Road to Nationals Week #6 and the person you want to become...

You are defined by the people with whom you surround yourself.

I remember hearing that when I was younger and thinking that I completely understood what it meant. Back then, when I was young and stupid (I'm still stupid...), I just figured, well, the person telling me this information is working to make sure that I know if I surround myself with troublemakers, I may find myself in some trouble. "You are the company you keep."

... that sort of thing.

However, for some reason, it never occurred to me that this advice could work the other way.  Not once did I ever think about it. I never thought about how if I wanted to be a better person I should spend time with people who had the potential to make me better...

... and how that sort of thing, that pendulum, especially with social media, swings farther today in both directions more now than it ever had.

I'm not here to preach to you about making wise choices, but I do want to remind you (the four of you reading this), that the person you want to become is only a few conversations away. The journey is right around the corner. There are people waiting... begging, even, for you to buy your ticket; you just have to make the decision.

Now, keep in mind, again, that this thing works both ways. You're going to have to cut ties with some folks. It's just the nature of the game...

... and it's NOT because they are bad people, you dig?

There's a good chance that they are GREAT people...

... but if they can't sail a ship, or if they're afraid of the water, then you need to make a decision before you pull anchor.

Listen... Brian Rose of London Real, Ryan Adams, Joe Rogan, Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training, the guys from Barbell Shrugged, Bill Burr, the folk/punk singer Frank Turner, none of them know who I am (except Frank, sort of). I get that. But they're a part of my tribe, whether they like it or not, because aside from being wickedly entertaining, they're chock full of information that is of great importance to me; because of that, I can find pieces of who I am in parts of who they are.

Conversely, though, understand that not all of it has to be that far-reaching. There are far too many to name (they know who they are because I make it a point to remind them), but there are people in my life who are friends not because they're just people I enjoy being around. They're too damn BIG for that (and when I say BIG, I don't mean that they are large humans. I mean that they are complete beings - wholesome and wonderful and everything I aspire to be). They're my friends because they light a fire inside of me... they're my friends because they are people I want to one day become. They're warrior poets... and if it wasn't for them, I would have been stranded on some beach somewhere some long time ago... drinking Captain Morgans and eating cold pizza (Time and place, folks. Time and place).

Moreover, most Friday nights, I find myself standing in the gym or sitting in front of a note pad and thinking about how insanely lucky I am. I'm lucky to have found the idols I look up to. I'm lucky to have those amazing warrior poets in my life. And I'm even luckier to have such a supportive family and local friends and the single greatest group of lifting-goons a guy could ask for (I would lay in traffic for all of them).

And when I hear about what there is "to do" on a Friday night, I think about how maybe five years ago I'd feel bad about not going out. Now, however, I feel bad for not doing what I love with people I enjoy being around. It's a crazy, uplifting feeling...

At the end of the day, you have a damn good opportunity to build the world you want to live in...

Anywho...

Onto the programming:

No video for you guys (I forgot this week).

With that being said, I'm finally feeling pain-free (and more mobile, to be honest), and I was able to squat 335 for a set of 4 without any pain and without a belt. Hopefully, as my programming opens up next week, I can hit 340 or 345 for a set of 5 without a belt, and then 365 for a set of 4 with the belt later on in the week.

My deadlifts have been feeling quite nice, and where I struggled with a pull of 445 with a belt last week, this week's 445 for 4 came pretty easily.

I'm most happy with my bench progress this week, as I managed 255 for a set of 4. If I can hit 260 next week for a set of 5 (something that I think I'm up for), that means that I'll have benched my competition PR for 5... so if I don't hit 275 at the meet in January (by the way, I signed up for a meet in North Jersey on January 24), I'll be pretty pissed.

The goal is to qualify for nationals with a 1200lb total, so if I can squat 425, bench 275, and pull 500, I'll be right where I want to be. Anything after that will just be a bonus.

And to think, there was a time when I thought I'd never total over 1000lbs. Who knew? Not bad for a high school cross country runner, huh?

I hope this message finds you well.

All best,
C