Thanksgiving Thoughts 2025

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Thanksgiving hits different when you get older.

When you’re a kid, it’s turkey, pumpkin pie, the parade on TV, cousins sprinting around the house, and the promise that Christmas is around the corner.

But when you’re a man—a man with responsibilities, a man with a mission—the day shifts.

It becomes a pause.

A breath.

A moment to look at your life and say,

“What am I truly grateful for? What’s carrying me through?”

My list gets simpler every year.

My kids.

My health.

My people.

My mission.

And the ability to wake up and keep building, brick by brick.

But as I’ve gotten older, one more thing has crept into the picture.

The land beneath my feet.

The place I call home now—the trails I run, the lakes I walk around, the cities and small towns scattered across the Upper Midwest—it all has a history long before I showed up.

A history that’s beautiful.

Complicated.

Woven with both resilience and loss.

And on a day like today, I feel the weight of that.

Thanksgiving didn’t start as a peaceful feast.

There’s a harder truth beneath the holiday—especially for the Native peoples of this region, the Dakota and Ojibwe, whose land became the foundation for the life I get to live now.

I’m not here to preach a lesson or pretend I have perfect insight.

I’m just acknowledging reality.

Real gratitude includes awareness.

Respect.

Humility.

And honesty about the ground we stand on.

So yes—I’m grateful today.

Deeply.

But I’m also aware.

Awake.

Listening.

This isn’t just turkey and football.

It’s a reminder:

Don’t take your blessings for granted.

Don’t forget the stories that came before you.

Don’t ignore the truth just because it’s uncomfortable.

As Builders, we don’t sugarcoat.

We don’t shy away from complexity.

We honor what came before, even when it’s messy.

We build forward with respect and intention.

So wherever you are today…

Slow down.

Look at who’s around you.

Look at the land beneath you.

Look at the life you’re forging.

And be grateful—not blindly, but fully.

-Brickwall

30 Minutes Or Less…Quick Training While Stimulating Growth

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30 Minutes Or Less...Quick Training While Stimulating Growth

Life moves fast.

Kids. Work. Romance. Bills. Projects.

Half your day is already spoken for before you even sip your tea.

We’re not 19 with zero responsibilities and unlimited gym time.

But that doesn’t mean we fold.

Not us.

Not the Musclebuilder.

We adapt. We overcome.

We build—no matter what.

You Can Do More Than You Think in 30 Minutes

Most men think they need an hour and a half to train.

An hour minimum.

But the Musclebuilder knows the truth:

You don’t need more time.

You need more focus.

A well-designed, hard-charging 30-minute session can stimulate serious growth—enough to build muscle, burn fat, and keep your physique climbing towards the summit.

If you train with intention, half an hour is plenty.

How to Stimulate Muscle Growth in Less Time

You’re not cutting corners.

You’re cutting nonsense.

You’re stripping the session down to the essentials so you can deliver maximum stimulus in minimal time.

Here’s how:

1. No Scrolling

The phone is the enemy of the quick session.

You can’t create tension in the muscle while you’re creating tension in the group chat.

Airplane Mode.

Do Not Disturb.

Pocket. Backpack. Locker.

If you’re checking notifications, you’re not training—you’re hanging out.

2. No Chatting

Brotherhood is great—When you have time.

When you don’t?

You’re on the clock.

During a 30-minute session, every second counts.

3. Lock in Your Rest Periods

Most men don’t have “too little time”—they have too many wasted minutes.

Rest periods drift.

Thoughts wander.

Intensity drops.

And suddenly you’re sitting there cold as a January sidewalk.

Set a timer if you need to.

  • 45–60 seconds for accessories
  • 90 seconds for bigger lifts
  • 2–3 minutes max for compound strength work

If you can talk comfortably, you’re resting too long.

4. Use Supersets, Compound Sets, and Circuits

This is how you compress time without dropping intensity:

  • Supersets: Opposing muscle groups (push/pull)
  • Compound sets: Same muscle back-to-back (painful, effective)
  • Circuits: 3–4 movements in rotation

You keep moving.

You keep working.

You keep stimulating fiber after fiber.

This is how you turn 30 minutes into a full-scale assault on your muscles.

5. Pick the Right Movements

Quick sessions demand smart exercise choices.

Think:

  • Chest press
  • Lat pulldown
  • Hack squat or leg press
  • Dumbbell RDL
  • Machine rows
  • Dips
  • Pushups
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Cable work

You can’t have any fluff if you’re keeping it tight.

Sample 30-Minute Session

Vertical Pull Day (Lats, Biceps)

Compound Set #1

Lat pulldown (wide grip) – 10 reps

Lat pulldown (narrow grip) – 10 reps

4 sets each, 60 seconds rest between sets

Compound Set #2

Dumbbell curl – 10 reps

Hammer curl – 10 reps

4 sets each, 30 seconds rest between sets

Odds and Ends

Dumbbell wrist curl – 10 reps

4 sets, 30 seconds rest between sets

Finisher

Elliptical sprint intervals

5 x 30 seconds. All out effort. 30 seconds rest between work.

Quick. Deadly.

Final Word

You don’t need hours to make gains.

You don’t need the “perfect” schedule.

You don’t need a “free day” or an “open afternoon.”

You just need 30 minutes of ruthless focus and intensity.

Train smart. Train fast. Train hard.

Sunday Sendoff #23: Prioritization

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

If you could crush every area of your life at once, every day, without slipping?

Ideal.

But we don’t live in an ideal world.

We live in a world of tradeoffs.

Every day is a tug-of-war for your time and energy.

Your kids pull.

Your work pulls.

Your training pulls.

Your recovery pulls.

Your relationship pulls.

Even your hobbies nibble at the edges.

And that’s why prioritization isn’t just helpful—it’s survival.

There used to be a cheesy poster that said:

WIN: What’s Important Now

We laughed at it.

But the older you get, the more you realize…that’s the whole game.

Wins come from doing what matters right now—not everything, not all at once, just the thing that moves the mission forward.

So ask yourself:

What’s important?

What can go on the backburner without guilt?

And what needs to be 86’d entirely so you can breathe again?

Prioritization is strength.

It’s muscle.

It’s clarity.

It’s the difference between moving forward with force…and drowning in your own to-do list.

Prioritize ruthlessly.

You’ll thank yourself for it.

The Week’s Post Loadout

11/17/25 | The Musclebuilder’s Skincare Loadout | Hygiene and Skincare

Don’t just slather any old crap on your skin. Here’s the way the Musclebuilder takes care of his largest organ.

11/20/25 | Perfect? Throw That Shit Right out the Window | Foundations

Perfection doesn’t exist. Toss it right out of the window and keep on truckin’.

11/22/25 | Hit With Passion: Turn the Switch All the Way Up | The Brickpile

I got hit with a stark realization at a concert.

Something to Ponder

Are your priorities aligned…or scrambled? Where have you let chaos creep in?

Why not pick one area, tighten it up, and give it the attention it’s been starving for?

There’s no better time than right now, brother.

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall

Hit With Passion: Turn the Switch All the Way Up

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Sometimes something just slaps you in the face and says:

“This is what life looks like when someone gives a damn.”

That’s what happened at the last concert I was at.

I wasn’t expecting enlightenment.

I was expecting good music, a solid night, a cool vibe.

Instead?

I got hit with passion.

Not the fake kind.

Not the Instagram-aesthetic kind.

The real deal:

The singer fully alive. The band fully in sync.

Everyone up there pouring themselves out like they didn’t have anything to save for tomorrow.

It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t plastic. It wasn’t perfect.

It was real.

And that honesty has a force to it.

It makes you ask questions you haven’t asked in a while:

  • When’s the last time you poured your soul into something?
  • When’s the last time you showed up all the way on?
  • When’s the last time you cared enough to lose yourself in what you were doing?

We all talk about “passion” like it’s a personality trait.

But watching those guys up there…it hit me:

Passion is work. Passion is reps. Passion is practice until you disappear into the craft. Passion is showing up on a random Tuesday and deciding:

“I’m going to be excellent whether anyone notices or not.”

That show reminded me of something:

Most people are living on 30%.

Dimmed. Muted. Running safe settings.

But the ones who turn the switch all the way up?

You feel them from across the room. You remember them. You leave changed.

That’s the kind of life I want to build.

I’m going to keep building, building until one day someone sees me in my element and thinks:

“Damn…that man is ON.”

Perfect? Throw That Shit Right out the Window

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Throw Perfect Out the Window 2

Most men never start.

They wait.

And wait.

And wait.

They wait for the perfect time. The perfect gym. The perfect program.

Everything to align so they can build a great physique.

And while they wait, the clock ticks. The gut grows. The energy fades. The opportunities slip through their fingers.

Let me let you in on a little secret brother:

Perfect doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion.

The Lie of Perfect

Perfect is the excuse men use to stay weak.

  • The perfect gym? There isn’t one. You’ll always find broken equipment, bad music, and some guy curling in the squat rack.
  • The perfect program? A mirage. You don’t need the latest most optimized program—you need to push, pull, sweat, and suffer with consistency.
  • The perfect diet? Life won’t let you eat flawless macros every day. Progress belongs to the man who adapts, not the man who quits over a missed meal or a binge.
  • The perfect sleep schedule? Ask the father with a newborn or the man grinding double shifts—discipline doesn’t wait for 8 hours of perfect rest.

And your body? Even when you’re muscular, strong, lean, and powerful, you’ll see flaws. That’s not failure—that’s life.

History Proves It

The greats didn’t wait for perfect. They built through chaos.

  • Spartans didn’t ask for comfort, sleep trackers, or macros—they forged bodies in fire and war.
  • Roman soldiers trained in mud, rain, and blood—never in air-conditioned gyms.
  • Edison failed over 10,000 times before he lit the world. His lab wasn’t perfect—but he had grit.
  • Eugen Sandow lifted barrels, rocks, and crude iron long before modern machines. He built his legend in barns and backrooms.
  • Alan P. Mead lost a leg in World War 1. He built anyways.

If perfect were required, we’d have no heroes.

The Bodybuilder’s Reality

The Bodybuilder doesn’t wait. He trains in chaos. He builds in imperfection. He stacks bricks in storms.

  • A half-decent workout beats no workout.
  • A good-enough meal beats garbage food.
  • A broken schedule still builds muscle if you show up.

Perfect is fragile. Progress is unbreakable.

Brickwall Rule

Do the best you can with what you have, right where you are.

  • Got 20 minutes? Use it.
  • Got only dumbbells? Lift them.
  • Messed up your plan? Get back on track next meal.

Progress stacks. Perfect stalls.

Call to Action

Brother—throw perfect out the damn window. It’s not real. It never was.

The Bodybuilder is forged in fire, chaos, and imperfection. That’s where discipline sharpens. That’s where strength hardens. That’s where legends are made.

Anchor down in progress. Anchor up in action. Don’t wait for perfect—start building today.

The Builder’s Skincare Loadout

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The Musclebuilder’s Skincare Loadout

Most men treat skincare like it’s optional.

Like it’s vanity. Like it’s softness. Like it’s something for spa days and scented candles.

Not us.

We know better.

Your skin isn’t decoration.

Your skin is armor.

It’s the shield between you and the world—cold, heat, stress, sweat, friction, movement, life.

When the armor cracks, the man feels it.

So we train it.

We rebuild it.

We fortify it.

The same way we build muscle.

Brick by brick.

Here’s the loadout.

1. The Cleanser (Warm Water + Gentle Soap)

Forget complex protocols.

The best way to cleanse your skin?

Warm water and gentle, fragrance-free soap (such as Dr. Bronner’s unscented baby soap).

You don’t need to drop the hammer. You don’t need to go nuclear.

Clean what actually gets dirty.

Face. Pits. Groin. Feet. Hands. Sweat zones.

Gently cleanse, then rinse.

That’ll do the trick.

2. The Builder (CeraVe Moisturizing Cream)

Your skin doesn’t just lose oil under stress.

It loses water.

And more importantly, it loses its barrier.

Dry skin isn’t weak.

It’s depleted.

CeraVe restores what stress, heat, sun, and winter strip away:

  • Ceramides—the mortar between skin cells
  • Humectants—water pulled back into the skin
  • Barrier support—so redness and reactivity calm down

This tells your skin one thing:

“You’re protected. You can stand down.”

Apply after showering while skin is still slightly damp. Thin, even layer.

Face, neck, arms—wherever winter hits.

This isn’t cosmetic.

It’s structural.

This is your hydration base.

The first real brick in the wall.

3. The Armor Layer (Raw Shea Butter)

Moisturizer rebuilds the barrier.

Shea butter reinforces it.

Raw, unrefined shea butter isn’t lotion.

It’s shielding material.

It seals moisture in, reduces friction, and protects vulnerable zones from the world.

Apply strategically:

  • Neck folds
  • Chest
  • Elbows
  • Hands
  • Flare zones

Shea butter doesn’t hydrate.

It defends what you’ve already rebuilt.

Shea butter isn’t soft.

Shea butter is protective.

4. The Shield (Zinc Mineral Protection)

Sun damage isn’t loud.

It’s cumulative.

It weakens the barrier, destabilizes capillaries, and keeps skin stuck in a reactive state.

Zinc oxide isn’t cosmetic.

It’s medicinal.

Zinc:

  • Reduces inflammation
  • Calms redness
  • Blocks UV without heat
  • Supports barrier recovery
  • Creates an antibacterial, antiviral surface

Apply a thin layer of zinc mineral protection to exposed skin:

  • Face
  • Neck
  • Ears
  • Wind-facing zones

This isn’t vanity.

This is armor plating.

5. The Emergency Seal (Aquaphor)

Use sparingly.

Use strategically.

Aquaphor isn’t nourishment. It’s pure occlusion.

It’s not long-term.

It’s a patch kit for:

  • Cracks
  • Bleeding
  • Raw friction burns
  • Winter wind damage

You use it the same way you’d use tape on a ripped callus.

Tactical. Only when the battle demands it.

5. The Anti-Itch Protocol: Pressure, Not Scratching (General Itching and Eczema)

Itching is a nervous system loop—not a personal failing.

Scratching releases histamine and destroys barriers.

Hot water hits your dopamine centers and sinks you deeper into the cycle.

The Builder method?

Press. Don’t scratch.

Palm on itch.

Firm pressure.

15–20 seconds.

Slow breathing.

Pain overrides itch.

Pressure calms nerves.

And the skin stays intact.

Scratch = surrender.

Pressure = control.

6. The Environmental Rules

Skin is alive.

Skin responds to everything.

So you optimize the environment:

  • Warm showers, never hot
  • Cool bedroom
  • Breathable fabrics
  • Hands outside the blankets
  • Short towel pats, no rubbing
  • Sweat rinse ASAP

This isn’t skincare.

This is strategic deployment.

7. The Identity Shift

The Builder doesn’t chase perfect skin.

He builds functional skin.

Skin that can take:

  • Winter
  • Heat
  • Sweat
  • Iron
  • Stress
  • Movement

Skin that doesn’t flake, crack, or scream when life hits it.

Skin that reflects the man wearing it:

Strong. Calm. Resilient. Prepared. Built

This loadout isn’t pretty.

It’s not fancy.

It’s not pampering.

It’s maintenance of the armor.

It’s a discipline.

A ritual.

A standard.

Because the man who builds muscle also builds his mind…and the man who builds his mind builds his life…and the man who builds his life builds his barrier.

Sunday Sendoff #22: Carry the Torch

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

You weren’t dropped into this world by accident.

You’re the product of a long line of men and women who fought, built, sacrificed, endured, and survived so you could stand here today.

They handed you a burning torch.

Not a burden.

A blessing.

A responsibility.

You carry their strength in your spine.

You carry their lessons in your blood.

You carry their unfinished hopes in your hands.

The Musclebuilder knows this:

Every rep, every choice, every step forward is part of a lineage.

One day, your torch will pass to someone else.

But not yet.

Not today.

Right now, it’s your turn to burn bright.

To stand tall.

To push forward when it would be easier to fold.

To build something worthy of the ones who lit the flame before you.

Carry the torch—for the name on your back.

For the people who can no longer lift theirs.

For the future that’s watching even if you can’t see it yet.

Shine your light so bright it cuts through generations.

This is your chapter in the story.

Make it one they’d be proud of.

The Week’s Post Loadout

11/10/25 | The Key Differences Between Musclebuilding and Bodybuilding | Foundations

They’re brothers, but they have different missions.

11/11/25 | Veterans. The Ones Who Carried the Weight. | Brickwall’s Corner

Honoring veterans…the ones who carried the weight.

11/13/25 | How Musclebuilders Eat On the Go | Nutrition

Being on the go doesn’t mean nutrition, and your physique, goes out the window.

11/15/25 | Traffic Sucks | The Brickpile

A rant, and some ways to be productive, when you’re stuck in purgatory.

Something to Ponder

The torch has been handed to you. You gonna carry it?

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall

Traffic Sucks

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Traffic Sucks

It’s 4:43 p.m.

You’re sweating through your shirt.

Boxed in by huge SUVs, crawling along at 7 mph, surrounded by vape clouds, fast food fumes, and the faint sound of bass thumping from someone’s busted subwoofer.

Your right calf is twitching from riding the brake pedal.

And you’re starting to question every decision you’ve made since 11th grade.

This isn’t commuting.

This is confinement.

Let’s call it what it is:

Traffic is psychological warfare.

Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but you get the point. 🤣

The Circus of Stupidity

Traffic reveals the worst in people.

You’ve got the guy who waits until the last nanosecond to merge and expects applause.

The woman doing a full eyeshadow tutorial in the mirror while weaving like a bowling pin.

The old junkbox with 14 bumper stickers and no turn signal.

And let’s not forget that one person—there’s always one person—laying on the horn like he’s summoning the ancient gods of speed.

These aren’t commuters.

These are mobile maniacs in air-conditioned cages.

We Weren’t Built for This

You think our ancestors sat in metal boxes breathing exhaust while the driver in front of them made a left turn at the speed of erosion?

No.

They walked.

They carried logs.

They wrestled animals, chopped wood, and got places without asking permission from a traffic app.

You were forged to move—to hunt, lift, build, sweat.

Now you’re stuck watching your life tick by in a rearview mirror while your spine fuses into a question mark.

The Toll

Let’s break it down like a bad transmission:

  • Posture: Crushed. You look like a shrimp that gave up.
  • Cortisol: Through the roof. Congratulations, you’re now chemically stressed because the driver ahead of you couldn’t decide which lane to pick.
  • Testosterone: Dropping faster than the speed limit in a school zone.
  • Mind: Numb. Zombified. Trapped in a daily episode of “Why Do I Do This to Myself?”

Traffic doesn’t just waste time.

It erodes you—body and soul.

The Rage List

Let’s lighten it up. Here are just a few people I’d love to see permanently banned from the roads:

  • The Honk-Immediately-As-Light-Turns-Green Person
  • The 46-in-a-65 Dignified Sloth
  • The No-Turn-Signal Philosopher
  • “This Lane Ends? Never Heard of It” Bro
  • The Full Makeup Routine Artist (eyes on the road, Picasso)

We’re all just gladiators in this coliseum of chaos, except no one’s winning and the lions are hybrid drivers on their phones.

So What the Hell Do We Do?

We rebel. That’s what.

First things first, try to stay off the roads during peak times.

That may not be possible for most. Even then, traffic will seemingly always pop up somewhere.

You could also try to walk or bike more to your destinations.

Again, maybe not possible.

So here are some productive things you can do in your car when you’re stuck:

  • Make traffic your gym: Do muscle activation (go through and flex each muscle, one at a time), trap stretches, neck rolls, and breath work.
  • Fuel your mind: No more Top 40 garbage. Fire up podcasts, audiobooks, or primal silence.
  • Have deep conversations with your passengers: Whether that be your kids, a friend, or your dog, build bonds right there in the car.

Final Word

Traffic isn’t just annoying.

It’s a symbol—of comfort over challenge, of sedation over motion, of a world that wants you soft, slow, and sedated.

You weren’t made to idle.

You were made to move.

To build muscle, not migraines.

To charge forward, not sit stuck behind someone with weird bumper stickers.

So next time you’re bumper-to-bumper, remember this:

You’re a Builder. You don’t sit still. You don’t surrender.

You endure. And build from it.