Train insane or remain the same…

So today started off with 60 push up, 28 pull ups, about 60 crunches, and a protein shake. I finally got this web site to work on my Blackberry. I rarely have time to sit in front of a computer anymore. This will have to work for a while.
Its a shame that I haven’t worked out in a while. I was having some hip troubles for a bit, then I got pretty sick for about a week. So much for competing in the PL event in May. I started rethinking my goals a bit. The powerlifting stuff is cool, but reality is that my body can’t really handle it. I need to focus on my weight and simple everyday training. When I was in bootcamp we did pushups and situps all day. I came out of that in decent shape. In jail, most guys do the same stuff and they can get pretty good too. So I guess all this focus on heavy weights isn’t the thing for me. I can’t keep up with it. So I’ll try to stick to some basics. I’ll work in the weight training when I can, but I really need to keep up with the basics.

Felt good to deadlift.  I haven’t really done much (relatively) heavy lifting since the competition in May.  i went and talked to my doctor last month about everything that happened and he’s okay with me starting back up.  I’m trying to keep it day-to-day though.  i am not going to get myself all hyped up over the next time i’m going to get on stage.  I know I want to do it soon though.  Feb ‘09 is a loose target for my next competition.  I want to set the state record for Push-Pull so I need to be able to put up a few good numbers.  Squats have been coming along since I started working the yoga into my weekly schedule.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to get deep enough or put up a good enough weight to make it worth entering a competition.  Actually, I don’t even have a good bench at the moment so there’s plenty to work on the next few months.  My only goal through it all is to be somewhat consistant and keep from having any injuries.  So it’s all slow and easy from here.  I pulled 275 yesterday and i know I could have gone up a lot higher, but I haven’t DL’ed in a while so i decided to not push it.  My competition goal right now is to pull 400 or better.  I plan to get under the bar soon but I think working the dumbbells for a little while will do me more good.  I always had good progress working with dumbbells.  Whenever I get too caught up in benching, I seem to find some kind of injury.  I never have a spotter and maybe that’s what’s killing me.  Either way, i’m going to take it slow and get under the bar when the time is right. 

I have been working out for a couple weeks consistantly now and it feels good. I like it when training becomes my addiction.  I think about it a whole lot and generally can’t wait to get back to it.  it’s great!  Of course, i’ll be back to playing Madden or brewing beer again in a few weeks, so let’s just ride the wave.  What keeps things interesting in the gym room is new stuff.  I have struggled to do frot squats since I first heard of them and I have never been comfortable doing them.  Well, one day i say someone doing front squats with some kind of straps on the bar and wondered where were these special straps.  After a quick search on the internet and finding nothing, i looked at the picture closer and found out I had a pair already!  Now aint that great.  So I threw the straps on the bar and went down into a front squat with no problem.  I’m a front squattin fool now.  i can’t wait to do more.  I also started doing these split squats and deadlifts too.  My legs have been taking a beating and that’s feeling real good.  That’s all that’s new.  I need to eat better so that I can have more energy.  I need to get a job that doens’t require rotating shift work so that my body isn’t drained all the time.  I need to stop complaining, yeah, I’ll just stop cmplaining.

Im feelin pretty good right now.  I just got back from a family vacation, didn’t put on any vacation weight, and i’ve worked out two days straight.  Yesterday i was really tired from all the traveling but i still got in there and did a leg workout.  I went really light on a shoulder workout but I needed to do that.  It’s a good time for me to just enjoy hittin weights again.  I’ve tried to make this into something serious and lost my joy for it.  I’ve seen this happen before.  It was about 10 years ago in my last year of high school.  I put so much pressure on myself to get a basketball scholarship that I didn’t even enjoy playing the game anymore.  It became my biggest stressor instead of being my greatest relief.  Weightlifting has taken the place of basketball in my life, but my attitude has changed over the years.  I am not doing things the same because I want to compete in powerlifting.  i am not training regularly.  Some days I just get fed up and say eff it.  But the reality is that I should be training to enjoy training and getting results I want.  Back to the good feelin though.  I got a chest and back workout in today before work.  Tomorrow is definitely a yoga day and probably bi’s and tri’s. I’m enjoying (afterwards) my version of deep squats.  It’s taking a bit of focus to make myself drop my hips as low as I can.  I’ll do what’s necessary though.  I took a picture of my legs a couple of weeks ago and it would disrespect to chickens to refer to my legs as chicken legs.  I’m working on that.  I want to get that tear drop back and have something meaty to look at.  Right now it looks a bit sickly.  My gut is really healthy though.  I’m working on that too. 

Been doin good this week.  I’ve had to get up at 330am to get my 30 minute cardio in, but it’s been worth it.  I’ve felt better throughout the day.  And if I did decide to have a beer (MNF) I didn’t feel guilty cause I knew I was getting up to workout.  I have to get some yoga in tomorrow and one of these days i’m gonna throw in a chest workout.  I realize I should start training again.  I want to take it slow and not feel rushed so I am not going to wait til November like i was thinking.  I’ll start now and just do yoga in between.  I have seen some progress over the last few days which is great.  I need to get my diet right and things will move faster.  I am waiting on throwing the hydroxycut in there.  i prefer to do that only when I have all the other components in order.  Otherwise, I feel like i’m just wasting my money.  1 luv, peace out, 5000, and all that good stuff. I’m out…….

Been doin good this week.  I’ve had to get up at 330am to get my 30 minute cardio in, but it’s been worth it.  I’ve felt better throughout the day.  And if I did decide to have a beer (MNF) I didn’t feel guilty cause I knew I was getting up to workout.  I have to get some yoga in tomorrow and one of these days i’m gonna throw in a chest workout.  I realize I should start training again.  I want to take it slow and not feel rushed so I am not going to wait til November like i was thinking.  I’ll start now and just do yoga in between.  I have seen some progress over the last few days which is great.  I need to get my diet right and things will move faster.  I am waiting on throwing the hydroxycut in there.  i prefer to do that only when I have all the other components in order.  Otherwise, I feel like i’m just wasting my money.  1 luv, peace out, 5000, and all that good stuff. I’m out…….

Been doin good this week.  I’ve had to get up at 330am to get my 30 minute cardio in, but it’s been worth it.  I’ve felt better throughout the day.  And if I did decide to have a beer (MNF) I didn’t feel guilty cause I knew I was getting up to workout.  I have to get some yoga in tomorrow and one of these days i’m gonna throw in a chest workout.  I realize I should start training again.  I want to take it slow and not feel rushed so I am not going to wait til November like i was thinking.  I’ll start now and just do yoga in between.  I have seen some progress over the last few days which is great.  I need to get my diet right and things will move faster.  I am waiting on throwing the hydroxycut in there.  i prefer to do that only when I have all the other components in order.  Otherwise, I feel like i’m just wasting my money.  1 luv, peace out, 5000, and all that good stuff. I’m out…….

So far I got a few behavioral goals.  Cardio 30 minutes at least 3 times a week,  Yoga at least twice a week,  and hit the weights at least once per week (for now).  I am still wantign to focus on balance, core strength, and flexibility.  I haven’t really figured out what I want as a goal as far as nutrition goes.  i do know that I need to get more fiber in my diet for various reasons.  I am not sure about where I want to go with anything else.  I’ll just have to take it day by day.  I am proud of myself today though.  We had a cookout at work and I ate a regular plate like I had some sense.  I had a slice of cake and ice cream hours later.  Last time we did this I ate so much I had problems keeping my eyes open while driving home.  So I think I made a few good food choices today

I practiced doing some squats without weight to see if I could get my hips below 90 degrees without any pain.  Everything felt pretty good other than the thought of leg day returning.  i love squatting and pressing and curling and extending, lunging and stiff leg deadlifting, but i never feel that way after my first day back into legs.  I know most folks are like that, but for me sometimes, I get some pretty bad pains in my hip flexor area.  i am going to do quite a bit of warming up and stretching prior to hitting it.

New goal: post progress pictures at least every month.  I don’t like looking at my pictures and seeing how bad things are. This is probably why i haven’t done it in a long time.  But i’m going to face reality and post those picture up. 

That’s it for the 3 am thoughts.

Well, I got some good theme music for this post (Rollercoaster).  That’s pretty much how my training has been for 6 or 7 years.  You’d have to try really hard to train consistant for that long and have nothing to show for it.  I used to want to be a personal trainer, but I realize I can’t teach what i don’t know.  I definitely can’t teach it and not practice it.  So here I am again trying to figure out what I want to be when i grow up.  I had a plan to work my way into owning a fitness center or some type of rehab center.  I don’t have the time to do those things at this point.  I’ve been trying to go to school online, work 12 hours rotating shift work, manage a new home, 1 kid here another on the way, and training.  I have to workout cause that’s what makes me feel good, but there’s a disconnect with my family if I spend too much time doing it. 

Once again on the fat end of the stick I am trying to work my way back to ?  I want to work my way into consistancy.  I don’t want to hit a certain weight or waistline anymore.  I’ve been doing that for too many years and failed everytime cause I continue to end up right back where I came from.  Yes, i’ve read books and I’ve learned about making my goals behavioral instead of based on an outcome.  Here are my outcome goals : Bench Press blahblahblah pounds; deadlift whoopty whoop pounds; and Squat so and so pounds.  These goals have gotten me no where.  Tonight, I am going to work on behavioral goals that will be posted shortly.  If you’ve read this far, be cool and check up on me.  If I don’t have any goals posted by wednesday, call me on it.  Accountability works wonders.

Okay, I think I would make a whole lot of progress if I was more focused on things related to helping my body, vice hindering my body.  i am drinking a bit too much lately.  I know that life is very stressful but I should be using the physical activity as an outlet instead of alcohol.  At times, a nice drink help in the heat of the situation but normally i feel guilty afterwards and wish i had made the better choice and worked out.  No sweat.  i am not becoming an alcoholic or anything, I am just wanting to write out my feelings on the issue which is rare.  It’s a gppd thing I found the powerlifting scene.  I would probably give up lifting and just focus on brewing beer.  Unfortunately I love to workout way too much!  Making beer might not last long.  It’s a hobby.  I probably shouldn’t put that out there, but oh well.  The yoga is still feeling great.  In a month or so i’ll start lifting again.  I’ll still be sleep deprived, i’ll still have a pregnant wife, and i’ll still have a 1 yr old.  And i’ll still be doing my best to be the best me i can be.  Nobody will read this, but it’s still nice to get it off your chest every now and then, peace.