Sticking with it - my week 6 check in

It’s been six weeks since I started my new training plan with the goal of getting stronger and building muscle. Months of marathon training had made me fast and light, but I was noticeably weaker and a little too emo skinny for my liking. Instead of winging it in the weight room, I decided to follow a recommended routine called the “Max Muscle Plan” written by trainer Brad Schoenfeld. The plan is broken into segments with the first focusing on improving strength, and not necessarily muscle. The concept is that if you’re stronger, you can lift heavier things and lifting heavier things makes it easier to add muscle to your body in the later stage. You also go easy on the cardio during this stage since that extra effort makes it harder to gain strength.

Failed VP Candidate Paul Ryan: My inspiration for bro-dom

The strength workouts were a bit of an adjustment for me. They call for resting at least three minutes between each set of an exercise, which felt like an eternity compared to the 30-60 second rest periods I was used to. I had plenty of time to fiddle with my iPod and people-watch in the gym. I started to get bored, and was questioning whether the program was right for me. Just as I was ready to succumb to my exercise ADD, I noticed that the program was working and I really was getting stronger. I was piling more plates on to the bar and set personal records for the deadlift, squat, and military press. Forgive me for sounding like a “bro” but it’s an amazing feeling lift and lower heavy things (don't knock it 'til you try it). A few months ago, I never would have thought I could pull over 300 pounds off of the floor and now I was doing it with good form. Even though I don’t think powerlifting will become my workout method of choice, getting stronger has been a rewarding physical and mental challenge.

In order to get stronger, I’ve had to eat more food which is also an adjustment. I make sure to eat a consistent amount of calories, even if I’m not necessarily hungry which can be sort of uncomfortable. Between eating more calories and cutting down on cardio I’ve gained about ten pounds, but I’m definitely not as lean as I was before I began the program. I have a few more weeks of the strength program, and then transition to a routine that will focus on muscle building. The entire program will take six months to complete.
 
Change is never easy, but if I kept doing my old workouts, how could I expect to meet my new goals?
My new routine was initially uncomfortable, but powering through that period of discomfort helped me realize that my body is stronger than I ever imagined. Had I thrown in the towel and started with a new plan or goals, I would have robbed myself of the bro-tastic feeling I get now when I left heavy things. I also would not have allowed enough time for my body to begin to make the incremental changes that will eventually allow me to meet my goals.

Kittens = best motivation ever

No matter what your goals are, resist the temptation to change them. Change is uncomfortable, but that discomfort is a sign that you're on the right track. So stick to your guns and your goals and let me know if I can help. 

Some much needed perspective

I saw something a few weeks ago that was so powerful that I haven’t been able to shake it from my mind. I was sitting at a stoplight in my air conditioned car, sipping my dark roast, listening to NPR and I was peeved. I was six blocks from my house and I realized I left my work ID at home. The oversight meant that I had to turn around, sit at three more stoplights, re-park my car, unlock the house, retrieve my ID and start my journey to work all over again.

Just as my frustration level crept higher, an old white bus crossed the intersection in front of me. The bus was covered in burnt orange rust, a color that matched the jumpsuits of the men inside it. As the bus passed by in what seemed like slow motion, I made eye contact with one of the passengers. The side of his face was pressed against the metal-shielded windows. He was trying to get as close as possible to the free world that was now out of his reach.

The image was almost cliché. It was out of a movie, and it made me feel tremendously lame. I was frustrated that my commute to work would be five minutes longer than normal while at the same time, a few feet away from me, a bus full of men were on their way to serve long bids in prison. They will be far from their families and likely won’t taste freedom for years. And there I was, in a fully functional automobile, headed to a job that I enjoy and I was thinking the fates were against me. It was a slap across the face, and helped me gain some much needed perspective.

I am grateful for my early morning encounter with the rusty jail bus. The next time I catch myself thinking of all the ways life is out to get me, I’ll conjure the image of the man with his face pressed against the glass. He will never know it, but he helped me realize how lucky I am to be leading this life.