed in.

At the start of my junior year of high school it was 6+ (not more than 9) eggs with a can of tuna, the next step was adding those deli ends, usually pepperoni, then stuff got added incrementally from there.

By winter senior year it was as written above.

The Grocery Store Cashier(s) :

At least one cashier is going to think of you as a regular (who buys so much f#@”*!& food).

This is a sign from the gods.

You are eating big!

A sign particularly humorous when she asks how many you are feeding and from behind your highlander beard comes the statement “me”.

Or when they rib you about missing a usual item, like grape juice, that one woman always teased me when I wasn’t purchasing grape juice.

My buddy was known as the eggs guy. 🙂

(And at work I have a reputation for bringing in chocolate milk – one bartender, she ribs me if I don’t have it, or have something different with me.)

Persistence & Tenacity

June 2022 Flow – 5:00 Curls – Density Training – A Trick To Continue Lifting When Motivation Is Low :

6/6/22
I’ve been enjoying getting a bicep pump every 5-10 days, in a way doing curls for the girls since as of late I have little investment mentally in actually lifting.

Bryce Lane’s 50/20 sounded too heavy and too long for such a small, generally pump, movement.

Initially I figured 50/5 as 50 reps in 5:00 made more sense on curls.

Pump them up, and it’s not to say I stop at 50 reps either as my last session of them (yesterday – I did some one arm presses followed by sets of 10 on overhead squat today) saw me get a few reps shy of 70 (67) with a distraction in the final seconds keeping me from hitting those 3 reps, but my approach has me now thinking 75 or even 100 reps before I up the curl weight.

The goal can float. The higher the reps before jumping weight the easier the next weight heavier will be.

Bryce Lane’s writing has taught me.

100 in 5:00 is 20 reps a minute, a bit too pump in my eyes, 75 in 5:00 is 15 a minute, a bit more hypertrophy than 10, but not as pump as 20.

Very quickly this is turning to a 75/5 density curling protocol.

I expect and look forward to hitting 115lbs for 50/5 within months/by the end of summer.

It’s reasonable.

I’ll write this again, setting a timer for 2:00 to 20:00, doing one lift, then moving on with your day is a simple way to keep you from quitting lifting, which would be very odd to do as everyone views you as the gym guy despite your spending naught but ≤60:00 a week outside actually lifting a barbell – without any gym membership, or even much motivation to lift.

Of course it’s me, so you never know – the motivation may strike anytime, and then I’ll be outside daily (probably using a one lift a day density training protocol) lifting again.

I’ve got a lot of room to grow on power cleans, whether heave style or crisp style, with or without the press(es), power snatches, and overhead squats.

It’s not unreasonable to turn myself into, effectively crossfit, with a barbell outdoors losing weight to 225 and improving my power snatch and overhead squat for reps to 20×225 to beat that Dan John internet standard of “overhead squat 15 x bw – it makes you one piece, an animal”.

It’d be interesting to see what I deadlift at that point as I’d love to deadlift 600+ at ~230 off of power snatches, power cleans, overhead squats, and the sandbag I should rebuild.

Get a 300lb weight set, look at weightlifting, look at girevoy, buy into density training, and soar!

Persistence & Tenacity