A Tale Told by an Idiot

[EricK]

1/10/23 Update:
Changed the name from The Unforgiving Minute to A Tale Told by an Idiot. I like to pretend to be poetic...

Motivation is very low, I barely trained at all the past couple years, and I'm really dissatisfied with my career. I don't feel like I'm doing anything worthwhile and I don't feel like I'm developing mastery in anything. I am a project manager that spends more time trying to figure how somebody else wants me to say something and building bloated, vacuous PowerPoint presentations than I do building a quality product that supports the needs of my end users. I hate that, but don't see a lot of alternatives to move towards. It's hard not to feel like the past 5 years at this job have been a complete waste and that I'll waste the next 20 waiting to retire. So that's cool. But maybe I'll lift a little and not feel like such a fatass? Or not. Let's see.

7/8/21 Update:

I took a hard break from foruming and lifting. Had a wonderful baby boy last year and failed repeatedly to get back on the lifting/exercise wagon. I started 2020 off pretty good, going from 200 to 187 by March, but got back up to 195-200 pretty quick and have stayed there ever since. I managed to get heavier while getting weaker and less fit, so I feel like maybe I should start up a new log at the other place?

I learned to play guitar (badly) and achieved my 5-year goal of doubling my salary from 2015. I read a lot last year (60 books) compared with previous years, not unlike comparing my lifting tonnage between 2019 (5M rep-lbs) and 2018 (< 2M?). I miss the community here, but think it's important that I control my time very closely, because there are a lot more aspirations I have that I feel like I don't make sufficient progress on. I want to be fit, but I don't really care all that much about a big total (and, to be honest, a big total comes at a detriment to fitness), I want to do more writing, study more and focus more on my family. My job is very demanding but in a mostly tedious and needy way. It pays good but I want to find ways to make it more satisfying. If I had my way, I'd spend the first 2 hours of the day writing, the next 2 hours practicing guitar, then exercising before lunch. Then I'd spend the rest of the work day on a craft (writing, coding, designing) and studying something. Then focus completely on my family the rest of the evening. I don't know how to do that while securing sufficient income to maintain my family's welfare and quality of life, but that's something worth figuring out...

I don't know if I'll start logging on here again. My work laptop was reimaged and I lost my workout app. I have a copy that I could run on my personal laptop but it's pretty clunky and I'd rather refactor it if I were to reuse it, but that takes time I don't feel like I have. I know everyone is busy and I'm not special, but like I said, I miss the community and wanted to share.

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5/4/19 Update:

Not entirely sure what I want to get out of lifting, but I'm starting to come into my own in my post-military career, have a family that deserves more of my time and attention, and a renewed interest in "general" fitness. Haven't had much fun lifting in a while and don't really know what to do to make progress anyway...

Right now I'm just trying to find a sustainable rhythm, and lose some weight (shooting for ~30 pounds).

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2/19/19 Update:

Got a couple PRs over the summer last year training under @Hanley and have done just about nothing productive since then. I'm now playing around with a 5,000,000 rep-lbs tonnage goal for this year, and would like to actually achieve a goal for the first time in a long time. I figure it's also an opportunity to apply some of the Hanley-derived training principles (because his "program" involves lots of volume). Following that, I don't know what, but it may not involve as much lifting...

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Original Post:
Let us embark on an extensive case study in unimaginative ways to inhibit progress through inconsistent execution of poorly developed plans.

I'm looking forward to re-joining the community and hopefully contributing more here.

Stats:

M
5' 7"
~195 lbs
33 years old

Lifting experience -
Lifting erratically since 2010
Lifting "seriously" since 2014

Competed in USPA coupla times

Competition PRs (all in the year 2015, 82.5 kg wt class) -
Squat - 202.5 kg (446)
Bench - 147.5 kg (325)
Deadlift - 242.5 kg (534)

Looking for a 1500 in the 90 kg class within the next year or so, if I can figure out how to train in an effective way.

UPDATE ON 5/26/18:

Competed in the Exodus Strength Online Meet. Results aren't in, but I think my lifts are good. New PRs:

BW 200.8
Squat 455
Bench (paused) 335
Deadlift 510 (Not a PR, but contributed to a PR total)
Total 1300

[EricK]

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

BW - 196.2

Sqt:

315 x 5@8, x5@7.5
345 x 5@9

TnGB:

315 x 1@6.5 (almost threw the bar)
335 x 1@8 (e1RM ~365)
285 x 5@8 x 5

7 min BackExt-C/U superset w/ 25 lbs

Notes:

Squat is fucked up (again). I think it's because I've had a cold the past week or so, did 6 sets of beltless 2 ct pause squats on Thursday, further fucked up my back with deadlifts on Friday and it hurts around the tailbone and hurts when I get down to depth. All amplified by some inconsistent training over the past few weeks.

Bench is doing great, though. I did 245 x 8 x 5 competition style on Sunday.

[Manveer]

Holy cow (namaste), it's Eric K!

[mgil]

Good to see you here!

[Root]

Welcome. We've been expecting you. PM Manveer to receive your cyanide capsule.

[EricK]

Glad to see you guys, too. I did send Manveer the PM but he just gave me a rusty hammer and said, "That's what you get for being late to the party." He's so badass.

[Root]

Glad to see you guys, too. I did send Manveer the PM but he just gave me a rusty hammer and said, "That's what you get for being late to the party." He's so badass.

Was it at an even 135 degrees from edge to edge and lacking a good sear?

[Allentown]

5' 7"

You were always taller in my head...

[EricK]

5' 7"

You were always taller in my head...

MEH insisted that I was tall for my height when we met at the 2015 USPA Nationals, but I remember distinctly the fact that 176 lbs is "overweight" for my height based on USMC standards. (But 125 it totes acceptable.)

I have come to terms with the fact that you and I could never really lift together unless we each had our own rack.

[hector]

Training looks good.

Excited to follow your progress again!

[EricK]

Thanks, hector! Glad you came over!

[Chebass88]

Awesome to have you here.

Are you fully moved in to your new house yet? (Translation: do you have a nice garage gym setup going on?)

[EricK]

Ha. I haven't moved a damn thing in that garage since the last epic move-out-of-storage nightmare. All of my weekends were booked and I get home unreasonably late most nights. Looks like October will be just as busy. So, hopefully I can do something useful in November. Or just go shit crazy and move everything in one day again. It is both my nemesis and my shame.

[EricK]

There are some little joys that you don't expect in life. Like what "Big duck pond" might sound like when your two year old says it...

My back is not doing so great. How might one train for powerlifting sans squat and deadlift?

[Manveer]

Leg press, belt squat...lots of bench?

[EricK]

I like the cut of your jib.

[Allentown]

My back is not doing so great. How might one train for powerlifting sans squat and deadlift?

Have you tried variations? BGSS with DB?

[EricK]

My back is not doing so great. How might one train for powerlifting sans squat and deadlift?

Have you tried variations? BGSS with DB?

What's a BGSS?

[Manveer]

Maybe one of these:

Big Guy on Starting Strength with DBol
Bulgarian Split Squats with Dumbbells
Beer Gut Standing Still with Deep Breaths

[Allentown]

Maybe one of these:

Big Guy on Starting Strength with DBol
Bulgarian Split Squats with Dumbbells
Beer Gut Standing Still with Deep Breaths

Just one?