My Debut Novel!

So, as I said in my original post, I like to write in my spare time.  I recently published my debut novel on Kindle, so you should definitely check it out!  If you don't have a Kindle, don't worry, you can download a free App to put Kindle books on Ipads, Iphones, or computers as well as other devices. You can find paperback copies at Barnes & Noble, Seagull Books, or Dragon Scale Publishing.

I don't want to lift anymore...

I thought it might help those of you who struggle to see that all of us struggle with motivation.  Some days it is worse than others.  (Heck, some weeks or months are worse than others.)  Many factors affect our motivation, and our focus in the gym, and sometimes none of the tricks work to get us psyched up to workout.  Today, I had little desire to workout.  What motivation I had quickly evaporated after a (self-perceived) miserable attempt to max out on squats.

This week started off great, I even added a cardio session in the mornings before breakfast to accelerate the war on my bodyfat.  Then... I stopped... everything.  I missed the cardio sessions, I delayed workouts, skipped one of my leg days, and ate like a freaking horse.  I even started drinking soda, which I haven't done for years.  I also got a ridiculously tiny amount of sleep.  So, how did I push through- what helped me regain my groove?

I haven't.  I want to quit.

It would be a lot easier to just sit on my butt and play video games, or watch movies.  I might even be able to do productive hobbies like writing... but either way I don't want to go back to the gym.  And, I don't want to care about what kind, or how much food I eat.

However, I knew there would be days like this. So, here are a few tricks I use to keep on fighting when none of my normal tricks, music, or motivational tapes help and all of me wants to quit. 

I push through as best I can, accept the fact that I'm human, and allow myself to have a reset button- like the old nintendo :)  When I only got 425 on my squats today I was ready to quit.  I hung up my belt and started packing up my bag.  Then I thought- well, the bar is already here, and I have the weight on it already.  I may as well do some front squats, they are fun.

So I did.

Then afterwards I thought, well now I can go home.

Then I saw the leg extension and leg curl machines.  "Well, if I do single leg sets and just alternate through without any rest, I can bust out a few sets without adding a ton of time here."

So I hit "reset" again.

I also added Calf and Ab exercises the same way.  I looked for ways to alter my original routine, and shorten the time I spent in the gym.  By the time I was done, I had hit each muscle that had originally been on my agenda, and I felt good about the work I did.  Best part- I left the gym 35 minutes earlier than normal and went for a walk, enjoying the nice spring weather.

There are always days when we want to do nothing, but if we try to do something we will thank ourselves later on.  So when you are ready to quit and nothing is working- just think of your "stuck program" as being an old nintendo game.  Blow the dust out of the cartridge and hit reset.  Often times the game will work just fine after that.

However, we don't need to push through full bore when we're am experiencing deep lulls in our excitement level.  So, if resetting isn't enough to recapture the fire, mix things up a bit.  If you have been using only weights, try some bodyweight workouts, or use a system like the Elite Rings Freestyle Trainer.  You can even throw Exercise Bands into the mix.

Keep the sessions shorter too.  No need to tax your system by drudging through endless sets- we already discussed that mindless sets won't help you anyway.  So, accelerate your workout.  Superset your exercises, cut back to one or two exercises per muscle group so that you can still hit everything in a shorter amount of time.  True, it isn't the best way to workout, but it is much better than doing nothing at all.

Do I want to work out next week- no, not really.  My fire isn't back yet.  But after reflecting on my workout, and this post- I can see the positive results.  My 425 squat may not be a PR, but it is 20 pounds more than I got 17 days ago.  That's exciting!  I also feel proud that I did a workout instead of feeling guilty for skipping it- which helps with positive reinforcement... so, will I be at the gym come Monday?

The spark in my legs says "yes."

Hitting the Legs... Again

     So, as another couple weeks has gone by since I significantly changed up my program- I am moving on to a new cycle.  Specifically I am going to train hard for some strength gains.  This means I will be using heavier poundages than I have in the past to achieve optimal results.  Just as Spring brings new life to the Earth, it is time for me to wake up the power that has been dormant within me.  I am going to use a variation of my High School program that ultimately earned me a top ten ranking in a state powerlifting competition and see how many goals I can check off at the end of the month.  Below is a sampling of today's leg workout- later this week I will upload my favorite bench program -it is almost guaranteed to add 10-20 pounds to your max if done correctly!

Happy Lifting!

1

Barbell Full Squats

SET 01

REPS: 135 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 1 min 0 sec

SET 02

REPS: 225 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 1 min 0 sec

SET 03

REPS: 265 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 2 min 0 sec

SET 04

REPS: 330 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 2 min 0 sec

SET 05

REPS: 395 Lbs. x 3

total weight: 5,960 Lbs.
total reps: 23

Rest Between Exercises 0 min 45 sec

2

Front Barbell Squat

SET 01

REPS: 135 Lbs. x 6

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 02

REPS: 135 Lbs. x 6

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 03

REPS: 135 Lbs. x 6 total weight: 2,430 Lbs.
total reps: 18

Rest Between Exercises 0 min 45 sec

3

Narrow Stance Leg Press

SET 01

REPS: 225 Lbs. x 12

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 02

REPS: 225 Lbs. x 12

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 03

REPS: 225 Lbs. x 12 total weight: 8,100 Lbs.
total reps: 36

Rest Between Exercises 0 min 45 sec

4

Leg Extensions

SET 01

REPS: 90 Lbs. x 6

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 02

REPS: 90 Lbs. x 6

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 03

REPS: 90 Lbs. x 6 total weight: 1,620 Lbs.
total reps: 18

Rest Between Exercises 0 min 45 sec

5

Barbell Deadlift

EXERCISE DETAILS:

SET 01

REPS: 225 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 1 min 0 sec

SET 02

REPS: 285 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 2 min 0 sec

SET 03

REPS: 352 Lbs. x 5

Rest Between Sets 2 min 0 sec

SET 04

REPS: 418 Lbs. x 2

Rest Between Sets 2 min 0 sec

SET 05

REPS: 285 Lbs. x 3 total weight: 6,001 Lbs.
total reps: 20

Rest Between Exercises 0 min 45 sec

6

Lying Leg Curls

SET 01

REPS: 90 Lbs. x 6

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 02

REPS: 66 Lbs. x 8 total weight: 1,068 Lbs.
total reps: 14

Rest Between Exercises 0 min 45 sec

7

Exercise Ball Pull-In

SET 01

REPS: 235 Lbs. x 10

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 02

REPS: 235 Lbs. x 10

Rest Between Sets 0 min 45 sec

SET 03

REPS: 235 Lbs. x 10 total reps: 30

Blasting the legs...

So here is a quick post outlining today's gym session.  These aren't heavy poundages for me, but I am currently rotating through a medium difficulty working load.  So I am shooting to keep the pace fast while bringing out some good growth and definition.  This is a great leg routine- so I thought I would share it with you.  Feel free to adapt the working load to lighter or heavier depending on your goals, and you can also switch the exercise order if you wish.  (Though I recommend doing squats before deadlifts, otherwise you will be too tired to do meaningful squats.) 

Squats                                                   135*15
                                                              195*12
                                                              225*10
                                                              235*8

Single Leg Leg-Press                            135*12
                                                              135*12
                                                              135*12

Leg Extension                                        45*12
                                                                45*12
                                                                45*12

Deadlift                                                 310*10
                                                              310*8
                                                              310*6

Leg Curl                                                45*12
                                                              45*12
                                                              45*12

Standing Calf Raise Machine
                                                                66*15
                                                               66*15
                                                               66*15

Exercise Ball Pull-in                             Bwt*8
                                                              Bwt*8
                                                              Bwt*8

Single leg Standing Calf Raise Machine
                                                                66*10
                                                                 66*10
                                                                 66*10
Hip Thrust
                                                              Bwt*8
                                                              Bwt*8
                                                              Bwt*8
Crunch Machine
                                                              77*15
                                                              77*15
                                                              77*15
Standing Cable wood chop
                                                              77*10
                                                              77*10
                                                              77*10
Elliptical Interval Training-              20 Mins.