For what it’s worth, I totally get it. If core lifts felt crappy, I would not count it a good workout either.
(And a slight injury on top is not exactly helping.)
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I totally get it, because I do it myself, just amuses me to see.
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Took yesterday off, was in too poor shape even for 20 minutes with Bob. The combination of a lower back muscle pull and the significant ab pain from the ab rollouts the day before…I felt like I had been on the wrong side of a boxing match where someone just worked over my entire midsection.
Back is feeling a bit better today, but it is supposed to be squat day, so that is TBD. I will make it a gametime decision and just do upper body pulling if I judge I am not up to squatting.
Also kinda coming around to the idea that I may have to consume a few more calories if I want to go further. I am very near or equal to my upper body PRs at this particulary bodyweight (hovering between 81 and 82 currently), so I might need to consider adding a few more kilos. I mean, I am a social shut-in and it’s still a pandemic out there, so it isn’t like I have anyone to impress with my otherwise lithe physique (hah). So is this the start of Operation Fat Gainz? Contemplating it.
Downsides there are health concerns. My resting heart rate has already skyrocketed up to 54 bpm, and yes, that is high for me. BP is generally ok. I am trying to be mindful of making sure I am doing enough cardio, but so far, being mindful hasn’t translated into enough actual cardio sessions. Been doing about twice a week, need to make that 3 or 4 a week.
Anyway, just thinking out loud. Or actually not, as I was just typing it silently instead.
Lessons learned over the past few days:
- Brace your damn self if you are going to do Kroc Rows. Or don’t do them.
- Don’t overdo the ab rolls when you have not done them for a while. Still do them, just don’t be dumb.
- Consider getting fat
- Stop being a whiny bitch.
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2-3 extra kilo over a few months will make for big gains. Health indicators won’t budge much I reckon and long term detriment almost negligible compared to the thrill of gains. Aesthetics won’t suffer much for a few kilos and is quick to cut when desired
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Do it, come over to the dark side.
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Haha, I love those old articles.
I have some redlines I won’t cross, though. If I get too fat to be able to do bunches of PUs and MUs, then I will have gone too far. I cannot tell you how enjoyable it is to be able to do a strict muscle up that appeared to take no effort.
Good. Don’t. That’s called showing off.
@Frank_C 's approach is a solid one for this: earn your lifting with cardio beforehand. I’m the same way with nutrition: I eat my vegetables before I eat anything else, because otherwise I’ll just not eat them. They don’t have to be brutal cardio sessions, but even just a 10 minute walk can add up. You can tag them on the back-end of the session too if you’re diligent. Then it’s a fine place to add in something quick and exhaustive, like interval work.
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My conditioning improved noticeably when I just added 10mins of conditioning every lifting session, very few of them balls to the wall. Straight out of Brian’s Alsruhes programming.
And I’m aware I’m misquoting pwn to make my point here.
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Yeah, I won’t lie, J’s cardio buy-in thingy is yet another thing I am consider stealing from him. There are sometimes time and/or logistical issues that I have been using as poor excuses to not doing it, I just have to figure it out.
The excuses ring all the more poorly when I tell you that Bob is literally standing at the end of my sofa.
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I’ve really dug Tabata rounds of straights on the BAS after upper body work. Totally burns out the shoulders, and everyone has 4 minutes to workout, haha.
Tabata burpees are another classic for just that reason.
I completely get it. We never seem to have time for the stuff that isn’t fun. It’s why I have to pick the “just 4 minutes” sorta stuff. I realize I’ll most likely spend 5 minutes arguing with myself why I don’t have 4 minutes to do burpees.
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Showing off bits aside, I have actually found a HUGE benefit in…how to put it…making things harder in order to make them appear easier ™. In regards to PUs especially. Iso holds. Slow reps. Super slow reps. Super super slow reps. Super super slow reps behind the neck. While doing those things can be hard as it is, making them appear to be easy is even harder. Does that make sense? The end result is that the regular ordinary movement becomes very trivial.
I try to do the same with MUs, but that is a higher degree of difficulty altogether.
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Funny read. I’m as big as I’ve ever been. Probably as much I can maintain. Definitely mad gains and good fun but like articles says some cons also. My hard to be fluffy and less aesthetic and abs and bullshit
So you’re saying that girl who spots your bench also wipes yer bum?
Careful Pwn before you know it you will eat all you food in a specific order like me 
Been doing that since I was a kid. Zero plans to stop now. I don’t understand people that eat different parts through out the meal.
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Calls me fat 
.
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Haha, I used to do that, but somehow got away from it.
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Even worse my mother in law has what she calls the perfect bite which is a small amount of everything in your plate on your fork at the same time. It takes her so long to eat a meal I have usually eaten and done all the washing up before she is halfway through.’
I used to finish squat sessions with these. I’d use the bar and add weight if I could hit 15 or more reps on the last round.
I’ve been mixing hugh intensity stuff that sucks with 10 minutes on the elliptical. It’s keeping me sane. The elliptical days are “bad” days but it’s still better than nothing.
I’m considering trying some CF WODs, too. Cardio with weights is always fun.
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