The Experiment’s BodyBlog

It is the 27th of December.  Unless something significant were to happen, its safe to say that 2006 has ended for me.  I suppose like a new year’s resolution, its important to look back and reflect at what happened in 2006.Â
 Â Specifically, what happened and what I can do to improve the situation for 2007.

Regarding my lifting, I’ve made considerable strides in everything.  This is the first year where I barely needed the aid of supplements.  Besides, the given multivitamins, protein, and fish oil, I rarely used supplements.  Creatine, occasional uses of ALRI Venom and Designer’s Melting Point for cutting.  I made tremendous gains, especially for squat, and I believe it has more to do with other things than supplementation.  This was the first year where I carefully monitored my eating since when I was cutting back in 2004.  I no longer assumed that I was eating 4000 calories when I might have been eating 3500.  I made sure I got at least eight hours of sleep a night.  Sometimes it was less but I always made up for it.

My mentality of lifting changed.  This was the first year where I set goals.  I would do DB Bench.  I would do a set of 90 lbs on each hand.  I would see the 125 lb dumbbells.  I looked at it and decided that by the end of the year, I could do five reps of those.  I had the goal in mind, I was able to visualize the goal, and every time I did the DB Bench, I would always see the 125 lb DBs.  I was not able to get to them this year but trust me, I should by the end of 2007.  This was how I did things for all my lifts.  I made a good goal and then I visualized myself doing it with no effort.  I would then see that as I’m moving up, I get closer and closer.  It could be tougher but who knows and who cares.  I want that goal and I will bust ass until I am doing the goal weight.  No excuses, no cowering.

Regarding academics, I did very well this year.  Spring 2006, I received a 3.78 and Fall 2006, a 3.92.  For Fall 2005, I was able to get a 3.6.  How I did that was basically study constantly.  I posessed all the bad h
abits of procrastination and not using my time well.  Finding that sleeping 4-5 hours a night was not fun, I altered my strategy.  I did homework the day it was assigned and would go to office hours.  Not only did my GPA improve, I found myself having more spare time.  I was able to work 22 hours a week, have time for girlfriends, a social life, and some spare time to use.  I was able to make the most of my time.  For the fall of 2006 semester, I went even further.  At this time, I discovered a website, http://www.stevepavlina.com/, a guy who received a double major in three semesters, graduating wiht a 3.9 overall.  The advice of time management was important.  I read up on it and began implementing it right away.  I found even more spare time and was able to remember even more.  I recommend that site to anyone who wants to do extremely well in school but still have a lot of spare time for interests.

The one that should be reflected on the most was my personal life.  This was probably the biggest changes that ever happened to me.  The biggest one was how I used that spare time.  I found myself getting unhappier as time went on.  I felt like I was always living to please or impress someone else.  I would always spend my spare time either here on the forums or dating women.  Its fun, don’t get me wrong, but I started to feel a little hollow.  Was this my life?  I then stopped what I was doing with my social life and reassessed everything.  I decided to think for #1.  I began reading and renewing interests in my old hobbies and rekindling the ambitions I set aside.  I found myself happier, more confident, and better off than ever before.  Probably the biggest change of 2006 was not my measurements or my grade point average, it was my personal life.

I look forward to 2007 and to see what is in store.