My Experience with Strength Training

I’ve always enjoyed including some sort of strength training in my workouts, and I have always been a fan of feeling and being strong... This is probably one of the reasons why I’m the first one that is asked by family and friends when there’s something heavy to lift! Quite likely, this is also one of the reasons I sought out another level of strength (and conditioning) training by coming to Blended.

After a few years of CrossFit style training, an opportunity came to do a 12-week strength training program with Cody Blanchard; focusing on the three lifts of powerlifting: the squat, the bench and (my personal favourite), the deadlift. I jumped at the chance, partially because I wanted to try and increase my strength, but also because I had heard so many good things about people who had done strength training programs with Cody. To say I absolutely LOVED it would be an understatement and a half! While the sense of camaraderie and community was ever present and I enjoyed training with like-minded people wanting to get stronger; I was also thrilled to see progress! Previously, I had always just plugged away at workouts and “hoped” to see some results, but with this type of focused strength training, I started to see quantifiable progress! I managed to keep increasing the weights I was lifting and even set some legit PR’s (personal records)! With Cody always available to coach, encourage and occasionally talk sense into me, this program sparked an even greater love for strength training in me.

Following the 12-week program, the New Year rolled around, and I was on a waiting list for knee surgery, but I had the chance to do another round of programming with Cody; so I jumped in. This one was not powerlifting specific, but more of an overall strength program, which seemed perfect for me, as I had impending surgery on the horizon. Again, I loved the process! I have gained even more confidence in my lifting abilities, learned plenty of lessons and managed to hit a new deadlift PR, which a lot of you reading this may know… I was pretty stoked about it! The icing on the cake; my surgery date was scheduled 3 weeks after my program ended, the timing truly made me think I was probably as ready for it as I would ever be as I was told by my surgeon and physiotherapist, that extra strength should help with the recovery process. Of course, Cody offered to help me in any way he could, to get back to “normal” training... This guy is unbelievably generous with his time and genuinely wants you to succeed! As I write this, I am now 10 days post knee replacement surgery, and while I’m feeling a little broken right now, I’m confident that the strength I’ve built up (coupled with some great physiotherapy) should help speed up my recovery and get me back to the gym for more training, I can’t wait!