
Two fiddy. Lookit dem hamstrings!
So, before I get into the other parts of this post, let me tell you a little bit about my meet this weekend.
It sucked.
Balls.
Srs.
I got my squat opener which was actually really easy (250) but bombed 275 twice. A weight that normally I would have been able to get.
I got my bench opener and second attempt (126) but bombed on 137.
My deadlift opener got misunderstood. Was supposed to open at 265 lbs. and instead accidentally pulled 285. Bombed 303 since it didn’t even move off the ground. Gave up my third attempt since I knew it wasn’t going anywhere.

Well, at least I hit depth, haha!!
So that means I totaled at 659…which is over 50 lbs. LESS than what I totaled in December.
Uh…brutal?!?!
But, as I’ve said before, no meet is really a “bad” meet so long as you learned something. To be honest, I really learned a LOT this time around through trial and error. These things namely:
- The Cube Method, while an amazing program, might not have worked as well for me as I would have liked. I generally respond the best to frequent high intensity training (near 1RM’s), and having the ultra volume and lower percentages kind of threw me off a little. (I will be writing a full review of The Cube later this week)
- Nutrition is king. As is hydration.
- I need to sleep more.
- I need to stretch a little less.
- I need to think LESS when I lift.
- I need to not try and change things close to a meet because it throws me off big time.
The main things I want to touch on are: changing things up, nutrition, and thinking less.

CHANGE:
I had the brilliant (or not so brilliant) idea of squatting differently at the meet than I have been at the gym all these months. I brought my stance out and took the bar a bit lower on my delts. Needless to say, this was a stupid idea.
NEVER change things up so close to a meet! I tell people this ALL the time but sometimes fail to follow my own advice. Stick with whatever you have been doing. The off-season is the time to make changes…not the platform.
THINKING LESS
I have a hard time shutting off my brain sometimes. It tends to just keep buzzing, and I focus too much on technicalities and stressing over lifts instead of just doing them the way I know how to. Funny that I still have problems with this, but I guess it takes awhile to get over.
I find that I just end up gassing myself out from over-thinking, and by the time I’m lifting I’m thinking “Oh god, oh god, oh god…oh fuck..”
So uh…time to re-learn how to get into my zone. This is something I really need to work on this off-season.

Think. Think. Think. I am not Pooh Bear.
NUTRITION
This is going to be a bit weird. And long.
I know that I started this blog as a vegan. And many of you know that I have been vegan since around the beginning of the year, so almost a solid 6 months.
Initially, I felt fantastic. But I have slowly but surely started to notice some issues arising. A few of them are:
- Drops in energy
- Poor digestion
- Drops in strength (illustrated at this meet)
- Drops in appetite
- Mood swings
- Foot tendonitis (what the actual fuck?)
- Reappearing elbow tendonitis, and knee pain
Now, before the vegan police start attacking me for thinking these things were caused from my switch to veganism, I encourage you to hear me out.
I am a strength athlete. To me, lifting is one of the most important things in my life. It is my passion, my hobby, and my sport. Given that, I need to make sure I am doing what is absolutely best for my health and performance.
Of course, I was a vegan for ethical reasons. So I obviously want to do my best to cause the least amount of harm I can, while still keeping an eye on my health and strength.
My energy was great the first few months. But It started to plummet about two months ago. I have a very bad appetite as is, but I find myself never wanting to eat at all as a vegan. Not to mention, the amount of food I have to eat in a day to reach my protein goals is atrociously high for me, given that I get extremely full off of a bowl of rice and beans. Buying vegan protein powder was also expensive as hell since I went through a tub in under 2 weeks.
My mood swings have been nuts. My hair is more dry, my nails are brittle, I have tendonitis in places I’ve never had before, and my joints feel worse and stiffer than they ever have. I attribute this to me possibly not being able to properly absorb the omega 3’s I was getting from flax oil.
I mean, when I used to consume fish oil, my joint issues disappeared almost completely. My body responded much better to it.
Not to mention – my digestion is TERRIBLE. After the first two months of being vegan, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t gassy/bloated/stomach-pained.
(Maybe TMI?)
And most importantly – my drop in strength at this meet was quite a big indicator to me that perhaps I needed a change.
…which is why I have made the decision to start re-introducing fish and eggs into my diet again.
Eep!
The eggs I used to get in the past were from a friend. Her parents own a farm and all the animals are extremely well-cared-for. I have absolutely no desire to consume dairy, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, or any other kind of mammal/bird. So long as my eggs are well-sourced from happy chickens, I am rather sure they won’t be missing them too much.
Call me a speciesist if you will. I try not to be. I honestly do try my very best to do what I can to cause the least amount of harm. I love animals. But I only have one life, and one opportunity to achieve my dreams. And if that means that I have to sacrifice some integrity for some extra protein, then so be it.
It wasn’t easy to make the decision, but again, my health comes first and foremost.
I can’t express enough thanks to those who have been by my side through my transition from omnivore to vegan, and then again to omnivore. I know that they are true friends since they have supported me no matter which path I decide to take.

Thank you for coming out to see me, hunny bunny! ❤
To me, what’s important is that I am doing my best to still limit the amount of damage I am doing on the animals and the environment, and that I still accept and support 150% those who still follow a strict vegan diet. I salute them, actually. They have found ways to make it work in ways that I could not.
I also understand that this is a travesty to some people, and for that I apologize. In some ways I feel like I am a failure, but in other ways I feel like I am a winner for choosing what is best for my body and performance as an athlete.
I’m sorry if that makes me a bad person. But it’s just the way it has to be.
Please, if you have something negative to say, keep it to yourself. I don’t actually give a shit.
All in all, this was a very positive learning experience, and a great experiment. Thank you everyone, once again, for your endless support! This off-season I am going to be working with a good friend and guru of mine, Alyssa Smith (ya know, the beast that squatted 425!). She’s gonna help me get strong again. 😉
And for your daily dose of cuteness: My favouritest kid in the whole world (5 years old; left) deadlifting 5 lbs. OVER her bodyweight for the first time!

Mommy teaching.

Way to go, Samara!!

Her and her new friend decided to team up.


Derp.