Month: April 2024

4/10/24
Human physical capability is limitless, and the reason the majority aren’t impressive specimens is solely a lack of hard training over periods that are measured in decades.

For every world class athlete there’s many many more “never made its”, “life was in the ways”, “didn’t care to competes”, etc.

Somewhere out there is a factory worker, a giant of a man who in six months training would win a world’s strongest man.

He doesn’t train, or if he does he doesn’t care to compete, or doesn’t go online, or film – maybe just lifts in his garage, basement, or yard – crazy numbers, but is only in this for himself, against himself – his best vs his worst self.

…..

Training a little over the years with a handful of d1 (and d3) athletes shows you we’re all human – you can be better than you are.

None of them are super human.

…..

Flip side I start thinking I’m hot shit for 40kg bottoms up presses, then some russian language content is on my youtube homepage as I’m about to start an upload…and the guy is using between 48 and 70kg (even if with looser than strict form).

Still, I’ve gotta give myself credit – most never bottoms up press past 32kg.

In fact I have a funny memory of pressing a 32kg on a day pass a couple years back, my buddy (who I’d lifted with for years, a former training partner) looking at me and going “well I always beat you on deadlifts, ended up passing you on squat and bench over the past couple years, but we’ve found it, the lift – that’s where you’re stronger than me – no way my wrist is that solid”.

And now I’m getting consistent with 40kg bottoms up press right.

•I don’t see a limit.
•I see myself getting 60+ kg strict, that I could have the heaviest bottoms up press online.

Truly getting into bottoms up presses with the giant bells.

Just biding my time to a big channel, lots of subscribers (and maybe followers – though I’m not so sure about my interest in instagram), better finances – waiting to feel the time is right to make the multiple thousand dollar investment into lots of kettlebells.

It’s like I don’t trust that I’d get enough clients, whereas bootstrapping at current I don’t “need” more bells – it’s just a strong “want” where I keep delaying the purchase.

…..

The beatles “eight days a week” has been my exercise song on repeat the past few days – not while filming, but a decent chunk of the off camera stuff.

…..

Instead of money I don’t have on more and more kettlebells…

Why not rebuild the sandbag?
It’s what $30 for a pack of contractor clean up bags, a few hundred pounds of sand – I still have the surplus duffle bag I did this with…whoah a decade ago.

I definitely shouldered 200lbs back then.
Why not a run at 300lbs of sand overhead.

…..

Saw this quote ; “action cures fear”.

…..

The (first minisession) kettlebell was a quick 60 reps total with the 16kg.

x10/side on press, bottoms up press, and bottoms up snatch, alternating hands, next exercise, repeat – a quick little feel good session.
…..

The first soccer dribble was a 6ct or 7ct – with basketball shoes on as it’s raining.

It included a lot of 5+ counts, having shoes back on after a couple days barefoot helped.

I could get good at this.

Thus far it definitely wakes up my hip flexors, seems good for my legs in an athletic way (if possibly not in max squatting strength), but most importantly, most of all it’s fun.

Mixed gripper squeezes in with the soccer ball.

Got a bunch of 7cts today. I’m getting better.

…..

Ate an early dinner, then went and kicked the soccer ball a few more minutes – got an 8ct which might be my best yet.

Then did another light, quick kettlebell session (three minisessions now as rock one arm press was a second – we’ll see how the people respond to three days of rock after a few of 40kg bup) this one bottoms up snatch, “blob” holds, and crunch curl & press – all with the 16kg.

My forearms are smoked!
Plus my chest is highly activated from the crush reps.

I found ANOTHER use for the kettlebell.

Yes – I do notice my training is taking itself in the direction of athleticism and grip.

…..

The barbell one arm snatch into one arm press, or the barbell one arm press shouldered via steinborn – maybe I’ll run that a little while.

I think it’d be good for the “horsepower”, and allows me to put off kettlebell purchase for a little while, as said above, building horsepower.

I really don’t see why I couldn’t do 225lbs on these, while 150 is very very reasonable.

…..

Today :
Subscribers : +4 by the date/+5 if we go by just over 24hrs

281
I’d been waiting for some to start coming in again at more than the one here, one there pace.

Get past 1k!

Persistence & Tenacity

4/9/24
$3k would buy you double bells from 4kg to 48kg in every 4kg jump.

With that many kettlebells I think you’d have a pretty useful home gym, the type of thing that’d keep a family scary in shape and strong…for life.

Where in your life have you wasted $3k before? Whether that’s in a singular vice or in the sum of all vices.
Cable television? Video games? Alcohol? Cigarettes? Lottery tickets? This? That? The other thing?
Exactly.

Find the money.

…..

Then the kettlebell progression is essentially boiled down to ; do a million.

A million what?
Reps. Sets. Variations.
Just get the volume in.

And do something daily.

That’s the key with the kettlebell.
Doing more = more results.
And doing so regularly.

Easy movement to harder movement.
Dual progression with more weight.
Lots of volume irregardless.
High tension.

No one doing reps with double 48s is a weak individual.

The kettlebell gets you “gorilla strong”, gives you the “farmer strength”, the “old man strength”, gives you “mat strength”.

Thick handles, everything overhead and/or core demanding, a real nice blend of like throwing hay bales and wrestling strength with gym type weight lifting.

Especially when we’re talking a double bell bottoms up press with double 48kgs (and yes it’s possible).

Get your head out of powerlifting, out of bodybuilding, out of those hammer strength machines, out of the trendy places, out of the commercial gyms.

It’s freaky how strong the kettlebell done all out will take you.

And $3k owning the equipment to train anyone (you know like you and your family) from rank beginner to beast…it’s like five years (or less – often less) of the trendy gym’s dues.

…..

That’s another thing ;

And before you read this ;
1. I’m not married.
2. I don’t have any children.

Give yourself up to ninety minutes a day to train – no “the wife” excuse, no “the kid(s)” excuse.

Don’t be needing to run to the whiskey bottle and video game controller fat boy!

You’re gonna be better for yourself and for them doing that.

Can’t be out of the house for ninety minutes of training time, plus commute time, and all that?

(plus that requires monthly dues)

$3k in kettlebells and your sons will be set up for success as a four sport athletes, the strongest on all the teams – football or soccer/wrestling/lacrosse or baseball/+ track & field

$3k in kettlebells and your daughters are scary at hitting home runs on the softball field, great at whatever other sports they’re playing

$3k in kettlebells and you and your wife both never have an excuse to not be happy, strong, and healthy – amazing examples for your kids.

Investment in equipment vs dues (rent + commute + crap culture + ____)

Understand!

…..

Today’s Lift/Day 171 :
Completely following a program as written…

L
O
L

NOT!

I snatched 95lb barbell with my right, then flipped the 16kg kettlebell with my left while holding the barbell overhead.

I did some handstands.

With the 20kg right, 16kg left did mismatch bottoms up see saw presses – quite a variant that – I’d never tried it before.

I juggled the 16kg kettlebell.
Got a new trick (from the other day) on camera if ugly.

And again I did some rock presses, this time with the rock held at different angles.

…..

Soccer ball was again barefoot, done a bit later than the lift.

10 days now.
I’m divided as to whether I should be better or not at this point.

Ha, it’s not like I did this for a lifetime.
It’s a new skill. It’s only been ten days.

It may end up being done longer than a month.
Why?
To improve it more.

We’ll see where I’m at at the end of the month.

I’m enjoying it so far.
Gets me moving around in the sun.
Playful movement.

lol and I’m a bit sunburnt – no matter, happens once a year then I’m good to be shirtless through the summer…besides vitamin d is good for you

…..

After dinner, the sun isn’t entirely down – so it’s kettlebell swings and more soccer dribbling – cause outside and moving is better than inside and sitting.

I don’t want to, in the next 5-20 years, just go further down the path of obesity and television.

Outside. Activity.

I’m strong (as per the bottoms up press).
I’m out of shape (as per 2h swings, running).

(the session was 4×10 2h swings, 1×3/side 1h swings, then x20 2h swings with the 40kg bell – soccer ball dribbling to make rest periods)

Be strong and in shape.

I’ve gotta make a living from it.

…..

Gripper squeezes – the hg 150lber – 11 seconds/side first reverse grip, then normal grip – could easily just start low – add a second to the hold every day or three build up that way – a few :30 holds likely means owning the hg 200lber, then repeat the whole process heavier.

The gripper gtg is a nice addition to the outdoor kettlebell lifting, and the soccer ball is building hip flexors, agility, and coordination.

…..

Dieting, food prep, etc – it all sounds so hard, such a difficulty, and demand of your self discipline…until you realize it doesn’t have to be chicken breast/broccoli/rice, but can be all the sausage & onions you’ll eat.

Strict every meal weighed out, 6+ daily small meals vs just eating once or twice, following the 80/20 rule, eating good hearty foods – not chicken feed, not lean, not dry, not bland.

Once stuff clicks for you it’s always funny to reflect and see just how not hard/difficult/challenging it was along.

Lift big kettlebells.
Kick around a soccer ball.
Kick into handstands.
Eat kielbasa, bratwurst, onions.
Drink milk, water, iced tea, occasionally cranberry juice, grape juice, etc.

I’m doing it my way.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/8/24
Today instead of a kettlebell, I felt like pressing a rock.

So I pressed a rock.
A change from bottoms up pressing.

not today’s video

Then, later, I kicked around the soccer ball barefoot.

It’s like the first day again.
(or not – the best dribble was 7ct)

And at that time got a real solid handstand with it.

I’ll mix these two, and probably kettlebell juggling as “skill acquisition – play”.

Keep it fun. Keep it really fun all around.
None of this training is so serious.

…..

I did juggle the kettlebell today, off camera where I got a new trick, hand to hand pretty consistently if not keeping the bell at the best height (high and parallel to the ground) where the handle is vertical and the bell then rotates on that axis like a helicopter (but they call it helicopter when the bell’s handle is horizontal to the ground).

Cool to get that down.

The kettlebell juggling as a skill is getting better all around.

…..

The rock press had all my upper back firing, left me feeling solid in upper back, on my sides.

I felt STRONG.

The rock balances different than a bottoms up bell, and I figure that will help with control.

A side effect is that the good handstand came, probably from how the rock press had everything firing beforehand to balance it.

Pressing kettlebells in the palm of my hand, flat/bottom of bell is an idea.

As I continue with volume my development will continue to improve.

I looked MONSTROUS tonight, my upper and mid back thickness having grown from the heavy bottoms up pressing.

The kettlebell is meant for high tension and high volume, it means gains all around – DO MORE!

Food is lots of sausage and onion.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/7/24
Around the month mark I’m going to be filming myself dribbling the soccer ball.

I think having mentally committed to that sees me doing some daily, even when snow & snow boots could’ve been an excuse.

Mostly I say “I’ll do just five minutes “, but usually I check the time and ten to twenty have passed, and usually I’ll still do another ten or so more.

Or end up going back for a short bit more a little later.

Mixing it with the off camera kettlebell stuff is really fun. Probably the most enjoyable training I’ve had in years.

Since my left arm is in “the dark times” it’s not necessary to film the 16kg buc&p or the 20kg press/c&p/buc.

Those, and flipping them (mind you juggling is camera worthy) just done off camera for the euphoria.

…..

During today’s lift I bottoms up pressed the 40kg strict to lockout, held there as per video review over half a second, then lost the controlled negative at the bottom rack the bell falling against my chest..

Quite annoying that.
Quite close this.

I forget how strong I am.
40kg is 88lbs.
The leverages make it probably like 120 or 130lbs in a dumbbell, and soon it’s gonna be something baked in that I can at any given time.

…..

I’m already getting better with the soccer ball.

It’s a fun contrast to the kettlebell.
No purpose to dribbling a soccer ball than the purpose itself.

It’s fun.
It keeps me outdoors longer than just lifting does.

There’s skill to learn, and that gets me more into it.

Gotta practice you know.

Did around a half hour on both sides of forty five minutes of (rather laid back ~5:00 rests) kettlebell.

…..

Headphones set to the beatles, and suddenly it’s a half hour later and I’m getting more consistent with 3ct, 4ct.

…..

Baked tomorrow’s dinner tonight.

Two small packages of sausage, one kielbasa, one bratwurst – just over 1½lbs in total with a big onion…

I can already tell it’s not going to be enough.

The bottoms up pressing beast must be fed.

I ate a little off of tomorrow’s tonight with the last bit of leftovers, drank some milk, had a bowl of tortilla chips and a bowl of cereal both for the calories.

Tomorrow I’ll press stronger, and maybe prep a bigger batch – it may be meat, like hot dogs and breakfast sausage with eggs over onions and potatoes – use the big pan, fill it with fatty meats, eggs, and hearty root vegetables.

If I stick to 1½lbs a day of meat I’m gonna lose weight.

The kettlebell cranks the metabolism, heck the agility of the soccer ball is probably feeding into this.

It’s all good man.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/6/24
It’s not hard to look like a monster after eating some empty calories (yogurt pretzels) in the 11pm hour then doing a set of pushups real close to the strike of midnight.

Brushing your teeth right after = yup I’m a big dude.

…..

Almost every moment I’m thinking of lifting kettlebells.

…..

I’m not eating keto or carnivore, but a pound or pound and a half of sausage with plenty of onion slivers, some flour in the pan to sop up the fats, to drink milk, iced tea, this is like 75% of my feedings the past week.

I put this together late last night ; the press PRs were there with “Egg Power Diet” (I was eating nine eggs daily), and I’m already noticing this “Sausage & Onion Power Diet” (like 1lb sausage as a daily minimum) is filling the same role.

I’ve never really experimented truly with heavy eating and heavy training at the same time.

When I force fed at 17yo I didn’t train heavy enough with all the 5000-7500 daily calories (depends on where in the year we’re talking) that I was taking in.

Many a time in my early twenties I wasn’t eating heavy enough to really get the strength gains.

It’s my opinion that ; fasting is alright, I’ve operated most of since 17yo on intermittent fasting, but each night a pound of fatty meat and a half gallon of whole milk (or chocolate or strawberry or coffee flavored whole milk) has to be minimum required ingredients in dinner for strength.

Sounds like broken english, but you catch my drift there.

Don’t be so fancy.

Eat a bunch of meat, drink a bunch of milk, live big weights, be big, be strong.

Science geek stay small.
Science geek think too much.
Science geek stay small.

Big man get bigger eating big, lifting big.
Big man make science geek look small and weak, puny and fragile – wimpy framed.

…..

Today’s Lift :

I got better on the 40kg bup right.
And went 14/15rm looking for a right hand press PR.
Left arm is still barely pressing 40kg.

After pressing on video I really lounged around mixing 2h swings, cleans, front squats (and a single rep of left hand press), just getting some work in – I love the aspect of how easy it is to transition between body parts for full body workouts.

I could see the pistol squat basically just happening from the high tension of one bell front squats – you’re having to be really tense with a bell in one side’s rack, and maybe I’ll play around with foot placement, creeping a foot forward strikes me as making it all more pistol like.

…..

4+ ct using the knees is pretty common now dribbling the soccer ball.

I’m mostly using knees as with the wet ground I’m in snow boots – don’t want to keep repeatedly soaking my feet and shoes.

Once it’s warm weather I’ll probably be doing this barefoot.

…..

I flipped the 25lb plate for 15 catches each hand.

I don’t really want to buy at 35lb or 45lb bumper.

I’ve flipped 45lb bumpers before – both the fat black colored cheapo bumpers and the blue colored quality ones.

I’m confident I can catch a 35lb bumper at any given time, while the 45lb bumper would probably need practice.

Hey, flip the 25lb bumpers and the smaller kettlebells – it’s building catch/grasp/quick fire grip, and getting to a solid one hand flip with the 32kg or 40kg kettlebell would be something.

(pretty easily flip the 20kg)

…..

How to spend saturday?
Why another minisession of course – let the compulsion drive me to another kettlebell press and soccer ball dribbling session.

Got some more knee to knee 4cts, maybe some 5cts – mixed in at least one 4ct between every 5-10 reps or so of left hand press with the 20kg.

Did 50 presses total, mixed presses with the clean and press at random.

It’s kinda fun to ladder or reverse ladder a clean, a few presses, a clean, a few presses – long pressing sets that way.

…..

I’ll keep working 40kg right press, 20kg left press, 40kg the front squat/clean/combo stuff.

The time under tension is really massive.

Two ideas ;
1. lengthen the combos…for fat loss.
2. lengthen the reps on 2h swing…for fat loss.

Just 12x40kg on 2h swing gives me a crazy metabolic damage type glute pump.

If I got to 10×10 or better yet 20×20 or a set of 100+ unbroken – I have a feeling there’d be a substantial deadlift (amongst other things) from it all.

…..

Brunch was sausage & onions with coffee milk.

Post (first) workout a can of iced tea.

Dinner will be a repetition of brunch but with milk or iced tea, maybe cranberry juice.

(it ended up being a large quantity of sausage & onions, a bowl of m&ms, and milk – eating – it’s gonna get interesting)

…..

Some timed ten second reverse gripper holds a couple times throughout the day.

I want to easily be doing these with the 200 or 250lb heavy grips grippers – figure it can only help.

…..

In only days I’ve noticed more soccer ball dribbling, more kettlebell volume, eating steak or steak & sausage or sausage with onions – I feel far more energetic which means more and more free time goes into the practicing of the two, which means I get better at both, which means I want to do more of both, infinity.

…..

I’ve got a future in kettlebells.

Persistence & Tenacity

gregory novak kettlebell circus act

↑ where kettlebell training takes you

4/5/24
Early morning ; I’ve done a few squeezes with the gripper.

Most reverse gripper, one normal.
As is I’m feeling another fail…or success at a 40kg bup today.

There’s always the path of pressing as hard and as long/sustained against it as I can.

Go for height, then hold the failure as high as possible, resist! Until it’s back in the rack and gravity has won.

Unscientific? Shrugs.
Lots of the good stuff is.

“Fail my way to success.”

We’ll see where kettlebells, gripper squeezes, and soccer ball dribbling takes me.

Unrelated, and know this ; that’s the physical side of the equation, the dietary part really is but sausage and onions now.

Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow I’m going to make another big batch.

Probably four pounds, two or three types of sausage, without the steak this time, and a bunch of onions – one pan – two to four days of food.

Give me a quart of milk a day, an iced tea can or two, and I’m content to eat off of that exclusively.

So not keto, nor carnivore, though not far off.

…..

Now throwing around the kettlebell (s), it makes you gorilla strong.

Right now I’m building that weird real world kettlebell strength.

Some monkey bars would transfer it to bodyweight I’m sure.

It’s interesting, but my training is really becoming back/shoulder/hand intensive, only full body as a side effect.

Funny, cause I used to be a “leg lad” the opposite of the “bench bro”.

Full body – you can’t lift kettlebells any other way.

Hands are pumped often, hands feel more like a beast’s paw, strong, primal.
The way it’s supposed to be.

Somewhere online it was likened to having larger hands – I grok that, as I’ve tended to think I’ve got bowling pins for forearms.

Do a million reps of kettlebell ballistics.
You too will have bowling pin forearms and mechanic’s hands.

…..

Last night I did a horse stance hold.

They’ve done so much for me in the past.
Plus the idea goes along so well with all this stuff.

…..

Today’s Lift :

Not a perfect bottoms up press…

I pressed 40kg to lockout!

Yes, it fell after a brief count at lockout, but…it was pressed!

A strict rep with the negative will come.

…..

And pressed 13x40kg right – that 13/15 of PR, basically right handed I’m always in PR territory.

Left hand?
Maybe I’ll just high rep press 20kg for a long while lol.

24/7 PR territory on the right, the “dark times” on the left

…..

During today’s soccer ball dribbling practice due to the ground conditions I mostly used my knees.

However, the few times I used my feet – I got a 5ct or two, and a bunch of 4s and 3s with my right, basically every time I tried right foot.

And this is only six days in.

Hip flexors still get sore.
It’s amazing how much this is the case.

The adult lifestyle apparently sees then completely inactive.

The kettlebell, soccer ball, sausage & onions is working for me.

I’m typing with a big batch of kielbasa, andouille sausage, and onions in the oven.

(yep now that it’s tonight I’m cooking the next batch)

…..

How often should you press overhead?
How often should you work on a fun physical skill?

The Answer :

eight days a week – beatles

Well, technically seven 😁

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. I really want more kettlebells at this point, but realize I could go really far just getting super high rep with the 40kg press (bring it x25+ would guarantee 35+ x 32kg), actually doing full body (combos, squats, snatches, swings) – letting the fat come off with those, this high fat sausage & onions diet, and actually running.

4/4/24
With every day passed I have more and more separation in the shoulders, both side delts and between the chest and the shoulders.

There is more “cap” to my delts.
They’re visibly larger.

It’s all the bottoms up pressing, and it’s not because of the weight – the bup (and by extension buc&p) are not particularly heavy as compared to the shoulders max strength, it’s the fact it’s the most focused, dialed in, locked in form requiring variation.

That applies to the whole body.
I’m larger in the shoulder girdle, upper back, traps, glutes, and forearms, and full body – thighs, torso more dense.

Outside of girevoy which requires a lot of purposeful relaxation, my stereotypical vision of a kettlebell lifter, the one using kettlebell in a more heavy, “hardstyle” manner (even if still high rep) is that of a rather densely developed, stocky individual.

I see my physique going there.

…..

Today’s lift was fun.
I went for a 40kg bup, simply because I’d taken the 40kg outside after shoveling.

The day’s snow storm was about 6″, the snow plow and rain/sleet/whatever had made for some very heavy snow to get my car out.

I basically freestyle lifted the 40kg.
Snatch, half snatch, clean, press, overhead squat, front squat.

This manner of freestyling with basic kettlebell movements will get you very strong.

Technically there is no need to get fancy with bottoms up and juggling work.

I do that cause I enjoy doing so.

Right now I’m very strong right hand, while my left could use time off, though I was able to do everything with the 40kg bell.

It’s the fact I’ve gotten weaker, into a couple months long dark period with the left arm presses.

However I intend to continue lifting, no days off, straight through it.

Eventually I’ll have bought more light bells for training the left hand bup, and the side will catch up to it’s opposite through sheer volume of reps.

The cue “arm wrestle/arm wrestle the bell” helps get the bell into a stronger pressing groove – the curled wrist bringing the bell’s weight more forward towards your center from behind.

…..

Despite 6″ of snow, and snow boots on my feet I did the day’s soccer dribbling…

And I’m glad I did!

It’s have been a straight forward excuse, though firstly I’d have felt bad for not doing a daily challenge daily, and also…

I got a big jump in number of counts/touches/dribbles.

A PR!
7 touches.

In five days of doing this, today was the first day I tried headbutting the ball, and mostly I used my knees instead of feet due to the ground’s condition.

I got seven!

Prior to today it might’ve been five.
And on the 7ct it included both knees and both feet.

The 7th was a right foot kick to get an extra count!

I was in the moment enjoying myself, and too in the moment I ended up doing a moment or two of shadow wrestling.

Ball against head, hands on ball seemed like what a muay thai clinch looks like, and that long inactive wrestler in me always has these little moments where I foot sweep imaginary opponents or get into an imaginary folk wrestling esque lock moving around looking to catch the other into a slam.

The soccer ball dribbling REALLY wakes up the hip flexors.
It’d be a useful side quest for muay thai I’m sure.

As is I’m lifting kettlebells and learning to dribble a soccer ball for around an hour of highly enjoyable, no excuse, daily outdoor physical activity.

…..

Dinner?
Same as the day’s lunch.

The three meat, kielbasa, andouille sausage, steak and onions mix.

Lunch was with a pack of mexican rice, and coffee milk.

Dinner may be the same, or over a baked potato, or no carb.

We’ll see.

…..

Dinner was the above mix with some chocolate milk.

Close to keto carnivore.

…..

Play physically.
Eat like royalty.
Succeed.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/3/24
Today, I finished the latch batch of one pan meat dinner, and cooked the next batch.

By cooking a few pounds of meat at a time in the oven I can have at least most of two, and up to four full days of food pretty easily.

The base is whatever meat sounds good with onions.

I’m likely having steak or sausage, or steak and sausage, sometimes it’s gonna be leaner overall and have chicken breast included as well.

There’s a million ways to have carbs, so what I do there varies.

The pan may just be two or three meats and onions, no carrots, celery, or potatoes.

Or it might have it all.

There’s a million ways to have carbs, so what I do there varies. Haha, I just said that.

Potatoes alone offer a few easy preparations ; over baked potatoes (which cook nicely in bulk), cubes of potatoes included in the pan, instant mashed potatoes/dehydrated potato flakes used as a thickener, etc.

Otherwise, ramen under it when it’s reheated, or rice cooked in bulk – and I have access to both a steamer and instant pot.

Note that the steamer is better for rice, burn notices are the nemesis of instant pot cooking, and no ignore/override setting on it was a design flaw.

Steam your rice if that’s an option and you’re eating less rice than peak bodyweight brian shaw.

……

I didn’t use the largest pan, which was a mistake.

I’d have gotten better browning on the sausage had I more available surface area in the pan.

400°, about halfway through I stirred everything around, cooked it all for about forty five minutes total, and while it set went outside (in winter mix) and did a little extra soccer ball dribbling play with a couple stacked bell 36kg (20+16) rack carries.

I went probably 15yds on one of them.
I LOVE heavy rack carries.

…..

This batch is a little more than a pound of cubes of steak, a little under a pound each of both kielbasa and andouille sausage.

Close enough to 1:1:1

Meat and onions.
I’m on a kick, though this feels sustainable.

How to live my lifting life…
Eat like this and press heavier and heavier kettlebell combinations bottoms up with the same applied to kettlebell juggling as well.

Fit, densely muscled man is developed like so.

…..

Dribbling the soccer ball has all sorts of little muscles in my hips working.

Even if there’s no quote unquote “point” to it, start developing some “pointless to an adult” physical skill like dribbling a basketball in your off hand, throwing with your off hand (grandpa always threw a football equally from both sides when we were in their tiny southern california front yard (now had I that front yard I’d bench in it)), writing with your off hand, do a cartwheel, or a handstand, the world is your oyster – pick something.

I chose dribbling a soccer ball.

Persistence & Tenacity

April 2, 2024
Yesterday I found this thread.

https://www.strongfirst.com/community/threads/russia.6390/

Went through it this morning.

There is some absolutely nuts slavic language kettlebell content.

(both linked in that thread and in general)

Vadim Ischeykin – I don’t remember what it was exactly, but I recall stumbling upon vídeo of him lifting something impressive bottoms up – far more than I could military ress at the time…as a high schooler.

(maybe a subconscious inkling of my future working it’s way in – I remember this feeling of “how can you get there” and at the same time “obviously it can be done)

And only in the last few months did I figure out what channel it was again.

Early morning and instead of sleep I’m looking at kettlebell stuff online, thinking about the next lift.

I’m getting obsessive.

For a couple days now it seems that every day I find another even more impressive russian language bottoms up video.

First I thought 48kg would have been accomplished by few, almost nil, and I’ve since found a handful, a half dozen or so.

But then it gets…impressive.
Dudes passing 60kg, which honestly I do see as possible.

Every video I make, everything I type up on the blog or in my little lifting log (wait I’m logging my lifts) – I put an “I’m going to bup 48kg” in there.

Announce it to the world!
Shout it to ever corner, a promise.

See, I’m obsessing.

Obsession can be good. Obsession can be bad.

It always impressed me the story of persian emperor darius having a servant who’s only job was to whisper in his ear “sire, remember the athenians” at meal time.

Obsession.

Those massive bottoms up numbers could be disheartening.

The top ones are all things I feel possible for me.

I’m already repping 34kg!

I’m a 6′ endomorph – I have the frame and wrist to get to those 60kgs area numbers!

The same numbers are just the landmark!

48kg?
I don’t even need to make a purchase.
I can stack bells.

I’ve already discovered strongly taping works at a price point of a whole $4.

This too applies to basically infinity.
I doubt anyone had an 80kg bottoms up press, but hey…they make 203lb kettlebells.

Living in abundance. I’ll have the equipment I need when I need it.

…..

Now, I didn’t watch it yet – but I saw a video tagged dbl 48kgs buc&p.

That’s nuts!

Double takes a lot more struggling.
I’ve done some light.

What I need to improve for heavy dbl bup is left side mobility.

I’d already figured that lots of light buc&p, slowly adding 4kgs, and letting the bell pull my shoulders back would give me the mobility over time.

And the windmill thing I did was quite good for loosening my shoulders.

That’s forethought to a degree anyway.
Right arm. Strong side.
THOSE bottoms up presses take precedence.

I’ll bup 48kg.

Can taste it.

…..

This started as the idea of getting a 40kg bup one morning when I surprised myself with the buc.

Now it’s shifted.
Especially once I was closing in on 10x32kg whether that was bup or buc&p.

Now I’m training with 34kg.
It’s soon to 36kg.

Once I’m at 10+ at 36kg, yeah.
I think that’s spitting distance of all the beast and better numbers.

The old time strongman stories of yesteryear were almost superhuman, but instead of cutting down as myth – look at it like this…

They started the kettlebell light, then over years of high frequency, slowly (by powerlifting prodigy standards) added weight to these easily tossing around weight performances.

Persistence & Tenacity

pon de replay – rihanna

it was surprisingly good PR music yesterday

4/1/24
I got four touches on my best soccer dribble today, again practicing the thing as the day’s video uploaded.

During that time, having seen this video in my feed, and watched it immediately before starting the upload ;

this video – at about 22 seconds

Well, with my half hour of soccer dribbling I mixed in a handful of reps of this flip/pop from rack to bottoms up press with my 16kg.

I didn’t think I’d get my, coincidentally also set up to, 34kg bell in the movement.

It seems an incredible feat of wrist strength, then I realized it’s loosening the grip, using hip pop, then tightening the grip.

But, with the sun no longer interfering as it had earlier in the day’s long form video (note the ability to go lift spur of the moment is a huge point in favor of home based training) – I went back and tried.

Cause it’d be mad cool to succeed on the thing within an hour or two of finding out about it.

On around the 10th attempt I got it.

Got it.

…..

Dietarily I’ve been drinking a couple tall cans of arizona iced tea daily, eating some meat, with a little milk to drink for dinner.

Physically I feel primed.

My neck and traps have been getting sore the last few days, and it’s that I’ve upped the weight 2kg AND started doing three to five sets instead of only one set of buc&p heavy right handed.

Sometimes I match the volume light bell left handed, sometimes I don’t.

I tend to one hand farmers to, rack carry back, on my left side my day’s right hand working weight bell to/from the lifting (filming) spot.

My forearms are a bit thicker.
When I really push the buc&p reps left hand I feel the strength-endurance fatigue.

The buc is somewhat like an explosive hammer curl, and you’re squeezing to catch while not wanting to use too much hip so as to have the ball be somewhat in the groove.

As least as far as my wind…for reps of buc&p that has improved.

We’ll see how I get leaner as the season goes on and I actually have to start running!
Dude, go running.
Run your ≤6:00 mile while being this kettlebell freak of strength.

And dude, get that 20lb sledgehammer.
You know you want to…
And you know how to train levering it.

…..

Remember ; your training is aiming towards old time circus performing strongman.

big one arm bottoms up overhead, sledgehammer, grippers, kettlebell juggling, etc

…..

Of note ; with the 150lb heavy grips gripper I’ve started low reps greasing the groove, mostly 3 or 5 reps, more often “reverse gripper” than normal direction.

I figure all the reverse gripper (3rd rep always being a hold) it’s gonna help shore up my gripper strength, and everything, Everything, EVERYTHING seems that my training needs hands, shoulders, and wind.

Get weird with it.
This isn’t commercial gym training…
It’s backyard bootstrapping to infinite possibility.

…..

Dude, will you ever build a sandbag again?
The giant military surplus duffle bag sits unfilled…

I bet I’d get some knarly shouldering numbers.

…..

Persistence & Tenacity