(Personal) Records Are Made To Be Broken
(If you are not interested in weight training or dieting for strength, don’t bother reading this post- you will be bored to tears).
One of my friends recently took up weight training for the first time in his life. His goal is pretty simple- get STRONG! He’s a young guy (23) and has a great frame for packing on muscle without getting too fat. And he’s lucky, as he has this huge resource called the Internet where he has been researching various exercises and techniques for weight training. He’s already figured out many of the pieces of the puzzle on his own- the kid’s very smart and thorough in his research. In a recent conversation I was telling him he really should start a log book to track his progress at the gym. A log book forces you to be honest about your progress, and gives a sense of accomplishment as you beat your previous efforts. How many people do you know that go to the gym and bust their ass day-in and day-out, only to remain the same after years of training? I have been stuck in the “rut” before and I don’t want to waste time anymore.
Currently I am using a form of strength training called “DC” (for “DoggCrapp”, the screen name of Dante Trudel who started posting his training, diet, and supplementation theories on the internet in the mid ‘90s and has become a legend with a cult-like following. A simple search for Doggcrapp will generate 100s of articles and posts by him and his disciples. His “home” messageboard is Intense Muscle (registration is free and you must register to get to many sections). Doggcrapp also owns TrueProtein where you can get the highest quality proteins custom blended, as well as supplements THAT WORK and some cool t-shirts- this is one of my favorite shirts:
One of the main tenants of DC Training is BEAT THE LOG BOOK- you have to strive to beat the previous workout session for a particular muscle group by either lifting more weight or by performing more reps. Of course you cannot continually increase due to “burn out”, so you “blast” for 8 – 12 weeks, and when your weights stop going up, you “cruise” for 10 – 14 days, using lighter weights and higher reps and allow your body and your central nervous system to actively recover for the next blast.
Here’s an example of my log book for a legs workout- every time I lift more weight or more reps than previous session, I put a PR next to the log entry Right now I’m blasting, the weights are going up, and so is my body weight as I’m not watching my diet too much other than getting enough of the right macros (protein, carbs, and fat). After the holidays I’ll be back to dieting. At that point, I’ll also have a diet log book, tracking everything I eat.
Here’s an example of what my log looks like- one key is to try to get a “composition” notebook that you can’t tear pages out of- it keeps you honest 
Also note that there was one leg day between these two; DC Training has a routine “A” and a routine “B” for each workout and you rotate those, so there was a leg workout on 10/23 (Thurs) that had completely different exercises. Ok, enough of my weight lifting 101 for today…
I used to weight train before I got pregnant with my son and I miss it soooo much. I don’t have time to go to the gym right now because I’m taking a writing class, but once that’s done I’m planning on jumping back into it.
This is the site that got me interested in weight training: http://stumptuous.com/cms/index.php. Too bad more women don’t do it.
October 29th, 2008 at 1:40 pmLi- you are absolutely right- more women should weight train. I hear all the excuses: “I don’t want to get too big” is the #1 I hear. But done right, I think it puts more curves in the right places
I hope you can get back to lifting as I think it’s so mentally good too. When I was in hospital dr. wanted to give me anti-depressants and I told him no, just let me go so I can lift…
October 29th, 2008 at 2:49 pmIt definitely did not make me bigger. In fact, I looked smaller even though I didn’t lose any weight because muscle is tighter than fat. And I totally agree on the mental health part of it. I always felt really relaxed and happy after a workout.
Where do you work out? I’m torn between buying a weight set or going back to Gold’s Gym or maybe 24 Hour Fitness.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:53 pmLi- it sounds like you need to get back in the gym soon to get your groove on again.. hopefully you can find the time. And you know what’s up (nice website you recommended for ladies- I will pass it along).
I lift at LA Athletic club on 7th and Olive. A little pricy, but never TOO crowded. With a downtown address their normal $2500 initiation fee is only $200, and no contracts which is a big plus. Gold’s has TONS of equipment but it gets pretty busy.
October 30th, 2008 at 11:53 amFor those who need a little motivation to lift weights, meet Mary, a 78 year old powerlifter.
Her best lifts are a 70 pound bench press, a 100 pound squat, and a 130 pound deadlift. All at a bodyweight of 105 pounds.
She trains with weights 4 times a week, typically at 5am in the morning (I normally see her when I’m doing my morning cardio).
She’s currently training for the AAPF Nationals, and then it’s on to World’s.
When’s the last time you complained about a little ache or pain?
About how your recovery isn’t “what it used to be”?
Do you think you’re maybe getting too old to lift?
Think again.
(courtesy of Shelby on musclemayhem.com)
October 30th, 2008 at 11:58 amOh, I love that picture! She is so bad ass. Thanks for posting.
The LA Athletic club is really close to me. I’ll check it out.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pmEdgar- this could be you in 5-10 years if you want it… both these guys are young, Mariusz won World’s Strongest Man 5 Times and is 31… Kevin Nee is only 23 (21 in video). And they look damn good too- not the fat-ass old school strongmen.
October 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pmI never would have imagined posting something on this particular thread, but I remember seeing a “documentary” on MTV about that Kevin Nee guy, and how he entered some Strongman contest when he was 19 and trying to become professional. He was the smallest guy there, by a LOT, and still kicked major ass against these old-school behemoths.
My back hurts just watching that video.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:24 am