Dealing with failure

I loved my first 12 weeks with my trainer teaching me how to train with weights effectively. I learnt some movements I had never done before, but more often, I learnt how to correctly execute movements which I had thought I already knew. Once I had form down we'd gradually increase the load in order to progress. The rule was, if I could complete 12 - 15 reps for multiple sets with good form then I would up the weight. With consistently training 3 times a week (and diet changes) I was able to increase the weight quite regularly without a huge amount of struggle. I wouldn't say it was with ease but I was definitely walking out of the gym smiling and feeling pretty pleased with myself (most days anyway). If this was how it was going to be for the entire journey, it was going to be a sweet ride! (Yay for the anatomical adaptation phase!)

Alas, this isn't the case anymore. Things have got a lot more challenging! The best way I can explain where I am right now is that it feels as if I've reached an intensity (as in a heavier weight range) that makes me think holy sh*t this is actually quite tough. I wasn't quite prepared for this and some training sessions left me feeling frustrated and disappointed in myself. Especially if I couldn't complete the target number of reps for certain exercises. My brain was thinking; what was happening to me? Where had my strength gone? WTF, I am not used to failing!

I'll explain what I mean using the momentous deadlift as an example. My progression from 12kg KB hip hinges to 35kg barbell deadlifts was a smooth ride with fairly linear increments of weight over the 12 weeks. All good stuff as you'd expect! But, it just so happens for me that now I've reached 40kg, things are a bit different. It actually hurts, I struggle, and I fail. (I blame my poor grip strength for this particular exercise to be honest.)

My options? Carry on feeling like shit and potentially give up, or, accept that this isn't meant to be easy and stick at it until it is. I'm going for the latter, I had my strop and I'm over it. I'm not too concearned that I'm not increasing the weight on the bar with each session anymore and I'm just going to work on these 40kg DLs every week until I can complete my full 12-15 reps for 4 sets fairly comfortably. It might take longer than the ideal, but hey, every body is different and patience is key!

In addition, as I've identified my grip as a limitation for the progression of some exercises, I did a bit of extra research on how to increase grip strength. I now incorporate a couple of extra exercises to my routine each time I'm at the gym to help.

So there you go - it's a cycle of pushing yourself, failing, hard work and improvement - but it's all with an upwards trend on the progression chart, and that's what it's all about.

Anyway, I hope I didn't make too many people laugh at the fact that I'm struggling with a 40kg DL!

My experience with the "Keto Diet"

Readers who know me, or have read my previous posts, will know that I have tried a variety of different diets over the years in an attempt to lose the stubborn fat from certain areas of my body. To clarify, I have never been overweight, or in fact any bigger/heavier than I am right now. I've just been stuck on wanting to get back to my pre-university, size 8 body.

So, in my mid twenties during the lead up to Christmas 2016, I stumbled across the ketogenic (or "keto") diet. I've decided to write about it now as I've noticed the diet has gained popularity more recently - for both good and bad reasons. As with anything that fascinates me, I spent a good few hours researching how it worked and the science behind it first (I'm an all or nothing kinda gal). If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, here's a really simplified explanation from bodybuilding.com:

The idea is that you eat a strict low carb & high fat diet which is designed to result in 'ketosis'. This is when your body uses fat to produce fuel molecules called ketones when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply. It's suggested that when in ketosis, fat stores are more easily burnt, resulting in fat loss.

Eat fat to lose fat. I was convinced so I gave it a go...

I used MyFitnessPal to track my macronutrients, I was surprised at how quickly I was reaching my carbohydrate limit. 0-10g of carbs is not much at all. It was fine(ish) giving up the bad/processed carbs, but it was very strange to me to have to limit consumption of fruit and vegetables as well, I was eating very little fiber. A plus side for me was eating more foods high in fat. It did seem to fill me up and keep me satisfied, even in small amounts. I tracked my calories as I knew fat is higher in calories per gram than carbohydrates, so I wanted to be careful not to go over my recommended allowance. I never did, if anything, I was actually eating fewer calories than before.

A couple of months in and I'd reached the lowest weight I'd ever been in my twenties: 58kg. I felt pretty pleased. But in reality, I'm pretty sure most of the weight that I'd lost came from muscle and water mass, it could even have been a result of eating fewer calories in general. I can't say what would have happened if I'd stuck with the diet for a longer period of time, but, I decided the keto diet was not for me. I wasn't exercising very much, I had little energy and I'd bloat if I had a 'cheat meal'. I wouldn't recommend it to other active, healthy people either. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy, and we need to be consuming them, preferably in the form of whole foods like beans, potatoes, grains, in order to perform at our best.