Periodizing My Year
Training throughout 2020 has me really excited (big surprise). The first part of this year has been focused on the barbell. I have been absolutely loving squatting, benching, deadlifting, and overhead pressing with the barbell again. I did not do these movements for much of 2019 because I was so focused on kettlebells, but damn are they ever fun. My plan going forward is to stick with the barbell until my powerlifting meet in mid-April, and then transition back to kettlebells throughout the summer months. I have a lot of work travel coming up, but I can always throw a kettlebell or two in my truck and train my ass off when I’m on the road even if a decent gym is not available. Hotel rooms, parking lots, and local parks will become my gym for the middle part of this year, and that is just fine. The one caveat to this year’s kettlebell work is that I am determined to keep the barbell deadlift in the mix as much as possible. There is just no true substitute for the deadlift, so if I can manage to pull once a week, my body will benefit and it should scratch my barbell itch.
The summer’s kettlebell training will definitely include some mountain biking on the side, but more just as a way to do some steady state cardio and enjoy the nice weather with Cali. When August rolls around, I am going to really turn my attention to mountain biking in preparation for The Iceman Cometh race in November. This is going to be a great challenge that totally turns my training on its head. Right now, I am not totally sure how I will train for this race, which gets me fired up. It means I am going to have to learn some new skills and acquire some additional qualities for my training arsenal. I predict that it will benefit me in the long run in ways I cannot currently foresee.
After the bike race, I will move back to barbell focused training during the winter months. I am super excited for this variety in my training and a few competitions that will help focus my training. Throughout my training career, I have definitely been guilty of being the guy who goes into the gym and does the same thing day after day, week after week, and month after month. When I first started powerlifting, it was really hard for me to get away from a typical body-part split. It was all I had ever known and read about in the magazines. It was familiar and I felt like I knew what I was doing, but I was very much missing out on many things that would benefit my body, mind, and soul.
I think life is often like that in a lot of ways, at least for me. I am a very routine oriented person, and it is easy for me to get stuck in a familiar rut and not want to branch out to try or experience different things. There have been a few times in my life where I packed up and moved across the country. Every time, the thought of such a big change scared the hell out of me, but it ended up being nothing but a positive in the long run. The places I got to see, and more importantly, the people I met along the way, added incredible value, education, and enrichment to my life.
What if we all were just unafraid to go out and do things and be around people who may look, think, and do things a little differently than us? I wonder if we all would gain a little different perspective that made the whole world just a little bit happier and understanding of our fellow human beings.