Time for another round of pics that get your testosterone levels up. Today we take a look at my favorite muscle car of all time, the Chevy Camaro. Looking at these pics should motivate you to quite wasting time reading articles about the evils of feminism, get off your butt and try to get that brass ring.
Previously I gave an introduction to the Bulgarian training system. You can find that article here. Today we’re going to go over how to actually design a program based on the Bulgarian methods.
Georgi Gardev
The first thing you need to know is that this program is very specific. If you want your training to be well rounded and include some hypertrophy training, some endurance training and some strength training, then this is not the program for you. This program is for one thing: maximal strength on a few core lifts. You might be able to throw in some supplementary exercises, but not many.
Next, you should know that this routine can be very time consuming. This isn’t some HIT program where you just walk in to the gym, warm up, do one balls-to-the-wall set and leave. Depending on your goal, you may be able to organize your workouts in a way that you can be in and out of the gym in an hour. But when I used this program, most of my workouts were 2.5-3.5 hours.
Now, on to the meat of the program. When I first read about this program, sites on the internet were saying that the Bulgarians “work up to a heavy single every workout”. I (wrongly) interpreted that to mean 1 heavy single. Thus I would try to set a PR (personal record) every time I was in the gym. I tried to work up to my top weight by doing the fewest number of sets possible. So if my PR was 100kg, I knew that today I would attempt 102.5kg. I would work up like this:
I made good progress with this program. But then the gains ceased. I was stubborn and for years refused to try anything different. I barely made any progress during those years. Eventually I went on a 5x5 type program. I learned a lot on 5x5 and those lessons helped me improve my “Bulgarian” training.
The most important lesson I learned was that intensity (whether you define that as a percentage of your 1RM max or perceived exertion.) is not the end all be all of training. Volume is a powerful aspect of training. Volume is at least as important as intensity. Most of the time, your training should be a balance between volume and intensity. 10 sets x 1 rep @ 90% is better than 1 set @ 100%. I mean honestly, just look at it. Assuming a max of 100kg, 10x1@90% means that you lifted 90kg ten times. That’s a total tonnage of 900kg. The other method gives you a tonnage of 100kg. So, who do you think is going to make more progress, the guy who lifts 900kg or the guy who lifts 100kg?
There is nothing wrong with using 1 max set. If you are new to this type of training, then feel free to give it a try. You’ll make good progress…for a while. When progress stalls, consider increasing your volume.
Milen Dobrev
One way to increase the volume is do more sets during your warm up. I would get to 90% in as few sets as possible. Weight increases for sets above 90% would be small, 1-2.5kg. Assuming a 100kg max, I might try something like:
If I you set a new PR, then adjust your weights in your next session.
Another way of adding volume is to wave load. Basically you work up to a max multiple times in a single session. You can do it in such a way that the top set in each wave is heavier that the top set in the previous wave. So after a warm up wave 1 might be:
90x1, 95x1, 100x1
Wave 2:
92.5x1, 97.5x1, 102.5
Or you could try to set a new PR on your first wave, with each subsequent wave being lighter.
Wave 1:
92.5x1, 97.5x1, 102.5
Wave 2:
90x1, 95x1, 100x1
You could also just work up to a new PR, and then drop to 90% of your new PR and do 3-5 singles. Or after hitting your top weight for the day, you could decrease the weight and try to set a new 3RM. Or you could completely forgo trying to hit a max and instead try to do a lot of sets at 90%. Completing a predetermined number of sets within a predetermined time frame would be a signal to increase your weight in the next session, similar to Charles Staley's Escalating Density Training (by using this affiliate link, you help support this site.) The main theme here is to increase your volume with weights above 90% of your 1 rep maximum,
If you're looking to increase just max strength, a heavy single program such as this is definitely worth trying. You'll probably set several new PR's. Give it a try and let me know how it works.
Most little boys go through a phase where they want to be in the military. I think this is partly due to males having a genetic drive to "defend the perimeter" as Jack Donovan puts it. But another part is that the military has really cool toys. Here are a few:
C-17
China's J-20 Stealth Fighter
Danger Zone.
Osprey
C-5 Galaxy
2 things you always need more of: cowbell and F-14's
Chinook
Apache
Sukhoi SU-37
Alrighty gents, that's it for today. See ya next time.
Psychologists are full of crap. Not completely full of crap, but largely full of crap. I think that the problem originates with the fact that most psychologists are leftists. And to be a leftist you must necessarily ignore the existence of reality. This group then seeks to influence the lives of others. Also, leftism is a utopian ideology. That is, it is concerned not with what is, but what should be.
These foundational problems lead the field of psychology to get behind some really stupid ideas. One stupid idea posited by the field is that passive aggressiveness is bad. They even have a diagnosis for people who frequently engage in passive aggressive behavior...as if it is a disease. The entry on Wikipedia states that passive aggressive behavior "is damaging". Really? It "is damaging"? As if that is a fundamental characteristic of passive aggressiveness. So if it is not damaging, is it not passive aggressive?
Really, passive aggressiveness isn't good or bad. Its just a strategy, a way of handling things. I don't know where psychologists get the idea that things are always best handled in a direct manner. Frequently in life, dealing with things in an indirect manner is preferable to more direct means. In fact, when in doubt, use indirect methods. It is true when dealing with loved ones, for whom you have the best of intentions. It is even more true when dealing with your enemies.
For the last 15 or so years, my wife has worked with a particularly horrible woman. When everyone else has to take on extra work, she is always able to get out of it. When the employees were given the more flexible shift options, this woman tried (and almost succeeded) in having the option taken away from everyone, because she didn't want to participate. She constantly makes life harder for others. For some reason, despite several changes in management, no one was willing to do anything about this problematic employee.
But this woman has a weakness. She is obsessive compulsive and she hates change. Everything on her desk has a place and she can't stand to have people touch her stuff. Instead of waiting 15 years, hoping that management would some day do something about this woman, my wife & her coworkers could have taken matters into their own hands. Using passive aggressive methods they could have driven this woman into quitting.
Since she is so particular about her work space, the other employees should have moved her stuff every time she left her desk. I'm not saying they should trash everything. That would have been too overt. But little things like moving a pen to the middle of her desk, slightly askew, would have bothered her. Or moving her horse figurine to the other side of the desk, moving her lunch to a different spot in the fridge, or turn her keyboard face down. These are childish things that wouldn't bother most adults, but they would have driven this woman crazy. If she ever asked who was doing it, the whole office could then gaslight her by saying "No one went near your desk." After about a week of this type of behavior, this woman would have started looking for another job.
Of course this does rise to the level of Cesare Borgia. But we live in crazy times and going around annexing neighboring cities isn't held in as high esteem as it once was. The fact is that this is the type of thing most people face in their daily lives. It may seem petty, but it is perfectly reasonable to handle a situation when management is unwilling. The methods above would have been effective in this instance and would have been deniable by the participants. That makes them doubly good. Another person in my wife's office who was willing to play petty office politics was able to screw my wife out of a major promotion and about a $20,000.00 per year pay raise. This person didn't gain anything by do so. Like the say, you either play or you get played. Who cares if someone thinks that being passive aggressive is bad. I'm sure Machiavelli would have approved.
I have yet to achieve the life that I want. But there was a time when my life was much worse. I had job problems, family problems, marriage problems...basically, every area of my life was plagued with problems.
Then one day, while driving home, I was replaying in my head various bad things that had happened to me. Replaying who screwed me, who wasn't there for me when I needed them. Then came a moment of clarity..."Its my own damn fault." Those were the exact words that went through my mind. In fact I was so deep in my own thoughts that I think I might have actually said them out loud.
Yeah, I had a couple of bad bosses and more than a few bad jobs. But that was my fault. I knew they sucked. I knew they were going to screw me, but I stuck around instead of getting into a better job. People who claimed to care about me were nowhere to be found when I needed them. But had I been observant I would have seen that they never intended to be there for me.
It was my fault. All of it.
That was when my life started to get better.
You can't change circumstances, you can only change yourself. Its deeply freeing to know that its all up to you. Sounds weird, but its true.
Your success is up to you. Situations will change. Sometimes they will be more favorable, usually they will be less than favorable. But any situation that has stymied you, has been overcome by someone else. Which means that if you fail, it was your fault. But if you can identify the source of your failure, you can fix it, ensuring success in the future.
Can't get a date? That's not the fault of feminism. That's your fault. Hit the gym & work on your social skills. Become a man that a woman would be proud to date. Your wife or kids mad at you? Maybe you should improve your communication skills. Drive a crappy car? Maybe you should put down the video game controller and start looking for a second job.
If you want to rise above the horde, who mindlessly meander through life, you must constantly upbraid yourself. Accept responsibility for everything. And constantly try to improve your shortcomings. The only thing you can control in this world is yourself.
The West is in decline. There are probably many causes and they're probably somewhat complex. But I think you can point to some things and say, "That! That right there is part of the problem!"
The legal system is one of those things.
Once at a party a cop explained to me that if he gets called to a scene for a fist fight he arrests everybody involved. Even if 100 witnesses say that 1 person attacked another with no provocation, he doesn't care. "Arrest them both and let the D.A. and judge sort it out." were his exact words.
I have a fear that this is pretty much the modus operandi for most police. How terrifying would that be? Imagine it; some drunk thinks that getting in a fight is the perfect end to an evening after striking out with the ladies. And despite doing everything in your power to avoid a fight, even after taking a few punches without retaliation, you may still end up standing before a judge simply for defending yourself.
And seriously, where do people in government get off ?!?!? Of course the police have the authority to arrest an aggressor, but arresting someone defending their self is just another example of government overstepping its rightful boundaries. Honestly, I don't even think that the cops should interject in a situation if it simply involved a fistfight, unless someone involved wants to press charges.
I think violence should be legalized. If two people want to beat the piss out of each other, fine. Go ahead. As long as they are consenting adults, then its nobody's business, not even the governments. I think that the prohibition on violence where all parties' consent is destroying this country.
Prohibition on violence creates a moral hazard for douche bag behavior. People are incentivised to be mouthy wankers. And every man knows there comes a point where said wanker says too much, has crossed the line and needs his guts stomped out. At which point a challenge could be made and both men step outside to handle the issue like men.
Women don't understand this. Many women are of the opinion that fighting is almost never justified. They constantly try to calm their men down and keep the from fighting. In fact I think that the prohibition on violence probably started with women. Women who thought that they should treat adults as though they were their children. But honestly if the prohibition on violence were lifted, fewer women would try to dissuade their men from violence.
Certain weak men like to hide behind these laws. They know that they can say anything, and they will never be held accountable.
Under my ideal legal system, you wouldn't even need the consent of the other person if they said certain things. For instance, if a man calls your wife a whore, he's consenting to have the crap kicked out of him. Maybe your wife is a whore, maybe she's not, but its none of his business.
I'm not just for bringing back fist fights. I think we need to bring back the duel. Not only should adults have the beat the crap out of each other, they should also be allowed to kill each other so long as both parties consent.
This country would be much better off had someone killed Hamilton earlier.
Under no circumstances should you be able to just go up and kill someone. But it would be nice if we had a system like what used to exist. If someone gives an offense so extreme that it would justify killing the bastard, a challenge could be made. If accepted, the participants would have to agree on terms. They would have to agree on time, date, location and weapons to be used. Because we're talking about killing someone, contracts would probably be neccissary so that grieving family members couldn't claim that this was an act of murder. These would need to be notarized and maybe filed with the city or county. The participants would also have to agree on an arbitrary third party to officiate & hold each party to the terms. Also each participant would need to bring witnesses.
Some people will say that this is barbaric. I think just the opposite. I think civilization is only possible when people are held accountable for their actions.
There are some things that men just love. Hot Rods and classic cars are two of those things. I've never met a man who didn't like them. This seems to baffle my wife. And she's not alone. Hot rods are just one of those things that lots of women just don't get.
I don't know if it is the craftsmanship, the beauty or maybe nostalgia, but something about these beautiful machines from the days of yore, just resonates with me.
Maybe its not a hot rod, but it does look nice.
This is awesome. Probably completely uncomfortable...but still...awesome.
I know I'm old, because I look at this beautiful machine and think, "I'm not climbing in anything that is that low to the ground."
If I had a daughter, I would totally buy this for her.
That's it for this installment. Catch you guys back here next time.
I'm not a big fan of holidays in general. And I really dislike Christmas. Call me crazy, but I just don't like the frantic nature of it all. "What are you bringing?" "Are we getting together at your house or your sister's?" "What time?" "Are we playing dirty Santa?"
It's all a big pain in the butt. And all I end up doing is catching up with family members that I really don't care much about and watching my brother's kids unwrap presents. I could literally think of hundreds of things that I would rather be doing.
But it will not always be like this. One day I will have the financial resources to do what I want for the holidays.
"What are we doing for Christmas?"
"I don't know what you're doing, but I'm going on vacation."
With that said here are some pics of 2 places where I would rather spend Christmas:
1. Miami
There isn't any reason that I want to go to Miami, I've just never been. I'm sure that one trip will be enough for me. I don't really like people, and I really hate crowds. And Miami seems like it will be crowded even in the off season. Apparently peak season starts in December and runs through April. So maybe this isn't the best time for me to go. But its better than wasting time with my family.
2. Cancun
Again, this is just another place I've never been. My wife went for her honeymoon to her first husband and is dying to go back.
Snorkeling in an underground river sounds like fun to me, but I'm not sure if my wife will like it.
Shopping is something my wife can really get into. It is how we spend 90% of our vacations.
That's it for this post. Sadly I'll be spending this Christmas with family.
