This is an awesome write-up that I think so many people, myself included, struggle with. I’ll find myself coming back to this often.
It’s an interesting social struggle. My friends are all still more into the heavy drinking life (healthy all week then binges every weekend or so), and I am becoming less interested due to my physical goals. Not to say that I don’t have fun doing it, so I often find myself caught in between and that struggle can be a strain both physically and mentally.
I find myself with a similar schedule to @rugby_lifting, although sometimes its not even what I really want to be doing at the end of the day.
Good conversation on here guys, will be following along
I used to think this was true for what we do in the gym.
It is not.
There are precisely 0 people with desirable physiques that only do the 80%. Feel free to use this board as an example.
The 20% I’m missing out on is sleep and stress. I train hard as hell, eat precisely what I need to, even take a good bit of drugs to help me along the way.
So what’s holding me back? The 20% I’m not doing.
I wish the pareto principle worked in the gym. It does, but only to a point. Most of us here are beyond that point.
If you can really stick to this, I do believe you can make progress. Minus the drinking, this is quite close to what my coach has me on.
Consider changing a whole cheat day out for a cheat meal though. 1 meal can undo a whole week’s deficit for me; you may be like this too. Particularly with added calories from drinking included - I would tighten it up a bit.
I’m really happy to hear this man, truly. I read through 123 magic a few months after you did, and it aligns with a lot of what I’ve been learning for myself.
Feel free to discuss anything along these lines whenever you want. I genuinely enjoy discussion about men self-actualizing.
@simo74 I’m with you dude. I just give myself a free pass at big events and have a problem of not being able to stop once I start. I foolishly justify it with a “well I never do this anymore anyway so I deserve it”. From a zoomed out view it’s a bit “deserve what? hell for 2 days afterwards and almost a full week of horrible gym sessions”. I am fully aware of this and not fully the finished article yet.
@Stormblessed, that’s nice to read. I was a 4-5 night a week drinker in what sounds like a similar situation - it’s almost most like the pub was a personality for my friends and I. If my left hand was drinking and my right hand was the gym, at the beginning the left hand would be held up high for priority, the right hand quite low. Over time as I chased more progress and self-development my left hand would slow drop down as the right hand would raise. Now, several years later the right hand is sky high and the left hand may aswell be in my pocket 99% of the time.
@Andrewgen_Receptors , It’s not that you are wrong with what you say for yourself, you have higher goals than many and this is totally commendable. However I do disagree on a wider scale. 80% will get most of the population to where they want to be - in decent shape and feeling healthy in body and mind. In my first post here about drinking I implied that a priority needs to be chosen if the requried goals excede a current lifestyle - so I do agree with the premise of what you’re saying. You say “0 people with desirable physiques that only do the 80” and then confess to missing out on the 20%. BUT you have a desirable physique for 99% of the people you walk past on the street every day. You want to reach a higher echelon, and that’s wicked. If I, or anyone else here choses things destructive to that such as drinking, then we have to accept that our ceilings are very different. It does not mean these people cannot get to a place where they feel happy and healthy in close to all of lifes areas.
I totally understand this and also understand the total lack of control once you start drinking too. I am flying back to the UK on Saturday and drinking is such a big part of my family and friends identity. I faced time my dad a few days ago and the first question he asked me was “what beer do you like ?” I know it’s his way of saying he cares cause he wants me to have a good time, and for him having a good time must include drinking beer.
I will meet up with some old school friends when I am there and 100% that will be in a pub, I have a family wedding to go to and that will be a great excuse for everyone to get mullured. I will have a few drinks but will spend more time declining drink than not.
It just seems to be a way of life and I totally get @rugby_lifting not wanting to totally give it up.
DB Slight incline press
44kg DBs x 8
40kg DBs x 10
36kg DBs x 7 Booooo!!! I increased reps on my 1st and 2nd set but lost on my last one
pull Ups - 24 reps with 25 seconds rest between sets
x 4 x 4 x 4 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3
Weighted Dips
15kg x 6
7.5kg x 8
2.5kg x 10
HS seated Row
52kg Each side x 8
47kg Each side x 10
42kg Each side x 12
Lat raises
16kg DBs x 7
14kg DBs x 9
12kg DBs x 11
Tricep rope pushdowns
35kg x 25
45kg x 15
55kg x 10
I went to an Indian Sizzler place in Coventry last night for dinner with me mates and it was epic. I basically starved myself all day and ate a massive portion of Indian spiced meat and chilli chips. Its what dreams are made of!
Kind of but at that place the masala chips are dry and the chilli chips are wet (as in coated in a chilli herby spice mixture) and taste amazing! Not sure on the calorie content but they were worth it for the 1/2 portion i had.
BB Incline Press - no improvement on last week
85kg x 6
75kg x 8
65kg x 10
Chins - 24 reps with 25 seconds rest
x 4 x 4 x 4 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3
Viking Press - need to lower the weights as the reps are dropping between sets too much (i dropped the weight on the 3rd set today)
66kg x 6
61kg x 7
46kg x 10
Seated Cable Row
96kg x 7
84kg x 9
75kg x 11
Cable Fly
6 weight
x 12 x 12
OH Cable tricep extension
10 weight x 12 x 8
Felt very fatigued this morning but had a good enjoyable session.
I’ve got a stag do in Blackpool this weekend, its going to be interesting!
Well Blackpool was fun but i feel a right state now. I missed my workout this morning as i slept through my alarm. I’m not even going to go through what i drank and ate, but needless to pay i spent a lot of money i don’t have and drank all day on Friday and Saturday.
Back into a deficit today, feel just terrible though, recovering from two days drinking is hard at this age.
Laying tricep ez bar skull crushers - burn out set
20kg x 20 reps
Something different today but i enjoyed it.I didn’t enjoy showering and then dripping with sweat as i got dressed for work. My gym shower area is sooooo warm its ridiculous. Might have to start putting a t-shirt on afterwards then changing into a shirt once i get to work.
DB slight incline Press
42kg DBs x 8
38kg DBs x 10
34kg DBs x 8
Weighted Dips
15kg x 8
7.5kg x 10
2.5kg x 8
HS Seated Row
40kg Each side x 12 x 11 x 10
Viking Press
56kg x 10 x 8 x 6
Lat Pull Down
691kg x 6 (corrected to 91kg)
84kg x 8
77kg x 8
Really felt my energy go after the first two sets of most exercises but i am in a deficit and it is balls hot at the moment so i’m tanking a bit.
I’ve enjoyed doing a power/ strength session one day and 2 hypertrophy sessions (final one tomorrow) this week. Might look into that to change things up a bit.
