Get Back on the Horse as Fast as You Can

Trainig Update:

My training is going well. I am getting to the gym three or four days per week and running, walking, biking, or swimming every day. I'd like to be getting to the gym five or six days a week, but just can't seem to manage it. I'm hoping that the volume of resistance training that I am getting is sufficient to meet my goals. 

I have started to use branched chain amino acids throughout my workouts and, although it may be a strong placebo affect, it seems as though my energy levels and work capacity has improved. 

I am also continuing to work on my sprint starts and they seem to be getting a little better; a little less awkward.

Competition update:

I am a little less confident that I am going to be prepared for the pro bodybuilding contest on August 4. I am leaner than I have been since I retired 18 months ago, but I don't know that I can get into true contest shape by the appointed date.

I'm still planning on doing the Maryland senior games in mid August, but have not made the move to actually enter at this point. I need to get to a local track and actually practice some of the distances I have ear marked and practice jumps on a sandpit.

Tip of the week:

Accept that you are never going to be perfect. Continue to work as hard as you can, but be patient with yourself when you don't meet the mark. Just get back on the proverbial horse and try to do better the next hour and the next day. Most importantly, when you do falter, don't give in to the "what the hell "phenomenon and just give up. How quickly you can get back on track with exercise, eating correctly, or getting sufficient rest is more important than whether or not you periodically falter.

Track and Swim Meets Identified

Training Update:

Training went well this week and I completed all of my scheduled workouts, except for Tuesday morning.  Look at "The Tip of the Week" to see what transpired. My diet was on-point and I continued to reduce body fat without sacrificing any, strength, energy, or lean mass.

Looking towards some track competition, I did a few sprint starts after my run on Monday.  It has been quite a while since injuries have allowed be to attempt such a rapid acceleration, so it felt a bit awkward.  The only way to go is up.

Competition Update:

I have picked out both a track meet and swim meet to target. The Maryland Senior games are holding their track meet, here locally, on 18 August and I aim to do both a couple of sprints and jumps.  As well, the games will be holding their swim meet, nearby, in early September.  It gives me the whole Summer to prepare.

Tip of the Week:

Did not make it to the gym Tuesday morning, so resorted to my "If, Then" strategy. If I don't make it to

the gym, then I will take a long bike ride.. If the weather does not allow cycling, then I will take an

extra long walk. 

I recommend "If, Then" strategies for both working out and sticking to your nutritional plans. If I can' 

break away for lunch, then I will eat mixed nuts and an apple, for example. 

Have plans and actually practice them periodically so that they become second nature. No one is 

perfect, but having a plan keeps you from faltering too badly and staying on track.

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On Track for Summer Competition

Training update:

The last month or two has produced some good results. I am getting into the gym on a regular basis and my eating has been on point, at least 95% of the time. I am slowly dropping a bit of the excess body fat that I had accumulated over the past year and I'm now sitting at about 7 1/2%. My foam rolling, self massage, and mobility work are paying off. Most of the nagging injuries I have experienced over the past several years seem to be dissipating noticeably. More than anything, that puts me in a positive mood.

Competition update:

At the moment, I am looking at doing a bodybuilding contest in early August, and am on track. As well, I will be joining USA Track and Field and will be looking at one or two masters track meets over the next 3 to 4 months. 

If I am feeling particularly ambitious, I will be joining USA Swimming and will be looking to do one or two swim meets, probably near the end of the summer, when I have had a chance to accumulate some outdoor swimming technique sessions.

Tip of the week:

One of the things that I always recommend to my health coaching clients is to increase vegetable consumption. Ideally, I'd like to see folks eat 2 cups of vegetables with each meal and trying to ensure that there is a lot of variability in the vegetables they use. 

To that end, for myself, I have recently been adding more chopped vegetables into my morning post-workout eggs. I started about six months ago adding a handful of spinach to my scrambled eggs and have recently been adding a half a cup of chopped mushrooms and onions. It not only makes the breakfast tastier, but much healthier with additional micro nutrients. Constant, small improvements are the best way to continuously improve your health and fitness. Relentless but forgiving is the mantra I use for myself.

Back on Track and Making Progress.

As my title indicates, I am back on track and making progress. My dietary habits have been rock solid for the last five weeks and I have been getting regularly back into the gym albeit with a little break after my trip to Ohio.

In addition I have been getting in a lot of bike riding and walks as part of my overall weight management strategy. 

My sprints, that I do after my long runs, have been going very well with both my range of motion in my stride and my stride cadence being quite good. I am optimistic about competing in some track and field at the very latest next spring and possibly an indoor meet or two this coming winter. 

I have been somewhat optimistic about competing in a bodybuilding event or two in November, but I'm not quite sure but I am on target for doing something that soon. I probably could make weight, but would likely do so at the expense of my training intensity and quality.

Competition leanness can be obtained with a calorie deficit that does not negatively impact training quality, but it is a slow process and I am not sure if you can be obtained by early November. I will do a reassessment on the last weekend of October.

Long Time No Write

It has been a very long time since I made my last update. It has been a difficult time for me because my workout habits have not been nearly as consistent as I would've liked. I have simply not yet established a morning workout routine, but have been able to maintain my physical activity and a good weight management diet over that time.

I have been fairly gentle with myself, knowing that my efforts will eventually lead to the kind of habits that I know are required to achieve my athletic goals. I seem to have reached a new equilibrium when it to comes to getting myself out of bed, so I'm a bit more confident as I move into autumn.

I have not lost any muscle size, that I can tell, my weight has stayed pretty much exactly the same, and my physical conditioning seems to be about the same place. 

My real downfall was when Lisa and I took a 16 day vacation in New England during the latter part of June and into early July. I took a set of dumbbells with me, intending to work out every morning, but just could not maintain consistency. We did walk and/or the ride our bikes nearly every day, and I watched what I ate, and so was able to return to home in decent shape. I did, however, put on a few millimeters of body fat around my lower back and obliques which I'm still working on reducing.

I'm going to try to get ready for a couple of November bodybuilding contest, but the weight-loss needed to make it to contest condition maybe not be doable. We'll see. I am guardedly optimistic. Will provide an update much sooner than this last break from writing.

A New Blogging Tool

I'm using a new blogging tool on my iPhone. Hopefully by having it available to me wherever I go, I will be able to update my posts a little more frequently.

This morning's workout went fairly well. I worked back, biceps, and rear delts. I also threw in a couple of sets of abdominal work. I have not worked my abdominals in many years other than the peripheral action I get from many other exercises. I have found that the heavy work that I did decades ago in college has sustained my abdominal size, and it's merely a matter of contest prep to make them sharp.

I am going to include them from now on because I find that it assists with my sprinting work, allowing me to more easily drive my legs as I accelerate. That's a somewhat new phenomenon for me, prioritizing performance over aesthetics. But, as I try to become a more well rounded, and overall, athlete, I will be doing more and more of the same.

All for now. Just wanted to try out this new blogging app.

New Habits are Beginning to Take Hold

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Progress has been good. I've been getting up and getting either a run or a run and a workout at 

the gym most days of the week. If I find I'm staying out late to attend a concert or some other 

gathering, I may sleep in periodically. But, it hasn't been very often. 

Most importantly, I'm not finding it so much of a chore to get up in the morning and I have a level of 

confidence that I can continue to do so that hasn't really been there as of yet. Although I said I 

wasn't going to, I have started to incrementally ratchet up the intensity in the gym, just a bit. 

I think it's starting to show in muscle shape and density, especially since my workouts were so

light and easy over the past 6 to 8 weeks.

I'm also spending a lot of time in the afternoon on my skateboard. I'm not very good but it helps to 

keep my proprioceptor's sharp and that will then translate into more rapid progress when

snowboarding season starts again. 

I have been doing quite well with my diet and nutrition, and I am actually starting to see progress 

towards a bodybuilding competition condition.

So, although I don't really have any words of wisdom to offer today, I wanted to provide a little bit of a

progress report. 

I think I'll take that back. The words of wisdom I have to offer today is that with patience and

determination and by being gentle with yourself you can create new habits, the habits that will

take you where you want to go.