There are a lot of things which I can go without, but these ones are dangerously close to essential.
Metal – give me Slipknot, some Korn, or Metallica and I am happy damn camper. I do not know why I like metal so much, but to my ears there are no sweeter tunes than these crazy fucks going ape shit on stage. I can listen to metal all day, everyday in all situations and settings.
I am more tolerate these days of other types of lesser music, such as the top 40s blah blah blah shit they play everywhere. I can stand country in small doses, as long as I get to return to heavy loud racket later. So first on my list is my metal.
Guinness – Liquid excellence. My favorite beer hands down. Motivates me to remember how much I need to get over to Ireland for a week or more. Makes nearly anything else lame by comparison. The only exception right now is Beamish. Which is also outstanding.
Vertical bar lifting – No idea why I like this lift so much. Your hand is in a complete friction disadvantage, and when you get strong can work to some big weights. I am hitting 406 on the 1″ and 332 1/2 on the 2″ which are both world class. I have pulled 275 for a set of 8 with my right hand. I guess I am built to tear up the V bar. World’s Strongest Hands starts in August so I will get 4 shots for this.
Bulldogs – specifically my bulldogs, which are the best damn bulldogs ever
Look at those goofy bastards. If you don’t like them, well fuck you buddy.
I got these silly dogs in Okinawa. Brutus (the male) was the the biggest in his litter and is a big baby. Juli (female) was the runt of her litter. She got dangerously sick when she was 3 months old and nearly died. It costs 4K to get them to the USA, and was worth every penny. If these is anything in this world which always makes me happy – its these two fuckers.
Steak – Cows exist to yield awesome cuts of beef. That is a fact. Give me 24 oz of medium grilled fattie beef and I am a happy damn camper. Steak is the best thing to eat in my opinion. People who eat Steak- Patrick Bateman, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Wayne. People who don’t eat beef – lame hippes, and vegans. Who will you trust?
That is what keeps me going- What about You? Post up, I want to hear 5 things from each of you.
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5 things that keep me sane…
1. My little family, I am a new(ish) father and no matter how shit a day I’ve had at work it always fills me with joy and brings a smile to my face when I come through my front door and my 11 month old daughter breaks out in a big gummy grin and shrieks at me with arms out-stretched, wanting hugs. My wife is perpetually happy too – I am blessed!
2. Music in general. I too am a big metal/hard rock fan, my favourite bands are Slayer, Korn, Kyuss, Machine head, Sepultura and the like. I like all genres as a rule. I grew up in the 80′s and was a massive electro hip hop fan and have recently acquired all the old Streetsounds Electro albums on MP3 so I’m well chuffed about that.
3. Cooking, I love to watch cookery programmes on telly and trying out new techniques and recipes. being a big guy at 6’4″ and 230lbs or so I need a lot of food and preparing your own is so much better than much of the crap available in the shops.
4. My home. I live right on the cliff tops on the south coast of England in a town called Bournemouth and it’s a beautiful seaside town. Busy enough not to be sleepy yet not too over run and close enough to the countryside to be able to get away to nature if you so wish. We have the New Forest a few iles up the road too.
5. Last but not least – The Iron. I’m sure all those reading this need no explanation as to why lifting is so important.
1. Grass-fed Beef – I have been going crazy for this shit lately. Preferably giant slabs of steak, but anything will do, from pasta dishes to beef tacos to slow-cooked curries and casseroles, I spend time every day dreaming of grass-fed beef. Shame I haven’t had the money lately for all the steaks I’d like, but soon as I have a rich fortnight I’ll be going nuts.
2. Long Aimless Conversations – I just enjoy wandering through various topics. Happens a lot when you have a ton of 10 hour shifts pretty much attached at the hip to your workmate. Some of the guys I work with are great, talking through everything from fitness, to ethics, to pop culture and parenthood. Anything’s fair game and I love that, it’s like an extended family with so many points of view.
3. My New Family – Very very new, as my first child is due just 2 weeks away (7th of July). Thinking of the massive shift in my life makes me smile and terrified at the same time, but I couldn’t be happier. My wife has been terrific through the pregnancy too.
4. Rap Music – Yeah, I dunno why but I really like (some) of this. Very picky though. My love for rap music has definitely grown out of early 90s NYC stuff, but I really dig when you know the artist has been experimenting, vocally and musically. MF DOOM is fucking awesome for how much he just does what he likes.
5. Cigars – I’ve only had 2 this year and I am DYING for another one. I’m not a Cuban snob, there are plenty of great non-Cubans, but I’d kill for a good Partagas right now. I smoke cigars like others buy $300 bottles of wine, rarely but with great joy.
Piers
Sometimes you don’t realise how good you have it. I’m from New Zealand and all out meat is grass fed, I just thought that’s how it was everywhere, cows ate grass then we ate them. Wasn’t until I read “Fast Food Nation” that I found out about feed lots and grain fed cattle. I’m currently in the US at the moment and I am not a fan of the milk or butter that I have come across either.
My 5
1) Family, may drive me insane sometimes but keeps me sane most of the time
2) My piece of paradise, looking out my bedroom window and seeing or hearing no one else and looking at our patch of NZ native bush is bliss.
3) Getting stronger & better
4) Watching my Warriors win (NZ Rugby League team)
5) Occasional NZ sporting highlights, like the ALL Whites at the football world cup
1. family/friends
2. books
3. books
4. books
5. books.
Honorable mention: books I should read again.
1. napping
2. sleeping
3. nodding off
what was the question?
1. Music – all sorts of music, but especially metal! I love screaming solo’s and thundering riffs, man that stuff is great!
2. Food – I love to eat, fruit, veg, big steaks… it all goes down and makes me happy… I do very much enjoy massive steaks or eating a whole chicken to myself!
3. Sci-fi – films, books, tv… I’m a big geek at heart and I admit I have seen every episode of every Star Trek and Stargate…
4. Gadgets and electronics – I love nothing more than blowing a large portion of my pay cheque on something new and shiny
5. My family – they drive me nuts at times, but I love them all to bits! Plus my Gran officially cooks the best Sunday roast in the whole world!
1) Family
2) Reading
3) Writing
4) Lifting (or anything active, especially with others)
5) Helping others
And I agree, those bulldogs are pretty goofy looking.
I love too many things; it’s my blessing and my curse. If time allowed me I’d do just about everything at the same time. Still, here’s my top 5:
1) Achievement – Ever since I’ve discovered/realized the feeling and benefits of this, I’ve become addicted.
2) Martial arts – When I was younger I went on and off, trying different styles. The last lapse of time I stopped, I realized I had an intrinsic need for it. I don’t even like applying violence the least bit, but martial arts is just part of what I am, and has shaped me in too many ways to count.
3) Meat – Yes, I’m with all you meat-eaters. I was actually tortured in my youth, as for many years all the meat my mom fed me was chicken once a month. The rest was vegetarian. Ugh. Oh, and Grass-Fed Beef FTW
4) Litterature – I love reading, and I love writing. That is all.
5) (Good) Female scent – just drives me nuts.
Good stuff Adam
My top 5
1) beverages. I agree with Adam on this and dark beer is great, esp Guinness. The darker the better. I’ve been to the holy land of Guinness in Ireland and had a fresh poured pint and it was awesome. I also like a nice rich, dark, Cab wine at times too and even own a wine fridge and even a cup of nice black coffee is epic.
2) Weights/ Extreme Human Performance Center — when I first set up my training site in my garage after getting pissed off at working at stupid gyms, I would open the door at night and just stare it for a bit. Wow, my own place, with my own music and nobody doing curls in my squat rack unless it was me! Hahah. Best business investment ever. Just last night we had 5 people (Dave x 2, Adam T Glass, my wife Jodie and I ) training and we broke about 16 PRs. AWESOME.
3) My lovely wife Jodie – I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, beautiful and understanding wife. We have been able to do many adventures already with many more to come yet. And she even likes me too! Wow!
4) Kiteboading –I am an adrenaline sports junkie. Mountain biking, downhill skateboarding, wakeboarding, slalmon water skiing, you name it. There is just something about kiteboarding and hooking yourself up to a big ass parachute looking thing by 4 razor sharp lines each about 100 feet long. These are not Snoopy kites and generates enough power to pull you across the water and/or snow and also pick you straight up in the air too.
Once you get it down and you can just plane across the water and it is totally quiet except for the air across the kite and the board slicing through the water, it is an amazing experience that everyone needs to try at least once
5) Music – A huge music fan, esp of metal. Last count I have over 1300 CDs, many of them signed by the members of the band. Everything from Moby to Radiohead to Slayer. Metal is my fav by far though, esp Slayer, Lamb of God, Soilwork, Fear Factory, Killswitch Engage, 5 Finger Death Punch, Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying, Left Spine Down, Ministry, and many others. In a previous life I was a metal DJ for 4.5 yeas and Director of Loud Rock musics at WMTU.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
http://extremehumanperformance.com
Piers,
MF Doom is awesome! DJ Danger Doom (w Danger Mouse) is one of the best rap CDs ever! LOVE it. Congrats on the new family.
That is one thing I love about people who lift weights–lots of metal heads!! \m/
Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
http://extremehumanperformance.com
How come nobody said Pantera?? If you are deadlifting without Slayer’s “South of Heaven” or Pantera’s “Totally Driven” you are missing out on at least 25-50 lbs.
Dustin,
Funny that you should mention that as I just did 5 x5 deadlifts tonight to Pantera: Live 101 Proof. Awesome.
rock on
Mike T Nelson
Mike,
Thanks for the congrats.
Dangerdoom is an awesome album definitely. Have you heard Doom’s work as “Viktor Vaughn”? Awesome stuff, sometimes like 3 or so beat switches on the single track, crazy flows and syncopated beats.
I also wholeheartedly agree with you on the red wine and black coffee, though I’m a real Shiraz man myself. Plus agree with you AND Adam on the Guiness.
Guinness, black coffee and red wine are all things that go with a nice strong cigar and make it freakin godly.
Mat,
I agree on the love martial arts but don’t enjoy applying violence thing. I love sparring and combat theory, but I am so unaggressive in real life (not like half my workmates who love to turn a work confrontation into an ego battle which then gets violent).
1)music: listening to it, singing, playing and composing
2)dancing: especially when no one is watching. Give me a good song, hell give me a mediocre song and if it has any kind of feeling I want to move to it.
3)discussions: particularly when they involve analysis/problem solving
4)fun/laughter: almost anything can be fun with the right attitude. Whenever possible I find the humor in life.
5)sex: I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one.
1. Waking up with my dog. He’ll stand over me motionless, staring at me in the mornings as I sleep. Then, as soon as my eyes open, his tail starts wagging, he flips over on his back and nuzzles his face into my neck, cuddling up next to me, licking my face. It’s hard to wake up in a bad mood with that sort of an intro to your day.
2. Fruit. I adhere to a very clean diet: no grains, no dairy, no processed foods. Thus, the majority of my carb intake (usually about 150 grams/day) comes in the form of green, leafy vegetation or fruit. While I certainly miss the sweet taste of ice pops, syrupy treats, and candy, I get my sugar-fix by eating fresh peaches, apricots, and cherries.
3. Muay thai. I started training in muay thai two years ago with the sole intention of learning how to expertly beat the snot out of all who have wronged me throughout my lifetime. After about three months of rigorous training, I realized that beating people up was no longer a priority. I’d developed the self-confidence and discipline to truly let the small things go, and relinquish all vendettas. Anyone who has ever powered through a 2-hour muay thai session during August knows the unparalleled feeling of euphoria you experience as you exit the gym. I need that feeling at least 4x a week.
4. My iPod. 1,600 songs and counting. Younger music enthusiasts may like their iPods, as well, but only those who can harken back to the days of walkmen and casette tapes can truly understand and appreciate the iPod for the simplicity, portability, practicality and ease of use that it offers.
5. Ayn Rand. I’ve always been a big reader of books, from Matt Christopher/Calvin & Hobbes in my youth, to Vonnegut, Faulkner, Tom Robbins, Chuck Palahniuk, et alli more recently. I wasn’t introduced to Ayn Rand until a month or so ago, though, when a friend suggested I give “Atlas Shrugged” a try. I’m glad I wasn’t dissuaded after seeing the book’s daunting girth (1,000+ pages), because, despite starting off slowly, this book has proven to be one of, if not THE best piece of writing I have ever encountered, and I studied English Lit for four years in college. I still have 200 pages to go, but I’ve already picked up a copy of the Fountainhead and plan to start that as soon as I finish Atlas.
SOMETHINGS I’M GLAD TO HAVE GIVEN UP:
1. FACEBOOK. FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I’M FREE AT LAST. By deleting my account, I essentially bought myself 2 hours of added productivity during the course of my average day. That’s an extra day of freedom every two weeks.
2. Alcohol. I was a binge drinker for about 15 years, meaning I wouldn’t drink often, but when I did I would go balls-out. Since I’ve given up booze, I’ve really noticed a positive change in my energy levels, sleeping patterns, attitude towards others, and memory retention. It’s been a good thing for me across the board.
1. Alpine climbing
2. My dogs
3. Tool
4. Kombucha
5. Fly fishing
ATG, those are 5 pretty damn awesome things!
1. Learning new body awareness skills- very few things make me happier than succeeding at learning new things, from karate to free running, mind and body working together to accomplish great things equals pure joy.
2. Thought provoking music- I like music with good beats and the songs that just seem to relax the body, but I’d take a song that makes me think in one way or another over any other song any day (flipsyde- happy birthday, and gym class heroes- faces in the hall, to name two).
3. Metal- iron based, not the music. My favorite kettlebells are my muscledriverusa ones I got back in 2008, no extra coating, just straight iron, and they carry the smell of it too; they’re great. I love to move heavy weights with ease.
4. Biofeedback/Gym Movement Protocol training- what could be better than using my own body to program my workouts and get better every damn day? This somewhat falls under the body awareness category, but is so different than what I’m used to doing that I’ve got to keep it separate. I love getting better, making hard things look and feel easy, and learning how to listen to my body to get better in a faster and safer manner.
5. Water- if I die of hyponatremia don’t be surprised. From Waterfalls, to canoes, scuba diving, simply swimming, and sinking like a rock in it, I’d have to say I feel most connected with the world around me and at my best when I am in the water. It’s relaxing, refreshing, and revs up my thinking muscles, a quick shower can calm me out of even the worst of moods.
Combine those five elements into my day and I am one happy camper.
There is no way I can cut the things that make me happy down to 5.
Just no way.
My life is a fucking vacation; my job is ridiculously easy, I have plenty of money, I can sleep until noon, I improve every single day without working hard at all, I’m going to the college that I wanted in the fall, girls are all over me (muscular hypertrophy? Confidence?). I literally just enjoy myself all the time and everything just falls into my lap. The more I do this, the easier it gets.
I haven’t worked hard in years, and I doubt that I ever will.
Check this shit out:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kettlebell_snatch_and_diet.htm
It’s a VO2 snatch protocol. This guy talks about “no easy days,” and says “you either do it or you don’t.” He calls this shit a “house of pain.”
The best part: I put up bigger numbers than that with lower rest periods WITHOUT WORKING HARD AT ALL, AT ALL. And this dude’s been doing this for years. Hard.
Biofeedback testing is cresting: this shit works, and people cannot ignore it for much longer. And if they do, we’ll just look that much more impressive.
I can feel the constant improvement seeping into the rest of my life.
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