Reflections

            In his 1790 pamphlet, Reflections on the Revolution of France¸ Irish political theorist Edmund Burke wrote, “Difficulty is a severe instructor, set over [to] us by the supreme ordinance of a parental guardian and legislator, who knows us better than we know ourselves . . . [h]e that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.”  Burke’s idea that one must wrestle with difficulty in order to grow is indeed applicable to the Nemesis Program, because I am steadily strengthening my body and slowly building the mind of champion.  Sore hips, keep squatting.  Tired, keep squatting.  Don’t want to be here, lose the negativity, then keep squatting.  I believe this is the type of mental toughness John Broz strives to instill in his athletes.

            To date, I have added 40# to my back squat and 30# to my front squat, all while raising my total, aka the mathematical sum of my best snatch and clean and jerk.  The best tip I can give anyone following the Nemesis Program is to become efficient with your squat attempts.  Learn how to take 7-10 percent jumps while working up to that day’s maximum, as this will help you save energy for that day’s final singles.  My other recommendations are more mundane: take advantage of your gym’s voodoo floss bands (or better yet, buy your own), increase your daily fish oil dosage, add two tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil to your lunch or dinner (I eat mine straight off the spoon afterwards), and don’t be afraid to ice your knees at some point after your workout.  Keep in mind that once one workout ends, preparation for the next begins.

            Tomorrow is a great day to PR.

Alone in the Undergrowth

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

-- Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”

 

            Frost’s famous poem explaining why it is important to take the road “less traveled” is a fitting description for the Nemesis Program, as I have found myself alone many mornings on this journey into the undergrowth.  Yes, occasionally I have found company for my trek – a Starting Strength disciple who dropped in for three sets of five across; a Crossfit Football manchild who grinded out heavy doubles in a most respectable way; a nameless female weightlifter who asked if we could share the platform – but these primitive human interactions were few and far between.  More often, I sat alone in the corner watching others come and go and wondering where that day’s attempts at maximum might end.

            The one-week “deload” provided a nice reprieve from the Nemesis Program’s crushing volume, but the attempts at maximum remained.  Despite the fatigue, loneliness and boredom, the first cycle’s results were very good – my previous best in the back squat is now but a “heavy” triple (I could probably make five reps at that weight on a good day), and I added 10# to my personal record in the front squat.  In both classic lifts, despite my tired legs, I equaled or surpassed my previous bests.

            I spent this past Sunday resting and eating hearty, knowing full well that a new loading cycle awaited me Monday. 

 

 

“I’ll take the dirt road, it’s all I know.”

I’m an unabashed fan of country music.  The story-telling backbone of this entire genre simply speaks to me, and today was no different.

Admittedly, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning – I was closing in on completing my first two-week loading cycle of The Nemesis Program and I was sore all over (insert hilarious Donny Shankle – Ivan Adadjiev story about soreness).*  This negative perception was further fueled by loads that felt way too heavy.  But then, the famous Sawyer Brown song, “The Dirt Road,” started coming through my earphones loud and clear, and I began to earnestly listen to its words.  Reflecting on words “it ain’t easy, it ain’t supposed to be,” I changed my attitude, and subsequently blew away several singles north of 90 percent.  At this point, I faced my own choice – attempt a PR or settle for tying my previous best…take the dirt road, I thought, adding another five kilos to the bar.  After all, God hates a coward.

Unracking the weight – elbows high -- there wasn’t a doubt in my mind, and 20 seconds later I was walking back to my seat to write “(PR)” next to the attempt in my training log.

 

Sometimes you just can’t say it any better: 

“I’ll take the dirt road, it’s all I know

I’ve been a’walking it for years

It’s gone where I need to go

It ain’t easy, it ain’t supposed to be

So I’ll take my time

And life won’t pass me by

‘Cause it’s right there to find, on the dirt road.” 

 

 

Work hard for that dollar, Sawyer Brown.

*This clip was not intended to offend anyone.

Self-Titled First Post

"Squat, you are my nemesis."

Several months ago, I read Nick Horton's "The Squat Nemesis Program: An Introduction To Volume, Load, And Intensity Zone Training," (herein referred to as the "Nemesis Program") and I must admit his concept intrigued me.  The Nemesis Program calls for squatting five consecutive days, Monday through Friday, always to a daily maximum, then moving down for back-off triples and fives.  Nick recommends most people perform these triples by "ramping up" the intensity, starting somewhere around 70 percent of that day's best, and adding a small amount of weight to each subsequent set (he suggests 3-5 percent jumps).  The final set of three is broadly defined as "heavy," i.e. the upper end of Zone 2, but NOT a 3rm.  The program concludes with two sets of five at 50 percent (once again of that day's best single).  Nick writes of these final sets, "You do these for speed . . . [t]he goal here isn't weight on the bar (per se) it is the perfection of the lift.  Go down under perfect control, and then explode out of the hole like your life depends on it."  If you are interested in learning more about the Nemesis Program, i.e. the loading vs. deloading weeks, please check out the following website:

http://www.theironsamurai.com/2012/08/23/the-squat-nemesis-program-an-introduction-to-volume-load-and-intensity-zone-training/

Now, in my own training, I experimented with a similar approach, and although my self-programmed variation was far less structured and included far less volume with respect to the back-off sets, it still produced surprisingly good results (over one four-week period I added 15 kilos to my back squat, not bad for no formal coaching).  Despite the many positive results I was seeing -- strength gains, reduced soreness, etc. -- I broke from the program because older, more experienced lifters told me I was "crazy," "nuts," or "begging for an injury" by squatting to maximum daily.  For this reason, Nick's Nemesis Program reasonated with me, and it confirmed my own informal observations.

With my self-confidence renewed courtesy of Nick Horton, I am once again ready to venture into the strange "Bulgarian" land of "daily maximums."  I cannot be sure where this journey will lead me, but rest assured I am prepared to eat more, sleep more and drink more whole milk.  Stay tuned for future progress reports.

Thanks, Nick.

PS - Max Aita is a beast.  I watch this clip when I'm riding the 5:16 a.m. bus to the gym -- very motivating, especially the set of five.