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.