Looking at these new indoor playgrounds for kids, my thought: they are just like really really nice prisons. Very much like a Google office.
What also makes me think; much of modern day life, in which we are stuck indoors, with all these nice amenities, are just like really nice prisons.
What is always fascinating to me when it comes to powerlifters and them attempting their one rep max:
How do they hype themselves up?
The art of the hype:
What is one of the most important skills in life? I believe it to be the ability to hype yourself up. A primal technique, to awaken the maximum amount of physiological power in your body.
Something I have realized about modern day life; we are not allowed to be loud. Yet the funny irony is that we are allowed to have loud cars, loud clothes, and loud possessions. However, we ourselves are not allowed to be loud auditorily.
For example, proper and bland folks tend to disdain a lot of rowdy young lower class kids for being “too loudâ€.
Thus it seems the first step is this:
Discover great joy and pride in hyping yourself up!
The Hakka war chant by the All Blacks New Zealand MÄori rugby team. Downright frightening to the souls of their opponents.
Also, Ronnie Coleman (lightweight baby! Ain’t nothing but a peanut! Whoooo)
I believe it is an adrenaline thing, and a priming of your muscles thing.
How do I hype myself up?
First of all, via negativa. No music. No headphones. No distractions. I believe the art of the hype is to empty your mind of thoughts, fear, hesitation, doubt, etc.
I know a lot of lifters and powerlifters who rely on listening to music to hype themselves up. And truth be told it is very effective. However, something which interested me when watching the old-school pumping iron weightlifting documentary with Arnold Schwarzenegger; nobody had headphones on while working out. Also, one of the things I was inspired by John Cena is that one of his rules of the gym is no music.
When I was initially on the road to try to deadlift 405 pounds, four plates, I heavily relied on music. I probably listenened to Kanye West’s YEEZUS album and black skinhead song at least 1 billion times to hype myself up. However, ultimately the downside was this; I became too dependent on the music. For example, there was a certain part the track where the drums hit super heavy, which would allow me to fully hype myself up before I attempted a one-rep max. And if I missed that spot in the track, I would no longer have the focus or the energy or the hype to attempt the new one rep max.
Also, one of the great downsides of dependency on music is this; what if you accidentally leave your headphones at home? Or you don’t have music easily readily available to you? Then you’re screwed.
Also, something essential for me: before I attempt a new one rep max, in my mind and in my soul I must have zero doubt. The basic idea is that I know that I can already do it, and all that I require is focus, and maximal activation of my muscles and body at the right time.
For example, yesterday I just had a new one rep maximum for my deadlift. Yet about four or five days prior, I attempted something heavier, and failed. My prior attempt, I attempted a far heavier weight, and I was able to just get a little bit off the ground, but I was not able to fully lockout.
Therefore my strategy was simple: just reduce the overall weight by 5 kg on each side, and then I would know that I would actually be able to easily successfully fully deadlift the weight.
This is why I think it is very important for you to know what your one rep maximum is, and to actually kind of lift the weight, but fail. It gives you a benchmark of your strength, and therefore when you attempt the weight again in the future, do you know how much more or how much less to add, to modify the weight.
Or in other words, let us say you attempt a very very heavy deadlift, and you kind of get it off the ground just a little. Then give it about four or five days, and then try the deadlift again, with a little less weight. Then you should know that you will be able to do it.
I personally believe that the best lift is the deadlift. Why? To me it makes the most sense. You have a very very heavy weight on the ground, and it is a binary thing; you could either lift it off the ground or you cannot.
Also, from an ego perspective, physiologically you should be able to deadlift more than you can squat. Therefore, the higher the weight, the healthier it is for your ego.
The reason why I am such a huge proponent of the trap bar and hex bar is this: you can lift heavier weights with it. Also, I believe that the neutral grip is anatomically superior.
Also, superior leverage. Consider how superior it is for you to be in the CENTER of the weight, without concern for your ankles, shins or legs to get in the way of the barbell.
Photography as one of the greatest, and most awesome forces of power, which can shape, transform, shake and move the world.
The future is photography:
First of all, photography is a universal language. Everyone understands photos, irregardless of their background culture or language. If you show somebody a photo, even a child, everyone understands it. Even Seneca at a year and a half old understands photos.
How have I been able to stay so passionate for photography all these years?
This is the source of my photo power:
Nietzsche’s favorite tool:
Power.
I love living in a hotel. If I had things my way, I would live in a hotel forever.
There are so many upsides of living in a hotel. For example, having staff clean your room every single day is hugely awesome. The sight of fresh new sheets every single day and towels is hugely uplifting.
Also, it simplifies your life. like Cindy said, you could just focus on living.
Best hotel is a hotel that has a stove!
Muscle rules all:
VERTICAL VIDEO IS THE FUTURE
On anything.
For example, creatine is nothing but hydrogenized meat. Creatine in Greek means flesh.
Also apparently taurine, one of the active compounds in Red Bull is actually already present in red meat (beef) as well.
For adapters, I prefer to just have the Apple thing.
Everybody in Cambodia uses telegram. Also, because telegram is privately owned and held, they have more power and control.
Or nowadays, Vietnam.
Being economical is boring. Pure performance or nothing.
Also, when you attempt a one-rep max of the gym where either deadlift or squat, it is a bit of a show and performance. Far more entertaining than just turning out reps (repetitions).
Go big or stay home:
Each side— 100kg+5kg (105kg) *2=(210kg). Bar is 25kg. Total 235KG (518 pounds) deadlift.
Either yea or no. With deadlift it’s a binary:
You can either lift it off the ground or not.
Love or hate. Either man or woman. Gay or straight. Either passionate or not.
Perhaps more bodybuilders should use this technique
To me, the only act of real courage is physical courage. The type of courage in the gym for attempting a new one rep max.
Also perhaps in hand to hand combat. Not with guns. This is where I am more about the Spartan 300 than puny John Wick; guns are democratizing, because even a skinny fat loser can kill you with a gun. Even the world gun champion looks very obese.
Even if you’re were the richest person on earth, nobody wants to live in a polluted city. This is why all of the very rich mainland Chinese love to go to Vancouver; for the fresh air, and nature.
And this is the great tragedy of China; they produce much of their wealth through production, via coal and polluting means. Yet after they establish their riches, they still gotta live somewhere.
The same is happening in Vietnam. The pollution in Hanoi can often be unbearable.
Maybe this is why everyone wants to live in California; even though the emission laws are annoying, it looks like California has been able to curb their pollution.
Also, this is why Tesla and electric cars are such a good future investment; once we could really use solar power, they will lessen the world emissions.
If things are already 90% optimal, just stick with it.
The reason why I am so addicted to deadlifts; during one rep max attempt, whether successes our failures, I go blank for about half a second. The ultimate out of body experience.
The downside of competition; we must abide by the “rules†of the competition. Rules, conventions, and what is standard and proper hold us back.
For example, the only reason I don’t see more people using a trap bar for deadlift is because of powerlifting competitions. I believe if strong guys would just use the trap bar, or hex bar, men would be able to deadlift a lot more.
Also, competition encourages cheating. It encourages people to start using strange hormones, and drugs, in order to enhance performance. This is bad.
What is the successful “we lifting anyways? To me, simply muscular activation, increased blood flow, and hype.
“Question religion, question it all“ – JAY Z
Become a heretic. Just like Jay Z.
Also, perhaps this is how the ethos of mainland Chinese so interesting to me; their culture is carte blanche, and they do not follow typical societal rules or traditions. This is why everyone seems to despise them; they don’t follow normal orders of “properness“.
Cheating, lying, copying. These are all considered sins or vices in American culture. Yet, the Chinese will do anything to win; quite smart.
No more religion, or Confucianism holding the Chinese back.
Also unlike Americans, the Chinese do not complain. They just do.
Also, luxury is not considered a vice. Note in America, the west, and in the UK, they don’t call it luxury, they call it “fancyâ€. Even the word “luxury†is seen with distaste.
Yet, the Chinese indulge in luxury without any remorse; also what is interesting is that it is generally accepted that one only buys luxury goods if you can afford it. Compare this to the fake rich people of America, who overstretch their budget to buy luxury goods.
Maybe perhaps in the long run, China will indeed become the dominant power force on the planet.
With weightlifting, just use a neutral grip. Neutral grip for chin ups, deadlift (use a hex bar, or trap bar). For bench press, use dumbbells with a neutral grip. Also with push-ups, using push-up bars allows for a neutral grip for push-ups.
Design, and product design should look more at natural human anatomy.
My no stress approach to powerlifting.
After the departure of Jony Ive, Apple products and colors have becoming incredibly lame. Perhaps the second coming back of Jony Ive will be akin to the second coming of Steve Jobs.
Apple and the Board of Directors should give Jony equal power to Tim Cook. This seems to be the only way to ensure the future of Apple.
How so? The best gym (Monkifit), the best city, the most hospitable people, also the most zen for a major city.
Also, the best weather. Nice and bright, not that hot or humid.
RAW LIVING
RAW LIFESTYLE
No superfluous straps or accessories when lifting weights. No superfluous accessories. no AirPods. No headphones. No music, no podcast, no distractions.
Reduced, raw.
Raw text, plain text.
Similarly speaking, walk more to photograph more.
Also, IA WRITER is the goat! The killer app for macOS, iPad, and iPhone. The reason why you should never ever buy a Samsung, android, or Google pixel device ever again.
The ideal hyper car has no air conditioning, no power steering, no radio, no screens. No distractions.
Also, the seat has no reclining option, is reduced and raw to just a carbon fiber hard seat. No comfort.
Think McLaren senna. Not road legal.
No need to be rational, make sense, abide by any rules or heuristics.
Each and every moment is unique and different. Each and every new day is different.
