Month: August 2023

8/20/23
If I’m gonna watch stuff (opted to jump fully off that wagon today, and forgive myself – may publish on this note soon), might as well make it productive.

I’d watched the video a couple months back, felt like rewatching it, then instead of doing so ended up reading through the comments and typing up a reply to a comment that I felt I could add value to.

I paid no attention to video at all this time around, just read and types through it’s entirety lol

On Here :

martin licis – stone lifting in china

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The Comment :

No man hits his peak 1rm strength til his mid 30s at the youngest, heck I’m tempted to say I’ve seen it apply to mid 50s, and if that wasn’t his peak it was at least 90%ish of his peak strength – the fact is that you can get stronger at any age, and be strong at any age.

We can start anytime.
Go forth. Be strong.

Whatever we’ve reached, we can “maintain” the large bulk of it, if not all, on even the most minimal of inputs.

While best to be active your entire life, even if you weren’t the time is now.

We all start somewhere.
This is something many don’t ever apply.

They don’t age well simply because they don’t, never have, actively lived in that direction.

I’ve worked with lifetime laborers, dudes shockingly strong…dudes who don’t take care of themselves, but have done hard work for decades.

I’ve seen people start in the weight room after retirement, and a cool one to witness was a grandma (tall – say 5’9″, broad shouldered, in shape, young looking for 65-70, looked an in shape 50-55, and still partly running a family owned restaurant) and her college age granddaughter (very tall – say 5’11”, broad shouldered, a tad chubby) the pair regularly deadlifting up to either 275lbs or 315lbs

THE PAIR AT~67yo AND ~21yo BOTH REGULARLY DEADLIFTING UP TO TRIPLES AT 275 OR 315lbs DEPENDING ON THE DAY.

I once had a conversation on the gym floor with this cool old timer (71 at the time), the topic of one arm pushups came up, and he got down, banged some out on the spot.

He hadn’t joined a gym til after retirement, told me after awhile inactive just sitting around the house mostly, that he felt that he was declining, and realized without the massive hours he’d spent running a restaurant (funny coincidence – the two unrelated) he had plenty of time, so went out and did something about it.

The most important aspect is the mindset ; to believe that you’re capable, and personally it helps to have internalized the belief that “the natural state of man is one of awesome physicality – we are meant to be strong, in shape, full of vitality for life”.

Then you live with no excuses.

-J

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Persistence & Tenacity

I just stumbled across a YouTube short of the TikTok “$100 45lb Plate Flip Challenge”.

this

This has 90+ MILLION views?
This has 90+ MILLION views!
Whoah.

I’d video of this live for years, had done this before the existence of tiktok.

On camera twice, with around 85 views on the two videos combined…I’ve done it with both my right and my left hands

I’d love my videos to have 90+ MILLION views like the recent one I stumbled upon.

My Prequel Video Of The TikTok “$100 45lb Plate Flip Challenge” With The Right Left Hand :

My Prequel Video Of The TikTok “$100 45lb Plate Flip Challenge” With The Left Right Hand :

Circa winter 2017 lol – I did it before it was cool!
🙂

Maybe there’ll be a big jump in views, this giving SEO.

We’ll see.

Kinda have to laugh, someone else did this years after me, had it go viral.

Note dude, always throw something online.
This could be my answer.

I could expand from YouTube, not being so wed to the neglected channel here as being “my way”.

Only be rigid about keeping your vibe high.
That’s a lesson I’ve learned these past couple/few years.

For the rest do as Bruce Lee said ; be like water my friend.

Persistence & Tenacity

I’ve been told, usually by women, that I stand out in a crowd.

Now see, I’m always in my own skin – and at 6′, though heavy at 285lbs (or anywhere 235+ really) it’s not like I’m the tallest or the heaviest or stockiest in any large crowd.

I am notable in being tall, heavy, well developed, often described as “not fat” ie “you’re big, and not fat” (lol – hearing it gives me amusement), and with both women and men telling me this ; I am fairly noticably broad shouldered.

I want to tell you a few things about muscular development.

Pour yourself a glass (milk, juice, soda, or water), I’ve a glass of cherry pepsi, and sit down, I’ll tell you…

Clinks glass. Sip. Sip. Swish. Swallow. Ahh.

When you do an exercise every day, you’re going to look like someone who does that exercise every day.

I tell you, my reader, of my daily (nightly) pushup habit often.

Started at 14, the summer between 8th and 9th grade, heck “punishment” reps from Sensei in early elementary school before that.

Had been talking about grandpa with a coworker yesterday…

Pushups ;
Half my life, damn near nightly.
May 13, 2016 the last miss, the streak of no misses now 7¼ years, 75% of a decade of nightly pushups, no, absolute zero, misses.

If I had did some that day in May – I never could confirm it either way, ran with no benefit of the doubt, then it’d over 11 years now. It could be 11 years of pushups every single day.

Now, this habit does not make me the strongest powerlifter, plenty bench heavier than I…but the million reps allows me to do reps with people standing on my back.

You do something daily, for lengths of time, even a pretty light stimulus gets you plenty strong.

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Every presser has their naturally favored muscles.

I’ve long had a big chest, medium sized arms, shoulders were the weak spot of the three.

To put on shoulders was something of an accomplishment.

For women to be telling me I have great broad shoulders is a really cool compliment.

To hear the same from men, ditto.

Now me personally?
I’m most impressed by my upper back.

My upper back, along with my shoulders have taken off in the past two years or so.

This is because I’ve, for this time period, done mostly weights from the ground to overhead.

First lots of barbell pressing, then more recently I’ve developed a kettlebell, more snatching than not, habit.

Take weights. Put them overhead.
Have a goodly percentage of your lifts be presses, I tend to rep out presses off of one snatch.

You can just have a barbell clean it once, press it a bunch of times, and do this every session for lengths of time.

The variable here being weight on the bar.

Doing a few sets of heavy presses, you’ll discover it is, the clean and press, a full body lift.

Traps?
You had to clean it.

Upper back?
Honestly it’s hit well, aesthetic building (& obviously strength) from both parts; clean AND press.

Hips?
You cleaned it.

Legs… QUADS!
NO LIFT CAUSES A HARD QUAD CONTRACTION LIKE A HEAVY PRESS

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I’ve a bit more balance now.

I’ll throw an occasional barbell press session in, even a barbell snatch session, the usual being a minisession of burpees with kettlebell(s).

The kettlebell portion generally being one arm snatches with a 20kg bell (thanks again dude) and/or one arm swings with a 32kg bell (the movement now comfortable within a few months of usage, probably due to the aforementioned lighter bell – it wasn’t comfortable at the start, I grew into the bell with the movement).

May this help you.
I raise my glass. Clink. Sip. Swish. Ahh.

Persistence & Tenacity
8/16/23 ~1215am

8/11/23
830pm, 3:00 total
After four days without touching a kettlebell, doing a burpee, or lifting a barbell, thinking today another off day, the day nicely off of work, having slept twelve hours, and having eaten up some (a big ole ~14oz burger patty with three and a half slices of american cheese, a giant 8oz reese’s cup ie eating as I desired)…

Today I finally got myself to again touch a kettlebell and do a few burpees.

I tell you this ; everytime I take only a few days off, the next time touching the weights is like greating a long lost friend.

And another thing…..

Exercise – You Only Need 3:00 :

Initially I’d little drive to workout, but a moment of downtime while being outside meaning I was already halfway there – I decided to train, getting in a brief minisession after a few days without.

I changed the recent usual ; there was no 65lb barbell, and the 32kg kettlebell for one arms swings instead became a 20kg kettlebell for one arm snatches.

I did burpees freestyle as is my wont.
Something in the vicinity of a navy seal without the jump, but with extra everythings tacked on.

The mosquitos tonight are horrendous, this year having been fairly light of them mostly.

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Three minutes is enough daily training time.

You need that little.
Everyone has it.

The out of shape have excuses.

You can afford a light to medium kettlebell or two (to keep at home).

There are always burpees if you’re poor, the state of california doesn’t allow you to bench press, or you’re the only adult with the fetish, the only civilian outside of crossfit to willingly do a single burpee as an adult.

Cause really very few do burpees on their own accord…their loss.

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Get your kettlebell, mark off a few square feet – lift the bell, smash the burpees.

Three minutes, three sets or so combined is three minutes more of activity than inactivity, is how you keep effective exercise in your life – it best being a daily thing, rain, sleet, snow or shine (ie in all circumstance, even when minimal), and does make you feel great for a time.

There would be a whole lot more happiness in the world if everyone had a kettlebell to swing or snatch, used it, and did burpees on a regular basis.

Persistence & Tenacity

8/6/23
The cool thing about these minimal light barbell, kettlebell, and burpee minisessions is that I have no logistical excuse to not do them.

Going real low rep on each, well I still get out of breath, I still get a pump, both by nature of the exercise itself – while I can keep the whole thing – setup and breakdown included, to ten minutes or so.

Zero excuses.
I’d have to really prefer “off day” mentally to skip one.

And a couple hours after having eaten a big fat meal out I guilted myself into one.

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In a way it’s these daily minisessions that set me apart from everyone.

Of the two current coworkers with gym memberships only one goes consistently.

It’s not like most people train.

I saw one fit runner today as I went to the store, a couple people shooting hoops.

Other than that, on a nice summer day the outside was abandoned. Me being just as guilty til the nighttime session.

I’ve come to love these outdoor sessions, now a dang viking in outlook as to weather conditions ; noting to self that “it is”, shrugging, and going outside with my kettlebell anyway.

A few minutes outside at 845pm and I worked up a real rank sweat in 3 overhead squats, 7 curls, 5/side one arm swings, and 5 burpees.

It’s that I’ve years of training history, paying my dues, and to a degree still blows my mind after many years of high frequency, high volume, to be doing these 5:00ish minisessions, barely anything to them, and feeling like I’ve ran a sprint, while having close to or a full body pump…

Getting beaucoup benefit from minimal input.

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Genuinely close to going somewhere else for a 90+ day, I’ll call it “training holiday”.

Might be lifting, might be fighting, could be both, could be ham on burpees, maybe with pullups.

Kinda looking for a bit of a fresh place to start/reset while doing an all in training systems reset.

Antithesis to the minisessions above lol

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The quick pump and out of breath minisessions do not break you down.

They build you up, and can be stacked up, racked up to ∞, the limit your available time, and drive impulse (it’s more compulsive/impulsive for me) to do another.

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I hear possible didgeridoo sounds coming from the neighbors, ~9pm – rowdy retirees lol

Note to self : don’t let 65+ have all the fun.
Note to self : “dude I’m looking at you”.

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Saw the youtube subscriber count upped from 29 to 31 this weekend.

Interacted with a commenter who said he’s been reading here, who gave me some words of encouragement.

The reader/viewer interaction is always appreciated.

I’m still here.

Persistence & Tenacity

Whether it’s burpees, up/downs, sprawls, front/up/back, turkish get ups, kneeling jumps, rolls, simply laying down and standing up…

You won’t go wrong simply getting on the ground and standing up bunches of times, for reps, for time/density, whatever.

You could call it Remedial Conditioning For Grappling Course Level 0000, you could call it basic life ability, conditioning, activity – what you call it doesn’t matter.

Get on the ground.
Stand up.
Get back on the ground.
Etc.

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The turkish get up is more impressive with the addition of getting down to finish.

You don’t roll around, forwards, backwards, to the side – this is a problem, kids do this stuff, if you did gymnastics you did this, wrestling practice we did this.

High knees, smash yourself off the ground, pop up, it’s a method.

Kneeling jump, kneel, repeat – it’s fun.
You can kneeling jump?

Get someone who wants to be sadistic, wants to smoke you – they call front, up, or back – while up you high knee, a call of front up get on your face as quickly as possible, a call of back and you get to laying on your back as quickly as possible.

The transitions make this.

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or to simplify ;
Frankly, do burpees – it’s that simple.

You might as well do your daily burpees :)-

Persistence & Tenacity