Becoming an Athlete

We've all heard the old saying: If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you  there.  I'm finally crystal clear on where I'm going, so it's become incredibly easy to stick to the right road. My goals are: Build respectable clean & jerk, and snatch 1RM Get stronger in the big 4 (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press) Get as lean as possible at 215lbs Get my arms to 18" Means to the ends: Clean / Snatch: I start every workout with some version of a high pull or partial Oly lift.  Once every few weeks I work up to a heavy single in the full lift Big 4: 5x5 or 5,4,3,2,1, with accessory work at 5x10.  Great progress thus far Get leaner: Ending each session with a MetCon. Bonus here is I feel much better, and my veins are getting veinier 18" arms:  Decided to do arms in the evenings, same day as big lifts. Now I'm hitting arms 3x a week, and getting more recovery days.  Holding at a solid but unimpressive 16"....

Let's get honest for a second.  People who follow crossfit with dedication get a more balanced improvement in performance and body composition than people who follow periodized training plans.  I've pretty much always followed a basic periodization schedule: strength, size, definition, repeat. Here lately, I've been leaning a bit toward the crossfit model, but still programmed for the long haul. There is merit in training several physical qualities in a single workout. At any given moment, I can sign up and do a 5K, obstacle race, or Highland Games, all while remaining relatively lean. For the next 2 months, my training block looks like this: Monday: Power focus: Olympic lifts progressing from 4x8 to 4x4 depending on the day and week Stength focus: squats, presses, pullups - alternating weeks between 5x5 and 5,4,3,2,1 Hypertrophy / conditioning circuit: This is so money! ;-) Bodybuilding movements for the same movement patterns as Strength Focus.  3 circuits of ...

I'm training with two other friends.  Man!  What a motivational difference!  I don't need motivation to lift heavy, but doing cardio with a couple friends definitely helps me push myself.  We did three stations, fixed distance for time. Stepmill: 30 floors for time:  6:03 Concept2 Rower: 2000 meter row for time: 8:48 Treadmill: 1 mile for time: 9:11 This wasn't very high total cardio output, but the intensity was fantastic, and doing each station for time motivated me to push harder.  I love knowing the harder I push, the sooner I'm done.

I'm stronger by any measure.  I've forced myself to do the things I hate and as a result I am in the best shape of my life and continuing to improve. The game-changers for me have been: Foam rolling and stretching before each workout.  Seriously!!  Who knew the impact would be so profound! I feel great and my nagging pains are going away slowly but noticeably. Starting each session with Olympic lift variants.  Just a few sets every day and my forearms, traps, mid back, spinal erectors, and glutes have added a ton of new size and density.  yes I said my glutes have size and density.  lol Conditioning circuits.  Though I hate CF as a sole training modality, hitting brief but intense MetCons after core lifting has done amazing things.  I'm leaner, more vascular, and have an improved work capacity. Cardio interval finishers.  This is the sugar free icing on the fat-burning cake.  5 rounds of 1 min high effort and 1 min low effort. ...

We are all guilty of taking on too much too soon and burning out or getting overwhelmed.  The most successful selling fitness and weightloss programs are the  ones that are marketed as the most extreme. Lately, there has been a trend towards truth in advertising: extreme efforts will produce extreme results. That's great, but I've chosen a path of consistency.  I see my progress over the last decade and I am happy to say I am not the same man.  Most of my progress has come in the last 2 years, and much of my transformation has been spiritual and cognitive.  Christ has been growing his roots deeper and deeper into my heart, which has allowed my thoughts to become different. Panic, anxiety, and self destruction are no longer my go-to choices or reactions. Consistency of prayer has led to consistency of spirit, whcih led to consistency of thought, which led to consistency of action.  I no longer fear success or failure.  I fear only God, in the healthy ...

That's how a friend of mine greeted me on Tuesday night at the gym.  I think I look the same and have a further ahead of me than behind, but that comment from a friend at the gym (whom I haven't seen in about 2 months) reminds me that I'm my own worst critic, with one or two exceptions. I'm still hovering between 205 and 208 and need to hit 195 ASAP for Highland Games on 11/07, but I'm every bit as strong as I was in 2011 weighing 235 pounds.  My deadlift is up to 475, my squat up to 385, and my overhead press up to 180.  I haven't maxed on bench press in a long time, so I have no idea where that's at.  I'm stronger, leaner, and lighter. I just hope I can turn this strength into performance on the field.  I've been doing a ton of cleans and snatch grip high pulls to work on my explosiveness, but I have been more worried about making weight than sport-specificity of my training.  I don't expect it to come together for a peak till San Antonio i...

Last week I ran into a friend at the gym and we both happened to be doing legs.  I had been warming up for a while and he walked up and just jumped in.  I lost count of how many sets I did, but my method was wave loading: A work set of 5 reps, followed by a heavy single A heavier set of 5, a heavier single I worked up to 5 reps with 295 and a single at 365.  I tried for 5 reps at 315 but got dizzy at the second rep. Yesterday, Sunday 27 SEP, I did the same on my own with new-found confidence and worked up to 295 for 5 and a single at 385.  I really happy with those numbers but I feel it in my knees today.  I'm working diligently to shift the pressing to my heels.

I've decided to do a little less lifting and a little more cardio.  I need to cut to 199 for the last two light weight Highland Games competitions of the year: Austin Celtic Festival 11/7 Salado Celtic Festival 11/14 I did pretty poorly at Sherwood, but I know why and I'm fixing it.  I've been training for aesthetics for most of 2015 and even though some lift maxes have come up, my overall performance has taken a hit as I've divided my training into smaller and smaller body parts. Performance is all about integrating the body as a single unit to develop power, speed, endurance or whatever your particular sport calls for.  The benefit off all the body-part bodybuilding training is that I've worked on several weak links.  Now it's time to connect those links into a strong kinetic chain. The new schedule is: Monday AM: Whole body lifting for power and strength Monday PM: Boxing workout to cut fat and increase anaerobic endurance Tuesday AM: Sh...

I've been all over the place, gym-wise.   I tried the EDT thing but it was trashing my elbows, messed around with progressive overload on Olympic lifts for a couple months, switched to 6-days per week following the old-school split (chest&back, shoulder&arms, legs&abs, repeat, 1 day off) and got some solid gains in size and strength, but noticed a bit of a gut forming. Now I'm back to seeking balance and capitalizing on my higher work capacity / recovery ability. I have been neglecting cardio all summer, ever since the boxing program ended.  So to make time for it, I've decided to lift twice a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and run Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with the evenings open for play.  My kids moved with their mom about 2 hrs away, so I suddenly find myself  with a need to fill my evenings.  If I had my kids during the week, I wouldn't be training twice a day. I've made some solid progress in my strength and am at least as stro...

Holy smokes!!!!   In 1 week I've noticed a change in my body.   Its happening fast, despite the reasonable levels  of fatigue and soreness.  Every muscle is fuller and more vascular.  Abs look just as defined as competition weight of 198, but now I'm up to 203. Biggest changes: Quads blowing up from 5 min squat sets.  So far I'm up to 55 reps with 135#.  Soon as I reach 100 reps I'll increase to 185#. Chest, shoulders, and triceps filling out from the 15 minute EDT set.  I'm up to 100 reps dips & 100 reps curls in 15 minutes. When I hit 150 of each, I'll add 25# on dips and another 20# on curls. Mid back filling out from the clean & press, especially the final Rest Pause set. My stamina is ridiculous!!!  I can run all day, or do bodyweight movements all day.   Boxing workouts are really filling in the conditioning gap I used to have. Now to stay the course and not get too greedy with the weights. I need to avoid inj...

Thank you, Father, for the gift of perseverance, and the wisdom of humility. I put my ego aside through these last 9 weeks or so to cut weight and just  stuck to the plan. Every time a deceptive thought entered my head, I tried to pray it away and just stick to the plan. You're stronger than this.  Why waste time with these light weights? You can drop weight faster than this. Just enjoy a pizza night with the kids. You're better than your competition.  Why push so hard? Ego is a motherfucker.  It is the seed of complacency and mediocrity. Humility, ironically enough, is the driver of confidence, patience, and maturity.  I kept my weights according to plan, didn't accumulate any new injuries, dropped 4 inches off my waist, and feel faster and more athletic than I have in a decade. I placed Second in my first outing as a Lightweight at the San Antonio Highland Games.  The guy who came in first was untouchable!!!!  What a great thrower, and...

I may have written before about how I try to drive one new quality / attribute every year, and package it in a simple mantra.  This the mantra is Service Before Self.  Like all new habits, starting it is rough and takes a toll at first.  I let my training slide because my evenings were filled with volunteer work. Since Spring break I've been trying to lift and run in the mornings.  The first week was poor.  The second week was OK, and the 3rd was good.   Its becoming easier and almost a habit.  The reason for the title: I couldn't have made this change had I not practiced self discipline in all areas of my life last year. Giving up alcohol took more effort than a mere act of self discipline.  It took prayer, fellowship, and some nights alone figuring out how to be me again.  Now that its just how life is, I can be sober in any environment.  At this stage I don't feel as though I've given up something.  Rather, to have a drin...

WOW!!!!!!  Massive changes to my body comp.  I'm taking in a ton of protein, adding fiber to my shakes, and have eliminated all but trace carbs.  I've never had abs this defined, and my aerobic capacity is the best in about a decade.  Strength is creeping up at a steady sustainable pace. Jim Wendler and countless other are so dead RIGHT!   Start light, and increase / drive the reps as hard as you can.  Increase / drive the weight much more slowly. I ditched Oly lifts for now because I need to have my form looked at.  Elbows shouldn't hurt this much.

Amazing progress!!!  My work capacity has come up.  Body fat keeps dropping. Strength is creeping up slowly but steadily.Aches and pains are subsiding for the most part,.  My core is rock hard.  Yes, I finally have visible abdominal definition even around my obliques. Here are the subtle changes I'm making for Block II: Moving schedule to 4 days per week: - Mon: Push 1 - Tue: Pull 1 - Thu: Push 2 - Fri: Pull 2 Start each Push session with a few cleans Start each Pull session with a snatch grip pull high pulls Changing run intervals from 1-2 work-rest ratio to 1-1 - was 1 min run / 2 min walk - now 1 min run / 1 min walk Getting a little heavier on all the core movements: - sets of 10 instead of 12 Keeping it simple, consistent, and progressively harder is paying off perfectly.  Sustainable rate of improvement.  :-)

I took a week off from work and had an amazing time.  In addition to time spent with my kids, organizing and cleaning my home, I got in all my scheduled workouts and some bonus work. The weights on all my planned lifts are moving up at a steady but conservative pace.  Where I pushed like a madman was on the bonus work.  lots of kettlebell work, olympic lifting, runs, hikes, and rucks (i.e. slow jog with heavy pack). I'm dropping fat and adding muscle, but weight has stabilized at 204.  I need to get my ass in gear and do 3 things: eat the right meals eat more frequently do more cardio That's it.  Aside from the last 5 pounds, I'm rocking and rolling.

I'm sticking to my guns and just working ONE FREAKING PLAN, with much less hoping around. Block Training is just another way to talk about periodization.  I'm in Phase2, block 1. Each block is built on 4 separate workouts: Push 1 vertical bilateral horizontal unilateral Flat bench fly (fixing my hollow chest) triceps bilateral quad dominant unilateral MetCon (just treadmill intervals for Block 1) Pull 1 vertical bilateral horizontal unilateral Biceps bilateral Brachialis unilateral Hinge / Hip:  Strictly deadlift!!! MetCon (just treadmill intervals for Block 1) Push 2 vertical unilateral horizontal bilateral Flat bench fly (fixing my hollow chest) triceps unilateral quad dominant bilateral (Bulgarian squats.  I HATE these.  I must do these.) MetCon (just treadmill intervals for Block 1) Pull 2 vertical unilateral horizontal bilateral Biceps unilateral Brachialis bilateral Squats.   No reason to ever NOT squat MetCon (just t...

Now that I'm 39, I've decided being a ripped 199 is probably healthier and nicer to look at than a smoothed-over 230.  I'm not as strong as I was at 230, but that is largely due to all the injuries sustained working at maximal weights. My current weight is 205.6, as of Wednesday morning.  I want to compete as a light weight in Highland Games this year, which is anything under 200.   So if I get to 199 and continually work to improve my body composition, strength, and explosiveness, I'll be a very competitive light weights. Next year I'll bump up to Masters division (over 40), but I'll probably still compete as a light weight, too.

I haven't been this lean in 7 years!  I'm down to 205, and dropping.  My waist is a solid 33" but my belly button measurement is going down fast.  I need to measure again soon.  I can see my 6-pack and even my obliques have some definition. The only disappointment is my face remains round and pudgy. For the next 2 months I will continue with a simplified / abbreviated strength plan which incorporates fat-burning MetCons at the end. What's Working: Teaching boxing class 3-4 nights a week.  5:30-6:30. I lead with a lot of 1-on-1 coaching and participating, so I get a little sweat going, but I'm there for them. M,W,F lifting session, ending with treadmill intervals.  Super-abbreviated push/pull rotation.  Push days are vertical  and horizontal pushing, with squats.  I vary the movements some. Pull days are vertical and horizontal pulling, with deadlifts.  Again, some variations to keep from hitting a plateau too fast. All sess...

I started my Monday with my normal leg training.  Lots of unilateral work, followed by front squats and straight leg deadlift.  All in all a very productive session. Since Monday was a school holiday, there were no kids at the boxing gym.  I got to devote 2 hours to my own boxing training.  I spent a full 30 minutes on warm-up and it was TOUGH!  More like a supplemental workout. Air squats 15 reps, every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 10 minutes.  150 reps total Pushups 5 reps, EMOM for 10 minutes.  100 reps total Situps 4 x 20 Flutter kick / Leg circle superset 3 x 40 / 10 each direction After that was an hour of heavy bag. The EMOM work was killer.  Didn't feel too hard at the time but everything was sore on Tuesday.

Sometimes you have to take a step back, assess yourself with a brutally honest eye, and answer the question "Do I really want  to do something about this?" Yes.  God, yes.  With all my heart and soul.  I want to address my defects of character, my shortcomings, my unwillingness to do certain things that are good, my unwillingness to stop certain things that are time wasters or even harmful. I want to be honorable and an example of compassion, self discipline, and service. I see my physique as a reflection of my self discipline and character.  Can I say no to crap foods? Can I dig a little deeper when I'm out for a run? Can I walk away from the TV and do something productive? The good news is as the months go by, this process becomes less shocking, less painful, and often times surprisingly affirming.  I've tackled all of the biggies and am just dialing in the refinements, or adapting to old injuries and changes that come with aging.   I honestly do...

7 FEB was awesome.  It started with a  terrible night of sleep.  I went out and had way too much tea, which kept me up till about 4:00 AM.  I woke up  at 6:30 and got ready for a boxing session. 7:30 - 9:30 AM It was just me and the guy with the keys to the gym.  We each did our own thing.  He left after a little over and hour.  I stayed and banged away for 2 hours.   Lots of emphasis on power. Lots of my old Thai skills & techniques. 2:00 - 5:30 PM Sand Volleyball at Hanover's in Pflugerville.  Let me tell you -  I SUCKED at this.  Toook 2 games before my breathing got back to reasonable.  And my timing was way off on attempts to spike.  My reflexes are still sharp, but I had no accuracy whatsoever on bumps.  Setting was so-so.  I was worst at the change of direction in the sand.  I felt heavy and flatfooted. Lessons Learned (Reminded): Since I don't enjoy jogging at all, I think I'm goin...

It's so good to be back to basics.  I'm using iron to build size.  These sets of 12 to 15 are already taxing me, but my joints feel fine.  Let's see if I can go 2 months in this rep bracket.  6 weeks will be plenty, but 8 is better. For athleticism, I'm doing a fair bit of mobility work before and after weights and boxing.  I feel more agile and flexible. This Thoracic bridge flow is PHENOMENAL ! DO IT EVERY DAY and you will feel like a jaguar cross-bred with a ninja whose mother was half Parkour goddess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_aJXXGs6kg The body movement drills before boxing, in addition to stretching and basic calisthenics, are a lot of fun for the kids.  They aren't able to do the thoracic bridge flow, but they can do plank step-outs, down dog, monkey run, bear crawl, etc.  My elbow and shoulder pain has already diminished in a week of application. Heavy bag work is now my cardio, until I get better at jogging in the evenings. ...

I try and adopt a simple little mantra every year, in lieu of a set of resolutions.  Last year was the year of Self Discipline.  2015 is the year of Service Before Self.  I've been making it a habit to say yes to a request for help as often as possible.  The   cool thing is I've ended up in some situations that are way outside my comfort zone, but always a positive helpful experience.  The downside is I've been slacking on my physical development.  This week, is the first where I've reached a balance of coaching in the evenings and lifting on my own time where i can find the time. I'm starting off in a high rep range (12 - 15), and the weights are just sad.  The good news is that after 2 days, I feel invigorated and primed to start making progress.  I'm going to add 5 to 10 pounds, just every so often and make slow progress for as long as I can.  I want to temper my enthusiasm and eagerness for results.  If I go slower than my max...

Man, it is so good to have a group of regulars who walk in the door and ask "Are we running or jumping rope?"   They know the warm-up.  They know what will be expected of them, and they show up ready to push themselves. I do all the preliminary work with them: jog or rope, bodyweight / mobility drills, shadow boxing. When it is time to work heavy bag,  I do a lot less work and a lot more coaching. The thing I practice most during coaching is smiling.  Since I'm new to coaching kids, I'm probably saying what others have known for decades or generations, but its new to me. A kids will light up when a coach smiles and says "Great work! Just like that!" There is one heavy kid, and he works HARD!  At the end of every class he's smiling with pride in himself and fist bumps me and says "Thanks, Coach!" I can't even explain how I feel afterwards. Humbled, maybe? Awestruck? Overjoyed, certainly. The lesson I'm learning is the more I gi...

Thank God and our earth's tilted axis that it's getting warm again.  Its so great to get out and enjoy the sun. On Saturday morning I went to the gym and did: decline situps: 100 total bosu-ball situps: 100 total plank: 4 minutes total side planks: 2 minutes total per side Saturday afternoon I got to goof off outside and run around Lake Georgetown Sunday was church, then a 3 mile walk/jog with Simon.  Kodi is good for walks these days, but can't jog more than about a mile. My abs and calves are sore today, but just a little.  Enough to make me hungry for more!

I've lost track of how long I've been at the boxing gym.  The class sizes are picking up.  There are some really cool kids who are eager to soak up everything they can.  There are a handful of adults, too.  Its amazing.  I'm learning to see who wants the coaching, and who wants to just do their own thing.  Either is fine by me; I'm just here to help. I'm there 3-4 nights a week.  Every class runs about the same: cardio warm-up either a 2 mile run or 5 rounds of jump rope (3min / 1min) Some form of calisthenic circuit e.g. 4 x 10 each of Walking lunges / Pushups / medicine ball slams Some form of Ab circuit e.g. 3 x 20 each of crunch / flutter kicks / leg circles / side-to-side crunches Shadow boxing: 3 rounds Heavy bag: 6 rounds Mitts: 2-3 rounds This runs about an hour and a half.  Its freaking amazing!!!!!  The time flies by and I forget that I'm both coaching and training.  By the end of it, I'm covered in sweat and utter...

Great evening.  I got to coach two people and really focus on skills, while participating. Warm-up:  5 rounds of jump rope 3mins on / 30 seconds off.  TIRING!!! 3 rounds of shadow boxing, emphasis on footwork, body position, balance 5 rounds of mitt work 5 rounds of heavy bag. I snuck in a copuple rounds of kicking, just to dust off the Kajukenbo rust.

I got to coach a cool kid last night.   Freshman football player who wants to learn boxing.  We started from ground zero.  I love coaching!!! Warm-up: 3 rounds of: 20 situps 15 pushups 10 sprawls Stretched with Agile-8 3 rounds of footwork / movement drills in the ring 3 rounds basic jab/cross technique and combos 3 rounds hook technique and combos 2 rounds on the wrecking ball (round heavy bag that allows for uppercuts, shovel hooks, and all sorts of fun)

I was sick for over two weeks.  I tried to get eat well, stay hydrated, and let nature take its course, but it wasn't getting any better, so i went to the doctor last week and was prescribed antibiotics.  What a massive difference!!!!!  I'm going easy in the gym for three reasons: its been a month since I have lifted consistently I'm now training in the morning and have to get used to this I'm still taking antibiotics and not fully recovered That said, here is today shabby little day1 workout nice long warmup, including Agile-8, and Turkish  Getups with a 30# KB alternating box pistols: 14, 16 split squat: 85 x 10/10, 10/10 straight leg deadlift: 155 x 12, 12, 0 a. pushup: 10, 10, 10 b. TRX row: 25, 15, 17 a.  Arnold press: 25s x 12, 12 b. supine grip pulldown: 105 x 12,12 Just some movement with very little load to break off the rust and loosen up my joints. Boxing will be much more intense than this tonight.

I've been volunteering for the last month or so at a boxing gym in Round Rock.  Its run by a church and is targeted towards kids who need guidance and a way to stay out  of trouble.  The program doesn't officially launch till February, but there are already a few kids there.  I've been going just to get my skills sharp, practice my old coaching techniques, and just getting back into fighting shape. I'VE MISSED THIS!!!!!   I'd forgotten what it was like to train for fighting.  Whether boxing, MMA, wrestling, judo, jiujitsu, or any other full contact fighting sport, the deadly seriousness of training is like nothing else.  Sure I push hard in the gym, but working the heavy bag, or working mitts with a coach is in a realm of its own.  I was breathing so hard after 1 round of punching mitts that my already-sore throat went dry and I could hardly breathe.  I had to rest for a bit because I was on the verge of throwing up. I'll be doing this...

I took a 3 week break because of overtraining which led to a two-week flu.  I'm headed to the doctor on Tue 1/6/15 to see if I can get some antibiotics.  I'm pretty much over it, but the sinus / lung grossness is old already. My lifting session was pretty ppathetic, but it puts me on the board.  1 for 5; 360 to go. Alternating box pistols:  20, 16 Split squats: 75 x 10/10, 10/10 Straight leg deadlift: 135 x 12, 12 unilateral leg press calves:  180 x 10/10, 8/8, 8/8, 8/8 a: dips:  bw x 3, 3, 3 b. snatch grip high pull:  135 x 5, 5, 5 That's all.  Skipped the rest and went home.