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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

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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

started the day shoveling
it’s now winter

oddly parched and downed water after what was only a few minutes outside

first round of shoveling done, I slept back in, only after having done a few strict pushups

…..

woke up wishing I had steak already prepared, knowing I’m low on milk, and that a bunch of shoveling is needed, nor am I going to want to drive to the store

…..

sore?
yeah

we’ll figure some minimal lifting out, do so after the shoveling is done

realized I had caffeine yesterday, I really don’t handle caffeine well – that’s the thirst, soreness, etc – caffeine – a hell of a drug

…..

•avocado toast
•cranberry juice

…..

an hour of shoveling snow – I kinda get the stereotypical “weights? i’ve got your weights right here” sentiment

…..

1st Lift :

Press
8×165

okay, didn’t wuss out of lifting today despite all the snow – I was at home, that’s perfect logistics

…half hour later…

2nd Lift :

Side Press
10 each side w/75lb db

just to get a bit more than one set in
it’d be real nice to be able to load this movement up, it’s possibly the #1 press overall

(sand in contractor clean up bags tied to handle – would work even better with a kettlebell)

…..

real minimal lifts as the snow was seemingly never ending, and I was unclear as to my work schedule

…..

shoveling snow is gpp

almost 30 years old = almost 20 years of shoveling snow

my childhood best friend, who I haven’t heard from in about eight years, haven’t seen since the summer after graduation – he’d have been happier with life, not on antidepressants if he’d had outdoor time instead of just being one with the video games

that’s the SoCal suburban ennui

physical work, even when it breaks one down, is still healthier for a man than sedentary work

outdoor work is healthier than indoor work

the kitchen, as hot as it was, getting rashes stewing in your own sweat, the bad attitudes throughout restaurant staff, the fluorescent lights, the soybean oil thick in the air…that was hell

made worse by the manager’s bean counting about labor costs – all the while your soul dying to get outside

it amazes me that there were a bunch of staff there for over 5 years, a couple over 20

15 months of line cooking was 15 months too long, though I’d be willing to go back to a kitchen to simplify my life, walking to work, etc – just live real minimal for a time while knowing that I’m not going to make the mistake of getting out of shape allowing a miserable job to keep me from doing as I must with weights, wind, etc

…..

•chicken noodle casserole
•cranberry juice

will cook and eat steak a bit later

…..

evening nap

…..

•steak
•cranberry juice

cooked to a delicious medium rare –
there is nothing so enjoyable to eat as a nice juicy steak – the vegetarians and vegans miss out

…..

5, 15, 15 on pushups throughout the day, probably another set or two before bed

…..

•cranberry juice

…..

25 more

…..

stomach hurts – the chicken noodle casserole, maybe the noodles, probably the green beans – last time I ate green beans they bugged my stomach as well

french cut sits better than full grean beans generally

for how to treat them – see oats from the other day, follow the gut

…..

A Thought :

“I’m going to train today. I have to train today.”

That’s my mentality.

I realize I could start filming, though I’m still inclined to wait til I get stuff I want on camera to do so ;

•press 5+ x 225lbs
•20+ pullups

Heck, if I’m over 220lbs for it, this summer running a ≤6:00 mile, I think I’ll film the mile, it’d be sweat to get that, and 20+ pullups on the same video.

The 300+ lb clean and press? Get it, then start dropping bw to get it as light as possible. That thought struck me early today.

195-205lbs at 6′ is VERY FIT, and very strong with a 300lb c&p alongside it.

There’s value in NOT PROGRAMMING – I’ve gotten a decent bit better at pressing just doing lots of pressing over the past 15 months.

It’s not the equipment, it’s the effort.

You should only buy equipment or rent (ie gym dues) equipment that you’re going to put your heart and soul into.

~$115 for a 32kg kettlebell, bro I’d said “buy no equipment” within the last few weeks…having made that purchase, I’m going to have to earn it on the back end via effort – can’t let that bell just sit, gonna have to mini session it daily – work bottoms up presses weak side, smash front squats, and alongside their volume develope a swing, maybe even snatching, habit.

You understand?

If you don’t have the drive to train, we want you smashing bodyweight volume – you’re the gym.

You are!
Where you are right now.

A bunch of pushups, a bunch of bw squats or lunges, and flexing your back and biceps – pour the soul into it – it’ll get results.

Then when your mind is right you can start putting dollars into the process, at the start or upon a reset(s) put everything into it with what you have where you are.

When it arrives, I’ll probably have that kettlebell for the rest of my life, and you know what – I expect to earn it by using it to complement all the necessary squatting that I’d been ignoring with logistics as excuse.

Just go 5x(5r+5l) front squatting it at some point daily, and swing it 25x each hand, maybe bookended one hand, squats, other hand – treat this as a daily minimum in addition to some pushups, lift however as well.

Dude, home based training works better for lift & run than treadmills in a gym ever will.

If the block is about ¾ mile, well run that shit twice with weights bookended and middle.

Sprint and lifts mixed is even easier – grass and asphalt right there.

Maybe go rocky on this…I had fun in the past mixing 40yd dashes with 10×10 curls, snow boot up, jog/run the deep snow, lift, repeat.

Fuck being out of shape.

…..

I will read comments under youtube videos, not actually watching them.

Found this gem (paraphrased) :

“When all a person wants to do is train, he’s gonna end up built like the king of the jungle.”

…..

Passed the pushups spot, 40 more – mostly complete range of motion.

Really went to the kitchen for ;

•pb,b, & j toast
•milk
•cranberry juice
•wafer dessert thing

5th feeding as logged, four food, one just a glass of juice – four meals seems pretty ideal to me right now, the frequent feedings mostly happening as I’m working what is a seasonal job at the moving company having wmmany days off and often short shifts.

I need to figure out work, ideally moving would just be twice weekly gpp, while a full time job is against what I want to be doing with lifting.

How do I solve that?
Gym owner or independent personal trainer.

Find the space to really do this youtube thing.

……

35, 15, 5 just before midnight

That was a amp up mini session – I feel alive from it. The feeling why I do lots of mini sessions.

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

Though it’s not how I’m starting the day, I’m looking forward to the light fat grips deadlift later today.

It appears that light volume deadlifts are becoming a daily thing for me – I’m loving them, and they’re truly a “health lift” leaving you feeling great.

…..

•egg salad on toast

…..

Woke up not feeling strongly any compulsion to shave for watching a movie last night.

At around midnight, it could’ve been on either side, I thought to myself “if I’m against watching television (every form), would I be against watching a play” – an interesting train of thought to go down, one I’d not though of before.

I have a handful of fond memories of going to plays with my father when I was around 6 years old – getting churros or something from a street vendor outside the venue of a christmas play downtown during the intermission

My conclusion right now is that watching a play would be acceptable, that though still spectation it’s doing something in real life, probably with your people or in support of your people while every form of television is best minimized, and that television really does feel a gateway drug to porn to me.

…..

A few winters back I got very strong with horse stance, this winter’s experiment seem to be the light deadlifts…yet I already know from past experience = it’s working

…..

•two donuts
•iced coffee

CAFFEINED UP! (completely unnecessarily)
…..

•16oz milk
•slice of banana bread

…..

the caffeine…to lift or to nap…

…..

The Following Is The More Awesome Option ;

and ALWAYS take the more awesome option!

had to ice chipper the particle board, and whacked each rubber tile 15x against the tree to clear them, did so equally from left and right – wood chop simulation – a fun new stimulus as discovered yesterday

1st Lift :

Fat Grips Deadlift
48x165lbs in 5:00

mythical strength is right – you have 5:00 –
I did not hit 50+ in 5:00 though, went a little heavier and for a longer time period than initially intended, however that’s fine – I like varying the stimulus a little from day to day – this manner makes a brief time input highly effective

I’ve fallen into a permutation of “deadlift every day”

…half hour later…

2nd Lift :

Press
15×165 sloppy, short of/barely at chin
1:00 rest
6×165 STRICT w/pauses at top & bottom
rest 1:00
4×165 STRICT w/pauses at top & bottom

naught a clean to be found in this session, I only pulled to shoulder via no foot movement heaves

it’s real nice to have weights at home to allow this type of split training period as a regular thing

as time goes on, as conditioning improves condense this

no need to go to the local powerlifting gym – I’m enjoying lifting outside

lifted this time to fun summer country music mostly from a few summers back which brought me back to feeling great a few summers back while listening and lifting and being outgoing

threw in a few bw squats with high squeeze at the end, really daydreaming of the kettlebell to use here

…..

I expect improvement in body composition as performance on the density work, on isabel, on pullups/pullups related work goes up

…..

That Wes Watson mantra “life happens for me” is a more positive interpretation (language matters) of “everything happens for a reason”.

“Life happens FOR me” is making it so that everything happens in your favor whereas the more nonspecific “happens for a reason” isn’t telling you why, while FOR ME clearly states the reason, for you, to help you, to your advantage.

…..

•small steak sandwich w/fries
•bowl of cereal
•slice of pizza

steak sandwich may be up again later this week, I’ve got steak, I’ve got fajita veggies, american cheese

…..

Pushups :
40 total today, I’m more into strict than woody woodpecker right now – triceps obviously worked with the earlier presses

…..

If I’m getting into volume deadlifts, the reps increasing per set and per density period as I get better…

It makes sense to squat high reps again.

The kettlebell is scheduled to arrive in a few days, that opens up light front squats with no logistical consideration so, but…

Maybe I’ll start back squatting again.
I never did get to 50xbw, having stopped at 50×195 weighing 225 at the end of high school.

…..

We’re going back to the “life happens for me” note.

In preschool, southern california, late 90s, I believe there were some christian scientists, maybe an offshoot, in the class – their parents very laissez faire about their kids playing near train tracks had many other mothers aghast…

I once ticked off the pastor of a church my aunt went to by interpreting a video he played for us of a priest? (it was church of england in the video) as arguing for reincarnation on earth, me seeing no reason that heaven and hell couldn’t be HERE as another “life” (who’s to say what our definitions are in relation to God’s definitions).

I was finding it interesting reading about christian science and noticing I’d had thoughts in line with their beliefs years ago.

There is no originality in humanity.
We’ve existed long enough that every thought is a repeat of a prior thought.

Faith healing is an interesting subject to ponder.

State can change to the positive with as simple as a deep breath, a change in posture, a smile on your face, the opposites of a blank mind or a thought.

Why must we react a certain way to things?
I’m sure you’ve heard this “the prisoner who is free in his mind”.

There’s a lot of leeway in this world, reality is how we choose to act/react to it.

I’m laying here in bed, typing on this cellphone, hearing the noises around me, deep breaths, a smile on the crease of my lips, thinking about existence, everything, checked in – this section I’m flowing, was tired, now awake with euphoria, deep breath, a smile

I have a different perspective.

Always have. Was always outgroup. Always different. You see it. Listen.

Belief. Action/Reaction. Thought.

Reality is ;

The most powerful knowledge is God created all, and he made life happen for me.

…..

If I was to never make any more “gains” lifting weights, I’d continue to lift anyway – I love the act itself, I enjoy the process. It’s a joyous act I choose to participate in often.

You can think yourself ____. See Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

…..

•chicken quesadillas
•bowl of cereal
•milk

In the bathroom mirror before this late meal, I noticed I look a little less fat…frequent deadlift metcons (essentially), and more frequent feedings.

…..

15 more – 55 on the day, the pushups really mixing well with the day’s presses

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

had dreamt of ultra marathons of all things – running hard miles and many kettlebell swings

🙂

fell back asleep then dreaming of a trip to a hellish grocery store – the highlight of which was 47¢ single serve truly high quality whey protein, with a silly brand name, and rich piana’s zombie as infomercial guy for the company

woke up hungry both times – that’s a good thing

…..

quick wake up/feel good shower – every shower this year I’ve ended with the water as cold as it can come out

…..

•chicken quesadillas
•big bowl of cereal
•milk

it strikes me as a funny imagining one trying to count macros and calories on mexican food – good luck, would make a funny comedy skit measuring out everything precisely

“this much cheese, this much chicken, two tortillas, exactly ___g fat, protein, carbs – oh wait, how much was dark meat, how much white meat”

……

I’m looking forward to experiencing that kettlebell, yet I’ll still have no heavier than 32kg/70lb kettlebell reference point.

Thinking about heavy bell work, somewhere out there someone must’ve cleaned the 203lb monster kettlebell.

That’d be a wicked off center front squat, and strikes me as doable, not much different than squatting with a person over one shoulder, which strikes me as the most useful squat.

That is something firemen, military, and wrestlers can use in real life.

…..

“went to the gym”, didn’t lift yet, just clean up

ice chipper across the particle board and patio tiles, then salt on the particle board, wait a little then scrape it all off – particle board clear ✓ – footing is good

patio tiles though…the ice had formed overnight around the dimensions of a 45lb plate touching, odd I thought as I didn’t leave the bar there – just lifted it as the snow formed around it last night – that snow turned to ice in that shape

I didn’t throw down salt onto the tiles, but used the ice chipper to wedge them out of the ground already having chipped across them to little effect…to the tree, and “chopped wood” hitting the rubber patio tiles against the tree, then left the mostly clean tiles in the sun

that’s a new stimulus – while I no longer have a tractor tire to hit with a sledgehammer, I’ve got rubber patio tiles I can hit against the tree

rotational power/strength WHACK

they’re about $7 each at the hardware store, it may look funny, but with it you’ve got non tree chopping tree chopping…sustainable

while the environmentalists love it, the tree is thinking “what did I ever do to you”, but kept it’s big mouth shut

…..

Lift :

Fat Grips Deadlifts
33x135lbs in 2:00
rest 3:00
31x135lbs in 2:00
Press
11×165

as I type everyday, what a great glute and lat pump – I get so much from this style of training with this movement – this pump, the glutes locking every step, my back feeling solid, has me feeling on top of the world

knowing how I responded to light smith machine deadlifts it’ll be interesting to see long term how much top end strength this builds – I know of a 600lb deadlift by a bodybuilder or two from pump work

just keep progressing in weight while remaining high volume with the pump

the press is catching up to PRs despite adding in more and more volume before the pressing

I need to get to 300+ lbs being as easy to heave to the shoulders as the mid 100s.

……

•six eggs
•1c oats

oats in bowl, stir in all the spices, crack the eggs in, stir together, fry – been making eggs & oats like this for years, probably over a decade

it comes out some consistency of bread, but nicely spiced, and more nutritious

I expect I’ll do a third meal, the first over most likely – been rather hungry most of the day today, no real desire for junk food, the only thing I really want being a sub of some sort, maybe meatball, maybe steak.

…..

•mexican food, beef dish

an unexpected invitation from my parents to go out to eat with them

was invited to, and watched a movie with my father right after

•dessert w/milk (during movie)

two hours long (the original pink panther) the first thing I’ve watched in almost a month since porn

….

Thoughts On Watching Shit :

My feelings are mixed about having watched a movie.

I think what instead could’ve been done with those two hours, as before/during/immediately after I was thinking “do I have to shave for this” coming to the conclusion “no, it’s not porn – but don’t make habit of television either”

Kinda have to laugh about that, considering I’m not going through that train of thought related to all the image searches for pictures to use with posts here.

I had little interest in the movie as it played.
When I got up to get dessert I didn’t have my dad pause the film, I just missed ninety seconds or whatever.

I’ve went years with zero watching anything, 2023 isn’t zero now, but the precedence of not shaving for one thing was set in 2018 during a small family gathering for a red sox game – where I totally saw how most people end up becoming sports addicts, as well as lots of donald duck cartoons as stress release while taking care 8f grandma that fall, then in both 2019 and 2020 where I watched some stuff, mostly movies, occasionally an old tv show, and probably youtube.

I don’t recall watching anything in 2021.
Didn’t in fact.

2022? Well I watched porn a bit most months, television/movies for like the first half the year – and I recall really feeling like I’d accomplished nothing after a couple hours on youtube watching strongman stuff, I had a phase near the end of last year of watching crossfit and strongman stuff.

as pluses of watching pink panther ; it provided a real good bust a gut laugh during the chase scene near the end, and saw me spending some time with my dad

though I’ve long had a hard time considering watching television as time spent together

In life it’s best to minimize what you watch, and maximize what you do.

Action over spectation.

…..

real gassy, probably the oats – 1c was probably too much, it would’ve been better on the gastrointestinal system to have stopped at ½c

nothing can wreck the stomach like oats, though usually raw doesn’t affect me like that

generally raw mixed into eggs then fried sits fine

oats were where I learned the lesson to trust yourself, trust your gut quite literally, and not follow normal advice for my health – oats are not light on my stomach as so many say they are

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

started the day shoveling snow

…..

Having bought groceries already I’ve got plenty of meat on hand – ground beef, steak, rotisserie chicken…

I completely forgot all desserts I’d possibly want – having neither frosted animal cookies nor donuts on hand.

We’re all little sugar addicts, and somehow can’t just eat the ground beef alone…

Was the ramen with it an act of weakness?

And while I was thankful for and enjoyed the pizza at work on tuesday – there’s for the most part been zero draw to having any at home.

That’s with the knowledge that the best bulking food is a good meat lover’s pizza.

While I’ll have to shovel again today, I’m feeling a bunch of workout volume, probably throw the forearm forklift around a tree for a bunch of, I’m feeling trx style, rows.

A bunch of little shoveling and workout mini sessions and a bunch of feedings strikes me as an enjoyable day.

……

My kettlebell is shipping.

With how I intend to use it I’m feeling a bit antsy, hoping it’ll show on the short end of the expected delivery time frame.

…..

Even though I’m far less slave/addict to my cellphone than most, I’ve noticed while reading the bible that my attention span is far shorter than it’d been when I was a student in the formal education setting.

I read for hours growing up.

And does a few minutes of duolingo really count?

It’s worth doing educational things for lengths of time.

The funny thing about the above is I can sit quietly and almost motionless for hours – it ain’t a thing to me.

Relatedly; the crew I’ve been with most shifts drives in a hilariously quiet cab – to the point when I’m with the other crew they’re going “J, you’re awfully quiet”.

While the driver will turn on the radio, it’s almost naught a word spoken between we three during truck time.

…..

•ground beef w/ramen mix (from last night)
•chicken quesadillas
•banana bread
•milk
•four hershey chocolates

…..

heard a goose honking, couldn’t see it – laughed to myself thinking “it’s flabbergasted, thinking – didn’t go far enough south for the winter after all”

threw a few snowballs at a tree – that’s play, something we did as kids, not enough of as adults

“went to the gym” ie shoveled out where I lift

waited awhile, then…

Lift :

Strap Isometrics + A Couple “Ring” Pullups :

a little bit of isometrics before and after lifting, and discovering that I can do ring pullups with the straps – could gtg that easily enough, step outside, throw strap over branch, low reps…eventually REALLY strong

Fat Grips Deadlift :

41x135lbs in 2:30
31x135lbs in 2:30

probably 3:00 between density periods/sets

it’s obvious that I have lats and glutes from this – great pumps – I respond real well to this type of stimulus

progression standard is roughly 50 reps in 2:00, then bump 20-30lbs bar weight – I figure 50×205 in 2:00 is plenty of real world ability, not that I intend to stop there

i’m really digging the light thick handles deadlifts

this the first time I didn’t press in awhile – wasn’t looking to shoulder the bar in sketchy winter footing, main reason I didn’t do isabel a little harder today

the footing will be good enough soon

…..

“If I ever go back to a gym.”

Do I have a heavy lifting and strongman itch?

I’d still like to bench 405+, 455lbs sounds nice frankly.

And the labor job really has me caring about real world strength with odd objects and having a high level of work capacity and conditioning.

More and more it seems I have to open my own gym…

Enough power cages, platforms, all the strongman equipment, and plenty of wrestling mat square footage.

I’d like to bring in some high level grappling instruction, and run the lifting side myself.

You could train people out of the local powerlifting gym or move and train people out of anywhere – parks can even work.

…..

followed along to this

felt complimentary to all the time outside in the snow today

i’m looking forward to turkish get ups with that kettlebell laying in the snow

…..

scourby kjv in headphones for about forty five minutes

…..

How exactly am I going to use that kettlebell once it arrives?

•lots of swings – since new to having access

•lots of front squats – as I see value in adding lots of squatting to what I currently do, and for whatever reason loaded squats feel better to me than bw squats –

Video :
•flip & catch
•bottoms up press weak side
•bottoms up turkish get up, eventually laying and standing

It’d be interesting if for a month or so I was to for all my lifting just use my mismatched pair of bells, 75lb db & 32kg kb for swings, front squats, see saw presses, etc.

OR

I’ve had a 20lb kettlebell since early in high school, something my mom got me since “I was getting into getting into shape” – Mom, this long ago gift with the other bell…

I’ve a wonderful awful idea ;

To blend mythical strength’s take on dan john’s “tabata front squats”, a 20lber and 70lber making for ~95lb barbell, and quite possibly doing two sets this a day.

It’s only 4:00 or 8:00 minutes, and the set up is silly quick.

I bought the 32kg kettlebell (I keep wanting to write 70lb lol) for work capacity and conditioning – it’d be cool to just devote a brief period to that.

And for the silly quick set up.

I can use a bell in situations the barbell isn’t happening.

Barbell lifting can come back later.
I expect the kb work will mentally get me more into barbell work again.

I’ve been mostly ignoring squats for 15+ months now. A bunch of one or mismathed kettlebell front squats, and I expect come warmer weather I’ll be more into high rep back squats again.

There is a way I can make my living from all this. I love lifting. I can teach it.

…..

Gym culture, all the certifications, etc it often strikes me as a bunch of people who’ve never done manual labor.

The labor world is “get it done”, the gym world too often is “perfection or nothing…so nothing”.

I don’t much want to be physical indoors.

I actually like carrying boxes, delivering houses, it’s as a laborer not enough money.

Even in my 20s, my blending of the labor, gym, and lifting worlds has shown me the value of brute force (labor & lifting), getting the job done (labor), and from the gym world actually doing stuff for your health like getting a good pump, training the whole body – I’ve learned from both, getting to blend both.

Getting A Good Pump Is Healthy :

With my proportions my lower back gets tight, sore fairly quickly.

At 6′ my limbs are the length of some 5’8″ guy at best, pretty short legs, and REALLY SHORT arms, my wingspan is only kinda short as my broad shoulders make up for the super short arms.

Muscular glute size, more ass as it were, takes stress off the lower back – the best thing I can do for physical longevity as a mover is get good glute pumps on a regular basis.

I’ve got a small, dense, powerful ass – the best hypertrophy stimulus for me is metabolic stress, I need to do a bunch of reps and cause my glutes to lock up – that’s how they grow, that’s how they function in place of my lower back.

…..

•chicken quesadillas
•milk
•three hershey chocolates
•pb&j
•bowl of cereal

the rotisserie chicken came in clutch today, that with mexican mix cheese, and these “spicy” (mild/moderate really) tortillas from trader joe’s for the bulk of my food

…..

I realize how much more energy I have delivering houses than I had working as a line cook.

How many days a week did I lift while cooking?
While immediately as a mover I’m racking up the mini sessions, constantly wanting to get more work capacity, move faster, etc.

I’m still butting heads with “nothing to do – nowhere to go” (slow boil debating moving away from new england cause of this – to start new in a new region), just doing loads of mini sessions at home, and slightly cleaning up how I eat.

It’s harder on the body to stand in your little ft² of commercial kitchen hell – stewing in your own juices in perpetual 95° next to the oven, than it is to have the (yes seriously) joy of carrying stuff in and out in and out of the truck/house.

The worst part of delivering houses recently was the 5½ hours total of truck time the other day – it’s tedious to sit there that long in a smoking area when you don’t smoke.

I count this as a blessing ; as a mover I do not have massive thigh, and even worse, right armpit chafe.

That was terrible.

I’ve had small amounts of thigh chafe as a mover in the summer, but the sweat/heat factor is easy on the body in the winter.

The cold does not bother me.

They’re looking at me as if I’m nuts for working in shorts and a long sleeve shirt, skull cap as needed, in this rather warm 30 something ° winter.

…..

Today was again strict lower rep pushups.
This is what I’m looking right now – the stimulus feels particularly good, and is something I intend to mix with my kettlebell when it arrives.

…..

Persistence & Tenacity

•cheese stick (before work)

I definitely don’t want to be fully fasted with this job right now – energy is way better with little bits of stuff

…..

Before Work Pushups :

real minimal, I’m talking 2×5 minimal – last night I felt “I don’t have to do pushups every day”, still did them, and this morning I was thinking about how it’d be fine to just do strict high activation reps in low volume – to change it up

…..

Work :

pretty easy, mostly stuff to the first floor, it cracks me up how much cab griping there is when the customer is like “actually can you move that to the other bedroom”, and ESPECIALLY when they want us to unpack

guys, they’re paying for a service, we’re getting paid to do it – our job, and while unpacking is tedious – it’s easy money, you’re literally just unpacking

and when we take all the empty boxes and trash tape and brown wrap – it ends up adding a bunch of shop time clearing out the trucks and actually getting the stuff into the dumpster

my mentality is different than that of these dudes – many don’t want to be there, at present, while I know this isn’t a lifetime job, I’m happy to be working

I noticed my energy was really good today –
the fish sticks dinner may be worth having as a regular one

…..

•16oz coffee milk

kinda a preworkout, kinda – the time frame was a bit off

…..

•fish sticks (¼ box) w/4 slices american cheese
•½ salami sandwich
•16oz milk
•16oz cranberry juice

At the end of each work week I end up eating the leftover work food – it doesn’t really get eaten most shifts.

…..

Lift :

Power Snatch
3×1 w/165lbs
Sn OH Walk
155lbs for 60yd (3x20yd stretch w/turns)
155lbs for 50yd (2½x20yd stretch w/turns)
155lbs for 50yd (2½x20yd stretch w/turns)
Fat Grips Deadlift
155
165
185
195
205
215
225
4×205
4×195
7×185
33×135 in 2:00
Press
17×135

the oh walk is a NICE touch, you really have to have a stable upper body and sure footedness

all the snatch work, particularly the time under tension of the walks prefatigues the rest of the movements

a neighborhood dog got AMPED as he and his owner walked by me walking with the bar overhead – he always reacts to me lifting this way

…..

& relatedly – I’m excitedly waiting to get the “your order has shipped” email telling me my kettlebell is on the way

I can already hit bottoms up presses with my strong side with that weight, how to do it weak side?

I figure get it to position with one hand, then use the free hand as a method of self spotting – trying to stabilize the bell in position for as long as possible, catching it with the free hand as necessary, and once you can clean it, stabilize it, then start pressing it.

It’s gonna be cool to be able to bottoms up pressa 32kg kettlebell with either hand.

…..

Video Idea :

“The Gorilla Minute” – :60 of gorilla cleans with my 75lb dumbbell and 32kg kettlebell

also see-saw pressing with both

it’s entirely okay that it’s an uneven weight and different implements

and I’m pretty sure I can turkish get up either – these implements travel, and open up some video opportunities

also – neck harness – get to where the kb is training weight

…..

Some of the stuff in labor jobs, the way you manhandle it, it’s never going to be replicated in the gym.

Moving crates around inside a box or trailer is one thing – getting empty crates by hand from box to trailer is a whole different crew sized ball game.

Then you push (occasionally pull) those crates in every manner.

You’d have to drag sleds at weird angles and do isometrics against immovable objects at the same in many variants.

…..

I just had a kid, white, probably 16 while walking by me still being outside after lifting say something to me, I replied “hell yeah man” then his buddy, same description, said something like “this fool/foo blah blah blah”, half turned, and seemingly flashed gang signs.

Did I just get banged on here in new england?

By a white high schooler?

In a 97% white, borderline redneck area?

Couldn’t tell for sure if they were drunk/high, they seemed tipsy, while either way they were teenagers acting dumb feeding off each other’s energy.

Funny to hear mexican gang banger come out of them. Where in pop culture did they pick that up?

At least with myself I can claim “half my childhood was in SoCal”.

…..

Dinner/PostWorkout Meal
•1¼lbs ground beef
•two packs ramen
•grits – enough to soak up extra water
•american cheese – four slices per big bowl
•12oz root beer
•12oz milk

For whatever reason I was viewing it as a challenge to eat the whole thing.

I realized the absurdity of force feeding right now, stopping after having my fill at almost two big bowls, having eaten about 75% of the mixture which only did not have vegetables because I didn’t want to use the bag of mixed veggies containing both corn (basically pure sugar to me) and green beans (not the consistency I wanted).

By figuring out how to rice broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms I could make this far healthier – the aforementioned vegetables instead of the ramen.

I don’t really give a damn about any dietary details right now other than “is my job performance adequate”, and “is my work capacity improving”.

Lifting and moving are feeding into each other nicely at present.

My abilities are improving.

…..

•24oz orange juice con pulpo

…..

35 pushups TOTAL on the day, all strict, 2×5 in the am, 2×5 maybe ten minutes before showering, a set of 15 immediately before showering

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Persistence & Tenacity