“You were on a mission, I didn’t want to be in your way” the cashier, a cute though flat chested brunette of between 18 and 21, said to me when I came back to checkout.
(One of my food packages was open, I noticed at the last minute, and had turned around to get a new one.)
I mention this being said to me to the girl manager at work (25yo) who replied “I can see that, you always go around like that, you’re always like that- you’re intense”.
They must see this just cause 6′, muscular.
I don’t see it – especially now as I progress into my old age, the senior citizenship of 28 lol – whereas I feel like I’ve visibly chilled over the past few years.
Heck, one buddy said he saw that happen in the year from 26½ to 27½.
Reality?
Mine that is…
I’m a jokester, a big light hearted goofball, and I flip a switch somewhere from introvert to outgoing when I’m anywhere but alone (50% of the time, it has been, and needs be higher – talk to everyone, especially the cute college chicks).
Flip switch. Click. ✓
When my buddy and I moved to vegas everyone thought I was the one who was prior service.
I wasn’t. He was.
20 vs 22
People just notice that I’m wired, squared away, often easily enough on “up time”.
Up time!
Cali can be funny.
First it’s “what branch were you?”
“Marine Corps? Oh, you were army.
No? Neither?” They’re surprised.
Then it’s…
“When and where did you do time?
No?” They’re surprised again.
Big islander with airborne tats, fit black dude compton and crip tats blasted all over him – just respect nods as I pass.
Don’t know the vibe I have.
The gym out there, this GIANT black guy, 6’8″+, probably 400lbs, muscular (I don’t think it was Shaq, yes I’m confident it wasn’t Shaq) – we’d nod and fist bump.
Him leaving, me entering the gym floor.
Never spoke, just nod, fist bump, as the gym floor “crew/shift” changed.
Got a spot from one of those crips, broke “prison politics”, it visibly blew his mind, but I’m a civilian – in the civilian world.
All the blacks there gave me respect, watched me power clean -respect for that too.
A conversation with one chick, another chick witnessed, and seemingly ALL the chicks there became interested.
“Hey! Yo! We’re not done talking. Get back here.”
Gave her my #, “text me your name in a bit”, THEN she left.
That deliciously hipped and naturally blonde latina witnessed me doing that which was more exciting than her and two guy friends taking instagram photos for each other, decided she was smitten, and it snowballed.
“Dude, do you know her?” The redhead dude from detroit training with me asked.
“Nope.”
“Well that wasn’t for me.”
She had walked the entire way across the gym “to grab a plate” (either 2½, 5, or 10lb) from right next to me, an accented “excuse me”, with a huge smile up at me as she squeezed by before I could initially move, just radiating a smile as she came back by instead of going around the other equipment “thank you”.
We both recognized that as her making an obvious, chick hitting on guy, pass at me.
Cops tend to be tense around me.
It’s 50/50 on whether dudes who’ve been to prison will be chill or tense.
…..
Occasionally I do my daily pushups as 4ct reps.
Did so today, bout 1245am.
Got them out of the way still up after midnight.
Worked bout 8am to 930pm yesterday – a long weekend restaurant day.
Our reserves, our energy – it’s as high as we want.
I laugh as I hip check the doorway.
Yeah, 12 hours in the kitchen. Dehydration. Affects balance.
The mace workout. Last night’s extra pushups. Today’s early pushups.
4ct militant.
4ct Militant :
I count off the reps 1, 2 , 3 ,1, sometimes in my head, sometimes aloud – the whole set but the “and for good measure” 4ct, those words ALWAYS aloud.
AND FOR GOOD MEASURE!
aloud
I get more out of these reps, and sometimes will sound off.
Like picturing benching 405 for reps as I do pushups, the 4ct makes the vanilla pushup more valuable than just repping, done in these styles they’re done strictly vs what form police would forever “no rep” – the “woody woodpeckers”.
Being the king of improvised training every night that I wasn’t able to get to the gym during the brief period it took me to get into a used car – for that month or six week every night not at the gym I’d swamp lunge down and back, down and back, enjoying the fresh air – knowing NOTHING CAN STOP ME
I’ll always train.
…..
I’ve realized thigh bulk would be the #1 assistance to my pressing.
one is built to press…
At present I’m just not getting under the bar for high bar or front squats, really doing the clean and press to the near exclusion of all other lifts.
I intended to snatch grip deadlift today after pressing.
All I did was press.
Which by itself, I always press off of a clean or heave, is enough for most purposes.
…..
At present state of mind I’d have to get into a gym again to truly get into regularly doing other lifts.
Later in the day, outside enjoying the fresh chilly air – I realized walking lunges, swamp lunges!
Eureka!
Then did 20 total, remembering the joy of the thing in the past, recalling how even further back lots (60-150 total) of lunges 4x a week built me solid p4p squat strength for 8 reps.
Maybe this is going to be habit for a time.
I enjoyed it.
And there is an answer here :
Not able to logistically, or are unwilling to squat?
Walking lunge, or swamp lunge instead.
It builds good pound for pound strength taken seriously.
And it’s always there with you.
That’s the simplest way. Use what is always with you.
Today, off work, waking up real early (am I a werewolf affected by the moon?) I went to the kitchen and had a small meal of polish-mexican fusion (I just wanted to write that lol – kielbasa sliced thin into corn tortillas with melted cheese), then going back to bed to sleep way in – early afternoon I lifted.
Press
2×210
6×195
6×185
2×200
I’m guessing I was done in under ten minutes, the right aggressive attitude as I approached, cleaned, and pressed the bar fueled by mexican gangbanger rap and walking with purpose to grab the bar – no dillydallying at the bar either.
Whatever the official start date, and though there’s no snow yet, the past few lifts have been cold enough to break out the little black winter gloves.
Lifting in cheapo beat up soft soled skate shoes, wearing those little black winter gloves, the platform a piece of particle board and pair of rubber patio tiles = ideal gym.
It does, as lifting matters to me.
Right now I’m on a kick of “what can I clean and press no warmups”.
even if he did warmup – many anecdotes imply he didn’t need to
Then I’ll hit a few more sets, maybe all back off, maybe waved in weight.
Today it was pressing 2×210.
Tommorow I’ll hit 215, or maybe not.
There’s a commonality between the grocery store and gym for me…
I never walk out with exactly what I expected to.
No list, I always forget something.
No program means the lift happens as it happens.
The session NEVER ends up being exactly the session I walked in having planned.
Ha, walked in. Right now it’s technically stepped outside!
I own 500lbs of weights.
Plenty have cleaned it.
Through 1972 it was pressed by a bunch too.
I could milk yard lifting to elite international weightlifter level.
The bar and plates are there.
…..
The #1 thing I could do to greatly improve the press would be to build a massive pair of thighs.
I realize handstand pushup work would be great shoulder work, but it and the press are not exactly the same.
Pressing big overhead, it’s a plus to have massive superheavyweight thighs.
Handbalancing would prefer little skinny jeans legs lol
I’m still more into “press big weights”.
However I’m also still unlikely to do that requisite high bar/front squat work in the yard, and still leaning a pretty strong no as to joining the local powerlifting gym.
So it continues to be a half week each week of americanized bulgarian training for the press.
No thigh size building… 😉
Three days in a row, all the days off of work, occasionally a fourth lift some weeks before work on the day of a short shift.
This winter I may experiment with lifting in those thick outdoor yard work type work gloves.
Any glove is a grip strengthener, and I bet that thicker leather will last as opposed to tearing up pair of gloves after pair of gloves as they disintegrate with barbell use.
Those gloves will build grip with those fat leather fingers.
I can only laugh at how awkward deadlift style picking up a bar is right now.
I’m used to setting up for cleans.
It’s not the same positioning.
…..
“The strong do what they can. The weak suffer what they must.”
The above quote, I apply it to my ugly catches, my not bothering to warm up, etc.
Because I can.
And it’s not without precedence. Occasionally you hear stories.
Not that you need precedence.
Go out, do you.
Do you. Always.
That’s it.
I lift because I choose to.
I enjoy pressing. The fresh air is nice, even better with the winter’s chill to it.
I suggest you do it right – there silly disclaimer mentioned lol
Whereas I’m nobody, yet a damn good one at that, forever running a never ending n=1 self experiment in what is my interpretation of bodybuilding.
My interpretation of bodybuilding in the way I choose to run it.
Which means clean and press broski. Lots of press.
Far from lab settings, barely, often not, logging, doing this thing in my real world.
IN MY REAL WORLD
My way, though guided to a degree by present circumstance.
I’m willing to press some to every day each week, and am pleased… tasting the nearness of a 255lb c&p upon the back of my tongue.
It’s cool to just grab a 210lb bar as it’s 40° outside, easily clean it, press it for two – maybe call the warmup being content in the knowledge that the tacquitos and apple cider I’d just bought would taste good being ready to eat after my brief lift.
…..
A reoccurring thought today was “all american day”.
That was what kept popping into my head.
I’ve had a good vibe recently – I attribute this to 6+ weeks of heard growth, the same porn free, the same masturbation free.
A real good walk around vibe.
This was carrying over to :
A nicely thick college chick clearly double taking on me, the plain though rather friendly college aged cashier having a pretty good, enjoyable conversation with me (next time should I ever end up in her lane again I’ll have to tell her she should waitress – as bubbly as she is in conversation she’d make much better pay than cashiering which to my understanding is about as low paid as it gets), an older cashier who views me as a regular smiling and waving…
And that’s just today.
I even really enjoyed the taquitos and apple cider.
My one meal, kinda.
I function better leaning towards fasting, eating if necessary earlier, but stacking the majority of my calories as late as possible.
Be big and strong.
Have a beard.
Don’t masturbate ever.
Never watch porn or anything else for that matter.
Approach the entire world with an honest appreciation for/enjoyment of EVERYTHING
BE THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING
Do what others won’t.
Part of that is to enjoy it.
11/14/22 ~530pm
With those sets I just completed 6½ years of daily pushups.
Last night I realized I hadn’t done one of these every six months of daily pushup posts for a couple of intervals, almost started to write this while expecting to post, then realized it was a day early.
I type while eating immediately after the two, thus far, sets on the day.
(I’d say 8+ sets, 300+ reps by the time I’ve continued to write at 815pm)
It’s cool to say I’ve done pushups every day since late June/early July of 2012 with only one (possible) missed day.
Even more sweat to be able to say it’s been a decade or longer unbroken.
6½ in, 3½ more to say it.
Active Streak :
May 14, 2016 – Present
I’m still going.
…..
I’ve long wanted to make a video of weighted pushups with a good looking college chick standing on my upper back.
My uncle and I were discussing a possible western road trip a few days back – I’d like to make that same video on four corners.
…..
Dude, I pray you’re out there in cali, doing well, still doing your pushups.
I realize we haven’t seen each other since summer 2012, nor spoke since late 2014.
I still think of you and yours – I wish you all well.
I’ve got my pushups.
I hope you have yours.
In Your Dad’s Memory :
It was really cool that night when we were about 7, 8 years old and your dad did the “family pushups” almost everybody laying on his back.
I still remember his circuit, 30 or so pushups, 30 or so crunches, 30 or so calf raises, 30 or so seconds of shadow boxing, a bunch of times through.
It seemed to me he did it every afternoon.
I know he alternatively swam or jogged before work each morning.
This all stuck with me over the years.
He was a real good influence, both for what to do, and for what not to do, for health and fitness.
…..
Bruno Sammartino doing weighted pushups in the backyard
10/28/22
Ain’t no reason I won’t thrive as a “weekend warrior”.
The connotation gets unnecessary negativity. A Man training seriously once a week on the weekend will do just fine.
A once weekly serious lift ISN’T the entirety of your physical activity. Viewing the gym as your only physical activity is a mistake, there’s a whole world, and a whole life for physicality.
There’s daily PT!
It may not be the quickest strength increases, but once a week consistently over a decade is going to beat high frequency for a year or two, which then quits entirely.
I realize a 225lb press is nothing.
With my current plates, I expect to power clean (or heave) and press, if it was a regular gym setup with regular gym math I’d expect 365lbs, but with this setup 335lbs, a pair of 100s, a pair of 45s.
Anywhere in that 335-365lb range.
gym math 🙂 shrugs
Keep it simple.
lift til THIS happens as your “norm”
It’s so few pushups now, not keeping track of daily reps. Around half as many deep knee bends.
If I stay awhile longer at this job, I may starve myself whippet lean. It’s amazing how little I eat on the days spent in the kitchen!
The calorie burn must be at least moderately high standing there sweating.
Combined with not eating, a bit of daily PT, and we’ve got muscle sticking to the frame on WEIGHT LOSS DAY!
I’ve continued to train the mace briefly every night after work. A year of doing so has made it real easy to continue – I wasn’t thinking about stopping.
From the longer, lighter, thinner one, I switched to the shorter, thicker, heavier tree branch.
So far this means harder work for the fingers, while the whole thing is more movement than muscle – it’s pretty heavy, therefore I’m just getting the rotation not yet focusing on feeling the muscles work.
A man could do little else but serious grip work, and thrive!
Do your pushups.
Do your deep knee bends.
Do your neck work.
Do a bit more, squeeze your hands, get your head out of your ass (the gym), and win the physical game in life.
I’d rather a rope in a tree and 300lbs of sand in a duffle bag than a gym membership.
10/26/22
Reverse breathing, out on the down, in on the up, it’s pretty counter to what is the norm.
I’ve been doing so with deep knee bends awhile, and the past couple days started up with the same on pushups.
I stopped counting, reps per calisthenic set of daily PT is by feel now, I broke that compulsion, fuck it.
I’ll just always get a few brief sets in to satisfy the “did I really do it” thoughts.
With this manner of breathing you’re always able to do one more rep, and man do you sound like a freight train coming!
…..
Con o sin pulpo?
Con, with! It’s a sin to be without,
flabbergasting that oj is even to be found any other way.
Oj with pulp mixes well with raw eggs – oj ala rocky, not that I’m doing so right now, I’ve just been enjoying oj a lot recently.
It’s not so bad to have a menu of milk, meat, vegetables, and fruit juice.
A lot of play there, all nutritious ingredients, the next step may be “get hint of abs lean”.
I’m not far from that, and it’d be a good walk around point.
…..
I’d forgotten how good pullovers on the total gym feel.
This barbell layoff period is going to be an interesting body builder.
I’m getting more into using the total gym, a great upper body machine should you have access, while the reverse manner of breathing is making pushups and deep knee bends new to me again, and how much it is that I enjoy neck work at present!
No gym.
Just bodyweight and an infomercial device for the most part, a definite desire to occasionally press and snatch on the barbell (keeping it crisp, never straining – up the #s that way with explosion every rep), and a 50/50 on whether I’ll rebuild a heavy sandbag for shouldering.
Part I – I Own No Pair Of Heavy Dumbbells For Pressing :
10/10/22 ~230am
“Pressing Engagements” by John McKean – what an awesome article!
That’s an archive.org link, I’ve learned to link that way, as well as note what music/video I’ve linked in posts, but ditillo is a goldmine, and if you’re reading about lifting the site is high on the list, you should check it out.
Articles galore.
…..
I got a kick out of what he called “stacking nickels”, laughing to myself that I’ve come up with similar methodology doing hurry up singles at every 5lb jump from 135 up.
It reminded me of how heavy and full body see saw presses are.
I liked the movement for awhile, did them consistently back winter 2019/2020 – it’s ~$400 on amazon for a pair of “inexpensive” adjustable 100lb dumbbells.
Maybe a ride to a combination of the sporting goods stores and hardware stores would provide a better option.
And that’d be boots on the ground, which is better than online ordering.
I’m looking at how I could have an adjustable pair or dumbbells loadable to ~125lbs, though to 150lbs each would be better and provide a lifetime of brute strength training.
You get to just walking up to a pair of 150s on the ground, yank them to your shoulders, and press them?
You’re pro strongman strong.
Which is where you should be.
Pro strongman strong.
Expect excellence of yourself.
I bet I can press a pair of 100lb dumbbells, I just have no logistical option at present…as $65/month for dumbbells (& powerlifting, but who cares) doesn’t seem worth it.
I’ve thrived this past year doing almost naught but the barbell clean and presses OUTSIDE (in New England).
Mostly just leaving the bar loaded, heaving it to shoulders once, and pressing it a bunch of times.
I don’t vary the way much.
There is opportunity for variety even with parameters as “limited” as “barbell clean and press only”.
It certainly put on shoulders, but more striking is my upper back.
I’ve developed an upper back in 2022, to the point I view it as my best feature, and am becoming a bit obsessed with heaving, cleaning, and pressing my way to it being bigger, more defined, more impressive, stronger.
I like seeing my upper back in the mirror – el narcissismo mi tengo
…..
Today off work I expect to actually strip the bar, hit some overhead squats, press maybe more sets and/or with a lower rep range than usual, fat gripz sldl – maybe dropped a bit in weight and pushed higher in reps (was writing about higher reps in another draft in the last few hours – I’m juggling content creation on two phones, my old deactivated now wifi only one which fits my hand better for typing, and my recently purchased too high tech “smarter” than the first smartphone one which has service, a screen too large to type as well on as on the old one, and is different, maybe better, maybe worse at grabbing screenshots for images to post – #firstworldproblems
Part II – Smashing The Pushups, The Deep Knee Bends, & Getting The Jacked – High Rep Everything As Mandatory PT For You & For Me :
10/10/22 ~530am
Pushups and military press, they feed into each other – no exercise combination, or exercise alone gives me the sheer knowledge that I’ve got some pipes hanging from my torso.
What a great feeling.
Lean 19s is very possible to me.
– move the press up 100lbs, and do some combination of actually curl, do weighted pullups again, grapple consistently again (haven’t done that in over a decade), and/or very high muscular activation total gym pullups.
…..
No one, including those who’ve done so in the past, does high reps, high enough in count, heavy enough in weight, high enough in muscular activation, and with enough effort to truly get a body of type 3 fibers – to have superman muscle with superior strength and endurance.
I’ve flourished on rather high reps fitting the above description.
All would, most never attempt – a huge loss, in it is strength, conditioning, and a vigorous health.
…
I’ve been swinging my tree branch mace after every shift for nearly an entire year now.
Normally a set of 10 each side, the exact movement varied a little, but I’ve never simply taken the main variant and truly pushed the rep count into the stratosphere.
As I did 10 each side twice, double the usual after work last night – the above struck me.
I could be seeing how strong my lats, shoulders, biceps, and hands get pushing that rep count up up up.
I know it’d be freakish.
basically my ideal, though I’m 4″ taller, and come ballpark new year’s I’ll have the right length of beard for viking fitness video barechested in the snow
There is no excuse for me not to be doing sldl into the 30s, deep knee bends past 100, pushups strict past 100, the woody woodpeckers into the sky, pullups for reps (& regularly, and/or weighted again), or a lightened version like on the total gym for as many as possible/with extremely high muscular tension, be back squatting for 50s, front squatting amraps into the 30 reps area, and play with a couple other movements I’ve thought of like zercher deep knee bends and a good morning variant or two.
…
My leverages?
The most useful deadlift variant is sldl, from the toes better than from regular plate height.
I’d have this double overhand on an axle for high reps in an ideal setting.
I’d then have you partial front squat, and do some form of carry.
And I’ve come up with some interesting carry variants…
185lb yoke overhead in one hand…
barbell in front squat position as I walked, forwards, backwards, side to side, in circles, turned, even squatted, deep knee bended, staggered stance squatted (“b” squat)…
deadlift carry, doh, all around the place as described above
I’ve actually paced about the house for LENGTHS of time holding a 10lb dumbbell, a 20lb kettlebell – I’m taking ≥20:00 just to see if I could hold it that long – did it while on the phone with my uncle.
Part III – And The Evening’s Flow :
10/10/22 ~5pm
When it’s time to lift – I don’t recognize the weather outside.
Upon recalling the above I had pulled off the hoodie, barefoot and shirtless the way to be, 50° and wet is warm enough.
It had rained…while I was inside sleeping…which we all do too much of.
Hell, with track pants we’ve conceded to the weather more than necessary, however – pants, barefoot, barechested, the beard growing back, the look is going barbarian again, viking again as it is meant to be.
A thick red beard, and a buzzcut, on my strong, burly, 6′ frame – it’s all coming back.
No matter what is said, it’s easier to feel good in life when you like how you look and when you look sharp.
…..
I just pressed 14x165lbs. With this rep range I’m clearly “only building endurance” lol.
The press reps might go even higher than 15 reps tops being my up the bar weight number, as I’m also factoring in the fat gripz sldl for progression while training with the same bar weight.
The press reps may get ahead of the fat grips sldl which I mostly pull easy low rep sets of while supersetting with deep knee bends.
I just use my empty bent bar for high rep overhead squats – mentally this is easier than stripping the solid bar.
Part of why I train all lifts (other than overhead squat really) at the same bar weight, at press weight is this massive mental hurdle I have about stripping, loading, and carrying plates around.
For whatever reason, lifting outside I have this tick.
I do not have this tick on a gym floor. It’s nothing to me to grab 45s from across the building…
I didn’t film this, though it would’ve been damn funny, I took 7 plates (45s) stacked together off of a 25lb plate (the platform so as to get under the “rock”), and did a rather funny looking bear hug shuffle walk to get all the needed plates to the smith machine.
Taking plates off the leg press for the same walk may have been with 8p, a 360lb bear hug instead of 315lb bear hug.
I do have a pair of 100s, a pair of 45s, and a 25lb plate or bricks to lift off of – I could do this at home up to 290lbs, no stone trainer either.
I’ve also learned plate bowling with cheapo 45lb bumpers, and tend to be able to roll any plate pretty well in a long straight line.
“Plate bowling.” as I nod my head.
“Plate bowling? You seem skilled. Have you practiced?”
“Yes. Though with bumper plates at a different gym.”
↑ a funny gym floor interaction, a year or so ago in a galaxy far far away
I have also in the past been able to punt a rugby ball with precision to you at a distance of around 70yds.
My uncle called my bluff on that back in high school, not having learned when within 5:00 of him doubting I could squat 8×300 at under 180lbs at 15yo I did so in front of him, stopping what I was doing and showing him (I was not lifting), and too that day immediately I showed – we paced off the distance, made it be at an angle, and over the electrical wires, and I dropped the ball right into his chest/hands.
…..
Physically I felt horrible from anger in the last 48 hours, and a bit of caffeine (a large dr pepper with my around midnight dinner last night) introduced into my system far too late at night.
That’s why I lift.
It makes me feel good.
Ain’t no anger when you’ve pressed it all out of your head.
…..
Beef and broccoli every day for about three weeks, it looks like I may “only” have pork today for my meat, but I’m in enough broccoli to be good into next week at my close to mandatory daily serving of 4oz, which I get from work four days a week, and out of a rather expensive 12.5oz “organic” frozen bag at home the other three.
I’ve been learning to not stress these minor things I say I’ll do daily so much.
After 36-40 days of pressing in a row, I didn’t press for two, and then lifted again today.
I’m still banging out what is sustainable for me, while learning to be more chill about whether it truly has to be 100% mandatory daily, which pushups are – years of this being the way, which was ~9 months of squat every day on the longest streak of squat every day, etc.
So I’m not running to the grocery store for 1-2lbs ground beef, and will see instead how long the pork in the house lasts me, as again, I’m in the broccoli for the next 8 days between freezer at home and choosing it as a side every meal at work, and really meat, with fat, is meat, the differences between dead animal being minutia.
Should’ve bought it yesterday when I was at the store before work to solely get a, singular, glass bottle soda lol
Which reminds me, dang am I craving those doritos hard taco shells – maybe next week with ground beef.
I’m eating cleanish right now, regrowing my beard, smashing enough PT and lifting…come winter, new year’s to some point in February at 3-4+ months of beard – I’ll be at some video worthy stuff for presses off of a heave (10+ rep 225+ lb amrap press, off the ugliest brute strength shouldering ever, a “win the gym” # if I do say so), “mace” swings for 100s, smashing deep knee bends in the snow, maybe FINALLY get the “girl pushups” (weighted pushups via cute chick(s) as weight) on video, etc, etc, etc.
Bruno Sammartino doing it right…”girl pushups” instead of heavy benches, heavy curls, heavy lateral raises, deep knee bends, or body slamming 600+lb men
“To be a hardcore lifter, you have to be half crazy.” – Steve Justa
…..
In 1940 a 300lb clean and jerk was a big deal…for heavyweights.
You don’t need to compare yourself to modern weightlifters who have better equipment than you, level floors, and are often dodging their iwf drug tests.
You don’t need to compare yourself to modern mr olympia bodybuilders that look like bloated hgh cows.
You look to yesteryear, hold yourself to those standards, knowing you’re not using drugs, and thankful for fucking refrigeration which makes this whole big and strong thing real easy.
Bring out the pizza and eggnog!
Any dude would be happy to have a pre steroid era bodybuilder’s physique.
Be old school.
It’s effective, and available – just do the work.
…..
You’re gonna go further assuming this stuff is easy.
It’s not “look how hard that was”, it’s “look how much I did” – you as point of focus, not the thing, that’s just the work, and not worth the mental sweat – it’s just what you do.
There is no such thing as a hard gainer.
There are only those who put in the work, and those who do not.
Physical maturity is a factor.
Are you not strong yet?
You’re not, then you probably haven’t reached physical maturity yet.
Train for 5-10 years and reevaluate.
Do it.
The youngest that powerlifters tend to reach peak strength at is mid 30s, so all you young adults, keep training.
Strength building is a cumulative activity, it’s not just the recent workouts – it’s the lifetime of activity stacking up, racking up.
That’s why there are plenty of old timers, men and women, whether wiry or heavy set who will surprise you with their bodily strength.
Cumulative. Strength.
…..
A barbell feels like a toothpick in hand directly following axle/fat gripz pulling.
…..
I pressed 12x165lbs today.
There was poundage and reps in the tank, like I’m at 8+x205 if I tried it.
Now that I think about it, would 12×225 be stronger than Wendler of 5/3/1 fame?
And he has made a living from gym – inspiration/hope/vision for me.
The one heave/power clean and many presses – it’s made for an interesting in the moment approach.
Eating big for strength, doing little else but the press, and for high reps at that.
Bastardized old school weightlifting for bodybuilding with a powerlifting diet.
underhand grip on the olympic stage…he’s about to bastardise weightlifting too
Damn does the “doing food right thing” have some power to it.
For me the answer is beef & broccoli, and backloading calories via dairy as needed.
I am a workhorse.
In my youth I stood at the fence on a handful of occasions where some, what I believe were retired budweiser, clydesdales were on exhibit, as well as pretty regularly walked to a local farm which had a pair of the friendliest giant horses who’d great you at the fence.
they’re a beautiful beast up close, and very impressive to a 4yo
…..
You work with the tools you have.
With them, find what you enjoy and that works for you, and do it.
Do it all out.
Do it now!
I’d rather you do any physical activity than be a couch sitting spectator.
…..
To get big for 1950s LA high school football my Grandpa simply ate much larger portions of all the healthy foods he already ate.
Portions simply were the entire thing
All the quarts of milk, two of the loaves of bread, two of the cantaloupes, all the eggs, etc.
I wish I could recall what exactly it was he bought as a snack down the street right after his stepmom kicked him out of the house for eating too much.
The way he told that story, his mannerisms, he had a youthful joy as he said, and you found yourself salivating, hungry for it as well.
It was a street vendor of some sort, I want to say it was a salami sandwich, then a short walk to a fruit seller who would cut yet another whole cantaloupe for him which he, as a veritable giant of a 17yo considering the year, would sit down on the curb and eat.
Man I can still hear the joy in his voice as he told me this.
And worth noting at 6’1″ he’d roll into football two a days at 230ish, but by the end of track and water polo he’d be an extraordinarily lean 190.
I do not know his size in the us army.
The PT story he told me sounded quite intense.
I know, via picture, that he had a very impressive , probably 210lb with extreme rib cage development as a mid to late 20s lifeguard.
It looked like he was bodybuilding, doing well at it, in the manner of the time.
He still did chin ups at around 70 years old.
I never spoke with him about lifting weights or training, as he passed months before I decided to no longer be a fat kid as a freshman in high school.
He had a total gym which I used which mad eyed intensity as a 7/8yo looking to move up the ranks wrestling, generally Tuesday nights, in karate class (where sensei paired me with kids up to 5 years older than me, years more experienced, and in one hilarious case against the twins and my friend…at the same time)
Persistence & Tenacity
Music Today @ The Cold Air Barbell Club
nelly – #1 (da derrty album version)
How I danced around between sets was so corny and joyous.
Part 1 : Stacking PRs, Racking PRs, Getting Jacked !!! Off Of The Press :
10/3/22
Press
2×10 w/165lbs
10×165 is a new 10rm as far as I can recall, getting it for two sets was cool, I did the second set with my mouth guard in – hadn’t been using it for the past couple weeks.
Fat Gripz SLDL
10, 8, 10 w/165lbs
…..
Typing (Re)Listen :
wes watson – they hated me
…..
The press is “heavy”, the fat grip sldl is pump, health, feel good, making sure my back, hips, and legs continue strong – at this point the hands are the primary point as far as muscular training in the deadlift’s chain of muscles.
I’ll just pull fat gripz double overhand sldl for pumps, and match my press weight.
By the time I press 300+ for some, and fat gripz double overhand sldl 300+ for a bunch – well I’m already the biggest and strongest man I reasonably come across in my day to day.
It’s fine to take something really moderate at most and just lift for health, weights, as designed, are for building you…
The famous 3×10 protocol, THREE SETS OF TEN was invented to rebuild ww2 army air force veterans with massive burn trauma.
…..
I’ve found a snack, a quick bite that works for me, something to up feeding frequency with :
rice cakes with peanut butter and honey plus milk to drink
except I do
Dinner continues to be beef and broccoli.
Lifting barefoot and shirtless in the fall air (yep), only the press, fat grip sldl, and high rep overhead squat…I’m becoming a bodybuilder more than I ever was.
Part 2 : Rodeo – Riding The Power Of Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors :
10/3/22
Last night at work, I look at the head chef “B, no comment about my regular meal.”
“Huh”
“About this being my usual now.”
“You’ll get sick of it.”
He’s been in this one particular kitchen for 27 years as of a couple weeks ago, he’s sick of the food there for the most part.
However, he underestimates my obsessive compulsive behaviors.
Every night for more than two weeks now I have eaten beef & broccoli, whether it’s restaurant food or from the grocery store – every night – beef and broccoli.
To continue to do so is my intention…for let’s say a while. I’ve found sustainable & “clean”.
I’ve lassoed these compulsions, picked a few that work FOR ME instead of against me.
Beef and broccoli strikes me as as healthy a meal as it’s gonna get.
If I need to lose weight, perfect, beef and broccoli – little else.
Eating for a big press? Yes!!!
Okay – beef and broccoli with mexican mix cheese, and a second dinner of stuffed crust pizza, plus drink all of the eggnog in addition to the usual milk habit.
well supper according to this
As far as training I’m pressing everyday.
Obsessive compulsion – working for me.
I like the soreness in my upper back, and genuinely want to train 3x a day at it – full on bulgarian with some sort of heave, cause that’s how I’ve been shouldering all these mid-100s lb bars, and amrap presses.
Obsessive compulsion – working for me.
Who knew I’d get the most into it while working around a dead end kitchen job, lifting, almost nothing but the clean & press, at “The Cold Air Barbell Club”, with an unhealthy level of solitude.
I’m as close to stereotypical “bodybuilding” in these circumstances as I’ve ever been!
And it feels good.
By pressings the barbell overhead I am doing the work I must.
My beard is growing back.
It is fall. I feel great in the fall.
Tomorrow I shall press again. Now it is time for off to the store! for the stuffed crust pizza and eggnog (and another pound of ground beef + more broccoli).
Because we are eating to build a brutal heave and press, eating nutritiously, and just as a decision I had come to as a high school wrestler…I would rather do more, than eat less.
