Rebirth of the Juggernaut: Brute Force and Ignorance (Part 1)

Training Training Logs
5794

Perfect practice makes perfect

Incidentally, it’s funny you mentioned this because I’m right now considering my squat form and I’m thinking about resigning to continue goofy squatting just because despite how they look @T3hPwnisher squats big weights and while I’m too lazy to go back and find it I’ll paraphrase from a discussion on squat form consistency

“Might as well get strong all over”

Do you still play the piano? It’s been a while since we interfaced on here. Hope you are well. Good luck with your nurse studies!

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5795

Squatting is very form-oriented - I have no doubt that with proper reinforcement based on one’s particular structure that you can squat a lot of weight by working on technique. But I’m not that invested in just lifting big numbers - I like being strong, and just being able to lift things and muscle them up in real life, and I have yet to lift something that resembled a proper barbell back squat.

I do still play, and I am well - hope you and your family are also. Appreciate the well wishes, school is going quite well, rocking perfect scores in all my classes. Kind of enjoying learning again, actually.

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5796

I spent a long time trying to make my squats LOOK like all the pretty squats I saw online before coming to terms with the fact it wasn’t in the cards. Good looking squats come from guys built to squat, and that build is VERY different from my “grown in a lab and built solely for deadlifts” thing I got going on.

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5797

Chalk up another victory for solipsism, haha. Unlearning is DEFINITELY tough. Trying to pick up Muay Thai with a Tae Kwon Do background taught me that lesson. Cues have certainly rubbed me the wrong way for a while. Glad to see there may be something to that.

5798

I think the problem with cues is when a coach has their cues and teaches that devoid of any input.

This is what I like about watching videos of Dave Tate teach the squat. He’ll try and opt for cues that are right for the individual he’s teaching.

But, the article-medium does make this more difficult and I sympathise with how difficult it is to write with that level of foresight from my own experience of producing educational material.

5799

For me, I feel it takes away instinct and actually works to REMOVE mindfulness. I find trainees are so fixated on “spread the floor, put my shoulders in my pocket, pack the neck, bend the bar”, etc etc that they aren’t ever actually IN the moment of lifting the weight.

I’ve done my whole “fighter vs barbarian” DnD nerd thing before, and I always lean toward the latter. I want my body to respond naturally to the stimulus I’m placing it under, rather than have to think it through the whole process. In the sport of strongman it’s especially valuable, as one often has to quickly approach an implement and move it while on the clock. There’s no time to get set and think it through: action must occur.

But I also just have never been one for word visuals. Tell me to put my lats in my pocket and I’m just going to stare sideways at you. About the only cue I’ve ever cared for is “squeeze the bar as hard as you can”, because that makes sense, haha.

5800

HEALTH UPDATE:

Got called from my Doc’s office today. Great news.

LDL: 64 (a drop of 136 points in 3 months)
HDL: 84
Triglycerides: 46

They said “It looks like the medicine is working”. I politely told them to f**k themselves in my head. I’m scheduled to meet with the doc in person next month, at which point I’ll discuss the possibility of coming off the meds, but I’m elated by this outcome. This is the lowest I’ve seen my LDL…ever. I started getting it tested when I was 21-22 and even then it was higher than this. I’m actually in what is considered “normal” range (right in the middle), and even my total number would be considered ok, which typically doesn’t happen due to my super high HDL.

I’m very pleased that my HDL and triglycerides remained good. I was worried that my radical nutritional change may have impacted that. It looks like I’m getting the blessing of my genetics while overcoming the curse as well.

I’m celebrating this with a change to the name of the blog. It’s been nearly 5 years since I blew out the knee, I overcame that challenge, and then this one showed up and I did it again. And I’ve always done it MY way: summed up expertly by one of my blog readers: through brute force and ignorance.

The Juggernaut continues on.

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5801

Got training in as well. Still on nights, so I came home, slept for 4 hours, woke up, had my yogurt with naked PB (PBFit without sugar or salt) and then ran 6 miles with the Mrs in 60 minutes and took my dogs for a walk with the 45lb weighted vest for 20 minutes. Got in 21 GHRs and 30 NG chins.

The run was ROUGH. My legs were still pretty pounded from my squat workout, and the low sleep and food were showing. We ran outdoors with a light rain and tackled a lot of hills. It was good for me. I need to get in some road miles before my race.

All systems are go now for weight gain. I’m making small changes now, because that’s what I need to do. I’m going to introduced post workout carbs on the same day I have pre-workout carbs: squat and deadlift workouts. Post workout is going to be by way of fruit. I know fructose is a bit controversial, but I’m still balancing health and performance, I have NO fruit in my diet, and this seems like an easy way to remedy that. I’m also going to re-integrate red meat into the diet, but not make it the staple of my diet like it was before.

As far as the training front goes, my plan is to keep the basic structure the same, but start introducing intensity modifiers in each workout. Rest pausing and dropsets are going to be key. Once again: small changes. Not everything needs an intensity modifier, but there will be at least one per workout. Thinking of making my topset of press a rest pause, my axle flat bench last set a rest pause, a dropset on the belt squat, and a dropset on the t-bar rows. I’m also planning on adding some sort of shrug on my back day (thinking dip shrugs right now: going to re-read Kelso’s shrug book for inspiration). The dips on the bench day will most likely rest pause just for the sake of time.

Going to keep the daily chins and GHRs. I think those have been good for me. Might include other movements too.

Will continue to push conditioning hard, but once the race is over running will be even more on the backburner. I’m really digging the weighted vest walks though, and today I hit a hill doing it and felt it light up my whole body, so I may make incline treadmill walks with the weight vest something I include.

Got my Alpha Male today. Took my first dose of it. So many x-factors I’m introducing that there’s no way to give it a good evaluation, but I don’t care anymore, haha.

It’s exciting times.

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5802

Is it?

5803

Definitely. Debate between if it replenishes muscle glycogen or goes to the liver first and lots of stuff that just is too beyond my point of caring. If bodybuilding was the goal, maybe I’d care more, haha.

5804

I’ve just opted for the pragmatist option. I try and have some of every type of sugar more or less. The one thing I’m less adamant about (as in, I might skip it) is the one you get from dairy products but as an example of when I feel I’ve covered all my bases that’d be,

  • Chocolate milk, or whey/casein mixed with minute amounts water (or milk). Cottage cheese / quark / yoghurt / kefir are also options
  • Pair the above with a banana, or pair the below with a banana
  • White Rice

I tend to vary the fruit and whether it pairs best with the option above or the carb option below the best dictates where it goes usually. For instance, apples pair beautifully with pasta or spicy ramen. Berries usually go with the kefir-like stuff. Pineapple and mango can disappear into whatever. Pairs really nicely with tortilla wraps, or chili or, anything.

5805

My plan is to keep it simple in that regard as well. Fruit and honey as post workout carbs for now. Things that can be found in nature. I’ve done the junkfood load before, and I’m not opposed to doing it in a pinch, but right now I want to find a balance between performance and health. I got very strong eating not so great: I’m sure I can do it again while still eating well.

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5806

All the sciencey stuff on what types of sugars absorb goes way over my head, but this is an area I feel I can speak with a bit of authority on: fruit and meat should never be mixed. That’s straight up awful.

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5807

You’re wrong or doing it wrong :woman_shrugging:

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5808

You’re still strong.

Health wise I focus mostly on fats. I just try to get a little of each kind within a day. Others might prefer to have balance between the types across days.

I try and get some saturated fats in,
Animal fats
Tropical oils (e.g. coconut, palm, cacao)

Monounsaturated
Olive oil
Avocados
Peanuts & groundnuts
Tree nuts

Polyunsaturated
Omega-3 supplement or fatty fish

I know palm oil has a bad reputation ethically, and I don’t seek it out by consuming processed foods that they put it in but holy moly does it pair well with eggs. However, given its negative impact its not a daily staple.

5809

That’s outstanding and my understanding that would be significantly more than would be achieved by a low dose of statins - great to see your efforts paid off in powerful way!

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5810

Never had a kabob? Or ham with pineapple slices? Or a teriyaki burger with pineapple? Hawaiin pizza? Fruit and meat are delicious, haha

Much appreciated. Just a question of getting back to what I was also able to do.

For fats, I’m sticking with almonds (almond butter sandwiches on Keto bread are my go to now. Lifechanging), pistachios, walnuts and hazlenuts. I have avacado oil at the ready, but haven’t found any need to add oils to my foods right now. I also supplement with a lot of fish oil and have upped fish in my diet.

5811

Thanks dude! I’m over the moon about it. Told my wife “looks like I’m gonna be around for a while”, haha.

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5812

3-4g is adequate. Seems like anyone suggesting more than that also happens to be selling it.

5813

I take 5 capsules a night. Been doing that for years. Looks to be about 5 grams of oil which equates to 1.5 grams of Omega 3s. Sometimes I get a different brand, which results in apparently 7g of oil and 4.9g Omega 3s. Really just depends on what I got in the house.