A Powerful Force Within
Dec 27, 2015
And now, a guest post by Noel Cygan, OS Coach....
Have you ever experienced that feeling of excitement rush through your body when you've set your mind to something challenging and you actually accomplish it? Feels pretty awesome, right?
In late December of 2014, I wrote down a list of goals of what I wanted to accomplish in 2015. One of the desires of my heart that I wrote down was to deadlift 1.5x my bodyweight with a barbell, and to pull it from the ground using a conventional stance. Why? Because I had never done it before and it was a strength challenge that I knew would "stretch" me so to speak, mentally and physically. Plus as a woman, there's a sense of empowerment and confidence that arises within when lifting heavy stuff from the ground. It's really fun!
As a side note, I am proficient in the deadlift, however training with barbells is not my expertise. I do not have continual access to barbells and plates, nor do I own a set to practice with. So you may be wondering how I could possibly accomplish my goal without even touching a bar for almost a full year. I'll come back to this in a minute.
Just recently I had the opportunity to tag along with my husband, Rich, on a Saturday morning to hang out for a few hours at the facility where he trains his clients. Before they arrived, Rich wanted to get his own deadlift session in real quick. He loves deadlifting with a bar and is currently on his own journey to pull 2.5x his bodyweight. On a whim, while watching him, I was curious to see how much I could max deadlift during my time there, so I did some quick calculations. At a bodyweight of 115lbs, I would need to pull 172.5lbs in order to reach my goal of 1.5x my bodyweight. My mind was ready to take on the challenge and I wanted to see how close I could get.
To warm up, I did ten minutes of Original Strength resets, followed with some practice reps with just the bar and then loaded it to 135lbs. With an experienced pair of eyes, I had Rich watch my form. I approached the bar with confidence and pulled 135lbs with ease for 5 reps. Increasing the weight to 155lbs, I set a timer for ten minutes to rest. I focused on side-to-side rolls, upper/lower segmental rolls, dead bugs, commando rocks and breathing with my eyes closed while visualizing my next rep. Once ready, I stepped up and pulled 155lbs. I felt great and knew I could lift more.
After giving myself a ten minute rest/reset period, I successfully pulled 165lbs. It was slightly more of a challenge but I still felt fresh and knew it was time to just go for it. Loaded the bar to 175lbs then rested/pressed reset for 15 minutes. Once again approaching the bar with confidence I got in my setup position, closed my eyes, ran through my mental checkpoints, visualized myself lifting and actually pulled it. Not once, but twice! I was so thrilled to have hit that PR above my initial goal!
Then a wild thought came to mind. I was so fired up about hitting 175lbs, I wanted to see if I could pull 185lbs! I figured...why not?! I had already accomplished what I initially set out to do. Anything more would be icing on the cake. Loaded the bar, gave myself ample rest time and really dialed in to my resets. I managed to pull it halfway up but then my grip gave out. Made a second attempt, which resulted in the same thing. Even though both of my attempts were unsuccessful at completely pulling 185lbs, I walked out of there that morning with a huge smile on my face and joy in my heart knowing I had successfully accomplished pulling 175lbs from the ground!
So what did I do throughout the year so far to allow me to hit a PR without touching a bar? Well, it's quite simple actually...I used the Original Strength resets. Daily. I made "pressing reset" as a top priority in my daily routine. I read a powerful statement in which John C. Maxwell said, "The secret to your success can be found in your daily agenda." I took that statement to heart. I made the quality decision that no matter what, I'd make time to do the resets. Notice I didn't say find time. I'd make time. Unfortunately, many times people give the excuse that they "don't have time" to do the resets, but then wonder why their body is falling apart or they are unable to do certain things they would like to do.
Movement should not be some concept you visit once in a while, like it's some kind of event. It needs to be your normal method of operation for life. Movement is a lifestyle you possess. You see, when you change your mindset, you change your choices -- and that changes everything.
Change what you're saying and you'll change what you're seeing. Tell yourself that you "do have time" and find ways to incorporate the simple resets throughout your day. I assure you, improvement and results will follow.
Movement and strength belong to you. Be strong, do not give up, for your hard work will be rewarded. Go ahead. Press Reset, and discover a powerful force within.
-Noël
Noël has worked in the health and fitness industry since 2007. She and her husband Rich met in 2008 and have worked alongside each other ever since. As a Movement and Performance Coach, and owner of Superhero Strong, Noël brings her enthusiasm, attention to detail, passion for teaching and caring for others. Aside from being an Original Strength Coach, she is certified as a Battling Ropes Level 1 Coach, Brookfield’s Barrel Training Coach and NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist. Noël loves empowering individuals through movement, strength and nutrition and wants everyone to enjoy the journey to achieving better health.
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