Everything is right there, it all feels like being at a cliffs edge but not knowing what step will be the one into free fall. I picture it as a free fall into unlimited opportunities striking me one after another. As I get closer to this edge the more options are thrown directly at me and the farther, I was away, it was easy to miss them. Just sailing overhead and just out of sight. Right now, I can hear the chasm of the valley echo with my voice, still uncertain when it will arise. Something will give. Either another step will do it, a rockslide will take me the rest of the way or gust of wind will knock me into it. It could be an earthquake that makes the valley of opportunity that much bigger that I fall right into it. The one thing I’m certain of is…
I don’t know.
I can’t not perceive when it will happen but I’m a hundred times to the power of infinity certain that it will occur. One way or another I will voyage to the land of unlimited potential. I’ll dig it out if I have to and make my own land of abundance. There is nothing stopping me, from attaining this, besides myself.
I am my biggest obstacle to conquer. My mind, body and soul are connected. I must convince all three to take that step into the unknown, uncertain and fear of losing it all. Maybe its self-doubt or imposter syndrome. Or just…
Delaying the unenviable.
I will take that step soon than later and I won’t regret it. The only thing I’ll regret is not doing it sooner.
I will not lose myself in the free fall but find an even truer form that I aspire to be. You know, the five-year-old version of yourself that you thought up, an astronaut going past the moon and exploring the universe.
My mind is abundant with opportunities to explore, my body is ready to take the jump into the chasm, and my soul has already been there.
So, when will it happen?
Right now, is as good time as any.
See you there.
P.S
You have been formally invited to the valley of opportunity, come when you’re ready.
Prepare the mind, and body for anything that could come your way. When prepared, you’ll never have to get ready or need any more time.
How to choose what to get ready for?
Goals are important because they set standards for yourself to hit. Go to the gym three days a week and running outside for two hours a week. It can prepare you for many things. A hike with friends that just comes up, a long walk and talk at the beach, swimming all day and just getting back from all that to do something else. There are many things we can be prepared for but training to have enough energy to say yes to them, might be the most important.
To have the energy to do it all and say yes.
Having a strong mind, to endure it all and be undeniably you, no matter what the circumstances are. You could be having are hard day to start but have forgetful mind and embrace the present.
A long-aged question that many people commonly ask is which bench press variation works the best. Well, one way to define this is by comparing the muscle activation between each type of bench press and grip styles. You might say that picking the movement with the most activation is best, this could be true in some cases, but it can also increase risk of injury.
Today I will be reviewing “Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major Muscle during Traditional Bench Press and Other Variants of Pectoral Exercises” written by Lopez-vivancos et al… Hang in there for a second long, I know that was a long exhausting title, but all it means is the muscle used during the bench press movements are being monitored for force produced from said muscle group in different types of the same exercise.
Bench press is one of the most important lifts to master; it can be quite relevant to you by figuring out the best variant to use. More progress can be made from this exercise selection choice and less injury risk.
Sounds pretty good right!
Let’s dive right into the paper’s specifics. The who, and what? This paper first searched across three databases of other research literature and gathered at total of 1938 samples. That was narrowed down to 23 for the final meta-analysis. A flow chart below accurately depicts what required exclusion of sample papers.
These studies included the following variations bench tilt, grip, and less stable bench movements with dumbbells.
One method of collecting data points was the electromyographic activation, which is the muscle contractions. The data points show an inconclusive right or wrong exercise for muscle activation when compared across the board. It’s more of a point comparing apples to oranges, just being similar enough to not produce enough of a different to make a conclusion.
However, they did find significant data in the angles of the bench presses. Having a wide grip stance, created more muscle contractions (EMG) for the middle chest activation but also put more strain on the shoulder joints. Whereas the narrow grip bench reduced the injury risk but significantly reduced the muscle contraction of the middle chest. Which indicates that the grip impacts chest activation and injury risk.
“These factors may indicate the proper grip type to generate sufficient muscle activation to obtain hypertrophy, increase muscle strength, and prevent injuries”.
The researchers are saying this is an important choice because of the implication towards potential muscle growth and reducing injury risk!
Bench tilt showed significant difference in where the activation occurs. A tilt adjusted up on the bench creates more contraction force towards the upper chest, and conversely with a declined bench tilt with the lower to middle chest activation is higher.
Instability movements are exercises that are performed with free weights and unattached to machines as a form of resistance training. Dumbbells are a common example of this.
The studies looked into dumbbell chest press and found significant data. Showing an increase in chest activation and a potential for increased range of motion in the movement. The range of motion in the movement is how far the muscle can be stretched, a traditional bench press with a bar is restricted by the bar hitting the chest and no more range of motion can be generated. Whereas the dumbbells are not restricted in this way, just by individual differences in shoulder mobility and injury risk mitigation. It was also found to increase different neuromuscular adaptations, which is your muscle memory for different movements. This could be more functional to daily life movements.
What can be concluded from this mess of words??
Well, it indicates that grip, tilt of the bench and instability all matter. How you use this data is understanding your goals. If this is the goal, then I do that to achieve it. Let me give an example of this.
A female client, 27, with no shoulder injuries, athlete, wants a bigger upper chest and is unsure of what exercise to choose.
My immediate thoughts, prior training check, injury history clear, upper chest equals a tilted bench and narrow grip. Additionally, dumbbells help reach more functional movements for an athlete. The prescription of exercise would be a narrow grip angle of the dumbbells on an incline bench for 3 working sets of 8-12 reps. And certainly, this can be a traditional bench if they prefer that exercise more with a barbell. At the end of the day, it matters more to have adherence and happiness with the workout than maximizing it.
Inconclusion, this reaches the proper chest activation, risk mitigation and neuromuscular adaptations necessary to this client.
I hoped this longer read helped some of you out there with a chest exercise selection. Just remember at the end of the day, it’s what works best for you! And having the most fun possible while being safe!
APA citation of the article reviewed, you can copy and paste the link at the bottom of the citation if you want to read the scientific article.
López-Vivancos, A., González-Gálvez, N., Orquín-Castrillón, F. J., Vale, R. G. d. S., & Marcos-Pardo, P. J. (2023). Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major Muscle during Traditional Bench Press and Other Variants of Pectoral Exercises: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Applied Sciences, 13(8), 5203. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13085203
I look forward to the consistency of the slow process towards my goals. I love the path that I am making, and just genuinely don’t want to stop. I know that it will eventually bring me to my goals but I’m just so curious where else it will bring me and what other opportunities will be presented.
It’s not a longing grind and dragging my feet but a high step of pride in the work that I do.
I will keep on stepping, noticing the new, the consistency and the journey before me.
The beautiful teacher of perspective. Just go anywhere else for a day and observe the surroundings. Super simple in concept, but hard to make yourself do at times. The routine is just way too comfortable, so change what you look at.
Yesterday and the previous day, have been all about this one concept.
Change.
Maybe, I really did need a reality check and to observe a different type of life that could be. Both days were so different and new. As great as they both were, and happy I was to be in the moment. At the end of the day, I realized I just missed the home; I made away from the city.
Let me explain.
Yesterday, was amazing. I saw so much. Wooden elephants depicting a herd migration, going from city to city, a bonding cultural event and I got to be part of the bigger picture. I saw a small post about it a few days ago and that’s not even the reason I went in the first place. I didn’t know where the herd was, we were just stumbling around the city, having fun and it so happened to be on the path we went. A directionless day of wondering and discovering. No plan, no list of things to get done. Just to be there, be among the people who live, laugh and love that city. We met amazing people and not so amazing people along the way. All unexpected and at every turn was just more, to be noticed.
About halfway through the trip, we bought some lunch from trader joes and sat in the public garden. We sat tired from our many steps taken from the wondering. Watched people wonder back and forth, on to the next big thing in their day. Some were stressed, confused, happy, sad, depressed, spending time with loved ones, and even a marriage photoshoot. All within just an hour of sitting on this bench. Life has touched all of them in different ways, for better or worse but that’s just my perspective. And just around the corner in the same place there was live music and huge gathering, and some people are just doing their daily runs.
It just reminds me that potential is everywhere, and everything is abundant.
At the same time, I know where my true home is and it’s the one that’s far away from all of this.
I like it at a distance. It’s peaceful, serene and is mine alone.
It’s funny because just two nights ago, I was watching a beautiful movie called “The People We Meet On Vacation”. Around twenty minutes into the movie, they locked the keys in their car, interrupting the plan to go home from college. So, they ended up having to stay at a motel, he goes on a run in the morning and comes back. Saying he saw a sunrise that he’s never seen before, on streets he’s never been on, and how great it was that it all happened just like that.
But.
The best place to be, away from all the awesomeness of the world, is the one that means something to you.
Home.
And you create that, by being you and the choices you make along the way.
The power you have is to choose, what has power over you. Some people give that power to money, social media, objects and material things. All of those things are so unimportant to what life really is.
It’s about the people you care about and connect with along the way.
I will always choose to give the power to family and friends. It’s my nature to give the power to others in this way. I love social connections; it drags you out of your comfort zones and can bring the best out of yourself.
This can only be true if, you choose wisely, the power can’t go to everyone, just the ones who you give it to.
What’s your nature? And what, who and when will you give that power to?
“With great power comes great responsibility”
Marvel Comics in 1962 in Amazing Fantasy #15, written by Stan Lee
Being in the flow of it all working out in the end, is all derived from the action of being consistent. I’m on that slow grind towards, my goals and it’s great. It can also be a bit boring at times, sleep, eat, work, gym, family time, post, and do so much more. It’s done with this and do that next.
A little madness stirs up at times but that’s exactly what is expected. Doing the same thing over and over again, is maddening. It’s not tiresome because it’s easy to follow the routine, almost too easy. So, throwing in a bit of change to the routine and breaking the rhythm is exactly what I needed right now.
And life, gives it to you, in the little ways or big things. Such as my check engine light coming back on for the second time this summer. A change forced upon me to uproot my day a bit but along the way I experienced life. I saw what I wouldn’t otherwise see in a day like today and be at a different location other than the usual routine. It was good, to be different, just notice the signs and follow them. Or have them forced upon you and it’s okay. I’m not mad the car had a problem, luckily, it was a false alarm. Fear and anger didn’t consume my day; I went a wonderful walk with my wife. If I had let it get to me, I wouldn’t have had such as great day.
It all perspective.
I choose to have an amazing day; life gave me change to the consistency.
Consistency is good, gets to the point quickest, but a few bumps along the way never hurt anyone, it’s the part you’ll remember. If everyone’s story was yeah, I did a marathon and got first, easiest thing ever, it would be boring. I didn’t want to say it but it’s true, it’s about the journey.
I’m just writing my story page by page, and it all doesn’t need to be the same.
This pictures laziness as the enemy number one in our society, teaches us that hard work is a moral obligation. A push towards greatness, becomes the only goal and it doesn’t matter how you get there.
Often people ask how you are doing, many American’s first response relates to work, projects or achievements and not including physical or emotional wellbeing. I’d argue this is completely backwards, emotional/physical/social needs should come first, I categized this as primary wellness.
If all the focus is just on what’s new and upcoming, how does that impact us? A cycle of constant achievement hunting is created and ultimately burns us out. I’ve felt it, in the pursue of a college degree and maintaining a job, plus trying to get all the basics of wellbeing down, it’s very tiring. Exhausting in fact, just thinking about it.
Laziness does not exist.
Humans have limits, I am human therefore, I will set limits and I won’t be bogged down from burnout cycles of trying to achieve “success”.
What is success?
Who defines that, is it others, your parents, family, friends? NO! You define it, I am always successful because I do what I love EVERYDAY. I am happy; so, I am successful. I take care of my physical body and emotional needs, I am successful.
We define our own success.
Let me tell you a short story about a friend.
He said, he went home and family members were asking, so what have you been doing in your life as of recently. He responds with “I started a blog, its going great, and I’m having a lot of fun with it”, The family member responds with ” So you’re not making any money off it “. End of conversation.
The focus is on financial achievement, instead of the success of the PROCESS and having this for fun. That’s the real success right there, in plain sight, it’s so overlooked, especially by American society.
Simply the blogger is successful in their own right, they define it and nobody else can.
Resentment towards others is common because they might have wished to set their own limits but feared being judged. We need to set limits and push back against fear of laziness.
Take a break and say no sometimes, it’s okay. It’s not laziness, we just have limits and you might be reaching yours.
Ask yourself do you need a break?
Take it, without fear.
P.S.
If you liked this post, you’d also like reading Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price. They are a social psychologist and professor at Loyola University. Have fun reading, also check out new books page for more suggestions!
To express all parts of myself, inhibited, is truly the most rewarding and freeing experience. My environment that I created, makes it easy to be me and hard to not be. To post, share, learn in all facets of my life.
It feels light, airy and boundless with opportunity to do… Anything!
Let’s put it this way,
It as freeing as skydiving. Once the initial fear of jumping is gone, there is nothing left but to be. Existence is leaped into. In a state of just existing, the most natural thing to do is be yourself. All the small steps of confidence build up to one leap of faith and of course there’s fear. The fear is because you CARE whether you fail or not. Struggling the internal battle of to jump or not, is the hardest part. Being the truest form of you is the easiest thing you will ever do.
