Don't move during acupuncture

My back was getting better. And then on Thursday after the acupuncturist put the needles in my back and left the room I had to adjust the pillow I was laying on. It was under my stomach and I was struggling to breath-that's a problem with guys who have big fat stomachs like me.  So I stood up and moved the pillow, then laid back down. Apparently that's a bad idea when you have needles jammed into your back muscles. My back muscles moved and flexed causing the needles to move, scrape, and tear. For three days it hurt so bad I struggled to walk, talk, or even breath. My next appointment is on Tuesday. I'll be still this time. You can count on it.

The passing of a great man

My father in law passed away last week. He was awesome. I loved that man. He and my mother in law pretty much adopted me into their family. Shortly after I started dating my wife I'd stay at their house on weekends. He'd take me on trips with them. When I was sick I'd go to their house and they'd nurse me back to health making me home made soup and tea. He was the stable father figure I'd always wanted but never had. He was the best grandpa I've ever seen. He was always willing to spend time with them, watch endless hours of Disney channel with them, and go to thier sporting events. We'll all miss him terribly.

Acupuncture and back injuries

Awhile back someone crashed through a security gate at my work and ran me over. Since then I've been struggling with a lot of back pain. I had to give up Olympic style weightlifting. At least temporarily. Since then I've tried resting my back, training through the injury, and even physical therapy. Nothing helps. Last week I tried getting acupuncture. After only one treatment my back pain was cut in half. Today I received my 2nd treatment and I feel almost pain free. Worker's comp has authorized 6 treatments. I think it's possible I'll be back to normal soon with the acupuncture. Man what a difference!

Back injury

My back was hurting after getting ran over by a vehicle a couple weeks ago. At first it was just a nagging pain and I was able to train through it. But instead of getting better my back pain has gotten significantly worse. I started physical therapy to get this thing fixed.

Since I'm unable to train for weightlifting right now I keep thinking about world and Olympic weightlifting champion Norbert Schemanski. He had a dibilitating back injury that he worked through twice to set world records afterwards. My back is in a lot better shape than his was. So it shouldn't take long to get back into the weight room. That's my hope at least. Until then my sport will be walking with my wife and kids in the evenings.

UFC 207 and retirement from the prison

Last night was UFC 207. Rousey's return. My wife and I hosted a fight party at our house. A few of my wife's high school friends and her brother showed up. Not one person I invited showed. I really love my new job here. I have a great nutrition coach who lives in the city. Most importantly I have one of the top weightlifting coaches in the nation. But I worked at the prison since I got out of high school. I lived on prison grounds. All my friends were fellow prison guards. My entire life was there. Albuquerque has a lot of potential. But I'm home sick. I miss the camaraderie of the prison. I miss feeling needed. I miss the feeling of belonging. But mostly I miss my friends. So far I think retirement from the prison kind of sucks.

Physical and mental weightlifting setbacks

Since getting ran over by a car I haven't been able to clean anything higher than %70 of my max. My snatch and jerks are still good. It's just my cleans that I'm struggling with. That leaves me contemplating..... Did I lose strength? Or is it some sort of a mental block? Perhaps a combination of both? I feel that if it's a loss of strength then it's not a problem. I'll rebuild my strength in no time. Muscles have memory. But unfortunately I feel it's some sort of mental block. Last night anytime I tried to clean over 105k I'd freak out once it was time for me to drop under the bar and I'd jump out of the way or push the bar away. I'm pretty sure the problem is in my head. Some sort of response to the trauma of having been ran over. And I have absolutely no idea how to handle this. Do I use lower weights until I start feeling comfortable dropping under the bar again? Or do I keep attempting to lift the heavy weights and force my way through it?

I've seen my weightlifting coach, Joaquin Chaves of High Dessert Athletic Club, do some pretty amazing things with his athletes. He's always able to coach his athletes through any problem they're having. Sometimes he focuses on form. Sometimes he talks them up using motivation. On occasion he'll even jump down one of his athletes throats, using hard coaching, or tough love. On some athletes who are particularly hard on themselves coach Chavez will always use positive and inspirational coaching. He seems to know each of his athletes and knows exactly what each one is capable of and how to get them there. 

Last night coach Chaves saw I was struggling and he had me drop down to 90k and build back up to 110. I missed 110 so he had me drop back down again. On the third time through this pattern he had me stop with the clean and jerks and had me move on to squats. I've never seen him do that before. He always found some way of coaching his athletes through whatever struggles their facing. But last night he somehow knew that the problems I was struggling with wasn't something that should be pushed through yet. That I was facing something more than a problem with my form or motivation. He just somehow knew addressing the issue again later was the best course of action. After last night I realized that I don't have to stress or worry about how I'm going to get through this. I have a great coach and mentor. All I have to do is show up and he'll figure out how to get me through this. I'm in great hands. 

December 2016, a month to remember

The last couple weeks have been challenging to say the least. My 1996 Chevy Suburban broke down. It was $1200 to fix. I've had a ton of problems with that vehicle the last two years. I've replaced just about everything on that vehicle but the engine and transmission. A few days later my wife's minivan broke down in Santa Fe. The radiator had a hole in it. $900 to repair. Shortly after that I had someone intentionally run me over with thier vehicle at work. Then a few days after that my wife and I almost split up. But on the bright side  I'll have Christmas off of work. At the prison I always got called in to work on Christmas. I've never once had Christmas off with my kids. I can't wait. Being able to experience Christmas with them is going to be wonderful.

{I'm beginning to think that coming out of retirement to work law enforcement in one of the top 10 most violent cities in the nation wasn't the most sane idea I've had in my life}

front squats and Rich Kahle

Rich Kahle ended up being a no-show for the weightlifting meet. My state records are safe for now. I need to start training. And hard. Because Rich Kahle is a beast. And if he's back on the weightlifting scene then I'll have my hands full with some extraordinary competition.

Front squats have always been my weakness. I used to hate front squats. I haven't done any in about 9 months. From here on out coach Chavez said he's going to have me squatting three times a week. 2X back squat, 1X front squat. Surprisingly I'm thrilled. I've missed those danm front squats. My front squat programming will be based off of a guess of a 150k max.

back at HDAC and most blog hits

Tuesday and Wednesday was my first day back to weightlifting in 3 weeks. It felt great being back in the gym. My weightlifting coach seemed genuinely happy to see me- I really think the world of that guy. The members of my weightlifting team were giving me hugs, high fives, and yelling "Cody!". It was wonderful being back. It was a perfect welcoming. And surprisingly my form was a lot better than I thought it would be after a three week break.

Yesterday I had a the most hits on my blog in 10 years of blogging. I'm not sure why. Might be all my fellow 12 steppers using 12 step terms in Google search. Or fans of the show I talked about. I usually only average 30-40 hits a day. Yesterday I had almost 900. Interesting. I'm dumbfounded.

if ya spot it ya got it

I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Last chance U". It was an awesome flick. It's about division 1 talent who has to play college football at a comunity college because of poor grades or getting in trouble. There's one kid on that show who's a bad ass defensive lineman, Ronald Ollie. He was amazing. The only reason he wasn't playing for an SEC team was he was an idiot. Anytime things didn't go his way he disappeared. I told my wife about how bad that kid pissed me off. That he was a waste of tallent. I told my kids that it takes 2 things to be successful, good attitude and good effort. And that kid lacked the right attitude. 3 weeks later, and that kid Ronald Ollie is still on my mind. One of my old 12 step buddies once told me,"If ya spot it, ya got it". It dawned on me that the reason that kid on Last Chance U got under my skin is I'm the exact same way. I'm the "go to guy", until I think someone close to me is going to give up on me or I'm going to be unable to meet thier expectations. And then I disappear just like him. Ronald Ollie's guidance counselor said he has trust issues. I think a better explanation is he has abandonment issues. He feels its better to disappear on someone than to have them give up on him or hurt him. He and I are exactly alike.

If there's something about someone that annoys or infuriates you, that means there's something in you that is just like that. "If you spot it, you got it."

I was a blue chip high school football player. I gave a verbal commitment to go play for the University of Wyoming. Before I could go play football I became a homeless teenager. I lost my scholarship. And because I had to provide proof of my parents taxes to get student loans and I wasn't in contact with them, I wasn't able to go to any college at all, much less play collegiate football. I always wondered what my life would have been like if I'd have been able to play football and get a degree. But after watching that show I found closure. I probably would have ran away half way through a season. And then my heart would have been overflowing with regret amd guilt. I'm exactly where I should be. My life couldn't have ended up any better than it did.

he's trying to break my state records!

This morning I built up enough courage to contact my powerlifting coach, Rich Kahle and tell him I am going to go back to weightlifting. That kind of stuff is always really hard for me. I hate hurting people's feelings or disappointing. Truly, I hate it. He was awesome about it. He also told me two other things that shocked me.

1) he'll be trying to qualify for the masters national weightlifting championships at High Dessert Athletic Club (my weightlifting club) on Saturday. That got my anxiety up quite a bit. I'm hoping like hell he doesn't tell my weightlifting coach Juaquin Chavez that I had quit weightlifting for a couple weeks and started powerlifting. I don't know how my weightlifting coach would handle that.

2) he told me he's a super heavyweight 40-44. That's my age group! What's the chances of that? My powerlifting coach showing up to break my state records a week after I fire him!?!

being a mediocre weightlifter

I recently came to the realization that I was just about at my full genetic potential in weightlifting. My body is better suited to powerlifting than weightlifting. So I switched sports last week to powerlifting exclusively. But this week something happened that took me completely by surprise. I missed weightlifting. I missed the speed lifts. I missed my team. I missed the group workouts. And I especially missed my weightlifting coach Joaquin Chavez. I'm really glad I tried powerlifting because I learned something. I learned I'd rather be a mediocre weightlifter than a great powerlifter. So starting on Friday I'll be back with weightlifting at High Dessert Athletic Club. I feel like the last week I've been an athlete with no impulse control. "Hey, I'm a weightlifter. Now I've decided to dedicate myself to powerlifting! Now I'm a weightlifter again!" Man, the last couples weeks has been a trip.

new to powerlifting

I did my first powerlifting workout. It was so much fun. My delts burned so bad during the training session. I can't remember the last time I trained my delts. A decade maybe? Tonight I'll be doing my first powerlifting squat routine.

The powerlifting coach I hired is extemely knowledgeable. He trains a lot of top level powerlifters. I've competed in a few powerlifting meets he was coaching at or a referee for. He's pretty awesome.

my first powerlifting workout

Today I'll be doing my my first powerlifting workout. For the first month so I'll be doing hypertrophy to build volume and more muscle to be able to tolerate the eventual load increases. It's all high intensity and short rest training for the next month.

My last two training sessions were tests. Those two tests were the hardest thing I've done in a very long me.  I was so sore after both of them I had to have my wife help me get dressed. It was a struggle to walk.

Both test/workouts were: do 5 reps starting at 135 lbs and go up 20 lbs each set until I can't do 5. Then go down to 3 reps and increase 10lbs each set until I can't do 3 rsps. Then go down to 1 rep and  and increase 5lbs until I couldn't get any more.

The 1st test I ended up doing a total of  16 sets and 54 reps of squat, 9 sets and 34 reps of bench. The second workout I did 15 sets & 65 reps deadlift and a ton of overhead press. To be honest, I think this was way to much. I was right on the edge of an injury on the squat workout.

Tonight I'll be doing the following, all with 45-60 second rest intervals.
Barbell bench 9x1 @ 225 lbs
Tate press 4x6-1
Superset the next two exercises
1) 5 sets incline DB press
2) one arm DB row 5 sets with 3 second negative, 2 seconds positive, and second pause at top
Superset next 2 exercises:
1) 4 sets Gironda DB swings x8 reps
2) 4 sets zottman curl x6-10 reps 3 second neg, regular up, then one second pause at top.

from weightlifting to powerlifting

A couple weeks ago I competed in the USPA New Mexico state powerlifting championships. Even though I'd been training really hard since I moved to Albuquerque in April my strength has decreased. After the meet I've been sitting on my butt, not working out, trying to figure this whole thing out. My training and eating has always been symbiotic. When I'm kicking butt at one I'm doing well in the other. So the last couple weeks has not been pretty. Of course I'm a weightlifter, not a powerlifter. But still.....

I trained with a guy, Philip Christopher, who was an AMAZING weightlifter. I could squat the same as him, but when it came to weightlifting he'd smoke me. I mean he crushed me into dustl! I can lift a 100k & a 125k. He could cllift lift a 130/160k. The difference is form. And the difference is frustrating as fuck. I still love the sport. But I think I'd be a much better powerlifter than weightlifter. I'd be a lot happier, successful, and less frustrated as a powerlifter. So yesterday I contacted a powerlifting coach, Rich Kahle out of Las Cruces New Mexico, and asked him to start training me. So, after 4 years of dedicating myself entirely to weightlifting I'm on to a new adventure. Powerlifting.

the 2016 US Powerlifting Association New Mexico state championships report

190/120/185/495k
Wilks 275.814

Today I competed in the US Powerlifting Association (USPA) New Mexico state championships in Albuquerque New Mexico . I entered in the masters Super Heavy Weight  (SHW) division and the Open SHW division. I weighed in at 142.8k.

First up was the squat. I love the squat. It's my best powerlifting event. I assumed I was stronger than the last time I competed in a powerlifting meet in April because I've been training really hard the last 6 months for olympic style weightlifting. And usually weightlifting transfers over well to powerlifting. Oh boy was I wrong! In warm ups everything felt heavy. When I tried 396 pounds for warm ups I barely got it up. My opening squat for the meet as 418 pounds. It was highly likely that I'd bomb out in the first event! On my first attempt I was able to lift the 418 pounds (190k), but it was close. I went up a few kilos and missed my 2nd and 3rd attempts. But that's ok, with one good lift i was still in the game. And my one squat was actually a state record!!!! I was pretty disappointed to find out my squat has gotten weaker in the last 6 months. I've been training so hard!

The 2nd event was bench press. I hadn't trained bench at all since April, and I was afraid pushing out a max on my first time bench pressing in 6 months would cause an injury, so I successfully lifted a 265lb (120k) bench on my first attempt and stopped there. And amazingly that was a state record! Ha! It's good to be a 40-44 age group SHW. There aren't that many of us left! Victory through attrition!

In olympic style weightlifting I never deadlift heavy. The most i deadlift is a 130k to warm up for clean and jerks. So I started light, 407 (185k). I had a birthday party that I invited a dozen people I've met since moving to Albuquerque so I had to leave after my first deadlift or I'd be late to my party. And believe it or not my one light deadlift was a state record!!

My total of 190/185/120/495 was a state record. I took first place in the 40-44 age group SHW raw division and the open SHW division. That makes me the New Mexico state champion in both of those divisions! It was a good day.

Once I got to the house I was pretty disappointed to see only one of the twelve people I invited showed up to the party. I'm finding it difficult to build a group of friends here in Albuquerque.

rest makes for great training and a happy life

The last 10 weeks my body weight has gradually decreased. That's a first. My entire life my weight would fluctuate huge amounts in short periods of time. I think that has a lot to do with a few really wonderful things going on in my life right now:

1) I'm only working 40-50 hours a week. From 2006-2016 I worked 80-90 hours a week.

2) I'm sleeping almost 8 hours a night. This is the first time I've had that luxury since 2006!

3) I'm finally on a consistent schedule at work. For the first 5 months of my new career I didn't have a regular schedule. I was on call 24-7. I'd work all hours of day and night. That was harder than I thought it would be. But now I have enough senority to bid on a post. I'll be on this schedule until March when we post bid again.

4) I have a really fantastic sports nutrition coach. He's done a lot of work trying to get me out of my unhealthy habits and replace them with some great ones.

5) I have a world class weightlifting coach. With my new consistent schedule I'm able to be coached by him 3 out of my 4 training sessions a week.

All in all I'd say the last 6 weeks has been wonderful. I'd go as far as to say this has been one of the top two times of my life. I think I could get used to this.

Here's my weekly weight average the last 10 weeks.
9/11/16- 322
9/18/16-320
9/25/16- 321
10/2/16-321
10/9/16-320
10/16/16-317
10/23/16-317
10/30/16-318
10/6/16-316
10/13/16-315

first treadmill tabata of 2016

In addition to helping me with weight loss and a nutrition plan to continue to make strength gains for weightlifting, my nutrition coach has been trying to help me make lifestyle changes. I never thought that would work. Ever. But miracle of miracles, it has. Finding success with me has probably been one of the most trying and frusting goals of his life. But, by George, it's working. In addition to following his nutrition plan relatively well, I've started doing cardio 3 times a week. Today I did a treadmill tabata:
I did a warm up of 5 minutes, then I ran for 20 seconds on and then 10 seconds off @ a 12% grade at level 4 (15 minute per mile) for 10 rounds (5 minutes). The last 3 rounds I had to slow the pace and grab on to the bar to finish. Next time I think I'll lower the speed to a 3.6 (16:40). At that speed will probably be easy. But I haven't done cardio in years so it's better to start up slowly and build up then to get injured or throw myself into over training. After all, I am 40 years old. My body doesn't respond as well to new things as it used to.

USA weightlifting website and my results

I recieved and email from USA Weightlifting telling me my latest weightlifting meet had been entered into thier website. I'd never had that happen before. So I logged on and I found that thier website has been revamped since I was last on there. It seems easier to navigate. I found all my past weightlifting meets results, bodyweight, etc. I thought it might be fun to post all my results here. From here on I'll put all my meets and results at the bottom of every weightlifting meet results that I blog about.

12) Farewell to Ski
10/29/16
Weight: 142.69k
98(PR)/125(PR)/223 (PR)

11) NM Games
5/21/16
Weight: 142.77k
97(PR)/122(PR)/219 (PR)

10) High Dessert Spring Invite
4/24/16
Bodyweight: 142.6k
95(PR)/ 120(PR)/215(PR)

9) HDAC Spring Break Invite
3/12/16
Bodyweight: 143.8k
91/116(PR)/212(PR)

8) John Davis memorial Invitational 2
1/16/16
Bodyweight: 143k
91(PR)/112/203(PR)

7) Lift Outside the box Invitational
10/17/15
Bodyweight: 143k
87/115(PR)/202(PR)

6) NM Games
7/19/15
Bodyweight: 131.57k
87(PR)/108(PR)/195(PR)

5) The Miller Gym Anniversary invite
4/25/15
Bodyweight: 132.76k
86(PR)/105/191(PR)

4) The John Davis memorial invite
1/24/15
Bodyweight: 136.26k
83(PR)/107(PR)/190(PR)

3) The Jodi Invitational
11/9/14
Bodyweight: 140.83k
79(PR)/103(PR)/182(PR)

2) The Miller Gym Inaugural-The Kevin
7/26/14
Bodyweight: 133.83k
76(PR)/100(PR)/176(PR)

1) The NM games
5/17/14
Bodyweight 128
65(PR)/89(PR)/153(PR)

todays lower calorie meal plan

Now that my weightlifting meet is done I asked my sports nutrition coach to help me drop weight a little quicker. My calories have been cut drastically. It'll be a challenge. This is what my meals look like today. With only a few exceptions I'm eating mostly meat and vegetables. My quest for the 105k weight class continues.

5am
Coffee
Half-n-half
4 eggs
1/4 cup onions
Canola oil
3 oz chicken breast

9am
9oz chicken breast
2 c. Broccoli
1 celery stick

1pm
6oz lean ground beef
1 cup carrots
Hot sauce
1 celery stick

4:30pm
2 hot Polish sausage
4 mini sweer peppers
2 celery sticks

5pm (weightlifting training)
8 oz Gatorade
1 scoop whey protein

6:30
Post workout shake

8pm
2.5 cups Dorrito salad
2 oc chicken breast