Lifting Archives - Page 15 of 25 - Persistence and Tenacity

On Feasting (And Fasting)

Of all topics, and not wanting to do the stereotypical “what I am thankful for” type post that so many would publish on Thanksgiving without further ado;

On Feasting And Fasting:

As a senior in high school I started doing 16/8 fasts regularly (16 hour fasts, 8 hour eating period daily)

For at most 3 weeks my stomach would grumble at me it being unused to skipping breakfast.

Then I adapted.

I soon learned it is far easier to wake up, fast a few hours, eat, wait a long while, feast, fast a few hours then sleep. Hard physicality is best done just prior to the feast.

A 16 hour fast is very easy. You’re sleeping a solid percentage of it.

Doing this I’ve found I function better with little in me, stacking the calories at nighttime instead of evenly spread throughout the day.

I eat opposite of the stereotypical bodybuilder 6 tiny meals a day plan. Mine looks more like a couple hundred calories early, then a 3000-5000k calorie meal at night or after training.

Performance issues? Maybe in the adaption period, but I find my performance is just fine like this if not better.

My stomach feels better with the less frequent meals, and I don’t have to take as many shits.

Occasionally as a test of willpower I’ll fast 24 hours. This length still is quite easy.

While fasted I’ve done just about everything physically one can do without issue. In fact a lot of my best workouts are while empty often even lacking sleep.

To be able to perform through adversity.

(This is something I’ve purposely trained for over the years, cold reps, on empty, lacking sleep,middle of the night, etc.)

You will adapt mentally and physically if you allow yourself to. However this requires not shooting yourself in the foot by constantly thinking about food and the eating of it.

It’s more natural for the human body to eat this way. I doubt cavemen were carb loading before mammoth hunting. At most they’d eat a little, go get their meat, and after doing so eat copious amounts while sitting around the fire. Feasting and fasting/feast and famine, not constant satiation.

Happy Thanksgiving,

-J

The Snatch Grip Deadlift

I view the snatch grip deadlift as closer to a squat, and more easily recovered from than an actual conventional deadlift.

While I have pulled high frequency before conventional the snatch grip deadlift I can do daily indefinitely without issue.

As I said (at least for my build) I can do it daily. It’s very similar CNS wise to a squat, meaning I’m built for this.

Generally it’s within 10% of my conventional pull. (Same as stiff leg deadlifts, even with small deficit, likely due just to how I’m built.)

Straps are the only accommodation away from raw here. You can’t mix grip a snatch grip.

It’s the one pull variation where I actually feel my legs fire in breaking the weight off the floor, and it’s honestly the #1 lift for getting my lats sore.

The bar is either going to lockout or it’s dead on the floor, no midway knee height failure like in my conventional deadlifts. Whatever weak point I have in conventional, I bypass it by going low into the snatch grip.

Likely I’ll start doing it frequently again. My pull being down is pissing me off, and I’d forgotten that there are variations that build strength for me very well.

Picture this (as my heavy, not stupid high volume) pull focus day:

Olympic lifts- moderate weights, no failures.
Snatch Grip Deadlift-moderate to heavy, any rep range.
Shrug- cheat form, strapped, either normal or snatch grip (Kaz shrugs) going slightly crazy.
Some Row, Chin, or Pulldown
Abs+Lower Back
(And as usual a small amount of legs+push to make it full body.)

I like how this sounds, and when you like how it sounds generally you’ll do it.

Pull gains time!

-J

P.S. This was today’s session (yesterday snatch grip deadlifting 365×10 was inspiration for this post):

Power Clean 3×135,165,195. 3×3 225
Snatch Grip Deadlifts- 1×315,1xfail 365 (raw), strapped 1×365,4×415,1×465
Snatch Grip Shrugs-5×315,405. 30×495
Lat Pulls + Pushdowns Superset
Leg Raises (on chin/dip/ab tower) + 45° Hyper Superset 3×15 each unweighted.
Westside Inverse Curl 1×10 w 135lb on machine for assistance.

Notes: Solid session. The 465 pull was very ugly though. Keep setting rep PRs and volume PRs on this movement. Don’t go past 435 for a while. I need to do more cardio. Jump rope is easy enough to start and/or end with.

I like volume, and I like frequency. I’m built for some movements physically and mentally like the snatch grip deadlift.

The Leg Extension Isometric Hold

I’m unsure of what exactly I get out of this, but it definitely does something good.

It may just be a matter of it flushing the muscle with blood, each second of contraction being equivalent to a rep making this a great work capacity/volume tool, and when held for long enough times a good mental toughness exercise.

I start the stack at 70lbs which is honestly too light for 5-10 reps.

Then jump 30-40lbs for sets of 5 until the stack is reached (260lbs) where I either do holds of 30+ seconds or a rep out (generally 20-30 reps) then holds.

I dont like doing lots of leg extensions, but this protocol I do like.

The protocol is a nice little way to get the leg work you need done by in and out 5-10 minute style.

-J

This Is Why I Say Fuck Lifting Programs : Yesterday’s Snatch Session

I am by no means a great weightlifter/olympic lifter. I’m simply better than most at it, especially considering the average gym crowd.

I know I have never snatched 225.

It’s possible I’ve hit 215, but I’m uncertain of it. (There’s no video of it, and I don’t maintain a logbook, YouTube functioning as a sort of “cool shit that happened” logbook.)

I know I’ve been capable of 205 since capturing it on video (March 6 based on upload date), and relatively consistently at that.

(That rep, my first at 205.)

11/15/17 ~0600-0635 I pulled it 30+ times in a similar number of minutes only missing 2 or 3 times. One of those fails had so much velocity I lost it behind me, a manner of olympic lift failure I’ve never had happen before, that would’ve been a PR rep had there been more weight on the bar.

This is why I say fuck programs, as no percentage based program would allow me to hit 30+ singles with either 95% or 100% of my known max in one session. (And yes I’d failed a couple attempts at 225 before going totally fucking psycho with 205.)

It was a fun lift. I got to bounce around blaring music, predator stare and stalk the bar, keep hitting reps, and take the utmost care that I didn’t take out a not paying attention group fitness class bystander. (I actually faced opposite the normal manner on the platform for such reasons especially after the 100mph throw over my head unintentionally rep.)

I’d wait for a gap in group class participants to finish walking around/across the platform, hit it again, and so on and so forth really until I started losing pop which was well into the 30ish, likely 35-40 attempt area. I was pulling faster than every minute on the minute for at least 15 minutes, and then about EMOM for another 15-20.

This my friends can be defined as a solid ass session, and is as I’ve said reason #10783948735 that you shouldn’t be so wed to a program. Guidelines are far more likely to allow cool shit to happen.

-J

The One Hand/ One Arm Snatch

While mentally categorized as “party trick” like one arm anything that I can do (pushups), I find it highly enjoyable to do old time lifts that are no longer done by anyone outside the USAWA from time to time in the gym.

It allows me to goof off and have fun, get something amusing for the camera, and should I be lifting outside of anti-social hour put on a show for the crowd.

Of all manner of old tyme lifts to do, I’ve always generally chosen the one arm snatch. This small hobby likely goes back to a light session in my backyard wanting to do one arm presses somewhat old time bent press style and snatching it into position for the presses. That evening an amusing infrequent habit was born.

The Lack Of Training

Initially trying the lift power style and being able to hit 115 occasionally and inconsistently over what must have been a year, from time to time I’d play around with doing the snatch light and then squatting atg to see how the lift feels in the bottom, to feel the shoulder demands in that position.

(One such time with 115 on an axle)

One time the idea to try it split snatch style popped into mind (this was six months ago), and I practiced it on a day I’d failed to PR, but had solid grip strength.

I like using the axle, but sometimes it’s a regular barbell. This really only is something I play around at maybe a half dozen times a year. It’s fun and diverting, but not a main lift (at least so far, you never can tell what I’ll train).

The Technique

one arm snatch,one hand snatch, technique,old time,strongman,lifts,start,beginning — The beginning/start position of a one arm snatch. Model credit: Arthur Saxon

As you see in the start photo the free hand is pressed into the thigh. While a minor technique consideration (I didn’t heed this during my recent PR) this is not just set there loosely, it is actually driven into the thigh. Doing this allows a little extra “oomph”. I know this advice has been written before likely in whatever book written by Saxon that photo came from. Hat’s off to you should you find it.

one arm snatch,one hand snatch, technique,old time,strongman,lifts,end,finish,complete — Arthur Saxon demonstrating the lift 99% of the way done. A stickler for rules would say stand in a more proper lockout position, feet shoulder width,torso rigid etc.

Your catch being brought up into the completed lift will look quite close to the above photo. While some may catch in a squat, I’ve never bothered to complete the lift as such, and my breakthrough a few days ago was doing the lift split style while feeling like I had “pop”.

On the split style: for coordination reasons it makes far more sense for the leg jumping forward to be opposite the pulling arm. While being able to hit near the same numbers power style, being right handed, and possibly lacking the coordination to jump the opposite manner with the bar in my left hand I focus moreso on the right hand pulling, left foot jumping forward manner. That’s not to say don’t try in reverse (I do power style with both hands). I’d personally love to do an oly competition circa 1896 featuring a slew of one hand and two hand lifts. I just PR right hand due to superior coordination (but oddly not grip strength, my left hand grips better.)

All that aside it’s a snatch, and not rocket science. Grab it one handed (obviously) since its a one arm snatch, deadlift it to a little higher than knee level,then jump hard while pulling hard, dip, and catch it. Proceed to celebrate.

WHOO!!!!

Oddly Ric Flair manages to constantly be relevant.

The Result:

The vid inspiring this post aka watch this:

135 Booyah!

-J

P.S. Should you have made it this far this post popped into mind as an experiment to see if YouTube SEO is improved by writing up a related article, cross link time.

Eating Dirty : The Magic Of “Dirty” Foods

Without “dirty” eating I would not be as big as I am. Observation over the years tells me that I respond better to food that a bodybuilder pukes in his mouth (or masturbates furiously to) at just the thought of.

While eating cleaner may make one feel better as you go about your day, when you eat the way I eat stacking/loading calories closer to bed via a nightime feast you negate the sluggish feelings that are the biggest pitfall of dirty food.

When I eat dirty I feel frankly more manly. It’s likely a function of both higher fat and calorie intake causing me to pop more boners, be hornier, be stronger, and feel more aggressive.

I’m coming to think processed soy is not as bad as often claimed. I’ll eat a bunch of corndogs (soy batter) and that night have dreams of violence and/or rough sex and wake up painfully hard the next morning.

Maybe the soy intake is miniscule, maybe this a function of dietary fat working it’s magic, or maybe, just maybe soy is bad for your testosterone…initially, and your body combats it by going hard in the opposite manner raising your soy attacked test thoroughly.

It’s my conclusion that my ideal diet at this point is a mix of fatty meat,and processed “garbage” while varying the amounts of water and calorie containing liquids I drink based on feel.

(Sometimes soda makes me perform better, sometimes milk is what sustains me, sometimes I can stomach neither, and drink only water preferably chilled.)

Thus endeth today’s post.

-J

Outdoor Lifting

I think it’s a shame more gyms don’t have outdoor areas, or that there are not more public outoor lifting areas like the internet famous one in the Ukraine.

Hell even bars being more widespread would be nice.

(The LA park I’ve done pullups and dips at had a pretty cool bar workout inspired culture, a bunch of guys,some girls, some kids all doing pushups, dips, pullups, lunges, broad jumps, together. Amazingly friendly and polite.

It was here that myself and this rather jacked Armenian?Arab?Hispanic? guy did a one arm pushup off, laughing and shaking hands with a tie at around 20 reps each. Him looking at me and saying something like “Dude, I underestimated you, I began to think I was going to lose this”. That’s the story of my life when it comes to physical things.)

Personally I love training outdoors even in shitty weather more so than being in an air conditioned/heated fluorescent light lit gym.

The main selling point on gym membership for me purely is more equipment.

If you (or I) were to open a place, put it outside, and stock it with all the same shit, I’d be there in a heartbeat. (Imagine that Ukrainian gym but with known weights…heaven, and yes I’d use it in the winter, see below.)

Aside from all the exercising outdoors (I’m talking purely lifting with a barbell), I have fond memories of doing things people find insane like doing power cleans in the back yard while it’s snowing, on slightly uneven frozen ground, below freezing out, wearing work boots, shorts, a muscle shirt (not beater, but sleeveless), and those little black winter gloves.

There’s something about the fresh air. It’s just more invigorating, and when doing such things you know you’re doing something uncommon.

(I’ve been tempted to take photos and publish a collection of “gyms” I’ve worked out at under various circumstances, that Colorado rest stop at around 5 am, that tree at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania, the hill in McMansionville North Carolina, the beach, home bathroom, I could go on.)

It feels like tonight will be not a gym day, but a “I’m going to go out in the yard and improvise” kinda night. I’ve already done a few mini sessions throughout the day so far, ab wheel, kettlebell, isometrics, very high rep cheat pushups.

Didn’t want to write today, the streak is still alive.

Until tomorrow,

-J

Earbuds Put Sound Into Your Brain As If It’s Your Thoughts

Taking that into account…

A badass self recorded mantra track could be one of the most powerful things you ever create.

Instead of likely shit music, or stuff without 100% raw messages, you could tailor this very well to yourself, then have a massive positive effect on yourself.

This can be made with your phone and used anywhere. (One could even have background music in it, I’d likely use bagpipes.)

Phone→Computer→IPOD

A Few Hours Of Personalized Mantras

Even a few hours of it on repeat will do a lot, think of how easy a song can get stuck in your mind, then imagine 3 hours of your own voice saying how you conquer like a modern day viking. Now picture this on a daily basis like during your workout.

Tailor the words to get raw. We live in an age where to be gelded in thought and action is the vile norm. This could be the trick to get your mind back.

Try it, then thank me.

-J

The Bigger You Are The More Benefit Calisthenics Have

Despite calisthenics being considered territory of little lean guys they’re actually of more benefit to heavier dudes.

You need high volume to get “gains” from calisthenics (as you’ll never lift heavier than bodyweight) and the bigger you are the more pounds of work is done allowing you to get more work per rep than a smaller guy.

For example:

Take a guy at 150lbs, and another at 300lbs. A pushup involves pushing roughly 60% of your bodyweight.

Say they both do 100 reps daily.

Little guy does 9000lbs of work, 4½ tons, “benching” 90lbs per rep.

Big guy does 18000lbs of work, 9 tons, “benching” 180lbs per rep.

Who do you think will show better (relative) bench strength from this alone?

For this very reason I say you should always perform calisthenics no matter how big you get.

In addition to keeping you athletic it can do a damn good job keeping you strong especially the bigger you are.

I’m not even factoring in high level gymnastics, I’m simply factoring in fairly vanilla PT style exercises.

One can maintain their bench if not grow it from pushups alone. The same with barbell squats and high rep Hindu squats.

Gyms are not necessary, and size while a hindrance to calisthenic ability actually is a strength towards their effectiveness.

Until tomorrow, I am J, and I am out.

Theories On Natural Strength

You see these big guys that don’t really train, but are quite strong, and likely eat big.

This is an idea running through my head based partially on prior experience and things I’ve seen. Take it for what you will:

There’s a couple factors at play here.

First off food is anabolic. Doesn’t it make sense that with just a small amount of physical effort or even willing it into being that simply eating more would cause growth and strength increases? Yeah yeah nothing I just wrote there is anything new, I want you to take that and go a few levels deeper. For one think during formative years.

Often our brains limit us. If we don’t know something is “supposed to be” heavy it very likely won’t be. This is my issue with pussified culture leaching into the gym. The majority of gyms are naught but studios of convenience for Instagram photoshoots at this point where everyone fears double team nighttime rape from the overtraining monster under their bed and the injury monster in their closet.

And you no longer have a teddy bear protecting your Instagram ass

We are not meant to be weak and unathletic. At young ages we generally function properly ie are strong and athletic. Some people (often book dumber, more impulsive, more in touch with their animal side) retain this into adulthood.

(A Samoan guy I knew who lived off of meat, beer, island music, and cigs once impromptu blasted off a competitive 40yd dash in front of me after his cousin who had taken his ball cap, never having trained at maybe 5’7″ ~260lb, I’d seen his tall heavyweight sister do similar but at a distance of closer to a 100yds. This is not race/ethnicity related, all humans who don’t think themselves out of the abilities can have them.)

I truly believe by being self conscious of being fat and losing at least 38lbs my freshman year of high school I set myself back years strength wise and likely did something bad hormonally (temporarily) by doing lots of distance work, starving myself, and when eating having little other than carbs. Prior to that I had a natural strength and explosiveness if not one iota of endurance at the time.

If anyone had fed me some meat, told me to sprint 40s and squat I believe I’d have likely grown bigger and much stronger faster while healthily recomping along the way. This was a trade off, I did it all wrong, set myself back a ton (I could feel how much strength I lost, and it showed in sprint/explosive efforts, now coming back big time), but in the process learned to get mean.

Feasting and fasting is the way of the predator. Prey graze all day. I think a lot of bigger stronger people even when eating throughout the day are loading more of their calories at night in a feast. Think of big dudes guzzling beers and pounding down pounds of barbeque. At the end of the day I think enough calories are more important than perfect macros, and fat is likely the most important macro of the three.

The good thing is though we can emulate all we need to, and not take part in this party of weakness. We can get our natural strength back. No one is too far gone, it’s only them choosing to be rolly polly sad sack examples of humanity.

Humans are animals, and animals are meant to be strong and resilient.

-J