Sunny Monday
Finally went back to the gym for the first time in about 3 months. I’d been doing my bodyweight workouts in that time frame and it’s about time I see how my strength has held up. I’ve only done back so far, the one most likely to do well in bodyweight workouts, but I improved big time. Infact, during my low rows I figured that I must have put the pin in the wrong place because I was moving the weight so easily (the same weight I was using prior to my 3 months away from the gym). I didn’t do a single low row in my time away from the gym, but I’ve obviously gotten much stronger at the lift. I’ll try chest and shoulders next, and hopefully have similar results. Since I wasn’t doing much for legs 3 months ago, I don’t have much to compare to, but I’m planning on continuing some bodyweight workouts for my legs for another 4 weeks before I add weight.
Currently for legs I’m doing single leg squats, single leg deadlifts, lunges, and bodyweight squats while holding weight. Hopefully this will be enough to get me started on a lower body program, which honestly I’ve been avoiding since my injury, but really should be concentrating on more than anything. It’s time to be honest with myself and just accept that I’m avoiding it, because my legs are weak, and my pride is holding me back. Avoiding it has just made me weaker. My pride will keep me doing these workouts at home for about another month, but I’ve promised myself that in a month I’ll be hitting legs hard AT the gym.
My girlfriend and I ran in another 5K this weekend. I didn’t break any barriers or get an impressive time, but I’ve now got a good starting point for my running. I ran the 5K in 26:23. I’ve got another run coming up this next weekend, and I’m hoping to beat 26:00. By November I want to beat 24 minutes. That’s a lot of improvement, but I’m basically a beginner, so I should see some fast improvement.
I’m down to 174.2 lbs at the moment, which is kind of scary. I wanted to thin out, but getting this lean light is kind of weird. I still feel strong, and I feel a lot more fit, but I’ve lost some significant mass and know I look a lot smaller. Overall though, I’m really happy with my body composition and wouldn’t trade this body for the one I had three months ago. I simply feel awesome right now.
I bought the book, "New Rules of Lifting" on Friday. I’ve already read the entire book, and it’s just about the best book on lifting that I’ve ever read. If you know somebody looking to get into lifting, this book is a good first step for them. It’s not targeted to bodybuilders, so many of you may not find it helpful (the author even seems to have a negative view of bodybuilders), but for the average person getting into lifting, I don’t think I’ve ever read a better book for them. It pushes compound lifts, avoids isolation, discusses cardio, and provides a solid nutritional background for the reader. It also provides over a years worth of lifting routines, which seem to be getting pretty good reviews elsewhere on the internet. I’ve yet to try them, but may start one as I ease my way back into the gym from the comfort of my home workouts (where I don’t have all the necessary equipment to perform his workouts).
