PT : Not Gym, Calisthenics, Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, CrossFit, Or Whatever, But PT

Archives :
9/13/19

1,2,3, One!
1,2,3, Two!

You’re looking at this physical shit all the wrong way.

Sometimes I find doing pushups by the 4 count gets my mind more militant.

When you’re PTing you’re going to war.

Exercise isn’t to be looked at in a sissy health view, from a narcissistic and feminine aesthetic view, or even in the way of pseudo tough tattooed and roided up screaming hardcore baloney.

It’s fucking PT. Military minded or prison minded. Sandbox or the yard.

I suggest you not only look at the military, but at prison. Read up on it.
You’ll learn something, and this is coming from, well I’ve never been in or been inside.

If necessary lie to yourself, the mind often the only place to be truly brutal in a sissy age.

Use whatever you’ve got, but best be putting in effort. Your body is always enough equipment, always was, always will be.

Make a routine. Stick with it. 365.
Pushups for me, my chest is too big, you can see, yet daily I’m on the floor, repping…for me.

Make a routine. Stick with it. 365.
You’re gonna either be sounding off, 4 counting, or doing mantras every rep. Eventually these practices change the brain…more primal.

PT

Good for you. Good for me.
Give me some ; PT!

Persistence & Tenacity

COVID Closed Your Gym? What Are You Gonna Do!

Covid closed my gym.

The grocery stores are sketchy right now as to what will and won’t be in stock.

What are you going to do?

I’ve had the following discussion with a coworker :

Which people are going to lose progress away from the gym?

Who’s going to shrivel up?

(I bet a lot of fitness youtube will, being that I view most as PED using weaklings who’ve never done something physically challenging in or out of the gym…and now without the requisite gym access to pump and preen.)

I noticed some were already dodging the gym before it closed.

On the flipside :

Who’s going to cut hard?

Who’s going to come out of this yoked up, more jacked than they’d been before?

“You’re lifting with a barbell in the yard aren’t you.”
“Yeah, probably the first time I’ve touched a barbell in the last 9 months aside from putting that barbell that was in a crate into the load last week”
“You’re the only person managing to lift weights more when the gym is closed.”

Without a gym I’m lifting weights everyday! I’m doing more barbell work in the rain than I’d get at my usual of planet fitness.

(pf is a good choice for empty parking lot video.)

Naturally I’m intermittent fasting, as I type (3/20/20 ~430pm) nearing a 24hr fast, looking forward to breaking it with takeout mexican food with my family.

(Takeout mexican with family, McDonald’s twice, a takeout pizza, yup that’s how scared of germs I am.)

I expect people to look at me at the gym in two weeks and go “damn J, without a gym you came back leaner AND more yoked!”

I thrive off of adversity!

Improv training is MY way!

The covid/corona virus doesn’t scare me. It’s more worrisome how people are responding to news of what is basically the flu.

Two, three weeks of this, I wonder how much belt sizes nationally will be lost.

I expect to be leaner, with more yoke, and more quads.

Persistence & Tenacity

Mentality : Max Out The Available Equipment

It’s a difference in mentality.

Just down the road is a barbell gym with all the equipment you can imagine…but (and I have my reasons) I’m not going there.

I’m at planet fitness, and frankly that’s where I expect to stay for some time.

I don’t view the place as limited. I’m in a different mindstate, I’m looking at it like “how can I max this place out”.

See, I’m all good maintaining gaining on nothing but pushups.

I’d be good with going out and just using a dip bar around people (possible at pf, it was real cool to do so in public parks in LA).

Barbells aren’t necessary no matter what someone who’s read Mark Rippetoe may think.

All equipment is an option, it’s all just bonus equipment.

Fine is zero equipment. Equipment, any at all is a bonus.

In that frame of mind pf ain’t very limited.

See it this way :

I’m not at 100 dips or even 20 pullups. That means the bars alone aren’t even close to maxed out.

PF has dumbbells up to 75lbs. Are you overshooting the Sig Klein challenge?

Century sets at the machine’s stack is not going to be a weak individual.

Are you repping the leg extension one legged?

How many plates you got on the smith machine?

How’s your weighted wrestler’s bridge, and bridge press?

What are you capable of on the stair climber?

With the right mentality pf is a whole lot more than just tanning, light weighrs, and lackluster intensity.

Persistence & Tenacity

2020 : Training With High Reps

I’ve written many times that all would be stronger putting in true effort in heavy hard high rep lifting.

I’ve never completed the Sig Klein challenge, and with my planet fitness membership have access to the requisite bells but no higher.

For days I’ve had the mental thought “blow it out of the water”, I’ll get past 20 reps with much heavier bells.

I’ve lost most desire to lift barbells as I have no gym to lift barbells at. Yet, I could do select high rep “conditioned strength” stuff in the yard. Overhead squats. Clean & Press.

At pf I could take something like the 35s and c&p all day til it’s ridiculously easy (50-100+ reps girevoy style without mental effort) then jump bell size.

(Same philosophy applies to long sets of dumbbell deadlifts.)

Adding reps and weight to everything planet fitness has to offer.

Run with the ultra high rep philosophy.

Ultra high reps get you stronger, stronger than you could possibly imagine.

Machine sets 50+ reps, 100+ reps a set.

It works well for the glute girls.

Assisted pullups with less and less assistance/more and more resistance, rep ranges like 10×10 or 20+. Why not a set of 50 reps taking away one notch of assistance each time you hit it?

I’ve done over 100 dips before. Improvised location, the corner of the landing in front of my apartment door. It was solely honest effort into the movement.
It means I can do it again. Who says I should only do sets of ~25?
Triple digit sets with added weight is physically possible.

You can go very far when you use true honest effort. This requires no limiting beliefs. Limited equipment gets me here. It’s why improv training always works for me. It’s why planet fitness works for me.

I HAVE to be strong!

No barbell access? This put a chip on my shoulder.

You’re going to be a strong and conditioned individual going super high rep on everything available at pf.

This is my bodybuilding path at present, high reps, pf, red meat.

The simplest effective workout ever is to take one dumbbell and just clean & press all day long.

There’s a lot I can get from dumbbells and cables. I used to mostly shun them.

(I’ve seen some regulars getting seriously good results on a program which looks like cable and dumbbell only high reps, often supersets, and done in a manner I’d call “interpretive dance slight body momentum reps” – article for another time.)

I’ve gotten used to pf, having little urge to go back to a “real” gym.

2020?

They’ve got me under contract for about half the year, and while I’m in the area I intend to keep it active.

I enjoy the place. I’ve been making great gains accentuating my labor job with pf exercise.

2020 :

See how much can be done ultra high rep, working towards maxing out the gym, and making pf work.

Brother, when you’re going 50 reps with a weight most stop at 10 with (entirely possible) you’ll be far stronger than any powerlifting rep range will ever get you.

(Though you can do your high reps in a number of manners, light weight slow and controlled, medium weight at normal speed, as heavy as possible at the rep range, as many reps as possible, one set, multiple sets, it’s all good, use them all, I didn’t even list them all.)

50+ reps a set, as much weight as possible equals being the strongest person you’ll ever come across.

75lb DBs, machine stacks, plates on the smith machine, dips/pullups (with and without the dip belt) –

My trick hasn’t been to be strong in spite of the high reps, my truth has been to be strong BECAUSE of the high reps.

I only just recently put the above 2&2 together. High reps 4 serious gains! Punny, but serious.

Try it! Honestly work in this manner!

Persistence & Tenacity

Your Gym Time ; Who’s Advice?

I’m all for freedom of expression.

With weights being a solo endevour you don’t need to ever follow someone else’s program or guidelines.

Movement is limitless. The gyms possibilities are ∞.

Nothing external is needed.

You’re capable. Eventually you’ll hammer out everything you require…then down the road that may change.

Train how you want to. There’s no need for questions, advice, or instruction.

You can.

You’re capable.

You already know all you require… instinctively.

Persistence & Tenacity

If You’re Not Working Out

If you’re not working out start right now.

Force yourself to exercise a little bit daily until it becomes force of habit.

Never think too deep into it, or take it too seriously. Those who view it as drudgery quit, those who enjoy the process keep it up.

Join a gym or don’t.

The best is to have it variable, going to the gym when you want, and doing home based workouts when you want or need to.

Pushups have always been free, and are always available.

My advice to everyone starting out is to just do a small number of a few calisthenics as a daily requirement.

I’m talking starting at 5 reps of pushups, bodyweight squats, and abs every day.

No excuses, every day, and naturally over time you’ll do more.

It’s an exercise in physical base building, and habit forming.

There are no excuses.

If you’re not working out ; start!

Persistence & Tenacity

Hermann Goerner : An Example Of “Natty” Possibility

Herman Goerner having been born in 1891…was natty.

Unironically pointing out the fact that the man is  strong as hell, well built, and “natty” not “not” in case the hordes of weaklings in need of a mindset change hadn’t noticed. Maybe this will inspire them.

Do a little research into his abilities. It’s staggering, particularly his hands, and deadlift/back work.

No drugs. Just work.

We all can go far further.

-J

P.S. From the archives.

Dips Are High Testosterone : The Bodyweight Exercise “Natty” Equivalent To Steroids

The dip is high testosterone.

You need non anecdotal evidence?
Go do a scientific study, preferably one that refutes me, then shove it up your ass.

Over the last 3 months I’ve done a lot of dips.

(My definition of a lot…for those who know me.)

In fact I was mentally referring to my training as my “dip odyssey”.

I watched the movie “Shot Caller”, and as “Shotgun” dropped off the bar I had the brain thought “how far can I push dips”, and at the next day at Planet Fitness I started.

300 reps.

That was my hard and fast rule for the minimum each session.

It’s enough, you’ll hit “Cardio Calisthenics™” territory, for the most part I recovered from day to day, and it was the minimum.

I recall going to 700-800 a few times and 500+ quite often.

I did the volume dips 6-7 days a week for about 7 weeks straight, during which it was of note that I learned to feel my lats from slow controlled negatives.

I then had a couple work trips over a 2 week period (where I actually did the reps one day at an out of state Planet Fitness) but over those two weeks was mostly off.

The road trip caused…recovery.
(This is an article in of itself…”Road Trips For Recovery”.)

My shoulder, the joint itself, had been locking. Not pain, no soreness, just locking. The road trip time off caused the locking to go away.

4-6 weeks on and 7-10 days without the frequency is sustainable physically.

I switched to pullups for the last 2, 2½ weeks.

I’d noticed that the high volume dips noticably raised my testosterone.

I was leaning out while muscling up. My “fuse” was shorter. My sex drive was up.

It felt like I was 16 years old again, just this time 70lbs more heavily developed, and without the inhibitions.

The time off lead me to observe what it was like doing no dips…

And then I did dips today…

Way shorter fuse!

Yep, high volume dips raise testosterone.

I’d never done enough volume on them before this experiment. During what was roughly weeks 4-6 I was at 3000+ weekly. Shit gets intense.

I’ve had heavy squatting give these effects hours after the fact. With the volume dips it kicks in for me at around 150 reps in, then stays with me for a few days.

Dips done for high volume and frequently are the Cardio Calisthenics™ equivalent to a steroid cycle.

My opinion as to why this is :

•Dips involve significant musculature. They’re stressing all of the upper body, not just the push muscles.

•I’m good at dips. I can push them to Cardio Calisthenics™ territory (high reps, high sets, good pump, little rest periods).

•They’re at the perfect place intensity wise. They’re hugely beneficial, able to be pushed hard, but without wrecking me physically.
(Cardio Calisthenics™ principle)

• Body language – you should see how I drop off the bar.

• Mindset – the place I go mentally as I do them.

Persistence & Tenacity

3/25/19 Guest Pass Shenanigans & Layoff Thoughts

Alternatively titled : 3/25/19 4+ Months Since Seeing The Inside A Gym : A Day Pass Story

The Session aka Guest Pass Shenanigans :

Tire Flip
Big One x1 Thrown over with both hands
Big One x 1 right hand only
Big One x 1 left hand only

It looks big, but is oddly light with fairly good tread aka gripping surface. It’s not as big as the SoCal bodybuilding gym’s or my high schools tire big tire. Hilariously the bodybuilding gym’s tire is larger than my high school’s. My perception was wrong, though it may have been lighter. Tire appearance can be deceiving. Flipping a tire one handed is some violent athletic explosiveness.

Atlas Stone
To chest (ish), didn’t shoulder as there was no padding to drop it safely on from the top. I could’ve shouldered it, and maybe overhead. It was an ok size, but light.

C+J
225 c+j
275 fail x 2
255 1c+3j

225c+j

Overhead stability was rough. It’s been a while since anything heavy was overhead.

Bottoms Up Press
60-65lb x 1 right hand
Didn’t lower it slow and controlled, the press was slow and controlled however, and I held for a few counts at a slightly shaky lockout. I don’t remember the kg/lb exactly.

Pinch Grip Plates
Many Fails
25s (50lb total) x a few singles, got it both hands
Many fails @ 35s (70lb total)
45s with both hands
3 45s (135lb) both hands fail

A huge amount of attempts in total, this was done before, during, and after the cleans. It causes crazy forearm and bicep soreness in a few hours delay.

Bumper Plate Flips
25 each side
45 fail a couple times, it was close, I’ve done this before.

Before

And on the right.

Damn it! I didn’t attempt left hand while there. Left hand is the better hand at weird grip stuff, it was today on the pinch and hex stuff!

And sadly no third video of doing so with a high quality Eleiko bumper. I’ve done that too just off camera.
Not to mention kettlebell flips up to 70 or for reps lighter…with both hands. Yes that too.

These were on the fat cheap bumpers like the videos

One Arm Snatch
95
115
Fails ~8 @ 125
125
Fail 135
135 right hand (PR tie); second or third time I’ve done this
Fail 135 (could’ve cleaned it, chose to drop it instead)
Fail 125
115
Fail 115 x a few
95

Stability was rough, both abdominal, and wrist. All the grip work fatigued my normally ramrod straight wrist.


The first time I one arm snatched 135.

I have serious potential on this lift. It would behoove me to practice it emulating old time strongmen, and bring it far.

Hex Dumbbell Lifts (by the hex of a whole dumbbell so not technically blob lifting)
30lb each hand separately
35? maybe, I think it was a fail
30lb both hands at same time,
30lb both hands at same time into upright row

Squat
295
365
2×1 405
(I jumped in with a group and started at what they were at, took my own jumps)

Deadlift
315 DOH
365 DOH Fail
365 mixed
405 strapped

Good Morning
10×135

Jump Rope
~700 revolutions

Forward & Back Ward Rolls
A few

Pullups
3

One Arm Hang
A short moment right hand

Pushups
Rest pause to ~40 reps

Overhead Squat
5xbar
5×95
5×145

I think that’s accurate. A session after a 2½-5 month (maybe longer) layoff depending on definition. Proof of my possessing the best genetics.

Layoff From Lifting Thoughts :

November 7, 2018 was the last time I lifted in a gym. The day I shouldered a 200lb keg a few times.

October 21, 2018 The last I lifted consistently in a gym. 5 weeks on after 3 off.

In the yard I lifted consistently through December.

I only lifted seriously twice in January, and once in February.
Though I did the 30 days of reverse curls from Jan 30- the end of February.

In March I’ve lifted moderately twice or thrice (135 snatches and overhead squats), and lifted seriously once (the day pass). On March 2nd I started doing one high rep set of overhead squats daily just with the empty bar, normally a set of 25-35 reps (15 minimum or more weight and still a 15 rep minimum over more sets). This set is long. It’s done with pauses to breath, shake out the legs, and the final rep has a long pause in the hole. Every 3-5 days on average I’ll do 1-2 sets of one arm press each side after those squats still with the empty bar. I stated 500 revolutions on the jump rope daily on the 20th for extra cardio.

The entire time I’ve been going to a public pullup bar for a set plus some hangs and flexed arm hangs on average once or twice weekly.

As you can see I’m not training much at all, and I logged this workout in depth essentially after a layoff. What I’m still capable of.

There’s strength that stays with you.

I’ll never drop below a 405 squat. My deadlift however is hit worse by inconsistency and layoffs. It’s mainly a dropping in the work capacity of the lower back, and to a degree needing more glute work.

At home this can be easily remedied by hip thrusts off the couch.

I could start lifting more often in the yard, and my buddy still wants me to join the hole in the wall gym.Yard lifting is much more convenient in Summer. Spring can be a mud pit. I may stick to the overhead squats, or drop that and lunge for distance instead. I’m looking forward to doing Jefferson lifts on good footing.

Clean wasn’t really affected, overhead stability was.

If you give your body a modicum of stimuli over the full body layoffs from heavy won’t really affect you.

It’s my opinion that there’s a “base strength” that once you’ve developed will never leave you…like my 405 squat.

“Gym knowledge” is wrong about the likelihood of the loss of gains.

Loss of gains is a mental weakness. It’s at most a very small part physical.

Your ability should never dip below 80-90% of your PRs. I’m inclined to say with the right mindset (aka not training ZERO amounts despite whatever) it will be the higher 90% area, not the 80%.

If my knowledge here was recognized as the fact that it is there’d be a lot less weakness not only in the gym’s (weaksauce) corner of the internet, but in gyms themselves.

I should also note that the lift made me feel phenomenal.

Persistence & Tenacity