tosabarbell

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!!!!!

We’re on the road this weekend, heading down to take in some Texas history at The Alamo. We stopped in Waco for the night and saw a billboard for Health Camp and wanted to make a joke of it until we saw Burgers and Shakes listed. WHAT? This sounds like a health camp right up our ally.

We drove around trying to find Dubl-R Burgers, another age old burger joint in Waco but they were all closed up for the night. Aimlessly driving; hungry; and out of ideas for dinner we took an exit with a lot of food options and there was Health Camp all lit up and waiting for us!The place has been around since 1949 and started with a little canteen on wheels serving up burgers and shakes. It’s adorable and obviously a local favorite even at 8:30 at night. We had a great dinner and were able to get a picture in before they turned the lights out for the night.

Incidentally, there’s been plenty of Bluebonnet sightings on the way down which makes for a very happy drive! Enjoy the weekend!

Ever since I was a little girl, briefly living in Texas, I’ve heard stories about the Texas wildflowers in the spring. I remember hearing how you can drive along any highway or country road and see the vivid blue bonnets; the red of the Indian paintbrush; and numerous others wildflowers that paint the countryside which can be blinding in its beauty.

Back in the late 60’s, while living in Texas (and picking me up along the way) my parents bought a watercolor much like the picture above that I still have and have dreamt of walking through these fields since I could remember.  The last time we lived in Texas, we had moved back north before spring time so I missed the legendary bloom. Last spring, I was filled with anticipation and had the exact spot picked out where I could take this long awaited walk.

Along comes the drought of north Texas. Which, as I learned, makes for a very poor wildflower bloom in spring time. What do I know about such things? I was used to getting 30-60 inches of snow each year, my lilacs never failed to bloom. I didn’t even know such a thing could happen! I waited each day for reports of fields filled with the blue bonnets in the picture I’d been looking at for close to 40 years.

Instead, what I got was a report from Rip’s sister that there was a patch of maybe a dozen or so of the blue wonders near a local Wal-Mart. WHAT? I drove out and missed them the first time so had to loop around Hwy 44 again so I could see the few, the proud, the Wichita Falls Bluebonnet. What a jip! Forty years of expectations down the tube in on fail swoop! I’ll try to keep the bitterness to a minimum here but believe me, I was pissed!

Spring is like that, I’ve come to learn. Expectations of what we wanted to do; see; or be after the long winter need to be laid to rest. Many of you had your annual gym memberships renewed with vigor in January and have already let the pass cards gather dust. Others have found frustration with not being where they had mapped out in their log books and aren’t squatting the 400+ pounds they were expecting to by now. Whatever the case may be, let it go. Enjoy what you have today and set new goals understanding that life’s turns will automatically adjust them and everything will be fine.

We’re heading to San Antonio this weekend and we may see some wildflowers along the way. It’d be nice, but I’ll enjoy the ride no matter what. Does that mean I’m lowering expectations? Nope. It means I’ll appreciate the find all the more.

Happy Spring!  jp