A few minutes with The Forged Athlete owner, Travis Stoetzel

These two weeks were almost identical to the first week. I kept my food intake pretty consistent, and kept the quantity fairly low.  Most days I would have 1 or two meals, drinking lots of water and not snacking at all. I still had a drink or two in the evenings most nights and went for a walk or sled drag most mornings in addition to my weight training. My energy was low, but coming back a little more than it was at the end of week one. At the end of week three I feel I have hit a sticking point with my weight loss and will need to make a few changes to drop the final few pounds. No worries, 2 weeks to go to drop 5 pounds. Cake walk. 

This is a blunt post showcasing most of my personal nutritional and training information during the month of March. This brief period is unique to me because I am training for the IKFF certification on the 24th-25th of this month, and also competing at the Miami Classic weightlifting meet on the following weekend of the 31st. These are two very different and unique goals to have in mind. On one hand, the IKFF cert means I will be tested with a relatively light kettlebell for many reps over the course of several minutes to judge my conditioning, efficiency and ability to teach the mechanics of kettlebell and bodyweight exercise. On the other hand, I will be tested in my ability to lift a maximal load barbell for a single rep over the course of a few seconds. Typically I would focus my energy into one goal at a time, but due to circumstances, this is the way it goes. Both of the events are local and happen to be in subsequent weekends. Yeah me. I reminds me closely to what my good friend, TSS member and athlete, Erik, accomplished last year when he competed in a crossfit competition right before he competed in his first weightlifting competition. He performed well, but maybe not as well as if he focused his efforts into one single goal, who knows. And really, who cares? The most important thing is that you get involved and try your best and stop standing on the sidelines. Unless you're really trying to make the Olympics or some other high level event, just do your best and enjoy the process. 

I started the month weighing 202 lbs, on the 31st I need to weigh 187 to be eligible for the 85 Kg class I registered for. If I am heavy, I will be able to compete in the 94 Kg class because it is a local meet, but I want to make the weight I registered at. It has been just over a week and I have cut back on my overall calories and meal frequency drastically. I am feeling the effects big time. With little food comes little energy and my training is paying the price. Finding energy at this time is like looking for a purple leprechaun, it's just nowhere to be found. 

A brief word on my goals: I was hoping to snatch 120kg and clean and jerk 150kg at the Classic, but my training is looking more like 110-115kg snatch and a 140-145kg. Neither of which are PR's for me, but I will be lighter adapting to a new weight. This is all an experiment so lets see what we can do. In the cert, I am supposed to snatch a 20 kg KB for 30 reps each hand and do a few minutes of clean and jerks and squats I think. I am not sure of the exact requirements, but I know it is something along those lines. I am not worried at all as I feel my abilities are far beyond what is required to pass the course, as I am following along with the suggested preparation training for the course with a 24 kg bell when they are suggesting a 16 kg bell. I am sure whatever I need to do, I will be fine. Not to be cocky, as I am always open minded, but I just feel good about it. I am not going to post the exact amount of calories in my food, because I do not know. Nor will I post every single rep and exercise I do, because I simply don't know. I know generally know what I am doing, but at times I just add stuff throughout the day like a few minutes of rope skipping or sled dragging, a little run or walk, or even intense sex. All these things come into play, and you add them into your life when appropriate and necessary. 

I make no claims that this is the right way to do it, but this is how I am doing it.