12-Week Program Recap

Last week I ended my first 12-week Gaglione Strength program. Making the decision to work with a coach was a big step for me, and I didn't really know what to expect. I thought that maybe I wouldn't get great results because I was doing online coaching, rather than in-person coaching, but I was wrong. Not only did every workout push me to new levels, but I already hit some PRs! (I haven't even max tested yet!). Having a coach was not only great programming-wise, but also for keeping me accountable. Before, if I was tired, or not feeling great, or going away for the weekend, I would skip my workout. I'm proud to say that in the entire 12 weeks, I never missed a workout. And I know that now I'll keep it up, and I won't make excuses to miss workouts anymore. I've seen how important it is to stay on a program. I went to my competition in April after half-assing my training, and was upset when I didn't do as well as I wanted to. I'm never going to let that happen again.

The last week of the program was more of a deload week in preparation for testing my maxes. Since I've been having issues with my back, I'm going to test my conventional deadlift instead of sumo for now. And of course I'll test my squat and bench as well. I'm so excited to see my results. And after that, I'm excited to start on meet prep! I'm planning on competing in the fall, hopefully October or November.

This week I did dynamic-effort deadlift and bench, and speed squats. Everything stayed pretty light. My bench was feeling pretty good, so I decided to go for 90x3 (video below), which would have been a 3RM PR. Not only did I hit that, but it was WAY easier than I was expecting! I had at least 3 more reps in me! I'm so happy my bench is finally improving, and I'm actually learning how to train it correctly. I've always HATED benching, but now I can at least tolerate it....I'm actually the most excited to test out my bench 1RM. I'm hoping for great results!

So max  testing will be happening over the next 2 weeks. This week I picked up some extra shifts at my old job, so I have NO free time. I am going to try to get to the gym in the mornings before work and do some light work and accessory work-almost treat this week like another deload week-so that I can go into next week ready to hit some big numbers.

I want to thank my coach, John Gaglione, for all his help and guidance. I can't wait to continue working with him! Not only is he my coach, but he's also a friend. He's been there for me through a lot these past few months, and I know I can count on him. It's really important to find a coach who shares the same values as you, practices what they preach, and actually cares about you. Gags definitely has all these qualities and I'm so happy I decided to work with him! Can't wait to see what my future with him holds.....