I love seeing posts on the Dragon Door forum of people reporting PRs. This is great and it is one of the things I love about being a part of an online "community".
Something I noticed and even posted about lately is when people work hard, do something they have never done before and then take the wind out of their own sails by saying things like "It's nothing compared to what some people can do...." or words like that.
NEVER apologize for your strength!
Just because Brett Jones or Kenneth Jay or anyone else can do it with 4 times as much weight or 10 times as many reps, THAT DOES NOT TAKE AWAY THE FACT THAT YOU DID IT! If you never pressed a 16kg kettlebell before and you work up to it over time, that is YOURS. Do not apologize for it. You earned it. Now get back to training.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Goal Setting
Goal: the result or achievement toward which effort is directed
Stop me if you know this one:
Effective goal setting must be SMART
Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
I am sure you've been through this drill, so I won't bore you with all the details, but it is the difference between "I'd kinda like to lose some weight" and "I want to lose 12 lbs over the next three months." It makes goals setting more real.
In concept, I agree with it. "I'd kinda like to lose some weight" isn't a goal, it is an idea.
"I want to lose 18 lbs over the next twelve weeks" is a good target. It is an achievement.
The problem is, it doesn't take into account the action that is required. A goal without action is a fantasy, a day dream.
To hit the target, I believe goal setting is best structured around behavior rather than outcome.
Let's say that 2 people want the same outcome. We'll use the same example as before: lose 18lbs in 12 weeks.
Person A writes down the goal like this: "I want to lose 18 lbs over the next 12 weeks"
Person B writes: "I will complete a total of 48 workouts (4x per week) and eat according to my plan to 90% (by updating my food log daily) over the next 12 weeks"
Who do you think has a better chance?
Target the behavior, the outcome will follow naturally.
Stop me if you know this one:
Effective goal setting must be SMART
Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
I am sure you've been through this drill, so I won't bore you with all the details, but it is the difference between "I'd kinda like to lose some weight" and "I want to lose 12 lbs over the next three months." It makes goals setting more real.
In concept, I agree with it. "I'd kinda like to lose some weight" isn't a goal, it is an idea.
"I want to lose 18 lbs over the next twelve weeks" is a good target. It is an achievement.
The problem is, it doesn't take into account the action that is required. A goal without action is a fantasy, a day dream.
To hit the target, I believe goal setting is best structured around behavior rather than outcome.
Let's say that 2 people want the same outcome. We'll use the same example as before: lose 18lbs in 12 weeks.
Person A writes down the goal like this: "I want to lose 18 lbs over the next 12 weeks"
Person B writes: "I will complete a total of 48 workouts (4x per week) and eat according to my plan to 90% (by updating my food log daily) over the next 12 weeks"
Who do you think has a better chance?
Target the behavior, the outcome will follow naturally.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Photos from the end of week six
Here are Photos from 8-25-07, six weeks into the Precision Nutrition Challenge.
bodyweight 269.5, down from 285 on 7-15-07
Friday, August 24, 2007
Transformation Update
Today was the day that I dipped into the 260's for the first time in a LONG time. Stepped on the scale 269.5
Belly measurement: 45 & 3/4" down from 47 & 1/4". Total shrinkage of an inch and a half.
I'll get some photos this weekend.
Belly measurement: 45 & 3/4" down from 47 & 1/4". Total shrinkage of an inch and a half.
I'll get some photos this weekend.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Desire
Napoleon Hill calls Desire "The Starting Point of all Achievement".
Rif said on a Dragon Door post "the MOST important component of any program design is the users incredibly intense desire to achieve the goal the program is designed to produced"
The kind of desire that makes a man post portly pics of himself on his blog is the same desire that results in a 13lb fat loss and and SST increase from 216 to 241 in less than 5 weeks.
It makes you do another set of snatches when you want to lay down and gasp for breath like a fish on the beach.
It makes you order a steak salad and water when everyone around you orders chicken tenders, fries and beer.
It gives you a willingness to sacrifice the thing you think you want right now for the thing you REALLY want overall.
A friend of mine called it "laying your nuts on an anvil and passing out hammers"
It makes you win the toughest competition-the one with the voice of laziness and complancy in your head that say things like "you're already pretty strong, why beat yourself up any more today?"
Then there is the most dangerous one of all: "This one little bit won't hurt, will it?"
Well, if ain't helping, it's hurting. If it doesn't bring you closer to your goal, it takes you a step away.
I believe in listening to your body. If you really don't have it in you today to do what you planned, don't push. You need rest more than you need additional training stimulus. DO NOT however, confuse laziness with the need for rest.
If you have been strict in your diet for 6 day and you want to eat a cookie because it will help you crush a craving and stay on track, go ahead. DO NOT mistake this with giving yourself permission to eat a whole box of cookies, a whole pizza and half a gallon of ice cream.
I follow John Berardi's 90/10 rule- If you stick to your plan 90% of the time, you can intentionally break the rules 10%. In a week this allows me 3-4 opportunities to eat a cookie, drink a couple of beers or miss a meal. It is a part of my plan. It brings me closer to my goal.
Without Desire you are not even going through the motions....you are only pretending to, fooling yourself in the process.
Cultivate your desire. Harness it and direct it toward the thing you really want.
Rif said on a Dragon Door post "the MOST important component of any program design is the users incredibly intense desire to achieve the goal the program is designed to produced"
The kind of desire that makes a man post portly pics of himself on his blog is the same desire that results in a 13lb fat loss and and SST increase from 216 to 241 in less than 5 weeks.
It makes you do another set of snatches when you want to lay down and gasp for breath like a fish on the beach.
It makes you order a steak salad and water when everyone around you orders chicken tenders, fries and beer.
It gives you a willingness to sacrifice the thing you think you want right now for the thing you REALLY want overall.
A friend of mine called it "laying your nuts on an anvil and passing out hammers"
It makes you win the toughest competition-the one with the voice of laziness and complancy in your head that say things like "you're already pretty strong, why beat yourself up any more today?"
Then there is the most dangerous one of all: "This one little bit won't hurt, will it?"
Well, if ain't helping, it's hurting. If it doesn't bring you closer to your goal, it takes you a step away.
I believe in listening to your body. If you really don't have it in you today to do what you planned, don't push. You need rest more than you need additional training stimulus. DO NOT however, confuse laziness with the need for rest.
If you have been strict in your diet for 6 day and you want to eat a cookie because it will help you crush a craving and stay on track, go ahead. DO NOT mistake this with giving yourself permission to eat a whole box of cookies, a whole pizza and half a gallon of ice cream.
I follow John Berardi's 90/10 rule- If you stick to your plan 90% of the time, you can intentionally break the rules 10%. In a week this allows me 3-4 opportunities to eat a cookie, drink a couple of beers or miss a meal. It is a part of my plan. It brings me closer to my goal.
Without Desire you are not even going through the motions....you are only pretending to, fooling yourself in the process.
Cultivate your desire. Harness it and direct it toward the thing you really want.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Just another day in my life
I met with the strength coaches at Vanderbilt University this morning, they introduced Kettlebells into their program a few months ago & brought me in to show them how to use them.
Today was a stop-by & follow up. I happened to have a 48kg in the car and I showed it to them. They dug it, a few kids ( 6'5" 240+lb kids) did some swings and a couple of the coaches C&P'd it. One of the players asked if I could snatch it, so I knocked out a set of 11 on the right. Fun times.
From there I went to mantis class, played hands a little, then it was off to the park for my own workout.
I hauled out the beast, with the intent of doing some sets of 5/5. I grabbed ahold, swung back and couldn't complete the lockout.
"What the hell is this??? I just did 11 reps not two hours ago!" I am screaming inside. Same thing on the right. I made 4 or 5 attempts before I could get a clean SINGLE with it. I felt like a malnourished kitten.
Finally, I get a few singles, doubles and a set of triples, and moved on. I went to clean and pushpress ladders 1,2,3 x3 times thru.
Then the Red Bull Fairies stopped by. See, in Nashville there is this little car that is painted up with the RB logo and this girl named Drew who drives around giving away Red Bull. She stopped by a class once before and gave everyone there FREE RB.
Today she stops the car, gets out and yells "Hey Iron Tamer, you need a sugar free??" She was training a new girl, and this was the girl's first day. Thanks Red Bull Fairy!
She goes on her way, spreading the RB wings across the Music City and I decide to finish with 24kg snatches. Some lady plopped down at the picnic table to smoke cigarettes and watch me try to survive my own self-inflicted madness.
I set gymboss to 1:00/:30 and laid into it. 2 sets of 13/13 and I was seeing spots. "What the hell is wrong with me today??"
One more set of 10/10 and I call it a day. After loading 159 lbs of iron into the car, I get in and the "Outside Temperature" reading was 108 degrees.
"Oh..." I think, "...that must be it...it's too hot to sit still and I am out here snatching a piece of iron the size of a Rottwieler!"
I get home, step on the scale...270 even, I was 272 this AM. Dehydration = weakness.
Soooo I am a couple of quarts of h2o fuller now and feeling good. I wonder what tomorrow will be like?
Today was a stop-by & follow up. I happened to have a 48kg in the car and I showed it to them. They dug it, a few kids ( 6'5" 240+lb kids) did some swings and a couple of the coaches C&P'd it. One of the players asked if I could snatch it, so I knocked out a set of 11 on the right. Fun times.
From there I went to mantis class, played hands a little, then it was off to the park for my own workout.
I hauled out the beast, with the intent of doing some sets of 5/5. I grabbed ahold, swung back and couldn't complete the lockout.
"What the hell is this??? I just did 11 reps not two hours ago!" I am screaming inside. Same thing on the right. I made 4 or 5 attempts before I could get a clean SINGLE with it. I felt like a malnourished kitten.
Finally, I get a few singles, doubles and a set of triples, and moved on. I went to clean and pushpress ladders 1,2,3 x3 times thru.
Then the Red Bull Fairies stopped by. See, in Nashville there is this little car that is painted up with the RB logo and this girl named Drew who drives around giving away Red Bull. She stopped by a class once before and gave everyone there FREE RB.
Today she stops the car, gets out and yells "Hey Iron Tamer, you need a sugar free??" She was training a new girl, and this was the girl's first day. Thanks Red Bull Fairy!
She goes on her way, spreading the RB wings across the Music City and I decide to finish with 24kg snatches. Some lady plopped down at the picnic table to smoke cigarettes and watch me try to survive my own self-inflicted madness.
I set gymboss to 1:00/:30 and laid into it. 2 sets of 13/13 and I was seeing spots. "What the hell is wrong with me today??"
One more set of 10/10 and I call it a day. After loading 159 lbs of iron into the car, I get in and the "Outside Temperature" reading was 108 degrees.
"Oh..." I think, "...that must be it...it's too hot to sit still and I am out here snatching a piece of iron the size of a Rottwieler!"
I get home, step on the scale...270 even, I was 272 this AM. Dehydration = weakness.
Soooo I am a couple of quarts of h2o fuller now and feeling good. I wonder what tomorrow will be like?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
SSST PR
hit 241 in the SST today. Switched hands every 10 reps, set the KB down from 8:06 to 8:30 and the last set was 11 reps.
My goal of 250+ by november 9th is in reach.
After resting for 6 minutes I did 3 supersets sets of Bulgarian Split Squats x8/8 + pushups x8. Rep cadence was SLOW 4 sec down, 2 sec pause explode up.
rest 1:00 between
finally a circuit of:
Squat & Press
Clean and Press
Snatch
High Pull
Swing
x 5reps per arm, KB not touching the ground until both sides are complete.
2 rounds of that.
BW this AM 274.
My goal of 250+ by november 9th is in reach.
After resting for 6 minutes I did 3 supersets sets of Bulgarian Split Squats x8/8 + pushups x8. Rep cadence was SLOW 4 sec down, 2 sec pause explode up.
rest 1:00 between
finally a circuit of:
Squat & Press
Clean and Press
Snatch
High Pull
Swing
x 5reps per arm, KB not touching the ground until both sides are complete.
2 rounds of that.
BW this AM 274.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Danish VO2 workout
24kg Snatch
8 reps per set
:15 work / :15 rest
40 sets
320 reps total in 19:45
I don't know that I can go any faster on this and stay clean.
8 reps per set is 32 per minute, that is fast. I was COOKED at the end of 40 sets, and the last 4 took all i had in me mentally to get today. Of course it is 102 degrees F and about 60% humidity here, and that takes a toll.
Working up to 50 sets? I dunno....that is pretty daunting to me this minute. I need to eat.
8 reps per set
:15 work / :15 rest
40 sets
320 reps total in 19:45
I don't know that I can go any faster on this and stay clean.
8 reps per set is 32 per minute, that is fast. I was COOKED at the end of 40 sets, and the last 4 took all i had in me mentally to get today. Of course it is 102 degrees F and about 60% humidity here, and that takes a toll.
Working up to 50 sets? I dunno....that is pretty daunting to me this minute. I need to eat.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Spider Monkey
I did my spider monkey workout (25,20,15,10,5 reps each of 24kg Kettlebell snatch, burpee and V-up, for time) today previous time was 16:16, today was 14:39!
I don't know how much faster I can get this, my original goal was sub-15:00.
BW today is 276, after training and drinking WO drink + 1/2 L of h2o. Forgot to weigh first thing, I'll do that tomorrow.
I don't know how much faster I can get this, my original goal was sub-15:00.
BW today is 276, after training and drinking WO drink + 1/2 L of h2o. Forgot to weigh first thing, I'll do that tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Things that are Awesome
The Gym Boss Interval Timer.
I got a Gym Boss a few weeks ago and I love it. No more watching a clock or stopwatch for intervals, I just listen for the beep.
This thing is truly, painfully awesome. It is a definate love/hate relationship. It never misses a count, always keeps time and it never, ever apologizes. The beeping sound that it makes taunts me and calls me a sissy sometimes, but it makes things like the Dane's VO2 max workout simpler because there is no need to watch a clock, just listen for the beep and revel in the misery.
I have been using it strategically for the Secret Service Snatch Test too. I set intervals at :50 and :10, snatch 10-12 reps per arm and set the KB down at the first beep and go again at the second beep. It's horrible, but in a good way.
If you are doing any kind of interval training I highly reccomend it.
I got a Gym Boss a few weeks ago and I love it. No more watching a clock or stopwatch for intervals, I just listen for the beep.
This thing is truly, painfully awesome. It is a definate love/hate relationship. It never misses a count, always keeps time and it never, ever apologizes. The beeping sound that it makes taunts me and calls me a sissy sometimes, but it makes things like the Dane's VO2 max workout simpler because there is no need to watch a clock, just listen for the beep and revel in the misery.
I have been using it strategically for the Secret Service Snatch Test too. I set intervals at :50 and :10, snatch 10-12 reps per arm and set the KB down at the first beep and go again at the second beep. It's horrible, but in a good way.
If you are doing any kind of interval training I highly reccomend it.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Back from the Beach
Here is a photo update from last week.
Training was on, every single day. Lots of snatches, presses, thrusters and swings. I didn't plan out any workouts, but they were all tough, all good and ranged from 20-70 minutes in the scorching FL sun. Lots of swimming ( that is how I refer to being clobbered by waves) and laying in the sun.
Then there was the diet. A couple of times I let it slide, but overall it was good.
The day meals were fine, cottage cheese, turkey, beef, veggies, fruit, etc.
I gotta tell ya, the hardest part was sticking to the eating plan when 11 other people are calling the restaurant shots. I made do with what I had, but there were some burgers and beers involved.
In the past I would've blown off the whole week, but I continually reminded myself of the photos I posted 3 weeks ago and that kept me on track. I would look a doughnut in the eye and say, "I am better than that".
Training was on, every single day. Lots of snatches, presses, thrusters and swings. I didn't plan out any workouts, but they were all tough, all good and ranged from 20-70 minutes in the scorching FL sun. Lots of swimming ( that is how I refer to being clobbered by waves) and laying in the sun.
Then there was the diet. A couple of times I let it slide, but overall it was good.
The day meals were fine, cottage cheese, turkey, beef, veggies, fruit, etc.
I gotta tell ya, the hardest part was sticking to the eating plan when 11 other people are calling the restaurant shots. I made do with what I had, but there were some burgers and beers involved.
In the past I would've blown off the whole week, but I continually reminded myself of the photos I posted 3 weeks ago and that kept me on track. I would look a doughnut in the eye and say, "I am better than that".
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