When I want to really understand something, I have to keep coming back to it. So I read or take a class or whatever gets me started. Then I go do it for a bit, then come back and read the book again or take another class, then do it again. Sometimes I step away for a bit and forget about it, doing something else with my time. Then I come back and do it all again. Every time I do this, my understanding deepens.

And so, I’ve been reading and re-reading Paul Carter’s 3 eBooks to digest his training strategy, programs, and philosophy. It started out out of need, because while I really love Paul’s writing and think he’s a very knowledgable and insightful person, I found the eBooks are a wee disjointed and unorganized — at least upon first read. The more I reread the 3 books, the more it all starts to gel because all the information is in there, but maybe the explanation for one thing is in another book, or the knowledge to really grok the concepts just has to come from immersion in his concepts. So reading and rereading his stuff has been quite useful because the more I do it, the more I understand.

So from this, I’m looking at his “base building” as the plan to follow for a while. I think what appeals to me about it (vs. Big-15, Strong-15, or other programs) is that it is about getting stronger through volume. How you look at guys like Coan and Kaz, and they were strong as hell and big as an ox. It’s a philosophy you find in the Cube Method as well. How the entire base building cycle you might stick with the same weight, but if you can move it faster, move it to a point where the last rep of the last set is like nothing — that’s getting stronger, that’s building the base.

But it really sunk in the other morning in an unlikely way.

I live in a 2-story house. When we first move into the house, all the going up and down the stairs was tiring! We’d find our legs getting tired from all the stair walking. Now granted, this isn’t a huge stress, but it was still something our bodies had to adjust to. After a week of this, the body was no longer tired. After months of this, we could fly up and down the stairs all day long, 2-steps at a time, and it was no problem.

This is base building, to speak.

It hit me again recently. See, after 2 years of working in an office and with my home office being upstairs, well… many times I would come home, dump my bag on the floor, and that was it for me for the night. I might go a couple days before I went upstairs. Then I had my ankle injury and didn’t go up the stairs much at all. Some weeks ago, I tried going up the stairs 2 at a time, and could not — my left leg was just not happy about it. It looks like between the ankle injury, the fasciitis, then doing a lot of compensation to avoid aggravating those conditions well… I lost something in my left leg (which I even noticed when squatting). This is part of why I’m wanting to do more one-legged work, to help remedy this.

Well, in the week I’ve been back full-time at home, I’ve been doing a lot more stair walking. I didn’t realize it at first, but after a week I looked back and realized that yeah, it was something I had to adapt to again (the ankle/leg problems made it more evident). I also made some other adjustments in how I walk so I was no longer compensating for my pain, instead trying to be smart about working through it to help overcome the issues. So far, it’s working, because things are strengthening.

And again, this is base building.

I’m not changing weights, I’m not changing reps, but I am working the same thing over, faster, quicker, shorter. There’s more intensity, and trying to build up a more solid foundation of strength so that I’m just strong and keeping that strength. We tend to measure progress in the weight room primarily by more weight on the bar and secondary by doing more reps. But there are other factors too, and this is where base building is.

So ok…. it’s going to be many months before I really know how this works out for me, but the more I think about it, the more I read and experience…. yeah, the more it makes sense to me.