Taking Stock - 2012 Edition
Well another training year has come and gone, and this was likely my worst one on record. You would think the year that I got cancer, had my nut chopped off, and had the testosterone levels of a geriatric woman would have been the worst? Well 2012 kicked 2011 right in the nuts.
It wasn’t all bad I suppose. I put about 85 pounds or so on my PL total, which isn’t too shabby, especially since I could only squat and deadlift half the year. I also hit a few 4 plate benches this year, with a 419 out in Vegas, along with my strict curl world record at 176 in my first meet doing that lift.
I also managed to get fairly lean at one point in the year while maintaining my strength (actually increasing it). And right now I am sitting at about 4.5% less BF (15.5% vs. 19%) at the same bodyweight (290 or so) than I was this time last year, for about a 10 pound LBM gain and 10 pound fat loss. Not too awful.But the back injury has absolutely put the jake brakes on my progress and, really, my motivation. I have never had an injury linger this long. I know it will eventually get sorted out but I’m getting pretty damn impatient in the meantime! I will certainly look back on this time after it gets better and remember it when I want to take a day off or just “don’t feel like deadlifting” or whatever. I will forever view the ability to deadlift pain free and with real man weights to be a blessing! Now hurry the fuck up and heal you bastard psoas!!!
I reckon my lifts went accordingly in 2012:
Squat: 551 → 562
Bench: 385 → 419
Deadlift: 563 → 601
OHP: 255 → 275
Strict Curl: 0 → 176
Not awful I suppose. Could have been a ton better though, obviously.
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
If I had to put numbers on things, I would be happy with the following goals:
-625 Squat (no wraps)
-425 Bench
-650 Deadlift
-300 OHP
-300 Bodyweight
[/quote]
Didn’t get anywhere close on squat, got close on bench, got closer on deadlifts and was making a ton of progress on them when the injury occurred. Getting closer on OHP, though I didn’t really focus on that too much (300 is still a ways off I believe) and pretty close on the 300 BW (I was like 298 the other day in the morning, but that was with serious bloat).
I also let my bodyfat get a bit out of hand towards the end of the year, and neglected my conditioning which were two things that I had planned NOT to do going in. I hate to keep blaming the injury, but that really zapped my motivation to eat well along with not working out hard. That will be better in 2013.
[quote]
VTBalla34 wrote:
Here’s to a disease/injury free 2012 and finally hitting that raw elite! [/quote]
LOL…fucking hilarious
Goals for 2013:
-Rehab my back (which I’ve now decided is just getting my psoas to pop…I’m prepared to go to the ends of the earth to make this happen)
-Hit 8% bodyfat through clean eating and conditioning from January-April (figure if I cant get really strong I might as well get really lean)
-Do a strict curl meet in July and take a shot at the federation world record for all weight classes (around 185)
-Full power meet in September if training is going well. A 1620 total would be fantastic.
-Good clean bulk at the end of the year while staying relatively lean (no more getting over 15% bodyfat and 40+ inch around the naval)
-Maintain conditioning. Prowler pushes at least two times per week! No excuses.
-Do not neglect mobility work. Every session should include this.
Alright this post is already too long. Hope everybody had an awesome new year and here’s to wishing everyone a 2013 filled with PR’s and steak.
