I’m judging this poor pupper for the reflex sight and extended mag, tho. Glock is fine.
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Yeah, good points. 
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Yesterday’s Lower Body Sesh
Booty Blaster Thing: 4 sets of as many reps as it took to set the glutes on fire
Barbell RDL: 5 x 5
Leg Press: 4 x 10
Seated Ham Curl Drop Set: 3 x 10, drop in load, 5
Abs
Shoulder Weirdness
Ever accidentally keep doing the thing that’s causing problems thinking it was something else that was causing the problems?
I’m pretty sure the rope pull thing has been messing with my shoulder but I’ve kept doing it. I was still attributing the shoulder weirdness to the cable rear delt flyes I stopped doing weeks ago.
So it’s a little impinged again. No big deal. The real bummer is having to stay away from something that’s fun. I loved that rope thing.
Social Media Weirdness
I made an insta post for the first time in over half a year.
It’s odd though. I don’t want my brain to live there. Several years ago (a span of around 2014 to 2019), it’s all I could think about… until Chris shook me out of it. I don’t know how he did it, but he actually made me realize that I’d been somewhat brainwashed.
I try not to assume everyone on there is as bad as I was, but I can’t help but notice little things that make me worried for people and society in general.
Maybe that’s a reason why having multiple in-person communities is healthy. Because if one of them suddenly gets weird, you’ve got other options, and at least you won’t be arranging your life based on what’ll get the most likes and attention.
I don’t know. Here’s a possum.
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Not all of them but there are a lot of brainwashed people around for sure.
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Good point. I have a lot of friends who seem to do it right and have even have made tremendous career progress because of it. So there’s definitely a good way to use it. I just didn’t succeed at that.
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The biggest problem I have with it and something I try to remind my children is that, most of what you see or read is either fake or embellished in some way, no one puts posts on about the argument they had with their wife or how much debt they are in. We have friends who’s life on IG looks like one big party and then when my misses has a drink with the wife, she tells her how they are close to divorce and how broken their relationship is. Everyone only wants people to see the shiny stuff.
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You bring up some killer points that I’ve gone over many times with the voices in my head. This is something I believed too:
It’s tricky because we call this “airing one’s dirty laundry” and it’s not recommended on social media.
Often, when people post about their hard times, it ends up coming off as fake, and sometimes even unhinged. The crying-in-the-car-having-a-meltdown trope, for instance, is one of the less glamorous times, but it’s also a display someone is putting on for an audience. In many cases, what they really needed was a friend, parent, or counselor.
A few years ago, a girl went into the locker room in her gym and snapped a few mirror selfies of her crotch where her tampon had failed. And then she made a production out of her bloody pants. She went viral for her “accident” but it seemed even less authentic than someone getting their picture taken while they were doing something aesthetically pleasing.
So, as much as we complain about only seeing a highlight reel, it can be difficult. I don’t think our hard times are meant for public consumption, unless there’s some type of lesson that comes out of it, which can help people.
And even then, it’s up to the person’s discretion. If they only feel comfortable sharing the good things that happen to them, that’s fair. I’m not entitled to every part of their private life.
There is a place for vulnerability, but the motivation behind it matters a great deal. So, I get your point about things looking too fake or shiny online – and I agree – but I’m not sure how we’d ever balance it out.
And I actually prefer the shiny stuff over the influencers who are only there to stir up drama with other influencers. That’s a big thing in fitness: calling everyone who disagrees with you a charlatan. See why I hate it?
I think the answer is just to limit your time on social media. Be out of the loop! Post your own shiny stuff when or if you feel like it, and if other people hate it, then that’s fine too because nobody (who has a life) cares.
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I don’t think we need to and agree with you that sowing our dirty laundry in public doesn’t really make good reading. I just look at social media now, like the bodybuilding magazine ads of the 90’s that promised massive gain from supplements. It’s just fake and at best very exageratted, it’s good reading and nice to look at but it’s just not real.
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Yeah. The word performative comes to mind when I see social media “influencers” acting out their things that they do.
On the other hand, my friend from high school shared the ups & downs of her battle with breast cancer. It was actually inspirational, seeing her friends and family rally around her, fundraising, and showing that there is life during and after something so difficult on so many levels.
It was real. No performance, no embellishments. Just authentic life on lifes terms. And it was pretty amazing. I have more respect for her and women in that situation than ever.
Maybe it has something to do with the level of dignity that the person is operating with that appeals to me, and probably why I don’t care much for a lot of influencers.
That happy dance after the shooting round was legit! 
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Haha yeah that’s probably a healthy way of looking at it. It seems like there are a good amount of genuinely kind influencers, who love to share their knowledge and what works for them.
I can’t not watch a DLB short on YouTube. She stays humble and playful despite the fame and that insanely gorgeous body. How could anyone not love her?
That’s the way to do it! And it’s probably one of the best parts of social media. Sharing those ups and downs with a supportive community can be really helpful during challenges like that.
I think her sincerity and motives were clear. Your friend was seeking connection, which is endearing and relatable.
What comes off kinda weird is when people treat their lives like a reality-TV celeb would, and capture every banal event that happens in their day. (Guilty!) 
I think when certain people start posting regularly, something happens in the brain where they feel the need to produce “content” every single day in order to entertain (sarcasm now) the masses who can’t possibly go a second without seeing what you’re up to.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this phenomenon ends up in a future edition of the DSM. And I don’t think it’s narcissism, but rather a psychological need for relevance and approval that depends on the validation of internet followers.
I’m not above needing validation. As a certified attention-whore, validation is basically my love language, and Chris has to “put out” pretty much all day long. 
So I’m not putting anyone down here.
But I do think that for certain personality types, social media creates more of a dependence on validation (from complete strangers) than what is normal or healthy.
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Not a fan that she has repeatedly claimed to be 100% natural despite being an IFBB pro…
Just be honest about it.
That i agree with.
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I have heard that a lot and just don’t care. Could she be lying? Sure, but I don’t care.
Her advice is fantastic and she’s a delight to learn from.
Upper Body
Superset:
Seated cable row
Super light lateral raise
I don’t know what makes this particular machine so different, but it hits the lats way harder than any other cable machines. It lights up the rear delts somehow too.
For the lateral raises I tried to emphasize the anterior delts more and take tension off the area that’s been so irritated.
Superset:
Straight arm cable pulldown
Tricep pulldown
I was able to shift tension between the lats and triceps, but this was probably not great for the shoulder issue.
Incline dumbbell bench
I wasn’t able to use anything heavier than 25 pound dumbbells because… shoulder. But those lighter dumbbells are great for really controlling the ROM and feeling the pecs work.
EZ bar bicep curl
10 full ROM reps, then 5 top partials, and 5 bottom partials. The top partials are actually coming down to about belly button level. And the bottom ones are coming up to wherever the heck I can get them without dying.
Abbies
40 seconds on, 20 seconds off for 8 minutes of burn.
Other Stuff
This was how my day went yesterday.
I think we all know this expression.
Yep.
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I don’t mind Dana, I have listened to a few podcasts with her and she seems a pretty genuine person. I still think some of her (and everyone’s) social media is a bit shiny and produced but I get that she is trying to up keep her brand. I think the monetization associated with a good social media profile (directly or indirectly) goes a long way to influencing the look and feel of the content. I am sure most of these people are a little different when the camera is off but agree that Dana seems like one who would be pretty much the same.
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I can see that.
And definitely this too.
Totally agree.
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DLB is great and has been for a long time. I could make a point about the challenges of publicly admitting to illegal PED usage… but I agree more with what you’re saying. I don’t care.
I value honesty for myself—I know if I’m being honest or not. I can’t be sure about other people. And even if I could, other people’s virtues or vices belong to them. If I enjoy something and someone else says I shouldn’t… well, I care a lot more about my enjoyment than their opinion, that’s for sure!
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This whole statement is excellent, especially that bold sentence. Seriously great thoughts there.
Yeah, I think she’s a gem.
Neither can I actually.
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The Injured Ego Story
Dear self, is it too soon to share this? Yes. But I’m gonna do it anyway.
My precious little ego got seriously crushed last week, and for days I felt so unfunny and cringy and bad at everything in life. But looking back at what happened, I’m actually chuckling now, so I figure it’s safe to share here.
Exactly a week ago, I got to stand-up class with homework in hand. We were told to write a self-deprecating bit in our notebooks and to be ready to perform them for class.
And I could give you all the excuses in the world about the lights being too bright (we have to stand on stage in pure darkness with a spotlight in our faces and zero ability to see the audience), or I could say that I was just so dang nervous, but the truth is, what I wrote and thought was clever, was actually trash. It just wasn’t funny.
There’s a fine line between self-deprecating and pathetic. And being on stage, reading the thing I wrote – one hand clutching the mic and the other holding the notebook – I BOMBED HARD. My body language was super tight and clammed up, and as I read, I heard my voice shake.
It was the most humiliating thing I’ve ever experienced. It was so bad that the teacher had to stop me before I finished because it actually pained him to see me continue. I failed the assignment.
See the thing is, if you’re really good at negative self-talk, then when you share what’s in your head with the outside world, it’ll freak people out. It’s not funny. It’s sad.
And if you’re curious, the gist of my bit was that I’m a proud ugly person with really good makeup skills. If you ever do stand-up, here’s a pro-tip: that one’s not gonna land.
Anyway, I started to recover a few days later in improv class and had the thrill of laughing and being laughed at. It showed me that I’m not unfunny, but that I do better with the absurd and spontaneous than standing alone reading about myself.
I’m sticking with the stand-up class and giving it my best shot. The only thing the nightmare-situation did was make my skin thicker. So, it’s a win. And I have totally new material this time. It’s lighter and follows the new joke patterns we learned last week.
And I’m absolutely ditching the notebook because I do better slightly off the cuff than reading.
Wish me luck and funnies.
PS - If you ever feel really humiliated, just be glad you never turned a social blunder into a photo op while insulting a NON-pregnant woman’s body.
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