I’m a big fan of holding yourself accountable. There are a lot of ways to do that, and one of the best ways I’ve found that keeps me motivated, is to make my training public. It’s not that I want the world to know how great I am (well maybe I do), rather, I need to know, for whatever reason, that I’ve made a public commitment to achieve a goal (50 mile run, 405 deadlift…) and that I will stick to it.
Making goals can be hard, sticking with them even harder. By making my training and the efforts public, I’ve added a layer of accountability that whether the observing public is aware, they are helping me. In return, I hope that the information from my training successes and failures is also useful.
In the end, we’re all working towards that elusive quality of being “better” than we used to be. Social Media can be used for good. It’s helped me, and I’ve been informed, it has inspired others.
This is the style of running I’ve been using for the last 7 years and it’s allowed me to not only run without injury, but also faster, and for greater distances.
You are simply moving your body. Sometimes quickly, sometimes with weight. Sometimes both. It’s not that hard to do. Let’s not make a big deal of it.
Just get started.
Here are four movements that will get you more than halfway to wherever you want to be:
Squat
Deadlift
Shoulder Press
Sprint
OK. Great. Those are the movements. Now what?
For sets and reps, start with 5×5. That alone will do you wonders. Want more? Learn to recover. Want more? Start eating right. 40-30-30 is a good general rule, but even better: eat natural foods. Meat, veggies, nuts and fruit. Water.
This is simply part of your life. Stop over thinking this and stop making exercise an EVENT. It’s not. You have a life to live, a sport to excel in, kids to raise, a job to do.
There are different ways to approach this. First, make sure your mobility is good. Don’t build a house on a crappy foundation. If you can’t move well, what good is it to make yourself even stronger in your immobility? Get yourself fixed! Stretch! Use a foam roller, see a Z-health specialist, something.
Finally, if the above movements are new, learn them from someone qualified. Oh and have fun.
The deadlift train continues! Just set a rep PR today 12 reps at 315. Translated to 5-3-1 theoretical one rep max: 440 lbs. I am pretty happy with that.
The main point of the graphic below is that the body adapts to strength in cycles. One week you’re up, then the next, and possibly the next. But at some point, your body needs a down week, and you can see it in this graph here. It’s consistent no matter where you are in the strength spectrum.
Plan your de-load weeks or at least be prepared mentally that you’re going to reach a wall.
Today, I am happy to report that it was not a down week. Just so happens to fall on week 2, of the 3rd cycle of Wendler’s 5-3-1 program.
