I never really believed in new year's resolutions, but I figured maybe since I just started a new style of lifting, I might as well set some goals and coincidentally, it's almost the start of a new year! ballin!
If people want to make progress in something I don't see why they should wait till the start of the new year to set their goals, which eventually they will forget about. If you want to do something, set a plan and do it. Anyway, enough pessimism, I'm not sure how well I'll stick to these goals, or how achievable they are, but we'll see in time.
I'd like to clean 3 plates and snatch 2 plates by the latter half of 2012.. it doesn't seem too unreasonable. I'm at 2 plates clean and 1 plate snatch right now, actually just over.
Today -
Snatch balance - 52.5kg 2x3
Muscle snatch + snatch + hang snatch - 60kg 4 sets
Pulls ups - 3 sets of 5
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
More Lifts
Going to the gym more often means technically I should be blogging more, since that was the reason I started this thing.. but I'm falling behind. I realized one thing, Oly lifting generally requires more time training than powerlifting.. I'm at the gym more often, although the intensity isn't as high yet.
I'm spending more time now on the technical side of it rather than seeing how much weight I can lift, which is good, at this stage that's what I need. I'd rather not rush now and clean 3 plates with bad form only to walk out of there with no back. I've struggled with my clean the past couple of weeks being stuck at 2 plates.
Recovery - well overall I think I recover better than when I was strictly powerlifting, but the stress on my knees and upper back is new.
Yesterday -
Front squat - 95 5x3
Clean pull - 102.5 x 3, 105 x 2, 107.5 x 1
Rack jerk behind neck - worked up to 1 plate
I'm spending more time now on the technical side of it rather than seeing how much weight I can lift, which is good, at this stage that's what I need. I'd rather not rush now and clean 3 plates with bad form only to walk out of there with no back. I've struggled with my clean the past couple of weeks being stuck at 2 plates.
Recovery - well overall I think I recover better than when I was strictly powerlifting, but the stress on my knees and upper back is new.
Yesterday -
Front squat - 95 5x3
Clean pull - 102.5 x 3, 105 x 2, 107.5 x 1
Rack jerk behind neck - worked up to 1 plate
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Lifts
I forgot to write what I lifted a couple of days ago... ahmaigaaad.
Snatch - 65kg new PR
C&J - 100kg.. I'm stuck here
Front squat - 115kg new PR
Carry on.
Snatch - 65kg new PR
C&J - 100kg.. I'm stuck here
Front squat - 115kg new PR
Carry on.
Friday, December 9, 2011
The Real Deal-yo
I haven't blogged in three days, cos I'm cool like that. I trained in a new gym today.. let's just say this is the gym I need to be in. Real equipment, knowledgeable people, you know..the good stuff. The only down side is it's a little far from my house.. either that or I've been spoilt with my usual gym being too close.
I met a couple of cool people today, and one of them was at the same stage in Oly lifting as myself: the absolute beginning, so we exchanged some thoughts and he was nice enough to video a couple of my lifts.. I'll post my snatch today for the interwebz masses to enjoy, or not enjoy.
I met a couple of cool people today, and one of them was at the same stage in Oly lifting as myself: the absolute beginning, so we exchanged some thoughts and he was nice enough to video a couple of my lifts.. I'll post my snatch today for the interwebz masses to enjoy, or not enjoy.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
New PRs
I was supposed to try out new PRs today.. it didn't go exactly as expected, but given that I got new numbers last week I wasn't too surprised.
Snatch - 62.5kg.. shaddap, I'm still new at this.
Clean - 100kg - I was going for 102.5 but my phenomenal musculature just failed me, twice.. I couldn't even clean the bar, it just kept turning into a shrug.. my body was fried. So I called it a day.
Snatch - 62.5kg.. shaddap, I'm still new at this.
Clean - 100kg - I was going for 102.5 but my phenomenal musculature just failed me, twice.. I couldn't even clean the bar, it just kept turning into a shrug.. my body was fried. So I called it a day.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Why I Don't Like The Idea of a Cheat Day
More often than not, when you come across someone who’s dieting they’ll tell you that they occasionally allow themselves to have a cheat day. This could be once a week, once a month or whatever, but the idea is that they’re allowed to have a cheat meal/day and not feel guilty about it.
Okay, I understand you’re dieting all week and working hard to do it, so the least you deserve is a day or a meal where you can pig out and the calories don’t count. I don’t necessarily disagree with the idea, but I don’t completely support it either; I’m somewhere in the middle. Also, the idea that calories ‘don’t count’ is ridiculous.
While I’m more of an ‘everything in moderation’ type person, I can see why a cheat day is preferred by some people. It gives you something to look forward to at the end of the week, or whenever it’s scheduled into your calendar and it feels rewarding. I feel though that if you start working with this mindset, maybe you’re dieting for the wrong reasons. It’s not right to diet because the reward is a nice juicy burger on the weekend. It seems then that the entire approach is wrong. Someone trying to lose weight should make it a point first to eat healthier by incorporating more whole foods into their diet, and then use those eating habits along with calorie restriction to drop the weight.
Whether your goal is to lose weight or to simply start eating healthier food, understanding that everything in moderation won’t harm you is a good way to start. I’ve had a sweet tooth my whole life, and as many times as I’ve tried to restrict myself from anything artificial and stick to fruits it just doesn’t seem to work in the long run. Once in a while I need to have a bite of chocolate, and it doesn’t help that my mom bakes some of the worlds best deserts on a daily basis (she runs her own baking business). If I decide to go cold turkey, I know in the back of my mind it’s just a matter of time before I cave.
If you make the time and effort to work out roughly how many calories you’re going to take in on a daily basis, you can simply factor in something you consider a treat and make sure it’s still within your caloric limit. On the other hand, sometimes we’re just presented with a situation where it’s almost impossible to know how many calories you’re consuming. Say there’s an office party with tons of food, or you’re out with friends for dinner, or anything like that, and you don’t want to be the person sitting doing mental math counting the calories in 12.4 grams of this food or that food. The point is don’t make it a big deal; enjoy whatever it is you’re eating and understand that a bit of flexibility in your diet is important. It keeps you sane, keeps your sweet tooth in check and doesn’t result in a pig out session on the weekend where likely the calories you’ve been cutting can be consumed in one sitting.
Consider the bigger picture and remember that everything in moderation is the key.
Today:
Snatch push press + overhead squat – 1+2 for 3 sets working up to a heavy set
Power clean + push press + push jerk – 60% for 3 sets
Okay, I understand you’re dieting all week and working hard to do it, so the least you deserve is a day or a meal where you can pig out and the calories don’t count. I don’t necessarily disagree with the idea, but I don’t completely support it either; I’m somewhere in the middle. Also, the idea that calories ‘don’t count’ is ridiculous.
While I’m more of an ‘everything in moderation’ type person, I can see why a cheat day is preferred by some people. It gives you something to look forward to at the end of the week, or whenever it’s scheduled into your calendar and it feels rewarding. I feel though that if you start working with this mindset, maybe you’re dieting for the wrong reasons. It’s not right to diet because the reward is a nice juicy burger on the weekend. It seems then that the entire approach is wrong. Someone trying to lose weight should make it a point first to eat healthier by incorporating more whole foods into their diet, and then use those eating habits along with calorie restriction to drop the weight.
Whether your goal is to lose weight or to simply start eating healthier food, understanding that everything in moderation won’t harm you is a good way to start. I’ve had a sweet tooth my whole life, and as many times as I’ve tried to restrict myself from anything artificial and stick to fruits it just doesn’t seem to work in the long run. Once in a while I need to have a bite of chocolate, and it doesn’t help that my mom bakes some of the worlds best deserts on a daily basis (she runs her own baking business). If I decide to go cold turkey, I know in the back of my mind it’s just a matter of time before I cave.
If you make the time and effort to work out roughly how many calories you’re going to take in on a daily basis, you can simply factor in something you consider a treat and make sure it’s still within your caloric limit. On the other hand, sometimes we’re just presented with a situation where it’s almost impossible to know how many calories you’re consuming. Say there’s an office party with tons of food, or you’re out with friends for dinner, or anything like that, and you don’t want to be the person sitting doing mental math counting the calories in 12.4 grams of this food or that food. The point is don’t make it a big deal; enjoy whatever it is you’re eating and understand that a bit of flexibility in your diet is important. It keeps you sane, keeps your sweet tooth in check and doesn’t result in a pig out session on the weekend where likely the calories you’ve been cutting can be consumed in one sitting.
Consider the bigger picture and remember that everything in moderation is the key.
Today:
Snatch push press + overhead squat – 1+2 for 3 sets working up to a heavy set
Power clean + push press + push jerk – 60% for 3 sets
Friday, November 25, 2011
New PRs.
I've been a little off my game lately.. my apologies to anyone who cares, or reads this thing. I lifted new maxes today and it went pretty well. I'm getting more comfortable learning the lifts although I'm sure if someone experienced saw me they'd laugh hysterically. Anyway..
Snatch - 60kg
C&J - 100kg
I need to do more mobility work and make it a point to warm up properly.. so much to do so little time.
Snatch - 60kg
C&J - 100kg
I need to do more mobility work and make it a point to warm up properly.. so much to do so little time.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday
Ok, I'm getting lazy with this thing again, so let me write something before I take another 2 month break. I'm at a point right now where I need to figure out what the hell I'm doing in many areas in life. I need to compete in weightlifting one day, that's on my list of things to do.. so I have to figure that into the plan somehow.
I've never competed before but I know I have the potential to do well *cue 'I Believe I Can Fly'* from Space Jam. I've never been competitive by nature or need to be the top of the top, but it's more about sharing the experience with people with similar interests and experiencing the pressure and mindset of going into competition mode.
Anyway, enough preaching.
Yesterday - Snatch 45kg
Clean & jerk - 95kg, worked up to a single.
Front squat - 90kg 2 reps.
Foam rolling is proving more useful these days.. I need to start making it a habit.
I've never competed before but I know I have the potential to do well *cue 'I Believe I Can Fly'* from Space Jam. I've never been competitive by nature or need to be the top of the top, but it's more about sharing the experience with people with similar interests and experiencing the pressure and mindset of going into competition mode.
Anyway, enough preaching.
Yesterday - Snatch 45kg
Clean & jerk - 95kg, worked up to a single.
Front squat - 90kg 2 reps.
Foam rolling is proving more useful these days.. I need to start making it a habit.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Knee Pain. Yes!!!
I need to get used to this knee pain.. for some reason it seems I'm putting more strain on my knees than I used to. I definitely need to be working on technique at this point rather than focusing on numbers, which is hard to do given that I never have anyone to give me any feedback.
I found a new gym that's more catered to actually lifting weights than making a fashion statement or focusing on weight loss. Hopefully I'll run into some people that share similar interests as myself. I'm in the middle of redecorating my room (random fact of the day) - so I'm open to any suggestions.
I'll try to get a video next week of my really bad snatch and clean & jerk form.
Snatch - worked up to a single at 50kg
C&J - single at 95kg
Front squat - 90kg 2 reps
Foam rolling for 3 days straight beginning tonight.
I found a new gym that's more catered to actually lifting weights than making a fashion statement or focusing on weight loss. Hopefully I'll run into some people that share similar interests as myself. I'm in the middle of redecorating my room (random fact of the day) - so I'm open to any suggestions.
I'll try to get a video next week of my really bad snatch and clean & jerk form.
Snatch - worked up to a single at 50kg
C&J - single at 95kg
Front squat - 90kg 2 reps
Foam rolling for 3 days straight beginning tonight.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Battle Scars
I could have lifted a little better today, but I was pressed for time.. so.. what to do right?
I lifted with a friend today who's also new to Oly lifting, so we exchanged thoughts while trying to keep our critic-ness to a minimum.
I had the pleasure of dropping a loaded bar from shoulder height and scraping my shins so I'm sporting some nice long bruises on each leg.. it's ok they're my battle scars.
Snatch - 47.5kg worked up to two singles
Clean & jerk - 90kg two singles
Front squat - 90kg 2x2
I need to get used to the pain in my knees and upper back. Front squatting uses the muscles in your upper back around your spine to keep you stable - it's a relatively new movement to me since you lead with your chest instead of your butt and you keep your back as vertical as possible instead of at an angle, and your hamstrings are not really involved in the movement - unlike a backsquat.
I lifted with a friend today who's also new to Oly lifting, so we exchanged thoughts while trying to keep our critic-ness to a minimum.
I had the pleasure of dropping a loaded bar from shoulder height and scraping my shins so I'm sporting some nice long bruises on each leg.. it's ok they're my battle scars.
Snatch - 47.5kg worked up to two singles
Clean & jerk - 90kg two singles
Front squat - 90kg 2x2
I need to get used to the pain in my knees and upper back. Front squatting uses the muscles in your upper back around your spine to keep you stable - it's a relatively new movement to me since you lead with your chest instead of your butt and you keep your back as vertical as possible instead of at an angle, and your hamstrings are not really involved in the movement - unlike a backsquat.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Hello Change!
I haven’t written anything in, well, quite a while, mainly because I had nothing to write about.. sometimes my posts are pure garbage cos on those days there’s nothing coherent going through my head.
The last 2-3 months I was complaining that I needed a change and I wasn’t making progress blah blah. I tried changing around a few things in my programming, changing my diet a bit, changing this changing that but nothing seemed to work.
I’ve been debating trying an Olympic lifting type program for a while now and I never really took it seriously until recently. I think this is the change I needed.. I’m a lot more motivated now to go to the gym, and it’s a great feeling to be looking forward to lifting as opposed to hating your life cos you have to squat 200 kilos 24 times at 6am.
I won’t go into too much detail about what I’m doing cos I mostly don’t know myself, but for now I’m having fun, I met a few people who Oly lift as well so it’s good to have people to exchange thoughts with especially when you’re lifting alone and have no one to give you feedback. Other than that I’m using basic resources like YouTube, reading articles and tips on the interwebzz. Olympic lifting is so technical that not having a coach is pretty dumb, at least when you’re starting off new, but where I am now I don’t have too many options. I’ll post up my numbers and lifts on a semi-consistent basis, or whenever I’m bothered, and if I’m feeling really brave I’ll post up a video from time to time of me attempting to lift.
The last 2-3 months I was complaining that I needed a change and I wasn’t making progress blah blah. I tried changing around a few things in my programming, changing my diet a bit, changing this changing that but nothing seemed to work.
I’ve been debating trying an Olympic lifting type program for a while now and I never really took it seriously until recently. I think this is the change I needed.. I’m a lot more motivated now to go to the gym, and it’s a great feeling to be looking forward to lifting as opposed to hating your life cos you have to squat 200 kilos 24 times at 6am.
I won’t go into too much detail about what I’m doing cos I mostly don’t know myself, but for now I’m having fun, I met a few people who Oly lift as well so it’s good to have people to exchange thoughts with especially when you’re lifting alone and have no one to give you feedback. Other than that I’m using basic resources like YouTube, reading articles and tips on the interwebzz. Olympic lifting is so technical that not having a coach is pretty dumb, at least when you’re starting off new, but where I am now I don’t have too many options. I’ll post up my numbers and lifts on a semi-consistent basis, or whenever I’m bothered, and if I’m feeling really brave I’ll post up a video from time to time of me attempting to lift.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Kind of a Big Deal
I didn't go to the gym on Wednesday, cos I'm cool like that. I thought it might affect my lifting today, but no! still awesome. I got some micro plates so as of next week I'll be scaling down the weekly progression and hoping for some better results. I think I've gotten everything out of a 5 lb/week progression that I can for now..
I tried pressing 2 plates today (225 pounds) and failed twice. No big deal, I would have been really happy to make it, but pressing 2 plates is kind of a big deal.. I'm aiming to make that lift within a month or so given that what I failed last in pressing is what I can lift now semi-easily, and that wasn't too long ago.
Squat - 450 - Worked up to a single
Press - 198 - Meant to do 220 but didn't
Clean - 204 - Ten singles
I tried pressing 2 plates today (225 pounds) and failed twice. No big deal, I would have been really happy to make it, but pressing 2 plates is kind of a big deal.. I'm aiming to make that lift within a month or so given that what I failed last in pressing is what I can lift now semi-easily, and that wasn't too long ago.
Squat - 450 - Worked up to a single
Press - 198 - Meant to do 220 but didn't
Clean - 204 - Ten singles
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday
I'm not too sure what I was doing differently today, but I squatted pretty well. Actually on my 4th set I had to look to my side to make sure I didn't take any of the weights off cos it felt like half the weight for a second.
I knew this guy was serious about his work out when he walked into the gym with a ski shirt on while doing air curls with his hands.. are these the pre-warm up to the warm up? Whatever they were I was staying out of his way cos this guy meant business.
I made the mistake of going for a jog the day before yesterday because my legs are still sore and then I went and squatted today and now I can barely move.. nice.
Squat - 375 8x3
Press - 185 4x3 - Don't ask
Deadlift - 410 1x5
I knew this guy was serious about his work out when he walked into the gym with a ski shirt on while doing air curls with his hands.. are these the pre-warm up to the warm up? Whatever they were I was staying out of his way cos this guy meant business.
I made the mistake of going for a jog the day before yesterday because my legs are still sore and then I went and squatted today and now I can barely move.. nice.
Squat - 375 8x3
Press - 185 4x3 - Don't ask
Deadlift - 410 1x5
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday....ON TUESDAY
I practically had the entire gym to myself today.. which was cool. I had more time to work out today so I threw in deadlifts and now I feel trashed. Actually I felt trashed by my 6th set of squatting.
Squat - 375 8x3 - Destroyed me.
Bench - 260 8x3 - Missed the last rep. Meh.
Deadlift - 400 1x5 - Ditched the straps today, don't think I really need them yet.
Tell me this guy isn't strong:
Squat - 375 8x3 - Destroyed me.
Bench - 260 8x3 - Missed the last rep. Meh.
Deadlift - 400 1x5 - Ditched the straps today, don't think I really need them yet.
Tell me this guy isn't strong:
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Straps
I got straps last week. I just figured I'd try them out and see how I like the feel of pulling with them.. I don't know, maybe they're not for me.. Either I wasn't using them right, or I just didn't feel much of a difference. Maybe I don't need them yet, who knows.
One other thing. It's not okay to wear a dress shirt to the gym, even if you forgot your gym shirt. Either miss your work out or go home and get a shirt. Especially if you're going to wear the dress shirt half buttoned down almost making it look intentional.
I did some cardio today. I'm glad to say my cardio hasn't suffered much even though I haven't done any in months.
Squat - 445 Worked up to a single
Press - 207.5 Two singles. These are getting easier; a few weeks ago I couldn't even lift this for 1 rep.
Deadlift - 395 1x5 - Not bad, but didn't benefit much from the straps.
I'm definitely enjoying the new set up.. Yeah waking up early one extra day in the week sucks, but if it gives me more time to do everything right then that's fine.
One other thing. It's not okay to wear a dress shirt to the gym, even if you forgot your gym shirt. Either miss your work out or go home and get a shirt. Especially if you're going to wear the dress shirt half buttoned down almost making it look intentional.
I did some cardio today. I'm glad to say my cardio hasn't suffered much even though I haven't done any in months.
Squat - 445 Worked up to a single
Press - 207.5 Two singles. These are getting easier; a few weeks ago I couldn't even lift this for 1 rep.
Deadlift - 395 1x5 - Not bad, but didn't benefit much from the straps.
I'm definitely enjoying the new set up.. Yeah waking up early one extra day in the week sucks, but if it gives me more time to do everything right then that's fine.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
New Layout
I didn't feel like blogging last week after Monday.. just cos.
After thinking about how I'm planning to shuffle around my schedule, I decided I needed something that didn't leave me feeling like I was constantly in a rush in the gym. Mondays are usually very hectic and I always struggle to get my lifts in in under 2 hours. It happens, but I usually compromise on quality of lifts because I have to take shorter rest periods. My best lifts are done on days when I can take my time in between sets. I don't sit around doing nothing, but I take enough of a break that I'm not affecting form.
I looked around the int3rw3bzz for some advice and find a tried and tested layout for the Texas Method that spreads things out over 4 days and gives you more time to get in your lifts. It's something like this:
Monday - Squat and Bench or Press for volume
Tuesday - Power clean for volume
Wednesday - Squat and Bench or Press recovery
Friday - Squat, bench or press, and deadlift for intensity.
I've wanted to deadlift on Fridays for a while now since I usually have more time to workout on Fridays than Mondays.. so this will be good. Maybe I'll start getting better numbers.. we'll see.
Yesterday -
Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 180 8x3 (missed the last rep.. meh)
Today -
Clean - 198 7x2
After thinking about how I'm planning to shuffle around my schedule, I decided I needed something that didn't leave me feeling like I was constantly in a rush in the gym. Mondays are usually very hectic and I always struggle to get my lifts in in under 2 hours. It happens, but I usually compromise on quality of lifts because I have to take shorter rest periods. My best lifts are done on days when I can take my time in between sets. I don't sit around doing nothing, but I take enough of a break that I'm not affecting form.
I looked around the int3rw3bzz for some advice and find a tried and tested layout for the Texas Method that spreads things out over 4 days and gives you more time to get in your lifts. It's something like this:
Monday - Squat and Bench or Press for volume
Tuesday - Power clean for volume
Wednesday - Squat and Bench or Press recovery
Friday - Squat, bench or press, and deadlift for intensity.
I've wanted to deadlift on Fridays for a while now since I usually have more time to workout on Fridays than Mondays.. so this will be good. Maybe I'll start getting better numbers.. we'll see.
Yesterday -
Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 180 8x3 (missed the last rep.. meh)
Today -
Clean - 198 7x2
Monday, August 15, 2011
New Protein
Today was one of those days where the weight practically felt twice as heavy on each lift. Not sure why.. I recovered pretty well I think. Meh. I picked up a new protein powder today, I was taking one before which I'm pretty certain was dried up and powdered sewage that they threw into a fancy looking tub and labeled it whey protein.
This is the one I bought:
My review:
Taste - 9/10
Mixability (miscibility?) - 10/10
Texture - 9/10
Overall - 9/10. Ballin! Then again, anything would taste better after the last brand of protein I bought, which I probably shouldn't flame over the interw3bzz.
I don't usually take protein on a consistent basis, but from time to time I'll use to just for convenience sake. I won't sacrifice eating decent food in place of a protein shake - the other nutrients you'll miss out on are just as important.
Squat - 370 8x3
Bench - 255 8x3 Missed the last rep. Sue me.
Deadlift - 390 1x5 Wasn't too bad, actually pretty good.
This is the one I bought:
My review:
Taste - 9/10
Mixability (miscibility?) - 10/10
Texture - 9/10
Overall - 9/10. Ballin! Then again, anything would taste better after the last brand of protein I bought, which I probably shouldn't flame over the interw3bzz.
I don't usually take protein on a consistent basis, but from time to time I'll use to just for convenience sake. I won't sacrifice eating decent food in place of a protein shake - the other nutrients you'll miss out on are just as important.
Squat - 370 8x3
Bench - 255 8x3 Missed the last rep. Sue me.
Deadlift - 390 1x5 Wasn't too bad, actually pretty good.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Getting Cut Off in the Gym
You know when you get cut off while driving and for a few minutes you're like wtf wtf.. that happened to me today in the gym, yeah, IN the gym. Not actually, but similar concept.
There I was minding my own business doing power cleans in a space probably 2x2 meters cos that's all the space this garbage gym has.. I did my first rep and this guy starts doing his cable chest exercise crap and pulls the cables out right in front of me and I had to stop and wait for him to finish before carrying on. His fellow biceps buddy realized what an idiot move that was and apologized and so did he. Lesson learnt, next time continue anyway and let him realize how stupid he was.
Overall it wasn't a bad lifting day, but I feel I'm starting to do a bit of my own thing in terms of reps and sets rather than follow 100% what's on the program. I changed power cleans to 7 doubles today instead of 5 triples cos at the weight I'm at now 5 triples is making me miss my last few reps. Don't stress the details, get something done that's half decent and you'll be doing better than most of the people I see on a daily basis in the gym.
I saw some guy today wearing some ab thing that did something like work his abs while he exercised, and by exercised I mean did every variation of biceps muscle activation possible, and apparently working abs and biceps at the same time makes you look like this:
Squat - 435 Three singles
Press - 207.5 One single - didn't feel too bad, I'm surprised I got the bar overhead so quickly
Clean - 204 Seven doubles. Not too bad, except for my first rep where I scratched my neck with the bar while racking it. Smooth.
There I was minding my own business doing power cleans in a space probably 2x2 meters cos that's all the space this garbage gym has.. I did my first rep and this guy starts doing his cable chest exercise crap and pulls the cables out right in front of me and I had to stop and wait for him to finish before carrying on. His fellow biceps buddy realized what an idiot move that was and apologized and so did he. Lesson learnt, next time continue anyway and let him realize how stupid he was.
Overall it wasn't a bad lifting day, but I feel I'm starting to do a bit of my own thing in terms of reps and sets rather than follow 100% what's on the program. I changed power cleans to 7 doubles today instead of 5 triples cos at the weight I'm at now 5 triples is making me miss my last few reps. Don't stress the details, get something done that's half decent and you'll be doing better than most of the people I see on a daily basis in the gym.
I saw some guy today wearing some ab thing that did something like work his abs while he exercised, and by exercised I mean did every variation of biceps muscle activation possible, and apparently working abs and biceps at the same time makes you look like this:
Squat - 435 Three singles
Press - 207.5 One single - didn't feel too bad, I'm surprised I got the bar overhead so quickly
Clean - 204 Seven doubles. Not too bad, except for my first rep where I scratched my neck with the bar while racking it. Smooth.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Gym G.I. Joe
Lifting went pretty well today. I had the entire weight room to myself which was nice for a change. Last week while doing power cleans some guy walked right into the bar mid-lift thinking he was G.I. Joe or something, then walked it off like it was nothing. Oh and he didn't even apologize. That's typical gym-machoness for you.
I'm gonna try doing something this week called 'not missing my reps'... we'll see how that goes. Intensity days have been slowly getting worse. I've gone from 1 set of 5 reps to 3 singles to 2 singles. Not sure why, but I'll see how this Friday goes and adjust. Maybe the weight is too high, or maybe the gap between my Monday and Friday lifts is too big.
I'm happy I got my presses in this week. I stopped at the third set 2 weeks ago when I was pressing last, so that says something.
Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 175 8x3
Deadlift - 385 1x5
I'm gonna try doing something this week called 'not missing my reps'... we'll see how that goes. Intensity days have been slowly getting worse. I've gone from 1 set of 5 reps to 3 singles to 2 singles. Not sure why, but I'll see how this Friday goes and adjust. Maybe the weight is too high, or maybe the gap between my Monday and Friday lifts is too big.
I'm happy I got my presses in this week. I stopped at the third set 2 weeks ago when I was pressing last, so that says something.
Squat - 370 8x3
Press - 175 8x3
Deadlift - 385 1x5
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Evolution of Knowledge
I started working out/weightlifting/moving around heavy things/whatever you wanna call it consistently about three and a half years ago, although I'd gone to the gym on and off before that, but without any clear goal in mind, just sort of whenever I felt like it. I started after a short trip to my cousin in Barrie who put me on a program he'd made up and I went to the gym with him for a couple of days and basically did as he told me. I was definitely lifting more than I should have at that point, but then again I didn't know any better, and I think my cousin just wanted to help me get big fast. Back then I knew nothing about weightlifting. I just thought do lots of reps of as much weight as you can lift everyday and you'll look like a cover model in a couple of months. It wasn't until year or so later that I finally listened to a friend who told me that taking days off is necessary.
At the time I was working on a split routine which I continued doing for the next year and a half or so with slight variations. Ever since, I've tried different things (which I'll talk about later), but always with a focus on split body part training. I thought this was the way to work out, partly because I was new to lifting weights and partly because I didn't know any better. My focus was on getting big and strong, with more focus on the big part. I would do a typical routine like - bis and back one day, tris and chest the other day, a 'legs' day, and then other things like 'core' work and 'abs' or whatever. Little did I know that if you can squat 400 pounds, or even 300, there's nothing you can't do that someone who does 4000 sit-ups can.
I started consuming copious amounts of protein and following generic routines you'd find in typical exercise magazines. Lots of protein is still required for anyone that lifts heavy weight to help with recovery, but at the time I didn't know about how many grams I needed, how fast different types of protein get absorbed in the body, or that protein powders were just fancy weightlifting 'necessities' that could simply be replaced by food. I fell for simple marketing scams that made you think tubs of protein with flashy colours and fancy labels were the best products. I still consume protein powder from time to time, but for nothing more than convenience sake, and not because I think it's any 'better' than a can of tuna or a chicken breast.
Over the next year and a half or so I stuck mostly to split routines, but tried a couple of body recomposition type programs. Actually I tried one specific program; twice. It was Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0. It sounds cheesy sure, but little research on the the guy will show you that he knows his stuff, and people who follow his programs to the t end up with the promised results. I tried it but couldn't go through with the whole 2 months. I followed it for 1 month and decided I like food too much. Kudos to my friend Robby Costa for putting up with my attitude that came along with a low-carb diet. I only realize now how grumpy I can be when I'm deprived of carbs. Imagine a hungry animal behind a zoo cage with a hundred kids staring from behind the bar while poking them with a long stick... something like that. I did some research on the program before starting it and after reading the book, which is basically a physiology book I decided to give it a go.
Anyway, it got me decent results, but just wasn't what I needed (or even could do) in the long run. Part of the reason I stopped was that I thought to myself ok great, I do this program for 2 months, get the results, then what? I know the answer is to maintain but I couldn't find anything that really showed me how to do that, and unless I could find a way to make sure the hard work wouldn't go to waste, it didn't seem worth it.
I realized what I needed was something that got me stronger, more useful and didn't put a limit on how much I could eat in a day. I made the move to powerlifting and haven't looked back since. There's tons of programs out there and hundreds of thousands of different routines to follow and everyone has an opinion on what's the better method of training. The majority of people I've seen in all the gyms I've lifted in will follow more or less similar routines and have similar goals. I've tried many programs, all for different purposes and all with promises that you'll achieve x, y and z faster. Despite my usual posts about gym absurdity, different programs have different goals and that's fine. They're good for what they are and if they serve their purpose then that's fine. I had to try different things to find what I liked, and what works for me might not work for the next person. I've had to go through different programs to realize what my body responds to the best. I'm someone who has the ability to lift heavy, but if I do I need the food to recover from it, which I can do if I couple that with the right amount of sleep.
I'm not saying other programs or methods of training are bad; I just needed something where the result left me feeling useful and stronger. Looking back, going in to the gym and doing triceps pushdowns, then hammer curls, then leg presses, lunges, triceps kickbacks and dumbbell flys didn't do much for me other than help me achieve a certain physique. I'm not saying I don't care anymore about how I look in the mirror, but after squatting over 400 pounds and pulling as much off the floor, you end up with a different feeling. Moving heavy objects around on a day-to-day basis becomes easy; and it's that feeling I'm going after, the feeling that what you're doing in the gym translates into everyday life and doesn't end the moment you walk out of the changing room.
I have lots of respect for people who do what they do if it requires extreme discipline and dedication; whether that's the guy pumping out 1000 curls a day or the person who is working through an intermittent fasting approach to weight loss. Both are tough and both will end in results. You come to know what's right for you not from the first month or two you walk into a gym, but after trying various methods of training. All of our bodies work differently, so how is it that personal trainers put people on the same routines with minor variations? I've seen it happen in front of me. People of completely different body types are doing the same exercises as each other for the same set and rep scheme. Why they don't bother to do some research, see what's out there, and apply it to themselves is beyond me. If you're new to exercise in general, then look up some programs, work through some of them and see what you respond to the best and learn how your body responds to different types of exercise and nutrition.
Before going into Ultimate Diet, I was really excited about it and determined to get results. I couldn't finish it because it just wasn't for me, plain and simple. Call it lack of willpower if you want, but I'd rather put my focus into something that my body can respond to. I didn't see it as taking the easy way out; powerlifting if anything requires just as much mental power and dedication, but my body responds better to it.
Take time to go through different methods of training until you find what works for you. I've read tons of articles on training, nutrition, studies, journals, trainers offering different opinions and it was something I needed to do to be able to figure out what's good for me. Don't take someone's opinion without questioning it first and seeing what perspective it's coming from. I've received powerlifting advice before from a bodybuilder. I knew right away to discredit it because him and I have different goals and training methods. Read and learn what's out there and don't buy into people's arguments too easily. For example, if you read a journal article, look at who funded the research. It should be pretty clear if the data is biased or was independently run. That's just one example, there's many others if you think a bit. Doing basic research on nutrition really opened my eyes to the basic marketing scams we fall for everyday. Whole grain this and whole grain that, and products coming in fancy organic coloured packaging that look healthier are not necessarily healthier. They might be, but not always. Look at the ingredients then judge. Read any article on shopping psychology and you'll get what I mean. There are some articles that literally list out the most common things we fall for in a supermarket and how to avoid them. I knew that I knew this, it just took some simple research from my end to actually see it first hand.
I've started talking about nutrition which is a whole different side of this. Same principle, but I feel the amount of information and number of opinions is much higher. How many times have you seen people go on diets and pick out low fat food, or people tell you so and so told them about the latest soup diet they read about that some lame celebrity is on so they have to try it, or someone telling you they absolutely have to lose 15 pounds in the next 4 minutes. I've learnt to listen only to my own opinion when it comes to food and no one else's; at least not before questioning it. I'm not saying my diet is perfect, but I won't sit there listening to someone telling me what to eat when all they eat is low fat cheese and avoid olive oil because it'll make them fat.
Food these days seems as a way to get to a desired physique. It's no longer considered for it's health benefits. People avoid burgers so as not to put on weight, but still eat low-fat yoghurt that's pumped with chemicals and artificial flavouring. Olive oil has many benefits for the heart; sure it might be high in calories, but cutting out certain other processed foods will keep your caloric intake balanced. I need to know first hand that someone's advice is actually valid before I'll buy into it.
So after all that, here's what I did yesterday:
Squat - 430 Two singles
Bench - 292.5 1 single
Clean - 199 5x3
I did some cardio today, which I'm starting to enjoy, along with some stretching afterwards. Ballin!
At the time I was working on a split routine which I continued doing for the next year and a half or so with slight variations. Ever since, I've tried different things (which I'll talk about later), but always with a focus on split body part training. I thought this was the way to work out, partly because I was new to lifting weights and partly because I didn't know any better. My focus was on getting big and strong, with more focus on the big part. I would do a typical routine like - bis and back one day, tris and chest the other day, a 'legs' day, and then other things like 'core' work and 'abs' or whatever. Little did I know that if you can squat 400 pounds, or even 300, there's nothing you can't do that someone who does 4000 sit-ups can.
I started consuming copious amounts of protein and following generic routines you'd find in typical exercise magazines. Lots of protein is still required for anyone that lifts heavy weight to help with recovery, but at the time I didn't know about how many grams I needed, how fast different types of protein get absorbed in the body, or that protein powders were just fancy weightlifting 'necessities' that could simply be replaced by food. I fell for simple marketing scams that made you think tubs of protein with flashy colours and fancy labels were the best products. I still consume protein powder from time to time, but for nothing more than convenience sake, and not because I think it's any 'better' than a can of tuna or a chicken breast.
Over the next year and a half or so I stuck mostly to split routines, but tried a couple of body recomposition type programs. Actually I tried one specific program; twice. It was Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0. It sounds cheesy sure, but little research on the the guy will show you that he knows his stuff, and people who follow his programs to the t end up with the promised results. I tried it but couldn't go through with the whole 2 months. I followed it for 1 month and decided I like food too much. Kudos to my friend Robby Costa for putting up with my attitude that came along with a low-carb diet. I only realize now how grumpy I can be when I'm deprived of carbs. Imagine a hungry animal behind a zoo cage with a hundred kids staring from behind the bar while poking them with a long stick... something like that. I did some research on the program before starting it and after reading the book, which is basically a physiology book I decided to give it a go.
Anyway, it got me decent results, but just wasn't what I needed (or even could do) in the long run. Part of the reason I stopped was that I thought to myself ok great, I do this program for 2 months, get the results, then what? I know the answer is to maintain but I couldn't find anything that really showed me how to do that, and unless I could find a way to make sure the hard work wouldn't go to waste, it didn't seem worth it.
I realized what I needed was something that got me stronger, more useful and didn't put a limit on how much I could eat in a day. I made the move to powerlifting and haven't looked back since. There's tons of programs out there and hundreds of thousands of different routines to follow and everyone has an opinion on what's the better method of training. The majority of people I've seen in all the gyms I've lifted in will follow more or less similar routines and have similar goals. I've tried many programs, all for different purposes and all with promises that you'll achieve x, y and z faster. Despite my usual posts about gym absurdity, different programs have different goals and that's fine. They're good for what they are and if they serve their purpose then that's fine. I had to try different things to find what I liked, and what works for me might not work for the next person. I've had to go through different programs to realize what my body responds to the best. I'm someone who has the ability to lift heavy, but if I do I need the food to recover from it, which I can do if I couple that with the right amount of sleep.
I'm not saying other programs or methods of training are bad; I just needed something where the result left me feeling useful and stronger. Looking back, going in to the gym and doing triceps pushdowns, then hammer curls, then leg presses, lunges, triceps kickbacks and dumbbell flys didn't do much for me other than help me achieve a certain physique. I'm not saying I don't care anymore about how I look in the mirror, but after squatting over 400 pounds and pulling as much off the floor, you end up with a different feeling. Moving heavy objects around on a day-to-day basis becomes easy; and it's that feeling I'm going after, the feeling that what you're doing in the gym translates into everyday life and doesn't end the moment you walk out of the changing room.
I have lots of respect for people who do what they do if it requires extreme discipline and dedication; whether that's the guy pumping out 1000 curls a day or the person who is working through an intermittent fasting approach to weight loss. Both are tough and both will end in results. You come to know what's right for you not from the first month or two you walk into a gym, but after trying various methods of training. All of our bodies work differently, so how is it that personal trainers put people on the same routines with minor variations? I've seen it happen in front of me. People of completely different body types are doing the same exercises as each other for the same set and rep scheme. Why they don't bother to do some research, see what's out there, and apply it to themselves is beyond me. If you're new to exercise in general, then look up some programs, work through some of them and see what you respond to the best and learn how your body responds to different types of exercise and nutrition.
Before going into Ultimate Diet, I was really excited about it and determined to get results. I couldn't finish it because it just wasn't for me, plain and simple. Call it lack of willpower if you want, but I'd rather put my focus into something that my body can respond to. I didn't see it as taking the easy way out; powerlifting if anything requires just as much mental power and dedication, but my body responds better to it.
Take time to go through different methods of training until you find what works for you. I've read tons of articles on training, nutrition, studies, journals, trainers offering different opinions and it was something I needed to do to be able to figure out what's good for me. Don't take someone's opinion without questioning it first and seeing what perspective it's coming from. I've received powerlifting advice before from a bodybuilder. I knew right away to discredit it because him and I have different goals and training methods. Read and learn what's out there and don't buy into people's arguments too easily. For example, if you read a journal article, look at who funded the research. It should be pretty clear if the data is biased or was independently run. That's just one example, there's many others if you think a bit. Doing basic research on nutrition really opened my eyes to the basic marketing scams we fall for everyday. Whole grain this and whole grain that, and products coming in fancy organic coloured packaging that look healthier are not necessarily healthier. They might be, but not always. Look at the ingredients then judge. Read any article on shopping psychology and you'll get what I mean. There are some articles that literally list out the most common things we fall for in a supermarket and how to avoid them. I knew that I knew this, it just took some simple research from my end to actually see it first hand.
I've started talking about nutrition which is a whole different side of this. Same principle, but I feel the amount of information and number of opinions is much higher. How many times have you seen people go on diets and pick out low fat food, or people tell you so and so told them about the latest soup diet they read about that some lame celebrity is on so they have to try it, or someone telling you they absolutely have to lose 15 pounds in the next 4 minutes. I've learnt to listen only to my own opinion when it comes to food and no one else's; at least not before questioning it. I'm not saying my diet is perfect, but I won't sit there listening to someone telling me what to eat when all they eat is low fat cheese and avoid olive oil because it'll make them fat.
Food these days seems as a way to get to a desired physique. It's no longer considered for it's health benefits. People avoid burgers so as not to put on weight, but still eat low-fat yoghurt that's pumped with chemicals and artificial flavouring. Olive oil has many benefits for the heart; sure it might be high in calories, but cutting out certain other processed foods will keep your caloric intake balanced. I need to know first hand that someone's advice is actually valid before I'll buy into it.
So after all that, here's what I did yesterday:
Squat - 430 Two singles
Bench - 292.5 1 single
Clean - 199 5x3
I did some cardio today, which I'm starting to enjoy, along with some stretching afterwards. Ballin!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)