-JB-’s Perpetual Journey

Finally.  I ‘officially’ pulled (deadlift) over 500lbs this afternoon fairly easily - raw, no wraps, straps, or belt, just chalk.  I’ve been working at this for a couple years.  I have more in me.  Knowing how ‘easy’ the lift was today, I know I could have pulled more.  My shattered finger was a setback but I’ve come back much bigger and much stronger post-surgery.  Next goal: 550lbs.  I’d like to get it before Christmas this year. 

Today I visited All American Gym in Lakeland, FL and trained.  I have been there before, but not to work out.  Louis Baltz, the owner, introduced me to a form of torture that I HIGHLY recommend everyone try.  It was the first day I have ever used chains or bands on any lifts.  I got the pleasure of using them on flat bench today.  I started off with 3 warm-up sets (just normal weights), then 5 sets with chains, and 2 sets with bands.  The chains move and sway as the bar is lifted, forcing you to use your stabilizing muscles to a greater degree than normal.  It also seemed as if I was contracting/squeezing my pecs and triceps more.  When the bands were put on the bar, it was as if the bar was alive and trying to wiggle out of my grip.  It was amazing.  Once I was finished with that, I did 4 sets of close-grip presses.  My triceps were done after that. 

 If you’ve never tried chains or bands, they are incredible.  It’s certainly a crazy, unique feeling.

The New Year is here and soooo many of the millions of resolutions that were made are already dust in the wind.  People make resolutions and are so gung-ho about them at first, then slack back to their old ways oh so quickly.  I do not make resolutions any more.  They’re pointless to me.  Let’s get real here: On January 1st at the stroke of midnight, does life suddenly take a hairpin turn and you instantly become a better person?  Why couldn’t this ‘resolution’ have been made 2 months ago?  What the heck were you waiting for?  Is there something magical about the 1st of the year? 

Change is hard.  Change needs to be thought through and planned out before you put it into action.  Some things need to change gradually (quitting smoking or other bad habits, beginning an exercise program, starting a new diet, etc).  I have already witnessed a crazy amount of folks fall off the wagon and it’s only 11 days into the New Year!  Just one example: A personal friend of mine just started a new workout program as of January 2nd.  Paid for a gym membership and has visited a total of 3 times.  Three times in 9 or 10 days does not get the job done.  Trust me, I let them know how I feel about that.  Change is hard.  There is no magic potion, pill, or spell that can make it any easier for you.  What people don’t seem to understand is that by making a resolution, they are not just changing one tiny thing; they’re making a lifestyle change.  It’s uncomfortable.  It’s different.  And, again, it’s hard.  We, as humans, tend to shy away from difficult tasks.  The easier and more convenient it is, the more we like it.  After January 1st, the attempts to keep the resolutions begin and most realize very quickly that they have bitten off more than they can chew.  Instead of scaling back a little, they choose to give it all up: they get stressed so they pick up another cigarette; they’re sore from working out so they avoid the gym never to return; they eat a bite of junk food and think that just this one time won’t hurt, not realizing that ‘this one time’ happens all the time.  To make a change you must commit to a different lifestyle.  When you don’t follow through, these commitments become false commitments.  False commitments = lies.  Why do you want to lie to yourself and to your family/friends?

It all comes down to discipline.  What are you REALLY willing to change?  How are you going to do it?  How are you going to avoid reverting back to your ‘comfort zone’?  If you’ve already fallen off the wagon, what are you going to do now?  Throw your hands up and accept failure?  Nice - way to go, quitter.  Are you just going to wait until January of 2009 and try again?  Any day is a good day for change. 

Before anyone goes jumping down my throat here and telling me how wrong I am, I just want to say that this are simply my own personal feelings and observations.  I’m not here to insult anyone.  If you are insulted, I will not apologize.  The best way to prove me wrong is with your actions to maintain the promise and commitment you made to yourself…

Our JV football season is over.  We ended up undefeated and winning the District Championship.  Our Varsity football team plays their final regular season game this Friday.  After that, we gear up for the Florida 5A State Championship.  It’ll be a battle.  Last Friday (11/2), we lost our first game since November 2003.  The loss moved us out of the Elite 25 rankings by ESPN.  Not a problem; being ‘ranked’ is not our goal.  As a coach, I expect to lose eventually.  It’s reality.  Being a coach and part of a football program of this caliber has been incredibly demanding thus far and immeasurably rewarding at the same time.  Since my concern is only with one team now, I can refocus on my training. 

Lately, strength/size/weight gains have been slower than they have in the past.  I attribute the slow progress to my current activity level and not eating enough to compensate for it.  I teach high school Biology all day without a planning period and coach football after school.  I am constantly doing something, burning more calories.  Once football season is over in November I’m going to refocus my attention to my diet and training routine.  Diet shouldn’t be much of an issue.  I can eat.  I’m already eating 5000-5500 calories a day, but I’ll have to step that up.  I’ll revamp my routine, making changes where I need to.  The only supplements I am on at this time are Animal Pak (multi), Animal Flex (for joint and connective tissue health), fish oil, and a whey shake upon waking in the morning.  I am not on creatine right now and haven’t been for a few months.  I’ll add Animal Pump back into my supplement regimen in early November.  I’m on my way to my goals and I have a set plan.  Although progress is slow, I’m moving in the right direction…

Some have asked how my finger has been doing lately.  I’m still in occupational therapy and making progress.  I still can’t make a tight fist and I probably never will again, but it’s getting better.  I can easily touch my finger tip to the bottom of my palm.  My concern has been gripping the bar for various lifts (especially the heavy ones), but I haven’t had issues lately. 

I went to the ortho that did the surgery this past week and he removed the last pin.  It’s weird to watch someone cut you with a scalpel and feel the pressure of a medical instrument resembling needle-nose pliers pressing and moving against your bone.  I’m a science teacher so to me it was pretty cool.  He stitched me up when he was done and I got to keep the pin.  I’m just glad he numbed me this time; the last pin he extracted hurt to the point where I was sweating. 

A few weeks ago, I left my middle school science teaching position to go to the high school classroom. I’ll be teaching Biology Honors 1st semester, and Earth/Space Honors 2nd. I got hooked up with the athletic director and he gave me the football coach’s number. We talked and I’m now an assistant in the best football program in the nation. Really… they’ve been National Champs for 2 years in a row and Florida state champs for the past 3 years.

http://www.lakelandfootball.com/

Not too shabby… I’ve coached high school baseball before; this will be my first time coaching football. I don’t think I could be in a better position than I am now.   

I’ve been going to an occupational therapist about my finger for about 2 weeks now.  During the first visit, she freaks out on me because I told her I had started doing deadlifts again but no going near as heavy as I had pre-broken finger.  When she asked how heavy I was going I told her the truth: no more than 315lbs.  She told me stop doing deads because that much weight can put more stress on my finger, blah, blah, blah.  Anyway, despite the lecture a couple weeks ago, I did deads again yesterday.  They’re my favorite exercise and I just can’t avoid doing them.  Anyway, after warm-up sets I threw on 315 and it felt amazing.  So, I bumped the weight up a bit to 405.  I only did 2 reps (could have done a couple more, but I haven’t done over 400 since late March), then did 3 more sets of only 1 rep.  My finger felt fine and my grip strength has noticeably improved.  I didn’t try increasing the weight any higher to where I used to be; I’ll let my body get used to this first before I add more weight.  

I go back to the therapist tomorrow morning.  I’m debating whether or not to even tell her.  It’s not a big deal one way or the other.  I’m just happy to be able to grip and lift over 400 again - with no problems! 

I just came back from Las Vegas - the city of buffets galore.  Perfect for bulking.  I was there for only 3 days but I had the be ‘hooked up.’  I was feeling symtoms of withdrawl and it was all I could think about.  So, I called a guy who could deliver what I needed - two free gym passes. 

Ok, so I’m supposed to be on vacation, but I couldn’t stop thinking about training.  So I ask this question:  Am I addicted to training?  I have never experimented with drugs, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t use tobacco products.  So is training my vice?  My ‘grip’, some would call it?  I get this feeling of overwhelming satisfaction when my joints ache and my muscles burn and I have no blood in my head because its all concentrated in the area I just trained.  That’s my ‘high’.  If I go even a couple days without it, I feel rundown and tired - like I’m going through some kind of withdrawl.  But you know what?  I like… no, I love feeling the withdrawl.  It reminds me of what I need to do in the gym.  It forces me to think about my plan of attack for the upcoming week. 

If I am, in fact, addicted, it’s a addiction I am proud of.  Some people will never understand.  And I don’t ever expect them to.