Strong

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Strong isn’t just about numbers. It isn’t about records or medals. It isn’t about stacking plate after plate onto a bar. It isn’t about impressing the average gym goer. It isn’t about being asked how many sets you’ve got left and replying with, “Oh, I’m just warming up right now.”

Strong is about stepping to the bar every week. It’s warming the cold steel throughout the workout. It’s gritty. It’s daring. When your body says, “Quit…just quit…make the pain stop,” you say, “It’d be too easy to quit.”

Strong is the build-up. It’s chalk slowly floating through the air, a haze through the sunlight. It’s about the panicky anticipation of struggle. It’s the uncomfortable unknown. It’s the adrenal release, the goose bumps. It’s the decision to attack instead of flee.

Strong is focusing rage into steel. Strong is the deafening moment occurring during a maximal strain, an all-out effort. It’s the audacity to keep pushing when gravity says no. It’s ignoring the world closing on your senses. It’s the commitment to finish.

Strong is elation. It’s the release. It’s victory. It’s the feeling of staggering away from the bar, knowing that you gave everything. It’s the panting breath and the self-assurance. It’s knowing that you tried and never once thought about failing.

Strong is doing this every week, every month, every year.

Strong is 70’s Big.


62 thoughts on “Strong”

  5. Squat 375 x 5
    Bench 240 x 5
    Deadlift 425 x 5

    Justin, I’ve decided I’m going to read Practical Programming again, as well as your book before I start making any more big changes (I already ditched the haltings/rack pulls), but I did keep the notes I took on Tuesday.

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  8. PRs:
    Squat: 340 1×5
    Bodyweight: 198 lbs. (I’m 5’9″) So close to being a real man.
    Clothing: Singlet came in the mail. Feels tight as fuck. I’m told that’s normal.
    Training: Completed my first week of the Texas Method.

    I may have started a little too heavy–I did my 5×5 session with 90% of my 5RM of 340 and could hardly walk for three days after. Upon further investigation I learned that I maybe should have started at like 280, aiming to set 5RM PRs in week 4. I’m wondering if I should do 280 5×5 in my next session (tomorrow) or keep on going and do 305.

    Strong is overcoming the greatest obstacle of all: fear. Can I lift it? Can I make it? Will this hurt? Will it crush me? Will I get stuck in the hole? I’m afraid I can’t. If you’re strong, you can.

    You started way too high on the 5×5. Hopefully you pulled that back. This little e-book can’t come soon enough for you.

    –Justin

  9. I’ll throw a big AMEN to today’s post!!!

    PR of the week for me.

    Hit 225# on the bench for 5
    then 235# for 3
    then 245# for 1!

    All new records for me! I felt like I had a couple more bumps in the tank too, but I was out of town with work, and if I didnt shut it down there, I would have missed my flight home.

    DL PRs coming up next week…

  10. I finally broke a long standing overhead press PR. I put up 205lbs after being stuck at 195 since last summer. 215 crushed me twice after that, but I don’t think I’m that far away from another PR.

  11. My first powerlifting meet tomorrow. Weigh-ins from 8 to 9am. 181 weight class.
    http://state.thepress.org/
    Still did some PRs between Sunday and Tuesday:

    Bench 280×3 1st rep paused on chest
    Clean & Press 197.5x1x10
    Power Clean 255x1x4
    Pullup +150×1
    One-arm DB Row 125×14 (Last 7 strapped)

  12. Whelp, these look kinda puny after a couple of those posts, but I’ll take them.

    Bench: 225×1 (longtime PR of 205 broken, then again!)
    Squat: 350x2x1 -getting close
    Press 145×2 PR
    Deadlift 460×1 (fuck yes, haven’t PR’d deads since october)

    Accelerated 5/3/1 is working great for me. Two sessions a day three days a week has me in and out of the gym in 20 minutes each session and running through a cycle in two weeks. Need to take a couple extra days off soon, but have vacation coming up, so powering through until then.

  14. smithb9 – Good luck sunday man, kill it

    Had a great gym day yesterday where things just felt light and good. PR’d my press with 140x5x3. I stalled at 135x5x3 awhile back and didn’t think I’d get past that so quick, but I felt like I had 10+ more in me.

    Squat – 330×3, could’ve/should’ve gotten 4, but I had three in my head the whole way, only after I racked it was I pissed I didn’t go for 1 more. That’s alright, next week looking for 340×3.

    Ordered a new belt from Best Belts yesterday also, psyched to get that in the mail. The Bests were a pleasure to deal with. They hooked me up with a custom size with some extra adjustability. I can’t wait to get it!

    Justin – I mentioned this site to Dean Best (owner of Best Belts) in one of my e-mails back and forth with him. He checked it out and told me he was actaully friends with Doug Young. He said he’s got some pictures of him that would make heads turn and wondered if you’d like to use them. So keep a look out for his e-mail. I also mentioned it might be a good spot for some advertising for them FYI.

    Very cool. I’d like to talk to him about Doug and the belt advertising. Lots of new lifters need belts and lots of people get them because of the belt posts.

    –Justin

  16. I PR’d in ‘least-amount-of-training-in an 8 day period.’

    Hit the gym on Thursday and tuesday. I’ll be back in on Sunday.

    I’m trying out Dr. Squat’s 80 day peaking routine in preparation for the raw USAPL meet at the Arnold.

  18. “It’s about the panicky anticipation of struggle.”

    I feel that quite often. I liked that sentence.

    Pr- Lifting for a solid year. I started starting strength on 2/13/2010. A full year of lifting. 60 pounds heavier and a 200 pound increase in squat max. I’m a happy man.

    Nice year so far. Keep it up.

    –Justin

  19. Lifted with Glenn on Saturday and Sunday.

    Snatch PR – 53 kg
    C&J (PR on the jerk) – 65 kg

    After we were done lifting on Sunday, my neck was fucked. I put 65 kg overhead 4 times, although the fourth time was the only time I would have had 3 white lights. I have had ongoing neck issues and problems with jerking since October. That’s why I can still clean way more than I jerk. I suspected a bulging disc or some other disc issue since I can jerk from behind the neck without pain. Took Monday and Tuesday off. Wednesday was a light day but my warmup jerks felt horrible, so I stopped. Thursday was a heavy day. Tried to jerk 35kg as a warm up, and it hurt. Went to 45kg and the pain was so excruciating that I almost dropped the bar on my head. PR for crying during a training session – 2 hours.

    I went to the orthopedic surgeon this morning. The x-rays showed some fucked up shit with my C6/C7, and he immediately sent me for an MRI. Just had that done, but follow up probably won’t be until Tuesday. The surgeon didn’t exactly make me feel great. Something about me being 35 and having kids and getting my priorities straight and how every year some weightlifter blows a disc and ends up paralyzed.

    My meet is in 8 days, and I’m going to assume that I won’t be lifting. On the petty short-term side of things, that means that I won’t be able to lift at Masters Nationals or Pan Am Games because I won’t have totaled. On the serious long-term side of things, of course my spinal health is more important. Still, fuck this shit. I’m sitting here drinking and crying.

  21. Weight down to 228 (-3lbs from last week, -22lbs from Jan 17th). The first time I’ve been below 230 in almost two years, I think. Slowing down, but still shooting for 210 sometime in April.

  22. Have my first meet tomorrow. Set PRs early in my taper and have done nothing but prowler pushes in the mean time to help cut weight.

    PRs

    Squat 475×2
    Bench (with pause) 335×1
    Deadlift 505×2

  23. Side note: Imaging suites should not give patients their MRI films on a Friday afternoon. This has only resulted in three of us getting drunk, looking at my films, and self-diagnosing me. We do have one urologist and son of an ophthalmologist, one wife of a urologist, and one son of an orthopedic surgeon present. Not sure that qualifies us to know shit in terms of the spinal cord, though.

  25. Hitting the gym three times this week and making progress on all my lifts despite having a cold (day 2.5, feeling much better already) and nearly having run out of protein powder.

  26. Eating Fail pr: I really thought I was eating enough.

    I just plugged all of my food so far today into fitday, and while I’ve polished off over 150g of protein, my total cals are less than 1300. I already lifted once today, and am going to go squat in a couple of hours. Time to eat some more. I knew something was wrong when I wasn’t hungry, but all of my muscles were feeling low on energy (it’s a weird feeling, they kinda hurt, but not really).

    Calorie dense foods. Up the fat and carbs. Hi-ho-silver!!!!

    –Justin

  28. @tbone don’t panic – things may not be as bad as they seem. Personally I wouldn’t be too trusting of a surgeon who can be so negative about a woman keeping herself in the level of functional fitness you are in (but I’m a very cynical person).
    Anyway hope things turn out ok.

  30. @TBone Your awesome. You’ll keep being awesome after your stuff heals. Surgeons usually say stuff to cover there asses from a lawsuit. Keep us updated on your status and your recovery. I can help some. I was in a pretty bad car wreck last year. Doctors said i should never oly lift again. Ive since made a full recovery and my back/neck almost never hurt. I wish you a speedy recovery.

    PR’s
    Started Dr. Hartman’s oly program on tues. It is awesome.
    Air Force tested me for anabolic steroids (Bahahaha! Im 5’10 180lbs)
    Squat 5×5@ 340lbs very easy.

    Awesome.

    –Justin

  31. “It isn’t about being asked how many sets you’ve got left and replying with, ‘Oh, I’m just warming up right now.'”

    Really? Because that’s always funny.

    Today: 2×445 squat, 2×265 bench (went for 3 but my AC joint was acting up). Meet is three weeks away.

  33. Oh hell. Squatted 315 for first time ever this week. Stuck @ 285 forever, said fuck it and put 305 on, nailed that. 2 days later nailed 315. Only getting better. Former vegan endurance athlete seeking salvation through weights and rugby.

  35. You are a poet sir. It filled my heart with determination and fueled my muscles with pride. Went in to the gym and crushed the squat.

    BW 160lbs
    Squat 340×6 then 275×20

    thanks for the inspiration.

  37. Bench 200 x 5 x 3
    matches previous PR from last year.
    can you elaborate on your comment about guys with low numbers not getting enough volume? I’m following the strength villian LP with dips, shrugs and hang cleans (to get my yolk on) added but definitely feel i could do more until the weights start getting really heavy. Should I be doing 5×5 instead of 5,5,5+?

    I think you’re fine, especially on the Greyskull LP.

    I’m talking about the guys who will be more along the lines of “I benched 205×7 today”. It’s fine that they hit that weight for a rep PR, but I’m saying it seems like they are on a more advanced program because they are talking about a top set with reps, kinda like a 5/3/1. Someone who is less adapted OR less strong will need moderate amounts of volume to push their size and strength.

    But I think you are fine.

    –Justin

  40. @enlightenedsnipe My girlfriend eats more than double than you on some workout days. There’s a chance if you ate the 3k+ kcal and protein needed to grow you wouldn’t even have to do a 5/3/1 level of complexity program to progress fairly well.

    To be fair, snipe was talking about up to that point in that day. He wasn’t talking about total calories for the day.

    –Justin

  41. Great reading, very inspiring.

    Anyway made some good PR’s this week.

    Bench-275
    Squat-420
    Press-200

    But my Deads sucked. I went for 375 Last week and could barely budge it off the floor. So I’m trying it again Sunday with hopes of doing the the 375 and a 385. Sucks my deadlifts are so weak but only since last November have I been consistent in training them. Other wise over the course of my lifting carer I’ve only done them sparingly at best.

    You need to deadlift every week, but not so much volume or intensity that it prevents you from deadlifting the following week. The consistent deadlifting, over time, will make it strong.

    –Justin

  42. @TBone

    I agree with JoeSmash – you’re awesome and whatever this shit is that’s going on in your neck, i’m sure you’ll give it the finger and come back even better!

    Got my fingers crossed you can still lift in your meet – hang in there over the weekend :)

  43. Thanks, guys. I don’t think my surgeon was particularly negative. All he has seen are my x-rays and not my MRI. But, I think he wanted to make sure that I didn’t go out and do something stupid because I am stubborn. Which is NOT my plan. Thursday scared the shit out of me. The pain has never been that intense. After I couldn’t hit 35 or 45kg from the front, I proceeded to crush a 70kg power jerk from behind the neck without pain. That tells me that something is fucked, and that’s why I went to the doc.

    Also, I’m married to a surgeon, so I know how it is. Sigh.

  44. @Antigen – yeah, so I went to a local burger joint called fat moes, polished off their double burger and a huge fry platter, hit the gym, then got a second meal at an ice cream joint after squatting. Ate just around 3k cals in 4 hours with a 2 hour gym session in the middle. Feel like a million bucks today.

    Going to start logging my food to make sure I’m not eating like an anemic high school girl. That should help.

  46. I was doing a jump set of heavy singles jumping back and forth between squats and bench press (squat, bench, rest 1-2 min).
    On one set I hit new PR’s on both (squat 430×1, bench 285×1).

  48. Ok so, shenanigans PR. Got my car stuck in a snowbank (minnesota). tried to get it out via gears, didn’t work. SO, i put it in neutral and pushed it out. sweet.

    today was a conditioning day. 10 95# clean/press, 10 over waist high box jumps, 10 25# medicine ball slams for 5 sets. ~55 seconds a set for me.

    after that my buddy shows up and is doing deads, so i do a few of those and then decide to clean heavy (for me). Long story short, I pulled 200 and 205, both prs. Then I clarked 210. he said “you’ll have that next week.” I said “fuck that, i’ll have it in 2 minutes”. To wrap it up, I did it. 15# pr. AFTER conditioning. I’m pleased. 206 b/w. 6′ tall. rugby fly half.

  49. Squat 1RM PR: 475#
    Deadlift 1RM PR: 565#
    I tested my 1RMs today by doing three attempts with each, first time I ever did that. I blew my old Squat PR out the water by 50#, however my bench press took a 10# shit. Is it normal when doing this in a meet format for your bench press to be lower than usual?

    If you never bench on the same day as squatting, I guess it could if the squatting related muscles have mad you tired (or you can’t keep your upper back tight). I still think it’s a little weird though.

    –Justin

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