My husband ends all of his sessions with Jerimiah by saying "I think he's trying to kill me!". And now I would say the same (tongue in cheek, of course).
We are back to hypertrophy. 10 reps....and my heart felt like it was exploding out of my chest. And it's not that the speed made it cardio; just... whoa. 153 BPM is a lot for me unless I am doing sprints (bike or treadmill), but I officially achieved that squatting. I was so sure that it was more like torture than usual that I checked to see if we had done 10 reps before, and indeed, last hypertrophy cycle we did. A bit less weight, of course, but essentially same deal. So at least I know I'll get over it quick, since I could not remember and it was just September. :) I am really tired, but my head feels energetic, so that’s good. And I was a bit nauseous after, actually. And really hungry. And sitting down is basically just a small bend at the hip and then letting go (as my hamstrings are also rather sore, and don’t really want to be holding any weight in a bend). And yet… still happy. Go figure.
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A nice little "accessories" workout to finish 2016. I'm gonna get me some pretty shoulders. :) As I was putting the workout in Liftium (app) I got a nice little smile from myself on Decembers consistency. When asked (usually the question is "Do you go to the gym every day?"), I tell people I hit the gym 6 days a week. And looking at December... seems about right or at least close. But wait! I did 21 of 31 days. That's 67% (I'll spare you the decimals but rest assured I checked). If you pace that against a 7 day week...it's NOT EVEN 5 a week. I'm not complaining. It's just a little reminder to at least sometimes consider quantifying from fact vs feeling. If you are going to believe a number.....get it from somewhere. See last post. Repeat. Crapped out on 205# deadlift making this officially NOT better than anything I have ever done before. Ruminated a bit. It's weird, because I have spent quite a bit of the last few months wanting to try for best single... to see what was really possible (vs theorhitcally RPE Xreps blah blah blah) and looking forward to test week. And now that it's here I hatee that it guarantees failure. That's the whole point, after all. And I am not that good at dealing, it turns out. I am not entirely sure if I'd feel the same if I squeezed out more, or it's just hitting a limit that's a bummer. ie:
Now I have a new reason to want to hit good numbers on the real testing day tomorrow. I want a good.... everything. Something worth celebrating. And then to see how I feel. Just so I know which of the 2 above it is . Oh, who am I kidding? I just want better numbers. Period. It's not a social experiment. It's not noble. Just gimme a fucking material PR already!!! 6:30 AM seems to come SO early. I am sure I don't have full energy on the Monday and Wednesday training sessions at this time. And then I feel extreme pressure to get to work and get cracking (as it's tight to even make to the office by 8:30 those days... so rather late...). And yet, I end up with such a GREAT DAY after. I think it's a mix of physical (endorphines, etc) and mental (something I love, something for ME)... and totally amazing to have a day full of momentum. I sound like a fanatic. I have traveled quite a bit lately. Just domestic, but still away from home, away from my honey, away from the cats.
My shoulder is killing me: not sure if it's the strange beds (hotels, so not like strange, but.... strange). Or carrying a 800 pound back pack. :) Going to go home tonight. Day off tomorrow and celebrate with Garth his birthday. And another day off for me Thursday....and I'll go lift. (yay!). And then get a massage. All on the shoulder. :) Only squats and bench this AM, and both were sad, sad, sad.
Seems I have had a number of updates in the last 2 weeks. Nothing specific is going on; just really enjoying myself, happy, fulfilled. Some moments of 'blech' occasionally interrupt, but I feel as though this is one of the ways I count my blessings. I talk about them here, and acknowledge it that way. It also reinforces my contentment.
It was a good day at the gym today. We gradually are working back to meet-level weights with the new form (high-bar squat and conventional deadlift). I miss low-bar and sumo. But I am gradually improving with these movements, and I know it will make these lifts stronger no matter what style I choose. And the high-bar does seem like less stress on the lower back (which is weird, because I don't think it's supposed to be. But it could just be because it's so much lighter, still). 140# squat and 155# DL today. 15# and 45# to add, respectively, to hit my July OPA-meet PR. There was still gas in the tank, so I might be closer than I think! It would be good to be there by the end of the year. Then in January I can start to prep for a spring meet. I won't do a meet until I can add 40# to my meet total. Road to a 500# total....... Long and winding. But sunny and clear! I was talking to the Mavens last week about long term goals with powerlifting. And I told them what I am about to tell you. I want to qualify for nationals in 2021. It's a long way away, I know. But I will be in the next age group up, and I figure I can improve at least for 2 more years... (I don't really improve in any great leaps, but I think it's reasonable to make some small gains for at least that long). and then even maintaining, for the year I would be Master Level II, the standards should be do-able.
I think it would be an amazing experience, and if I can't do it by then, well, it's unlikely I'd ever be able to do it. So I am setting the bar (pun intended) for a meet around my 50th birthday with PR #s. Now I just have to do the work, which I enjoy anyway! Today a lady and I exchanged the usual casual hellos at the gym as we passed in the changeroom. "Morning" she said. "Have a good day". I responded in kind, to which she replied: "For sure. The worst part of my day is now over (pointing to the gym floor), so it's all good."
The rest is a brain ramble, pretty much just like it actually happened:
THERE IS NO WORST PART OF MY DAY!?!?! How amazing is that? It took a lot longer than I expected. I joined the gym nearly 2 years ago...and still have a way to go to "fit". I have come a long way, though, and looking at the transformation, it still seems like a big accomplishment. There has never been anything fast or easy about it... Just steady, incremental progress.
When I think about how many choices I had to make the last two years that added up to this.... The good and the bad.... It's a wonder I made it. I couldn't of done it without encouragement of an amazing PT who helped me the movements, manage the progress, and probably most importantly… Have fun (or something close to it ) while doing it. The mavens encouraged me too. I'm lucky to have such good girlfriends. And Garth has been amazing. He's been a cheerleader, but has also helped managing food, encouraging me to prioritize the gym... And listened to me go on and on about powerlifting. But the truth is and I say this without an ounce of either shame or pride.... Mostly this was ME. Of course of course I couldn't have done it without the support mentioned above ...for sure. But I did the work. I made those choices. Ok; so I take it back. I AM PROUD. Blessed and proud. |
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