Category: Uncategorized

4/25/24
I can already tell that the quantity of meat and eggs I eat is going to be going up.

Will I do keto?
I’m not sure, but I realized that 36ct eggs bought by the five dozen would only be like $6.15/day for 216g protein, lots of fat, low calories.

If I prepped five dozen eggs every second day with a bit of meat that’d allow for keto, fat loss, leaning out.

I guess all this stuff just wasn’t going to come together for me til roughly thirty.
Shrugs. Que será será.

…..

5am
•shave (and stop – beard is now coming back)
•feeder hammer curls
(10s x50 reps + 15 extra on left as I held right hand db at hang, so 50 double + 15 left hand extension)
•hand opening x150 both hands at once
•rinse off

545am
light snack, honey roasted peanuts and a can of iced tea

6am
light bup 50x16kg right = PR
630am
medium bup 8x34kg right = PR
heavy buc 3x34kg left

Afterwards I can see in the bathroom mirror (a contrast to my chubby face) that the bottoms up everything (and at double sessions it’s lots of volume) is causing explosive lat growth.

It’s not just thickness, my lats are expanding outwards – width.

I realize they help in the bup lockout, are somewhere in the buc, and honestly I may be flexing them the entire time on bup.

Lots of time under tension.

430pm
OASw 16kg
50/side total
BUCP
x5/side

this all with soccer ball – a couple 10cts, no scratch that – I ended with a 17ct PR tie, the swings in sets of 5/side, 10/aside or 5l+5r+5l+5r – half an hour total – then went about a forty five minute walk

sat around for about twenty minutes, then another fifteen minutes of soccer ball – 17ct PR tie to end – this at 630pm now (and to truly make it a two hour chunk of time…)
BUCP 16kg
x15/side

715pm
Rock Pressing
some x right hand – really close to the hardest angle/sorta got it

…..

It’s now about 9pm, I’m finally getting to dinner, finally eating as a handful of honey roasted peanuts, a glass of chocolate milk, and three cans of iced tea is rather little for a multiple PRs, multiple minisessions day.

A cold rotisserie chicken is day old, discounted, and still already cooked.

I picked 85% of the meat off the carcass, put it in a bowl, heated it up, and added a little cheese.

I’m going towards keto as I’m rather chubby faced, and don’t want to count calories.

Carnivore, meat, eggs, and cheese would be real simple.

And I say this as I’ve having some more honey roasted peanuts with my chicken meal.

No milk surprisingly.

A handful of chocolate covered coffee beans for dessert.

11pm
snack of honey roasted peanuts and a little milk straight from the gallon, another five chocolate covered coffee beans.

Whatever bad they say about milk and peanuts – you can’t deny they grow large humans by being mixed macro and calorie dense.

About to shower up it’ll be a quick low rep strict set of pushups, and checking in I feel that my forearms and lats are quite sore today.

Funny that I’m eating basically naught but meat and peanuts.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/24/24
Just after midnight ;
the day’s duolingo? ✓
the day’s pushups? ✓
eat a handful of honey roasted peanuts
drink a can of iced tea and a glass of water

Good start.

…..

Lately I can’t be bothered to do anything more than a few strict pushups per set.

In the past week or two it’s been a handful of sets of 5 reps most days, occasionally a set of 7 or 8, once a set of 25.

Instinctively I feel the strict 5s, well within my limit (of doing pushups in the high 280lbs bodyweight – realizing with last night’s pushups (ten minutes earlier lol) that though powerlifters exist, this is not the normal nearly 300lb human experience)) are what best transfers to the bottoms up pressing, where the reps vary from failures and singles with the 40kg to some high reps with 16kg bup and buc&p.

With the 16kg I blend the bottoms up work with juggling – it has my lats pretty activated round the clock, and my triceps have had a deep soreness lately.

Each day I get outside, practice dribbling the soccer ball as an enjoyable skill development challenge, and mostly use the light 16kg kettlebell for something freestyle with at least a little overhead pressing incorporated.

…..

Dietarily milk consumption is down at around a quart a day, iced tea is my main choice of fluid at an average of three tall cans a day, and whatever milk I’m not drinking definitely had been replaced by more water.

Water may be more ounces drank than iced tea, I’m not keeping exact track, I’m simply conscious of my drinking more glasses each day lately.

Food wise?
It can be summed up in a few things ; a borderline carnivore thing, mostly sausages, half the time with fried onion, sometimes with cheese, occasionally on bread, an occasional frozen pizza or chocolate for dessert, and a snack most days of honey roasted peanuts.

No one would write this diet.
I feel like in the next few months I’ll have visible abs.

…..

Don’t attempt to trim your beard EVER dude (lol- you’ll improve the skill), left a small amount on the chin, will take three weeks to be a short beard again.

Spring reset.

…..

Slept long and deep, was oddly exhausted from yesterday.

……

Ten minutes of soccer ball, 9ct was the best – stopped as it started to rain.

Guess I’ll get wet when lifting soon.

…..

A little extra soccer ball a bit later, and the lift, 12ct.

No 15/16ct – I set a timer for just over five minutes just after I’d finished the lift.

About an hour ten all in all between soccer ball, the entire lift (often “resting” with soccer ball), and the soccer ball to end.

Fun. Very unstructured.
I SHOULD actually deload.

Note : hilarious weather – the past two hours has varied every five to ten minutes between sunny, downpour, and drizzle at random – sunny when I did the soccer ball, a rest during the downpour, then sun and a light rain when I did more soccer ball and lifted.

…..

12oz sausage, (two 3oz links of two kinds), in buns, cheese in two if four buns, instant mashed potatoes and some eggs in the grease

Maybe an hour after dinner ;
Another lift!

BUP 16kg
10×10/side in 18:00
did left, right, rested, once (sets 5&6) did them back to back, otherwise left, right, rest – pretty easily under twenty minutes, and I’ll be able to train the progression from 16-32 by 2kg jumps in days when the adjustable bell arrives.

Yep, I ordered an adjustable competition kettlebell.

I’m very excited about the bottoms up and juggling playful training to come.

 

…..

:20/side holds on the hg150 reverse gripper

:20/side holds on the hg150 gripper

continue laissez faire gtg in these alongside the kettlebell, they can only help the bottoms up grip, and too can be mixed in as a two hand variant – a gripper and a bell (which I have done before)

…..

Clean Shaven :
late night took that little chin goatee thing off, beard is truly resetting – shrugs, now I see my pudgy face (which is why many heavy guys have beards)

Persistence & Tenacity

4/23/24
I just had my first 5k view youtube video.
The barbarian brothers “podcast”, something I recorded spur of the moment with my phone’s audio record, forgot about for a few months, stumbled across, added image to (as video), and uploaded…

It basically is ever green, for most of its time up was 50 or so views a day, a little while of stagnation, now back to 30 or so views daily.

“However long it takes.”
Mostly I’m good about looking at it that way.

Sometimes I’ll come across some account, and get down for a moment “how did they get that many that fast” subscribers.

Then it passes, I say good for them, and continue to upload my content.

I’m not sure where I intend to go with I
instagram.

I don’t take photos, and the reels I see seem very different than my own.

Truly I have more interest in youtube, that’s how I managed to create the channel and upload the same day, how I ended up back at the channel vs taking 7 years to post on the ig account I’d created two and a half months before going online with the site and channel.

However the dm feature of ig is awesome.
Worldwide texting with people that like your content enough to contact you.

…..

Ten or fifteen minutes soccer ball, 14ct the best.

…..

Threw a frisbee for about a half hour.
Plenty of athletic movement chasing the thing around.

…..

Very brief minisession of 16kg buc&p with plenty of h2h cleans, h2h tosses back and forth at rack, really brief minisession

…..

Second minisession of the same stuff for about twelve minutes after dark.

Cumulative.
That’s what physicality is.

My lats are smoked.
The bottoms up work will do that.
We’ll experience the wth effect in the future.

…..

I’m thinking tomorrow to either one arm snatch or power snatch, maybe both – actually use a barbell.

And here’s something I do either in the bathroom mirror or between sets ; flex my neck, dynamic tension in all four directions, sometimes even (gasp) twisting my neck.

Thickens the neck.

A strong neck is rather useful.
It being as strong as, and like a 5th limb is highly useful on grappling.

Grappling.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/22/24
Hold/squeeze :12/side of both reverse gripper (I care about it more) and gripper.

…..

6am

Ravenous ;
•coffee milk
•eggs w/instant mashed and fried onions
•two “philly cheese steak sausages” with mexican mix cheese in bun

This hits the spot.
I’ve finally eaten from the egg mix I made the other night.
This is good.

See, I like eggs fries with mashed potatoes, gives me both. I like onions. I like sausage (though the presentation of that varies).

I can likely figure cooking three dozen eggs at a time, easily incorporate the sausage & onions, have two days of borderline keto, plenty of EVERYTHING ready to eat.

…..

Afternoon/Evening Physical Leisure :

Rock Press, Video Edit, Soccer Ball, then Soccer Ball + Light Kettlebell BUC&P (and attempting to palm a basketball), a few handstands/attempts, a little later 25lb bumper plates pinch grip carries, flips, muscle outs, 10lb plate pinch muscle outs with lateral raises, movement from side to front at parallel and arms extended, a handstand, a little later rock row x50 doing “archer” style reps for more one arm stimulus reps 21-40.

Lifting Music :

hard lessons – terror

4/21/24 – Six Months Overhead Press Every Day Update :
The next steps in what I think of as bodybuilding (after seeing how muscled up I look in the bathroom mirror) are :

1. to give myself a break, I’ll continue overhead pressing on a daily basis but skewing it light with mostly 16kg one arm pressing, both regular and bottoms up, both pressing and clean & pressing

2. to up kettlebell clean volume – look for rep PRs with 40kg cleans and overall training volume as “main movement”

3. to up 2h swing volume with the 40kg – to include more glute than just the first two

I feel very strongly this will continue to put muscle onto my shoulders and upper back, while increasing lat size/strength + biceps size/strength (the clean), and lat size/strength + glute size/strength (the 2h swing).

Frankly I have no desire to train pullups, and expect the kettlebell to carry them through it’s what the hell effect from all this lat and bicep stimulus.

…..

Last night after cooking the sausage & onions, in the same pan (the sausage removed, the second half of the onions remaining) I, for the first time in my life, made “fried” eggs in the oven.

First time cooking a dish isn’t always the best result.

I’d actually mixed instant mashed potatoes into the onions and fat (with a tad of added water – the pan was still warm, all I had to do was stir) then decided to crack a dozen eggs into the pan.

15:00 total at 425°, stirring every five minutes.

I’ll have to figure out my exact method for doing this still (I actually like mashed potatoes and eggs fried together – did it with “last night’s leftovers” for breakfast as a teenager), but with a rough draft type success now know I can cook eggs in bulk.

That big pan probably would’ve cooked them reasonably with 24ct in it, and more than one pan can fit in the oven.

Food prep keeps getting easier and easier, and I had a eureka moment of breakthrough…food is fuel!

Heavy on meat, some eggs, some potatoes/root vegetables, and dairy is workable for me, definitely passes the good enough test…and I’m getting it to where around forty minutes every two or three nights will keep me “in food prep”.

All the years eating frozen foods, etc – the switch to doing it right, the mental switch, takes however long it takes.

…..

Soccer ball first for a few minutes, then mixed it with 16kg kettlebell –

The kettlebell mostly the vertical/floating clean and rack hand to hand transfers to press from both regular c&p and buc&p styles (mostly bu), some bu hold squatting – this is all enjoyable to play with.

Did about an hour of this unstructured stuff.

A 16kg kettlebell moved in weird manners can cause the leverage/foot pounds/tension to be off the charts.

Yep, I try muscling out the bell bottoms up 🙂

Really it’s not even able to be told, it’s more of a show this manner of training, but I tell you this – it will get you very strong especially if you’re adding to the leverage and increasing bell size over time.

…..

Extra minisession :
cleans 40kg 5 (well 6) x5/side

+ a little extra soccer ball, got a 15ct on only a handful of attempts and called it on a good note there

Persistence & Tenacity

4/20/24
I was on the note of shot put in yesterday’s post, in fact was thinking of it during the second session last night as I rammed that 35lb kettlebell into the sky.

Right hand. Strong side. The side I put the shot with for a few years of high school.

I genuinely wonder ;
•”what if I’d lifted kettlebells then”
•”what if I bought an adult men’s shot and threw now”

…..

Wow!

It’s an angle I don’t usually catch in the mirror – I was brushing my teeth, caught my arm bent at 90° saw how my forearm and bicep come together WOW – HYPERTROPHY

lesson : continue kettlebell

…..

My buddy canceled the am outdoor workout – doesn’t want to be rained on.

So I won’t be doing weighted pushups today ☹️

(genuine sad face – I’d have gotten a decent number of reps with him standing on my upper back – been feeling strong on my (mostly untrained horizontal push), would’ve ran the camera leaned against gallon jug, ball cap providing cover over phone by being sat upon gallon jug of precious precious H2O/agua/вода/water))

But do I lift? lol
(you already know the answer)

……

Pushups as the birds start to chirp.

…..

I’m like a little kid, lifted/pressed/filmed, and had a blast – GOT SOAKED – still dribbled the soccer ball too (while wearing snow boots which meant I tried from the knees some in addition to the feet)

The WORST soccer ball dribbling in days lol (of course – snow boots, soft ground, etc
L O L)

One video of a bunch of thing as far as tricks and juggling with the 16kg kettlebell.

One short of bottoms up clean 10x40kg right (today to ig, on yt soon)

One short of 40kg snatch and hold (vertical anchor) left while leveling my teeny tiny itty bitty weight (8lb) sledgehammer to nose from both the front and to the side.

I’m rather wet – mostly soaked through, and muddy in patches up and down both my hoodie and sweats.

I had a blast, then did the video editing (sitting outside – try to maximize fresh air in your life (it’s good for ya))

Productive Saturday.

…..

Six hours later (after a nice sleep) it isn’t raining, and the ground has dried up enough 🙂 – I went outside for a playful minisession of more soccer ball and light kettlebell stuff.

Mostly 5ct, 6ct – doing decent with foot to foot, the best was an 11ct this again mostly foot to foot.

With the 16kg bell I did mostly those pull with one hand then catch at rack with other and press transitions – did both normal c&p and buc&p like this.

Heavy buc&p would be pretty cool like this.
Competition bells might be better as each side is identical, and with the bells I have I have one perfectly round faced, one with two flats (the best design) and most with one flat, one round face.

……

The leverages of tossing a bell from bottoms up then catching it bottoms up in the opposite hand are pretty challenging – you’ll end up using legs, and a lot of midsection to stabilize anything not caught in the perfect groove.

I get out of breath fast with this freestyle kettlebell stuff.

Even with only 35lbs (16kg) it’s quite challenging.

This session I was trying to nose breathe, to mosey along at a slow enough pace to continue doing so, and had a real slap in the face realization as to how an aerobic base, being in shape, and conditioning allow for the ability to practice physical skills with more density and intensity.

My teenage self would be impressed with how strong I’ve gotten with weights alongside my level of shoulder girdle development (like I pictured at my start in the school weight room) but absolutely disgusted at the lack of conditioning of my present.

I do know this however ; the fact I’m doing something, and always have done something – consistently, is a big plus.

Take some weight off and the conditioning may be there just due to the ease that a lighter bodyweight functions at.

I’m genuinely enjoying this all again.

…..

There’s much value to being physical all day long like in manual labor, and too there is value to instead of having one big chunk of time as training period to instead have multiple, as many as possible, minisessions throughout the day.

The body stays primed that way, stays ready to perform.

When you’re physical often the body just doesn’t need as much warming up, coddling, perfect conditions to perform.

…..

Third session/minisession :

Clean 40kg
x7/side
x15 left
Press 16kg
x10,5,5/side

then a bit more soccer ball

My hips are getting stronger, and my agility increasing from this – which is as simple as trying to keep a soccer ball in control and in the air.

We need more physicality as adults.

There’s no longer ultimate frisbee at that park (would I be able to restart it)

Basketball? I haven’t played in most of a decade (I can recall playing at 21).

Soccer? Where would an adult league be?
Rugby? That’s available soon.

Heck, even if it’s just me kicking around a ball it’s better than just sitting around.

I feel that I’ve an impressive bunch of qualities coming together – just work on them all, consistently, make it happen.

•heavy kettlebells
•handstand stuff
•mile run
•zercher
•soccer ball
•sledgehammer levering
•gripper

Just do them all, you’ll succeed.

…..

Training changes the equation.

If one played sports in high school, but stopped being very physical in adulthood – their sports playing bodyweight really ends up being their largest athletic size.

Dudes may gain weight, but it’s a +50lbs of fat type equation like the guy who played high school football at a fit 180, and by early twenties is walking around with his beer moobs at 220 or 230

Flipside those who need some muscle, never built it – they’re the ones who need it as they age.

I don’t see how the conclusion of inevitable horrible aging is reached.

Why are you choosing pain?

Do you not see a lifetime of television got you to “losing it” (the it you really never developed) and that even now maybe, just maybe, strength training would make a difference.

I think it’s medical malpractice that strength training, even just a milquetoast two day a week thing, isn’t standard medical recommendation.

But the norm is to be unhealthy, the cultural expectation to do anything but really opt into living, the…

Half the country says you can have weed for everything, but doctors can’t tell everyone to back squat?

Strength training changes the equation.

35lbs isn’t much, but really any man who just plays with a 16kg kettlebell on a regular basis would age pretty well.

That’s the power of kettlebell juggling as I see it ; playful, builds you strong enough with wind, is a <$100 one time cost – what’s your excuse?
Throw around a 16kg/35lb kettlebell.

The ballistics would be more strength than he needs for his job (most likely, and yes there are definitely exceptions) and definitely for the yard work, shoveling snow type takes that many (or maybe not many) do.

Yeah I’m gonna branch off on that note ; when I’d visit california in youth after moving to new england I couldn’t help but notice how much tougher I seemed than the suburban kids there solely by little bits of backyard pickup sports and winter snow shoveling.

An aunt’s husband, like 65, did everything within his power to NOT shovel, had those silly shovels with a bend in them, when he finally HAD to shovel it’d be done at the saddest half assed pace imaginable, eventually I’d probably do it – took longer to get over there than to shovel, they had not much driveway, perfectly flat, it was EASY.

Often it’s nice to power through work.
Props to my dad. He’s like that. Powers through, gets it done FAST.
Yard work with him taught me a lot.
Thank you.

Back to that uncle, and the culture at large ;
the lengths that people go to not get five minutes of exercise. Scratches my head.

And a piece of advice ; play catch.
Catch makes you move around in an athletic manner, plus it’s good fun, outside, a bunch of positive things you need.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/19/24
I’m typing this upon laying down for the night, inadvertently having skipped horse stance – not getting out from under the blanket to do so…

And I only realized I didn’t do horse stance cause of how sore my quads are.

Must’ve put a lot of quads into yesterday’s kettlebell cleans.

I can’t wait til today’s lift, and that’s a great thing – it’s total passion for lifting again.

It’s for the kettlebell.
I wouldn’t have expected that even a year ago.
Life.

I can see heavy kettlebell lifting on youtube being monetized and changing my life.

…..

Today’s Lift :
highly unstructured, I simply played in an almost circuit of 95lb barbell, 40kg kettlebell, 20kg kettlebell, and soccer ball

not every workout needs a program, a plan, etc – it’s not like I’m weak with 95lb bb oasn, every kettlebell variant done, and lacking athleticism by tapping a soccer ball in the air repeatedly

soccer ball 17ct is probably PR, definitely my best set with a good deal of foot to foot

to a beach boys playlist – fun
the session just over forty five minutes

ended the workout by curl throwing the 12lb shot hand to hand.

…..

While I’ll probably cook the sausage & eggs and/or onions tonight, tonight is “cheat meal” I’ve a frozen pizza about to cook, and am drinking strawberry lemonade.

I know lemonade in every variant is basically just water, a little fruit juice(s) and a decent bit of sugar but dang do I find it very freshing and hydrating.

In warm months I used to drink it between work and the gym.

Tonight?
As the pizza cooks between minisessions.

…..

I may need to drop the intermittent fasting for a while.

I was wrecked by that session, and most of the way through that bottle of lemonade thought “maybe I shouldn’t have this much sugar, but instead eat mixed macro food”.

(like philly cheese steaks)

…..

A 16oz tall jar of honey roasted peanuts is $3 (yep, it too has been hit by inflation), but still it’s over 40g protein per dollar, and it’s ready to eat.

•not keto
•not carnivore
(probably not vegan)•
•nutritious
•travels well

…..

After dark minisession ; 16kg kettlebell, playing around with c&p, pyramiding 1-5-1 the press(es) with a clean every “set”, then switch sides, some bup, some c&p with h2h transfers between hands, some playing around with more complicated transfers like at the very bottom and the one hand pull, other catch at rack transfers.

Around 50, 60 presses/side total.

…..

Showering up I notice my quads are highly activated, somewhat sore, somewhat fatigued (and totally forgetting they were sore earlier).

Is it kettlebell one arm cleans?
Is it the soccer ball dribbling?
Is it the little bit of agility and heavy footed jogging around after the kicked soccer ball?

Shrugs. I just noticed it.
Seems one arm cleans & all the counts of soccer ball dribbling are more quad stimulus than expected.

…..

Man are my abs wrecked.
That first session did it.

Barbell one arm snatch, kettlebell overhead both size bells – every variant, kettlebell at rack (especially that 40kg rack carry or the five steps you took with the 40kg bottoms up rack carry before it fell lol), keeping a leg in air/moving a leg up in air to dribble the soccer ball – ALL ABS!

Then I did that second session, really a minisession, with the 16kg bell.

And tomorrow I’m going to have a 150lb ish buddy standing on my back for weighted pushups

Note : LONG pushup position planks weighted like that are about the hardest ab workout you could do (speaking from experience (though it was one of his similar sized buddies as he ran the timer))

Persistence & Tenacity

ugly woman – (jimmy soul) apparently not harry belafonte

4/18/24
It’s minutes after midnight, I just did the first russian lesson of the day on duolingo.

My neck, lats, traps, all feel pumped.
For as midnight had struck, from about fifteen seconds before to about five seconds after I was doing a set of strict pushups.

25 reps in twenty seconds.
They were crisp. All the pressing has me dialed in for when I do reasonably controlled and strict pushup reps.

Half an hour earlier upon stepping out of the shower I was flexing and stretching my neck admiring it in the bathroom mirror. (pure vanity/narcissism)

Four directional/four way flexing (and dynamic tension), rotations to relax, maybe a most muscular or three, more neck work – pumping it up.

I think of these as free hand neck work, and with pushups they’re a surprisingly good little routine.

If you want to include the lower body you slowly extend a side kick, then hold it there – hip flexors mostly or whatever.
They’re fun to do.
(especially if there’s a full body mirror – ah all those weird hour extra workouts)

Or include horse stance.
Very simple.
No equipment.
These will carry you far.

…..

Why an extra little workout before a late night meal?

Why work on a language you may never use?

Isn’t it all so obvious yet.
We can’t just exist. There was, maybe it’s a lost concept, of the renaissance man.

To be everything. Well rounded, to he both physical & intellectual.

It needn’t be approved either.
I’ve no college education. I’ve no fitness certification.

This is all a journey in independent self betterment, and at times greatly I fear that both I’m not doing enough, and that I won’t ever get anywhere with any of this.

See my russian isn’t.
I know little more than an introduction, and years of minutes a day may, just barely, maybe know the АЬВs (that’s a latin s after the cyrillic)

…..

Cool video for the day taken in the morning.

Last night my subscriber count passed my bodyweight if barely at 290 subscribers vs 289lbs scale (I checked…also had been waiting a month or so to be able to say that).

I did a variation I hadn’t before ; one bell, 40kg, clean & press every rep style.
Got 10x40kg right.

Maybe later I even out the volume left hand
lol – no matter

Solid session.
More importantly from that one set I felt solid.
40kg is nowhere near my limit.
I’ll go way further.
Weight. Reps.

It’s gonna be epic.

And note ; one moderate to heavy bell, clean & press = one unit, solid, strong for life.
It’s all you need.

…..

Soccer ball, and left hand c&p (it was HARD to press), then some cleans ;

C&P
2x40kg left
Cleans
12x40kg left
12x40kg right
8x40kg left

The final set done with three deep breaths at rack between reps for more time under tension.

My left hand is getting locked in “the claw”.
Both biceps are smoked.
You push the clean reps, remember a year ago having 10 pullups?

That was off of some 32kg clean sets at 10-20 reps.

Imagine high rep 40kg cleans, and 2h swings as part of your normal training rotation.

That’s a lot of lat and bicep incidental work, the oft toted kettlebell wth effect at play.

And note ; nothing trains biceps like high rep kettlebell one arm cleans.

…..

It’d be wild to get the one arm press to 150+ while getting bodyweight down closer to 200 than 300.

I’m in a real good place now, physically I’m so close to performing strongman.

…..

Pushups pretty early, before midday.
Man! When my buddy and I meet up I’ll be getting some reps of weighted pushups with him standing on my back.

I feel strong.

…..

Neither did I run to the store, nor did I cook up the smaller sausages in the fridge, so it was more carbs than anything today.

The worst day from a nutritional standpoint in weeks.

A couple of bowls of chip type snacks, a bowl of rice with cheese, a couple corn dogs that were in the freezer, a couple slices of american cheese, a can of iced tea, a small amount of milk (so as to not run out of milk), etc.

It’s better to eat meat, with saturated fat.
This requires cooking.

Ergo it’s better to cook!

Tomorrow I’ll be making a batch of sausage, maybe what’s in the fridge – I’m thinking I’ll bake them a bit, then crack a lot of eggs in the pan, have sausage & eggs in easy bulk prep.

I’ve never cooked eggs in the oven before, but if people make quiche why can’t the oven be used for meat and fried egg one pan meals.

(I did a bit of googling, that’s why I think I’ll cook the meat most of the cook time independently, then add eggs – it’s gonna be good, and as far as strength and body comp could be a game changer)

…..

I gotta wonder what I could kettlebell as maxes.

Intuitively, I know I’d rep a 60kg one arm clean.
Right hand definitely. Left hand iffy.

When you’re starting to talk of using these equivalent to human weight bells, you start to realize just how strong kettlebells will make you.

Even if it’s not world’s strongest man implements and weights.

Plenty real world strong.
Plenty gym strong.
Strong. Conditioned.

Maybe a strongman anyway.

Persistence & Tenacity

“Zero Equipment Grip Training” :

In 2015 I did a lot of this stuff ;

•open the hand for high reps
•open the hand and flex, trying to made your hand as wide as possible

The high rep hand opening is good for getting blood flow into the forearm, which means down the limb – blood flow at the extremities from ankle or wrist movement is a prehab/rehab thing too for the joints up the chain.

It’s supposed to be good for joint health to train the hand extensors in addition to all the closing that is grip training, lifting, calisthenics, training in general

•levering
•wrist curls
•reverse wrist curls

These can be four directional flexing or can be done as manual resistance, one hand pressing against the lever/curl of the other.

•fist – make a tight fist
•pinch/squeeze – can flex at any hand angle

Honestly you’ll be able to improvise stuff here, doorways, random stuff in the house (initially I meant to isometric squeeze against, but I had fun for a time doing a martial arts inspired thing with a wok that looked kinda like kettlebell juggling).

•squeezing the thumb – against manual resistance, against a desk,

And no one does enough hangs or hanging hand walks.

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“Thoughts On Steroids & Potential” :

You can only take accusations of steroid use as a compliment, as really what the accuser is saying is that you’re so awesome they don’t think you could do it on your own.

Personally it bothers me how quickly this accusation can be made, as it’s said more often about people that don’t look like ronnie coleman in his prime than do.

The bar for the accusations is incredibly low.

The potential for human performance is so much greater.

See, while most aren’t all that impressive – this isn’t a lacking of genetic potential it’s a dysfunction in lifestyle, choice and action.

Every living, breathing human COULD be able to jump at a decent level, sprint at a decent level, and lift full body workouts, maybe not at a powerlifter 800lb raw squat level, but decent levels of strength shown on a train every day basis.

“You can’t ___ every day.”
You can’t unless you try.
I prefer daily lifts, always have – and it seems I’ve never shriveled up from overtraining either.

Years ago I wrote (paraphrased) “I’d love to be the only natural training with those on steroids – I’d take it as a personal challenge to try to run THEM into the ground with volume, work pace/training density, high frequency”.

My sentiments haven’t changed.

Go be better than you are!
Our ancestors got us here, means we all have caveman blood!
We all, naturally, are ruggedly vital.

Act like it.

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Random Jots :

I realized I could muscle out weight plates, as an old timey, high activation exercise.

…..

I pressed a rock.
It was a harder, long way, one arm press.

(this was at the local dump, the older woman next to us got a kick out of it I’d say – it was more rounded, thus easier, even if a tad heavier than my yard rock – no clue the weight, I’ll never see the rock again – I also shot put a 8ish lb rock left handed too – even stevens lol)

…..

I juggled my 12lb shot put, throwing and catching it in alternating hands from a curl.

Did 4x :30 work/:30 rest and just held the shot for the rests from the top sort of like a pinch grip.

(some doms from this late night btw – I may include it regularly for a time)

BUC&P
25x16kg right
27x16kg left

I love this manner of training, it’s just an honest moment of work that I enjoy – the right hand set I tried not counting seeing where I’d naturally stop with forearm fatigue, the left hand I counted reps to guarantee a PR for the camera.

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Soccer Ball :
After I uploaded the day’s lift.

Less than five minutes, stopped for ten, did a couple more then…

Drink a can of iced tea.
Took out the barbell 😁👊👍

95lbs
Let’s mix this with one arm snatches…
And put on the beatles.

Let’s have some fun with this!

(this is the forte of at home training – kettlebell, soccer ball, one arm barbell, rocks, etc – mixing it all by feel)

10×1/side on those one arm snatches

That was good for another forty or more minutes outside, switched from beatles to a 2015 country music playlist, and I just had a blast with the barbell and soccer ball.

2015 country music seen here :

little bit of you – chase bryant

Got a laugh out of a couple walking by, they said “oh, gym outside” and “nice set up”, my reply “state of the art” with a big smile on my face.

And why wouldn’t I be smiling?

I was having a blast, music going, a bit of a sweat going under my hoodie, kicking around a soccer ball, and hitting some one arms snatches thinking to myself “I could get this to 185, 225lbs”, just in an absolutely good place enjoying myself in the moment.

…..

I realize that it’s not far for me to have a handful of performing strongman abilities.

•bottoms up press
•kettlebell juggling
•sledgehammer levering
•handstand (develop freestanding hspu and hs walk AT THIS SIZE)
•barbell one arm snatch

As I get those things developed more ; then add more, frying pan rolling, card tearing, etc

I realized with the barbell one arm snatch today, that I play with 95lbs and have done 135lbs on a handful of occasions.

A year or so back I’d bought a barbell and bumpers to be able to make 165lbs with this as one of the things in mind.

It makes sense to train these frequently, for power, and to start getting up there in poundage.

95lbs to 165lbs is a 70lb difference.
At a jump of 5lbs a week it’s 14 weeks, while upping the weight 10lbs a week is 7 weeks.

Sample Session Idea ;
•one set/side high rep, light, buc&p 16kg
•barbell one arm snatch, 5-10×1/side, long rest periods mixing in soccer ball dribbling
•handstand practice, maybe soccer ball mixed in, and this with optional heavy kettlebell – front squats, 2h swing, bottoms up clean

Handstands and 2h swings seem a good pair, like pullup training without the pullups.

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. After lots of lifting I typed a bunch with intermittent sets of strict pushups throughout.

I say the overhead pressing and pushups feed into each other nicely.

(a lot of pics in this one 🙂)

4/16/24
Lunch hour lift, one set, right hand – bottoms up clean & press 26x16kg, one set left hand 15x16kg.

PR set right, followed by a purposely moderate effort set left handed.

My fingers cramped partially curled shut strongly on the right hand set.
The limitation on the high reps this light is grip endurance.

A handful of months of this progression, and I’m going to have some serious forearm development.

Lots of reps. Lots of volume.
A contrarian kettlebell way of bodybuilding.

It’ll likely transfer to sledgehammer levering whether I practice them or not.

Soccer ball immediately after the kettlebell.
Such a fun combination.

Hoodie on, skullcap off for kettlebell.
Skullcap on, hoodie off for soccer ball.
(keep my head from burning, while getting lots of vitamin d this way)

I tried ladders like from kettlebell with the soccer ball dribbling.

Bounce it, 1ct left, bounce it, 1ct right, bounce it, 2ct, etc.
Pretty much only would get to 3s, but that’s improvement with the left foot.
And plus this is ALL skill improvement, and keeps me on my feet, active, in the fresh air, and today the sun.

About twenty minutes of soccer ball.

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Online I see a lot of this term “hybrid athlete”, it’s strikes me as funny (yet again) that everything has to have a trendy name.

Firstly are any of these “hybrid athletes” actually professional or are they all just internet famous (like admittedly I desire to be), and secondly what ever happened to just being like “yeah I didn’t make it in sports in my youth, so in adulthood I’m just gonna make myself an all around athlete that I should’ve done earlier cause we’re human and meant to be active”.

Just be athletic.
No need to name it.

Run, sprint, or play a sport.
Do some burpees and jump rope.
Lift kettlebells in every manner.
Lift weights if you desire.
Jump, or play a sport.
Grapple. Box. Or don’t.

Why’s it need an internet name?

I’ll be outside kicking the soccer ball and pressing the kettlebell.

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It’s still cold at nights but is getting warm during the day.

I’ve tended to sleep overdressed, heck training overdressed too.

Long sleeve shirt and skull cap to bed.
Hoodie on while I lift, though I pull it off to kick around the soccer ball.

Maybe I’m sweating more with the sleeves on, but I notice in the mornings that I look, leaner, sucked up, like the more fat in my diet, and just goofing around with the kettlebell and soccer ball is working for being on the path to getting lean.

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Pressed the rock right handed on the flat again, reps were only 5, while 10 is PR, I’ve gotten into the heavy pressing “dark times” ala john broz now on both sides lol.

That’s why high rep 16kg buc&p is the primary press for a time.
I’ll continue to press daily.

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Early dinner ; 10 chocolate covered coffee beans, 2 slices american cheese.

(I consider this a snack that is on diet on the sausage & onions diet, though I doubled up the initial portion – got to feel the caffeine, again, as I’m a squirrel with no caffeine tolerance)

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BUCP
10+10+5+3+2/side w/16kg
alternating hands, unbroken – one long set, h2h swing as transfer, 30/side, 60 reps c&p total

maybe I’m greasing the groove here, or maybe I just love the minisessions

ended it with a bit extra soccer dribbling, got decent cardio effect from 60 reps of clean & press – good wind, good pump, it’s fine that it’s “only” 35lbs

And a bit more soccer ball after a little bit of yard work, and after those…a few handstand attempts.

I think a month of grinding handstands an hour a day would build something.

Working on freestanding handstands daily, and on wall hspu twice a week or so could easily be “heavy press” to go with the volume buc&p at 16kg, could alternate handstands with soccer ball dribbling as active recovery for each, and really…why am I not doing a bunch of 2h swings with my 40kg bell?

I could easily set up a few stations, jog between them, get all my strength and conditioning done together.

But, know this ; I can get to be a performing strongman with the continued bottoms up press, kettlebell juggling, and with the addition of sledgehammer levering.

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Oh man what a good hearty robust dinner!
A big baked potato chopped up, mexican mix cheese atop it, then the sausage & onions mix atop that.

Milk to drink.

A big bowl may not be the fanciest presentation, and I’d rather home fries than a baked potato (though that’s more prep involved) but this my friends is a good meal.

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It’s really getting in my head that I can do performing strongman with the kettlebell, sledgehammer, handstands – that I’m not too far from there.

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So much of this bottoms up work leaves me with upper back cramps come evening…

= Gains

The set of 60 bucp was mint, may have to train long sets ala the bastard child of hardstyle and girevoy with it.

The left mobility is a limitation on heavy, hence the long progression starting at 16kg, before the 20kg, then the 24 & 28 purchase.

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Late night, just after the night’s pushups, just before showering up – I again, after having eaten the sausage & onions meal within the past hour or two, look monstrous!

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. Man! Looking in the mirror, that forearm development is new! High rep bottoms up clean & press baby!

I highly suggest it.