Training - "Our lives are easy – too easy physically."

6/30 - wmup/stretch, jumps, bench, chins, pushups, back raise, hanging leg raise, situps, speed bag, stretch

6/29 - kb wmup/swings/getups, stretch, chins

6/28 - wmup/stretch, jumps, deadlifts, situps, back raise, pushdowns, db rows, stretch

6/27 - kb wmup/swings/getups, stretch

6/26 - wmup/stretch, jumps, press, weighted chins, dips, close grip chins, tricep pushups, situps, hip thrust, stretch

6/25 - stretch

6/24 - stretch

6/23 - wmup/stretch, jumps, power clean, squats, lunges, facepulls, pushdowns, speed bag, stretch

Do you need to condition? – JimWendler.com: "The short answer is yes. The “why” isn’t as simple. It is my belief that everyone needs three things in their training program regardless of who they are: strength training, flexibility/mobility and some kind of conditioning. These three things are needed regardless of your level, goal or sport. Many people will need more than these three things but these things are the minimum. Of course, the goals you have will determine which area will receive a great emphasis. But everyone from a competitive athlete to the sedentary commuter programmer needs to lift something relatively heavy, loosen their bodies and get out of breath. For most of us that aren’t high level competitive athletes and are just men trying to get as strong as we can, conditioning offers the following benefits: Improved health (these have been widely documented) – especially for those that have a history of heart disease or high blood pressure. Improved recovery from heavy lifting sessions. Improved sense of well-being. Improved recovery between sets. Ability to do better work in the weight room – aka not out of breath all the time and be able to complete your training without driving yourself into the ground every single day...

Our lives are easy – too easy physically. On the converse, our brains and emotions are constantly being challenged. The mental stress in our world is at an all-time high. What better way to relieve this stress than to break down our bodies and tap into a mindset that no longer gets challenged? ...I’m not asking everyone to run a marathon a day or push the Prowler every morning – what I’m asking people to do is to have the foresight to realize that conditioning is an essential part of training. Leaving something out, one of the three pillars, always leaves a gap. And the sooner you realize your gap, the better of your life will be. On all levels."

The Real Reason Everyone's Fat | T Nation: "Accusing other people for causing your circumstances only postpones the good stuff you could be enjoying. So personal responsibility is nonnegotiable. It's the first step. Then expect temptation and plan how you're going to beat it. Temptation is inescapable and everyone faces it. If you're still blaming your spouse for sabotaging you with tempting food, don't count on changing. We're all tempted by about the same shit; your challenges aren't special. And even if you're injured or ill, there's still a way to choose the best options within your given set of circumstances.  Can't get support at home? Find it elsewhere, then be a role model for your family. It'll be a struggle, but it's supposed to be. Everyone experiences that. If you're not struggling, then you're probably not making progress. The struggle is what keeps you from getting weaker, fatter, less mobile, and more incompetent as the owner of your body. The blame-game won't make you any fitter or healthier. It's not working for the rest of the world, so don't expect it to work for you. The question is, are you going to fight your challenges or let them own you? The choice is yours. It always has been. It always will be...

You know that people who are out of shape could be making the best choices within their circumstances, no matter how unfortunate those circumstances are. And you know that "body acceptance" is a sham because their lives would be much easier if their frail frames and feeble joints weren't hauling around extra weight. You know they'd feel better about themselves, have more energy, move more freely, take fewer meds, sleep better, get out more, have fewer doctors' appointments, deal with less pain, have better sex, and (ironically) enjoy their food a lot more than they do now. There's a way to be both compassionate and honest. But by playing the sycophant you're encouraging people to be the victims rather than the masters of their circumstances. And I hope that people who are out of shape make the choices that prove you wrong. Because you see, if they can CHOOSE to get in better shape today, then they could've CHOSEN better behaviors in the first place that would have kept them from getting where they are now. There is a choice. Your patronizing pity is more insulting than the brutal honesty of someone who says, "You're fat and here's what you can do about it.""

Most people haven't been bitten by the fitness bug. They're not into lifting, nor do they go to the store thinking about macronutrients, ingredients, or overall nutritional value. That's fine. They're into what they're into. And they're often extremely smart people, which means that if they want to get stronger and leaner, they'll find ways. They can hire trainers, read books, do a bit of research, cook for themselves instead of eating out, imbibe a little less, sleep a little more, and plug into groups of people with similar challenges. Same with you. If you're overweight, don't let anyone tell you that you don't have a choice, or that you got this way and it was totally out of your control. Why? Because if you think like that, then you probably won't ever feel competent enough to take control, at least not long-term. If you don't care about strengthening your body or improving your health, that's your business. You will prioritize what's important to you. Just don't say the fitness industry failed you, or that diet books, food manufacturers, or your family is to blame for the repercussions you're facing now. It's your body and YOUR business, remember?

Everybody who's in shape fights for it in some way. It's not given to us. We all have personal disadvantages and challenges to overcome. So unless you're among the very few genetically gifted and environmentally blessed, you can't get lean without a struggle. You can't build muscle without a struggle. And you certainly won't maintain either without struggling in some way. On top of that, your struggles will change yearly, monthly, sometimes even daily. So once you overcome your initial challenges, you'll be faced with more. And they happen everywhere: under the barbell, at school, in the doctor's office, in the kitchen or the car, anywhere! Getting in shape isn't a thing that happens exclusively at the gym. It's what you do constantly with every choice you make."

Joe Gets It.

Catching up, but never caught up, on the JRE.

Next up, Bill Burr, Gary Vaynerchuk, Alex Jones & Christopher Ryan.

"...the good news is that you have the power to rewrite the coming scenes of your movie."

The Last Confirmation Bias Test of This Election | Scott Adams' Blog: "There might be an objective reality in our world. But our brains didn’t evolve to be able to see it. Our brains only evolved to do the job of keeping us alive so we could procreate. That means the reality you see – the movie in your head – can be totally different from mine, and almost certainly is. Yet we can both get by in this world. Last year, when many observers were saying Trump was a stupid, under-informed clown, I was saying he was a Master Persuader. Pundits said he ignored facts because he didn’t know them or because he was a liar. I said he ignored facts because facts are useless for persuasion. Trump could learn lots of facts if he wanted to do so. But he knew it was a waste of time. These are two totally different views of reality. And yet they did not conflict. Clinton supporters still see the stupid, under-informed clown and I still see the Master Persuader. We live in totally different movies and yet we can still interact with each other, still eat and drink, still procreate when necessary. Reality isn’t what you thought it was a year ago. Your movie isn’t my movie. But the good news is that you have the power to rewrite the coming scenes of your movie. And those scenes can be anything that isn’t ruled out by your own observations."

Training - "Everything that has happened to you is just a story."

11/30 - deadlifts, ab circuit, 5T, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 11

11/29 - 5T #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 10
11/28 - press, chins, dips, fat bar curl, 5T, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 9
11/27 - 5T, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 8
11/26 - 5T, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 7
11/25 - power clean, squats, 5T, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 6
11/24 - stretch, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 5
11/23 - #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 4
11/22 - #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 3
11/21 - bench, chins, pushups, #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 2
11/20 - #22pushups for #22KILL - Day 1
11/18 - deadlifts, ab wheel, backxt
11/16 - press, chins, dips, pike press, speedbag
11/11 - squats, bench, chins, pushups, leg raise, stretch
11/9 - deadlifts, press, chins, dips, situps, backxt
11/8 - stretch
11/7 - stretch
11/4 - squats
11/3 - stretch
11/2 - bench, chins, pushups
11/1 - deadlifts, situps, backxt
10/28 - press, chins, dips

700 lb Deadlift @ 60 years old...195 lbs bw and Drug Free! | Powerlifting Watch: "Tee Skinny Man Meyers - 60 year old Deadlifts 700 lbs @ 195 lbs Drug Free! The skinny man has been around a long time and he is still one of the nation's best pullers! Here he is pulling a number 1 ranked masters deadlift! It couldn't get much easier!"

allyouneedisyogaandtea: It’s amazing what a diet...:

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Before After Female Muscle Bodybuilders and Weight Loss:

Before After Female Muscle Bodybuilders and Weight Loss:

Skinny To Strong: Karina Baymiller's Complete Fitness Journey:

It's Not the Years, It's the Miles: Training After 50 | Breaking Muscle: "Live Long, Die Fast. 

Time goes on, as do we. Since age eleven, I have accepted the fact that I am going to die. Robb Wolf once told me: “Live long, die fast.” I can’t disagree.   I have my wills, living wills, and DNRs already written, signed, and co-signed. Death will come knocking one day, but I hope I have left early to compete, laugh, and dance at a Highland Games.   I expect Death to share a toast or two before we do a Challenge Sprint into the next life...

John Powell, former world record holder in the discus, once gave me some advice for older athletes at breakfast in Orlando, Florida. He noted older athletes need to rediscover two things: “muscle” and passion. He envisioned that we should train in two phases:   Phase One: Hypertrophy and rediscovering the joy of movement Phase Two: Reigniting passion   For phase two, “Passion” comes from the root, “to suffer.” Whenever we speak about passion, we tend to jump right into the bedroom, but we also have to learn to suffer for what we love. It could be as simple as sore body parts after training or cutting checks for trips to championships...  If the over-fifty athlete can only do one thing, I would recommend three days a week of push, pull, and squat. You will look good, which tends to lead to feeling good, which seems to help you keep moving good (well)...

I have always found solace in the phrase: “It’s not the years, it’s the miles.” Research from Germany in the 1950s taught us that strength, if trained, remains long into the early fifties. But, after that, things happen. Joseph Campbell described aging like the pieces of an old car suddenly falling off: first, the side mirror; now, the bumper.   Aging is inevitable. Every calendar year, your age will increase by a factor of one, and you can look that up if you don’t believe me. But, aging doesn’t have to be given the victory. With a little thinking and some reasonable training, you can keep the side mirror and bumper on for a long time."

Your Fitness Truths Are Just a Story | Breaking Muscle: "People have sold their dogma and pushed their respective agendas at us since we were small children. Your parents are the grand architects of how you think. In fact, if you think back on your entire set of values, ideas, and way of looking at the world, you can probably trace it back to one of your parents. That means most of your thoughts don’t belong to you. You are simply recounting something your parents taught you. Original thoughts rarely happen.   When you come to this realization, it can be quite upsetting at first. Over time, it becomes incredibly liberating. My reasoning? We don’t have many geniuses, gurus, or true movers and shakers amongst us. Most everyone, myself included, just regurgitate the things someone else taught us. But knowing this gives us the freedom to reject established norms. Conventional thinking, in a lot of cases, is not compelling or inspirational in any way. And the good news is, you don’t have to be a slave to it anymore...

Everything that has happened to you, from your childhood to the moment you started reading this article, is just a story. It’s nothing. It has absolutely no substance whatsoever. In order for you to even spend the energy on recounting any of it, you have to formulate your understanding of what it was, and then create a narrative around it to give it life again. Most of us are so dedicated to the story that we not only re-write what happens in our minds, but then follow through by talking about it, brooding over it, and in many cases, allowing ourselves to become prisoners to it."

"That is completely an ideology thing. She's on your 'team.' You're gonna go along with it."

"We define ourselves far too often by our past failures."

Always bears repeating.

“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”

Via RossTraining.com

"Every single person who has ever done anything worthwhile or exceptional or difficult or extraordinary...  everyone encounters difficulties, there is no easy road...  And here's one way you *never* better yourself - when you come up with excuses for why other people are successful and you're not...  It's hard as shit, but that is what makes you a person."

Training - "Too many people believe their mommy’s and think they are the outliers. Chances are you are average as fuck. Work hard and smart."

11/20 - deadlifts [PR 485, repPR 335x15, chalk/belt/mixed grip]

Back at it today after 4 deload wkouts + a sick day... 

11/9 - press, chins 

11/11 - deadlifts, leg raises

11/13 - bench, seated row

11/16 - squats, situps

11/18 - sick day

Increasing Volume of Supplemental and Assistance Work - JimWendler.com: "The problem with the increase in assistance work is that everyone wants to have their cake and eat it  too. It doesn’t work like that – you can’t be strong like a powerlifter, fast as sprinter, and as big as a linebacker. Well, you can, but these people are so rare that teams pay them millions of dollars and television stations have billion dollar contracts to broadcast them to you. They’re called  professional football players, and if you’re one of them, you aren’t reading this, as you’re too busy counting your  money and cracking skulls. Too many people believe their mommy’s and think they are the outliers. Chances are you are average as fuck.  Work hard and smart."

Amazing 60 Year Old Training - RossTraining.com: "“The only way you can live your life to the fullest is to be as healthy as you can be… That’s why I train.”"

Fitstagram Volume 31: #Transformation #Tuesday:

LIFT-RUN-BANG: Beginner lessons - Early mistakes to avoid: "Newflash.  If you want to be jacked like Dwayne Johnson, be prepared to put in a couple of decades of hard work, take some anabolics, and go through phases where you were chubby, then lean, then chubby, then lean again.  None of this happens in a few months, or even a few years.  And no routine is going to make you "look like someone".  Last time I checked, your dad banged your mom and created you."