Off season training: My circle may be small, but it's a strong one

This past week of training started out pretty good. Hit some heavier stuff on bench and felt strong. As the week went on, I got pretty sore. By the time Friday rolled around, I was excited for some soft tissue work.... which ended up getting canceled, so I did my squats Friday morning. I hit all my numbers but just felt off. Watching the videos, I looked decent, but definitely didn't feel smooth and tight. Granted I had been deadlifting on my heavy days (not squatting) so probably just a bit out of the groove (along with some under recovery). The weekend rolled around and hit me hard with some personal stuff. It's been a tough year.... I mention here and there when stress is high or things have been rough, usually only because it somehow either relates to my training or I have learned a valuable life lesson from it. But typically, I keep my personal stuff to myself (You've probably heard me talk about keeping my circle small). Over the past 18 or so months, I had been offered a few jobs that would require me to move out of the area I'm in. I was excited about getting back to some collegiate coaching, or even working at one of the private facilities I was offered. Some didn't pan out and some, for reasons I won't get into, I had to pass up. It was hard, and painful, and stressful. I had come to peace with it all and found a lot of positive things. What at certain moments seemed heartbreaking ended up having some blessings. Over the weekend my world shattered again and I'd be lying if I said I understood it all. I can see most of the big picture (thankfully because I've grown and learned a lot) but it doesn't mean there isn't some hurt. Looking back I can see how some past experiences have allowed me to handle this one with more grace, more patience, more strength and more confidence. If this situation would've happened a year ago, I guarantee I wouldn't be handling it the same. When hurt comes, I let it in. If tears fall, I let them. If a smile creeps in, I enjoy it. And I take each moment as it comes. I have a lot of faith that things will pan out as they should. When I stopped trying to control the things I have no control over, I became less stressed and more compassionate. Thankful for my friends who tell me things I need to hear, things I don't want to hear and who I just know are there when I need them. My circle may be small, but it's certainly a strong one. (I also snagged up a new training partner that I'll share more about in next week's training log... she came along at just the right time!!)

Training Aug 21-26

Monday
A. 2 board press Worked up to 205x2, then down set of 165x10
B. EZ bar Rolling tris off floor 5x8
C1. Seated cleans 4x9
C2 seated laterals 4x9
C3. Seated front raises 4x9
C4. Seated bent over raises 4x9
D. Hammer curls 3x12
E. Slingshot push-ups x100

A post shared by Julia Ladewski (@julialadewski) on Aug 21, 2017 at 11:58am PDT

Tuesday A. Box squats vs chains 8x2 @ 165-175
B. Stiff leg deads 5x9
C1. Pulldowns 4x12
C2. KB swings 4x20
D. TKE's 2x40 each
E. Hamstring curls 4x20
F. DB row 2x25 Thursday A. Wide grip bench 4x10 @ 145, 155, 160, 165
B1. DB incline press 2x25
B2. Pull-ups 2xamap (15, 15)
C1. Dips weighted 4x4
C2. Ez bar curls 4x9
D1. Laterals 4x15
D2. DB shrugs 4x12
E. Zottman curls 3x10-12
F. Band pushdowns x100 Friday A. Squats
135x10@2
175x8@2
215x6@2
240x6@2
255x4@2
B. Mid shin rack pulls 2x15 @ 250
C. Leg press 3x15
D. Pulldowns 5x12
E. chest supported shrugs 5x12
F. Abs 5mins

A post shared by Julia Ladewski (@julialadewski) on Aug 25, 2017 at 2:03pm PDT