Fit for Freedom

Anytime you think you are strong do a humility check–move.  Well, I was brought to my knees and complete muscle soreness after doing the "deadlift carpet tear,"  The "clean and press Box haul," the "lateral twist lift set," and "heavy object vertical lunge" while moving this week.  My but, legs, and lats have taken a pounding and the Ibuprofen has been flowing.  I cannot wait to get to the gym so I can sit down and lift.  My Capatins of crush hands have been pulverized byhammering, pulling nails, carrying mattresses without the handlea (I know-was a wuss.)  and assorted other details.  I am finding for my age that repetitive actions are much worse in the wear and tear category than the heavy lifting 4 times a week.  Oh well, time to quit complaining.  Thank God for work so I can finally rest a bit.

Well the benefits of taking a week of of "formal" lifting have been hearlded for a long time.  However, moving has been a challenge.  Lifting and twisting has certainly given my lats, shoulders, back and arms a workout.    I feel like I strapped some artificial wings on and just flew in from Cleveland.  Lots of clean and jerk and clean and press motion too with boxex going overhead.  Moving is like lifting in that you don’t take on more than you can handle and yes, balance is everthing.  One wrong shift at the wrong time and pull-and ouch…I think I have gotten a fair amount of cardio too running boxex and furniture up and down the steps.  By the way, did I mention this is only the moving out part.  I figure by this time next week I may be dead so if I don’t answer anyone you will know what happened.  The diet is a huge challenge too, more carbs and fighting to keep the protein going.  But, I must say when I see my tanned, toned body in the reflextion of the window I smile that things at the gym have been going well.  So for the resat of you "formally" lifting this week…Keep strong, in balance and be safe….

Paradoxes exist for us to ponder.  While doing perfect technique, eating correctly, doing our cardio and so on we blow a weak walled disc.  Poof, there goes liftignas we knew it.  While across the way a person does crap for technique, eats Cheetos as their main entree’ never lift a foot for cardio and makes freaky gains.  Today something worse happened to a friend-Cancer.  Not just one place ALL OVER, not much time is left.  How does he explain this to his 9 year old son?  How do you explain it to ourselves, "The Lord makes the rain to fall on the good and the evil"  just seems like a load of crap.  Who tells us these things and why?  What good do they do except help the selfish to think, "Thank God it wasn’t me" and the compassionate to sit by sadly feeling powerless to help except to "be there for them."  I guess the best is the golden rule of Love God and love your neighbor.  It makes it easier,  "What would "God" want me to do and what would I do if it were me?" I many times tell my patients that death is like Jesus’ return…"no one knows the day."  Live well, live right now.  Lift today not later because it may be the last day you can lift; whether it is metastatic brain cancer or 2007 Acura MDX that brings about your demise. Death like life is an equal opportunity activity-it all comes to us eventually.

Boy is that one max rep calculator off.  I put my best foot forward and pressed 360 as an estimate.  After seeing it fly off the rack I thought, "I can do better."  So, agitated by the calculators inaccuracy I put on another 50 lbs.  So with much determination I pushed to 410 lbs.  What a shock and delight at the same time.  The 5×5 program has given me only dreamed about strength gains…size is another story but that’s OK.  Maybe soon I can be one of the 300!  Oh shucks, I gave away my spear to my brother-in-law.  Oh well.  I plan on doing a max rep for each muscle group since so far I have been basing them on the calculator. Not sure what I will do next.  I have decided to stick with the 5×5.  I have not hit a plateau except for the guns so I plan on switching over to 10×3 or pyramids-not sure yet.  I have increased the protein, taking my creatine religiously and bought dried egg whites. Oh, but I have to get some Hershey’s chocolate syrup.  I am not sure how egg powder tastes!

I think these are mutually inclusive and exclusive at the same time.  If you reach a goal before your schedule great.  If you don’t reach your goal before your time great.  The time does not matter.  If you are putting your "balls to the wall" then time is really not a factor.  Many of us are in this for the long haul.  Lifting has become a lifestyle change.  Not to lose 10 pounds or tone up.  Not hardcore lifting but Moderate core lifting.  Like Buddha says, "the middle path."  Tune a guitar string to loose and it won’t play, to tight and it might break.  So, the middle path.  Like Taoism there is always the focus on change.  Change to grow and change to avoid problems.  Like switching to DBs when the lateral rotation of an easy curl bar has given you arm pain and your grip starts to so "south of the border."  Hooks and straps too when your Captains of Crush have not advanced as fast as your deadlift.  Change as you see fit.  The Path of lifting is no less spiritual than meditation.  Knowledge is knowing others, wisdom is knowing the self.  How else better to know yourself than pushing your mental and physical limits than in weight lifting?

Lifting has become interesting lately.  I notice that sometimes it is almost impossible to get a weight up on the first rep and then I pound out 5×5 sets from that point on.  I don’t think inertia is the answer because it is harder to get something stopped and then going in the opposite direction.  Any wisdom in this area would be appreciated.  I continue to gain strength weekly but the size is another issue.  Those muscle fibers are damned efficient.  Despite having massive soreness 48 hours after I lift I am still fighting to reach a B-cup on my pecs.  MsFitness68 still has me beat.  See her very nice AVI pec flex.  Maybe I just did not realize how flat I was when I first started!  Oh well.  But, like guliagoolia tells me it just takes time, shes been lifting close to 20 years.  I think my Goal of 230 by 2009 is right on target, with no added fat of course. I do notice I am getting more and more compliments.  I think you have to allow your mental concept of body image and self concept change as you grow and make it part of your image of what you think you look like.  I notice it is really hard to tell except with a tape measure.  Happy lifting, y’all.