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[TaylorFit]

Hi all,

 

I guess I'll start with a bit about myself. I'm not new to fitness, been in the game a while, but I find its been a bit like playing a game of darts blind folded. I'm trying to hit the bullzeye but I have no idea which way to aim. It's only been the last few years things have really started to click but I still have a long way to go.

 

Qualifications

A recently certified personal trainer

Level 1 Olympic weightlifting coach with the AWF (Soon to be Level 2)

Competitive Olympic weightlifting athlete since 2014

Fitness Nerd

 

If it's not obvious from the meager qualifications I have my passion is Olympic weightlifting. My lifts aren't anything amazing and I've hit a wall for the last year and a half which I've finally worked out how to break down recently and have started to progress again. My current lifts are:

 

Snatch: 105kg (231lb)

Clean and Jerk: 127kg (280lb)

Back Squat: 175kg (385lb)

Front Squat: 137kg (302lb)

 

I've done a heavy deadlift once in my life and I bench press once a year but here are my numbers for them:

 

Bench Press: 105kg (231lb)

Deadlift: 185kg (407lb)

 

Bodyweight: 100kg

Height: 6"3, 189cm

BF: 12%

 

Where I'm at

I've been throwing myself at a brick wall trying to improve my Olympic lifts for a while now. I read everything a could, I analyzed programs, talked to coaches but I just couldn't seem to improve my lifts or even my base strength. I finally figured out my problem wasn't in my strength but it was in my mobility and how my CNS was firing. You can get away with a little bit more with this when your short but when your my height you hit a wall pretty quick when you aren't using your glutes at all.

 

So that's been a focus of mine for the last 6-7 weeks and I've seen more gains in this time then I have in the last 2 years. Good sign I'm on the right track.

 

I feel like I've got the programs in place and dialed in now to leave that to improve, but I've come to my next hurdle. Nutrition.

 

It's always been a weak point of mine and it's something I really want to nip in the butt. One of my main hang up points has been there are so many different opinions out there it's very easy to get flustered and confused, which I was for a long time. But when you look at all of these things enough you start to see patterns, real or imagined, that start to join the dots for you.

 

This is kinda where I'm at now. I can see the pattern, I've got a good idea what works for me now, I've made huge adjustments to my diet, I'm still perfecting it but I feel like I'm pointed in the right direction at least. That's more or less why I'm here.

 

I've always liked forums and things but haven't really found any that gel with me, but I've been reading a lot of stuff and this one seems to be in my wheel house. I want a place I can be held accountable to my goals but also help people out if I can.

 

My Goals

Back Squat 200kg by the end of the year

Snatch 110kg by the end of the year

Clean and jerk 140 by the end of the year

 

Have my nutrition on point. Mostly Paleo, supplementing with Protein powder.

 

I think I've warbled on enough. I look forward to talking with all of you.

 

Andrew Taylor

 

[Morgana]

Hiiii. I'm new to the forum as well, so I thought I'd pop in and say hello.

 

One of the best things about this forum, I can already tell, is going to be that everyone comes from a different fitness background, and we can help each other learn. For example, I'm fairly new to fitness in general, but I did start heavy lifting in February. Still, I feel like I don't know enough about form and adding weight to make it very far in my gainz, so it's nice to know that there are people like you with a lot of experience in lifting to ask for advice. I hope you don't mind a potential apprentice. 

[TaylorFit]

4 hours ago, Morgana said:

Hiiii. I'm new to the forum as well, so I thought I'd pop in and say hello.

 

One of the best things about this forum, I can already tell, is going to be that everyone comes from a different fitness background, and we can help each other learn. For example, I'm fairly new to fitness in general, but I did start heavy lifting in February. Still, I feel like I don't know enough about form and adding weight to make it very far in my gainz, so it's nice to know that there are people like you with a lot of experience in lifting to ask for advice. I hope you don't mind a potential apprentice. 

 

Heavy lifting for the win!!

 

technique is often overlooked and very important. If there is anything I can help with it will :). One of the main reasons I came here is to get exposure to people of different levels to see how they think and feel and what the think helps the most with their training.

 

look forward to chatting with you.

[SpecialSundae]

Hey Andrew and welcome to the Rebellion!

 

I think you've got things sussed and I've seen you around posting today, but if you'd like any help settling in give me a shout.

 

I'm more a powerlifter than a weightlifter but in the process of gathering qualifications too. Do you have a coach looking after your training and programming or are you now self-coaching? 

 

See you around sometime,

 

Sundae

 

[TaylorFit]

Thanks for the welcome! I've been checking out some of your posts and your instagram, very impressive.

 

I'm currently self coached, that's not really by choice though. I live in the middle of nowhere 3 hours to the closest major town. I fell into the sport initially when a really high level lifter (2 times in the olympics, 4 times commonwealth games) happened to move to town and was looking to start doing some coaching.

 

I learnt a lot from her but eventually she moved away. Luckily through competing I've met a lot of great coaches who are happy to work with me when I'm passing through and give me advice and pointers when I do get in to see them but for the most part I do all of my own programming and my technique still needs a lot of work but I feel like it's all moving in the right direction.

 

Really a case of the more you learn the more you realize you don't know.

 

Andrew