Billy-T-Kidd

I am finally able to get back into the gym after redeploying.  I did get to the gym a couple of times while traveling to see family, but I am finally back at it daily.

It feels really good to be back in the gym.  Lets hope I can keep it up with the schedule I currently have or the change in schedules that are coming…

What is up with people abusing equipment?  Every night that lifting partner and I walk into the gym, it seems that one of the machines that we use is broken.  Last night we walked in an it was an ab machine that we have been using for the last couple of weeks that we threw into our routine for a change.  Now it is broken.  Both of the cable machines had a broken end, one of the smith machines was broken, the dip machine and even the preacher curl bench was broken.  I mean really, how do you break a preacher curl bench, if you are using it the right way.

  I just wish that they would use the equipment right or stay out of the gym.  If they want to horse around and break stuff, stay in their rooms and break their personal stuff.  People want to use these things and it takes forever for it to be fixed.  It took almost a year for them to fix the smith machine and dip machine. 

  For those that like to break the equipment, get a grip and get out of the gym.  I am sure there is a playground near-by that has the equipment you truely need.

One of the things that I have loved about the military, besides the Soldiers, is the ability to clear your mind and play some team sports here and there.

We have a Slow Pitch Softball league here that plays mostly on Saturdays.  I play on the team and I am the left fielder.  I normally am a single or double hitter.  I can hit it down the line or hit a liner over the reach of the infield and get a single or more, if I get it in the gap.  To put it plainly, I am not a hone run hitter, never have been.  Spent all of little league being a singles hitter and even in highschool, was a singles hitter.  I guess you could say I hit for the average.

Ok, enough of that.  Today at the game I was put in the line-up as the number 3 hitter.  I normally do not like to be that far up in the lineup.  I would rather be 6 or 7.  Just gives me a chance to get out in the field and work some nerves off.  First time up to bat I hit a hard ground ball at the 2nd basemen and he scooped it up and threw me out at first.  It was a great play on his part becuase it was a really hard hit ball.  I came up again in the 3rd inning, because the 3rd out in the 2nd was our number 2 hitter.

I am a left handed batter and you always have to wait for them to switch the outfield for a lefty.  I watched two balls come in and almost swung at the second one.  The third pitch was a gift, not to much arch and I didn’t have to reach for it or change anything.  I swung and connected with the ball.  What I felt on the bat, felt like nothing I had felt before, it felt like I barely caught the ball.  I looked and saw the ball in the air going over the 2nd baseman.  I have hit some good hits to the outfield that have been caught close to the fence.  This one just keep climbing and flew right over the right fielders head and over the fence.

I was so pumped.  I have never hit a home run in my life.  It was a great feeling.  I have no doubt that the weight lifting has improved my power.

With the change of the program from the 5X5 to a isolated program I am feeling the workouts a lot better and the gains have been really good too.  Before switching to the 5X5 I was gaining about 10 lbs a week on the bench.  I know it is not a big deal to be benching 225.  But, the last time that I lifted weights before a couple months ago was highschool. 

A lot of people say that I am getting bigger, but I really don’t see it.  May just be my mind playing tricks on me.  But, I see the same ole skinny armed, chicken legged and pott bellied person that I always saw before.  I know I am getting bigger because the shirts do not fit like they used to.  I just hope that the improvement continues and I can surprise my wife and kids when I get home from the deployment.

Well, my lifting partner and I measured ourselves to see if we were making any progress with the 5X5.  We both had lost some considerable size in all areas due to the change to the 5X5.  I wasn’t sure if it was the 5X5 or the fact I was off of my suppliments.  But with his measurements dropping as much as mine, it must have been the workout.  We fillowed the program exactly like we were supposed to and now we are ditching it and going back to our old program.

Let’s hope I can gain back the size that I had lost.

I have been doing the 5X5 for two weeks now and I cycled off of the Animal Pump that I am taking.  Nor sure what did it, but I lost size during the two weeks.  I am hoping it is just cycling off of the pump that did it.  We will see what the measurements look like after this week.  I do feel like I am getting stronger, but the measurements worry me a little.

We added a third to our lifting group.  A younger Soldier that needed to focus some attention on something other than what he was thinking about.  He is really motivated about it and to say the least, he is now really sore.  It seems to be helping him and I hope he can keep it up.  The bonus to the third is that we rotate through the three of us and there is no long break between sets.  We just go one after the other and knock it out.  With one of the three of us gone for the next week, we will still move fast, but it will be a good time to work his form with lesser weights.

Added the military press in addition to the Monday part of the Bill Starr 5X5.  I really worked some mucles that needed some attention that they were not getting like we had hoped the 5X5 would do.

All in all a great day for lifting.  Changed the PB day to Fridays now.  The gym is not as busy and will not be holding others up so long.

Went ahead and tried for a PB last night.  Didn’t get it, but was able to push the 205 up again.  I know it is not a ton of weight, but for me I am ecstatic.  I haven’t picked up a weight since highschool football.  So, picking back up almost 20 years later was a little depressing at first.  I wasn’t pushing that much weight at all.  Now, I am getting really excited to see the improvement tha I have been making.  I have been at this for round about 3 months now.

I pushed 205 a week ago Monday and was going to push 215 this Monday.  I have been on a really good increase of weight lately.  About 10 pounds per week is what I was gaining on my PB for the bench.  I will try again Monday for 215, hopefully this time I will be successful.

My back is feeling a whole lot better.  I am not sure if I will have time to do a max tonight.  It is a busy night in the gym for me.  I may do it anyway and just deal with getting out of the gym later than usual.  Probably around midnight or a little later.

I am now off of my Animal Pump, and have been for the last 6 days.  I did not know how it would affect me since I haven’t cycled off it until now.  I have only taken it for 6 weeks and then cycled off of it for 2 weeks.  Only 1 week to go until I am back on it.  Last night I was anticipating doing another personal best on the bench.  I am not sure if it was not being on the Pump or worring about my back that kept me from even doing my current personal best.  I do know that I did not have the same energy or ambition in the gym that I normally start with.  I think the lack of energy had to do with both my back and the Pump.  I do plan to try and do another personal best on either Thursday or Friday.  I haven’t decided yet, but I want to see where I really stand.