The top 4 things you could be doing better - Part 2

In part 1 of this series I wrote about fixing your diet and sleep issues.  The other 2 problems everyone chimed in about was conditioning and mobility.  So let's go over both of those.

Conditioning - 

 There's not a thing in the world, to me, that feels better than being "in shape".  I mean when my bodyfat levels are low, and I can just go and go and go.  That feels fantastic.  It feels even more fantastic when strength levels are solid.  That's when you really know you have training, diet, and conditioning dialed in and you feel like king shit.

That's magic right there.

For those of you who know you should be doing conditioning more, or making a bigger effort to get your conditioning in, let's go over some ways to do that.

Stop looking for great parking spaces - 

Every time you go to the store, park way the hell away from the entrance.  This is an easy way to get an extra 5 minutes or so in, plus walking around the store at a solid clip counts as well.  So don't lounge around walking at a snails pace while getting groceries or whatever kind of shopping you are doing.  Move fast.

So the next time you spent that extra 5 minutes trying to find the best spot near the door, remind yourself that this is a great opportunity get in an extra 5-10 of conditioning, and park way the hell away.

Take the stairs - 

Quit getting in elevators and walk the god damn stairs.  'Nuff said, fatty.

Finish the day up with a walk - 

Lots of people think they can't get conditioning in because "steady state has to be done fasted, blah blah blah".  Not true.  Just do it at night, for 30-45 an hour or so after your last meal, and a couple of hours before bed.  I actually prefer this method more times than not, as it gives you a chance to decompress from the day.

Make it part of your warm up - 

Hit the treadmill or just hit the block for 10 minutes before your training.  Use the first 5 minutes as a nice warm up, then walk like you're being chased by a guy on bath salts for the last 5.

In closing, making conditioning a bigger priority isn't that hard.  Just fit it in when you can and then have day or two set aside during the week where you just concentrate on conditioning work.  If you're really out of shape, remember the motto about "big picture" and just use the conditioning program I laid out in SLL.  Getting in shape is good, and good for you.  Just like doughnuts.  Wait........

Mobility - 

Writing about doing mobility work, for me, is like writing about doing Unix operating system work.  Dull, boring, and monotonous.  Blllaaahhh.

So let's make getting mobility work in easier, shall we?

Red pill or blue pill?  -


In the rehab section of SLL, I laid out a lunges matrix to use for rehabbing IT band problems.  You can use this same lunge matrix daily, or before a squat or lower body workout, or after it.  I suggest you simply write it in as part of your lower body day, and a big part of your lower body mobility issues will be fixed.

How hard was that?  Not hard.  Not hard at all.  Do 5 rounds of 10 of each type of lunge in the matrix after your leg work, and you will be fried.

Stretch after your conditioning - 

Hip flexor stretching is especially important.  Just do the stretching in between the different kinds of lunges in the lunge matrix and at the end of your evening walk.

See how you can combine shit to make it easier?  I know.....awesome.

Stretch before bed - 

Put up a little sign that just reads "mobility" somewhere in the bedroom as a reminder to stretch before you hit the sack.

Foam Roll your whole body everyday for two weeks - 

The first week use a normal foam roller if your shit is all fucked up and everything hurts something awful.

The second week get on the PVC pipe or the rumble roller if you have access to one.

After two weeks you will feel amazing in terms of mobility and/or tightness.

In closing, I want to say I hate all of your for picking mobility so much because then I had to write about it.  So get your mobility work in just in case I ask this question again, so that mobility is not an issue.

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff

So I went and saw the new Batman flick.  It was good.  Solid.  I didn't cum in my pants 14 times as I watched it, but it was solid.

I really can't believe that I haven't read anyone talking about the very ironic parallel between the shooting that happened opening night with this movie, and what happened in the actual movie.  It stuck out to me like a sore thumb.

Spoilers below in case you're one of those faggoty bitches that complains about someone telling spoilers without a "spoilers" warning.

When Bane puts the police below the city, and then arms the criminals, the ordinary citizens were reduced to helpless victims at the hands of the criminals.

When law abiding people are forced to give up their guns, they are at the mercy of the crazies.

The movie theaters and malls have "Gun Free Zone" signs they put up on the doors of the entrance.  In other words, if you have a conceal to carry, you can't bring in.  So you keep the people who have lawfully underwent the process to be a law abiding, gun-toting citizen from having his weapon, and then outlaws walk in armed to the teeth, with no one to stop them.

The sign these assholes should be using

I think it's stupid on a level that is hard to comprehend.  But then again, some micropenis having dipshit weasel bitch said I was the dumbest man on the internet, so what the fuck do I know?  Oh yeah, that was Faggatron reborn.  Either way, I also want to say that I fully embrace my role as dumbest man on the internet.  There's gotta be some money and fame that comes along with being #1 at anything on the internet, right?  Fuck yeah.  

Back to the topic....

I have no idea why people think that gun control is the answer.  Even funnier to me, is that these hypocrites always want to legalize drugs because "the war on drugs is stupid", yet plead to the masses that we need to get rid of guns, and need more gun control.

In other words, a war drugs is stupid but the war on weapons needs more ammo.  Pun intended.

It's no different than any war on anything that you're not winning.  If the shit you are doing isn't working, try something else.

Everyone knows the definition of insanity right?  Keep trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Gun control laws do NOT stop psychopaths and/or criminals (usually one in the same) from acquiring guns to kill people with.  The people who abide by gun control laws, are the people who are NOT likely to run around killing people with their guns.  This is shit a 3rd grader can understand, yet almost all of one side of our political party, cannot.

The movie theater was Bane.  It forced the law abiding citizens to be defenseless by taking away their protection.

The gunman was Anarchy.  Once Bane put the police underground and freed the criminals, the law abiding citizens were subject to the violence and lawlessness he unleashed upon them.

At some point, we have to get people to understand that an armed society is a polite society.  Criminals think twice about pulling a gun for fear that 4 guns could be staring back at them.  This is where we should be headed as a society, however the fear mongers and spineless pacifists in this country continue to try and neuter us from being able to adequately defend ones self against someone packing heat.

Since I am a Ron Paul supporter...............

In our own country, we should be ever vigilant against any attempts to disarm the people, especially in this economic downturn. I expect violent crime to rise sharply in the coming days, and as states and municipalities are even more financially strained, the police will be even less able or willing to respond to crime. In many areas, local police could become more and more absorbed with revenue generating activities, like minor traffic violations and the asset forfeiture opportunities of non-violent drug offenses. Your safety has always, ultimately been your own responsibility, but never more so than now. People have a natural right to defend themselves.

If you are a gun control support kinda guy, I personally suggest you take a big shot of testosterone, man the fuck up, grab that thing you call your head that is buried deep within your asshole, and pull it out.  

It is not the job of the police to protect you from crime.  Their job is to enforce the law and maintain law and order.  It is YOUR JOB to protect yourself, and your loved ones.  Take the steps necessarily to do that.  If you hate guns, grow some fucking balls and get educated on them.  Go learn to fire them safely, learn how to store one safely in your home, and teach your kids about them.  If a criminal breaks into your home with a gun to kill you, what's that saying about bringing a gun to knife fight?  Yeah.  You need to be able to meet fire with firepower.

Now for the weather.......

That aside, as for the movie itself, sorry but as I mentioned I was not blown away.  There were no "OMG" moments for me in the entire movie.  The story was well done, and I enjoyed it.  But it did not cause fireworks to spontaneously burst out of my ass.  On a 1-10 scale I'd give it a mild 7 to be honest.

Also, there were two kids sitting in front of me snuggled up so close you'd have thought they were former foster siblings that had just been reunited.  They would not stop flapping their gums and after about an hour, I leaned forward between the seats and said "would you two kindly shut the fuck up."  The boy leaned forward and turned around as if he were going to get lippy.....until he saw me.  Then he just said "sorry."  No more sounds were made.

Also speaking of Batman, I wish I had a dollar for every person that told me I should have been cast as Bane.  That's great.  Except for I wasn't, and would have loved to made a few million dollars for just looking like I do, and fake beating people up.  It's not like Hardy had a bunch of Shakespearean lines to recite in this thing.  I think I could have pulled it off.

I could have done this.......better.

The new Strength Life Legacy shirts are for sale in the store now.  They are the best looking shirts I have had made, no bullshit.  Pics do not do them justice.  I only have 30 available after I send all the free ones out with the book, so if you want one you better grab it fast.

Speaking of the book, as soon as it hits my doorstep I will let everyone know, and do my best to get all of them shipped off that day.  I will also put the paperback up for sale that day both here and on Amazon.

I threw a VIP party for some of my friends at Angel's Rock Bar this weekend and we had an incredible time.  Phil Stevens came with his lovely wife, and bought us all dinner.  We then proceeded to party until about 1 or so (I know, I'm weak sauce), and I threw a guy out of our section (literally) for trying to dance with my wife, who had told him "no".

Training feels good again.  Squats felt ok Saturday, and my leg seems to be slowly healing.  Still a slight amount of pain, and I'm so itching to get some weight on the bar but I will be patient.

I will be doing a AMA in the sub-reddit section called "Swole Acceptance".  Basically, to talk about how guys that are "swole" have to endure both sides of the spectrum in terms of positive and negative connotations with how they look.  Look for it Tuesday night at 5 P.M. CST.

There was no CNBYE last night, I think Jamie and I may wait until this Sunday to get back on schedule, or may do one this week.  I know Jim Steel wants to do one with us, and that would be such a privilege to have him on.  I'm sure I will talk to him today and we will get it all worked out.  

I had one of the best weekends in forever so I'm in a pretty jolly mood this morning.  So I hope everyone has an amazing fucking Monday.

Training - Small session

Bodyweight - 243

Pull Aparts - light band x30,15,5,5 (last two sets grabbing it with hands very close)

Barbell curls - 65x60 reps non-stop
Prone Band Tricep Extensions - 100 reps

Training - Squats and Tugs

Bodyweight - 238

Pause Squats -
high bar - 350x3x3
low bar - 350x3x3
that's 3 sets of 3 on both

Below the knee pulls -
315x3
405x3
500x3
585x3
635x3

Lat Pulldowns - 5x10

Notes - Felt tired as hell.  I think I have some kind of residual leftovers from the stomach bug earlier in the week.  Oh well.

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff - Saturday Edition?

I don't write many opinion pieces that have to do with politics because I hate politics.  Politics make my head hurt and make me realize what a fuck up we are sometimes as a country, when it comes to priorities.

Right now, we are in recession and job loss is moving at an astronomical rate.  I don't see any new jobs being created, the economy is in the shitter, we can't control our borders, healthcare needs a massive overhaul......and people are talking about Chic-Fil-A coming out against gay marriage.  I gotta tell ya, I'm shocked.  I mean a die hard conservative Christian comes out and says he's against gay marriage?  I'm just blown the fuck away that this is the case.

What the fuck is wrong with you people?

By "you people" I mean you idiots that don't understand that neither will your boycott of Chic-Fil-A hurt the business (they even close on Sunday's), but you look like total fuckwads for uprising against them, yet sitting idly by on your liberal loins while Obama blames the previous administration for every problem he is facing as the country continues to spiral into the shitter.  Yet your battle cry at the moment is "gays should be allowed to marry".

Fuck me running backwards.

Let me be clear about my liberal leanings.  I am a moderate, or probably even closer to something of a libertarian.  I believe that people should be allowed to do what they want to do, so long as they don't impact my life.  With that said, I'm also not an idiotic libertarian either.  Meaning, I understand that a lot of the things that people do CAN impact my life.  For example, I'm fine with legalizing pot and some other illegal drugs.  In fact, I believe that doing so could be an awesome way to kick start the economy with jobs and businesses.  However crack or meth or any drugs that have made a heterosexual man suck a dick to get a fix for, should never be made legal.  Period.  Let's not compare pot to meth in any way, shape, or form.

With all of that said, I'm sick of the gay marriage discussion.  I don't care one way or the other.  If they never make gay marriage legal, that's fine.  If they do, that's fine.  This is generally my line of thinking about most things that have no bearing on my life.  I care about gay marriage about as much as I cared about that turd I flushed down the toilet this morning.  However all of the other issues I mentioned above, like the economy, jobs, healthcare, and our borders, can or do have an effect on my life.

The biggest thing that does bother me about gay marriage issue is not gay marriage itself, but the things people are comparing it to.  Like this absurd notion, that it's a civil rights issue.  It's insulting to people like Martin Luther The King, and those that lost their lives in order to have equality based on factors they had no control over.

"But no one decides to be gay, Paul."

For some, that feels true.  I think for many men and women however, it can be a choice.  Not all, but enough that's it been documented even in the small group of Hollywood Elite.

There have been plenty enough people that have crossed back and forth between the sexual lines, that there is no clear cut definition on this for EVERYONE.  Some people do in fact, decide to be gay, or at least, "try it out".

Don't think so?

From urbandictionary........


Hasbian

Urban Word of the Day
A former lesbian who is now in a heterosexual relationship.

Former being the key word there.  Anytime someone is a former anything, they are not that anymore.

A former fat guy.

A former stripper.

A former car mechanic.

Ann Heche.

If there is a definition for it, then that means for some people there is a choice involved at the time.

But hey, let's belabor this point a little more.  From this article........

Some hasbians identify as bisexual, while others say they’re straight and describe their lesbianism as a meaningful but finite phase of their lives, like listening to a lot of Morrissey or campaigning for Dukakis.

Everything about that statement implies a CHOICE.

Same article........

She thinks there are two kinds of bisexuals—those for whom gender is not a factor (the category she puts herself into) and those who avoid intimacy by shuttling between the sexes.

Everyone's fave bad guy right now, Bane, played by actor Tom Hardy also admitted to crossing the fence into gay land for a while.  When asked if he had ever had sex with men this was his reply......

I'm an actor for ****'s sake.

'I've played with everything and everyone. I love the form and the physicality, but now that I'm in my thirties, it doesn't do it for me.

Now that he's in his thirties......it doesn't do it for him.  Is it me, or does that sound like a choice?  

"When I was a youngster, I loved some god damn G.I. Joe and Saturday morning cartoons.  But once I found out about chics and cars, that didn't do it for me anymore."   

Ok, so Saturday morning cartoons are still pretty cool.  

Nevertheless, the reason I am pointing out these comparisons, is because I can't ever remember a single black man saying "I'm tired of being black, I think I'll be hispanic for a while."  

"I'm tired of being white, I think I'll go be Asian for a while.  They are smarter, and I'm a total moron, so I will try that out."  

It's not a civil rights issue.  Stop trying to make it one.  It's insulting to the people who fought and died to have equal rights based on factors they were born with.  Until someone finds the gay gene, the same cannot be said for sexual orientation.  Period.  

It's also not a basic human rights issue.  I think this one pisses me off even more.  Starting a family isn't even a basic human right.  Being able to drive on the road isn't a basic human right.  It boggles my mind what people perceive as basic human rights.  

If they took marriage between as a man and a woman away tomorrow, would it make my life with my wife and family any different than it was today?  No.  Would it lessen the meaning of the last 18 years?  No.  Would I even care?

No.

A lifelong commitment to each other has nothing to do with a piece of paper. That's something you decide in your heart of hearts. Not something you ask the government to recognize.

Again, let me state that I don't care if they make gay marriage legal.  I'm not against gay marriage.  It doesn't have any bearing on my life.  

Nor do I give a shit if it's never made legal.  I also refuse to weep for people who look at how badly marriage has failed in America, and say to themselves "I want summo that!"  

Gay couples soapbox for a while was that they couldn't put their significant other on their health insurance.  Well, they don't have that soapbox anymore as here is a list of states and companies that have domestic partnership policies.  

So it kiiiinda feels like the push for gay marriage is nothing more than something to rub in the face of the religious righties.  Because I get the feeling that even if both sides agreed that civil unions were just fine, there would still be people that would bitch and complain that it wasn't enough, and that they want "marriage".  Sorry but, that feels a lot like the argument that non-religious folk bitch about religious folk.  Namely, "Don't push your beliefs on me".  

Again, my biggest complaint is that this is an issue at the forefront of society right now.  On Facebook, in the news, this is a big topic.  It's a topic at a time in America where we are in a completely economically fucked situation.  It shouldn't be that big of a topic.  But it is because of the Chic-Fil-A shit, and it will become an even bigger topic as the election grows near and Obama talks about how he's now for gay marriage where before he was against it (this sounds familiar), and continues to blame the struggles of our country on the former administration.  Hey pal, you're supposed to be the elected leader of the free world you fucking pussy.  Start acting like a man.  Men step the fuck up and get shit done, they don't pass the buck.

If the day comes that they announce that gay marriage is made legal, my response would be the same as if someone told me they bought a green car.  Zero fucks would be given, and I'd play some Modern Warfare on whatever shitty console Microsoft had duped me into buying at that time.  

Make it legal, don't make it legal, I don't care.  But stop acting like this issue should be at the forefront of our politicians agendas.  We need someone to step up to the plate to get this country moving in the right direction again.  Once that happens and shit looks fancy, make anything you want to be the at the forefront of this countries problems or discussions.  Until then, this shit should be irrelevant.  

More important than all of the shit I just wrote above, is Jennifer Nicole Lee at the beach.  

Chaos and Bang Your Earballs 12!!!

Things we covered (in no particular order) -

Jamie's meet
Gym Lifts vs Comp Lifts
Faggatron
How to get a threesome with 2 chics
How we'd bang Sigourney Weaver (position wise)
Recreational Drugs
Why most women can't give good head

Enjoy

The Mike D Lion Shirts are in!!!!!

.....and they look fucking SPECTACULAR!  I'm totally rock hard over these shirts.  The picture doesn't even do it justice.  It looks that god damn cool in person!

Even my daughter goes "OMG I want one of those!  That's awesome!"

Makes a dad feel pretty good.

So that means I am just waiting for the paperbacks to arrive and I will be shipping you guys your shit.  I will post an update when the books hit my steps.

I will have these shirts up for sale later tonight!  Jamie and I are actually doing the podcast as well, so stay tuned for that.

The top 4 things you could be doing better - Part 1

So I asked on the LRB Facebook Page, what the three things you KNOW you could be doing a better job of in your training.

The overwhelming consensus was actually four things.

Diet
Sleep
Conditioning
Mobility

To the credit of everyone that posted in that thread, those three four things are very big reasons for a lack of training progress.

So how does one remedy these four problems, instead of avoiding them, or not making time for them?

Let's simplify some shit shall we?

Diet - 


I read from one assclown that he didn't trust my dieting advice because he had never seen me shredded.

"Shredded?"

Why the fuck, would I need to get shredded right now?  I train for strength and performance.  To me the term shredded means walking onto a bodybuilding stage in super low bodyfat, weaker than Iggy Pop after 10 days of zero carbs and dehydration.  I do like to generally lean up a little more during the warm months, and eat a little more during the cold ones.  This summer in particular I wanted to lean up but I spent more than a month fucking around with 2 diets that did not work for me (IF and carb backloading).  But I generally try to keep the bodyfat in check all year.  I adhere to my own 15% bodyfat rule.  Don't exceed.  There is really no need to.

Look how fat I am

As far as dieting goes, it is without a doubt one is the most confusing aspects of the training paradigm.  I'm not sure why.  Eating boils down to some time tested rules that work, which are namely calories in and calories out.  Some will try to argue this, but I don't give a shit.  Weight Watchers has about eleventy billion former fat people that all prove that's all it is.  Bodybuilding has about eleventy billion big people that prove the other scale.  I don't care what your scientific study says.  So let's make this simple.  If you want to lose fat, you have to be in a calorie deficit.  If you are after more mass, you need a surplus.  Easy enough.

The biggest problem is that people don't realize if you are going to eat a certain kind of way, preparation and planning goes with it.  Consistency goes out of the window when you don't prepare, and you don't plan.

Most guys and gals don't just walk into the gym and decide right then and there they are going to wing the whole workout; though that does happen and is ok on a now and again basis.  So why would you treat your diet any different?  Especially when from a how you look and feel perspective, it's probably the biggest factor.

Planning - 


One of the reasons that people struggle with "dieting" so much is because there are so many options, and so many articles about different kinds of diets and all of them have "evidence" that one is better than the other, and that "this one is the only healthy diet, the others are bad!"

Paleo
Keto
Carb-cycling
Atkins
Low fat
Mountain Dog
South Beach
South Beach Mountain Dog Keto Carb-Cycling with low fat Ketogenic Diet

Let's keep this simple and eliminate some confusion.

• Eat clean foods.  This is easy.  You know what this means, stop frontin' like you don't.  
• Eggs, Chicken, Fish, Turkey, Lean Red Meat (sirloin, flank), a Whey Isolate 
• All veggies
• Solid complex carbs like sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and brown rice and of course fruit
• Some good fats through nuts and/or an oil.
• 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is FINE.  I've done up to 2+ grams per pound, couldn't tell any difference.  In fact, Kiefer wrote an article on the studies that show that protein mega dosing doesn't offer any benefit that 1 gram per pound of body weight doesn't offer.  So protein requirement is an easy solution.  1 gram per 1 pound of bodyweight.  Whether you are dieting to lose or gain, just stick with that.  
• Eat carbs.  I hate this whole fucking ultra retarded carb hate that is going on right now.  Carbs are KING when it comes to building strength and mass.  You will not get big and strong without them.  If you don't believe me, carb deplete or do some keto and watch what happens.  Even after you cross over into the metabolic change for that style of diet and you adjust to it, you can add carbs back in and your strength will skyrocket again.  You can also get lean while eating carbs, and not feel like shit the whole time.  You just have to limit them to clean sources, as listed above, and not go overboard on quantity.  That means you're dieting.....you can't eat 14 baked potatoes.   Also, my friend Patrick Hackley had a great little post about dieting and one of the things he wrote about carbs was "you don't fill up your car everytime you drive around the block."  This is a great way to look at eating carbs.  Eat enough to meet your energy needs for training, then either plus or minus some, based on what you want to do from a body composition standpoint.  
• If you want to do some simple carb cycling, what I do is this.  On non training days I just eat a ton of veggies all day.  If I feel "flat" I will have a jar of baby food sweet potatoes at lunch, and then see how I feel.  It's only like, 25-29 grams of low GI carbs.  On training days, I have 2 jars of sweet taters with my lunch, or a cup of brown rice.  With my post training meal I will do the same.  That's easy.  If I feel REALLY flat on a training day, at lunch I will use a cup of jasmine rice instead, which is a type of delicious white rice.    
• Eat all the veggies you want and can.  Almost every meal should be loaded up with vegetables.  If you don't like them, fuck you.  Eat them anyway.  There is no compromise here.  
• Eat a small handful of nuts or a tablespoon of peanut butter with 2 meals a day.  That is enough for good fats.  If you don't like peanut butter....kill yourself.   
• If you want to lose fat, calories should be bodyweight x 10-12 (12 on training days, 10 on non training days).  If you want to gain, bodyweight x 16-20.  If you tend to gain weight more easily, stay on the 16 side.  If you're a skinny little bastard, go to 20.  If you're an extra skinny little bastard go to 20+ and dirty it  up a bit.  But do it POST clean eating.  Or, simply add a shake after every meal.  This work well too.  

None of this is hard to follow, and it's time tested and proven to work for 99.9999% of the population.

Diet Prep - 

The main reason most people have trouble with their diet consistency is because they do ZERO diet prep.  In other words, you don't cook and prepare your meals, so then you get to lunch or dinner or whatever, and you have no plan.  So you just "do whatever".  Then you keep doing whatever, until you're just eating like shit again.  Sound familiar?

Take these steps and save yourself the confusion.  

Figure out your macros.

Weight loss - bodyweight x 10-12

Weight gain - bodyweight x 16-20

1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.  

Eat all the veggies you can

Get in some good fats twice a day

Fill the rest with carbs from good carb sources

After you figure out your marcos, write out an ACTUAL MEAL PLAN based on those macros.  After you write your meal plan out, cook your shit.  Put it in tupperware containers for the week, and don't deviate from it.  Again, if you know that you need to be better about consistency in your diet, then put in the work and planning to make that happen.  

Stop worrying about Ketogeneic Mountain Dogs on South Beach and just stick with solid quality foods, adjust calories based on need, and do your planning and prep work.  Take your diet prep and planning as serious as you take your training and masturbation.  That's it, that's all.

Sleep - 

I understand the lack of sleep issue very well.  As a lifetime insomniac, I know all about the nights where you get in bed and your mind simply will not shut off enough for you to relax, and drift into dreams about a threesome with Adrinna Lima and Kate Beckinsale.  

I'll take one of you......

Sleeping, like eating, takes some planning.  One of the reasons I think some guys struggle with sleeping now, is because pre-workout stims have become such a big thing.  Guys are drinking liquid meth at 6 o'clock at night, lifting (which also jacks you up), and then wonder why the hell they can't to sleep and are up all night.  

Should be pretty obvious.  

I don't take pre-workout stims on the norm.  Every once in a while I will down a low-carb Monster but usually it's a cup of coffee and a good warm up (which btw could have been the #5 problem on the list). 

....annnnd one of you, thanks.

ZMA has been a really good supplement for helping me to relax in the evenings.  Especially after a really brutal workout, which tend to amp most of us up for hours afterwards.  I have also found that not eating too much in my evening meal helps a lot, as I can take ZMA or Lunesta or Melatonin on an empty stomach and they work about 100000 times better that way.  Lunesta is a Rx drug btw, so if your insomnia is really bad you'll need to go see your doctor about getting some.  It works fabulously however.  

If you wanted me to give you my schedule that has worked for me for a while now, here it is......

• Get my last FOOD meal in by 7:30.  This has been constant for a while now.  
• Take sleep aid at 9:30 on an empty stomach with ZMA.  If no sleep aid was taken, it means I'm having sex.  I generally try to finish up by 11, but no later than midnight.  
• If sleep aid was taken, shake and peanut butter at 9:45.
• Read or write for a while.  
• Get in bed by 10:15.
• If I'm still awake at 11, masturbate quietly.  I almost never jack it.  So this has to be a special occasion.  If I wake Tiff she will want to do it.  Then I'm up until 1.  Operation Get-a-good-nights sleep status -- failed.    
• If I'm still awake after either sex or a jacking it, I get up.  One thing I have found is, that if your mind won't turn off to allow you to relax, staying in bed is one of the worst things you can do.  I go read or watch a TV show I've seen before.  But I don't let my mind carry me from place to place while I lay there in the dark.  

No different than preparing your food or writing up your training programming, you need to get into sleep schedule and try not to deviate from it. Have cut off times for shit like TV and work (if you do work from home). You need to allow your mind to relax first, so that your body can. It's easy to shut the body down, but the mind can take a while. Prepare yourself to relax, no different than you prepare yourself to get ready for that big set of squats or deads.

In Part 2 I will go over Conditioning and Mobility.

Training - Press and Upperback

Weight - 240

Incline - bar x 25,25
135x10
185x5
225x4
275x3
315x2
365x1
315x8-4 50% set

Giant Set For Upperback - All three movements done without rest
T-Bar Rows - 2 plates x 10 x 5 sets
Band Pull Aparts - x10 reps x 5 sets
Upright Rows - 65 x 10 x 5 sets

Notes - I felt ok, but the last two days I have had awful stomach cramps and diarrhea.  So I was pretty dehydrated and weak.  Still I pushed as hard as I could and did what I could.  You aren't always going to be training under the most ideal of physical conditions, so sometimes you just have to man the fuck up and do work.  Somehow I managed the 4 reps on the 50% set too.  How, I'm still not sure.

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff

About a month left until I fly into Columbus, Ohio.  Been looking forward to this trip for some time and I expect many good stories to come of it.

We will be doing Chaos and Bang Your Earballs TOMORROW NIGHT!  Jamie has his stuff squared away since the meet and we're ready to rock n roll.  I already have the questions all lined up and ready to go.

My leg, amazingly, had no pain after Saturday's squat session.  Yes, it was only enough weight for a adolescent midget female to struggle with, however just being pain free the day after squatting was nice.  Hopefully that continues for a while.

Apparently, I need to get my wisdom teeth taken out now.  I still have all 4 and they came through straight for the most part, but they are starting to now ache a bit and every once in a while they cut into my gums.  So they gotta come out.  I'm sooooo looking forward to this.  That's heavy sarcasm by the way.  I've heard so many horror stories about getting wisdom teeth pulled, and having my mouth filled with gauze for a few days doesn't sound too enticing.  Anyone that has a story to share about it, go right ahead.

For any of you in Australia, Phil and I already have hits for two seminars there.  If you are in Melbourne and are interested please let George Mariolis know.  If you are in or near Sydney contact Amir Fazeli to let him know you are interested.  If it's in two places we would prefer to just make a longer stay on the one trip, and schedule it all together.  I promise Phil and I will bring our A game with us.  Phil will be going over all the Olympic lifting stuff and I will be doing all of the power and assistance work stuff.

Speaking of Phil, books are being printed as we speak and as soon as they arrive on my doorstep, I will have a post about it.  I will also start getting them shipped that day.  So just be patient with me guys.  The new Lion shirts are also ordered.  Those things are going to be fucking bad ass!

I'm still hitting up guys like Rollins and others for a podcast sit in.  Trust me guys, it will happen.  I'm like a fucking pit bull on a turkey leg.  I won't let it go.

I had a poll on my Facebook to see what band is actually worse than Nickelback, and it turns out there is one!  It's Insane Clown Posse.  I thought that was a pretty solid pick by everyone.

And speaking of solid pics, this was in my mail this morning.......

That is my very good friend Rachel Guy and she's also helping with getting things going on the Australian seminar.  She also is not hard on the eyeballs.

I have yet to see the new Batman movie, but it's 3 hours long and that's kind of a movie commitment.  As soon as I get the chance I'm going to get out to go see it.  No gunman jokes needed.

I hope your Monday sucked, as mine DID NOT.  So there.  What now?  

Congrats to Eric Lilliebridge

Eric went over 2200 this past weekend.  I have tremendous respect for the entire Lilliebrdige family, not just as lifters but they are without  a doubt, some of the very best people I know.

Eric is going to eventually take that all time total in the 275 class.

The Lifer Series Part 4 - I will pick up heavy things off the floor

Picking up heavy shit. Really, it's kind of the essence of "weight lifting" or "power lifting" is it not?
I think it was Kaz who said, something to the effect of, being able to pick up a weight, get to overhead and press it was kind of the be all-end all of what being strong is.

But it still comes back to picking shit up doesn't it?

I mean, that pussified Planet Fitness made a whole commercial with some jacked dude who could only mutter...."I pick things up and put them down."

Why?

Because that's what cavemen do, right?

Troglodyte Konstantinovs 

Picking up heavy shit goes all the way back to from the time the barbell was invented.  Look at the raw deadlift records and how they have stood the test of time.  While modern day advances have set new marks all over the place in the "squat" and "bench press", only Konstantinov's and Benni are present day competitors that have set new marks in the deadlift.  Otherwise, every deadlift record in every weight class precedes 1999.

Class Lift Lifter Country Year Fed
123 633 Lamar Gant USA 1980 AAU*
132 628 Lamar Gant USA 1981 IPF
148 690 Dan Austin USA 1987 IPF
165 714 Rick Gaugler USA 1981 USPF
181 791 Ed Coan USA 1984 USPF
198 859 Ed Coan USA 1985 USPF
220 901 Ed Coan USA 1991 USPF
242 887 Ed Coan USA 1998 USPF
275 881 K Konstantinovs Latvia 2009 AWPC
308 939 K Konstantinovs Lativa 2009 AWPC
SHW 1015 Benedikt Magnusson ISL 04/02/11 HARDCORE
No one knows the struggle of picking up heavy shit more than I do.  That's not a "look how great I am" statement in any way, shape, or form.  Quite the opposite.  I have struggled for years to be an even respectable deadlifter.  I have struggled as much as any person could over a long period to build that single lift.  Try more than 12 years to go from 500 to the 700 range.  It has never come easy for me, and to this day it is the bane of my lifting existence.  It's also the most rewarding for those reasons as well.

I have such a love-hate relationship with the deadlift because I do believe that a good deadlift is a primal demonstration of brute strength.

Putting your hands on the bar and telling the weight it will defy gravity is, at the very core, what lifting is.  Deadlifting is the most basic movements in all of that.  You simply bend down, and pick the weight up.  It doesn't get any more primal or basic than that.

But picking up heavy shit isn't just about deadlifting.  Picking up heavy shit is rowing, cleans, stones, farmers walks, and basically anything you have to move to get it off the floor.  Just like squatting builds a great lower body, picking up heavy shit year after year after year, builds a thickness and density in the upperback, lats, erectors, and glutes that cannot be denied.



When I walk into a gym, even the "big guys" there hardly ever have that density in the back I speak of.  They don't have middle back thickness that comes from year and years of picking up heavy shit.  Because most of those guys live on lat pulldowns and some light dumbbell rows.  If they do t-bar rows heavy, they do them either light, or shit style, where they practically stand straight up and kind of crotch ride the bar.  Technically speaking, I suppose that is picking shit up, but it's not the right kind of picking shit up.

Ever notice that when you even do shit like yard work, the back is what takes the brunt of the work.  Think about the fact that when someone uses the word "hard labor" it almost always involves doing work a strong back is needed for.

laboringpresent participle of la·bor (Verb)

Verb:

Work hard; make great effort. Work at an unskilled manual occupation.

"Work hard -- make great effort.....an unskilled manual occupation"

It's like fucking Websters knows that deadlifting and cleans and rows are all cavemen style shit too.

As a lifer, you will need to spend years and years and years doing back work to get both the show with the go.  Unless you're some monkey armed mutant, but that's an entirely different discussion.


All forms of picking shit up test you, just like the squat tests you, but in a different way. Picking shit up seems like it stares you more directly in the face. It's right there, in front of you, taunting you to "try it".
"Pick me up, asshole."

Anyone who has went for a new PR and had the bar be stapled to the floor knows what I am talking about.  It deflates you unlike anything else.  It cuts at a lifters soul.  To train for months and months and months, to finally give that personal best a go........and that fucking piece of shit just sits on the floor.  You hate it more than any other kind of failure.  With a bench attempt, even a miss almost feels like you gave something because the bar probably moved a bit.  With a deadlift attempt that just sticks, it's incredibly disheartening, and will test who you are as a lifter.  Your resolve and your will to get better.  Some do, and some don't.

Those who don't, were never lifters.  Those who do, will just keep picking shit up, and putting it down.

Fuck you Planet Fitness.

Small session

Band Pull aparts - 5x20
Empty Bar Curls - 5x20

No rest between these two, just back and forth until I was done.

Band Pushdowns - 100 total reps

Training - Squats and Tugs

Pause Squats - week 1 of cycle
High Bar - 325 x 4 sets of 3
Low Bar - 325 x 4 sets of 3

Deadlifts - 25/45 doubles method
135x2
185x2
225x2
275x2
315x2
365x2
405x2
455x2
495x2

Lunges - 3 x 20

Notes - A total dog shit -900% session.  My entire lower body felt tight, weak, and shitty.  Every squat rep hurt and felt awful, deadlifting felt like weak bitch mode, and lunging was hard.  It's just one of those days.  Chalk it up to awful shit.

More on peaking and weekly Q&A

Now I don't have to ask someone to leave a name.  Amazing.

This is NOT the podcast Q&A.  We are already back logged with questions for it.  This is MY weekly Q&A.

I wanted to address the issue of the strong-15 and strength peaking yet again, since Erik had a life crisis over the phase 1 numbers.  Not to throw him under the bus all on his own, I've answered plenty of questions about this.  So many times, that you'd think people would just use the search function, or better yet REALLY REALLY read the book.  You know, since I detailed a whole chapter as to why it works, and works damn well.

Basically, the fretting goes like this........

"Paul, what's the point in walking into the gym and only squatting X amount?  I can squat X amount, so how will I get stronger if I'm only doing fairy weights?"

As explained in SLL, you cannot hold onto peak strength levels.  In my interview with Eric Lilliebridge, we talked about this.  If you don't click links, here it is.......

PC - right you beat yourself up bad enough going into a meet, and it doesn't take much to keep that foundation level of strength. and as we have talked about, I don't care what people say peaking is a real thing. You can only hold a peak level of strength for a short term.

EL - Oh for sure. People will write to me online and be like "well what happened to your lifts? you look weaker." And I'm like no shit. There is no way you can stay at that top level forever, there is no way you can. I can't pull 800 any day of the week. I only hit that number a couple of weeks before a meet or at the meet.

PC - Right and some people don't get that you're trying to peak and time that out, and you don't hold those levels for very long.

EL - No, you can't. I think you can hold it for a good two weeks maybe. SO you're competing and 14 days before or 14 days after that, you would be able to hit those numbers. But not in that time frame you're probably going to lose it.

Sam Byrd wrote over at elitefts, that he starts his squat cycle off with 60% of 700.  Because 700 is something he can hit pretty casually everyday he walks into the gym.  He then does 5x5 with that 60%, basically 410 and or some change, until he feels like he is moving it with the kind of speed he knows sets him up for a bigger squat.  

Read that again.  Sam squats over 800 raw.  At 220.  And he uses 400 and some change for a few weeks to prep for the big stuff.  

Funny number, 60%.  

Ed Coan started his squat cycles out at, I believe, something in that range, for a couple of sets of 10.  So think about this.  If you were running a 10-12 week cycle, and you wanted to squat 500, that means you're only doing a couple of sets of 10 with 300.

Now here is the difference in the mind of a 500 pound squatter, and a 800 or 1000 pound squatter like Byrd and Coan.  They understand the importance of these early sessions, and how they set up big lifts for down the road.  They know that you can't go in the gym, and hit PR's and then turn around and hit PR's at the meet too.  Guys fuck this up all the time.  Because they want to walk in the gym, and impress people.  That's all it is.  It's fucking ego.  You will never be anything more than a gym lifter with an inflated ego if you don't put it away, and learn the lessons of knowing how not to get on the throttle too soon.  If you do, you'll burn out, lift like shit, and then wonder what the fuck went wrong when you did so much good lifting in the gym.   

I have this built in to the first 3 weeks of the cycle.  It's a prep phase.  You should be concentrating on moving those weights, as explosively as possible.  If you plug in 500 as your goal, then you end up using 85% of that for phase 1.  Which is 425 pounds.  The highest weight you hit in phase 1 then, is 93% of 425.  Which is 395.  Roughly 80% of 500.  

Want to see an interesting thing at work here?

In Coan's cycling, you use roughly 60%.  300x10.

300 * .03 * 10 + 300 = 390

That means, 300x10 is basically the same as a 390 single.  

Well isn't that fucking fascinating????  

All proper cycling starts light.  It gives the body a chance to ramp up to using bigger weights, without stalling as fast.  You can only hold your peak strength for a short while.  The faster you get to your foundation level of strength, the lower the peak is, and the faster you will fall off the cliff.  So if you squat 500, and you go into the gym squatting 455 for reps, your cycle won't last long will it?  But if you go in and don't hit 400 until after week 3, how much room have you given yourself to ramp up?  Quite a bit.  

Guys want to walk into the gym and impress other guys.  I know this.  I wrote about it in SLL.  If you deadlift 600, you want to walk into the gym and pull 600 every week.  That's fucking dumb.  This is demonstrating strength, NOT building it.  The process of building strength is basically 2 phases.......foundation development (muscle mass), and then peaking with a new strength ceiling. 

If you aren't training for a meet, you should constantly be training for a bigger YOU.  Why the fuck are you doing singles and shit all year round, when that is the fastest way to find yourself stuck for a while?  You should be eating solid, and building your foundation all year, until you are ready to either compete, or peak strength to see where you are at.  Doing cycle after cycle of singles and doubles and triples, is not the best way to build a foundation.  Spend your time getting big as fuck, and then when you do decide to peak, you'll blow your old shit away.  I have to tell people this all the time.....and no one still listens.  Wendler and I talk and are constantly disgusted at how much advice we give, after more than 45 years between us, that goes in 1 ear and out the other.  

Back to the original point.  

Phase 1 is for prepping.  Use it properly.  Who gives a fuck what you are lifting in the gym if you are preparing to lift in a meet?  No one.  Stop being a douche ego whore and learn how to train properly.  Speed and explosiveness for the first 3-4 weeks.  Then the last 5-6 weeks, should be peaking.  Generally, you will peak at about 6 weeks.  This is why it's SO important to start light and not get burnt early.  The first 3 weeks of the cycle are prep, the last 6 weeks are peaking.  This should make total sense.  

For those who have run the cycle several times now, they will tell you, that even if you program properly you will get crispy by the end.  And this is good.  Because when you take that rest, and come back, you'll hit some good PR's and have a solid meet.  That's what you're supposed to be training for.  Not lifting shit at the gym to impress some Ed Hardy shirt wearing mother fucker.

Now ask some questions...........

First workout back - Press and Pull

First workout back since my no-deload deload.

Close Grip Bench -
bar x 40
135x10
225x5
275x4
315x3
365x2
315x12

Incline Db Press - 140's x 7 with 3-stooges ending

T-Bar Rows - 3 plates x 5 x 20

Notes - Felt good.  I needed that week off.  315x12 for a first night back isn't terrible, but at the same time it's a far cry from my best of 17.  I was gonna set the 140's back down on my knees but couldn't get into position to do it.  Made for a fun show however.

A new book review

From worlds strongest librarian.

Go here to read it............

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff

So for you trolls out there, you have to be registered before you can post a comment/troll now.  Yes, it won't stop the trolling but it certainly will cut down on it.  I mean, I allow the comments anyway but at least now you will at minimum have to attach some fake ass name to a comment.  It's all fun and games for everyone, and then trolls start acting like retarded chimps and shit gets shut the fuck down.

So the pre-orders for books are closed and my guy will start printing on them.  I also have the order in for the shirts, so as soon as all of that is done and it arrives, I will have it packed up and start shipping it out.  My guy sent me the cover and layout for the book and it looks awesome.  You will be pleased with it.

I have a trip to Columbus, Ohio scheduled for August.  I will be there for 4 days.  I am staying with my buddy Jason Pegg, and the itinerary includes breakfast or lunch one day with Wendler, possibly training out at elitefts, then going up to train at Kara Bohigian's place.  Should be a very fun trip.  If I don't post again, Pegg killed me in my sleep.  Call the authorities.

I've needed the last week or so off.  Sometimes you don't realize how run down you are until you do decide to take some time off to let everything recharge.  I am upping the foam rolling, switching steady state conditioning to at night, and doing an ice bath every Thursday.  Training will be on Wednesday and Saturday, with a small workout sometimes on Sunday; but it's optional.  I may also limit workouts to 2 movements.  1 press, 1 pull, then front squat, squat, and deadlift on the other day.  I am going to use fronts as part of the warm up for back squats.  That way you're getting in both all the time.

I will not be out to see Dark Knight Rises opening weekend.  I will wait at least a week to see it because I hate packed in movie theaters for the most part.  People generally annoy me.  So I'm sure we'll all get out to see it, but not until some of the initial excitement dies down.

More beer hate from me..........I've said this for some time.



As soon as Jamie gets home, which I have no idea when that is, we will get the podcast done.  We have a backlog of questions to go through so I expect it to be a long one.

Well I have decided it is time for a new dog.  I feel like I have mourned Dozer's passing long enough and gotten through it.  So I will be searching for a new pup soon.  I am still very partial to the bullmastiff however I may also look at a Presa or Cane Corso.  I do not get dogs for status symbols.  I get those kinds of dogs because I love molossers and because they are my co-protectors of my house and family.

My biceps are sore as fuck.  I mean, aching sore.

I need a vacation.  I haven't had a real vacation in a few years and I need some white sand, some umbrella drinks, and a place where there's always 7 to 54 hot ladies to look at.

I am ordering some extra paperbacks and shirts.  I plan on selling the paperback through Amazon, and shirt wise the new Lion shirt will be replacing the old Skull shirt.  I also have a new Trinity shirt that is being worked on that is going to look fucking awesome.

Phil and I are getting some hits on doing seminars.  Once we get booked up it will be difficult to fit anyone in for a while, so again if you are a gym owner, strength coach, or would like for us to do a seminar at your gym contact me.

Now this is weird for me, but if you want me to autograph your copy of SLL let me know.  I've gotten some e-mails about this and I will do so, but it still feels weird to me.

Also, Andy Bryniarski and I have been talking still.  So he may still do the podcast in the future.  So keep your fingers crossed for getting Lattimer on.  That would be awesome.  I also contacted Henry Rollins however I never heard back.  I'm trying.  Most famous people don't want to allocated a block of their "precious" time to a couple of dudes doing a podcast about Zombies and gunshots to the chest.

If you have any other people that you'd like for me to throw a line to, offer up a name.  I'll ask anyone.

My leg still isn't 100% and in a way, I am putting off going to the doctor to get an MRI in hopes that it eventually just goes away.  However the pain has been there now for a VERY long time.  In a month if it still feels achy after squatting, I'm going to bite the bullet and go in.  Fuck.

It's only Tuesday, so the week still kinda sucks.

Paperback with T-Shirt offer closes out tonight!!!

For anyone who wants that awesome shirt designed by Mike D of Killswitch for free, tonight is the last night for pre-orders.  You have to order the Strength Life Legacy in Paperback and then I will send it along with the book.

I will stop taking order between 10 and mid-night.  All depends on when my Lunesta kicks in......

The Lifer Series - Part 3 - I will push heavy things

Generally speaking, it's not hard to talk the average gym goer into bench pressing.  I mean, walk into a commercial gym on Monday, and how many guys will be benching?

"It's chest day, brah."

That generally means something like so....

Bench Pressing....where everyone in the group works up to a max where the spotters hands never leave the bar.  They bounce their "max attempts" and then proceed to do glute bridges and fuck an imaginary fairy, shooting their hips straight up, shuffling their feet around like they are having a tap dancing contest with Gregory Hines (who is also dead), then of course are screamed and yelled at using the magic bro phrase...."all you man, all you".

After that they usually incline press.  Using something to the tune of about half of what they used on the bench press, or less.  Then they decline.  Only God knows why.  Then of course, they go to the pec-deck machine and lavish over it like it's the God of money, wisdom, and power.

They leave the gym chest puffed out, with of course imaginary lat syndrome.  Why, I don't know.  You didn't work lats or back.  I'm always amazed.

What I generally don't see guys doing is the following.

Close Grip Benching with a pause.  This is hard, and it's an ego destroyer.

I know this, because when I had to make the change to doing it, my pressing ability in that fashion was shit.  If your setup is not tight and sound, it will expose you for the weak bitch that you are.

I don't see guys doing a lot of heavy dips.



I know this can be hard on some guys shoulders, but if you can bench press with your elbows flared completely out to the side, I'm not sure how you can't do some weighted dips, in terms of shoulder issues.  Even I can do weighted dips if my pec minor isn't flared up, and I have a permanently dislocated shoulder.

I don't see a lot of standing overhead press.

Most guys prefer to do shoulder on machines.  It's easier.

Pressing is pressing, is pressing really.  However in most commercial gyms watching guys press is a sad state of affairs.  99% of guys know nothing about how to set up for a good bench press, and even fewer have a decent ratio in terms of their bench to incline to overhead press.

You should be strong at pressing from any angle.  If you aren't, then get better at it.  When you do, you will improve in the other presses as well.

You should also learn how to bench properly.  Driving your upperback hard into the bench, getting your legs tight into the floor to create a foundation to press from, and pausing your initial rep, to show that YOU control the weight and not the other way around.

I get asked, "should I do low reps or high reps for pressing, Paul?"

Why not both?  Training some cycled singles on bench, do medium reps on incline, high reps on dips, low reps on standing press, high reps on db pressing, etc.  This covers all the bases.  Just don't get caught doing the same shit over and over again, or in an unproductive cycle of repetitive training behavior.

If you find a way to press that's hard, or you suck at it, press that way a LOT.  The better you get at the things you are terrible at, the better you will be at the things you excel at.  This is a time proven theory.

Don't be a "chest day, brah" guy.  Be a guy that is in there to press heavy shit, and can do so from any angle or on any movement.  Pressing is a huge part of being strong, obviously, but you don't want to be that guy who was a one trick pony.  Get good at pressing, period.  Put your time in on the incline, various overhead work, dipping and such.

You don't have to goad most guys into pressing hard and heavy.  Just make sure you are doing so on more than the flat bench.

Congrats to J Lewis

Jamie hit a deadlift PR of 661 at his meet today.  Big congrats to him on that and for competing in general.

Check out the shitty video of it.........

Look

Also, just in case no one knew, he also did gay porn.

Small Session

Bodyweight - 245

Band Pull Aparts - x15,15,x20

Poundstone Curls - bar x 115  PR

Tricep Band Pushdown Facedown on Bench Extension Thingee - 3 sets

Notes - Got my bands from elitefts so I'm playing with it.  Did hit a nice PR in the Poundstone curls.  The last few reps, that was as far as I could curl my arms.  They are shaking as I type this.  I can now also do the kind of tricep extensions I could only do at the gym on a cable.  I do them prone with the band however.  These are elbow friendly and work very well.

Training Schedule

For anyone that gives a shit, here is what the rest of my year will look like training wise.

I post this up to give you an idea of how I plan things.  That you shouldn't just count "meet training weeks" and things like that.  That your whole year should be based on doing certain things (specifically), and having certain goals.

Wednesday 18Jun12 - Resume Training
2 Big Sessions a week - 1 small session - big15 training

Wednesday 01Aug12 - Bump Calories by adding extra carbs to 1 meal, continue mass training

Monday 10Sep12 - Start no-deload deload

Saturday 15Sep12 - Start meet prep.  Squat and pull every other week, bench every other week with heavy incline on alternating week.  First heavy squat/dead session in prep for November meet.

Saturday 03Sep12 - Last heavy squat/dead

Wednesday 07Nov12 - Last heavy bench

Saturday 10Nov12 - Light squat/pull

Saturday 17Nov12 - UPA meet

Post-meet - Sit down and figure out next schedule.

My gift to you guys

I wanted to show how much I appreciate all of the support that you guys have given me.

So for those of you that ordered a PAPERBACK of Strength Life Legacy, THE PAPERBACK (not the PDF) you will be getting a shirt designed on the book cover, on my dime.  Yes, that means FOR FREE.  See I been waiting to spring this on you bitches.

That's nice isn't it?

This is the design done by Mike D'Antonio of Killswitch Engage, and well, it's fucking awesome.  Otherwise it wouldn't be my book cover.  I will be shipping out large ONLY, because that is the most popular size and makes it easy on me (and it's free, don't be that greedy).  So let me just repeat this one more time, it's ONLY in large.  It's free.  Don't complain.  I am only making an order for enough to match the book sales.

Pre-orders stop Monday night.    

Everyone should be able to wear a large, unless you're some 3XL fatty, and in that case, use it as incentive to get into shape.  Either way, the shirt is awesome.  Look at the fucking shirt pic.  Look.

Look.......

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff -- mid-week version (full of training shit)

Probably no podcast this week, as Jamie will be busy all week and is doing a meet this coming weekend. More than likely we will do it next Monday or Tuesday. I know, I has a sad too. However, I may be able to get a surprise podcast in........we'll see.

I am doing my no-deload deload. I need some time off for a few days as I feel beat up in my joints, and my mental wanting to be in the gym has waned. This is my usual tell-tale sign that I need to pull back.

If you have a question and have not bought Strength Life Legacy PLEASE PLEASE buy it. Everyone who is a regular here knows I am not a salesman, so I do not write this to take your money. I write this because LITERALLY, every training that has been asked of me since the books release, can be found in the book. 90%+ of the questions I get each week have an answer in there. It took me this long to write that book for a reason. I wanted you to be able to open it when you had almost any question, and find an answer.

Someone asked me about how they should set up doing a cycle of stiff legs......it's in the book (My Deadlift Sucks chapter)

Someone asked me about rehabbing their piriformis........in the Rehab Chapter.

Someone asked me about what to do if they were short on time in prep for a meet.......the Strong-15 short cycle.

As far as the paperback goes....the answer as to when you will get it is this -- I will stop taking pre-orders Monday. That night I will let my guy know how many to print. When he is done, I will ship them. So expect a couple of weeks from now.


I had a great question this week about guys who have been stuck on lifts for quite some time. Of course, I answer that in the book however let me go back over this so you can get an idea........


The majority of your year should be spent working on your BASE. This means your muscular base. NOT 1 rep max strength training.

Building your base requires reps, reps, reps, reps and reps. I don't give 2 shits what some 170 pound asshole from reddit or bodybuilding.com tells you. You need to eat carbs, and train heavy as fuck in the medium to high rep range. That's 8-12 for most upperbody movements, and 15-20+ for lower body. If you don't believe this, ask Stan Efferding or any other guy that has put in his work over the years. Reps and food = mass. Lower reps = strength. There is some carryover from one to the other, but one works better for one thing than the other.

You need to be spending all of your time training to build a bigger foundation so that your strength ceiling become as high as possible. This is done with food and "bodybuilding", i.e. reps and more reps. If you're fat, get in shape (in the book), if you're skinny, eat and train your nuts off (in the book? no way?!!?).

"Paul, I'm only a beginner......what should I..."

....it's in the book.

If you have read SLL, and still are confused, that's what I'm here for. But take advantage of the knowledge I put into that thing. It's basically my entire journey of lifting and learning. I was not an genetic mutant like a lot of guys. Everything that I have, I earned like the average joe. So the book is full of stuff for guys who struggle as I did. So if you think I'm some genetic outlier because of where I am now, you are wrong. That's over 2 decades of blood, callouses, and pain I've endured. Let it help you.

I also want to say for you guys that keep writing in to me, to tell me about your PR's and mass gains, or how you have lost weight and got into the best shape ever -- that's such a blessing to me. I write and put in all this time to help you bastards. So when you guys write in and tell me about your progress, fuck, I live for that. I know what it's like to be on that end, frustrated as hell about training and feeling like dogshit about it. Nothing makes you feel more alive than seeing progress something you feel so passionate about. So I know where you are coming from, and I feel like a god damn champion for being able to help you out.

Thanks to all you mother fuckers for making each day for me an awesome one. My only wish is that I had a million dollars so I could retire and do this as my only job.

To add, in the coming weeks I want to talk about all the ways you can use each of the cycles for different lifts, all at the same time. Sorry to sound confusing, but some of you are doing it already and that's fucking awesome. That's using your coconut to be your own lifting "Doc Brown". In other words, you can use the strong-15 for your bench in the same cycle you are using the big-15 for your squat or incline or whatever. Especially if you are a guy like me, limited to doing certain things anymore on certain movements (I can't do reps on bench except for maybe once a month).

So I want to go over some ways to setup some cycles to fix lagging areas and weak lifts. I'm stoked about it. Consider it like some extra chapters that weren't in SLL.

I am in the planning stages of doing some seminars with my buddy Phil Stevens. If you are a gym owner, or think your gym owner might be interested in having us out, give me or Phil a shout out. You can contact me at paul@lift-run-bang.com or Phil at phil@lift4hope.org. We will be doing 2 day seminars where we go over squat, bench, dead, assistance work and Olympic lifts (Phil will do that, not me, you know better). Serious inquiries only, and I will not do any gay for pay. I had to throw that in there.........

I hope everyone is having an awesome fucking week.

The Lifer Series - Part 2 - I will condition

Be strong, be in shape.

As I wrote in Strength, Life, Legacy -- strength is king, but conditioning is the queen.  And every good king needs a good queen.



The strongest guys in the world, professional strongmen (not powerlifters) have to place an emphasis on conditioning in order to compete at a high level in their sport.  Yet somehow they manage to be stronger in virtually every way than other strength athletes.  Namely powerlifters, who place such a low value on doing hard conditioning work.  This should be an indicator that you can be in shape, and be strong.  Getting fat and out of shape is not a requirement to move big weights.

When I first started writing on this blog, one of the things I tried to drive home was the need to have a certain level of conditioning, and maintain a base of conditioning, no different than a base of strength.  If your strength is only good for waddling up into a squat rack or monolift, and doing a single rep, then it's not good for a whole lot.  How much application can it have when you breathe heavy on a short brisk walk?

The answer is pretty easy.  Not much.

Let me put you in a situation where you are oxygen deprived, and we'll find out how strong you really are.

For those that scoff at that, imagine yourself in a parking lot with two skinny guys that go to car jack you, or simply want to take your money.  After you throw a couple of your fat armed heavy punches, you're done.  "Well all I have to do is connect one time."  I love it.  I'll rely on chance rather than preparation to improve my odds.

Dumb.

Ever see the big fat guy in a fight that is tired, who trips and falls because of fatigue?  Yeah, that'll be you.

But hey, that scenario is unlikely.  So how about a game of flag football?  Or walking around the zoo with your kids?  Don't think I've haven't known of guys that couldn't walk around the zoo very long without having to stop to catch their breath.  That's pretty sad isn't it?  I think so.

What good is all of muscle and strength in the world, if you can't do anything with it besides perform a single rep of a movement?"

"I'm a powerlifter, I squat, bench, and deadlift with it."

So you don't do shit with it.  Thanks for clarifying.  You use it to do some singles in a fringe sport that 19 people follow.  Awesome.

A few years ago at the Arnold, I was told about this world record bencher who couldn't get around without an oxygen tank.  What good was that giant bench press when ol' boy couldn't breathe without assistance??? It wasn't worth shit.  If someone had attacked his woman they could have banged her right in front of him, and he would have been totally incapable of defending her.  So again, what good was all of that "strength" that was bottled up by an oxygen depleted body?  Not a damn thing.

Fat guys don't condition for the same reason douche bags don't do legs.

It's hard.  They suck at it.  It beats the shit out of their ego.

"I get weak when I do cardio."

I know you do.  Because you're out of shape, fatty.  Did you know that after you get into shape, your strength returns?

"I only care about strength and powerlifting."

Fat doesn't have a functional application in strength sports.  It doesn't contract, it doesn't do anything except take up space.  It just sits on you.  Pudz won the Worlds Strongest Man 5 times ripped to shreds.  Captain Kirk went over 2K raw at 242 with sub 10% bodyfat.

Lots of guys can, and do stay in shape, while getting stronger.

"Yeah but those guys are on the sauce."

So was everyone else.  And they lost.  Case closed.

Being in condition allows you to do more work, recover faster, keep bodyfat down, allows for better nutrient uptake, keeps blood pressure lower, your heart and lungs in shape, and more shit than I can list here.

In other words, getting your ass in shape allows you to train harder, more often, and all that does is make you better, faster.  Last time I checked this whole physical culture thing was supposed to be about getting better.

I had someone tell me one time "be the strongest small person you can be."  She didn't mean to be "small" she meant, don't get fucking fat to lift a couple of pounds more.  It doesn't make a lot of sense.

You should be setting aside so many days a week for conditioning.  Period.  If you are a lifer, and you're training has a big picture view, then conditioning is a huge part of that big picture view.  It doesn't matter what that conditioning is; hill sprints, sprints, sled work, tired hammering, truck or car pushing, bag work, whatever.  Just make time for it, and take it seriously.

Plus, I don't care what anyone says, being jacked looks awesome.  Especially if you have go with your show.  Part of having the "go", is making sure you actually can.........without a Wal-Mart scooter.

Strength Life Legacy in paperback

I am taking pre-orders for Strength Life Legacy in paperback for A LIMITED TIME.

Right now, that means this week only.

I don't plan on keeping stock so if you want one, this will be your time to get one.  At least for now.

These are being done by the same guy that does all of Jim's books, so they will have a similar look/feel.

I will be taking pre-orders until next Monday.  Then I will let my guy know how many need to be printed and they will be shipped ASAP.

To make a pre-order go here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff

My lats, traps, and low back are all still fried from the stiff legs from Saturday. I've written about this before but I'll say it again, from a mass perspective stiff legs are so much more superior than regular pulls because (the way I do them) involves a lot of tension in all of those areas. When I have pushed my stiff legs my dead seems to respond as well, but I go months without doing them for some reason. I'd like to hit 585x5+ on them (elevated) before I start meet prep in a few months.

I thought that UFC card sucked. In fact, the last few cards have blown for the most part. I know they have had to mix and match the cards a bit but right now, the UFC seems to have a somewhat shallow talent pool as it's the same guys over and over again. They need to start pushing some of the younger guys up into the main cards. There has to be a transition or the sport will grow stale, and people will become less interested.

Weight is still slowing coming and down, and I'm stabilized. Energy levels feel good, strength is evening out, and I can eat like this pretty much indefinitely. I will go over my diet down the line in another article. I need to up my conditioning a bit, and drop big training back to twice a week I think, with only maybe 1 small session. However the LRB template works so well I almost hesitate to do that.

I have got to get out to a movie. My movie watching is really in a slump. Need to pull out of it.

No Chaos and Bang Your Earballs last night. Jamie's girlfriend was in town and he was too busy banging it out. My guess is we'll do it tomorrow night more than likely.

I did end up cheating, or having a cheat meal Saturday night. I was going to try to go the whole summer without cheating but we had company for dinner and I haven't had a drink or a bite of anything that wasn't on my diet in 5 weeks. So I cheated. 7 pounds up yesterday. I feel like blllllarrrgghhh right now. Lifting tonight and then some steady state after.

Someone posted a link to an article about the direction of our society from a male standpoint and it pretty much paints the picture I've talked about on here many times. The dominance of the single mother home is a big part in emasculated males today. Coddled and babied, hen pecked males that have no idea how to throw a punch -- or take one -- and these "men" argue with me about what a troglodyte I am because I believe that "bullying", and dealing with it, fighting, is a normal part of growing up as a male. They get mad that I state that you shouldn't be bossed around and dictated to by your woman, and that the things they do aren't being submissive, it's just "making sure she knows I love her".

Jesus, if you really believe this, then give your fucking sack back. You don't need it anymore.

I've been with my wife for 18 total years, and by no means is she a "submissive" woman; however she understands that I am the leader in the home, even though we both view our relationship as a partnership. Let's get that straight here. A partnership does not always mean EQUAL. Just because someone is your partner does not mean they are your equal. I do not always equate not being equal as being lesser either, just different. If your home is threatened, you will be the one asked to step up to confront the threat. Not her. If a physical threat presents itself, you will be the one asked to deal with it. This is something I would do without hesitation, and I embrace it as my role. I am also the breadwinner in the home.

We have different roles. However, my role is NOT to be bossed up, owned up, and told to do things I don't want to do, in order to play submissive husband. I don't, and never will play that role, nor would she want that. I do the things that make my wife feel loved, because that is my job as well. However I do not do things that make her feel empowered over me, nor would she want that. There is a difference. There is a CLEAR difference. Any woman that wants to hen peck her man is simple trying to assert her authority over him to feel empowered in the relationship. When you allow that, you lose face and respect in her eyes whether she will admit that to you or not. This is a fact.

So our young males face two problems today. The first being raised in single mother homes, where they get hen pecked and are raised and taught to be submissive to women, because "that's how you respect her". Which is a total crock of shit by the way. The second is being raised in a two parent home where the father sets a piss poor example by being submissive to his wife, letting her rule the roost, and then raising the son(s) as pussies.

In either case, I don't blame women. Women are always going to push boundaries to see what they can get away with in terms of telling you what to do. This is in their nature.

It's the fault of men that are weak, spineless, pussy whipped mother fuckers. It is their fault for selling out for pussy, and for allowing a woman to become empowered in the relationship by constantly giving in to everything she wants. Selling out your manhood for a piece of ass, or anything else for that matter, is the most unmanly thing you can ever do as a male. There are plenty of men that are honorable men to their wife or significant other, without becoming human jellyfish.

I also partly blame the internet, for allowing beta males to voice their opinion far too god damn much on these issues. In the past, these marshmallowed fucks sat in the back and were silent. Exactly where beta males belong. In the rear with the gear. This is not a put down, mind you. There are chiefs and indians and like it or not, not everyone deserves to lead or have a voice. At least, that's how it's supposed to be. It's just that society has taught as of late, that we are all "winners", even when we don't win shit. The guy in last place, well, he can't be called a "loser".....because that's mean. And a civil society has no place for meanness anymore. However, from behind a computer the beta male can get all puffed up and spout off about what a neanderthal I am, and how backwards my thinking is. "Do you know what year it is?" I've had written to me.


Yeah, the year of the bitch apparently.

It's not awesome to be a "man" anymore. You know, a John Wayne or a Clint Eastwood, or an Audie Murphy. This is not "glamorous". It is not propped up as desirable because the role of the MAN in society has been significantly downplayed. Because war is evil and grotesque, men who can seduce women is unsavory, and kids that fist fight should go to jail.

This is where we are at as a society, because men have failed. Failed to either show some responsibility and aren't involved in their kids life, or you are in the home and have failed as a leader because you let your wife dictate to you. You don't think your son sees this and he knows it's wrong? Of course he does. I know because I hear it from their own mouths. The young dudes I talk to on a regular basis.

"My dad does whatever my mom tells him to." they tell me with a laugh. "He's a pussy".

Disgusting and weak, and it saddens me. This is the example that has been set for him, so it is what he will pattern himself after, and so the trend will continue.

I wrote in SLL, be something your loved ones respect and something your enemies fear. Failing in this regard, means you have failed in some very basic principles as a man.

Yes that was a big rant for a Monday. I feel better now.