Wow, 2020 is done already?! Didn't it just fly by?! ?
Obviously, 2020 will be remembered as a year where nothing went the way anybody expected it to. No 10ks, no OCRs, no (real) TSCs, no karate... even finally lost volleyball too. In the end, though, my training was effected, but not my health or my livelihood - I absolutely consider myself lucky.
When all my competitions/events fell off the calendar, it definitely changed my mindset for training. Rather than pushing towards goals, I transitioned more into a "just put in work" mindset. It was definitely enjoyable, not spending a few days every couple of months where I need to slow down and recovery from some beating I put myself through. And I do believe I've made progress even without those motivators. My squat and bench press are slowly making a comeback, though I think it's going to be another year or two before they are anywhere close to where I'd like them to be. Mobility has made some good progress; tough to measure objectively, but my forward fold, tac frog and seated twist are all "feeling" easier. And I feel like I've really done some good bulletproofing on my core - haven't had any sort of persistent back pain in a long time now. Plus, I can do a real hanging leg raise now - I'm proud of that.
But, as one might expect, the shift in focus means my original 2020 goals didn't end up getting a lot of love:
- Grip: this is the one place where I feel like made some progress, between the hangboard work (which I've really been enjoying) and the CoC grippers. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get out on the obstacle course for 2021 and take it for a spin.
- 500# DL: getting close, but no cigar. I've got some weak links in the chain that I think I need to address first; my new goal here is a "pain -free" DL - no technical breakdown. I don't want to do it, but then have to rest for 3 days afterwards.
- 15 pullups: not even close! My low-rep pull strength has increased, but I've regressed in terms of max reps, as I haven't been chasing volume here.
- 5min snatch test with the 32: well, at least I had the guts to try it! My one significant injury for the year was a wrist sprain that kept me from snatching for a while after the first virtual TSC. But that's finally healed up, and the cycle I'm setting off on now will have a lot more snatching. So this goal is firmly on the table for 2021.
- Press 40x3: Nope. Made some improvement in overhead press, but this remains a weak point.
- 50x pushups: What was I thinking?! This wasn't realistic, I set this before I knew where I was.
- Pain-free 60min 10k: Nope. Running volume came down quite a bit when I shifted focus, and particularly when I re-introduced the back squat. But, I feel like my volleyball hops have made some good gains since coming back to the barbell... so, I'm gonna stick with the squat for a while, and accept that running speed isn't going to come quickly.
On top of that, the other thing that happened when I shifted focus was that I lost some "fight". I feel strong, but not primed for maximum effort. I'm certain that, even though I'm feeling "in shape", going in for 1.5 hours of karate right now would probably bury me. So, as I set out on this new year, one of my general goals will be to get back into fighting shape.
Nobody knows what 2021 is really going to look like, of course... but, as I am a firm believer that having goals is important, he's where I'm shooting.
- 485# pain-free DL - feel like I could go in on any day, load 485 on the bar and just do it, without having to get psyched up and without any technical breakdown. I think 465 is about where I am with that today.
- 365# squat
- 265# bench
- Pass the snatch test with the 32. I think this will be a good goal to work on for getting some fight back into my training.
- Get back to x13 pullups
- Pain-free 68min 10k (i.e. 11 minutes miles)
- Get back on whatever horses are there to ride - races, karate, whatever
While I feel like overhead press is a weak point, I want to focus for a while on the snatch, and I don't think my shoulders could take chasing both of those at the same time. So, no press goal for now.
Happy new year to all my StrongFirst brothers and sisters. No matter what else is going on, it's always a good year to smash.
