Oh that sounds like a really fun way to lift! Perfect for busy times in the gym.
HAHAHAHA
Thanks lovely!
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Avoid at all times and curiosity killed the cat.
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Transitioning here… I own a small brewery (side hustle), but am drinking less and less. Maybe 2-3 beers a month.
So now it’s ‘enjoy one or two’ with good company otherwise I generally abstain.
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My stance on alcohol is that it’s definitely a hinderance to my goals. The reality is that I drink waaay too much. Somehow I still make progress, though. I’d probably be Dan Green if I could quit drinking. Unlike most people, I guess, I don’t do it socially, though. I prefer to not drink when I’m around people, because I want to be in control of my faculties. So I mostly drink alone. It relaxes me and tastes good. I am on my longest streak of not drinking in years, though. Tomorrow will be two weeks. (Though I don’t count beer as drinking, so that stat may be a little skewed. I have a had a few beers.) Anyway, I know this is a disjointed post, and probably not addressing the intent of your question. Sorry. I swear I’m not drunk!
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I love that these answers were totally different approaches!
Okay, @tlgains, wow! You are wise beyond your years and I hope you keep doing what you’re doing! I think abstinence has the biggest benefits.
I’m probably the most similar to @raven78 right now, but would not have that much self discipline if I owned a brewery! (That side hustle is so freaking cool.)
And @hillbillyk you’re on the right path! It’s awesome that you can still make progress while drinking, but given your potential, how cool would it be to see what you can do without it?!
Since you’re not a social drinker, you might be able to get the same relaxation benefits from cannabis… without the recovery drawbacks.
I don’t crave alcoholic beverages. But I do enjoy myself when drinking with loved ones, even in super small amounts. One thing that prevents alcohol from messing up my sleep or appetite, is to have it in the middle of the day… hours away from bedtime. And that means, I can’t really have it on any day except a Saturday or Sunday. Discovering “day drinking” made a huge difference. 
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Rare for guys our age.
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What I have noticed this year, compared to years gone by, is the dehydrating effect the next morning, from just a few alcoholic drinks the night prior. I’m sure it was always there - but more noticable now for me. Maybe just more self awareness?
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As someone who drank a lot in college (as most college kids) and now doesn’t drink (since I am diabetic and on insulin) I am surprised my stance has changed very little.
Everything in moderation has always been my take. Even in college I never got to the point where I threw up from drinking (people not realizing this is a sign of alcohol poisoning baffles me). A few drinks here an there are not a problem for the majority of the population. I also think good beer and whiskey is quite tasty. Occasionally I still get a craving for a beer taste and thankfully there are now some great non-alcoholic brews out there.
It comes down, like most things, to personal choice and responsibility. Know the side affects and risks of what one is doing and act according to your acceptable level of risk.
The only place I draw the line is if you drink in excess and get behind the wheel - then you threaten innocent lives and I think punishments for DUIs need to be much stronger.
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All great points!
Chris and I have a couple friends who — every time we visit them — are in celebration mode. They’re truly the most fun, relaxed, and loving people to be around.
But I can’t keep up drinking-wise, and Chris won’t even attempt because he has to drive us home!
So as much as we love their company we can’t visit with them super often because they’re too fun for us. My alcohol tolerance is pretty low and I like it that way.
Some people would say, “just abstain or keep your beverages to a minimum while you’re with them,” but I’ve tried, and apparently I just do what others do in happy, social settings.
But it is always impressive to hear from people who never drink. Especially if that was a regular occurrence in your life. So way to go!!
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YOU GUYS. Yesterday’s deep tissue massage was insane.
It was supposed to be an hour and a half long, but she ended up spending two and a half hours on just my upper body. And at the end of it she said, we’re still not done but it’s time to go!
She just kept finding knots everywhere, and in weird places too, like the serratus muscles on the rib cage and whatever the heck those muscles are in the armpit. Yes. I got my armpits massaged.
She loosened up my sternocleidomastoids (on the sides of the neck) and even hit the part of the pecs that go all the way up to the clavicles. I had no idea how tight I was in so many weird areas.
But she also hit the big muscles too: pec major, traps, lats, delts. She threw a little ART in there too.
The thing that felt the most amazing was the top of the forearms. Anyway, massages. I recommend them.
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Allergy season in Colorado is no joke. What’s it like in your area?
The puffy-eyes, swollen face, sore throat, headache thing is not the greatest way to get amped up for a workout. So I’ve been going every other day and just doing as much as I can before feeling like trash again.
Off brand Zyrtec is helpful but doesn’t completely do the trick.
Monday’s Workout: Lower Body
Leg Press
100 unloaded reps (warm-up)
4x10 with moderate weight
RDL
4x10-12
Ham Curl on Swiss Ball
3x10
Super set of these things:
• T-Bar Row 5 sets of 10 (super controlled) reps with a pyramid of weight
• Walking Lunge 5 sets 10 large steps with pauses
I get that it’s probably weird to see a back exercise on leg day, but I had the urge to hit that musculature. So I did.
(…in the gym.)
Today’s Workout: Upper Body
Getting to the gym at all was a win given how crappy my allergies are today.
Hammer Strength Chest Press
Warm-up 90 pounds for 15 reps, a few partials at the end
5 x 5: 140, 140, 160, 160, 170
Back-off set: 15 reps using 90 pounds
Palms-up banded external rotation between sets. I really felt this in the rear delts and mid-back area.
Despite not caring about progressive overload, I do pay attention to the weight used on chest press. But I won’t ever revolve my workouts around the goal of trying to use max weight on it. That’d be funny. Some weeks I go heavier for fewer reps (like 5) and some weeks I feel better using less weight and adding intensity techniques.
Superset of these:
Cable seated row: 4 sets of 10-12 controlled reps
Straight arm pulldown: 4 sets of 10-12 controlled reps
Really felt that pulldown in the triceps as much as the lats, if not more. That’s what I’m going for. Whenever I can hit the triceps in a straight arm position, it tends to prevent elbow pain.
Rear Delt Flye
A single set of 20 on each side
Ran out of juice on the last exercise and decided to call it a day.
Anyone else see “Daisy Jones and The Six” on Amazon Prime? I’ve been listening to 70s music since Chris and I watched it last weekend. We binged it. And now I feel the urge to hang a bunch of macrame all over the walls while wearing crocheted crop tops, lace kimonos, fringed leather jackets, and tall boots.
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I haven’t watched it, but I listened to the audiobook and I had the exact same urges!
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How did you like it? I wonder how it compares to the series. People often say movies and TV recreations don’t do the books justice. But I loved everything about it.
The lead singer’s love for his wife was undeniable, but the passion and chemistry between him and Daisy Jones was too. I hope they don’t make another season because it was wrapped up so perfectly.
Speaking of music-related books, I’ve been reading Jewel’s memoir because she had such a bizarre start in life: mother abandoned the family, father was abusive, she left small-town Alaska on her own with zero money and ended up famous. Then her mother made her go bankrupt. Her life should become a movie or series because it’s wild.
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Pretty sure I’ve impinged my right hip again.
How? Well you see, sitting at a desk is pretty intense these days. And if you lean the wrong way for too long, you’ll get injured.
Yesterday I felt a gradual tightening all afternoon. I was so focused on the article I was editing that I just kept sitting instead of getting up and moving around. The muscles just above the right hip bones and in the right glute area just kept getting tighter and tighter, and then that tightness caused incredible pain in the butt last night.
This happened a few months ago, and I was able to get help from a personal trainer, Rebecca, who knew all sorts of mobility drills. She actually loosened it up in one session. So I spent an hour at the gym today trying to get those muscles to unlock with the same drills. (Or the drills I could remember at least.)
I found some stretches that hit the spot PERFECTLY, but then when I moved out of the stretch, they tightened right back up again. Rebecca called this, muscle guarding, if I remember correctly.
So then I remembered what chiropractor Dr. Doyle told me a few months ago: sometimes weak muscles will tighten up too. So I did a couple light exercises to pump some blood in the area:
Hip Abduction Machine: To hit the glute med
Back Extension: To hit the spinal erectors
So far, the tightness is still… uh… tight. But the pain is gone. So at least there’s that. I say all this while sitting at my desk. On a chair. 
Off-Topic Randomness:
I want to talk about this woman’s video that went viral. Have you seen it and have you seen the backlash?
She received a ton of hate over it from both men and women who’ve called her an unhinged feminist. A lot of people say videos like hers make good men never want to help women.
But you know what? She did exactly what self defense instructors are teaching women to do now days.
In my self defense class last fall, the male instructor said to yell aggressively, curse, get mean and ugly at someone who gets too close and raises your spidey senses. He said to do this especially in parking lots.
So, if you’re alone and vulnerable, why not be rude to someone who seems like a predator? Being thought of as rude is a lot better than leaving your kid without a mother. If she’s wrong about him, well, she ruined a dude’s afternoon. If she’s right about him, then she saved her own life.
One thing that might’ve prevented the social media backlash would’ve been to wait till she got home and cooled off before making a video about it.
Doing it in the parking lot (of the place where she thought she could’ve been assaulted?) did not do her any favors. It unfortunately came off as a clout-chasing stunt instead of a legitimate video showing other women what to do in a scary situation.
What do you think?
I lean on the side of the unhinged feminist. She had NO idea what the guy was doing. Maybe HE needed help.
I find her reaction disproportionate to the situation.
I have been stalked in a truck stop and had to play this card but, not for just simply being approached.
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Wobbly
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That was my first impression, but then I thought back to my self defense class. Maybe my instructor read the same exact book she referred to in the video.
I tend to think yelling at someone in a parking lot when they haven’t said what they’re wanting yet is over the top, but parking lots aren’t always safe, she’s a small woman, and she has a child with her.
I also have to wonder, how many times has a woman been assaulted because she was afraid of being seen as rude or unhinged? How many times could a victim have prevented the situation just by seeming like a loudmouth hassle to deal with?
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“You dropped your wallet.”
I jest. I don’t think I can judge a situation at all based on someone’s recap (which is why social media is stupid). If she felt unsafe, acted, and then felt safe - that’s certainly better than something happening to her/ her children.
We certainly hear stories all the time where there are red flags and nobody says anything and then something bad happens.
My kneejerk reaction is right with @ChickenLittle, though.
EDIT: I feel I need to add to my answer: I recognize I have never had to feel this way. I don’t walk through parking lots or anywhere and feel any fear as this woman may. My perspective is certainly one-sided, and I don’t think the valid one in this instance.
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That’s the thing people are missing. In Colorado (at least) there are crazies everywhere. You have to assume the worst if they don’t seem right. I keep hearing stories about women getting stabbed to death or beaten unconscious.
I was downtown one day with Chris and there was a man coming toward us, spitting mad, looking me straight in the eye telling me not to touch his motorcycle. Mind you, we were nowhere near a motorcycle.
The dude was off his damn rocker. This was the situation that made me sign up for self defense classes, and I was glad to have Chris there that day.
So I can’t imagine feeling that same kind of fear while being alone and with a child. She has the right to go crazy.
Cue Heart:
Incidentally, I read somewhere that she’s a conservative Christian. Not exactly feminist material. But emotionally-charged social media videos tend to bring out our worst.
Your perspective IS valid and always appreciated! I can see why people were a put-off by her video of the situation. But as a dad, you likely have a lot of insight on stuff like this.
Do you want your kiddos to engage with strangers when they’re alone in parking lots? I’m sure it’s a case-by-case situation where you have to use your best judgment, but if your judgment raises your hackles, do you trust it… or assume the best of people just to seem nice?
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I definitely have a much larger “bubble” when with my kids, and I have no issue telling folks it’s time to move away.
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