As of May 1 2023 I began experimenting with loading a 40 lbs chain on higher section of backpack frame, with 55 lbs Warbell on lowest section. This weight distribution was a dramatic improvement over all the weight being on the lowest section of the frame.
Routine
I got my first Warbell in December 2022. I fell in love with it, and ordered a heavier one a month later. I also ordered the two smaller sizes for my fifteen year old son.
Update on the Warbell routines below. Over a week ago I switched to an hour of short sets of Shoulderök as my main upper body workout. So the numbers below serve just as an example when Warbell is my main upper body work.
I got several Pro Kettlebells in December 2021. I gave the 12kg and 16kg bells to my teenage son. I retained the 24kg unit. Note the use of one weight size is not taking advantage of variable load. I'm currently spending more time with Warbells, and using variable load with that gear.
I got my Shoulderök in December 2021. This is like a super-mace, with the main feature being variable load via olympic plates. It's the invention that got Kabuki Strength started.
My personal progression began with no weight on it at all, then a slow progression of 2.5, then 5, then finally 10 pounds.
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Forty Pound Chain I got a Bells of Steel Chain Weight Vest April 2023. I initially thought this would fill a lightweight role in my rucking, mainly because Bells of Steel marketed it as a weight vest and it's near half as light as my rucking system. Since day one with the chain it's been obvious there is a vast amount of hand, arm and upper body development the gear can aid in. I sort of want to shout this from rooftops. Heavy chains are an under-appreciated under-hyped tool for hand and arm strength and hypertrophy. My chain is 5/8th inch in diameter and about 8 pounds per foot (5 feet and 40 pounds). |
I am on a high animal protein, high saturated fats diet, and plants are almost exclusively peppers and onions.
My diet is fundamentally opposed to carb consumption because of carbs increase body fat and lower testosterone. Sugar is an extreme no, and since alcohol is essentially a super-sugar it is a never level no.
Why the war on carbs and especially sugar and alcohol? Because with each moment of consumption testosterone drops.
The goal is maximum muscle support, maximum testosterone level and minimum body fat. Since body fat secretes estrogen and thus diminishes testosterone the incentive to keep body fat low is even more serious.
I entirely quite consuming alcohol February 2022. Not one beer since. I have a quirky, unusual story of that final week when the drinking stopped > Amazon.com Kindle: Tale of 22022022 112200.
One day a week I am going to a spa with sauna, steam sauna, salt hot room and multiple temps of whirlpools. Per some data/study promoted by Andrew Huberman the greatest benefit is with a once a week sauna routine, 3 X 30 minutes. You can see from my routines below I fall short of that ideal. The two drinks below have a dramatic effect on my sauna visits. The daily greens I just tried for the first time last week and it changed all sauna time to far easier.
| Before | After |
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| Bolthouse Farms Daily Greens | Gatorlyte |
Dr Peter Attia's is a hard science based advocate for longevity - more specifically high quality of life longevity - via fitness, diet and fasting. If you are asking yourself the why of strength training, the answer is in Pete Attia's presentation of data showing how certain fitness measures are a greater gain in longevity over any medical prescription or intervention. Sorry for the long sentence. Dr Attia's grounding in hard science and clear presentation of a message that could more dramatically change your later years is worth longer sentences and indepth study.
Pavel Tsatsouline's interview on Joe Rogan Experience is a highly valuable reference document for several topics. In this chapter of the clip Pavel gives a detailed quantitative description of optimal weight training, with a useful reference for the variable load concept.
Tsatsouline speaking on mitochondrial health as the most fundamental and universal basis of pursuing health.
All the timestamped links below are to the YouTube video Bodyweight, Barbell, Kettlebell - Which is Best? | Pavel Tsatsouline | Joe Rogan
6:28: "....as we grow older...there is a loss of Type 2 muscle fibers..."
6:43: "...metabolically needed for the body to be healthy, to process sugars, etc...."
7:17: "...another reason [ to target with a fitness regimen ] is with Type 2 fibers mitochondrial degeneration takes place in old age...much faster degeneration than other fibers"...
7:25: "...only two ways to train Type 2 fibers. Heavy or fast."
Mark Wildman's YouTube channel is a case of too much of a good thing. I say that not to chase anyone away from it, it is possibly the best place on the internet for intelligent exercise instruction. My warning is there is so much there. He has a diverse range of exercise types he personally has mastered and promotes. I go there for kettlebell videos. You may discover a new area of interest in looking through the vids. He coaches in kettlebell, mace, clubs and ...this is a little different and kind of awesome...aerial acrobatics. He has things to say on nutrition and even the history of tea. He's a smart guy and also seems geniune and down to earth. He's also a Hollywood stuntman, but not sure if his personal training and YouTube gigs have made that gig unnecessary.
Did you notice the part where I said possibly the best place on the internet for intelligent exercise instruction?
McGill is a prominent medical and sports medicine professional with a massive amount of interview content on Youtube. YouTube.com search >>dr stuart mcgill
Dr McGill on Deep SquatsAre deep squats good? is a dumb question. Certain hip shapes can do and very much benefit from deep squats. Other hip shapes cannot do deep squats.
"I’m going to argue now that the deep squat is primarily governed by genetics. Shallow hip sockets are genetic and predispose hip dysplasia, but they also facilitate a deep squat. The highest rate of hip dysplasia in the world is in Poland. It may not surprise you that the great Olympic lifters come from Poland, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. Hip surgeons call it the Dalmatian hip. They sure as hell don’t come from Scotland because if you look at the Celtic populations, they have very deep hip sockets. While a great advantage for walking, standing and rotational power, deep hip sockets are terrible at producing power at the bottom of the deep squat."Dr McGill on Quadratus Lumborum and Core
Neural Drive is the neurology component of strength.
