Author: J

“The supplement aisle is a very odd place, why buy something there? Instead eat a steak.” – Me

…..

•8oz ground beef
•potato as home fries
•pack of ramen
•mexican mix cheese
•30oz cream soda

there is zero work today, so that nice meal that should’ve been eaten at around 5pm yesterday will put me to bed just after midnight with a full belly on this rather cold night

…..

still rather horny (porn without masturbation definitely does that) I chose to masturbate four times, twice around 2am/3am, twice around 830am upon waking

interesting to note, again, that having jerked off I slept deep – six hours being a great night’s sleep

There’s something I want to discuss however, it’s a rationalization which makes sense, but is wrong ;

Being “in for a penny, in for a pound” with vices – extending the fall off the wagon since you’re already there.

(While fall is the wrong choice of english to describe it – your “fall” isn’t a fall, you conscientiously stepped, even jumped, off. It was a choice.

The word “fall” fits as in “fall from grace”, but “fall” as in an accident is not the definition of what’s going on here – it robs your personal accountability out of the act.

And something I’ve learned big time in this life is that effectively 100% of the time, you must own personal accountability over the situation whatever it is.

This society nurtures masses of crybabies, who as a whole never stop and own their situation, so called adults shitting in diapers vs lacing up their work boots with pride every morning joyous for the necessary honest, regardless of difficulty, work.)

For me it’s thinking “I’m already clean shaven, what’s extending that another day by watching porn and/or masturbating going to hurt”.

That’s a rationalization to sin. The proper act is to pray for forgiveness, forgive yourself, choose to step forward, to not stagnate longer in your vice, being clean again immediately upon the cessation of that brief moment off the straight and narrow.

so again, Again, AGAIN I’ll be clean shaven the day after tomorrow

No more of this undisciplined bullshit.
It’s been 15 months of wishy washy with this shit, that’s more than long enough to sack up, stop being a weak impulsive little bitch under the sheet, and be right.

……

Lunch :

•smorgasbord bowl – leftover 8oz ground beef, ½ potato of homefries put into bowl of chicken stew which has chickpeas, barley, carrots, onion, and celery in it
•two slices buttered sourdough toast
•16oz cranberry juice

everyone could eat like this – it’s eating well, very nutritious

…..

It still surprises me that I’m so close to 300lbs at 6′.

Funny looking back that at 15 years old I thought that I’d never be over 180lbs despite having entered high school at almost 215lbs…it was the then losing the better part of 50lbs by the lowest I saw as a sophomore on a wrestling scale – which I thought small, but still is heavier than many – this is what messed with me thinking I’d stay that small.

I could eat for fat loss basically either keto or lots of fish.

I could continue to eat as I do – just stick mostly to nutritious foods.

If I stay working as a mover some fat loss is expected over the summer where there’s much more hours.

Running. I should be running, and am barely using winter ground as excuse not to right now.

The kettlebell is a godsend, it forces me to train capacities other than just strength.

I realized this, and have experienced it in the past, an active heavy set dude gains super powers when he drops weight to a normal size, still big mind you, but small for him.

I can always sprint fast, but in the low 200s I can run well.

215lbs for me is definitely running ability, but it may be higher, 225, 235 even.

I don’t think I look like a guy who weighs 285lbs. I don’t see the sheer size.

Though clean shaven there’s a double chin, and a good deal of chub on my stomach I don’t see it.

Even with my muscular shoulders and chest I don’t see it.

Whether you look at it from a muscular or fat standpoint I have a hard time seeing myself as this heavy.

Though the lack of wind during random shit is proof of it.

…..

Walking 20 miles to a marathon daily, while time consuming, is moreso a basic human physical capability than anything.

We could all have the ability.

….

watched a movie, good for a laugh, but that grey area again

I’ve watched zero some years – will I demand zero television type time from myself, or is this something I don’t consider?

•half bag frosted animal cookies with the movie

…..

Lift :

Mismatch Press

14 reps kb r
10 reps kb l
6 reps kb l
2 reps kb r

The first set I’ll say = PR, as it felt like it’s worth at least the same number of reps with a 185lb barbell, probably more as you’re fighting to keep the bells from drifting away from your center line – the presses were very fast going up

on last two sets I held db at hang, kb at rack – consciously flexing my wrist inward like arm wrestling at the top with the kettlebell, trying for a high level of full body tension – a nice way to flex, build mind-muscle connection, and keep the body under load

a neighbor walking his dog joked “good thing you were here with the kettlebell tonight, you won’t be tomorrow”…

tomorrow is going to cold, zero degrees cold plus windchill to feel about -10°F – even if it’s one set I’ll get my hands on the kettlebell after work – with these retro looking boat basketball shoes, track pants, hoodie, skull cap, these awesome uline mover’s gloves on…I disregard the temperatures – I’ll be outside lifting

fuck hiding indoors

we’re meant to be outside daily year round

•quart coffee milk drank between sets

…..

one meal a day, done as dinner at a restaurant could be an unexplored social avenue

the lack of social life has hurt these past 15 months

I’d rationalized that pain into being a bitch watching porn, jerking off

…..

dude, whatever it takes – get your beard back

though Saturday morning is that “shave as punishment” requirement

…..

crossfit does some stuff right

I like the idea of running high frequency conditioning, just a bit of strength work after

eventually you’re strong, but have a gas tank to go with it

…..

•8oz grape juice
•10oz steak
•1½ potatoes as homefries
•24oz cream soda

…..

I paid $3/lb for london broil last week, but this week it, top round, and ny strip were all $6/lb.

Last week I bought the london broil as it was the best price I’d seen in years, the normal sale price precovid.

With all three cuts at $6/lb however I selected a nice looking ny strip, the leanest of the three cuts, and enjoyed cooking my ~20oz chunk of delicious cow which has now been split into two meals.

Tonight’s, and tomorrow’s dinners nearly identical (tonight I was extra hungry and ate 1½ of the two potatoes I cooked) having home fries alongside the chunk of meat.

With steak seemingly going to always cost $4-6/lb, the 80/20 ground beef being $3.50/lb unless bought in giant tubes for ~$2.80/lb at best…it makes more sense for me to purchase and eat the slabs of meat vs ground.

I feel ground is better than no meat, but that steaks are two steps higher in nutritional value than ground.

Instinctively I know that the body processes the less processed steak better than the ground meat.

It too may be that dollar for dollar the body’s yield is higher with the steaks because of the above.

So I go steak, ground beef much less often.

Funny, with the worst food prices in my lifetime that I’m eating the best food – I reached the buy in point of just spending whatever I have to spend.

I’m at other a pound of meat daily right now. I take this as headed in the right direction.

Every meal could be 10oz steak and a potato.

Even with steak prices, the fact I eat less meals on work days would keep this to under $100 a week.

Steak and potatoes unlocks the inner animal – it’s robust feeding for physical strength.

…..

A 20:00 to 45:00 emom with power cleans could be my way to improve the power clean for pressing aside from the bell work’s carryover.

Just start at 185 for 20 emom, easy peasey, then up 5lbs or add 5:00, until you’re going 45:00 with a bunch of weight, doing this session on a weekly or twice monthly basis.

You’re still lifting daily, cause that’s how I get strong.

…..

is titan going to sell me a bar with center knurling and some bumpers…for one arm snatching

…and to have a second bar so as to mix exercises press & one arm snatch or press & overhead squat…

it seems I’m going deeper into The Cold Air Barbell Club

$300 to seriously diesel my pull strength with the longest pull, and adding 70lbs to the top weight I can load at home, from 500 to 570lbs, which pull that and you’re good for 600lbs…

make the purchase chase the deadlift this summer?

…..

10 – pretty late for pushups ~9pm

…..

ground beef and ramen is the lazy alternative to the steak and potatoes

…..

WOD Type Ideas :

Pullup & Power Clean

…..

I could start overhead squatting lots again.

That titan purchase I’m considering would make it real simple to superset that with some form of pull on the other bar.

…..

20, 10, 5, 5

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10, 10

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

30
•12oz milk

…..

before bed I edged for about an hour and fifteen minutes to porn, so again – why are you watching, and too I will be clean shaven the day after tomorrow

obviously my phone came into the bedroom whereas you can’t watch porn if the phone isn’t near you

…..

Breakfast :
•cheese stick
5

a cheese stick is the breakfast of champions – it’s steady dairy energy of saturated fat and casein protein, it’s light, and is not a massive hit of caffeine, etc

even with pushups already checked off in the wee hours after midnight, I did a set to keep “pushups done immediately before work” as habit

…..

Work :

assembling furniture, cleaning storage, cleaning warehouse of junk – at warehouse, easy.

quite fun throwing shit into the dumpster from standing in pickup truck bed – like tossing hay bales, but heavier.

…..

Groceries :

I accidentally overpaid for ground beef having not read the packaging closely enough, bought a couple gallons of milk, a half gallon of coffee milk, some noodles to go with the beef, and oddly thought chef boyardee sounded good, so bought two cans – those two cans are a salty, bland, lunch that I simply wanted – and am again surprised that people like salty, bland, soggy noodle tomato soup lol – this is possibly only the third time in my life having chef boyardee, it’s been about 4½ years since I had a few cans on a similar whim.

Lunch :

•two cans chef boyardee (~750 calories)
•half gallon coffee milk

1500 calories right here, like nothing, ~100g protein

…..

Lunch in, then lift. I think I’ll shovel a walking path so as to farmer walk after some other kettlebell lifts.

The groceries were not lined up with “fat loss”, but with “you even bought soda – you’d better workout enough to at least pretend to have halfway earned it”.

To the crew at work I’m now “Skinny J” (though I didn’t hear it today).

The manager had a funny conversation with me, basically admitting I’m the largest mover she’s ever seen that :

•isn’t just a big fat guy
•is actually muscular while large
•actually hacks it while high in bodyweight
•doesn’t need to stop and rest constantly as a big dude

I’m useful as a mover, just 50-100lbs heavier than most.

The size/strength is useful with big shit like pianos, while running box after box up flights of my stairs is my wheezing nemesis – however I’ve embraced it as I know it to be good for me since it does kinda suck, and is building my wind.

However days like today, tossing shit into the dumpster like hay bales is incredibly fun – I can’t pretend that I even call this sort of thing hard.

Yeah, high 20°s outside, but physical in that fresh air is my forte.

I’ve been working in skull cap, gloves, long sleeve shirt, and shorts – everyone thinks I’m nuts for that.

The next job is on a day that’s gonna be around 0°. The whole crew of six is being sent so as to minimize time spent in the elements for the three who’d have done it alone otherwise .

I’ll actually be wearing pants, and have my hoodie with me. :)-

…..

8675309 – tommy tutone

↑ it’s in my head, and personally I say it’d sound even better in a hilarious british accent

runaround sue – dion

with how I feel right now, if I was still working in the kitchen I’d be blasting 50s music off my phone right now – dinner rush starting soonish

why?
because I’m having a blast with it
with what?
“it” ie everything, life in general right now – I’m in a good mood

…..

didn’t shovel a farmer’s walk path, or use street/sidewalk

Lift :

Mismatch Sig Klein Attempts
11 reps kb right
7 reps kb left
4 reps kb left

yep, the c&p every rep style is a little easier with the kettlebell in the right hand, the first set opposite is also an attempt, then extra sets are so as to match reps

if all you ever did was meaningfully weighted high rep clean and press you’ll be awesome – strong and conditioned

it’s a simple program

KB Cleans
10r, 10l

definitely builds bigger biceps, especially as stimulus grows

Off Center F Sq
5l+5r

still not really able to hold rack on the front squats, mostly use two hands – this improves as time goes on

the kettlebell is building a conditioned, and very strong gas tank

how I feel my intercostals right now

like with “Cardio Calisthenics™”, or barbell high reps done in a condensed period of time – by having a meaningful strength/power aspect streamline blended in with the conditioning work the two together are worth more than the sum of their parts

I’m loving this kettlebell. Loving the fact every session is different, loving the PR every session (by never running the exact same session twice), just feeling good knowing I’m doing with this bell what I need to be for strength, conditioning, and most importantly health.

The kettlebell bypasses any excuse I’d come up with about doing cardio/conditioning.

…..

I confidently say :

If all I do is kettlebell work I will get to where I need to be physically.

It’s an amazing tool, which has already and immediately blended together with my mental buy in – the key to everything in life.

…..

•½bag frosted animal cookies
•24oz milk

…..

Shower Thoughts :

For the kettlebell front squats I need to get my elbow closer to my side, get really tight here – flex everything inward that I can, and as much as possible have the bell be integrated with my hand and forearm, the hand/wrist as much as possible.

Pulling inward. And stacking.

I want my elbow as inward as the founder had wanted my elbows to be as during amateur sumo.

Flex/Pull Inward. Stack Bell.
I practiced this freehand in the shower, “getting it” better this way than with the bell in hand.

This and “outback remix” popped into mind as well during the shower.

boondocks – demun jones

…..

For a few days/weeks now my upper back has been getting so tight at night so as that I feel sick.

You know what this is…

GROWTH

Extreme Growth

And I’ll continue delivering houses and cleaning my kettlebell and clean & pressing the mismatched pair.

This is GOOD

…..

35

…..

I’ll be shaving for porn the day after tomorrow (again – in the past week), so “last hurrah” style and to say I last watched something other than porn it’s some of what I consider guilty pleasure youtube – which falls under the “do I have to shave” television type grey area, a bit of women’s weightlifting and women’s crossfit, then stopping watching stuff again.

One of the medleys, part of it is simply jumping/climbing over a 50″ high log – this is doing conditioning on one obstacle – I know a local playground where I could do similar.

It’s been a long while since doing something like this, but there’s a spot probably 10′ high to climb, and one probably 4′ high to climb/jump/vault – vault that’s the word, both at this playground.

Be an adult using a playground, often no one is there anyway.

Use it for fitness, it’s free.

Got some good screenshots out of watching all this, and found watching rather meditative – including watching oly in slow-mo where I did get some lesson in technique.

…..

Amazing how some upbeat music puts a smile on my your face, has you seeing a future with hope, and dancing around late night in the kitchen…

I felt that I was dancing with my grandpa, nana, and the unrevealed mother of my children.

Presence…

The presence real to me, the moment joyous, honest, childlike, uninhibited.

I read an an email he sent to me almost 17 years ago – hearing him from beyond the grave.

……

15

these were done with interesting pauses, varied negative speed, fast up with inhaling, on one rep inhaling down and up – playing with the variables

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Breakfast :
•cheese stick
5, 5

…..

Work :

4½h, mostly unloading boxes to the garage or first floor.

However it’s a hassle loading/unloading empty crates by hand.

It’d almost be better to open the crates at the shop, and deliver a normal truck.

May be a little more time consuming, an extra step of in/out, but at the same time empty crate in/out by manpower is dumb.

You can only physically fit three crates in a truck, whereas a full truck is the contents of probably six crates.

The coworkers have started alternating between slim and skinny, it evolving to “Skinny J” as nickname for me.

…..

At work whilst carrying a box into the basement I realized this “the chins could be not just kettlebell related, but also mover related”, the only things that pump up on the job are my biceps and quads.

ie I’m built for power curls :)-

I recall how my first summer delivering houses my grip got to where I could hang for :45-:75 one handed holding a 70lb kb in the other for a few sets each side.

…..

Lift :

KB Cleans
7l, 7r

The one arm clean is worth more than it’s marked weight.

I LIKE how this movement feels, I don’t know if double bell would feel entirely the same – it would for the fact the clean feels like you’re manhandling the bell to your shoulder, but the one arm aspect makes the core WORK – I can see lots of one bell cleans really building a rugged body, rugged abs, rugged biceps, plus strong shoulders and triceps by pressing it overhead.

This very brief session was so as to be sure I lifted the kettlebell today.

I want daily lifts for an indeterminate amount of time.

…..

•½ salami sandwich
•12oz cranberry juice
•8oz milk
•scoop BANANA whey (shaken not stirred)

…..

Long Nap

…..

•5oz ground beef
•1½ potatoes as home fries
•24oz cranberry juice

I’m purposefully eating more frequent, it’s a good idea to speed my metabolism up – 285+ and barely eating (or at least my idea of it), it’s time for frequent food, and these ingredients, beef, potatoes, cranberry juice – I could very likely eat for every meal with satisfaction.

…..

I realized in “aha moment” that work food could be no carb, solely by bringing meat in a bag, cheese in a bag, instead of putting the same on bread.

…..

As written above it’s now “Skinny J” at work.

I waste lots of time reading about bulking online, an unnecessary past time really.

Now I’ve some interesting thoughts on bulking :

Dirty bulking puts on far more muscle than eating less has ever.

I’m getting close to joining the local powerlifting gym so as to partial front squat and push a prowler.

I like the physicality of working as a mover, it’s actually fun to have to manhandle the crates (meant to be done via forklift) around.

Pushing, pulling, and even lifting – from box to box by manpower is interesting.

It’s not liveable hours.

I like lifting weights.
I’m nearly 300lbs. It wouldn’t be hard to get there.

Strongman

The strength comes quickly, it’s the logistics of force feeding that kinda make it “not gonna happen” with all but part time work – which is what I’m doing.

I’d have to join a gym again it would seem, or is yard barbell enough there?

The conditioning is simple. Just do it.
Density shouldering everything, rebuild the sandbag for that, loads and carries, call my cousin up and push his truck around empty parking lots, sprint some.

I like the idea of farmers walking 50yds, setting the implements down, jogging down and back, then walking the 50yds again, just do this for time.

You know I meant to talk about dirty bulking.

Okay. Look at the obese, the real obese, the seriously obese 700lbs laying on the couch obese.

Anyone massively heavy, that can walk, is going to have some serious leg strength just by having basic locomotion.

A dirty bulk, holding the bodyweight for a couple years, then taking the fat off slowly is going to put on more muscle than the same five years spent worrying about maintaining visible abs and therefore never gaining a total of over 10lbs.

…..

25

…..

•two cheese sticks
•24oz milk

dairy is godsend for high calories, it’s easy as there’s no prep involved, a gallon jug of milk and some cheese wrapped in plastic (cheese sticks or slices of american cheese), and you’re set – dairy is more ready to eat than meat more often than not, you have to cook most meat, whereas salami is expensive, cheap hotdogs gross, and cans, well cans kinda bypasses that need to cook argument

…..

An Idea :

On most days off of work, you lift 3x a day, and to start you walk a half mile with one of those lifts.

The next week it’s two walks, and three lifts.

Week three it’s three of each.

Week four you add distance to one of those walks.

Each week you add distance til it’s three lifts daily and a three mile walk with each.

This means you have an hour of activity thrice daily, and you’re working a physical job the other days.

Working as a mover has always been good for me in the aspect of the physical job makes me want to be physical as much as possible outside of work too.

…..

I think I’ll add some heavier snatch grip deadlifts into this kettlebell period.

Also either/or the sldl, with either grip, for reps, but moreso the light density deadlifts against the clock were worthwhile, and need to be readded alongside the kettlebell.

Light deadlifts against the clock occasionally mixed with daily kettlebell lifts – a good combination.

I can tell the kettlebell and mismatch presses with the kettlebell and dumbbell is going to carryover to the barbell press.

The snatch grip deadlift is to keep the barbell in my hands whilst continuing to build horsepower (think mack truck in mack truck vs lamborghini here).

…..

Looking at my lifting history it’s been phases of me just absolutely crushing volume on one particular lift.

I recall summer 2019’s dip odyssey, and smile about how well 300+ dips a day worked for me.

I recall summer 2021 being similar, doing pullups, often weighted, daily.

Both these periods got me VERY STRONG with a “program” many would scoff at.

It’s all about doing what is fun for you, and causes the buy in. Then you smash the thing passionately, and get results.

I’m feeling this right now with my kettlebell, though the volume is yet to be high.

Do I want to invest in more kettlebells?
Buy a titan 100, rogue 124, 150, 176, and get brutally strong on one arm clean and press – and yes, I see the 176lb bell as a plausible press in not a long length of time.

Then you buy the 203lber, clean & press THAT, and you’re truly the physically strongest man you’ll ever meet.

…..

60

it’s real easy to rack up pushup volume with sets throughout the day

…..

35, 25

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Flow – I Should Be In Bed, But Instead My Stomach Turns From The Whey :

What am I serious about?

I wrote yesterday of how I watched porn, something I’ve said “I’m done with” going into the eighth year of saying it.

So again I ask, what am I serious about.

The truth of the matter is, you get what you want, always.

You want youtube fame and fortune?
You’d do what it takes to get it if you truly did.

I can honestly say in this moment it’s “10×10 or better on see saw press” – I have lifting, at least I have lifting.

I don’t doubt sets of 30+ on both see saw and two hands mismatched.

145.4lbs just isn’t that much, though by being bells, and mismatched at that – it’s worth more than the sum of the poundage.

I had this vision of running shirtless around the city this summer, visible abs, a big beard, still around 220.

It’d be a step to just mix a stroll in-between sets of lifting.

With the fresh beard, shaving tomorrow – starting new cause of that porn shit yesterday, I’m going to shape it well as it grows.

Taper from chin to ear early, establish the neck line somewhere between day 3 and day 21, the taper letting the cheek line set better, and my face looking better all the while both from the beard and dropping fat weight.

A set of mismatch press, a brief lift before work is easily implemented, worth doing.

You’re in fucking training bro. There can’t be television, porn, bad food choices – all the bullshit – you need to be better for your soul.

It’s not 2019 when the world was the normal you knew.

You’re not getting a do over of 2020’s lockdown – ya could’ve smashed workouts and dieted during that – didn’t, hey you still got the stories of riding the bike around, bombing down that good hill, that’s how you have to look at the past – the value of it’s stories.

People love my stories.

That redhead chick, us sitting in her car in the highschool parking lot, me stressed out of my mind – first wrestling season, waiting for someone else who was riding with us as well, me telling her some shit that had happened the night before, and her telling me “you’re a storyteller”.

Me initially thinking it was an insult, that she thought I was lying about the stupid shit we’d had happen in practice cause of the special case anger management took special ed classes lightweight wrestler.

There was a practice where a senior violently crossfaced me (striking from rear mount), my nose opened up, and I held my shirt to my nose…

The freshman had their science fair in the gymnasium below.

Two chicks who knew me started to say hi as I walked to the locker room, then saw the look on my bloody face, my shirt drenched like an axe murderer – I was already thought nuts for going hard in JROTC PT, while THIS clinched the reputation.

“He left practice COVERED in blood.”

And here I am writing high school stories, I was 15 in that one.

I do not like how it seems that my life stopped in late 2021.

Yeah, I got restaurant stories, but fuck it – that place was miserable, the kitchen the definition of hostile work environment.

“J, can I get cheese on this salad?”
It’s her personal.
“Yo, M. I know you’re new. I’m going to show you what spec is.”
I scoop the cheese, doubling it. It’s still a piddly amount.
“Seriously J can I have some cheese on my salad.”
“Yeah, I’m about to give you a good handful – wanted you as a new girl to see what spec was, which I doubled, which still looks small to all but B. Ask B – he’ll tell you that was spec, then double spec.”
She’s just laughing at the absurdity of how chinsy the food sold was, as I handed her a big handful making it reasonable, but easily 8x the spec amount of cheese.

B had been working in the restaurant roughly my lifetime, and he would’ve adamantly told her that it was spec, then double spec, then that I had gave her FAR TOO MUCH cheese – “you’re only supposed to see it – not taste it” – B – an exact quote

Don’t get me started on those who worked fry side.

They’d be stoned, raging, slamming the baskets, soybean oil flying every which a way, getting burnt, raging harder, repeating the process for their 30 hours a week.

Place was mental.

I’m, overall, happy to be gone, but the problem is – I severely overestimated the available hours at the moving company.

Not that moving helper is a career.
It’s not.
I need to do something that is mentally acceptable and enough money to not only live on single, but enough to raise a family with.

/flow

…..

WEIRD DREAMS – I wish I’d written them all down immediately!

…..

Breakfast :

10, 10 (pushups)
•cheese stick
…..

Work :

Have you ever heard the term “farmer’s blow”?

I hadn’t til this morning. The other crew’s customer the other day had called and complained about it.

The manager’s son with the help of urban dictionary found it to mean closing a nostril with a finger and shooting snot.

The complaint email and message were read and played for both crews.

Work today was pretty easy, a 4 hour minimum mostly just wheeling stuff down a long hall.

Earlier in the elevator I’d gotten a laugh out of the brothers, as the younger had wanted me to step on the shop scale weeks back “you’re a big dude, must be 280”.

But today’s job was a medical office.

The older brother yells to me “J get on here”, and I see he’s wheeled the office’s scale to the truck.

I stepped on scale, 286.5lbs, which the coworkers thought that crazy.

Of the six of us, at least four of us, maybe five did a quick weigh in.

The old guy refused the scale, no weigh in for him, and back at the shop unloading the stuff into storage…well I may now have the nickname “slim”.

The old guy said it once, then two or three started laughing “that works for him”.
We’ll see if it holds.

Then a few of us unloaded boxed unassembled ikea type furniture out of a freight 18 wheeler delivery, where I found that a 102lb box with a width nearly that of my wingspan is a deliciously awkward thing to carry.

I want a box like that to carry around the yard for training!

Also, shoulder carries are fun. When something is long, even if it has weight, as long as you can lever it to your shoulder it’s easy as pie to carry on flat ground.

…..

Ease Of Work Note :

When :
weekend
Where :
parking lot
What :
backwards farmers walks with the mismatch bells – backwards walking is ridiculously awkward – I should do it on my own time as well

…..

Upon Getting Home
•scoop chocolate whey (shaken not stirred)
•8oz milk

……

Checked on the bathroom scale at home having first drank the whey, then taken a piss – this time stripped to boxers and socks…

287lbs

Within a ½lb of what the medical scale had said.

Went to the doorway chin bar – banged out 7 chin ups.

I think it’s the kettlebell clean that brought that up from 4-5 reps. I’ll see how chins/pullups do without training and the kettlebell is aiming towards much “what the hell” effects.

Again, I’ve a 185lb press rep out test scheduled for the 2/26.

…..

•12oz milk

then sipped a

•20oz cherry pepsi

as unnecessary preworkout while reading

…..

Knowing I weigh 287lbs, of course I’m going to press!

It bothers me how little I eat whilst weighting this much!

First we lift.

Lift :

Mismatch Press
13, 8, 8, 3
Off Center F Sq
3r, 3l
Swings
5r, 5l
Soviet Wrestler Sq ss/w Soviet Wrestler SLDL – standing on cinder blocks
4+4
3+3
5+5

this exercise needs more height – still like it though

…..

Read/write a bunch, not stressing “postworkout window”

…..

2nd Lift :

Sig Klein Attempt
10 reps kb left
5 reps kb right
5 reps kb right

Next time make the attempt kb right, I’ve more leeway cleaning the kettlebell with my right hand, various positions than just between the legs.

Then put the bells away without setting them down first – that’s a great way to train the hands, first c&p, then carry, then set then down.

…..

Then we eat (steak and home fries, while cooking ground beef and home fries)

Meat and potatoes – will I drop weight?

I hope so, I want visible abs, but as long as my chins/pullups continue to increase, and I run a good 6:00 mile this summer – fuck the look, it’s about performance. The look follows anyway.

•12oz steak
•1½ potatoes as home fries
•four sticks cookie dough twix
•16oz milk
•banana

…..

It’d behoove me to walk a bunch outside of work, and probably get a gym membership just to go to immediately after work.

Still do all the yard lifting as well.

…..

The funny thing is in all this that upon seeing 286.5 in the scale at work this morning my though was “it’d be so easy to be a 308lber”.

1. meat, milk, deserts 4x daily
2. a bit of tasty frozen foods
3. gym membership for front squat partials
4. possible unemployment

…..

I realize there could be correlation between the chins and two implement c&p – I might’ve experienced that before.

…..

•some fried food (small amount)
•½ salami sandwich
•banana
•12oz cranberry juice
•12oz milk

…..

10, 15, 10

•8oz cranberry juice
…..

Persistence & Tenacity

I watched a nature documentary.
Eagles – what magnificent creatures.

Near that walmart many saw eagles.

There were lots of woods.

Now, there’s strip mall, stores, more and more buildings – the woods shrinking in ever exact contrast…

As this country becomes a larger and larger, never ending suburban strip mall.

There is no woods to the left of the parking lot, nor to the right of the parking lot to see an eagle anymore, just developments.

You won’t see an eagle there like my buddy had been hyped to tell me of that morning.

…..

40

…..

I’ve written before that I view watching television as gateway to porn.

After some television, movie, documentary time I watched porn again, twelve minutes til I got off, therefore doing two things that I am against doing.

A month without, then participating in both by making a choice that I’m against.

It’s on me.

I feel…regret.

Yet at the same time, seven hours in bed, and I have plenty energy, the four times I masturbated (three without porn later in the morning during brief wakeups) didn’t drain me like that.

The pros and cons.
Getting off does seem to, speed recovery – I’ll be less muscularly sore.

I feel that I need to eat some healthy foods, steak, grape juice, to replenish, but I don’t feel so drained.

I look in the mirror and know there’s that compulsion to shave, and choose restarting there too.

Twelve minutes of doing what I know not to causes resetting a month of beard growth.

This bugs me.
However, I like being able to say I watched no porn with my beard.

I’ll be clean shaven the day after tomorrow.

…..

Breakfast :

•two cheese sticks
•12oz grape juice
•12oz milk

…..

1st Lift :

Mismatch Shrug
20, 20
See-Saw Press
12, 10, 7, 5
Off Center F. Sq
3l + 3r
Two Hand Mismatch Press
10, 10

I’m digging the mismatched double bells.

Matching work on each side via multiple sets, the 1st and 4th sets with bells one way, the 2nd and 3rd with bells reversed on the see saw press for example – today opposite of yesterday I started every set pressing the kb first.

On the final set, kb right, db left, I shouldered both bells at the same time.

I can now solidly triple the f sq with bell at right rack, a shaky single bell at left rack, which is where the right rack had been til today (day 3-4 whether you’re counting day 0 or not).

There’s a bunch of ways to just get two mismatched bells to shoulder. I still need to do dumbbell first to one shoulder, and kb on left hand both to shoulder.

One way, that I’ve only gotten once (arguably twice) out of four tries is the snatch the kettlebell, then squat/bend to get the dumbbell off the ground, pick it up, then shoulder it.

That’s a high tension, real slow and controlled, exercise!

I scheduled a 185lb barbell press rep out test for February 26th, this gives me just about a month of daily mismatch work to see what it does.

I already know from experience with a pair of 75lb dumbbells that they’re worth around a 185lb barbell.

The barbell press will be up.
Bells carryover well to barbells

The see saw and mismatch two hand pressing is a simple, easy logistics, way for me to train frequently, hit the stabilizers not hit by the barbell, and rack up pressing volume with massive time under tension.

Heck, just the bell cleans (whatever implement, one or two handed) gets me used to pulling a longer “bar path” than a barbell requires.

I feel very confident I’d be able to c&p a pair of 100s, whether db or kb.

Maybe I’ll day pass somewhere in a month or three to get this on video.

•20oz cherry coke (mostly between sets)

Or there’s the option of purchasing a 100lb kb or single/pair of 100lb dbs – possibly continuing to mismatch but heavier.

…..

The kettlebell due to it’s awkward balance, and the very high tension training with it requires – it raises the metabolism.

…..

The steak and home fries is taking me about a half hour to make, but really it’s just a little activity every five minutes or so then back to reading/writing, repeat, til I have a hearty nutritious meal made by my own hand.

It wouldn’t be hard for me to just eat meat, potatoes, vegetables, drink milk and fruit juice.

Oddly, I don’t feel bummy anymore about having watched porn this morning.

I just know it’s reset, start over, while thinking to myself “be better”.

Finally eating the salad from a few nights ago, as the potatoes cook.

•salad

I should have more of these.

…..

Cooking A Healthy Dinner For Men :

1. Make a salad. This can be a premixed bag bought from the store, whichever you like, and I’d cut some beets into it, add a few walnuts, slice up an avocado, maybe some cheese – pea shoots, sprouts.

2. Put a pan on a burner. Turn on the burner. Drop butter into the pan.

3. Put a steak in the pan. Spice the top side. (Whether salt and pepper simple or everything but the kitchen sink.)
After around five minutes flip it. Allow it to cook five minutes or so longer.

4. As steak is in the pan, microwave a potato or two (or four) for five to seven minutes. Once that’s done, chop it up, and having removed the steak from the pan, adding a little butter if necessary, put the chopped up potatoes in the pan, moving around some so as to crispen up all sides.

This too can sit and forget for a few minutes before stirring/flipping the potatoes around.

_______

All in all you have a salad, steak, and home fries in about a half hour.

It’s healthy, nutritious, man food – and you made it yourself, and probably have two or three nights out of it as well.

(If you’re really time crunched – crockpot, stew)

As time goes on I enjoy cooking for myself more and more, while too finding healthy foods to no longer be a thing viewed as boring and bland, but an enjoyable thing that too tastes good.

Maybe I’m starting to eat right. Meal prep? We’ll see. I’d like to do tilapia for a time, probably tilapia twice a day, eggs once, beef once, lay off the milk and juice calories some, eat a salad more often – just see what an enjoyable healthy fat loss diet does for me.

I’m pretty amped to go lift again. Once the salad is done I’ll do more two hand mismatch presses.

…..

It’d be cool to have your regular training be so close to what a strongman competition is so as to have the two, a session vs a competition be somewhat interchangeable.

Still thinking about that local gym, still sticking to The Cold Air Barbell Club.

…..

2nd Lift :

Sig Klein Mismatch Attempts
x8 kb right, db left
x8 kb left, db right

The mismatch Sig Klein challenge is close, now as an any given day type thing.

I can shoulder both with the kb left, db right – the coolest thing about the mismatched double bells is the SHEER VARIETY they’re providing.

This session provided a great upper back pump.

For the cleans you want the kettlebell going between your legs, the dumbbell going to the outside of your leg.

I get why on the kettlebell version it’s suggested between the legs, and why for me it was hang cleans outside my legs with dumbbells when I got it in a hotel gym nine months ago.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ijkJDsYIgg4?

outside the legs hang cleans felt right

The mismatch makes for an interesting pull, the torso twisted a bit with kettlebell going down your exact center, whole the dumbbell goes off to your side.

There’s a cross body aspect to the pull.

That feels right for the mismatched pair, if it was a pair of matching bells I’d do one or the other.

…..

35

…..

•cheesy bread thing
•¾lb steak
•home fries
•12oz cherry coke
•12oz cranberry juice

…..

Work food for tomorrow may just be cheese sticks, I didn’t get salami for sandwiches last time I was at the grocery store.

…..

25

…..

I’m reinstituting the policy of “no cellphone overnight in the bedroom”.

Can’t watch porn when the phone is in another room.

I’m finished with watching porn infrequently, shaving because of it, etc.

I’ll just do the disciplines I know keep me on the right path.

…..

The whey is barely within date. I’d purchased it about 15 months ago.
Walmart cheapo, Body Fortress, in a flavor the internet seems to say no longer exists….

•8oz milk
•scoop BANANA whey (shaken not stirred)
•one cheese stick

A nice 40g protein right before bed.
In that tasty synthetic banana, which I truthfully enjoy to the surprise of everyone aside from myself and one old training partner.

I remember I stopped drinking whey because between protein powder and the caffeine from the soda fountain was speeding my metabolism too much.

Right now with the kettlebell I want a faster metabolism.

Protein speeds metabolism.

I may drink a scoop or two a day until the tubs (I have more than one flavor on hand) are gone.

We’ll see what happens.

…..

20

…..

35, 5

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Having watched a movie til the 3am hour, I start the day off after having slept into the afternoon by eating a pack of ramen, with raisins and peanuts, a couple tall glasses of milk, and a can of coke.

That taking 5:00, I could’ve cooked eggs or almost have cooked a steak in the same amount of time – this was being real lazy.

That’s a problem with americans – the real lazy lifestyle, not cooking healthy meals, watching lots of television, not working out.

I’ve been watching television the past few days, and I’m just viewing it as a destress, something for a brief period, before likely going back on the wagon.

•ramen
•peanuts
•raisins
•can vanilla coke
•quart milk

……

I’m into the idea of really milking the see-saw press for a time, building training around that.

The off center front squat as movement #2, the swing a more distant #3, maybe fat grips curls and overhead squats with the barbell as extra to the kb/db work.

With the availability of tools/toys in my developing (third world?) home gym with the kettlebell being brand spanking new, I don’t intend to hit the same session two days in a row EVER.

1st Lift :

See-Saw Press
10, 8, 7, 5

even on both sides as per mismatch bells, always started with db

F. Sq
4l+4r+3l+3r+2l+2r

Mismatch Shrugs
12
kb r, db l

…..

The kettlebell is awkward, and long sets demand long time under tension.

That’s likely why you huff and puff so much with them.

The awkwardness of a cannonball with a handle, and the nature of the exercises themselves – this is why the kettlebell demands high tension.

Yes I know what girevoy sport is.
I’m talking about my experience thus far using my new kettlebell.

You have to be strong to snatch a kb, hold (ish) at lockout the kb, whilst doing so reach down to the ground, grab the db, clean it, and then do your shoulder exercises once both bells are shouldered and at the ready.

I can already tell this bell work is going to make me very strong.

Why did I not invest in a kb(s) sooner?

The off center front squat is awesome.

It surprised me that I can’t really squat with the bell racked with one arm only, that I have to hold it with the other hand as well.

Would any other object on one shoulder feel the same way squatting?
That’d be a cool experiment, best with a training partner – them as weight for pushups, squats, and a sturdy pullup bar plus the weights for weighting that.

That’s what I call “gorilla calisthenics”.
That’s the lifting you want for wrestling strength.

Outside a practice partner, sandbags are affordable to build, and if you have access to kettlebells they’re plenty awkward.

…..

2nd Lift :

Two Hand Swings ss w/Neck Harness
15 swing/20x25lbs
12 swing/25x25lbs
8 swing/8x25lbs

the 8s done with higher tension on both exercises, practicing to hike bell back consciously with lats, and real controlled with a bit of good morning at both top and bottom to harness reps

more posterior chain work – there’s never enough posterior chain strength

it’s good to get in lots of mini sessions when you can

…..

Do you need to do aerobic work, or will intervals spill over, carrying the aerobic with the anaerobic?

The idea of walking with the pair of bells is an interesting idea.

Every so often stop and do an exercise, “walking weighted roadwork”, and I still like the idea of forming a big chunk of concrete in a box, using that as a physical toy.

Yesterday I carried a giant cardboard, we call it bin, box – I don’t know the ft³ off the top of my head, around 15, and with my short arms barely able to grab the far side thought “this is 20lbs tops – I’d like to have to carry these dimensions but at say 150lbs sometime as a strength exercise”.

It’s good to have a foot in the labor world, which puts a foot in the strongman world via thoughts on the job, to lift weights outside as your thing, all this better than the 2d mundane of an indoor gym.

I have a hard time picturing going back to gyms now.

……

“living is something opposite of passively trying to not die” – I paraphrase, found this a powerful belief

…..

Looking at my coworker’s lifestyles, it seems obvious to me that there’s a certain joie de vivre about the existences of some.

It’s something that one with too much brain thinks out of themselves by too much education/indoctrination, too much thinking, too much planning.

Not enough impulsivity, not enough going with the flow of the moment.

This argument is why I had started taking the brain out of the gym, just doing, not caring any detail, talking to everyone, having fun, being playful with it, the act of it.

I’ve been getting there again with The Cold Air Barbell Club, and though aspects would be nice and convenient, that’s why I’m sticking for the time to yard lifting.

My coworker had told me he once got laid by, while driving her home after an early date with the woman who is now his wife, the mother of his third child, JUMPING OUT of his truck, chasing a deer that had froze in his headlights out of the road into the woods, back into the cab panting “I almost got him”.

…..

After about 30 days of kettlebell, having now gotten into see saw pressing, I’ll test and see where my 185lb barbell press for reps is.

…..

•four sticks twix candy

3rd Lift :

KB 1 Arm Row
25l, 25r
DB Side Press
15l, 12r, 8r, 10l, 5r

PostWorkout Meal :

•two hotdogs
•24oz milk

this was all within a ten minute time span

…..

60

…..

Dynamic Tension Feeder Workouts :

I tend to do this standing in the bathroom, I’ll call it dynamic tension since it’s flexing, without weights, but with range of motion.

I’m standing, simulating hammer curls, pushdowns, then with torso motion – a chest press and a row.

Everything is firing hard.

…..

Yep, watching youtube held no draw.

…..

•chocolate covered pb pretzels
•milk

as a half box of fish sticks cooked to make

•fish sandwiches (fish sticks, six slices american cheese, four slices bread, butter)
•20oz cherry coke

…..

25

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

25

…..

•cheese stick

I like having a little cheese in me before work, it’s good energy, sits well, the glass of water with it tasted so good

this is my ideal work day breakfast, a glass of water and one to three cheese sticks

…..

I’ve got plenty of time to get ready for work, sitting on the toilet – kinda pooped, and my neck is real sore – I figure it was trying my hand at the 32kg bell attached to the neck harness not having done neck harness in awhile.

See, there’s two ways to train up to something :

Firstly I’ve done 90lbs on a neck harness in the past, I know my neck is pretty strong just on maintenance.

Wrestling in high school was a godsend that way, and while I never got to crazy levels of bridging drills, just wrestling patty cake style against your practice partner will build more neck strength than anyone outside of wrestling…

The neck harness.

It’s best to start light, for me that’d be 20-25 reps with 20-25lbs, do that daily for a week or so, then the next week add a set, get to 100 reps daily, then add 2½-10lbs.

The coolest way I ever progressed the harness was at a gym with the full selection of donnie thompson fat bells, so I’d just connect one to the harness and when I was hitting a set of 50+ with it I’d jump to the next bell, which were 9-12lb jumps as I recall, if that jump felt too heavy, not clearing about 35 reps on the first try, I’d drop back to the last bell and use it to 75-100 reps then rejump in weight.

I could use the moderate approach.

Nothing looks so powerful as a bull neck.

Or, there’s the “try – partials” approach.
You’re incapable of the full rep, but you try to get as close to it as possible, straining against the weight, and getting more and more range of motion as time goes on…

Eventually you get it, then soon after you start repping it.

…..

Work :

silly silly easy – I’m talking ~6 plastic totes into the truck easy

…..

•20oz pepsi

I bought an unnecessary preworkout on the way home – enjoyed it too

…..

It’s kettlebell time!

1st Lift :

Side Press
10r, 10l kb
12r, 12l db

Mismatched Press
2×6

hard to shoulder both with kb in left hand, then saw stars during presses that set

Gorilla Cleans
not really happening – not making switch with db to shoulder having shouldered kb first

See-Saw Presses
2x6s

second set, kb at right lockout fell to right shoulder as I shouldered db two hands anyhow from ground

Snatch
3l, 3r

Swing
8l, 8r

F.Sq + Swing
3fsr+3swr+3fsl+3swl

still need two hands for fsq rack most reps, kinda don’t when I really flex my wrist

Mismatched Shrugs
5 reps with kb l, db r

didn’t bother evening this out

I’m gassing so much with the new toy – which is perfect.

I want to be inefficient, burning fat – the huffing and puffing is exactly what I want

The kb and mismatched kb+db work is very high tension, I’ve a long way to go

…..

•pb & cheese sandwich
•piece of breaded chicken

…..

An aerobic base would help a lot.

I was huffing having moved quickly to load our half dozen items into the truck, and again with the kb.

I’d forgotten to use the neck harness, so…

…..

2nd Lift :

Neck Harness
25x25lbs
KB C&P Every Rep Style
5 x each side
Swings
8r, 8l
Lateral Swings
6r, 6l
Two Handed Swings
10

swings & rowing erg would be an AWESOME mix for cardio w/strength

I love how much my heart races from this stimulus – not a bad idea to take the bells to a parking lot and mix both carries and jogging, mix strength into my cardio – I need the cardio, particularly an aerobic base again – also keep making the heart bump, it’ll help here as well

…..

I’ve not yet used headphones while lifting the kettlebell.

It may stay that way.

Without headphones you’re more in touch, feeling the heart beat, catching your breath, tasting the fresh outdoor air.

…..

Dumbbell VS Kettlebell – Initial Thoughts :

I bought the kettlebell since swings feel better with one than with a dumbbell to me.

That’s the main advantage to the kettlebell. It’s better for swings.

The presses are smoother with a dumbbell, which has a better balance for pressing sheer weight.

The kettlebell is more an odd object press…

Bottoms up being an exercise in tension, regular being odd with the bell resting down your forearm – they’re different bar paths than a dumbbell which compared feels very easy to move from a to b vertically, shoulder to lockout.

They’re all different press stimuli, similar but different.

For one bell cleans I’m liking the kb better.

I think I’d prefer dumbbells for two bell cleans, but I’ve never tested this with similarly heavy enough kettlebells so as to be sure.

My gut says “if you were to purchase the implements to film a c&p with a pair of 100s, you’d prefer to own a pair of 100lb dumbbells than kettlebells”.

It’s real interesting getting both my 75lb db, and my 32kg kb to shoulders.

I’ve yet to manage a clean getting both to shoulder in one go.

So far it works best getting the kb up to one shoulder, then muscling the db to the other.

Getting the dumbbell to shoulder first then muscling the kettlebell to the other was a serious brute force thing as I did not have the coordination to get the kb to rack, I got it mostly there, then basically arm wrestled it to rack from the top of a curl, a weird thing in midair.

Goblet squat?
Ha! I’ve always preferred putting the bell on shoulders for front squat, whether db resting on shoulder or now kb in rack.

There’s a lot of room for “rugged” in figuring out cleans with these mismatched bells as described above.

The two hands anyhow, in every permutation, ditto.

Two hands anyhow with the pair, with current coordination made most sense with kb at lockout (press or snatch), an atg squat to get to the db, then forgiving it out from there.

I thought I’d easily gorilla clean, the coordination was not there yet.

…..

A quick search says concrete weighs ~150lbs per cubic foot.

Now I’d had an idea before looking that up…

I’m working at a moving company, standard box sizes…a one five box (1.5) = ~225lbs, and it’s not ridiculous in dimension.

There’s your implement in the vein of basque stone to shoulder.

Two 1.5s and a length of pipe and you’ve a 450lb fixed weight axle.

Find a patch of yard you’re okay with tearing up, or build a sand pit, and now you grease the groove with a 450lb axle deadlift.

Can’t deadlift it?
Pull partials til you can.

Deadlift is easy?
Maybe try continentals with that unwieldy thing.

You’re a professional strongman when you can get that thing from ground to overhead.

…..

•chicken noodle casserole (small amount)
•½box fish sticks as two fish sandwiches
•six slices american cheese
•can vanilla coke
•12oz milk

really was craving taquitos, should’ve bought a box – the kettlebell is revving my metabolism, I’m hungry, and for fairly clean foods at that, other than the sodas – lately I’ve really been liking fish

I wonder what tilapia goes for right now?

The kettlebell may be sparking an instinctive urge to fat loss diet.

…..

30

…..

Though gorilla cleans didn’t work I can get both the mismatched bells to shoulder…

A long ugly drawn out Sig Klein (ish) challenge, maybe at times having to shoulder the bells one at a time, as the cleaning different implements is iffy for getting a good clean – earlier today I was getting the one to shoulder then muscling the other into position – doing that for 12+ reps, it’d be from the hang mind you, sounds like a deliciously evil amount of time under tension…as is the see-saw press.

…..

35, 15
•12oz milk

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

shoveling

…..

25, 15

…..

shoveling

…..

I have to thank my dad for moving us to New England as a child for I had to shovel snow which built a good working base, gym, and labor.

Sometimes I wonder if people I’ve crossed paths with in New England at the gym either :

1. Never shoveled snow.
2. Always view it as a struggle.

It’s an hour long process to get the mail, clean off my car, clean The Cold Air Barbell Club, and get to lifting.

The kettlebell arrived today…

Couldn’t not clean up the gym so as to play…

…..

Wow, it feels heavier than I expected!

I’d been so antsy waiting for it’s arrival – time to test!

Lift :

Bottoms Up Press

Right
fail catch
fail ½ press
fail ½ press
Press (could’ve been controlled at lockout better)
Press (controlled at top, almost perfect negative – less control at final rep than desired, a perfect rep would’ve had control there too)

Left
fail ½ press
fail ⅔ press
set of 5 cleans to rack ish (first was fail to catch well enough, so did hang cleans

It’s going to take some work to steady the 32kg enough to add plates to it for heavier bottoms up presses

Bottoms Up Cleans 1st From Ground, Reps From Hang
strong x 5
weak x 5

this can be used for and focused on catching in solid rack

done shirtless, slight wind, ~40°, slight wind, done shirtless – ie channeling my inner russian, and craving… борщ (borscht), I have a small salad with beats that I’ll probably eat tonight.

Swings
7l, 7r

got me huffing and puffing
perfect – glutes, wind, fat loss in a streamlined logistical package

Off Center Front Squats
7l, 7r, 5l, 5r
had to use both hands to hold in front rack, will have to work on EVERYTHING – rack needs more strength:) which genuinely gladdens me – I see how the upper back will strengthen progressing to being able to off center front squat with the bell in rack

Very high muscular activation, squeezing at the top – perfect, exactly what I was looking for

Neck Harness
sort of – too heavy for training, wasn’t reaching lockout without hand assistance – drop to 20 or 25lbd and add movement in regularly

One Arm Row
15l, 15r

hadn’t touched a kettlebell since a one off in November 2021 – still could right hand bottoms up press, and though a fail I’d call the left hand presses lost going up as a PR – I don’t recall ever being able to come close to pressing it that side

I can already tell this is going to REALLY build core strength, I bet my biceps will get bigger/stronger via the “what the hell” effect, and this bell was purchased to swing – for glutes, which I can tell will train well with this.

32kg, worth the $112 I payed for it from titan. I’ve got a training tool/toy for life, while now I can definitely say the kettlebell really does build a strength worth more than it’s marked weight.

I get to run with this tool/toy, milk it for all it’s worth.

I’ve already realized that via rope/chain and plates I can add weight for side presses, rows.

…..

•24oz apple juice

…..

shoveling again

Shoveling builds the strength a man needs to wrestle, box – again thank you dad.

shoveling & kettlebell – a solid combination

…..

•breaded chicken

…..

forgot to take out the db and therefore did not see saw press, “gorilla clean”, or any two bell lift combination

I also did not try “lateral raise” swings which sound fun to me, applying force to the side – something I’ve only goofed around with while using a small bell

…..

•12oz milk

…..

I had a bunch of kettlebell related internet tabs open…and realized “I’m not going to read here – I’m doing”.

I’ve read kettlebell content in the past, so I’m not entirely blank slate here, but with the idea “no book knowledge means no preconceived limitation” I’ll be running this kettlebell thing without anymore reading on the subject, so as to be as close to blank slate/no preconceived notions as possible.

I intend this as a body transformation tool.

At this point I expect no changes to how I eat, but that could change – tilapia is clean, and is still a craving on my palette, tuna & water sounds a fun experiment.

Basically I’m, in a small step with this bell, being both open to possibility, and am doing something new.

Most will be figured out as I go.

…..

Years back, I had a gym floor acquittance, a guy in his early 40s, in good shape, with a fairly large frame, and kinda bro personality – he’d train in his high school basketball tshirt which told me he graduated the year I was born, was surprised I had no idea who his daughter was (two years younger than me – we’d never crossed paths in school), but at 6’2″, an in shape 215, again his early 40s, he’d regularly end workouts with “kip up” for reps, like 3×8 between abs and stretching.

I recently spoke about this with my father, he knew what they were, and was like “I did those in high school pe class – the gymnastics portion”, and I then pictured a lanky 6’2″ probably 155lb teenage version of my father doing them in class, and think to myself “cool”, and “man has school gotten soft – my dad did both gymnastics and wrestling in pe class while I had to go out for the wrestling team, and really figure all the physical stuff out for myself – there wasn’t effective guidance at school”.

The jujimufu “100 backflips” thing was awesome. I’ve still never done one, and doing them for reps is the type of primally strong we are looking for.

The off center stuff with the kettlebell is a weight version of that primally strong were looking for.

I’d like to be smashing “gorilla calisthenics” (human weighted calisthenics) volume – but I’m training alone.

A sandbag would kinda be that, and other, stimulus.

The kettlebell will be primary, maybe exclusive, lifting for a time – say a month and change.

Rebuilding the sandbag may the the primary, maybe exclusive, lifting for, say march of this year.

…..

In contrast to the “not reading on kettlebells” I still had a bunch of tabs open – dan john on armor building rings true, and “the exercise” as well as fat grips curls are things I may do as well as kettlebell work for the time, and again eric bugenhagen popped up…

He could be the human norm. Nothing he does is impossible. Go mad in your training.

…..

•½pb, b, cheese, & j sandwich
•brownie
•milk

…..

20

…..

Still, without a gym to go to, it’s a fight to watch shit or not. Late night I may watch Scooby Doo or something as I eat again.

It’s times like this, though I’m not going outside now, that I purchased the kettlebell to swing during.

A kettlebell swing doesn’t make the noise deadlifting does – it’s fine in the yard during weird hours.

…..

•½pb, b, cheese, & j sandwich
•brownie
•milk

watched some shit with it, not Scooby Doo after all lol – I’m not stressing watching little bits of stuff anymore, just compulsively writing down when I do lol

…..

25

…..

25

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

A Gym Dream :

dreamt of an odd gym…

The owner was weak, seriously so, didn’t bench his bodyweight, and expected all members to buy his programming – beginners being expected to rotate lifts, percentages, and use all the bands (bells) and chains (whistles lol) you could imagine.

The staff was the owner and his wife, the wife very popular a trainer for all the fit women going there, which seemed to be almost the entire clientele.

In the dream my buddy had told me this place had all the equipment you’d ever want, then was hazy as to why he wasn’t going there – I ended up checking it out.

There was some odd machine, cables but meant to simulate the powerlifts.

Different. Unnecessary. EXPENSIVE

I had been using it to deadlift, everyone kinda shocked as I went up plate by plate, eventually found a barbell, and the owner being like “what are you doing”, I told him, and asked if the place had an axle…

“You’d have to go much lighter. Are you going to use it for back offs?” and he smirked.

“No, I’ll keep upping weight. I’m only at 405 right now.”

The wife/co-owner, a cute 5’9″ fit woman in her early 30s with pink and neon green dyed hair, says in dreamy tone “but no one pulls that heavy on an axle.”

“I do”, and she makes “the look”

The husband/co-owner (auto correct wanted me to type clown there) “no one pulls even 405 on an axle.”

“I’ve pulled 500” I state.

“That’s impossible!” he knee jerk blurts in condescending tone.

505

“It was mix grip. 315 double overhand.”

“But no one even pulls 205 on an axle.”

I woke up at that point

…..

10, 5

…..

It struck me that if you were to do something like kickbox, row (erg), and hike (quickly with a pack) that you’d end up very very solid, with size simply dictated by calories.

…..

•two packs ramen w/grits
•pb
•cheese
•butter
•cranberry juice

added umami and a bunch of garlic powder to the ramen/grits mix

this is about the cheapest 1000+ calories you’ll ever get

sometimes I think it’s mostly energy, not the particulars that matter

…..

Sometimes I look in the mirror and see a fat guy.

Sometimes I look in the mirror and think “damn bro you’re jacked”.

Reality is that I carry too much body fat at present.

This is fixed by improving run performance (spring/summer/fall or even rocky style in the snow), and getting stronger as cardio improves.

…..

Often it’s best not to have the information on a physical ability, to practice it without outside influence…because there are no mental barriers that way.

…..

scraped ice simply to enjoy the fresh air

…..

It’s not habit again, but I’m starting to do calf raises with frequency.

For a good part of high school I did 100 a day, started at 25 daily for a week, added a set of 25 til I was at 4×25 on the fourth week, eventually compressed it to 3×35, 2×50, 1 x amrap 1x remainder, and once capable of 1×100 would just rotate between these 1-3 set variants, usually doing 3×35 cause I found it most fun.

Needless to say I had good calves.

But I know of two with larger calves ;

My buddy, who’s mom never learned to drive, and grew up in the homeless lifestyle walking/jogging EVERYWHERE, well for the fun of it he’d do HIGH REP calf raises, I’d seen him go to the 500s in a set, and at around 5’8″ 160 he had probably 19″ calves.

My uncle 5’9″ and stocky, he has his plumber’s forearms from youth, and actively tries to lose calf size.

He habitually hikes. It’s his hobby.
His calves are known to massively cramp nightly – they get massive activation with all the walking he does.

…..

You put on shoulders real quick with frequent pressing.

…..

There’s value in looking sharp.
Buzz cut and beard.

Why do I never stick to clean dieting?

…..

Could I go a month without lifting weights?

I went over a week multiple times last year.

Wow was I bummy in 2022.

…..

•two donuts
•milk

…..

Phone in hand I’m too focused on the screen.

Look wider.

…..

•donuts
•chicken noodle casserole
•milk

watched another movie with this meal, choosing not to stress if I watch some stuff – just not too much, it’s not worth the mental effort of stressing

…..

Lift :

Side Press
12 each side w/75lb dumbbell

I really like the side press. When I do one arm pressing I don’t stress how loose my form is, hence side presses. It’ll be cool to have a similarly weighted kettlebell soon.

I very well may stick to the db & kb for lifting for a little while – a pair of 75 dbs is worth 185 on a barbell, whether one or two arm, or see saw pressing the 32kg kb and 75lb db will be an interesting change to just barbell pressing.

It’s only 32kg-75lbs either way, I’d be able to do the same with a 100lber – just don’t have access, and know the bell work will up my barbell work.

…..

When that kb arrives it’s gonna be daily, I’m amped, and it’s either going to be front squats bookended with swings, or I realized I could ladder clean-front squat-press to good use, again likely bookended with swings.

Kettlebell one arm presses could end up an expensive hobby, I might have to start trainings people to afford equipment.

I see no reason I couldn’t get from a 32kg press now to eventually the 203lber.

A kettlebell habit could make a weightlifter out of me.

Finances!

…..

25

…..

Drank a lot of water today, over a gallon.
There is such thing as too much, but the body likes water, and I did this instinctively.

…..

Eureka!

I love tilapia.
It’s probably still cheap at walmart…

No reason not to grill in the winter…

Aluminum foil, garlic powder, and butter – my buddy showed me the aluminum foil on the grill with tilapia thing YEARS ago.

This could be the time to make use.

Garlic butter tilapia could be my fat loss diet answer. I really like the stuff.

…..

The problem with kettlebells is that 32kg/70lb is only 32kg/70lb – it’s not that heavy.

The same problem applies to the Sig Klein challenge ; a pair of 75lb dumbbells is only 150lbs.

There’s a whole lot of room for growth.
Push your reps into the stratosphere, and work every possible movement – treat your set weight implements like the old time strongmen did.

It’d be genuinely cool to have access to a pair of kettlebells from every jump starting at 16kg/35lb to the 92kg/203lb.

Someone out there could clean and press a pair of 203s.

…..

35

…..

•big bowl of cereal
•pb, b, cheese, & j
•milk

make two sandwiches, the second to start tomorrow with – learned that in cali making them for ravenous real late feedings, the extra in the off chance I wanted to eat before bringing my grandma to all her appointments

…..

Remember when bugenhagen did 20 rep squats daily?
…..

35, 15

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

shoveling (again)

do I want to be in california?

in the past few days it’s become winter

…..

I just discovered there’s a weightlifting gym near me, and promptly thought “nope”.

Gym dues have gotten ridiculous.

Powerlifting places charge $60-70/month (still wishy washy about going there), small “specialized” facilities tend to be over $100/month – it’s absurd.

I don’t need to blow that many dollars to be forced to follow the group workout.

Maybe the fact I’m not making a bundle complicating lifting weights is where I’ve gone wrong.

To be able to separate gym as career from gym as personal passion so as to make $$$$ from it.

Can you make it as a trainer truly helping others?

I’m good at programming for others, and easily talk people past their preconceived limits.

It was cool as hell getting him out of the 4×10-15 area on the leg press and him repping to almost 80 before a distraction ended the set.

Same weight. Never had thought to “not count” before.

“Dude, that’s light. You’re not nearly going to your limit with sets of 10, 15. You’ll break 50, maybe over 100 reps. Don’t count. I’ll count for you. Clear your mind. Go!”

And throughout the set gave encouragement “you’ve got more”, then count down “10 more, 9, 8…, okay, 5 more, okay 5 more”, “turn the brain back off”, just keeping him going.

An acquittance came up and talked to him conversationally mid set. That is what ended it.

…..

I look at my midsection in the mirror and think “partial front squats will thicken it right up = crazy six pack as I lose fat”.

And we’re either at the powerlifting gym, purchasing some form of rack to throw outdoors or fricken moving.

…..

•chicken quesadilla

I make myself a lot of quick mexican food.
Rotisserie chicken is a food prep cheat code.

I’m at frequent eating at present.
That feels right.

…..

shoveling
not heavy today, a light 3″ left over from last night/this morning

…..

This old timer is hilarious.

Bout a week ago, same time of day he’s coming off shift.

Looks at a college blonde behind me in line who had impulsively picked up, then set back a valentine’s candy, repeating with a smaller one, and deadpan says to her “you forgot the card didn’t you”.

Today as I walk into the store he looks at me, and says roughly “have you tried stopping lifting weights yet”.

I laughed, stopped, looked at him, and told him “you know I haven’t been to a gym in about a year and a half”.

He said something else which I didn’t quite catch, maybe “you’re plenty big now” and repeated his first comment. Either way I got a good laugh out of the exchange.

Possibly a curmudgeon, I wasn’t really catching his tone of voice either time, but found his comments funny both times.

The uninhibited old timer.

They tend to be amusing to interact with, more alive than a bunch of the miserable youngsters.

“have you thought about stopping lifting weights yet – you’re plenty big now” ← him (there it is)

The funny thing is…

…..

Upon returning home STILL HAVE DAYLIGHT

Lift :

Press
12×165 close to strict
10×165
9×165
6×165
6×165 STRICT

ALL BRUTE FORCE HEAVES!
EASY PRESSES!
VOLUME BABY!

most reps strict or near it, not a loose form rep out session

I guess I didn’t stop lifting – it would’ve been a good video, singing, dancing, ice scraping during my rest periods – cleaning up the gym every session goes without saying right now, etc

…..

London broil $3/lb, kielbasa 2lbs are $8, the former is, and the latter is nearly precovid price.

The guy in line in front of me griped grocery costs, while I had the least inflation purchase in awhile.

…..

•three donuts
•milk

…..

What would I have to do to dunk a basketball?

I’d dreamt of doing backflips last night.

…..

•.6lb steak
•three donuts
•milk
•american cheese

…..

10, 15

…..

You can compare yourself to others or not at all – that’s mostly irrelevant. Lifting is your personal journey however you go about it.

…..

That old timer’s commentary earlier has me thinking :

Press a bunch works well for plenty big and strong.

I know I’ve the ability to add high rep squats back in, in my back pocket to take it to another level.

Lower body horsepower adds to upper body potential.

I want to be able to heave 300lbs to shoulder as easily as I did 165lbs today – no jump, no foot movement, almost a bent row into a bar floating good morning and the bar is shouldered, then press it for double digit reps STRICT with pause at top and bottom.

The ugly heaves are why I have big biceps.

…..

When the kb arrives I could press mismatched weights and implements for a time, get some variety past barbell.

75lb db and 32kg kb – use all variants – two arm, one arm, and see-saw presses

Oh man, some two hands anyhow!

See saw in particular gets you a lot stronger than you’d expect based on bell weight – I’ve experienced that in the past.

…..

•two cheese sticks
•big bowl of cereal
•milk
•cranberry juice

I’m going to have to start cooking pounds of meat, always having some cooked on hand – practicality reasons this = beef stew, and purchasing more cheese which is the center of my work, breakfast, and snack foods.

Meat and/or cheese is more nutritious than a big bowl of golden grahams in the 11 o’clock hour.

I like to have meat with most feedings, whereas cheese, though animal product – the good protein and nirvana that is saturated fat…it’s not meat.

I stand by eating before bed. Sleep better that way I’ve found.

…..

10, 10 (pushups – no need to state it from here on out)

…..

Persistence & Tenacity