tosabarbell

I was squatting the other day and since things were feeling pretty good, I decided to go up an additional 5# on my last single. It went fine and although it wasn’t as easy as ten  pounds ago, it wasn’t hard. I was feeling pretty decent about it when a well meaning gym member said, “You got forward a little bit in the bottom but other than that it was fine.” No shit. I was there. I remember that part where I got a little loose in the bottom and also when the bar came back up just fine. Thanks though buddy.

What is it with the need of others to have an opinion on absolutely everything these days in the gym? Is it the internet coaching craze? I see a lot of input given on various websites or youtube videos where multiple people break down every aspect of each rep,  impressing themselves and in theory  others with their coaching prowess and skillz. Really people, just S!T!F!U!

One of my pilots was at home for a break when she was squatting at a nearby gym. She knew one of the trainers was watching her but up to that point hadn’t approached her. I’ll spare you my diatribe on how utterly offensive it is as a woman to be squatting/pressing/pulling in the gym and some idiot male will come up and “help” you, assuming that you’ve been waiting for just this chance to be awed by his brilliant coaching skillz. Really, don’t get me started. Anyways. When she was done and unloading the bar, he finally came up to her and said, “good squats” and promptly walked away. Next time I’m in Ohio, I’m going to find him and hug him. Congratulations, you just showed KCon what a smart coach you are.

Whether you’re a full time coach or just coaching your buddy or (god forbid) wife or husband, learn how to be useful. Telling the lifter everything you see isn’t necessary. Give them one thing to think about (IF THEY ASK) and move on. And if you can’t do that…just STFU and worry about your own lifts. They’re probably wrong anyway. Heh. Happy Friday!

Deadwood quote of the day:

Francis Wolcott: I am a sinner that does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official. 

If this doesn’t make you tap your toes and smile…you’re dead inside.

Most of us have our training logs written out for the day, week, or even month. So that when we get to the gym, we know exactly what’s going to happen. This helps us be efficient in our session; can get us mentally prepared for a big attempt; or just bring out the OCD most lifters enjoy. I like to have my log planned out for 2-3 weeks. This way, I can plan on how to arrange my training around travel, holidays, or upcoming meets.

There are days; however; when you get to the gym and things don’t go as planned. Maybe you’re not as recovered as you needed to be from the last workout. Maybe you’ve just worked all day and haven’t been able to eat as well as you should before you train or maybe you’re just having an off day. Shit happens. This is where training experience comes in handy. When you’ve been training long enough to know that these days come and to just deal with it, you know you’ve hit a milestone. It shouldn’t surprise me (but still does) how many people freak out and believe they need a reset;a new program; or both just because of one bad day in the gym. Relax people. You’re supposed to be training for the next 40 years, you’ll have days that are wonky. No worries.

But then there’s the other side of the coin. Where you have your numbers written for the day but everything feels light. You’ve just hit your last set with ease and start to wonder if you’ve been misloading the bar all day? The same questions hit, is your programming off? Should you have been lifting heavier all along? What’s going on?

Again, experience takes over. You’re having a good day in the gym. Push it a little more, be a little greedy. How far you can go where you don’t mess up the rest of the week’s training takes experience but I don’t believe in letting a strong day go to waste. Be prepared to screw up along the way and don’t freak out when you do. If you’re not greedy you won’t learn how to push yourself on those days when the weights aren’t feeling light. Sometimes you need do step away from the plan. Be greedy!

A day this past weekend was declared BBQ Birth Day. One half of tosabarbell turned 45 on Friday and though it’s policy to hit a PR on your birthday, enjoying a leisure road trip took precedent. Rumor had it that some of the best BBQ in Texas was in our path and to not take advantage of that fact would be unacceptable.

The day started with a gas up and breakfast burritos at Rudy’s BBQ in Waco. Even though we rolled through after breakfast hours, the service oriented workers quickly assured us that they would be happy to wrap us up some fresh brisket, egg, and cheese burritos that were the best I’ve ever had. Every bite had the perfect amount of the smoked meat and eggs without being impossible to eat on the road by melting cheese. It was an excellent start to the day. Our youngest member of tosabarbell ordered the sausage and it was some of the best I’ve had in Texas. I’ll definitely be looking to order more of it in the future.

Interject fun Texas Bluebonnet picture here:      

Our next stop was a few hours down the road in Lockhart, TX. We had two stops to make here so we decided to eat in at Kreuz’s Market.

Matt has stopped there in the past and thought I’d enjoy the atmosphere. He was right. The feel of an old Texas dancehall that smells of smoked meat makes for a very festive combination. We decided to compare brisket, sausage, and ribs at each BBQ so that’s what we went with. The brisket was very good and the sausage was fine but Rudy’s sausage was much better. I loved the beef rib but it was a little salty for Matt’s taste.

From there, we drove about a mile down the road to pick up some BBQ to go at Black’s.   Again, we grabbed some Brisket, a ginormous beef rib, and some sausage. We saved this for dinner later so we had no idea what a gold mine we had waiting for us in the car. We then sauntered down the road to Luling where I had gone in the past. A few years ago, this was my first experience entering a smoke-room and ordering directly from the smoke masters.  I decided that finding air fresheners that resemble the smell of the Luling City Market smoke room is high on the priority list!

After a side trip to Gonzales (“Come and Take It”, enough said) we headed to San Antonio to get settled and lay out the BBQ spread.

Final Verdict: Black’s BBQ takes the Blue Ribbon. The beef rib was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever tasted and lacked the additional salt that Kreuz’s had. It was scrumptious. The brisket was ‘fall off the bone’ and tender all the way into Saturday night. It was by far the best BBQ of the day.

We give the Luling smoke room experience an A+. The smoke masters were friendly and fun and having the smoky smell infused in our clothes the rest of the weekend was a nice reminder of BBQ Birth Day. The food was incredibly good but really didn’t compare to Black’s.

In conclusion: there is plenty of good BBQ in Texas. Hell, Rip’s is probably the best place I’ve been  for any kind of wood smoked red meat! We didn’t hit it all, but we did good. BBQ Birth Day was a total success! What does this have to do with strength and conditioning? Who cares? It’s BBQ Birth Day!!!!!