Category: Dreams

Two days ago I pressed 14x165lbs, a PR, and thought that the next day I would test pressing 185lbs, see if I’d be able to get it for ten reps which too would be a PR.

Eating garbage before yesterday’s pressing, the choice I made, I only hit it for eight, a PR tie.

Wouldn’t you know that I dreamt of pressing last night!

185lbs felt light as a feather, nearing the tenth rep the dream became lucid and I started using form that is beyond my flexibility levels in real life.

Realizing I had control I just kept pressing.

10 became 20, 20, became 30, at 35 I decided it was going to be all fast olympic presses with a big layback, continental pressing, actually resting the bar on my upper ribcage of all places between reps.

Big layback!

I found a real strong groove, pressed while laughing about how ugly the form I was choosing to use was.

During reps 47, 48, and 49, I cleaned the form up, on rep 50 I did that silly looking pushing of the head through that some people are apt to do.

It’s a lucid dream, then like with my real life pushups I said “and for good measure”, clicked my heels together to military attention, and pressed a crisp, pretty, perfect military form rep (the bar moving around the jaw, not tilting the head back a tad) that even the strictest of 1800s british weightlifting judges would pass with a “good show” while smoking on a pipe.

Then I woke up.

Shall I press today?
When shall I hit 10×185?

We shall see.
Regardless the answer is soonest.

I can taste pressing 10x225lbs off of a heave.

Persistence & Tenacity

This dream was quite realistic, other than planet fitness included climbing ropes, a swimming pool, a wrestling mat, and the most villified of things…power racks, barbells, and deadlift platforms.

It was like a good college football weight room was combined with planet fitness, a pool, and wrestling training.

Great place, funny (dreamt) story :

Me, present reality me, was doing chin ups in the various grips you can hit on the assisted chin/dip machine.

I was doing these for variety, the assistance knee pad down (it does adjust down, at least on some models), and pushing the pace.

Running from high rep sets to low rep sets with nearly no rest periods I was down to twos and threes rotating through a few hand positions.

A big dude was making fun of me, he looked quite familiar from real life, making fun of my only doing doubles and triples.

“Okay motherfucker, what we competing on.”

He said to move to the regular pullup bar for a rep out.

Now I’m looking at this dude, thinking “dumbass sees I’m hitting twos and threes, probably can’t do one himself, and wants to lift off on regular grip pullups”.

We walk to the pullup bar, I move the climbing rope out of the way.

“I’d rather do chins.”

He takes no issue with me using chin up grip for the competition.

I hop up.

Perfect form.

Banging them out, getting massive stretch reflex power out of the bottom.

5 reps – easy
10 reps – got the groove
20,30 – flyin
39 – dude interferes with the set, purposefully swinging that climbing rope at me

39 reps.
I dream high rep sets of pullups (chins technically in this dream) on a regular basis.

Persistence & Tenacity

The dream set in somewhat of a bizzaro world, picture something batman’s joker would design…

I came across this business half hockey goofy sports specific training, half hockey themed arcade.

I wasn’t impressed :

•knowing I’m a better trainer, that basic strength and conditioning work would give better results than for example electronically measuring the reaction time of shifting weight laterally while on skates.

•with the arcade part, being I have no use for video games, and the ridiculous cost of tokens to play anything else (that mini bowling thing for example) that I might have.

1 token for $5
4 tokens for $19

I remember the price, tokens are supposed to be more like 25¢. The price was inverted.
Outside nearby was a crossfit like competition going, and in front of the hockey arcade building with crowds of event spectators walking by was a high long pullup bar made of pipe.

Speaking with the owner/head trainer of the hockey place near the bar I was saying better results and ability would come from that pullup bar.

He called me out.
I jumped up.

Initially coming close up a muscle up, it was then I started to think I was in a dream…it started turning lucid.

With the urging of a very oddly built (huge muscular upper body, particularly her arms, tiny little legs) and tatted up ranked woman crossfitter I hit the muscle up…and kicked over into a handstand.

I have video for this part.

About 30 seconds into this handstand I told some goofy fat dude, who looked oddly familiar, to take a photo for me with my phone.

Directing him to find my phone while still holding position was interesting to say the least.

He took the photo, and decided to start filming with his phone.

All the while that hockey trainer/arcade owner guy was like “pfft not impressed – it’s just a handstand at 270″…while he himself couldn’t at 195.

Meanwhile a crowd was forming, more cameras were coming on (the flash annoying), and after a solid minute upside down to prove a point…I put on a show!

Freestanding handstand pushups balanced on a pullup bar 8-10′ above the ground.

1.
2.
3. The crowd starts clapping in sync with my rep speed.
4.
5. I zone out, in full flow state.
6.
7. I think, it could’ve been 8 or 10, I return to the ground slow and controlled.

Obviously not the dream.
I don’t have video of a freestanding hspu, though I’ve come close to one before.

I say a grade a one liner to the hockey trainer/arcade owner, thank the fat dude who’d initially photographed me during the long handstand hold, and speak with that woman crossfitter thanking her for the encouragement.

I pick someone out of the bunch who’d been filming in the crowd, give my contact information and say either send me the file or tag Persistence & Tenacity when you upload it.

Fun dream.
Now, the physical performance is beyond what I am currently capable of, but I am inspired by these – I take them as the subconscious giving me encouragement.

I’ve never had dreams where I do things physically impossible.

The performance?
It’s within the realm of possibility.

Persistence & Tenacity

I was out for a walk, oddly with me was this goofball slacker kid that did JROTC as well back in high school.

The dream may have been set senior year of the same, though at least one person in the dream would be very out of context in that time frame.

(A college chick, she wouldn’t be in high school too, somewhere in elementary school in real life at the time.)

Going from point a to point b, I came across this little park, mostly a sandpit with a couple pullup bars.

It was a combination of more than one outdoor pullup spot I’ve used over the years.

Figuring to not waste the opportunity to play on a new bar, I started doing pullups.

Something I wrote yesterday on the note of weighted pullups obviously was in my subconscious.

A lot from yesterday, the last week even, showed in this dream.

So I jump up for pullups.

PR in real life is 25 chins…

To start I hit 34 pullups.

The kid I knew from JROTC, he’s talking down my form, saying let’s get going, etc the entire time, lol – just like in high school he’s a PT slacker in the dream.

Still.

Ran into him at his job recently, he was griping to a teenage girl coworker how a JROTC instructor doesn’t recognize him.

I woke up laughing to have this kid basically as my sidekick in the dream, and laughed how running into the same instructor a week or so back he did recognize me, got my first name wrong and last name right – though I recognized the first name as that of a prior cadet he swore must be my cousin. I remember him asking me in high school if we were related, apparently very similar in both appearance and personality.

I never met the guy.

Back to the dream :

34 pullups in I wonder…can I do muscle ups?

Without dropping from the bar I start…

It ends up being either 20 or 22 muscle ups.

At 14 or 16 reps that kid distracted me, I slightly lost count, and wasn’t sure if I was at 14 or 16 reps, so I did 6 to be sure.

Definitely 20 reps.

Still hanging from the bar.

“16 more pullups makes 50” – I do them.

50 pullups and 20 muscle ups without dropping from the bar.

The dream performances are all in the realm of real life possible.

-J
Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. I’ll be backfilling all the unpublished days.

5/20/21 – Freestanding Handstand Pushups :

I keep dreaming that I’ve done freestanding handstand pushups.

It’s been two to four nights in a row.

A good deal later in the day did I realize that not only was it dream, but that I’d dreamt doing freestanding handstand pushups more than one night in a row, each night in front of different people and in different situations.

5/21/21 – 50 Pullups :

Man how I thought this was real!

Now I realize it was envisioning the near future, one kid at the gym had brought a 20lb weight vest in with him, and between the trash we talk to each other I ended up the on the bar for pullups to show what a real pullup performance would be.

Near future, I was weighing about 220, and had on that 20lb weight vest.

Right now, at 260 I’ve done as many as 22 pullups, 20 on a handful of occasions over the past few weeks.

Right now, being fatigued I’m good for 15 chins daily. It’s baked in.

Consistency builds results.

You don’t need your 100% ability to be a daily performance ability.

Tiring yourself to where you get 85% of your peak out on a daily basis, then adapting to that level of fatigue, and seeing what is a performance under fatigue increase and increase until it’s passed your previous peak performance…

YOU’RE A WHOLE LOT STRONGER

Yesterday I did 15 chins as my best set for the day.

I dreamt that I did 50 pullups with a 20lb weight vest on!

In the dream I took into consideration the day’s (15 chins) performance, and decided “no I’m going to put in a real performance”, and did so.

I knew I was built lean and mean, the weight vest inconsequential, I’d recently weighed more myself than myself wearing it then (260 vs 220+20).

15 in I started thinking “there’s no need for this to be hard”.

20 in I was thinking “I’ve done 22 at 260, this is only 240, I can hit around 30”.

Around 30 I realized I was thinking, turned off conditioned limits, and just got into the moment.

I counted reps yes, something that tends to turn the brain on too much, flow state is more easily reached when you do, but do not think, just do.

I stopped at 50 reps, weighing 220, while wearing a 20lb weight vest.

As soon as I realized that I had dreamt this my immediate thought was :

“It’s possible! It can be reality!”

Persistence & Tenacity

The Tiny Storefront Weightlifting Club :

Man, this was dream world, not reality.

I had showered up and was driving home from planet fitness. When I noticed a storefront sign…

I’ve heard that name before, I thought it was in a different town probably 40 minutes from here…

It must have moved closer.

I walk in.

Weirdly there was no one at the desk, no one in the office, no staff, or as small as this place was, no owner stopping or approaching me.

A few adults are paying attention to what looks like a weightlifting competition between a few teenagers, probably aged 14, all around 140lbs, all hitting good snatches and cleans.

One dude misses the jerk.
He’s pissed.
Another dude is now elated.

An adult writes down the result, “looks like we know who’s on the team then for the competition in two weeks”.

Seated in front of me, we’re on a three row indoor gymnasium style wooden bleacher, is this I’ll say 6’3″ 330lb 28yo, big dude.

He’s chomping down on a big bag of wendy’s (it was trademarked wendy’s, even dreams have paid product placements lol) and drinking from an open half gallon of chocolate milk.

Those adults who had been officiating that lightweight weightlifting team qualification are grumbling about lacking a heavyweight.

I guess this is a weightlifting club, I only see platforms, and barbells.

They’re trying to fill out a team to send to a competition.

Real old school, no stands as far as I can see. Just platforms, barbells, and bumper plates.

That fat dude introduces himself to me, shaking my hand, and before I reciprocate with my name, he’s hollering to those who had been officiating “I’ve got your heavyweight right here, look at him, I doubt the competition is going to be anything but a formality”.

I get pushed/dragged by all the adults present to the platform. Those teens who’d been competing had left.

They say I’ll open (I’m in street clothes, wearing beat up sneakers), and the other three are changing up in the locker room.

I figure fuck it, it’s an opportunity to max on olys, and I get the feeling firstly since no one has thought to day pass me yet that I make this team and I won’t have gym dues.

Secondly I ask a few questions, and it’s clarified that this is in fact the case. I like hearing this.

The owner, I still haven’t met him, loves weightlifting, and hates to send a team from his gym to competitions while not filling out every weight class.

He doesn’t care if you’re good or not. If he has so much as one member in any particular weight class they’re part of the team. They’re going. Statement. Not a question.

I’d walked in while all present were curious to see who would win the lightweight spot. It’s the gyms most contested/competitive weight class.

I’m told the heavyweights are all weak fat dudes.

Oddly the guy who’d been on the bleacher eating in front of me isn’t trying his hand.

They’re in the locker room.

I’m thinking fuck it, and in my street clothes with torn up sneakers, you know a pair of running shoes ready to sing their death song not to hit max snatches in, halfway between power and squat form I snatch 205, 1st attempt, I haven’t consistently done olys in 2½ years aside from a little yard lifting, and there’s a mix of groaning and celebration.

2 of 3 drop out at that, one takes 165, 185, fails the 205, and drops out.

Four heavyweights, sans the dude still on the bleachers, and I win on a 205lb snatch, and like that I have a free gym membership, located in my dream world really close to planet fitness and it’s showers, and was now expected to train seriously for something.

All gathered looked at my “retarded caveman heave, (← actual quote) and were saying I’ll get good form and shoot up in numbers fast.

Later I find out they have an eight station nautilas setup (partially disassembled, two or three parts set up solitary for space reasons) and one power rack in another room.

There was a really good seated press and lever arm lat pulldown on that nautilus setup.

The resident bodybuilder (50yo, 5’10”, 220, all veins everywhere, complete as per stereotype in string tanktop) was amped up having me on the weightlifting team, insisting I train with him, insisting he’s gonna have me bodybuild to over 300lbs with abs because because because, and to be even better at weightlifting.

His primary reason being because because because.

Growing people into weight classes is why his presence is tolerated at this weightlifting club, which is all weightlifters.

Maybe the dude who’d been on the bleachers in front of me was the one powerlifting exception

Never did meet the owner.

Cool dream.

Thoughts :

It would be interesting to see what I could do at a weightlifting meet, or strongman competition off of calisthenics mostly mostly at planet fitness.

Heck, a bench only meet would go well off of the smith machine. I am smith benching now in reality. I did today. I’m getting strong here.

And on the meets/competitions note – I’ve always been stronger outside of the weight room.

-J

1/22/21
I can’t help but laugh, that was quite the gym dream.

I had found, through trial and error, the “perfect programming”, and had opened a large facility halfway between warehouse and commercial gym where I taught it.

There I was massively successful getting athletes from the college to professional level.

I woke up briefly conscious of what I had dreamt, even recalling the minute details of this holy grail like programming, oft searched for by those who care little for actually training.

I fell back asleep, into the same dream. However, upon waking for the day I retained little of the exact details (the horror, I had not scribbled it down while more asleep than awake), the gist being somewhere around 80% of lifting being done on machines, using precise slow tempo, for muscle building/bodybuilding purposes, and 20% of training being barbell, particularly weightlifting, and strongman implements, which got more emphasis than the barbell.

80% bodybuilding, 20% converting all the built muscle to useable strength and power.

Ahh, I flashed back to axle cleans in real life, and struggle to recall if throughout the dream a single rep of bench press was done.

I do recall on the spot doing high rep heavy log pressing, proving a point about what I, and by extension my trainees, were capable of on a silly 225lb reps test with a twig to some scout or another.

I ranted and raved about the glories of pressing with real implements vs twigs, saying how everything (not just pressing) with a twig can be more better done with an axle or another implement.

That’s how I started recalling real life axle cleans, and really came to the realization I was dreaming, it was lucid dreaming from at least that point on if not before.

There was a clear emphasis on leg work, and pulling. Which even without all the minute details is the way of significant strength.

A relatively isolated part of a larger dream, this was downright cool.

At a park, though that’s not necessarily the right word, there was a huge crowd gathered in a public area, it seemed like a large nature area, open aired/no roof, with a building surrounding it.

Square likely still isn’t the right word for it. Foyer? Plaza?

Lots of grass, but interspersed with brick lined concrete walkways throughout. It wasn’t a garden.

The crowd was there, drawn by some announced event…to workout en masse.

Yet, there was no leader.
There’s this crowd (~500 people, it’s densely packed for the area) with the potential for a huge group workout or large formation PT.

Now I have a booming voice. In a high school assembly I called out loudly from the bleachers in front of the entire student body. Once at 21, I was almost brought down to the center of a college’s basketball/multi sport arena to make an announcement while the microphones were not working.

In the dream someone I was with went “there’s no one to lead”, and either suggested I lead the thing, or I was inspired by the griping to lead since there was in fact no mc, I look at him “yeah, I will”, turned my beat up sox cap around, remembered how I ran formation PT and drill back in jrotc, and started announcing and calling commands.

After getting everyone up to speed on the form of burpees we will do (the kind I’ve picked up from youtube), telling everyone to hold pace as best as they can, to not worry if they have to rest, but to try not to…

I was issuing exercise commands, leading 500+ people at burpees in group PT, under the sun, in what vaguely resembled a place/park I recall going with my grandparents to on a handful of occasions in SoCal.

The emotions of this felt great ; leading a large group in a healthy practice, and walking away from the spot I had the notion to set up setting a guinness world record for “most people doing burpees in unison at once”. Not a bad idea to set it up. I know all sorts of people would be in on it. You’d have people coming from all around to participate, and could even have multiple locations.

Persistence & Tenacity

Every evening at the same time it passes. Every time you’re home you hear it.

It’s whistle, it’s click clack on the tracks calls to you, the train on the tracks so close by, yet going who knows where. It sparks a wanderlust in your heart and in your soul every single time.

You want to time it, be next to the tracks at the right time and hop on.
Do hobos still ride the rails?

You want to find out, brave the heat, the cold, the wind, and see.

See what? What are you searching for?

The land, so much of which few else shall ever see. The destination doesn’t even matter so much be it west coast or somewhere in the middle.

You simply want to explore. Get out of here and do more.

You hear the whistle blowing. That opportunity is now past.

What shall be of tommorow?

-J