kinkoshinkai’s BodyBlog

48 years old today!!  WooHoo!! I don’t feel any older.  The day will be just another work day.  But it’s MY day, regardless.

Last week I was unable to get to the gym at all.  That really sucked.  I didn’t realize how addicted I’d become.  Yes, as an old fart the week to rest is never a totally bad thing.  But after getting back in yesterday for chest day, and feeling it today, it sure felt/feels good!

After a previous post regarding the DOMS, I made a concerted effort to really contract and feel the muscles as I worked them.  I don’t know still, for sure, if it was an issue of supplementation, rest, diet, intensity or what, but having made a stronger mind/muscle connection and focussing on good contraction, I’m feeling better pumps and next-day soreness is back!!!

I still get 20+ sets in in under or around an hour and go as heavy as form will allow, so my intensity, I think, is pretty good.  And that never changed during my "not feeling DOMS".  My eating has been pretty much the same.  Rest is the hard part now, with late night work and early morning kid’s school.  I try to get back to sleep when they’re off to school for a couple hours, though.

So, here’s hoping I can continue to grow clean.  206 yesterday at my gym weigh-in!!!!

OK, it’s wierd, but I find myself missing the D.O.M.S.  You know, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - DOMS.

I made a decision that due to limited time and advancing age (which limits my recovery speed), to reduce the overall volume of my workouts.  Not by much.  I went from 20+ sets per workout/body-part, to 15 - 20.  I still go as heavy as I can, staying in the 8-12 rep per set range.  I keep the intensity, finishing in under an hour.  I go to failure on at least the last set of each exercise if not every set, and near failure on the first sets of an exercise.  I contract, feel the muscle, get a great pump.  And at the conclusion of a workout, I’ll throw in, sometimes, an extra set for drop sets, forced reps, or some other intesity builing technique.  Yet, I find that I’m not getting the same level of muscle soreness that I used to?!?  I still feel it the next day, but not as intensely, and it used to last a couple days for some workouts.  I don’t miss the actual pain, mind you.   Just in the sense that it really did indicate that a helluva workout had occurred.

Perhaps my nutrition and supplementation have improved.  Would that account for it?  Maybe I’m resting better - getting more sleep.  Might be a combination.  I don’t know.  I haven’t made any other drastic changes.  I vary my routine every time in some way, i.e. sequence, choice of exercise, etc. 

So why am I less sore than a month ago?