All Things Gym!

I am very excited and honored to have been given the opportunity to write a guest post for one of my favorite websites All Things Gym.  They always seem to have the most up-to-date videos and podcast interviews of literally all things gym related.  Olympic lifting, powerlifting, crazy feats of strength.  I've also been privileged enough to have them feature two of my videos on their site! 

You can find the first video of mine they used of my teammate Shane getting ready for the Pan-American Championship as a feature on the website by clicking: Shane Maier Pan Am Prep

The second time I was part of the actual feature as Crazy Plank Girl after I videoed myself doing a weighted plank challenge that I was given.  Check it out: Crazy Weighted Plank

This time if you're searching for a little motivation you can check out my guest post: Once You've Finished. 

So many many thanks to All Things Gym for not only posting my videos but allowing me to write a guest post!  And in case you haven't clicked any of the above links, at least click this one: Click me NOW or else! Enjoy!

My Guest Post from All Things Gym: Once You've Finished

I wrote a guest post for All Things Gym and the original link can be found by clicking Once You've Finished.  And I'd highly recommend you check out many of the other posts on the webpage.  They always have the latest and greatest videos from the internet lifting land.  But if you'd like to just read my post here you go (it features links that weren't included in the original post).......


"Nothing seems hard once you've finished."  I can't remember where I first read that quote but it's definitely one that has stuck with me.

On the surface people will initially push back against that statement but seriously take a moment to think about it.  Think about the last competition or event you competed in.  Was it really that hard?  Sure in the heat of the moment you ARE giving it your all, leaving it all on the platform, I'm not saying that you aren't.  But what about after?  Do you really feel like it was absolutely that hard?  Personally I could go 6 for 6, which is something I've NEVER done, and every last one of those could be brand-spanking-new personal records.  Afterwards I could be laying exhausted on the floor and I'd still think to myself, "Well, you know it really wasn't that hard."

Over the past 7 months or so there has come a shift in my life.  New job, new apartment, new people in my life.  Essentially a complete life overhaul.  With that has come a renewed fervor to not just be good at weightlifting but to become great at it.  Just the mental shift alone has started me down the path that I had always wished I was on but never actually put myself on.

There wasn't a specific Aha! moment that I wasn't on the right path but rather an accumulation of realization that I was being self-limiting.  If I kept telling myself that 90k was the most I'd ever cleaned and that it was sooooo hard then it would forever be the most weight I'd ever cleaned and would always be hard.  The day that I cleaned 90k for a TRIPLE was an absolutely great day (see Two Roads Diverged in a Weight Room) and I can say that I left every ounce of effort I had on the platform to nail that triple.  I can also tell you that afterwards I thought to myself, "Well it really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

It really wasn't that hard to lift something that used to be my max.  Why wasn't it that hard?  Because I told myself it wouldn't be that hard.  I wasn't limiting myself to what I already knew I could lift.  I was experimenting with how much I could push past what I already knew.  And you know what?  Once I was finished, it really didn't seem that hard.

Whatever your brand of lifting, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman (or woman), it's easy to limit yourself to lifting what you know and feeling like its the hardest lift ever but stop for a moment and really think on it.  When you finished that lift, did it really feel that hard?  If it did then you're probably limiting yourself to what you know was hard for you before and not really pushing the limits.  I'll expand on that quote by saying, "Nothing seems hard once you've finished.  Push the limits of what you know and you'll find that you're capable of so much more." 

Recovery Routines

I'll be the first to admit that I'm occasionally terrible at practicing what I preach, especially when it comes to recovery routines.  When it comes to lifting I'm actually pretty strict on myself to the point where I get annoyed if I'm ready to work out and someone starts infringing on my training time even if its only 5 minutes.  (Crazy much?!) Hell I can't even remember the last time I went out of town on a break and it didn't involve at least one day of lifting.  (Obsessed much?!?!)

Despite being rather regimented in my lifting, it's the recovery routine that I start to slack off in every couple of months or so.  My general nightly routine when I get home goes a little something like this: cook dinner, eat dinner & watch TV (or Facebook haha), foam roll, stretch, ice bath, bed time.  Lately it looks more like this: sit on couch, accidentally nap, cook dinner, eat dinner, watch a healthy dose of True Blood (+/- 3 episodes), bed time.  I KNOW I KNOW!  Why am I not doing the foam roll & stretch routine while OD-ing on TV?  One simple teeny tiny word: LAZY!

That's a big shocker huh?  Beastess being lazy.  Well I am now paying the price for being lazy.  I feel sore, tight, and imbalanced.   Trying to warm-up I feel like I'm a geriatric patient after double hip replacement.  Old injuries are popping up to say hello and remind me that if I don't get my ass back into a good recovery routine those injuries could just sucker punch me in the face leaving me on the sideline. 

Tonight's hot Friday night plans include foam rolling and stretching for at least an hour.  And not just arbitrarily foam rolling my legs.  But getting deep down into those muscles I really hate rolling out cause it just hurts so damn much.  Basically the muscles that need the most work because they are neglected the most.  I know it will suck buuuuuut it's my own damn fault.  Time to deal with the repercussions of being lazy.

When all is said and done, I know I'll feel better.  My body will be less sore and tight.  My warm-ups and lifts won't feel like I belong in a nursing home.  And to top it all off I'll probably feel a lot less stressed (gotta relieve that tension ya know?) and put myself into a better mood.  It will be a good reminder of why I should really strive to keep up with my recovery routine. 

So today's Public Service Announcement: Recovery routines are just as important as your training routine.  It really boils down to a good training routine should already be partnered up with a good recovery routine.  So go get yourself one.  Otherwise you're just selling yourself short on optimal performance.

Deadlift Beastess

Last week I wrote the blog "Until you try...." It was all about discovering what you're capable of and then setting the bar higher.  I never knew what I was capable of deadlifting having never really pushed the limits on my deadlifts so last week ended up as a crazy week for deadlift PRs (see previous posting for videos).

This week I was determined to hit a big 130k, which would exceed my 1-rep back squat PR by 1k.  Not only was my mission to beat my 1-rep back squat but I was given the goal of deadlifting 130k for 5 reps.  I'll spare you the tedious details and let you see the results of this mission yourself.....

That 138k is the most weight I have EVER moved in my entire life.  I did actually attempt to lift 142k and it was the oddest sensation to barely get that weight to budge.  I managed to get it about 1-inch off the floor but that's about the extent of it.  I suspect it is not a lack of strength but a matter of fatigue having repped out all the previous weights.  Given the right jumps and the right amount of reps I'm absolutely certain that 142k will not be a problem in the near future.  I'm gonna rep that weight out too!

Now that many of my strength lifts are really being put to the test, I'm getting excited to see what happens to my competition lifts.  If I can deadlift 138k then come hell or high water I will be strong enough to clean over 100k.  It's time to lift some big girl weights!!

Go Beastess!

Until you try....

There's that old adage, "You don't know what you're capable of until you try."  Well the more I geek out on weightlifting and the more inspired and motivated I become, the more I realize that I have no idea how much weight I'm really capable of lifting.  The only thing I know for certain is that I haven't even come close to my potential yet.  It's just a feeling I have.  Of that much I am certain.

As a lifter you'll always get those questions about how much you can lift in X, Y, or Z lift.  For the most part I know what I've been able to lift thus far in most lifts.  I know I've snatched 76k, clean & jerked 94k, back squatted 129k, and what I can do for reps for various lifts.  However, it wasn't until recently, and I'm not really sure why it took so long, that I realized I have no idea how much I can deadlift.  Hell I didn't even really have a goal for deadlifting.  It's just not something I had ever really thought about and again I have no idea why.

In addition to all of these lifting epiphanies I keep having regarding my own training, I also realized in the past few weeks that I've stagnated on lifting and, dare I say it, become a little complacent.  They say admitting you have a problem is the first step to fixing it.  So the past few days I've stepped onto the platform with renewed vigor and a desire to rip the head off the lion that is weightlifting.

I've given myself a goal for each training session in at least one lift.  Since my current focus is just to get insanely strong and see what happens to my other lifts, all my goals are targeted at the strength lifts.  Thursday my goals were entirely centered around getting a heavy deadlift for reps.  My goal was to deadlift 120 for 5 reps.  I based that goal on wanting to deadlift more than I squatted the previous day which was 117x5.  All my sets were done for 5 reps and I started out with a solid 97 before jumping to 110.  After that I figured why waste time and jumped directly to the 120.  Boom! Done deal, 5 reps in the bag.  There was no question that I was going to attempt more so I threw more weight on the bar.  BOOM!  Knocked out 126 for 5 solid reps. 

Here's a video of the deadlifts that technically count as new PRs since I had not previously established any....

I never knew what I could really deadlift before I tried.  And it certainly goes to say that if I can lift 126 for 5 reps, I'll be able to move even more than that for a single.  We're not quite there yet though.  Right now its building that base up even bigger so when I do finally attempt a heavy single, I'll have that good foundation for a nice technically solid lift.

Now as a side note, I didn't just jump face first into attempting heavy deadlifts.  I know my training level and abilities as well as what my body can handle.  I wouldn't have someone I just started coaching attempting heavy singles on any lift until they were technically sound and had built up a good base of strength.  Otherwise we start talking about the Zero to Hero complex I mentioned in a previous posting. 

Back to the main point and the moral of the story....you really don't know what you're capable of until you give it a try.  It's about putting yourself on the right path to accomplish those things you might never have dreamed possible.  It's about the things you have accomplished and taking them to the next level.  In the end you'll learn something and may even surprise yourself. 

Just not strong enough....yet

Ahhhh moment of epiphany....I'm just not strong enough.....yet.  "WHAT?!" you say.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  I am just not strong enough yet.  Strong, yes.  Strong enough, not yet. 

Yesterday while perusing one of my favorite websites (Everything Strength) to nerd out on strength & conditioning reading, I came across an article that really got me thinking.  It just so happened that I read the article right before getting my lift on.  As a consequence I went Beastess AND made some realizations about my training.

Realization #1: I am stronger than I have ever been.  My training over the last 5 months has been on the upswing.  I've PR'ed more in the last 5 months than the last 5 years of training.  I can consistently snatch and clean & jerk what used to be my "demon" weights and in turn have opened at meets with bigger numbers than ever before. 

Looking at my training I've really started to iron out some kinks in my technique.  Of course there will always be some fine tuning when it comes to technique.  I still like to fall back into some old bad habits occasionally.  Besides working on that technique though, I've really pushed my strength lifts up.  I have been squatting, pulling, and deadlifting more than I ever have before. 

Realization #2:  I am not strong enough yet to clean 100k.  I have cleaned 98k and honestly it really wasn't that hard.  So 2k more shouldn't be that hard either right?  Hahah that's what you think!  Again taking a look at my training I've realized over the last 2-3 weeks I haven't touched over100k in any of my lifts in general.  Not in squats, pulls, deadlifts, not-a-one.  Outside of attempting to clean 100k on three miserably failed attempts, I haven't touched over 100k recently.  Call it burn-out, over training, or just plain old being complacent lately, the fact of the matter is that I haven't moved 100k in any form recently. 

That kind of realization is one of those moments where you feel pretty sheepish and stupid.  If I haven't squatted or pulled or moved 100k in some fashion demonstrating that I am in fact strong enough to move 100k, what in the hell makes me think I can clean 100k?  Hellooooo if I don't push the threshold in the strength lifts it's pretty ridiculous to expect to move that kinda weight explosively. 

Realization #3:  I need to get strong as F***!  I know that I am capable of much more than I've limited myself to lately.  I need to get bigger, I need to look like a lifter and not just some pale scrawny twig.  I need to pick up some heavy shit and not just because I should, but because I can.  I need to constantly and consistently push that threshold higher and higher.

Realizing that I've been complacent in my strength training the last couple of weeks makes me pretty damn angry.  How do I deal with that anger?  I lift weights.  Yesterday I made the absolute 100% commitment to moving more than 100k in at least one lift.  I ended up squatting 90x5, 100x5, 108x5, and for a bit of variety, and mild self-punishment, I did barbell glute bridges 100 for 3x8.  I anticipated being a little sore today and probably unsurprisingly I am not in the least bit sore. 

So what does that mean?  It means it's time to Go Beastess!  It's time again to listen to that voice in my ear, that little devil, that says, "Ang, do something crazy in your training today."  

Strong, yes.  Strong enough, never. 

Zero to Hero....

The platform is not Hollywood.  You won't go from "Loveable Loser" to "Ultimate Champion" in a short, sweet 90 minutes.  Weightlifting is not all glory and triumphs summed up in a 3-minute video montage of all the hard work.  Behind all those triumphs are ninja kicks to the face, train derailments, and mental implosions.  You will not go from Zero to Hero in a matter of days, weeks, or months. 

Sit down, buckle yourself in, and get ready for the long haul.  My goals are lofty and start with breaking into the top ten in my weight class.  I'm currently sitting somewhere in the low 20s right now and I would LOVE to be that girl that came out of nowhere.  One of those triumphant TA-DAHHH moments, cue cheesy inspirational music.  As a competitor I understand the desire to go from Zero to Hero in 0.5seconds, especially when you get on a PR train.  It's that euphoric feeling of being unstoppable every time you touch the bar.  It's ridiculously addicting. 

Now as a coach, I have a new lifter that I've only been working with for a couple of months.  Every week I hear some version of the following: When am I gonna start lifting the really heavy weights...why can't I be strong now....I want to start lifting really heavy weight and then go back to work on skill.  That's a Zero to Hero complex if I ever saw one.  Every week I continually remind him that without working on the skills and becoming consistent/efficient/effective, those heavy weights are going to stay glued to the floor.  Now I know what Yoda felt like dealing with Luke Skywalker. 

Strength is not linear.  Improvements are not linear.  Seemingly unstoppable PR Trains will magically morph into Struggle Buses and Keanu Reeves won't be there to save your ass from that speeding bus.  The only way to go from Zero to Hero is put in work, accept that there will be setbacks, battle thru, and come out fighting.  It might take months or even years but that ride is definitely worth it.