George writes:
“A long, agonizing series of failures and awkward moments hasn’t completely destroyed my self-confidence or belief that I’m a normal person”
Brent,
I feel that I am working towards this but am not quite there yet. Any tips for getting to that next level?
Nothing kills your will to live more than to hope. It is the most fragile thing in existence and is the basis for most, if not all, the things we care about the most. Hope for things and watch them not happen, watch them go away, realize they never existed to begin with. Parts of you will die. If you are strong enough or give enough fucks you’ll mob those parts of you and stop hoping and start working. They still may not happen. It’ll be fine. Pain is a construct of the mind. Do you feel your faith waning? Is it worth believing in? Talk to me, George. What do you believe in?
Friday I snatch pulled to above the knee + snatched 225lbs, which I have been trying to do for like 3 weeks it’s fucking fine. C+Jed up to like 275lbs? Made a run at 295lbs and missed the jerk. Back squat 415lbs x 2 I think.
On Saturday I snatched and c+jed like shit, didn’t snatch anything meaningful, c+jed up to 275lbs, cleaned 295lbs.
High-bar back squat 415lbs x 2, pulled 425lbs x 2 with a hook grip + 2 more singles, attempted 435lbs and got it about 2 inches off the floor it’s fine. I could deadlift more. Though I think it’s official that I can pull all my worksets/competition attempts with the hook grip now. Not that it fucking matters if it’s fucking less than 500lbs what the fuck is this shit.
I did some GHRs after this along with some db delt raises (front and lateral) and some curls. Honestly? Honestly? Honestly? The curls were the best part of the workout because I got 105lbs x 10 and 115lbs x like 8 with the strictest form I’ve ever done those weights and reps. This is not to say they were very strict sets. Get fucked please. But the curls were the only thing that I did today that didn’t make me want to fucking quit lifting forever and pick up sudoku or maybe collecting stamps.
Best writes:
Brent,
I max out everyday. Thought you might like to know that.
It’s really a great day in Newport Beach today, lots of chicks out in bikinis, people drinking having a good time in the sun, 77°; how’s Texas?
I wouldn’t know, I didn’t leave the apartment this weekend.
hamburgerfan writes:
I just benched 265 for a paused double. Couldn’t make it a triple. I weigh like 60 lbs more than you. How do I stop being such a dickless mormon at benching? Wait, why am I even asking you this?
Dunno.
My bench started getting a lot better when I started doing dips, tacked-and-stretched my distal tris, cleaned up my shoulder extension, and took care of some soft-tissue grittiness in my pecs. Since then I’ve made some pretty consistent progress.
The db delt work may contribute a little as well? I want to say that my humeral abduction feels a lot more solid in the bench, and the db delt work seems like it might benefit that kind of movement.
To be fair, the PL community would think my bench is a fucking joke anyway. Oh you /just/ now got within range of a 300lbs competition bench? Age 18 called, it wants you to know you’re a fucking never-was. The has-beens beat you to it.
My bench won’t make me want to fucking kill myself when it’s like 160kg/352lbs @ 77kg/170lbs bw maybe.
Tom writes:
The log says Shrug Thug on the 70′s Big website, but the guy who writes it weighs 156lbs and never does shrugs. I feel so used and upset.
I just want to be sure that everyone knows that I gave myself the nickname to mock myself, and then a lot of the people in the community loved it and thought it was the greatest thing ever. This wasn’t the effect I was going for, I just wanted to make some single-serving dick head joke.
Broseph writes:
Brent, what song is this?
Since you already found out, let me recommend this one as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPbbVfTxEQY
also
if you’re into nihilistic cinema
What the fuck other kind of cinema do you think I’m going to be in?
becky writes:
so i was doing my weighted pull ups at the UNT gym tonight and i was working in with a pretty nice guy. well, we got talking and he told me i need to get some gloves to protect my hands. it all happened so quickly that i wasn’t able to conceal my gut reaction. i don’t know exactly what the face looked like that i gave him or how harsh the shoulder shrug looked or what exact interpretation he took out of my “well, ummmm…”
…but after that he didn’t really talk to me anymore.
i’m guessing the way he felt was similar to something that you avoid when you decide not to bother trying to approach girls in the first place. i mean, he tried…and it didn’t go so well. so i guess now i can see why someone would hesitate and/or back out altogether. he must have been miserable in that moment.
All pain is transient. Everything he feels now won’t matter in a year. Or he’ll have killed himself. Either way – he’ll be fine. This, too, shall come to pass. If these are concepts he doesn’t believe in, he won’t survive.
I strongly support your reaction, not because I dislike the guy for recommending gloves, just because I know that the next time he does pull ups he’ll PR by 5 reps or +10lbs, gloves or not. You did the right thing. You’re making him better. He should thank you for hurting his feelings, assuming he gave a fucking shit. Hopefully he didn’t. Hopefully he goes home to someone who likes his personality and entertains the idea of staying with him for a while. Hopefully he is pursuing something he believes in with passion and doesn’t have time to care about every slight. Hopefully he goes to bed with a smile on his face and wakes up full of hope for the day. Hopefully his heart is not so bloodied that he has to blog about it to strangers who popcorn.gif the fuck out of his rapidly accelerating descent into utter and complete despair.
Karibot writes:
Oh, girl. Confession time: I’ve said some pretty bitchy things to dudes who have made similar “suggestions”. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether they’re just being douchey or they’re trying to flirt.
Becky: I think it’s safe to say that you crushed this man. I mean: he was working in with a lady doing WEIGHTED PULL-UPS. But he told you to get gloves! GLOVES! What are we supposed to DO in situations like these?
I’ve flirted with girls in the gym before, always crashed and burned real fucking hard. One time I thought I did well but she ignored me the next time I talked to her. I’ll tell this story in the next post, you guys need to be sure to remind me.
Fuck.
I mean first.
Fucking reading this made me want to train or do SOMETHING, so I got out my pull up bar and did 5 chins after sitting at my computer for the last eight hours and I fucking strained my pec. Goddomnit Bront
Bront is Brent’s more confident, Alpha male twin. I hear he can bench about 400lbs.
hahaha
excellent
“Nothing kills your will to live more than to hope. […] Do you feel your faith waning? Is it worth believing in? Talk to me, George. What do you believe in?” (Kim, 2012).
You know what, Brent? You know fucking what? I don’t really believe in much anymore. I used to have hopes and dreams and ideals, but one by one they went away as I realized that I am a piece of shit garbage athlete aspie beta fuck so I just wrote them off as being silly and pretended to move on it’s fine have you ever read The Stranger by Camus?
Speaking of Asian movies (can’t say films or cinema because I might come off as a hipster even though I’m wearing large glasses and own a lot of flannel) Have you seen What Time is it There? Might be up your alley.
My dog shit in the kitchen while I was writing this.
Ohhhhh Camus! The Myth of Sisyphus is perfect for this blog, too. Pushing weight around is all there is, you guys. That’s all there is. Find contentment in it.
An excellent summary: http://www.philosophybro.com/2010/12/camus-myth-of-sisyphus-summary.html
Good call. My philosophy professor turned me onto that essay back in undergrad. Then we listened to Sunny Day Real Estate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiEGmrrUw-U). We are friends on facebook.
Your philosophy prof lifts jellydick weights, and so do you.
Next you’re going to on about how the high bar back squat is some Kantian metaphor for man’s place in this world.
This isn’t fucking livejournal. This isn’t some lib arts college coffee shop where the betas all wax intellectual in vain attempts at pathetic intercourse.
This is brent fucking kim’s blog and he’s pretty fucking strong and he’s getting stronger. Lost in humorous emo musings is the fact that he’s approaching a 2xBW c+j.
The only prof that matters is Professor Pump. Now kindly stfu.
take it to your xanga, bro.
http://umadbro.co/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1884407-y_u_mad.jpg
George beat me to it.
That book had quite a big impact on me. I even named my workout log after it, because I’m that pretentious.
You should read it Brent, it’s literally about whether you should commit suicide or not. And the answer is essentially to get over it and embrace moving heavy things. You would find solace.
That’s a good name for a workout log.
The beginning: “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.”
The end: “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
It’s perfect in every way.
whatthefuckamireading?
😎
Philosophy Bro! He reads and summarizes so you don’t have to.
When I see someone lift weights that I haven’t lifted yet, I’ll be interested in that guy’s training and maybe have a chat with him to see how he got there. Similarly, if I see someone talking about ideas or books that I’m not familiar with, I’ll be intrigued at how they could improve my viewpoint and maybe have a chat with them out of intellectual curiosity. I don’t know why other people don’t have this attitude. Just saying.
Now I know exactly whatthefuckiamreading.
Look, JC. This isn’t fucking livejournal. This isn’t some lib arts college coffee shop where the betas all wax intellectual in vain attempts at pathetic intercourse.
Once you realize you can’t win, you’re free.
Off topic, but I’ve really enjoyed all these (apparently) bb.com memes that pop up here. The poverty dinner, the truck driving mom, the stay safe, they’re all pretty amusing.
He’ll have killed himself…He’ll be fine
lol
Brent,
I appreciate you writing this blog. It gives me not only a good read between classes, but because of my schedule I always have to train alone so I feel like we’re training partners. Even though we’ve never met and I’m basically a voyeur to your life. Thanks.
i’m chatting with this really pretty girl on facebook as i read this post. i may have been too up front with my personality. its been about 93 seconds and she still hasnt responded. fuck. idk what to do. im about to squat. maybe that will help get my mind off my insecurities. she still hasnt responded……
Brent I had a special lady-friend come over to my apartment this weekend. Needless to say there was no physical contact between us and I was friendzoned like the fat kid trying out for cheer squad. Should I start curling more often?
I was talking with a scientist and he told me that ~40% of the chinese population and take test and it will not show up in there piss for some scientfic reason he explained. You should research and see if this could benefit you since you are asian.
If you were on a deserted island and had a barbell but the weight had to be a fixed amount(welded or old school globe style), what weight amount would you choose and why?
if i were that chick, I’d start wearing mittens to the gym now so hopefully he goes to all his other glove-wearin bro’s and has a good laugh about he he told some chick to wear gloves and she misunderstood and wore mittens, they will laugh with each other about how much of a dumb cunt she is and high five with gloves on and maybe even take a break for sec, tighten their tapered harbinger padded lifting belts, hit a quick set of calf raises and then go back to laughing.
If you’re so “into” nihilistic cinema, then why haven’t you seen the entire Vengeance Trilogy?
For fuck’s sake, man– I’m not even Korean…
And I don’t use the word “cinema” because I’m some faggot hipster, I use it because I have an expansive knowledge of film history and production.
Also,
I’m a Pretty Lights fan; I have no idea why I didn’t recognize the song in your goofy dance video.
It was a moment of weakness on my part.
And no, I didn’t get/am not working towards a degree in film.
Lol
>2012
>Film degree
>ISHYGDDT
Hi Brent,
Did you learn the power clean from Rippetoe? If so, did you have trouble adapting to the more conventional clean taught by USAW coaches?
I’m attending a Starting Strength seminar in February, and wonder if I should put on the ear-muffs during the power clean portion of the weekend.
lol
Long time reader first time caller.
I wish I could force some of my shitty self-motivation on you. Went to the (college) gym today to squat 280x5x3 (bahahahah I suck). But there were cute girls in the rack next to me. So I wanted to act like I’m the king of this place. So I decided to set a FS PR (225, bahahaha I suck, and only been FS for two weeks). Then I did a set at 280. I was feeling great. Then I decided to PR the shit out of my BS. 315 for the first time ever, then 330, then 365. At a 168 BW.
The girls weren’t even there in the end. I think they left right after 315. But I was the king today. 90% of that gym can’t even dream about 365.
365 is totes supes weak compared to everyone I draw my inspiration from. You’re ridiculously stronger and smaller than me. But still. I think this was just more of a self-masturbatory post. I just want to tell everyone I squatted 365 for the first time ever.
Dear Brent,
You write a very good blog. I am trying to imagine a world where you get a ton of traffic but really it just seems like you’d stop writing if that happened.
“I had a dream of us holding hands miles from here, breaking free of this world, loving truly, the span of a moment, pure love unleashed.” How does this make you feel?
Live. Laugh. Love. <3
Mr. Kim,
How do you feel about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md0hNcvwMds
or do you not like to trip while you hop?
If you don’t like its fine, I’ll get you something else….
Please respond.
All you fellas who are nervous about talking to ladies:
http://imgur.com/gallery/gRWTI