After six months of strength training

Things I’ve learned this past quarter: skipping a single day will make it harder to squat the next time, never lift without eating right beforehand, you became detrained from replacing the deadlift with the power clean once a week which is why you failed a deadlift that should have been doable, and it’s ok, you got back with four sets of three. And I’m having fun learning the clean :)

Things I’m celebrating this past quarter: that 135 lbs on the deadlift is now my warmup once a week vs. last year in November when it took every ounce of effort out of me and my body actually squeaked lol, that I graduated to a new plate (25 lbs) on the bench press, that I am still #8 (last place, but I made it) on my gym’s leaderboard for bench press for women (and that I’m nearing the 100-lb club), that I made it to the 45-lb plates on the squat, and that this gym is so supportive. I felt warmed by a few guys remarking on my squat milestone. Grateful for the coaches + the social that happened in February!

Things I’m keeping in mind for this next quarter: my failures are “neutral” and I will not be intimidated when I return to the weights I failed (140-lb squat, 180-lb deadlift). I will think about “disinhibition” with the goal of training until my inhibitory pathways “shrivel.” Shoutout to the Huberman Lab podcast episode that was 4h long with Pavel Tsatsouline. I learned a lot about performance and emotions (3:00:58), and tbh, what these two men discussed, it boils down to the same theme I’ve been studying: SELF-COMPASSION.

Personal records as of 3/23/2025
Bodyweight: 127 lbs

• Squat: 140 lbs
• Press: 66 lbs
• Bench: 96 lbs
• Deadlift: 177 lbs