Let's go ahead and set some 12 week goals, since that will put me right at Christmas.
Over the course of the next 12 weeks, I would like to accomplish the following:
WEIGHT
- Lose 25 pounds.
SIZE
- Wear a size 36 all the time, all brands.
STRENGTH
- Deadlift 225 X 4
- Incline DB Press 70 X 6
- Overhead BB Press 115 X 4
I will check back on these things periodically. The assumed "beginning" weight would then mean that if I achieve my WEIGHT goal, I will be under 200 by Christmas. In fact, it may be better to just state the goal that way. By Christmas, I will be under 200.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 29th - Back
Today was different. In a physical way, it was different because I began using NOX as well as Creatine. It was different in a preparedness way, because I brought a gym bag and used a locker. I don't think that I can really overstate the gym bag. In my mind, it is extremely important. I think that the thing that has been stopping me from being successful in this aspect of my life is a lack of ritual. I used to have this mental calendar, and the gym was not even officially represented on it. A doctor's appointment would be a red bar. A work shift would be a long blue bar. A social outing would be a green bar. All of these would have white words superimposed on them, explaining what they represented. However, the gym was different. It was just a black space. No words. Just a blackness. Sort of like sleep. In other words, it was an unavoidable certainty in my life on that day for a particular span of time. It was not a rescheduable (neologism acknowledged) event. Part of this inevitability was due to a ritualistic process immediately before and after the actual gym-going. I would wake up, and immediately begin to make my breakfast - 1 cup oatmeal with two scoops of protein - and drink an enormous cup of water. I would already have a gym bag ready to go with my wrist straps, weight belt, and towel. My wallet, keys, and phone would get added to that bag. I'd already be dressed by this time, and be on my way. This whole process took nearly an hour, but it was an important part of my morning, I think, because it gave me time to prepare mentally for the upcoming workout. The gym bag would also carry my water bottle for when I used one of those, and my post-workout shaker bottle thing. Sometimes, I'd bring some pills or whatever I was taking immediately post-workout. When I used a journal, it went in the bag, too. This point has to be made by now.
So tonight, when I pulled out the bag, I felt something shift. The water in the moon's surface melted a little bit and the surface slid slightly to the left. The tides of the earth's oceans then ebbed and flowed in response, and retook the lands which used to be their floors. Something in my mind clicked, and I felt stupid. I felt stupid for not recognizing earlier something so obvious. You cannot expect to be a serious gym-goer if you do not take going to the gym seriously. You cannot just throw your keys and wallet and such in your pockets and head over whenever you feel up to it. It must become a black bar of hellish seriousness. You cannot take this too seriously, frankly. You cannot be afraid to sound like a loser or a nerd because you make this a priority.
Tonight, I have visions of a piano player. An older man with tearful expression hewn into his medium-level talent which he displays regularly for friends and others in bars and the such. A man for whom the world has become a sad display of a regrettable truth. Now, amputate this man's hands. Remove his only means of expression and connection. Re-isolate him in a very real way. Give him two years to realize that the human being is only so adaptable, and that once one loses one's ability to connect with other humans, that ability is truly gone. It does not shift from music to suddenly being dance. We all have only one way to say anything important, and it certainly can go away. After two years, give him his hands back, and watch as he sits back down at the piano to express himself. The past two years will come out in a soft approach. Nothing as impressive as he played before, but a certain reminiscence will be undeniable. A familiar sound will waft through his most used chords and melodies. His blood will pump again, and his clothing will become cosmic dust.
So tonight, when I pulled out the bag, I felt something shift. The water in the moon's surface melted a little bit and the surface slid slightly to the left. The tides of the earth's oceans then ebbed and flowed in response, and retook the lands which used to be their floors. Something in my mind clicked, and I felt stupid. I felt stupid for not recognizing earlier something so obvious. You cannot expect to be a serious gym-goer if you do not take going to the gym seriously. You cannot just throw your keys and wallet and such in your pockets and head over whenever you feel up to it. It must become a black bar of hellish seriousness. You cannot take this too seriously, frankly. You cannot be afraid to sound like a loser or a nerd because you make this a priority.
Tonight, I have visions of a piano player. An older man with tearful expression hewn into his medium-level talent which he displays regularly for friends and others in bars and the such. A man for whom the world has become a sad display of a regrettable truth. Now, amputate this man's hands. Remove his only means of expression and connection. Re-isolate him in a very real way. Give him two years to realize that the human being is only so adaptable, and that once one loses one's ability to connect with other humans, that ability is truly gone. It does not shift from music to suddenly being dance. We all have only one way to say anything important, and it certainly can go away. After two years, give him his hands back, and watch as he sits back down at the piano to express himself. The past two years will come out in a soft approach. Nothing as impressive as he played before, but a certain reminiscence will be undeniable. A familiar sound will waft through his most used chords and melodies. His blood will pump again, and his clothing will become cosmic dust.
Monday, September 28, 2009
New Plan NOW
I've come up with yet another plan.
Sunday - Hike in the AM, Delts and Abs in the PM
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Back in the AM
Wednesday - Chest in the AM
Thursday - Legs in the AM
Friday - Bis, Tris, and Forearms in the AM
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Hike in the AM, Delts and Abs in the PM
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Back in the AM
Wednesday - Chest in the AM
Thursday - Legs in the AM
Friday - Bis, Tris, and Forearms in the AM
Saturday - Off
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday, September 6th - Back
Smith Machine Near-Floor Deadlifts
90 X 12
120 X 12
140 X 10
Seated Machine Rows (Lever Arms)
60 X 12
80 X 12
100 X 10
120 X 8
140 X 6
Seated Pulldowns
75 X 10
90 X 10
120 X 8
105 X 6
Standing Cable "Pullovers"
60 X 8
70 X 8
80 X 6
90 X 12
120 X 12
140 X 10
Seated Machine Rows (Lever Arms)
60 X 12
80 X 12
100 X 10
120 X 8
140 X 6
Seated Pulldowns
75 X 10
90 X 10
120 X 8
105 X 6
Standing Cable "Pullovers"
60 X 8
70 X 8
80 X 6
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
