athlete journals

The generalized Achilles tendon rupture rehab plan that I got at the hospital recommends waiting until the four-week mark before initiating open-chain active ankle dorsiflexion. However, when I saw the ... Continue Reading

I’m at ten days post-op now and just went in to see the doctor for a follow-up appointment. One thing he said really stuck with me: apparently I will be at my weakest point around fourteen days after ... Continue Reading

First off, I celebrated my twentieth birthday this week! It’s really weird not being a teenager anymore. At first I was a little scared of leaving my teens because it made me feel really old. I ... Continue Reading

There is a pattern I’m often guilty of falling into (and you might be doing this, too) that relates to constantly testing your limits in training, as opposed to actually just training. Let me explain what ... Continue Reading

On Saturday I made the three-hour drive down to Richmond, Virginia to compete in the US Grappling Brazilian jiu jitsu competition. Although the drive was a little longer than I was expecting, it was a ... Continue Reading

As I spoke about in my last journal entry, I’ll be competing at the AAU Powerlifting Worlds in Las Vegas on October 18th. This is a rough sketch of what my weekly training split will look like, although ... Continue Reading

This past week I was on our family vacation in the Outer Banks. Although I didn’t get in any mat time, I was able to get three days of weightlifting and some interval training done. I did do ... Continue Reading

Whenever someone sees me now with my sleek black soft cast around my ankle, the first thing they ask me is, “What did you do? Drop a kettlebell on your foot?” Well no, actually, it was not a ... Continue Reading

Saturday Saturday's workout was clean and jerks. I started with: Speed clean and jerk: 50kg x 5 reps Speed cleans 1 jerk: 2 sets 4 speed cleans and a jerk: 75kg 4 speed cleans and a ... Continue Reading

When it comes to something as crazy as completing an Ironman, you really need to have done one yourself to offer advice. Our resident athletic adventurer, Andrew Read, chronicled his Ironman training plan, ... Continue Reading

My preparation for the New York Open is going great! I’ve been getting lots of drilling in, running is getting easier, I’m cleaning up my diet, and I’ve started weight training again after a little ... Continue Reading

Everything is coming along nicely for the New York Summer Open next month. I got four solid training days in on the mat last week, including another training day up at Daniel Beleza’s Brazilian jiu jitsu ... Continue Reading

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” - Eleanor Roosevelt Every experience, no matter what it is, has something to teach us. ... Continue Reading

I’m finding that my wrist and elbow are a little tender even after a lengthy warm up, so I decided to skip the jerk portion of Sunday’s workout. Sunday Speed Clean: 50kg x 2 sets of 6 70kg x ... Continue Reading

I’m finally starting to settle into the “no school” lifestyle, which happens to be pretty great! I no longer get the urge to get home early and do homework, even though I haven’t had homework in weeks. I ... Continue Reading

Due to the gym being closed for Memorial Day and one of my daughters having a softball tournament all week, I only had two days of jiu jitsu. The two days I did have were good, and I did get to do three ... Continue Reading

After a solid week in the gym, I’m looking forward to next week. My arms are looking up, so there is a positive vibe in my training. Saturday Today was power cleans, cleans, three front squats, and ... Continue Reading

Jiu jitsu is awesome. It’s the one thing I feel completely comfortable doing. I don’t have to worry about being judged or criticized. I don’t get nervous or anxious while I’m doing it. I just do it. It ... Continue Reading

This entire training week was almost completely derailed after I noticed some staph on my forehead on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, I caught it early and got on some antibiotics that same day and the ... Continue Reading

I am starting work for the PanAmerican Championships in Toronto in June, so I am rearranging my workouts a little so I can spend some quality time in the weight room alone. That way I don’t have to focus ... Continue Reading

I’m done! I’m finally done! I feel so wonderful now that I don’t have the burden of school on my shoulders. Granted, I probably failed a class or two, but at least this semester is over and I can focus on ... Continue Reading

For quite some time now, I’ve felt the need to push myself more in terms of grinding out repeated heavy doubles and triples in my training. My typical pattern is to work up to one heavy set of one to three ... Continue Reading

"Difficult roads often lead to the most beautiful destinations." - Unknown The older I get and the longer I train, the more I realize that the most incredible experiences of my career have been ... Continue Reading

Every now and then, I receive some simple strength and conditioning, nutrition or competition questions. Earlier this week, I received a question no one has asked me before. The question was about ... Continue Reading