September 2022 – Okay, Lifting Philosophy Time

Okay, philosophy time.

In my own eyes my training effort is jack shit.

However, with this being my viewpoint
I’m lukewarm as to whether I am okay with the level of effort or not.

On the plus side obsessive tendencies have me doing this much.

On the minus side I could be more conditioned, leaner, stronger.

In physical training at some point you go full circle and find yourself standing as either a very strong crossfitter and/or as a highly conditioned strongman.

The emotions of not socializing along with my training hurts, though I’m close to past caring.

Lifting at home, alone, forces me to get back to my roots, to where I was in headspace exercising from my junior year of high school til a few months after my 21st birthday immediately preceding when I rejoined a gym after what was a 10 month hiatus.

Music choices even reflect this.
It’s a weird time.

That headspace combined with an extra 7-11 years of experience, well I know that I don’t need to push to have a 405+ squat and 495 deadlift alongside an ever increasing bench.

I also know the ways I can push with what I have.

I could stop doing mostly 3s on overhand fat gripz sldls, and really push the reps per set here looking for a 30rm, bump it 10lbs, continue [as a 30×275 deadlift is a strong person however you swing it – speaking from experience here 🙂 ], or I could go hog wild, full retard, mix my grip fat gripz or otherwise, and aim for 30s as heavy as possible every 4th or 5th day or so.

I even know the value of all the light stuff done right.

the mantra “a human crane” with the original blue fat gripz – I definitely have this in a rough draft somewhere

You really don’t know how much I don’t need to bench.

I pushup religiously.
If I had people standing on my back regularly I’d be getting pretty specific heavy bench stimulus, but I’ve been getting good at grinding on high rep military press, which is increasing that 1rm should I decide to test it (as I did recently)

My foot just fucking cramped!

,and lately I’ve been doing what I call the “york combo” a clean, into some presses, widen my grip, drop the bar controlled like to my back, do some squats, then btn snatch grip push jerk it back overhead, catch and hold it at lockout, then lower controlled – this, even for minimal reps, covers both the “press & squat daily” requirements I’ve been holding myself to, particularly lifting real hurry up style immediately before work.

My progression standard here is a good 10-12p+~10sq with a solid catch and hold of the btn jerk, then up it 10lbs.

205lbs, for at least 10p+≥10sq if not 20p+20sq is not far, the combo a kinda “stronger than you think” thing easily underestimated.

Which is somewhat the reaction I’d expect to video of this (better yet with a walk and turn) which feels on the table this winter – yes I expect to continue lifting outdoors this winter, unless I leave the area, as the localest strongman gym recently changed ownership meaning it lost it’s 1.5x life sized murals of crossfit games champions (a good thing I say), and IT’S STRONGMAN’S EQUIPMENT (obviously bad), so it’s outdoors that J continues to c&p in varied permutations.

But hey – lift outdoors, by yourself for awhile.
You get some answers.

A simple one being that centering your physicality about picking something up off the ground, pressing it overhead a bunch of times, and nicely setting it back down (sometimes after going for a walk with it) is simple and solid.

I realize with eggnog on shelves again something I felt instinctively as a high school wrestler “I’d rather up my activity and eat, than diet”, while actually eating around dead end job in the kitchen may be my nemesis at that moment, moreso than having to do the york combos before work.

I’ve lightly started food prepping, ground beef and broccoli on the menu every day, at present having no intended end in sight (this is good).

I think my ideal would be to have the bodybuilding or strongman lifestyle without a day job while activity and downtime are balanced at a level of 6000-7000 calories as maintenance consumed every day.

I genuinely debate buying a second 300lb weight set solely to stash at work and get more pressing in on lunch break.

Hmm, a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells may make more logistical sense here.

My 75lb dumbbell could become my car bell 🙂

Another direction would be ez curl bar and plates to ~100lbs as a work stash option.

yep

Some who work there bring in food and drink cause they don’t like what the restaurant has to offer, while I’m thinking about creating a little courage corner in the area where everyone aside from myself takes smoke breaks – L O fucking L

Where is my head at?
In this moment, I’m antsy for tomorrow’s york combo – I’m really looking forward to it, whereas now it’s to the kitchen to finish a pizza with a side of ground beef & broccoli/cauliflower/carrots/mushrooms, and open my second half gallon of eggnog in under 36 hours.

Until next time,
-J

Persistence & Tenacity


country folks – bubba sparxxx