-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…

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. 

This is my first cut and its not easy.  My hat is off to the bodybuilders who do this multiple times a year for weeks.  It’s been 3 weeks now and although I’m losing the fat I aquired from my bulk faster than I expected to, it’s a brutal process.

First, I love to eat.  Bulking was soooo much fun because I ate everything within reason (I do my best to keep it clean).  I love loading up a plate full of whole-grain pasta or brown rice, throwing some meat on top, stirring it up, and eating it all together.  Now the carbs I get are from veggies.  They’re just not the same.  Every year at our school we have a party for our 8th graders who are going to high school after the summer break.  We have pizza, candy, doughnuts, soda, etc. - enough for over 200 students.  This year I sat in the back of the kitchen eating my all natural lean turkey and cottage cheese while everyone else gorged on garbage.  The other teachers and the students alike were trying to get me to eat ‘unhealthy foods.’  It hard to explain to those who don’t understand why you do the things you do.  That’s why I simply say ‘No, thank you’ and continue eating the stuff my body really needs.

 Also, I hate cardio.  I’ve been running 3 miles about 4 or 5 times a week for a few weeks now.  I still train in the afternoon in the Dungeon 4 days a week.  After I eat dinner at night, I’ve been ready for bed.  I feel drained from pushing myself so hard lately.  Burning more calories than I eat is a relatively new thing to me and my body isn’t really used to it.  That calorie deficit, however, is getting me the results I want.

I’m going to start bulking again very soon.  I hope to reach 230lbs; that’s a short-term goal.  I know what it takes for me to get there.  I have the summer off (one of the only advantages of being a teacher) to really concentrate on training hard and eating right and resting when my body needs it.  Mind over all…

I’ve been hearing it from everyone lately: "You better be careful working out," or "You’re going to hurt yourself again," or "Why are you doing that?"  Yeah, I had surgery - big deal.  My hand is now in a hard cast up to my forearm.  Are people with casts not supposed to accept it and continue on as I have?  Are those of us unfortunate to have injuries supposed to quit living our lives as usual and sulk about our injuries, waiting to heal?  I say "Hell no!"  NOTHING good comes to those who wait.  You need to step up and bust your butt to get what you want.  I have certain goals and I intend on reaching them.  Sure, the surgery is a setback.  I will, more than likely, not reach my deadlift goal of 500lbs+ by June.  I accept it, set other goals I can strive for, and move on.  You adjust and adapt to environmental changes.  Survival of the fittest.

People can say all they want about what I am doing.  I simply tell them, "I’m stubborn, not stupid."  I train smart.  I’m not performing any exercise I feel puts me in danger of reinjuring my finger.  Do I take risks?  Of course.  Do we not take risks every day anyway?  I am committed to transforming my body into something better.  I am now surrounded by negativity and those telling me "Don’t…" and "You shouldn’t…" on a daily basis.  To those people, I want say "Thank you."  I say this because your doubt fuels me to push harder, to prove that what I am doing is right.  Just because you don’t have the guts and determination to keep reaching for your goals by any means necessary doesn’t mean I have to be like you and watch my goals, dreams, and intentions slip away.  This is my journey, not yours.