Ultra Dad’s Snatch, Partner Workouts… And Random Gorilla thoughts if you’ll read a little further…
You oughta see Ultra Dad’s snatch. It’s a thing of beauty. If you saw him Monday, you got it, if you didn’t, you missed a fun thing to see.
Here’s what you don’t know if you haven’t been around awhile. Most snatch days, for many years… Ultra Dad, Otherwise known as Chris Ivey, otherwise known as Coach Chris.. well, he was Deadlifting. Or Power Cleaning, pretty much anything but snatching, had a nagging injury that was a limiter for a really long time. Know what he didn’t do? Quit. Cry. Complain. “Modify don’t miss” and there he stood, Monday, Snatching his junk off.
We hear this often from newer athletes, “I couldn’t, I can’t, man I’ll never be like HIM/HER.” As if that moment in time they observed encapsulates the entirety of that persons fitness journey. What they never see is the decade of ups and downs, the price of living a strong life is doing strong things, and Ultra Dad has done the damn things. Consistency and Effort will get you a very long ways in life, “Modify, Don’t Miss”.
Every Workout Is a Partner Workout– You don’t need a partner workout on the whiteboard to be sharing that barbell with someone else. Every time you step into the House of Gainz, you’ve got two people riding along with you. There’s the version of you from ten years ago, the one whose choices got you exactly here, good or bad. And there’s the version of you ten years from now, who’s going to live with whatever you decide to do today. Every rep is a handshake between who you were and who you’re becoming. What’s life look like for you in 10 years? Alot like the effort you put in today. Do it for your past self, do it for your future self, and do it for everyone who’s counting on you to be a strong, capable human. Give it your best, every time. Stop stopping, you don’t need to rest, GO. Gorilla says so.
Notes from the Programmer: As we finish up this Snatch and Overhead Squat cycle… it’s time to get Jacked and Joosey.. you’ll notice some sick pump sesh stuff on Mondays for a couple weeks to prime the pump before we crank up a bench press cycle. Heavy triples and good solid accessory work to build a buncha Side Walk Crackin Savages! We will have barbells on our backs again as well, some old friends with names you will remember will be stopping by for a visit again, you might be happy to see them leave after they “speak to the manager”. (nobody gets my jokes)
Caffeine, Ketones, and Random Gorilla Thoughts
Oh, are you still reading? Well look at you, freaking reading rainbow badass! I’d offer you a free pan pizza for it, but the way my pizza budget is setup… well, I’ll give you a sweaty hug instead. 1 August 2026 marks year 6 in the captains chair for me. Been reflecting on this journey lately, the gym, Steve, our community… things look alot different than when we started, but the song remains the same, we work hard, we don’t complain (much, I freaking hear you, it’s hot, in Alabama, in August. WOW. Imagine that.).
All jokes aside, I consider stewardship of Impulse the greatest endeavor of my life. I feel privileged to call you all friends, and happy to do life with you. Thank you for being a part of our special thing. Gotta stop typing now, or Ima get all misty.
-Gorilla