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9/2/23 – The Early Morning :

About twenty til midnight I’d been doing pushups.

I took a deep breath in through the mouth, did five pushups, then exhaled, and repeated to thirty.

About two minutes til midnight I did a straight set to thirty five or forty, then again took a deep breath in through the mouth, and did five more.

I have some serious upper body push endurance.

Decent strength from it, “strength-endurance” work, almost exclusively.

…..

There are a million ways to do pushups.

Yesterday I did them earlier in the day than my normal (though additionally later as said above), around 5pm/dinner hour, instead of waiting til near midnight…

Also instead of the “before work” almost requirement that I’ve slipped on for probably three to six months now after more than a year of doing so.

…..

Late night/early morning will see me in the bathroom flexing, often crab pose/similar.

I genuinely like how my physique is going appearance wise, and am strong.

It’s fit aka wind aka “in shape” aka cardio that needs work.

Partly that’s an “I’m 280lbs right now issue”, and I’ve noticed the 5lbs down from 285 to 280, done by a simple lack of appetite (and possibly caffeine) alongside a bit longer work hours over that past month or so – I feel better a few pounds lighter.

I have the urge to run, which this heavy I picture as run 100m, walk 100m, repeat.

Step 1 – the above.
Step ~4…≤6:00 mile

Running reasonably fast, not track competitive fast, but reasonably civilian or PT test fast isn’t hard to do.

It’s simply ; get outside, run.

Honestly I look back at my mile through 5k times, generally already at heavier than ideal running bodyweights, and laugh.

I did the opposite of what you’re supposed to…

First I went all out for as long as possible.
Then I crashed my speed slowing to a crawl.

THEN I stayed slogging, lactic acid stupidly high, and crossed the line (while metaphorically) dying, at whatever time was gonna be as fast as I could in that exact moment.

The difference between a 6:00 and 6:40 mile for me was whether the second 800m took ~4:00 or ~4:40.

I’d run sub 2:00 800m (the first 400m alsk faster than the second) then slog a jog or below jogging speed (8:00/mile pace in my eyes being a jog) second 800m.

The jrotc sergeant instructor would shake his head “have you ever tried pacing”, “he does – you’d probably beat him every day if you paced like him”.

I wasn’t interested in four equal 400m splits.

I wanted to gun it, as hard as possible, for as long as possible.

This mentality saw me as the 5th or 6th man on the 4x400m relay, in it more than not that year due to no shows.

It also saw me later in high school entered by the coach in the 200m, where at 235lbs I was always way heavier than all the other sprinters.

In the 200m I consistently placed exact middle of the pack, both in my particular heat AND meet wide.

Hilarious.

…..

It’s saturday.

It’s a saturday I actually have off.
No moving shift.

I like to snatch (said yesterday) some singles, then press some sort of amrap (singles up to 15 reps) for a set or a few on days where I’m fairly far away from moving work or when I feel particularly fresh.

Today fits the bill.
We’ll see later what I actually do.

9/2/23 PM :

The Lift :

Overhead Squat
10x95lbs
1 Pump Burpees
x12 unbroken
Curl
5x95lbs

real quick, get something in session, burpees deserve more attention at present than barbell, really should spend more daily time at them than I am

the burpee will align all things physical given the effort

…..

My 445am alarm is set for tomorrow.
A buddy and I (are supposed to be) meeting up for am burpees.

Scratch all that, he texted me asking for 6am hour instead of 530am – that’s aokay, means a bit more sleep.

…..

Tonight’s pushups (during pauses in a marathoned television show) – I have a really good upper back pump from them.

For the millionth time ; you get a whole lot from pushups, far more than just a chest workout.

Maybe I’ll actually have that chick standing on my upper back pushup video to put online – could see that happening soon.

My gut is saying “start over”, and “here – go all out”, maybe I’m moving, I intend to either stop or cut back on job just over broke hours, lift or grapple or both again, and do this all out.

You can’t live other’s crabs in a bucket expectations.

Persistence & Tenacity

immortal technique – third world

9/1/23
I just did a set of 30 calf raises, calf raisers as some call them.

There were periods where I did 100 a day, I’m talking in high school and soon after – not a decade plus after, sometimes as one straight set – the 100+ set all in one go, most often 3×35 (I’ve always liked 3×35 across exercises really), sometimes 2×50 or 4×25.

A few periods of doing these for lengths of time.

It’s a surprisingly effective way to keep your legs in the pink, simple logistics, minimal input – I feel the exercise up the entire posterior chain…

It’s in more than just the calves.

Another simple logistics, minimal input lower body thing is hip thrusts off a couch or something, again getting to the 100 rep century set. This too = lower body in the pink.

…..

It’s far smarter to start around 25 the first day, then every five to ten days hopping up another 25 or so.

Give yourself about a month to go from 0 to 100 calf raises.

You’ll thank me taking this approach, unless you like massive calf cramps and having your basic human locomotion be an exercise in mental toughness for a few days (~4) straight.

…..

Lunges.

Walking lunges.

I had them, no joke, as an event on the PT test as did one year in jrotc.

It was max reps in :60.
A few of us bettered 70, counting each leg as a rep.

This builds an amazing base for when you put a barbell on your back and start squatting.

With these too I’ve had periods of doing them daily.

Walking lunges, whether swamp lunges or regular – it’s a quick way to get some useful ability into your legs, a quick way to put on some sexy looking thighs.

Then you flex, hold wall sits and horse stance to bring in another ability.

…..

I’ve too had periods of daily, light, high rep overhead squats – with an empty or lightly loaded barbell, even with a kettlebell slid over a wooden dowel.

Yeah this isn’t calisthenics.
It requires some equipment, official gym barbell or improvised, but it too is something pretty easily done to high effect home based for the lower body/full body.

…..

I’ve little interest in lifting lately.
I feed the animal with burpees and lunges.

On the occasion I’m away from the dead end, physical job I work – I’ll barbell snatch low reps and/or barbell press in a couple different rep ranges.

still only looking at the calves here

I have plenty of equipment, barbells, kettlebells, dumbbell.

I have access to a proper height pullup bar, dips bars – both easily accessible as I run errands.

My interest at present lays near exclusively in burpees and lunges.

My interest in pushups varies before I do them, but at 1155pm, when I make sure they’re getting done if not done earlier – I smile, feel real good knowing that I did them.

…..

Sunday morning, I should be meeting up with the living breathing weight seen in the channel’s weighted pushup video – he reached out to me the other day, for burpees, lunges, maybe pullups and dips.

I last trained with another 15 months ago.

It’ll be cool to, I intend to just “I go you go” with burpees, with him – assuming he shows up.

He set the time. We’ll see.

Persistence & Tenacity

…..

you’ll never leave harlan alive – darrell scott

just was feeling the song today

8/20/23
If I’m gonna watch stuff (opted to jump fully off that wagon today, and forgive myself – may publish on this note soon), might as well make it productive.

I’d watched the video a couple months back, felt like rewatching it, then instead of doing so ended up reading through the comments and typing up a reply to a comment that I felt I could add value to.

I paid no attention to video at all this time around, just read and types through it’s entirety lol

On Here :

martin licis – stone lifting in china

…..

The Comment :

No man hits his peak 1rm strength til his mid 30s at the youngest, heck I’m tempted to say I’ve seen it apply to mid 50s, and if that wasn’t his peak it was at least 90%ish of his peak strength – the fact is that you can get stronger at any age, and be strong at any age.

We can start anytime.
Go forth. Be strong.

Whatever we’ve reached, we can “maintain” the large bulk of it, if not all, on even the most minimal of inputs.

While best to be active your entire life, even if you weren’t the time is now.

We all start somewhere.
This is something many don’t ever apply.

They don’t age well simply because they don’t, never have, actively lived in that direction.

I’ve worked with lifetime laborers, dudes shockingly strong…dudes who don’t take care of themselves, but have done hard work for decades.

I’ve seen people start in the weight room after retirement, and a cool one to witness was a grandma (tall – say 5’9″, broad shouldered, in shape, young looking for 65-70, looked an in shape 50-55, and still partly running a family owned restaurant) and her college age granddaughter (very tall – say 5’11”, broad shouldered, a tad chubby) the pair regularly deadlifting up to either 275lbs or 315lbs

THE PAIR AT~67yo AND ~21yo BOTH REGULARLY DEADLIFTING UP TO TRIPLES AT 275 OR 315lbs DEPENDING ON THE DAY.

I once had a conversation on the gym floor with this cool old timer (71 at the time), the topic of one arm pushups came up, and he got down, banged some out on the spot.

He hadn’t joined a gym til after retirement, told me after awhile inactive just sitting around the house mostly, that he felt that he was declining, and realized without the massive hours he’d spent running a restaurant (funny coincidence – the two unrelated) he had plenty of time, so went out and did something about it.

The most important aspect is the mindset ; to believe that you’re capable, and personally it helps to have internalized the belief that “the natural state of man is one of awesome physicality – we are meant to be strong, in shape, full of vitality for life”.

Then you live with no excuses.

-J

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

I just stumbled across a YouTube short of the TikTok “$100 45lb Plate Flip Challenge”.

this

This has 90+ MILLION views?
This has 90+ MILLION views!
Whoah.

I’d video of this live for years, had done this before the existence of tiktok.

On camera twice, with around 85 views on the two videos combined…I’ve done it with both my right and my left hands

I’d love my videos to have 90+ MILLION views like the recent one I stumbled upon.

My Prequel Video Of The TikTok “$100 45lb Plate Flip Challenge” With The Right Left Hand :

My Prequel Video Of The TikTok “$100 45lb Plate Flip Challenge” With The Left Right Hand :

Circa winter 2017 lol – I did it before it was cool!
🙂

Maybe there’ll be a big jump in views, this giving SEO.

We’ll see.

Kinda have to laugh, someone else did this years after me, had it go viral.

Note dude, always throw something online.
This could be my answer.

I could expand from YouTube, not being so wed to the neglected channel here as being “my way”.

Only be rigid about keeping your vibe high.
That’s a lesson I’ve learned these past couple/few years.

For the rest do as Bruce Lee said ; be like water my friend.

Persistence & Tenacity

I’ve been told, usually by women, that I stand out in a crowd.

Now see, I’m always in my own skin – and at 6′, though heavy at 285lbs (or anywhere 235+ really) it’s not like I’m the tallest or the heaviest or stockiest in any large crowd.

I am notable in being tall, heavy, well developed, often described as “not fat” ie “you’re big, and not fat” (lol – hearing it gives me amusement), and with both women and men telling me this ; I am fairly noticably broad shouldered.

I want to tell you a few things about muscular development.

Pour yourself a glass (milk, juice, soda, or water), I’ve a glass of cherry pepsi, and sit down, I’ll tell you…

Clinks glass. Sip. Sip. Swish. Swallow. Ahh.

When you do an exercise every day, you’re going to look like someone who does that exercise every day.

I tell you, my reader, of my daily (nightly) pushup habit often.

Started at 14, the summer between 8th and 9th grade, heck “punishment” reps from Sensei in early elementary school before that.

Had been talking about grandpa with a coworker yesterday…

Pushups ;
Half my life, damn near nightly.
May 13, 2016 the last miss, the streak of no misses now 7¼ years, 75% of a decade of nightly pushups, no, absolute zero, misses.

If I had did some that day in May – I never could confirm it either way, ran with no benefit of the doubt, then it’d over 11 years now. It could be 11 years of pushups every single day.

Now, this habit does not make me the strongest powerlifter, plenty bench heavier than I…but the million reps allows me to do reps with people standing on my back.

You do something daily, for lengths of time, even a pretty light stimulus gets you plenty strong.

…..

Every presser has their naturally favored muscles.

I’ve long had a big chest, medium sized arms, shoulders were the weak spot of the three.

To put on shoulders was something of an accomplishment.

For women to be telling me I have great broad shoulders is a really cool compliment.

To hear the same from men, ditto.

Now me personally?
I’m most impressed by my upper back.

My upper back, along with my shoulders have taken off in the past two years or so.

This is because I’ve, for this time period, done mostly weights from the ground to overhead.

First lots of barbell pressing, then more recently I’ve developed a kettlebell, more snatching than not, habit.

Take weights. Put them overhead.
Have a goodly percentage of your lifts be presses, I tend to rep out presses off of one snatch.

You can just have a barbell clean it once, press it a bunch of times, and do this every session for lengths of time.

The variable here being weight on the bar.

Doing a few sets of heavy presses, you’ll discover it is, the clean and press, a full body lift.

Traps?
You had to clean it.

Upper back?
Honestly it’s hit well, aesthetic building (& obviously strength) from both parts; clean AND press.

Hips?
You cleaned it.

Legs… QUADS!
NO LIFT CAUSES A HARD QUAD CONTRACTION LIKE A HEAVY PRESS

…..

I’ve a bit more balance now.

I’ll throw an occasional barbell press session in, even a barbell snatch session, the usual being a minisession of burpees with kettlebell(s).

The kettlebell portion generally being one arm snatches with a 20kg bell (thanks again dude) and/or one arm swings with a 32kg bell (the movement now comfortable within a few months of usage, probably due to the aforementioned lighter bell – it wasn’t comfortable at the start, I grew into the bell with the movement).

May this help you.
I raise my glass. Clink. Sip. Swish. Ahh.

Persistence & Tenacity
8/16/23 ~1215am

8/11/23
830pm, 3:00 total
After four days without touching a kettlebell, doing a burpee, or lifting a barbell, thinking today another off day, the day nicely off of work, having slept twelve hours, and having eaten up some (a big ole ~14oz burger patty with three and a half slices of american cheese, a giant 8oz reese’s cup ie eating as I desired)…

Today I finally got myself to again touch a kettlebell and do a few burpees.

I tell you this ; everytime I take only a few days off, the next time touching the weights is like greating a long lost friend.

And another thing…..

Exercise – You Only Need 3:00 :

Initially I’d little drive to workout, but a moment of downtime while being outside meaning I was already halfway there – I decided to train, getting in a brief minisession after a few days without.

I changed the recent usual ; there was no 65lb barbell, and the 32kg kettlebell for one arms swings instead became a 20kg kettlebell for one arm snatches.

I did burpees freestyle as is my wont.
Something in the vicinity of a navy seal without the jump, but with extra everythings tacked on.

The mosquitos tonight are horrendous, this year having been fairly light of them mostly.

…..

Three minutes is enough daily training time.

You need that little.
Everyone has it.

The out of shape have excuses.

You can afford a light to medium kettlebell or two (to keep at home).

There are always burpees if you’re poor, the state of california doesn’t allow you to bench press, or you’re the only adult with the fetish, the only civilian outside of crossfit to willingly do a single burpee as an adult.

Cause really very few do burpees on their own accord…their loss.

…..

Get your kettlebell, mark off a few square feet – lift the bell, smash the burpees.

Three minutes, three sets or so combined is three minutes more of activity than inactivity, is how you keep effective exercise in your life – it best being a daily thing, rain, sleet, snow or shine (ie in all circumstance, even when minimal), and does make you feel great for a time.

There would be a whole lot more happiness in the world if everyone had a kettlebell to swing or snatch, used it, and did burpees on a regular basis.

Persistence & Tenacity

8/6/23
The cool thing about these minimal light barbell, kettlebell, and burpee minisessions is that I have no logistical excuse to not do them.

Going real low rep on each, well I still get out of breath, I still get a pump, both by nature of the exercise itself – while I can keep the whole thing – setup and breakdown included, to ten minutes or so.

Zero excuses.
I’d have to really prefer “off day” mentally to skip one.

And a couple hours after having eaten a big fat meal out I guilted myself into one.

…..

In a way it’s these daily minisessions that set me apart from everyone.

Of the two current coworkers with gym memberships only one goes consistently.

It’s not like most people train.

I saw one fit runner today as I went to the store, a couple people shooting hoops.

Other than that, on a nice summer day the outside was abandoned. Me being just as guilty til the nighttime session.

I’ve come to love these outdoor sessions, now a dang viking in outlook as to weather conditions ; noting to self that “it is”, shrugging, and going outside with my kettlebell anyway.

A few minutes outside at 845pm and I worked up a real rank sweat in 3 overhead squats, 7 curls, 5/side one arm swings, and 5 burpees.

It’s that I’ve years of training history, paying my dues, and to a degree still blows my mind after many years of high frequency, high volume, to be doing these 5:00ish minisessions, barely anything to them, and feeling like I’ve ran a sprint, while having close to or a full body pump…

Getting beaucoup benefit from minimal input.

…..

Genuinely close to going somewhere else for a 90+ day, I’ll call it “training holiday”.

Might be lifting, might be fighting, could be both, could be ham on burpees, maybe with pullups.

Kinda looking for a bit of a fresh place to start/reset while doing an all in training systems reset.

Antithesis to the minisessions above lol

…..

The quick pump and out of breath minisessions do not break you down.

They build you up, and can be stacked up, racked up to ∞, the limit your available time, and drive impulse (it’s more compulsive/impulsive for me) to do another.

…..

I hear possible didgeridoo sounds coming from the neighbors, ~9pm – rowdy retirees lol

Note to self : don’t let 65+ have all the fun.
Note to self : “dude I’m looking at you”.

…..

Saw the youtube subscriber count upped from 29 to 31 this weekend.

Interacted with a commenter who said he’s been reading here, who gave me some words of encouragement.

The reader/viewer interaction is always appreciated.

I’m still here.

Persistence & Tenacity

Whether it’s burpees, up/downs, sprawls, front/up/back, turkish get ups, kneeling jumps, rolls, simply laying down and standing up…

You won’t go wrong simply getting on the ground and standing up bunches of times, for reps, for time/density, whatever.

You could call it Remedial Conditioning For Grappling Course Level 0000, you could call it basic life ability, conditioning, activity – what you call it doesn’t matter.

Get on the ground.
Stand up.
Get back on the ground.
Etc.

…..

The turkish get up is more impressive with the addition of getting down to finish.

You don’t roll around, forwards, backwards, to the side – this is a problem, kids do this stuff, if you did gymnastics you did this, wrestling practice we did this.

High knees, smash yourself off the ground, pop up, it’s a method.

Kneeling jump, kneel, repeat – it’s fun.
You can kneeling jump?

Get someone who wants to be sadistic, wants to smoke you – they call front, up, or back – while up you high knee, a call of front up get on your face as quickly as possible, a call of back and you get to laying on your back as quickly as possible.

The transitions make this.

…..

or to simplify ;
Frankly, do burpees – it’s that simple.

You might as well do your daily burpees :)-

Persistence & Tenacity

7/27/23
A tad after 8pm, the day was off of work – overcast and muggy, an enjoyable leisurely eating period of ground beef and spuds meat slop, cherry 7up, and coffee milk in me precedingly – I’ve finally found the energy to lift.

And I’ve found the music to lift to!

Some stuff never changes ; I’ve a playlist of such things as the irish rovers, korpiklaani, ra ra rasputin going – the same stuff and similar to what I listened to during outdoor night sessions at the end of high school going preworkout…

…..

815pm
Today’s session a mix of freestyle burpees and one arm kettlebell swings, real minimal – just 15 reps each in sets of 5 burpees and 5+5 oas, enough for a quick pump and out of breath euphoria.

I danced around the entire session (maybe 15:00) to one song of trance music on repeat, getting into the moment yet meditating on the future being both with and for me…

Today’s Training Song On Repeat :

wolf totem the hu ft jacob shaddix

…..

No one sets one hypnotic folk metal song on repeat, starts dancing around as if round a primal/tribal fire around their sets, does so outside – with minimal equipment, gets into it, and BENEFITS!

These sessions, this style, extra night workouts after the school weight room were my bread and butter at 17 years old.

Now almost out of my 20s, no gym to go to has me alone and outside with minimal equipment, and…

I’M AT MY ROOTS!

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. while I have been doing little but a few burpees and kettlebell swings…when you have more equipment access – a great way to get in conditioning with training density is to do a few of both/either between ALL sets.

I’ve simply skipped the other stuff, just doing strength involved conditioning to exclusivity :), which fits as I’m plenty strong, and there’s never enough conditioning when you’re 6′ 280lbs reflecting on having wrestled last in the 189lb weight class now over a decade ago

7/24/23
Work today was ten hours, and by mistakenly only putting a skull cap on at the end – I’m sure I have a nice red instead of chrome dome.

“Why don’t you put on sunscreen?”
“Sunscreen is disgusting liquid gloop cancer.”
“Dude, skin cancer is cancer.”
“I don’t buy it. No one was talking about skin cancer two hundred years ago before sunscreen.”
“Touche.”

My abs are pretty sore. Maybe from rotating to stack all those, mostly fairly heavy, file boxes.

We loaded an eighteen wheeler for a customer moving down the eastern seaboard, him having somehow found himself moving with a no touch interstate driver.

…..

I fasted, more than sixteen hours, only water throughout the day – scratch that, the customer gave me a coconut water with pulp, after 630pm drinking a quart of coffee milk – steak already prepped from the other night, spuds take minutes, that for dinner with a cherry coke AFTER the lift I’ll get to soon.

As I say repeatedly about kettlebells ; it both lends itself to high frequency, and carries over well real world.

I felt good carrying today, a bit sore in the glutes, in a nice, euphoric, well activated way from yesterday’s swings.

I intend to both one arm swing and burpee tonight.

…..

My lift was a play period of freestyle burpees, overhead squats, one arm swings, and reverse curls.

Got out of breath. Got a pump.

Did something that makes it so work doesn’t take it out of me.

John Grimek wrote of this – working out building capacity to do work, so as to not be a sad sack who just slumps over at the end of his work day, it taken out of him.

Working out rightly makes work easy, and gives you energy to live, not just exist in the job-television-nightmare- repeat matrix.

Did something that makes me carry myself real well, be real capable, real world.

Do your burpees.
Do your overhead squats.
Do your swings.
And do you reverse curls for the girls.

Persistence & Tenacity

Primal Dancing Music For Your Lifting Session :

if I had a heart berserker version – pietro gubernari

I was real into it, dancing around the yard – felt really good, pictured that I was moving, in motion to the beat in a circle round the fire – trance movement, you go somewhere tip top and old before time doing so TAKE NOTE