Author: J

Been writing this one over and over in the shower for a few days, finally remembered to get it typed up.

March 2023 Flow :
Lifting in the yard I no longer subscribe to many ways of the gym.

•If I deadlift I want a pump.
•I’m not going to mix grip, and I’d prefer not to throw on my pair of long neglected spud straps.

The other day I pulled some one arm deadlifts, the bar holding 25lb bumper plates.

Frankly I was surprised by the high level of full body tension on something so light.

In the same session I found that between the barbell one arm snatch, or maybe the kettlebell snatches before it, probably both most honestly – that my two arm barbell clean had improved, there was significant added power to my pull.

Easily I found the bar at the shoulders.

Long one arm pulls give both explosive pop and horsepower strength to two handed shorter pull variations.

…

Instead of the ability to max at home with a load of 500lbs, with my most recent gym equipment purchase I can now load a barbell to 620lbs, plenty of weight to set deadlift PRs past the 515 lifetime PR I pulled in summer 2016.

However, I no longer desire to mix grip, and would prefer not to pull with straps.

Heck I honestly don’t much want to pull heavy, but recently I realized that the heavy deadlift now scares me to a degree, therefore making it worth doing again.

The recent enough past has shown me I get very strong on pulls with lots of light, high tension, massive pump work on pulls.

So doh for anywhere from 2 to 15 sets of high tension 3s at 205lbs is worth and equal to 455+ lbs.

I can likely pull more from lower.

The precedence is that I made an ugly 495lb pull at the end of 2021 after sets of 2-4, at 2p25 tops, usually 3s, often enough 2s, at less, 2p mostly but even 1p25 in the smith machine…

I can pull high from pulling low (weight).

But those 95lb one arm deadlifts the other day intrigued me.

High high full body tension. Yet only the doh equivalent in the hands to double it on paper.

Reread the smith machine statement, what if I get to pulling one handed 185, 205, more?

That could very well be 545+ doh conventional.

Yes, I’ll be doing one arm olys and presses as parallel training and in support of the barbell c&p on which I want to hit 275lbs this summer.

All the olys are pulling work and carry over to the deadlift as well.

Add in some one arm deadlifts treated as a moderate to heavy movement, two arm deadlifts light for a glute pump on conventional and as more moderate movements on snatch grip, sldl, and the movement only I do…snatch grip sldl, all these things occasionally at a deficit of the bar starting at toes…

I’m basically building a deadlift I could’ve had years ago with the finnish deadlift approach.

I see no reason not to pull, some variant or other, on a regular basis.

Just build massive work capacity that way.

And see if this calendar year I’ll pull the entire 620lbs I have available with an overhand grip.

I’d be a whole lot more “walking the walk” credible (in my own eyes) this way. I am strong. My total does not much support that, though the pressing has been getting better and better.

10×185 is nearly any given day, 8+ is, while 2×205 is as well.

And only a few years ago those were either PR or very very nearly so, today they’re any time, any day, baked in numbers.

I want my conventional deadlift to get to the level of my press which too I am taking higher.

A barbell and the ground is enough to get you very strong. I’ve been living it the past year and change.

Persistence & Tenacity

Today’s Lift & Video :

3/1/23
The entire session was this ;

OAS
95 1x r, l
115 1x r, l
fail 145 r
OAS + Side/Bent Press + OHS w/115 r (the video)
fail 125 r
OAS + Side/Bent Press + 2 reps OHS w/115 r (should’ve been video)
Press
~8×145 while walking around the yard with the bar overhead

Under 20 reps total, but of high tension, mostly one arm, “weird” lifts.

I tell you this ; bout an hour later I felt SWOLE, my lats getting out there into ils territory had I been imaging lats instead of actually having grown them a decade or so back.

Great cross body/cross back activation and tension.

These high tension lifts are worth more than they seem on paper.

Note : if a short won’t upload in wordpress – grab the youtu.be link from the video in browser itself – took me a bunch of url variants to get a good link here, the standard shorts protocol wouldn’t link

Man, seeing the video I thought “damn, my fat fuck gut is hanging out, and how many chins are unhidden without the beard”.

Lesson : The Time Is Never Perfect – Do The Work Now :

That note to myself at the end of the video, there is no perfect time, do the work now.

Being on a few days of stubble isn’t excuse not to make content.

What I filmed wasn’t what I expected to, I was looking to one arm snatch 145 today which would’ve been a PR.

As is the one arm overhead squats with 115 were both PRs.

I’m really digging all these weird one arm and two implement lift variants.

I’ve done a turkish get up with a 95lb barbell, a two hands anyhow with the same and a 75lb dumbbell, and I bet I could with 115bb & 75db already.

Lifting Going Forward :

This is the path my lifting is taking ;

•work on the isabel wod, currently PR 2:10 w/95lbs, 3:00 w/115lbs, as #s hit the 2:00 vicinity then I bump the weight

eventually I want that time of 2:00 one armed at 135+

• both all the one arm, and two arm multiple implement lifts in every combination by whenever the mood strikes just looking to do better and better

one arm snatch is 50/20, though more honestly 50/15, protocol ala bryce lane reps done equally each side

though the idea has struck to do one side only some workouts for even more day to day variety

one arm presses – I’d like to see 185 strict each side, 10+ at 135+ strict, I just bend while training to get more training stimuli than strict alone

walking around with weights at lockout, sometimes at rack/front shoulders

I want to tgu, up and down, 205+.

match alexeev on the one arm snatch

…..

Pointedly kept myself in a good mood all day, shoveled snow more than necessary, and ran errands both before and after lifting, heck took the video too – all for a sense of accomplishing something today.

A day can be good or bad, it’s how you approach it, look at it, and in the actions you fill it with.

…..

Taking Pride In One’s Work :

And I’ve been writing and rewriting the following, it’s a point I want to make ;

The “dead end job” I work (delivering houses), had a good lesson, I got real value from philosophizing on yesterday’s shift.

The company had to waste 8 unbillable man hours to send two of us to, literally and figuratively, clean up a different crews mess.

Part of the service offered is unpack/assemble/remove debris.

Some customers want these to various degrees, some don’t.

The customers wanted all three. The crew before us refused, basically ran to the truck and gunned it away, doing none of the three.

It was about 3½ hours of truck time for us to go back, spend maybe 15 minutes taking empty boxes out of their house, and finish the job.

The customers had done the unpack and assemble themselves. We were on cleanup, square away, smooth over status – the customers surprised me with how cordial they were, and having done the first two steps themselves.

They honestly thanked us for coming back and taking the trash.

The other crew, and I’ve heard these dudes say it – they “ain’t tryna” whatever.

↑ even used their vernacular

None of us like unpacking/assembling, but honestly it’s easy pay – not physically challenging, and simply takes time.

We’re being paid to complete a task, that’s the service we provide.

The customer pays us and tells us what steps up to and including all of them that they want us to accomplish on their dime.

No one makes any of us work as movers.
Some of these guys just bitch and bitch and would rather be home smoking weed.

They’re not taking pride in the task at all.

I realized, rerealized I should say, that I feel better emotionally, know I’m a better man by not uttering a single complaint, being cordial to every customer, putting my head down and just carrying whatever, wherever it needs go.

The other day the driver told me to start emptying the basement into the living room as he and the other helper repositioned the truck.

Eventually he asks me “and the basement”, “clear” my reply, and he said “good job” a look of surprise on his face.

A couple of the items were borderline two man, but I carefully sidewards walked up the stairs carrying them myself.

The time it took to reposition the truck was just barely what it took for me to clear the basement without a second pair of hands.

There’s nothing wrong with honest work, and Man needs to get his hands to work, real work – labor, honest labor.

I enjoy carrying boxes, at the end of the day I did something tangible – this was moved from a to b to c.

To my stoner coworkers, the guys who cut corners when they feel like it, I can only say thank you – sometimes I get more hours cleaning up your messes, but more importantly you showed me the value, really showed me it spelled out, of taking pride in doing honest work, and working hard without complaint til what needs done is done.

No job is truly dead end – you can grow from the lessons gained with open eye and heart from anything anywhere.

Persistence & Tenacity

(One Of) Today’s Lift Music :

kollegah – alpha (again)
was reading the lyrics translated into english – real pump up cocky

“fuck lines of cocaine” (you interpret it dude – fuck watching porn, take pride in being clean again – and that image at the top is admittedly temptation)

Many would’ve said start at a 35 or 53lber (16 or 24kg).

I started at a 32kg kettlebell (70lbs), already able to bottoms up press it – done a handful of times over the years, but lacking kettlebell experience.

It’s purchase was to get strength training with a wind effect, particularly having in mind doing lots of one arm swings.

Hilariously I haven’t liked the movement, and don’t much care for the two hand swing, though I prefer it to the former, and do it occasionally.

The first move that clicked for me was one arm cleans.

Peripherally I press with a pair of mismatch bells, this 32kg kettlebell and a 75lb dumbbell.

Occasionally I’ll see saw with this, but mostly the double bell is a two hands press.

The one bell front squat too was a seller for the kb for me.

At first I couldn’t hold rack for a full squat, I’d lose the bell. I’m now into the double digits on both sides.

While seriously debating when I purchase a heavier kb to jump bell size – firstly on this movement.

Kettlebell front squats a simple way to run squat every day, and we all know squat every day is magical witchcraft voodoo for, well a lot of good things.

Note, with a heavier bell I’d likely work in mismatch two bell front squats and heavier mismatch presses.

That’s how I roll.

I am well aware that the last few sentences are a matter of training just about only I would do.

On the one bell kb front squat there is more than one rack position.

I’ve found a vertical forearm is very easy to maintain, the bell supposed by the line of bone, basically a super sized hand in how it feels.

Having the handle of the bell nearer your sternum, the ball of the bell on your shoulder – that’s harder to balance for me.

Curling the wrist inwards, “arm wrestling” the bell helps here.

It took me a little to like the kb snatch.

It clicked for me when I mentally decided “old school dumbbell swing” and started putting it overhead in one big arc.

I like this better than the one arm swing in kettlebell sense.

To enjoy the kb snatch it has to be in that old school dumbbell swing context for me.

I think of the kb snatch as swing-snatch.

I have no idea what the proper kb snatch bar path is. If it’s similar to a barbell snatch my brain doesn’t grok it.

On purpose I have not read any kettlebell material since it’s purchase.

Take other’s brains out of it.

Only MY thoughts on the thing influencing MY practice.

There’s value to spending lots of time in the one kb rack, whether that’s holding f sq bottom position, doing front squat reps, holding the top position, or walking bell at rack.

It starts getting to you. Feels similar to when I hold, even light, deadlifts for time.
My body freaks out.

It’s a game changer stimuli. Torch fat. Get wiry strength.

I forgot to mention the thruster is on the table. I only rather recently realized this.

It took til today (2/22/23) for me to have headphones playing while I lifted the kettlebell.

Here I could go aside and discuss how I benefit by not sticking to these little challenges I do, instead being more chill, not obsessing.

Once the snatch clicked it opened up complexes.

I don’t do the exact same kettlebell workout each day, stuff varies, but most days I am getting my hands on the bell.

It is PERFECT LOGISTICS.

Own a kettlebell. Step outside. Put it overhead and/or to shoulder.

Have car? Kettlebell will travel.

The implement is strength AND conditioning. I suggest everyone own at least one fairly heavy kettlebell.

-J

And some cocky music to leave with!

kollegah – pharaoh

Persistence & Tenacity

The kettlebell as a new tool has some interesting effects.

Using it for a brief workout daily since it’s arrival two and a half weeks back I’ve had an almost unbroken feeling of muscular activation, which I define as a light and good type of soreness which makes you stronger, somewhere in my upper/mid back near the lats, as well as a similar feeling in my biceps.

The tendon of which went from some job related tightness to indestructible in this time.

The one arm kettlebell clean is the bicep armor builder.

It may have put on a tad of size, but I did not take any measurements.

The upper/mid back however – it feels like explosive growth.

Visually I am more muscular in appearance around the whole shoulder girdle, front, back, both sides.

32kgs, light, as a kettlebell is worth more than it’s 70lbs in function.

The front squat, bell held one side at the rack was my nemesis. I can now do handfuls of reps without losing the rack.

EVERYTHING with the kettlebell is an upper and mid back builder, while too the implement demands much use of the hips and thighs

“You can’t gym bro out with a kettlebell. It’s a ruggedness builder.” – Me

The fact everything turns into complexes is a huge plus. Every quick session turns into the cardiovascular equivalent of a brief sprint session.

This is great in winter time. No dealing with 300yd shuddles, as standing stationary you’ll be huffing and puffing having moved the bell every which a way.

Both home based and travelable, a kettlebell is useable everywhere – this leads to frequent mini sessions, so you’re giving your body that anaerobic warrior stimuli alongside muscular pumps most often three times a day.

That’s good for you!

A kettlebell, properly heavy (I started with a 32kg bell and will purchase a 100lber and 124lber as soon as available) is going to be a warrior’s physique builder.

Using the thing right you’ll have to get strong and in shape.

All that Pavel Tsatsouline writing about the “what the hell” effect, saying soviet soldiers who only did kettlebells got just as good PT scores (pullups at bw+10kg, broad jump, mile run, pushups – something like that battery) as the soldiers who had to do specific event PT, but with the plus of also getting powerlifting type, pure strength, stronger…

Start using a kettlebell, well enough weighted, with purpose – you’ll know the truth of the above right quick.

I don’t think I can rightly suggest a man ever start below a 53lb/24kg bell for this.

He’s have to be rather weak I should say (nothing wrong with that, we all start somewhere).

I stayed with a 32kg, and had bottoms up pressed a 70lber on multiple occasions over the years.

The day it arrived I got a bottoms up press.

You have to realize one kettlebell isn’t really a heavy thing for the main three strength moves of ; press, clean, snatch.

With the set implement you’re quickly going to gravitate to complexes, density training, high reps, and what have you.

Whatever bell you start with, you get good at that as you await the arrival of the heavier bells when you realize “I’m gonna be one f*&#@%$ strong individual when I do this one bell, clean, front squat, snatch, press complex , with a 124lb kettlebell”.

I have no matched pair, thus far using a slight mismatch of 32kg kettlebell and 75lb dumbbell, as the pair for two arm bell pressing, and see saw presses.

My future bell purchases are aimed the one bell and mismatch route.

I’m okay with using two different implements for this work. It’s another ruggedness builder, then the next set I’ll switch which bell is on which side evening it up.

I don’t see the point in going and buying a pair of 53s, lighter than my one bell starting point, matching the 32kg, then getting into heavier.

I’ll get a 100lb kb, a 124lb kb, and just clean, press, front squat the mismatch pairs, as well as do heavy one bell work, which I feel is the most valuable.

Get a HEAVY kettlebell, use only one bell, but do every movement with it!

That’s my kettlebell advice to you,
-J

Persistence & Tenacity

Hafthor was 23 years old and competing in the world’s strongest man competition the year I graduated high school.

I was 23 and in the crowd the day he attempted (broke?) a weight toss/weight over bar world record.

this day

At one point he walked right by me, MY bench presser arm’s length away, from wherever the athletes were resting to where the crossbar was set up.

Where I vary in outlook than most ; I didn’t see some giant jacked 6’9″ 400lber – I just saw another human.

In fact, I don’t like how instead of his real name Dwayne Johnson is referred to mostly as “The Rock” – it screams weakling to me by all who use the nickname…

INSTEAD OF lifting some damn weights themselves.

Truly you must face the facts that you didn’t wrestle in high school, while now as an “adult” you’re too pussy to starve yourself and box…

But you’re not out of luck, there’s an easy fix!

Two Steps :
•Lift Weights
•Eat Steaks

The world is a different place when you have the physical strength to ram most people overhead.

BY A PRESS
(none of that jerking bullshit)

This all said ;

Halfthor, his age that day, attempting/setting a world record is my age, to within a year, right now.

My severely balding fatty forever NATTY late 20s.

(I mean come on – hair loss without steroids – god and the universe are cruel 🙂 )

“You’ll know if you’re world class caliber by setting records”, you can find this sentiment and similar written plenty online.

I mean shit, I’m competitive in weightlifting…alongside the 60kg women.

Yep, I got that jerk and snatch – but really I just press, letting that carry most everything at this point, doing little else but it, pushups, and the kettlebell.

At my present bodyweight of 287lbs, where ;
•I can do a handful of pullups
•I can hack it delivering houses
•It’s, in some ways, far from the strongest I’ve ever been
•It’s damn far from the best gas tank I’ve had, though when I go zen mode my wind is fine

You don’t find many big guys hacking labor jobs.

I say that’s more psychological than physical however.

Give the body time to adapt to running a truck’s load of boxes to an attic and it will.

Most however quit before that point.

I am, in fact, stronger than most everyone I reasonably cross paths with, especially considering I’m not at the local powerlifting gym option.

Too many look at “I’m not world class” as a problem, instead of just going on the fucking journey regardless.

Do you like lifting weights?

Firstly I seriously doubt many who lift weights actually do, what with complicated programming, and overly much bells and whistles being involved.

The Cold Air Barbell Club has been my litmus test – “will I lift outside TODAY (in whatever that entails – in new england bro)”.

The answer for me is “Hell yeah, I’m going to lift weights!”

I’m signed up for the journey, though at times interspersed with much self loathing as I see a weakling via not minimally totalling national level records!

Though I can military press most humans as said above.

Psychoanalyze that!

Do you like lifting weights?
Yes.

Pretty sure I did before I even started lifting weights!

I wanted to lift weights, and time travel ability granted I would strongly expect that I would’ve been well served by having access to a 300 or 500lb weight set as early as 6th grade (definitely by 7th when I first had goatee and side burns) and some adult or other with reasonable knowledge to teach me :

•power clean & press
•squat
•front squat
•deadlift
•sldl
•row

add to that sprints of all distances, runs of 1-2 miles, lots of lunges, dips, pullups, chins, and pushups, and every sport under the sun – this paragraph having no age minimum unlike lifting where as dictator of earth all boys must press from the start of their 13th year on

What was I even writing about again?

Oh yeah. That I’m a no body.

Small and weak though fat at 287lbs, with a terrible total 🙂

/flow

Persistence & Tenacity

10, 5
•cheese stick, 80cal

…..

Work :

easy, about 30 items, mostly boxes into truck, easy access point, most items left in garage or just inside house for us

…..

Lift :

KB OA Cleans
left hand x35 in 2:00
rest 3:00
right hand x29 in 2:00
Squat
2×7 w/165lbs
Press
13×165

all paused squats, good flex at the top – do light squats more often building to a set of 50 reps, it’s good for you

with the bar there, I couldn’t resist pressing despite wanting to not press and let the kettlebell carry it completely for the time…

I lower it from the stands, hang clean it, a good hang clean – full power – definitely helped by all the kettlebell cleans, start pressing – a few reps in I see a pair of teenagers in my peripherals, keep repping it, they’re yelling something, the mixed race kid doing the hype man arm thing, I stop after a hard 13th rep – lower it to the ground, likely would’ve failed the 14th, pop the headphones off my right ear, and talked with them a moment.

They were yelling from across the street “great set”, and similar.

“Hey did y’all yell to me last week?”
“Huh?”
“Two teenagers yelled at me while I was outside bout a week ago. Was that you two?”
“Nah, that’s funny though. Good set man, real work. Have a great and wonderful day.”
“You too man.”

(While they said no, it may have been one or both the same teenagers as on the 19th of last month)

Sessions so brief wouldn’t be worth the commute to a gym – I’ve a lot of leeway as to how I train at home, just get really good at more and more reps while letting the weight stay high muscular activation but moderate

Biceps are gonna be bigger from the one arm kb clean. Yeah there can be hip pop, even quad pop, heck the traps are firing, but the bicep is highly involved in manhandling that cannonball to your shoulder.

…..

•pecan pie, ~800 calories
•milk, 300 calories
•cream soda, ~300 calories
•½box mozzarella sticks, ~1000 calories

…..

Really good pump a couple hours later

Nap, then possibly a second lift, and cooking a bunch of beef and potatoes.

…..

Cook a bunch of ground beef as burgers…

•½box mozzarella sticks, ~1000 cal
•16oz coffee milk, ~450 cal

Then cook five potatoes up as home fries in all

…..

much later

•8oz burger, ~750 cal
•home fries, no clue maybe 200
•16oz coffee milk, ~450 cal

calories~5500 calories on the day, this is not eating particularly large, if anything I wasn’t particularly hungry today

…..

25

…..

40

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

15, 10

…..

initially I’d said 15×7 cleans each side, I’d rather get more than just cleans, so I’m saying 100 cleans a side all in all across movement’s

1st Lift :

KB OA Press
8, 8 each side
KB OA Clean
12,1,2,8,8,6,8 each side
KB OA Press ss w/2H Swings
4,4,3 each side

Calling it here at 50 cleans each side.
May get the rest in later.

The superset was as many swings as pressed per one side done after both hands presses ie 4pl+4pr+4sw – to get density, keep heart rate up

The kettlebell is great for density, and to keep heart rate up – strength & conditioning in one

…..

ran errands for an hour or so, and ate
•two donuts
then back to lifting to finish the 100 reps a side as I had pizza in the oven

2nd Lift :

KB OA Clean
15,7,7,8,8,5 each side

got this done before the pizza was ready –
under 15:00 I would say, density train x/50 side to 10:00 or less – you’ll be more fit by the time you do it

should I be buying bigger bells?

I feel that a one arm clean habit here could be the best simple “odyssey”/madness program I could do at this point.

Buy a 100lber from titan (update : from anywhere but titan), then kettlebell kings or repfitness for the next three after that, as rogue kills you with shipping

I’m totally “punch drunk” from today’s sessions – you have fast rep speed/turnover between reps, called “cycling” by crossfitters, you can keep the rest between sets minimal – it ends up feeling like you ran sprints as far as your heart beating while huffing and puffing, but it’s got the lower body snap, and a serious upper body pull

I’ll stick to this 32kger for awhile, then start making one arm clean bell jumps.

I bought the bell expecting to get into swings, thus far I don’t much like one arm swings, am okay with the two handed swing, but have really found myself digging the clean.

Which I don’t see why in six months time I couldn’t be better than now with a 56kg/123lb, 68kg/150lb, or even 80kg/176lb kettlebell at this cleaning madness

A kettlebell cleaned lots and pressed some – I’ll be a stronger weightlifter from it, though I’m excited about the what the hell effect applied not only to oly/military press, but to pullups, body composition, and the mile run.

I too am looking forward to bringing my bell to parks and such, getting out of simply lifting in the yard.

…..

•eat pizza – 2100 calories of frozen pizza
•cream soda, two big swigs

I left the milk in the snow near the gym, drat, real late for the first meal

…..

3rd Lift :

2H Swing
15
KB OA Clean ss w/2H Swing
3 sets of (5l+5r+5sw)
Side Bends
10 each side

…..

•big swig cream soda
•drink milk

…..

I’m going to get very strong and in shape with the kettlebell as the tool.

…..

I’m envisioning mismatch presses, mismatch floor presses, mismatch bridge presses, the bottoms up press, and obviously the one arm cleans with bigger bells.

We’ll see when I’m able to get them.
They’re not in stock.

The kettlebell seems the answer to my gym urge without going to a gym, now to

…..

It’s still kinda blowing my mind that I’m not that fat at 6′ 285lbs.

“You’re a big dude, but not fat”, the funniest description of me that I’ve ever heard.

Part of me wonders…

Could I condition my way to 308lbs while getting leaner?

Est big with massive clean and press volume, calisthenics on the side.

It’s pretty safe to say that the daily pushup habit has carried me to muscular/described as not fat while so heavy.

Truly I don’t give a shit what I weigh right now. It’s all about the performance metrics.

…..

Your reality. Not theirs. Yours.
You do you. Always.

…..

•frozen pizza, 700 calories
•18oz cream soda

did not cook steak or ground beef today – either would be better than pizza – I’m steering more towards eating right lately, back to better for tomorrow – either chicken or beef, probably with potatoes

……

25

…..

•twix – 900 calories
•two chicken and cheese burritos
•milk

again how hard is it to eat big?

The truly big, strong dudes have a different relationship to food than everyone – gomad isn’t a thing to me, it’s basically normal – I may never drink less than four gallons a week – I love milk.

Given the time freedom, and space I’ll lift three times a day, cook two giant steak meals, get 5000+ calories without issue, and be even bigger.

If I was to be unemployed with money not an issue 7000 calories daily would be real plausible alongside lifting in a way everyone else deems to be in bad taste.

Make myself punch drunk with prowler, yoke, kb cleans, etc

Smash dip, pullup, and burpee volume again.

I truly need to incorporate strongman into my regular day to day – own a gym, own a gym, own a gym.

…..

Basic barbell work, a bunch of milk, a bunch of food sure makes the path to size simpler especially at the beginning, but…

Once you’re already big, when you already know how to train with intensity you have a whole lot of leeway as to what you do.

It’s train hard and eat to fuel it.

When you’re built to squat and bench (I am) it’s better to focus on oly variants, deadlifts and shoulder press variants.

My buddy with orangutan arms is built for pulls – he’s better served by a bench and squat habit.

You get big and strong with the ones your leveraged for.

You get freakishly strong when you’ve brought the ones you’re not perfectly proportioned for to the same level.

And for me, when I up volume to the absurd, leverages don’t matter – I just get it, very strong from lots and lots of sets and reps.

Dip Odyssey of Summer 2019

KB Clean Odyssey of now Winter/Spring 2023

I made myself punch drunk today with the effort on the brief clean workouts.

I’ll be condensing the work more and more, and very likely upping the bell after awhile when the bells are available to buy again.

…..

40

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

it strikes me :

EVERYONE talks about how rough the yoke walk is, particularly on the CNS, but manual labor gets you strong cause everything is weighted carries…

What if you yoke walked, say bodyweight, for distance against the clock on a regular basis.

Maybe even an occasional trip walking backwards, the backwards carries up stairs are the hardest ones as a mover.

I’d like to try this. Throw caution to the wind, and really butcher what is normally considered doing the yoke walk in good taste.

Think 40 40yd trips with it on a multiple times a week basis.

Then simply eat enough mozzarella sticks, steak, sourdough bread, meatball subs, and ice cream while drinking thousands of gallons of milk so as to not invoke the wrath of the barbarian brothers by undereating as you play with the yoke odyssey thing.

Considered all I’ve been thinking about, if I’m not joining that powerlifting gym…

Get outside and carry!
Could mix carries with pressing or c&p every rep style in parking lot

…..

35, 5
…..

I’d have to ice pick to do this, but…

It’d be fun to bench in the yard.

Put my legs in the air, unrack 205, and see if I’m good for 20+.

I can envision the hilarious statement “I got my first 405 bench lifting in the front yard”.

…..

I slept in, having dreamt of a giant chicken pot pie!

•10oz steak
•half potato as home fries
•pack of ramen
•strawberry milk

It’s a nice treat finding I had nesquick strawberry powder on hand yesterday – I’ve been enjoying it.

…..

If you’re trying to gain weight, milk makes it easy, and flavoring the milk makes it even easier.

Who doesn’t like strawberry milk.

…..

How much activity is needed to get lean without dieting?

…..

~10°f outside, after yesterday I’m layered up

Lift :

Mismatch Press
x15 kb r = PR
x8 kb l
x7 kb l
KB OA Cleans
7l, 7r

I’m confident saying the mismatch press is worth at least 185lbs in a barbell.

Hitting 15, mind you kb right hand is stronger than in the left, means I’m good for 15×185.

With the mismatch, maybe a minute between sets I’m likely able to go 10×7-8 already ESPECIALLY if I was skewing this exercise kb right, but even alternating sets not just matching 3-4 sets based off the first…

I expect 30 reps in a set.

10 VS 15 Reps – A Philosophy Thing :

With 15 reps you really own the weight.
10 reps feels at least moderate to heavy.
15 is dipping down to moderate at most.

That’s why I want to press 15+ x 185 before training at 205lbs when back on the barbell.

I can stick to 15s progression outside since I’m not putting on an ego show or being able to immediately go grab about what I just lifted.

15s progression is long term steady progress.

It works well lifting outside in the cold.

The Cold Air Barbell Club really has me integrating brief lifts into my day to day.

There’s a zen in the one arm kb clean – I really like the movement, going into it I didn’t know I would, but I do.

It’s a beautiful odd lift hitting parts I hadn’t fully expected it too.

…..

•soft pretzel
•12oz milk

…..

I should front squat again.
High volume daily (front or back) squats…how fast could I get 300 reps in with 135lbs?

When the answer is 30:00 or less, up it 20-30lbs, and repeat.

Bryce Lane’s 50/20 on a strength endurance madness.

…..

40 pushups
20 total gym pullups
•two slices buttered sourdough toast
•12oz vanilla coke
•16oz milk

Had a hilarious memory pop up, cause of this crazy cold I would say – the fact I still get some outdoor activity in regardless…

My buddy and I were high school seniors, we trudged to outdoor dip bars through waist deep snow the day after a big snow storm to get some PT in – a handful of underclassmen who knew us from indoor track were driving by, stopped, talked to us, offered a ride etc, while thinking we were nuts & intense, then talking us up on the indoor track bus on the way to the next meet.

The total gym pullups were strongly bicep, as I tried to fire my lats…seems like kettlebell clean crossover.

As reps go up there I expect pullup reps, real and total gym both, to go up with it.

The kettlebell has crossover to everything.

…..

Nuts & Intense

I like the sound of that. Some keys to progress there. Strength gain, and hypertrophy by madness.

…..

I think I’ll have to start cooking 10lb batches of meat – food prep that way, a couple loaves of bread, with milk still forcing me to buy groceries a handful of times weekly anyway.

…..

Fun Fact :

Soviet wrestlers often became masters of sport in basketball.

In the same way Soviet weightlifters often became masters of sport in volleyball.

Why?

The periodized three month yearly off season was a period of little, light to zero exact sport specific training.

But the coaches wanted their elite athletes to be active, building gpp, the ability to work, work capacity.

Sneak a modicum of spp in…

Volleyball was thought to be the best easy on the body sport for explosiveness which the weightlifting coaches pushed their lifters to play as they wanted their lifters to gain even more explosiveness.

Basketball was chosen by wrestling coaches as the highest cardio demand yet non violent sport, the most beneficial game for their wrestlers to participate in.

There are anecdotes of oddball, national if not international level, seriously competitive/intense games in these two team sports being played by the respective olympians in the two solo sports as warmup before their sports sessions.

Funny to picture the short stocky wrestler or weightlifter as competitive basketball player or volleyball player – and yes, they too were getting to master of sports level in the offseason “play/goof off” sport.

Same time period, when america was competitive at weightlifting…

York Barbell had lifters who played volleyball, basketball, and in at least one case semi pro football in addition their to lifting workloads.

Pickup basketball being played at some commercial gyms is a real good way to get in your cardio, and keep from getting sore.

I miss playing games, sports.

The american adult world doesn’t have anywhere near enough sports play by adults.

You can, and should, do more than just lift.

…..

8 chins – loose form

…..

3 chins + halfway down iso hold – strict
25 total gym pullups
25 pushups
•¼bag chocolate covered pb pretzels
•pack ramen w/1oz honey roasted peanuts
•20oz milk

The above stimulus = big biceps

Lightened pullups superset with pushups is a really good upper body workout

…..

I don’t like the “what happened when this guy did” headlines.

Something instinctive about the phrasing “this guy”.

…..

•clif bar
•two chicken and cheese burritos (pretty sure I was calling burritos quesadillas earlier this year)
•bowl of ice cream
•milk

the late night quick ravenous meal

up the calories, up the activity, get leaner, stronger, more awesome

to join the powerlifting gym or just go nuts with volume in the yard

tomorrow is warm – tomorrow is more meaningful volume of kettlebell cleans

we’ll aim for 15×7 each side, keep rest to a minimum

…..

It’d be interesting to have a food log from about age 7/second grade.

How many calories did I take in?
I’d bet over 2000, but have a hard time arguing 3k, though it likely happened on the occasional day…like if mom took me through a wienerschnitzel having me out of school early on the way to my grandparents and if we had pizza out that night, or frankly anytime we had el pollo loco, especially eating there – it was stupid how many sodas I’d down both there and at rubios.

The rubios kid taquitos, 2 wasn’t enough, I’d get the adult order of 3, eat half my mom’s plate too, and in a competition with my dad, friend, or self try to have as many fountain drinks as could be had.

Heck, I remember ordering seconds there. And would eat a good deal of corn dogs when they were for lunch at home.

I ate more at school in elementary school, a bigger sandwich with lunch meat, avocado, and trail mix than I did nibbling on pb&j through middle school and high school.

How little I ate in middle and high school mostly had to do with not wanting to have to use the bathroom there – total germaphobe for a few of those years.

Food went through me a lot faster at 14, 15, 16 than now. It might’ve been symptom of having crashed my metabolism with long stationary bike rides, starvation rations to lose weight, almost 50lbs, in about a semester as a freshman in high school.

Force feeding, and putting on a lot of muscle at 17 really reset me.
I’ve been better able to process food since.

Muscle mass does that.

…..

15, 5, 5, 10

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Interesting to reread what I’d written here around new year’s.

I didn’t have much appetite when I started as a mover, but now delivering houses and clean & pressing my 32kg kettlebell I’ve developed quite the appetite.

In a week of using the kettlebell I’ve seen an improvement in my biceps, shoulder girdle, and my midsection is both a bit thicker, and a tad leaner.

Lots of mini sessions, part time labor, and eating freely of good food is working nicely.

…..

•cheese stick
5, 5

…..

Work :

Near the load location we saw a woman out for a run in today’s ~5°f. I always think it cool people outdoors exercising in all weather.

The driver and I discussed this near the end of the day. Plenty of runners outside in winter, but I’m they only one who lifts outdoors – I’d love to have a group participating.

Being outdoors forces me out of the coddled gym mindset, and some it is just “you do what you have to” – so many in a gym would flip at the idea of wearing little black winter gloves during power cleans.

About 5 hours, three hours truck time, a dozen or so big but mostly light pieces from the manufacturer’s loading dock to a fancy rural log cabin renovation with a stupidly curvy driveway (glad I didn’t have to back the truck), and to our collective joy an uneven and terribly icy walkway

griping aside it was overall pretty easy, a dozen item’s walked 50′, just really cold while being careful of our footing

in the truck by noon I was ravenous

•~8oz honey roasted peanuts, snacked on throughout truck time, this is a hands free snack, I pour the bottle directly into my mouth

as soon as I get home, I’m not even going to the grocery store, I’m going straight home to cook tortellini to eat that and steak

it’s really good that I have an appetite to go with the desire to lift

during the drive back I got real close to the necessary yes to join the powerlifting gym

I’ve been looking the high load put on the body by the kettlebell, and was realizing how front squat partials and the yoke walk would get me there – the build muscle AND lose fat stimuli I’ve been getting with the kettlebell

I could get to 308 and leaner than I am now, that on the path to a RIPPED 235-255lbs

typed in company parking lot as my car warmed up

…..

•20oz cream soda
•the entire 16oz tortellini
•strawberry milk

…..

Long Nap

was just oddly exhausted, I think this was due to being in the deep cold

…..

Lift :

Two Hand Swings
x12

no joke it’s about -5°f out now, with bigs gusts of wind – I pointedly was outside real minimally, just that one quick set

could’ve done this before eating five hours ago, that would’ve been in line with the “lift immediately after work” that I’ve done in the past, but even with hours between it’s not hard for me to get myself to the gym (even when it’s truly cold at my little outdoor spot)

I’ve found that I rather enjoy the kb clean and mismatched c&p both every rep style ala the Sig Klein Challenge or as rep outs pressing off one clean.

Funny that I bought the kb to yes do that, but also to swing – I have not worked the swing yet.

That’ll be another step, I still am debating another purchase, a barbell and bumpers from titan.

…..

Dinner :

•big bowl of chicken stew which has chickpeas, barley, carrots, onion, and celery in it
•two slices buttered sourdough toast
•12oz ginger beer

…..

15

…..

It’s rather funny how much gym stuff is just simulating manual labor.

…..

Still hungry.

I look a bit leaner, and know how to embrace the path – nutritious food, positive expectations, and, right now, the kettlebell

I’m about to eat and do pushups.

…..

•~3oz peanuts
•strawberry milk
55

…..

Persistence & Tenacity