My beloved notebook is running out
of room. After this week, I’ll have
three more pages, which means I’ve got three more training weeks, which means I’ve
gotta get my ass in gear and find a new notebook! I’ve known I was running out of pages for a
few weeks now and knowing I’ll be filling it up soon has got me looking back
over the pages from the past two plus years’ worth of training sessions. The very first entry is from August 18,
2014. A Monday so it was bench day (and
duh, who doesn’t start on a Monday?). That
session was touch & go 6-6-8. My
numbers were 80lbs x 6, 85lbs x 6, and 70lbs x 8. Its so funny to me now to see that. Not funny in a “haha let me make fun of
myself for being so weak” way, but more of a “oh my gosh, have I really
improved that much” kinda way. My last
session of 6-6-8 from a couple weeks ago (according to my handy dandy notebook)
was 130lbs x 6, 135lbs x 6, and 120lbs x 8.
The first squat session was 135lbs for 6 sets of doubles and this week’s
doubles were at 205lbs. The first
deadlifts back in August of 2014? 165lbs
for 15 singles. This training cycle, I started
with 15 singles at 235 (which just so happens to be my 3rd attempt from
that very first meet!). And today was test day, I pulled 330 and was
oh-so-close to pulling 340. Do the math.
My
first real powerlifting meet was in July of 2014 and I started training with
Wade Johnson the following month. Wade
said “get a notebook, write stuff down.” So I did. Of course, I found a cute little spiral bound
one with pink flowers and “Believe you can” written on the front because
#girlie, but it had blank pages so it served the purpose. I’ve been known not to follow directions
well, but I’m glad I listened to this one.
Every session since 8/18/14 is
written down in there, the PRs, the misses, the days when I skipped assistance,
and even the blank spaces where I missed entire sessions. One thing that I don’t see written down in
there though, are meet results. It just
hit me, right now at this moment, I neglected to write down anything related to
meet day lifts. It’s not because I didn’t
have my notebook with me on meet day (believe me, it’s ALWAYS with me), but
nope, not a single meet lift is written down in there! It certainly wasn’t intentional, but I wonder
why I did that?? Don’t we train so we
can put it all together on the platform for the coveted 9 for 9 and big PRs on
meet day? Oh there are entries with
projected meet attempt selections written on pages titled “MEET WEEK!” but none
of the actual results. Hmmmm.
I’d like to claim that the reason
for this omission is because I’ve always just “embraced the process” of
training. Yeah, that’s it. I’ve never been upset over a missed lift or a
bad session or having to make adjustments because my body just hurts too damn
bad and I know all of that is part of it.
That would be a flat out lie. But
maybe, just maybe, I had an inkling of how important the process really is. Maybe I know how much I like to look back and
see progress. Maybe I’m psychic. Nah, that’s not it either, maybe it was just
a fluke and the natural progression of how things work out and I just did what
I was told to do. We always document the
PRs, the big moments, and the highlights, and even if we don’t share them, the
lows and the misses are just as much a part of it and just as important. If it weren’t for the bad days, the good ones
wouldn’t be so sweet. That's really easy to say and type, but pretty hard to accept!
When I look back through the pages,
I don’t just see a bunch of numbers scribbled down. I see my whole powerlifting life with little
pieces of real life sprinkled in all over the place. That week I went on the cruise for Cassie’s bachelorette
party? Yeah, that’s in there, written in
as “workout on the boat.” Or that time I
hurt my back coaching gymnastics: “pulled
135 for 2 singles, couldn’t even put the bar down.” It’s all in there. My story. My journey.
My process. If I try to imitate somebody
else’s process, I begin to lose sight of my own journey and my own goals.
Speaking of
goals, I remember when all I wanted to do was bench a plate. One hundred and thirty five freaking
pounds. Impossible!! That’s just crazy to want to do that! But you know what? I did it.
On July 23, 2015 to be exact (I know because my notebook says so). Now when I think “All I want to do is squat
300,” I have no doubt in my mind that it WILL happen. And it will be documented in the new notebook
(and probably highlighted and circled with a big pink sharpie). Imagine the possibilities in all aspects of life when we stop
putting limitations on ourselves! To sorta quote a girl "perceived limitations are BS!"
One of the things Wade always says
(a Wadeism if you will), is: “If all I’ve done is make you a better lifter,
then I’ve failed you as a coach.” If all
I’ve done is lift some weights, then what’s the point? If in the process of lifting some weights, I’ve
become stronger, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, all of the “lly’s”
then I can look back through the pages and appreciate the process that much more. My life over the past two plus years has been
a rollercoaster. Mostly good, some bad, lots of change and growth and more
change. Training has been one of the
constants and so have my people.
Most people don’t understand why we do what we do, and to them, it is
just lifting weights. To me, to us, it’s
a way of life. A lifestyle. It’s not all that we are, but something that
we do. My little notebook documents that
part of my life and helps me remember #allthethings.
Moral of the story?
Get a notebook. Write stuff
down. And when you get hung up on the
Insta-Celebs who lift 1 million more pounds than you do (or do whatever it is that you wanna do), flip back a few pages,
look in the mirror and make the only valid comparison necessary: you vs. you.
You’ll thank me.
#believeyoucan
#poweryourown
THIS is #poweryourown 💥
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