“Muscle Bound” Why I Don’t See Value In Having Large Arms Or Legs.
Context
There was a time when I was 15 pounds heavier than I am now. I got there solely through bodyweight exercises. Handstand Push Ups, Pistol Squats, Close Pull-ups, and more.
If I could snap my fingers and be back up at that weight would I do it? Probably not.
That extra mass looked nice but was not as useful as I might have hoped. At the time I was in a training environment for Marine Corps Officers and there was a great deal of hiking and running around with 35 pounds of gear at the very least. The only thing that mass was good for was the obstacle course which my proficiency in progressive calisthenics at the time helped me to navigate through efficiently. But the O-course is very little of what you do in the Corps, battle, or life in general.
My speed and efficiency through the O-course later improved being at a smaller weight in addition to using more overcoming isometrics.
It isn’t the size of the muscle but the efficiency with which your muscles fire and work as a unit. This is what I try to aim at although a few more pounds of mass wouldn’t hurt and in the end, it’ll help me to better teach others. We don’t have pictures of what ancient warriors looked like but I believe being around the size of the average “Physical Culturist” from the early 1900s to be the appropriate limit. The reason for this is sustainability, can I maintain whatever physique or function I want in the worst of environments? But I’ll break this down a little bit more.
My Thought Process
Below I’ll have a few reasons why I, at the moment don’t seek to put on more than 10 pounds of muscle.
Food Consumption
A calorie surplus is usually what's required to put on muscle mass once you’ve sent the signal for muscle growth. What a calorie surplus means is buying more groceries and increasing the amount of food you eat over the days and weeks. This in my opinion can be exhausting and hurts the wallet. For the vast amount of human history, this level of satiety and calorie abundance was not the norm which goes to my next point.
The Theme Of The Day Is Comfort And Abundance.
For a period of a few decades, humans could eat to their heart’s content. The amount of mass the average bodybuilder has compared to the old-time strongmen is immense. What are the grocery bills, and supplement payments like to maintain and improve upon something that?
The old-time strongmen and those warriors from various societies that came before were strong and capable. Although a bigger physique could turn heads is it sustainable? The comfort and abundance that was experienced over the past few decades by older generations seem to be on the downslope currently.
Functionality
When I first got to Okinawa Japan I was provided with some movers who were locals. They weren’t large in stature but boy they could move the heaviest boxers up a few flights of stairs with ease. Looking at them on the street they would look like any other individual. However, their body, muscles, tendons, and heart could work effectively by picking up objects that the average person at the gym could not.
For almost a year I worked for a concrete coatings company that used a great deal of equipment like generators, 600 Ib Floor Grinders, and other things. Getting this stuff on and off the truck as well as to and back from whatever pad we would be working on took a great deal of strength. But this time working for this company hammered home how the muscle we carry is not useful unless it can activate properly as a single unit in achieving a goal.
Religious Reasons
I fast regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as throughout the year for weeks at a time. It’s pretty much plant-based intermittent fasting but with shrimp. One of the purposes of this is to fight our, “Passions.” Hate, Glutony, Concupiscence, and others. This among other things has healed me over the past two years. It’s like medicine. But if don’t take this medicine I won’t be healed. Therefore, I want to establish an environment that won’t get in the way of this healing, and focusing on gaining 10 or 20 pounds of muscle will distract me from a better purpose.
A non-religious positive to fasting is giving your stomach a rest. The longer you go from eating the better opportunity you provide your body to repair itself. This is what is referred to as “Atophagy” when the subject of intermittent fasting comes up.
Other Forms Of Personel Development
I would also like to devote more time to other things like getting better at cooking or reading a few more books here and there. It’s not enough to be super strong you must be someone who can work through your own issues, help others work through an issue, call out red flags, and be a better overall servant leader. I have a love for fitness but some aspects of it will turn into too much of an idol.
I try to aim for a sweat spot having a decent build with a muscular and nervous system that operates at high efficiency. This way I don’t have to worry about being in a large calorie surplus or stressing about getting quality protein from animal products while planetary oligarchs and the television, “Advocate” a plant-based or bug diet on me.
I want quality muscle and I believe this is what everybody needs for general health and function for life's problems and going into old age. The better the mind-muscle connection the better the strength, the better the balance, and the less likely for a fall. There are efficient and inefficient ways to go about establishing this function.
Wrap Up
Reducing fitness to its main elements all a person needs is
Better Muscle Activation
Strong joints
A Stronger Heart
Better Breathing
Mental Toughness
Handle these five effectively and there will be a firm grounding for whatever you throw yourself into in life.
“A Large bicep is no more a criterion of strength than a swollen abdomen is of digestion. It is the pulling tendon of the bicep that counts… some men with thin legs are stronger than some with thick legs. Why? Because strength lies in the tendons. Those unseen tough sinews which are the second in strength and density to the bones themselves. The tendons are the powerful fibrous attachments of the muscles to the bones. They are, in short, the master key to the strength which overcomes great resistance.” (6, Samson’s Systems and Methods)
Thank you for making it to the end and if you have any questions let me know.
