This is not the year in review I expected to be writing at this time last year. Last year I had just finished a year of powerbuilding and was dissatisfied with the results. I ended promising to try to push myself to my limits with some extreme programming. Then the same thing that happened to everything in 2020, happened to my weight lifting routine: COVID showed up. Nothing about this year was conducive to well laid plans, and my attempts at fitness were no different.
I thought about not even writing this. For the past two years, I’ve themed whole years of programming around a core concept, first 5/3/1 Forever and then powerbuilding. But this messy year had no theme except the chaos. Instead of pushing against that, I’m embracing it. Here’s a look back at a year of trying something, anything, to achieve something in an unnormal time.
Let’s start with unnormal metrics for progress. With no gym access, I couldn’t test my 1 rep maxes nor my body fat. So, we’re going off the only things I can check at home:
- Bodyweight: 199 lbs → 187 lbs
- Arms: ~15.5 inches → ~ 15 inches
- Thighs: ~26.5 inches → ~ 25 inches
