Laborers & Gym Bros

 Laborers have been around since the dawn of man from surviving in the caveman times to slavery throughout ancient civilization to constructing the biggest buildings in modern society. It's a balancing act to how laborers view themselves and people in other walks of life view them. Blue Collar work is tough, there's way around that and many pride themselves in being able to live that lifestyle or were thrusted into at an early age. They may not be the biggest looking guys or the most stable in some cases but they have strength that is different in comparison to people who go to the gym. 

When it comes to work ethic, I always have respect for laborers, done it myself at certain points in my life from moving furniture to hauling heavy pieces of wood, chopping wood while camping, carrying up heavy ass boxes and carrying buckets of concrete. Some guys in that line of work know how to conduct themselves and are quite the characters when it comes to just having fun poking at each other to pass the time but there are others who are complete assholes who act like their superior to others. You can be the hardest working guy in the field and still be respected for that but if you're going to be a dick especially to people you're supposed to "provide" and "protect", that just leads to bitterness and fragile egos. 

When it comes to "Gym Bros", some are strong as shit and can go to a certain extent but many especially in the Fitness Influencer Era will only go so far as to tell people or throw certain things at people to only understand the concept of not being as strong outside the gym. Don't get me wrong, there are some guys that can handle themselves outside of the gym and do amazing things in their life but that's few and far between. There are plenty of steroid users out there that only work in the capacity to go after the look more than being able to go while being healthy. Bodybuilding today compared to 1930's to the 50's is about as night and day as you can get because back then, they had a good look but they also had greater health next to the unhealthy comic book muscled guys. 

As much as gym guys have their egos in a rollercoaster or act like they got a stick up their ass at times, not many of them bad mouth a laborer. However, quite a few laborers have such an ego trip that they not only talk down to people who work out in the gym but have this Napoleon Complex that they're superior to those who work out cause they go all day moving stuff or whatever and the gym guy just lifts weights or use machines and that's all and have no real world strength. The strength of a laborer and a gym person is very different with different circumstances and different concepts of strength. If your ego is that fragile that you have to be an asshole to people you don't know and think you know their life by judging them being in the gym, you need some serious therapy man. 

There are people who try to better themselves in the gym or outside of it and do what they can in their regular lives to be healthy. At the end of the day, a laborer does his job, goes home and just be with his family or himself and repeat that for as long as his body is able to. People in the gym are really just people who do different things to either make their lives outside of it better or go because that's a form of therapy for them, you don't 100% know what people are really like and most likely, those people train, go home or go to work or whatever but did what they could to put the effort in and that should be respected. 

Whether you're a laborer or a gym guy, be a little more humble and live your own lives and do what you can for yourself and/or your family while being as peaceful as possible. Don't be an asshole with such an ego that it tears others apart or makes you so bitter you turn into that "Get the fuck off my lawn" mentality. It's really pathetic when you act like a bully behind people's back and mock what they are trying to do with their lives. Be amazingly awesome and keep on kicking ass.    

Putting In The Work Yet Making It Adventurous

 So many influencers today try to tell you this or that and whatever else to get you to buy into their shit. It can be hard for many out there to trust what's being given and how to apply their methods to your goals and daily life. Not saying all are bad, a few out there are top notch, legit and have realistic outlooks on how you can be in better shape when you make the choices to do so or continue in your journey. 

With me, I sure as hell wouldn't call myself an influencer. I do what I can to help others and give them resources to look into from people I've either personally had experienced with or worked with their methods and molded it into my own from their inspiration. The ability to create your own style to suit your life is one of the best things you can ever do. Learn from the very best. You may make mistakes along the way and adjust to what benefits you but as long as you put the work in and make it adventurous, you can make things happen that would never expect.

It can be overwhelming to find the absolute best from one single trainer or author that has the ultimate end all-be all training system. The truth is, that doesn't actually exist. If anyone says differently, it's a sales pitch or it's only for a specific demographic. My style is a smorgasbord of different people and systems that I've taken bits and pieces of and created something that is entirely me. If you're more of the one author/system approach and it works for you, that's awesome and I hope it benefits you greatly. We all have different bodies and work on things that aren't going to always work for the same person so we adjust accordingly. Take control of what is possible for you and expand on it. 

With my training with the sandbag lately, it has taken me to new heights of what hardcore strength and conditioning can be. Hell a few days ago I took three exercises including the Sandbag and did a circuit workout that went more than 30 minutes with the only rest being to check off a set and keep going. That workout made my heart want to explode out of my chest and test my strength & cardio in ways that were different and so intense that I don't know if I want to even top it. My strength has gone up to where I made PRs at the gym I didn't think were possible but they were and proud to have done them but it doesn't change how I keep training. 

When you bust your ass and you're making gains whether in muscle building or strength building regardless of age, things will come to light when you thought it would stay dark. Do what benefits you and help others find their opportunity to create something for themselves. Don't be an asshole and tear them down because they're overweight or wear a man bun or they're weaker than you are, everybody has a journey. Some have let themselves go and need help, others could use a tip or two that can tweak their program and some are just starting out. Make training an experience that people want to continue on and help them find opportunities to make themselves better, this world has enough dipshits and asshats. Be amazingly awesome and keep on kicking ass.   

Training With 100+ LB Sandbag

Love my Sandbells but I wanted to up the ante a bit and go even heavier and with only a few workouts, it feels awesome. Got some sand at a Ace Hardware store down the road and poured it into my 100 lb bag I've had for a while. Weighed it at 104.6 lbs. Just getting used to it and feeling it out was tough at first but knew I was strong enough to play with it. 

From carries to squats to overhead presses and more, this thing is making me work my ass off pretty well. Don't get sore all that much but I'm not killing myself with it either. With the carries, I marked 15 yards on the grass from the side of the house and would do a full revolution (30 yards) for however many times. One workout was 300 yards Bear Hug Style and another was 600 Yards doing shoulder to shoulder. Those exercises alone with a bag that heavy can make you rugged. 

Love going old school with this type of training and just sticking with one to a few exercises per workout and just hammer them. The last workout was 300 Total Yards & Over 1000 total pounds carried, 5x5 Deadlifts and 5x5 Overhead Presses. Might go for 100 Bear Hug Squats in sets of 10-12 reps but haven't decided yet or maybe I haven't reached that type of training yet but you'll never know. The idea is to see what's possible and work from there. 

Will I got even more say 150-200 lb? Someday but not anytime soon. Just working with this weight is still a great way to keep myself in shape. Sandbags are no joke and they can be brutal especially since they force you to work the stabilizer muscles and have the closest to training against a human. The transfer to regular weights is enormous and if you can easily work a 100 lb bag, you can work plenty of good weight with a barbell or dumbbell. One of the grips I use when I hold it in the bear hug position is the Gable Grip like in Grappling as I pull to keep the bag steady against my torso and work my back, shoulders and arms all at the same time as I Squat or Carry. It's a full body workout regardless of what you do. Just make it work for you.

I mostly use it for Strength Training and when it's needed, I rest long enough to go tackle the next set. These workouts can make you breathe harder than usual and quite hungry afterwards. If you want greater power in your training, a sandbag will do the trick plus if you're in wrestling or BJJ, you can do bag training by mimicking certain moves and throws as if you're going against an opponent, one of the oldest types of workouts around. Imagine building explosiveness in your throws, having insane grip strength, handle opponents like rag dolls or if you're a firefighter and able to carry a human being with ease out of the flames of a burning building. Strength Training with a Bag can be life saving.

This type of training is suited to the real world and being able to handle your own when it's called upon. Strength is more than just a look, it's having the ability to be strong enough to help others and not everyone picks on the rugged looking guy who can probably take your ass to the cleaners 6 ways to Sunday. Train to handle yourself but also be humble. You don't get strong to become an asshole bully, you become strong to have a greater quality of life and to make others feel safe. Get a Sandbag and see what you're capable of. Have an amazingly awesome day and check out the video below for some samples of exercises you can do. There are all sorts of exercises you can do but these few would get you started. 

Sandbell Front Squats And Squat To Stand

 Sandbag Training can be a hell of a method to getting some of the kinks out of your training and teaching you how to stabilize the body with an object where the weight shifts. When it comes to Sandbells, it's a great way to utilize this in that regard. From Shouldering to Carrying to doing all sorts of stuff with these things.

Training the Legs with a Sandbell offers great resistance and added benefits to working the muscles to a greater capacity than with a typical barbell or dumbbell which could add some cool benefit to what you're already doing. 2 Exercises that I've worked on for a couple days now that hammered out the legs hard was doing the Squat To Stand and the Front Squat or a better name for it, the Bear Hug Squat. The STS is an exercise similar to lifting a stone where you get the Bell into position in a deep squat and once you have it in a good grip, stand up, drop it and repeat. Because of the shifting of the weight, it's not always easy to get a good grip every time. Here's a demo here to see what I mean....A few sets of these and you'll be feeling it.

The Bear Hug Squat is pretty damn simple, pick up the Bell, squeeze it against you and start going up and down. Unlike a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell for that matter, you're working a bit more of the core in my opinion as you work on keeping the back steady and in control. You may lean a little bit and create more of that natural feel like picking up a box or a sack of flour. When you work these like a madman, you'll be jacking up some hefty hormones and building some incredible strength. Some guys work light or heavy depending on their goal. I've only got the 70 lb which in itself can be a bitch and others work as heavy as 200 lbs or more (strongmen mostly) but for the best weight in this manner, 100 lbs would be more than enough for many. Personally, I may go 150 if I work hard enough but that's the highest I'll go, maybe 170 if I'm ambitious but I don't need to go that heavy to get something cooking.

These two simple exercise will give you some insane strength and power. With a good clip, you can get some serious cardio out of it as well especially if you're an athlete training for a sport like Football, Wrestling or MMA. It's the classic moves of the Old Time Strongmen that gave rise to what is possible to have that ruggedness and mental toughness. Squats are no joke and Sandbells or Sangbags for that matter are just going to murder you with a vengeance. It builds real strength.

You know you busted your ass when you feel things you normally don't feel after a training session as you'll find out your fingers may be sore, your core is sore, your shoulders are on fire and your traps feel like they went to war. Not saying being sore is the greatest factor to determine a good workout, I' am saying that your muscles are being used in a way you're not used to because of how awkward the bag is. Go old school and you can't go wrong. Have an amazingly awesome day and I'm going to check out the Freestyle Wrestling that starts today at the Olympics....USA USA USA!!!

40th Birthday Shenanigans

 This past Sunday, I officially turned 40. A new decade of my life begins and getting the most out of a great celebration. My wife surprised me the night before that we were going to the resort we've gone to twice before called Quinn's Hot Springs in Montana. She also surprised me with a cool cake of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the first cartoons I grew up on which the Turtles also turn 40 this year from the first comic. 

On the day of my birthday. before we packed up for the Hot Springs, I took some photos to celebrate the building of my physique and going to the gym with her. Did some Farmer's Walks, Overhead Presses, Shrugs, some pulldowns, worked on Kettlebell Presses and other stuff. 

Got to the Hot Springs, checked in and just spent every moment of the trip relaxing and being together. At the pools, they have various temperatures from a Cold Plunge that was about 64 degrees all the way to a hot 105 degrees. Guess which one I always did first LOL. Interacted with people from various places and just felt happy. 

We would mostly have dinner at this little tavern next to the pools and ate mostly burgers and fish & chips, the first night I got a steak and garlic mashed potatoes. Wasn't too bad actually. The only breakfast we had there was from yesterday morning which for me was probably the biggest breakfast I've had in ages...A sausage and egg sandwich which already had a big patty, 3 scrambled eggs, 3 more sausage patties, Hashbrowns and 2 glasses of Orange Juice. Built up an appetite from an Isometric Workout before grabbing food. All the workouts I did was O2 Training 2x a day, 7-12 Second Isometrics hitting the full body and my Neck Mobility Work. At the pools, I would sit in the cold plunge for several minutes where my head was the only thing at the surface and hit the hottest pool to balance out, then go to the pool where my girl was and hang with her. 

Very beautiful place surrounded by trees, mountains and other things. It's on the outskirts of a highway about 25 minutes out from this little town called St. Regis. The first two times were for our anniversaries so this was a quite a treat to do a summer stay there. Family Friendly and has really good food. It's next to the Clark Fork River which is just awesome to look at. 

 Had a ton of fun and just getting to chill, watch the Olympics in the room at night, had some rain on Tuesday but still fun and tasted a few drinks that were pretty good. If anyone knows me, I'm not much of a drinker and wouldn't do enough to get buzzed or drunk but I'll try some things every now and then. Can't go wrong with a good Buffalo Burger though, holy shit that thing was just awesome and the Beer Battered Cod was tasty as hell. Can never get enough of this place, I recommend everyone go there at least once to experience the beautiful country next to it and hit the Sulfur Pools. 

This was a really great birthday and I'll cherish it for as long as I live. Love being 40 and get to continue to do kick ass stuff.