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 7ΒΌ 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.
…..
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
…..
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