I hate running.  I know many people love it and that is awesome!  Seriously.  But in my mind, running stinks.  Or does it?  I love sports.  Racquetball, tennis, basketball - they are all great!  My feet sure tell me how many miles I have run after the game/ match is over even though I do not seem to notice the distance at the time.

 So maybe it is the long distance, mile after mile kind of running that gets to me.  I see my fitness journey the same way.  When I am in the zone and pushing a short term plan - things are solid.  Whether it is a 2 week or 12 week plan though - does not seem to matter.  I MUST have a plan and I MUST have a clear goal or it all falls apart. 

What about after the goal is met, or worse, outside factors crash my plan?  The trick, at least for me, is to get back on track with that same commitment.  So, I have found that during this leg of my journey, things have changed and the old tricks that kept me going are not as effective.  So - I will adapt and I will succeed.  After all even a marathon is finished one stride at a time and I can handle those.  Here's to all of you here on your jouney too-thanks for letting me share KEEP IT UP!

I know a lot of you can do this in your sleep but this is the first time I was able to consistently train and get even close to sticking with my nutrition while travelling.  Now I am going to move into a more serious training schedule, measure BF%, get nutrition religion etc but I feel pretty motivated coming off the 2 weeks of travel with exercise.

Main secret ingredient was planning (i.e. bought only good foods, made myself accountable to peers at work that I would be training, avoided going out to dinner, etc).  Good luck all!  

If I have time to lift - I have time to write!  Just letting you all know that I made it through my first week back without letting my ego lift for me.  It was very hard playing it smart after the past few months off and being satisfied with going for volume, good form, and 60-70% capacity.  The next two weeks will be all about sticking with it while on the road.  Phasing in cardio and stretching so when I am back - I can move more into a full on intensity program and increasingly strict nutrition.

Still - one day at a time - and today was good!

OK - so I have not hunkered down on the nutrition yet but I made time for another training day.  So far - training is on track for the week.  After 6 months of excuses - I am on track.  Today was legs and I was soooo tempted to throw the big weights on rather than the 1 week of "active rest" at 60% for higher volumes to get the joints and tendons greased up.  Fortunately - the deep squats I used for warm ups (very light weight) showed me how badly even more warm up was needed so I stucjk with the program.

One more day building towards my old good habits and on less day accepting the recent bad ones. 

Thanks everyone!

OK - I am back in the game today!  And it is going to be a One Day At A Time thing too.  After 6 months of letting other things get in the way, making excuses, and losing a lot of the ground I fought for in 2008 and 2009, I am back.  Today was a win.  I am planning for tomorrow but focused on finishing the day strong.

Thanks to all of you inspirational people out there!  Keep on posting!

So I have decided to refocus on fitness while switching jobs. Probably not the smartest timing or one suited to optimal results but I believe that as long Ias I have realistic goals and a plan, chaos is the best time for me.  My normal habits are shattered and a "disruption" like shifting aspects of my lifestyle and routine to focus on healthy living can actually be an island of stability in the sea of change that is my "work life". 

So far, I have done some good stuff.  Need more consistency on cardio and diet and more intensity in the weightroom.  On the plus side, I have managed to increase weight and cardio activity overall and to tighten up diet considerably.  A good start.  Now to Keep it up! 

Thanks

PS those wondering about the shoulder exercises, I am waiting for the MRI results back and will post recommendations after I can shift routines to address whatever the issue is.

Just holding myself accountable - Rocked legs yesterday. Almost got sick - I know it sounds like posturing but it really is a key indicator of a deep workout for my legs. Today - off for some cardio to keep the metabolism jacked and flush the legs a bit.

Have an AWESOME day everyone and keep it up!

After 4 years of DIY shoulder repair I am working with a doctor to figure out what my options are because I refuse to let it get in the way of my goals. I know I am going to have to modify my routines but I am not going to let it be the excuse it has become over the past year.

Training, nutrition, and blogging will go on!

Well - It seems that way for me sometimes. I appear to be very selfish (not always - but look at my posts). I come back here when I am getting back to basics and getting back on track. The good news is that I have started out by getting my shloulder looked at, getting a shot, and starting the process towards surgery or some other long term solution rather than the cycle of working it till limit of pain endurance and resting minimum amount to start over.

Coming here is part of my resetting the safety net and staying in the "training" zone. It seems so critical for me to live it as a lifestyle rather than a hobby. While I can see sustaining with just decent nutrition and "roughly right" weights and cardio - I only get REAL results with a full time shift into a fit lifestyle.

So - here I am and plan to be a regular for the next several months at a minimum. The good news is that I have been here before and know I can do it. The reality is - there are no short cuts and I NEED the accountability of putting this out there publicly to the community.

Thanks for being there and looking forward to an awesome year!

It is pretty funny.  I seem to keep getting presented with this same lesson in different ways.  I mean - I am pretty intelligent and know a lot of things.  It seems like I sometimes slide into the habit of thinking that means I know everything.  I would never say that since I truly do not believe it but I seem to stop listening or least stop searching for new perspectives or new uses for old perspectives.  Habits can be very good for me - but they can also hold me back.  When my shoulder told me it was time to stop lifting heavy for awhile, I did.  After all - I have been there before. No sweat.  Aches and pain - just deal with it for a few months and throw in some rehab at the end of the week and it will be fine.

So when a trainer asked why I was not doing them at the beginning of my work outs - I thought well...I cannot lift my heaviest when I pre exhaust my rotator cuff muscle group.  Then we have the Eureka moment - Of course, I am not actually supposed to be lifting heavy AT ALL.  Then I thought, hey, maybe I should not do shoulder presses at all rather than just cutting out flys and heavy weights.  So I did my rotator cuff exercises as a warm up and cut out shoulder presses entirely along with my other delt exercises and was mostly pain free the very next day! 

Granted, I had a week off due to crazy work schedule but normally my shoulder aches for days after a workout while it heals.  No I wonder what else I need to rethink?  Hopefully - this gets to be a habit

Progress, for me, is more about going around obstacles than never encountering any.  My shoulders have told me that my goal of benching 405 by year end is going to have to wait for a few months.  Really happy with progress to 385 - 50 pounds heavier than my last max - but I probably should have stopped 10-20 lbs ago and changed my routines.  As much as I try to "lift smart" and keep my ego out of it - it keeps building endurance right along side of me  

So my shoulder hurts.  Time to refocus.  I was going to go back to lower weight, alternating movements with high contraction periods in January but - no time like the present!  I changed my motivation level and in minutes I had someone giving me support! Thanks!

I suppose attitude is often the difference in most things.  Work, school, relationships, and body building.  It is easy to get off track and let the obstactles give a reason to do less than your best.  Easy until you look back at the lost opportunity.  Thanks for the support!  I can look forward to another 8-12 weeks of grunting and sweating effort, determination, and conditioning and be grateful a little pain did not stop me.  Thanks!  Keep it up everyone!

This is just a show of thanks to the community at large for their tremendous and constant mutual support, to BB.com for this forum and their commitment to giving us tools for success, and to individuals like Ian Sitren and my wife and family for their faith in me.  I have been fortunate enough to be placed in the October issue of Iron Man magazine.  Since the issue focuses on the over 40 crowd and has some great names from the sport's history - I am truly humbled to be included.  I also hope it serves the stated purpose - to show that a committed "everyday" man or woman can set and achieve their personal fitness goals even with a busy life! 

  It is a journey - no doubt - but what a great journey it has been so far.  Let me know if you spot the issue (always good to support those who are committed to the sport) and visit the Second Focus blog as well and let Ian know what you think!   

OK - not as catchy a term writing it down but it seems to sum up where I am at and what works for me.  So I am going to keep referring to my approach as Body Surfing.  It takes great mental agility and focus.  It takes lots of practice and skill.  Balancing your body in harmony with all the energy around it.  Sometimes we fall back and need to be patient for another wave.  Sometimes we stretch to far and fall - probably with an injury to show for it.  It takes experience juggling all the variables for that perfect ride and making it seems effortless.  When life throws a really big wave - roll with it.  When heavy weather hits - sometimes the surf takes a backseat to survival - but it is always there. 

SO - I just say I love BodySurfing and smile.  Have a great night all!

For 10 weeks I went full bore and saw awesome results. Kim and I each made transformation of the week and I had an awesome time shooting with Ian.  Then... 10 weeks of better numbers, leaner mass, more cardio, double workouts, working through tendenitis in my right arm and BAM!!!!  Sore shoulders and tender elbow - left arm.  I am sure my hard core dumbell shoulder workouts had nothing to do with it.  My off alignment cable and dumbell flys as well.  OK - time for a change up any way!  Time to learn what went wrong and keep building!  So - drop 20% weight, go to 5 count reps with focus on squeeze.  Burn out on cables or machines with proper alignment.  Arms only once a week.  More sleep.  Think!!!  Now on week 2 - (skipped arms entirely on week 1) are starting to feel a little less tender.  Shoulder soreness completely gone.  Now that I am through chest and back days - we will see how arms do.  THis is a chance to focus - not a set back.  Thanks for listening!  Have an AWESOME week!

Well, it has been quite a week!  Kim and I both were selected for back to back "Transformation of the Week" spots:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/over_40_transformation_victor_newsom.htm

and to top it off, Ian (aka Second Focus) did me the honor of offering to shoot me!

/SecondFocus/2009/06/11/supervic2007-how-does-he-get-it-done/

While Kim and I both have come a long way on our fitness journey and have a long way to go, it is humbling, uplifting, and motivating to get this kind of recognition.  So we are going to enjoy the moment, appreciate the progress - and get our butts to the gym in the morning for cardio

Thanks to all for their many congratulatory comments and the longstanding support from both the community and BB.com!