When it Rains it Pours...[Big Update + Training Videos]

Flashback to last semester around this time (i.e. Finals Time): 

• I was ~10 lbs over competition weight and struggling to diet down in time for the Arnold
• Training all of a sudden went down the toilet-- I didn't want to train/ wasn't enjoying it
• Everything was hurting/aching (which had never happened before). I was sore everywhere, and could tell I wasn't recovering properly.
• I felt fatigued all the time, and my TRAC (what we use to monitor my recovery) was consistently indicating that my recovery rate was way worse than usual

Bring it Back to present Day (Finals Time):

• Right at Competition weight, and eating more than I ever have been
• Lifts feel great, nothing is hurting, and numbers are on the rise
• Training is the highlight of my day again, and I look forward to it at the beginning of every day
• TRAC indicates I'm recovering as I should be, and on some days better than expected

So... what changed? Why the dramatic difference?

It's hard to say or pinpoint exactly what to attribute this drastic turn around to-- but I have a few things I think at least contributed to this upswing:

Ego Check

2014 was a big year in Powerlifting for me:

1. I won a World Championship at IPF Raw Worlds.
2. I won a National Championship at my last USAPL Nationals as a Junior
3. I took 2nd in the Open Class to the number one 72kg lifter (and close friend/mentor) Kim Walford.

I didn't realize it...but after this huge "High", there was an associated "Come Down". I was no longer going to be competing as a Junior in National and World competitions, and I was essentially "starting from the bottom" again-- and that was a bit of a shock to the system. I don't think I realized what kind of a mental shift this change was going to require; nor did I realize that it was even something that was affecting me/was going to have an affect. I don't consider myself to have much of an ego when it comes to my lifting, but since I had started powerlifting-- I hadn't "lost". I won my first meet at Collegiate Nationals, I won the Junior Class in the following 2 Raw nationals, and I won at IPF Worlds.

I didn't know how to deal with loss, or not being at the top of the competition-- and the fact that this was now a real potential, and that I was going to have to fight tooth and nail for a spot on that podium became a point of anxiety. Again, I don't think I really realized how all of this was affecting me-- but after a less than ideal performance at the Arnold, and some introspection I realized that the fear of "losing" had become a stressor to the point that it was affecting my mentality and training.

While I'm not advocating for the mentality of "being ok with losing"-- I do believe that there shouldn't be a "fear" of losing either. I've always been committed to working hard, but for a long time I was far enough ahead of my competition that I didn't necessarily think about the possibility of working hard and it not resulting in "winning". In this way-- experiencing a "less than ideal" performance at the Arnold, was sort of a blessing... It happened-- and I'm ok. My world didn't fall apart, I took the lessons learned, and moved on. I'm no longer "scared" of losing, I'm just focused on doing everything I can to Win.

Rediscovering Why I started Powerlifting

As mentioned in a previous post-- I got to go back to my Alma Mater (Texas A&M) in College Station to watch two of my former teammates get married. I got to reconnect with almost everyone that was there to introduce me to Powerlifting when I first joined the A&M PL team. Reconnecting with them, and then getting to see the new team practice-- remembering the love we had for each other as a team, and the sport-- it reminded me what it was like when I was a "newb". I wasn't thinking about titles, or records, or rankings, or anything like that-- I was just excited every day to get into the gym to get stronger and help my teammates get stronger. The trip back definitely played a role in helping me re-focus, and remember why I start competing in the first place: love of the sport.

Prioritizing recovery

This is something I've continually been trying to work on-- and it's been paying off. Consistently committing 15-20 minutes of my day to some sort of mobility or recovery work, for the past couple of months has had a huge impact on my ability to recover from training, and on my lifting. It's a lot easier to enjoy training when nothing's hurting. Additionally, once I got into the habit of committing some time to mobility/recovery work-- I've found that I don't have to do as much to "maintain"/ keep things working well.

Trusting my Nutrition Coach

It's amazing the kinds of results you'll get when you just follow instructions as given. Last semester whether it was due to stress, school, or just lack of mental fortitude-- I wasn't being a strict with my macros as I should've been. I wanted more food, and I wanted to be able to have it right then. This semester-- I've been following my macros as given, as strictly as possible, and as a result my weight is down and my food intake has actually gone up. Seems simple enough: follow instructions, trust the process. But sometimes lessons have to be learned the hard way in order for them to "stick". Luckily, I've got an amazing nutrition coach who focused on moving forward and remaining positive-- rather than making me feel worse than I already did.

Now.... onto the training.

I'm 8 days out from the USAPL CT Spring Classic. The purpose of this meet is:

1) Fun-- lots of my friends will be there competing, spectating, judging, etc. and I will have just ended Finals/ the Semester so this is my way of celebrating (trying to take my own advice from above, in re; ENJOYING POWERLIFTING)

2) Practice-- After the Arnold I decided I needed more practice on the platform to get into the habit of "executing lifts" under meet conditions. This was a meet that I knew would be well run (the Meet Director Ryan Gleason is always on his game), and it was close to me, so I took the opportunity.

Because this isn't a major meet (i.e. Nationals, Worlds, the Arnold)-- we aren't "peaking" as we normally would/at all really. This is just like a heavy test day in the gym, it'll just be in front of judges giving me commands.

Also-- got a brand new Texas Power Bar ordered from EliteFTS. The bar is everything I hope it would be. Best part: Fresh knurling. Worst Part: Fresh Knurling. Squatting 3 x a week with a fresh new bar = some serious bar bites!

DL w/belt: 375x3

[youtube= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zNmuxAdAGk]

2ct Pause Bench: 175x2

[youtube= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVvaupFFlFk]

No Belt Squat: 275x4

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3i0iMfDjBk]