March 19, 2021

If you have not been following along on Instagram- I will fill you in very quickly: I fixed my snatches and grip width and it was going so well.... until I learned that I sprained my wrist. Things are great I am not mad about it at all no not one bit- it's not like I finally fixed my form and my technique was much better after six months...can we sense the heavy sarcasm? I sprained my left TFCC also known as the triangular fibrocartilage complex. This set of ligaments and cartilage is a cushion for the bones, keeps your radius and ulna situated together and aids in rotational movements (think turning a doorknob)- so if you tear or sprain it... those movements hurt. I cannot think about turning a doorknob or getting into a snatch position (extension and radial deviation) without feeling my wrist light up with some pain. Thankfully the ligaments do not seem to be torn- I am lucky to have amazing PTs and OTs as friends and colleagues so I was able to get things checked out pretty much immediately. The verdict for now is 'strengthen the heck out of your wrist' and avoid radial deviation and extended positions of extension aka the snatch grip. (For those who may not know look below at how my hands are positioned for holding the bar in a snatch... radial deviation is if you tilt your thumb closer to the inside of your elbow). I have had the chance to run more as I am avoiding those lifting positions and as you can see I was finally able to break out my new ChicknLegs running shorts and I love them. Who doesn't want to run around suburbia with rubber duckies on them?! All jokes and fun aside, I am lucky to be able to work through this injury and lucky that I most likely sprained it rather than a full tear as the injury would cause much greater set backs. I am adapting and using other equipment, varying my grip and doing a whole lot more wrist strengthening exercises that I will gladly show you all soon!

January 29, 2021

Since today is a 'Big Friday' as I have adopted the term mainly from Sonny Webster (a weightlifter, "Barbell Specialist" and educator out of GB- @sonnywebstergb), I wanted my fun, big lifts to be on Fridays. Eventually big Friday turned into snatch day simply due to my programming but wow oh wow do I have an interesting relationship with this lift. When I was first learning the movement and technique of a snatch I absolutely LOVED it- I was flexible, I had loose shoulders (a winging right scapula to be precise) and I could handle that squat position for hours. But what happened? The flexibility is still there, my shoulders have grown stronger but can still get into that position. This is where the mind muscle connection and self doubt comes in. My brain knows that I can definitely snatch more, and the ratios add up, but nothing matters if the brain doesn't believe you can land the lift with an empty bar. For weeks I have been working on technique with either an empty barbell or two little plates for full snatches and it has been an incredibly slow process. And you may ask if I still enjoy the lift, and I do- it is a fantastic movement and one I love to do, but I have definitely grown into a slightly love-hate relationship with snatches and will continue to work on my weak points. I hope this entry gives a little bit of insight into what an athlete and trainer deals with- it isn't all glamorous or weekly PR's, sometimes you have to stick with a weight on the bar until you cannot get it wrong in order to move up and the snatch is the prime example of that.

December 27, 2020

"First" entry, for this first blurb I am still figuring out the direction I want to go in. I am a new trainer with a couple trial clients and am happy to give advice and help those who need it. I am happy to share facts and everything I have learned and kind of debunk the myths about the fitness world and help people feel more comfortable in their own skin- but there is that part of me that I want to reach a greater audience, I want to team up with a health club or brands that represent who I am or even come up with my own brand. Obviously these things loads of research, work and most of all time, which at the moment is something I am learning to balance. I go back and forth almost everyday thinking about 'will I apply here?' or 'am I going to switch over to running everyday and do home workouts?' or 'how much will it cost to build a home gym?'. It is a tough time right now mentally having to figure these things out in a world of change and uncertainty. I am going to continue what I am doing and bringing the best of what I can offer to you all whether that be workout videos, written routines, live sessions and tea talks.

Even in my own fitness goals I am still figuring out where to go and what to do, I have always been the type to try various hobbies and I have done everything from swimming to dancing, field hockey, running, acrobatics, more running and lifting and at this moment and with gyms being a little iffy for me and weighing the safety pros and cons it is safe to say I have no idea what I want to do. I believe that this is okay, we are in the middle of a pandemic still and as a biology student with a pretty decent understanding of viruses and a little bit on public health and epidemiology as well as just being an informed individual I want to keep people safe but I know I cannot stay cooped up in my home for hours on end. I switched to at home workouts late November and did not feel the same rush, the same motivation that I did with my home workouts over the summer or with my gym workouts, but New Years is coming up and gyms are going to be more crowded so I will take things day by day and I hope you do too.

I hope this was able to give you a little peek inside my mind and where I am at right now and just know I am right here with you trying to figure things out each day.