Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Snowboarding is Imminent.

I had a very good leg workout yesterday, setting a new PR in the Front Squat.  I have been working on a few of the Olympic lifts and some of the related exercises that are a part of the Cross-Fit mix.  I have it in the back of my mind that I may try some Cross-Fit competition in a year or two, after I have established a few milestones in my currently targeted areas of competition. So, I'm always happy to see my numbers go up in those lifts.

My history of shoulder issues, most importantly my torn scapularis which has never healed correctly, makes overhead lifts and holds difficult.  Nevertheless, I'm confident I can get the numbers up as high as I need to.  Looking at last Spring's Cross-Fit games 60+ events, I'm already at a point where I can handle the prescribed weights.  Now its a matter of honing form and improving the type of fitness that Cross-Fit demands.  Most of the events are of greater duration than the more explosive sprinting and jumping kinds of things that I am now focused on.

Looks like out local slopes are going to be open on Friday.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get out.  I have a conflict on my schedule until noon.  Saturday and Sunday look like a bust with rain scheduled.  So, I may not hit the slopes until the latter portion of next week.  I'm a bit disappointed, but with retirement pending and the ability to get on the snow more days per week, I'm not sweating it.  Everything is looking good.

Trying to schedule heavy leg workouts in the middle of snowboarding season is always difficult.  One always seems to compromise the other.  Recovery is difficult when you're really taxing your legs four or five times a week.  At the same time, the fun greatly outweighs the concern.  No worries.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

A Couple of Setbacks to Deal With

I thought I'd write a brief post just to provide some continuity.  I'm in a somewhat slack time, at the moment, between the active bodybuilding season and the start of snowboarding.  I'm actually hoping to hit the slopes in the next week or two and am looking forward to some freestyle and racing competition.

In the meantime, I have been getting all of my workouts in as well as staying on the "straight and narrow" when it comes to feeding and recovery.  The week before and the week of Thanksgiving I did have a bit of a hard time staying on track.  First, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving I slightly hyper-extended my knee during the acceleration phase of my sprints.  It made running the next day very difficult, I ran extremely slowly with very short strides, and made the schedule sprint workout impossible.  Then, on the Sunday before the holiday, I came down with the first cold I have suffered in almost 10 years. 

The knee healed quickly with relative rest and I was able to sprint and lift heavy again within a week.  The cold responded well to a regimen of Zicam and steam inhalation and lasted just about the requisite week.  I did take two days off, when I was feeling particularly beat, but still managed to get in some walking and stair climbing on those days, so did not lose any ground.

Two weeks later, I'm feeling better than ever with some PRs coming in both the weight room and on the road.

I'm hoping to close out the year and hit my 60th birthday by being in all time best shape and hope to start posting some workout videos to INSTAGRAM, which I'll also share here, or provide a link.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Grit and Discipline Gets the Job Done

Competing at anything has been far from my mind over the past two weeks.  I have been quite stressed with my retirement countdown and getting my financial house in order to allow my departure from Government service after 33 years.  That, plus the brouhaha surrounding the election has been quite powerful in distracting from my long-term ambitions.

Nevertheless, I have managed to get to the gym, or hit the road for all of my scheduled workouts.  I have continued to eat healthfully with an eye toward proper recovery and strength maintenance, with only an occasional indulgence.  My workouts have been nothing to write home about, but I did get them done.  Putting another brick in the wall, so to speak.

Life happens.  If you're aiming to improve only on the days when you're motivated and the calendar is clear, it just ain't gonna happen.  Its the habits, the discipline, the grit to do what needs to be done, that gets you where you need to go.

Don't get me wrong, those days when you're focused and motivated are great and makes the whole journey worthwhile.  But I'm here to tell you, after 45 years of training, that those golden days are in the minority.  Keep your nose to the grindstone and grind.

As you get older, the habits and the grit and the mind are everything.  Cultivate discipline always and, just like muscle itself, your discipline and your will power will get stronger and carry you through.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

A Slight Change of Plans

I have been leaning out in preparation for the Mid-Atlantic Pro Blow Out, slated for 19 November.  My body fat is in the low 5% range and I'm ready to compete.  Unfortunately, when I went to fill in the entry form today, I saw that polygraphs are only being given on theThursday and Friday before the event. With my current work schedule, I'm not going to be able to make that work.

So, it looks like my next bodybuilding contest will not be until next Spring, sometime.  I am a bit disappointed, to say the least.  I'm not sure how well I would actually place, but I am in great condition and it would have been nice to get some professional photos, under the lights, with a competition tan.

My current strategy is to stay closer to competition condition year round, so this is a good time to start that experiment.  I'm usually not more than 5-8 ponds over contest condition, but now I'm aiming to stay only 2-3 pounds away from target weight, while still trying to incrementally gain muscle.  No sure I would recommend that for everyone, but I think its going to work better for me.

I'll keep you informed.

Monday, October 24, 2016

An Active Weekend Experiment

Other than a very active snowboard season, I'm usually not a weekend warrior.  Typically I use the weekend to recover from the cumulative stress of my highly intense workweek workouts.  However, as my retirement date draws near, I find myself concerned with how I'm going to structure my workouts and how I will use the days of the week, once "Monday Morning" becomes meaningless.

Currently, I hit the gym, and/or my main workout of the day, immediately after work, no thought required.  It is an ingrained habit.  When I have an unstructured day, if I have a chance to think about it, it becomes really hard to do that workout.  It's always too easy to talk myself into doing something else.  Habits and routines rule.

So, both while on vacation the week before last, and this past weekend, I have started to experiment a bit with early morning workouts.  I have tried it in the past and absolutely hated it.  I dreaded getting out of bed, my joints ached and felt vulnerable, and, my strength and endurance were noticeably reduced, as much as 30%, in some exercises. Still, the thought of "same time, same station," I'm convinced,  is the only way I'm going to be able to maintain the discipline I need to achieve the goals I have set for myself.

The results of this little experiment have been promising.  I have been able to get out of bed, feeling motivated and not dreading what's to come.  That my friend, is the key on which to build.  You simply cannot sustain something you hate or dread. Granted, the runs have been slow and the weights have been light, with very low overall volume.  Still, Im encouraged.  I think I can buld on it.

More to come.





Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Vacations Can be a Challenge

I'm always amazed at how much conditioning can be lost in just a week or two of inactivity.  For me,  every week off requires three weeks to get back to the same level of conditioning I was in, prior.  That may seem like a long time, but it has proven to be the case, for me, over at least the last 3 decades.  If I try to rush back faster, it just doesn't work, the percieved level of effort goes "through the roof," and I end up just where I would have been had I followed the plan to ease back to my previous levels.

However, on those times when I do at least a little running, a little lifting, keep my overall activity level pretty high, and eat well, every day, I can cut that time in half. And, that's just what I did over the past week while vising Cape May, New Jersey.  (A beautiful locale, by-the-way).  I ran every morning, lifted for just 15 minutes four of the nine days I was away, and walked and cyled with my wife every day. 

I also ate well, enjoying myself, but did not exceed the calorie targets I had set.  That was critical, as I'm approaching a couple of Fall bodybuilding contests, I have my eye on and, keeping my body fat down to the 5% range is crucial in any hopes for placing well in any "Natural" contest.  Conditioning usually trumps size in drug free competition.

I did chest, delts, and tris on Monday, legs, yesterday, and will hit back and bis today.  I think I am hitting the intensity just about right and my soreness is just noticeable without being a detriment.  I'll also be doing some 150 meter sprints after my post workout cardio today.  That, more than anything may make me sore.  Time will tell.

My advice to anyone, is stay active during your vacation time.  You can scale back, but don't be a couch potato.  The comeback is just too hard and painful, otherwise.
 

Friday, September 23, 2016

Catch Up

I find it hard to believe that its been almost two weeks since I last posted.  I really thought my enthusiasm was going to get me to write something almost every day.  Nevertheless, I'm back with a short catch-up post.

I have been able to get all of my workouts in over the past two weeks and believe I hit the right balance, working hard enough to stimulate increasing fitness without getting into the area of over-training.  I will say, I have been more than normally fatigued over the past two weeks, so have been really focused on staying within my recovery zone.

I had a treatment from my accupunturist this past Monday and it seems to have improved both my overall mood and my energy levels.  I find that energy, for me, is more often tied to my emotional state than to any changes in workload, nutrition, or recovery.  That emotional state seems to just run in cycles without apparent connection to real world events or stressors.  So I just need to ride-out the low points in the cycle and stick with my routines, albeit in a conscious, controlled manner.

I do believe that this most recent bout of "depression" was fueled by "decision fatigue" related to whether or not I want to retire this year and what, specifically, I want to do in the first couple of years of my retirement. I have not reached any firm decisions but have been able to put the constant mental grappling on the "back burner."

On a training note, I'm going to start doing some trampoline work this afternoon in preparation for the upcoming snowboard season.  I can practice several dozen grabs and spins in 15 or 20 minutes, numbers that might take a couple of hours in the terrain park.

Monday, September 12, 2016

The Possibility of Injury is Never Far Away.

I ran into Sanjay Ayre at the gym on Thursday.  He's an Olympic Gold medalist (Sidney Games) from Jamaica.  I see him a couple of times per year.  Since he's a 400 meter guy, I asked if he'd take a look at my forma and give me some tips, some time in the next couple of weeks.

Track and Field is one of the areas where I aim to compete. 200, 400, long jump, and possibly the javelin.  Talking with Sanjay and getting a feel for what kinds of times and distances would be competitive in the 60-65 year old age group got me fired up.  I think I am close right now and with a little work, may be able to do well.  My aim in most of the sports I'm targeting is to do well, not necessarily win.  It's the "all roundedness" I'm after and. to my way of thinking and assessing" the better indicator of athleticism.

Particularly for the sprints and jumping, staying healthy enough to practice and compete is going to be the hardest thing to do.  More-so than using ultimate strength, trying to use ultimate speed, at my age, seems to lead to more tweaks and injury.  Long and through warm-ups and lots of foam rolling and self massage seems to help, but being vigilant is best.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

The Bad Days Make the Good Days Possible

I haven't written in over a week.  I completed all of my scheduled workouts and actually hit some personal bests on a set or rep, here and there. It was one of those weeks where I just felt depressed and overwhelmingly tired before I got to the gym, most of the time, yet pressed on, nevertheless.

I often tell my gym-mates that the bad days are the ones that make the good days possible.  Even when you're tired and just don't want to do your training, its usually best to get dressed, show up, and start.  Once you get going, things may turn around and even if they don't, you're making some inroads that will result in positive gains.

That said, I think it requires a very good degree of body awareness and experience to know when you are actually verging on over-training and need a rest.  Some of the newer wearables claim to be able to correlate biometric data like temperature, heart rate, and respiration against performance markers and then provide guidance on whether or not to throttle back or put the pedal to the metal, but I believe there is no substitute for well considered experience.  Long-term success absolutely requires you to know your own body and how it responds to both short-term and long-term training and potential over-reaching.

If you're just starting out, you will make mistakes and that's okay.  Just pay attention and make sure you learn from them.  Also, it's important to bear in mind that the formula that works this year, may not work next year.  You're body is constantly changing and you have to be fully aware and change your approach accordingly.

 

Monday, August 29, 2016

Always be Within Striking Distance

It's back to my "home gym" Supreme Sports today.  I did like the equipment at the Columbia Gym, but living about 200 yards from the Supreme parking lot makes the choice a "no brainer." Legs are on tap today with a bit of cycling and rowing to finish up.  Starting next week, I may include some swimming as a final bit of my routine on leg day. I'm still considering some competition in the shorter swimming events.

The local schools started today so I expect a few less High Schoolers to be in the free weight area when I show up today.  Not that I mind them being around, but the place has a different atmosphere when it's just the regulars.

I didn't do any training this past weekend, restricting my exercise to 2 walks on both Saturday and Sunday, totaling about 4 miles on Saturday and 3 yesterday.  I feel recovered.  I had played with the idea of a short run and swim before dinner yesterday, but opted for the short walk instead.

I'm looking at a couple of Pro bodybuilding contests later this Fall.  I'm sitting at about 6% body fat having brought it down from about 8% over the past 8 weeks. I always lose very slowly, even when it's only a couple of pounds, ensuring that I don't lose strength or any precious muscle size as a prep.  I could compete at this weight, but am within a couple of weeks of truly ripped condition if I do decide to go for it.

I like to always be within 5 pounds of contest weight, so that I can prep quickly and without much effort, if the mood strikes.  Some contend that you can't get bigger and stronger at such a low body fat level.  I believe that its calories and macros that make the difference no matter what particular body fat level you're at. So if I'm eating to gain, I will gain, even while maintaining single digit body fat.

Always be within striking distance, I say.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Sometimes You're Just Tired

Yesterday was back and biceps.  I'm still traveling to the Columbia Gym while Supreme Sports has it's two week "shut down" for maintenance and renovation.  I worked hard and fast.  It's hard to campare reps and poundages on anything but barbell exercises because slight diffreence in machines can make comparisons tough..  Nevertheless, I did good.

My intent after driving home was to do a 3.5 mile run followed by a few sprints for form and then finish with a 500 yard swim..  Somehow, the twenty minutes it took me to drive home and then change into my running/swimming gear caused me to lose my "momentum."  I was able to complete my run fairly comfortably, but the 97 degree heat index took a bit more of a toll than I thought. 

After finishing my last sprint, which felt great with good extension and range of motion, I turned to head to the pool and was just overcome with the feeling that, "this is too much."  I considered for a moment and then decided that I was indeed just too tired to have a productive swim. 

I walked home, had my post recovery meal, stretched and used the foam roller for a few minutes and then just crashed.  I was just really tired for the rest of the evening and headed to bed at 9:00 grateful that I had heeded my notion to skip the swim.

If this had been even 2 or 3 years ago, I would have pressed on with the swim.  But, I have gotten just a bit wiser over the past 18 months.  I have always been in tune to what my body has been telling me, but often just pressed through.  Now I listen and a recover better than ever. 

Let's hope the new found wisdom pays off in the long run.  Sometimes you're just tired.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Be Consistent but Flexible

I got home from work yesterday still on an emotional high from orchestrating a successful pitch at a cross-organizational meeting.  As I was changing to head to the gym, I mentioned to my wife that I had to keep moving because I knew I would soon have a crash from the physical and emotional intensity I had mustered to carry the day.  She suggested I skip the gym and accompany on a slow bike ride to one of our favorite coffee spots and play a round or two of cards.

In the past, I would have responded with an immediate "no," but now I was able to stop and consider.  I had already done 1800 stairs and walked five miles at work day during my hourly jaunts to decompress and think, the ride itself would be about 7 miles on fixed gear beach cruisers, it was a beautiful dry day after weeks of intense heat and humidity, and my wife is my life. After a short pause, I replied that it sounded great.  And, great it was.  I enhanced my relationship with my wife, I enjoyed the day, and the exrecise was quite enough.

I'll get back into sync today with the "leg day" that was planned for yesterday and do my Thursday and Friday workouts as scheduled.  The two things I will end up missing are a medium distance run and a long swim, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

I always say "consistency is king" and no matter how long you have been working out, it's always easy to talk yourself out of a workout.  Generally, I only miss a workout once every month or two, but I am open and flexible when it comes to those "golden opportunities" to do something else that makes my life even better.

Balance is always harder than an "all or nothing" approach for me,  At the same time, I have come to better embrace a flexible consistency that provides greater overall satisfaction and, by extension, even better fitness and performance.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Self Doubt is Always an Issue

It's been two weeks since I last wrote anything for this blog.  Part of the issue is that it looks like nobody is reading and part of the issue is that I was experiencing extreme self doubt after the somewhat boastful proclamations in  my previous entry on my strategy.

I have decided that the first issue is not going to block me because I am writing this mostly for myself as a motivational tool, as described in my first entry.  The self doubt is also no longer going to keep me from writing either because, it is always there, even on the days when I/you seem unbeatable.  It's the pressing on, even when you feel the doubt that makes the difference between winners and losers.  In a sense its a "fake it til you make it" kind of philosophy which I have always found to be extremely useful.

Now, I am sure that there are folks who truly, in their heart of hearts, don't have any self doubt.  They are extremity rare and in most cases delusional. I have always been very open minded, open to new ideas, an insatiable reader and learner and, as a result, am often in a position of knowing how much I don't know, even when I'm the most knowledgeable person in the room.  The more you know, the more you doubt.  A paradox, I know, but there you have it.

As well, I understand my genetic limitations and what I have to work with.  Nevertheless, I think it is enough to do what I am setting out to do if I stick with the process of constant improvement and don't try to over-reach.

As an aside, I should mention that I'm working out in a new gym both last week and this week, as the Supreme Sports Club is shut down for it's annual renovation.  I am gettng good workouts at the Columbia Gym but don't like the drive to get there.  Also, my long swim last week was my best ever. 

As a result, I am now thinking about adding a 50 meter swim to my list of competitive activities.  What started as a means to an end, getting better at swimming to enable me to surf and maybe to a sprint triathlon, may now be an end in itself. I'll do a time trial later this Fall to see what I can do.

No limits! (my new sign off)

Monday, August 8, 2016

My Strategy

I had a couple of good workouts this past Friday and Saturday and I was going to comment on those. Then my wife made some good observations about Tim Ferriss' book, "The Four Hour Body" yesterday morning and I thought maybe I'd lead with that.  Instead, I want to talk about my strategy for achieving my overall goal of becoming the best 60 plus athlete in the world.

Quite simply, I intend to be "the last man standing."  I plan to continue to get better throughout the next decade while those around me either drop out of athletics altogether, devolve into "maintenance mode," or try to play "catch up" too aggressively and burn out.

Friday, August 5, 2016

At Some Level You Must Enjoy What You Do

I have always been in shape, I tell my friends.  Sometimes I have been in better shape than others, but I have never been out of shape.  Even before I was involved in training and competing in organized athletics, I was running, jumping, and climbing around my house and neighborhood.  I could shinny up a door frame, to the delight of my Stearns cousins at age 4 and I don't think I ever sat still when playing with friends from the school bell until dark. We invented many a game before the street light came on.

I have just always felt an intrinsic joy in movement and I do believe that that is one of the keys to lifelong fitness.  At some level you absolutely must enjoy moving or exercising.  That doesn't mean there isn't discomfort from time to time and that parts of your routine aren't solely purposeful and aimed at some end, but you must include something enjoyable in the regimen.  If not, you simply will not stick with it and you'll be like so many who repeatedly start then stop and then beat themselves up for stopping. It's just a no win cycle.

If you like to bicycle, do that.  Can't wait to play hoops with friends, do that.  Walk and talk with your spouse, do that.  Make that the basis of your routine and then, over time, add a few more things to round out your fitness. And always try to make it as fun as possible.

Yesterday was cardio only for me.  I cranked up my Spotify 70s radio in my blue tooth earbuds and took a comfortable jog around the lake in the unusually dry August air and then did a series of sprints, working up to three 95% runs at 150 yard and then finished with an 80% effort for 200 meters.  I have been bothered by a chronic strain or adhesion in my left glute for almost two years so I am reluctant to run full out unless I'm feeling absolutely no irritation.  Yesterday was not that day. I do love the feeling of full speed running,  though.

Since I do my sprints next to the neighborhood pool I finished with 250 easy yards feeling myself relax in the cool water. I was tired, and there were some points during the workout where I was struggling for breath or felt the muscle ache and burning lungs of exceeding my anaerobic threshold , but I was able to find joy in each part of the workout.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Follow me on My Quest to be The Greatest 60 Plus Athlete in the World.

I aim to be the greatest all-around 60 plus athlete in the world.  There, I said it. I have been thinking about this as my purpose and "stretch goal" for quite some time but have been reluctant to say it out loud.  I tried it at the gym yesterday, and it sounded a bit prideful and unrealistic coming out of my mouth, but I am now committed.  To me, this is a truly monstrous undertaking that may be beyond the genetics that I have to work with, not to mention the unknowns that Father Time may have in store for me.

Yet, here I sit less than 5 months from my 60th birthday in arguably the best shape of my life and I am looking for that vision that will galvanize my training for the next decade.  (Once you've trained for decades on end, you realize its the mental part of the game that matters most.) This blog will chronicle my efforts to continue to improve and to take on more and more athletic challenges.

Along the way, I will describe my training, dietary, recovery and mind-set methodologies, relaying what works and why, and what fails to produce the desired results. As well, I will offer impressions of other methodologies and emerging studies in the sports performance arena.

As well, I hope to provide an authentic voice about the ups and downs of my effort that all aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts can relate to, no matter their age or circumstances.

If nothing else, I hope this narrative can help keep me motivated.  At best, I hope my quest can serve as motivation to others.

Remember there are "no limits."