It’s Spring

Training Update:

The earlier sunrise and warmer weather, have made getting out of bed and doing my training much easier. I have done all of my workouts as scheduled over the last two weeks and I’m feeling significantly stronger and more confident. As well, I am being much more meticulous in my eating to facilitate muscle growth.

I noticed this morning that my sprints seem to be getting stronger and faster and I am able to hold top speed noticeably longer.

I am maintaining a slight calorie deficit in order to get within easy striking distance of competitive bodybuilding body fat. Or, in other words, it’s almost swimsuit season. 

Competition update:

I have made no significant progress in identifying specific dates for competitions nor have I  joined USA Track and Field or joined any masters organizations. 

Tip of the Week:

If you want to significantly increase your happiness, learn to listen to and respond to the inner voice that you have inside. It takes some practice to learn to find that voice, and what it tells you may change over the course of a day or your lifetime, but it certainly pays off to listen.

Learn more by listening to our current podcast episode.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-one-thing/id1460412202

Right Now, I'm Just a Little bit Embarrassed

Training update:

I am a bit embarrassed on two counts. First, I'm a bit embarrassed that it has been so long since I have posted. Not that there were a lot of readers of this blog, but I wanted to continue to write to motivate myself. Second, and probably driving the first, I have been very "hit and miss" in my training and completely ignoring any direct moves towards competition.  

Since last I posted, I have been working out in a dedicated fashion once or twice per week, I've been to the slopes to snowboard once or twice per week, and I'm doing some kind of other movement activity most of the other days of the week. So, my level of fitness is probably OK, not up to my high standards, but certainly it puts me in a position where I can quickly get back up to a competitive level. That said, and finding that this writing is actually motivating, I'm probably not too bad off and should not really be embarrassed. 

Competition update:

As alluded to above, I did not do any bodybuilding competitions in the late fall or early winter, nor did I do any snowboarding competitions, either freestyle or racing. The racing opportunities were rather limited, and they did not fall on days of the week or locations that were conducive for me. Had I been more motivated and focused I could have raised at least two or three times. That's the reality. I need to MoveOn from here and pick my competitions for the upcoming months. I am determined to get back on the bodybuilding stage this year, do at least one or two track meets, and do at least one snowboarding competition before the new year.

Tip of the week:

The tip of the week is to stay tuned for the new podcast that my wife and I are in the midst of producing right now. It is entitled "Just One Thing," and it covers just that, one thing that you can work on step by step to improve your life. We are focusing our broadcast on four areas that will be covered once per week over the course of a month. They are: improving your health and fitness, dealing with and managing stress, enhancing your relationships, and just becoming overall happier. My weekly tips here will likely be an abbreviated version of the topic we cover in our podcast. So, as I said, stay tuned.

Re-boot: Reestablishing my Relationship with my Athletic Goals

Training Update::

In mid July, Lisa and I went to the Omega Institute for a six day mindfulness-based stress reduction seminar. In other words, we meditated all day, every day, for six days. The impact was profound. Although I have been meditating for 35 years, this one week of intensive activity, seemed to affect me more than all of the previous decades combined. 

When I returned from the seminar, I recognized that I needed to re-establish my relationship with my training and athletic goals. I needed to completely reexamine my motivations and ensure that they were consistent with who I am and how I aim to serve the world. I have been grappling with this now for four months.

When all is said and done, I have come full circle and have actually reembraced everything that I was already doing. At the same time, my motivation and thinking about what I am doing has totally changed and feels more grounded and purposeful. So, even though I have missed a lot of gym time, I am confident that I will get back on track more consistently than I have since I retired almost 2 years ago. 

Competition Update:

Because of the profound mental searching I was going through, the bodybuilding, track and field, and swimming competitions that I had planned for late summer and early fall were canceled. I now need to research and target new competition dates. Through all of this process, my diet has stayed very good, and I have continued to move consistently on a daily basis, albeitt not so much in the gym. Bottom line, it should not take me too long to get back to my competitive peak. 

Tip of the Week:

I have discovered, to my consternation, that reestablishing existing habits is just as difficult as establishing them in the first place. Prior to my retirement, I would habitually go to the gym every day immediately after work. I probably missed no more than two dozen workouts in 10 years. It was a firmly established habit. I did not have to think about getting to the gym and if I actually tried to talk myself into it, those were the days that I missed. 

Now that I am retired, and working out in the mornings, it is a think about it, talk myself into it, process every morning. Not only do I have to get myself to the gym, but I have to make myself get out of a nice, warm, comfortable bed a bit earlier than I would prefer. 

I am hopeful, that my reestablished goals and purpose for training will provide enough reward to help me re-establish those habits on which I depend. 

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.

​

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

​

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.

Daylight Savings Led to Mixed Success

​Well, the experiment of trying to increase the frequency and regularity of my workouts by decreasing 
their intensity, and create for me a whole new set of routine habits, has had mixed results over the last 
two weeks. 

I was able to get nine workouts in a row after my last posting, and then we did the whole 
spring forward Daylight Savings thing. Somehow that extra hour in the morning made it really hard to
get up and I missed a full week of workouts.

Now, over the last two days I have been able to get up fairly comfortably and get in my warm up
run and a decent work out, albeit, as I had planned, with fairly light intensity.

I really did not think it was going to be this difficult to establish a new routine. It has been a struggle,
and I often lay awake in the early morning debating whether I want to get out of bed and work out.
It's just not an automatic got to do it kind of thing yet.

I can tell that my strength and muscle endurance has been decreasing a bit since I retired, but I'm
trying to be gentle with myself as I again, try to establish a whole new set of routines.

One of the saving grace is is that I have been able to be fairly disciplined with my nutrition so I am
not really gaining any weight.

Not sure what the competition schedule will look like this year since I am in the midst of such
change, but I'm not taking everything off the board yet.

I Missed Three Workouts This Week

You absolutely cannot over estimate the power of habit in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and consistent training program. Over the past week I missed three workouts. That's actually more but I missed in the entirety of last year and it's all due to trying to establish new habits

Whereas pre-retirement, I always used to hit the gym immediately after work, I now am trying to get up and get my primary workout in before breakfast. This is just not easy to do and it is not yet an established habit. At the same time, waiting until later in the day to get a workout in, is just not working either. If I wait until later, I always find something else that I would rather do. So, early mornings is the most viable time, but that habit is just not yet established.

My current plan, is to continue to try to get up early, take a brief run to get my core temperature elevated, and then hit the gym. The secret will be to ease back on the intensity until the habit is firmly established. In that way, I think I can get myself out of bed and get to the gym without any feeling of dread or trepidation. If I can maintain that habit for 4 to 6 weeks, I think I can then try to up the intensity.

To date, I've been able to get 2 to 3 weeks of study workouts in before I fall back into wanting to sleep in. But, I think it's because I've upped the intensity too soon and I just can't force myself to get out of bed to face those heavy weights.

I'll report back in a few days and tell you how it's going.

Feeling a bit Guilty

I'm feeling a bit guilty today.  There was a GS race at Whitetail yesterday. I had been eyeing it for months and intended to participate, hoping to both win my age group and crack the top five overall.

But, with the seventy degree heat all of last week and the loss of snow, I lost all enthusiasm for driving out for the race.  I was even thinking that they may have canceled it, but with heroic efforts by the grooming crew, they were able to set up a nice venue. So, bad on me.

If I intend to attain my stated goals, I need to start taking scheduled competitions a bit more seriously.

To make things worse, this was likely the last weekend that the local resorts will be open.  Now if I want to get any racing in this season, I'll need to travel North or West and with the way my days are playing out, that seems unlikely.

We shall see.  Things just don't always go the way you plan or intend.

New Life New Routines

It's hard to believe that it has been over two months since last I wrote.  A lot has happened during that span, which is my excuse for not writing.

As planned, I retired from Federal service on 31 January and the resulting change in lifestyle has resulted in a significant change to my daily fitness and training routines.

The walking, stretching and stair climbing that used to be a part of my workday are no longer part of the equation.  Whereas I used to automatically head to the gym after finishing my work day, I now get up early to get in my primary workout of the day.  I find that if I don't get it done and try to leave it until later, I can easily talk myself out of it.  The time must be a habit that I automatically respond to.

On the down-side, I find early morning workouts to be much more difficult.  My joints do not feel as fluid as mid-afternoon and my strength levels are noticeably reduced. I'm giving myself 3-4 months to acclimate and get my weights back to where they were, pre-retirement.

During the eight weeks since my retirement, I have been steady with the scheduled workouts, missing only a ten day stretch when I was recovering from a minor shoulder injury suffered while snowboarding.  Even then, I only missed the gym.  I still got my days on the snow, so all is good.

Nutrition has been more problematic, particularly pre and post-workout feedings.  Since I workout before my official breakfast, I was unsure how much to eat and whether or not I would need any caffeine to make it through the workout.  The answer has been, a pre-workout shake made with milk, whey, creatine and BCAA's has been sufficient and I don't need the coffee before I finish and shower.

All-in-all things are pretty much on track.  More on upcoming competitions in future postings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.