Testosterone is a steroid

Natural testosterone.

Testosterone as the natural healing agent?

Theory; if you’re injured or have an injury, the best way to naturally heal it is consume lots of beef organ meats, foods high in cholesterol, and also naturally boost your testosterone by heavy hypelifting one rep maximum at the gym?

Fragile bodily positions

Fragile positions include lying on your back, sitting down?

Fragile in so far much as insecure; when you’re lying on your back, you’re in an inferior, dangerous position. For example in the UFC, or mixed martial arts, to be thrown down and on your back, just like a roach or something on its back; a rhino on its back is not a good position to be in. We cannot imagine a gorilla, a dragon, or anything lying on its back; it is a position of submission? Like someone lying down legs spread in a missionary position?

Bodily Wisdom

Is it really wisdom that we are seeking? Wisdom as a means to a greater end, not the end in itself.

And wisdom maybe seems like wise actions which are beneficial to your desired ends or outcomes or process.

For example, some wisdom I learned at the gym; don’t do any really really heavy pressing motions, too much force on your wrists.

ERIC KIM MUSCLE PHILOSOPHY

MUSCLE BY KIM:

  1. 9 PLATES, 10, 5, 2.5 POUNDER ERIC KIM DEMIGOD HYPELIFTING PURE POWER: SQUAT 2.0 890 POUNDS LIT AF
  2. How to Become More Vascular
  3. THE ERIC KIM WORKOUT PLAN
  4. RESULTS DON’T LIE
  5. How to Build a Demigod Bod
  6. 150 POUND DUMBBELL DEADLIFT // MUSCLE HYPELIFTING BY KIM
  7. The Art of Hypelifting
  8. How Did ERIC KIM Get So Strong?
  9. ERIC KIM DEADLIFT PR (250KG, 551 POUNDS)
  10. ERIC KIM 255 KG (562 POUNDS) DEADLIFT ATTEMPT
  11. VLOG: WHAT I LEARNED AFTER DEADLIFTING 3.3X MY BODY WEIGHT (540 POUNDS)
  12. ERIC KIM 4 PLATE SQUAT
  13. MUSCLES ARE THE ULTIMATE WEALTH
  14. ERIC KIM GYM GOPRO POV
  15. *BEYOND* MAINTENANCE.
  16. HOW TO GET BIGGER ARMS
  17. THE BEAST KETTLEBELL WORKOUT (48 KG, 105 POUNDS)
  18. NOT WHO IS RICHER OR MORE SUCCESSFUL, BUT WHO CAN DEADLIFT MORE?
  19. KETTLEBELL HOME WORKOUT (48 KILOGRAM, 105 POUND): 1 HANDED CLEAN AND SQUAT
  20. The Philosophy of Fitness
  21. Menacing Body
  22. Hyper Nourishment
  23. One Man, One Kettlebell
  24. STRENGTH OVER SIZE
    Minimum Viable Workout (MVM)
  25. Movement is Art: ERIC KIM WARMUP
  26. ENJOY THE MOVEMENT.
  27. Strengthening or Weakening?
  28. Muscular Motivation
  29. Limit Your Reps, Maximize Your Power Output
  30. Love of the Body
  31. The mind is overrated; the body is king.
  32. BENCH PRESS GYM
  33. How to Squat
  34. SUMO DEADLIFT GYM
  35. ADRENALINE.

Why build your body?

Your own body as a work of art!

In Praise of Building Your Body


My Muscle Philosophy:

Treat your body as sculpture.

This is not my body

The first thing:

I don’t see my body as belonging to me. I look at my body like it belongs to someone else.

When I look at the Lamborghini of someone else, I admire it. When I see the muscles and physiques of anyone else, I admire it. Then I had the epiphany:

Why not transform my own body into a Lambo, and admire my own body instead?

The logic

The great logic:

  1. It is far cheaper to get buff than to buy a Lambo.
  2. The human body is the apex beauty. This means your personal goal in life should be to beautify your own personal body to the maximum (without plastic surgery, steroids, etc).
  3. Ultimate democratic approach: Genetics doesn’t matter. Sex doesn’t matter. Racial ethnicity doesn’t matter. Anyone can both add muscle mass and subtract fat.
  4. It doesn’t cost much to get ripped. Just intermittent fast [no breakfast, no lunch], one big ass meal a day, and mostly a ‘ketogenic’ diet.
  5. Your body is always with you. Why not beautify your body to inspire yourself?

The joy of sculpting your own body

To sculpt your own body is insanely fun. Why? You can see the change over time!

Once again, the goal is simple:

Never stop adding muscle mass, and never stop reducing body fat, or keeping it low (around 10%).

Muscle and your body is highly practical.

The more muscle you have, the more energy you got. The more power you got to make art-work, and live with gratitude, joy, and hyper-vigor.

Strengthen on, and flex on!

ERIC

MUSCLE 101

  1. DUMBBELL SHOULDER OVERHEAD PRESS (1 ARM)
  2. What is the Ideal Male Form?
  3. How to Workout Quickly from Home
  4. How to Augment Your Muscle Mass
  5. Fat (Adipose Tissue) not ‘Health’
  6. To Be Happier, Just Workout at the Park
  7. ERIC KIM GOPRO POV WORKOUT VIDEO
  8. Why Become More Muscular?
  9. How to Get a 6 Pack
  10. Greedy for the Gains
  11. Simple Home Workout
  12. LAMB
  13. ERIC KIM FLEXES HIS MUSCLE
  14. ERIC KIM WORKS OUT AT HOME GYM
  15. More Muscle, More Productivity
  16. How to Increase Your Muscle Mass
  17. Extreme Vanity
  18. There is No Proper Form
  19. Why I Love Working Out
  20. Better to Powerlift and Deadlift Heavy One Rep Max Attempts than
  21. Drive Fast Cars and Motorcycles
  22. Why I Love Working Out at the Park
  23. RICOH WORKOUT
  24. YOUR BODY *IS* YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
  25. In Praise of Ghetto Workouts
  26. Rock Workout
  27. How to Workout
  28. Dynamic Warmup
  29. My Fitness Motivation Hacks
  30. Why Make Workout Videos?
  31. ERIC KIM FITNESS
  32. How to Lift Weights
  33. ERIC KIM WORKS OUT
  34. ERIC KIM ROCK PARK WORKOUT
  35. My Body is a Work of Art!
  36. Park Workout Ideas
  37. The Physiological Joy of Working Out
  38. Anti Body Body Shaming
  39. How to Workout at Home With Only a Barbell
  40. 11 Tips How to Use Photography to Get More Fit
  41. How to Lose Fat Fast
  42. Become More Creative With Your (Limited) Home Gym Workouts
  43. Flexibility is “Micro Strength”
  44. NEVER STOP GAINING MUSCLE
  45. ERIC KIM PARK LIFE
  46. How I Workout at my Home Gym
  47. In Praise of Pistol One Legged Squats
  48. Powerlifting Style Workouts at the Park
  49. The Philosophy of Bodybuilding
  50. YOUR BODY IS YOUR BANK ACCOUNT
  51. WHY I WORKOUT AT THE PARK
  52. How to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff
  53. In Praise of Rings Workout
  54. How to Workout at the Park
  55. Why I Don’t Eat Breakfast or Lunch (In Praise of One Huge Dinner Meal a Day)
  56. HOW TO LOVE YOUR BODY
  57. Is Working Out at the Park Superior to Working Out at the Gym?
  58. Why I Workout
  59. WHY PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOULD WORKOUT
  60. How to Increase Your Testosterone
  61. My Workout Philosophy
  62. How Appearance Matters
  63. How I Workout at Home
  64. My Philosophy of Food
  65. The Best Park Workouts
  66. How to Quit Sugar
  67. How to Workout in the Streets and Park
  68. How Much Meat Can You Eat in a Day?
  69. APEX MALE MASCULINITY
  70. HOW I WORKOUT AT THE PARK
  71. How to Lose Fat
  72. How I Became Stronger and Buffer and More Swole During and After Quarantine
  73. What is Skinny-Fat?
  74. In Praise of Working Out at the Park
  75. Why Meat is Good
  76. Flesh over Metal
  77. Why Lower Your Bodyfat?
  78. How to Augment Your Recovery
  79. Increase Intensity, not Reps
  80. My Park Workout
  81. How to Fast
  82. HOW I WORKOUT FROM THE PARK
  83. How I Got So Swole
  84. Pure Power or Sculpture?
  85. How to Workout in the Streets
  86. How to Workout At Home With No Equipment
  87. Super Saiyan is the Goal
  88. MY POWERLIFTING PHILOSOPHY
  89. MY EXERCISE/WORKOUT PHILOSOPHY
  90. What if Mood Originates in the Stomach and Gut? Digestion Health
  91. Why I Don’t Consume Protein Powder or Supplements
  92. Real vs Fake // Natural vs Unnatural
  93. You Can’t Fake Strength
  94. How to Grow Your Muscles
  95. How to Add Muscle and Subtract Fat at the Same Time
  96. ERIC KIM BODY MUSCLE FLEX
  97. Don’t Build Muscle, Build Strength.
  98. Visual Kinesthesia: Muscles and Art
  99. How to Maximize Muscle Growth and Fat Loss

Ancient exercises?

Assuming that in the ancient world, it was just some sort of open air gymnasium, in a big plot of dirt, in the direct sun, what type of training exercises would they do, what wouldn’t they?

The first thought is I am highly dubious that an individual would lie on their back, and try to press something really really heavy, while on the floor. You wouldn’t want to get your back dirty.

It would have to do with lifting, throwing, carrying , stuff like that.

Exercise ideas

Get a dip belt, put on lots of plates, and do weighted chips with a neutral grip instead.

Or maybe do other types of lifts? Like a modified deadlift in which you put the weight in between your legs?

Wrist Strength

When doing a floor bench press, at 5 plates or six plates, it seems that the weak link is my wrists, my wrist strength.

When I think critically about it, maybe that’s too much force for one’s wrist to handle that much force. It seems a lot of weight lifters use these wrist wraps, which I actually think is more dangerous in the long run, as you never really build your true wrist strength.

I thought I had before is that perhaps any type of pressing or pushing is bad; only focus on doing pulling, or lifting motions instead.

But how does one build a really big chest? Then perhaps the goal is to not build a big chest. Or instead, adopt some sort of neutral grip; doing heavy dumbbell presses off the floor with an arched back.

The problem with a standard overhand grip is that you have less tension or strength in your wrists. To build greater wrist strength, only neutral grip.

Posture

Why is modern day posture so poor? My theory; because now our environments are too flat, and also we spend too much time in cramped indoor spaces, which prevents our neck from extending, jutting out, and looking into the distance.

Everyone always says that modern day posture is so poor because of us being on the phone all the time. I don’t think this is necessarily true. Maybe also the problem is we spend too much time sitting and sedentary?

MONOPOLIZE.

“Life is a game of monopoly, go outside and cop yourself some property.” – MIGOS

A random thing on the road to moving to LA is this — a random thing that was coming into my mind was this idea of finding some sort of property space, like buying a Triplex or a quadPlex, and essentially becoming some sort of noveau slumlord.

I had a funny interesting turbo thought when going to the Costco Business Center the other day, and buying some meat. Essentially the idea is simple:

Essentially the meat you buy and purchase is the raw material, and cooking it yourself is very simple and easy; yet, the reason why so many restaurants and businesses, even all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurants is that they make the process so complex, and intimidating to you.

Real estate is interesting to me because then you have the raw material which is the land, and then you could customize it later to your liking.

Why I love cars

The primary reason why I love cars so much is that ever since I was a kid, around 15 or 16 years old, it was an open creative canvas for me. Note, I actually got into cars before I got into photography; I was into cars ever since I was 15 years old and got my first drivers license permit in California, I only going to photography later, around the age of 18 when I graduated high school and was about to go to college.

Growing up, my family only ever rented. The notion that I could modify or do anything to my house or home was a non-concept.

The great joy and promise of being able to have my own car was that I could do anything to it that I wanted. The first car I ever got was a 1991 Sentra XE, a four-door sedan, which was surprisingly a five speed manual transmission car, with no tachometer! I had so much fun modifying and customizing and swapping it up, installing headers, intake and exhaust, repainting it, painting the dashboard from the ugly ass brown to black, and also even changing the headliner from the ugly brown beige color to a solid black felt.

Lesson:

Having the freedom, and the ability to modify and change things to your liking is great joy!

Mystifying things?

A funny difference that I’ve noted from my family, my family upbringing, and Cindy‘s family; Cindy grew up to owning their own home and property, therefore things like pouring cement, mixing cement, painting the walls, fixing home stuff was natural. Yet for them, cars were a mysterious black box; therefore the general concept was always buy new.

However, my great pride and joy is that in my whole adult life, I’ve never spent more than $2500 USD on a car. The last two cars which came under my wing including my mom‘s old 2009 Hyundai sonata, which was essentially acquired by me for free, as it sat dormant for about three years in my sister’s garage, collecting dust. About $2000 of repairs at the mechanic, and $1000 of overdue DMV fines, it essentially ran brand new! And a little bit of muscle wax from me, waxing the paint, painting the rims, debadging it, etc.

Then more recently, re-inheriting the family Prius; 2010 Prius. Essentially once again, acquiring it for nothing, spending $2700 to get a new catalytic converter which was stolen earlier, $300 for a catalytic converter shield, and about $2700 on a new ABS brake sensor, and also, about $600 for new Yokohama tires. Otherwise I got the car for free!

Thought:

Real men drive old (used) white Priuses!

How do really rich people do it?

Some fun facts I’ve learned:

  1. Real rich people and successful people only ever purchase cars at auction; with some sort of superficial damage, and they buy it at an insanely deep discount, and spend small sums of money to fix it up, they never buy new. And it seems that a lot of successful people that I’ve met just buy old used Priuses at car auctions! For example, my old next-door neighbor used to own an exotic car sports dealership, he told me he even sold a Lamborghini to Mike Tyson. He also owns the infamous old-school Mercedes with the gull wing doors. Anyways, he told me that he for his daily cr just bought an old 2010 Prius at auction for only $7000! Also, he always trolls eBay and these websites for old used BMW M cars, and he says that “I didn’t buy it from him, I stole it from him!” Therefore maybe in the context of cars, to only steal a car, essentially get a car for so insanely cheap or free or under market value is the path. Buying a new brand new car is for idiots!
  2. People overpay for home renovations; the true price of fixing up a bathroom should only be around $7000 (some of my friends spent almost $20,000 for this), to do a kitchen, maybe $15,000, and flooring you could essentially do it yourself for free. And it seems that what a lot of these real estate companies do is simple; take some sort of old property, got it, renovate it, which actually doesn’t cost that much money, maybe $30,000 per unit, and then resell it on the market for a higher price tag, and continue this process.

What is a millennial?

I think I have a good definition for millennials; essentially somebody who foolishly uses their money.

For example, it seems that millennials are overeager to buy new cars. Let’s say a modest new car is $30,000, and they down around $10,000. A monthly payment is around $350-$500. Then they forget that they bought a new car, and they probably want full coverage, so insurance wise, it might be another three to $500 a month! Boom, you’ve just added another thousand dollars a month in monthly expenses, which will haunt you for either 3 to 5 years. That’s money that you’re not putting in your bank account.

Or, it seems that any new car is such an insane rip off. Apparently even a Toyota Sienna Hybrid out the door is over $60,000 USD! That’s a lot of money.

Alcohol, food, eating out, weed, drugs, etc

“Fuck I’m broke as fuck! Why? I just came back from Vegas and blew all my money on food! Fuck, I gotta move out of SoCal!” – one of my friends in the gym hot sauna locker room

Another way that young people millennials etc. waste money is silly things like going to “festivals“, doing drugs, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, going out to drink alcohol and cocktails, going to Vegas, gambling, eating out at new trendy restaurants, etc.

Also, having too much subscriptions to these media services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc.

The overall bad thing is that many people just cannot save money. Why? The societal bias that one should partake in these activities. But, the wisdom is knowing that these things are not imperatives.

Finance, and loans?

Poking around this real estate and financing market, honestly it all seems like such a scam. For example, let us say that you take out a loan at 7% or 6.5%. But I say you borrow around $700,000. Almost the first 10 yours is devoted to paying off your interest, not even the principal.

What did Elon Musk do? When starting Tesla, he took out a massive loan from the US government, to build factories, battery packs, etc.

Therefore, it seems that if one is going to take out a massive loan, the goal is to quickly pay it back. Borrowing money as leverage to do something very very great and epic, and quickly leapfrog to the next thing.

Bigger and better to infinity and beyond!

Or, the goal is to just flip it. Do not get attached to it, and just think of real estate like a product.

For example, buying a property for $1.5 million, and then hopefully in the next 10 years, flipping it for $3 million USD! Then I suppose the goal is to just cop the profit, and then leapfrog onto the next bigger project.

Then things get interesting, because the goal isn’t about making money necessarily; but rather using your capital as leverage to keep leapfrogging to bigger and bigger things!

However, towards what ends? I don’t think there’s an end; the goal is bigger and better for the sake of it; the American ethos!

Houses as a project?

It also seems a lot of these real estate corporations, who knows maybe the investment comes from overseas, Saudi Arabia, mainland China, etc., is that somebody will buy at a property all in cash, maybe to wash the money, and then price it up, and then sit on it, and perhaps try to resell it for a profit into the future.

Why do people do this? Honestly a lot of people who have money which is illegit don’t seem to really care; they don’t really think about it too much.


Capital?

Another thought on capital in capitalism, what is it that the new religion of capital seeks?

Essentially, make money don’t spend it (Kanye West).

And also, accumulating more and more capital towards infinite ends!

Once again, perhaps the best way to think about capital and capitalism is to just think of it like a game of monopoly, a game, and do not take it too seriously.

Economics by KIM >

What do you do when you no longer fear anything?

I just hit a 9 plate rack pull for the first time, and before doing it, I felt zero ounces of fear. This was interesting, because then it is no longer a fear issue; simply it is an issue of ability and capability.

Then before attempting the nine plates, my only concern and focus was focusing, hyping myself up, and also striving to successfully maximally output all of my strength at the same time!

Perhaps than the best way to approach life is first strive to conquer fear, and then the next issue is a matter of technique, form and approach, and the physical and physiological strength to achieve and attempt things!


Fear versus ability

For example in street photography, a big consideration between the fear of shooting street photos, and then having the compositional ability to make photos you deem beautiful.

Both are critical.

A thought on value, in the context of photos and photography;

Which photos and street photos have the greatest value? Perhaps the photos which required the most courage to shoot!

Street photography is 99% balls.


Life narrative?

Another big consideration on my mind is in regards to life narrative.

When you’re on your deathbed, looking back at your life, thinking and considering certain parts of your life narrative that you were proud of attempting and doing — it doesn’t really matter whether you’re successful or not, simply, do an attempt what is epic and grand!

I think in America we’re too caught up on the notion of being “successful“ or not. I think my intervention is to think rather, the grandeur and courage of the attempt. To me it doesn’t really matter whether you’re successful or not. What matters more is whether you had the courage to attempt it in the first place!

However, this is where wisdom is critical; I think it’s a good idea to attempt things when you’re interested in it, but at the same time, you don’t want to be foolish about it. For example, to simply attempt something because you want some sort of external validation seems like a poor or a foolish decision. Rather, only attempt that which is personally interesting to you!

What motivates me?

A thought this morning; perhaps that which motivates me is the desire to dominate, to become master, to become number one!

For example, my personal past life goal was to dominate street photography, to become number one on Google for street photography! Also do become number one on Google for “ERIC KIM”.

Now that I have achieved these, perhaps then my next goal is to become number one on Google for philosophy?

Certainly Google is not a good litmus test, because now, I think there are too many foreign factors at play. Yet, the striving and desire to become ascendant, the top dog, number one, is what drives our American passion. Even at the gym, now that I have successfully atlas lifted 995 pounds, I am at least one trillion miles ahead of anyone else in my realm, not even people internationally can touch me!

And truth be told, it seems that it’s all or nothing in America. To live the grandest and best life, you got to be number one. For example, Tesl is one trillion ahead of any electric car company out there; I’m quite certain all of the other electric car companies in the long run or fail. Once the cybertruck comes out, Rivian will go under. And these other electric car companies by China and Vietnam? Good luck.

Become more

Fresh new EK WORKSHOPS for you:

  1. Conquer Street photography in Philly October 14
  2. Nov 4: Discover your creative mission in life in downtown la
  3. Dec 2nd: Master stoicism

New: Jan 27th Conquer confidence online zoom workshop


EK PHOTO SUPPLY

  1. CARRY HEAVY: HENRI SHOULDER STRAP
  2. HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO: The ultimate hybrid
  3. EK NECK STRAP MARK II: Sublime Minimalism

More EK SHOPPE >

Gym thoughts

  1. Flexing is a virtue!
  2. Life after fear?

More thoughts:

  1. https://erickimphotography.com/blog/
  2. http://erickimphilosophy.com
  3. http://erickimfitness.com
  4. https://erickim.com

When in doubt,

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