Things were not so happy this past week. Even though, I had resumed training, I was not doing the movement I absolutely love. Squat ! Last Saturday, I tried empty bar squats and still could feel a very mild discomfort on the top of knee. That and the fact that I had a lot of stuff to take care of, forced me to take 2 days off. I did and I guess it was the best thing to do. Today I felt almost 100% if not exactly 100%. I squatted 275 lbs for 2. It wasn't hard but also wasn't easy even though this is 55 lbs less than my 3 RM but I the important thing is that I am happy. Happy to be Squatting again !!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
T+8days and still no Squatting !
It has been more than 9 days since my last squat ! And I only trained twice in the last 8 days. But in the same time, I have been working my ass off on trying to recover. Which basically means endure upto 8 sessions of icing for 20 minutes. I never believed much in the healing power of ice until now that I have seen it myself.
I can finally "see" my left knee ! I couldn't a few days ago since the swelling was so bad. The rate at which I am making recovery, I *should* be good to atleast start light squatting in 2-3 days !
I can finally "see" my left knee ! I couldn't a few days ago since the swelling was so bad. The rate at which I am making recovery, I *should* be good to atleast start light squatting in 2-3 days !
Friday, November 30, 2012
And finally an Injury :(
Why does it need to happen when everything else is going the right way? Oh well, may be this is how I am supposed to get "rest weeks". So I was box-cleaning a mere 90 kg (have successfully handled 100 kg before), and couldn't catch the bar. I was lazy enough to not jump back quickly and the bar landed on the top of my knees. At that moment, it didn't take me long to move from the "WTF just happened" to "Ohh fudge! my knees!" mind state. The pain was so bad, I thought I'll puke or pass-out. I sat/paced/repeated for 15-20 minutes, until the pain was bearable and not bad. Next on the chart that day was front squats. I was brave (or stupid?) enough to actually go and try an empty bar squat, no way ! So I just went and shamelessly benched a few sets ( and hit 200 lbs for a single) and limped my way back.
So this is how my knee looks 36 hours post-event and after 4-5 ice-pack treatments. If you see carefully, the bulge is so bad that you can't see my knee and the latter seems to have mingled with my lower quad. I can "walk" with very little pain but any knee flexion beyond 90 degrees appears to be impossible.
I hope that the pain keeps decreasing and I can walk normally within 2-3 days and squat in say a week ? It's going to be a tough week without any training !
So this is how my knee looks 36 hours post-event and after 4-5 ice-pack treatments. If you see carefully, the bulge is so bad that you can't see my knee and the latter seems to have mingled with my lower quad. I can "walk" with very little pain but any knee flexion beyond 90 degrees appears to be impossible.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Just tripled 150 kg, 2xBW back-squat 10-20 kg away !
Not many days are like today. I mean, not in a bad way, but in a way which couldn't be more awesome than it is. Which is why, I have to freeze it in words. If that means I have to do it when Mr. Wagner is taking (possibly) the last lecture of Parallel Algorithms and is talking something about Shared Memory, so be it.
The day started on a low. As usual, I woke up at 5:00 AM, way before than I was supposed to. I tried to force some sleep, gave up, took care of No. 2, and gave it a go again. Surprisingly I dozed off into a dream involving a girl I had a crush on, few years back. My eyes opened at 7:00, I was 30 minutes late. I jumped out and started my morning routine of packing food and preparing breakfast.
I felt "normal" than usual while sipping on my pre-training drink in the bus. I got inside the gym, which was less-crowded (good news, I can focus better!). But this is where it started going downside, towards the worst kind, I didn't want to Squat ! I was not sleepy or groggy. I was feeling fine, but just didn't want to unrack and put a loaded barbell on my back. But there was no way out now, I started my daily stretching routine, while sharing few words with Chris who was C&J'ing at that point. Then had a chat with one of the trainers at the Gym about C++ and why it is much easier to learn it while doing a project or following lectures. After these moments of digression, I felt I was ready, ready to unleash it on the bar ! Ready to freaking Squat !
Set - 0
Empty bar (20 kg), felt good, no soreness anywhere in the body, despite having doubled 270 lbs in the front squat yesterday.
Set - 1
95 lbs (43 kg), nothing wrong here. Wanted to make sure that my body was warmed up for further sets.
Set - 2
155 lbs (70 kg), didn't feel as explosive and powerful as usual, bad news. Repped out 5 and racked it back.
Set - 3
205 lbs (93 kg), didn't feel right again, felt the same feeling I had when I first came in, felt like stopping and doing snatches instead. Still did 5 fairly fast reps.
Set - 4
255 lbs (115 kg), things were getting better since the weight was getting heavier, I was timing the bounce off my calves correctly, did 4 good reps.
Set - 5
285 lbs (129 kg), OKish, not great, but not bad either. I stopped at 3 reps and changed the weight, 3 plates next !
Set - 6
315 lbs (143 kg), Usually the time when I make long paces, try to groove my focus, visualize reps, did 2 reps. Felt fairly easy, the bounce was well timed, but wasn't enough to make me feel 90% or more confident about getting a PR today.
Set 7 - 330 lbs (150 kg) (Trial 1)
Took a big breath, got under the bar, found the rack spot, unracked, got ready, took another breath went down, came up. Things seemed fine (but they weren't!) Took a mediocre breath (shit!), went down, couldn't come back up. Felt lazy and powerless, dumped the bar behind me with a huge thud ! FAILURE SUCKS !
Chris came, gave me a "WTF happened dude?" look, helped me take the weights off and re-rack the bar.
Set 7 - 330 lbs (150 kg) (Trial 2)
Took a even bigger breath, unracked, stood still for a moment, something was wrong with the placement of the bar, racked it back ( shit !, not good when you're having a bad time already). I could feel a few looks on me. My evil crowd-consciousness habit wasn't helping either. Terry, who just came in, saw me racking the weight back, assumed I squatted it and started congratulating me. Then I had to explain it to him , how I pussied out and didn't squat yet. BAD !
Set 7 - 330 lbs (150 kg) (Trial 3)
Took the largest breath known to mankind, my belly almost about to explode, cheeks rounded like a fucking clown, un-racked the bar, felt good, powerful like a beast, the first rep was easy (it's always is for me), took 3-4 quick breaths, a big final one and went down again. Sweetest bounce ever, but the bar speed sucked (which meant I was running out of gas). I also couldn't stop letting out a tiny grunt. Every single cell in my body was telling me to stop, to postpone my 3 RM PR attempt for later and remain satisfied with 2 reps. But could I? I already did 2 reps on Monday ! Why repeat it? I am not here to workout ! I am here to train !
Took an even larger breath, started going down (telling myself explode from the bottom ! explode ! explode !), and I DID ! The bar moved slower than ever, but I was going up, I didn't get stuck ! As I was coming up, I let out the air with tiny grunts and finally let a huge grunt out as I exploded up ! I did it ! a PR ! on a day when it wasn't going my way !
This is why I love lifting! The element of uncertainty ! Your chance to prove yourself wrong ! To defy and break the shackles put on your mind by the mortal body ! To come out better ! Stronger ! Faster !
The day started on a low. As usual, I woke up at 5:00 AM, way before than I was supposed to. I tried to force some sleep, gave up, took care of No. 2, and gave it a go again. Surprisingly I dozed off into a dream involving a girl I had a crush on, few years back. My eyes opened at 7:00, I was 30 minutes late. I jumped out and started my morning routine of packing food and preparing breakfast.
I felt "normal" than usual while sipping on my pre-training drink in the bus. I got inside the gym, which was less-crowded (good news, I can focus better!). But this is where it started going downside, towards the worst kind, I didn't want to Squat ! I was not sleepy or groggy. I was feeling fine, but just didn't want to unrack and put a loaded barbell on my back. But there was no way out now, I started my daily stretching routine, while sharing few words with Chris who was C&J'ing at that point. Then had a chat with one of the trainers at the Gym about C++ and why it is much easier to learn it while doing a project or following lectures. After these moments of digression, I felt I was ready, ready to unleash it on the bar ! Ready to freaking Squat !
Set - 0
Empty bar (20 kg), felt good, no soreness anywhere in the body, despite having doubled 270 lbs in the front squat yesterday.
Set - 1
95 lbs (43 kg), nothing wrong here. Wanted to make sure that my body was warmed up for further sets.
Set - 2
155 lbs (70 kg), didn't feel as explosive and powerful as usual, bad news. Repped out 5 and racked it back.
Set - 3
205 lbs (93 kg), didn't feel right again, felt the same feeling I had when I first came in, felt like stopping and doing snatches instead. Still did 5 fairly fast reps.
Set - 4
255 lbs (115 kg), things were getting better since the weight was getting heavier, I was timing the bounce off my calves correctly, did 4 good reps.
Set - 5
285 lbs (129 kg), OKish, not great, but not bad either. I stopped at 3 reps and changed the weight, 3 plates next !
Set - 6
315 lbs (143 kg), Usually the time when I make long paces, try to groove my focus, visualize reps, did 2 reps. Felt fairly easy, the bounce was well timed, but wasn't enough to make me feel 90% or more confident about getting a PR today.
Set 7 - 330 lbs (150 kg) (Trial 1)
Took a big breath, got under the bar, found the rack spot, unracked, got ready, took another breath went down, came up. Things seemed fine (but they weren't!) Took a mediocre breath (shit!), went down, couldn't come back up. Felt lazy and powerless, dumped the bar behind me with a huge thud ! FAILURE SUCKS !
Chris came, gave me a "WTF happened dude?" look, helped me take the weights off and re-rack the bar.
Set 7 - 330 lbs (150 kg) (Trial 2)
Took a even bigger breath, unracked, stood still for a moment, something was wrong with the placement of the bar, racked it back ( shit !, not good when you're having a bad time already). I could feel a few looks on me. My evil crowd-consciousness habit wasn't helping either. Terry, who just came in, saw me racking the weight back, assumed I squatted it and started congratulating me. Then I had to explain it to him , how I pussied out and didn't squat yet. BAD !
Set 7 - 330 lbs (150 kg) (Trial 3)
Took the largest breath known to mankind, my belly almost about to explode, cheeks rounded like a fucking clown, un-racked the bar, felt good, powerful like a beast, the first rep was easy (it's always is for me), took 3-4 quick breaths, a big final one and went down again. Sweetest bounce ever, but the bar speed sucked (which meant I was running out of gas). I also couldn't stop letting out a tiny grunt. Every single cell in my body was telling me to stop, to postpone my 3 RM PR attempt for later and remain satisfied with 2 reps. But could I? I already did 2 reps on Monday ! Why repeat it? I am not here to workout ! I am here to train !
Took an even larger breath, started going down (telling myself explode from the bottom ! explode ! explode !), and I DID ! The bar moved slower than ever, but I was going up, I didn't get stuck ! As I was coming up, I let out the air with tiny grunts and finally let a huge grunt out as I exploded up ! I did it ! a PR ! on a day when it wasn't going my way !
This is why I love lifting! The element of uncertainty ! Your chance to prove yourself wrong ! To defy and break the shackles put on your mind by the mortal body ! To come out better ! Stronger ! Faster !
Friday, November 9, 2012
Training-5x Week - 2 Updates
The second trial week of training 5 days a week in a row just finished and boy, wasn't it great ! Highlights were :
1. Added 5 lbs to my 3 RM Back Squat.
2. Added 5 lbs to my Snatch from blocks. It now, is a mere 62.2kg.
3. Got a new 3 RM of 80kg on clean from blocks + 3 x Push-Press.
4. Found out that I can clean 100 kg from the blocks.
5. Bettered my form on the 80kg clean (from blocks) and jerk.
6. Getting more and more eager to start pulling off the floor and ditch the blocks.
7. Last, but not least, technique seems to be improving everyday.
8. I seem to be stuck on the front squat. This has been mainly because of my lack of sleep on monday nights. Silly but true.
Squat numbers for the week :
Monday : 2 x 140 kg (310 lbs) x 2 (Back Squat) - missed a rep, tried again, missed again
Tue: 127 kg (280 lbs) x 1 (Front Squat)
Wed: 118 kg (260 lbs) x 1 (Paused Front Squat)
Thu: 140 kg (310 lbs) x 3 (Back Squat) - PR
Fri : 3 x 134 kg x 3 (Back Squat)
1. Added 5 lbs to my 3 RM Back Squat.
2. Added 5 lbs to my Snatch from blocks. It now, is a mere 62.2kg.
3. Got a new 3 RM of 80kg on clean from blocks + 3 x Push-Press.
4. Found out that I can clean 100 kg from the blocks.
5. Bettered my form on the 80kg clean (from blocks) and jerk.
6. Getting more and more eager to start pulling off the floor and ditch the blocks.
7. Last, but not least, technique seems to be improving everyday.
8. I seem to be stuck on the front squat. This has been mainly because of my lack of sleep on monday nights. Silly but true.
Squat numbers for the week :
Monday : 2 x 140 kg (310 lbs) x 2 (Back Squat) - missed a rep, tried again, missed again
Tue: 127 kg (280 lbs) x 1 (Front Squat)
Wed: 118 kg (260 lbs) x 1 (Paused Front Squat)
Thu: 140 kg (310 lbs) x 3 (Back Squat) - PR
Fri : 3 x 134 kg x 3 (Back Squat)
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Squatting Heavy 5x (or more) a Week
I've been experimenting with more frequent heavy squats lately. For why such a seemingly crazy idea would not hurt and instead do wonders for you, read the following articles first :
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/max_out_on_squats_every_day
http://bretcontreras.com/2011/07/observations-from-squatting-daily/
To summarize on why it works and why anyone seeking strength and speed should implement it, here are my observations and myth-busters :
1. Your body gets "used to" squatting heavy. If you've ever felt "weird" (too tight/not flexible) squatting after a break of 2-3 or more days, you know what I mean.
2. CNS overtraining is broscience ! Yes I said it ! There is no such thing as overtraining. Everyone is different. Ofcourse, there are times when rest is needed but 99% of times, "your body is lying to you!". You just gotta push through. This doesn't mean that you push until you get injured. You must understand the fine line between optimum and overuse. It'll take time.
3. You become more flexible and efficient. Frequent squatting helps you to gain flexibility and you bounce out of the hole with more speed.
4. Practice makes an individual perfect. By squatting 5x a week or more, it will be nothing different than a walk in the park.
Having said these, don't jump into it right away. If you are squatting x days a week now, add a day of light squats. Then make this day a heavy one in 1-2 weeks (or more depending on how you feel). Keep adding more days like this until x=5 or even more.
My experience with frequent squatting has been splendid. I was doing 2 heavy days and 1 light day of powerlifting style squats. Once I switched to olympic style lifts, I started doing olympic ATG back and front squats. I made the light day into a heavy front squat day. This way I was squatting heavy 3x a week. I then added another day where I would squat at the end of the session. This obviously wasn't as heavy as the other three days as I was already out of gas. I did this for a month.
This week I added another day in my training. Yesterday I finished with heavy front squats with a 3 second pause at the bottom. I got 2 reps with 115 kg. It wasn't bad considering my best front (non-pause) squat is 125 kg. At the end of the session, I thought there is no way I could back squat today. But I was so wrong! I got a ATG back squat PR today ! I hit 138 kg (305 lbs) for 3 ! Tomorrow will be the 5th day in a row of squatting for me. Here how this week looks as of now :
Monday :136 kg (300 lbs) x 3 (Back Squat) - PR
Tue: 125 kg (275 lbs) x 2 (Front Squat)
Wed: 115 kg (255 lbs) x 2 (Paused Front Squat)
Thu: 138 kg (305 lbs) x 3 (Back Squat) - PR
Fri : 5 x 129 kg x 3 (Back Squat, Planned)
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/max_out_on_squats_every_day
http://bretcontreras.com/2011/07/observations-from-squatting-daily/
To summarize on why it works and why anyone seeking strength and speed should implement it, here are my observations and myth-busters :
1. Your body gets "used to" squatting heavy. If you've ever felt "weird" (too tight/not flexible) squatting after a break of 2-3 or more days, you know what I mean.
2. CNS overtraining is broscience ! Yes I said it ! There is no such thing as overtraining. Everyone is different. Ofcourse, there are times when rest is needed but 99% of times, "your body is lying to you!". You just gotta push through. This doesn't mean that you push until you get injured. You must understand the fine line between optimum and overuse. It'll take time.
3. You become more flexible and efficient. Frequent squatting helps you to gain flexibility and you bounce out of the hole with more speed.
4. Practice makes an individual perfect. By squatting 5x a week or more, it will be nothing different than a walk in the park.
Having said these, don't jump into it right away. If you are squatting x days a week now, add a day of light squats. Then make this day a heavy one in 1-2 weeks (or more depending on how you feel). Keep adding more days like this until x=5 or even more.
My experience with frequent squatting has been splendid. I was doing 2 heavy days and 1 light day of powerlifting style squats. Once I switched to olympic style lifts, I started doing olympic ATG back and front squats. I made the light day into a heavy front squat day. This way I was squatting heavy 3x a week. I then added another day where I would squat at the end of the session. This obviously wasn't as heavy as the other three days as I was already out of gas. I did this for a month.
This week I added another day in my training. Yesterday I finished with heavy front squats with a 3 second pause at the bottom. I got 2 reps with 115 kg. It wasn't bad considering my best front (non-pause) squat is 125 kg. At the end of the session, I thought there is no way I could back squat today. But I was so wrong! I got a ATG back squat PR today ! I hit 138 kg (305 lbs) for 3 ! Tomorrow will be the 5th day in a row of squatting for me. Here how this week looks as of now :
Monday :136 kg (300 lbs) x 3 (Back Squat) - PR
Tue: 125 kg (275 lbs) x 2 (Front Squat)
Wed: 115 kg (255 lbs) x 2 (Paused Front Squat)
Thu: 138 kg (305 lbs) x 3 (Back Squat) - PR
Fri : 5 x 129 kg x 3 (Back Squat, Planned)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Metal and Coding
Out of the many random Google searches I did this afternoon, the title of this post was the last one before I thought of writing this post. To my surprise, there weren't any articles on the topic, nor were their any major forum discussions, other than one on ultimatemetal.com. Are metalhead coders that rare ?
Obviously I am on heavy dosage of metal while training, I am so addicted to the music, I just listen to it while doing just anything. As a computer science graduate student, unfortunately I spend a copious amount of time pressing the keys and writing words like #include, #ifdef, std::cout etc (yes, I am doing C++ at the moment). When I am doing that, I listen to metal, yes just the kind that I would listen to, while doing anything else.
Currently, I am listening a lot to the thrash powerhouse from Germany called Kreator. This particular song just blows my mind and I can't seem to get enough of it. These four lines of the amazing lyrics appeal to me the most.
Are you willing to pay the price
To see what the future will bring?
Here in the place where the weak become strong
And the lowest of life become kings
Obviously I am on heavy dosage of metal while training, I am so addicted to the music, I just listen to it while doing just anything. As a computer science graduate student, unfortunately I spend a copious amount of time pressing the keys and writing words like #include, #ifdef, std::cout etc (yes, I am doing C++ at the moment). When I am doing that, I listen to metal, yes just the kind that I would listen to, while doing anything else.
Currently, I am listening a lot to the thrash powerhouse from Germany called Kreator. This particular song just blows my mind and I can't seem to get enough of it. These four lines of the amazing lyrics appeal to me the most.
Are you willing to pay the price
To see what the future will bring?
Here in the place where the weak become strong
And the lowest of life become kings
Training as of now
So it turns out that my "back-issue" wasn't gone completely as it came back at me when I was clean and jerking a mere 80 kg few weeks back, and forced me to pull out of olympic weightlifting. I didn't feel any pain though, as I did an year back, but I just "felt" it. I know it is ambiguous, but lets just stop at that.
Consequently I am back to powerlifting but still have kept some olympic lifting movements in my regime, like the front squat, push press and split jerks.
Currently I am at 235 lbs for 3 in front squats as in the video above.
Consequently I am back to powerlifting but still have kept some olympic lifting movements in my regime, like the front squat, push press and split jerks.
Currently I am at 235 lbs for 3 in front squats as in the video above.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Olympic Weightlifting for the first time !
Today was the first time I did olympic weightlifting. when I got out of the gym today, I said just two words - "Fuck Yeah!" :D
So I read shitloads of stuff on the internet yesterday about snatches and jerk. (I was already doing cleans)
I started with snatch. I did like 20-25 of them with the stretching stick thats there in the gym. Then I thought lets give the empty bar a try.
Not surprisingly, I failed in my first attempt and fell foolishly backwards :P
But then I got the remaining 8 reps with the bar. Damn, snatch is the hardest thing ever !
Then I did some clean and jerks (with baby weights ofcourse). Everything went fine here.
Then moved to front squats. I was doing them for the first time and my final set of 210 lbs felt so damn heavy ! I finished with some push presses. I have never felt so awesome after any of my powerlifting training days !
Today I will place the order with Rogue for weightlifting shoes (and get robbed of 130 $ :( ).
So I read shitloads of stuff on the internet yesterday about snatches and jerk. (I was already doing cleans)
I started with snatch. I did like 20-25 of them with the stretching stick thats there in the gym. Then I thought lets give the empty bar a try.
Not surprisingly, I failed in my first attempt and fell foolishly backwards :P
But then I got the remaining 8 reps with the bar. Damn, snatch is the hardest thing ever !
Then I did some clean and jerks (with baby weights ofcourse). Everything went fine here.
Then moved to front squats. I was doing them for the first time and my final set of 210 lbs felt so damn heavy ! I finished with some push presses. I have never felt so awesome after any of my powerlifting training days !
Today I will place the order with Rogue for weightlifting shoes (and get robbed of 130 $ :( ).
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Saturday Training Update (Video)
So just a update of today's training session. I was attempting 3 reps with 325 lbs (147.4kg), too bad just got a rep. I almost got the second one, but couldn't lock it out! :(
The above video is that of last set of squats with 325 lbs. The camera was placed too high, so the depth can't be judged. Next time, I will try to place the camera lower.
I also benched 200x3 and power-cleaned 120 lbsx5. I decided to switch to power cleans from pendlay-rows to slowly prepare myself for the move to olympic weightlifting.
The above video is that of last set of squats with 325 lbs. The camera was placed too high, so the depth can't be judged. Next time, I will try to place the camera lower.
I also benched 200x3 and power-cleaned 120 lbsx5. I decided to switch to power cleans from pendlay-rows to slowly prepare myself for the move to olympic weightlifting.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Squat PR, Lactose Intolerance, Bench Deload and Converting to Olympic Weightlifting
The biggest find of this week has been my intolerance to lactose and consequently my best friend, milk. After reading articles that a person can develop intolerance to lactose later in his life, I immediately knew the reason behind the stomach-turbulence and my need to frequently visit you-know-what. This, by no means is good news, since my diet consisted of more than a liter of milk everyday. Further, milk is one of the cheapest source that provides all the three macro-nutrients. (I despise you Arnold, for saying milk is for babies!)
So this morning, I didn't have milk for the first time in 24 years and perhaps had the most comfortable first half of the day, along with an awesome workout, which went as follows :
[All weights in lbs, obviously :) ]
Squats (155,195,235,275)x5 , 320x3 <<<< A f***ing PR :D
Bench (95,120,140,165)x5 , 195x3
Rows (45,90, 115, 125)x5 , 145x3
I felt really good throughout my warm-ups with squats and knew I had a PR in me today. My hip flexibility and ankle mobility has been improving rapidly with the daily stretching routine that I have been doing. Consequently, my squats are almost like an olympic ATG (ass-to-grass) squat. That is, if I go an inch or two lower, my hips will have to bounce off my calves. More on Olympic stuff later in the post.
I have been stuck at 210x2 on bench for 3 weeks and hence had to deload. Thus, 195x3 was cake today and I didn't even bother for a spot. My last 210x3 attempt (which was a failure) was with Chris spotting me, when he ended up saying - "It's bench man, who cares?". This just made my day and I swallowed my pride and deloaded happily. Same was the case with pendlay-rows, I had to deload because of form issues. I consulted few forums and considering that this is my first deload in the program, I am not too worried about it.
Lately, I have been increasingly interested in olympic weightlifting. I have been following elite weightlifter's videos. That is, the likes of Dmitry Klokov, Ilya Ilin and Mikhail Koklyaev.
Apart from this, I have also been following youtube channels of John Broz (BROZKNOWS), Clarence Kennedy (clarence0) and California Strength. All the time, after watching these videos I am just left in awe, specially by the sleekness and augustness of these lifts, be it the snatch or the clean and jerk. I used to do power cleans before my back injury, that is, when I used to pull conventional.
Another reason is the friendship with Chris, who is a passionate olympic weightlifter in the gym where I train. He had 2 back injuries in the past and he switched to olympic lifting, because it allows for a more upright torso in all the lifts. Further, the sport of olympic weightlifting is yet to be corroded by performance-enhancers like steroids etc, which futher motivates me to stay natural and still get to compete at higher levels. That being said, I am not giving up right now, and would compete in a powerlifting meet early next year. My goal is to hit 365 lbs in the squat and deadlift and 225 lbs in the bench press before then. If that happens early (which is likely), I might try to lose some weight and get lean to fit into a lower weight category.
Well, that's it then, its almost 1 in the afternoon of the long Canada-Day weekend here in Vancouver and poor me is finishing up a post. Sad? Hell no ! After all I have a party to go to, later in day and join friends for the Euro final on Sunday !
So this morning, I didn't have milk for the first time in 24 years and perhaps had the most comfortable first half of the day, along with an awesome workout, which went as follows :
[All weights in lbs, obviously :) ]
Squats (155,195,235,275)x5 , 320x3 <<<< A f***ing PR :D
Bench (95,120,140,165)x5 , 195x3
Rows (45,90, 115, 125)x5 , 145x3
I felt really good throughout my warm-ups with squats and knew I had a PR in me today. My hip flexibility and ankle mobility has been improving rapidly with the daily stretching routine that I have been doing. Consequently, my squats are almost like an olympic ATG (ass-to-grass) squat. That is, if I go an inch or two lower, my hips will have to bounce off my calves. More on Olympic stuff later in the post.
I have been stuck at 210x2 on bench for 3 weeks and hence had to deload. Thus, 195x3 was cake today and I didn't even bother for a spot. My last 210x3 attempt (which was a failure) was with Chris spotting me, when he ended up saying - "It's bench man, who cares?". This just made my day and I swallowed my pride and deloaded happily. Same was the case with pendlay-rows, I had to deload because of form issues. I consulted few forums and considering that this is my first deload in the program, I am not too worried about it.
Lately, I have been increasingly interested in olympic weightlifting. I have been following elite weightlifter's videos. That is, the likes of Dmitry Klokov, Ilya Ilin and Mikhail Koklyaev.
Apart from this, I have also been following youtube channels of John Broz (BROZKNOWS), Clarence Kennedy (clarence0) and California Strength. All the time, after watching these videos I am just left in awe, specially by the sleekness and augustness of these lifts, be it the snatch or the clean and jerk. I used to do power cleans before my back injury, that is, when I used to pull conventional.
Another reason is the friendship with Chris, who is a passionate olympic weightlifter in the gym where I train. He had 2 back injuries in the past and he switched to olympic lifting, because it allows for a more upright torso in all the lifts. Further, the sport of olympic weightlifting is yet to be corroded by performance-enhancers like steroids etc, which futher motivates me to stay natural and still get to compete at higher levels. That being said, I am not giving up right now, and would compete in a powerlifting meet early next year. My goal is to hit 365 lbs in the squat and deadlift and 225 lbs in the bench press before then. If that happens early (which is likely), I might try to lose some weight and get lean to fit into a lower weight category.
Well, that's it then, its almost 1 in the afternoon of the long Canada-Day weekend here in Vancouver and poor me is finishing up a post. Sad? Hell no ! After all I have a party to go to, later in day and join friends for the Euro final on Sunday !
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Indian PowerMeal
This post is devoted to all my Indian friends ranting about the bland taste of clean food and hence the choice of not sticking to a healthy eating lifestyle. I got used to the western style of eating, four years ago when I was interning in the States, when for the first time I didn't have the luxury of "roti, dal and sabzee" (tortilla, lentils and vegetable-curry). Then, when I moved to Vancouver for higher studies, forgoing all that tasty and spicy Indian food was not a pain at all. In fact, I embraced the oatmeal, pasta, baked-chicken, salads, and steak. But lately, I got bored of it all, and decided to add some of the Indian recipes to my diet. "Khichdi" has been my all time favorite meal. I used to go nuts when my mother prepared it. I always ate my way into discomfort, but didn't repent a bit. The other day, I concocted a recipe of my own, similar to khichdi, and with lots of, you got it, POWER!
Ingredients (for two servings)
White Rice (100g)
Lentil (preferably Red a.k.a masoor dal) (100g)
Garam Masala
Garlic Salt
Red Chilly Powder
Plain Salt
Eggs (4)
Olive Oil(1 tbsp)
Onion (1 big)
Asafoetida (a.k.a. heeng) (a pinch)
Preparation
There are many ways to prepare khichdi. I tend to settle for the one that takes minimal time. Hence, I always choose the pressure-cooker, unless I have loads of time, in which case I'll pick a saucepan. Mix all the ingredients, except the eggs, olive-oil and onion in the cooker with about 250-300 ml of water. Place it on the oven, with heat turned to somewhere in between medium and maximum. On a separate oven, heat olive-oil on a non-stick pan. Make sure to keep the heat between low to medium (olive oil is not suited for high temperature cooking). Break the eggs, add onions (and other spices if you wish), mix and keep it ready. Fry them and at the same time monitor the number of whistles you hear form the cooker. All pressure cookers are built different, hence it will take some getting used to from your end, to accurately tell if it is done. In my case, 3-4 whistles are enough, and at that point I turn off the heat and keep it aside (the cooking still continues). Once the eggs (and the stuff in the cooker) are done, mix them together and EAT ! Pat yourself on the back, for you just ate, perhaps, the most nutritious (and powerful) of Indian meals known to mankind :)
Ingredients (for two servings)
White Rice (100g)
Lentil (preferably Red a.k.a masoor dal) (100g)
Garam Masala
Garlic Salt
Red Chilly Powder
Plain Salt
Eggs (4)
Olive Oil(1 tbsp)
Onion (1 big)
Asafoetida (a.k.a. heeng) (a pinch)
Preparation
There are many ways to prepare khichdi. I tend to settle for the one that takes minimal time. Hence, I always choose the pressure-cooker, unless I have loads of time, in which case I'll pick a saucepan. Mix all the ingredients, except the eggs, olive-oil and onion in the cooker with about 250-300 ml of water. Place it on the oven, with heat turned to somewhere in between medium and maximum. On a separate oven, heat olive-oil on a non-stick pan. Make sure to keep the heat between low to medium (olive oil is not suited for high temperature cooking). Break the eggs, add onions (and other spices if you wish), mix and keep it ready. Fry them and at the same time monitor the number of whistles you hear form the cooker. All pressure cookers are built different, hence it will take some getting used to from your end, to accurately tell if it is done. In my case, 3-4 whistles are enough, and at that point I turn off the heat and keep it aside (the cooking still continues). Once the eggs (and the stuff in the cooker) are done, mix them together and EAT ! Pat yourself on the back, for you just ate, perhaps, the most nutritious (and powerful) of Indian meals known to mankind :)
Monday, June 18, 2012
Training Update: 18th June, 2012
Week - 13, Workout-1 (Volume Day) of Madcow 5x5 Intermediate
The main sets I did today were :
Squats: 310x4 (missed 1 rep)
Bench: 205x3 (missed 2 reps)
Rows : 155x5
Squats are going good, I must say. I am happy that even though I couldn't get 5 reps, I could do 4 instead of 3, the last time I squatted 310. However, bench press appears to be stuck at 205-210. But, there is some progress nonetheless because the 3rd rep with 205 today was easier !
I rarely update my overhead press/Deadlift workouts. I will be going for 170 lbs with overhead press in my next training session. I got 5 (very difficult) reps with 165 lbs last week. I also hit 4 reps with 310 lbs in Sumo Deadlifts.
The main sets I did today were :
Squats: 310x4 (missed 1 rep)
Bench: 205x3 (missed 2 reps)
Rows : 155x5
Squats are going good, I must say. I am happy that even though I couldn't get 5 reps, I could do 4 instead of 3, the last time I squatted 310. However, bench press appears to be stuck at 205-210. But, there is some progress nonetheless because the 3rd rep with 205 today was easier !
I rarely update my overhead press/Deadlift workouts. I will be going for 170 lbs with overhead press in my next training session. I got 5 (very difficult) reps with 165 lbs last week. I also hit 4 reps with 310 lbs in Sumo Deadlifts.
Monday, June 11, 2012
305x5 and the ensuing sore throat
I have so many reasons to be happy today ! I got two 5 RM (rep max) personal records (PR) today. The first one, as the title says was in squats and the second one, with the bench press. I got 5 reps with 200 lbs in the latter. I have been stuck with 3-4 reps for the past 4 weeks !
The other reason is that, today I learnt yet another lesson on how mind is an immensely powerful entity that can drive the body way beyond its limits. What limits you ask? Well, many, but the most obvious one is the limit that your brain a.k.a. common sense tells you. I just hiked for more than two hours yesterday till past mid-day. Hikes usually tax your cardiovascular system (and to some extent your muscles) when you are hiking up. However, on your way down it's mainly your leg muscles (to pe specific, the quadriceps) that take the toll. My legs were almost shaking when I got back from the hike yesterday and almost gave up the thought of training the next day (i.e. today). I got up this morning feeling fine, with little to no soreness in my legs, which might be due to the eating marathon that I forced myself to, before sleeping (all clean food mind you, no junk at all!).
Anyways, fast forward to the gym, I see chris (a serious olympic lifter) warming up as usual, we exchange our hi/hellos and then get to work. My warmups with squats were:
150x5, 185x5, 225x5, 265x5
The last set was in particular difficult than usual and that is when my brain started talking to me, that I should give up on my plan of going for a PR today. At this point, I was considering the idea, but my mind said otherwise - "put up 305, go for it and see how many you can get!".
As I stacked the weights, shit scared, staring at Chris, He said "wow, 305 eh? impressive". (Chris witnessed my 300x5 last week, so he knew I was going for a PR)
I retorted, "dude, I just hiked for like 2.5 hours yesterday and I don't think I can even get 2 with 305"
Then He replied " Dude, don't let that silly a** hike scare off your mind, you can do it!"
This comment of his, changed me in someway, and at this point I knew no matter what I was gonna give it my all. The first 2 reps were fairly easy. I wobbled on my way up in the third. But the last two were with good form and with immense screaming which is the reason behind the title of this post :)
As I struggled up on my way on the fifth rep, I immediately knew how powerful human mind is. Who knows if I could tap fully into my mind's potential, I could have gotten 6 or 8 or even 10 reps.
The boost from the squats carried over to bench and I got 5 reps with 200 (with 4 heavy warmups before, obviously). I went and shared a high-5 with Chris and thanked him for his encouragement.
This perhaps is the longest training update I have ever written, but it is worth it ! 2 PRs in a single day ? damn !
Stay Strong !
The other reason is that, today I learnt yet another lesson on how mind is an immensely powerful entity that can drive the body way beyond its limits. What limits you ask? Well, many, but the most obvious one is the limit that your brain a.k.a. common sense tells you. I just hiked for more than two hours yesterday till past mid-day. Hikes usually tax your cardiovascular system (and to some extent your muscles) when you are hiking up. However, on your way down it's mainly your leg muscles (to pe specific, the quadriceps) that take the toll. My legs were almost shaking when I got back from the hike yesterday and almost gave up the thought of training the next day (i.e. today). I got up this morning feeling fine, with little to no soreness in my legs, which might be due to the eating marathon that I forced myself to, before sleeping (all clean food mind you, no junk at all!).
Anyways, fast forward to the gym, I see chris (a serious olympic lifter) warming up as usual, we exchange our hi/hellos and then get to work. My warmups with squats were:
150x5, 185x5, 225x5, 265x5
The last set was in particular difficult than usual and that is when my brain started talking to me, that I should give up on my plan of going for a PR today. At this point, I was considering the idea, but my mind said otherwise - "put up 305, go for it and see how many you can get!".
As I stacked the weights, shit scared, staring at Chris, He said "wow, 305 eh? impressive". (Chris witnessed my 300x5 last week, so he knew I was going for a PR)
I retorted, "dude, I just hiked for like 2.5 hours yesterday and I don't think I can even get 2 with 305"
Then He replied " Dude, don't let that silly a** hike scare off your mind, you can do it!"
This comment of his, changed me in someway, and at this point I knew no matter what I was gonna give it my all. The first 2 reps were fairly easy. I wobbled on my way up in the third. But the last two were with good form and with immense screaming which is the reason behind the title of this post :)
As I struggled up on my way on the fifth rep, I immediately knew how powerful human mind is. Who knows if I could tap fully into my mind's potential, I could have gotten 6 or 8 or even 10 reps.
The boost from the squats carried over to bench and I got 5 reps with 200 (with 4 heavy warmups before, obviously). I went and shared a high-5 with Chris and thanked him for his encouragement.
This perhaps is the longest training update I have ever written, but it is worth it ! 2 PRs in a single day ? damn !
Stay Strong !
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
It took 3 weeks to get that 1 rep
The law of diminishing returns is a bitch. I say it because sometimes progress can be really slow, to a point that you start loosing hope and begin to get disappointed. I was almost hopeless and full of negativity as I entered the gym to train today. I have been trying to get 5 reps with 300 lbs on squats. I got 300x4 in my first attempt (week-1), 300x3 (week-2) and finally got it (i.e. 300x5) today. I did however get 305x3 and 310x2 during the span, but getting those 5 reps was like a mental block for me. What worked today? I am not sure. May be I was able to channelize the negativity into pure strength against the weights. May be I was more concerned about getting the reps in today than the previous attempts before. Whatever it is, I taught my mind an important lesson today.
Friday, May 25, 2012
ThroughStruggle: A Great Day at Work
Today's training was awesome due to two reasons :
1. I am getting more used to not looking at the mirror while training. Till now, I have been facing the mirror during all my lifts. However in lifting meets there isn't mirror in the front, instead there is the judge seated in front of you. Last wednesday I did Deadlifts and Overhead presses without facing the mirror. Today I did Squats and Rows. It's a little weird to see some people looking at my funny grunt face as well.
2. I PR'ed in bench and Squats once again! Today I did the following (all in lbs) :
Squats : [150,185,225,260 ]x5, 305x3, 225x8
Bench : [100,125,150,175 ]x5, 205x3, 150x8
Row : [45,90,110,130 ]x5, 150x3, 110x8
For rows, I am back to the weight where I had to deload few weeks ago. This time around, the form was better. I hope next week, 155 will be smooth.
1. I am getting more used to not looking at the mirror while training. Till now, I have been facing the mirror during all my lifts. However in lifting meets there isn't mirror in the front, instead there is the judge seated in front of you. Last wednesday I did Deadlifts and Overhead presses without facing the mirror. Today I did Squats and Rows. It's a little weird to see some people looking at my funny grunt face as well.
2. I PR'ed in bench and Squats once again! Today I did the following (all in lbs) :
Squats : [150,185,225,260 ]x5, 305x3, 225x8
Bench : [100,125,150,175 ]x5, 205x3, 150x8
Row : [45,90,110,130 ]x5, 150x3, 110x8
For rows, I am back to the weight where I had to deload few weeks ago. This time around, the form was better. I hope next week, 155 will be smooth.
ThroughStruggle: Forcing that last meal down
Eating has always been one of my strengths. It is the only reason I can zero into, for being a chubby kid.But dare I say, I can eat all the time these days. Instead, hitting the target calories for a day is now a challenge.
With 100% clean food intake, eating is not only boring, but also more voluminous. This is because most of the 'clean' foods are also high in fiber. For instance, a sample meal would be serving of lentils with brown rice and veggies along with an omelette. This is a little under 600 calories, but fills me up like a 1000 kcal meal.
Consequently, I find myself force feeding most of the times and find it hard to sleep on the stomach, which is kinda my favorite sleeping position..lol.
To add to my misery, I plan to boost my intake to 4000 kcal in a few weeks. I am currently eating a little over 3500 kcal daily with around 400g carbs and 260g protein.
I hope I don't have to resort to appetite boosters!
With 100% clean food intake, eating is not only boring, but also more voluminous. This is because most of the 'clean' foods are also high in fiber. For instance, a sample meal would be serving of lentils with brown rice and veggies along with an omelette. This is a little under 600 calories, but fills me up like a 1000 kcal meal.
Consequently, I find myself force feeding most of the times and find it hard to sleep on the stomach, which is kinda my favorite sleeping position..lol.
To add to my misery, I plan to boost my intake to 4000 kcal in a few weeks. I am currently eating a little over 3500 kcal daily with around 400g carbs and 260g protein.
I hope I don't have to resort to appetite boosters!
Monday, May 21, 2012
ThroughStruggle: No one said its gonna be easy...
Another day of the Madcow Intermediate 5x5 routine. The gym opened at 12:00 in the noon instead of 6:30 in the morning. I was reluctant to go so late as the crowd generally freaks me out but I was too eager to hit the iron. This is what I did today :
Squats: 150x5 , 185x5, 225x5, 260x5, 300x4
I was supposed to do 5 reps in the last set too, but just missed it ! I really got nervous with so many people in the gym today (yeah, I am a little crowd conscious)... I almost made it ... Getting pissed off even thinking about it !
Bench : 100x5, 125x5, 150x5, 175x5, 200x3
Again, missed 2 reps .. I felt like smashing my fist against the bar but had another exercise left so backed off. By the way, the missed rep of squats was bugging me and I gave up without trying more on the 4th rep. Could have got it easily if I had screamed but again with so many people around today, I didn't feel like it.
Pendlay Rows: 45x5 , 90x5, 110x5, 130x5, 145x5
This went smooth as it was fairly light. I am still learning proper form with this exercise. After this I went and did some cable rows to call it a day. One of the bad days at training. But who said its gonna be easy?
Squats: 150x5 , 185x5, 225x5, 260x5, 300x4
I was supposed to do 5 reps in the last set too, but just missed it ! I really got nervous with so many people in the gym today (yeah, I am a little crowd conscious)... I almost made it ... Getting pissed off even thinking about it !
Bench : 100x5, 125x5, 150x5, 175x5, 200x3
Again, missed 2 reps .. I felt like smashing my fist against the bar but had another exercise left so backed off. By the way, the missed rep of squats was bugging me and I gave up without trying more on the 4th rep. Could have got it easily if I had screamed but again with so many people around today, I didn't feel like it.
Pendlay Rows: 45x5 , 90x5, 110x5, 130x5, 145x5
This went smooth as it was fairly light. I am still learning proper form with this exercise. After this I went and did some cable rows to call it a day. One of the bad days at training. But who said its gonna be easy?
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
ThroughStruggle: The Start of it All
Finally this blog is alive. Yes, I have been lazy for quite sometime now. Totally forgot about the habit of scribbling down experiences of my rather obsessive lifestyle of weight lifting. It started out as a 'need', continued to transform from a mere curiosity to a major interest, then to some form of getaway, and finally to a true passion (and obsession?). My previous posts speak nothing but the truth of how deep I got into it. This blog was started last year after my friends encouraged me to spread my 'knowledge' about lifting and fitness in general.
As I got preoccupied with 'other' things, the blogging habit was forgotten.However, I continued to learn about lifting and fitness (I still do). My quest started out as what is popularly known as bodybuilding. Like many others (probably you as well), I had the elusive dream of getting a chiseled and ripped physique. The idea has matured immensely since its inception in my mind. Fast forward to the present day and I won't classify myself as a bodybuilder. Today I am a lifter, who relishes the act of moving heavy things from point A to point B. This blog will now act as a medium through which I'll update the public about my experiences and learnings with lifting in general. Most of the time, the posts will be updates of my lifting routines, eating styles, and some narcissistic personal record (PR) numbers.
I have decided to headline all such related posts with the word 'ThroughStruggle' ,a song of the same name from the album 'Shadows Are Security' by one of my favourite bands 'As I Lay Dying'.
As I got preoccupied with 'other' things, the blogging habit was forgotten.However, I continued to learn about lifting and fitness (I still do). My quest started out as what is popularly known as bodybuilding. Like many others (probably you as well), I had the elusive dream of getting a chiseled and ripped physique. The idea has matured immensely since its inception in my mind. Fast forward to the present day and I won't classify myself as a bodybuilder. Today I am a lifter, who relishes the act of moving heavy things from point A to point B. This blog will now act as a medium through which I'll update the public about my experiences and learnings with lifting in general. Most of the time, the posts will be updates of my lifting routines, eating styles, and some narcissistic personal record (PR) numbers.
I have decided to headline all such related posts with the word 'ThroughStruggle' ,a song of the same name from the album 'Shadows Are Security' by one of my favourite bands 'As I Lay Dying'.
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