Stewart’s Blog

It’s a great time of year to review goals and purpose for anything.  I’m reviewing some things I put down several years ago about my training.  I like to review my goals and purposes.  It helps keep me on track and reminds me (or "RE-reminds me" as a friend of mine says) of my purpose for doing what I do.

I have a list of 52 benefits of strength training (bodybuilding, fitness, call it what you will).  Here are a few…

My clothes fit well
my muscles have a great tone (not flabby)
I am more attractive to my wife
I relieve stress
I have a reduced risk of diabetes
I keep a high level of HDL (good) cholesterol
I have a reduced risk of many cancers
I recover more quickly from injuries
I tolerate extreme heat better
my lungs work more efficiently
I am satisfying a life-long desire.

That’s just a few…there are lots more.

Have a great new year!  

My motivation levels lately to workout are pretty high.  It’s life stuff right now that’s getting in the way.  I’m learning not to get bent (upset, cranked, etc.) about the curves life throws my way.  WHAT am I going to do about it anyway?  If I have responsiblities at work, then that’s what I’ve must do.  My work circumstances will be changing pretty drastically within the next few weeks.  The result will be more time and a better schedule to get on with my weight training goals.  

Two folks I’ve read just today helped me get all this in my head.  Tito (on my friends list), has some pretty huge commitments right now and is making adjustments to his training as a result.  DJ69 whose BLOG I picked up on from a post on the main page is struggling with his training and has for most of the summer.  

I can’t push back against life.  I can make good choices about my life.  

My workout weights continue to rise.  This is the front end of my work and so these quick gains will soon evaporate.  They are GREAT in the beginning though.  I’m moving almost as much on my squat now in two sets as I did my first w/o when I did three sets.  

The longer rest period helped during today’s workout.  My total weight moved was 500 lbs (227 kg) over my last three workouts.  

The work goes on…the learning increases

Whew.  My workouts are still whipping my butt (not in a good way).  I’ve reduced my sets from 3 to 2.  I still can’t get thru what I call my workout "B".  (I alternate two workouts about every other or every third day.)  It’s not the weight wearing me out (as it should be).  It’s the air.  I’m just out of oxygen before I’m done.  So…I’m going up on my rest times.  Right now I’m working on 75 second rest periods (I know…I’m obsessed with the numbers).  I’m going to move to 120 (2 min) rests between sets and exercises).  I’ll work back down to 75 seconds but I’ve got to get to the point where I’m getting thru my workouts.  

I like the numbers because they tell me things.  I try (when my ego doesn’t get in the way) to make my decisions on the data–not my guesses as to what is happening.  For instance, I always get thru my "A" workout but so far not my "B".  I looked up my total volume of weight moved in the BB Workout Tracker (great tool BTW).  My volume of weight moved is about 4700 (2100 kb) no matter how many sets or exercises or which routine I use.  That’s about all I’m good for–4700 lbs (2100 kg).  I finished my workout about 20 minutes ago and I’m sitting here light headed now.   Longer rests are required…then work the third set back in…then shorten the rests back down.  

This is pushing some of my goals out.  No problem.  I’m making good decisions about getting them accomplished.  I’ll just adjust them with good reasons.  

I’ve said this before in my BLOG.  I’ve forgotten so much in the last 7 or 8 years.  It’s like starting over…what am I saying!?  It IS starting over.

Agricultural Extension Agent:  Mr. Farmer, I’ve been by to help you several times.  Why are you not doing the things I’ve shown you?

Mr. Farmer: Son, I wasn’t doing half the things I knew I should be doing before you show’d up.

My workout crashed today but I feel good about it.  My diet has been rough the last two days.  I’ve been running hard at work.  I carry my eats w/me but I have not had time to stop and eat much.  So, I have arrived home the past two evenings with most of my food STILL in the box.  

My poor diet stuck a knife in my workout today.  I feel good about it because I know what happened.  I can fix this problem.  I don’t need to try harder.  I just need to make some changes in the way I fix my food (making it easier to eat on the run) or I need to get space in my day to eat.  No problem.  There are fixes for this.  

I feet great yet I didn’t finish my workout.  Usually this is reason to feel badly. I feel good because I understand (really KNOW) something a little better now that I only "knew" before.  Strange, huh?  Really not.  We are all that way.  Thinking we "know" something just because it’s a fact in my head.  In my arrogance, somehow I am think I’m above being human (read: I ought to know better).  The result is to be surprised when I find that I’m NOT above my humanity.  Worse and NO surprise–I am one of the more poorly functioning humans.  Oh, how I need help.

–Stewart

I’m working on an average of one w/o/w  (workout per week–or WOW).  Um…NOT WOW!  Actually I continue to be pleased.  Why beat myself up because life got in the way a little?  I wanted to work out.  The time just wasn’t there.  

I’m still not completing all my sets.  That will come with time.  My plan is to go higher on the weights and cut back on the sets.  When I can finish the workout, I’ll add a set to each exercise.  It’s mostly getting enough air to finish the sets.  The weights I’m using a small and they are not exhausting the muscle–they sure are exhausting ME!  

I’m feeling good about my workouts.  I’m on track–not according to my goals.  Not a problem.  They are MY goals.  I’ve done all I could to meet them.    

The mess at work is under control enough now.  Today was my first WO in a week!  This just won’t do….  

I’m trying out the BB.com Workout Tracker.  I’ll need to use it for a few weeks to see if it’s beneficial.  

I’m using 15 reps as a working set w/three sets of 15.  I’m making all my reps right now.  The weights will go up over the next couple of weeks and I’ll know where I’m at.  Right now I am continuing to get back into this on the slow side.  I may be sacrificing some time toward my goals.  No problem.  Injuries sacrifice WAY more time.  

I felt great about my workout today.  I didn’t get thru all my sets but I feel great.  My form was good.  My timing was good (75 sec rests between sets and exercises).  I’m interested to see how sore I’ll be tomorrow since I have not been under the weights in a week.  I enjoy that soreness.  It’s feels really good to me.  

.

Whew.  What a workout tonight.  I had forgotten how awful and how much fun moving some weight around is.  I can’t wait till Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on how sore I am tomorrow) to go at it again.    I didn’t make it thru all my sets and am still well pleased with my workout.

I’m not even trying not to try. 

I missed the first session of my new workout routine tonight.  I had to stay later than anticipated at a customer’s home.  I was tired when I got in–feeling a little defeated by the day and it’s circumstances.  I’m actually feeling pretty good about missing the workout.  Sometimes I have missed a single workout and that would be enough for me to toss in the towel and say, "Why try?"  I’m not thinking that now.  I’m thinking that tomorrow I’ll have the time to workout.  What a refreshing perspective!  I like this perspective.  It’s not something I conjured up.  It’s not because I gave myself a pep talk.  I just feel this way.  What a relief to not feel like I’ve got to get myself charged up to do something I REALLY want to do.  In the BB Forums I read posts like, "How do you stay motivated?"  I used to say things like that.  I’ll probably say them again before I go home across the shallow waters of the Jordan.  Right now, I’m just enjoying not having to try so hard to do something I want to do.  What a relief this is!  What peace has come over me?  

I revised my workout routine (see my main page).  I’m moving to 3X/week and 3 sets/exercise.  As I plan to be adding weight to the bar, I’m decreasing my goal reps on sets 2 & 3.  I’m excited about this.  I’m ready to get started.  My first W/O with the new plan will be next Wednesday or Thursday.  Until then the cardio continues–that’s getting stepped up (pun intended) along with my strength training.