Injuries suck. A lot.
Its been a couple of weeks now since I managed to mess with my shoulder.
Since then my rehab has been 2 steps forward 1 step back. Slow and painful. And I don't have much patience when it comes to injuries in the first place.
But, at last, I seem to be making some progress.
An added benefit of the rehab is that some of the overworked areas are getting a rest. It remains to be seen whether this helps me out later as I attempt to get some real structural balance.
The main thing that you have to accept when injured is that training really is a longterm pursuit. Sure, my goals for the year have had a setback, but if I apply what I've learned during this time, I'm sure I will end up better.
An injury forces you to take stock of where you really are, and find out what mistakes you might be making.
If you use this to your advantage, you can still be successful. Even if it takes another year or two to get there.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Monday, 2 April 2012
A Workout Update
By now you may have noticed that I have not posted a workout in a while.
Firstly, I was laid low by the Spanish Influenza. At least it felt that bad.
But, I bounced back, and went at it with my training. But, there is a catch.
I was questioning the validity of my training paradigm. Not the effectiveness of 531 or 5x5.
Rather, I was questioning whether it was the best for me. And I was thinking long term.
My shoulder is not happy with the low-bar position, or with overhead pressing.
My lower back has started to talk to me in language I've never heard before.
In short, I felt like I was barreling along toward an early retirement from training. That is unacceptable.
At the same time, I was reading some prehab\rehab\injury prevention type stuff. One article stood out.
"21 Exercises For Injury-free Mass" by Bret Contreras.
Its geared toward the man made of glass, which isn't me, but it gave me an idea.
What if I used the big exercises to "test" my strength, and stuck to safer versions to "train" it?
Could it work if I only had to load up the barbell and strain once a month? (Less exposure).
Could the "safe" exercises still help me to improve, but save me from further injury?
It was a theory that I had to test, as there are several advantages:
1. No injuries means more training time.
2. Less spinal loading means increased recovery.
3. Less chance to grow stale on the big exercises.
Yes, there are negatives, like not getting practice at the specific lifts. Nothing is perfect.
I've put together a simple A-B Split using the exercises from the article.
The plan is still geared more towards a 5-rep strength approach (with a bit of hypertrophy thrown in).
I'll go for one cycle of 4 weeks, then retest my strength and see where I am.
Hopefully the same-but-different exercises I chose will work.
Time will tell...
Firstly, I was laid low by the Spanish Influenza. At least it felt that bad.
But, I bounced back, and went at it with my training. But, there is a catch.
I was questioning the validity of my training paradigm. Not the effectiveness of 531 or 5x5.
Rather, I was questioning whether it was the best for me. And I was thinking long term.
My shoulder is not happy with the low-bar position, or with overhead pressing.
My lower back has started to talk to me in language I've never heard before.
In short, I felt like I was barreling along toward an early retirement from training. That is unacceptable.
At the same time, I was reading some prehab\rehab\injury prevention type stuff. One article stood out.
"21 Exercises For Injury-free Mass" by Bret Contreras.
Its geared toward the man made of glass, which isn't me, but it gave me an idea.
What if I used the big exercises to "test" my strength, and stuck to safer versions to "train" it?
Could it work if I only had to load up the barbell and strain once a month? (Less exposure).
Could the "safe" exercises still help me to improve, but save me from further injury?
It was a theory that I had to test, as there are several advantages:
1. No injuries means more training time.
2. Less spinal loading means increased recovery.
3. Less chance to grow stale on the big exercises.
Yes, there are negatives, like not getting practice at the specific lifts. Nothing is perfect.
I've put together a simple A-B Split using the exercises from the article.
The plan is still geared more towards a 5-rep strength approach (with a bit of hypertrophy thrown in).
I'll go for one cycle of 4 weeks, then retest my strength and see where I am.
Hopefully the same-but-different exercises I chose will work.
Time will tell...
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Shifting Goalposts
One of the biggest problems in fitness is failure to achieve goals. Almost as bad is achieving a goal when it no longer matters. In other words, the anticlimax achievement.
It doesn't happen often, because goals are seldom achieved, but when it happens it can be just as demoralising as failure to achieve.
So how did you end up here?
When you sat down and mapped out a plan to achieve your goal, you quite simply set your sights on the wrong thing. You love lifting heavy weights, but somehow ended up thinking a 4-minute mile was a great goal. The thing is, you don't actually care whether you can run a sub-4 1600m.
Can you say "Anticlimax"?
Your goals must represent who you are and what you want to achieve.
They can't be a flavour of the month. You must still burn with desire to achieve your goals when next month, or next season comes around. They must be worth striving for, even if it takes years to achieve them.
This is difficult in a world where we are conditoned to desire the next big thing as soon as we have the current big thing. If that is who you are, perhaps you should just goal-set very short-term.
"If I get 5 reps, then I can have a cookie!" Good luck with that.
Real goals, and real achievement take time and effort. Diligence and perseverance are the watchwords.
Make sure that the goal you set is what you really want, then apply yourself.
"The more you sweat in peace time, the less you bleed in war"
It doesn't happen often, because goals are seldom achieved, but when it happens it can be just as demoralising as failure to achieve.
So how did you end up here?
When you sat down and mapped out a plan to achieve your goal, you quite simply set your sights on the wrong thing. You love lifting heavy weights, but somehow ended up thinking a 4-minute mile was a great goal. The thing is, you don't actually care whether you can run a sub-4 1600m.
Can you say "Anticlimax"?
Your goals must represent who you are and what you want to achieve.
They can't be a flavour of the month. You must still burn with desire to achieve your goals when next month, or next season comes around. They must be worth striving for, even if it takes years to achieve them.
This is difficult in a world where we are conditoned to desire the next big thing as soon as we have the current big thing. If that is who you are, perhaps you should just goal-set very short-term.
"If I get 5 reps, then I can have a cookie!" Good luck with that.
Real goals, and real achievement take time and effort. Diligence and perseverance are the watchwords.
Make sure that the goal you set is what you really want, then apply yourself.
"The more you sweat in peace time, the less you bleed in war"
Monday, 19 March 2012
Non-Invulnerability
Oh to be immune to disease!
I would sell parts of my anatomy if I could just be immune to disease. Ok, I doubt I would actually part with pieces of me. But, maybe if I it comes in pairs, or has no real function I would go for it.
I have been laid low by another opportunistic infection. An invader has once again breached my once-potent defenses. I am become normal. Average. Yuk.
I feel that I must be overlooking some key to my health. I have been strong and resistant for several months. It is not yet winter, so why are my ramparts proving ineffective?
It is a quandary. And if I had a log of everything I ate and did for the last few months, perhaps I would see a pattern. But, I don't. Bummer. I will just have to stumble around and hope to hit on the solution.
At least I have a training log. So when it comes to training I can look back and see what works and what doesn't.
Now if only I was healthy enough to train!
I would sell parts of my anatomy if I could just be immune to disease. Ok, I doubt I would actually part with pieces of me. But, maybe if I it comes in pairs, or has no real function I would go for it.
I have been laid low by another opportunistic infection. An invader has once again breached my once-potent defenses. I am become normal. Average. Yuk.
I feel that I must be overlooking some key to my health. I have been strong and resistant for several months. It is not yet winter, so why are my ramparts proving ineffective?
It is a quandary. And if I had a log of everything I ate and did for the last few months, perhaps I would see a pattern. But, I don't. Bummer. I will just have to stumble around and hope to hit on the solution.
At least I have a training log. So when it comes to training I can look back and see what works and what doesn't.
Now if only I was healthy enough to train!
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Balancing Wants And Needs
When it comes to training we usually focus on our wants. Our goals seldom revolve around what we need.
That is not necessarily a bad thing from a certain point of view. I've written before on methods that will make your goals more necessary from an achievement perspective. Today I'm referring to the content of your training sessions as you pursue those goals.
For example: I need to do more stretching, but I want to do more direct arm work.
Once you have laid out your goals, you will quickly realise that you have a limited amount of time in which to accomplish them. (Unless you are a shiftless layabout with stacks of cash and loads of time). For most employed people it will come down to balancing your time with what you need to do to reach your goals.
Generally there will be some boring but necessary stuff that will need to be in your program.
Next you can add in those things that directly support and lead to achievement of the goal.
Now, if you have any space left you can squeeze in the things you want to do, but aren't really tied to your goals.
This is hard for some people to deal with. They prefer to just do the fun stuff. Well, its up to you, but you can't blame anyone if you never get anywhere.
If you want to remain healthy, and be in this for life, then there are some things you should pay attention to, before they turn into big problems:
Flexibility and Mobility.
Left-to-Right, Front-to-Back balance.
Core strength.
As long as you maintain these you will be less prone to injury and more likely to keep training for a long time.
Yes, we want many things, but often we don't need them in order to achieve our goals.
Make sure that the things you need are in place, after that feel free to add what you want.
That is not necessarily a bad thing from a certain point of view. I've written before on methods that will make your goals more necessary from an achievement perspective. Today I'm referring to the content of your training sessions as you pursue those goals.
For example: I need to do more stretching, but I want to do more direct arm work.
Once you have laid out your goals, you will quickly realise that you have a limited amount of time in which to accomplish them. (Unless you are a shiftless layabout with stacks of cash and loads of time). For most employed people it will come down to balancing your time with what you need to do to reach your goals.
Generally there will be some boring but necessary stuff that will need to be in your program.
Next you can add in those things that directly support and lead to achievement of the goal.
Now, if you have any space left you can squeeze in the things you want to do, but aren't really tied to your goals.
This is hard for some people to deal with. They prefer to just do the fun stuff. Well, its up to you, but you can't blame anyone if you never get anywhere.
If you want to remain healthy, and be in this for life, then there are some things you should pay attention to, before they turn into big problems:
Flexibility and Mobility.
Left-to-Right, Front-to-Back balance.
Core strength.
As long as you maintain these you will be less prone to injury and more likely to keep training for a long time.
Yes, we want many things, but often we don't need them in order to achieve our goals.
Make sure that the things you need are in place, after that feel free to add what you want.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Are You A GAMER
I (re)read an article by Joe Defranco a little while ago.
In that article he
defined what it means to be a GAMER. Basically, he reckons that the people he
trains who have the qualities defined by this acronym are the athletes who are/will be successful.
In a large part I agree:
Goal-oriented. If you dont know where you are going, you are never going to get there. You need to sit down and define those goals.
Accountable. If you dont achieve, you admit your guilt. You are the one who has to drive the process. If you fail fail, its your fault.
Motivated. Sure, Guru-Bob can help raise your motvation, but he wont be there every morning with a speech to psych you up. Ultimately you need to develop the internal drive that will keep you on the road to your goals.
Goal-oriented. If you dont know where you are going, you are never going to get there. You need to sit down and define those goals.
Accountable. If you dont achieve, you admit your guilt. You are the one who has to drive the process. If you fail fail, its your fault.
Motivated. Sure, Guru-Bob can help raise your motvation, but he wont be there every morning with a speech to psych you up. Ultimately you need to develop the internal drive that will keep you on the road to your goals.
Exact. Goal=Method. You train for what you want to
achieve. No messing around with fluff.
Resilient. Every now and then life will kick you between the goalposts and you will fall down. You need to have the strength to stand back up. Setbacks, problems and unforeseen occurrences may slow you down. They should never stop you.
Resilient. Every now and then life will kick you between the goalposts and you will fall down. You need to have the strength to stand back up. Setbacks, problems and unforeseen occurrences may slow you down. They should never stop you.
This list is not a bad place to start looking if you are failing to reach
your goals.
If I think about the number of people I know that have achieved their goals, I realise that its a very short list. Most never get very far.
Are you one of the achiever or one of the dropouts?
In the end its all about you.
If I think about the number of people I know that have achieved their goals, I realise that its a very short list. Most never get very far.
Are you one of the achiever or one of the dropouts?
In the end its all about you.
If you want to read the actual article: Are you a gamer?
Patience
They say patience is a virtue. That means our modern world is not very virtuous.
Everything is about immediate instantaneous results. "six week" abs anyone?
Nobody wants to try the "6 years to a big bench" routine. No thanks, I want to do it in 12 weeks or less.
The same people who avoid setting a 6 year goal, are the same ones who haven't changed very much 6 years later.
I am one of them. I hate long-term. I want results now. This makes it extremely difficult for me to stick to a plan. So, I developed a plan to counteract my lack of patience.
I call it my "long term instant gratification" plan. (Not in public, though).
I take my long-term goals and break them down into specific exercises. Those get targeted with progressions that I can measure. Then I pad some other stuff around that. Currently that is some rehab work on my gimpy shoulder. I may even move things around within the week, but the main exercise will get trained at least once a week, and checked against the goal.
My real desire is to jump around and try everything, but that achieves nothing. Sometimes, even the variety that I have built in is not enough to overcome my impatience to be awesome right now. On those days, I simply have to buckle down and force myself to keep going. A bit of hard graft builds character, I've been told.
Progress is a lifetime pursuit, not a drive-thru takeout order.
.
Everything is about immediate instantaneous results. "six week" abs anyone?
Nobody wants to try the "6 years to a big bench" routine. No thanks, I want to do it in 12 weeks or less.
The same people who avoid setting a 6 year goal, are the same ones who haven't changed very much 6 years later.
I am one of them. I hate long-term. I want results now. This makes it extremely difficult for me to stick to a plan. So, I developed a plan to counteract my lack of patience.
I call it my "long term instant gratification" plan. (Not in public, though).
I take my long-term goals and break them down into specific exercises. Those get targeted with progressions that I can measure. Then I pad some other stuff around that. Currently that is some rehab work on my gimpy shoulder. I may even move things around within the week, but the main exercise will get trained at least once a week, and checked against the goal.
My real desire is to jump around and try everything, but that achieves nothing. Sometimes, even the variety that I have built in is not enough to overcome my impatience to be awesome right now. On those days, I simply have to buckle down and force myself to keep going. A bit of hard graft builds character, I've been told.
Progress is a lifetime pursuit, not a drive-thru takeout order.
.
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