Well here we are, at the end of another year.
So many awesome accomplishments and experiences and highs that far outweigh the lows.
Last night we completed our 12 week deadlift progression inspired by Benedict Magnusson. I’ve talked about it here with you before, so you might remember that each week consisted of a series of reps at various weights
that I followed on this Google Spreadsheet. When I embarked on this progression, my 1 rep max for deadlift was 220lbs, and I set a goal of achieving 270lbs. A 50 lb increase – a nearly 25% increase in weight. I failed a few weeks and had to repeat, making my 270lb goal seem unattainable at times. Then, a couple of weeks ago, my training required that I complete a 2x at 275lbs! AND I DID.
In class yesterday, my gym homies and I attempted our 1 rep max deadlifts. I made it to my beloved 6:30pm class, and I was fortunate to share a barbell with my gym pals Kase, Marijke, and Ariel; since we all were attempting to lift close to the same weight. I was hoping for a 285 best (omg 285!!!) but got conned into going all the way for a 300lb lift by my peers. I’m so glad I went for it – holy wow, did that feel amazing when I successfully pulled that bar off the ground. I LIFTED 300LBS!!!! DID YOU READ THAT? 300 LBS! Thanks for pushing me, ladies. I’m still riding the high.
You might remember that I have only been powerlifting since late summer 2014, so this whole strength journey has been quite a ride. It’s so fun to train and see what your body is capable of doing. And especially as a female, too. I love it so much. So much, in fact, that I’m absolutely pumped to be joining the Solcana CrossFit powerlifting team that will begin to train each Saturday, starting this week, with Coach Michael Sampson. He helped me get ready for the powerlifting meet back in September, and I’m really excited to dive in with him for real now. HI MY NAME IS JENN AND I AM ON A POWERLIFTING TEAM THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Other new things on the horizon in the New Year include the 6 week Solcana WholeMe food challenge that starts next week Monday. I’m really excited to kick this off and update you guys weekly with how I’m doing with it. Also, I’m pumped to be paired with an accountability partner, as I think this piece will really help me a lot because part of the work is tracking food through your WODify (this is our online system where we keep track of our workouts, accomplishments, and register for classes) food journal, and then sharing it with one another. Also, this challenge is more about adding healthy habits into your daily routine versus punishing you for doing badly. Things we’ll focus on include drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, eating vegetables, getting rid of sugar and dairy, adding more fat, taking personal time each day, and so much more. All of these will be opportunities to earn points based on your activities and meals for the week. Each Monday, Coach Hannah announce the weekly goal, each Tuesday, I’ll keep you updated on what’s working well and what I’m struggling with, and later in the week Lucia will share awesome recipes and offer tips for how to maximize your meals. The idea is that each week we will continue to implement the goal from the week before, so that after 6 weeks we have instilled some super healthy habits. We can do anything for 6 weeks, right? Right.
I went to grab a bite with Hannah P last night after our workout and we talked at length about the upcoming Solcana WholeMe challenge. Hannah is an awesome athlete who started at the gym just a couple of months after me, and I’ve loved every chance I’ve had to spend time with her in and outside the gym. We both agreed that we’re really looking forward to this challenge because we’re now confident in the workouts we do and want to really conquer and better understand healthy eating, and we know this is going to help. Even simple things like EATING BREAKFAST and EATING ENOUGH FOOD are things I need to improve upon.
This might be a good time to mention I’ve only ever kept one New Years Resolution in my life to date. Alas, I have good feelings about this. Accountability! And, especially because it’s set up as a reinforcement of good behavior rather than punishment for bad.
I can’t wait to share all about it with you in the upcoming weeks!