@T3hPwnisher nailed it with the “not in nature” comment. You have to go out of your way to make “real food” super leaded.
When I have clients struggling to eat enough to support their activity maintain their weight, or gain weight/bulk - protein shakes are definitely an avenue I encourage. Bulk the shakes up by making them with milk, add avocado, Greek yogurt, banana, sweet potato, nut butter, flax/chia seeds. Make them count. If you eat oatmeal, load those with all of the above and crack an egg or two in it after cooking and mix it well (it makes it nice and fluffy!!) Top sweet potatoes with nut butter, regular potatoes with Greek yogurt and/or cottage cheese and cheese. Also, you can fortify the proteins you do eat - add cottage cheese and cheese to scrambled eggs, make tuna salad with avocado and Greek yogurt, add hummus to sandwiches, etc. Find little ways to add calories AND nutrition.
Appetite stimulation is tough - maybe try smoking some weed?? Just kidding, but… lol. If you’re just not hungry and you’re losing weight or not gaining and you want to, sometimes you have to eat when you’re just not hungry.
I hope some of that is useful and if there are any certain foods/recipes you really like and want some help “bulking” them up - just let me know and I can look at them for you!
@T3hPwnisher and @QuadQueen, thank you. Lots of things I’d never heard of or considered combining like that.
Definitely gives me another lens to look at the meals I already eat, and think about how to make that work better. Seems like there’s some places I could enhance what already works. And some things I could add when that’s not enough.
V Squats: 90# x 18 - PR
Jefferson Squats: 90# x 18 (9 per side)
DB Side Press: 50# x 4 (per side)
H2H KB Swings: 70# x 10 (20 total) - PR
Bent-knee Pullovers: 31# x 11
Notes:
Finished up what I didn’t do last night. Mostly just didn’t want to get my heartrate and breathing up that close to bed.
Going to repeat the side presses. I want to feel a bit more like I own the weight. May go back to 3 again, or just repeat this one.
KB swings are funny. Weight went up, and while it did get harder, the noticeable thing was my grip. These hand-to-hand swings are something else.
There’s actually a forearm/grip exercise Calvert talks about in “The Second Course”, which involves dropping a heavy dumbbell from one hand and catching it in another.
This is incredibly far out, but it looks like I may still be on track to a 185 press by the end of the year.
Yea this is massive for those of us who struggle(d) to gain weight, years of forced eating eventually allowed me to be able to handle big eating and feel fairly comfortable with it.
Barbell Curl: 65# x 8
Z Press: 70# x 10 - PR
Flared BB Bent Row: 80# x 10 - PR
BTN Press: 80# x 10 - PR
Bent-knee Pullovers: 31# x 12 - PR?
Backbend Situps: 25# x 10 - PR
V Squats: 90# x 20 - PR
Jefferson Squats: 90# x 20 (10 per side)
DB Side Press: 50# x 3 (per side)
H2H KB Swings: 70# x 11 (22 total) - PR
Notes:
stupid right wrist. Even with all the tricks it’s still bugging me with the curls. I might start doing some dedicated wrist strengthening things. It has gotten stronger, but it’s still lagging behind.
end of the range is always tough. Longish break after the 40 squats to catch my breath.
continuing to do stuff to improve my upper back position and right scapula, unpleasant but I want it fixed
Evidence for my statement about my abs the other day.
I have a sick kid at home today; TIL constipation can be bad enough to be sent home from school. She’s doing better now though.
I’ll get to training later, but here’s where my silly train of thought has gone recently.
Getting back into training baguazhang → bagua sword (I have a book, but it’s not part of my actual coursework) → finding a sword for practicing → LK Chen Swords for historical accuracy → ordered a pair of nylon sparring Han swords that are similar in length to bagua swords → also ordered some spear tips as an add on, replica of original Han spear tips → learning about spears → bought a couple waxwood poles/staffs to practice on and eventually put the tips on.
Spear tips and sparring swords have not arrived yet.
I learned about the general dominance of spears over swords (globally, not just China). I also now have these sticks to try out some spear techniques. And I’ve been looking at various example and places to learn from: bagua, xingyi, baji.
It’s harder than I thought it would be. The actual “poking with a stick” part isn’t that bad, but circling and controlling the end is actually tricky. Transferring body force into a linear movement is definitely something I could get better at.
Motivational-fantasy, I’m training for basically ancient warrior skills. Use a spear, use a sword, carry things. Be capable of moving heavy things in lots of ways quickly for long distances. I mean I’m just reframing what I’m currently doing and adding in the “sword and spear” elements.
That said, I have zero desire for that to be anything other than fantasy. I would die on day 1.
This is a fantastic way to vector training! Let your training tell a story. And this is also “being that which does”. You are doing the things that a badass does, and this is how one becomes that badass.
Swords are always so romanticized, but spot on: always go for reach when you get a chance.
And dude, when you grow into those abs, you’ll be a beast.
I would recommend finding a way to do that at least every couple months. Good for your mental health.
Before, we got a couple nights out a year, but at the urging of several friends (with kids) they recommended setting up something more regularly. I’m glad we did.
Even though we spend a lot of time talking about the kids when we’re out, it helps to have some time to reconnect as a couple. The first couple times were a bit weird, but the kids also now really look forward to having the babysitter over.
@jdm135 I’m looking forward to you having that too!
@T3hPwnisher I’m sure a year from now my motivations will have changed again, but it definitely helps to have something to latch on to. Unlike, say, wanting to look like a Tekken character, these goals are actually based somewhat in reality – or at least historical fiction.
Barbell Curl: 65# x 9 - PR
Z Press: 75# x 5 - PR
Flared BB Bent Row: 85# x 5 - PR
BTN Press: 85# x 5 - PR
Bent-knee Pullovers: 31# x 12
Backbend Situps: 30# x 5 - PR
V Squats: 95# x 10 - PR
Jefferson Squats: 95# x 10 (5 per side)
DB Side Press: 50# x 4 (per side)
H2H KB Swings: 70# x 12 (24 total) - PR
Notes:
Really didn’t think I’d be able to progress curls at all, but this seems to be working. Last couple reps are always hard, but it’s gone steadily up from 5 to now 9. Wrist felt better, maybe because of random wrist stuff I did the last couple days.
A lot of stuff is in sync right now and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Last session was high volume for everything at once, instead of spread out.
Holding two mismatched plates for those situps is tricky. I don’t have bumpers but those would help.
Starting to feel like I “own” the side presses. Glad I backed off and redid these. I feel like 95+% of it is actually just that I’ve been working on upper back mobility. There is still shoulder pain, but it’s better.
On the other hand, my grip doesn’t feel solid on the kettlebell swings. I’m going to cover the concrete just in case it does end up slipping. Never had a problem like this before. I don’t have any history of sweaty hands but maybe they’re a bit sweaty after everything else? Chalk? I’ll wait for failure before making a decision.
Some calisthenics guy who seems to have some good advice and disproportionately large biceps
Spear stuff
Accuracy. Putting out incense sticks with a spear tip.
Extremely difficult (for me) circling technique
Olympic weightlifter trying out the Ming long spear. Turns out athletes are good at athletic things.
Sword stuff
This is the bagua sword form I want to learn. (Is it practical? Is any sword… anything… practical?) Also, I want to have that much mobility and control when I’m that age.
Had a very @T3hPwnisher -esque dinner last night. Tri-tip burger (meat only), then a couple prime rib burgers, with a side of some flank steak. Finished it off with some fried and braised cauliflower.
Then after putting the kids to bed, ate the remaining half-burger that didn’t make it into a school lunch.
Barbell Curl: 65# x 9
Z Press: 75# x 6 - PR
Flared BB Bent Row: 85# x 6 - PR
BTN Press: 85# x 6 - PR
Bent-knee Pullovers: 31# x 13 - PR
Backbend Situps: 30# x 6 - PR
V Squats: 95# x 12 - PR
Jefferson Squats: 95# x 12 (6 per side)
DB Side Press: 50# x 5 (per side)
H2H KB Swings: 70# x 13 (26 total) - PR
Workout Notes:
Right wrist did not bug me on the curls. Everything else did
I said I was going to do pullovers daily, and I forgot I said that. Going to start doing them daily.
Solved the plate issue for the situps with some webbing.
Solved the “what if my kb swings slip out of my hand” problem with mats. Those have been incredibly useful to have around for many things besides mat pulls.
I’m getting the itch to mess with things, which is interesting to observe. Want to put in some type of loaded carries, or do some heavier Jeffersons, or just more press and deadlift. Some of that does show up in the Second Course, but I won’t start into that until I hit at least 100# for my BTN presses. (At least 16 sessions from now, so 5-6 weeks.)
This is clearly working for me now though, so I’ll stick with it.
Bodyweight is definitely going up now that milk is back. I upped the intake a bit. 3-4 shaker bottles a day on top of my other food. I’m seeing nighttime weights above 158 now, and morning weights are 155-156. I’m planning on morning weights being in the 158s (or more) by the end of the month.
Not even related notes:
thinking about how to build various spear training equipment has been an interesting diversion. What I really want is a fully robotic training partner that can progressively work through more and more difficult skills. Sounds super safe.
I went to bed above 160 the other night. I haven’t done that in years. I’ve also spent a few days consistently above 155 in the morning.
Every few weeks we get a pizza. There’s a place nearby that makes some pretty solid pizzas, in terms of flavor, quality, and literal density. 3 pound medium pizza, 1.5 pound small. I weighed a large once, and I think it was nearly 5 pounds.
Barbell Curl: 65# x 10 - PR
Z Press: 75# x 7 - PR
Flared BB Bent Row: 85# x 7 - PR
BTN Press: 85# x 7 - PR
Bent-knee Pullovers: 31# x 13
Backbend Situps: 30# x 7 - PR
V Squats: 95# x 14 - PR
Jefferson Squats: 95# x 14 (7 per side)
DB Side Press: 50# x 5 (per side)
H2H KB Swings: 70# x 14 (28 total) - PR
Notes:
PRs almost across the board. I don’t think I need that motivation any more, so I’ll probably stop noting most of them. Helped for a bit though.
This is the start of the 8th week of this routine. I’m giving myself permission to change stuff next week. I’m pretty happy with it though, and feeling like I’m starting to get a handle on the eating now too.
But I’ve been thinking about it. Things I miss doing: deadlifts, mat pulls, heavier Jeffersons, Anderson squats/lockouts, farmers walks, overhead walks, overhead lockouts, dips (bar and rings), “normal” overhead presses, windmills.
What I’m probably going to do is… change almost nothing. But add in some chain yoke stuff. My driveway is steep so going down it may not be a good idea, but I can figure something out inside the garage. Just to get some extra time under load, and moving under load. Also the psychological comfort of dealing with something actually heavy. Probably only once a week to start.
We were at a playground this weekend that had a set of parallel bars. I tested out a ridiculous ab exercise from Calvert’s book: hook the feet on one side, knees on the other side; do a full backbend to the ground and then sit up. And I did it with ease and completely surprised myself. I didn’t actually know that was possible.
Pain notes:
Got a new thing the last week or two with the outside of my left calf. Just monitoring. Notice it with the squats and going down stiars.
Barbell Curl: 65# x 10
Z Press: 75# x 8
Flared BB Bent Row: 85# x 8
BTN Press: 85# x 8
Bent-knee Pullovers: 31# x 14
Backbend Situps: 30# x 8
V Squats: 95# x 16
Jefferson Squats: 95# x 16 (8 per side)
DB Side Press: 50# x 6 (per side)
H2H KB Swings: 70# x 15 (30 total)
Notes:
Morning weight has been above 155 for 6 days now, and above 157 the last two. Mostly I haven’t changed anything except milk intake. I think the main factor is that I’m thinking/focusing on it.
Left ankle/calf thing bugged me enough I decided to do the V squats flat footed rather than on my toes.
I have a family event I want to lean up for in early June. So I think I’ll push the weight gain until the first or second week of May, and then spend a couple weeks cleaning up.
Grip is still the issue with the swings. Takes a lot of focus.
Training thinking, for next week’s changes:
That also means when I add my “longer time under load” work, it probably won’t be grip focused. Right now I’m just mentally thinking through positions for the weight: hands, zercher, front rack, shoulders, overhead.
Overhead:
Abs and shoulders already get a lot of work, so maybe not overhead.
Hands:
Hands are out for now due to grip considerations (but I have figure 8 straps).
Front Rack:
probably the best if I want to continue working on upper back extension… but load (and breathing) is limited.
So, it’s probably “chain yoke” walks or marches or holds, either in zercher/conan position with a hard upper-back arch… or just on the shoulders.
I mean I could just do high rep squats or high rep mat pulls too.
This is either a brilliant idea or absolutely horrible, and only time will tell.
But… I think there’s a crossover opportunity here: chain yoke + bagua circle walking.
I don’t feel comfortable walking from my garage down my steep driveway, and I don’t have a long run to work with like I did at my storage-unit gym. But I might have enough space to walk in circles.
“Proper” circle walking does not involve any rotation at the knees, it’s entirely at the hip joint. If you rotate at your knees, you can hurt them. But if you do it right, you train the right patterns and it becomes natural. And if you do it with load, it probably trains the structure and mechanics even better.
That said, there’s much higher risk for knee injury by adding load. Even higher with it being unstable. But with a yoke setup (chain or otherwise) at least the weight doesn’t have far to fall.
I don’t have the space to do it with a full length barbell, but I POC’d it with one of my shorter bars, and I think it might work in my empty garage bay.
Will (probably) give it a shot after the other training today. If not today, sometime this weekend. Light weight and slowly.
