Funny how everyone goes through this thought process. It turns into now or never pretty much every day!
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Yup. Some days I CAN make it work, which is actually one of the reasons Iām not digging Specificity, haha. With Operator or Grey Man, I can slide a day to the right and make it up, but with specificity, if I try that, there is a domino effect.
But pretty much, every morning, my first thought is āhow AWAKE do I need to be today?ā Iāll roll through whatever meetings I have, and think about āAm I in send or receive mode for thisā. And if itās a light day, I figure I may as well get up and train, and I can be sleepy at work, haha.
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Your deadlift sets are amazing to watch! Awesome work as always man!
Just curious what time do you get to bed most nights?
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@DJoftheJungle1 Hey thanks so much man!
I get to sleep a little after 2200 on most nights, especially middle of the week with Tang Soo Do. We TRY for 2100, but quite often fail in that regard, haha.
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Thatās awesome man. I know itās tough to get to bed at 2100 as beneficial as it would be! I was on a very similar schedule for the past 2 years after we had our first child and the only time I could get workouts in was 4AM.
It always felt good to get that out of the way and start the day with a good training session!
Always amazes me that still the main excuse a lot of people I talk to have is the classic āI donāt have time to work outāā¦find that VERY hard to believe especially for people who donāt have a family.
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@DJoftheJungle1 Yup. We all get the same 24 hours. We ALL have the time: itās a question of what we prioritize WITH that time. I say āI donāt prioritize thatā, instead, because it puts the onus of control on me. I made a decision on what my priorities are. I currently have a BUNCH of sealed playstation 4 games that Iāll most likely never actually play: I bought them because they were a good deal and didnāt strategize actually finding time to play them, but I know itās a reflection of my priorities. And hey: maybe theyāll gain in value! Haha.
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Yes, totally agreed itās on the person to set priorities! How people donāt see health/strength as a priority is mind boggling though. I guess it has to do with you donāt see the negative effects of it until later in life most of the time so itās easy to squeak by if youāre not doing anything physically demanding.
LOL at your un-opened video games, will be vintage and I wouldnāt doubt valuable in the future if itās some nostalgic titles.
Also, just saw your blog as wellā¦.bookmarked!
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iāve had this conversation So many times with mates who dont train.
āI dont know how you have the time, i work 10 hours!ā.
Yeah? , ok call it 13 hours of your day taken by work and ancilleries, travel, prep, maybe the grocery store or whatever. Sleep 8. WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE OTHER THREE HOURS! Kids are in bed by 8ā¦head into the garageā¦or get up at 5 instead of 6.
Just give me 45 minutes a day, man.
(says the guy who works from home and literally has three different time periods to train to choose from, LOL).
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Just give me 45 minutes a day, man.
And heck, even THAT is a luxurious amount of time. The return on investment on exercise is ridiculous. My Valkyrie is currently running with 3 days a week, 20 minutes per workout, and seeing great progress. Throw in some 10 minute walks with your meals and youāre in excess of the 150 minutes of cardio the AHA recommends.
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Its a funny thing.
When a meidcal professional, or anyone really, asks me if i exercise alot, i always react with an āi could do moreā, and genuinely mean it.
But the reality of the amount is Considerably higher than most people. 3x10 minute walks are mandatory for me (meals), PLUS taking the doggos out twice per day for various lengths, plus lifting, plus random lap swimming sessions 1-2 per week when motivatedā¦
We all do quite alot, and have done for so long, that its become who we are (referencing the identity conversation above), so much so, that we dont notice most of itā¦
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I honestly have no idea how this is possible. Salute
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I think most people donāt realize that the negative effects are the negative effects. Like constantly catching colds, endless brain fog, horrible sleep, not to mention the āunexplainedā weight gain and cranky joints. I never really realized how bad I felt until I didnāt. I was 33 before I realized that painful knees and low back werenāt normal for a person of my age. Unless of course you are obese. Then itās pretty normal.
Most of the people I work with think Iām crazy. I get up at 4:00 and do a full workout before I go to work. But then Iām also in bed by 8:00. Lol. I donāt have trouble finding time in my days because I donāt watch TV anymore. Total time suck and it makes me lazy. Iām always amused by people with āno timeā who can recap the entire season of The Real Housewives (or whatever reality crap people are watching these days).
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@simo74 Much appreciated dude! I attribute my background as a trumpet player helping, haha. Itās a big exercise in blood pressure.
This is SO huge. I was the same way, as are so many others. We get told so many things are just a part of getting older, when they really really arenāt. You donāt NEED to be in pain, to have indigestion, to have achy joints with no cause, low energy, etc etc. And whatās even more incredible is when we finally rise above all that and think we feel āgoodā, only to learn that what weāre feeling is actually just ānormalā.
Nutrition Recap
No photo of breakfast, but it was a repeat of yesterday. For dinner, my kidās school was doing āCookās Night Outā at Red Robin. I got 4 burger patties, cooked āmediumā, but these were honestly like rare. Incredibly pink and cool. Still quite yummy. Paired it alongside 3 leftover scrambled eggs. Also had the leftover half patty with some American cheese and bacon from my kidās burger.
I love how easy it is to eat this way.
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Check marks seemed too hard so I just made the text bold for the points that hit me. I honestly donāt know how to combat these things. My training is still pretty decent. I have programming ADD but I still prioritize the traditional big lifts and then do whatever I want for supplemental stuff. Itās not too far off from some of Wendlerās 5/3/1 templates. I have even been consistent with cardio via the sled (2x week minimum since January) or elliptical (last couple weeks). Could I do more? Yes. But I agree with Dan John about that - to reach the next level would require 20x the investment instead of just a bit more so itās not worth it.
Iād love to figure out the poor sleep and achy joints, though.
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I meant this in reference to when it is poor life choices causing it. Iām not sure you fit into that category. Lol. Sorry if I offended.
@Frank_C Achy joints and brain fog could be the result of chronic inflammation. Poor sleep could be anything from magnesium deficiency to declining testosterone/elevated cortisol. Exercise is awesome, as you noted, reaching the next level is quite a leap, such that the training really just has to be āenoughā rather than optimal. In turn, the return on investment isnāt really enough to cure a lot of our ailments, but it certainly keeps us in a better spot.
PM WORKOUT (1515)
TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 4
SSB Squat
4x10x295
Lever belt squat
4x10x215
Axle strict press
2x10x138
8x138
7+4+1x138
(3) DB incline bench
4x10x75s
Dips
4x17
Notes:
- This time I COULD find a way to train in the afternoon. We had crazy windstorms last night, which the Valkyrie isnāt a fan of, and I decided to stay in bed with her vs get up and train. My schedule had the flexibility to allow me to train in the afternoon, and with this ball buster of a workout, it was a great call to do so. Coming in well fed with some coffee in my blood had me attacking the weights.
- Rested 1 minute between sets on the squats, which is always terrible, and then 60-90-120 on the press, 90-90-120 on the incline, and 1 minute on the dips.
- Knee felt outstanding. Felt like I was just squatting: not squatting hurt. Was able to move much faster and smoother in turn.
- Still had to keep tight on schedule here, and it kept me honest.
- Weighed in at 85.3kg this morning. Got in a 1:20 hold yesterday. Tang Soo Do was another 12 days of Christmas style workout. Final class for the year tonight.
Nutrition Recap
Breakfast was a repeat of this week, and dinner was another leftovers night with 5 scrambled eggs with Amish butter and a massive amount of kalua pork. I actually went back for a little more after this plateful.
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AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 5
Chins (various grips)
5x12
DB rows
4x10x140
Axle curls
2x10x81
2x8+2x81
GHRs
4x10x60
ASSISTANCE
GHR sit ups
3x10
Reverse hyper/band pull aparts superset circuit
3x15x360/50
Notes:
- This workout continues to be a good idea. Iāve got 3 absolutely brutal workouts in Specificity, and then this one is a little more true to intent. The chins get me a solid pump and help reinforce movement patterns on the row, and ultimately I feel more restored. Itās also MUCH easier to talk myself into doing this.
- Rested 1 minute between chins, and as long as I needed to get the total reps. 1 minute on rows, 60-90-90 on curls, 1 minute on GHRs and sit ups.
- Tang Soo Do was a good workout last night, and we did some board breaks as well. There was a lot of short stopping on runs, which put my right knee in a bad way, especially after the squat workout. Iāve used motrin twice this week, and my guts are a little torn up. My doc suggested that I may have a CYP2C9 polymorphism, which would honestly explain quite a bit. Also would be why I am a very poor responder to general anesthesia.
- Weighed in at 85.2kg this morning. This is the first week Iāve stayed above 85kg the whole week. The gaining has been successful, despite no tracking, counting, and only eating carbs for 1 meal a week, along with only 2 meals a day in general. Thereās honestly too many ways to succeed.
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No offense taken. You made good points and a couple hit home for me. Iām on a journey to defeat chronic back pain and my first couple of PT sessions have been mostly stretching and mobility. Itās frustratingly simple, but itās making me sore. Itās a reminder of how the simple things can sneak up on us over time. I also thought of a silly meme I saw the other day:
-
People who exercise a lot get knee pain from overdoing it
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People who only exercise occasionally get knee injuries from being unprepared for the exertion
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People who donāt exercise get knee injuries from being out of shape
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Maybe knees just suck.
I might need to get some of this. It might help with the cramping issues Iāve had, too.
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Looking swole. Good job!
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I believe this is as true a statement as I have ever heard. Lol.
I canāt believe the amount of pain that I have reduced with a solid routine of stretching and foam rolling. I also get a massage once a month, but that is more a work related thing. There is no doubt that I can tell for sure when I have been neglecting my mobility. I have also found that cutting out processed food and grains helps my entire body.
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