Guess Who's Back

Today's Weigh-In: 216.4

I think it's time I came back to the blogging world. As I mentioned in my last post these past few months have been focused on improving my strength and power, and I've done a pretty good job of that. I hit a few of my goals (310# front squat, 255# clean), got closer to a couple (375# back squat a few weeks ago, still making good progress using Wendler 5-3-1), and have a few I still need to test (haven't snatched in a while). My deadlift hasn't really gone anywhere, but to be honest I haven't been training it very much. I can still do multiple muscle-ups, I'm more muscular, and my general levels of conditioning are solid. All-in-all a good few months of progress.

There's only one problem: I'm fatter than I would like to be. I'm not fat fat, still wearing 36s and medium/large shirts, but I'm feeling the need to drop some significant bodyfat and really get jacked. I was 225 at the beginning of January so I've already made some progress, but I find that I really need to get my thoughts and issues out into the world (i.e. this blog) to continue making progress and staying motivated. I'm also finding that some of my old demons (sugar, fast food, and general BS cravings) have come back to haunt me.

I've got a couple of goals on the horizon:

• I have a bet with a buddy that I would rock a 6-pack by May 1st. 
• I have a 30-day Paleo challenge coming up at the gym where I'll have an opportunity to get my bodyfat percentage tested before and after, and if I'm going to spend the money to do that I really want to make some significant progress in that time. 
• I want to get back into doing the Crossfit group classes instead of doing all my workouts on my own. We're implementing our own programming at the gym now (instead of going off crossfit.com WODs) and we're doing Wendler 5-3-1 for strength along with short, intense conditioning workouts, and this fits perfectly with what I need. Also I just can't push myself as hard alone as I can when I hit it with others. And it's so much more fun, too. My goal is 5 days a week in the gym, 4 days doing the group class and one day for Olympic lifting.

I've updated the sidebar with my weight goals and dates. I also want to take the time to enumerate where I am strong and where I need work, and focus specifically on improving on the weaknesses.

Strengths

• I already shop and cook for myself every week and most evenings
• I'm fairly consistent in terms of hitting the gym
• I'm the strongest I've ever been right now, so my work capacity is pretty high.

Weaknesses

• Sugar cravings
• Fast food cravings (something about salty, greasy, crispy things that drives me nuts)
• Not as consistent in the gym as I would like to be (e.g. when my schedule gets weird I usually just skip the gym instead of going at a different time)
• It's very easy for me to gain weight - looking at the time between October 2011 and now (4 months) I went from 201 to 225 and now back down to 216. And I wasn't trying to gain weight, that was just regular ad-libitum eating. I really will need to rein it in and focus on eating only my allotted calories. I had hoped I could get away from calorie counting but I guess I'm just not the kind of person for whom that works well.

I think once the Paleo challenge gets going that'll take care of the cravings for the most part (after the first week, of course) and doing the group classes will help me get more motivated to be fully consistent in the gym and give 100% effort. I just need to track what I put in my face hole better and it should be smooth sailing.

I think I'm gonna take some pics soon and put them up here for comparison and accountability. If I'm going to have any chance of hitting my goal of having at least some abs by May 1st I'm going to need to cut down to less than 200 pounds, 190-195 realistically. It's a stretch, for sure, but I'd rather do this thing quick rather than drag it out. First goal is sub-210 by March 1st. Let's do this!

New goals and direction for the next few months

I know I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that.

I've come to the realization that I'm pretty happy with my health and body fat levels, so I'm not really trying to lose weight right now. I've been doing my own program for a little over a month and I'm continuing to get stronger, which is really my focus right now. At the Powerlifting cert I mentioned in the last post I hit a personal record of 445 lbs. on the deadlift, and did a 355 lb. box squat (having box squatted a grand total of maybe 3 times in my life). Two days ago I power snatched 175 lbs. which matches my squat snatch PR. I recently power cleaned 235 lbs., which matches my squat clean from my weightlifting meet back in March (just in case you aren't aware, most people trained in the Olympic lifts can squat clean/snatch more than they can power clean/snatch, so it means I'm getting stronger).  I've hit 11 dead-hang chin-ups (and did 6 with 25 lbs. added weight), front squatted 230 for 8 reps, and am increasing my bench press every week (just did 225 for 8 reps). I've got incredible momentum right now, so I'm going to take at least the rest of the year to work on continuing to get stronger and more explosive.

That's not to say I'm not watching what I eat. I've been doing daily fasts until about noon or 1:00, eating low carb until my workout, and then eating a higher carb dinner with tons of protein. My bodyweight has increased to about 210, but I'm still on my fourth belt loop while the legs of my pants are feeling tighter, which tells me I'm gaining size but not fat. I can still perform muscle-ups, and as long as I can continue to increase my chin-ups/pull-ups (and not my pants size) I'm not really going to worry about raw bodyweight.

I figure I'll keep going in this vein until I stall out, then maybe cycle into a 4-6 week cutting cycle before next summer. I definitely wouldn't mind being more muscular come summertime. I'm also considering trying a powerlifting meet or two next year just to get a feel for that sport. My goals right now?

• Front squat 300 lbs. by 12/1/11 (current PR 290)
• Back squat 400 lbs. by 3/1/12 (current PR 355)
• Deadlift 500 lbs. by 3/1/12 (current PR 445)
• Bench press 300 lbs. by 3/1/12 (current PR 265, almost a year ago)
• Clean & jerk 250 lbs. by 1/1/12 (current PR 245)
• Power snatch 185 by 1/1/12 (current PR 175)

I think these are all very doable, especially the front squat and clean & jerk. If I can hit those numbers for the back squat, bench, and deadlift in a powerlifting meet I would total a pretty respectable 1200, only 79 pounds short of a Class I ranking (third highest classification in raw powerlifting, check this chart for details) in the 220 lb. weight class, and 9 pounds shy in the 198 lb. weight class if I decided to cut weight (which is probably doable).

I'm also staying on top of my conditioning workouts, doing sprints (rowing and running) and shorter Crossfit-style circuits twice a week each. I don't want to be one of those dudes who is crazy strong but gets winded walking up a flight of stairs. My goals are always to be as strong as possible while maintaining a very high level of overall fitness.

It's been 4 years since I started this blog. When I started the only goal was to lose weight and get healthy. I had no idea how far my journey into physical fitness would take me. So here's to another year of continued improvement and health!

Small setback in fat loss, but good gains in fitness

Today's Weigh-In: 206
Weighted Moving Average: 205.3

So I've gained back about a pound and a half, looking at my averages from the beginning of this month. Not what I wanted at all, and not what I planned.  On the bright side at least I have been keeping good track of this data and can now look at it and use it to stop myself before I get back into that old cycle. I want to keep losing fat, I want to get lean and jacked! I want to increase my strength-to-weight ratio, and be able to do 20 deadhang chin-ups. But that's not going to happen unless I bear down and do the work. My main issue is just eating too much, overall. Quality is 90% good, but willpower is weak during the early mornings and later in the evenings, and I tend to want to snack on nuts and stuff, which is probably what's putting me over my caloric requirements. I think I'll knock that off now.

My new training program is going pretty well. I'm on my second week, and while I've had to make some concessions due to time and other conflicts I've been pretty darn consistent. I got 4 workouts last week and 3 so far this week, with another one planned for tonight, *and* I'm attending the Crossfit Powerlifting Certification this weekend at my gym, Crossfit 714 so I'm sure I'll be lifting weights all weekend. I got the chance to attend the cert at the last minute (noticing a pattern here?) so it forces me to adjust my training schedule, but that's okay because I know it'll be super informative, and maybe I can apply some of the Westside Conjugate method principles to my own training as well as programming for our clients.

I've come to the realization that my right shoulder still isn't 100%, and I really can't snatch or overhead squat heavy right now. I will need to add in more mobility and rehab work to get it stronger, but in the meantime I'm going to stick to power snatches and heavy front squats, with some pressing to keep strengthening everything. Last week I got a PR power snatch of 165 (only 10 pounds below my max squat snatch), and this week I set a PR of 10 deadhang bodyweight chin-ups. It's only a 1-rep PR, but I'll take it!

If anyone is interested in the program I've created just drop me a line in the comments and I'll make it available.

A little experiment

Today's Weigh-In: 201.8
Moving Average: 203.6

Still making good progress. Still sticking to mostly Paleo foods. Had a bit of fast food over the weekend and definitely regretted it, and got right back on the wagon on Monday. I'm really hoping to get under 200 by the end of October, and I think it's doable, if I can avoid all the candy that's sure to magically appear everywhere.

I'm beginning a new 8-week training program on Monday. I went ahead and programmed 5 workouts a week for 8 weeks, targeting my weaknesses and continuing to build my strengths. It consists of sprinting, Oly-lifting, powerlifting, conditioning sessions, and a little bit of endurance work, in the form of either bike rides or intervals (rowing or running). I put a lot of work into it, and I'm hoping it will be a success. I'm also using this as an experiment in programming Crossfit-style strength and conditioning workouts over a long period of time, as I would like to apply some of this to my role as Crossfit coach. Our gym currently does workouts from Crossfit.com with an added strength program, which is okay, but I think we could be doing a lot better for our athletes by programming everything in-house. I'm brand new to this, so I'm going to use myself as the guinea pig. Hopefully I'll learn a lot about what works, what doesn't, how to manage volume, how much periodization to include, etc. Should be fun! I'll keep you posted as to the workouts themselves and how everything goes as I move through the next 2 months.

Update on USAW cert and general diet progress

Today's Weigh-In: 204.2
Weighted Moving Average: 204.8

After a bit of a (planned) hiccup over the weekend I'm back on track. My friends are having a baby, and they threw a baby shower/big ass party on Saturday, where I had quite a few adult beverages and some off-the-reservation foods. But I did a fair job at keeping the damage contained to that day, and after a bit of stomach/digestive issues over the subsequent two days I'm totally back to being clean. I just really love the way I feel when I eat strict and sleep well, and I hate the way I feel when I don't. So that helps a lot with staying on the straight and narrow.

I got another comment from a coworker on how much weight I've lost (this is someone I only see every few months, so it's probably easier for her to notice). She even took the time to ask me what I am doing, and seemed genuinely interested in my answer (which was basically "avoid grains and vegetable oil, eat meat, veggies, fruit, and coconut"), which makes me feel good. I am fully convinced that this is the way to eat for life, and it makes me feel good to share this information with others who might benefit from it.

I just realized I've never really shared some of my favorite Paleo/Primal/Ancestral eating sites and resources; I've added a resources section to the side of the blog to remedy this failure to share this valuable information. Take the time to check them out and get your life on track.

Ooh, I just got an email from USA Weightlifting: I passed the certification test! I'm now officially a USAW Certified Sports Performance Coach! I wasn't too sure if I passed the test, because it was hard. I studied the materials pretty in-depth, and I'm fairly well-versed on technique, but it was still really tough. That's a relief, though; you have to pay to re-take the test online, and I really didn't want the added expense. I'm feeling very happy right now!

Feeling confident

Weigh-In: 204.2
Average: 205.5

Had a great time at the USAW Level 1 certification this weekend. I learned a ton about performing and coaching the Olympic lifts, as well as program design and assistance movements. Once my shoulder is back to 100% and I fix some of the mobility issues I've been having I would really like to do a 12-week weightlifting cycle, ending in another competition. I would also like to compete in the 85kg weight class this time, instead of 94kg like last time.

I'm making good progress on the weight-loss front. I have had a couple of cheats (a couple beers one day, some corn tortillas another) but in general I've been really strict, even on the weekends. I've managed to completely avoid wheat which is something I plan to continue as strictly as possible forever. My digestion is so much better without it, and I think cutting it out is what has led to me losing much of the chub from around my waist (see the new book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis for more info).

I'm now comfortably using the 4th hole in my belt after being stuck on the 3rd (and even the 2nd, at times) for a few years. I think this time I've finally managed to get fully back on track to reach my goals. I know I'm still a ways away, but I feel pretty confident now that I have the ability and drive to get there. It's a good feeling.

Leveling up my knowledge

This weekend I'm going to be attending the USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach Level 1 Certification being held at our gym. I wasn't planning on it, but one of the owners of the gym can't make it, so the opportunity falls to me. This is an awesome opportunity, as I've been teaching the Olympic lifts as part of our beginner's intro course, and also when I help out with the classes, and to be honest I probably enjoy that aspect of coaching the most. There's just so much to learn in the O-lifts, it never gets boring, but it does require me to continue to stretch my limits as a coach and increase my knowledge about the technical aspects of these lifts. I've attended a couple of seminars put on by local Oly coaches, but this is the first real USAW class and cert for me. I've thought about starting a weightlifting club at Crossfit 714 at some point in the future, and USAW requires certification to do that, so this is a good step in that direction, should I choose to go down that road.

While this is an awesome thing, it's going to make it tough to find the time to cook my meals for the upcoming week, but I'm going to do my best to make the time, even if I can only do a couple of slow-cooker recipes. I'm really making good progress with regards to my body-fat, strength, and performance, so I need to be on top of my nutrition to keep the ball rolling.

I've actually gotten 3 remarks in the past few days with people saying I'm looking lean, or more buff, and one lady I've never spoken to before started talking to me about healthy eating and that she could tell I was into that. It's a really great motivator when others comment on your progress, and I'm hoping that'll help keep me on track mentally to reach my goals.

Training has been good this week. I hit new personal records in the power clean (230# for 1 rep, 5# PR) and front squat (290# for 1 rep, 15# PR). I completed Murph as prescribed on Tuesday (took just under an hour) and hit my PRs on Wednesday, so I can only imagine that those numbers could be a little bit better if my body was fresher. My shoulder is continuing to feel better and better, and even the 100 pull-ups in Murph didn't bother it. All in all I'm feeling really good with where I'm at and where I'm going.

Edit: I wanted to post a recent picture, for posterity, cuz I haven't posted anything in a while. Here's me from a few weeks ago during my birthday party.

I've dropped a few points of body-fat percentage since then, but it's fairly indicative of where I'm at now.