Chronicles of “Insanity”

Today was the last lifting day of my cycle.  I have now used the Tabatha method 3 times.  Chest/Tri’s, Back Bi’s and today Shoulders/Legs.  It was crazy how tired I felt.  My legs almost gave out when I stepped off of the squat machine, and my shoulders burned.

I like this method, it is hard, intense, and I really feel like I have done something when I am finished a workout.  This should be an interesting next 5 weeks.

but I remembered this quote and got up to hit the gym.

“The key to being healthy/fit is discipline. What is Discipline? It is to get yourself/your body to do what you don’t want to do in order to achieve what you’ve always wanted to achieve.”

Alrighty this is the second day of the Tabatha Method (from Muscle and Fitness) of lifting.  All I can say is that I can barley type.  As previosly stated this is 20 secods of lifting and then a 10 sec break.  You do this 8 times, 3 exercises per body part.

Today was back and Bi’s day.  I have never felt so tired in my life, this method really forces you to push yourself.  The first set you are doing about a rep per second maybe more, and by the time I got to the eight sec I was lucky to reel off ten.

I like this challenge, shoulder and leg day should be interesting, I might need to be carried out of the gym. 

I ususally get my workout ideas from Muscle and fitness and as of this morning I was at the end of a 3 week cycle of Pyramid sets.  I get bored easily and wanted to change things up.  I then read the article about Tabatha Training.

Tabatha Training Kicked my butt!  What it is are you take whatever your workout split is, for example today I did Chect and Tri’s.  Then you pick 2-4 exercises per muscle group.  Finally for each exercise you do 8 sets of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off.  So you lift for 20 seconds, take a 10 second break and repeat 7 more times. 

I was cocky before I started and thought 20 seconds was a joke.  Well the joke was on me.  The targeted areas were worn out and I felt exhausted!  I can not weight for my next workout day!!

I did tonight, I am on the road in a hotel away from my Gym and the comfort of home.  i started the day out ok, but my hotel is next to an Applebees.  Without saying exactly what I had, I cheated on my diet and it felt good for one day.

The flipside is  that even though it felt good I have already looked up a 24 hour fitness to hit up in the morning.  I could never eat like that on a daily basis anymore now.  I think that this is the first day out of 30 plus that I have really said F-it bring me a dessert too.

I love all types of music (except country, and yes I know brothas sing country too)

In the gym for me it is all about mood.  When I lift I need my loud music, my angry music, my fighting music.

My lifting playlist is made up of songs from Korn, Slipnot, Limp Bizkit, Lil Jon, Static X, and Drowning Pool just to name a few.

My Cardio Playlist is anything that reminds me of clubbin’ House music, Dancehall Reggae, latin House etc

 True Story: Although I love to listing to my angry music while I lift, i really shoudl not sing it out loud.  If you have seen the movie "Hustle and flow" you know the first song the character recorded was "Whoop that Trick".   Well the other day I was doing dumbell shrugs and I was getting into it, pushing some weight.  I started my last set and I just started singing the chorus to that song.  if you haven’t heard it it, it is a chant that goes…"Whoop that trick..get ‘em" repeatedly.  Not the best ide for a large black man to sing that around a little old white lady.  She promptly put her weights down and did her little speed walk to get the hell away from me.  How embarassing?

When hanging out with some friends this weekend they were commenting on how good my wife and I looked.  We both are eating right and exercising.

my Wife said she lost 15 and they all were cheering her on and she said well my hubby is an overacheiver as he lost 21 lbs.  The were really suportive saying I shoud stop or I will get too thin.

Good gasp or bad one….

One lady asked what I weighed now and to my suprise I blurted out 285.  Then came the gasp (good or Bad) they did not believe that I was 285, they commented they didn’t think I was over 260.

I guess that is encouraging but my initial reaction was "boy are they shocked now!"  I must say it was theraputic to verbally tell others. 

 I think I would punch myself in the gut.  I recently posted progress pics and it was a reality check.  The kind of reality check that won’t let me let up in the gym.  The type of reality check that will make me stay on my diet.  The type of reality check I needed to keep me motivated to lose even more than I already have.

 Demon No.  2 Eating for comfort:

I think that when I started to see the pounds go on I was using food as a crutch.  I loved it, I felt better, and dang it I did not have to sweat or do anything.  What was a really doing though and why?

At that point, I had no girlfriend, I hated my job, I hated where I lived, and I was going through financial difficulties.  Nothing made me feel better like an extra bacon pizza sprinkled with adobo and hot sauce, and a six-pack of Sam Adams, going out and clubbing 4 days a week, or my major weakness cinnamon buns and Dunkin Donuts.  I lived in the Northeast and you could not go 15 feet without seeing a Dunkin Donuts.

Eating made me feel good only temporarily.  If you have ever had a hangover from alcohol, you will know what I mean when I say I had a food hangover a lot.   The saying is the best way to get rid of a hangover is to keep drinking…well I kept eating.

In my mind even as the years pasted I always figured when I wanted to I cold get it back, I am an ex athlete, I will do some cardio and crunches and be back to looking great.  If you have ever lived in the northeast, you know the winters are brutal, windy, and snowy.  I found it very hard to want to get up when it was dark, windy and 3 degrees.  Nope I stayed in bed and figured I would just go the gym later.  Later never happened.

I moved to California about 5 years ago and when in Rome….. I started to get into shape because I was in Cali now and everyone was doing it.  I went from 296 when I left the Northeast to around 265 when I met soon to be wife.  We dated, I got comfortable, we married, I got comfortable, and before I knew it I was up to 308.   

In my mind, I knew I was larger, but could get away with it because I had big shoulders and a big chest.  I was unhappy though, and I wanted to make a change.

Change never started to come until I reevaluated my outlook on food.  I love food, but no longer do I look at it to comfort me.  I see it as a way to get to my goal.  I see it as a necessary in the right proportions.   

I know I did not get this way overnight.

I know I will not get to my goal overnight either.

I know food is not my enemy.

I know that I have dealt with my second demon, and it will not conquer me anymore

“Facing my demons”

Most people who are overweight are that way for a reason, some face their demons, and some turn the other cheek.  I have known for years what mine were and maybe putting them out there will be therapeutic. 

My demons are

1.  Pursuit of Perfection “220 and 10” (Part 1)2.  Eating for Comfort (Part 2)

3.  Being lazy/Resisting change (Part 3)

Pursuit of perfection (220 and 10)

I know I am not the only one on this sight who has competed in athletics on the collegiate level, and maybe their story is different.  Mine is one of my demons.

I played in a system where the coach was obsessed with fitness and body fat.   In his mind, he had an idea of what each of our ideal weights/Bf was.

I want to insert a point here that I am not complaining, I endured years of sweat for an education worth over $100K and that was back in the late 90’s.  I have et friends whom have positively influenced my life beyond imagination.  I am grateful.

Back to my demon.

Any give time our body fat was tested, and we were weighed.  Summer, fall, winter, and spring it did not matter.  It is not hard to maintain a low weight when you practice 2.5 hours a day and lift for an hour and a half.  My weight to maintain over the four years was to be no more than 220 lbs, and no more than 10% BF, the one time I went to 13% BF I was called fat everyday until I was below that level.  I was also reminded that a 4-year scholarship does not mean four years.  It was renewable at the end of every year. (Read between the lines)  We were all obsessed with it, even after we left college.  No more exercising 5 hours a day, we were on our own and still obsessed about the pursuit of perfection whatever our numbers were.

I can only speak for myself but I look back at those numbers and I associated them with perfection.  Years after college I chased them, and sometimes the pursuit of those numbers got discouraging.  I look back at pictures and know that is not me now.  I personally do not think it is realistic to be 220 and 6’6’’ at 34 unless I am playing tight-end in the NFL or something.

I think I actually looked thin back then; I was shredded but looked thin.  That is not my goal weight anymore.   That is not what I see as perfection.  It was only after I let go of those numbers (220 and 10) that felt relief, could be realistic, and could set some attainable goals.

My Body Group I started is called “Club Shred”, and that is what I will be again “Shredded”.  My goal is to weigh between 240 and 250.  At 34 and with my frame I think that is a healthy weight and I know I can maintain it.

It was they letting go of 220 and 10 that allowed me to start my journey.   

Demon 1 dealt with.