January 2024 Progress Picture

‍Progress

Up until writing this out (January 6th), I’d have considered December a bit of a disappointment. My weight didn’t seem to move, and my physique didn’t change noticeably either. I’ve been progressing worse with a weird shoulder injury, where as my plantar fasciitis seems to have improved (more on both below). All in all, I’d say it’d been a wash. But remember, I said up until today.

This morning, I went and tested some one rep maxes. And holy guacamole, it’s improved.

My newest big three numbers are as follows: Bench: 245Squat: 335Deadlift: 325

This is huge or me. I’ve been bouncing at a bench plateau for years. The closest I got to two plates (225 lbs) was a 215 bench a couple of years back. I completely blew past that limit somehow and hit my best bench ever.

The squat was a little bit disappointing. I didn’t feel super solid, and my depth was probably questionable. But still, I haven’t hit that heavy of a squat in over a year or two.

The deadlift was big for me as well. After the back injury in March, I’d thought I’d lost any chance of ever chasing the 1000lb club. After some help from Evan at In Power PT, and some excellent days at Crossfit Amarillo, I feel completely prepped to improve the deadlift again.

Honestly, this morning's lift has completely supercharged my outlook on progress in the weight room.

Also, I’ve made a few changes recently for thoughts on why. See below.

Protein Intake: I’m still not where I should be, but I’m averaging an extra 20-30 grams of protein a day than I had been averaging. I’ve eaten a little bit cleaner too. Not super great, I do think it’s been an improvement.

Testosterone: I’ve been supplementing T for the past two years with no effect (last bloodwork test came out to ~280). My primary upped it to a higher dosage for the third time about 2.5-3 weeks ago. Maybe that’s been the kick I needed? I’ll retest bloodwork in a couple of months.

Sauna: There was a video by Huberman on TikTok that said an hour of sauna once a week boosted growth hormone. So, I’ve been giving it a try the last four three weeks. Maybe it helped?

Crossfit: There’s a level of volume during the metcons I don’t normally hit on lifts. Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing.

Program

CrossFit at CrossFit Amarillo + Random Accessory Work & Cardio

It has been super fun going to CFA and getting my butt handed to me on a bunch of metcons. I’ve also been getting some light accessory work on the weekends.

I wish I’d have tried this sooner, but that 12% incline at 3mph for 30 mins has smoked me. Definitely worth trying on a treadmill if you haven’t already.

Injuries

Left Foot (Plantar Fasciitis):

‍This is still getting better. It's definitely annoying me after pickleball or a run, but on the healing process. Lots of stretching, hitting it with the massage gun, and wearing squishy shoes has all helped.

Left Wrist:

‍Mostly healed up. Still weak, and I could feel it during cleans, but it’ll be fine soon.

‍Right Knee (ACL):

No complaints, it’s feeling strong!

Left Back, Shoulder Blade/Ribs (Scapula):

Gotten worse. This has begun transcending to the front of my clavicle. Noticeable throughout the day. I think it may actually be triggering some Occipital Neuralgia. I’ve been doing a mix of swimmer stretches, and a few other ones I found. It helps, but man, this one is driving me nuts. My body just refuses to stay functional.