Its How We Work week at Lifehacker.
Ive been here long enough that Ive covered the usual questionsseveraltimesover.
Whats in your gym bag?
A lot of things.
Neither has showers, so I dont need to carry clothes or towels.
A 10mm, 3"Pioneer lifting belt.
I could technically be fine without any of them, since my training journal is an actual hardback notebook.
What are your fitness goals right now?
Specifically, I learned about the obscure sport of all-round lifting.
Most of them I never tried or even heard of before this year.
Theres aone-hand clean and jerk, for example.
And a floor press where you get to hip-thrust the weight into the air.
And a deadlift thats completely normal except you have to grip the bar without your thumbs.
That kind of stuff.
As part of my preparation for that, I started training at an Olympic weightlifting gym.
Oh, and I finally have a powerlifting meet on my schedule, in November.
It will be my first.
Whats your workout routine like?
Whats your approach to nutrition?
Do you take any supplements?
I dont follow any particular dietary pattern.
Ive also experimented withcreatine, but Im not sure if it really does much for me.
Otherwise, no supplements.
What was your biggest mistake and how did you learn from it?
I was very, very wrong, and pushed myself too hard, and hated every minute.
My finish time was actually okay, but I was disappointed in myself anyway.
From that I learned never to trust what I should be able to do.
Favorite/least favorite exercise?
Favorite: whatever Ive recently PRd.
Least favorite: plank, or anything with kettlebells.
Whats your favorite shortcut or hack?
I wash my hands immediately after working out.
Im no germaphobe, but Im not gonna eat my breakfast with gym hands.
Tom and Maggie Duer at PFP Barbell are teaching me the Olympic lifts.
John McKean convinced me to give all-round lifting a try.
James Heathers has given me so much invaluable advice on the all-round lifts and on training in general.
And I owe a lot of my improvement in the power lifts to Barbell Medicines online coaching.
How do you recharge or take a break?
If Im feeling really run-down, Ill take an extra rest day.
If things are going well, I just check that to get plenty of sleep and good food.
I also like to take baths, both for relaxation and to do a littlecallus maintenance.
What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?
Can you share a music playlist youve made?
Ive got ahigh-energy workout playlistthats especially good for running.
Its full of cheesy guilty pleasure songs.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Whats a problem youre still trying to solve?
Approaching a competition with confidence.
