Primal Journal - Owly page 17

[Owly]

I totally violated the hell out of the primal sleep law and stayed up all night writing a paper. Almost 6000 words in 24 hours. Panda would be proud, except that I think the subject matter is decidedly less exciting to the general public than Our Dear Panda's books.

[Owly]

[mommymd]

I was with him, until he started talking about what can be done. I've been to his site before, he is strongly in the CICO, low fat, eat less/move more mindset, so his recommendations will be status quo and contribute to further obesity.

Regardless, I'm sharing the video because if people at least stop buying the processed crap, it's a start.

Thanks for the link.

I hope your lifting is going well!

Cheers.

[Owly]

I agree about the low-fat thing with his stuff, although I think you and I may disagree on the importance of CICO (I think it matters, I just think it's also hard to calculate the CO side of the equation and our choices around food, exercise, and lifestyle change the CO).

However, I like his blog for his discussions on the concept of the toxic food environment, the cultural aspects of food, and the challenges people face in trying to swim against the tide, especially when it comes to kids, so I visit there somewhat regularly.

Lifting is going well--testing 1RM for squats today! I am both excited and nervous.

[canio6]

Awesome thing today:

I broke the 100-pound barrier on my bench press and made 105 for a new 1RM PR! Considering that my previous 1RM was 80 pounds at the beginning of October, I'm doing pretty well. Putting 25 pounds on my bench seems like a lot, but I think I experienced some novice training gains because my CF gym almost never programmed bench presses, so I had not spent much time concentrating on that particular movement. Also, I shifted to a more powerlifting-oriented form, which allowed me to push more weight simply through improving technique. I wonder where I'll be at for my max by the end of 2013.

That is great! 25 pounds is a huge gain, what is that 34% or something? Nothing to sneeze at by any means. Great, now I am jealous of your bench progress and your squats/DL.

[Owly]

That is great! 25 pounds is a huge gain, what is that 34% or something? Nothing to sneeze at by any means. Great, now I am jealous of your bench progress and your squats/DL.

I think it's 32%. But yes, awesomeness.

Tested 1RM for squats tonight--new PR on my back squat, 180 pounds. Not bad for a 150 pound woman. I was at 170 way back in the beginning of the year, but I was off for several months so I wasn't sure if I'd be back to where I was, let alone surpassing it. I'm hoping for 200 soon.

The squats aren't going up as fast as the bench, though. My bench is still getting a bit of advantage from never having trained it seriously before, whereas my squats were something I'd worked on a lot.

Next up is overhead press (strict, no push). My handy-dandy app estimates my max on that at 80 pounds. It's definitely my weakest lift of the ones I've been training. Then it's the biggie, deadlifts. My app estimates that at 250, which is where I was before the Summer of No Gym. I'm hoping to hit at least that, and maybe even a little more.

Once I'm done this set of testing, it's on to a deload week and then into the next cycle, but with cleans added in.

The big goal for 2013 is to get my 300-pound deadlift.

[Owly]

Today's awesome video for anyone who's struggling to have killer abs:

[canio6]

The big goal for 2013 is to get my 300-pound deadlift.

Good luck. Honestly, I have never done a deadlift or a squat. I am really paranoid about jacking up my back. I need to get a trainer to show me proper form/watch me do them. I've watched plenty of videos but need someone there to say, "Whoa dude, no, not like that!"

[Owly]

Yeah, that might be worth paying for a couple of training sessions or finding a friend who's an experienced lifter to help out.

My partner has back issues and does heavy squats and deads, but he always stops immediately if there's any sort of tweak that indicates a problem, he's been lifting for a while, and I always watch him when he gets to higher weights to spot any indicators that his form is slipping (he does the same for me). The lifting helps his back stay healthy and strong, but only if he's also conscious of when it's time to stop.

[canio6]

Good plan. I will look into finding a competent trainer. Quick question for you - my wife has never lifted a weight in her life. What is the best way to start - easing in (and what do you start with first) or throwing yourself in to an entire routine but at a low weight?