FazerFX’s BodyBlog

This is a Blog I’ve been putting off writing because it forces me to face up to some things. Today, someone was nice enough to compliment me on my "commitment," and I now feel the need to own up for myself.

     So many of us make great plans for changing our bodies, dreaming of growing muscle or shrinking fat. We go out and buy supplements, gear, and gym memberships that we "need" to reach our goals. But so few of us fully commit ourselves to Becoming that which we strive for! Whether it’s by "partying," cheating ourselves out of sleep or not eating properly, skipping training sessions, or just not focusing on our goals, too many of us are sabotaging our own progress!

     Many are those on this site and in the gyms (on the trails, in the streets, etc.) that fail to be consistent in the overall "game" and will not emerge the winners they deserve to be. Everyone of us is human and I wholeheartedly support both those who can eat clean for six weeks while training 10% off their body weight, as well as those who progress slower and choose to enjoy apple pie with their loved ones at Sunday dinners. I find it sad however, that so few of us stick to working at what we want for at least a month’s worth of real training.

     If a program doesn’t show immediate results (weekly or even daily), we abandon it and move on. Though we are new or returning from a long absence, we choose to start off with advanced programs (strict diets, mega weights, etc.), helping to ensure we feel "hopeless" and soon give up. That or we seek easier ways to reach our goals, looking for the needle or the surgeons knife to shape our realities. And some take an even easier step and just choose to forget they ever dreamed at all.

After many months of putting it off (and achieving success on my own), I joined this site in hopes of getting more motivation while also looking to continue learning how to better myself and to give help where I could. I have over twenty (20) years training in and out of the gym. I have learned from Drs. Jan and Terry Todd, worked out with trainers that competed on the BB stage, read countless books and watched hours of videos (on lifting, dieting, etc.), and I know I still have a lot to learn. (And gee, isn’t that another way of improving myself?!)

     As implied by my rant above, one thing I’ve learned (been reminded of) while visiting this site is that Failure is a choice we make.  Six weeks ago I re-tore an old hernia. I’ve tried taking time off by reducing the intensity of my training sessions. I’ve tried switching to other exercises (swimming, biking) and leaving the weights alone (every other day). Things are really NOT improving with my injury. Since I need to be responsible to myself and commit to my long term success, I now choose to take a break from physical training. I am not abandoning my "diets," this site (my Friends), or my Dreams. I am choosing to work towards a longer, happier, life, and that’s what I really want!

Thanks and Best!

FazerFX in the ATX!

After a ride of three miles or so on my mountain bike yesterday morn, I took it easy for most of the day. Sure, I got in my "light" Chest and Bis workout at the lunch hour, but I didn’t do much else. I was tired, Sunday night I went to sleep late and then I got up early on Monday so I could ride. By my lunch hour, calves were burning and I was very thankful it was an "80%" day as opposed to an all out training assault.

     Had the chance to go for a swim again last night, could have gone out biking with my friend Ron, but I chose to just sit around reading while doing laundry. My body needs rest and I am trying to allow it to recover so I can grow stronger.

     "Back in the day" I used an all natural "sleep aid" to get rest and got big and strong enough to impress those around me. (150#, squat/dead ~300) Well, shortly after discontinuing use of the "sleep aid," I became friends with an ex-builder and a wanna-be who both criticized me for having cheated my muscle growth/fat loss by not just getting natural sleep. It took them a while to understand that I was an alcoholic who was in the process of getting his "Professional Drinking" license cancelled. I used one thing instead of the other on my way to getting better (and yes, I used the gym as a substitute as well). Much older now (15 years) but I still have trouble sleeping. 

     Recently, I have been very happy at going to sleep by 11:30 and not waking until just before 7:00.  As mentioned in a previous post, whether it’s my new place, my bodies need to heal a hernia and rest up after workout, my having started reading again, or something else, I am very happy to be getting so much rest and need to continue this pattern.

     So, today: tired. Slept at midnight, woke up at 4:30, went back to sleep by 5:00, was a zombie when my alarm went off at 6:50. Only physical thing I’ve done today is Aikido, though I may do an 80% session on my back later. No matter, I am hoping to get in at least another 7.5 hours of sleep tonight. Training, diet, focus, rest, I need it all if I am to meet and surpass my goals!

Best!

 FazerFX 

Went to Gold’s last night and jumped in for a bit. After a day of biking and working on motorcycles, my body was pretty ready for some relaxing. True to form, I "got into" doing four half laps of freestyle, then worked the whole pool on my back, went back for another four strong laps of front crawl, and then cooled down with another lap of butterfly. Not much time in the water (20 minutes) but I burned off some calories and my body got a little more relaxed. Was pretty dang sore all over when I went to bed, and this morn my calves, back, and shoulders are hurting, I’ll do today’s Chest/Bis routine but I am taking it easy. Missed out on some sleep again last night (only 6.5 hours), but I am looking forward to resting this eve.

Woke up having gotten less sleep than has recently become the norm. Figure it was stress/worry relating to stuff going on with my Mom. Anyways, was very sore, especially my upper back from Friday’s workout and my Tris from yesterday’s benching. Biceps are not hurting yet, DK if i just didn’t work them out enough yesterday or if they will "come in" later. Calves are still aching, so I put some extra fire in them with a morning bike ride.

Still getting used to the feel of my "new" used road bike. It’s a Giant TCR 2T, probably from about 1999. Original owner supposedly did not put many miles on it, factory tires still have plenty of life left and the bike’s overall condition is okay. One bad thing about my Giant: the gears don’t always respond to my shift inputs. That, and the lack of proper set up (bars too far out and down, hard seat), plus my hernia slowed me a bit. Did manage ten miles in 42.5 minutes, first five mile loop taking 21 of those minutes. Had someone pull out on me during that stint (no surprise) and near ate it. Second loop would have been without incident if it hadn’t been for my chain falling off in response to my shifting.

Lower back ached a lot, hands went numb after about half an hour in the saddle, butt and scrotum hurt, need to take time to set bike up properly!

Anyways, 10 miles/42.5 minutes, let’s figure about 14MPH, not bad for someone trying to get back into it while nursing a hernia!

More as it comes…
FazerFX

After hanging with a few old friends and one new acquaintance over barbecued chicken and spinach salad, I again got a great night of sleep. DK if it was the morning spent on motorcycle repair (which included pushing a bike several hundred yards), the back/calf workout, or the relaxing time with friends, I was sleeping like a log by midnight. Did not wake until 7:40 this AM, awesome! Slight chance my increased sleep is due to my having gone back to reading, but I would rather attribute it to being happy with my surroundings, good workouts, and promising new goals!
     "Good aches," the supposed point of this blog:  Well, my calves are hurting pretty good, not quite on fire but still a deep pain. Figure having done sets of twenty reps (like in the old days) worked. Could also be the combo of that and leg curls, though my hams are quiet. Upper back, especially the rhomboid area, is hurting pretty good. Some pain on lats, but I have to feel around for that. Overall, very happy with yesterday’s workout. Kind of odd training without any ab work, though. Also messes with my mind that I’m just kind of throwing stuff in. My regular routine is chest/bis, back/tris, legs/calves/shldrs, but I am currently just putting things together depending on how the hernia feels. DK how this is really working, but at least I feel good and that’s a big part of my game!

FazerFX

Did less than half an hour in the gym yesterday, but spent it on big legs and cooled off with shoulders. Leg press saw me get 2 plates (180) for twelve reps and the hernia didn’t bust things up too badly. Need to go back in today and do calves as well as leg curls, too little time to get them done yesterday before Aikido. Stiff leggeds with D-bells, lateral raises, and front raises all went off without a hitch.(..Hey, I may have exerted a bit too much tightness in my abs while keeping from swinging on shoulder work and caused the pain I speak of below…hmmm.)

 DK if it was spending too much time between meals (4:15-9:30PM) or something that happened during martial arts, ended up getting a really bad cramp beneath my ribs on the right hand side. Don’t remember it hurting at all while I was lifting and I also don’t recall having felt anything go wrong while working on Aikido. Pain stuck around after I ate for at least an hour and a half, then I lost track of it while talking to my best friend (Hi to Steve!).

Okay, off to work on motorcycles and to continue organizing my room. If I don’t check back later, have a great 4th!!!

 FazerFX

No weights yesterday, just biking, and that for less than three miles. Did ride my old Bridgestone MB-5 with knobby tires, so that put some resistance on the legs. Calves ended up aching a bit, maybe I revived some pain from a couple of days back?
Other than the ride, I watched out for my injury and tried to eat clean. Did some moving/cleaning/arranging around my new place. Hauled out half a dozen ten pound boxes no more than two at a time, which was boring, but I gotta be careful. Place looks a lot better and I am happy to be changing my surroundings as I transform my body.
The new attitude (more positive) is a good attitude and I was glad to have an owner at work compliment my new look. Standing straighter, dressing tighter, trying to put the smile on quicker and keep it on longer, I am doing my best to shine right through my injuries! And my resting has helped.

     Don’t know if it’s the body repair going on, the "adrenal fatigue" I’ve built up most of the last year, my new place, or just my new life in books sans TV, but I am getting more sleep. Last night I was out well before midnight, maybe by 11:15PM, and waking this morning I felt rested. If this keeps up, I might just get back to some serious workouts before All Hallows!
     For me, Life is Great! I hope you can say the same.

FazerFX
Austin, TX

That’s what my body says I need and I am glad to hear and understand. After an evening of Aikido and Chest/Bis, I napped out around midnight and pretty much slept through until 7AM. "Back in the day," heavy workouts brought on rest periods of 7.25 to 7.75 hours. Maybe it’s the hernia, maybe it’s age, or maybe I just hadn’t gotten enough food and rest beforehand, but last night’s "easy" workouts did wear on me.

     Did the Aikido thing for a little over an hour without my "Sumo Belt" and things went okay. Had to get up slower than I am used to, but I didn’t hurt myself and falling back from throws felt good. Made sure to continue practice with faces both newer and small, so I’d less likely to be thrown down with great force. This choice in partners allowed me more time in getting up, too. Getting complimented on giving pointers was just a little bonus for my self esteem!

     After Aikido, I headed to Gold’s for Chest & Bis. Made the decision to take it easy on the hernia, leaving the "Sumo Belt" in Tigger Mobile and focusing on getting movements right as rain (which is my norm). Flyes and decline went well, but flat bench with D-bells was kind of painful. Only used 35s, but the gut still hurt. Really have to wonder why using 95#s on barbell bench ten minutes later went okay…Anyways, no damage/pain taken while working on Bis. Did seated alternating curls first and then went for hammers. Left arm definitely needs to catch up in strength, not just size. Maybe I’ll devote some energy to that as the hernia thing gets sorted out.

     Oh yeah, the die is cast, gonna be looking at seeing a surgeon in a few weeks and hoping to be on the chopping block before mid-August, all in hopes of being free of bad pain and living a happier life. This all rests on the impression my written words make on my GP, but I’m thinking that my past medical history will help the docs see it my way.

FazerFX

Well, yesterday was pretty painful, and some of it wasn’t good. On the one hand, I was hurting in the hams, telling me that stiff leggeds had paid off. At the same time, I had a lot of thigh/groin pain on my right hand side. Some of this was doubtless because I decided to go without my "Sumo Belt" (athletic bandage) for the day. Letting it all hang out let me feel the hernia all day long, and I’m considering playing the medical game again. If only I didn’t have better things to do with my vacation time than visit several docs before they really listened…
Anyways, was happy to notice some shuffling going on downstairs yesterday, seems the high intensity calf work also paid dividends. Couldn’t really tell how well my leg pressing paid off, groin pain threw off those guages a bit too much.
Did re-strap for action and got a workout in last night. No abs (too painful), but worked on high pulleys (pain at the start of the exercise), wide pulldowns (stretching abs hurts!), and close pulldowns (not as bad, but hurt). Gee, listening to myself has convinced me, I’m sending a letter to my GP and seeing what she recommends. Bet she’ll start of with "lay off the gym, Dumas!"
This sucks! I don’t want time off the gym and I really don’t want to deal with getting shuffled from doc to doc while they figure out I am truly injured and that my quality of life is suffering because of it. BUT, I’ve gone with pain day and night from July to mid-January (getting shuffled) and life sucked Royally!
Okay, guess these blogs are worth it, I’ve come to a realization and made a decision: "I’m gonna write a letter" (but not have a BF). Wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted.

FazerFX

Austin, TX