J, Author at Persistence and Tenacity

May 2023 Eats – Steak & Chicken Breast – A One Pot Crockpot Meal :

5/21/23
For three weeks now I’ve eaten primarily out of the crockpot.

The ease of preparing food is what has been winning me over, as well as the fact the most affordable way to eat is stews and pot roasts.

Homemade. Nutritious. Affordable.

Whatever size crockpot I have, it will comfortably make a stew with 3lbs of meat, with plenty of carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes cut into the pot and cooked beneath the meat.

Whereas without the root vegetables it comfortably fits 5lbs of meat, me putting in 3lbs of whatever is the lowest cost, and not too fatty looking steaks or roast, as well as 2lbs of chicken breast, again selecting a pretty looking lean package – this mix of beef and chicken breast what I consider ideal.

Near the end, or at the end of cooking time I remove the beef from the liquid, and cube it for eating and storage.

I’ve realized that due to the chicken coming apart more easily it can stay in with the liquid, being shredded rather easily, and then to have the bastard spawn of mashed potatoes and gravy – I pour in lots of instant mashed potatoes, of which the idahoan brand was surprisingly more affordable than generic, and some flour – therefore having all the good fatty juices sopped up, and eventually eaten.

large cubed steak bites with shredded chicken/mashed potato/corn/gravy mix – five minutes to prep, six hours of hands off cook time 🙂

I eat the meat first, the potato mix secondly.

The whole thing last me three or four days usually, with the last meal’s worth of potato mix being eaten with some other form of protein (often tuna – yes) as the meat separate the mix has already been finished.

Nothing cooks out. Nothing goes to waste.
However, on that note ; stew with all the root vegetables fills me rather fast, and a week and a half ago I did something that bothers me considerably and is something I’ve likely done naught but a couple of times in my adult life…

I ended up tossing out a goodly portion of that stew.

Then the next two batches have been the meat centric with instant mashed potatoes variant – these filling me less per capita, and therefore fulfilling my desire of waste not want not.

Notable was how affordable this most recent batch was, london broil at $3.99/lb, and chicken breast on sale at $2.49/lb – me able to purchase roughly three days of food for about $30.

And remember stew is nutrition for being jacked.

-J

May 2023 – Kettlebell Snatches & Burpees – The Start Of A New Daily Habit :

5/19/23
For a couple days now, realizing the other day that I must ; I’ve started a new daily habit, another no excuse thing with many payoffs.

I’m now doing burpees and kettlebell snatches each and every night.

It’s not a huge amount, just getting some in during a fifteen to twenty minute time span, in about 1% or 1.5% of the day, but it’s enough to have a pump, get out of breath to a small degree, and to feel good, real good.

What I’ve loved about burpees in the past is how when you’ve done at least a minimal amount, enough to get a pump and get out of breath – how you become your true self for a time, you are how humans are meant to ~~act~~ be.

You feel good. The world is your’s.
Inhibitions? What are those? They don’t exist. You’re ideal you.

Like you were as a god’s honest, loving life, child.

For a brief time you’re the you as god designed.

No inhibitions.
No fear. No pain. No mental baggage.
Love. Seeing Brightness, All Existence.
Just ideal being.
In the moment, joyous.

I needed that vibe in me, that vibe as my life, so I’m shirtless, barefoot, in the evening sunlight – doing my daily burpees, doing my daily kettlebell snatches.

Life’s good. For this time after.
Then you carry that mood over to more and more of your twenty four.

-J

P.S.

cold world – snowgoons
(rediscovered the track yesterday after years without hearing it)

Lucky #7s – 7 Years Of Unbroken Daily Pushups – No Missed Days :

5/13/23 730pm
With today’s pushups I marked seven years of daily pushups, my habit you know, without a single missed day.

This is my longest confirmed streak, the record ever extending.

A habit done for fully half my life having started at about the time I entered high school – I have now gone about a quarter of my life without one miss.

At times the daily pushups, usually done nightly, functioned as my rock, something I could always count on in this world.

Something I could always control.

…..

Honestly it’s such force of habit now that it may not be the same to me psychologically anymore.

I just do them. There is no reason. It just is. Is.

how I am now about doing pushups – they are their own purpose

Persistence & Tenacity

“Two Years To 250”

5/5/23
There are now two youngsters working at the moving company.

One’s average height, average weight, the other is a tad taller than his buddy, and skinnier.

The customer (I’d actually had him as a gym teacher in both middle and high school – the first time I’ve known the customer having done this off and on for years) bought a couple pizzas, told us “don’t let it get cold”, which saw most of our ridiculously over manpowered crew have a slice or two.

16 big slices from two larges plus a real tiny pizza for 12-14 people all in all in the house ya can only have one, a couple two.

I had two.
I believe the first youngster had two.

You know I’m me, 290ish, “not fat”.
In fact I was hitting some pullups, note : not chin ups, in the doorway bar after work as something said in a Wes Watson video amped me up.

Immediately I went to the doorway bar, got an ugly 7 reps first set, ugly 6 reps second set vs an ugly 10 reps on a proper height bar.

“We were amped just to have the ability to do pullups on lockdown, yeah we had to bend our knees – they were designed as towel rack, but we could do pullups!” – paraphrase

That clicked for me.

And back the the work anecdote ;

I don’t know entirely what they said, I without thinking remarked off hand in passing “two years to 250”.

The two went “what”.

I paused, turned to them ; “two years to 250lbs. whatever you’re at now – if you really wanted to, you could force feed to 250. In. Two. Years.”

They faced each other, arguing amongst themselves a moment as to the possibility of the skinnier (and weaker – he may not cut it at this job, coaxing him to curl an empty bar on his first day was a struggle for him) of the two having the possibility to get that heavy.

“Maybe I could get that big” he thought aloud smiling facing me oblivious for a moment to the other – the asshole “alpha” of the pair for a moment unable to verbally cut the daydream off, and tear his friend down.

I probably just opened the kid’s eyes to the possibility that he, skinny, around average height, full of nervous energy, could in fact get jacked.

He saw possibility. You saw it in both the eyes and smile on that acne and scratch covered teenage face.

Possibly planted the seed for both of them.

Just an offhand comment.

Realistic? 250? More like 200.
But whatever. Planted a seed (albeit unintentionally).

Think big. Be awesome.

Persistence & Tenacity

May 2023 Flow – Today – A Playful Day :

5/3/23
Playing.

The way I’m using the kettlebell isn’t very rigid.

I do a handful of reps with a violence each set, then I rest.

I’ll go back and forth between the kettlebell and barbell, or I’ll goof around in a step between what I consider work and what I consider rest – a step of playfulness – I’ll do a burpee, I’ll kick into some handstands/handstand attempts, duck walk, cossack dance, do what I think of as the almost stomping heavy footed tribal around the fire/kill/circle dance

It’s all more primal movement.
It all is surprisingly anaerobic.

You’re out of shape.
So am I.

I’m looking for my place.

How I can have the people I want around me around me.

How I can make money, enough to live well.

Where do I need to be?
What do I need to be doing?

…..

As I exercised it was misting to lightly raining.

I’d decided, being a bit grimy from work also factoring in, to exercise barefoot and shirtless.

This in a misty overcast 50°f.

A tad of a shiver as I type.

I’d sat there indian style after the exercise, just breathing, thinking of the above that I desire – just feeling peaceful.

The external world blissfully irrelevant in the moment.

Relisten to a Wim Hof podcast.

Meditating on how to live as an uninhibited, joyous shaman.

…..

What I would give to hear the ubiquitous “what muscle does that train” question, as at this point I’m kettlebell snatch primary for exercises.

Lats. Glutes. Hands. Wind. Lower Back…
ALL OF IT!

It makes sense to me that I’m again bulling my way through 10 pullups, even at this bodyweight in the 290s – the kettlebell trains everything.

I might’ve dropped a pound in the past week.

Kettlebell. Metabolism.

I’m racking up the minisessions. No sooner than I end the session do I feel a whole bunch warmer.

Again – kettlebell metabolism.

I highly suggest one incorporate hard, brief, kettlebell snatch minisessions throughout the day.

What is a few months of this going to do?
I’m expectant. I’m without expectation…
I’m doing.

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. I don’t have access to, yet daydream of ; this works real well when you’re heavy…

Low rep, lightly weighted pullups.

You build an amazing base for both settings bw amrap PRs and weighted PRs simply doing bunches of sets of 1-3 reps at bw+10 or bw+25, not pushing the pace, and just doing this til it’s stupid easy.

I’d like access to a rig of some sort capable of supporting a 600lb pullup, as it wouldn’t be long for me to hit bw+135 as in the 290s while seriously out of practice I’m beastings 10xbw with muscle memory for weighted pullups when in 2021 in was doing loads of them.

that would do it! how much to buy a forklift to keep in the backyard?

May 2023 Flow – “Bench Press In The Front Yard & Benching In The Rain” :

5/2/23
“Yeah the thing is ; after this I’m going to go home and lift.”
“In this?!?!?”
“Yeah, though instead of barbell it’s going to be kettlebell.”
“You’re crazy. Lifting outside in the rain.”
“It’s been a year and a half of lifting outside for me. Rain. Snow. It’s no longer a consideration to me.”

It’s been raining today, at times an absolute downpour. I’ll lift after work.

this is roughly what today’s post entails

I like lifting, so I do.
Look at it this way ; lifting weights is simulating the hard work we don’t get in the modern world – hard work has generally been outside in human history – hop, skip, and a jump…I’ve rationalized my outdoor lifting in any and all weather.

…..

My skullcap went on an interstate delivery…without me.

I’m hoping to get it back in a few days.
It is after all my stretched out for putting over headphones and lifting skullcap.

I’m not listening to music while lifting without it…which might be a good thing 🙂

…..

I lied.

When I got home I dug out the rickety bench.

Caffeine in me – I’m going to amrap 205lbs.
Front yard benching, ghetto stereotype.

Though I’m maybe the redneck version..

Which I’m sure is quite the show to all who saw me doing this, while upon reflection I should’ve sang additionally.

…..

Got 20 reps on the first set benching 205lbs on this rickety setup.

Not far from 20x225lbs for a combine score.

…..

I think I’ll bench once or twice a week for a time, keep the weight at around 205lbs, and aim for 50+ reps at the weight.

~50×225 is an nfl combine record, and I see no season I couldn’t be ballpark this strong and enduring.

Everyone should look at college football and the nfl and think “I’ll be similar to that in ability”, weight room, being able to sprint well, not being fat, etc.

Pursuing 50×205 ; I’m pretty sure this’ll hypertrophy my upper body, push top end strength up some, while most importantly building a big base to build strength off of.

There’s nothing wrong with just doing everything for high reps, getting strong at them, and having no idea what your one rep maxes are.

…..

About two hours later I did a brief kettlebell minisession.

It’s sprint stimulus. I expect my wind to improve, and to get lean as I continue the kettlebell path.

…..

Most of my kettlebell minisessions truly are minisessions – playing around with the 16kg bell, getting a pump, getting my heart rate up…and being done in around 5:00 – go do something else.

With just a couple weeks of these I feel more solid, athletic, see my wind improving, and realize certain aesthetics are improving with it in addition to the performance increases.

There is no protocol to what exactly I do in a minisession – I just go til it feels right, playing with whatever I come up with in the moment, pointedly trying for stuff as I do it.

I’ve been digging ;
•clean
•flip
•catch high at crotch immediately into a high hang snatch
•a few snatches ripping the bell down

Then either set the bell down, or toss the bell to the other hand and repeat.

It’s a kettlebell, get creative with it.
-J

singing in the rain

May 2023 Flow – Massive “Inefficient” Action In Training VS “Training” (Researching) Efficiently :

Part 1 – Training Thoughts ie The Title – Massive “Inefficient” Action In Training VS “Training” (Researching) Efficiently :

5/1/23
There’s a neat ability with the kettlebell to lift it in very contrasting styles.

There’s hardstyle and girevoy, like the difference between powerlifting and an 800m dash though using the same implement.

I haven’t read too much on the kettlebell, and when I had – it was before I had access to them.

One groks more, practically, fully, truly when they are implementing, taking action.

So I get it better now with a few months of kettlebell usage, and in my eyes I have yet to go hard…though that’s the training path I’ve started on at present.

I’d say I’m using a hardstyle approach, though with a light bell, I’m making it heavy.

The lifts are in quick bursts. It feels like I’m sprinting.

I could let momentum do the work, partially doing the arc for me both up and down .

I can really pop my hips to throw the bell upwards in that arc.

I can rip the bell downwards from the top in reverse down that arc.

I’m learning how to put the preceding two effectively into the same reps.

Think wrestling ; one’s a snap down, one’s smashing your hips into them on a sprawl.
…..

Right now I’m doing most of my lifting with a 16kg kettlebell, building a base – having EVERYTHING done be in the realm of weighted conditioning.

…..

Where I’m different than a lot of the material I see online is ;

I have zero desire to go get certified with a tool, whether that’s bodyweight, kettlebells, barbell (in whatever form).

Personally I’d rather research… BETTER YET experiment.

When I first got the kettlebells I purposefully was not reading kettlebell material ; desiring to figure it out myself as I go.

With all things gym related this is a healthy approach, it’d be better for many if they walked the path in this manner.

It’s a matter of passion for one to do so this way.

…..

Gladly I’ll teach you.

What I’ve come to realize is many never will do this gym thing without some degree of external guidance.

What percentage of humanity is not the kind to test their own theories?

…..

Recently I’d been thinking about how I lost weight as a fat 14 year old.

It was extremely misguided in both exercise and dietary methodology, but since I threw enough effort at the problem the task got done.

Action taken in an inefficient manner ends up far more effective than forever searching for how to take action efficiently – therefore being inefficient by lack of action.

You’re not Drago with the power of top soviet labs and top secret sauce chemicals backing you.

You’re Rocky with what you’ve got.
Act as such.

Take massive action.

…..

At 14 I threw a lot of movement at the problem.

Now in my late 20s, this time around I know that it’s the anaerobic stuff and lifting that will best help.

Think of it this way ; do you want to look like a marathon runner or someone who lifts heavy things in bursts, can carry stuff all day, is built in a manner which signifies card carrying membership in a nation of linebackers.

I don’t want to “chronic cardio” my way to skinny fat. Did that once.

It’s lift and condition – the commonality being that throwing myself into a million minisessions works for me.

Having a small bit of kettlebells fits this bill perfectly.

With the 16kg bell I’m racking up minisession after minisession, muscles worked, out of breathe as if I’d ran a 300yd shuttle.

I expect great results.

Why?
Cause I came up with it, it’s playing to my desires, and is what I’ve “bought in” on.

…..

Part 2 – The Groceries :

5/1/23
“Did you just come from the gym?” she asks, her being a very petite, short, and short haired blonde woman in her 60s working as cashier.

“I just lifted at home. Man, do I smell that bad? That noticable?” I reply as I think to myself of how I’ve worn these sweats off and on for a week straight of both work and workouts.

(The clothing was getting a bit grimy.)

“No no no, I just noticed you’re purchasing a bunch of electrolytes, a lot of protein – I figured it’s for workouts.”

“Oh. The gatorade is more for work than workouts, and I’m going to make chicken stew with that mix of breast and thigh. I have some celery and carrots at home that I need to use, hence stew, and the steak – well it’s on sale this week. Gotta get steak.”

She then asked me a bunch about making soup, particularly how I thicken it and what goes in aside meat, I told her of my standard of carrots/celery/potatoes/onions, said “a bunch of garlic in this one”, then ended up using all the spices after all
– I answered how I make stew – she said she normally makes soup with the dutch oven, “I have one too, but crockpot stew is the lazy method. 6 hours on high it’ll be ready for tonight.”

“I’m sorry if I was intrusive.”
“No it’s fine. Have a good day.” I smiled as I walked away having enjoyed the conversation – funny that she felt the need apologize for it.

…..

Now I’ll get at least half of the meals for two days, probably three or four, out of this one set and forget crockpot prep.

3lbs of chicken, both cuts at $3/lb, so it’s $9 of meat in the pot plus whatever the onions/carrots/celery/potatoes that I had on hand had cost.

I hadn’t thought about how I too had three cans of tuna in the purchase when the cashier and I spoke of making stew and soup.

Her comment “a lot of protein” – yeah, 3lbs chicken, 1 or 1½lbs steak, plus three cans of tuna.

…..

I went with the lowest costing chunk light at 3 for $5 recalling on the opposite end of my 20s paying 49 or 50¢/can, stocking up on cans by the ~100 everytime they went on sale at that price.

Back then three cans of tuna and two packs of ramen (the craving I went with for lunch), 100g of poverty protein cost me about $1.85 and was one of my main meal options alongside chicken stew.

Today that meal cost me about $5.70, which compared to back when it cost only a $1.85 is actually a bit higher than my average daily food cost was then.

The poverty food isn’t poverty food anymore.

(Your most affordable meals will be chicken stews, ground beef, milk, potatoes, rice, maybe a big ole beef roast – and big cuts of pork, though I haven’t went there myself in quite some time, I have noticed that pork never upped in price from covid inflation.)

In 2023 top ramen and tuna aren’t as affordable anymore.

Alongside a cherry pepsi this stereotypical poverty meal was actually a splurge, however lately I’ve just been paying whatever it costs for the inflated priced foods – preferring to eat well to going without.

The kettlebell makes it all better :), besides the stew is going to be ready for dinner.

And that is hearty, nutritious, and keeps costs low.

Note : though I used two cuts of chicken, I should’ve seen what pork was available, had some of that in there too.

I’m a big proponent of getting multiple meats into your meals.
-J

April 2023 Flow – “Ten Minutes With A Kettlebell” :

4/26/23
I was in the mood to lift, though I ended up deciding to bottoms up snatch against the clock.

A brief session, just as it were.

Lift :

10:00 timer, I’d been thinking for a couple days of the secret service snatch test – while with what I have, and to put my spin on it I did the bottoms up snatch with a 16kg bell.

This was my first time snatching against a ten minute clock. I got 144 reps, these done evenly left/right between many hand switches.

(this was hours after work, just put preceding in the post – maybe I’ll start doing a real brief minisession before work, the “real” workout in the afternoon/evening)

…..

Work :

Work was at the shop today, mostly crating the past couple day’s job – weighing the crates on the scale (you have to before you hand off military/interstate to an eighteen wheeler).

The big shop scale, we were goofing around weighing ourselves.

“What’s J weigh!”
“Hold on, I’m stepping on.”
295, no 294lbs it read as I held still.

Damn! I was fasted, not even a sip of water or anything. The few months at this job I might’ve put on a few pounds, but I’m definitely in a bit better shape as seen by the stairs on yesterday’s job, bodyweight going up would have to be that a lot of my frequent minisessions are new/newer type stimulus – today’s a perfect example, while protein is high = inadvertently I put on weight.

I could pretty easily force feed up to 308+, but I’d have to restructure my life to be okay with being that heavy.

Honestly I’d have to go deep into powerlifting (or somehow rugby/sumo/american football) to consider those scale numbers acceptable.

“Wait, you step on” I say to one of the newer guys, a big black hispanic, of about 5’11”, probably in the low 300s.

He’s a tad smaller framed than me, and has just enough more of a belly than me (he’s not crazy fat), while saying he thinks he’s about 305, 310 for me to expect him to be barely over 300, a tad heavier than I.

We’re all talking and he doesn’t stand still on the scale – it’s bouncing all over the place from 299 to 312lbs

“Dude, stand still!” I say
“Oh yeah”, he stops moving around, and it
levels off at 309.

The lightest guy, who I’ve seen grow from 130ish at 19 to 160ish at 25, he looks at me saying “you’re gonna have to go home and eat J”.

I got a laugh.
“T, you’re saying I need to force feed – get my weight up.”

Then from the new heaviest mover came “but that’s a bit high – I’m wearing this thick ass hoodie, and I’ve got my phone, wallet in my pockets”… so step back on he did, sans hoodie to 307, now 13lbs heavier than I, the two of us dressed pretty similarly.

Upon relay of the force feeding line, the manager got a good laugh, me saying “I’m not the heaviest mover here now, I might have to”, while making a broken puppy dog type face.

Silliness.
Amusing.

…..

I fully realize that dropping even to as heavy as 265, being that’s a 25+ lb drop, would up pullups, up endurance just from dropping weight.

Some physical performance is like that, you improve solely as the weight is now off – training the capacity isn’t much in play as a factor.

Drop 20lbs and you might be able to run well solely cause you’re lighter.

I know I could still run well in the 230s.

Would PT performance suffice weighing 255-265 after having been 290ish for this length of time.

…..

I’ve now stepped on a scale very close to, if not exactly 100lbs over any official wrestling weigh in from back in high school.

Funny to recall thinking I’d never get over 200lbs again while force feeding to 197 before wrestling season junior year to wrestle at 189lbs.

(then the post season twenty pounds in ten days growth spurt did, 195-215, in 10 days)

Now I’m curious as to if my bodyweight will naturally swing back down to even below the mid 200s from work, new workouts, and eating a tad more clean.

…..

PT :

In the evening I did a set of pullups – 10 reps, the first time in double digits in…what a year?

The cool thing was that as I approached the bar, maybe a minute away from parking at the spot – I decided it was time to bang out double digits again.

10 pullups at 294+, I doubt in the evening after two meals is my lightest point in the day.

PT, pretty happy to get an all biceps, ugly, double digit set – I did some 4ct jumping jacks.

Dilapidated shoes might annoy me with jumping rope, but they don’t on jumping jacks.

No excuses.

Pretty cool to be getting okay again with calisthenics at this high bodyweight.

Do lots of kettlebell, add in more by ear – I’ve only done a set or two of pullups a week at most for a year and a half.

Be well rounded dude.
And start running bleachers on the weekend again.

-J

April 2023 Flow – “How I Keep The Kettlebell From Tearing Up My Hands” :

4/25/23
There’s much said about the kettlebell tearing up the hands, and personally in what is contrary to my barbell sentiments – where I want you to use your hands truly, with the kettlebell I bypass the issue of hand care by simply wearing uline mover’s gloves as I lift.

Wearing them :
•the grip is still trained
•the hands are comfortably warm – again I exclusively lift outside
•the gloves soak up sweat/rain – yes rain
•no chalk needed
•no skin tearing up
•these gloves are reversible – $10 to lift for a year at least (plus lighter warm weather usage, on less kettlebell movements, and no barbell movements – whereas on all in winter)

These gloves are 1000x more durable than any of the random assortment of winter gloves I’ve made homeless looking over the years of winter lifting.

It’s way more cost effective.

…..

The bottoms up snatch is becoming my favorite lift, kettlebell or otherwise.

Today I did three minisessions, totaling about 400 reps split roughly evenly between hands with the 16kg bell, getting a real nice training effect – grip, wind, intercostals.

I’m looking firstly for wind from kettlebell volume.

I chose the bottoms up snatch because it’s easy on the body. The bicep tendon is not a factor to consider at all, and there’s no slamming of the bell into the forearm.

Plus it’s the most grip intensive 🙂

I started light with the 16kg bell.
I’ll rack up some volume building a base before jumping up in size to the 20kg bell.

Base building for a time before making any extra bell purchases, to get some usage of my current tools before putting more money into the outdoor setup – milking what tools I already have.

…..

I want more equipment, but don’t really have storage space, nor do I want to collect more stuff without having a better space to use it/keep it in.

It’d be nice to have a garage to just set everything in, roll it outside as I choose.

…..

In that theoretical I’d powerlift in the garage – have a rack and bench (seriously – I’m meant to be a bench specialist), maybe deadlifting outside anyway, but do all the overhead lifting (which at this point I’m thinking is going to forever be primary) outside, as well as the assorted carries which we all know you should be doing.

you should be doing them aka note to self – kettlebell/dumbbell/mismatch pair for 400m+ dude

…..

For the time I’m enjoying the kettlebell.
I’ll have to go lift it in public some as it turns summer – get out of the yard, to sandpit, parks, beach, mountain, woods, etc.

And train preferably with people.

-J

April 2023 Flow – “Just How Much Did I Eat As A Child”

4/24/23
Man I have it easy!

At 290lbs I keep getting compliments, and you know what – as I continue to work, with all the stairs climbed carrying boxes, and continue to train with the kettlebell – I expect both bodyweight and aesthetics to be acceptable when my physical performance is what I consider acceptable.

I have this realization that ; it might be at a higher bodyweight than I’d expected.

…..

I continue to eat with the appetite, and having to admit the bonkers things I do are only maintenance level calories – you’ll find me eating dessert every day after dinner, which alternates between steak, chicken breast, frozen pizza, and breaded chicken.

At some point a cashier is gonna ask me how many whoopie pies I eat weekly.

It’s a big guy badge of honor to have a grocery store cashier(s) view you as a regular.

I’ll never forget one looked at me one day and said “where’s the grape juice”, she having noticed I always bought many half gallons of the stuff – it at the time being part of my “trying not to starve mover’s diet”, then part of the forever dirty bulk.

Mover’s diet is, right now, the aforementioned dinners, copious quantities of milk, and the new england exclusive the whoopie pie.

…..

I’d never had a whoopie pie til late elementary school when we moved to new england.

I very much remember being in elementary school, and putting one down before dinner, and my mom occasionally allowing me two.

The one I just ate says 740 calories.

It makes me wonder…

How many calories did I eat as a growing child!

…..

The first summer I worked as a mover, me desperately trying to hold onto bodyweight – I’d eat eight corn dogs every night alongside half a gallon of milk, and a liter of soda.

A teenage (at the time, I work with him again now…he’s 25) coworker – 5’8″ ish, back then only 130lbs or so was aghast “eight corn dogs every night – I’ll eat two, maybe three if I’m real hungry”, and I think back to being eight years old and eating five or six pretty regularly.

So as a growing kid, one destined to be pretty big in both height and weight – I was out eating normal sized teenagers.

…..

I get it now – that’s why many times growing up the adults around me were amazed at the calories I’d put down.

Because this little kid (then pretty large middle schooler) was easily out eating all the adults.

…..

Some of the biggest dudes I know have similar experience, as well as the force feed experience at 17yo – where they, myself included, decided to get big whatever it took, dirty bulking with caution thrown to the wind.

If I inadvertently got from ~265lbs to 290lbs, yeah – I could eat my way to 308lbs.

But would I want to powerlift that heavy?

And would I be willing to structure life in a way so as to weigh that much.

Factoring health completely out of the equation, one is far more easily fed at a lighter bodyweight.

Once you’re a certain size you’re going to have a different relationship with food than most…

You’re gonna either meal prep or be at the grocery store daily/close to it, and really milk makes 5000 calories so much easier to consume.

The fat of america drink soda.
A good deal of the xxl powerlifting and strongman crowd drink milk.

xxl – keith anderson
which interestingly came out when I was about to enter middle school

…..

All that said ; training is skewing kettlebell now.

-J