Persistence and Tenacity

4/13/24
For about a week now I’ve bic’d my scalp right before every night’s shower.

It looks sharp, and looking sharp is better than not looking sharp.

…..

Looking in the mirror before bed, not only is my mid back bonkers, my upper back impressive…I saw an increase in lower back thickness.

Really, the answer is get strong on kettlebells – and my programming isn’t programming.

It’s spur of the moment, whims, essentially randomized…but the effort is there.

That’s the important part.
The effort.

You put effort into kettlebell lifting equals you get gains.

Your midsection is all sore? Your abs smoked all the time? That means you’re gonna be stronger.
It does for me.

My abs shaking has always led to gains, and I’ve never really let my abs fully recover – I simply kept doing compound lifts, weighted calisthenics, one arm stuff, have people stand on my back, etc.

Never fully recovered, and quite strong.

…..

I have this joke I use in real life, I’ll say “studies have shown”, then make up the most absurd “fact” on the spot.

“Studies have shown ___”, and people have this hilarious tendency to buy into it.

Once I explained it to a coworker as I drove him home, then used it…and he bought it.
“Dude! Think about what I just explained”, “oh man, you’re right, wow – I automatically deferred to the studies”.

I came up with the concept as reaction to how much “studies” are referenced as far as whether something training will work or not.

Because I’ve long cared more about human anecdote, what worked for them, than anything that came out of a laboratory setting – especially considering that those in the lab are still human, it’s not as if they’re any more inherently perfect.

Not as if a study can’t be inherently flawed.
Studies can be flawed.
Most don’t realize this.

Personal experience is what someone experienced.

Personal experience, it happened, and plenty of people have had success with what “couldn’t possibly work” – remember science says that the bumble bee can’t fly by science, yet them things are still flying around.

 

So you can get jacked doing it your way.
There are guidelines, but the rules are grey.

Just like I like to read some guy say how he got jacked in less than ideal circumstance, I too, like a folklorist, personally would rather hear you tell your life story than to spend an equal amount of time watching some show that someone wrote and that didn’t truly happen.

These things put me in an opposite stance to the many, solely because I want to be rooted in the real world, not in the world of televised “reality”.

…..

Did soccer ball a bit later than I’d usually, and today it was approached more with a grind mentality – made myself just do the five minute minimum, hey we’re human – this was the first time “I didn’t wanna”.

It wasn’t warm enough to get the sun shirtless, though I did it shirtless anyway under overcast skies (and ironically it became sunny when I pulled hoodie back on right after).

A 9ct using both feet, mostly right was the best in that period of otherwise 5s at best…
Like I wasn’t warm.
Still did it.

Type a few minutes.
Drink some water.

I’ve nice leftovers (pizza and cherry pepsi) ready to eat from last night.

Okay, cool – I’ll kick the ball more now that I’ve taken a few minute break.

…..

11ct the best, better with foot to foot this period as well, an extra 12:00 or so, ending with 8ct alternating feet – my best like that yet I’d say, and ended it in that high note.

Bottoms up clean & press immediately after the soccer ball.

With 16kg ; 12l+12r+6l+6r+3l+3r, one long set switched hands with a swing, not setting the bell down – aiming the kettlebell more towards similar to long cycle even if with one bell, bottoms up, and a press.

Frankly I like this combo, buc&p looking for cardio (it still gives a good full body pump), and the soccer ball.

Were I to deload it’d be lifting like this with a skill to progress alongside, whether that stays a soccer ball or changes to three ball juggling, handstand work, etc – we’ll see.

I write it over and over – you could over the long haul just train buc&p light, every so often jump up 4kg in weight and within a decade you’d easily bottoms up press 48kg.

Likely sooner. Training weights are never your maximum.

That progression is more and more reason to make the bell purchase, stock your life with unlimited access to kettlebells.

It makes sense to, right now, really push the reps on buc&p with the 16kg.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/12/24
Just after midnight, it’s a packet of microwave ninety second rice (mexican rice), a metrx bar, and some milk.

I’m thinking I’ll do a 40kg bup today, hopefully a double or better.

…..

Inflexibility in the shoulders, the elbows, that’s my weakness in the bottoms up press.

I need a bunch of mobility to match my left arm numbers to my right arm numbers.

It would make sense to have those 4kg jumps between 20kg and 32kg for training the left hand, but as I filmed yesterday – I can train a long while on bottoms up snatch volume with the 16kg and 20kg before “needing” to make the 24 & 28 jumps on the road to 32kg consistently left handed.

What I really need is a training partner to manually stretch the left side, to force the positions.

…..

Haven’t more people made it in difficult circumstances than in easy circumstance?

Tell yourself that.
Shrug at everything.
Keep going.

…..

I write it time and again ; the kettlebell is meant to be done with high frequency, high volume, the loads and variations varied.

My upper back has been developing amazingly, and it’s the fact that everything kettlebell works it.

So do your bottoms up work, all your presses, snatches, swings, and build dense glutes, a crazy upper back, awesome shoulders, and ever thickening forearms.

It’s actually pretty simple to do some kettlebell work daily.

If I’m really not feeling it I’ll just do some form of light pressing, then move on.
Comically little like 10 presses or bottoms up presses a side with 16kg.

It’s always better to do something “even if it’s the empty bar” (to paraphrase John Broz), than to take the day entirely off.

The thing is, usually that quick light minisession ; it’ll get my heart into it more, or later in the day the urge will strike and I’ll lift more.

…..

I may lift kettlebells daily, or nearly so, for the rest of my life.

I can easily see this as being the case.
The kettlebell, it just clicks for me.

I’m good at it pretty early as shown by the 40kg bottoms up press, and now at 29 years old it’s converting the beginner gains in size that I’d made at 17 years old to quality with muscular separation, increasing leanness, while maintaining lots of size.

Imagine if I’d started this stuff at 11 years old or so!

(the path of “working man’s rugged weightlifting gpp” aka kettlebell training – the thing really is a nice blend of lifting strength, manual labor strength, and grappling strength all in one cast iron bell, and I feel would’ve been/would be fine for youth strength training)

…..

The humidity was off the charts high today with a bit of a drizzle/misting (it had rained earlier really giving credit to that phrase “april showers”).

The lift went meh. I failed a bunch of attempts at a 40kg bup, though I almost rode one down and back up for a 40kg bottoms up rack front squat.

I lost the bell near or at the top, almost a complete rep.

To end the lift I did a regular press, one rep a side, with the 40kg.

Maybe it’s time to deload.

If I make the purchase of 24,28,36,44,48 I’d be able to start at a 16 and run it for forever, bottoms up almost exclusively, high volume, and back to PRs plus some really impressive stuff.

The soccer ball dribbling was right after the lift, it too started off meh with 3s, 4s, maybe a 5ct, but within ten minutes I got a couple of 10s, and an 11ct that might’ve been an ugly ugly 12ct.

I ended on a high note. A 10ct where it was like two a side back and forth, maybe the best control I’ve had yet.

Not every lift is great, but the fact you lifted is.

I got outside, sweat, drenched by the humidity, lifted my kettlebell, and dribbled the soccer ball.

There’s some wins there.

…..

Second session, light 16kg, x10, 8, 6 of bottoms up snatch, bottoms up clean & press, alternating left, right, movement to movement ie

•bus l
•bus r
•bucp l
•bucp r
•soccer ball
•repeat

Yep, again I mixed in the soccer ball dribbling – I’m digging the practice.

Got a 15ct this time, some back and forth on it, though mostly right foot.

Not only do I enjoy the practice, I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment seeing the skill improving with practice.

…..

Another half hour of soccer ball a half hour or so before dark (no kettlebell this time), no count PR, but movement, and some with better height and from foot to foot.

…..

If I was to deload I’d probably go for minutes long sets of buc&p light at 16kg, aim for taking 2h swings to 100x40kg, and do a lot of “skill” stuff – the soccer ball, handstands (cause eventually I want freestanding hspu), maybe new skills.

We’ll see.

Psychologically it’s hard for me to deload, and essentially impossible for me to fully take a day off when my heart is into frequency.

In 2022 there were times I went almost two weeks between sessions of barbell press, training no other lifts, but doing my daily pushups like usual, and after every shift my tree branch mace swings.

It’s not 2022, it’s 2024!

Mentally I function better with high frequency. It’s best to always structure my life in a way so as to lift some weights daily. Keeps me happier in every way.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/11/24
It’s that old kali muscle meme from a decade back – “good carbs, only good carbs”.

It’s a tad after midnight, I’m supposed to eat sausage & onions but finished the batch just over 24 hours ago.

This means last night was one meal, frozen breaded chicken, which is probably the laziest way to get protein in, while today I’ll have to cook up a big batch of the right stuff ; the sausage & onions.

Right now?
Right now I’m typing, gonna eat some “good carbs – only good carbs ” (aka childish crap that isn’t food)…a pack of ramen, some marshmallows and chocolate chips melted in with it.

“dessert ramen”

That with 18oz of milk, a handful of chocolate covered coffee beans, another 12oz glass of coffee milk, and I’m off!

(I’m a squirrel with caffeine – purposely keeping a low tolerance)

…..

One heavy or one moderately weighted kettlebell really is all you need for an awesome workout.

You can’t convince me that anyone comfortably handling 40kg or more on all the usual suspects, the training fairly dense isn’t going to be a strong individual.

The day before yesterday I had that last minisession of 2h swings and soccer ball dribbling – but did one set a side of 1h swings.

The demands on the body with a heavy one arm swing are nuts!
Core and hand.

The 2h variation is more of a glute builder as you can handle more density of work that way.

To round up your physical capability you do a few presses, a few front squats, and likely are powerlifting far better than the kettlebell’s training weight suggests.

I say that with confidence ; one who regularly trains with kettlebells is far stronger than their training poundage suggests.

Though I still don’t get why 32kg is often viewed as heavy.

…..

Right before laying down for the night do a brief horse stance – it gets the small muscles of the leg/hip/groin firing, makes you feel good – out of breath and the leg fatigue, makes the bed more comfortable.

Don’t care if your horse stance isn’t perfect.
Mine is definitely high, but the benefits (and they made me scary strong in the past) make them worth doing.

…..

Idea for off camera ; lots of swings and jog around between sets.

Might lackadaisically get a good mile like that – intense swings, easy jog, repeat for a time.

…..

Every day make a few minutes, five to ten, for exercise, and ditto the same for some form of physical play.

Everyone should have some silly skill they’re working on.

As a personal trainer I’d have this be a mandatory thing for every client.

I don’t care what it is, so long as it has you up and moving around for a few enjoyable minutes.

For about two weeks now I’ve been dribbling a soccer ball – it was chosen almost at random, though the idea of it being something I didn’t do in my youth strongly factored in.

Off hand basketball dribbling, basketball dribbling in general, handstands (I’ve started kicking into a few here and there again), juggling, kettlebell juggling, handstand walk, jump rope in general or looking for certain tricks – just say “I’ll do it for five minutes every day”, this in addition to a few minutes of some form of lifting, and the two is an enjoyable one-two punch.

Right now, for me, it’s kettlebell stuff – with a focus on bottoms up, and looking for more and more counts and control with the soccer ball.

It’s like I got myself outside and back to the enjoyment of physicality that I had as a teenager, a couple years into training, back when I was already bigger, stronger than I was as a true rank beginner and while too I was in good shape, conditioning being my buddy and I spending hours at “the game” (a short field rugby ball punt & return, sometimes touch, sometimes tackle, but lots of cutting, and 5-20yd dashes) HOURS.

I’d lift for an hour and a half or two, run bleachers for twenty minutes, then play an hour and a half to three hours of “the game” with my buddy, sometimes something else, and note this ; after “the game”, after dinner, we’d often go run 3-5x400m or 2x800m, or something like that , some form of middle distance fast workout, equal walk rests.

It’s funny, so many of us can be crazy fit as high school athletes, but add ten to fifteen years and it’s a shame.

So do your small steps, if small steps are necessary.

•Get outside.
•Lift a few minutes.
•Play a few minutes.
•No excuse.

…..

First 10ct!

I’ll end the soccer ball on that strong note, fifteen to twenty minutes which were half spent at typing right after a light, brief kettlebell session.

I love this one-two of kettlebell & physical skill/play!

…..

Upload going slower than molasses?
Kick the soccer ball, or lift the kettlebell some more.

I ended up doing about 50/side total of 16kg bottoms up snatches.

…..

An extra session of one arm barbell and one arm rock pressing.

That amped me up to do more soccer ball, and in that extra minisession I got an 11ct to again end on a high note.

11ct is my best yet, and in not quite two weeks I’ve seen a bunch of improvement with the soccer ball dribbling – higher counts, and both higher first sets and average counts, and, in fact, I think the increased coordination had carried over to the kettlebell juggling.

…..

Dinner?
Didn’t end up cooking a big batch of sausage & onions, instead my big dinner was ten eggs, most of a pound of deli chicken fried up with it, some chocolate chips sprinkled atop, milk to drink.

And a small dessert of a couple kitkat bars.

…..

Lots of unstructured kettlebell sessions, some snatches, some presses, some swings, occasionally front squats – the variation and details all on the fly.

It’s a working man’s way to develop a bunch of gpp, work capacity, recovery ability, etc.

They say don’t deadlift every day, but if you’re used to volume ballistics whether that’s swings or snatches…you’re likely good for high frequency, low rep, high muscular activation, double overhand deadlifting.

Maybe I’ll make a run for, something deadlift soon.

As is I see inevitable body composition and fitness, alongside continued upper back, shoulder, and glute development with the kettlebell thang.

…..

Low rep, strict pushups for a few days now.
I’ve more interest in the overhead pressing, in more types of grip work, would have more interest in the daily pushups were they weighted – like heavy bench type stimulus.

…..

I have the feeling I’ll sleep well tonight.

Today was an enjoyable day ; I pushed the fast to about eighteen hours, got a few overhead press minisessions, and a few brief practices with the soccer ball, ate ten eggs.

At some point youtube will take off, that or I’ll be well past a 48kg bottoms up press and doing performing strongman, maybe both, maybe neither and life will be something entirely different as far as vocation.

We’ll see.
I live in a universe of joy and abundance.
(really own your personal positive affirmations)

🙂🌞✝️👍💪

Persistence & Tenacity

4/10/24
Human physical capability is limitless, and the reason the majority aren’t impressive specimens is solely a lack of hard training over periods that are measured in decades.

For every world class athlete there’s many many more “never made its”, “life was in the ways”, “didn’t care to competes”, etc.

Somewhere out there is a factory worker, a giant of a man who in six months training would win a world’s strongest man.

He doesn’t train, or if he does he doesn’t care to compete, or doesn’t go online, or film – maybe just lifts in his garage, basement, or yard – crazy numbers, but is only in this for himself, against himself – his best vs his worst self.

…..

Training a little over the years with a handful of d1 (and d3) athletes shows you we’re all human – you can be better than you are.

None of them are super human.

…..

Flip side I start thinking I’m hot shit for 40kg bottoms up presses, then some russian language content is on my youtube homepage as I’m about to start an upload…and the guy is using between 48 and 70kg (even if with looser than strict form).

Still, I’ve gotta give myself credit – most never bottoms up press past 32kg.

In fact I have a funny memory of pressing a 32kg on a day pass a couple years back, my buddy (who I’d lifted with for years, a former training partner) looking at me and going “well I always beat you on deadlifts, ended up passing you on squat and bench over the past couple years, but we’ve found it, the lift – that’s where you’re stronger than me – no way my wrist is that solid”.

And now I’m getting consistent with 40kg bottoms up press right.

•I don’t see a limit.
•I see myself getting 60+ kg strict, that I could have the heaviest bottoms up press online.

Truly getting into bottoms up presses with the giant bells.

Just biding my time to a big channel, lots of subscribers (and maybe followers – though I’m not so sure about my interest in instagram), better finances – waiting to feel the time is right to make the multiple thousand dollar investment into lots of kettlebells.

It’s like I don’t trust that I’d get enough clients, whereas bootstrapping at current I don’t “need” more bells – it’s just a strong “want” where I keep delaying the purchase.

…..

The beatles “eight days a week” has been my exercise song on repeat the past few days – not while filming, but a decent chunk of the off camera stuff.

…..

Instead of money I don’t have on more and more kettlebells…

Why not rebuild the sandbag?
It’s what $30 for a pack of contractor clean up bags, a few hundred pounds of sand – I still have the surplus duffle bag I did this with…whoah a decade ago.

I definitely shouldered 200lbs back then.
Why not a run at 300lbs of sand overhead.

…..

Saw this quote ; “action cures fear”.

…..

The (first minisession) kettlebell was a quick 60 reps total with the 16kg.

x10/side on press, bottoms up press, and bottoms up snatch, alternating hands, next exercise, repeat – a quick little feel good session.
…..

The first soccer dribble was a 6ct or 7ct – with basketball shoes on as it’s raining.

It included a lot of 5+ counts, having shoes back on after a couple days barefoot helped.

I could get good at this.

Thus far it definitely wakes up my hip flexors, seems good for my legs in an athletic way (if possibly not in max squatting strength), but most importantly, most of all it’s fun.

Mixed gripper squeezes in with the soccer ball.

Got a bunch of 7cts today. I’m getting better.

…..

Ate an early dinner, then went and kicked the soccer ball a few more minutes – got an 8ct which might be my best yet.

Then did another light, quick kettlebell session (three minisessions now as rock one arm press was a second – we’ll see how the people respond to three days of rock after a few of 40kg bup) this one bottoms up snatch, “blob” holds, and crunch curl & press – all with the 16kg.

My forearms are smoked!
Plus my chest is highly activated from the crush reps.

I found ANOTHER use for the kettlebell.

Yes – I do notice my training is taking itself in the direction of athleticism and grip.

…..

The barbell one arm snatch into one arm press, or the barbell one arm press shouldered via steinborn – maybe I’ll run that a little while.

I think it’d be good for the “horsepower”, and allows me to put off kettlebell purchase for a little while, as said above, building horsepower.

I really don’t see why I couldn’t do 225lbs on these, while 150 is very very reasonable.

…..

Today :
Subscribers : +4 by the date/+5 if we go by just over 24hrs

281
I’d been waiting for some to start coming in again at more than the one here, one there pace.

Get past 1k!

Persistence & Tenacity

4/9/24
$3k would buy you double bells from 4kg to 48kg in every 4kg jump.

With that many kettlebells I think you’d have a pretty useful home gym, the type of thing that’d keep a family scary in shape and strong…for life.

Where in your life have you wasted $3k before? Whether that’s in a singular vice or in the sum of all vices.
Cable television? Video games? Alcohol? Cigarettes? Lottery tickets? This? That? The other thing?
Exactly.

Find the money.

…..

Then the kettlebell progression is essentially boiled down to ; do a million.

A million what?
Reps. Sets. Variations.
Just get the volume in.

And do something daily.

That’s the key with the kettlebell.
Doing more = more results.
And doing so regularly.

Easy movement to harder movement.
Dual progression with more weight.
Lots of volume irregardless.
High tension.

No one doing reps with double 48s is a weak individual.

The kettlebell gets you “gorilla strong”, gives you the “farmer strength”, the “old man strength”, gives you “mat strength”.

Thick handles, everything overhead and/or core demanding, a real nice blend of like throwing hay bales and wrestling strength with gym type weight lifting.

Especially when we’re talking a double bell bottoms up press with double 48kgs (and yes it’s possible).

Get your head out of powerlifting, out of bodybuilding, out of those hammer strength machines, out of the trendy places, out of the commercial gyms.

It’s freaky how strong the kettlebell done all out will take you.

And $3k owning the equipment to train anyone (you know like you and your family) from rank beginner to beast…it’s like five years (or less – often less) of the trendy gym’s dues.

…..

That’s another thing ;

And before you read this ;
1. I’m not married.
2. I don’t have any children.

Give yourself up to ninety minutes a day to train – no “the wife” excuse, no “the kid(s)” excuse.

Don’t be needing to run to the whiskey bottle and video game controller fat boy!

You’re gonna be better for yourself and for them doing that.

Can’t be out of the house for ninety minutes of training time, plus commute time, and all that?

(plus that requires monthly dues)

$3k in kettlebells and your sons will be set up for success as a four sport athletes, the strongest on all the teams – football or soccer/wrestling/lacrosse or baseball/+ track & field

$3k in kettlebells and your daughters are scary at hitting home runs on the softball field, great at whatever other sports they’re playing

$3k in kettlebells and you and your wife both never have an excuse to not be happy, strong, and healthy – amazing examples for your kids.

Investment in equipment vs dues (rent + commute + crap culture + ____)

Understand!

…..

Today’s Lift/Day 171 :
Completely following a program as written…

L
O
L

NOT!

I snatched 95lb barbell with my right, then flipped the 16kg kettlebell with my left while holding the barbell overhead.

I did some handstands.

With the 20kg right, 16kg left did mismatch bottoms up see saw presses – quite a variant that – I’d never tried it before.

I juggled the 16kg kettlebell.
Got a new trick (from the other day) on camera if ugly.

And again I did some rock presses, this time with the rock held at different angles.

…..

Soccer ball was again barefoot, done a bit later than the lift.

10 days now.
I’m divided as to whether I should be better or not at this point.

Ha, it’s not like I did this for a lifetime.
It’s a new skill. It’s only been ten days.

It may end up being done longer than a month.
Why?
To improve it more.

We’ll see where I’m at at the end of the month.

I’m enjoying it so far.
Gets me moving around in the sun.
Playful movement.

lol and I’m a bit sunburnt – no matter, happens once a year then I’m good to be shirtless through the summer…besides vitamin d is good for you

…..

After dinner, the sun isn’t entirely down – so it’s kettlebell swings and more soccer dribbling – cause outside and moving is better than inside and sitting.

I don’t want to, in the next 5-20 years, just go further down the path of obesity and television.

Outside. Activity.

I’m strong (as per the bottoms up press).
I’m out of shape (as per 2h swings, running).

(the session was 4×10 2h swings, 1×3/side 1h swings, then x20 2h swings with the 40kg bell – soccer ball dribbling to make rest periods)

Be strong and in shape.

I’ve gotta make a living from it.

…..

Gripper squeezes – the hg 150lber – 11 seconds/side first reverse grip, then normal grip – could easily just start low – add a second to the hold every day or three build up that way – a few :30 holds likely means owning the hg 200lber, then repeat the whole process heavier.

The gripper gtg is a nice addition to the outdoor kettlebell lifting, and the soccer ball is building hip flexors, agility, and coordination.

…..

Dieting, food prep, etc – it all sounds so hard, such a difficulty, and demand of your self discipline…until you realize it doesn’t have to be chicken breast/broccoli/rice, but can be all the sausage & onions you’ll eat.

Strict every meal weighed out, 6+ daily small meals vs just eating once or twice, following the 80/20 rule, eating good hearty foods – not chicken feed, not lean, not dry, not bland.

Once stuff clicks for you it’s always funny to reflect and see just how not hard/difficult/challenging it was along.

Lift big kettlebells.
Kick around a soccer ball.
Kick into handstands.
Eat kielbasa, bratwurst, onions.
Drink milk, water, iced tea, occasionally cranberry juice, grape juice, etc.

I’m doing it my way.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/8/24
Today instead of a kettlebell, I felt like pressing a rock.

So I pressed a rock.
A change from bottoms up pressing.

not today’s video

Then, later, I kicked around the soccer ball barefoot.

It’s like the first day again.
(or not – the best dribble was 7ct)

And at that time got a real solid handstand with it.

I’ll mix these two, and probably kettlebell juggling as “skill acquisition – play”.

Keep it fun. Keep it really fun all around.
None of this training is so serious.

…..

I did juggle the kettlebell today, off camera where I got a new trick, hand to hand pretty consistently if not keeping the bell at the best height (high and parallel to the ground) where the handle is vertical and the bell then rotates on that axis like a helicopter (but they call it helicopter when the bell’s handle is horizontal to the ground).

Cool to get that down.

The kettlebell juggling as a skill is getting better all around.

…..

The rock press had all my upper back firing, left me feeling solid in upper back, on my sides.

I felt STRONG.

The rock balances different than a bottoms up bell, and I figure that will help with control.

A side effect is that the good handstand came, probably from how the rock press had everything firing beforehand to balance it.

Pressing kettlebells in the palm of my hand, flat/bottom of bell is an idea.

As I continue with volume my development will continue to improve.

I looked MONSTROUS tonight, my upper and mid back thickness having grown from the heavy bottoms up pressing.

The kettlebell is meant for high tension and high volume, it means gains all around – DO MORE!

Food is lots of sausage and onion.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/7/24
Around the month mark I’m going to be filming myself dribbling the soccer ball.

I think having mentally committed to that sees me doing some daily, even when snow & snow boots could’ve been an excuse.

Mostly I say “I’ll do just five minutes “, but usually I check the time and ten to twenty have passed, and usually I’ll still do another ten or so more.

Or end up going back for a short bit more a little later.

Mixing it with the off camera kettlebell stuff is really fun. Probably the most enjoyable training I’ve had in years.

Since my left arm is in “the dark times” it’s not necessary to film the 16kg buc&p or the 20kg press/c&p/buc.

Those, and flipping them (mind you juggling is camera worthy) just done off camera for the euphoria.

…..

During today’s lift I bottoms up pressed the 40kg strict to lockout, held there as per video review over half a second, then lost the controlled negative at the bottom rack the bell falling against my chest..

Quite annoying that.
Quite close this.

I forget how strong I am.
40kg is 88lbs.
The leverages make it probably like 120 or 130lbs in a dumbbell, and soon it’s gonna be something baked in that I can at any given time.

…..

I’m already getting better with the soccer ball.

It’s a fun contrast to the kettlebell.
No purpose to dribbling a soccer ball than the purpose itself.

It’s fun.
It keeps me outdoors longer than just lifting does.

There’s skill to learn, and that gets me more into it.

Gotta practice you know.

Did around a half hour on both sides of forty five minutes of (rather laid back ~5:00 rests) kettlebell.

…..

Headphones set to the beatles, and suddenly it’s a half hour later and I’m getting more consistent with 3ct, 4ct.

…..

Baked tomorrow’s dinner tonight.

Two small packages of sausage, one kielbasa, one bratwurst – just over 1½lbs in total with a big onion…

I can already tell it’s not going to be enough.

The bottoms up pressing beast must be fed.

I ate a little off of tomorrow’s tonight with the last bit of leftovers, drank some milk, had a bowl of tortilla chips and a bowl of cereal both for the calories.

Tomorrow I’ll press stronger, and maybe prep a bigger batch – it may be meat, like hot dogs and breakfast sausage with eggs over onions and potatoes – use the big pan, fill it with fatty meats, eggs, and hearty root vegetables.

If I stick to 1½lbs a day of meat I’m gonna lose weight.

The kettlebell cranks the metabolism, heck the agility of the soccer ball is probably feeding into this.

It’s all good man.

Persistence & Tenacity

4/6/24
It’s not hard to look like a monster after eating some empty calories (yogurt pretzels) in the 11pm hour then doing a set of pushups real close to the strike of midnight.

Brushing your teeth right after = yup I’m a big dude.

…..

Almost every moment I’m thinking of lifting kettlebells.

…..

I’m not eating keto or carnivore, but a pound or pound and a half of sausage with plenty of onion slivers, some flour in the pan to sop up the fats, to drink milk, iced tea, this is like 75% of my feedings the past week.

I put this together late last night ; the press PRs were there with “Egg Power Diet” (I was eating nine eggs daily), and I’m already noticing this “Sausage & Onion Power Diet” (like 1lb sausage as a daily minimum) is filling the same role.

I’ve never really experimented truly with heavy eating and heavy training at the same time.

When I force fed at 17yo I didn’t train heavy enough with all the 5000-7500 daily calories (depends on where in the year we’re talking) that I was taking in.

Many a time in my early twenties I wasn’t eating heavy enough to really get the strength gains.

It’s my opinion that ; fasting is alright, I’ve operated most of since 17yo on intermittent fasting, but each night a pound of fatty meat and a half gallon of whole milk (or chocolate or strawberry or coffee flavored whole milk) has to be minimum required ingredients in dinner for strength.

Sounds like broken english, but you catch my drift there.

Don’t be so fancy.

Eat a bunch of meat, drink a bunch of milk, live big weights, be big, be strong.

Science geek stay small.
Science geek think too much.
Science geek stay small.

Big man get bigger eating big, lifting big.
Big man make science geek look small and weak, puny and fragile – wimpy framed.

…..

Today’s Lift :

I got better on the 40kg bup right.
And went 14/15rm looking for a right hand press PR.
Left arm is still barely pressing 40kg.

After pressing on video I really lounged around mixing 2h swings, cleans, front squats (and a single rep of left hand press), just getting some work in – I love the aspect of how easy it is to transition between body parts for full body workouts.

I could see the pistol squat basically just happening from the high tension of one bell front squats – you’re having to be really tense with a bell in one side’s rack, and maybe I’ll play around with foot placement, creeping a foot forward strikes me as making it all more pistol like.

…..

4+ ct using the knees is pretty common now dribbling the soccer ball.

I’m mostly using knees as with the wet ground I’m in snow boots – don’t want to keep repeatedly soaking my feet and shoes.

Once it’s warm weather I’ll probably be doing this barefoot.

…..

I flipped the 25lb plate for 15 catches each hand.

I don’t really want to buy at 35lb or 45lb bumper.

I’ve flipped 45lb bumpers before – both the fat black colored cheapo bumpers and the blue colored quality ones.

I’m confident I can catch a 35lb bumper at any given time, while the 45lb bumper would probably need practice.

Hey, flip the 25lb bumpers and the smaller kettlebells – it’s building catch/grasp/quick fire grip, and getting to a solid one hand flip with the 32kg or 40kg kettlebell would be something.

(pretty easily flip the 20kg)

…..

How to spend saturday?
Why another minisession of course – let the compulsion drive me to another kettlebell press and soccer ball dribbling session.

Got some more knee to knee 4cts, maybe some 5cts – mixed in at least one 4ct between every 5-10 reps or so of left hand press with the 20kg.

Did 50 presses total, mixed presses with the clean and press at random.

It’s kinda fun to ladder or reverse ladder a clean, a few presses, a clean, a few presses – long pressing sets that way.

…..

I’ll keep working 40kg right press, 20kg left press, 40kg the front squat/clean/combo stuff.

The time under tension is really massive.

Two ideas ;
1. lengthen the combos…for fat loss.
2. lengthen the reps on 2h swing…for fat loss.

Just 12x40kg on 2h swing gives me a crazy metabolic damage type glute pump.

If I got to 10×10 or better yet 20×20 or a set of 100+ unbroken – I have a feeling there’d be a substantial deadlift (amongst other things) from it all.

…..

Brunch was sausage & onions with coffee milk.

Post (first) workout a can of iced tea.

Dinner will be a repetition of brunch but with milk or iced tea, maybe cranberry juice.

(it ended up being a large quantity of sausage & onions, a bowl of m&ms, and milk – eating – it’s gonna get interesting)

…..

Some timed ten second reverse gripper holds a couple times throughout the day.

I want to easily be doing these with the 200 or 250lb heavy grips grippers – figure it can only help.

…..

In only days I’ve noticed more soccer ball dribbling, more kettlebell volume, eating steak or steak & sausage or sausage with onions – I feel far more energetic which means more and more free time goes into the practicing of the two, which means I get better at both, which means I want to do more of both, infinity.

…..

I’ve got a future in kettlebells.

Persistence & Tenacity

gregory novak kettlebell circus act

↑ where kettlebell training takes you

4/5/24
Early morning ; I’ve done a few squeezes with the gripper.

Most reverse gripper, one normal.
As is I’m feeling another fail…or success at a 40kg bup today.

There’s always the path of pressing as hard and as long/sustained against it as I can.

Go for height, then hold the failure as high as possible, resist! Until it’s back in the rack and gravity has won.

Unscientific? Shrugs.
Lots of the good stuff is.

“Fail my way to success.”

We’ll see where kettlebells, gripper squeezes, and soccer ball dribbling takes me.

Unrelated, and know this ; that’s the physical side of the equation, the dietary part really is but sausage and onions now.

Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow I’m going to make another big batch.

Probably four pounds, two or three types of sausage, without the steak this time, and a bunch of onions – one pan – two to four days of food.

Give me a quart of milk a day, an iced tea can or two, and I’m content to eat off of that exclusively.

So not keto, nor carnivore, though not far off.

…..

Now throwing around the kettlebell (s), it makes you gorilla strong.

Right now I’m building that weird real world kettlebell strength.

Some monkey bars would transfer it to bodyweight I’m sure.

It’s interesting, but my training is really becoming back/shoulder/hand intensive, only full body as a side effect.

Funny, cause I used to be a “leg lad” the opposite of the “bench bro”.

Full body – you can’t lift kettlebells any other way.

Hands are pumped often, hands feel more like a beast’s paw, strong, primal.
The way it’s supposed to be.

Somewhere online it was likened to having larger hands – I grok that, as I’ve tended to think I’ve got bowling pins for forearms.

Do a million reps of kettlebell ballistics.
You too will have bowling pin forearms and mechanic’s hands.

…..

Last night I did a horse stance hold.

They’ve done so much for me in the past.
Plus the idea goes along so well with all this stuff.

…..

Today’s Lift :

Not a perfect bottoms up press…

I pressed 40kg to lockout!

Yes, it fell after a brief count at lockout, but…it was pressed!

A strict rep with the negative will come.

…..

And pressed 13x40kg right – that 13/15 of PR, basically right handed I’m always in PR territory.

Left hand?
Maybe I’ll just high rep press 20kg for a long while lol.

24/7 PR territory on the right, the “dark times” on the left

…..

During today’s soccer ball dribbling practice due to the ground conditions I mostly used my knees.

However, the few times I used my feet – I got a 5ct or two, and a bunch of 4s and 3s with my right, basically every time I tried right foot.

And this is only six days in.

Hip flexors still get sore.
It’s amazing how much this is the case.

The adult lifestyle apparently sees then completely inactive.

The kettlebell, soccer ball, sausage & onions is working for me.

I’m typing with a big batch of kielbasa, andouille sausage, and onions in the oven.

(yep now that it’s tonight I’m cooking the next batch)

…..

How often should you press overhead?
How often should you work on a fun physical skill?

The Answer :

eight days a week – beatles

Well, technically seven 😁

Persistence & Tenacity

P.S. I really want more kettlebells at this point, but realize I could go really far just getting super high rep with the 40kg press (bring it x25+ would guarantee 35+ x 32kg), actually doing full body (combos, squats, snatches, swings) – letting the fat come off with those, this high fat sausage & onions diet, and actually running.

4/4/24
With every day passed I have more and more separation in the shoulders, both side delts and between the chest and the shoulders.

There is more “cap” to my delts.
They’re visibly larger.

It’s all the bottoms up pressing, and it’s not because of the weight – the bup (and by extension buc&p) are not particularly heavy as compared to the shoulders max strength, it’s the fact it’s the most focused, dialed in, locked in form requiring variation.

That applies to the whole body.
I’m larger in the shoulder girdle, upper back, traps, glutes, and forearms, and full body – thighs, torso more dense.

Outside of girevoy which requires a lot of purposeful relaxation, my stereotypical vision of a kettlebell lifter, the one using kettlebell in a more heavy, “hardstyle” manner (even if still high rep) is that of a rather densely developed, stocky individual.

I see my physique going there.

…..

Today’s lift was fun.
I went for a 40kg bup, simply because I’d taken the 40kg outside after shoveling.

The day’s snow storm was about 6″, the snow plow and rain/sleet/whatever had made for some very heavy snow to get my car out.

I basically freestyle lifted the 40kg.
Snatch, half snatch, clean, press, overhead squat, front squat.

This manner of freestyling with basic kettlebell movements will get you very strong.

Technically there is no need to get fancy with bottoms up and juggling work.

I do that cause I enjoy doing so.

Right now I’m very strong right hand, while my left could use time off, though I was able to do everything with the 40kg bell.

It’s the fact I’ve gotten weaker, into a couple months long dark period with the left arm presses.

However I intend to continue lifting, no days off, straight through it.

Eventually I’ll have bought more light bells for training the left hand bup, and the side will catch up to it’s opposite through sheer volume of reps.

The cue “arm wrestle/arm wrestle the bell” helps get the bell into a stronger pressing groove – the curled wrist bringing the bell’s weight more forward towards your center from behind.

…..

Despite 6″ of snow, and snow boots on my feet I did the day’s soccer dribbling…

And I’m glad I did!

It’s have been a straight forward excuse, though firstly I’d have felt bad for not doing a daily challenge daily, and also…

I got a big jump in number of counts/touches/dribbles.

A PR!
7 touches.

In five days of doing this, today was the first day I tried headbutting the ball, and mostly I used my knees instead of feet due to the ground’s condition.

I got seven!

Prior to today it might’ve been five.
And on the 7ct it included both knees and both feet.

The 7th was a right foot kick to get an extra count!

I was in the moment enjoying myself, and too in the moment I ended up doing a moment or two of shadow wrestling.

Ball against head, hands on ball seemed like what a muay thai clinch looks like, and that long inactive wrestler in me always has these little moments where I foot sweep imaginary opponents or get into an imaginary folk wrestling esque lock moving around looking to catch the other into a slam.

The soccer ball dribbling REALLY wakes up the hip flexors.
It’d be a useful side quest for muay thai I’m sure.

As is I’m lifting kettlebells and learning to dribble a soccer ball for around an hour of highly enjoyable, no excuse, daily outdoor physical activity.

…..

Dinner?
Same as the day’s lunch.

The three meat, kielbasa, andouille sausage, steak and onions mix.

Lunch was with a pack of mexican rice, and coffee milk.

Dinner may be the same, or over a baked potato, or no carb.

We’ll see.

…..

Dinner was the above mix with some chocolate milk.

Close to keto carnivore.

…..

Play physically.
Eat like royalty.
Succeed.

Persistence & Tenacity