And now I feel justified in having skipped it all this time. But the memory and mental energy aspect is too compelling to avoid it now. You’re a lot younger and sharper than I am… so probably not necessary for you.
Oh wait, it might actually have more to do with the amount of water I drank. I put each 5 g dose in an enormous (almost a gallon) container of water. So, mystery solved maybe.
Yeah! I like how Eugene Teo said it gives you mental and physical energy. Maybe the older we get the more important it is to take.
Hello (again) from Denver.
Thanks to you & your husband, for tips ect. in the Garden of Gods/Colo. Springs area from last week or so.
This time, it’s 2-3 favorite walking/hiking spots?..more for the scenery/views/beauty of it, not the hardcore hiking part :)…Thanks for your ‘locals insight’.
ERIC D.
Exciting Stuff
This is week-4 for my training bud who had never lifted weights before. And let me tell you, the speed of his progress is unreal. His working weight on the dumbbell bench press is the same as mine now, his lat pulldowns are officially heavier than mine, and his technique looks more pristine every time we lift.
On a psychological level, this was a person who was intimidated by the weight room and only took HIIT classes out of fear of embarrassing himself. But it seems like his comfort level is transforming too because random people are chatting him up between sets.
Here’s a fun story:
During one of our first workouts he talked about how scary some guys looked, so I told him that the biggest, strongest lifters in the gym are always the kindest. And today my claim was backed up when the 6’3" monster in the gym walked up and introduced himself to us. I think his name was Ken. As predicted, Ken is a sweet teddybear of a man in a hugely muscular, tatted-up body.
Chest + Arms
Push-Up Warm-Up
DB Incline Chest Press
My shoulder feels fine with 30 pound dumbbells but going heavier is a risk. So I’m sticking with that weight for a while and aiming for controlled sets of 10-15.
We did super strict reps here straightening the arms at the bottom. And on the last set, I set a 60 second timer, held the EZ bar at the mid point, and pushed the elbows forward. Then when the timer was up, I did the last set of 10. Brutal! (You should try it.)
This was okay but it’s not a great machine. The angle of the handles and the strength curve aren’t ideal. I’m comparing it to a Hammer Strength chest press, which becomes a staple when gyms actually have it.
I skipped this and had him do it. It irritates my left shoulder/scap too much.
This was a first for both of us, but it was a good mix of challenging and fun. It’s underrated for anyone wanting a stronger grip and forearms.
Legendary Foods
The people who started the Quest bar company are now the founders of Legendary Foods, and they send me stuff on occasion. I definitely do not deserve their goodies but am so stoked to get them!
Their snacks are insanely good. So, during PMS when my appetite is off the charts, I’ll go to Target and treat myself to their snacks. And by snacks I mean chips. Legendary Foods makes a lot of cool things but they are basically wizards at protein chips. Jalapeño cheddar is their newest flavor. I just ate it while sitting at my desk. Five stars!
And yes, you can have a great body composition and eat processed food. And no, protein snacks aren’t going to make you fat. And if you are fat, it wasn’t the protein snacks that did it. And if you have the money to buy the amount of protein snacks it would take to get fat, then you are a gazillionaire and you can afford a trainer and diet coach year round for the rest of your life.
What I’m Listening To…
It’s a 4-hour episode with Alex Hormozi, and I keep re-listening to certain parts while doing chores and walking dogs. So it might last the rest of the week. Here it is on YouTube.
And here’s an Alex Hormozi tweet.
Oh good question!
You already know about Garden of the Gods. But its trail system goes way beyond just the side-walk (crowded) area in the middle.
So when you find parking, head to some of the outer areas of the park and you can basically create your own hike by just wandering around the less packed trails. Chris and I have gotten turned around before with inadequate water, so bring more than you think you’ll need. It gets crazy hot out there and a scenic walk can become a hardcore hike on accident.
Granted, if you get to GOG early enough in the morning, you can basically get the rock formations to yourself without battling the crowds.
Red Rock Canyon Open Space:
Chris and I took a church hiking group here last year. We had a variety of ages and abilities with us, but everyone loved it and nobody died.
There are a million great trails here, but I recommend starting near the Sand Canyon Trail, right here below my husband’s butt… and then from there take the first trail that gets you as close to the rock formations as possible. If you have kids, they’re going to love it.
Helen Hunt Falls:
This is a pretty well known trail. Actually my last hiking pics in this log are from there. It’s super short and pretty steep, but the view from the bottom all the way to the top is amazing. You get to see the waterfalls immediately at the beginning of the trailhead. Awesome area for taking pictures even if you don’t climb to the top.
Lower Columbine Trail:
If you want to do something waaay relaxed and easy in that same area, look for the Lower Columbine Trail. It has picnic benches and a beautiful stream where kiddos can splash around.
There’s an upper Columbine trail and it’s full of switchbacks. It is NOT a relaxed hike, so I’d avoid that one if you’re not looking for a workout.
7 Bridges
Okay this one is a bit more intense. This is in that same mountain area as Columbine and Helen Hunt, but it’s a lot higher up the mountain. After you park, you basically walk up a steep-ish incline before you hit the trailhead. But then once you get to the trailhead, the scenery as you go from bridge-one all the way to bridge-seven is just breathtaking.
This is the steep area you climb before getting to the trailhead.
I wouldn’t call this hike “hardcore” because it’s not that long of a distance. But if you go when it’s hot then this first part will be obnoxious. Once you hit the trailhead you’ll have tons of shade for most of the hike.
Mt. Cutler
If you’re feeling adventurous, this is a fun one. Make sure to wear some really good hiking shoes. One time I climbed it in my regular gym shoes and felt like I was going to slide off the side of the mountain. It’s not hardcore but it is steep in areas.
This is a view from the top outlook.
This is a view from the top outlook when there were massive fires in parts of the state.
I’ll add one more: Bear Creek open space. This is across the street from Bear Creek Park.
It’s just a looped walk you can do with a cup of coffee, but part has little bridges, a community garden, a creek, and shade. The other part opens up to a nature walk with one hill where you can overlook downtown on one side and mountains on the other. Super easy. We take the dogs there for a quick Sunday walk sometimes.
And here’s Dani in the shady section where she’s definitely not posing and being a total supermodel:
Smelling salts smell a lot like pee. I bought some to try them. They work okay, and unless you don’t mind everything in your gym bag smelling like old man diapers there is little reason not to. 
Anchovies are awesome. And I don’t know how you even get through college roommates without anchovy pizza or that trick where you put a candle in the top of an open booze bottle to discourage the curious or greedy…
Never been there. I did once go to Helen Keller Falls. Good views, but they kept rearranging the furniture.
You know who cares about eyebrows?
Superheroes.
“I wanted to be the Six Million Dollar Man as a child. I learned how to raise each eyebrow independently, just like Lee Majors. Then eat them on pizza.”
I take 10g. Honestly I’m not sure if it helps or not.
But I’m a big believer that anything that can help me with performance in the gym, even if its placebo, is worth my money personally.
LOL! Oh wow. That’s really good to know. Since I’m not going anywhere near a 1RM, I probably can’t rationalize using them anyway.
HAHAHA!!!
The effects might be subtle but make a big difference over time.
I get these weird chronic injuries that I can work around well enough, but the pain just seems to linger for months, sometimes years. So I’m hoping creatine helps.
I really like this. There’s a lot to be said about the mental side of fitness. Even clothing in the gym can have an impact on a person’s motivation.
That’s great guys, Thanks so much.
I’d seen a couple of those too, now we have plenty of options.
I suggest putting the smelling salts bottle in a freezer bag. They are not kidding about the first half.
Back and Shoulders
Lat Pulldown
Seated Cable Row
Machine Overhead Press
Lateral Raise
8 Minute AMRAP:
Neither of these were significantly heavy, but the tension in the upper body and biceps definitely accumulated.
My training bud is really wanting to build arms, forearms, grip, and upper body overall so this’ll do it. If you have any doubts about farmers walks or loaded carries, they basically do everything: muscle growth, muscular endurance, grip strength, and I would even wager that they could be a tool for fat loss.
Here’s what Coach Thibaudeau wrote about it:
Other Stuff
I mentioned this study somewhere above in my log but came across a reminder of it on YouTube:
This guy has a great teaching style. He kinda reminds me of our paster here in Colorado Springs. And yeah I definitely notice a difference when I’ve been reading the Bible regularly versus not. For some reason my discipline plummets between Old Testament books. So it took me a while to start the book of Isaiah, but I’m finally in it.
Pretty sure we’ve also discussed Busytown before in my log.
Roxy says hi.
I’m late chiming in but… I haven’t for a long time but have been contemplating starting again… When I took it in the past, I didn’t really notice anything, but maybe I need to give it another shot - it’s been years. No weird belly stuff in the past for me, so hopefully, if I try again that won’t be a thing!
Let me know how it goes! Yeah same. I’m not sure I’m noticing anything either, but keep seeing posts about how much more muscle a person can build the first year of using it consistently. That, combined with the brain benefits seem too good to pass up… but I definitely will pass it up if it keeps causing crazy water retention.
