DISPATCH 4

On Sunday 8th June, we brought together friends of the brand to move, connect and share space. Brothers and good friends of ours, George and Harrison, hosted us at their gym, LOCKER, a short drive outside of London. After some introductions and coffees, Harrison briefed us on the workout.

It was after regular opening hours, so we had the gym to ourselves. We threw open the warehouse shutter, divided ourselves into pairs and George took control of the AUX. For the first part of the workout, each pair were to complete:

• 2km row/ski (or 4km bike-erg), 10 synchro burpees, 1 round of synchro DB DT*.
• 1.5km row/ski (or 3km bike-erg), 10 syncho burpees, 2 rounds of synchro DB DT*.
• 1km row/ski (or 2km bike-erg), 10 synchro burpees, 3 rounds of synchro DB DT*.

*12 deadlifts, 9 power cleans, 3 STOH @2x22.kg. Each pair must rotate the choice of erg with each round.

A couple of the guys pushed the pace on the ergs from the get-go, setting the tone for the rest of the group. The weight moved comfortably on the first round of DT, but fatigue built with the ascending round format. Once all pairs had completed the work, we rested a few minutes and waited for the lactic-acid to clear.

For the second part of the session, we worked through two clusters of upper-body hypertrophy movements: one with a pull-emphasis and the other with a push-focus. We finished the afternoon with New York pastrami bagels, said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. Time and bodies well spent.

Calum Andrews is a Glasgow-born, Berlin-based, sub-3 marathoner. He's also a bit of a savant when it comes to what's on-trend (as you'll see from his laundry-room-stroke-walk-in-wardrobe). We crossed paths with Calum at the beginning of the CLOBBER journey and have stayed in touch since. Through 'Spit It Out', we'll introduce friends of the brand that inspire us and that we relate to. We couldn't think of a better person to kick off the feature. Read our chat with Calum here.

Wasdale Head sits at the far end of Wast Water, a glacial lake known for its inky-black depths and mirror-still surface that reflects the sheer cliffs of the surrounding fells. Tucked away in one of the Lake District's most remote valleys, this hamlet is a launchpad for mountain exploration and the starting point for one of England's most iconic ascents: Scafell Pike. We set off early and the stone trail was ours alone. It was quiet, except for the sound of footsteps and wind whipping through the valley. As the path began to climb, gentle steps gave way to steep inclines. Our breathing grew heavier, and we settled into the steady rhythm of the hike. The trail is no manicured path. It's a rugged, unforgiving staircase of scree and slabs, shaped by time and weather. After about two and a half hours, we reached the summit - a windswept cairn of volcanic rock, 978 metres above sea level, the highest point in England. For a few rare and quiet minutes, we stood in stillness, suspended between sky and earth. The descent came faster, but not easier. Knees ached, toes pressed hard into shoe fronts and the footing was uneasy. With each step down, the mountain receded behind us - its challenge complete, its memory etched deep.

Route available on Strava here.

In recent Dispatches, we've shared time-tested training wisdom for managing training load and building aerobic capacity. This month, we're shining a spotlight on Wendler's 5/3/1 protocol for building strength. Jim Wendler is an American strength coach and former powerlifter who introduced his strength protocol in 2009 with the release of his book "5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength". Wendler's philiosophy emphasises core barbell lifts, sustainable progressive overload and training efficiency. Here's how it works. The program is based on four compound lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press, and overhead press. These are trained on separate days. Each lift follows a four-week cycle with three working sets each week. Week 1: 65% x 5 reps, 75% x 5 reps, 85% x 5+ reps (as many reps as possible); Week 2: 70% x 3 reps, 80% x 3 reps, 90% x 3+ reps (as many reps as possible); Week 3: 75% x 5 reps, 85% x 3 reps, 95% x 1+ reps (as many reps as possible); Week 4 (Deload, focus on recovering and preparing for the next cycle): 40% x 5 reps, 50% x 5 reps, 60% x 5 reps. All percentages are based on 90% of your true 1-rep max, which keeps you training sub-maximally to encourage correct form, reduce fatigue and support long-term progress. At the end of each four-week cycle, increase your 1-rep max weight across the four lifts (add 5kg to upper-body lifts and 10kg to lower-body lifts) and re-calculate your percentages for the next cycle. After the main lift, complete accessory/assistance exercises, tailored to your specific goals.

La Marzocco coffee machines, Peter Yee-designed eyewear and now brutalist buildings: each a powerful example of form meeting function, a design principle that dictates our approach to creating products for CLOBBER. Brutalist architecture is often overlooked, and at times criticised for its exposed concrete aesthetic, heavy form and mass scale. But on closer inspection, these buildings are a masterclass in functional design. To put it simply, "What you see is what you get". Brutalist buildings do not hide what they are, but celebrate their internal function by exposing structural elements, from beams to stairwells to ventilation shafts. Their bulk, scale and layout are tailored for high-traffic use, with open communal spaces, wide corridors, and multi-purpose rooms. The use of béton brut (raw concrete) allowed the architects to mould space with complete freedom, letting the form emerge from the functional needs of the design. Something happens at a subconscious level when you stand in front of a brutalist building. The weight and scale hit you and tell you something about the building's purpose and contents. That's why we chose Barbican in London for our launch shoot. The labyrinthine layout and solid concrete forms create a self-contained city-within-a-city, separating the art and community within from the traffic and chaos beyond the walls. London's Brutalist buildings, from Barbican to Trellick Tower to Alexandra Road Estate, represent rebellious ambition, utility and a radical vision of urban life.