Category: Uncategorized

11/21/23
Yesterday for dinner I had this little premixed pasta thing.

Just after midnight, while watching three stooges and simpsons I had a snack ; a little box of peanut m&ms.

I laughed at the almost identical calories and macros between the two.

Milk chocolate is dairy, and peanuts are peanuts – neither is bad.

There isn’t a male in existence I couldn’t successfully help bulk.

Those little boxes of m&ms are almost 500 calories, average out to $1.50 between stores – you can’t tell me that you couldn’t eat two of those, and drink a handful of glasses of milk in addition to what you’re already eating.

That’s enough to get the scale to move, assuming you’re already systematic – truly eating the same amount each day.

And it doesn’t have to be that.

A pack of ramen and big glob or two of peanut butter does the same for less money, pennies for 1000 calories, seconds to eat.

Whatever food, if you like it, and it’s easy to take in, especially when it’s reasonably nutritious, have at it.

A bowl of greek yogurt.

A bowl of cereal with heavy cream.

Three eggs, in any form, with anything.

A butter, peanut butter, and american cheese sandwich.

Mixing something in with everything.

Noodles and rice ALWAYS have butter and/or cheese with them. It’s just policy.

…..

Okay, now it’s after the day’s sleep.
Coming up on lunch hour, I’ve a little food in me, and am preparing to lift…

Is it gonna be 205lb clean and presses every rep style or 165lb curl grip presses – either way a 5:00 density period.

The density periods are working for me right now, as honestly my motivation is real low, while five minutes is excuse free and like this…effective.

I can always, and often do, go back after dark for that out of breath in the chilly air burpees, and/or kettlebell session.

Last night it was burpees with a bw squat chaser.

…..

Without specific strength protocols ; density training is a way to slow roll your way to PRs, you’re just doing a lot with something that is anywhere from moderate to not quite struggling level heavy, and over time the maxes move up from this and you’re able to do this a bit heavier than before.

Personally I like this approach, takes most of the thinking out of it.

Set a 5:00 timer, pick your movement, and go. It’s effective physically for me and well liked content on youtube.

Cause everyone who finds your content the world over WANTS to see you soar!

…..

Okay, this I what I meant to type instead of the above, I’m prepping to lift – lunch hour, will be lifting in maybe twenty minutes…

It’s an amazing time that we live in.
The cellphone in our hands, the internet, we have a lot of opportunity to make it that just a generation ago didn’t.

My mom tried out for movies, had maybe three extra rolls while college age (forgot I was a cali kid didn’t ya – everyone does)…and that was that.

Me? At 22 I put my first blog post, my first youtube video up.

Here I am at 29 without a penny from it, but this soothing feeling that “if I lost everything, I could make it ANYWHERE with a cellphone, a water bottle, and bw calisthenics.”

See, EVERYONE has a smartphone now, even the poor, even the homeless.

That’s your camera.

A water bottle, a 16.9oz bottle, when full – it’ll hold up your phone’s camera – there’s your tripod!

Some of my more recent calisthenics videos were a gallon jug as tripod, heck my buddy was using it for his filming too!

And you do daily calisthenics anyway everyday!

Gonna make it! Guaranteed.

…..

205lbs is the more challenging option, 165 underhand can be done tomorrow.

…..

Okay, did more talking than training, but I like it.

8 reps of a 205lb clean and press every reps style in 5:00 with plenty of talking.

Eventually, over time, could just run this to ~20 reps in 5:00, THEN have no issue with the press or clean portions bumped up 5lbs or 10lbs.

Day 32 Overhead Press Every Day ✓

…..

Ate another one of those premixed pasta things, right after, an egg sandwich right before the above lift – a couple 16oz coffee milks as well.

Coffee milks – I’m totally a little fiend for those things. Can’t get enough of them lol.

Still haven’t vlogged about a month of egg eating, and right now I’m still resting – higher carb, lower everything else, enjoying way more wheat than is my wont.

Food seems to be going the way of ½GOMAD, a can or two of iced tea, a little bit of pasta with cheese and/or butter, and some buttered french bread, an egg sandwich or two with a couple slices of bacon on them barely seeing this not be vegetarian, though dairy heavy.

…..

I did touch the bar a second time today.
Failed a clean at 235lbs, then on the next attempt successfully cleaned it.

yeah. buddy. WHOOO!

The ground and particle board platform not wanting the bar to sit square/level… I jerry rigged a shim under each of the rubber patio tiles to keep the bar from rolling forward/backward crooked.

You can see the raise at the front of one rubber tile, the back of the other…the shim under each a pine cone picked right up off the ground within feet of the lifting spot aka gym aka backyard barbell weightlifting club aka I love calling a few ft² outside these things!

…..

Well, vegetarian other than two strips of bacon is out the window.

Recently I discovered a microwavable pork chili verde, like those instant rices or indian dishes that you tear open and can microwave in the pouch.

It was $3 or $3.50, advertised as “heat in two minutes”, had like four ingredients, truly was meat, and had no soy or other fake meat protein additives.

So quality, at least on paper if not in taste.

I tend to pour these things out and into large microwaveable bowls, and in doing so ate a bite cold.

Wow! It tastes decent, and is pretty spicy.
After two minutes in the microwave it was plenty hot, kinda liquidy, so I poured in some spuds, stirred, and some mexican mix cheese for more nutrition.

I just found a 75g protein, $5 meal, five minute meal for the time crunched needing good hearty nutrition.

I think I’ll vlog this discovery as an eating vid soon, when I buy another package or two.

Not a bad idea to have on hand.
Basically ready to go pork stew.

Smells like pork rinds, the meat dried out pretty quickly in the concoction.

…..

The 40kg kettlebell is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

I’m damn near waiting at the window for the well’s fargo wagon to come down the street.

Until tomorrow,

-J
Persistence & Tenacity

11/20/23
Yeah, with day 30 of press every day being today I’m going to continue it, through I’m gonna change the approach.

Once or twice a week it’ll be barbell focused, the majority is going to be density training with kettlebells – the 40kg single bell when it arrives, mixed with going slightly heavy on the Sig Klein challenge with two bells, the 32kg and the 40.

Makes more sense to me, and streamlines past my, possibly never going away, mental issue with setup/breakdown.

Maybe that’s part of why I almost never do warmups – mentally I find it easier just to have the weight sitting there, and to get to it.

Kettlebell based will be better in the snow than barbell, the barbell really requires a level spot, deiced, while the kettlebell can be taken ANYWHERE, standing in snow not an issue in the slightest.

…..

I feel closer and closer to eating right.

Maybe over the next few months, and I will be shirtless in many videos despite winter, you’ll see me get leaner, stockier, built more along the lines of one of the stereotypical kettlebell builds, lats, shoulders, glutes, thighs, fit (can run – think rugby players), and stocky without fat on them.

Despite some popcorn chicken being in my bowl, I’m really craving chicken breast and fried eggs.

It may be within days to go back on the daily eggs, start at ¾lb of chicken breast and three eggs, and build up from there.

…..

I have this sense that I’m going to make it!

Filming myself workout is an investment into making my living from “gym” (even without the gym), while the dollars spent on the 40kg kettlebell I’m antsy for is both an investment into my strength, health, joy/happiness, AND the above!

And you know what ; filming myself is motivation by accountability, purpose, a few things – helping myself out simply by running the camera.

…..

Look at the camera, tell stories, but more importantly share knowledge.

Imagine having a handful of kettlebells and the knowledge to clean and press them violently as habit as a teenage shot putter!

When you see me one arm press you can tell I put the shot right handed, there’s just so much more power there. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

…..

Just after midnight, I’ve a great pushups pump, and some food already in me.

(Light, just some popcorn chicken, m&ms, a glass of milk.)

…..

I’m real obsessive with checking the stats, hoping for subscribers, comments, likes, lots of views.

There are so many things I want to do!

…..

Later in the day…

It’s almost time to workout/film.

I switch into the channel account, this is recommended.

What a beautiful beast!

Sometimes looking at nature’s powerful, the predators above humanity in the food chain, that can be a way to center yourself/amp up for the workout.

I never really know what the session is gonna be til I do it.

Finish up in the bathroom.
Put the phone on airplane mode (cause I’m never losing footage due to a request to update software again).

Outside. Time. To. Lift.

…..

Didn’t go exactly as planned, failing a 235lb clean, then failing a 225lb press, going to failure but not a PR pressing 205lbs, then call the audible…amrap a plate – breaking 20 reps, I wanted that on video, and then a curl grip PR too.

…..

Waited till after dark (if barely), and wasn’t feeling kb snatch, but was feeling the idea of burpees in the chilly air.

Bout 30°f out now, 5:00 EMOM of 5 one pump burpees with a 3 rep bw squat chaser, stopped, then 5:00, maybe 7:00 later, repeated the exact same thing over.

I realize, after dark – once I light up my lifting and filming spot, once snow is on the ground, me often shirtless and playing without gloves/hat/footwear…and being as heavy as I am, getting to it is gonna be quite the burpees content…

There’s no limit to where I can take this!
Just do lots of density training, barbell, kb, burpees, calisthenics, mixed implement/modality…

And thank you to the subscribers!
You motivate me more than you know.

-J
Persistence & Tenacity

11/19/23
And make a certain purchase…

…..

Last night I did some turkish getups with the 20kg bell, figured I’d practice the steps to not be so bumbling next time I go for a heavy one with stacked/double/two bells.

(forgive me ; I don’t know the exact kettlebell cool kid yuppie club parlance for using two bells in one hand)

Having tinkered through the form, I feel I’ll make the up and down the next time I try 48kg and/or 52kg with my 32 and either a 16 or 20 respectively.

The weak link is my shoulder shaking all over the place in the phase where you’re going from laying to lunge.

That midstage.

Without bumbling that, I feel I have it.

Eventually, well I’d like to do this movement with people as weight.

…..

Cool, order confirmed – I just paid for a 40kg kettlebell.

Call it an early christmas present to me from me.

Call it an investment.

Call it a toy.
Call it a tool.

Call it strength and conditioning in one portable package, useful for what I am going for.

…..

I’m excited, it’s gonna help with my barbell clean and press, it’ll be challenging but doable, travelable.

The kettlebell is density training defined, and I’ll be basing my work off the clean and press, with some front squats too.

One bell at 40kg, and yeah – I’ll do a slightly overweight Sig Klein challenge mismatch with the 32 and 40.

Did I say I’m excited.

Lots of reps of clean and press coming up…

I think I’ll do daily 5:00 amap videos, kettlebell mostly, some burpees mixed in I’m sure.

Become a conditioned beast!

Again, did I say I’m excited…

I’m actually getting a pump, a physical upper back and lat, kb oap type pump just thinking about getting my hands on it.

…..

Basically as soon as it arrives I’m going to snatch it right, clean and press attempt left (press for reps if possible), and clean and press it right (press for reps), snatch attempt left – back to back to back to back.

…..

Yep, too much coffee milk yesterday (again), I’m still up – 6am, so it’s food time.

Two egg and meat sandwiches, a bowl of m&ms, milk.

I’m not so against chocolate.
It’s really sugar (energy) with dairy (nutrition), it tastes good, makes you feel good from dopamine.

There’s no reason in my eyes to vilify chocolate.

…..

730ish I finally fall asleep, wake up twice, once about 1030, my 1130 alarm my “final call – you’re getting out of bed NOW” alarm.

That last hour was deep sleep, I’m amazed how it felt given the briefness.

Awoke to this ;

…..

The wind is whipping, I’m exhausted… calling the audible is to sleep a few hours of the early afternoon, then I relaxed by watching some popeye (good for a laugh), “okay, almost 4pm, it’s gonna take FOREVER to upload, so might as well…

The heavy barbell ideas are out the window, way too tired, low energy, somewhat stiff…I do what ends up being a ten minute video, doing a workout that is a mix of both kinda lazy, and challenging at the same time.

One bell, the 32kg…
Reverse ladder 10-1 by 1s/side…

It was not as easy as I’d expected.
Got it done. Felt a million times better after the workout (which is their best benefit).

Had a few egg sandwiches with a fork and knife, some cranberry bread and some cookies both given to me in holiday spirit, and a couple glasses of milk.

Something is wrong with how slowly videos upload for me while at home. Gonna have to either just not use my phone half the day as I make more frequent and long videos while letting them upload, or figure out what exactly is going on.

…..

Now today’s video was filmed late, and as said above took FOREVER to upload, normally I put videos live at hour or half hour marks, this not going live til after 8pm, I just set to to public during upload, whatever time it may be.

804pm or so it went live, I actually napped the last hour and change of upload time, woke up to it being live for a few minutes.

Now I titled it and described it accurately, put in a bunch of related hashtags, but it has to be uploaded for tags – I did not use tags.

It looks like it’s doing well regardless, gained a sub, a comment from someone new, a couple likes out of only a few views.

Maybe that’s my format ; unabridged, honest effort outdoor/backyard clean and press based workouts – whether it’s talking during breaks or working straight through an interval.

Monetized requires certain amounts of watch time/views as well as either a 500 or a 1000 subscriber count.

I’m at 70, it’s a small percentage of to there, but I just laugh at myself ; thus far this month I’ve gained more subscribers than days in the month so far, and keep thinking ;

Since creating this channel I’ve been a member at three gyms. One I didn’t film at, and the place is pretty popular as far as those with instagram followings – great atmosphere on it’s gym floor, a bodybuilding place where people were both friendly yet also kept their heads down and put in work.

I never had access to what was likely the funniest thing that I think people make content of now…these two fit latinas were doing leg raises, me on the deadlift platform behind them in frame…I realized this and bent rowed to the point I almost passed out as a silly thing/prank/joke since I was in frame.

They never approached me about it, nor did I ever see them again, nor could I find it searching picuki location tag after talking about it later, nor did anyone there bring it forward to me.

Another gym I barely filmed myself at, there’s like three videos here, and honestly I missed something freaky…I was at almost 30 pullups at probably 250lbs, doing well on weighted pullups at all rep ranges, etc.

Que sera sera.

There’s the world of should and the world of is ; live in the this moment – it is, the past is gone, work to the future, that’s what we must.

…..

Had some interaction with the 70th subscriber, a brazilian.

I think it’s mad cool how international this, even at a low level, reaches.

I interact with a croatian in germany regularly.

Today I had interaction with a brazilian in brazil.

The reach is mad cool, as it the realization…these strangers, the world over, value YOU and what you do.

…..

Also cool that august started with 26/27/28 subscribers, gained a few, then september and october were 8 each, this month more subscribers than days thus far.

It’s quadrupled in speed of growth!
A channel live for years, me making excuses instead of content, then I start posting daily and the gears of growth start moving.

Do the work. It’ll work!

Persistence & Tenacity

11/18/23
The food started just after midnight, an egg sandwich with a couple slices of bacon – real small, but food in me early.

Having slept all of ninety minutes yesterday, having surprised myself by being up still – I went to bed after midnight, and barely woke up before an 1130am alarm.

I slept almost unbroken for about ten hours.

Woke up tired, my forearms sore (maybe the clean attempts the other night, maybe the kettlebell work the past few days), and really had to coax myself into continuing any form of press every day.

I got creative ;

Day 28
“Introducing The See Saw Z Press”

if you can forget the clean THIS is the ultimate press variant

↑ quite the easy movement on the body, bodybuilding/strongman hybrid “powerbuilding” movement

…..

I have a hankering to purchase more kettlebells.

Now, while I could join the local powerlifting gym, I’m not too inclined to do so despite the fact it’d be easier setup/breakdown, no snow interference, a place to squat heavy and condition on 24/7 flat ground, and get me out of the house (that probably the biggest).

I think to myself “money every month to someone else” or “pay once – own for life”, and liking fresh air weightlifting I’m inclined to spend the money that could be a few months dues instead on kettlebells.

It surprises me ; I am getting more into kettlebells.

While it hasn’t been a year that I’ve had them, and I surely would not say that I’ve maximized their use…

I could see myself finding the space and either running it as a small private gym or as a personal training studio – kettlebell centric.

That’d be reason to have access to a full line of double bells, whereas financially, and being willing to mismatch pairs on my own lifts, I can justify to myself the purchase of a 40kg bell (call it a christmas present to me), should have a bell or two between my 20kg and 32kg, but can’t really justify even that, while I’d like to a medium degree to have a 24kg, 28kg, and 36kg as well should I purchase the 40kg.

Simply it’s a balance of a few factors ; cost, clean and press ability (the main physical driver) and safety/training effect on the snatch (the secondary physical driver).

I’m mentally tiring somewhat of press every day, the setup/breakdown of a barbell moreso than anything.

I’ll continue overhead press every day – probably in a more off camera training capacity, see saw presses both standing and z press, one arm presses ditto, and feel excitement at the idea of ONLY using a 40kg bell for lots and lots of work capacity driving clean and press work.

The kettlebell shines for building strength including high levels of conditioning/work capacity.

With a more challenging press weight I’d be far more inclined to spend the time at it.

A 40kg for now, heavier another time when I’ve trained more into it.

You’re not gonna be a weak individual doing lots of one arm presses with a 40kg bell, while lots of cleans and front squats is a work capacity driver.

Simply I see myself working harder at what I must with a 40kg bell than with the 32 I currently own as heaviest kettlebell.

…..

An early dinner and some yard work.
I felt stuffed from a thick pea soup, lots of ham, some breakfast sausage, parmesan cheese, plenty of crackers, a few cookies, and honestly probably again too much coffee milk.

That’s like three days in a row of me being a little caffeine addict.

It’d be hilarious if coffee milk isn’t caffeinated, and I don’t sleep purely from placebo in association with the taste.

Whatever.

…..

I’m pretty excited to get to thirty days, show that it took me from 2×205 on a good day, 1×205 almost any time, to doubling 225lbs, hitting 205lbs for 5, FINALLY hit 10 reps with 185lbs stuck for years at 7 or 8 reps, and coming close to a 255 clean on surprisingly little clean work – and making this a video…

Then transition to kettlebell for the winter.
It’s just simpler than barbell work in wintertime, and hilariously aims me towards leaning out…in winter…just like high school wrestling did.

…..

After dark, about 6 to 630pm, I did kettlebell and bodyweight – tonight leisurely, a few burpees, kettlebell snatches, and lunges in reps of 3, real easy.

It felt great, and the final thing I did was turkish get ups, 10:00 emom alternating sides, with the same 20kg bell as the oas.

Fun to play with, while a minute period can actually be eaten up almost entirely with one up and down as I was taking my time, being deliberate.

I realized you can train certain stages, and use variety in the exact form from a to b as a way to vary between perfect form, training effect, and going for heavy singles.

One hand planted, bent leg foot planted, the transition for here to the bottom of a lunge – a lot of options here as described in the paragraph above.

Honestly, I’d like to get this to where I can tgu people.

And I view it as possible.

Also something I could do as a form of easy, longer, conditioning – just set a timer, be real deliberate on the harder stages, and continuously go up and down til the timer sounds.

…..

A funny gym floor memory :

Two guys, probably early thirties, and coworkers probably, one more fit (stocky, 5’8″), the other a scrawny unfit office type…

They were using a 30ish lb kettlebell, doing turkish get ups with emphasis on overly perfect form…making it like it was challenging.

They probably commented on my calisthenic ability, asked if I ever did kettlebells…

I recall saying the tgu is easy, they were both taken aback…”why don’t you do one if they’re so easy”.

“Okay, where’s the heaviest bell.”

The skinny one, who really was that uncoordinated as to truly be struggling, he found the 30 or 35lber whatever the heaviest one was there, and I did a rep.

They were in SHOCK that it just wasn’t hard for me.

This popped into my mind as I put my 20kg bell away, laughing at 10:00 EMOM, actually paying attention to proper form/crisp transitions now that I actually felt like doing the tgu compared to that night doing one rep with an “ooohh scary” 30 or 35lber.

Heavier tonight, still not a thing.
Kinda a thing with the 32+16=48kg turkish get up.

I can push this a long way 🙂

…..

Then I meditated, some just sitting and breathing, some standing while flexing glutes – standing like a tree – chi kung like, some rotational stretching thinking discus, some flexing through the range of motion of shot put power position.

Wes Watson audio on for an hour.

Funny, two to four years ago I was listening to his channel, thinking my circumstances – that I couldn’t make it.

I hadn’t listened to him much the past year or two.

Now, I listen a little, and notice – I’m no longer thinking obstacles are insurmountable…I now see that I’ll make it.

…..

A big late dinner ; a large bowl of pasta and cheese, a big glass of milk, and some crackers and french onion dip.
…..

Not training related, but again I bic’d my scalp.

Twice a week seems the proper rate for keeping a shaved head.

I actually find the act meditative, relaxing, calming.

Okay, it’s almost midnight, gotta finish drying off, and will do a few more pushups, grab my credit card…

11/17/23
Can you fail your way, higher and higher from a high pull to a snatch or a clean?

I think you can. It’s simply an odd take on range of motion training.

“Failing My Way Further/Higher” (High Pulls Til I Make The Clean – there’s a progression video there for the clean and press.

A high pull from blocks, maybe strapped, might as well use my bumper plates – this could really train the pull, possibly the best variation for me right now – building the extra oomph that I need.

…..

When you work hard enough, you do realize that picking a weight up off the ground and pressing it overhead DOES work everything.

My quads, I think it’s the vmo, down at the knee are sore.

My mid back has soreness, while just the other day I noticed more thickness of the spinal erectors around the mid to upper back.

My abs are sore.
The question is whether that’s from the density one arm presses or from the handful of 255lb power clean after dark fails.

…..

I think I’ll get the 255lb clean and press just about as soon as I try the weight again.

I was looking at my local copy frame by frame, seeing that I did no jump under whatsoever – the pull on the no shirt, no gloves rep is plenty high to power clean, and I think I’m good for the 255 press.

…..

Youtube has been recommending college cheer/stunting to me, I’ve watched maybe 5:00 of the stuff.

I’d make a good base with my shoulder strength.

How much tumbling skill would I need… and more importantly where/how would I learn it.

There must be a way for me to get a solid handstand, a backflip, etc.

I dislike about myself that I never go to other activities, it’s just all weights.

…..

I need far far more pulling to guarantee my presses.

So add lots of high pulls (from blocks?), and as weight is added progress down the line from snatch high pulls to deadlift variations.

Don’t just do a few minutes of pressing, but have an hour of daily pulling after it.

Snatch high pulls, clean high pulls, then low pulls, plus any and all deadlift variants as long as they’re double overhand.

Read Paul Anderson’s Words :
http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/01/paul-anderson-on-hip-and-back-power.html?m=1

…..

Gotch and Inoki exercises together ;

I’m sure you’ll learn something from it.

…..

The big bag of mexican mix cheese – it’s $7 or $8, 180g protein, 3600 calories…

It’d be odd eating only shredded cheese, but it’s a lot of nutrition in a ready to go package.

…..

No zzzz, so I z pressed for day 27 of overhead press every day.

z press 13x135lbs

I had the idea that I CAN shoulder the bar via clean or continental, and must’ve spent 15 attempts, getting really close – just needing a small flick of the wrist to get the bar over, and not making it.

It gave me an awesome forearm pump, some upper back, some bicep, and the tomfoolery blasted my core before I actually got the bar to shoulder.

Heck once or twice after that I failed to steinborn the bar…then I did, then I pressed, today’s z press being a very heavy set of ab training in comparison to all the lifting I’ve been doing.

…..

What have I eaten today?
Pasta with cheese more than once, a small portion of breaded chicken, a small mexican meal, some crackers, a little box of reese’s pieces, drank some coffee milk (uh ohh will I sleep 🙂), a couple glasses of milk, a can of iced tea – perfect macros, perfect dieting I’m sure.

Pretty low on meat, no eggs, just me eating what sounds good right now.

I’ll make a push for strength with a bunch of eggs starting by around thanksgiving I’d say.

I must’ve recently crossed some threshold of size and strength, it’s the feeling I get from walking around the store – the stares, glances, unnecessary apologies, etc.

…..

Macros are real easy to hit when you don’t have them. 🙂

…..

The z press as the main press, with some heavier power cleans after it would work as a way to train the clean and press – kinda westside breaking the thing down into pieces.

…..

Almost never have I done continentals…they do open up shouldering a heavy bar opportunity…

…..

Did 10:00 of conditioning after dark.
Odd minutes snatching the 20kg bell for 5/side (ie 10 reps each period)
Even minutes doing 5 one pump burpees.

…..

I just realized something ;

While I definitely feel a lot of fear about the 255lb-300lb power cleans, without realizing it, while at the store I did this subconsciously…I grabbed the bag of breakfast sausage that was acting as key to my egg consumption.

I fell into the pattern of having at least one sausage link in the pan per egg.

Maybe the fried eggs are coming back sooner than I’d thought.

I type late night, not much in the way of protein ready to go, tired but not yet going to bed, hungry and not yet eating…

11/16/23
I’m capable of 5 pullups at 290lbs.

The other day I did 2×4.
Today I tried again, got 5 reps.

All extra pulling helps, as I’ll get to later.

……

Today I almost ate vegetarian.

Maybe two hours after the density training of the one arm press I ate about half of a loaf of french bread with butter, drank a pint of coffee milk, and a glass of milk.

I boiled up a goodly amount of pasta, shells to be precise, probably 1¼ or 1⅓lbs.

A full box and some left in the box from yesterday.

Now, pasta costs anywhere from $1.25/lb to like $2.50/lb before we get into the alternative choices of flour, the chickpea pasta, the vegetable pasta, etc.

I’ll occasionally have the chickpea pasta, but generally regular old grain – the wheat is good enough.

Unless the generic is sold out, I never pay more than the lowest price point in the store.

No need, it’s all the same semolina, all the same color box, just some say barilla, some the store’s name.

So for $1.25 you get 1600 calories, about 50g protein, and simply I just prefer pasta to rice.

It might sound strange, but rice to me tastes too sugary, while wheat just feels like it’s a builder of greater robustness than rice.

Trust your body. Follow it’s guidelines.

…..

Almost a day of bread, butter, pasta, and cheese.

I ended up having a meatball sub for a late dinner, drank (another quart probably being too much for good sleep) coffee milk with it as post workout meal from after dark, no warmup, 255lb clean and press attempts.

I made pulls, maybe you could call them high pulls, but they were surely not cleans.

I was pulling high enough for full cleans for sure, but that’s not a skill I really have.

Interesting the difference between 225 and 255lbs on a clean to me.

I feel that I’m close to the 255lbs, and honestly – it’d actually be a backyard PR.

I’ve cleaned 275lbs on a half dozen or so occasions INSIDE GYMS.

As far as backyard weightlifting I’ve done 245lbs…so high pulls with 255lbs tonight, feeling like had I actually warmed up that I’d have made it…

Well it’s PR territory.

…..

I can taste 255lbs, and have already started thinking of 300, 365lbs.

in a whim going for 255… cause I can taste it…and after dark sounded quite whimsical and fun

…..

Man do the night’s pushups feel strong lately…it’s all the overhead pressing 🙂

Persistence & Tenacity

11/15/23
Unable to sleep (too many amping myself up factors to allow it), at 545am I’m in the kitchen letting my phone charge as I do the day’s duolingo (spanish today), and eat a bowl of pasta with shredded cheese.

…..

I didn’t end up going keto or carnivore on that, run if you can call it that.

I ate enough desserts to not be on a diet at all, and it had evolved to eating lots of eggs as eating for power.

“Egg Power Diet”

Right now this is probably going to be the third day giving myself a break.

There is Vince Gironda precedence here, to go vegetarian after a protein/fat heavy period.

Last night I ate a salad, and it was delightful.

lol I almost can’t believe I wrote the above sentence.

…..

Part of my sleepless night was rereading my own content.

I read “eggs are the superfood” laughing that I just recently came to enjoy eating them fried, not drinking a single one, though doing so could be on video during a 5×5 lift and talk type video.

What also struck me was “vegetarian bodybuilding – how I’d go about it”, and honestly I could see myself doing this for a brief period.

And I expand ;

As I sit here typing, leisurely eating from my bowl of shells and mexican mix cheese, having boiled pasta three or four times in the past two days, expecting to do so again later today…

I’m really liking pasta with cheese and/or butter right now.

I had the thought “what if you alternated periods of carnivore with periods of vegan/vegetarian”.

I feel like it’d work well.
Plants for dropping weight.
Meat for the strength push.

…..

Will I eat primarily pasta and cheese for a time?

We’ll see.

I’m plenty fucking strong right now, and right now whether it’s mental in origin or physical in origin right now my body says “eat pasta with cheese” instead of eating meat.

So I ain’t worried about it.

…..

You want to be jacked?

Lift some damn weights!

If I am going vegetarian for awhile, well the cleans, presses, and bent rows will continue to build me as always.

My delta look more 3d, the right side angled to the mirror looks awesome – heck seems people in public notice me more NOW with this growing shoulder girdle and press PR after press PR.

…..

I got between three and four hours of sleep before going for the 10x185lb press.

I’d have been better off having been up ~26 hours by the time I’d lifted.

See, I woke up groggy as all get out – the lift ended up a little later than my usual filming time frame by forty five minutes or so – it annoyed me to be setting up late in my eyes – honestly I didn’t want to lift…

But I made myself, and feeling all tired and shit it was a good test of “just how locked in is this level of strength”.

I didn’t even clean the bar, it was one of those heaves, a bent row into a flick of the wrist.

Makes me wonder…what can I curl?
Five years ago I was silly close to strict with 155lbs, in spitting distance of 185lbs, and that was running similar training at the “SoCal Bodybuilding Gym”.

(you know clean and press press press almost exclusively)

The sleepless night? The general tiredness?
lol too much coffee milk – I am still like a squirrel having no tolerance to caffeine 🙂

Had I actually been well rested… probably a 15rm.

…..

I think tonight I’ll eat lightly.

A little pasta with cheese, maybe a salad, probably three fried eggs whether I have a little meat with them or not.

…..

Yep. I ate pretty lightly tonight.
Some more pasta with cheese, then three egg sandwiches, a tad of meat on those.

I could still eat. We’ll see.

…..

715pm – Conditioning After Dark
Burpees & 20kg KN OA Sn
15:00 of :15 work/:45 rest
Odd Minutes : 4-5 one pump burpees
Even Minutes : 8-10 snatches alternating hands each period

last :15 of the final rest I did the missing hand’s snatches

the combination of the two results in the oft spoke of in the 1950s “rib cage expansion”
you feel.your sides, your intercostals, your lats from the combination
your glutes depending, your hands/forearms pumped on delay

I might be 290lbs, but there’s no reason I can’t be in shape – burpees and kettlebell snatches with monitored rests and rep goals per work period… that’ll sort it out.

I can’t be out of shape.
Fitness is mandatory.

on repeat :

J Vengeance – Rep City

…..

I wore a long sleeve shirt that I hadn’t, possibly in years, for this session.

I was filling it out! Completely!

It’s a a big shirt.
I may have a gut, but I’ve definitely put on shoulder girdle size with all this pressing.

…..

10pm – A small bowl of chicken stew with cheese mixed in, some triscuit crackers, a glass of milk – maybe dessert after

(no dessert after all)

Persistence & Tenacity

11/14/23
Waking up my right lat was massively sore, down at the lower attachment.

This was the kettlebell hand for yesterday’s see saw press – the soreness makes sense as ;
1. I hadn’t done the movement in a long time.
2. As I saw during video editing, you do want to lean during the movement – reach at the top of the rep, kinda side crunch at the bottom, and I did a better job of this with the kettlebell side than the dumbbell side – so obviously it hit more lats than the dumbbell on the left had.

This is what puts the see saw press up there ; when all the parts are in motion you’re building shoulders well, and very much working your sides – the lats, obliques, plus your midsection, your abdominals.

I know I’ve read of a 1950s bodybuilder, who won a, one, singular, either mr olympia or mr world, or similar – who at something like 5’11” 195lbs was said to do no upper body work than see saw pressing a few sets of 15-20 a few times a week with something like 105lbers.

Dang!
Slightly over half bodyweight each hand, AND high reps.

I’d say 10 or 15 sets weekly like that WOULD be all the upper body work you need.

Gives me inspiration this anecdote, as I’m much heavier, and my bells are only in the 70lbs range.

…..

today’s 2x225lb press

I did two back off sets with 185lbs after today’s 2x225lb press.

Neither hit 10 reps, and had I not done the 225lb set – I’d say I’d have hit the 10x185lbs as a first/only set.

Here’s to tomorrow’s overhead press every day video – I’ll go for it again.

Tomorrow I go for 10+ x 185lbs.
I expect to get it.

At some point however these are going to have to change to the 5×5 and talking type video format, allow me some more training than what is a mix of training and showing strength.

…..

The lat soreness went away as soon as I’d done the first press set.

Soreness tends to be like that.
As I wake up I’ll “flex around”, flexing, and moving around what is sore – that tends to get me functional pretty quickly, and besides we perform just as much as we demand of ourselves to perform.

…..

My bar speed pressing 185lbs is staggeringly fast.

More speed = more power, which correlates to more strength (which today’s 2x225lbs had the possibility of being a triple, the 2x220lbs just days ago was effort level primal groans – so obviously I’m stronger)… = MORE GAINS!

High frequency training and overhead pressing every day = the gains train, that’s where it’s at!

(a however many powerful sets of 3×185, basically treating it like a speed day – that is an option)

…..

…..

Like Vince Gironda advised ; after that egg heavy period I’m giving myself a few days without eggs.

Today ate frozen chicken, some pasta with cheese, and a salad.

Drank a BUNCH of coffee milk, and it ain’t cheap.

While milk is $2.59/gallon, coffee milk runs that or more per QUART.

I pay $12-16/gallon for those, today I drank a quart and a pint, saving a quart for tomorrow.

…..

Note : it’s been 7½ of daily pushups, no misses.

…..

Lunch : small, leftover pasta, drink coffee milk

Snack : while cooking dinner, leftover pasta, drink coffee milk

First Dinner : most of a bag of popcorn chicken, a bag is $8 or $9

Second Dinner : finish popcorn chicken as I cook more pasta, eat pasta, drink coffee milk and milk, have a couple brownies

…..

At $8 or $9, and I’m real lazy about chicken, most often eating it as a bag of popcorn chicken for dinner – I’ve done this two days now instead of eggs – well, it makes sense to me to do maybe a week like this, maybe less, and if I’m truly enjoying chicken to the use that same money for 12 or 18 eggs, 1½-2lbs of chicken breast – cook it from scratch for myself, all the while letting the pasta kick and dessert eating run their course.

Hop back on the clean eating, maybe even a little cleaner, and pick up kettlebell work/volume, probably having purchased another bell or two (might as well christmas present for myself to me some implements that can condition and strengthen for life).

…..

Tomorrow we press, and I can’t be happier.

Persistence & Tenacity

11/13/23
Okay, today I made two shorts.

…..

It’s a struggle in my mind debating whether to eat the day’s nine eggs, fast, or eat something different.

…..

My mood wasn’t good for lifting.
I took a hot shower upon waking ,(what a joy hot water is), the entire time just scared for no real reason about 225+ lbs.

So, I called the audible, kept the overhead press every day going by doing the see saw press.

…..

See I’d been meaning to film see saw pressing this entire time, and honestly, I want good stuff to be on video, not just the same workout each day, so see saw press hadn’t been getting done.

However, it’s a perfect in between/off day/light day lift.

Not only is it arguably the #1 upper body exercise, with my mismatched pair of 32kg kb and 75lb db, it’s only moderate in weight, so it’s perfect for giving my body a break while still putting weight overhead every day.

…..

The turkish get up was a whim.

I’d stood up with a 95lb barbell before, it’s stuck with me that people online are scared to use two bells on the movement, and 48kg would be considered heavy…

So I tried it out.

Slick grass, not perfectly level, lol – maybe I’ll actually take the bells to a park or something, film there with at least flat ground.

It was super close.
Really, not picture perfect form, just getting it done – I think had I plotted out each step I might’ve made it today.

I’m sure that I surely did it wrong 🙂

…..

I decided to skip the squats, so the light barbell squat every day ran almost five weeks.

Frankly I have a hard time calling a few empty bar squats “squat every day”, it’s more like general human motion.

(Note : make a video just showing the bent bar, talk it’s history, the value I put on all the starting out and little equipment times sweat I’ve poured with that bar, and how I still use it.)

I too decided that it may be a longer than twenty four hour fast – felt like eating nothing or lightly.

Decided to skip the eggs, then changed my mind around hour 17 of fasting, had some yogurt pretzels, a bowl of cereal with heavy cream, and a glass of milk as I cooked a frozen pizza – of which I ate about half, then drank a can of iced tea.

Gave myself a break…

And giving myself breaks is a real struggle for me mentally/emotionally.

…..

Tomorrow may be a shot at pressing 10+ x185lbs whether as a back off set (from working to a 1rm), one of volume/sets at that weight, or stand alone.

…..

And lookee ; about 9pm I’m again in the kitchen, finishing that frozen pizza, drinking milk, and boiling a bit more than half the 16oz package of pasta.

Shells today.
That sounds real good with butter and cheese.

(It was.)

…

11/12/23
4 pullups.

Whatever I weigh, 290ish, that’s all I got – four, good, strict pullups.

I did two sets, so make it 2×4, but a 5th rep was not happening on either.

Interesting I thought, as my clean is going up.

However, my grip strength was SOLID.

…..

The pressing IS really going up.

Day 22
I never defined if/when there’s a stop point.

30 days?
40 days brings me to last of this or first of next month.

I had said I was aiming for a 255lb clean and press on or before December 1st.
Still am.

As far as the overhead press everyday streak – we’ll see, this could go indefinite, or I could switch the every day lift.

Had the idea that “225 nfl bench for reps test DAILY”, that could be the next on camera phase – let the world see me make do for reps on the most hilariously unstable set up.

Also the idea to just do 5:00 or 10:00 density periods of one exercise on camera.

Also need to do more talking videos.

…..

Today I made the day’s eggs a bit dirtier, sausage links and hot dogs with them.

While I realized it is not animal based in the slightest, trail mix is pretty affordable, provides a good deal of calories and nutrition while always being on hand.

…..

I had to laugh.

Today I “discovered” speed pulls.
(meaning I realized what I was doing is called that generally)

About an hour after that press set, I pulled 9×3 rotating between sumo, snatch grip, and conventional at the same 205lb bar weight.

I don’t know what my max is, mixed grip, double overhand, or otherwise (straps lol).

I do know that I respond real well to lots of sets of low rep, powerful, light, double overhand deadlifts with my glutes firing hard.

Light, powerful, “leg pressing” the bar off the floor if my glutes pump I’ll be on both cloud 9 AND the gains train.

When I train in a manner that pumps up my glutes everything hip related improves.

The “leg pressing” off the floor too carries my legs well.

…..

Well, I’m impressed.
I cooked eleven eggs, four hot dogs, seven sausage links, and I’m about to finish it.

Not a small meal, but not huge, still most would be impressed by that.

Had two glasses of milk, and a 16oz coffee milk with it, a bowl of white chocolate chips stirred together with peanut butter for dessert/as an appetite builder.

I’ve long known sugar, if you go back and forth between a candy and a main course to allow you to eat much more.

In the bathroom mirror, having just eaten, it’s like the pump in my shoulders that I didn’t have a few hours ago while lifting, went right into my shoulders.

They look monstrous!

…..

Press all the time, every variant, every rep range, and eat.

This puts on mad shoulders.

…..

Did the after dark fall/winter thing again, the freestyle session – firstly getting the day’s empty bar overhead squats done (squat every day is past a month now), then with a 20kg kettlebell and a sense of play…

It was some one arm swings, some one arm snatches, some burpees, some handstands (one good one), a little bit of dancing around, primal round the fire type movement, a little bit of backwards walking/sprints, a tad of footwork drills.

I laughed at myself for how quickly I got out of breath, and how for the entire forty minutes or so I was out of breath…off so little volume/reps/work.

I realize that ; this session is entirely time on my feet, that I didn’t stand still once, and that this is all basically an obese body building work capacity.

I recall at 20/21 going from 235 or so, to the vicinity of 195-205, and that alone magically saw me able to run well, have good wind, etc.

So I consider this movement basic human being, part of life KNOWING that it pays a million fold vs a little lifting volume being basically my sole physical activity vs being sad sack sedentary.

…..

There’s no doubt in my eyes that RIGHT NOW had I access to a 48kg kettlebell that I could snatch it.

One thing I realized during the play session was that when you’re snatching the kettlebell from the ground “dead snatch” the parlance to my knowledge – you’re doing something I read chinese weightlifters are taught to do…you’re lifting with quads, a thigh lock, what I call “leg pressing” off the ground in the context of barbell deadlifts.

THAT technique added a lot of power to the kb one arm snatch.

Then on subsequent reps you’re ripping the bell down “hiking”, a real functional strength thing for the lats, down from lockout, these reps going between the legs.

…..

Not a bad day.

…..

hadn’t listened to wes watson in a while, gave two relistens as I sat outside breathing the fresh, apparently 25°f air, cooling down after that after dark session

I’m building THIS ↓↓↓↓, just as I’m building my press.

…..

And man did the night’s pushups make a crazy pump in my upper back, my side delts poppin!

If you’re even halfway interested in bodybuilding or strongman – you owe it to yourself to do lots and lots and lots of clean & presses!

Persistence & Tenacity