Forging Mind: Scary Stuff Edition

We live in a society built on fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the different. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of falling. Fear of our fear.

We are afraid to die, yet, a lot of us in the western world eat Cheetos and drink soda and go to McDonald's for dinner more than once a week (that is a very generalized statement, of course).

Why do we live in fear? I have my own personal theories, but one of the stronger ones is that we are conditioned to do so by those "above us" on the power chain. If we, as the small folk, got too big for our britches, many corporations would go down in flames.

There are societies that believe in preventative medicine. Here in America, we mostly believe in rehabilitative medicine.

In 2010, the leading causes of death according to the CDC were as follows:

Data from CDC.gov

Yeah, so, as you can see, we're all happy and healthy here in America. I think there are a lot of factors at play. There is no cure for Alzheimer's or aging, that is where we are all headed. There is no cure for many cancers and once it's terminal, that's pretty much it. We're not even sure of what causes Alzheimer's or cancer. Sure, certain behaviors like smoking a lot or drinking too much can lead you down either one of those paths, but there are people that get cancer that are seemingly healthy and eat "right".

I digress. What am I getting at?

We live in a society of fear. Without all of these things to fear, what would we do? Would we buy all the OTC supplements, the magic weight loss pills, juice our vegetables instead of eat them? Run faster after we buy those new shoes that are supposed to be better for our feet? Lift heavier, move more, eat less? No. We fear, so we consume, and then we fear what we consume (this is a part of a much, much longer could-be series).

Back pain? Pop a pill. Allergies? Pop a pill. Hungry? Tired? Coffee and sugar will hold us over.

But we are slowly killing ourselves. Just looking around tells us so.

At some point we have to stop and take a look around and accept responsibility for our situations. Then we have to decide what to do about it. We can stop eating so much garbage and start eating more actual food, or we can stay the unsustainable course and poison ourselves slowly. Granted, yes, we are all headed to the same destination. But it's the journey that counts, remember?

Maybe there is someone in your life who is so unhealthy, that fuels your work outs or training sessions. Maybe there's someone like April who inspires you and is the fire to keep you going. Maybe it's just you and the iron, or the road, or the CrossFit gym.

Caitlyn Trout, world record holder in powerlifting

Either way, it's pointless to eat "correctly" and sit on your ass all day just as it is pointless to slave away in the gym or on the field and eat garbage.

Don't let them scare you into submission. Think for yourself, seek the truth and know that your morals and beliefs will be challenged along the way. It is not easy, but it is worthwhile. The path we take leads us to a wider and less lonely road if we take it together.

You don't need that pre-workout supplement to set PRs. You don't need that weight-loss pill to help you lose weight. You don't need to eat that or eat this magical food in a magical combination. You do need to use your brain and look for valuable and reliable sources of information.

Martin Berkhan, AKA, the Father of Intermittent Fasting. Leangains.com

And then you need to lift heavy stuff for a while, or run for a while, or even walk for a while 4, 5, 6 times a week. That's it.

See you in THE DUNGEON

What is Strong?

So, you guys may be aware now that I was, for a time, coached by Clint Darden. Clint is a man of honor and duty. He is a father, a husband and an elite level athlete. He's been around the block and, to boot, is a great guy. I am not shamelessly plugging him, but...The story behind this series is something I wanted to explain and give full credit to Clint. He does a newsletter "The House of Biceps" and he's asked some of his readers to send him their ideas of "Strong" whether that be video, writing, stories, etc.

I stated a while back that I have had a long journey. This is the first part of a much longer story. This is one idea of what "Strong" to me, personally, is.

What is "strong"? Strong is having the courage to set boundaries, but to recognize that they change over time. I remember back in 2008 when I could do 10 pull ups like it wasn't any work. I forget how hard I worked to get there. Now, in 2013, at 29 years old, things have changed. I am slowly coming back from an injury, and am happy I can now do 1 pull up on any day. Why is that "strong" to me? Because, I didn't get hung up on what I used to be able to do. We used to shit our pants when we were babies. We may get back to that point. But we're not there yet.

Life has a funny way of coming back around. Our relationships are built on trust, and the gym is no different. Life, however, doesn't wait for you. If you don't get stronger, you have no one to blame but yourself. Strong doesn't just reflect how much weight you can lift, but how many times you keep coming back to lift it, even when people tell you you can't. You won't be able to ever touch a barbell again. That's what they told me. Then they gave me prescriptions for muscle relaxers, Ibuprofen and sent me on my way.

Let's go back a bit.

It was November, 2005. I was at work. I was checking the perimeter of our base (I was active Air Force at the time) and we got an emergency call. I sped off, didn't have my seat belt on, and to make a long story short, wrecked the truck. It flipped over 2 times. I was ejected from the seat along with my partner. I was due to deploy in less than a month for my first overseas deployment, Iraq. Somehow, I lived. I woke up, in shock, lying in the gravel, unsure as to what had just happened. I tried calling for help, but nothing came out. I couldn't move. I wondered if I was paralyzed.

I didn't break a single bone. I didn't lose a limb. I even still had all my teeth and now, carry some scars. I deployed on December 5th, 2005. I came back with all my fingers and toes, but as many of you may know, going to war changes you. It was in Iraq that I found solace in the barbell. So when the doctors, years later, told me I would never touch one again due to my back injury (un-related to the accident, maybe, but no one is 100% sure), I couldn't stand the thought.

I listened to them. For 2 years I didn't lift a thing. My pain got worse.

Then, I said "screw it" and got a surgery done. The day of the surgery, I touched a barbell for the first time. I lifted just the bar. I did curls and bench press.

All roads lead me here, with the barbell and the plates.

Sometimes, you must trust yourself. A PhD doesn't make you any smarter than a degree in life or knowing yourself. Only you know your true limits. If you let others tell you what your limits are, you might as well start digging your own damn grave. 

That is strong. I am a woman. But more than that, I am a strength athlete. I am strong in the gym, and I try to be strong outside of it.

Now, go lift something.

See you in THE DUNGEON

The Training Log

I don't understand gym-goers who don't use a training log. I was at the university gym a couple weeks ago and looked around and saw no one but myself with a log. Granted, some of these people may perhaps use a log on their phone, but I didn't see a lot of phones....which brings me to the point of this short post:

Training logs are important. How do you get to where you're going without some sort of written document (or smartphone document) your journey? The iron road is paved with good intentions, but if you don't know why you're suddenly stalling, or why you're not gaining progress, or why you're so tired all the time, the training log can be a huge resource. It can enlighten you to these troubles and help pin point any issues you may be having.

I have training logs from 2008 to present-day...some of them half half-years, some of them are filled up and some have PRs that I like to go back and look at. All of them have value.

These date back to 2008, 3 years after I started lifting and when I got serious about tracking

So, how do you keep a log? What do you keep it in? May be a silly question for some, but for others, this is important foundational knowledge to have. You have many options. I will go through some of the paper options, as I have tried the smart phone apps, but just never use them the way I do a paper log.

The next shots are the guts of my logs...please excuse the super pussiness of some of the training and the numbers. 

First up, my first log, the BodyMinder. This worked well for a while, but I found I was too cramped when I had to write in those tiny boxes. Some people may like this because it's pretty organized. There's a body stats page, a photos page, all the good stuff.

Next up, just a plain ol' ledger book. This can be very organized as well and there's tons of space for multiple workouts for any given week, which comes in handy when you're programming or going for a max.

Next up, just a plain notebook and how I used it. There are multiple ways to log things in a notebook, or even a ledger...it just takes some messing around to figure out what works best for you.

And what I have been using the last 2 years or so, the weekly calendar book. This is my preferred log choice, lots of room to write and mark notes on and easy to go back, plus the built in calendars for the months are very useful for documenting certain things.

The point is, just log. Take good notes like you're in a really hard science class and think of your log as your textbook. It can be very beneficial to making progress and knowing what works well for you and what doesn't work as effectively.

As for what to track: the basics always do me well, but sometimes I log when I start a certain stack of supplements so I can track if they are effective, or when I cycle off things. I track my composition changes like weight and bodyfat% so I know which direction I am headed. I sometimes write in my calorie breakdown or simply print my food log for the prior week and analyze if it I'm having trouble sleeping, hitting decent weights, or recovering in general. This also helps me know "what works" nutrionally and calorie-wise.

You could get more in depth if you'd like...hours slept, temperature when you awake, muscle soreness, illness, general feelings of well-being. It's up to you. But most importantly, log what you did that day in the gym, how long it took you and how you felt prior and after or even during. This is one key to success.

Remember the quote from Alice in Wonderland?

Knowing where you're going is half the battle...but if you finally get there without documenting anything, how do you keep going forward?

See you in THE DUNGEON

Getting Scientific (sort of) #2: Why Abs are Cool, Bro (and Putting a Face on it)

Not only because abs are sexy when you have them, but because they increase your lifts, your athleticism, your speed, your stability.

Whatever sport you enjoy, working your abs is a great way to improve efficiency and power in that sport.

Affected exercises from ab work include:

Squats

Deadlifts

Military and Push Press (which translates over to many overhead movements, such as the Clean and Jerk)

Why is working your abs important and how do they improve your power, efficiency and stability? Weak abs (more scientifically, serratus anterior, rectus abdominis, rectus sheath, iliac crest, linea alba, external abdominal oblique, otherwise known as "those six-pack or 2-pack things under your shirt) cause weaknesses in other parts of your body, which then cause pain, instability, and poor flexion/mobility.

Everything in the body works with everything else. Once we understand that, we start to stop treating our bodies like they're that old exercise bike or your asshole boss and start actually treating it like it’s our damn temple.

Some people want to see their abs, some don’t. I’m still sitting between that middle ground, but getting more to the “don’t care if I see them or not” crowd, only because I have switched gears from bodybuilding to powerlifting, so I have been eating more carbs in order to gain more leverage in my lifts.

Just because you can’t see them doesn't mean they aren't nice and strong, though. My favorite ab move lately has been side bends. If done correctly, these can help build a strong and stable mid-section, which will translate over to your big lifts. I personally am not a big fan of working my abs, but I do it not for how pretty they can be, but for the translation into my lifting weight and putting it down again.

Speaking of, it’s high time I put a face to this blog, so here you go. Granted, I’m no figure competitor and I don’t have a ton of muscle (yet) but I started this blog, hoping to begin teaching you what I am currently learning, to get my ideas out there and to become more well-versed on the subject of the human body in general.

Me, at 171 Pounds, 25-ish Weeks out from the Meet

See you in The DUNGEON.