Month: January 2023

Breakfast :
•cheese stick
5, 5

…..

Work :

4½h, mostly unloading boxes to the garage or first floor.

However it’s a hassle loading/unloading empty crates by hand.

It’d almost be better to open the crates at the shop, and deliver a normal truck.

May be a little more time consuming, an extra step of in/out, but at the same time empty crate in/out by manpower is dumb.

You can only physically fit three crates in a truck, whereas a full truck is the contents of probably six crates.

The coworkers have started alternating between slim and skinny, it evolving to “Skinny J” as nickname for me.

…..

At work whilst carrying a box into the basement I realized this “the chins could be not just kettlebell related, but also mover related”, the only things that pump up on the job are my biceps and quads.

ie I’m built for power curls :)-

I recall how my first summer delivering houses my grip got to where I could hang for :45-:75 one handed holding a 70lb kb in the other for a few sets each side.

…..

Lift :

KB Cleans
7l, 7r

The one arm clean is worth more than it’s marked weight.

I LIKE how this movement feels, I don’t know if double bell would feel entirely the same – it would for the fact the clean feels like you’re manhandling the bell to your shoulder, but the one arm aspect makes the core WORK – I can see lots of one bell cleans really building a rugged body, rugged abs, rugged biceps, plus strong shoulders and triceps by pressing it overhead.

This very brief session was so as to be sure I lifted the kettlebell today.

I want daily lifts for an indeterminate amount of time.

…..

•½ salami sandwich
•12oz cranberry juice
•8oz milk
•scoop BANANA whey (shaken not stirred)

…..

Long Nap

…..

•5oz ground beef
•1½ potatoes as home fries
•24oz cranberry juice

I’m purposefully eating more frequent, it’s a good idea to speed my metabolism up – 285+ and barely eating (or at least my idea of it), it’s time for frequent food, and these ingredients, beef, potatoes, cranberry juice – I could very likely eat for every meal with satisfaction.

…..

I realized in “aha moment” that work food could be no carb, solely by bringing meat in a bag, cheese in a bag, instead of putting the same on bread.

…..

As written above it’s now “Skinny J” at work.

I waste lots of time reading about bulking online, an unnecessary past time really.

Now I’ve some interesting thoughts on bulking :

Dirty bulking puts on far more muscle than eating less has ever.

I’m getting close to joining the local powerlifting gym so as to partial front squat and push a prowler.

I like the physicality of working as a mover, it’s actually fun to have to manhandle the crates (meant to be done via forklift) around.

Pushing, pulling, and even lifting – from box to box by manpower is interesting.

It’s not liveable hours.

I like lifting weights.
I’m nearly 300lbs. It wouldn’t be hard to get there.

Strongman

The strength comes quickly, it’s the logistics of force feeding that kinda make it “not gonna happen” with all but part time work – which is what I’m doing.

I’d have to join a gym again it would seem, or is yard barbell enough there?

The conditioning is simple. Just do it.
Density shouldering everything, rebuild the sandbag for that, loads and carries, call my cousin up and push his truck around empty parking lots, sprint some.

I like the idea of farmers walking 50yds, setting the implements down, jogging down and back, then walking the 50yds again, just do this for time.

You know I meant to talk about dirty bulking.

Okay. Look at the obese, the real obese, the seriously obese 700lbs laying on the couch obese.

Anyone massively heavy, that can walk, is going to have some serious leg strength just by having basic locomotion.

A dirty bulk, holding the bodyweight for a couple years, then taking the fat off slowly is going to put on more muscle than the same five years spent worrying about maintaining visible abs and therefore never gaining a total of over 10lbs.

…..

25

…..

•two cheese sticks
•24oz milk

dairy is godsend for high calories, it’s easy as there’s no prep involved, a gallon jug of milk and some cheese wrapped in plastic (cheese sticks or slices of american cheese), and you’re set – dairy is more ready to eat than meat more often than not, you have to cook most meat, whereas salami is expensive, cheap hotdogs gross, and cans, well cans kinda bypasses that need to cook argument

…..

An Idea :

On most days off of work, you lift 3x a day, and to start you walk a half mile with one of those lifts.

The next week it’s two walks, and three lifts.

Week three it’s three of each.

Week four you add distance to one of those walks.

Each week you add distance til it’s three lifts daily and a three mile walk with each.

This means you have an hour of activity thrice daily, and you’re working a physical job the other days.

Working as a mover has always been good for me in the aspect of the physical job makes me want to be physical as much as possible outside of work too.

…..

I think I’ll add some heavier snatch grip deadlifts into this kettlebell period.

Also either/or the sldl, with either grip, for reps, but moreso the light density deadlifts against the clock were worthwhile, and need to be readded alongside the kettlebell.

Light deadlifts against the clock occasionally mixed with daily kettlebell lifts – a good combination.

I can tell the kettlebell and mismatch presses with the kettlebell and dumbbell is going to carryover to the barbell press.

The snatch grip deadlift is to keep the barbell in my hands whilst continuing to build horsepower (think mack truck in mack truck vs lamborghini here).

…..

Looking at my lifting history it’s been phases of me just absolutely crushing volume on one particular lift.

I recall summer 2019’s dip odyssey, and smile about how well 300+ dips a day worked for me.

I recall summer 2021 being similar, doing pullups, often weighted, daily.

Both these periods got me VERY STRONG with a “program” many would scoff at.

It’s all about doing what is fun for you, and causes the buy in. Then you smash the thing passionately, and get results.

I’m feeling this right now with my kettlebell, though the volume is yet to be high.

Do I want to invest in more kettlebells?
Buy a titan 100, rogue 124, 150, 176, and get brutally strong on one arm clean and press – and yes, I see the 176lb bell as a plausible press in not a long length of time.

Then you buy the 203lber, clean & press THAT, and you’re truly the physically strongest man you’ll ever meet.

…..

60

it’s real easy to rack up pushup volume with sets throughout the day

…..

35, 25

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Flow – I Should Be In Bed, But Instead My Stomach Turns From The Whey :

What am I serious about?

I wrote yesterday of how I watched porn, something I’ve said “I’m done with” going into the eighth year of saying it.

So again I ask, what am I serious about.

The truth of the matter is, you get what you want, always.

You want youtube fame and fortune?
You’d do what it takes to get it if you truly did.

I can honestly say in this moment it’s “10×10 or better on see saw press” – I have lifting, at least I have lifting.

I don’t doubt sets of 30+ on both see saw and two hands mismatched.

145.4lbs just isn’t that much, though by being bells, and mismatched at that – it’s worth more than the sum of the poundage.

I had this vision of running shirtless around the city this summer, visible abs, a big beard, still around 220.

It’d be a step to just mix a stroll in-between sets of lifting.

With the fresh beard, shaving tomorrow – starting new cause of that porn shit yesterday, I’m going to shape it well as it grows.

Taper from chin to ear early, establish the neck line somewhere between day 3 and day 21, the taper letting the cheek line set better, and my face looking better all the while both from the beard and dropping fat weight.

A set of mismatch press, a brief lift before work is easily implemented, worth doing.

You’re in fucking training bro. There can’t be television, porn, bad food choices – all the bullshit – you need to be better for your soul.

It’s not 2019 when the world was the normal you knew.

You’re not getting a do over of 2020’s lockdown – ya could’ve smashed workouts and dieted during that – didn’t, hey you still got the stories of riding the bike around, bombing down that good hill, that’s how you have to look at the past – the value of it’s stories.

People love my stories.

That redhead chick, us sitting in her car in the highschool parking lot, me stressed out of my mind – first wrestling season, waiting for someone else who was riding with us as well, me telling her some shit that had happened the night before, and her telling me “you’re a storyteller”.

Me initially thinking it was an insult, that she thought I was lying about the stupid shit we’d had happen in practice cause of the special case anger management took special ed classes lightweight wrestler.

There was a practice where a senior violently crossfaced me (striking from rear mount), my nose opened up, and I held my shirt to my nose…

The freshman had their science fair in the gymnasium below.

Two chicks who knew me started to say hi as I walked to the locker room, then saw the look on my bloody face, my shirt drenched like an axe murderer – I was already thought nuts for going hard in JROTC PT, while THIS clinched the reputation.

“He left practice COVERED in blood.”

And here I am writing high school stories, I was 15 in that one.

I do not like how it seems that my life stopped in late 2021.

Yeah, I got restaurant stories, but fuck it – that place was miserable, the kitchen the definition of hostile work environment.

“J, can I get cheese on this salad?”
It’s her personal.
“Yo, M. I know you’re new. I’m going to show you what spec is.”
I scoop the cheese, doubling it. It’s still a piddly amount.
“Seriously J can I have some cheese on my salad.”
“Yeah, I’m about to give you a good handful – wanted you as a new girl to see what spec was, which I doubled, which still looks small to all but B. Ask B – he’ll tell you that was spec, then double spec.”
She’s just laughing at the absurdity of how chinsy the food sold was, as I handed her a big handful making it reasonable, but easily 8x the spec amount of cheese.

B had been working in the restaurant roughly my lifetime, and he would’ve adamantly told her that it was spec, then double spec, then that I had gave her FAR TOO MUCH cheese – “you’re only supposed to see it – not taste it” – B – an exact quote

Don’t get me started on those who worked fry side.

They’d be stoned, raging, slamming the baskets, soybean oil flying every which a way, getting burnt, raging harder, repeating the process for their 30 hours a week.

Place was mental.

I’m, overall, happy to be gone, but the problem is – I severely overestimated the available hours at the moving company.

Not that moving helper is a career.
It’s not.
I need to do something that is mentally acceptable and enough money to not only live on single, but enough to raise a family with.

/flow

…..

WEIRD DREAMS – I wish I’d written them all down immediately!

…..

Breakfast :

10, 10 (pushups)
•cheese stick
…..

Work :

Have you ever heard the term “farmer’s blow”?

I hadn’t til this morning. The other crew’s customer the other day had called and complained about it.

The manager’s son with the help of urban dictionary found it to mean closing a nostril with a finger and shooting snot.

The complaint email and message were read and played for both crews.

Work today was pretty easy, a 4 hour minimum mostly just wheeling stuff down a long hall.

Earlier in the elevator I’d gotten a laugh out of the brothers, as the younger had wanted me to step on the shop scale weeks back “you’re a big dude, must be 280”.

But today’s job was a medical office.

The older brother yells to me “J get on here”, and I see he’s wheeled the office’s scale to the truck.

I stepped on scale, 286.5lbs, which the coworkers thought that crazy.

Of the six of us, at least four of us, maybe five did a quick weigh in.

The old guy refused the scale, no weigh in for him, and back at the shop unloading the stuff into storage…well I may now have the nickname “slim”.

The old guy said it once, then two or three started laughing “that works for him”.
We’ll see if it holds.

Then a few of us unloaded boxed unassembled ikea type furniture out of a freight 18 wheeler delivery, where I found that a 102lb box with a width nearly that of my wingspan is a deliciously awkward thing to carry.

I want a box like that to carry around the yard for training!

Also, shoulder carries are fun. When something is long, even if it has weight, as long as you can lever it to your shoulder it’s easy as pie to carry on flat ground.

…..

Ease Of Work Note :

When :
weekend
Where :
parking lot
What :
backwards farmers walks with the mismatch bells – backwards walking is ridiculously awkward – I should do it on my own time as well

…..

Upon Getting Home
•scoop chocolate whey (shaken not stirred)
•8oz milk

……

Checked on the bathroom scale at home having first drank the whey, then taken a piss – this time stripped to boxers and socks…

287lbs

Within a ½lb of what the medical scale had said.

Went to the doorway chin bar – banged out 7 chin ups.

I think it’s the kettlebell clean that brought that up from 4-5 reps. I’ll see how chins/pullups do without training and the kettlebell is aiming towards much “what the hell” effects.

Again, I’ve a 185lb press rep out test scheduled for the 2/26.

…..

•12oz milk

then sipped a

•20oz cherry pepsi

as unnecessary preworkout while reading

…..

Knowing I weigh 287lbs, of course I’m going to press!

It bothers me how little I eat whilst weighting this much!

First we lift.

Lift :

Mismatch Press
13, 8, 8, 3
Off Center F Sq
3r, 3l
Swings
5r, 5l
Soviet Wrestler Sq ss/w Soviet Wrestler SLDL – standing on cinder blocks
4+4
3+3
5+5

this exercise needs more height – still like it though

…..

Read/write a bunch, not stressing “postworkout window”

…..

2nd Lift :

Sig Klein Attempt
10 reps kb left
5 reps kb right
5 reps kb right

Next time make the attempt kb right, I’ve more leeway cleaning the kettlebell with my right hand, various positions than just between the legs.

Then put the bells away without setting them down first – that’s a great way to train the hands, first c&p, then carry, then set then down.

…..

Then we eat (steak and home fries, while cooking ground beef and home fries)

Meat and potatoes – will I drop weight?

I hope so, I want visible abs, but as long as my chins/pullups continue to increase, and I run a good 6:00 mile this summer – fuck the look, it’s about performance. The look follows anyway.

•12oz steak
•1½ potatoes as home fries
•four sticks cookie dough twix
•16oz milk
•banana

…..

It’d behoove me to walk a bunch outside of work, and probably get a gym membership just to go to immediately after work.

Still do all the yard lifting as well.

…..

The funny thing is in all this that upon seeing 286.5 in the scale at work this morning my though was “it’d be so easy to be a 308lber”.

1. meat, milk, deserts 4x daily
2. a bit of tasty frozen foods
3. gym membership for front squat partials
4. possible unemployment

…..

I realize there could be correlation between the chins and two implement c&p – I might’ve experienced that before.

…..

•some fried food (small amount)
•½ salami sandwich
•banana
•12oz cranberry juice
•12oz milk

…..

10, 15, 10

•8oz cranberry juice
…..

Persistence & Tenacity

I watched a nature documentary.
Eagles – what magnificent creatures.

Near that walmart many saw eagles.

There were lots of woods.

Now, there’s strip mall, stores, more and more buildings – the woods shrinking in ever exact contrast…

As this country becomes a larger and larger, never ending suburban strip mall.

There is no woods to the left of the parking lot, nor to the right of the parking lot to see an eagle anymore, just developments.

You won’t see an eagle there like my buddy had been hyped to tell me of that morning.

…..

40

…..

I’ve written before that I view watching television as gateway to porn.

After some television, movie, documentary time I watched porn again, twelve minutes til I got off, therefore doing two things that I am against doing.

A month without, then participating in both by making a choice that I’m against.

It’s on me.

I feel…regret.

Yet at the same time, seven hours in bed, and I have plenty energy, the four times I masturbated (three without porn later in the morning during brief wakeups) didn’t drain me like that.

The pros and cons.
Getting off does seem to, speed recovery – I’ll be less muscularly sore.

I feel that I need to eat some healthy foods, steak, grape juice, to replenish, but I don’t feel so drained.

I look in the mirror and know there’s that compulsion to shave, and choose restarting there too.

Twelve minutes of doing what I know not to causes resetting a month of beard growth.

This bugs me.
However, I like being able to say I watched no porn with my beard.

I’ll be clean shaven the day after tomorrow.

…..

Breakfast :

•two cheese sticks
•12oz grape juice
•12oz milk

…..

1st Lift :

Mismatch Shrug
20, 20
See-Saw Press
12, 10, 7, 5
Off Center F. Sq
3l + 3r
Two Hand Mismatch Press
10, 10

I’m digging the mismatched double bells.

Matching work on each side via multiple sets, the 1st and 4th sets with bells one way, the 2nd and 3rd with bells reversed on the see saw press for example – today opposite of yesterday I started every set pressing the kb first.

On the final set, kb right, db left, I shouldered both bells at the same time.

I can now solidly triple the f sq with bell at right rack, a shaky single bell at left rack, which is where the right rack had been til today (day 3-4 whether you’re counting day 0 or not).

There’s a bunch of ways to just get two mismatched bells to shoulder. I still need to do dumbbell first to one shoulder, and kb on left hand both to shoulder.

One way, that I’ve only gotten once (arguably twice) out of four tries is the snatch the kettlebell, then squat/bend to get the dumbbell off the ground, pick it up, then shoulder it.

That’s a high tension, real slow and controlled, exercise!

I scheduled a 185lb barbell press rep out test for February 26th, this gives me just about a month of daily mismatch work to see what it does.

I already know from experience with a pair of 75lb dumbbells that they’re worth around a 185lb barbell.

The barbell press will be up.
Bells carryover well to barbells

The see saw and mismatch two hand pressing is a simple, easy logistics, way for me to train frequently, hit the stabilizers not hit by the barbell, and rack up pressing volume with massive time under tension.

Heck, just the bell cleans (whatever implement, one or two handed) gets me used to pulling a longer “bar path” than a barbell requires.

I feel very confident I’d be able to c&p a pair of 100s, whether db or kb.

Maybe I’ll day pass somewhere in a month or three to get this on video.

•20oz cherry coke (mostly between sets)

Or there’s the option of purchasing a 100lb kb or single/pair of 100lb dbs – possibly continuing to mismatch but heavier.

…..

The kettlebell due to it’s awkward balance, and the very high tension training with it requires – it raises the metabolism.

…..

The steak and home fries is taking me about a half hour to make, but really it’s just a little activity every five minutes or so then back to reading/writing, repeat, til I have a hearty nutritious meal made by my own hand.

It wouldn’t be hard for me to just eat meat, potatoes, vegetables, drink milk and fruit juice.

Oddly, I don’t feel bummy anymore about having watched porn this morning.

I just know it’s reset, start over, while thinking to myself “be better”.

Finally eating the salad from a few nights ago, as the potatoes cook.

•salad

I should have more of these.

…..

Cooking A Healthy Dinner For Men :

1. Make a salad. This can be a premixed bag bought from the store, whichever you like, and I’d cut some beets into it, add a few walnuts, slice up an avocado, maybe some cheese – pea shoots, sprouts.

2. Put a pan on a burner. Turn on the burner. Drop butter into the pan.

3. Put a steak in the pan. Spice the top side. (Whether salt and pepper simple or everything but the kitchen sink.)
After around five minutes flip it. Allow it to cook five minutes or so longer.

4. As steak is in the pan, microwave a potato or two (or four) for five to seven minutes. Once that’s done, chop it up, and having removed the steak from the pan, adding a little butter if necessary, put the chopped up potatoes in the pan, moving around some so as to crispen up all sides.

This too can sit and forget for a few minutes before stirring/flipping the potatoes around.

_______

All in all you have a salad, steak, and home fries in about a half hour.

It’s healthy, nutritious, man food – and you made it yourself, and probably have two or three nights out of it as well.

(If you’re really time crunched – crockpot, stew)

As time goes on I enjoy cooking for myself more and more, while too finding healthy foods to no longer be a thing viewed as boring and bland, but an enjoyable thing that too tastes good.

Maybe I’m starting to eat right. Meal prep? We’ll see. I’d like to do tilapia for a time, probably tilapia twice a day, eggs once, beef once, lay off the milk and juice calories some, eat a salad more often – just see what an enjoyable healthy fat loss diet does for me.

I’m pretty amped to go lift again. Once the salad is done I’ll do more two hand mismatch presses.

…..

It’d be cool to have your regular training be so close to what a strongman competition is so as to have the two, a session vs a competition be somewhat interchangeable.

Still thinking about that local gym, still sticking to The Cold Air Barbell Club.

…..

2nd Lift :

Sig Klein Mismatch Attempts
x8 kb right, db left
x8 kb left, db right

The mismatch Sig Klein challenge is close, now as an any given day type thing.

I can shoulder both with the kb left, db right – the coolest thing about the mismatched double bells is the SHEER VARIETY they’re providing.

This session provided a great upper back pump.

For the cleans you want the kettlebell going between your legs, the dumbbell going to the outside of your leg.

I get why on the kettlebell version it’s suggested between the legs, and why for me it was hang cleans outside my legs with dumbbells when I got it in a hotel gym nine months ago.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ijkJDsYIgg4?

outside the legs hang cleans felt right

The mismatch makes for an interesting pull, the torso twisted a bit with kettlebell going down your exact center, whole the dumbbell goes off to your side.

There’s a cross body aspect to the pull.

That feels right for the mismatched pair, if it was a pair of matching bells I’d do one or the other.

…..

35

…..

•cheesy bread thing
•¾lb steak
•home fries
•12oz cherry coke
•12oz cranberry juice

…..

Work food for tomorrow may just be cheese sticks, I didn’t get salami for sandwiches last time I was at the grocery store.

…..

25

…..

I’m reinstituting the policy of “no cellphone overnight in the bedroom”.

Can’t watch porn when the phone is in another room.

I’m finished with watching porn infrequently, shaving because of it, etc.

I’ll just do the disciplines I know keep me on the right path.

…..

The whey is barely within date. I’d purchased it about 15 months ago.
Walmart cheapo, Body Fortress, in a flavor the internet seems to say no longer exists….

•8oz milk
•scoop BANANA whey (shaken not stirred)
•one cheese stick

A nice 40g protein right before bed.
In that tasty synthetic banana, which I truthfully enjoy to the surprise of everyone aside from myself and one old training partner.

I remember I stopped drinking whey because between protein powder and the caffeine from the soda fountain was speeding my metabolism too much.

Right now with the kettlebell I want a faster metabolism.

Protein speeds metabolism.

I may drink a scoop or two a day until the tubs (I have more than one flavor on hand) are gone.

We’ll see what happens.

…..

20

…..

35, 5

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Having watched a movie til the 3am hour, I start the day off after having slept into the afternoon by eating a pack of ramen, with raisins and peanuts, a couple tall glasses of milk, and a can of coke.

That taking 5:00, I could’ve cooked eggs or almost have cooked a steak in the same amount of time – this was being real lazy.

That’s a problem with americans – the real lazy lifestyle, not cooking healthy meals, watching lots of television, not working out.

I’ve been watching television the past few days, and I’m just viewing it as a destress, something for a brief period, before likely going back on the wagon.

•ramen
•peanuts
•raisins
•can vanilla coke
•quart milk

……

I’m into the idea of really milking the see-saw press for a time, building training around that.

The off center front squat as movement #2, the swing a more distant #3, maybe fat grips curls and overhead squats with the barbell as extra to the kb/db work.

With the availability of tools/toys in my developing (third world?) home gym with the kettlebell being brand spanking new, I don’t intend to hit the same session two days in a row EVER.

1st Lift :

See-Saw Press
10, 8, 7, 5

even on both sides as per mismatch bells, always started with db

F. Sq
4l+4r+3l+3r+2l+2r

Mismatch Shrugs
12
kb r, db l

…..

The kettlebell is awkward, and long sets demand long time under tension.

That’s likely why you huff and puff so much with them.

The awkwardness of a cannonball with a handle, and the nature of the exercises themselves – this is why the kettlebell demands high tension.

Yes I know what girevoy sport is.
I’m talking about my experience thus far using my new kettlebell.

You have to be strong to snatch a kb, hold (ish) at lockout the kb, whilst doing so reach down to the ground, grab the db, clean it, and then do your shoulder exercises once both bells are shouldered and at the ready.

I can already tell this bell work is going to make me very strong.

Why did I not invest in a kb(s) sooner?

The off center front squat is awesome.

It surprised me that I can’t really squat with the bell racked with one arm only, that I have to hold it with the other hand as well.

Would any other object on one shoulder feel the same way squatting?
That’d be a cool experiment, best with a training partner – them as weight for pushups, squats, and a sturdy pullup bar plus the weights for weighting that.

That’s what I call “gorilla calisthenics”.
That’s the lifting you want for wrestling strength.

Outside a practice partner, sandbags are affordable to build, and if you have access to kettlebells they’re plenty awkward.

…..

2nd Lift :

Two Hand Swings ss w/Neck Harness
15 swing/20x25lbs
12 swing/25x25lbs
8 swing/8x25lbs

the 8s done with higher tension on both exercises, practicing to hike bell back consciously with lats, and real controlled with a bit of good morning at both top and bottom to harness reps

more posterior chain work – there’s never enough posterior chain strength

it’s good to get in lots of mini sessions when you can

…..

Do you need to do aerobic work, or will intervals spill over, carrying the aerobic with the anaerobic?

The idea of walking with the pair of bells is an interesting idea.

Every so often stop and do an exercise, “walking weighted roadwork”, and I still like the idea of forming a big chunk of concrete in a box, using that as a physical toy.

Yesterday I carried a giant cardboard, we call it bin, box – I don’t know the ft³ off the top of my head, around 15, and with my short arms barely able to grab the far side thought “this is 20lbs tops – I’d like to have to carry these dimensions but at say 150lbs sometime as a strength exercise”.

It’s good to have a foot in the labor world, which puts a foot in the strongman world via thoughts on the job, to lift weights outside as your thing, all this better than the 2d mundane of an indoor gym.

I have a hard time picturing going back to gyms now.

……

“living is something opposite of passively trying to not die” – I paraphrase, found this a powerful belief

…..

Looking at my coworker’s lifestyles, it seems obvious to me that there’s a certain joie de vivre about the existences of some.

It’s something that one with too much brain thinks out of themselves by too much education/indoctrination, too much thinking, too much planning.

Not enough impulsivity, not enough going with the flow of the moment.

This argument is why I had started taking the brain out of the gym, just doing, not caring any detail, talking to everyone, having fun, being playful with it, the act of it.

I’ve been getting there again with The Cold Air Barbell Club, and though aspects would be nice and convenient, that’s why I’m sticking for the time to yard lifting.

My coworker had told me he once got laid by, while driving her home after an early date with the woman who is now his wife, the mother of his third child, JUMPING OUT of his truck, chasing a deer that had froze in his headlights out of the road into the woods, back into the cab panting “I almost got him”.

…..

After about 30 days of kettlebell, having now gotten into see saw pressing, I’ll test and see where my 185lb barbell press for reps is.

…..

•four sticks twix candy

3rd Lift :

KB 1 Arm Row
25l, 25r
DB Side Press
15l, 12r, 8r, 10l, 5r

PostWorkout Meal :

•two hotdogs
•24oz milk

this was all within a ten minute time span

…..

60

…..

Dynamic Tension Feeder Workouts :

I tend to do this standing in the bathroom, I’ll call it dynamic tension since it’s flexing, without weights, but with range of motion.

I’m standing, simulating hammer curls, pushdowns, then with torso motion – a chest press and a row.

Everything is firing hard.

…..

Yep, watching youtube held no draw.

…..

•chocolate covered pb pretzels
•milk

as a half box of fish sticks cooked to make

•fish sandwiches (fish sticks, six slices american cheese, four slices bread, butter)
•20oz cherry coke

…..

25

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

25

…..

•cheese stick

I like having a little cheese in me before work, it’s good energy, sits well, the glass of water with it tasted so good

this is my ideal work day breakfast, a glass of water and one to three cheese sticks

…..

I’ve got plenty of time to get ready for work, sitting on the toilet – kinda pooped, and my neck is real sore – I figure it was trying my hand at the 32kg bell attached to the neck harness not having done neck harness in awhile.

See, there’s two ways to train up to something :

Firstly I’ve done 90lbs on a neck harness in the past, I know my neck is pretty strong just on maintenance.

Wrestling in high school was a godsend that way, and while I never got to crazy levels of bridging drills, just wrestling patty cake style against your practice partner will build more neck strength than anyone outside of wrestling…

The neck harness.

It’s best to start light, for me that’d be 20-25 reps with 20-25lbs, do that daily for a week or so, then the next week add a set, get to 100 reps daily, then add 2½-10lbs.

The coolest way I ever progressed the harness was at a gym with the full selection of donnie thompson fat bells, so I’d just connect one to the harness and when I was hitting a set of 50+ with it I’d jump to the next bell, which were 9-12lb jumps as I recall, if that jump felt too heavy, not clearing about 35 reps on the first try, I’d drop back to the last bell and use it to 75-100 reps then rejump in weight.

I could use the moderate approach.

Nothing looks so powerful as a bull neck.

Or, there’s the “try – partials” approach.
You’re incapable of the full rep, but you try to get as close to it as possible, straining against the weight, and getting more and more range of motion as time goes on…

Eventually you get it, then soon after you start repping it.

…..

Work :

silly silly easy – I’m talking ~6 plastic totes into the truck easy

…..

•20oz pepsi

I bought an unnecessary preworkout on the way home – enjoyed it too

…..

It’s kettlebell time!

1st Lift :

Side Press
10r, 10l kb
12r, 12l db

Mismatched Press
2×6

hard to shoulder both with kb in left hand, then saw stars during presses that set

Gorilla Cleans
not really happening – not making switch with db to shoulder having shouldered kb first

See-Saw Presses
2x6s

second set, kb at right lockout fell to right shoulder as I shouldered db two hands anyhow from ground

Snatch
3l, 3r

Swing
8l, 8r

F.Sq + Swing
3fsr+3swr+3fsl+3swl

still need two hands for fsq rack most reps, kinda don’t when I really flex my wrist

Mismatched Shrugs
5 reps with kb l, db r

didn’t bother evening this out

I’m gassing so much with the new toy – which is perfect.

I want to be inefficient, burning fat – the huffing and puffing is exactly what I want

The kb and mismatched kb+db work is very high tension, I’ve a long way to go

…..

•pb & cheese sandwich
•piece of breaded chicken

…..

An aerobic base would help a lot.

I was huffing having moved quickly to load our half dozen items into the truck, and again with the kb.

I’d forgotten to use the neck harness, so…

…..

2nd Lift :

Neck Harness
25x25lbs
KB C&P Every Rep Style
5 x each side
Swings
8r, 8l
Lateral Swings
6r, 6l
Two Handed Swings
10

swings & rowing erg would be an AWESOME mix for cardio w/strength

I love how much my heart races from this stimulus – not a bad idea to take the bells to a parking lot and mix both carries and jogging, mix strength into my cardio – I need the cardio, particularly an aerobic base again – also keep making the heart bump, it’ll help here as well

…..

I’ve not yet used headphones while lifting the kettlebell.

It may stay that way.

Without headphones you’re more in touch, feeling the heart beat, catching your breath, tasting the fresh outdoor air.

…..

Dumbbell VS Kettlebell – Initial Thoughts :

I bought the kettlebell since swings feel better with one than with a dumbbell to me.

That’s the main advantage to the kettlebell. It’s better for swings.

The presses are smoother with a dumbbell, which has a better balance for pressing sheer weight.

The kettlebell is more an odd object press…

Bottoms up being an exercise in tension, regular being odd with the bell resting down your forearm – they’re different bar paths than a dumbbell which compared feels very easy to move from a to b vertically, shoulder to lockout.

They’re all different press stimuli, similar but different.

For one bell cleans I’m liking the kb better.

I think I’d prefer dumbbells for two bell cleans, but I’ve never tested this with similarly heavy enough kettlebells so as to be sure.

My gut says “if you were to purchase the implements to film a c&p with a pair of 100s, you’d prefer to own a pair of 100lb dumbbells than kettlebells”.

It’s real interesting getting both my 75lb db, and my 32kg kb to shoulders.

I’ve yet to manage a clean getting both to shoulder in one go.

So far it works best getting the kb up to one shoulder, then muscling the db to the other.

Getting the dumbbell to shoulder first then muscling the kettlebell to the other was a serious brute force thing as I did not have the coordination to get the kb to rack, I got it mostly there, then basically arm wrestled it to rack from the top of a curl, a weird thing in midair.

Goblet squat?
Ha! I’ve always preferred putting the bell on shoulders for front squat, whether db resting on shoulder or now kb in rack.

There’s a lot of room for “rugged” in figuring out cleans with these mismatched bells as described above.

The two hands anyhow, in every permutation, ditto.

Two hands anyhow with the pair, with current coordination made most sense with kb at lockout (press or snatch), an atg squat to get to the db, then forgiving it out from there.

I thought I’d easily gorilla clean, the coordination was not there yet.

…..

A quick search says concrete weighs ~150lbs per cubic foot.

Now I’d had an idea before looking that up…

I’m working at a moving company, standard box sizes…a one five box (1.5) = ~225lbs, and it’s not ridiculous in dimension.

There’s your implement in the vein of basque stone to shoulder.

Two 1.5s and a length of pipe and you’ve a 450lb fixed weight axle.

Find a patch of yard you’re okay with tearing up, or build a sand pit, and now you grease the groove with a 450lb axle deadlift.

Can’t deadlift it?
Pull partials til you can.

Deadlift is easy?
Maybe try continentals with that unwieldy thing.

You’re a professional strongman when you can get that thing from ground to overhead.

…..

•chicken noodle casserole (small amount)
•½box fish sticks as two fish sandwiches
•six slices american cheese
•can vanilla coke
•12oz milk

really was craving taquitos, should’ve bought a box – the kettlebell is revving my metabolism, I’m hungry, and for fairly clean foods at that, other than the sodas – lately I’ve really been liking fish

I wonder what tilapia goes for right now?

The kettlebell may be sparking an instinctive urge to fat loss diet.

…..

30

…..

Though gorilla cleans didn’t work I can get both the mismatched bells to shoulder…

A long ugly drawn out Sig Klein (ish) challenge, maybe at times having to shoulder the bells one at a time, as the cleaning different implements is iffy for getting a good clean – earlier today I was getting the one to shoulder then muscling the other into position – doing that for 12+ reps, it’d be from the hang mind you, sounds like a deliciously evil amount of time under tension…as is the see-saw press.

…..

35, 15
•12oz milk

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

shoveling

…..

25, 15

…..

shoveling

…..

I have to thank my dad for moving us to New England as a child for I had to shovel snow which built a good working base, gym, and labor.

Sometimes I wonder if people I’ve crossed paths with in New England at the gym either :

1. Never shoveled snow.
2. Always view it as a struggle.

It’s an hour long process to get the mail, clean off my car, clean The Cold Air Barbell Club, and get to lifting.

The kettlebell arrived today…

Couldn’t not clean up the gym so as to play…

…..

Wow, it feels heavier than I expected!

I’d been so antsy waiting for it’s arrival – time to test!

Lift :

Bottoms Up Press

Right
fail catch
fail ½ press
fail ½ press
Press (could’ve been controlled at lockout better)
Press (controlled at top, almost perfect negative – less control at final rep than desired, a perfect rep would’ve had control there too)

Left
fail ½ press
fail ⅔ press
set of 5 cleans to rack ish (first was fail to catch well enough, so did hang cleans

It’s going to take some work to steady the 32kg enough to add plates to it for heavier bottoms up presses

Bottoms Up Cleans 1st From Ground, Reps From Hang
strong x 5
weak x 5

this can be used for and focused on catching in solid rack

done shirtless, slight wind, ~40°, slight wind, done shirtless – ie channeling my inner russian, and craving… борщ (borscht), I have a small salad with beats that I’ll probably eat tonight.

Swings
7l, 7r

got me huffing and puffing
perfect – glutes, wind, fat loss in a streamlined logistical package

Off Center Front Squats
7l, 7r, 5l, 5r
had to use both hands to hold in front rack, will have to work on EVERYTHING – rack needs more strength:) which genuinely gladdens me – I see how the upper back will strengthen progressing to being able to off center front squat with the bell in rack

Very high muscular activation, squeezing at the top – perfect, exactly what I was looking for

Neck Harness
sort of – too heavy for training, wasn’t reaching lockout without hand assistance – drop to 20 or 25lbd and add movement in regularly

One Arm Row
15l, 15r

hadn’t touched a kettlebell since a one off in November 2021 – still could right hand bottoms up press, and though a fail I’d call the left hand presses lost going up as a PR – I don’t recall ever being able to come close to pressing it that side

I can already tell this is going to REALLY build core strength, I bet my biceps will get bigger/stronger via the “what the hell” effect, and this bell was purchased to swing – for glutes, which I can tell will train well with this.

32kg, worth the $112 I payed for it from titan. I’ve got a training tool/toy for life, while now I can definitely say the kettlebell really does build a strength worth more than it’s marked weight.

I get to run with this tool/toy, milk it for all it’s worth.

I’ve already realized that via rope/chain and plates I can add weight for side presses, rows.

…..

•24oz apple juice

…..

shoveling again

Shoveling builds the strength a man needs to wrestle, box – again thank you dad.

shoveling & kettlebell – a solid combination

…..

•breaded chicken

…..

forgot to take out the db and therefore did not see saw press, “gorilla clean”, or any two bell lift combination

I also did not try “lateral raise” swings which sound fun to me, applying force to the side – something I’ve only goofed around with while using a small bell

…..

•12oz milk

…..

I had a bunch of kettlebell related internet tabs open…and realized “I’m not going to read here – I’m doing”.

I’ve read kettlebell content in the past, so I’m not entirely blank slate here, but with the idea “no book knowledge means no preconceived limitation” I’ll be running this kettlebell thing without anymore reading on the subject, so as to be as close to blank slate/no preconceived notions as possible.

I intend this as a body transformation tool.

At this point I expect no changes to how I eat, but that could change – tilapia is clean, and is still a craving on my palette, tuna & water sounds a fun experiment.

Basically I’m, in a small step with this bell, being both open to possibility, and am doing something new.

Most will be figured out as I go.

…..

Years back, I had a gym floor acquittance, a guy in his early 40s, in good shape, with a fairly large frame, and kinda bro personality – he’d train in his high school basketball tshirt which told me he graduated the year I was born, was surprised I had no idea who his daughter was (two years younger than me – we’d never crossed paths in school), but at 6’2″, an in shape 215, again his early 40s, he’d regularly end workouts with “kip up” for reps, like 3×8 between abs and stretching.

I recently spoke about this with my father, he knew what they were, and was like “I did those in high school pe class – the gymnastics portion”, and I then pictured a lanky 6’2″ probably 155lb teenage version of my father doing them in class, and think to myself “cool”, and “man has school gotten soft – my dad did both gymnastics and wrestling in pe class while I had to go out for the wrestling team, and really figure all the physical stuff out for myself – there wasn’t effective guidance at school”.

The jujimufu “100 backflips” thing was awesome. I’ve still never done one, and doing them for reps is the type of primally strong we are looking for.

The off center stuff with the kettlebell is a weight version of that primally strong were looking for.

I’d like to be smashing “gorilla calisthenics” (human weighted calisthenics) volume – but I’m training alone.

A sandbag would kinda be that, and other, stimulus.

The kettlebell will be primary, maybe exclusive, lifting for a time – say a month and change.

Rebuilding the sandbag may the the primary, maybe exclusive, lifting for, say march of this year.

…..

In contrast to the “not reading on kettlebells” I still had a bunch of tabs open – dan john on armor building rings true, and “the exercise” as well as fat grips curls are things I may do as well as kettlebell work for the time, and again eric bugenhagen popped up…

He could be the human norm. Nothing he does is impossible. Go mad in your training.

…..

•½pb, b, cheese, & j sandwich
•brownie
•milk

…..

20

…..

Still, without a gym to go to, it’s a fight to watch shit or not. Late night I may watch Scooby Doo or something as I eat again.

It’s times like this, though I’m not going outside now, that I purchased the kettlebell to swing during.

A kettlebell swing doesn’t make the noise deadlifting does – it’s fine in the yard during weird hours.

…..

•½pb, b, cheese, & j sandwich
•brownie
•milk

watched some shit with it, not Scooby Doo after all lol – I’m not stressing watching little bits of stuff anymore, just compulsively writing down when I do lol

…..

25

…..

25

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

A Gym Dream :

dreamt of an odd gym…

The owner was weak, seriously so, didn’t bench his bodyweight, and expected all members to buy his programming – beginners being expected to rotate lifts, percentages, and use all the bands (bells) and chains (whistles lol) you could imagine.

The staff was the owner and his wife, the wife very popular a trainer for all the fit women going there, which seemed to be almost the entire clientele.

In the dream my buddy had told me this place had all the equipment you’d ever want, then was hazy as to why he wasn’t going there – I ended up checking it out.

There was some odd machine, cables but meant to simulate the powerlifts.

Different. Unnecessary. EXPENSIVE

I had been using it to deadlift, everyone kinda shocked as I went up plate by plate, eventually found a barbell, and the owner being like “what are you doing”, I told him, and asked if the place had an axle…

“You’d have to go much lighter. Are you going to use it for back offs?” and he smirked.

“No, I’ll keep upping weight. I’m only at 405 right now.”

The wife/co-owner, a cute 5’9″ fit woman in her early 30s with pink and neon green dyed hair, says in dreamy tone “but no one pulls that heavy on an axle.”

“I do”, and she makes “the look”

The husband/co-owner (auto correct wanted me to type clown there) “no one pulls even 405 on an axle.”

“I’ve pulled 500” I state.

“That’s impossible!” he knee jerk blurts in condescending tone.

505

“It was mix grip. 315 double overhand.”

“But no one even pulls 205 on an axle.”

I woke up at that point

…..

10, 5

…..

It struck me that if you were to do something like kickbox, row (erg), and hike (quickly with a pack) that you’d end up very very solid, with size simply dictated by calories.

…..

•two packs ramen w/grits
•pb
•cheese
•butter
•cranberry juice

added umami and a bunch of garlic powder to the ramen/grits mix

this is about the cheapest 1000+ calories you’ll ever get

sometimes I think it’s mostly energy, not the particulars that matter

…..

Sometimes I look in the mirror and see a fat guy.

Sometimes I look in the mirror and think “damn bro you’re jacked”.

Reality is that I carry too much body fat at present.

This is fixed by improving run performance (spring/summer/fall or even rocky style in the snow), and getting stronger as cardio improves.

…..

Often it’s best not to have the information on a physical ability, to practice it without outside influence…because there are no mental barriers that way.

…..

scraped ice simply to enjoy the fresh air

…..

It’s not habit again, but I’m starting to do calf raises with frequency.

For a good part of high school I did 100 a day, started at 25 daily for a week, added a set of 25 til I was at 4×25 on the fourth week, eventually compressed it to 3×35, 2×50, 1 x amrap 1x remainder, and once capable of 1×100 would just rotate between these 1-3 set variants, usually doing 3×35 cause I found it most fun.

Needless to say I had good calves.

But I know of two with larger calves ;

My buddy, who’s mom never learned to drive, and grew up in the homeless lifestyle walking/jogging EVERYWHERE, well for the fun of it he’d do HIGH REP calf raises, I’d seen him go to the 500s in a set, and at around 5’8″ 160 he had probably 19″ calves.

My uncle 5’9″ and stocky, he has his plumber’s forearms from youth, and actively tries to lose calf size.

He habitually hikes. It’s his hobby.
His calves are known to massively cramp nightly – they get massive activation with all the walking he does.

…..

You put on shoulders real quick with frequent pressing.

…..

There’s value in looking sharp.
Buzz cut and beard.

Why do I never stick to clean dieting?

…..

Could I go a month without lifting weights?

I went over a week multiple times last year.

Wow was I bummy in 2022.

…..

•two donuts
•milk

…..

Phone in hand I’m too focused on the screen.

Look wider.

…..

•donuts
•chicken noodle casserole
•milk

watched another movie with this meal, choosing not to stress if I watch some stuff – just not too much, it’s not worth the mental effort of stressing

…..

Lift :

Side Press
12 each side w/75lb dumbbell

I really like the side press. When I do one arm pressing I don’t stress how loose my form is, hence side presses. It’ll be cool to have a similarly weighted kettlebell soon.

I very well may stick to the db & kb for lifting for a little while – a pair of 75 dbs is worth 185 on a barbell, whether one or two arm, or see saw pressing the 32kg kb and 75lb db will be an interesting change to just barbell pressing.

It’s only 32kg-75lbs either way, I’d be able to do the same with a 100lber – just don’t have access, and know the bell work will up my barbell work.

…..

When that kb arrives it’s gonna be daily, I’m amped, and it’s either going to be front squats bookended with swings, or I realized I could ladder clean-front squat-press to good use, again likely bookended with swings.

Kettlebell one arm presses could end up an expensive hobby, I might have to start trainings people to afford equipment.

I see no reason I couldn’t get from a 32kg press now to eventually the 203lber.

A kettlebell habit could make a weightlifter out of me.

Finances!

…..

25

…..

Drank a lot of water today, over a gallon.
There is such thing as too much, but the body likes water, and I did this instinctively.

…..

Eureka!

I love tilapia.
It’s probably still cheap at walmart…

No reason not to grill in the winter…

Aluminum foil, garlic powder, and butter – my buddy showed me the aluminum foil on the grill with tilapia thing YEARS ago.

This could be the time to make use.

Garlic butter tilapia could be my fat loss diet answer. I really like the stuff.

…..

The problem with kettlebells is that 32kg/70lb is only 32kg/70lb – it’s not that heavy.

The same problem applies to the Sig Klein challenge ; a pair of 75lb dumbbells is only 150lbs.

There’s a whole lot of room for growth.
Push your reps into the stratosphere, and work every possible movement – treat your set weight implements like the old time strongmen did.

It’d be genuinely cool to have access to a pair of kettlebells from every jump starting at 16kg/35lb to the 92kg/203lb.

Someone out there could clean and press a pair of 203s.

…..

35

…..

•big bowl of cereal
•pb, b, cheese, & j
•milk

make two sandwiches, the second to start tomorrow with – learned that in cali making them for ravenous real late feedings, the extra in the off chance I wanted to eat before bringing my grandma to all her appointments

…..

Remember when bugenhagen did 20 rep squats daily?
…..

35, 15

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

shoveling (again)

do I want to be in california?

in the past few days it’s become winter

…..

I just discovered there’s a weightlifting gym near me, and promptly thought “nope”.

Gym dues have gotten ridiculous.

Powerlifting places charge $60-70/month (still wishy washy about going there), small “specialized” facilities tend to be over $100/month – it’s absurd.

I don’t need to blow that many dollars to be forced to follow the group workout.

Maybe the fact I’m not making a bundle complicating lifting weights is where I’ve gone wrong.

To be able to separate gym as career from gym as personal passion so as to make $$$$ from it.

Can you make it as a trainer truly helping others?

I’m good at programming for others, and easily talk people past their preconceived limits.

It was cool as hell getting him out of the 4×10-15 area on the leg press and him repping to almost 80 before a distraction ended the set.

Same weight. Never had thought to “not count” before.

“Dude, that’s light. You’re not nearly going to your limit with sets of 10, 15. You’ll break 50, maybe over 100 reps. Don’t count. I’ll count for you. Clear your mind. Go!”

And throughout the set gave encouragement “you’ve got more”, then count down “10 more, 9, 8…, okay, 5 more, okay 5 more”, “turn the brain back off”, just keeping him going.

An acquittance came up and talked to him conversationally mid set. That is what ended it.

…..

I look at my midsection in the mirror and think “partial front squats will thicken it right up = crazy six pack as I lose fat”.

And we’re either at the powerlifting gym, purchasing some form of rack to throw outdoors or fricken moving.

…..

•chicken quesadilla

I make myself a lot of quick mexican food.
Rotisserie chicken is a food prep cheat code.

I’m at frequent eating at present.
That feels right.

…..

shoveling
not heavy today, a light 3″ left over from last night/this morning

…..

This old timer is hilarious.

Bout a week ago, same time of day he’s coming off shift.

Looks at a college blonde behind me in line who had impulsively picked up, then set back a valentine’s candy, repeating with a smaller one, and deadpan says to her “you forgot the card didn’t you”.

Today as I walk into the store he looks at me, and says roughly “have you tried stopping lifting weights yet”.

I laughed, stopped, looked at him, and told him “you know I haven’t been to a gym in about a year and a half”.

He said something else which I didn’t quite catch, maybe “you’re plenty big now” and repeated his first comment. Either way I got a good laugh out of the exchange.

Possibly a curmudgeon, I wasn’t really catching his tone of voice either time, but found his comments funny both times.

The uninhibited old timer.

They tend to be amusing to interact with, more alive than a bunch of the miserable youngsters.

“have you thought about stopping lifting weights yet – you’re plenty big now” ← him (there it is)

The funny thing is…

…..

Upon returning home STILL HAVE DAYLIGHT

Lift :

Press
12×165 close to strict
10×165
9×165
6×165
6×165 STRICT

ALL BRUTE FORCE HEAVES!
EASY PRESSES!
VOLUME BABY!

most reps strict or near it, not a loose form rep out session

I guess I didn’t stop lifting – it would’ve been a good video, singing, dancing, ice scraping during my rest periods – cleaning up the gym every session goes without saying right now, etc

…..

London broil $3/lb, kielbasa 2lbs are $8, the former is, and the latter is nearly precovid price.

The guy in line in front of me griped grocery costs, while I had the least inflation purchase in awhile.

…..

•three donuts
•milk

…..

What would I have to do to dunk a basketball?

I’d dreamt of doing backflips last night.

…..

•.6lb steak
•three donuts
•milk
•american cheese

…..

10, 15

…..

You can compare yourself to others or not at all – that’s mostly irrelevant. Lifting is your personal journey however you go about it.

…..

That old timer’s commentary earlier has me thinking :

Press a bunch works well for plenty big and strong.

I know I’ve the ability to add high rep squats back in, in my back pocket to take it to another level.

Lower body horsepower adds to upper body potential.

I want to be able to heave 300lbs to shoulder as easily as I did 165lbs today – no jump, no foot movement, almost a bent row into a bar floating good morning and the bar is shouldered, then press it for double digit reps STRICT with pause at top and bottom.

The ugly heaves are why I have big biceps.

…..

When the kb arrives I could press mismatched weights and implements for a time, get some variety past barbell.

75lb db and 32kg kb – use all variants – two arm, one arm, and see-saw presses

Oh man, some two hands anyhow!

See saw in particular gets you a lot stronger than you’d expect based on bell weight – I’ve experienced that in the past.

…..

•two cheese sticks
•big bowl of cereal
•milk
•cranberry juice

I’m going to have to start cooking pounds of meat, always having some cooked on hand – practicality reasons this = beef stew, and purchasing more cheese which is the center of my work, breakfast, and snack foods.

Meat and/or cheese is more nutritious than a big bowl of golden grahams in the 11 o’clock hour.

I like to have meat with most feedings, whereas cheese, though animal product – the good protein and nirvana that is saturated fat…it’s not meat.

I stand by eating before bed. Sleep better that way I’ve found.

…..

10, 10 (pushups – no need to state it from here on out)

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

started the day shoveling
it’s now winter

oddly parched and downed water after what was only a few minutes outside

first round of shoveling done, I slept back in, only after having done a few strict pushups

…..

woke up wishing I had steak already prepared, knowing I’m low on milk, and that a bunch of shoveling is needed, nor am I going to want to drive to the store

…..

sore?
yeah

we’ll figure some minimal lifting out, do so after the shoveling is done

realized I had caffeine yesterday, I really don’t handle caffeine well – that’s the thirst, soreness, etc – caffeine – a hell of a drug

…..

•avocado toast
•cranberry juice

…..

an hour of shoveling snow – I kinda get the stereotypical “weights? i’ve got your weights right here” sentiment

…..

1st Lift :

Press
8×165

okay, didn’t wuss out of lifting today despite all the snow – I was at home, that’s perfect logistics

…half hour later…

2nd Lift :

Side Press
10 each side w/75lb db

just to get a bit more than one set in
it’d be real nice to be able to load this movement up, it’s possibly the #1 press overall

(sand in contractor clean up bags tied to handle – would work even better with a kettlebell)

…..

real minimal lifts as the snow was seemingly never ending, and I was unclear as to my work schedule

…..

shoveling snow is gpp

almost 30 years old = almost 20 years of shoveling snow

my childhood best friend, who I haven’t heard from in about eight years, haven’t seen since the summer after graduation – he’d have been happier with life, not on antidepressants if he’d had outdoor time instead of just being one with the video games

that’s the SoCal suburban ennui

physical work, even when it breaks one down, is still healthier for a man than sedentary work

outdoor work is healthier than indoor work

the kitchen, as hot as it was, getting rashes stewing in your own sweat, the bad attitudes throughout restaurant staff, the fluorescent lights, the soybean oil thick in the air…that was hell

made worse by the manager’s bean counting about labor costs – all the while your soul dying to get outside

it amazes me that there were a bunch of staff there for over 5 years, a couple over 20

15 months of line cooking was 15 months too long, though I’d be willing to go back to a kitchen to simplify my life, walking to work, etc – just live real minimal for a time while knowing that I’m not going to make the mistake of getting out of shape allowing a miserable job to keep me from doing as I must with weights, wind, etc

…..

•chicken noodle casserole
•cranberry juice

will cook and eat steak a bit later

…..

evening nap

…..

•steak
•cranberry juice

cooked to a delicious medium rare –
there is nothing so enjoyable to eat as a nice juicy steak – the vegetarians and vegans miss out

…..

5, 15, 15 on pushups throughout the day, probably another set or two before bed

…..

•cranberry juice

…..

25 more

…..

stomach hurts – the chicken noodle casserole, maybe the noodles, probably the green beans – last time I ate green beans they bugged my stomach as well

french cut sits better than full grean beans generally

for how to treat them – see oats from the other day, follow the gut

…..

A Thought :

“I’m going to train today. I have to train today.”

That’s my mentality.

I realize I could start filming, though I’m still inclined to wait til I get stuff I want on camera to do so ;

•press 5+ x 225lbs
•20+ pullups

Heck, if I’m over 220lbs for it, this summer running a ≤6:00 mile, I think I’ll film the mile, it’d be sweat to get that, and 20+ pullups on the same video.

The 300+ lb clean and press? Get it, then start dropping bw to get it as light as possible. That thought struck me early today.

195-205lbs at 6′ is VERY FIT, and very strong with a 300lb c&p alongside it.

There’s value in NOT PROGRAMMING – I’ve gotten a decent bit better at pressing just doing lots of pressing over the past 15 months.

It’s not the equipment, it’s the effort.

You should only buy equipment or rent (ie gym dues) equipment that you’re going to put your heart and soul into.

~$115 for a 32kg kettlebell, bro I’d said “buy no equipment” within the last few weeks…having made that purchase, I’m going to have to earn it on the back end via effort – can’t let that bell just sit, gonna have to mini session it daily – work bottoms up presses weak side, smash front squats, and alongside their volume develope a swing, maybe even snatching, habit.

You understand?

If you don’t have the drive to train, we want you smashing bodyweight volume – you’re the gym.

You are!
Where you are right now.

A bunch of pushups, a bunch of bw squats or lunges, and flexing your back and biceps – pour the soul into it – it’ll get results.

Then when your mind is right you can start putting dollars into the process, at the start or upon a reset(s) put everything into it with what you have where you are.

When it arrives, I’ll probably have that kettlebell for the rest of my life, and you know what – I expect to earn it by using it to complement all the necessary squatting that I’d been ignoring with logistics as excuse.

Just go 5x(5r+5l) front squatting it at some point daily, and swing it 25x each hand, maybe bookended one hand, squats, other hand – treat this as a daily minimum in addition to some pushups, lift however as well.

Dude, home based training works better for lift & run than treadmills in a gym ever will.

If the block is about ¾ mile, well run that shit twice with weights bookended and middle.

Sprint and lifts mixed is even easier – grass and asphalt right there.

Maybe go rocky on this…I had fun in the past mixing 40yd dashes with 10×10 curls, snow boot up, jog/run the deep snow, lift, repeat.

Fuck being out of shape.

…..

I will read comments under youtube videos, not actually watching them.

Found this gem (paraphrased) :

“When all a person wants to do is train, he’s gonna end up built like the king of the jungle.”

…..

Passed the pushups spot, 40 more – mostly complete range of motion.

Really went to the kitchen for ;

•pb,b, & j toast
•milk
•cranberry juice
•wafer dessert thing

5th feeding as logged, four food, one just a glass of juice – four meals seems pretty ideal to me right now, the frequent feedings mostly happening as I’m working what is a seasonal job at the moving company having wmmany days off and often short shifts.

I need to figure out work, ideally moving would just be twice weekly gpp, while a full time job is against what I want to be doing with lifting.

How do I solve that?
Gym owner or independent personal trainer.

Find the space to really do this youtube thing.

……

35, 15, 5 just before midnight

That was a amp up mini session – I feel alive from it. The feeling why I do lots of mini sessions.

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Though it’s not how I’m starting the day, I’m looking forward to the light fat grips deadlift later today.

It appears that light volume deadlifts are becoming a daily thing for me – I’m loving them, and they’re truly a “health lift” leaving you feeling great.

…..

•egg salad on toast

…..

Woke up not feeling strongly any compulsion to shave for watching a movie last night.

At around midnight, it could’ve been on either side, I thought to myself “if I’m against watching television (every form), would I be against watching a play” – an interesting train of thought to go down, one I’d not though of before.

I have a handful of fond memories of going to plays with my father when I was around 6 years old – getting churros or something from a street vendor outside the venue of a christmas play downtown during the intermission

My conclusion right now is that watching a play would be acceptable, that though still spectation it’s doing something in real life, probably with your people or in support of your people while every form of television is best minimized, and that television really does feel a gateway drug to porn to me.

…..

A few winters back I got very strong with horse stance, this winter’s experiment seem to be the light deadlifts…yet I already know from past experience = it’s working

…..

•two donuts
•iced coffee

CAFFEINED UP! (completely unnecessarily)
…..

•16oz milk
•slice of banana bread

…..

the caffeine…to lift or to nap…

…..

The Following Is The More Awesome Option ;

and ALWAYS take the more awesome option!

had to ice chipper the particle board, and whacked each rubber tile 15x against the tree to clear them, did so equally from left and right – wood chop simulation – a fun new stimulus as discovered yesterday

1st Lift :

Fat Grips Deadlift
48x165lbs in 5:00

mythical strength is right – you have 5:00 –
I did not hit 50+ in 5:00 though, went a little heavier and for a longer time period than initially intended, however that’s fine – I like varying the stimulus a little from day to day – this manner makes a brief time input highly effective

I’ve fallen into a permutation of “deadlift every day”

…half hour later…

2nd Lift :

Press
15×165 sloppy, short of/barely at chin
1:00 rest
6×165 STRICT w/pauses at top & bottom
rest 1:00
4×165 STRICT w/pauses at top & bottom

naught a clean to be found in this session, I only pulled to shoulder via no foot movement heaves

it’s real nice to have weights at home to allow this type of split training period as a regular thing

as time goes on, as conditioning improves condense this

no need to go to the local powerlifting gym – I’m enjoying lifting outside

lifted this time to fun summer country music mostly from a few summers back which brought me back to feeling great a few summers back while listening and lifting and being outgoing

threw in a few bw squats with high squeeze at the end, really daydreaming of the kettlebell to use here

…..

I expect improvement in body composition as performance on the density work, on isabel, on pullups/pullups related work goes up

…..

That Wes Watson mantra “life happens for me” is a more positive interpretation (language matters) of “everything happens for a reason”.

“Life happens FOR me” is making it so that everything happens in your favor whereas the more nonspecific “happens for a reason” isn’t telling you why, while FOR ME clearly states the reason, for you, to help you, to your advantage.

…..

•small steak sandwich w/fries
•bowl of cereal
•slice of pizza

steak sandwich may be up again later this week, I’ve got steak, I’ve got fajita veggies, american cheese

…..

Pushups :
40 total today, I’m more into strict than woody woodpecker right now – triceps obviously worked with the earlier presses

…..

If I’m getting into volume deadlifts, the reps increasing per set and per density period as I get better…

It makes sense to squat high reps again.

The kettlebell is scheduled to arrive in a few days, that opens up light front squats with no logistical consideration so, but…

Maybe I’ll start back squatting again.
I never did get to 50xbw, having stopped at 50×195 weighing 225 at the end of high school.

…..

We’re going back to the “life happens for me” note.

In preschool, southern california, late 90s, I believe there were some christian scientists, maybe an offshoot, in the class – their parents very laissez faire about their kids playing near train tracks had many other mothers aghast…

I once ticked off the pastor of a church my aunt went to by interpreting a video he played for us of a priest? (it was church of england in the video) as arguing for reincarnation on earth, me seeing no reason that heaven and hell couldn’t be HERE as another “life” (who’s to say what our definitions are in relation to God’s definitions).

I was finding it interesting reading about christian science and noticing I’d had thoughts in line with their beliefs years ago.

There is no originality in humanity.
We’ve existed long enough that every thought is a repeat of a prior thought.

Faith healing is an interesting subject to ponder.

State can change to the positive with as simple as a deep breath, a change in posture, a smile on your face, the opposites of a blank mind or a thought.

Why must we react a certain way to things?
I’m sure you’ve heard this “the prisoner who is free in his mind”.

There’s a lot of leeway in this world, reality is how we choose to act/react to it.

I’m laying here in bed, typing on this cellphone, hearing the noises around me, deep breaths, a smile on the crease of my lips, thinking about existence, everything, checked in – this section I’m flowing, was tired, now awake with euphoria, deep breath, a smile

I have a different perspective.

Always have. Was always outgroup. Always different. You see it. Listen.

Belief. Action/Reaction. Thought.

Reality is ;

The most powerful knowledge is God created all, and he made life happen for me.

…..

If I was to never make any more “gains” lifting weights, I’d continue to lift anyway – I love the act itself, I enjoy the process. It’s a joyous act I choose to participate in often.

You can think yourself ____. See Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

…..

•chicken quesadillas
•bowl of cereal
•milk

In the bathroom mirror before this late meal, I noticed I look a little less fat…frequent deadlift metcons (essentially), and more frequent feedings.

…..

15 more – 55 on the day, the pushups really mixing well with the day’s presses

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Persistence & Tenacity