As you may have noticed, writing/updating this blog hasn’t been very high, if even on, my list of priorities. It’s not that I don’t feel the need or desire to write–to be honest, there’s been a lot of things happening in my life that I would like to share and write about, but I’ve been hard pressed to find the time to adequately do so. And, in true form, I’d rather not do something than do it half-heartedly or half-assed. But, like I mentioned above, there’s been a lot of activity in my life since my last update, and I suppose it’s time to share it.

If you want to read it, fantastic. If not, fantastic.

For starters, my relationship, illicit and forbidden as it was, was discovered just a couple of weeks after I had returned to Springfield. The parameters thereof are not necessary to delve into, since the people most closely involved with it already know the story. But, fear not dear readers, your wayward scribe has moved forward as per the norm, and life has returned to a semblance of normalcy in that arena.

My internship is going well, and I am finally, I believe, starting to get a grasp on the ins-and-outs of strength training. It’s not rocket science, mind you, but can at times seem something akin thereto. There are a number of factors to consider, and despite how badly I want it, there seems to be no clear-cut answer or solution to the situation, meaning that while there may be some degree of homogeneity across the board (from sport to sport, or athlete to athlete) there are simply things that one must learn by experience, which unfortunately comes, usually, in the form of mistakes. What I mean by all that is that there isn’t a cookie-cutter program out there that can be thrown to athletes, or non-athletes, and will guarantee success.

Part of my problem is that I make things overly complicated in my own head. Yes, there are a number of factors to consider when drafting a strength training program, but it doesn’t need to be necessarily difficult. One simply needs a plan or a concept dictating where the program should lead, and then decide how the achieve that goal or arrive at the desired destination. The “trouble” comes from deciding what is most applicable/most advantageous for the athlete, and one must ask a series of questions in order to arrive at the answer; What sport does the athlete play? What are the physical needs of the sport, and what are the physical needs of the specific athlete? Where is the athlete in terms of physical development (meaning not only musculature, but coordination and proprioception)? Are they ready for advanced movements, or do they need to go through a developmental program that will create the foundation for further training?

As of now, it’s difficult for me to ask and answer these questions, considering I’m not in control of anything concerning programming. I was given the task of writing a program for the swim team, which I completed, but the final decision concerning what to implement and how to do so ultimately rests in someone else’s hands. I plan to continue the internship for the remainder of this academic year, and then move on to something else from there. What that “something else” is, I don’t know, but if life has taught me anything thus far, it’s that things tend to just happen and work out (usually) for the best. I’ve always made things work, not always on my own, but there haven’t been many times that I’ve found myself truly floundering.

Moving on from coaching and the internship, I would like to talk a bit about my lifting, which has been just as mercurial as the rest of my life lately. I came back from camp about 20 pounds lighter and exponentially weaker than when I left Springfield in May, and it’s taken me a long time to get back into the swing of things. It was very much like the Fat Bastard “vicious cycle” speech from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me–”I can’t stop eating. I eat because I’m unhappy, and I’m unhappy because I eat. It’s a vicious cycle. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s someone I’d like to get in touch with and forgive… myself.” I was weak, and because of that, I was unable to move the same weight that I had been moving before camp, and I’ll admit, it hurt my ego. Before I left for camp, I was, for me at least, strong–stronger than I had ever been before, and to be unable to match that level of strength was frustrating. So, I quit. I allowed myself to give up and not rise to the challenge that was set before me. I hardly lifted, and if I did, it was intermittent and unfocused.

I had no goals or desires. I would suit and boot to lift, step on the platform or get under the bar, and basically just dick around. Move some weight here and there, do some random bullshit accessory stuff, and get out. I didn’t care.

It took Coach Frey making fun of me to get me going again. We have an intern this year who’s a skinny fella, and Coach Frey, however indirectly, compared me to him, and it pissed me off. That next day I got straight to pulling, and almost puked my guts out. I’ve never been in great shape (since graduating college), and my work capacity has always been pretty low, but this was an all-time bottom for me. I found myself sweating and dry heaving over the garbage can while Coach Frey and Coach Sauerbry laughed. But, it got me going.

I stuck with the 5/3/1 program for awhile longer, then decided that what I needed was a change of pace. I found a conjugate method template online, plugged in my percentages, and went to town. Now I’m on my fifth week of it, and am, for the most part, seeing some substantial gains and improvements.

For those of you who don’t know, the conjugate method centers around the idea of utilizing ME (max effort), DE (dynamic effort), and hypertrophy work at the same time, all the while cycling or waving exercises/movements in order to prevent stagnation and adaptation. You perform a certain movement for three or four weeks before switching it up and performing a different variety of the same movement, meaning that for weeks 1-4 you could perform a 2-board bench press, then weeks 5-8 you could floor press. As stated above, the conjugate method employs dynamic and maximal effort work simultaneously, meaning that two days are dedicated to dynamic (speed) work while two days are dedicated to max effort work, with higher volume accessory lifts thrown in in order to promote hypertrophy and maintain/build work capacity.

It’s been fun, mainly because I’m doing different movements other than simply bench, squat, and deadlift. The variety is nice, and the rotation of exercises helps keep things moving smoothly, for the most part.

Today was a ME squat/deadlift day, and I was scheduled to perform deficit pulls, meaning I would be standing on top of a 3″ platform while the bar was on the floor, resulting in me having to pull for longer and further than normal. I was supposed to work up to a 3RM that was greater than my 3RM from last week. Last week I pulled 455×3, so I figured this week I would go big and shoot for 495. I got set up, chalked up, jacked up, whatever, and went for it.

The bar didn’t budge.

I was pissed.

I dropped the weight down to 475.

The weight still didn’t budge.

I quit.

I used to be able to pull 495 for at least a triple without much trouble, and I couldn’t even get it for a damn single today. This really set things in perspective for me. I realized that I need to start hammering shit out harder, and stop avoiding doing my accessory work, even if I hate it.

This program runs for twelve weeks, and I plan to stick with it through the end before going back to the 5/3/1 program. I like the 5/3/1, and I know it works for me, so I’ll go back to that.

Life outside of the gym is going well. I’m working downtown as a bouncer, which is fun, and pays decently, and am in search of another part-time job for the coming semester. Working full-time in the weight room without getting paid is really starting to wear thin on my bank account, and I refuse to call home and ask for money. I’m 25–time to get my shit together.

Thanks for reading, sorry it’s taken so long. I promise to start being more regular with postings. If you have anything you want to know, or want me to write about, feel free to comment.

Stay yoked and loked.

Furthermore, I know absolutely nothing about seafaring, and have no idea why I made a nautically-themed reference in my opening paragraph. If you have a problem with that, I’d like to refer you back to my intro, where you’ll find my position on the matter.

But I digress.

Let’s start with life. Life is good, pretty damn good. My time here in Springfield has, overall, yielded nothing but good things, and I’m looking forward to all that is to come in the next year. I’ll be leaving Springfield for the summer, and will be teaching weights at camp in New York. That’s going to be a great time. When I first signed on to teach weights up there, I began considering what I was going to do for my own training.

Last summer, my training went to shit in all aspects. I remember quite fondly finding myself nearly stapled to the bench after attempting a measly 225lbs, and squatting/deadlifting were all but out of the question. However, I convinced myself that this time around was going to be different. I’d be going into camp armed with the knowledge attained during my internship with MSU, and I’d have the experience of the previous summer’s failures to use. I figured I’d get some resistance bands in order to accommodate for lack of serious weight at camp, but now that I think about it, I a) don’t have the money to spend on bands, and b) probably won’t be needing them anyway. It’d be nice to have a couple for stretching and exercises like band pull-aparts, but aside from that, I can’t foresee any use for them.

Concerning training at camp, I’d like to implement a number (ok, a few) of strongman-type exercises in order to a) stay moving/be as athletic as is possible for me at the moment, and b) to keep things fresh for the kids. I’d like to get my hands on some tires, both large and small, for tire flips. I think these would be a great activity for the older kids, who, I’ve discovered, often have zero idea what they’re doing and drift along aimlessly unless otherwise directed. I think tire flips would be a great competition and a good team-building exercise. I’d also like to get a sled and harness to do sled-pulls. Again, I think this would be great for the older kids, and even for the middle-aged group. Sandbag loading and farmer’s walks would be great additions as well. The weight room at camp isn’t bad, but it’s not ideal in any manner, but, I have to remind myself that it’s geared toward the campers, both male and female, of all ages, and not for adult male counselors with an affinity for moving heavy things.

So, on that note, I’d like to continue my lifting while at camp, though in a more abbreviated manner, meaning that rather that strive for moving a maximal or circa-maximal weight, I’ll scale the weight back (perhaps significantly) and place a greater emphasis on simply maintaining my capacity to perform a certain movement pattern. (After camp last summer, I was extremely inflexible and barely capable of performing a squat with the bar, let alone any amount of weight.) I foresee a large amount of bodyweight exercises (push-ups, chins, sit-ups, etcetera), as these are most conducive to maintaining a semi-decent strength level given the circumstances of camp (diet, rest, activity level).

I’m aware of the changes that are going to take place over the summer, and, as much as I’d like to not have to deal with them, I’m all but convinced that there’s nothing I can do about it. But, as such, I might as well have a plan in place to do what I can with what I have.

My lifting as of now has been pretty inconsistent. As I stated in an earlier post, I (possibly) strained my inguinal ligament after deadlifting a few weeks ago, and since then, I’ve backed off from the heavy weights. But, due to rest, my groin is feeling fine, so I decided to get back under the bar today. At the moment, I’m so far off my 5/3/1 cycle that I figure it was just as well to shoot for a PR than do volume work. Everything, even the bar, felt heavy and awkward, but I persevered and managed a fairly decent 465×1 beltless squat. I’m considering this a PR, mainly because although I’ve squatted this weight before, I did so with a belt (I think I might have attempted it while in Tacoma, but was strapped up with wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, and a belt), so to move it sans equipment (even if it might have been a little high).

Here’s how it broke down real quick.

Squat: 135×5, 185×3, 225×3, 315×3, 405×1, 425×1, 445×1, 465×1.

I’ve definitely grown stronger during my time here. It’s like the goldfish-in-a-bowl principle. Keep a goldfish in a small bowl, and it will stay small. Put it in a big tank, and it’ll grow. MSU and the people here are my big tank, so to speak. Not to say that UPS or Tacoma or the people there were by any means a small bowl. Little fishies gotta start somewhere.

Ok folks, thanks for reading. I’ll probably write more tomorrow, but am done for tonight.

Stay yoked and loked.

So, briefly, here’s an update.

I pulled heavy on Monday, the videos of which I’ve already posted on Facebook and YouTube, so I won’t bother posting them here. Either that night or the night after, I began to experience a painful sensation in my crotch. I, of course, was afraid I had a hernia, but after speaking with Coach Sauerbry, I’ve decided I don’t have a hernia, but rather an inguinal ligament strain. Click here to learn a little more about an inguinal strain. Basically there’s nothing I can do about it other than rest, so that’s what I’m doing. I skipped my squat session last Thursday as I didn’t want to aggravate it (my groin) any further. I’ll come back this week and do some lightweight movements, but I think that, for the next couple of weeks at least, heavy lifting, at least deadlifting and squatting, is out of the question. I can still bench, so I’ll be doing that.

That’s it for now. I promise I’ll get a new, real, update out soon.

Stay yoked and loked.

On to lifting. We have a short week this week due to Easter, so I had to get most of my lifting out of the way earlier in the week. I pulled on Monday, and posted the video in my last update, and benched and did hang snatches on Tuesday. The bench went well, and the hang snatches were, for the most part, alright. I’m still working on my technique, and am not so used to moving with explosive force, as is necessary in Olympic movements.

Here are the videos of the hang snatches. (95×4, 115×4, 135×4, 155×4)

As the weight progresses, my form starts to break down. I’m not getting much hip drive and am muscling the weight up more than using proper technique to pop it up. It’ll come though, I’m not worried. I just need to keep practicing.

My bench went much better than the hang snatch. Here’s how that broke down.

Bench: 205×3, 230×3, 260×9 (PR)

I was very happy with the 260×9. It moved well, and I managed to bang out a good 4 or 5 reps before having to pause and rest.

I notice that I have a lot of head action, meaning I pick my head up from the bench with every rep. I don’t really need to do it, but at this point it’s a habit, and unless it starts to affect my form (flattening out my arch) I’ll keep doing it. Personally, I like seeing where the bar touches on my chest. It helps me stay consistent, especially with higher rep sets.

That’s all for now. Just a quick update and some videos. Thanks for reading.

Stay yoked and loked.

Life’s been great lately. Work is going well, lifting has been super solid, and everything outside of that has been pretty awesome as well.

As of now, I’m in the process of writing a 12-week summer program for the men’s and women’s swim teams. I’m basically taking the program they’re on now and tweaking it here and there to stretch it out to 12 weeks as opposed to 4, and placing a larger emphasis on developing strength and power as opposed to improving work capacity. I won’t lie, it’s a bit of a challenge, but I honestly believe I’m making it more complicated than it needs to be. I just need to maintain a strong emphasis on basic compound-joint movements that will give the biggest bang for the buck. Though it’s one of the most effective and efficient movements an athlete or lifter can perform, I’m going to stay away from the barbell back squat, for the sole reason that I won’t be there to teach/coach it. Yes, anyone can squat. It’s a movement most of us perform everyday. But, not everyone squats properly. I honestly wouldn’t mind if the athletes squatted, but it takes a lot of time and effort from both the coach and the athletes to unlearn old, bad habits and to implement proper technique. So, if I’m going to take the time to teach them to squat at all, it’s going to be on my terms, and I want to do as little backtracking as possible.

So, they’ll be performing lots of dumbbell squats, lunges, and split squats, as well as RDL (Romanian deadlifts) and good-mornings to work their posterior chain. There will also be a very large emphasis on pulling movements to strengthen/improve the upper back. I have to keep this as simple as possible and take into consideration that, wherever they might be, they might not have access to equipment like bands or chains or boxes. Everything is going to be kept to free weights with either dumbbells or barbells. There’s going to be lots of rowing, lat pulling-down, and pulling-up. There are, in truth, only so many pulling movements that one can perform, and I have to accept that there is going to be some major overlap between weeks. That’s okay though–like the bench, squat, and deadlift, DB/BB rows (and their variations) are/should be constants in any strength training program. I want to progress them from doing lat pull-downs to pull-ups, but don’t think they’re quite ready for them yet. I think I’ll stick with lat pull-downs for the first 4 weeks, then progress them to multiple sets of low-rep pull-ups. (Any input on this from my friends with programming experience would be appreciated.)

It’s still in the works, and I need to run it by Coach Frey, but it should turn out alright.

Lifting has been, as I said, super solid lately. I’m on my third cycle of 5/3/1 without a deload and am feeling, for the most part, fantastic. I continue to crush weight, and, ruling out injury or other unforeseen influences, will continue to do so until camp.

Here’s how last week broke down.

Dead: 354×5, 400×5, 455×10
Bench: 190×5, 215×5, 245×11
Squat: 290×5, 330×5, 375×7 (video)
Snatch: 95×4, 115×4, 135×4, 155×4

I figured that I might as well start recording my lifts, if, for nothing else, self-critique. But really, who am I kidding? I’m fulfilling a very masturbatory need for people to see me and give me praise. I’m aware of it, and I don’t care who thinks it’s silly, stupid, dumb, or who just doesn’t give a damn. So the squat video is from last week’s session, and I’ll be uploading today’s deadlifts soon.

Lifting for today went as follows.

Dead: 375×3, 430×3, 480×7 (video)

After watching the video of the lift a few times over, I realized that I lock out my knees/hips too early and do a lot of lifting with my lower back. Obviously it’s worked so far, and my back can handle it, but as I climb up to higher poundages I know I’ll have issues with lockout. It’s just a matter of keeping my ass down longer rather than letting it shoot up. My strength in the deadlift has a lot to do with the time I spent working as a mason, and I can’t help but think that those years picking up rocks and bags of concrete had an effect on my technique as well. Yes, I know it’s considered “wrong” to lift with one’s back, but whatever.

Okay folks, that’s all for now. I’ll post the deadlift video either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Stay yoked and loked.

I’m sitting here, fingers hovering all-but-impotently above the keyboard, wanting nothing more than to let slip the dogs of war, so to speak, but am finding myself naught but tethered and bound. Looking back, I wonder, where has my inspiration gone?

I can recall, with bittersweet flavor, how effortlessly words and ideas seemed to flow while I was in college. I could write and write and write and never tire of it. But now I find myself struggling with each thought, trying, often times in vain, to find the right word, or to both succinctly and creatively, give my thoughts form. It seems that if I’m not writing about lifting, I’m not writing at all.

Where hath thou fled, Muse? Methinks I am in need of my own Dark Lady.

Maybe the Universe is trying to tell me something and I just need to open my ears/eyes a little more. It’s been my experience that Life, the Universe, and Fate (or whichever moniker you wish to yoke to the ephemeral cosmic force that guides our lives…), have rarely been wrong in their guidance–it just takes some time for me to truly see and/or hear the messages, which have rarely, if ever been blatant.

Is there such a thing as fate, or destiny? Are we each and all meant to one end, our lives serving as individual threads in the weave of a much larger cosmic tapestry? Or are we given free will, the power to bring about, by means of our choosing, the end most deserved?

One could argue that we are indeed masters and mistresses of our fate, and that the legacy we leave behind is one crafted solely by our hand, that each and every decision is one made of free will, conscious choice, and coherent approval. But should one find himself in a situation beyond his control, what then? If I’m struck by a car tomorrow on my way to work, is it because of a decision I made? Or were, at that moment, the forces  of existence in confluence such that the car and I happened to be attempting to occupy the same space at the same moment?

As I’ve mentioned time and time over, I broke my ankle in April of 2010 playing football. If I look back on it, the only reason that happened was because I chose to return to Tacoma rather than traveling to South Korea as originally planned. I chose to play football, and, I suppose, I chose to make the interception that ultimately led to my injury. But was it my choice to break my ankle?

I suppose the question becomes not, “Does fate exist?” but rather, “How deeply do we look when searching for signs of Fate or predestined events?” Where does choice end and coincidence begin?  I chose to play football, yes, but did not consciously choose to break my ankle. But, I did choose to place myself in a situation that carried the potential for such an event to occur. So, in a not-so-well-thought-out and slightly rushed way of bringing this tangent to a close, I’d offer up the opinion that coincidence (Fate) and choice are intertwined, and that neither rules sovereign over or precedes the other. One makes a decision, placing himself into a particular situation, thereby creating the potential for coincidences to occur. Conversely, Fate might intervene randomly, thus creating a certain set of unforeseen parameters to which an individual must then consciously react. I chose to play football, and it was a random occurrence that I broke my ankle, which then led and allowed me to make decisions that would affect the next phase of my life.

That’s my meta thought for the day.

On to lifting.

My bodyweight has been climbing fairly steadily lately, and I’m hovering somewhere between 230-235. There’s a saying in strength athletics that goes, “Mass moves mass,” and I’ve found it to be true. The more I eat, the bigger I get, the stronger I become. Also, I’ve found that proper nutrition improves my recovery time drastically. Yes, I still feel sore and beat-up, but the intensity thereof is much less severe than if I try to subsist on Hostess cupcakes and Monster alone. My nutrition/diet is still pretty garbage, but it’s better than it was.

My lifts have been steadily improving as well. This last week went well, and was a good way to end a cycle and go into a deload week. I hate taking deloads, but I do believe that the body needs a break every few weeks, especially after handling heavy poundages. I finally wrote a program for myself, meaning I’m doing something more structured than hitting my main lift and then dinking around with whatever I want afterward. It’s a rough first attempt, but it’s a start, and perfection is never attained on the first try.

I’m sticking with the big three lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) but have cut military presses. Good idea? Maybe, maybe not, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I wasn’t getting much out of them and that they were causing more pain than gain. My left shoulder has, for a number of years now, been a source of pain and frustration, and military/push presses did nothing but aggravate it. I’ve started doing some more direct shoulder work with light weights in an attempt to make my shoulders a little more healthy. This internship has taught me a number of things about the human body and its relation to weight lifting that I never knew before, and I feel that with some trial and error, implementation of what I’ve learned will be nothing but positive in the long run. I’ve also started doing more ab/core work. My core has gotten stronger since I’ve stopped using a belt all the time, but now I feel I need to give it more direct work in order to bring it up more. As my weight, and weights, have gone up, I’ve noticed an increase in thickness about my midsection. I’m not getting fat, but my stomach has become more pronounced, and I can feel it more when I squat or deadlift.

I pulled on Monday, and was pretty pleased with how the weight moved. The first rep for each set was heavy, but once I got in a groove the bar moved cleanly and without any (relative) excess exertion.

Deadlift: 390×5, 445×3, 500×5, 225x5x10

I did other work as well, but am too lazy to write it out.

Tuesday was bench day, and I have to admit that I was a little nervous about it. I’ve never been a strong bencher, and I always seem to disappoint myself. But the session went well, and I walked away happy.

Bench: 210×5, 245×3, 270×7 (PR)

Felt great about the 270×7. I told Coach Frey I was going for “at least one” but ended up banging out 7 pretty easily. He even told me “Good job.” Made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Thursday was squat day. My last two sessions were awesome (365×10 and 390×7), so I was stoked for this time around.

Squat: 320×5, 365×3, 410×3-4 (lost count as I was squatting…), 315x4x4

I didn’t have a spotter, otherwise I would have tried for a couple more reps at 410. Still, I’m pretty pleased with this performance.

Friday was snatch day. I’ve never done snatches before my internship, and it’s difficult if not downright impossible to effectively and correctly teach a movement you’ve never performed yourself, so right now I’m working on improving my technique. I’ve got the basic movement pattern down, but still need to clean it up. The weight is super light (115lbs), but it’s sufficient for the task at hand.

Hang Snatch: 95x2x4, 115x2x4

Like I said, I have the basic movement down, but need to get it cleaned up. I’m not used to popping my hips through as is necessary on the snatch, and have a habit of throwing my head back in an effort to get the weight up, causing me to lose my balance and step backward. Since the weight is light, I’m not catching in much of a squat position, and I’ve caught myself pushing the weight to lock out a few times as opposed to jumping/pulling/catching it. Form and technique will come as I continue to practice it. It’ll be something I can work on even while at camp.

Thanks for reading.

Stay yoked and loked.

EDIT: Here’s a great video from EliteFTS.com. Don’t think weak, get stronger, prove the impossible.

It’s a similar phenomenon to that of dreaming, I suppose. You sleep, dream, and, upon waking, can, for the briefest of moments, recall with startling clarity the events of your last (or most vivid) dream, but, unless the dream is, for whatever reason, particularly memorable, the image of it fades within moments of waking.

Maybe my thoughts are the dreams of other sleepers, and I can only consider them for as long as the dreamer is asleep. Would that then mean that writers write the dreams of other writers, and architects build the dreams of other architects? Are we all caught in a real-world manifestation of Inception? If such is the case then, can this, what we assume to be reality, even be considered real-world? Are we mannequins pulled to and fro by the ethereal strings of some Brobdingnagian sleeper, or, to tumble down another rabbit hole, the children of a Dr. Manhatten-esque creator being?

Maybe, maybe not.

In either case, it is, to me at least, an interesting thought.

I have been fortunate enough to find myself in a relationship with a wonderful young lady, which, as with most things, came about by sheer happenstance and cosmic fortune. I spoke of this phenomenon in either my last post or the one before it, but I’ll touch on it again, and perhaps even expand upon it.

Chaos, it seems, has been, ironically, in control of my life for the last year and a half. As the quote goes, “It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.” Chaos has held and carried me within its roiling essence since August 2009, when the relationship I had imagined to go the distance came to a startlingly abrupt end. From there I joined a football team and subsequently broke my ankle. I was relieved of an employment obligation, which then allowed me to seek out something new and more suited to my tastes. I found Camp Chipinaw and spent 8 crazy weeks teaching lacrosse to rich Jewish children. Fast forward from there, and here I am today. I didn’t plan for any of this–not football, not camp, not Missouri, not this internship, not this relationship.

But, I am, in all ways, immensely pleased and grateful that it all happened the way it did. I used to consider what it (my life) might have been life, might still be like today, had my relationship with Jessica not ended when it did. I imagine I’d still be in Tacoma working some job just to get by rather than pursuing something I really love and want to do. Would I be happy? Probably. But would I have had the opportunity to do all those things? Definitely not. So, in a way, I suppose that, as time and events have moved forward and I’ve allowed myself to fully accept and reconcile the hand dealt to me in Tacoma, I’ve come to feel grateful to her for cutting me loose and letting me find my own way. I fully believe that, had she not, I would have been content to simply follow her along her way until I managed to find something for myself.

Companionship is a different sort of creature. We spend our entire lives in search of that someone, that one person who, we believe, will fill the wholes and gaps and voids inherent in being sentient, cognizant beings. But how much are we missing out on for ourselves by always looking outward or at other people? Don’t get me wrong, I love being in a relationship and having someone there for me and with me, and I believe that the ability to love someone else is one of our greatest accomplishments as a species, but, not accounting for the procreation and success of our species, is it necessary? Must we find a steady companion in order to fully experience all that life has to offer us? Or do we simply believe that to be the case? Life is, ever and always, what one makes of it. If one believes that companionship, hetero or homo, platonic or sexual, is the capstone to a whole and happy life, then it is such. The same can be said for one who believes happiness can be found in relative isolation or solitariness. We are however, a species that, regardless of race, religion, creed or color, places a massive emphasis on companionship (whether mono or poly) that any deviation is seen as relatively inflammatory. We seek out solitary individuals and, always in the spirit of altruism and goodwill, press upon them our companionship. Take the idea of visiting people in retirements homes. We, the outside, take it upon ourselves to breach the inside and spend time with the elderly in the belief that because they are old and either removed from their families or are without the affection of a significant other.

I won’t go so far as to assume that these old folks aren’t lonely or in need of companionship, but think about it–we spend our entire lives absolutely surrounded by other people. Parents, then friends, then lover(s), then children, then their children–not to mention the multitude of coworkers, teammates, and random faceless strangers who pass us by everyday. We spend our lives in such social immersion that, given the chance, who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to be alone? Life can be, even at my age, overwhelming at times, and I know that a moment to myself is worth my weight in gold, which, according to OnlyGold.com is $4,789,640.52. Yup, I’m a pricey sum’bitch.

Anyway–my mind’s getting fatigued…someone must be waking up somewhere. So, on to weights.

As always, I pulled on Monday. The weight felt a little heavier than I expected, but that’s probably because I hadn’t eaten before lifting. Overall, the session went well. Not my best performance, but certainly not my worst.

Deadlift: 370×3, 420×3, 470×6, 275x5x10

Benched on Tuesday. Again, the weight felt heavy but moved well enough.

Bench: 200×3, 230×3, 255×8, 205x5x10

Squatted on Thursday. I always seem to talk myself out of squatting early in the day, but then come around to it later. I was pretty damn please with this session. Started off pretty awful, but once I loosened up everything went great.

Squat: 300×3, 345×3, 390×7 (PR), 225x5x10.

Starting next week I’ll be doing a more structured program. Right now I basically just do the main movement then dick around without any rhyme or reason. Having some structure will be good as I prepare for camp. My bodyweight is in the 230-235 range right now, and if I start getting more organized in my lifting, I know that number will go up. I’m shooting for a steady 240 by the end of April. Definitely doable.

Ok, folks. Bed time. Thanks for reading.

Stay yoked and loked.

Life has been moving at a quick clip as of late, and it’s left me slightly on my heels. It seems like only yesterday that I landed at the Springfield airport and had the realization of, “Aw shit, this is actually happening.” But, here it is almost the end of March, and what a ride it’s been so far.

I’ll start this update with a review of my lifting for the last week, and then will go into school/work is going. My plans for the future may or may not follow, depending on time available and my interest in writing about it.

So, on to talking about moving heavy shit (which I love, both moving heavy shit and talking about it). My most recent cycle of 5/3/1 came to a close last week, and it had been since October of last year that I really shot for the moon and tried to move any real amount of weight, and I’ve grown much stronger since the beginning of my internship, so I figured why not man up and shoot for some new PR’s.

Unlike the majority of the lifting world, which devotes the first day of the week to benching, Mondays for me are designated as deadlift days. I’m coming off a weekend’s worth of rest and am ready to go, so I figure it’s the best time to put a lot of weight on the bar and get it moving. The deadlift has always been my best lift, due largely in part to my years working as a mason, picking up and carrying large rocks, wheelbarrows full of mortar, and bags of concrete mix hither and yon, as well as living in rural Montana, which required that I perform constant physical labor in the form of splitting/stacking wood, fixing fences, and bucking bales during the summers. I’ve always enjoyed it the most, not only because I’m good at it, but, for me at least, it seems to be the most functional of all lifts. Think about it–how many times in day to day life are you going to find yourself flat on your back and needing to push something off your chest? Or, just as unlikely, how often will you find yourself with a weight, regardless of implement or type, loaded across your shoulders and requiring you to squat down and stand back up with it? Yes, the squat is functional and real world applicable, as we squat down all the time, but I feel the deadlift serves more of a functional purpose. Every time we drop something or need to pick something up off the ground, we squat down, grab it, and stand up with it, mimicking the deadlift exactly.

So, having said that, here’s how the Monday session broke down:

Deadlift: 380×5, 430×3, 480×1, 495×1, 545×1, 585×1.

The 585 was ugly ugly, and I had to hitch it up (meaning I had to slide my knees under it and pull it up my thighs instead of standing straight up with it), but I got it, and since I wasn’t competing, it doesn’t matter. I was exceedingly happy to pull this weight, and rightly so. After I surpassed the 495 mark, 585 was the next big benchmark, and I’ve been working toward it for the better part of 2 years now. If I’m being honest, I probably could have pulled an even 600, but after the 585 pull, regardless of how excited I was, I didn’t feel particularly motivated to try and move that much weight. I’ll probably go for 600 in another month or two. If only for my satisfaction, I’ll have to have one more max effort training session before I leave for camp, because once I’m there, even though I’ll be teaching weights, Lord knows I a) won’t have access to that much poundage and b) will be weak as shit and won’t be anywhere near capable of pulling much over 405.

I pulled today (3/21/11) as well, and worked up to an easy 445×10, followed up by a very tiring 274x4x10. I was very happy with the way the 445×10 moved. Yes, it was heavy, but it moved well, the bar path was clean and smooth, and I had a couple reps left in the tank.

On Tuesday, I benched, and worked up to a real grinder at 315×1. My bench has always sucked, and probably always will, but hey, I can only be awesome at so many things. There’s a lot of awesomeness in this here fella, but even I can do so much.

Here’s how the bench session broke down:

Bench: 205×5, 230×3, 255×1, 315×1.

Yeah, the jump from 255 to 315 is pretty substantial, but I felt good and didn’t want to expend any excess energy on lighter singles. The 315 wasn’t pretty, and it took everything out of me, but I got it up. Hopefully I can stay on track well enough for the next couple months to put up something respectable, preferably within the 330+ range. I’ve been really focusing on my form, working hard to maintain a high, tight arch, keep the elbows tucked on the descent, wrists locked out, etcetera, and I’m starting to see the benefits of the attention to detail in my lifting.

I benched today as well, and worked up to a solid 240×13. The last rep was a grinder, but I got it. According to the 1RM chart here in the weight room, I should be maxing out around 334, which fits in nicely with what I want to hit before camp.

Last Thursday was supposed to be squat day, but it turned into push press and squat day. As I was getting warmed up and ready to go, I realized that I really, really didn’t feel like squatting, and that in the grand scheme of things, it really didn’t matter if I did or not.

The push presses, substituted for squat, didn’t go very well. I’ve gotten away from using wrist wraps on the bench except for with maximal or circa-maximal lifts, but I still like to use them for the push press. The way the weight sits in my hands during this lift places a large amount of strain on my wrist, so I enjoy having some support, even on the lighter weights. Unfortunately, I had left my wraps at home this day, so I was stuck trying to press without them.

Here’s how the push press broke down:

Push Press: 155×5, 175×3, 195×1, 225×1

I felt like straight garbage during these lifts. I had zero leg drive, zero pop, zero nothing. The weight simply refused to move.

Fuck you, gravity. Sometimes you’re a real bastard.

As the day progressed, I felt better and better about squatting, so I finally toughened up and got under the bar. The weight moved well once I got past the warm-up sets and my hips/groin/lower back/shoulders loosened up.

Squats: 315×5, 360×3, 405×1, 425×1, 445×1, 465×1

I threw on a belt for the sets over 405, and except for feeling heavy as shit, the weight moved well. I’m still surprised at h0w much stronger I’ve become overall since moving away from using a belt, and how much easier it is to move heavier poundages than when I was belting up every time. I was probably a little high on the 465, but again, I wasn’t competing, so it’s no big deal. 465 isn’t a PR for me, but it’s been a long time (February/March of last year, before I broke my ankle) since I’ve had that much weight on my back.

Overall, very pleased.

Ok, enough about lifting. If you’re still with me by this point, thank you. As both a reader and a writer, I’m aware that long posts often grow tedious and boring after awhile.

School/work has been going well for the past few weeks. I wrote my first official program this week for the men’s and women’s swim team, and I’m very excited about it. It’s a simple program, focusing mainly on developing basic strength and work capacity, and utilizes primarily very basic, very simple multi-joint movements. Working with the swim team is going to be a challenge considering that most of them seem to really not give a shit, but I’m hoping that with some solid reinforcement and support, they’ll come around and work hard.

I’m still excited about what I’m doing, which is a great feeling. This is something I have passion for, and would like to make my career.

My plans for the moment are thus; finish out the semester here at MSU and continue to learn/grow as a strength coach, continue to study for my CSCS exam, etcetera, then, following the end of the semester, head back to New York to teach weights for the summer (which should be tons of fun, as I’m planning to do more than just sit around in the weight room making sure that rich Jewish kids don’t hurt themselves–I want to do lots of strongman type events; sandbag carries/loading, farmer’s walks, etc), then, following the end of camp, return to Springfield to do another semester (or maybe a full year, depending on what comes my way), as I’d like the opportunity to work with all of our teams during both the season and off-season. During that time, I’ll become certified as a CSCS and find a grad program to continue my education.

Overall right now, life is great. Things keep falling into place, even if I don’t intend for them do so or have any real hand in their manifestation. As I’ve grown, I’ve discovered that more often than not, life has a way of just happening, and what happens is usually better than what might come around if you try to change/affect things. That’s not to say that one shouldn’t have a hand in his or her own fate/life, but I’ve simply found that, for me at least, things have a way of coming together without any real plan or involvement on my part. To be honest, I like it like that. For the most part, I enjoy the surprises that life throws my way. Not all of those surprises have been positive, but they have, whether directly or not, led me to where I am today.

Take breaking my ankle, for example. At the time, it was one of the worst things to have ever happened to me. But, from today’s perspective,  it was an amazing event that allowed me to move on from a situation that I truly didn’t enjoy and move toward something that I love. It allowed me to meet some amazing people and have some wonderful experiences.

Ok folks, I’m done. I know that’s an abrupt end to a long-winded narrative, but I’m tired of writing and am in desperate need of sleep.

Thanks for reading. More updates to come!

Stay yoked and loked.

My recent run-in with identity theft has been all but resolved at this point, and I’m back on track with everything. I still feel upset that someone came into possession of my information, but, shit happens, and all’s well that ends well, right?

I’ve been blessed with having some very awesome people in my life, all of whom have always been more than willing to help me when I need something, usually money, and because of that, I’ve only ever had to really be worried about getting by a couple of times. I realize that I’ve been very fortunate to have those people and those resources, and so, to them, to you, I say “Thank you.” I may not always show or express my appreciation, but know that what you do does not go unnoticed.

On to lifting. Went into the weight room yesterday with the intention of either benching or push pressing, depending on the status of our newly reupholstered bench pads (which look pretty damn awesome). The pads had yet to be reinstalled, so I figured I’d hit the push press. However, I realized that the student weight room was open, and that they had benches, so I’d be good to go if I went down there and used their equipment. To be honest, I felt a little out of place wearing my MSU Strength shirt, but really, I didn’t give a shit. Haters gonna hate.

Overall, the session went well. I got in, got off, got out, so to speak.

Bench: 190×3, 215×3, 254×9
Floor press: 135 (+40lbs chain)x5, (+80lbs)x5, (+120lbs)x5, (+160lbs)x5
Blast Strap pull-aparts: BWx3x6-8
Push-ups: BW (+40lbs chain)x2x25-30

Everything felt great and the weight moved well.

Tomorrow’s a squat day. Not looking forward to that.

I’ve been considering getting a tattoo. Nothing crazy or outlandish, just something simple. I was thinking a solid black band around my right forearm, up toward the elbow. Yes, it’s in a visible spot, I know. But something simple like that can be covered up with sleeves without any problem. Plus, it’s unoffensive, so if it was exposed, I should be alright.

Thoughts?

I’ve also been thinking about getting into gear, meaning powerlifting gear. I feel this is something I should talk with Coach Frey about first, just to get his impression/take on it. Ultimately though, it’s my decision. We’ll see.

That’s all. Thanks for reading.

Stay yoked and loked.

Or, at the very least, it is a steady drizzle that, while not immediately affecting, manages to, after some time, cast a dreary pall over everything and seep into even the most secure of places.

That’s what I feel like right now. As I wrote in my last post, I was a recent victim of online identity theft. Someone intercepted my debit card information and made $225 worth of charges to Xbox LIVE, leaving me with a whopping $9 in my bank account. I spoke with the bank today, and they’re sending me paperwork that will verify I did not make those purchases and that I had no knowledge/did not, in any way, authorize them. That information will then be passed on to Microsoft, who will then (hopefully) investigate the matter. From there, Microsoft will determine whether or not I made the purchases (which I didn’t…I do not now, nor have I ever, had an active Xbox LIVE account), and, once it has been determined that I did not make the purchases, my money should be credited to my bank account. There’s no way of telling how long this process is going to take, but I don’t imagine it’s going to be speedy.

Update: I just spoke with the bank, and with Microsoft Xbox, and it looks like things might be going a little smoother than I previously expected. One of the three charges has already been refunded, and the other two accounts have been marked for fraud. I’ll still have to jump through some hoops and all that, but things are looking, marginally, up.

To further complicate things, I realized today as I was leaving the weight room/school that my bike’s rear tire had gone flat. At this point I’m thinking, “Really, Universe, really? What have I done to deserve this?” I don’t own a tire pump, nor do I have the money to get the tire repaired/replaced. So, for the moment, I’m walking.

There are a couple of smaller, personal issues going on with me right now, too, that just add to the frustration.

I’m doing my best to stay positive about the whole thing, and to see it as an opportunity to rise above and make myself better rather than letting it drag me down. So, thank you, Powers That Be, I appreciate the opportunity.

MSU is currently on Spring Break, meaning there aren’t any organized lifting times or any teams coming in, but the weight room is still open from noon-4 this week, which is great, because I still need to lift. I went in today and did some deadlifting. The work sets went great, but the accessory stuff/volume work was a little much.

Deads: 355×3, 405×3, 455×8, 405×10, 315×10, 225×5

I felt like I had a couple more reps in me on the 455, because the first 8, though heavy, came off the floor very smoothly, but I was, in truth, ready to quit, so I did. 455×8 is still pretty acceptable. The assistance work was, as I said, a little much today. I was pretty gassed after riding to school with a flat tire and then doing my working sets, so I didn’t have much left in me. That, and I was bored with deadlifting. I never thought I’d say that, but shit, I was just tired of doing the movement, and the idea of performing another 30 reps (after my first two complete sets) did not appeal to me in any way, shape, or form. So I pulled 225×5 then decided I had had enough.

I probably need to drop the weight on my accessory/volume work. I know that I’m capable of pulling heavy weight for high reps (405x5x10), but not after doing a high weight/rep set like 455×8. I’m thinking somewhere between 225 and 315 for 5×10 would be a good range, as it’s challenging, but doesn’t overload my body and CNS like 405 would.

From there I moved on to some band pull aparts (Monster Mini’s x25x4), barbell bicep curls (135x3x5), shrugs (225×20, 315×15, 405×10, 495×6) [straps on the last three sets], push-ups (BW+40lbs chain x25, x30) and chin-ups (BWx10). Overall, a pretty solid workout.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a bench day, but we are having the pads for all the benches and the reverse hypers reupholstered, so unless they’re done and installed tomorrow, I’ll end up doing push presses, with squats on Thursday and bench on Friday.

Thanks for reading.

Stay yoked and loked.