Easy Tiger!

I was at the Blatt PE Center weight room today for Box Squats and Deadlifts; a buddy of mine (Eric) happened to be doing the same thing in the rack beside me and they guy in the rack next to his was squatting. I admit that it was odd, he was using a bench as a box but he was not sitting onto it and he kept his weight on his toes. I didn't care, I had to worry about my ripped palm from deadlifting (2 freaking weeks in a freaking row!) and my front squats which I did after I could not deadlift. So I finish a set and hear what sounds like an escalating disagreement. Some kid called the no touch box squatter out on form and the squat guy didn't like that. The challenger says, "I bet I can out lift any of you based on bodyweight". I think he was talking to the 3 of us, but he's probably wrong because Eric can Deadlift +500lbs at less than 200 bodyweight. And what would it prove? I think it's a better idea to let people be in your average commercial gym. They don't want to be told they are wrong and arguing about it will not do any good.
That's one thing I loved about training at Carolina Crossfit, people instructing each other on good form and a much lower occurrence of ego. Instead of looking at the other people in the gym as hostile creatures, they were people that wanted you to succeed.
Since I cannot train there now I just mind my own business. I won't call someone out on bad technique because it is not worth the greif. I will call you out here on account of bad training, but this is my blog and you chose to read it. People in the gym do not want your advice unless they ask.

Progress and Calming Down

I started exercising and moved on to training because I wanted to get stronger, faster, and healthier, not unlike most people.  For a while I just wandered around the gym trying to figure out what I was doing, what form I should be using, and what I enjoyied, not unlike most people.  I made some progress but things really started coming together when my schedule became organized.  I decided to become stronger using the Deadlift and the Squat so I Deadlift and Squat every week.  Every week I increase either the weight on the bar or the number of reps per set.  I never perform more than than 5 reps per set because my goal is strength.  This plan is simple and brutally effective, and I have been using the same plan for over 2 months.  For a training plan to work you need to use it more than 1 week, more than 2 weeks.  After a month you should start seeing results, then you stick with the plan until the results stop.  
Too often beginners have exercise ADD, they work out for a week and wonder why they have not lost weight or become stronger.  Well, it took your body years to become the way it is now so you cannot expect some miracle transformation in 7 days!
The same applies to runners, some person decides to start running then they think the only measure of how good they are is distance covered.  I cannot apologize for saying that running 4 or 5 miles at a 10 minute mile pace isn't doing jack for your running ability or your health.  You would be better off increasing your speed over a shorter distance before you add distance.  Use a methodical plan, learn about intervals, run fast, stop wasting your time; you will burn more fat, waste less time, and look less like a jogger!

Pulling Double Bodyweight

I have reached a milestone that eluded me for over a year. I pulled 265lbs in the trapbar Deadlift at a bodyweight of 131lbs which calculates to slightly more than 2 times my bodyweight. My grip felt good, my legs felt good, but my lower back was surely the weakest link. It's just nice to be back where I was last winter with less than 2 months of work so I can now focus on progress!