day 3264 – squat max

July 12, 2022 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #ankle, #backsquat, #coach, #conditions, #deload, #goals, #happy, #kilos, #lift, #maxday, #personalbest, #personalrecord, #phase, #plates, #pr, #preinjury, #recovery, #spotter, #squat, #strengthgoals, #workout | Leave a comment

my coach didn’t recommend testing for any max lifts while still early in my recovery. but it was also a good time since i’m on my deload week. i wasn’t expecting to make the eighty four kilogram back squat i set for myself in pre-injury condition. i only wanted go for heaviest load my body could handle without triggering any injuries. i’ll definitely take the eighty kilo squat which is a personal best. it’s a good benchmark but i don’t think i’ll attempt any max lifts until further along in my recovery phase

day 3182 – ten rep max

April 21, 2022 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #backsquats, #belief, #doitformyself, #dreaded, #exercise, #heavy, #jipped, #kilograms, #max, #maxday, #mixedfeeling, #personalrecord, #range, #repmax, #selfbelief, #selfdoubts, #spotter, #strength, #stronger, #surprises, #theory, #workout, #worldofdifference | Leave a comment

i dreaded this workout since i found out about it because a test for ten rep max sounds awful. i went into it thinking i wouldn’t even complete the lowest number in the range my coach had given. amazingly enough, i busted out ten reps at sixty four kilograms and even felt like i had enough gas for a few more. feeling a little jipped with a mixture of happiness and disappointment, it was only fair i did another five reps at sixty six kilos. note to self that i should have more faith in myself because the self doubt i had prevented me from achieving more. based on the numbers today, and by the theories of many fitness experts, i would’ve made the weight i’ve been dreaming of for years

day 2978 – deuce plates

September 28, 2021 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #barbell, #deadlift, #feelsgood, #garagegym, #happy, #impulse, #legday, #lift, #onerepmax, #personalrecord, #shoulderpain, #straps, #surprised, #train, #twoplateclub, #workout | Leave a comment

i know doing this won’t do any good for my shoulder recovery and i also know my coach will give me crap when he finds out, but deadlifts were feeling good and so i made the impulsive decision. i added some weights set after set and kept inching closer to the two plate mark. i made the two plates and felt okay, so i slapped on the tiny plates. i made the person best which now sits at two hundred and thirty pounds. it isn’t an impressive number to most, but it made me really happy because i haven’t come close to even matching my two twenty five from a year ago. i know that i’m capable of getting an even better number once in fully recovered. i’ll refrain from making impulsive personal best sessions for some time and train up for the next one

day 2883 – double pr

June 25, 2021 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #barbell, #chasingblueplates, #cleanandjerk, #coach, #feelinggood, #goals, #grateful, #happy, #hardwork, #keepgoing, #longtime, #maxout, #olympiclift, #opportunity, #payoff, #personalrecord, #satsifed, #snatch, #sohappy, #strong, #weightlifting | Leave a comment

switched my regular session to friday this week. no different walking into apex just like other weeks until my coach told me i’m expected to max out today – in other words, find my personal best it’s been eight months since i last had that opportunity, i was definitely excited but nervous. i missed the first forty eight kilogram attempt but fought hard on the second attempt because i really wanted it. clean and jerk felt solid once again, topping my best from last week. i came out with a forty eight kilogram snatch and fifty eight kilogram clean and jerk, both personal bests. today was a special day for me and i’m extremely grateful i came through with some strong lifts and got numbers that are close to the goals i set for myself by the end of july. it gives me hope and motivation to reach for more; i haven’t felt this good about my lifts since last october

day 2878 – cleaning and jerking

June 20, 2021 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #allowed, #apexthegym, #attempt, #barbell, #body, #cleanandjerk, #feelsgood, #happy, #kilograms, #liftanddrop, #mademyday, #olympiclift, #personalrecord, #pleased, #snatch, #surprised, #weightlifting, #workout | Leave a comment

it all started as just another typical sunday olympic lifting session. i went about it following my programmed workout. my warmup snatches actually felt off, missing three light attempts. however, clean and jerk felt solid so my coach allowed me to try one extra clean and jerk. the fifty-six kilogram clean and jerk was a success and i got myself a one kilogram personal best which tops the fifty five i had back in march. i felt pleased i was even allowed to make the attempt, so making the lift made my day

day 2859 – new programming

June 1, 2021 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #barbell, #garagegym, #hangsnatch, #june, #kilos, #lifting, #momentum, #olympiclifting, #overheadsquat, #personalrecord, #program, #romaleos, #shocked, #strong, #technique | Leave a comment

coach changed up my workout program the start of june that’s more aligned with the goals i have. i did my hang snatches and overhead squats like i was suppose to, then i tried some snatches just for fun and so shocked i matched my original forty seven kilogram snatch personal record. the technique could definitely be better, but i’ll keep tightening it. starting the month off strong and hoping to keep this momentum

day 2787 – impromptu maxes

March 21, 2021 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #backproblems, #barbell, #blueplates, #chances, #cleanandjerk, #coach, #competition, #happy, #hardworkpays, #heavy, #hopes, #improvement, #personalrecord, #platform, #snatch, #thankful, #weightlifting, #workout | Leave a comment

i felt so upset a couple days ago when i reaggravated my back on something that shouldn’t have caused any back problems. i had overcome so many obstacles and worked my way back to be considered for competition coming up next weekend, but now even being on the platform was in question. i’m so thankful with some help, my back has improved significantly and i still had hopes of the event. because there’s a chance i might compete next week, the coach went off the books with my workout. instead of the normal program, i was allowed to go heavier with both snatches and clean and jerks. today, i pr’d my clean and jerk and finally made the blue plates happen

day 2766 – squat time

February 28, 2021 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #backsquat, #barbell, #bumperplates, #garagegym, #happy, #hardworkpaysoff, #justforfun, #lifting, #max, #numbers, #personalrecord, #program, #rare, #rebuilding, #rehab, #sololift, #squat, #test, #weighttraining | Leave a comment

it’s the last day of the month so i felt like testing for some personal records. rarely do i get to test for max lifts because i’m programmed for lots of olympic lifting technique work on top of rehab homework. i’m very happy my back squat got up to one hundred and seventy which matches my last personal record done prior to tearing my ankle. i felt like i could have loaded the bar even heavier had there been a spotter. i’m not far off from the number i’ve always dreamed of

day 2647 – another pr

November 1, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #attempt, #barbell, #cleanandjerk, #coach, #feelinggood, #flashkick, #goodstart, #happy, #novmeber, #opengym, #personalrecord, #strong, #sunday, #tricking, #weightlifting, #workout, #yearendgoals | Leave a comment

started the day with my usual apex lifting and i hit another small personal record and moved closer to my year end goal. my coach didn’t know that what he had asked me go clean and jerk today was more than what i had jerked ever. i had a strong open gym session in the evening. i felt good and landed my flash kick on the floor and also improved my back handspring connections. i’m not going to release that flash kick yet because i think i can land a cleaner one. i couldn’t have asked for a better start to the month of november

day 2627 – new snatch pr

October 11, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #consistency, #dowhatilove, #drill, #happy, #hardworkpaysoff, #kilograms, #liftanddrop, #lifting, #max, #personalrecord, #pr, #snappy, #snatch, #solid, #stoked, #strong, #technique, #weightlifting, #yellowplates | Leave a comment

i’ve been quietly working on my snatches for past two months and it’s been feeling really good. i didn’t test for any maxes, just drilling the technique in different segments of the lift. i’ve been programmed to go for my one rep max today. all my lifts felt solid and snappy which is a really good sign. i earned a forty seven kilogram snatch which is two kilogram over my previous personal record. i’m pretty stoked about the results and getting consistency with the yellow plates. i’m beginning to think maybe a fifty kilogram snatch is actually possible

day 2572 – two plate club

August 17, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #attempt, #backatit, #deadlift, #finally, #fitgoals, #garagegym, #happy, #injuries, #legday, #personalrecord, #progress, #surprised, #technique, #twoplateclub, #weightlifting | Leave a comment

deadlifts is something i’ve been working on since covid first hit globally. i started off lifting merely one hundred pounds, corrected my form and slowly chipped away at the weight. i’m very happy to be back in the two plate club which is a weight i haven’t touched since 2016. honestly this was a weight i could’ve pulled a month back even with all my injury woes, but i didn’t make the attempt because it wasn’t worth the risk to muscle one if i sacrificed technique. i decided to go for it today and i wasn’t only surprised that i managed to pull it, but with less of a struggle than i expected

day 2529 – yellow plates

July 5, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #casual, #chasingyellowplates, #club, #finger, #fracture, #funny, #match, #official, #olympiclift, #personalrecord, #record, #snatch, #snatchwave, #weightlifting, #yellowplates | Leave a comment

officially made it to the yellow plates snatch club. although i snatched one hundred pounds at nash back in december, it wasn’t in the official apex record books. what was suppose to be a casual snatch wave day turned into matching my personal record. i should’ve had it on the first attempt, but i give up too early and didn’t even bother trying to stand up. it’s one thing to still be able to olympic lift with my fractured finger, but it’s another thing to match the numbers while still feeling good. i think all those garage strength sessions are paying off

day 2495 – two hundred bound

June 1, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #consistency, #deadlift, #form, #garagegym, #happy, #june, #keepgoing, #personalrecord, #plates, #pounds, #progress, #push, #strong, #surprised, #trainingpartner, #weightlift, #workout | Leave a comment

how much difference two weeks of consistent deadlifting has made. prior to covid, i haven’t deadlifted for a few years. at the beginning of april, i was working with about one plate worth of weights. two weeks ago, i tried two hundred pounds the moment i brought two extra plates home and only managed to pull it an inch off the floor. fast forward two weeks, i surprised myself and did it for three reps. the form could still improve, but i’m pulling safely and not risking any injury. i owe it to my training partners for correcting my form and giving me that extra push. i’m looking forward to making it back to my two plate club soon

day 2483 – deadlift surprises

May 20, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #barbell, #deadlift, #feelinggood, #garagegym, #happy, #heavy, #legday, #lift, #personalrecord, #plates, #posteriorchain, #quarantine, #reps, #squat, #strong, #surprised, #technique, #triples, #weightlifting | Leave a comment

if you asked me three weeks ago when i started doing deadlifts after a couple years, i would not have expected to pull much over one plate. i was just trying to get my deadlift technique back, and was hovering around the one hundred twenty five mark. ever since i picked up the extra plate, we’ve been lifting much heavier. definitely felt super good after pulling one ninety five for three reps, which is thirty pounds shy of my all time personal record. i’m hoping i can match my two plate personal best before quarantine ends

day 2370 – antsy cleans

January 28, 2020 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #ankle, #antsy, #barbell, #boxjump, #chasing forty-two, #clean, #goals, #goalsetting, #gymsession, #happy, #motivated, #nash, #olympiclifting, #oneplateclub, #personalrecord, #plyo, #powerclean, #shoulderpain, #stevenash, #test | Leave a comment

a fun gym session joined by two friends. i last olympic lifted three weeks ago because of pec strain. i was scared but i wanted to see if i was able to do light cleans without shoulder pain. i started with sixty five pounds but somehow felt okay and worked it all the way to one plate. i probably could have done one forty, but wasn’t going to risk it. we ended with some box jumps and i’m happy to report i jumped a thirty nine inch box which basically matches my personal best. now i feel a little more motivated knowing my ankle can get back into things. my previous goal was to hit a forty inch box jump, but i think a forty two may be a goal down the road

day 2237 – clean reached

September 17, 2019 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #cleans, #crushedit, #fitgoals, #fitness, #goals, #goalsetting, #happy, #levelup, #milestone, #nash, #olympiclift, #oneplateclub, #personalrecord, #powergame, #pr, #strength, #strong, #trainers, #weightlifting | Leave a comment

when i first started learning to olympic lift with jae three years ago, i wished to one day full clean one plate. i never got close before took a break and only restarted with apex the start of this year. through these eight months, there’s been steady progress in both snatches and cleans while solidifying my squat strength. what i thought was a lost goal was made true today and i couldn’t be more happy to share it with my coaches who helped me along the way. this is obviously just a milestone with much more to come

day 2230 – squatting game

September 10, 2019 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #backsquat, #cleans, #happy, #heavy, #hipflexor, #liftheavy, #mathing, #nash, #onerepmax, #personalrecord, #plates, #pr, #sore, #spontaneity, #spontaneous, #surprise, #surprised, #weightlifting, #workout | Leave a comment

i laid off my clean and squat workout regime ever since i had to prepare for my test, so i thought i’d take whatever i could muster. i started with cleans but it didn’t feel strong with my sore hip flexors felt sore, i decided to cut it short and be spontaneous with the weights. i did back squats for doubles all the way up to one forty five – where i thought i’d stop. spontaneous and curious, i kept going for singles and increased it by 2.5 pounds as i felt okay. had there been a spotter, i would’ve gone for a second rep

day 2216 – paused snatch complex

August 27, 2019 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #backflip, #chasingyellowplates, #coach, #complex, #firsttime, #happy, #justdoit, #kilograms, #olympiclifting, #pausesnatch, #personalbest, #personalrecord, #powergame, #pr, #snatch, #soclose, #workout | Leave a comment

looking down at apex from the new warmup and stretching area. i went into the gym ready to do my third week of passed snatch complex, hoping to reach beyond green plates i couldn’t make last week. coach changed it up on me. instead of doing six times, he cut it down to three before going for singles. to my amazement, i beat my personal best by one kilogram which takes me up to forty three kilograms. i made two more attempts at forty four and almost made that if i hadn’t over-corrected it. either way, i’m happy with the new pr knowing i’m only two kilograms shy of the yellow plates. at the end of the workout, i didn’t think twice and just went for the back flip when asked to do one. this would be my first back flip on solid hard ground

day 2190 – pr clean

August 1, 2019 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #ambitions, #apex, #chasingredplates, #clean, #dowhateverilove, #excited, #fitgoals, #frontsquats, #goalsetting, #happy, #hardworkpaysoff, #justdoit, #nash, #neversettling, #oneday, #personalbest, #personalrecord, #progress, #workhard, #workout | Leave a comment

since i’m expecting deloading week to come soon, i just went for it. this would be the heaviest clean i’ve ever done and i’m truly proud of it. in the past i’ve only hovered around one hundred fifteen, rarely get into the twenties because i struggled to get out of the bottom position. my front squat have improved so much since joining apex that this weight was easily handled. i have had my eyes set on the one plate ever since i started getting the hang of olympic cleans, but who knows, maybe one day i can even make the reds

day 2188 – snatch fail

July 30, 2019 by tongtong in my 365 and tagged #apexthegym, #barbell, #current, #failedattempts, #fitgoals, #frontsquats, #goals, #heavy, #kilograms, #musclesnatch, #oneplateclub, #paused, #personalrecord, #platform, #snatch, #surprised, #technique, #test, #weightlifting, #workout | Leave a comment

my muscle snatches was in great form from the start of the workout. this is a good sign when the plan was to test for my current max. i made it all the way to two kilograms shy of my personal best before failing two in a row. i put everything into the final snatch and finally redeemed myself. it was then time to test max paused front squat. i easily hit one plate which was surprised me, but stopped at that because of time and volume constraints. i’m still happy walking away today with both the forty kilo snatch and one plate paused front squat

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