The Bobby Rock Newsletter #10 (4-21-2021) - Let's Get Triggered!

Hey Gang -

Back to the long-form this week... but hopefully not too long! Let's jump straight into it:

In This Issue:

Let's Get Triggered!: My personal obsession with blacklight posters
Rethinking Pushups
Down and Dirty: Exploring One of the Most Nutritious Leaves on the Planet

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Let's Get Triggered!

Environmental Triggers: Key items and/or specific decor choices we include in our living/work space that inspire creativity, nostalgia, sentiment, or inspiration.

I have a bunch of Environmental Triggers (ETs) around my crib and practice room: candles, records, shelves of books, stone and ceramic buddhas, art, religious tapestries, and a vintage drum. But perhaps the most unusual one is what I wanted to mention here: blacklight posters.

Yes, kids, I have inextricably linked the electric glow of old-school blacklight posters to my earliest days of drumming and music. I was one of those kids who had a drum set near my bed, blacklight posters all over my walls, and Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, and Deep Purple records constantly spinning on the turntable. Of course, there would be marijuana and bourbon involved around this time, as well, but still: the joy of listening to Paranoid, School's Out, or Made in Japan while surrounded by that wall-to-wall explosion of color, was all somehow foundational to my experience.

Probably 10-years old here...

And so, about 12 years ago, during a period of relative disillusionment, I ran across a photo on eBay of one of the exact posters I had on my wall as a kid, and it all came hurtling back to me: the roots; the beginnings; the impetus… as initially experienced through a filter of innocence and pure desire—a lethal combination, to be sure. I kept staring at the poster. It stirred something in me… a primal exhilaration, I suppose. I liked the feeling. And then I thought, “Why stare at a poster on a screen? Why not just buy the motherfucker?” So I did.

When the cardboard tube showed up a week later, I got such a rush out of unrolling the poster and seeing it in person, that an unexpected quest was initiated: I would search high and low, on eBay and elsewhere, for any and every blacklight poster I ever owned as a kid. And so it would be.

Over the next couple years, I managed to track down and purchase many of the posters I grew up with. Most of them wound up on the walls of a spare “work room” of sorts, but two of them would be prominently displayed in my bedroom, complete with a blacklight mounted above them for full effect.

Notice that these two posters are in the early drumming pic above.
I would eventually find every poster in that photo...

Juvenile and tacky? Perhaps. But to my larger point here, these are real triggers for me. They burn in the corner like visual incense, setting a tone, creating a vibe, and taking me back to the beginning, reminding me of why I ever got involved in this crazy-ass business. They are a direct connection to those early epiphanies, and that enviable fire-trail of ambition. Sometimes I still just sit and stare at them.

Three Questions to Contemplate:

What are some of your preferred Environmental Triggers?
What are the general feelings they conjure up in you?
Do any go back to your childhood?

(PS. Photos would be an obvious ET for most people but, with rare exception, not so much for me.)

Just some shit to think about….

PS. Here are just a few of my faves:

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Rethinking Pushups

Traditional pushups remain one of the best anytime, anywhere, total conditioning exercises. They're great for developing your chest, shoulders and triceps, and can even strengthen your back and core when performed with strict form. And while they don't tend to build muscle size and super strength in the same way certain free-weight movements will, they can be an excellent addition to your training regimen.

Consider pushups for any of the following circumstances:

You are looking for a convenient way to integrate some resistance exercise into your workout routine, but you're not into weight training or joining a gym.
Your normal facilities aren't available, but you still need to grab a workout, and pushups can be done anywhere... even in jail!
You find yourself training in a facility that only has lighter weights (like many hotel workout rooms, for example), so you do a set of pushups right before each set with the lighter weights and—presto—the lighter weights suddenly don't feel so light!
You are looking for more intensity out of your current routine, so you add a few sets of pushups at the end of your usual workout for even greater levels of deep muscle burn and conditioning.

The Form

1. Get down on your knees, place both hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor, then raise yourself up so that you’re balancing on your palms and toes. This is your starting position.

2. With your back and legs in a straight line like a board, lower yourself face-down to within a few inches of the floor, then push yourself back up to the starting position. This is one rep.

Option One: If this classic form is especially difficult for you, try balancing on your knees, instead of your toes.

Option Two: When available, use dumbbells as “hand rests.” (Easier on the wrists.)

More Tips

A) A set of pushups is basically however many reps you can do while maintaining proper form; anywhere from ten to 35, on average. But don’t get hung up on the numbers at the expense of your form.

B) You can perform pushups daily, or even throughout a given day, if you like. Just be careful not to over-train if you’re feeling sore from them.

C) You can adjust which muscles are emphasized in a pushup by varying your hand placement. Go wider for more chest, and narrower for more triceps.

Enjoy the burn!

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Down & Dirty!

I recently launched my very own custom-blend superfood powder called Dragon Dirt. In this section, we offer tips and insights for our kick-ass new DD community. Our Ingredient Spotlight provides info into the why, what, and how much of our ingredients in the Dirt.

Exploring One of the Most Nutritious Leaves on the Planet

From the drumstick tree of the Himalayas, moringa oliefera is recognized as one of the most versatile of all plant superfoods. Loaded with valuable nutrients, moringa leaf's gram-for-gram profile is impressive, boasting 3x the potassium of bananas, 4x the vitamin A of carrots, 4x the calcium of milk, and 10x the iron of spinach. Additionally, its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiviral properties make it a powerhouse addition to our blend. Sourced direct from India, there is an impressive 1500 mgs of moringa leaf powder in a single serving of Dragon Dirt.

Grab a bag HERE. Find out about all 18 ingredients at www.drinkthedirt.com

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Until next time,