Tip Toeing in my Vibrams

[Renascent]

(7.19.2022)
Barbell Hang Rows
225 x 11 x 2 (Pronated)
225 x 11 x 2 (Supinated)
245 x 8 x 2 (Pronated)
245 x 8 x 2 (Supinated)

Weighted Neck Curls
35 x 30 x 2
40 x 20 x 2

Landmine T-Bar Rows
200 x 10 x 8

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
100 x 8 x 5
90 x 9 x 3

Kneeling Single-Arm Iliac Pulldowns
50 x 12 x 3

Lying Cable Knee Raises
75 x 12 x 2
65 x 10 x 2

[Renascent]

(7.20.2022)
Overhead Press
155 x 10
175 x 5 x 4
195 x 3 x 1, 2 x 1, 3 x 1, 2 x 1
205 x 2 x 1, 1 x 2
185 x 3 x 2



Yazmin Press
185 x 6 x 6
195 x 4 x 2, 3 x 1*

*Missed last rep. Made a grocery run immediately after. Realized I left the bar loaded while I was out, and panicked enough to drive as foolhardedly as every other simple motherfucker out in the world at the same hour.

Cable Hip Adduction
30 x 12 x 3

Cable Hip Abduction
30 x 12 x 3

Kneeling Face Pulls
55 x 12 x 4

Cable Pull-Aparts
30 x 12 x 2
35 x 8 x 2

Lying Cable Knee Raises
60 x 15 x 4

Decided to split tonight's session in half, since I have some manual labor to deal with tomorrow. Assuming there's time and energy left over, I'll deal with traps and arm shit in the evening. Maybe even throw in some butt stuff, if I'm feeling particularly randy.

Presses went better than I expected, though I was getting a little annoyed with my top set performance until I remembered the lack of sleep over the past few nights.

Got a little stubborn with trying to meet today's admittedly arbitrary rep numbers, and almost passed out from grinding the 205 single for too long (as James or Mouse would say, "Haha."). Ol' Raghavan probably would've cringed at some of the layback-laden struggles.

Fuck it -- could've been worse.

[hector]

(7.20.2022)
Overhead Press
155 x 10
175 x 5 x 4
195 x 3 x 1, 2 x 1, 3 x 1, 2 x 1
205 x 2 x 1, 1 x 2
185 x 3 x 2



Yazmin Press
185 x 6 x 6
195 x 4 x 2, 3 x 1*

*Missed last rep. Made a grocery run immediately after. Realized I left the bar loaded while I was out, and panicked enough to drive as foolhardedly as every other simple motherfucker out in the world at the same hour.

Cable Hip Adduction
30 x 12 x 3

Cable Hip Abduction
30 x 12 x 3

Kneeling Face Pulls
55 x 12 x 4

Cable Pull-Aparts
30 x 12 x 2
35 x 8 x 2

Lying Cable Knee Raises
60 x 15 x 4

Decided to split tonight's session in half, since I have some manual labor to deal with tomorrow. Assuming there's time and energy left over, I'll deal with traps and arm shit in the evening. Maybe even throw in some butt stuff, if I'm feeling particularly randy.

Presses went better than I expected, though I was getting a little annoyed with my top set performance until I remembered the lack of sleep over the past few nights.

Got a little stubborn with trying to meet today's admittedly arbitrary rep numbers, and almost passed out from grinding the 205 single for too long (as James or Mouse would say, "Haha."). Ol' Raghavan probably would've cringed at some of the layback-laden struggles.

Fuck it -- could've been worse.

Hoe are you going to celebrate when you hit a 225 ohp?

[Hardartery]

Hoe are you going to celebrate when you hit a 225 ohp?

LOL. What are you implying here?

[hector]

Hoe are you going to celebrate when you hit a 225 ohp?

LOL. What are you implying here?

Shit. Typo.
Meant "How."

[Renascent]

(7.20.2022)
Overhead Press
155 x 10
175 x 5 x 4
195 x 3 x 1, 2 x 1, 3 x 1, 2 x 1
205 x 2 x 1, 1 x 2
185 x 3 x 2



Yazmin Press
185 x 6 x 6
195 x 4 x 2, 3 x 1*

*Missed last rep. Made a grocery run immediately after. Realized I left the bar loaded while I was out, and panicked enough to drive as foolhardedly as every other simple motherfucker out in the world at the same hour.

Cable Hip Adduction
30 x 12 x 3

Cable Hip Abduction
30 x 12 x 3

Kneeling Face Pulls
55 x 12 x 4

Cable Pull-Aparts
30 x 12 x 2
35 x 8 x 2

Lying Cable Knee Raises
60 x 15 x 4

Decided to split tonight's session in half, since I have some manual labor to deal with tomorrow. Assuming there's time and energy left over, I'll deal with traps and arm shit in the evening. Maybe even throw in some butt stuff, if I'm feeling particularly randy.

Presses went better than I expected, though I was getting a little annoyed with my top set performance until I remembered the lack of sleep over the past few nights.

Got a little stubborn with trying to meet today's admittedly arbitrary rep numbers, and almost passed out from grinding the 205 single for too long (as James or Mouse would say, "Haha."). Ol' Raghavan probably would've cringed at some of the layback-laden struggles.

Fuck it -- could've been worse.

Hoe are you going to celebrate when you hit a 225 ohp?

No celebration. Just trying to get back to where I was three months ago.

Then I'll aim for 230.

[Renascent]

Hoe are you going to celebrate when you hit a 225 ohp?

LOL. What are you implying here?

It would've been an acceptable question with either wording, typos be damned.

[Renascent]

(7.22.2022)
Low-Bar Squats
135 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 6 x 2
315 x 3 x 3
335 x 2 x 3
355 x 1 x 3
315 x 3 x 3
275 x 5
225 x 5



Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats
70 x 8 x 3
60 x 9

Cable Glute Kickbacks
45 x 10 x 2
35 x 10 x 2

Weighted Sissy Squats
25 x 12 x 4

Ab Wheel Rollouts
10 x 4

[Renascent]

(7.24.2022 -- Noon)
Deadlift
225 x 8
315 x 7
405 x 7
455 x 5 (PR, probably)
475 x 3
495 x 1
505 x 1
425 x 3



(Afternoon)
Good Mornings
175 x 10 x 4
185 x 7 x 3
195 x 5 x 2

Seated Reverse Calf Raises
70 x 30 x 4*
60 x 35 x 2
50 x 40 x 2

*Misload. Was supposed to be sixty pounds. Whoops, I guess.

Standing Barbell Calf Raises
195 x 30 x 2
205 x 25 x 2

(Evening)
Seated Cable Leg Curls
40 x 15
45 x 15
50 x 12 x 4
55 x 9 x 2

Standing Single-Arm High-Cable Reverse Flyes
25 x 12 x 4

Face Pulls
55 x 15 x 4

Cable Side Bends
45 x 12 x 4

Nordic Curls
9 x 4

Weighted Sissy Squats
25 x 12 x 4

Lying Cable Knee Raises
80 x 10 x 2
70 x 10 x 2

Well, that was fun!

[Renascent]

(7.25.2022)
Bench Press
135 x 10
225 x 10
245 x 10
275 x 5 x 2
305 x 2 x 5
315 x 1
320 x 1
315 x 1
275 x 3 x 2
225 x 5 x 2



Lateral Plate Raises
20 x 12 x 4

Single-Arm High Cable Flyes
20 x 12 x 4

Kneeling Cable Crunch
80 x 15 x 3

Cable Glute Kickbacks
35 x 12 x 3

Didn't wake up early this morning -- and wasn't really committed to doing so -- which meant I only really had time for bench press and a smattering of cute shit this evening.

Doing back work tomorrow, and since this'll be another week of weird scheduling, I'll have to play it by ear.

Leaning towards trying to add a few sets of sissy squats at the end of every other session, if it turns out to be feasible. Was tempted to cap off tonight's session with a couple of bodyweight sets, but simply forgot. May still grab ahold of a bedpost and knock out a few, if I'm up for it later.

[Renascent]

(7.26.2022)
Barbell Hang Rows
225 x 11 x 2 (Pronated)
225 x 11 x 2 (Supinated)
245 x 8 x 2 (Pronated)
245 x 8 x 2 (Supinated)

Ab Wheel Rollouts
10 x 4

Not what I had planned, but at least it's something.

[Renascent]

(7.27.2022)
Overhead Press
155 x 10
175 x 6 x 3
185 x 4 x 3
195 x 3 x 2
205 x 2
205 x FAIL
205 x 2
210 x 1



Yazmin Press
185 x 7 x 5
195 x 5 x 2
205 x 3

Barbell Hang Shrugs
225 x 15 x 2
315 x 8 x 3

Dumbbell Silverback Shrugs
70 x 25 x 2
75 x 18 x 2

Single-Arm Cable Side Shrugs
45 x 12 x 5

Rope Pushdowns
55 x 15 x 2
65 x 12 x 2
75 x 10 x 2

Overhead RTEs
80 x 11 x 6
85 x 6 x 2

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls
25 x 12 x 4

Hammer Curls
25 x 10 x 4

Kneeling Cable Crunch
85 x 12 x 2
75 x 12 x 2

[Renascent]

(7.28.2022)
Cable Hip Adduction
30 x 12 x 4

Weighted Neck Curls
35 x 30 x 2
40 x 20 x 2

Weighted Neck Extensions
35 x 30 x 2
40 x 20 x 2

Cable Hip Abduction
30 x 12 x 4

Cable Pull-Aparts
35 x 10 x 5

Standing Cable Knee Raises
40 x 10 x 3

Standing Single-Arm Cable Y-Raise
15 x 12 x 3

Overhead Cable Front Raise
15 x 15 x 2
25 x 12 x 2

Roman Chair Sit-Ups
50 x 15 x 3

Left work early to take the kid to school orientation. Missed lunch, and thought I'd make it up later, but simply ate my leftover work salad instead, and did some "vanity" work in the gymspace. I wasn't really up for squatting (feels weird to do it on a Thursday), and I might still be feeling the effects of the deadlifts from last Sunday. Stubborn presses from yesterday didn't help. We'll see what Friday evening brings; it's usually a hoot -- Skinny Puppy and Bambi-legged squats.

Been a while since I've been out in public for any measurable amount of time in a place that wasn't related to work or groceries, so it was weird to see parents who immediately recognized me, while I could barely register a lot of them beyond a familiar blur. Kinda disconcerting when "strangers" acknowledge me in a self-assured tone, and I have to fake my way through remembering them.

And at the risk of sounding like an ass, two observations came to mind once we left:

(1) People who don't seem to follow any physical pursuits of their own are too easily "impressed" (though that may not be the most appropriate word).

There used to be some Rick Steiner-looking disciplinarian who always wore a tie on the faculty, and a PE teacher with a Captain America fetish, but in their apparent absence, I seemed to be the only "apparent" lifter present. Some other male teacher kept giving me the most awkward stare from across the auditorium, and would sheepishly look away when I returned his suspicious gaze, as if he felt caught. Others looked at me as if I came there solely to eat the remains of slaughtered children and fight their guardians for sport.

There were a few instances of being lightly brushed against, or my shoulder being rubbed, as if that shit was really necessary to pass me with ample walking room, followed by coyish declarations of "Oh, excuse me!" and the goofy, pre-2000 porn chuckle.

A few people asked how I've been with a tone of established intimacy; pretty sure I've never seen some of those motherfuckers in my life, but that might be more of a testament to my waning investment in social capital than demonstrable forgetfulness.

(2) My t-shirts might be too tight. I'm not that fucking big.

[MarkKO]

(7.28.2022)
Cable Hip Adduction
30 x 12 x 4

Weighted Neck Curls
35 x 30 x 2
40 x 20 x 2

Weighted Neck Extensions
35 x 30 x 2
40 x 20 x 2

Cable Hip Abduction
30 x 12 x 4

Cable Pull-Aparts
35 x 10 x 5

Standing Cable Knee Raises
40 x 10 x 3

Standing Single-Arm Cable Y-Raise
15 x 12 x 3

Overhead Cable Front Raise
15 x 15 x 2
25 x 12 x 2

Roman Chair Sit-Ups
50 x 15 x 3

Left work early to take the kid to school orientation. Missed lunch, and thought I'd make it up later, but simply ate my leftover work salad instead, and did some "vanity" work in the gymspace. I wasn't really up for squatting (feels weird to do it on a Thursday), and I might still be feeling the effects of the deadlifts from last Sunday. Stubborn presses from yesterday didn't help. We'll see what Friday evening brings; it's usually a hoot -- Skinny Puppy and Bambi-legged squats.

Been a while since I've been out in public for any measurable amount of time in a place that wasn't related to work or groceries, so it was weird to see parents who immediately recognized me, while I could barely register a lot of them beyond a familiar blur. Kinda disconcerting when "strangers" acknowledge me in a self-assured tone, and I have to fake my way through remembering them.

And at the risk of sounding like an ass, two observations came to mind once we left:

(1) People who don't seem to follow any physical pursuits of their own are too easily "impressed" (though that may not be the most appropriate word).

There used to be some Rick Steiner-looking disciplinarian who always wore a tie on the faculty, and a PE teacher with a Captain America fetish, but in their apparent absence, I seemed to be the only "apparent" lifter present. Some other male teacher kept giving me the most awkward stare from across the auditorium, and would sheepishly look away when I returned his suspicious gaze, as if he felt caught. Others looked at me as if I came there solely to eat the remains of slaughtered children and fight their guardians for sport.

There were a few instances of being lightly brushed against, or my shoulder being rubbed, as if that shit was really necessary to pass me with ample walking room, followed by coyish declarations of "Oh, excuse me!" and the goofy, pre-2000 porn chuckle.

A few people asked how I've been with a tone of established intimacy; pretty sure I've never seen some of those motherfuckers in my life, but that might be more of a testament to my waning investment in social capital than demonstrable forgetfulness.

(2) My t-shirts might be too tight. I'm not that fucking big.

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

[Renascent]

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

I suspect a lot of people just like to talk, even for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, though I'm usually content when left to my own devices.

Amusingly, one of those people was a teacher whom I met with before, but never saw the lower half of her face till now. She caught me off guard, and I responded with sort of a half-hearted nod, and my eyebrows were probably raised. Her partner/spouse/whatever looked mortified.

Another pure stranger kept dragging a sheet of paper or something across my arm from behind. Eventually she abandoned that when I wouldn't turn to face her, and dragged her hand down my shoulder (a little too long, in my opinion) to get my attention, simply to ask me if it seemed like the line was moving, with a shit-eating grin.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that people respond to when they lay eyes on me, aside from contrast within the immediate environment. Older gents in the grocery store will sometimes regale me with stories of their former life as a gym rat (sometimes I suspect they're exaggerating, but no matter), or self-deprecating jokes about falling off the wagon for some reason or another. Kids might strike a double-bicep pose, to the chagrin of their parent(s), and I try to acknowledge the youngster without drawing too much attention to myself.

I think being relatively short with small bones makes any acquired meat on my frame stand out to some, and I'm usually flattered to a degree (when the comments are tasteful), but sometimes I wanna ask folks who stop me to give compliments if they've yet to see the gargoyle of a specimen two aisles over.

I'm rarely the "biggest" person in the room (and I generally don't mind), but at places like work it makes me kind of sad to see people react as if muscle -- even the smallest amount -- is so foreign to them to be intimidating. Even had a talk with a boss last year about how to soften my look, so to speak (it was a thinly-veiled "Don't get too big" kind of warning -- among other things -- that could only come from the mouth of someone with fantastical ideas about what it takes to gain "healthy" mass). I suppose I could complain about more pressing issues, though.

But with the overabundance of fitness-related conversation within the zeitgeist of the present, it's weird how the meathead stereotypes persist (even weirder when they're applied to me).

Sometimes I spot a hulking frame hunched over, skulking down the hall in poorly fitted khakis and loafers, and I think, "That motherfucker would be a damn monster if they lifted." A damn shame.

[Hardartery]

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

I suspect a lot of people just like to talk, even for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, though I'm usually content when left to my own devices.

Amusingly, one of those people was a teacher whom I met with before, but never saw the lower half of her face till now. She caught me off guard, and I responded with sort of a half-hearted nod, and my eyebrows were probably raised. Her partner/spouse/whatever looked mortified.

Another pure stranger kept dragging a sheet of paper or something across my arm from behind. Eventually she abandoned that when I wouldn't turn to face her, and dragged her hand down my shoulder (a little too long, in my opinion) to get my attention, simply to ask me if it seemed like the line was moving, with a shit-eating grin.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that people respond to when they lay eyes on me, aside from contrast within the immediate environment. Older gents in the grocery store will sometimes regale me with stories of their former life as a gym rat (sometimes I suspect they're exaggerating, but no matter), or self-deprecating jokes about falling off the wagon for some reason or another. Kids might strike a double-bicep pose, to the chagrin of their parent(s), and I try to acknowledge the youngster without drawing too much attention to myself.

I think being relatively short with small bones makes any acquired meat on my frame stand out to some, and I'm usually flattered to a degree (when the comments are tasteful), but sometimes I wanna ask folks who stop me to give compliments if they've yet to see the gargoyle of a specimen two aisles over.

I'm rarely the "biggest" person in the room (and I generally don't mind), but at places like work it makes me kind of sad to see people react as if muscle -- even the smallest amount -- is so foreign to them to be intimidating. Even had a talk with a boss last year about how to soften my look, so to speak (it was a thinly-veiled "Don't get too big" kind of warning -- among other things -- that could only come from the mouth of someone with fantastical ideas about what it takes to gain "healthy" mass). I suppose I could complain about more pressing issues, though.

But with the overabundance of fitness-related conversation within the zeitgeist of the present, it's weird how the meathead stereotypes persist (even weirder when they're applied to me).

Sometimes I spot a hulking frame hunched over, skulking down the hall in poorly fitted khakis and loafers, and I think, "That motherfucker would be a damn monster if they lifted." A damn shame.

People are weird, and don't know how to connect with people that they don't really know. And they're weird. I do not look like Adonis, but I have had my ass fondled at the gym without my permission or invitation (Within view of my wife, so that went well), I wore my kilt to an outdoor festival and got groped in ways that would get a man arrested. People are frigging weird and have gotten weirder with the whole Covid thing. You just learn to ignore people. I am roughly a foot taller than everyone around me during a normal day in Central America, and probably a solid 100 lbs or more larger than any of them. And I'm white, like Canadian of Scottish descent white. I feel you man. I never know who the hell anyone is but they all no who I am. The price of being you. It's better than being the soft gelatinous median that is Western society.

[MarkKO]

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

I suspect a lot of people just like to talk, even for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, though I'm usually content when left to my own devices.

Amusingly, one of those people was a teacher whom I met with before, but never saw the lower half of her face till now. She caught me off guard, and I responded with sort of a half-hearted nod, and my eyebrows were probably raised. Her partner/spouse/whatever looked mortified.

Another pure stranger kept dragging a sheet of paper or something across my arm from behind. Eventually she abandoned that when I wouldn't turn to face her, and dragged her hand down my shoulder (a little too long, in my opinion) to get my attention, simply to ask me if it seemed like the line was moving, with a shit-eating grin.

That last bit actually astounds me. Outside of a venue where alcohol has been flowing freely that sort of behaviour here in Australia is totally beyond socially acceptable. We're an easygoing lot generally, but anyone who tried that here would be risking a verbal thrashing at the least.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that people respond to when they lay eyes on me, aside from contrast within the immediate environment. Older gents in the grocery store will sometimes regale me with stories of their former life as a gym rat (sometimes I suspect they're exaggerating, but no matter), or self-deprecating jokes about falling off the wagon for some reason or another. Kids might strike a double-bicep pose, to the chagrin of their parent(s), and I try to acknowledge the youngster without drawing too much attention to myself.

I think being relatively short with small bones makes any acquired meat on my frame stand out to some, and I'm usually flattered to a degree (when the comments are tasteful), but sometimes I wanna ask folks who stop me to give compliments if they've yet to see the gargoyle of a specimen two aisles over.

I'm rarely the "biggest" person in the room (and I generally don't mind), but at places like work it makes me kind of sad to see people react as if muscle -- even the smallest amount -- is so foreign to them to be intimidating. Even had a talk with a boss last year about how to soften my look, so to speak (it was a thinly-veiled "Don't get too big" kind of warning -- among other things -- that could only come from the mouth of someone with fantastical ideas about what it takes to gain "healthy" mass). I suppose I could complain about more pressing issues, though.

But with the overabundance of fitness-related conversation within the zeitgeist of the present, it's weird how the meathead stereotypes persist (even weirder when they're applied to me).

Sometimes I spot a hulking frame hunched over, skulking down the hall in poorly fitted khakis and loafers, and I think, "That motherfucker would be a damn monster if they lifted." A damn shame.

Well, you just described the ideal build for a physique athlete so that goes some way to explaining why you get a rather good bang for buck when it comes to aesthetics.

To me that your experience is a reminder of how different things are here. Possibly it's just the circles I've moved in but it has always seemed like there are a few big guys around no matter where I go. Not legions of them, but enough that it never seems like anyone finds the sight of a big dude particularly noteworthy. It just a case of, there goes another big unit.

[MarkKO]

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

I suspect a lot of people just like to talk, even for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, though I'm usually content when left to my own devices.

Amusingly, one of those people was a teacher whom I met with before, but never saw the lower half of her face till now. She caught me off guard, and I responded with sort of a half-hearted nod, and my eyebrows were probably raised. Her partner/spouse/whatever looked mortified.

Another pure stranger kept dragging a sheet of paper or something across my arm from behind. Eventually she abandoned that when I wouldn't turn to face her, and dragged her hand down my shoulder (a little too long, in my opinion) to get my attention, simply to ask me if it seemed like the line was moving, with a shit-eating grin.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that people respond to when they lay eyes on me, aside from contrast within the immediate environment. Older gents in the grocery store will sometimes regale me with stories of their former life as a gym rat (sometimes I suspect they're exaggerating, but no matter), or self-deprecating jokes about falling off the wagon for some reason or another. Kids might strike a double-bicep pose, to the chagrin of their parent(s), and I try to acknowledge the youngster without drawing too much attention to myself.

I think being relatively short with small bones makes any acquired meat on my frame stand out to some, and I'm usually flattered to a degree (when the comments are tasteful), but sometimes I wanna ask folks who stop me to give compliments if they've yet to see the gargoyle of a specimen two aisles over.

I'm rarely the "biggest" person in the room (and I generally don't mind), but at places like work it makes me kind of sad to see people react as if muscle -- even the smallest amount -- is so foreign to them to be intimidating. Even had a talk with a boss last year about how to soften my look, so to speak (it was a thinly-veiled "Don't get too big" kind of warning -- among other things -- that could only come from the mouth of someone with fantastical ideas about what it takes to gain "healthy" mass). I suppose I could complain about more pressing issues, though.

But with the overabundance of fitness-related conversation within the zeitgeist of the present, it's weird how the meathead stereotypes persist (even weirder when they're applied to me).

Sometimes I spot a hulking frame hunched over, skulking down the hall in poorly fitted khakis and loafers, and I think, "That motherfucker would be a damn monster if they lifted." A damn shame.

People are weird, and don't know how to connect with people that they don't really know. And they're weird. I do not look like Adonis, but I have had my ass fondled at the gym without my permission or invitation (Within view of my wife, so that went well), I wore my kilt to an outdoor festival and got groped in ways that would get a man arrested. People are frigging weird and have gotten weirder with the whole Covid thing. You just learn to ignore people. I am roughly a foot taller than everyone around me during a normal day in Central America, and probably a solid 100 lbs or more larger than any of them. And I'm white, like Canadian of Scottish descent white. I feel you man. I never know who the hell anyone is but they all no who I am. The price of being you. It's better than being the soft gelatinous median that is Western society.

My question always is, why the hell are you trying to connect with someone you don't know? What happened to just being courteous to one another? That covers a ton of bases.

[Hardartery]

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

I suspect a lot of people just like to talk, even for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, though I'm usually content when left to my own devices.

Amusingly, one of those people was a teacher whom I met with before, but never saw the lower half of her face till now. She caught me off guard, and I responded with sort of a half-hearted nod, and my eyebrows were probably raised. Her partner/spouse/whatever looked mortified.

Another pure stranger kept dragging a sheet of paper or something across my arm from behind. Eventually she abandoned that when I wouldn't turn to face her, and dragged her hand down my shoulder (a little too long, in my opinion) to get my attention, simply to ask me if it seemed like the line was moving, with a shit-eating grin.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that people respond to when they lay eyes on me, aside from contrast within the immediate environment. Older gents in the grocery store will sometimes regale me with stories of their former life as a gym rat (sometimes I suspect they're exaggerating, but no matter), or self-deprecating jokes about falling off the wagon for some reason or another. Kids might strike a double-bicep pose, to the chagrin of their parent(s), and I try to acknowledge the youngster without drawing too much attention to myself.

I think being relatively short with small bones makes any acquired meat on my frame stand out to some, and I'm usually flattered to a degree (when the comments are tasteful), but sometimes I wanna ask folks who stop me to give compliments if they've yet to see the gargoyle of a specimen two aisles over.

I'm rarely the "biggest" person in the room (and I generally don't mind), but at places like work it makes me kind of sad to see people react as if muscle -- even the smallest amount -- is so foreign to them to be intimidating. Even had a talk with a boss last year about how to soften my look, so to speak (it was a thinly-veiled "Don't get too big" kind of warning -- among other things -- that could only come from the mouth of someone with fantastical ideas about what it takes to gain "healthy" mass). I suppose I could complain about more pressing issues, though.

But with the overabundance of fitness-related conversation within the zeitgeist of the present, it's weird how the meathead stereotypes persist (even weirder when they're applied to me).

Sometimes I spot a hulking frame hunched over, skulking down the hall in poorly fitted khakis and loafers, and I think, "That motherfucker would be a damn monster if they lifted." A damn shame.

People are weird, and don't know how to connect with people that they don't really know. And they're weird. I do not look like Adonis, but I have had my ass fondled at the gym without my permission or invitation (Within view of my wife, so that went well), I wore my kilt to an outdoor festival and got groped in ways that would get a man arrested. People are frigging weird and have gotten weirder with the whole Covid thing. You just learn to ignore people. I am roughly a foot taller than everyone around me during a normal day in Central America, and probably a solid 100 lbs or more larger than any of them. And I'm white, like Canadian of Scottish descent white. I feel you man. I never know who the hell anyone is but they all no who I am. The price of being you. It's better than being the soft gelatinous median that is Western society.

My question always is, why the hell are you trying to connect with someone you don't know? What happened to just being courteous to one another? That covers a ton of bases.

People are weird. They will behave likelittle children if they can get away with it. A kid sees your arm and is awed by it and wants to touch the veins or a muscle, and that's fine and amusing for everyone. 30 year-old Susan from the PTA or the next cubicle doing the same thing is inappropriately weird, or a sad attempt at flirting which is also likely inappropriate. At least men admit to objectifying.

[MarkKO]

There's always the possibility that some of those people were bluffing in the hope that no one would realise they had no clue who anyone else was. For some reason they may have felt obligated to make it seem like they knew who the parents of their children's classmates were.

This is not something I understand. I know who my stepson's friends are. I have a vague idea who their parents are in most cases. I don't see why I would need more than that, nor why anyone would.

I suspect a lot of people just like to talk, even for the hell of it. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, though I'm usually content when left to my own devices.

Amusingly, one of those people was a teacher whom I met with before, but never saw the lower half of her face till now. She caught me off guard, and I responded with sort of a half-hearted nod, and my eyebrows were probably raised. Her partner/spouse/whatever looked mortified.

Another pure stranger kept dragging a sheet of paper or something across my arm from behind. Eventually she abandoned that when I wouldn't turn to face her, and dragged her hand down my shoulder (a little too long, in my opinion) to get my attention, simply to ask me if it seemed like the line was moving, with a shit-eating grin.

Don't sell yourself that short, by the way. You aren't that big by the standards of a gym where there are big guys, this is true. By the standards of most anywhere else, you are a sizable individual and your relatively low bodyfat levels will make you look even bigger.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that people respond to when they lay eyes on me, aside from contrast within the immediate environment. Older gents in the grocery store will sometimes regale me with stories of their former life as a gym rat (sometimes I suspect they're exaggerating, but no matter), or self-deprecating jokes about falling off the wagon for some reason or another. Kids might strike a double-bicep pose, to the chagrin of their parent(s), and I try to acknowledge the youngster without drawing too much attention to myself.

I think being relatively short with small bones makes any acquired meat on my frame stand out to some, and I'm usually flattered to a degree (when the comments are tasteful), but sometimes I wanna ask folks who stop me to give compliments if they've yet to see the gargoyle of a specimen two aisles over.

I'm rarely the "biggest" person in the room (and I generally don't mind), but at places like work it makes me kind of sad to see people react as if muscle -- even the smallest amount -- is so foreign to them to be intimidating. Even had a talk with a boss last year about how to soften my look, so to speak (it was a thinly-veiled "Don't get too big" kind of warning -- among other things -- that could only come from the mouth of someone with fantastical ideas about what it takes to gain "healthy" mass). I suppose I could complain about more pressing issues, though.

But with the overabundance of fitness-related conversation within the zeitgeist of the present, it's weird how the meathead stereotypes persist (even weirder when they're applied to me).

Sometimes I spot a hulking frame hunched over, skulking down the hall in poorly fitted khakis and loafers, and I think, "That motherfucker would be a damn monster if they lifted." A damn shame.

People are weird, and don't know how to connect with people that they don't really know. And they're weird. I do not look like Adonis, but I have had my ass fondled at the gym without my permission or invitation (Within view of my wife, so that went well), I wore my kilt to an outdoor festival and got groped in ways that would get a man arrested. People are frigging weird and have gotten weirder with the whole Covid thing. You just learn to ignore people. I am roughly a foot taller than everyone around me during a normal day in Central America, and probably a solid 100 lbs or more larger than any of them. And I'm white, like Canadian of Scottish descent white. I feel you man. I never know who the hell anyone is but they all no who I am. The price of being you. It's better than being the soft gelatinous median that is Western society.

My question always is, why the hell are you trying to connect with someone you don't know? What happened to just being courteous to one another? That covers a ton of bases.

People are weird. They will behave likelittle children if they can get away with it. A kid sees your arm and is awed by it and wants to touch the veins or a muscle, and that's fine and amusing for everyone. 30 year-old Susan from the PTA or the next cubicle doing the same thing is inappropriately weird, or a sad attempt at flirting which is also likely inappropriate. At least men admit to objectifying.

No argument from me on that score.