it way i am feeling song and quite appropriate for the way i am feeling. done with the crappy feeling and sorry attitude. time to make some shit happen. of course the 14 hours of sleep i just got helped too. headed to the gym with a lift or die mentality today.
push press 1x5x145, 1x4x175, 1x3x205, 5x2x225
squat machine 5x10 360
machine press --- my math skills were shot at this point, what i thought was 150 was really 240! anyone want me to balance their checkbook?
1x5x240, 5x5x250, then i did drops, which i will keep in the program 230x2, 180x3, 90x10
hopped on the treadmill for 20 minutes, add in the ride and i did 40 minutes total of cardio.
some days you just feel like saying "fuck it" that has been my thought for the past few. don't know what it is...but i just have been feeling mentally crushed and physically exhausted. both of those have taken their toll on me.
physically i feel like i am rundown and run over. i have hit good training when i have gone into the gym but after i have just been empty. eating has not been a problem, sleeping either. i have been getting plenty of both. i also have really cleaned up my eating. sticking to food i have to cook and staying away from fast food.
mentally i'm not in it anymore...motivation and concentration are out the door. i would prefer to sit here and do nothing than even try something. i have been anxious about work and tired of the mean rude individuals that call. don't get me started on the downright dumbasses... i can sense that part of the issue here is the lack of competitions in my area. nothing scheduled till september which leaves me with a lot of idle time to question my reasons for doing this. also i have no one left to challenge me in the gym or in training. i have set goals but have not been able to focus on them.
solutions, besides a heavy dose of slayer. well physically i have rested which has helped the aches and pains go away. i have tested out a supplement which is supposed to help repair the damage done and get me going again. also i have begun stretching every morning...yoga... one other thing i did was to fast for a few days to get the nastiness out of my system. can say i have felt better after doing that. mentally i have had the most challenges...after i do my yoga i meditate. very tough to do...i also have been reading some decent books which have helped me focus on more than me.
and let me add that you can sometimes find motivation in the strangest of places. was watching ken burn's baseball, part where they talk about the return of the yankees to greatness. no i have not become a follower of the evil empire but was in awe of the story of their manager, joe torre. he played for years never getting the chance to win or make it to the big game. he had shining moments but never the champion. as a manager he was fired from several teams, but steinbrenner took a chance on him, a chance that paid off with 6 championships....
So after resting my low back for 2 weeks and mulling why I put myself through this pain, I hit the gym. Just like the song title I am "Coming Alive" Must be the combination of watching the Arnold last night and just sheer insanity but I really want to get in and kill it. My personal goals still stands...300lb overhead this year.
So here is what I did:
Started over with the Sheiko program but only focusing on pressing this time. Will be doing leg and back work but nothing like the program calls for. Also upping the cardio. I expect to get in 2-4 hours on my bike per week along with 90 minutes treadmill work in the gym.
Nothing else too exciting going on...I did find out I am permanent at my job, nice feeling after the last year I had. Hope I get a raise...
so today was a struggle mentally and physically. the mental part kicked in before i ever thought about training.
life has been tough the last few years for me. some highs and a lot of lows. i would love to change that but it seems the universe just likes to kick me when i am down. i stress about money because i barely have enough to survive. i get my bills paid but that is it....means there is no money to compete or just get myself supplements. then i stuggle with my job...happy to be employed but i have still not heard if i am fulltime yet. would also be nice to get a raise. don't get me started on healthcare or 401k's...like i have any money for that. next in line is my kids, i miss them...nuff said!
all this wells up inside and drives me the edge, honestly there are days i wish i wasn't here. somehow i persist thinking there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. but i have not come close to the end of it yet. my friends and family have been priceless to me in all this.
so instead of wallowing and throwing a pity party i went to the gym! and then i squatted...
Squats 295x5, 335x4, 405x2, 465x1...this sucked!! Low back was not feeling it. A lot of discomfort in my low back just above the tailbone. Went down barely to parallel and thought I was not coming back up. Have the energy but no strength at all.
Seated press 140x5, 160x4, 190x2x2, 220x3x8...added extra sets to punish the shoulders. Regular push press wasn't happening with back tweaked.
so that's it. managed to make it home and to the store to pickup some food. that was no fun carrying the bags up the stairs. hopefully the chicken tastes good...
was definitely feeling all my previous training this week along with the hour of riding yesterday. but today was a true test of how much i could take. lot of volume just for pressing. made some small adjustments to the weights on the way down but it was still more than enough. opted to use the squat machine which was a perfect addition.
satisfied with this week. the pressing was easy but my legs need some work. think next week i will go with more volume on leg training along with more cardio. i need to find some inexpensive supplements or maybe a sponsor...any takers out there?
no it is not about which fork to use or the proper use of pronouns....this is about the gym. too many people have no clue how to act when the gym. one thing that is amazing is the people that misuse the equipment or just hog it up for an exercise that can be done elswhere. in other words, CURLS IN THE FREAKING SQUAT RACK!! what in god's name makes these insane people do this? but that's not the worst...lately the skinny fitness freaks have taken over doing pushups in the rack! please oh dear god of iron would you make the bar snap next time one of these morons does this....
amazing that people lack the common courtesy to just get out of the way and give you space. it is respect, if you see someone lifting heavy or working hard stay out of the way....my learning experience was when i was a dumb teen and in a hardcore gym. i made the mistake of walking in front of a mirror while 2 meatheads were inclining 405...on my way back they stopped me and tld me if i ever did that again i would walk out with a bar stuffed up my ass. they let me slide on the iron prostate check because i was new...after that i gave my respect to everyone and in turn i got some respect too.
now onto the douchebags that prefer to "look" hard, make fun of people and yet do absolutely nothing but breathe out CO2...there are places for you, please try planet fitness.
now onto the lifting...
Deadlift to Knees 1x3x275, 1x3x335, 2x3x395, 4x2x425
Pushdowns 5x8x100
Rolling Extensions 6x4x35
Romanian DL 1x4x315, 1x4x365, 2x2x425, 4x1x480
Treadmill 20 minutes
was a good day. really felt the deads in my lower back. hands are shredded from the bar.
somedays you just have to let out the demons. today was one of those....thanks to a certain person who doesn't know their stupidity and selfishness helped me through todays workout. if anyone know me they know i am very protective of two important people in my life. i would kill and die for them. i was put i a very pissed off mood after hearing about something going on in one of their lives. thanks to a good friend i was calmed down, but there was that demon lurking, it kept poking its head out and i needed to exorcise it.
the exorcism started with a bike ride in the cold, okay it was 50 but the windchill made it feel like 30. it was nice to get out and test the new bike. the ride was fast and got me to the gym. at the gym i started my first day of a sheiko plan...wtf is that? well check this out... http://www.elitefts.com/sheiko/
decided to go with this plan and focus on my pressing. instead of bench i am doing push press. will also work the numbers to bring up my deadlift and squat.
treadmill 25 minutes --- cut this short because i was going to pee myself!
i adjusted the reps and the first 2 exercises and changed to a seated press for the second press exercise because i don't want to burn myself out or get hurt. felt pretty good after this, definitely will be sore later...
