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ouch!
The Betting Pool I Should Create
You might be reading this and thinking "Gee, Sig, your new lifting program sounds real cool and intense! But how long do think you're gonna be able to stick to it, given your propensity for random bumps, bruises, injuries, maladies & other fun 'side-effects' from hockey!"
Ok. So you weren't reading this and thinking that. In fact, if you aren't flyinfree, for all I know, you aren't reading this at all.
It does seem the obvious point. I'm very COMMITTED to my training programs. I just don't lead a lifestyle that is quite so supportive.
Will I make it 1 week? 2 weeks? through a snowboarding trip? til the end? What do YOU think??? <cue thematic game show music>
[Side Note: Would it handicap your answer if you learned that I already have one hell of a bruise/bump today on my lower shin/calf courtesy of successful forechecking??? (Hey, I did block the clearing effort!) I get dinged up all the time - now, I'm just trying to imagine how it's gonna feel tomorrow in the gym. I cut my shift short after, but I was good to go afterwards. Limping, but it's not too bad...]
The Betting Pool I Should Create
You might be reading this and thinking "Gee, Sig, your new lifting program sounds real cool and intense! But how long do think you're gonna be able to stick to it, given your propensity for random bumps, bruises, injuries, maladies & other fun 'side-effects' from hockey!"
Ok. So you weren't reading this and thinking that. In fact, if you aren't flyinfree, for all I know, you aren't reading this at all.
It does seem the obvious point. I'm very COMMITTED to my training programs. I just don't lead a lifestyle that is quite so supportive.
Will I make it 1 week? 2 weeks? through a snowboarding trip? til the end? What do YOU think??? <cue thematic game show music>
[Side Note: Would it handicap your answer if you learned that I already have one hell of a bruise/bump today on my lower shin/calf courtesy of successful forechecking??? (Hey, I did block the clearing effort!) I get dinged up all the time - now, I'm just trying to imagine how it's gonna feel tomorrow in the gym. I cut my shift short after, but I was good to go afterwards. Limping, but it's not too bad...]
too tired to write
Why I'm not good at training journals
Data/numbers have been recorded elsewhere, earlier in the day. Food has been great lately (and totals are recorded in my usual spreadsheet). Been swamped with work. Had a good lifting day. Exhausted now and have to wake up far too early tomorrow AM to deal with stuff, especially if I want to play hockey. Don't have brain power now for more work.
So...I guess I owe a report on the lifting. Hehehe...
Why I'm not good at training journals
Data/numbers have been recorded elsewhere, earlier in the day. Food has been great lately (and totals are recorded in my usual spreadsheet). Been swamped with work. Had a good lifting day. Exhausted now and have to wake up far too early tomorrow AM to deal with stuff, especially if I want to play hockey. Don't have brain power now for more work.
So...I guess I owe a report on the lifting. Hehehe...
Great stuff Sig. Not sure if anyone has told you this before but your have a natural talent at writing/story telling. Im looking forward to hearing more about Mr. Form Police and Kid Who Tries Too Hard.
Thanks! I hope to continue with my tales of the gym regulars. My work schedule changed a little, so I'm not always lifting at the exact same times - as a consequence, I may be a bit out of sync with them. I've only seen Mr. Form Police in the parking lot lately & KWTTH when he's already in his intense post-work-out cardio sessions (amazingly, he's not bulking up! ha-ha!)
For yesterday's lift, the amazing thing is how EMPTY the gym was! We (me and my spotter, who was doing his own program) had the whole place to ourselves, with the exception of 1 or 2 other people. This was a good thing, because I discovered a few things on my first day of this heavy lifting program:
(1) Deadlifts are LOUD. I'm usually pretty quiet and controlled in my breathing. Something about picking up heavy stuff from the floor inspired the secret grunter in me (hehe). Oh, and then when you've FINISHED lifting the bar? It's a lot less energy to let gravity get the bar down, instead of putting it down gently. My gym does not have bumpers or a special deadlift place. I am not sure if I've ever seen anyone do deadlifts there before, and I'm afraid that after the first 'busier' gym day that I do deads, they are gonna put up a sign on the wall that says, "No Deadlifting Allowed...and this means YOU, Sig!"
(2) Patience is NOT a muscle you can exercise. That quote comes courtesy of my spotter, after watching me try to deal with the long rest intervals. Heh. Then again, maybe patience IS something you can improve through exercise; however, all I ever exercise is IMpatience. Hard to know! Anyway, I was having some "issues" with waiting 3-6 minutes between sets for full recovery. B-O-R-I-N-G! I really WAS spent after each set. But I can be physically tired and mentally...eager to go. Perhaps this is the mental toughness I need to learn after all.
(3) You don't have to lift to failure to get in a good work-out. I completed all my prescribed sets for squats (1x8@70%, 2x6@80%), deadlifts (1 x 12@60%, 2 x 10@70%), and bench (2 x 8@70%, 2 x 6@80%). I did not fail and I was not that close to failure, even though the last reps were more challenging, esp in the last set. It seemed strange - thinking I could have done more. But this week is supposed to be lower intensity, to help you get ready to do more in future weeks. So I know I did it right. In fact, I resisted the temptation to add secondary/isolation work this time. I know I'm still adjusting, and I want to see how sore I am from this before I start adding in other work. As it is, the workout takes long enough.
In other news, water is still wet
Played hockey today. Hockey is awesome. Heh. Good pace to the skate. My legs and hands are coming back. My brain is still adjusting from playing with weaker players too often (so my decision-making is a bit off when I'm finally with people who are a bit better and faster). I'm feeling good in general, though.
Oh, that bruise from last time only bugs me when I'm walking around. Not skating or the gym. Hehe. And I blocked another shot with my foot that at the time hurt & within a shift, I couldn't even remember which foot it was. Maybe I'll find a mark in a day to remind me. Hee!
Tomorrow, it's back to the gym....
why food matters
Low Energy Day
I still owe a post about my lifting day on Friday. Nothing eventful on my end (same lift as Wednesday - getting me primed for more sets and heavier weights on my next lift). Got a chance to see Mr. Form Police, so that's always neat. The 'big' story really has more to do with my spotter - namely, the fact that while he has been MY spotter, he hasn't really asked me to be HIS spotter. So even after I reminded him that he should ask either me or MFP for a spot if he needed one, he STILL managed to try something that got him barely keeping the bar 2 inches above his face (and falling) before MFP got to him first. [Both MFP & I rushed over, but I had a further distance to cover.] To the extent he is my partner and disciple, I have failed him, and it's something I need to take care of before explaining more here.
Today, we were supposed to be back in the gym. I'd have been starting Week 2 (moderate intensity!) of my program. Instead, I was a slug. I was tired. I had no energy. My stomach was not happy. I felt achey.
How did this happen?
Well...I had been eating so well, feeling so good. Then I spent most of my weekend with family (Fri night through Sat night), which meant leaving the foods I normally eat and relying on other people. I had a feeling it would be a challenge nutritionally (from prior experience), so I brought a few nutritionally useful bars. Normally, I don't worry about logging my food on Saturday anyway. It's my 'maintenance' level day, where I try to eat well, but I don't track every little detail or worry about deficiting. I figured...how hard could it be to get SOME dependable protein, low fat dairy, fruits and veggies???
Answer: VERY hard. Other than one or two of the bars that I brought, I suspect the "best" food I ate was Life cereal with chocolate oat clusters! In my quest to get in SOME protein, I think I ate undercooked chicken. The vegetable and fruit offerings were pathetic to non-existent. I wound up eating way too many carbs - for lack of other options - and taking in way more sodium than normal. Of course, I didn't even drink enough water either.
Got home too late last night from the trip. Lost an hour of sleep to the time change. Woke up this morning feeling painfully dehydrated & my weight was *4* pounds heavier than Friday morning (bf% was registering 1% lower, of course - heh). I was (and somewhat still am) carrying 4 more lbs of water weight and "other" stuff that my system has been struggling to clear! Spent the whole day falling behind on food and then trying to catch-up and eat decent food that didn't make me want to give it back.
Sum total: today was just a wasted day. Bah! Never made it to the gym. I'll be lifting tomorrow after I play hockey. No other opportunity for that. Hoping work will be quieter, but I suspect that this means a late night tomorrow if I want to be able to play on Tuesday also. Sigh.
Moral of the Story: Need to make MUCH more concrete and time consuming plans in the future if I want to see family & not ruin how I feel over a weekend.
Question of the Story: How do people eat like that? Don't they realize the crap they are putting in themselves and how it drags you down???
Low Energy Day
I still owe a post about my lifting day on Friday. Nothing eventful on my end (same lift as Wednesday - getting me primed for more sets and heavier weights on my next lift). Got a chance to see Mr. Form Police, so that's always neat. The 'big' story really has more to do with my spotter - namely, the fact that while he has been MY spotter, he hasn't really asked me to be HIS spotter. So even after I reminded him that he should ask either me or MFP for a spot if he needed one, he STILL managed to try something that got him barely keeping the bar 2 inches above his face (and falling) before MFP got to him first. [Both MFP & I rushed over, but I had a further distance to cover.] To the extent he is my partner and disciple, I have failed him, and it's something I need to take care of before explaining more here.
Today, we were supposed to be back in the gym. I'd have been starting Week 2 (moderate intensity!) of my program. Instead, I was a slug. I was tired. I had no energy. My stomach was not happy. I felt achey.
How did this happen?
Well...I had been eating so well, feeling so good. Then I spent most of my weekend with family (Fri night through Sat night), which meant leaving the foods I normally eat and relying on other people. I had a feeling it would be a challenge nutritionally (from prior experience), so I brought a few nutritionally useful bars. Normally, I don't worry about logging my food on Saturday anyway. It's my 'maintenance' level day, where I try to eat well, but I don't track every little detail or worry about deficiting. I figured...how hard could it be to get SOME dependable protein, low fat dairy, fruits and veggies???
Answer: VERY hard. Other than one or two of the bars that I brought, I suspect the "best" food I ate was Life cereal with chocolate oat clusters! In my quest to get in SOME protein, I think I ate undercooked chicken. The vegetable and fruit offerings were pathetic to non-existent. I wound up eating way too many carbs - for lack of other options - and taking in way more sodium than normal. Of course, I didn't even drink enough water either.
Got home too late last night from the trip. Lost an hour of sleep to the time change. Woke up this morning feeling painfully dehydrated & my weight was *4* pounds heavier than Friday morning (bf% was registering 1% lower, of course - heh). I was (and somewhat still am) carrying 4 more lbs of water weight and "other" stuff that my system has been struggling to clear! Spent the whole day falling behind on food and then trying to catch-up and eat decent food that didn't make me want to give it back.
Sum total: today was just a wasted day. Bah! Never made it to the gym. I'll be lifting tomorrow after I play hockey. No other opportunity for that. Hoping work will be quieter, but I suspect that this means a late night tomorrow if I want to be able to play on Tuesday also. Sigh.
Moral of the Story: Need to make MUCH more concrete and time consuming plans in the future if I want to see family & not ruin how I feel over a weekend.
Question of the Story: How do people eat like that? Don't they realize the crap they are putting in themselves and how it drags you down???
weights are heavy
Ramble On
When I didn't make it to the gym on Sunday, I figured that I could do the work-out on Monday after hockey. No big deal! Hockey on Monday is slow! And crowded! Easy as pie!
Is pie easy? I never understood that expression. Pie is not easy to make. If you want to make a good pie, you have to make your own crust. It takes a lot of time and effort to chill, roll it out, etc. Pie is also not easy to eat. You need a fork and a plate. You can't just grab it in your hand, eat it in your fingers. Cookies are easy. Brownies are easy. Pie? Not so much. And if you think the expression is easy as pi, as in the 3.14 math number? Then you're a bigger geek than I am, and you already know that pi is not easy either. Thing goes on forever!
Anyway, back to my Monday story. The pie thing is relevant. Trust me. Because...hockey on Monday was as easy as pie. Mixed level, but very short bench (read: minimal to no subs) for 90 minutes of straight playing (scrimmage, not game). Fun yes, easy...not so much. Afterwards...going to the gym to lift a heavy weight/high volume day? It would have been easy as pie. Meaning - not easy at all. It would have been lifting with a fork and a plate and...this analogy sucks, doesn't it? Still, you get my point. There is no way I was capable of doing the lift on Monday after hockey.
It takes HOW long?
No hockey, no nothing yesterday. No surprise. Life responsibilities and all. I was sore and tired anyway. I've been slow to heal from the bruising from last week. Today, I set aside a huge chunk of time in the morning for my lifting. Good thing I did, because it took forever!
6 working sets of squats ranging from 80-90% (3-6 reps). 5 working sets of deadlifts ranging from 60-80% (6-12 reps). 6 working sets of bench ranging from 80-90% (3-6 reps). And I've been good about warming up too.
I have to admit: I was a bit intimidated by the volume starting out. Yet as long as I gave myself the total rest the program demands, I was fine. I made all my lifts. No failure. And when there was a rounding issue on my 90%, I even had the confidence to round up, and I made that last set too.
I still got really bored and antsy between the sets though. I can't believe it when ONLY 2 minutes have gone by, and I still have to wait. I wish there were other exercises I could do in between, but that would ruin the point of resting. It's not like my body didn't need the rest.
At the same time, I'm thrilled that I made it through the lifts, and I'm glad I didn't try to force it on Sunday or Monday. Now, when I do the same lifts my next two times, I KNOW I can finish it, I KNOW how long it'll take, and I KNOW to bring a snack for the middle, since I'm at the gym so long that I start to get hungry (haha!). But the snack won't be pie.
Ramble On
When I didn't make it to the gym on Sunday, I figured that I could do the work-out on Monday after hockey. No big deal! Hockey on Monday is slow! And crowded! Easy as pie!
Is pie easy? I never understood that expression. Pie is not easy to make. If you want to make a good pie, you have to make your own crust. It takes a lot of time and effort to chill, roll it out, etc. Pie is also not easy to eat. You need a fork and a plate. You can't just grab it in your hand, eat it in your fingers. Cookies are easy. Brownies are easy. Pie? Not so much. And if you think the expression is easy as pi, as in the 3.14 math number? Then you're a bigger geek than I am, and you already know that pi is not easy either. Thing goes on forever!
Anyway, back to my Monday story. The pie thing is relevant. Trust me. Because...hockey on Monday was as easy as pie. Mixed level, but very short bench (read: minimal to no subs) for 90 minutes of straight playing (scrimmage, not game). Fun yes, easy...not so much. Afterwards...going to the gym to lift a heavy weight/high volume day? It would have been easy as pie. Meaning - not easy at all. It would have been lifting with a fork and a plate and...this analogy sucks, doesn't it? Still, you get my point. There is no way I was capable of doing the lift on Monday after hockey.
It takes HOW long?
No hockey, no nothing yesterday. No surprise. Life responsibilities and all. I was sore and tired anyway. I've been slow to heal from the bruising from last week. Today, I set aside a huge chunk of time in the morning for my lifting. Good thing I did, because it took forever!
6 working sets of squats ranging from 80-90% (3-6 reps). 5 working sets of deadlifts ranging from 60-80% (6-12 reps). 6 working sets of bench ranging from 80-90% (3-6 reps). And I've been good about warming up too.
I have to admit: I was a bit intimidated by the volume starting out. Yet as long as I gave myself the total rest the program demands, I was fine. I made all my lifts. No failure. And when there was a rounding issue on my 90%, I even had the confidence to round up, and I made that last set too.
I still got really bored and antsy between the sets though. I can't believe it when ONLY 2 minutes have gone by, and I still have to wait. I wish there were other exercises I could do in between, but that would ruin the point of resting. It's not like my body didn't need the rest.
At the same time, I'm thrilled that I made it through the lifts, and I'm glad I didn't try to force it on Sunday or Monday. Now, when I do the same lifts my next two times, I KNOW I can finish it, I KNOW how long it'll take, and I KNOW to bring a snack for the middle, since I'm at the gym so long that I start to get hungry (haha!). But the snack won't be pie.
training against myself
Hungry, Sore, Tired
I need a macro for that tagline. Hungry. Sore. Tired. Someone asks me how I'm doing. That's the answer. Hungry. Sore. Tired. At the same time, I'm feeling GOOD, strong, happy. Even though I am still Hungry. Sore. Tired.
As I've gotten older, I've gotten better at listening to my body. I wrote about my lifting day on Wednesday. I played hockey on Thursday, and it was a quicker pace and good amount of skating. Friday, I woke up extra early to go to the gym, and I realized that I desperately needed: (1) more sleep; (2) more rest. I was hungry. sore. tired. As it is, I had plans to play hockey again on Friday. Which I did. So I didn't go to the gym.
At hockey, I was still fairly sore, but it was good to get moving and it was a good day for creating scoring opportunities. I realized that my back felt worse when I was on the bench than when I was skating! Told "Coach" how I felt due to the DOMS, and his reply (about lifting heavy weights) was: Why you do that??? Hehe.
Today, I was back in the gym - for the first time since Wednesday. Tackled the same heavy volume no problem. It was easier than last time. I felt strong. I know I'll have a bit of a layoff now from lifting, as I tackle: more hockey, life, and snowboarding (woo!).
Do I wish I was playing more, lifting more, doing more??? Hell yeah. Am I doing about the best I can right now with the time and energy I have, given other life responsibilities? Probably, and if not, I'm pretty damn close to it. So, I can't complain, except about being...hungry. sore. tired.
Hungry, Sore, Tired
I need a macro for that tagline. Hungry. Sore. Tired. Someone asks me how I'm doing. That's the answer. Hungry. Sore. Tired. At the same time, I'm feeling GOOD, strong, happy. Even though I am still Hungry. Sore. Tired.
As I've gotten older, I've gotten better at listening to my body. I wrote about my lifting day on Wednesday. I played hockey on Thursday, and it was a quicker pace and good amount of skating. Friday, I woke up extra early to go to the gym, and I realized that I desperately needed: (1) more sleep; (2) more rest. I was hungry. sore. tired. As it is, I had plans to play hockey again on Friday. Which I did. So I didn't go to the gym.
At hockey, I was still fairly sore, but it was good to get moving and it was a good day for creating scoring opportunities. I realized that my back felt worse when I was on the bench than when I was skating! Told "Coach" how I felt due to the DOMS, and his reply (about lifting heavy weights) was: Why you do that??? Hehe.
Today, I was back in the gym - for the first time since Wednesday. Tackled the same heavy volume no problem. It was easier than last time. I felt strong. I know I'll have a bit of a layoff now from lifting, as I tackle: more hockey, life, and snowboarding (woo!).
Do I wish I was playing more, lifting more, doing more??? Hell yeah. Am I doing about the best I can right now with the time and energy I have, given other life responsibilities? Probably, and if not, I'm pretty damn close to it. So, I can't complain, except about being...hungry. sore. tired.
welcome to my world
Shout-Out to NBS 4life & openczun
Thanks for comments! Pure data journals kinda bore me too. (did you want to know that I've had 171 grams of protein today? didn't think so! heh)
Glad you're joining for the ride...
Hockey, Hockey, Hockey - Don't you, you know, have a life???
Dude at hockey asked me that today. Well, not in so many words. That WAS the gist of the question though. He phrased it more as a suggestion than a question: you DO something else besides playing hockey, right? Come on, this isn't all you've got, is it?
Truth be told (why would I lie in my own journal? that would be pointless): I do have other interests and hobbies besides hockey. As you're probably all learning, I'm a jock. I love hitting it hard at the gym, I enjoy competing in many sports, I like getting out - being, doing. At the same time, I don't try to hide my geeky side. I love learning new things, reading science studies, figuring stuff out. I love writing and sharing my ideas, my humor, my imagination. I love music, especially hard rock, and I enjoy playing my guitar, even though I'll be the first to admit how bad I suck - I'd also be the last to admit it. I don't let no one hear me play! Ha-ha! I love traveling and exploring new places - hiking, riding, boarding. Life is cool. I wish I had more time to do everything I enjoy doing, and that's before taking into account stuff like spending time with those who are closest to me - family & friends.
All in all, I am a well-rounded person (as opposed to being, well, round - hehe). My interests are many and diverse. However, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - that I regularly get to do in my life that can compare to the way I feel when I'm playing hockey. That ice is my sanctuary. I can be having the ****tiest day in the world, needing to blow off steam, or I can be flying & floating from something that's got me psyched up...and it really doesn't matter the minute I get out there. Skates touch ice, and BAM, everything feels great. It's easy to run on positive energy, but even the negative stuff, like stress, turns into a fuel that I can burn for energy & get a release. Even on the days when I'm getting frustrated, when every pass is in my skates & not on my stick, when someone else cuts into my playing time, when I'm sore & don't have my legs, when you'd see my attitude on the bench & think "Why are you doing this? Are you really having fun?" the truth is...there is nowhere else I'd rather be than right there, at that moment, playing hockey.
Today wasn't the best day at the rink. It was still exactly where I wanted to be & where I'm glad that I was...
Shout-Out to NBS 4life & openczun
Thanks for comments! Pure data journals kinda bore me too. (did you want to know that I've had 171 grams of protein today? didn't think so! heh)
Glad you're joining for the ride...
Hockey, Hockey, Hockey - Don't you, you know, have a life???
Dude at hockey asked me that today. Well, not in so many words. That WAS the gist of the question though. He phrased it more as a suggestion than a question: you DO something else besides playing hockey, right? Come on, this isn't all you've got, is it?
Truth be told (why would I lie in my own journal? that would be pointless): I do have other interests and hobbies besides hockey. As you're probably all learning, I'm a jock. I love hitting it hard at the gym, I enjoy competing in many sports, I like getting out - being, doing. At the same time, I don't try to hide my geeky side. I love learning new things, reading science studies, figuring stuff out. I love writing and sharing my ideas, my humor, my imagination. I love music, especially hard rock, and I enjoy playing my guitar, even though I'll be the first to admit how bad I suck - I'd also be the last to admit it. I don't let no one hear me play! Ha-ha! I love traveling and exploring new places - hiking, riding, boarding. Life is cool.
I wish I had more time to do everything I enjoy doing, and that's before taking into account stuff like spending time with those who are closest to me - family & friends.All in all, I am a well-rounded person (as opposed to being, well, round - hehe). My interests are many and diverse. However, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - that I regularly get to do in my life that can compare to the way I feel when I'm playing hockey. That ice is my sanctuary. I can be having the ****tiest day in the world, needing to blow off steam, or I can be flying & floating from something that's got me psyched up...and it really doesn't matter the minute I get out there. Skates touch ice, and BAM, everything feels great. It's easy to run on positive energy, but even the negative stuff, like stress, turns into a fuel that I can burn for energy & get a release. Even on the days when I'm getting frustrated, when every pass is in my skates & not on my stick, when someone else cuts into my playing time, when I'm sore & don't have my legs, when you'd see my attitude on the bench & think "Why are you doing this? Are you really having fun?" the truth is...there is nowhere else I'd rather be than right there, at that moment, playing hockey.
Today wasn't the best day at the rink. It was still exactly where I wanted to be & where I'm glad that I was...
Been too long...
Too Much *STUFF* Happening
I have not been in the gym to lift in over two weeks. Two frakkin' weeks!!! [<--- can you tell that I'm gearing up for the season 4 premiere of BSG!!!]
I have lots of reasons: I was travelling. I was on a mountain. I was working. I was sick. I was injured.
They are ALL true. But they are just frakkin' excuses. I am NOT happy about this turn of events, and I'm hoping to haul my ass back to the gym tomorrow for a lifting day. We'll see though. I also have a doctor's appointment.
I have no idea where to pick things up with the program - ok, that's not true, I do have SOME idea. I just mean that I've lost all sense of having progression in my program. I realize that trying to lift heavy has made me a slave to my spotter, and also to the philosophy that if I'm not feeling strong, I shouldn't go in at all. For some reason, on days when I've been sore and run down, my instinct has been to stay in bed and not tough it out. I suspect it's the unwillingness to see myself unable to meet the requirements of the training for the day. Funny how in a program where I was not even lifting to failure, I think I may have been too caught up in fearing failure!
Beyond that, I also have been fighting against the conflicting goals that I've set up for myself in training, nutrition, and life in general. I can't lift heavy if I got banged up on a mountain. I can't function in work, on the ice, or anywhere else if I'm not eating enough (so instead, I've been on the world's longest non-existent cut, though I have been losing fat at least).
I have been playing hockey, though not nearly enough. I have been snowboarding, though not nearly enough. I have been...<cringe> working, and it's been both too much AND not nearly enough. Sigh.
I have this idea: We should retire when we are young. Then when we are older, we can go back and work. Oh, how I would love to skate and lift and ride and paddle and climb and run and even swim (yeah, yeah - maybe not - hehe) now, day-in, day-out. For now, I can only hope to sneak in more of these moments...
Too Much *STUFF* Happening
I have not been in the gym to lift in over two weeks. Two frakkin' weeks!!! [<--- can you tell that I'm gearing up for the season 4 premiere of BSG!!!]
I have lots of reasons: I was travelling. I was on a mountain. I was working. I was sick. I was injured.
They are ALL true. But they are just frakkin' excuses. I am NOT happy about this turn of events, and I'm hoping to haul my ass back to the gym tomorrow for a lifting day. We'll see though. I also have a doctor's appointment.
I have no idea where to pick things up with the program - ok, that's not true, I do have SOME idea. I just mean that I've lost all sense of having progression in my program. I realize that trying to lift heavy has made me a slave to my spotter, and also to the philosophy that if I'm not feeling strong, I shouldn't go in at all. For some reason, on days when I've been sore and run down, my instinct has been to stay in bed and not tough it out. I suspect it's the unwillingness to see myself unable to meet the requirements of the training for the day. Funny how in a program where I was not even lifting to failure, I think I may have been too caught up in fearing failure!
Beyond that, I also have been fighting against the conflicting goals that I've set up for myself in training, nutrition, and life in general. I can't lift heavy if I got banged up on a mountain. I can't function in work, on the ice, or anywhere else if I'm not eating enough (so instead, I've been on the world's longest non-existent cut, though I have been losing fat at least).
I have been playing hockey, though not nearly enough. I have been snowboarding, though not nearly enough. I have been...<cringe> working, and it's been both too much AND not nearly enough. Sigh.
I have this idea: We should retire when we are young. Then when we are older, we can go back and work. Oh, how I would love to skate and lift and ride and paddle and climb and run and even swim (yeah, yeah - maybe not - hehe) now, day-in, day-out. For now, I can only hope to sneak in more of these moments...