2018, almost done & dusted

The time is now.

Better start gearing up for some change, me thinks.

Looking back over your own personal 2018, what can you see?

– What was achieved
– How much progress got made
– Were any lessons learned
– Did it go as well as you’d hoped
– Are there mistakes you’d wish you’d avoided

Arbitrary questions, yet ones worth answering nevertheless.

I’d like you to share your notable thoughts of this year, along with any proof to go with it because while I will smile and give a nod to the words people say, as you know by now I only believe what I see, simply due to the internets room for creative adaptation.

Personally my year has been pretty standard because I’m boring like that.

The lifting has been steady as has my physique, yet nothing has really moved forwards.

One thing that has gained some traction is my growing love for that little thing called JiuJitsu, Rob, George & the young Steve can attest to this, in fact Rob might even have some epic fuck-ups on video 😂

All in all I’ve begun to drift away from being quite so dogmatic about my own training as there is just far more to be learned, while it was nice having a purely lifting based focus for a few years there was only so far I could take it, sad yet true.

To know when you’re beaten, so to speak, it’s something that both makes you smile and understand just where you stand int he grand scheme of things.

What do I mean by that?

I worked diligently to hit 210kg in the squat, that was 3xBW, and it was hard graft, I did some PL meets and do you know what, there were people at my weight and a couple of KG heavier that were opening with that.

Yep, my all time best was there opener, you’ve got to laugh about it, or cry, either is good.

Apart from the difference in strength there was also one other thing they all had that I didn’t.

No, it wasn’t genetics because some had far worse proportions than me for PL.

It was intent, heart if you will.

They wanted it, to them this was their everything and they’d do whatever it took to keep climbing that mountain, this is where I drew the line because I knew I just didn’t care enough.

The same thing happened with WL, I saw just, exactly where Is stood in the grand scheme of things and at best I was an average hobbyist, a valuable lesson to learn.

I could make a lot of logical and even rational excuses to protect my ego and other such things, however the truth is this, I wasn’t good enough and just didn’t have what it took to move past the point I was at.

I didn’t care enough, as such I enjoyed talking about it far more than actually doing it, I’m sure there are a few of you like that in here, it’s okay though, you don’t need to put your hands up or anything, just know you’re not alone.

The time is now, to be thankful for what we’ve learned.

As such my advise to anyone who hasn’t yet set a goal for 2019 would be this; pick a goal that means something to you, don’t follow a trend or what everyone else tells you to follow, pick something that means something to you otherwise it doesn’t matter, not really.

Arbitrary goals are just that when they have no real meaning to them.

So, what do you have in mid for next year?

I have another reflective post read for tomorrow which is unlike my normal, it will make sense when I pop it up, however until then I’d love it if you’d share your answers to the points above.

How to make 2019 your year, no seriously this is how you WILL do what you haven’t for the last several.

2019 is fast approaching.

 

How will you make it your best year yet?

 

3 ideas that will lead to success in Fitness, Love & Life.

 

Morning all,

 

These sorts of posts will be rife unsocial media soon, so I felt I’d add in my two pennies worth as well.

 

One common pattern I’ve noticed is that almost everyone who saying things like –

 

“Next year is going to be my year.”

 

Only then to epically fail at making the year any different from previous ones all have this in common.

 

They don’t do anything differently, like nothing.

 

How can you expect change or a different results if you continue to perform the same things?

 

Now it might just be me who thinks this way, however that seems rather illogical, as such here is my views that you can choose to apply for change.

 

The tropes of “next year will be mine”

 

1 – Achieving a better body, no more XXL pants for me.

 

The reason internet guru’s and quick fix programs are still round is because people majorly suck at this part of the ‘best year yet’.

 

Why do they suck?

 

Many dislike the discomfort they have to endure to achieve anything notable, while I’d like to say you can make epic change without it, I can’t because it’s not true.

 

If this sounds like you then here is the answer you need.

 

Hire a trainer, a real one you can see face to face.

 

Before you say you don’t have the money, I’m sure you do, write down everything you spend on an average week and make note of what you don’t need, then chop it.

 

This is doubly true for things you WANT but don’t need because those funds can go towards a far better cause.

 

The money you invest in a good trainer will be worth it.

 

I can promise you that.

 

2 – I won’t let anymore deadbeats play with my heart.

 

Bahahahahahha, yea we both know that’s wishful thinking because you will go for the same type of person you always do, simply because they’re your type, obviously.

 

We get caught in this loop because of familiarity.

 

Deep in our subconscious we meet people we’ve met before, all because we know the subtle traits, which lets us to seek them out, and because they’re familiar we feel comfortable with them.

 

I bet you’re guilty of saying things like this “It’s like we’ve known each other for years, yet we only just met.” or the classic “We click, there’s a spark.”

 

Dear god pleas run.

 

Head for the hills immediately because this is only going to end one way, and you know it.

 

So, give the above how do you prevent this?

 

Go to places you’ve never been, step outside of your comfort zone, your circle of friends and venture out to make new circles and new friends.

 

If you go to the same places, do the same things you’ll always meet the sam people, trust me.

 

To find something you never knew you were looking for you need to go to places you’d never normally go, it is here you give yourself the chance to be happy by taking a leap of faith in to situations/places that you don’t know.

 

Go on, step outside your box and see the rest of the world, you never know who you might meet doing so.

 

Also, you might be better off on your own for a bit, another person might not give you what you think you need, if what you need is to be happy with who you are, in every aspect and element of ‘you’.

 

Sometimes moving forwards isn’t about doing it with someone else, sometimes it’s about knowing you’ll be alright doing it for yourself.

 

Better to be alone and be happy in yourself than to be with someone unhappily and change who you are for them because you can’t stomach the thought of not having someone in your life.

 

3 – I’m will do more things for me, time to be strong.

 

Admittedly this is more for those of you that are people pleasers.

 

You know who you are, basically door mats, mugs, that person everyone knows won’t object to anything asked of them because they fear being called a ‘bad friend’ or seen as ‘selfish’ and so on.

 

Don’t get me wrong, doing kind things and giving to other people is what makes life fulfilling, however there is a difference between doing this out of choice and some misplaced sense of obligation.

 

I’ve know a lot of people over they years who pride themselves on being that person people go to anything they need help, and bess them they’re too naive to see that their ‘friends’ are simply using them as a mean to and end.

 

Worst of all is that many who fall in to this description know this is the truth.

 

You know it too, don’t you….

 

Having some self-worth, some value in your time and not giving it away willy nilly to anyone who will abuse your generosity doesn’t make you a bad person, if anything it will derive more respect from people in the long run.

 

To stop being so scared of upsetting the world and it’s dog will be the first step to setting you free fro being everyones bitch.

 

Might sound harsh, however I’ve seen too many a good friend get drowned in this and not be abel to get themselves out, even with help.

 

The same thing happens in marriages too, so beware.

 

So apart from having more self-wroth and internal value, what else can you do?

 

Here is the biggest, and the hardest part of becoming free of this trope.

 

You ready?

 

Learning to say no, and actually mean it.

 

Your time is precious, you only have so much of it and by all means give it to people who appreciate it, who you truly care for, however don’t waste it being a dogsbody.

 

You’re a person too after all, you deserve as much respect and time as you give to others, never forget that.

 

There you have it, some things to consider for 2019.

 

If you have any questions please leave them below.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Merry Christmas Everyone

My gift to you is this challenge; 100 reps a day for 100 days as of January the 1st.

Pick one different lift to do each day, or just do one lift for all 100 if you are so inclined, however if it is a loaded movement I’d suggest waving the load each day o r perhaps each set (vary the reps too) ].

This is a variation of the 10,000 rep swing workout, so doing it with just one lift would be quite good fun.

Merry Christmas,
Ross

A Christmas Thought

Christmas, a time for giving.

 

Over the many days since the creation of this little avenue for sharing thoughts, content and general tidbits I’ve posted a fair amount on here.

 

There is, hasn’t and won’t ever be any underlying motive here.

 

I’m not trying to sell anything, nor gain a following of hundreds of thousands, that’s just too much effort for my liking.

 

However those of you few that do follow these ramblings I’d like to say thank you for taking the time to read through them.

 

Most follow a similar pattern of writing, constrained by familiar biases and are of course entirely of my own personal view on things, even the science is written/explained in my interpretation of what I’ve read.

 

I tend to read a lot.

 

I’ve found over the years it helps to broaden ones horizons and starts to have you venture further and further out of your comfort zones.

 

Something that is especially rewarding is when you find a nugget of information that completely changes the way you think or perceive the world because perhaps they way you were looking before was either incomplete or simply just wrong.

 

You might be surprised to know, or maybe not, that I detest being wrong.

 

It irritates me more than anything and as such I will go to any length to cover all the bases to ensure it doesn’t happen and if it does it’s rare.

 

Of course that isn’t the case, I’m often wrong 😂

 

I personally enjoy being out of sorts, being challenged to think and overcome obstacles, most of all I enjoy working my way around such things with an idea in mind and if it works I take great internal pleasure in knowing that this time, I got it right.

 

So, how has affected my fitness life?

 

Simple, I know the reason I don’t get certain results is because of what I don’t do and there is nothing more to it than that.

 

This, if you haven’t already guessed is what I base everything and everyone else from, myself.

 

Egotistical as that sounds, we are the only people in our own heads, we know what we know and see things how we see things, the one consistent focal point for reference is well, us.

 

We know our behaviours, we know our biases, we know.

 

If there are people achieving the results you want yet don’t have, you could ask all the questions to find a ‘why’ that is suitable for your ego and its protection, or you can simply be honest and say that it’s because you know you’re not doing what you need to be doing, unlike the person you admire who is doing the things you don’t.

 

Of course people will start to throw in all the excuses, exceptions to the rules and the kitchen sink, which kinda matter, yet in the grand scheme of things they really don’t because all of those things are external factors that you can do sweet bugger all about.

 

Yep, you control you, nothing else, just you.

 

I’ve come to learn this over many years.

 

Making choices, taking ownership, being responsible, having security or freedom, for the most part we can have whatever we truly desire, if that is we truly desire it.

 

Ask yourself, do you really want what you think you want?

 

I’m willing to say it’s a no because if it was you’d either be on your way to getting it or you’d already have it because that’s what I’d do.

 

Yep, from the only frame of reference I have, me, if I want something I will do anything to get it, regardless of what barriers are in the way I will get it in the end, and if I don’t then it is because I didn’t really want it.

 

This attitude is one many people harbour yet few will admit because they want to maintain an imagine of sorts.

 

At the end of the day only person stopping you achieving what you really desire is you, honestly it really is just you.

 

Haven’t you ever stopped to think…

 

In a world where people are told they can be anything they want to be they choose to be anything else other than what they really want to be.

 

Many choose to be safe, secure, average and then spend their golden years complaining about all the things they didn’t do.

 

Are you one of these people?

 

Do you choose simply having a life to live or living a life that is worth having?

 

I know which one I’d rather have.

 

Give it some thought.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Frequency Police!

The optimal frequency of training muscle group is every 3-5 days, according to all the science.

 

What happens is you can’t adhere to this and end up hitting it once every 7 days?

 

Well not much to be fair.

 

Much to the dismay of the people who state how things should be there are no lifting frequency police that will burst through your houses walls and call you out.

 

While it may be optimal, it doesn’t mean it’s the only way.

 

We have a little thing called movement crossover to take in to consideration as well, which a great many people forget about.

 

Like those who do incline bench, decline bench, flat bench, then repeat with dumbbell, in the hope they re hitting all the parts of the pec, it simply doesn’t matter that much, you’d find that doing incline bench (or dumbbells) and weighted dips would be sufficient.

 

Seriously, all of your pressing variations are wasted.

 

It’s just more pressing at the end of the day.

 

While some will cry out in horror about the latest EMG study of muscle activation/recruitment and so in, it honestly does’t make that much difference for most people.

 

Humour me for a second, if you can.

 

Let us say that you’re doing the proposed incline dumbbell press & weighted dips, if you are working up to heavy sets of 4-6 reps and get a sufficient pump/stimulus do you think there is any chance you won’t hit your entire pec/supporting musculature?

 

Correct, you will indeed hit enough, provided you lift with enough intent.

 

How can this help those who feel they struggle to hit the required lifting frequency of every 3-5 days?

 

Like this – you pick movements that are the same yet different.

 

A 3 day per week example using just one lift:

 

Day 1 – Front Squat

Day 2 – Weighted Dip

Day 3 – Deadlift

 

Now for the crossover.

 

Day 1 – FS = Quads, glutes, hammies, upper/mid back (all of it), lats, core, calves, a touch of biceps

 

Day 2 – WD = triceps, biceps, pecs, delts, lats, upper/mid back, core.

 

Day 3 – DL = Everything above with the slight exception of biceps as if you hit those in your DL then you might be on route for a tear.

 

You may find that you need to do some form of ramp to a heavy set, then several back off sets for suitable pump (all for crisp snappy form) and stimulus.

 

If you use two lifts per session you hit every thing with a solid frequency.

 

All in all so long as you are shifting some decent loads and hitting foundational movement patterns (push/pull/squat/hinge/carry) you will build a fine body that is going to last.

 

While complicated training programs are fun, they’re not necessary.

 

So long as you’re hitting main lifts you’ll usually be progressing nicely, you can hit a lift once per week if you find it easier to adhere to and that you enjoy training that way.

 

Say you lift three days per week, then you might do Pull-Push-Legs week one, then Hinge-Carry-Pull week two, followed by Push-Legs-Hinge in week 3 and on to Carry-Pull-Push in week 4 before finally in week 5 hitting Legs-Hinge-Carry, then cycle starts again; I’d keep the lifts the same for these 5 weeks then change them up for most as they have short attention spans these days 🤣

 

In list form:

 

Lifts – Pull Up, Incline Press, Front Squat, Deadlift, Sandbag shoulder to overhead carry.

 

^^ or what ever you feel like, the sets are reps can be anything, so do’t get too hung up on those and follow these simple guidelines – 2-6 reps for strength, 7-20 for hypertrophy, multiple sets always ending with strong form and a good feeling. 

 

Week 1 – Pull, Push, Legs

Week 2 – Hinge, Carry, Pull

Week 3 – Push, Legs, Hinge

Week 4 – Carry, Pull Push,

Week 5 – Legs, Hinge, Carry

Cycle starts again

 

Try picking a one or two lifts each session and rotate through Pull-Push-Squat-Hinge-Carry, I can promise you that nothing will be left out.

 

Aim to keep things as simple as possible, or as simple as they need to be, this will yield the some rather good results.

Above all else though, enjoy your training because that will lead to you sustaining it.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

The reason why many fail to achieve their goals.

Simply is it because people these days have the attention span of… SQUIRREL!!

Yes, my Master

Let’s be honest, no one wants to be the DUFF.

 

Have you seen that film?

 

A nice easy watch, while it follows the classic teen flick ethos, there is an underlying message.

 

“You will always be someone else’s DUFF.”

 

As Qui-Gon very astutely put it too; there’s always a bigger fish.

 

What does this mean?

 

Is all our hard effort in vain?

 

So long as you keep comparing yourself to others, yes.

 

Breaking free of our inherent needs for validation is something that requires an immense amount of growth to do, because we often seek out a power to become our own ‘master’ as it were.

 

Yet ironically that very power which we seek ends up mastering us and gains a devoted salve.

 

It’s ironic really, that which we seek to set us free merely helps us exchange one cage for another, all be it a guided one.

 

We all have this going on inside.

 

Some are more aware than others, yet if you sit, listen and take it all in, you’ll see we’re not so different. Everyone wants something they don’t have, as such they go after things to give them the power to get that ‘thing’ and as a result end up controlled by it.

 

I’ve been there, perhaps you’ve also been there, or maybe you are there and perhaps I’m just spouting nonsense, who really knows any more.

 

Give this some thought.

 

What was it you were chasing and have you mastered it or has it mastered you?

 

Enjoy,

Ross

5 Quotes that stuck (Melancholy Musings)

Edging ever closer to Christmas Day and New Years I felt like something a little different post wise.

A list of quotes and what they mean to me.

 

5 of my favourite specifically.

 

Here goes nothing.

 

Number 1 –

 

“Does the visual match the audio?” – Charles Poliquin

 

A solid line that is above all else quite fair.

 

The late Mr-P was referring to coaches/trainers and online experts who could talk a good game and make all the right claims, however sometimes their image didn’t match what they were selling.

 

Nor did it at any point in their career.

 

Of course there will be exceptions, however most of the time people who know their stuff have usually come from a similar place because that is how experience is gained.

 

I personally like this one because of my inherent bias towards people being able to either still do (to some level) or prove their past level of ability.

 

Talk is cheap after all, everyone can be an armchair expert these days thanks to the internet and the ‘online persona’ which is often far removed from the one they have in reality.

 

Instead of telling people stories about who you want to be, actually do the things that will lead you to be the person you want others to think you are.

 

Number 2 –

 

“You may never know what type of person someone is unless they are given opportunities to violate moral or ethical codes.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb

 

It’s probably the heretic in me that rather enjoys this one.

 

Given half the chance people will always opt to ‘get away’ with whatever they can, this is no different in fitness.

 

You hear it all the time, people will link this particular attitude with food, or skipping training and other such things because we’re all secretly advocates of rebellion and opposing the oppressors (be those physical, social, environmental or mental), Spartacus lives on in our hearts.

 

It’s once things got tits up that can reveal the true character of us all, thus a solid conviction is key.

 

Number 3 –

 

“I ain’t as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was. Maybe not be good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.” – Toby Keith

 

Time is master to us all, it waits for none, not even Walt Disney who apparently resides in his cryogenic chamber 🤣

 

When I first heard the above it perfectly summed up what being abel to give your all just one more time meant, regardless of the cost.

 

We can push ourselves hard and past the limits we now have and reach old heights at least once more, however at great cost, yet just knowing you’ve got one last hurrah in you, it’s quite comforting.

 

Of course the circumstances would need to be rather specific, however you can bet that for those robust people who’ve been deemed as a ‘struggler’ they’ve still got it.

 

Number 4 –

 

“But stones, too, can lie…” – Kain

 

From a small piece of dialogue between two game characters, Moebius & Kain.

 

This one line above was something that rung very true, simply because something has been written down and perhaps even etched deep history it doesn’t mean it’s true.

 

Not the full dialogue, however”

 

****

Kain: And your incontrovertible evidence?

Moebius: The answers are plain, if you know where to look. Go west of the Pillars. There you will find a testament written in stone. (Vanishes)

Kain: But stones, too, can lie…

****

 

How many times have you believed something just because it either came from a figure of authority or simply because it just sound right?

 

I’m willing to be more often than you’d like to admit.

 

To possess truly infallible knowledge, will we ever achieve such a thing, I don’t know, probably not and those who’d claim they’d found such a thing would be of a particular ilk that I will leave alone for today.

 

I’m sure your aware that I enjoy a good read, or several.

 

Sometimes I ended up being quite the zealot, and those are no good for anything.

 

Alsoin the past lead me down some rather misguided roads of thought and when one question got a partial answer three more deeper ones followed, certainly it makes life interesting when you want to know more, frustrating too.

 

In fitness and training we know what we know, yet is it enough?

 

Number 5 –

 

“Look at it this way. In 100 years, who’s gonna care?” – Ginger (Sarah Conners friend in T1)

 

This stuck with me since the first time I watched that film.

 

I have to admit the nonchalant attitude was the biggest thing I took away from hearing that, though at the young tender age I first heard the line I wasn’t aware of said attitude, even though I adopted it.

 

Funny how impressionable a young mind is.

 

Most things tend to work themselves out in the end, as such most don’t matter as much as we perhaps give them credit for.

 

Owl-Man had a similar view that made me chuckle, as in his last moments, while he had every opportunity to save himself from an impending explosion, all he did was smile as utter “it doesn’t matter.”.

 

Given the above, it often leads me to this thought:

 

Why stress so much?

 

If the shit is going to royally hit the fan there is sweet FA you can do about it most of the time, and if we are the highly intelligent creatures we profess to be, and have complete control of ‘our world’ then we can choose not to stress and instead take things in our stride.

 

Right?

 

What little quotes have you heard over time that have stuck with you and why?

 

Please share them below.

The perfect training tool?

There are 5 main kettlebells to work with.

 

For anyone worth their salt that is.

 

A great tool that hits every aspect of your being, in every way imaginable.

 

The big 5 are as follows:

 

48kg = Beast

40kg = Bulldog

32kg = Badger

24kg = Fox

16kg = Rabbit

 

*The beast has always been called the beast, the others picked up names via the SFG/RKC/Kettlebell Communities and they’re awesome.

 

8kg jumps a truly mammoth task to achieve.

 

Such jumps require a good amount of time to achieve, this is where a lot of people lose their drive with kettlebells, the results are not fast or flashy and you need to be willing to invest years of your life in to them.

 

In the modern world patience is in short supply.

 

Which bells of the above can you handle?

 

Those are the standard milestones that many should aim to achieve in regards to kettlebell work.

 

If by the end of a long journey you can swing (single arm), snatch, press, pistol, chin & get up the Beast for multiple reps there is a good chance you’ll have a body that is built to last for a very long time.

 

We do have 4kg jumps in-between the lager bells, and these are useful, when it comes to kettlebells I wouldn’t recommend anyone goes up in less than 4kg.

 

If you just read that and are sat thinking 4kg is too much then you need to rethink your life because clearly being strong both physically and mentally are not high on your agenda, this needs to change.

 

There are no set in stone names for the middle bells, some have floated around, yet few have taken like the main 5 above.

 

12kg

20kg

28kg

36kg

44kg

 

What do you feel they could be called?

 

Leave your thoughts below.

In closing.

These simple pieces of kit are hard to beat in regards to the multiple elements of fitness they hit when using them, mobility, balance, tension, skill, power, and so much more, for the average person there would be little need for any other kit, well, perhaps a pull up bar (or chin/dip station to hang some gymnastic rings on), other than those additions, you’d be golden.

Of course you could add in ropes and other such bits of ‘functional’ training kit, however if there is one thing I’ve learned over the years it is this.

Less done better trumps more done poorly.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Building Site to Building Might

To be comfortable, it’s not a bad thing however it’s not something you should aspire to achieve.

Well, not in fitness anyway.

Given our bodies are rather clever organisms designed to adapt and overcome a plethora of stressful situations is it not sensible to keep it sharp, same goes for our mind too.

I’m sure you know about homeostasis, that little thing the body tries to maintain no matter what gets thrown our way.

These modern times we are trying to make our lives as stress free and easy as possible, while a nobel endeavour it is weakening the large majority of people.

In times long past we had to be active, we had to be robust, we had to be strong and resilient.

Now, well, happiness is just and uber ride away.

For all the modern advances in things such as medicine, trauma care and all that other good stuff, however the rise in automated manufacturing has been the double edged sword, in my eyes.

Most things can be done at the touch of a button.

This means our need to master a skill, learn a trade, have a basic level of physical strength and conditioning has fallen by the wayside, this is why people now go to the gym.

Yes, the gym is artificial work load.

In the days of yesteryear people like you and me would have been out building things, lifting beams or objects (sub maximal loads), carrying tools and materials on the daily.

While it is true that this style of life was not conducive to becoming Mr Olympia or perhaps win 18 Olympic Golds, it kept people avoiding *health related diseases caused by an expanding waistline.

*There were still certain illnesses that were unavoidable, however the advancements in medicine have helps us greatly in combating these and extending out lives, so we thank this worldly gift by becoming obese and killing ourselves through the choice of excessive food and a sedentary life. (face palm).

Please understand, that while this style of life did make people quite strong and durable, manual work had it’s downsides too.

Repetitive strain, large scale imbalances that lead to major injury and other such things were common, so manual labour had it’s downsides as well.

This bring us to today though, most of us don’t have to work like that for a living, so instead we go to the gym to keep trim.

Being able to go to the gym also gives us the unique opportunity to stimulate a similar response to that of our ancestors and their manual labour roots, just with less chance of the repetition injuries they had.

I’d like you to consider applying a manual mindset to your training.

Why?

Because doing it will challenge your body far more than you currently are, I’d wager.

Manual Labour Mimicry –

Movements:

– Picking things up (deadlift variants)
– Carrying (uh… carrying things)
– Overhad work (pressing horizontally & vertically)
– Running the hod (lunges and prowler work)
– Climbing ladders etc (pull ups, rows and so on)

*There are more, these are just some off the cuff examples

You can see it’s easy to mimic what they did, however I’d encourage you to do it without using barbells/dumbbells, well, in a traditional sense where you wrap your hands around them.

Here is an example of a pair of movements and how tweaking them to make life and lifting far more interesting.

Manual work – carrying material and passing it to a colleague above you.

Gym variation – Pick up several plates (different sizes, 25,20,15’s etc), carry them all together (however you can) across the gym.

Set up a few ploy boxes to roughly your height or 3/4 of your height.

Lift the plates on top of the lo boxes, then take them down, then repeat this serial times.

Try that for 20min with variable loads, you’ll get a cracking total body pump out of doing this, so long as you focus on keeping the density of your training high (minimal rest and constant movement).

^^ Alternatively if you have sandbags in your gym grab a few (variable loads) and spend 20min cleaning, pressing and carrying them, that’s also a cracking session.

The above is good for strength, endurance, fat loss, essentially everything you desire.

Other ways you can stimulate this style of workload are as follows:

– Complexes
– Combo’s/Chains
– EMOM’s
– AMRAP’s
– Giant sets

A different look at training for you because let’s be honest, if you’re reading my ramblings there is a high chance you’re not going to be an olympian or high level body builder, simply because that’s not who I write for.

Most of my bits are for the average person who merely wants some guidance, and I will be so bold as to say it all works splendidly.

It’s the people applying it for any meaningful length of time that is the issue 🤣

Don’t worry, I’m just as bad because I also get caught in doing what I want to do rather than what is perhaps best for me.

Anyway, have a great day everyone.

Enjoy,
Ross