Don’t Quit When You Are Near The Finish, The Last Push Is Everything…

I have been having a pretty good Spring so far.

I got my weight down to a low of 157 and I completed several 5k races in slightly over 22 minutes.

The good news is, my goals were to break 155 in body weight and 22 minutes for a 5k by the the end of the year, so basically, I am right about there.

But, I also noticed that I am started getting a little bit lazy recently.

I’ve “had” a bad habit in the past of putting in all the work and then starting to coast when I am close to reaching a goal.

I was listening to a radio interview with David Lee Roth from Van Halen, and he was describing how the live shows were always “easy”. It’s the months of preparation and practice that are difficult and also the part that he enjoyed the most.

I am sort of the same way. I like putting in the work and I get bored of the actual “race”.

But this year, I am pretty close to hitting good numbers at age (42) and with recent double quad surgery.

So its time to pick the pace back up and take it to the extreme.

-Time to blow past 22 minutes in a 5k

-Time to Lose 5 more pounds of bodyweight

-Time to get super ripped.

Remember, often it is the last 10% effort that counts.

UPDATE: I pushed hard the last week and I ran a 5k in 21:39 this weekend!

Goal attained!

It’s Hard To Lose Weight In January…

I have been trying a new approach this year. Instead of bulking up during the winter and “allowing” myself to gain some weight, I am trying to stay pretty lean all season.

And there are reasons for that:

First reason, is that I went for a random checkup/blood pressure test in November and my blood pressure was slightly high. That could be from working all day and night at home during these lockdowns, but heart disease also runs in my family. So between high blood pressure, heart disease and Covid risks, I plan on staying lean this winter.

So, how have I been doing it?

1. Outdoor cardio. This year I plan on running outside all-year long. Right now I have been trying to run outside at least 4x a week for runs of 3-5 miles.
2. Fasting. I have been experimenting with some long fasts. I have routinely been fasting for 12 hours per day and I have even going up to 48 hours.
3. Diet. It’s hard to eat super clean with two little kids in the house, but I am working on tightening up my diet, including cutting out the salt as much as possible.

Overall, I cut down from 168 lb’s to a low of 160-162 and plan on going to at least 155 lb’s by Memorial Day Weekend. Nice weather sneaks up on you (NYC) so I like to at least be in pretty good shape by Late March.

Good Luck!

Sorry, I Haven’t Been Updating Enough…

A quick update: since my surgery 18 months ago from TWO ripped quads, I am finally almost back to normal.

I don’t think my legs will ever feel the same as they did pre-surgery, but when It comes to my 3-mile runs, I am basically the same or close to where I was.

Right now, I am consistently running 3 miles in a 7 to 7:10 pace per mile and I am occasionally getting into the 6:50’s.

Basically, I am in pretty damn good shape for late November.

With the weight training, I got my bench press up to around 290 lbs’s already, but I don’t plan on gaining too much body weight this year.

As long as the covid nonsense continues to go around, I am going to try to keep my weight and blood pressure low. I think the days of bulking up to 200 lb’s are over.

In conclusion, I will post my 2022 goals soon. I am definitely enjoying getting back into running and would love to get back into the 19’s for 3 miles. Also thinking of trying a half marathon, but lets see how this winter goes.

-J

April Is A Month to Work Hard…

Happy Easter everyone! I had a mixed bag of training in March, I lost a decent amount of body weight but I was really hit or miss in my running/lifting.

To be honest, I had maybe 2 or 3 great training sessions and the rest was crapola.

But, March is always like that for me. Somedays it snowed, otherdays it was 65 and Sunny; just always an inconsistent month.

But April is game on.

April is always game on.

Thinking back to High School/College, April was always the month I “had” to go hard, whether it was running, weight lifting and definiety studying.

That never changes.

I see it all the time, people try to get busy in May and its already too late. Beach season is already here, finals are starting in school and you already blew your season.

I’ve only run twice in April, and so far, two pretty decent times.

My goals for the month are to build up some more strength and speed so that I start getting close to 3 miles in 19 minutes, along with consistent weight training and I want to get my bodyweight under 160.

If I go hard now it will shoot me into May with strong momentum.

Good luck!

Getting Injured Sucks…

Incase some of you haven’t heard, I recently had surgery on both quads.

Today is my 6-mnth anniversary since surgery and I am slowly making a comeback.

This has been a crazy year. Not only did I completely tear both quads, but now my gym has been closed due to Covid. So basically my workouts have been with the 185 lbs of weights that I bought for my apartment and 3-4x a week outdoor cardio.

So, I am in decent shape. But let’s not kid myself. I used to powerlift heavy 4x a week and run 3-miles in 20 minutes. Now I am benching 185lbs at home and running 3-miles in 25.

My goal this Fall is to get my bench press back into the mid to high 200’s and also get my 3 mile time back under 24.  Each goal should be pretty easy.  My legs are slowly improving and recovering strength, they are just very stiff.  I think I am going to bust out a quick one as soon as the temperatures cool off.

Good luck everyone! I will give a Fall update and training plan soon.

-JA

I’m Back…

Sorry for the long delay on posting but it has been a crazy year!

First things first, I had surgery on BOTH knees.  Don’t ask me how, but just from squatting I blew out both knees and had to have my tendons reattached.

Now?

So, we are about 5 month post-surgery and I feel a lot better.  But I am not even close to 100%.

I am still stiff as a rock.  I am not touching any type of weights on my legs at all.

The good news? I can run.  I have been running about 4-5 miles 3x a week.  I am slowly building up my stamina and my speed.

I still cant really sprint, but I am getting there.

I can drive again, which is great.

I can squat down almost to the floor, but I am definitely a lot stiffer than pre-injury.  They say it takes about a year to become fully healed, so I can’t complain about running 5 miles only 4 and 1/2 months post-surgery.

Weight lifting? Well, I had 2 gym memberships in NYC.  I took off a solid 2 weeks after my surgery and then slowly started doing calisthenics in my apartment.

About a month ago I purchased a small bench press with about 130 lbs of weights, so now I am doing chest, shoulders and biceps 5x a week, along with cardio.

My diet has been pretty strict.  I am down to around 158, from a high of 180 when I had my surgery.

I think by labor day I should be pretty ripped.

Overall, I will post some pictures in a week or two.  I am looking “good” but definitely not my best.  Missing 3 months of heavy lifting and cardio completely wiped me out.

Thank god, after years of trial and error I have a decent enough diet so that I can burn off a ton of fat.  But, you need to be able to lift heavy and do hard cardio to get ripped naturally, and I am only in that 70-80% range right now.

I am working from home.  So that is helping on the diet, cardio and tanning part.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

-JA

I Am Officially Using The “Prison Workout”…

What a crazy start to the year.

Not only did I completely rip both quads in a powerlifting competition, but I also did it about one month before NYC was shut down with the coronavirus.

Luckily, I was able to get my surgery done before things got out of hand, but even as I am starting to recover, the gyms are still closed.

Since I am going to be stuck at home for at least several more weeks, I have started the “Prison Workout”.

So, what is the “Prison Workout”?

The Prison Workout is exactly what is sounds like.  Its the type of workout that you would use if you were stuck in a prison cell.

It means a lot of calisthenics.

I am doing a very basic, high school gym class workout.

A) 250 reps of push ups over several sets

B) 100 reverse dips over several sets for triceps

C) 100 reps over 3 sets of lifting a holding chair over my head for shoulders.

Then for legs, unfortunately I am still a mess since my surgery, but I am starting to do multiple sets of stepping up to a small box, side leg raises and leg extensions without any weight off the side of my bed.

Cardio is non-existent since I my legs are shot, but from just using imminent fasting, I have been able to cut 17 lbs since Valentines day.

Results so far: Honestly, I have been pretty surprised.  I think if you are coming from several months of heavy lifting or powerlifting, like I was, then the multiple reps of calisthenics work pretty well.

If you don’t have a solid base of heavy lifting, then I don’t believe it would work.

Overall, I am actually enjoying my break from heavy weight lifting.  I have been lifting heavy for 25 years straight now and it actually feels good to spend these 3 or 4 months just using my body weight.

What else choice do I have?

-John Andre

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Update On My Recovery…

What a crazy year this had been.

God really acts in strange ways.  Who would have guessed that I would rip two quads, a very rare injury, a month prior to a virus pandemic.

For all I know, ripping both my quads might have saved my life, since I have been working at home since February 18th.

Although nobody from my office has gotten infected, I was taking public transportation every day into Manhattan, so who knows?

The good news is that I had my surgery already and my quads have been reattached.

So far, the recovery has been slow.  I am one month post surgery and although I am pain free, I am still unable to bend either leg past an inch or two.  I am supposed to keep them stiff for another 2 weeks, but I am getting restless and trying to speed my recovery.  Some people online swear they are almost back to normal within 4 months, but somehow I cant imagine that.

My workouts now have been basic calisthenics; pushups and leg raises, along with intermittent fasting.  I figure if I am unable to lift heavy I might as well lose weight and so far I have cut 13 lbs from a peak to 180 lbs down to 167.

My goal going forward is to continue cutting weight, add more calisthenics, and by the middle of April I plan on buying some light weights for home.

But most importantly, I need to get these legs back.

Each day they are improving but I’m still not up to the point where I can get back to my office, I can barely climb any stairs and I definitely can’t drive.

Hopefully this virus will peak soon and we can have a normal summer.

Stay safe!

-John Andre

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I Tore Both My Quads Squatting! (Video)

Well, if you are wondering why I havent posted about my first full powerlifting meet in over 10 years, it is because it was a disaster.

I warmed up, feeling good, with 135, 225 and 275 before coming out for a “token’ 305 lbs.

What happened next was like a bad nitemare. I took the weight off the rack, felt light. I was slightly anxious from the crowd watching.

I remember going down fine, coming up slightly and all of a sudden my legs gave out.

My Double Quad Tear

All I remember is my legs giving away and people screaming while two guys ran over to help me stand.

Then the pain started.

It’s hard to explain what the pain felt like.  It wasnt a 10, more like an 8 and if anything, felt like one the worst “stinging” pains I ever had.

I couldn’t walk by myself, but I had two guys pace me back and forth in the back of the gym to work out the pain.  It actually felt better to walk around but eventually they made me sit down and apply large ice bags.

That’s when the pain hurt pretty bad.  I was able to handle it, but I was shaking pretty bad from the trama of everything.

After about 30-45 minutes I got my wife to pull up the car and the same 2 guys ( med students I believe) lifted me into the car.

I felt a little better on the way home, the pain went down to maybe a 6.5.  The hard part was getting out of the car. I didnt know the extent of my injuries at that point and I almost fell to the floor in the middle of the street.

Eventually my brother in law helped me walk into my apartment and down the stairs to my bed.

Once I got into the bed, I actually felt ok. The pain was down to a 4.5 and I slept for about 2 hours.

I usually never go to doctors, but I listened to my brother in law and went the next day. This injury looked serious.

I took a quick xray and the doctor said right away it looked like a double quad tear and they had ‘ never seen two pulled quads like that before, except for a major car crash”.

So now I am scheduled for surgery Wendsday to reattach my ligaments.  I have “sorta” gotten used to it. I can walk when my legs are completely locked and I been using crutches around the house and outside.

I wouldn’t be so horrible if I didn’t have a 2 year old and a 4 month old at home that want my attention 24/7.  I think my son has jumped on my legs already at least 25x. The good news is he forces me to stretch my legs every 30 minutes by playing with him

So, what does the future hold for me?

I think squatting is done. I am going to be 41 years old and I dont get paid for this shit.  Maybe I can deadlift again, but that will be a year away at least.

According to the doctor some patients come back to normal, it just takes several months to completely heal.  Then again, I blew both quads, not just one.

Wish me luck, I might start a daily vlog of my recovery.

-John Andre

 

Powerlifting Meet Next Weekend!

I cant believe we are finally here!

Training for a powerlifting meet is no joke and I am not gonna lie, I felt like dropping out several times.

Its not only the physical pain and soreness but also the mental pain.  You really cant let up for several weeks in a row, along with attempting to reach certain numbers in your training.

For example: if I plan on deadlifting 400 lbs for 12 reps on a certain day, I need to do it.  I cant take a day off and I can never relax.

Sometimes you feel like doing it, sometimes you just aren’t into it mentally.  Compared to just training for fun, where you would probably just take an easy day here and there, it’s just not possible when training for a competition.

This year, my training went OK. In College I totaled between 1000-1,100. It wasnt until after College that I got pretty strong and was able to go with over a 1300 total.

I used to routinely hit 450+ squats, 325ish benches and over 550+ deadlifts in my late 20s.

For this meet, at age 40, my goal is to go over 1100, but I am also not using any equipment.

No belt, no knee wraps, no bench shirts.

That is going to take a minimum of 50lbs off my squat, but overall, I should be able to break my College numbers even without the equipment.

Overall, I enjoyed my training this season, but it’s a lot of work.  I will see how I enjoy my meet next weekend, If I have a good time, maybe I will train for 2 meets next year.

I always said that powerlifting is the best training to use over the the winter and is one of the best ways to add on any muscle.

People ask me all the time for the best ab workout, well actually, squats and deadlifts will beat any type of crunch, situps or twist.

Later next week I will start my spring training and start losing weight to get ripped.

Expect to get a full meet update early next week!

-John Andre

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