Strength++

Hey everyone, sorry for the gap between posts (again!). I did end up getting a cold after my last post, but thankfully it was short and easy (3 days) and I was back in the gym by the next week. My weight-loss has pretty much stalled since then, with no real movement in either direction on the scale. I've indulged too much in food and drink, and now I'm reining it in once again. I know what I have to do, and I'm doing it.

My training is still going pretty well. I took a weightlifting seminar this past Sunday with Sean Waxman from Waxman's Gym which was pretty enlightening for me. My starting position on the first and second pulls of both my snatch and clean and jerk was off, and we got it corrected, for the most part. I just have to drill the movements to ingrain them in my muscle memory.

Last week I hit another PR, this time in the clean and jerk. I nailed 235 pounds, which is 5 pounds more than I did a few weeks ago. I tried 240 but I just couldn't get under it fast enough. I feel that I'm nearing the limits of my strength in the clean, unfortunately. My best front squat is 255 pounds, which is pretty darn close to where my clean is at. I have a similar problem with the snatch, although not quite as close percentage-wise (max overhead squat being 195, best snatch is 175). I've also lost some strength on my back squat and deadlift due to not programming them into my workouts for the past few months. So I'm retooling my program a bit to incorporate more strength work (squats, deadlifts, presses) as well as both heavy and light Oly work (it's based on this template, if anyone's interested). I just started yesterday, so we'll see how it goes.

One of the other trainers at my gym has also been looking to compete in weightlifting, and she found a local meet in March. I wasn't planning to compete this early, as I wanted to cut weight first, but I've decided to take on the challenge. I figure it'll give me some exposure to the dynamics of a real meet, with all the rules, judging, commands, etc. I have to compete at 94kg, but that's fine, since I'm never going to be an elite-level weightlifter in any weight class.

That being said I'm not giving up on my goal of cutting down to the lighter weight class. Just not for my first meet. I bought a singlet which should be good for both weight classes (it's made for men between 185 and 225) so no worries there. Just gotta stop eating so damn much :-)

A little sick, but a little leaner too

Today's Weigh-In: 208

Average: 206.7

Sorry for the delay between posts. The past week hasn't been quite as good as the few before, due to a few reasons. Last week I started having a lot of aches and soreness all over my body, and even doing lots of mobility work and icing didn't really help. I seem to be okay now, but it kept me out of the gym for most of last week. And today I started coming down with a cold, so I'm not feeling too hot. I'm thinking that I've probably just been fighting the cold off, and that's what caused my body to break down, but I dunno. I'm hoping it's just something minor that will go away quickly.

While my weight is still higher than I would like my body-fat is down quite a bit. I've noticed more definition in my shoulders and arms, and others have commented as well. Also, my pants are tighter in the thighs and looser in the waist. I took a body-fat measurement yesterday and it showed me at 17.5%, down from 19% about a month ago. So it seems that all the heavy lifting I've been doing has caused me to gain muscle mass, even though I've been in a calorie deficit. It's counter to most "broscience", but it is what it is. If I have to compete at a higher weight class due to simply being too muscular to cut any more weight, that's simply what I'll do.

Diet compliance has still been great. I'm not having any difficulties with this at all, to be honest. I'm not really craving anything bad, except maybe beer, but I just wait until the weekend and have my cheat day. Simple, easy, and seems to be working well for now.

Hopefully I can get back in the gym within a few days and start lifting again. I don't want to lose too much ground.

Going strong

Today's Weigh-In: 206.2

Well, I didn't quite make the goal of 205 for February 1st like I had hoped, but I'm still moving in the right direction. My weight is fluctuating depending on the day of the week, since I'm doing weekly high-carb cheat days on Saturdays. So I'm probably going to make my "official" weigh-ins on Fridays, when my weight should be at its lowest for the week, and then just kind of ignore the fluctuations on the other days.

Still going strong in the training realm. I haven't missed any scheduled sessions, although I have had to move some of the conditioning workouts around due to time constraints. I'm also doing more mobility work to make sure I keep all my muscles, joints, and ligaments nice and limber to prevent injury, especially since I'm moving some pretty heavy (for me) weights on an almost daily basis. My body is holding up pretty well, especially considering the fact that I'm in a caloric deficit. The only problem I'm having is with my back and shoulders being tight, and that's due to my busted bed. Once I get my tax refund it's time to replace that piece of crap.

Diet's also been spot on, save for the planned Saturday shenanigans, where many beers were consumed and pizza eaten. It's nice to have a day where you don't have to worry about diet.

Off to the gym now for some more lifting and some conditioning. I hope everyone else is doing just as well as me.