The Poet and the Platform: Road to 2016 USAPL Nationals

Road To Nationals Update # 1

I made a promise to myself that I'd keep a log of my training.

However, when I really took the time to think about it, what I realized was that I didn't need to keep a log of my training at all...

Because that's the easy part, you know? If you really care... if you're any good at what you do... you already have a working log of you're progress because it's all you ever think about anyway, know what I mean?

Each week, I get an email from my coach that tells me what to do, and some people, once they get the programming, break out their notebooks or whatever it is they use to "Keep It Together," and they start going to work...

But I don't do anything like that. I just remember...

I'm at the point in my training now where I know what 80% feels like. I know what it's like to hit a heavy set of five. I know what it's like to hit a pause for 3 seconds at 50%...

I just know.

So as far as a "training log" is concerned... it's not something I worry about all that much.

But when I thought about documenting things during a long drive home from work the other day, what I realized was that it would probably be best for me to keep a log of where I'm at emotionally and spiritually and philosophically.

What I realized was that there was a lot more to this whole "Strength Sport" thing than just showing up and putting in the milage.

And after listening to a series of PodCasts, what I realized was that I needed to develop a series of healthy habits...

I'd learned that, regardless of who it was I was listening to or who it was that was being interviewed, the road to greatness, regardless of endeavor, was paved with healthy habit after healthy habit.

So maybe this is a log of health habits, spiritual or emotional or otherwise, and not really a Training Log with a Capital T.

I don't think I'll get around to updating this thing weekly, but I think hitting it monthly is definitely something I can handle (life's about tangible goals, people). As a result, what you can expect to find on here are a few training videos, a podcast recommendation and a recommended episode, and 3 songs that I listen to to help me settle into a specific headspace in an attempt to perform a certain task. You can also expect to find a few philosophical musings of what it takes to make this journey (or other ones... because writing a book and finding an agent has been just as brutal for me).

Welcome to The Road to the 2016 USAPL Nationals...

First:

I can honestly say that the time off from training has been pretty enjoyable. With that being said, most of that reason has a lot to do with the fact that it's allowed me to move away form my programming and fool around with a few benchmarks I'd been curious about for quite some time.

My "rest weeks" have resulted in a 265lb clean (10lb PR), which I completely forgot to record (so... maybe it never happened?).

After that, I remembered how much I missed Crossfitting, so I figured, why not film me hitting FRAN for the first time in 3+ years... (Wound up coming in about 15 seconds slower than my previous personal best).

Attention Keyboard Warriors and Trolls: There were definitely a few No Reps in there but... you know... I'm a powerlifter and I don't plan on going to The Games anytime soon.

Later in the week, I decided, well, why not see how many times I could bench 225. That's some sort of standard, right? (Note: The summer of 2014, I could only bench 225 for a really really ugly single...)

And recently, I decided, well, I like the idea of a 10 rep max, so why not give 275lbs a whirl in the front squat (The bar started to slide off of my delt on the last rep, but I think I know what it feels like to almost drown now...)

Ultimately, I'm excited to put all of this craziness to bed, to be honest, and I'm looking forward to my first program cycle. I should have it by Monday...

As far as PodCasts and interviews are concerned, if you don't know what London Real is, I suggest you look it up. Here's one of my favorites: Ido Portal is a hero of mine who is slowly becoming a philosophical Go-To when I need a bit of re-focusing (and if you ever want some REALLY interesting discussions about what it means to be human and what it means to move, he'll keep you entertained for hours...):