Road to Nationals - Week 19 and Week 20: All Aboard The Struggle Bus

This is what failure looks like... wait for it:

The worst part about this lift is that most people can't see what's really wrong with it, and a lot of it has to do with glute activation (an inconvenient truth I was, at first, reluctant to admit). All in all, the first rep looks pretty damn good. It's at 405, which is 80% of my 1RM. The goal was to pull all 5 reps without a belt...

That didn't happen. Here are the final 2 reps of the 2nd set:

They both felt really good in teh second video, but I'm sure you're seeing what I'm seeing. The back rounds slightly (or at least it appears to because of the belt).

I've always felt this way: I'm good for a single pull off of the floor. Because I struggle with glute activation, I tend to use a lot of lower back. With a belt for a single pull, I'm still pretty good for big numbers (if I can hit 525 by June, I'll be happy). However, put 455 on the bar and ask me to pull it for 3 and we're going to have a problem.

I finished the first week of the second phase of my 10 week squat cycle, and I'm pretty happy with where things are going. Thanks to a crap ton of T-Spine mobility work, my low-bar squatting has been feeling great (I was worried when I first started).

In other news, these exist:

Here's to another week-long struggle. Looking forward to what's ahead. 30 weeks out from Nationals in Atlanta, and I'm looking to total 1300# by the time it's all said and done. Let's rock and roll.

Be well,
C

Road to Nationals - Week 17 and 18: What it takes to be a journeyman

... as per ole' faithful, Wikipedia:

"A journeyman is an individual who has completed an apprenticeship and is fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman has to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master."

I've been searching for the right words to define this experience, and it was only recently that I stumbled upon something that resonated with me.

Last night, a buddy of mine smoked a personal best in the clean and jerk. For those who have taken up weightlifting as a hobby or serious sport, the quest for 315 (the sacred 3 plates), is an elusive one.

Josh is a hero of mine.

And as a tradesman by day, I couldn't help but think of how much I liked the idea of being a journeyman. It's a good one.

We're all on that journey. And when I think about that "education in a trade or craft," I can't help but think that many of us, especially the savages I train with week to week, are very much so in the thick of that sacred conquest for medals and records and glory. We're all Journeymen.

Here's the video (It's a thing of beauty.).

Journey Notes: 

I just finished up week 3 of my new program. It's looking week 4 is going to be pretty miserable; lots of 4x4 work at about 80%. My coach's notes say RPE should be somewhere around 8/9. I'm excited to see how, exactly, my body responds to low-bar squatting at 80%. So far, it's felt pretty good. Moreover, it's been beltless, and I'm planning on hitting this 80% beltless, too.

The following week is looking like a de-load week, and then I'm back on another 4 weeks to finish off this squat cycle.

Then, I've got a 10-week bench cycle. That cycle should run me right into my meet on June 5th. After that, I'll be hitting a 10-week deadlift cycle, and that should put me 2 months out from Nationals in Atlanta.

Established goals (subject to only get more aggressive):

National Total: 1300 (should place me top 10)

Squat: 450
Deadlift: 535
Bench: 315

That's all I got for you, folks. Follow Josh on Instagram HERE.

Be well,
C