About Luke
Hello peoples! Thanks for taking the time to check out TheYoking.com.
This picture was taken on my 28th birthday. Coach Ryan had a nice little gift for me: 1x28 reps @ 180lbs, followed by max reps of fat bar deadlifts, finished with strong man circuit...yeah, I was dry heaving outside for 15 minutes.
My name is Luke, and I am a 28 year-old living in the (mostly) beautiful city of Richmond, Virginia. I have a small house that I share with two loyal, and loving (albeit stupid) pit bulls that keep me constantly smiling and swearing. I work in the world of IT for a Fortune 500 company, a job which keeps me sitting on my butt a solid 9+ hours a day.
Enough about me, more about yoking…
What is “yoking” you ask? Well it’s funny, because when I picked that name for the site, I thought the term “get yoked” was a pretty mainstream term for getting in really good shape. After having to explain to waaaay too many people what “getting yoked” means, I realize now that I was in error.
So basically, “yoking” is the process of getting in really good shape. How do I know this is the definition? Because I made it up, that’s how. But seriously, Merriam Webster has one of the definitions of “yoking” as “to put to work”.
So that’s what I’m doing. Putting myself to work. What will this look like? The list includes (but is not limited to):
Weight lifting, running, swimming, cycling, rock climbing, and beyond…. (open to suggestions)
I make no claims of being in great shape, or an expert, but I hope to become both along the way, and will share everything with you as I do. I have been exercising for years, however I’ve never felt like I’ve taken it to the level that I could achieve.
It’s time to step out of the comfort zone. Time to make exercising not just something I squeeze into my schedule, but a part of who I am. I hope you stick around for the journey, and share your input, advice, expertise, and personal experiences with the community and myself.
While I’ll be flattered if you read all the articles leading up to now, I highly doubt you’ll do that. So to catch you up to where things currently stand:
My Current Goals:
- Deadlift 2x body weight (BW)
progress (as of 02/01): 380lb 1RM @ 190lbs. body weight (2 x BW)
AKA – nailed it - Front squat 1.75x BW
progress (as of 05/17): 265lb 1RM @ 178lbs body weight (1.48 x BW) - Clean (power or squat, I don’t care) 1.25x BW
progress (as of 05/03): 240lb 1RM @ 178.5lbs. body weight (1.34 x BW)
Sort of nailed it
Deadline isn’t set in stone, but my “pie in the sky” is 8-12 months from December of 2010.
Let the yoking commence…