Greatness comes from the Choices you make when you are NOT 100%

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Hopefully this will be my log for 2020 finger crossed. Although I document all of my lifting in a notebook because… old school…. I am trying to document it electronically as well. I am pretty sure I will not be 100% on the electronic thing but it’s not like people are looking anyway:) . I decided I want to have a goal of attending and competing in a powerlifting competition before I die. So I am thinking either late this year or early next. I don’t know what life has in store for me and I figure I better get a bucket list item checked off before I get any older:) Oh and my being successful at the powerlifting meet in my mind will be doing well enough I get drug tested!! I don’t need to win, I just need to do well enough to pee in a cup:)

2019 was ummm eventful ya lets go with that :slight_smile: I stopped lifting, exercising and gained about 50 pounds, man I have no idea what y’all are talking about when you struggle gaining. Just ask me, I got all the tips, wanna be a gainer hang out with me. Crazy thing is, it was probably the easiest thing I have ever done in my life…hmmm… Kinda wish it wasn’t so easy and kinda wish I did not do it, I have always had to learn things the hard way I guess:p

I choose a word for the year, I wear a bracelet for the year reminding me of that word and it is on my phone homescreen as well… this year is more of a saying though, a good friend of mine bestowed this saying upon me and it just resonated with me which is the name of this log “Greatness comes from the choices you make when you are NOT 100%” I felt it was a great fit for me this year.

I began lifting again (had to start from zero… I’m crying inside about this) at the beginning of January, as well as I have started walking. I have plans to go to Ireland and Scotland this spring and if the Coronavirus gets under control, I am planning on spending a month in China this summer. There will be lots of walking in both places. Last summer I visited Quebec and I was in tremendous pain due to some knee issues and the amount of walking we did, that will not happen again, I will be prepared to walk many many many miles without pain (ok I may just will this to happen but whatever works). A friend of mine who is an exercise physiologist is writing my walking program for me, I feel like I am a pet project right now for him which is cool, my goal here would be to walk minimally 6 miles in one setting 3x per week in with no additional pain. For lifting programing I am using an old template that was created for me before, who knows what life will bring in this realm. For diet it’s slow going, got rid of sugar by making a rule that everytime I partook, I had to ride the bike for 40 min, also if I thought about it I would have to ride for 10 min just for thinking about it! To fully understand this you would have to understand how much I hate the bike, it hurts my knee, every single rotation, I am in pain, if that was not bad enough my ass hurts on it. There is no other exercise that I despise more than the bike due to the pain it causes. Of course I had to be the kid that touched the hot stove to learn and did partake in sugar once, my ass hurt for a week afterward!! Damn Skinner and his stupid operant conditioning. Anyway working on this:(

Age 47
Weight: Not a chance

I am in my 7th week of lifting after starting over, I was derailed for two weeks as I hurt my back and although I did my lifting, I was back down to the bar for a week and slowly made it back up so I am not as far as I was hoping but hey that is ok, it’s better than pushing it and being out much longer.

My 7th week: not working on RPE right now as I am just working on getting back in without killing myself and maintaining technique. Things are still on the easy side for my squat and deadlift at this point, it will get there just slower than rushing into an RPE of 8 or 9.

Day 1
Squat 4@135, 4@155, 4@170X3
OHP 4@70, 4@75, 4@80X3
Hip Thrust (I regret this, I just put these in this week in place of RDL’s which I hate I probably won’t do this in place again)
10@85, 10@95, 10@115 (went light on these because I was unsure of where I am, probably underestimated)

1 Like
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2-21-2020

Deadlift:
4@145
4@165
4@185 X3

2 ct pause bench
4@ 110
4@115
4@125 X3

3-0-3 leg press - sled is +118
10@140
10@180
10@230 X3

5 rounds on Jacob

2-20-2020

45 min on treadmill 2% incline mainly at 5.6 km / 3.5 mph speed, 4.14 km /2.57 mph
5 min rotation of bicep curls and skull crushers sets of 12 each rotating
5 min ab work

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23-2-2020

Great day so far!! Went out to breakfast with a friend and drank way too much coffee and just started drinking pre-workout again. I really wanted to spike my friends coffee with pre-workout so when she left and went to church she too could tingle all over, I would have paid money to watch her in church suddenly feel all tingly and praise’en the Lord for touchin’ her soul, hallelujah!

Super happy with my lifts today I am still not doing RPE in general because I am still working my way up I know it’s probably not best practice but I am finally enjoying lifting again which is such a relief for the first seven weeks of the year I begrudgingly traipsed into the gym hating every moment holding out thin hope I would once again enjoy, nay, look forward and enjoy the gym once again… I am getting there:)

Box Squat 2 count hold
4@145
4@165
4@180 X4

1 count Pause Bench
4@115
4@125
4@130 - I realized I needed to go higher on this set
4@135 X3 - This made me so happy and I absolutely had more in the tank!

OHP
10@45
10@50
10@55 - Next week I will finally go higher on this, I kinda hate these but a cool thing happened today, I could feel my muscles working in my back which was kinda cool first time this go around for that maybe I did something wrong but they were solid.

Hip Thrusts
10@135 X3

6 rounds with Jacob

22-2-2020

2 miles or 3.2 km on treadmill 34:43 min - this was a wee bit rough today pain increased but once done felt “normal” worked a long ass day so that could have contributed to pain, glad he only prescribed 3.2 km today

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25-2-2020

It’s been a great day, the most exciting news is there is a snow day tomorrow which is outstanding news for me, like a bonus day in the middle of the week! Second is I am pretty sure I saw Miracle Max at the gym…NO seriously this dude was a dead ringer for him! He would go from one cardio thing to the next in his little Jeans, he was kinda awesome.

Squat
4@155
4@175
4@190 X4 - this went up 20 pounds this week and felt good

OHP
4@70
4@75
4@80 X4

RDL’s - can we just talk about how much I hate these… sooooooooo much!! I do them light cause they suck!:sunglasses:
10@95
10@105
10@115 X4

6 rounds on Jacob

23-2-2020
Walked 47 min, 3.94km/2.45 miles - went a little slower than usual on this today which is fine, something is going on with my feet in which I am finding myself in pain on the outer bottom of my foot, and even at rest if I move it it hurts, it has been going on for a couple of weeks even changed shoes, so I slowed it down a little to not hurt quite as much. On a super awesome note, my knee is solid, which is amazing I feel like I am getting somewhere!!

Have an amazing day!!!

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27-2-2020
Deadlift (went up 25 on deadlift still went up easy and fast, I’m getting there!)
4@155
4@175
4@200 X4

Bench 2 ct pause (really happy with these!! For sure had another rep or two in the tank which was awesome)
4@120
4@125
4@130 X4

3-0-3 Leg press (press is and additional 118)
10@180
10@230
10@295 X4

42 min treadmill about 3.4 mph avg 3 incline 2.35

26-2-2020

45 min of all kinds of cardio stuff in my basement gym on a snow day:)

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3-1-2020
Oh, good news bad news for today I am so torn on how to feel right now. I have had a rollercoaster couple days when it comes to my fitness. First on Friday 2-28-2020 I went to a church fitness class that was put on by the wife of one of my former lifting buddies, I went because I wanted to support her because they are both amazing people and this is her very first class she is putting on for her business. I was so embarrassed to go because I have not seen either of them in a year and I am literally 50 pounds heavier the anxiety was real I was having a bit of a panic attack walking into this gym but knew I had to just get it over with or I would continue to avoid. I walked in and he came straight over and gave me the biggest hug and I wanted to cry, sometimes I think it is me not accepting me instead of others that know me. So that was good I got through it…bad I was on instagram with the rest of the class…UGH
I got on the scale and have gained three pounds this month. I have faithfully not had any thing with sugar in it for the last three weeks and no chips for the last two weeks and am at the gym 5-7 days a week and gained. I should know better as I am not one of those that can make small changes and get a good result. Macro tracking here I come crying. GOOD NEWS…I benched 140 x 4!!! It was just on a lark, I did my 4 sets of 135 and it felt so good I figured I would go for another set of 140 but did not have confidence I would get it and I did it 4 times, it was probably a RPE 9 if I was going for that… I was so happy!!

Box Squat 1"below parallel 2ct pause
4@155
4@175
4@190X4

1ct pause Bench
4@125
4@130
4@135 X4
4@140 - This was my fuck ya moment!!

OHP (this finally went up as well)
10@50
10@55
10@60

6 rounds on Jacob

29-2-2020
Treadmill 2.25 miles 37.42 min… although the incline was variable the incline was mostly 2% I am struggling with high inclines for long periods of time. My foot is going on its third week of pain, really not sure what is going on with that, it is not inhibiting me from walking but sure makes me not enjoy any type of walking very much…I figure if I ignore it long enough it won’t hurt anymore…lol

2-28-2020
This was the fitness church class thing that my buddies wife did, its every Friday for 6 weeks… 40 min of circuit training that is legit and 20 min of praying:)

Yicks!! Long update! Have a fantastic day!!!

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WOW!!! For some reason I am spent! I went into lifting with lots of energy ready to go and by the end it was a true grind and exhaustion after I got home and made dinner for the kids I laid on the couch with my son watching the primaries and literally fell asleep on him…OUT! Not even sure for how long and he is such a love he did not try to move…well except to get ice cream for himself because when you are 18 apparently ice cream, way way way more important than letting your parent pass out on you!

Most positive thing about the gym today as I started my buddies sister was in the rack next to me which was crazy as neither of us were at our home gym nor had either of us lifted at this gym before it was a crazy coincidence!! So amazing to see her and she made 3rd at nationals in November which was awesome!! It was amazing to see her and reconnect I gave her the biggest hug, she is one bad ass 17 year old woman… I expect to see great things in her future, she is a powerhouse, dedicated, kind and smart…no doubt she will go places in life.

3-3-2020

Squat
4@170
4@190
4@210 X2
4@205 X2 (reduced this because I did not know if I was making depth and that is more important to me right now)

OHP
4@70
4@75
4@80 X4

RDL
10@105
10@115
10@125 X4

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Strong bench! Really nice lifting!

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@codgerus_maximus Thank you!!! Although I am still working my way up on my squat and deadlift (both still have a ways to go to my highest on these lifts)… I am almost my highest I have ever done on my bench… I know I will surpass it soon, everything is going up so easily its crazy!! I love it!!

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3-6-2020

OMG…I saw the most interesting thing at the gym Friday… picture this! Ok so a dumbbell set up so onside is on the floor and the other side was up (like the direction the dumbbell is in for a hammer curl)…Ok got that visual? Now put a medicine ball on top of it ok so we have the dumbbell with a medicine ball on top, now jump on top of that and try to balance! Ok once that is feeling ok, take a small ball and throw it against that wall and catch it while balancing!! NOW that was new to me, I mean I am sure at this moment I could not do that and I could argue either way as to why one would even want to do that… but man it was super interesting to watch!

Deadlift
4@185
4@205
4@215X4 (still feeling good I could go up more on this next time, I have not wanted to jump too quickly on this as I am not a fan of being sore. Also still can’t fit into my belt, but getting there!)

Bench 2 count pause
4@125
4@130
4@135 X4 (Once again super happy about this lift I like at the 2 count pause which is almost 3 counts for me I am still at 135 and could easily increase this)

3-0-3 (plus 108 sled)
10@180
10@270
10@370X4

Also did my church fitness class… killed me! I was in with my powerlifting family and its funny these guys and women that are profoundly strong are dying with this circuit class, the volume is so much more than what we are used to even though the weight is light for us. my lower back was tight! Apparently so were some of theirs so I felt like I was in good company! Writing this two days later I am sore…hahahaha… not from lifting but from this damn class…hahaha… I really hate being sore people!! I have done such a good job and slowly moving up the weights in this program so that I don’t get sore and this damn church fitness class gets me!! UGH…hahahaha… props to church fitness I guess:)

11

3-8-2020

Box Squat
4@160
4@180
4@200X4

1 ct Pause Bench
4@130
4@135
4@140X4

OHP
10@50
10@55
10@60X4

I was thinking about my next cycle and I know I will be doing RDL’s on Sunday’s once this cycle is over and I started doing them. Not because I wanted to, but because I was not thinking… thank goodness only one set was done…RDL’s sucki:) I was super happy with my bench again, it was solid. Oh man spotters are a trip sometimes, I am always grateful for anyone willing to spot me and give me a lift off. I asked this woman that has bigger arms, more muscular back and chest than most men I know, huge people huge oh and super sweet, anyway she was so close to me when spotting her vagina was right up in my face…Seriously in my face… that’s ok, got a good story out of it:)

12

Ok wow it’s been awhile since I shared my last log. I did miss a couple days due to some unforeseen circumstances however I am sharing now everytime I went to get on here to record it, it just felt overwhelming and I was like naw.

15-3-2020
Box Squat
4@160
4@180
4@200X4

1 ct hold Bench
4@130
4@135
4@140

OHP
10@50
10@55
10@60X4

3-18-2020

Squat
4@165
4@185
4@200X4 (why my squat is identical to my box squat I will never know. Box squats are just so much better!! The regular squat scares me a little.

OHP
4@70
4@75
4@80

close grip Bench
10@75
10@85
10@95 X4 (I underestimated this a little)

3-21-2020

Deadlift
4@185
4@205
4@215X4

Bench 1ct pause
4@120
4@135
4@140 X4

3-0-3 Squat
10@45
10@55
10@65 X4

Ok not sure what happened on this 3-0-3 squat however i was in terrible pain after my lifting like an 8 kind of pain it hurt really bad but the next day my knee was solid so not sure what happened.

3-23-2020

Touch and go Bench
4@135
4@140
4@145 X4 (this is 100% my all time best bench I have ever done. I have never trained or tried to do a one rep max so this is literally the most I have ever benched before I was super happy about this)

Box Squat 2 ct hold
4@185X4
4@205X4
4@215X4

13

3-24-20200
2.57 mile walk

3-25-2020

Squat
4@185
4@205
4@225

OHP
3@80
3@85
3@95 ( I think this might be a PR)

Close grip bench
7@85
7@100
7@110

2 mile walk

3-26-2020
3.6 mile walk

3-27-2020
4.0 mile walk

3-28-2020

Deadlift
4@205
4@225
4@245

Bench 1 ct pause
3@135
3@140
3@145
Ok so this one was just to see if I could 3@150 touch and go bench!! I was so excited about this!!! This is 100% a PR and it was Clean!

3-0-3
7@95
7@105
7@115
I absolutely should have gone heavier here

7 rounds with Matilda
(Matilda= my car… pushed my car for 20 seconds off for 120 seconds). Super fun and my whole body was burning at the end which was awesome)
Fun fact (at least according to google) Matilda means Mighty Battle Maiden which is of course why she is named Matilda:)

14

Nice work…car pushes are fun. I used to do that with my youngest.

15

7 rounds with Matilda
(Matilda= my car… pushed my car for 20 seconds off for 120 seconds). Super fun and my whole body was burning at the end which was awesome)
What a workout! Did you take the car to some quiet parking lot to do it?

16

@gymdad150 @codgerus_maximus

Hey guys:). I love your support thank you!! Gymdad… Yep I had my son help me as well, I pushed and he made sure the car did not hurt anything:). It was funny he tried it one time as well and he was amazed at how difficult it was because in the parking lot we went to there was a slight hill that was a killer! He was complaining that his mom was stronger than him…lol… I told him it would take him a short time to easily surpass me in strength.

Codgerus… YEP it was awesome… Jordan suggested it from a question I asked… have to admit I would have never thought of it myself but wow what a great suggestion it is what I will be doing for HITT until I can get back to the gym and do the Jacobs Ladder. We went to a park by my house and had plenty of room in the lot there which was cool! Great thing is I can even feel it in my abs today which is always fun!