November at CFI: Caffeine, Ketones, and Random Gorilla Thoughts
Upcoming Events
- Anniversary Party 8 Nov 6PM
- Come see who’s leveled up, bring a side dish, hang out and enjoy! Festivities will start at 6PM and go until… well until satisfied.
Random Gorilla Thoughts…
You will see a little different approach to the Newsletter from here on out. You’ll still hear about what strength cycles we’ve got on deck, but I want to share something bigger—let’s call it a dose of philosophy and a dash of perspective. Hence, “Caffeine, Ketones, and Random Gorilla Thoughts” is born.
During one of my late night meditations recently, this thought occurred to me…. how much less than your best effort is actually acceptable? In our day-to-day lives, I speculate that we’re all cruising at maybe 60-70% of what we could give. And honestly, that’s often more than enough. At work, at home, just handling life—no one’s expecting us to be at 100% full throttle every moment. In fact, just showing up at a good solid 60% might be rock star level in many situations. While this is a blessing, it’s also a curse. We need a place… a thing… that requires everything we have to give. All of it. If we never test that, we never know what we have available. Humans need this in our lives!
Well, we few, we happy few, we have this. The House of Gainz requires that we work as hard as we are able, every single time. For that one hour, your best effort is not just welcomed, it’s expected. Not talking about hitting a personal record every day or being at the top of the leaderboard, it’s about giving what you’ve got—whether that’s with a shovel or a spoon, we move dirt for a solid ass hour. This is a beautiful thing, because in a world that rarely demands your maximum, we’ve carved out a space where that’s the norm.
As we put a bow on 2025 and start thinking about what 2026 goals might look like, ask yourself: what would happen if I gave my absolute best effort every single time I set foot in here for the entire year? What would I feel like by next Christmas? Let that thought sit with you and see where it takes you. Maybe that inspires an extra 5% in everything else in life, work, family, friends… life is short, live, love, and train accordingly.
Programming Notes
As we wrap up our bench press cycle next month, we’re going to spend the last six weeks of the year doing a bit of everything. Think of it as a “mix-and-match” approach that lets us revisit all the different gains we’ve made throughout the year. It’s been a fantastic year of training, and I want us to finish on a high note, touching a little bit of every skill and strength we’ve built.
I’m currently in the lab charting our course for 2026, lots of strength, conditioning and fun are on the Menu, what are we doing next year brain? The same thing we do every year Pinky, trying to take over the world!
— Steve