JohnW4’s BodyBlog

About 42 days ago, I weighed in at 250 lbs. and had let my workouts deteriorate to about 2 or 3 low volume / low intensity sessions a week with no cardio.   In other words, I wasn’t doing anything and was eating junk food like there was no tomorrow.   On July 12, I made the decision to lose the gut by losing weight.   I cut out the junk food and very quickly began to shed pounds.  (I’m oversimplifying here for brevity’s sake.)  While I got to the gym a little more often and began to spend a little time on the treadmill, I still wasn’t where I wanted to be.   I had lost about 20 lbs. on my bench press and this loss of strength wasn’t encouraging.  Now I’m no longer trying to eat 1000 less calories a day than I burn, but, rather, just trying to eat healthy with no junk.   I allow myself one sweet dessert per week and that seems to be working.   Increasing protein intake is also part of my new plan to achieve a 36 inch waist while maintaining a 46 or increasing to a 48 chest.    That is my goal and I am articulating a detailed plan to meet that goal.  

They say that the definition of Insanity is:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.   Never is this more true than in bodybuilding.   I am a victim of my own mind and its’ perceived limitations of my body.   In other words, when I get to that 6th rep at 200 lbs. on the bench, my mind tells me, ‘you can’t get up number 7 because you couldn’t last time."….and I believe it.   I, therefore, never grow.   I’ve, somehow, got to break through this wall or I never will make progress.   I know that and can articulate that here in the blog, but, for some reason, it doesn’t translate in the gym.   I won’t give up, though, and by putting it down in writing, makes it seem even more real.  I’ll let you know how it goes the next time. 

Well, I just took body measurements after first entering stats two weeks ago.  Everything is stagnant with the exception of my arms which have gained 3/4 of an inch in two weeks and I’ve lost 3 pounds.  I have a strong propensity to get really discouraged here.  I’ve been hitting the gym religiously every morning at 6:30 and working out solidly for 45 minutes, 5 days a week.  This actually ended my 5th week but I only started recording stats two weeks ago. 

I guess its gut-check time. 

When I look at old workout logs, this is the point where I usually start skipping workouts and paying less attention to nutrition.  Obviously, I can’t do things the old way and expect new results.  I’m not giving up. 

So what has to change???

Maybe my goals are conflicting.  I’m trying to lose weight while gaining muscle and strength.  At 43, however, I can’t afford to just eat everything in site and I have a family and a full-time job so I can’t afford to workout 4 hours a day either.  I have to focus on those things that I have control over. 

Nutrition:  I haven’t eaten as clean as I could have.  I can work on improvements here.

Training:  While my weight training has been tight and consistent, I haven’t done any cardio in a couple of weeks.  I read that it defeats the goals of strength training.  Maybe I should work in a couple of days of cardio a week. 

Rest:   Whats that?  I’ve already mentioned I have a full-time job and a family. 

Ok.  That’s my vent for the evening.  I’m re-committing, re-focusing, and staying positive regardless of what the numbers say! 

For 10 years I have worked out on and off and had minimal gains for minimal effort.  Its true that you only get out what you put in.  I had a decent gym in my house that allowed me to work out virtually anytime that I wanted.  I moved from that house last year, however, and had to join a gym in my new location.  Only since July 4 have I really committed to no less than 5 workouts a week. That was a little over a month ago and I’m beginning to see some difference.  I could feel the difference after the first few days, however.  In retrospect, one of the traps that I used to fall into was allowing myself to feel like I’d earned a reward of a day off and, in no time, I was out of my routine again.  This time, no rewards, no days off, no excuses.  Sometimes that means getting up at 5 AM to get my workout in before work.  Most days I go in at 6:30. 

Two things that I’m doing different this time:  Adding Cardio 3 times per week and setting specific goals. Thats where bodybuilding.com comes in.  This site is well-designed and really incredibly helpful for forcing one to think about their goals and what they can realistically achieve in a given amount of time.  It requires more than just sitting and thinking about it, you have to articulate what you want to achieve and when.  I’m really excited about seeing real results this time.  No excuses.

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