I want to share a video with all of you. It’s something that has really moved me. This video comes from the footage from Restrepo, the movie about the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and their fifteen month deployment to the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. It specifically focuses on Sal Giunta’s actions that earned him the Medal of Honor, the most prestigious American award to a member of the military.

Sal put his life on the line for his friends to earn the medal, yet he considers his actions average and equal to that of his entire platoon. The story itself is emotional, yet it’s his attitude that inspires me. In a world of narcissists, Sal is painfully humble. If you don’t watch the whole video, Sal is asked what went through his head when he was up for the Medal of Honor. His response begins at 11:48. Uncommon courage became a common occurrence for Sal and his friends.

I also want to draw your attention to Major Kearney (a Captain during the deployment) in this video. Major Kearney exhibits a tenacious, controlled rage towards his enemy. At 4:32 he says, “I made the decision, being the commander on the ground, that I wanted to go into Landigal and get our damn weapons back and show these people that we aren’t gonna give up…I don’t want them to have a war trophy…Hell no, I’m getting that stuff. It’s not theirs it’s mine.” Decisive. Tough. Determined. Major Kearney, Sal Giunta, and plenty other courageous military members are 70’s Big.

It’s almost embarrassing to sit here and compare these guys with 70sBig.com. Instead I want you to reflect on this video because you can learn just as much from these men as you can from Kazmaier, Pisarenko, and Konstantinovs. When you sit in the gym or at home and feel sorry for yourself, remember the story of Sal, and remember how Major Kearney never questioned his decision to kick ass. Remember these stories when you feel defeated, because you’re only defeated if you let yourself be.

Things came up; quick post today. Hopefully your training went well this week. Let us know in the comments, and be sure to note your PR’s!

Additionally, here are some things we can discuss throughout the weekend:

Are you bothered by steroid use?

What’s your favorite meal you’ve had in March?

What’s the most 70’s Big book? Movie? Song?

I don’t know Spencer, but he seems like a happenin’ guy. I like his reaction to hitting 197kg; the slow six shooters. Then he hits 200kg. And he’s 19 years old.


I’ve never met Donny Shankle, but I’ve heard that he’s, uh, unique. Here’s a vid of him talking about hand care:


I actually know Chris and we’ve used speed squats (AKA dynamic effort) with a lot of success in Chris’ training. Here is a video from about a month ago — he’s doing doubles on the minute every minute for ten minutes at 385 (I watched him do around 400 the other day when we were in San Antonio). The focus is on a ferocious bounce. Technique is secondary to getting the sharpest bounce and fastest ascent possible:

Today’s post is incredibly pertinent to everyone here. Learning from other people’s mistakes is almost as good as learning from your own mistakes. The powers of observation will help you from having to experience it yourself in order to ingrain the lesson. For example, if the dumb broad that wrote the linked article in yesterday’s post had made logical observations, maybe a couple inferences, and not performed the Tracy Anderson POW program, she wouldn’t have had to waste her time getting so obnoxiously unhealthy.

I have two stories that should blatantly teach you not to lift heavy after a long day of traveling. Traveling itself is a necessary hindrance (we haven’t developed a floo network yet). My observation has been that training hard upon getting to the new destination is doable. However, once returning home — typically after a busy few days that are capped off with that last “I can’t wait to get home” traveling day — it would be best to ease back into training.

Traveling, though tiring at times, broadens our horizons and exposes us to new cultures. It’s a necessary hurdle to jump over if you want to experience the world’s wonders firsthand. Take Hawaii, for example. Imagine sinking your toes into the warm sand of Waikiki Beach, the sound of gentle waves lapping at the shore. You could be snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, surrounded by vibrantly colored fish and coral reefs. Or, perhaps you’d prefer to cruise the island on a mopeds, feeling the wind in your hair as you explore hidden coves and charming towns. Hike through a lush rainforest, enveloped by the scent of plumeria flowers and the call of exotic birds. Hawaii offers a unique blend of relaxation, adventure, and cultural immersion.

Planning future trips can be just as exciting, and Motorcycle rental France adds a fun way to explore new destinations on two wheels.

When I worked with Rip we came home from doing a Starting Strength Seminar in California. The next day I was volume squatting for the Texas Method; I was on my third set of 5×5 at 430. When I went down on the third rep, I felt a sharp movement and pain in my lumbar/sacral area. I actually squatted it up with help so I didn’t kill my spotters (Chris being one of them). There were some other circumstances that made the injury worse, and it ended up preventing me from squatting for about two months. During that time I qualified for nationals in weightlifting without squatting heavy and a yanked back.

The second story happened yesterday. I traveled back from San Antonio (where the military nationals for USAPL were) on Monday; the day started at 3:50 AM and I got home around 8:30 PM (this included six hours of driving). It was arduous. Yesterday I was squatting heavier than I have in a while. I planned on doing two or three reps. At the bottom of the second rep, I feel kind of a pop in my left TFL/hip flexor area, yet it doesn’t necessarily hurt and I squat the rep up well enough. I stood there debating whether or not to do the third rep; it didn’t hurt, so I descended. When I got to the bottom it didn’t hurt, but it felt…fluid, like there wasn’t normal support. So I just eased the bar onto the pins knowing that things weren’t normal.

A day later, it’s sore. I am continuing to treat it (especially with ice), but I’m irritated with myself because what happened is obvious. The day before I was sitting a lot with my hips in complete flexion; they were undoubtedly tight. I worked on my back and lateral hips a bit before going to bed, but I didn’t really give the anterior thigh any attention (I’ve never had issues in this area, with injuries or as a result of squatting technique). In any case, the negligence in not working on them when I got home and choosing to lift heavy resulted in an injury that will take at least a week to rehab (by my estimation).

Be aware of how certain body positions can effect training. If you sit at a desk for 8+ hours a day, you are more than likely experiencing something similar. Whether you are traveling or working in an office, give your hips and low back attention. Stop and think; what is my back doing all day? Is it in weird lumbar flexion with bad posture? Mine is if I’m traveling; my torso is long and I don’t fit in regular chairs. I have to slouch in order to be comfortable (why airline and car seats don’t have lumbar support is beyond me). What are your hips and knees doing all day? My thighs are bigger than average, and they don’t fit in seats comfortably. Hips are in flexion when sitting and I’m usually externally rotated so that my thighs don’t smash down on my junk. Based on that observation, right away I should know to pay attention to my sacral/lumbar and lateral hip areas. It’s obvious that when the knee is in flexion all day that the rectus femoris would be tight (or even the TFL or adductor longus). The easiest way to address these muscular irritations is with a foam roller or PVC pipe. Roll over the area, and when you find a painful spot, spend some time working it out.

To bring this lesson full circle, remember that your body adapts to stress. “Stress” doesn’t necessarily have to be something you’re imparting on the body for performance gain. “Stress” can be a lack of activity, or even a lack of movement. You intuitively know this; when you get out of bed or up from the couch, you have to stretch or move to loosen your muscles up. Sitting for long periods of time makes you feel stiff and rigid. Here is Dr. Gil Hedley talking about this topic. He conceptualizes it by calling it “fuzz”, but after watching this video you’ll have an understanding of why sitting still can make you stiff. Staying stiff without addressing the muscle tissue with stimulation or movement can make muscle too “rigid”. Rigid muscle and tendons are easily injured.

T-Bone linked this horrible article on facebook. Normally, I wouldn’t want such a website to get clicks from me, but you’ll have to see all the silly shit for yourselves.

People call Tracy Anderson an “exercise genius”. Amendment: making people skinny, small, and weak makes you a torturous interrogator. Don’t they use the same techniques in third world countries? Barring sodomy or genital removal, this is one of the worst things you can do to someone.

And before any of you crazy assholes start ranting about how (allegedly) attractive Paltrow is, I will shut you up. When Gwynneth is on screen with other skinny people, you don’t see the relative skinniness. Also, the fact that she is on screen (TV, movie, your computer as you touch yourself, etc.) means that her value to you is elevated. Human beings are attracted to higher value targets. The combination of her screen time, your hand shandy time, and her standing next to other emaciated goons means that you think she’s more attractive than she already is. Okay, she has nice hair, I’ll give her that, but you or your girlfriend would too if you had millions of dollars and the best stylists available. The same goes for how someone’s face looks (makeup artists earn their money).

Haven’t you ever heard, “There is no such thing as ugly women, just lazy ones,”? In any case, any ol’ girl can be made into an attractive broad on screen via hair and makeup stylists. Paltrow is horribly skinny. And, if her nude body was lying underneath me, I’d look at it and say, “This could be better. I’m not impressed.” Those of you who disagree are either skinny yourselves, or just want to live out your hand shandy fantasy of banging someone you saw on screen.

Enough about Paltrown, I’m trying to make the point that Tracy Anderson is a terrorist. The author of the linked article has this to say about the diet:

Yet all this would have been bearable if it hadn’t been for the diet part of the regime. On the first week of the plan I’m only allowed to eat seven different foods, mostly blended…I don’t actually chew anything for a whole week.

What? I think Frank Abignale, Jr. ate better when he was a prisoner in France (and he was in a 5x5x5 cell with no waste disposal for his feces).

I am encouraged to weigh myself daily and measure my results with the ‘Tracy tape measure’ every ten days.

At first this made me feel quite uncomfortable but now I’m fanatical about my daily weigh-in and refuse to eat or drink anything until I know my weight first.

This sounds really fucking healthy.

Well, I’m no Gwynnie but since January I have lost a stone in weight and dropped from dress size 12 to 10. I am happier with my body than I have been for a long time. Those are the positives. On the downside I feel woozy and find it difficult to concentrate. At first I had loads of energy but now I’m always tired and am told I’m hor…ribly grouchy to boot. My skin is terrible and my nails are flaking and weak.

For fuck’s sake, HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY?!? (LINK)

For the women reading this site: Keep getting stronger, ladies. And trust me when I tell you this: you are far more sexy and healthy than the dumb broads that follow the advice of terrorists like Tracy Anderson.