[SB 189] Rep Recounts, Bob Ross, 80s Crooners

Apr 3, 2023

Hi, I’m Matt. Welcome to Steady Beats: a newsletter about building the middle-aged life you want in small and Steady Beats.

Fitness Beats

A couple times each year (at least), we should reassess our fitness routines.

I admit: I got lazy.

Controlling the speed of your strength training reps makes a difference in their difficulty and effectiveness. I like to think I use a three-second count on both the eccentric and concentric phases of any rep.

But I wasn’t doing that.

I’d rushed my reps for months. Why? Rushing is easier than going slow.

So, the first change was to demand a (re)count and slow the cadence of my reps. A three-count up, and a three-count down.

Second, I’ve been doing three upper-body strength sessions a week for about five months. Not much progress. And on that third session each week, I can tell my muscles are still fatigued. I’ve been torn about whether, in middle age, two upper-body sessions might be best.

So, Jody said:

Jods 🇦🇺 @mtb_woman

@matttillotson Why not test it for yourself? Do a 12 week block of 2 sessions, keep a journal, record your progress…. I know some people ‘want to’ train lots but for me I’ve always approached it with what’s the minimum I need to do for results. Keep me posted if you test it out!

We should all seek the minimum viable dose.

I’m doing what Jody said. If you’re interested in seeing the specific lifts I’m doing and following along with this twice-a-week experiment, you can do that here.

Legs

Early Sunday mornings are now for lighter leg workouts. Today I did two sets to failure on the leg press.

Then I tried something new: rucking.

Rucking is a fancy word for “schlepping around heavy stuff in a backpack.” For my maiden voyage, I put a 25-pound plate in a backpack and walked 2.5 miles.

I think I can get into this rucking thing.

Fitness is a journey. We never have it all figured out.

The experimentation is part of the fun, actually.

Creative Beats

This is the very definition of Steady Beats. Small steps add up to big journeys:

Historic Vids @historyinmemes

When you watched him as a child and thought, he was painting the same thing over and over again when he was actually painting a whole journey over time

Music Beats

Unlike the crooners of the 1940s and 50s—think Sinatra or Nat King Cole—the high-powered singers of the 80s were backed by wailing guitars and swelling synthesizers.

Singers like Steve Perry, Prince, and Bono electrified crowds with their ability to blast powerful vocals over “arena rock” power ballads.

Klaus Meine was overshadowed by some of these guys. But as the lead singer of The Scorpions, he too delivered incredible vocals that might have been more appreciated in a less-crowded era.

“Still Loving You” is a great example of Meine’s ability. It’s an 80s rock classic built on the emotional twin towers of loss and regret.

In 1985, the French government declared “Still Loving You” responsible for a baby boom. Eat your heart out, Sinatra.

Thank you for reading.

Let’s keep the Steady Beats going. 💚

If you enjoyed this edition, would you mind giving the heart below a click?