Tomorrow I have my 20 week check-in, WHOA! I am excited because I have been lifting my ass off, for real. My main focus has always been to make sure I'm doing something right before I try to make it more challenging. With that being said, my deadlifting really needed some work. So, reluctantly, I scaled back a bit on the weight and worked on my form. Day in and day out, form form form! And now, I'm back up to about 175lbs for 3 reps in my deadlifts.
Anyhow, I have noticed a lot of changes that can't really be seen by an untrained eye, so I decided they were important to talk about. First, I will never ever forget this old lady coming up to me in the gym sometime early last year and saying this to me, "you know, you could be a fitness model, seriously, but your posture is terrible, put your damn shoulders back!" I almost died. But, she was right. Not about the modeling part, even though I was extremely flattered, but about my pathetic posture. The truth is, I NEEDED to improve my posture. So, how do you do that? Through weight training! For the very first time yesterday, I was looking at myself in the window reflection and noticed how nice my posture looked without even trying. My old lady friend would be so proud! But not only that, along with my stronger back has come something even better!
In 2005-ish I dealt with a strained piriformis and if you've ever had it, you know just how painful it is. I could not walk for nearly 3 weeks. I rested my body and eventually the pain completely disappeared. Well, when I was a senior in college I was finishing up with my athletic training class and realized that my left leg turned outward and was also raised forward when performing squatting exercises. My professor did an examination and we found that my glutes were weak. Weak?!?! HOW?! I workout ALL the time. Okay great, but I wasn't doing things as good as they could have been. As of January 1st I have been doing weighted bridges and hip thrusting like it's my job, that along with some heavy ass deadlifting I believe has struck a cord with my body. I just realized that for the first time I haven't had ANY pain in my left knee. I have in essence been pain free for about 3 months (except for my nasty fall last month, which is an unrelated incident). I have noticed greater stride length when I walk and actual booty contraction when I walk as well! My entire posterior chain has improved dramatically and it's really all thanks to me hiring my coach, Sohee, who has taught me a LOT in the past few months. And I couldn't be more grateful. I've been able to keep my 14 pounds OFF and I am living my life how I always dreamed I could.
The most important LESSON I have learned throughout this process is consistency. It's easy to fall off one day after being "on point" for 5 days and then deciding, "ya know what, I'll just start again next Monday." Or, "I can always just start next month." NO NO NO! This process is not about perfection. It's understanding you are human and come with major flaws and that's okay because when you fall off you have a CHOICE. You have a choice to be better NEXT TIME. You have a choice to CHOOSE to make your next meal have more protein, or to lift heavier, or sprint faster! Whatever the case, consistency is what has gotten me so far. Consistency comes from understanding that the time is going to pass anyways; there are no deadlines.
These changes along with overall major strength increases, more energy, lack of binging, and my fat loss have made this journey rewarding. Understanding that you don't have to take extreme measures to get your life on the track you desire has been the most rewarding part of this all. I can't wait to continue to improve my body on all levels (knowledge, strength, biomechanics, health) for the rest of my life. And I am armed with the tools to do just that.
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