Maybe it was training while the class I used to coach was warming up right next to me. Maybe I was beat up from last week. Maybe I was just off today. But, I missed a few lifts at 80%.
I was actually a little excited to finally miss a few lifts!! I haven't been missing lately, so I've been doubting whether I'm pushing hard enough.
Whatever it was, I seemed to get back to something close to my groove after resetting (resting a typical rest period between sets).
I started a new job on Monday, the 24th. I'll be running assays on silicone products at Momentive Performance Materials in Waterford, NY. It's continuous shift work, so I'm going to have to figure out how sleep and training work into a rotating 7 day of changing shift work schedule when typically my programming has always followed the traditional Wednesday and Sunday off or something along those lines.
This week, I got up at 4am so I could get to the gym and get training done. I want to try to establish a schedule that gets me to work on time and gets me home to see my kids after work. I hear a lot of people say that training early in the morning is tough or training alone is tough, but I've gotten used to both. They're habits, so acclimating those habits to a rotation will be the biggest challenge... until I build new habits.
Youtube didn't allow the music I had, so I added some.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
I am trying to do exactly that, put my thoughts into words here, although I lack practice at this and am usually a very private person. I want to make sure that I put those words into action and form winning habits and a destiny of my choosing!
Visited Black Sheep to taste the gains on Kilo plates (and got to see Kia, Viv, Derek and Dean)
Sometimes, I don't see progress for 2 years. My press was 150# over 2 years ago. I haven't been able to hit that weight since. I eked out 145# today, so I'm getting back up there... So, I'm still working to see progress there.
Progress happened every day when I was young and when I was new to the sport. A lack of progress took some getting used to.
Feeling so sleepy tonight. I should be getting 8 hours sleep...
I just started a new job on Monday and have been getting up at 4am to get training done before I go.
It'd be great if I could get to bed early to match that early rise time.
I'm about to go collapse. I wish that was a sign that I was working hard enough, but it really just means I'm not recovering enough. Time to correct that.
My dad was moving and needed help making the drive from Albany, NY to his new home in Port Charlotte, FL. That means from Thursday night until Saturday night, I did the majority of 20+ hours of driving. When I drive, I like to listen to podcasts; Weightlifting Talk, The TED Radio Hour, Invisibilia, The Joe Rogan Experience...
On the drive, I listened to this part of a TED talk and I was shocked. Apparently, telling people your goal reduces the chances you'll ever achieve it. It's especially shocking because when I put this post (describing my goals) out there, I didn't feel satisfied at having accomplished something. I felt scared.
What ifs were flying through my mind; what if I get injured (it's happened before, especially when I push my limits)? what if I don't get any stronger (I'm 41 and don't have the T levels I used to)? what if I do all of the training and bomb out under pressure at a big meet? what if I can't find time to train with a full-time job and 2 boys? What if?
What if?
What if fear isn't really such a bad thing?
My biggest fear is that I would put the goal out there and not follow through on it.
What if I don't do enough? What if I'm not pushing hard enough? What if I'm not missing enough? What if there aren't enough squats in my program? What if I'm not competing enough?
A lot of people think fear is a negative emotion, but champions are partially driven by their fear of failure not just their vision of success.
It drove me to get to 13 Stripes CrossFit in Harrisburg, PA at 6am on Friday morning.
It drove me to get to CrossFit Wappoo at 8am on Saturday morning.
And, it drove me to get up this morning to start training at 5am.
The work is getting done. The training is paying off. I hit a Back Squat PR this morning. That hasn't happened in over 2 years!!! 2 years of stagnancy, I will hit 115/140 soon.
More about how fear makes champions in this podcast.
What do you do when you have some pain to deal with?
This morning, I woke up right before my alarm was supposed to go off... in pain. I wanted to pull the sheet over my head and just lay as still as possible in the hopes that it would pass. My right arm was folded under me as I slept on my side and my right rhomboid felt like someone put a rock in it (right under the scapula).
Yeah! Right thurr.
It's not the first time it has bothered me. Last time, I rested several days with no relief before jumping back into things and feeling better. So, I'm hoping it loosens up from working. But, getting through today's training was tough. And, that was after working on a lacrosse ball, stretching, doing dislocates, and running through the Crossover Symmetry warm-up to try to get the scapula sliding freely.
So, what is the right way to react to pain? People say listen to your body. My upper back was saying, "I am in a knot". I don't know if it's trying to protect me from a bigger issue or just overstretched from the sleeping position. So, I set to work...
Looking back at the video, I can see that my lifts are off. Positioning and extension aren't as good as usual... I made every lift. I was feeling macho as I pushed through pain. As much as I want to get stronger and learn to train through difficult states, I don't want to practice bad movement. So, it looks to me like hitting training in pain was a mistake.
Rest Recovery Day
It's Wednesday, which means there are no lifts or conditioning programmed for the day. But, remember, "Rome wasn't built in a day but they were laying bricks every hour".
A lot of people are finally catching on to the idea that they're not overtrained, they are just under-recovered. It's important to take time to recover fully. That's when the adaptation occurs. Your body recovers to a stronger state.
One of the things that I really like about the Barbell Shrugged Muscle Gain Challenge program I'm following is that the days formerly known as "rest days" are probably the most jam-packed with "homework"!
As an example, here's what today's page looks like:
There's a topic, some knowledge bombs, a reminder on the habits we've been developing throughout the program, a workout... What?! Yeah, a little mobility workout, then specific homework described in video format (there are 4 videos).
There is no longer such a thing as a rest day! Just keep getting better every day!
And, if you still think you need a "rest day", here's the advice of Freddy Camacho (CrossFit OG/the guy with Chyna):
I felt the need to write this because I think many of you in this group are given bad advice.
I often see peeps in this group posting about how exhausted or burned out they feel after a few days, weeks, or months of hard training. The advice given is always “take time off” meaning a few days or a week or some other crazy amount of time out of the gym.
I totally disagree. Rest is important. I get that, but rest is not time out of the gym. Here is the hamster wheel most people get into: You train your ass off for a few days. In that time frame, you hit a PR on a benchmark workout. You also went balls to the wall every day you trained because you HAVE to beat those kids and teach them not to count the old dog out. After a few days or weeks of training like this, you are wrecked. Then you take a week or so off to recover. You go back and start the same routine all over again.
Here is the truth. How well you are conditioned starts to deteriorate after 48 hours of inactivity. If someone is telling you to take multiple days or weeks off at the gym so you can recover, that’s not what is happening. You are starting back at square one after each prolonged “recovery” period.
Here is better advice. Stop going 100% every time you go to the gym. There are training days and there are test days. In my opinion, for the not Games athlete typical CrossFitter, your test days should happen every 7-10 days. A test day is the day you look at the workout and make that workout your bitch. On your training days, you should be giving an 80-90% effort. Pushing the envelope, but when you are done you should not be lying on the floor flopping around like sizzling bacon cooking on a really hot griddle. Think of it this way, no fighter trains for a fight by going 100% balls to the wall every time he spars. You don’t win fights that way. Train to your level of conditioning, not to the level of the best person in your gym.
There are also days when you really feel exhausted and you absolutely don’t want to go to the gym. You had a bad day at work. The kids or grandkids were a pain in the ass. You had to work overtime. You got some bad news that really upset you. Sometimes, those are the best days to go to the gym and move just for the sake of moving. You just go in and cruise the workout, or you go off to a secluded corner of the gym and you do a workout consisting of movements that you don’t dread doing (I like Cindy). You will feel so much better having moved around a bit than if you go home and flop on the couch to watch My 600 Pound Life and think you are awesome because you don’t weigh 600 pounds.
The whole point of this is to avoid taking more than 48 hours off at the gym. This is HORRIBLE advice. What if you do take more than 48 hours off? Don’t try and kill it when you make your return to the gym. Tone it down and ease back in.
Don’t be a CrossFit hamster running on the wheel but never going anywhere.
When I was first introduced to Weightlifting (or Olympic Weightlifting as some people call it), my favorite lift was the jerk. I could lift more than anyone (in my little pond) overhead, despite having one of the weakest presses in the gym, because I was efficient at launching the bar up and punching under it! At the time, I was jerking over 200# and pressing 125# at best.
As time went on and people with decent shoulder strength became better movers, my jerk started to lag behind not only others in the gym, but also my snatch and clean. Now, I love snatching. A perfect snatch feels weightless! Cleans are work and they're heavy, but as long as I keep squatting and practicing my pull, they have improved and I've cleaned 300# to date. My most recent power clean 1RM was 292.5, so I think I have more in me!
But, that jerk...
Progress has been so slow, and sometimes so frustrating. I've missed more jerks in practice and competition than I want to repeat. In fact, I don't plan to repeat.
So, today's 1% closer to goal was the jerk drills in the warm-up and the push press PR (4 reps at my previous 1RM!!). I think if I can improve my leg drive, upper body strength, and footwork for the split, I have a chance at becoming more consistent with weight. I plan to add some heaving snatch balances and jerk supports in too so I can get used to having heavier loads overhead, but not today.
But, I want to say that neither of those guys are my idol. It's not to insult either of them. It's to keep from insulting myself.
Calling someone your idol means that all you do is idolize/worship/deify them. Why would you do that to anyone? They're people, just like you, not gods. They got where they are somehow and so can you. So can I.
False Idol?
Enderton gives a lot of insight into how he became an Iowa State champion wrestler, an OTC trainee. a strongman competitor, and now a professional athlete for the NPGL.
Jared Enderton
North also gives insight to the mindset of an athlete; from the turbo button to writing "Shankle" on the floor. The guy has a way of tapping into the right side of his brain and going "Off Bucks".
His passion and work ethic have brought him success in weightlifting as a competitor, seminar coach, author, and starting his own federation. I expect he'll see results in bodybuilding too.
Jon North
Thanks to their insight and passion (from their podcasts and seminars), I can emulate the behaviors that led them to be successful in my sport/path. Enderton recently recommended that to achieve a goal, you have to first announce it (even if Chaos and Pain disagrees not WFS).
That's why I started this blog, to get these goals out there, public!
Next, to get 1% closer to those goals every day and post the evidence that the work is being done!
"Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, But They Were Laying Bricks Every Hour."
Tried to catch the live stream of Nationals yesterday. And, despite some subjective judging, some crappy music (Dear Future Husband for the ladies?!!?), and not being able to see Mangold's final C&J behind the scoreboard they showed it was fun and inspiring to watch. Not sure if my neighbors were wondering why I was grunting and exclaiming every couple minutes.
How can you not get excited??!
I'd say I got back to the grind today, but I enjoyed it way too much. I'm coming for you Guidi!!
Me
How I feel!!
How I look...
17 Aug 2015:
Snatch doubles 6 sets working up
Lunges 5 x 5
BB Row 5 x 8
Fat Bar curls to try to alleviate some medial elbow pain 3 x 10
It's Sunday, and that means it's a rest day for me. I'm thankful for the rest, but at the same time feel restless. I've finally set my sites on something big (you know, that goal that gives you goose bumps). And now, it's time to share that goal and how I plan to get there (although the journey started years ago). The goal:
Win Gold for the USA in international competition
For me, that means I'll have to qualify, get to, compete in, and do well in one or both of the following:
Pan Am Masters
World Masters Cup
Current qualifying total is 200 Kg. My best meet total to date is 241 Kg (106/135). Okay. There's that.
Best lifts to date are 112/135, which would give me a 247 total, tying what the winner of this year's Pan-Am Games got. So, I can qualify and I can compete with an American field, but these events likely won't be hosted in the US in 2016 (they were in 2015).
In 2014, when the World Masters Cup was hosted in Denmark, the top 3 were:
Sergio Britva of ISR with a 125 Kg Snatch and a 145 Kg C&J = 270 Kg Total
Ryan Bader of the USA with a 121 Kg Snatch and a 145 Kg C&J = 266 Kg Total
Stefano Guidi of SMR with a 112 Kg Snatch and a 141 Kg C&J = 253 Kg Total
So, my first goal is to increase my snatch by at least 1 Kg and my C&J by 6 Kg to catch #3, Stefano Guidi.
The idea is to take down Stefano at Elmira and beat Ryan at Spartakiad. I don't expect a 4 kilo jump in my snatch in 1 week for the Nutmeg. But, I might try anyway!
