An STS check-in

Since I’m almost at the end of my STS rotation (that would be lucky #3 for those of you following along), I thought I’d post a little STS-style check-in.

That and I had a workout tonight that left me feeling like my childhood favorite – She-Ra. In my book, she pretty much rocked growing up. Just sayin. 😉

(of course now that I’m looking at a pic of She-Ra herself, she’s dressed rather inappropriately for the age when I admired her most…like six?? Geesh. LOL)

So anyway, I’m into the second to last week of STS. That means I’m into week three of mesocycle three which is alllll about heavy weights, very few reps. I’m the first to admit that the previous two rounds of STS I did NOT love this cycle. I got bored with the long rest periods between sets. I have wicked antsy pants, what can I say. But what I realized this time is that I wouldn’t have been bored in M3 the last two times around if I was lifting heavy enough in this cycle. Duh! So I’ve really been focused on that this time – because I’m only lifting each set for about 6-7 reps, I can certainly go a lot heavier than I would in mesocycle 2 or 1. So I have been.

And dare I say I feel significantly stronger. And I’m seeing those efforts pay off.  Which I LOVE!

I love how the physical strength I feel translates into mental strength and toughness.

And it’s definitely boosting the confidence – something I’m totally needing now that I’m into this whole new job thang. Confidence is a MUST!

Which brings me to my next point: physical changes in my body since embarking on this round of STS.

I intentionally did not take a single picture or measure a single body part. That wasn’t (and isn’t) what it’s been about for me. I won’t lie and say that seeing physical results isn’t appealing because duh, I’m human, right? But – what I will say is that it’s not about the numbers game this time around for me. It’s the feeling of strength that I dig. And that is a huge switch for me – someone who can easily get stuck on numbers and I count that as a home-run for me – numbers aren’t ruling me like it used to. Wee!

There ARE some numbers I am proud of, though. Some of my recent strength gains I’ve noted in this round of STS, even just this week (i.e. last night!)…

• I can bench press 50#.
• I can lift 40# during bent-over rows.
• I can deadlift 60#.
• I can curl 27.5# (per dumbell)
• I can squat 55#

I type those numbers with pride..and without fear of sounding like a show-off. I’m just damn proud of myself – for what it’s done for my physical and mental strength. And I want to openly share that feeling with you. I think we all deserve to celebrate our achievements, don’t you?? So hopefully, you agree and don’t think I’m just blabbing away because I think I’m awesome or something 😉

And of course – now I’d love to know what you’ve celebrated lately...even if it was just a personal achievement that you didn’t even share with anyone or very broadly. It can be anything – big or small, as goofy as you like. Anything!  Let’s celebrate our successes together, shall we?