Reflecting on a year of GST
- Selim Jamil
- Dec 29, 2025
- 3 min read
Hi my friends
Long time no speak! There were a bunch of technical challenges as the GST team switched internet providers.
But mainly the issue has been my lack of technical understanding as I tried to submit things and it didn’t work.
I am happy to say that it looks like the issue is resolved and I will be able to return to writing and sharing my GST journey regularly. This issue I wanted to do a bit of reflecting on before we ring in the new year and maybe speak some goals into the new year.
Every night at dinner my family shares our rose (our positive experience of the day), our thorn (our negative experience) and our bud (an area where there is room for growth) - I think that is the right way to share this year with you all.
My Rose
I was able to work out 102 times this past year with the GST crew! This is almost double what I have done in the past.
My highlight in particular was this summer, when I was able to work with Evan 4x a week and my progress was incredible! My nervous system completely transformed in a way that is difficult to describe. If my progress was linear then you would expect that I made the same amount of progress in one month as I would have made in four months of working out once a week. But that wasn’t the case.
Working out once a week usually means I am sore and struggling for days after. But working out so frequently meant that my body had to adapt to the demands I placed upon it. I found that I was energized the whole week. I also saw a tremendous amount of progress towards my personal goal of doing a pistol squat.
I can’t do it yet but it is clear that I am much closer to accomplishing my goal - my glutes are stronger, my form is better, my deck squat is smoother and the spot in which my legs would give out is much stronger now.
The most important progress/improvement came from my sleeping. I have been struggling with sciatica running down my left leg for a few years now. I couldn’t lay on my left side for more than ten minutes without discomfort. Now I am able to sleep on my left side without significant discomfort. I think building my glute muscles and opening up the fascia did the trick.
My Thorn
I struggle with eating healthy and that is probably the biggest impediment to me achieving my goals. I know I am taking two steps forward and 1.5 steps back when I eat junk.
I have no doubt that everyone would mistake me for Paul if only Doritos and Twix weren’t so damn delicious!!
My Bud
I had set a goal of being able to do the pistol squat in 2025. I did not achieve my goal. But I don’t consider that to be my thorn. I have made tremendous progress in a ton of the subskills that I need in order to accomplish the pistol squat.
My cossack flow has gone from me needing to use elevation to being able to do the entire flow on the floor.
My ankles have finally discovered the magic of dorsiflexion which means I can get my body to squat properly.
I can deadlift my weight with the kettlebell.
These individual goals are great but the fact that they are parts of a larger goal is endlessly fascinating to me. This is so much more engaging then when I was excited about being able to bench press 225 pounds. Don’t get me wrong I still value those kinds of goals but that accomplishment was the end of that journey instead of the beginning of something larger.
My other bud is returning to writing and sharing my progress with you. I think we all make greater progress when we are sharing our projects than if we keep it to ourselves. Writing and posting my progress will motivate me to continue and hopefully maybe eat better in the new year.
So there you have it - my reflection on working out with GST for 2025. I can’t wait to share more frequently with you in the new year! Stay Tuned!
Selim Tlili
PS
I am happy to share that my book, Sketching for Science, is almost ready to be published! I focus on science education and how drawing helps us learn difficult concepts. Check out my website to see my work!
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