Fitness Challenge: Lift 800 pounds in 88 days
Content
- The Challenge
- Background
- Data + Resources
- Progress
- Results
The Challenge
Objective: Get Stronger
- By 11/22, add 150lbs to my current 650lbs max for 3 lifts: squat (240), dead lift(255), and bench press(155), to a total of 800lbs
- Consume >150g protein/day
- Sleep 8 hours/night, 6 days/ week
- Film lifts 12x (1 each week)
- Read 3 manuals / books on proper lifting technique and programming
- Solicit feedback from 5 experienced weight-lifters
Description: Starting on August 27th, the goal is to add 150 pounds across three lifts by Thanksgiving (Nov. 22), increasing my total lift max from 650 to 800 pounds. Starting max lifts are 240lbs for squats, 255 for dead lifts, 155lbs for bench press. Progress updated weekly.
Background
I have been casually lifting on and off for the past year. Using the Stronglifts 5x5 program by Mehdi Hadim, I have enjoyed adding weight and tweaking my technique along the way. However, since the beginning of this year I have not seen significant improvement with max strength. In order to break through this plateau, I focus on my fitness routine as a keystone habit. By aiming for an ambitious goal, I intend to not only grow physically stronger but also build good habits - habits that will in turn positively impact other aspects of life.
It was a rough year… 
Building Habits
Why aim to get stronger?
(1) After Recently finishing the book “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, I learned about the concept of a ‘keystone habit’. It turns out that not all habits are created equal. For example: physical exercise is an important and highly influential habit for many people. When prioritized, fitness reinforces routines that impact sleep, diet, who we socialize with, and the environments we choose to occupy. This cascade of behaviors creates a positive feedback loop, further reinforcing the core habit of regular physical exercise. By focusing on the implementation of one keystone habit, a person’s entire daily routine can undergo restructuring. Due to my experience as an athlete growing up, linear progression with sports is already familiar. In order to achieve an ambitious physical goal, sleep, diet, and other behaviors will need to change or be replaced by healthier and more sustainable habits.
(2) Beyond behavior routines, physical conditioning is also a fantastic way to build confidence and self-esteem - and I could use a boost of confidence after an all-time low this past year.
(3) Furthermore, I am interested in learning more about human physiology and how it applies and transfers force. Strength faces diminishing returns as weight increases: larger amounts of energy must be expended to sustain the same rate of progress. Proper technique must also be applied to engage our body’s kinetic chain when lifting heavy. I believe that learning how to physically apply force and channel momentum will be a transferable skill, applicable to endeavors beyond moving heavy iron.
An Ambitious, Clear Goal
While building good habits is the core motivation, the formulation of this goal was inspired by another book: “Measure What Matters” by John Doerr. In his book, Doerr introduces the goal-setting framework of OKRs: Objective-Key Results. While developed in the realm of business management, I have decided to experiment with this goal-setting method and apply it to my own ‘personal’ management. OKRs are broken into two principal components: objectives and key results. An objective is any initiative with a clear path of achievement. Often requiring some effort to define well, objectives tend to be qualitative. Key results, on the other hand, are numerically-based expressions of progress. As a result, key results are inherently quantitative and measurable. They are the clear markers that define degree of success for a given project.
My objective for this challenge: Get Stronger
My key results for this challenge:
- By 11/22, add 150lbs across 3 lifts: squat, deadlift, and benchpress for an 800lb total
- Consume >150g protein/day
- Sleep 8 hours/night, 6 days/ week
- Record lifts 12x (1 each week)
- Read 3 manuels / books on proper lifting technique and programming
- Solicit feedback from 5 experienced weight-lifters
Note: OKRs arise from a context of team-oriented work and communication. Good OKRs align with a team’s purpose and clearly communicate how to get there. While this program is a personal undertaking, I deeply value the transparent nature of OKRs. Keeping a larger audience in mind, even if this particular challenge is not embedded in a larger team’s efforts, will reinforce good practices of clear goal-setting and record-keeping.
Data and Resources
- Fitness log: Stronglifts 5x5 App
- Food Log: Myfitnesspal
- Sleep log: Fitbit
- Video: Youtube
- Tutorials & Manuals: Stronglifts, Starting Strength, and one more
- Feedback: In progress
Weekly Progress
Week 1 (9/2)
- Lift Total: 660lbs
- Squat: 240lbs (deload)
- Deadlift: 265lbs (1x5)
- Benchpress: 155lbs (1x5)
- Weight remaining: 140lbs
- Food log
- Protein (DAV): 161g
- Calories (DAV): 2765
- Sleep (DAV): 7:57
- Video: Friday 8/31
Week 2 (9/9)
- Lift Total: 675lbs
- Squat: 245lbs (1x5)
- Deadlift: 270lbs (1x5)
- Benchpress: 160lbs (5x5)
- Weight remaining: 125lbs
- Food log
- Protein (DAV): 190g
- Calories (DAV): 2710
- Sleep (DAV): 8:23
- Video: Saturday 9/8
Week 3 (9/16)
- Lift Total: 690lbs
- Squat: 245lbs (deload)
- Deadlift: 280lbs (1x5)
- Benchpress: 165lbs (5x5)
- Weight remaining: 110lbs
- Food log
- Protein (DAV): 178g
- Calories (DAV): 3223
- Sleep (DAV): 7:28
- Video: Friday 9/14
Week 4 (9/23)
- Lift Total: 700lbs
- Squat: 245lbs (deload)
- Deadlift: 285lbs (1x4)
- Benchpress: 170lbs (1x5)
- Weight remaining: 100lbs
- Food log
- Protein (DAV): 168g
- Calories (DAV): 2916
- Sleep (DAV):
- Body Weight: 187.6lbs
- Video: Friday 9/21