“To be a hardcore lifter, you have to be half crazy.” – Steve Justa
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In 1940 a 300lb clean and jerk was a big deal…for heavyweights.
You don’t need to compare yourself to modern weightlifters who have better equipment than you, level floors, and are often dodging their iwf drug tests.
You don’t need to compare yourself to modern mr olympia bodybuilders that look like bloated hgh cows.
You look to yesteryear, hold yourself to those standards, knowing you’re not using drugs, and thankful for fucking refrigeration which makes this whole big and strong thing real easy.
Bring out the pizza and eggnog!
Any dude would be happy to have a pre steroid era bodybuilder’s physique.
Be old school.
It’s effective, and available – just do the work.
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You’re gonna go further assuming this stuff is easy.
It’s not “look how hard that was”, it’s “look how much I did” – you as point of focus, not the thing, that’s just the work, and not worth the mental sweat – it’s just what you do.
There is no such thing as a hard gainer.
There are only those who put in the work, and those who do not.
Physical maturity is a factor.
Are you not strong yet?
You’re not, then you probably haven’t reached physical maturity yet.
Train for 5-10 years and reevaluate.
Do it.
The youngest that powerlifters tend to reach peak strength at is mid 30s, so all you young adults, keep training.
Strength building is a cumulative activity, it’s not just the recent workouts – it’s the lifetime of activity stacking up, racking up.
That’s why there are plenty of old timers, men and women, whether wiry or heavy set who will surprise you with their bodily strength.
Cumulative. Strength.
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A barbell feels like a toothpick in hand directly following axle/fat gripz pulling.
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I pressed 12x165lbs today.
There was poundage and reps in the tank, like I’m at 8+x205 if I tried it.
Now that I think about it, would 12×225 be stronger than Wendler of 5/3/1 fame?
And he has made a living from gym – inspiration/hope/vision for me.
The one heave/power clean and many presses – it’s made for an interesting in the moment approach.
Eating big for strength, doing little else but the press, and for high reps at that.
Bastardized old school weightlifting for bodybuilding with a powerlifting diet.
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If I need to drop fat, simple, just run ten minutes out and back – you’ll unscientifically get to 20 or 21 minute 5k this way running a few times a week.
Do I want to drop 30-50lbs?
What press # at what bodyweight am I looking for?
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Beef & broccoli – everyday, 2½ weeks or so now.
It’ll be easy to say every day this month.
I’m liking the habit.
Damn does the “doing food right thing” have some power to it.
For me the answer is beef & broccoli, and backloading calories via dairy as needed.
I am a workhorse.
In my youth I stood at the fence on a handful of occasions where some, what I believe were retired budweiser, clydesdales were on exhibit, as well as pretty regularly walked to a local farm which had a pair of the friendliest giant horses who’d great you at the fence.
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You work with the tools you have.
With them, find what you enjoy and that works for you, and do it.
Do it all out.
Do it now!
I’d rather you do any physical activity than be a couch sitting spectator.
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To get big for 1950s LA high school football my Grandpa simply ate much larger portions of all the healthy foods he already ate.
Portions simply were the entire thing
All the quarts of milk, two of the loaves of bread, two of the cantaloupes, all the eggs, etc.
I wish I could recall what exactly it was he bought as a snack down the street right after his stepmom kicked him out of the house for eating too much.
The way he told that story, his mannerisms, he had a youthful joy as he said, and you found yourself salivating, hungry for it as well.
It was a street vendor of some sort, I want to say it was a salami sandwich, then a short walk to a fruit seller who would cut yet another whole cantaloupe for him which he, as a veritable giant of a 17yo considering the year, would sit down on the curb and eat.
Man I can still hear the joy in his voice as he told me this.
And worth noting at 6’1″ he’d roll into football two a days at 230ish, but by the end of track and water polo he’d be an extraordinarily lean 190.
I do not know his size in the us army.
The PT story he told me sounded quite intense.
I know, via picture, that he had a very impressive , probably 210lb with extreme rib cage development as a mid to late 20s lifeguard.
It looked like he was bodybuilding, doing well at it, in the manner of the time.
He still did chin ups at around 70 years old.
I never spoke with him about lifting weights or training, as he passed months before I decided to no longer be a fat kid as a freshman in high school.
He had a total gym which I used which mad eyed intensity as a 7/8yo looking to move up the ranks wrestling, generally Tuesday nights, in karate class (where sensei paired me with kids up to 5 years older than me, years more experienced, and in one hilarious case against the twins and my friend…at the same time)
Persistence & Tenacity
Music Today @ The Cold Air Barbell Club
nelly – #1 (da derrty album version)
How I danced around between sets was so corny and joyous.