BayouBro’s BodyBlog

About 2 months ago, I was sidelined from lifting weights for about 5 weeks with a lower lumber sprain in my back.  It was a freak accident just playing basketball.  I went up to take a shot and BAM! it felt like a know the size of a soft ball all of a sudden appeared and about three painful hours later, I could not move enough to roll over for the E.R. doc.  I have been doing light lifting for about 3 weeks and still have not upped it to the pace I was at before.  I’ve always heard back injuries are a nail in the bottom of the foot type thing so I am taking it slow.  I have actually started running to make up for the lack of leg training and now enjoy it somewhat.  I used to hate it.  I can’t wait until I can start doing squats again, whether it be on the smith, with dumbells, or maybe a light bar.  I am going to open a thread and inquire to others experiences and how their recovery went.

Man, some days, I just can’t get up for a workout.  I feel like I know what those athletes are talking about when they say "I’m up for this game" or whatever.  I use NO Xplode, but some days it isn’t even enough.   I’ll be sitting there zinging and a just can’t get my head around a routine.  I find this happens a lot if I don’t sleep enough and it gets toward the end of the week.  That last day, I’ll know that I’ve got to go to sleep early that night.
I find that planning your day well, eating the right foods and conforming to your workout & overall schedule helps to avoid these "low-points" of training.  I know this is not new info, but I’m  finding out as I get older that you can’t just hit the rack anytime you want or however hard you want because you’re young and you have unlimited energy.  I’m starting and trying to plan better and fine tune my workouts to be more effective.  It’s a process, and a long one at that.  However, building the right routine and something that works for you is very rewarding.  We’ll see in a few months how mine is working.

Well, I started working out seriously on Jan 8th the day after the NCAA Football Championship game.  I haven’t eaten any "Fast Food" or drank any soft drinks since.  I am trying to drink as much water as I can, but it is hard to get yourself to drink water constantly!!!  I’ll keep at it.  I have always worked out since college, but it usually came in 2 month spurts with 3-4 months in between before I would get totally into it again.  Now, I am trying for a better overall lifestyle and I enjoy lifting weights so why not keep doing it.

I also try to play in sports leagues whenever I can (lifting weights helps), but there are few that are around my neighborhood or that can conform to my schedule as I work 2 jobs and go to the gym 4-5 days a week.  I mainly want to get up to 195lbs. and improve my overall strength.  I have a history of a "spare tire" and want to tone it up as much as possible without intensive cardio or excessive dieting.  We’ll see how that goes.