The Writer Does The Workout -The Toast

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i tried the thingI’m the writer, but I do the workout. Writing’s not sitting. Sports, I have all of them in my body. Muscles always, for moving. I try the celebrity diets with my mouth, and eat them. I’m always doing the workouts, for my fitness body. I triathlete, I Pilates. I Pi early too. Pushing my body always because my mind, she’s so awake with words and language. Pillar of strength, exhausted. Modern urban jungle, it’s not like the real jungle we all come from. How will I survive zombies? With quadriceps and explosive fast-twitch muscles, is how. Hands aren’t made to hold keyboards. Hands are made for bags of sand, and fleeing courageously. My brain hard, make my body hard. It’s not about abs. It’s about Power Stomach Lines, for energy and for authenticity. Why do I do the workouts? For you to read them. I bring them to you. Is it good? Is there sand? Should you read them, with your home eyes? Yes. I am the writer, I am like you. I am like the workout, strong and good. I am both, Home Eyes. Read me.

I did all the sports, before. Too many. My knees, they’re gone at the doctor’s. My cartilage is pushups. The workout promises. Can I believe them? I want to. It’s hard to believe the promises of the workout, because of my writer’s brain, because it doesn’t believe things, because it’s strong and hearty like a meatball handshake.

The workout is in Encinitas. The workout is deep in an Amazonian warehouse. The workout is four nautical miles over Palo Alto. The workout is inside of a steel mill two hundred years ago. The workout is wherever you are. The workout has already ended. You failed. This workout was designed by Rob MacRob, who throws Scotsmen into garbage bins until they fight him. This workout is a thousand beautiful women throwing their own legs at each other until their yoga bags are full. Everyone’s doing the workout but you. It’s ballet with rocks. It’s drowning in reverse. It’s throwing tree trunks at a Spin class. It’s a crossword puzzle with kettlebells. My body is full of blood but I don’t care about any of it.

The workout is a civilian recreation of how Navy SEALs are killed. The workout is a human reconstruction of how gorillas choose their murderers. Bicep curls are punishable by immediate death by lightning.

I showed up for the workout, and I was already wrong. “I’ll cover you with poison, or something,” Clayback Stormstrong and Thinelle Sleamstress. Annihilate. Is he a sadist? I’m normal, like you, but strong like me, and this made me fail. This workout made Gerard Butler commit suicide. It’s harder than war, but I love it like an addiction. Traditional workouts? You can’t have them. We took them away. Eat a mountain, bike a dozen eggs, throw yourself away. My cheat meal was a peacock. You’re a pizza bagel, I’m Thor. Were you expecting Lycra Shakira dancing? Get your mind out of Brazil. This workout is from Thailand’s Ivory Coast. I was bored of running through Olympic pools. I was ready to test my limits, and mind living. You’ll suffer, but there’s glitter too, and lunch, and fun times. Everything’s easier to me now, because I did the workout. Sex loves me now, and I like wearing pants outside.

This workout was an inspiration. This workout changed my life. I stopped doing the workout.

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"I Pilates. I Pi early too." MALLORY OH MY GOD.
Meatball handshake. MEATBALL HANDSHAKE.

This piece has undone me.
"Eat a mountain, bike a dozen eggs, throw yourself away. My cheat meal was a peacock. You’re a pizza bagel, I’m Thor. "

when i woke up this morning, i had benchpressed my bed in my sleep. i can't stop lifting things above my head and then flinging them to the ground. if i don't grunt when i lift something, it wasn't really lifting.
Dexteress's avatar

Dexteress · 497 weeks ago

The third paragraph is what I imagine a fitness regimen designed by Stefon would be like.

See now I just want meatballs.
"My body is full of blood but I don't care about any of it."
Yep. Just, yep.
branewurms's avatar

branewurms · 497 weeks ago

"Bicep curls are punishable by immediate death by lightning."

Barked out loud, then did some curls.
Finally, an exercise regime that actually makes sense to me.
I'm too cross for CrossFit
"You'll suffer, but there's glitter too."

This sentence is perfect in ways I can't explain.
1 reply · active 497 weeks ago
See: everything I've ever learned about being queer.
"Stomach Power Lines"
<3 <3 <3
This is like reading spam comments on a fitness blog while sick with the flu and I love it so much.
I'm crying a little at my desk right now and no one better come into my office until I can pull myself together.
This workout was designed by Rob MacRob, who throws Scotsmen into garbage bins until they fight him.

whoa...

..and I like wearing pants outside.

What? This is clearly satire then because that phrase is completely unbelievable.
Sporkening's avatar

Sporkening · 497 weeks ago

OK, so this is tagged humor and is indeed hilarious. But you guys? You lovely, gender-neutral guys? It's also beautiful. So many perfect sentences. It reminds me of Cormac McCarthy, and it also makes me think Cormac McCarthy should remind me of Mallory Ortberg. A sense of humor can't be a weakness, right? I POSTULATE THAT IT CAN NOT. I'm saying it's time to put Mallory in her rightful place as bitch-queen goddess of the Western Canon. I don't have the contacts to accomplish this, but will gladly tag down campus buildings and kick male writers in the balls if it helps the cause.
1 reply · active 497 weeks ago
You should just do that anyway.
I'm going to quit powerlifting and just start doing workouts by Rob MacRob.
3 replies · active 497 weeks ago
How many times do you think a Scotsman must be thrown into a garbage bin until they fight the person that threw them in?

Also, an obvious accessory workout to the above involves practicing throwing people into garbage bins at all. How far? Do you start off with an Englishman, then a Welsh man, than an Irish man, then a Manx man before you get to a Scotsman? Or is the Manx man the Rx+ level? Must they all be wearing kilts? (I say yes.)

So many questions. I ask all the ones that matter.
All kilts all the time IMO.

True story: I wore a kilt to the office about 5 years ago (on Halloween; everyone dressed up). I work at a fairly conservative place (oil & gas sector), and the dudes at work just flipped. Like, it made them all super uncomfortable, and several couldn't even look at me. It was lol.

Dressing like a hot dog, or in a full Batman costume: A-OK. Dressing in a kilt: completely blew their minds.
What do your coworkers do when you wear a pink shirt? When Mr Rose gets comments on his pink shirts, he says something about his wife says pink makes his eyes extra pretty, followed by a look and a pause, followed by something about have you met my wife? You feel up to disagreeing with her? Go ahead, I need the entertainment, he says with an evil grin.
You're Thor? I couldn't walk for a week. because I'm a pizza bagel
3 replies · active 497 weeks ago
"You’ll suffer, but there’s glitter too, and lunch, and fun times" aptly describes my job most days.
FewerDahlias's avatar

FewerDahlias · 497 weeks ago

Oh, god, and I was doing so well on my peacock-free diet -- until you REMINDED me...
I just stopped following Breaking Muscle dot com on my RSS reader because this post is a complete protein
Is there an accent I should be reading this with? Yoda? Arnold? Or is Thor the obvious answer..
My cultural ignorance is showing.
2 replies · active 497 weeks ago
You know the guy in Napoleon Dynamite who spent two seasons fighting in the Octagon? I'm reading it in his voice.
wow, this started out hilarious and rapidly became FUCKING BEAUTIFUL
I gave up my car when I moved to the Bay last week, and this is basically my internal monologue walking home from BART.
Oh Mallory I'm crying long screamy tears of laughter. "Sports, I have all of them in my body."
MsFancyPants's avatar

MsFancyPants · 497 weeks ago

Freaking genius.
I love this, because this is how I feel about all workouts: they're all different, they all have extremely specific recommendations with elaborate explanations and rationalizations, and they're all the only way you're going to get fit--all the others are worse than useless. And the best thing about any workout is doing rather than thinking, but I might not be gripping the bar in precisely the right way so why did I bother even getting up from the sofa. Clayback Stormstrong and Thinelle Sleamstress sit--no, stand--in judgement of me, their jacked thighs the pillars of the Supreme Court of Swole.
This is really good. let's go exercise a bit.

"I’m normal, like you, but strong like me, and this made me fail"

I don't want to fail....
Best workout as far as i know is Focus 25 by Shawn T.

It is based on a scientific research that proofs interesting fact - first 25 minutes of workout can be every bit as effective as workouts that are twice as long! Fitness Subscription Box

So with this workout program, you exercise only 25 minutes a day and still get incredible results!
I began considering this last night how to stretch hip flexors. They air the "counter harassing promotions" and than they have Mark Henry come in the pen and kick the Big Show's ***. The Nexus is a decent sample that you gave. To let you know reality the harassers I had when I was growing up made me a harder SOB when I got somewhat more seasoned. The PG rating I will never get it.

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