Part I – I Own No Pair Of Heavy Dumbbells For Pressing :
10/10/22 ~230am
“Pressing Engagements” by John McKean – what an awesome article!
That’s an archive.org link, I’ve learned to link that way, as well as note what music/video I’ve linked in posts, but ditillo is a goldmine, and if you’re reading about lifting the site is high on the list, you should check it out.
Articles galore.
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I got a kick out of what he called “stacking nickels”, laughing to myself that I’ve come up with similar methodology doing hurry up singles at every 5lb jump from 135 up.
It reminded me of how heavy and full body see saw presses are.
I liked the movement for awhile, did them consistently back winter 2019/2020 – it’s ~$400 on amazon for a pair of “inexpensive” adjustable 100lb dumbbells.
Maybe a ride to a combination of the sporting goods stores and hardware stores would provide a better option.
And that’d be boots on the ground, which is better than online ordering.
I’m looking at how I could have an adjustable pair or dumbbells loadable to ~125lbs, though to 150lbs each would be better and provide a lifetime of brute strength training.
You get to just walking up to a pair of 150s on the ground, yank them to your shoulders, and press them?
You’re pro strongman strong.
Which is where you should be.
Pro strongman strong.
Expect excellence of yourself.
I bet I can press a pair of 100lb dumbbells, I just have no logistical option at present…as $65/month for dumbbells (& powerlifting, but who cares) doesn’t seem worth it.
I’ve thrived this past year doing almost naught but the barbell clean and presses OUTSIDE (in New England).
Mostly just leaving the bar loaded, heaving it to shoulders once, and pressing it a bunch of times.
I don’t vary the way much.
There is opportunity for variety even with parameters as “limited” as “barbell clean and press only”.
It certainly put on shoulders, but more striking is my upper back.
I’ve developed an upper back in 2022, to the point I view it as my best feature, and am becoming a bit obsessed with heaving, cleaning, and pressing my way to it being bigger, more defined, more impressive, stronger.
I like seeing my upper back in the mirror – el narcissismo mi tengo
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Today off work I expect to actually strip the bar, hit some overhead squats, press maybe more sets and/or with a lower rep range than usual, fat gripz sldl – maybe dropped a bit in weight and pushed higher in reps (was writing about higher reps in another draft in the last few hours – I’m juggling content creation on two phones, my old deactivated now wifi only one which fits my hand better for typing, and my recently purchased too high tech “smarter” than the first smartphone one which has service, a screen too large to type as well on as on the old one, and is different, maybe better, maybe worse at grabbing screenshots for images to post – #firstworldproblems
Part II – Smashing The Pushups, The Deep Knee Bends, & Getting The Jacked – High Rep Everything As Mandatory PT For You & For Me :
10/10/22 ~530am
Pushups and military press, they feed into each other – no exercise combination, or exercise alone gives me the sheer knowledge that I’ve got some pipes hanging from my torso.
What a great feeling.
Lean 19s is very possible to me.
– move the press up 100lbs, and do some combination of actually curl, do weighted pullups again, grapple consistently again (haven’t done that in over a decade), and/or very high muscular activation total gym pullups.
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No one, including those who’ve done so in the past, does high reps, high enough in count, heavy enough in weight, high enough in muscular activation, and with enough effort to truly get a body of type 3 fibers – to have superman muscle with superior strength and endurance.
I’ve flourished on rather high reps fitting the above description.
All would, most never attempt – a huge loss, in it is strength, conditioning, and a vigorous health.
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I’ve been swinging my tree branch mace after every shift for nearly an entire year now.
Normally a set of 10 each side, the exact movement varied a little, but I’ve never simply taken the main variant and truly pushed the rep count into the stratosphere.
As I did 10 each side twice, double the usual after work last night – the above struck me.
I could be seeing how strong my lats, shoulders, biceps, and hands get pushing that rep count up up up.
I know it’d be freakish.
There is no excuse for me not to be doing sldl into the 30s, deep knee bends past 100, pushups strict past 100, the woody woodpeckers into the sky, pullups for reps (& regularly, and/or weighted again), or a lightened version like on the total gym for as many as possible/with extremely high muscular tension, be back squatting for 50s, front squatting amraps into the 30 reps area, and play with a couple other movements I’ve thought of like zercher deep knee bends and a good morning variant or two.
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My leverages?
The most useful deadlift variant is sldl, from the toes better than from regular plate height.
I’d have this double overhand on an axle for high reps in an ideal setting.
I’d then have you partial front squat, and do some form of carry.
And I’ve come up with some interesting carry variants…
185lb yoke overhead in one hand…
barbell in front squat position as I walked, forwards, backwards, side to side, in circles, turned, even squatted, deep knee bended, staggered stance squatted (“b” squat)…
deadlift carry, doh, all around the place as described above
I’ve actually paced about the house for LENGTHS of time holding a 10lb dumbbell, a 20lb kettlebell – I’m taking ≥20:00 just to see if I could hold it that long – did it while on the phone with my uncle.
Part III – And The Evening’s Flow :
10/10/22 ~5pm
When it’s time to lift – I don’t recognize the weather outside.
Upon recalling the above I had pulled off the hoodie, barefoot and shirtless the way to be, 50° and wet is warm enough.
It had rained…while I was inside sleeping…which we all do too much of.
Hell, with track pants we’ve conceded to the weather more than necessary, however – pants, barefoot, barechested, the beard growing back, the look is going barbarian again, viking again as it is meant to be.
A thick red beard, and a buzzcut, on my strong, burly, 6′ frame – it’s all coming back.
No matter what is said, it’s easier to feel good in life when you like how you look and when you look sharp.
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I just pressed 14x165lbs. With this rep range I’m clearly “only building endurance” lol.
The press reps might go even higher than 15 reps tops being my up the bar weight number, as I’m also factoring in the fat gripz sldl for progression while training with the same bar weight.
The press reps may get ahead of the fat grips sldl which I mostly pull easy low rep sets of while supersetting with deep knee bends.
I just use my empty bent bar for high rep overhead squats – mentally this is easier than stripping the solid bar.
Part of why I train all lifts (other than overhead squat really) at the same bar weight, at press weight is this massive mental hurdle I have about stripping, loading, and carrying plates around.
For whatever reason, lifting outside I have this tick.
I do not have this tick on a gym floor. It’s nothing to me to grab 45s from across the building…
I didn’t film this, though it would’ve been damn funny, I took 7 plates (45s) stacked together off of a 25lb plate (the platform so as to get under the “rock”), and did a rather funny looking bear hug shuffle walk to get all the needed plates to the smith machine.
Taking plates off the leg press for the same walk may have been with 8p, a 360lb bear hug instead of 315lb bear hug.
I do have a pair of 100s, a pair of 45s, and a 25lb plate or bricks to lift off of – I could do this at home up to 290lbs, no stone trainer either.
I’ve also learned plate bowling with cheapo 45lb bumpers, and tend to be able to roll any plate pretty well in a long straight line.
“Plate bowling.” as I nod my head.
“Plate bowling? You seem skilled. Have you practiced?”
“Yes. Though with bumper plates at a different gym.”
↑ a funny gym floor interaction, a year or so ago in a galaxy far far away
I have also in the past been able to punt a rugby ball with precision to you at a distance of around 70yds.
My uncle called my bluff on that back in high school, not having learned when within 5:00 of him doubting I could squat 8×300 at under 180lbs at 15yo I did so in front of him, stopping what I was doing and showing him (I was not lifting), and too that day immediately I showed – we paced off the distance, made it be at an angle, and over the electrical wires, and I dropped the ball right into his chest/hands.
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Physically I felt horrible from anger in the last 48 hours, and a bit of caffeine (a large dr pepper with my around midnight dinner last night) introduced into my system far too late at night.
That’s why I lift.
It makes me feel good.
Ain’t no anger when you’ve pressed it all out of your head.
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Beef and broccoli every day for about three weeks, it looks like I may “only” have pork today for my meat, but I’m in enough broccoli to be good into next week at my close to mandatory daily serving of 4oz, which I get from work four days a week, and out of a rather expensive 12.5oz “organic” frozen bag at home the other three.
I’ve been learning to not stress these minor things I say I’ll do daily so much.
After 36-40 days of pressing in a row, I didn’t press for two, and then lifted again today.
I’m still banging out what is sustainable for me, while learning to be more chill about whether it truly has to be 100% mandatory daily, which pushups are – years of this being the way, which was ~9 months of squat every day on the longest streak of squat every day, etc.
So I’m not running to the grocery store for 1-2lbs ground beef, and will see instead how long the pork in the house lasts me, as again, I’m in the broccoli for the next 8 days between freezer at home and choosing it as a side every meal at work, and really meat, with fat, is meat, the differences between dead animal being minutia.
Should’ve bought it yesterday when I was at the store before work to solely get a, singular, glass bottle soda lol
Which reminds me, dang am I craving those doritos hard taco shells – maybe next week with ground beef.
I’m eating cleanish right now, regrowing my beard, smashing enough PT and lifting…come winter, new year’s to some point in February at 3-4+ months of beard – I’ll be at some video worthy stuff for presses off of a heave (10+ rep 225+ lb amrap press, off the ugliest brute strength shouldering ever, a “win the gym” # if I do say so), “mace” swings for 100s, smashing deep knee bends in the snow, maybe FINALLY get the “girl pushups” (weighted pushups via cute chick(s) as weight) on video, etc, etc, etc.
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I bet I’m good for pressing 10×185 tommorow.
Persistence & Tenacity
Today’s Listening :
Wim Hof on Russell Brand podcast