I decided to make Wednesday posts a "free-for-all" where I discuss anything from nutrition, training, lifestyle, to random thoughts or something funny I may find on the net. Hope you enjoy:1) At the beginning of the semester I began Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength program.
Getting ready for a 3-RepMax weighted chin-up on Day 1I'm only halfway through, but I've never felt stronger, more mobile (in the right places), and "unbreakable" then I do now. I used to have persistent shoulder pain, but ever since using his activation drills, dynamic warm-ups, and placing more balance in my programming, it rarely gives me trouble anymore. For a guy who weighs 165, can deadlift 660lb and trains professional athletes on a daily basis, I think he knows what he's doing. If you're a guy who bench presses every Monday (and probably rarely sees significant gains) and makes bicep curling a focal point of your program, you absolutely need to try this. Get it here. (Note: the program works great for females too!)
2) Two things I learned over the Summer:
- "The gap between where you are and where you want to be is called Frustration. Frustration is eliminated by Education and Action. Get learning and get doing." I read this in an article by Alwyn Cosgrove. The awesome thing about this is it applies to any aspect of life (training, career, faith, etc.). Once I began intentionally applying this I was amazed at the truth behind it.
- People will, at some point in their lives, violate the very same behavior they expect in others. I must remember this when I feel wronged, or frustrated with someone else's actions. (This hit me during a specific incident that need not be named, but it has helped ever since)
4. Sometimes I wonder what God thinks as he looks down upon the human race and sees behavior like this occurring:
5) Over the next 2 weeks I'll be posting a tutorial on how to construct your own suspension system trainer (similar to the one showed below). It should be pretty cool so be sure to check it out!
6) If you have anything you'd like me to cover over the next few weeks, feel free to shoot me an email or drop something in the comments section.
7 comments:
steve saw the link on facebook and have been doing some reading _ great job i really enjoy what youve been posting!
I have a question: I had a rough time in life not too long back and worked out as a stress reliever. I would go to the gym every day for about 1.5 hours and just "work out" all my stress and pent up anger. I saw great results from this in terms of what it did for my body and I always felt better afterwards. I have fortunately moved past all of those motivations though and can't seem to get very motivated for my once intensive workouts to the point that they stopped. Any suggestions on how to light a fire under my butt and get me back in the gym?
great blog Stevo! i really enjoyed the breakfast blog and i tried your recipe this morning and loved it! I would love to see a blog on dinner because I find it hard to eat right with my schedule. I get home at 5pm, workout out 5:30 or 6 till about 7:30.. Then I come home and eat dinner which is usually whatever is served (because I'm living at home). Sometimes its healthy, sometimes its not. My questions: am i eating dinner too late (I eat around 8pm) as I go to bed at 10pm? Also, should I be eating different things because its later at night?
Erik, sometimes I find it hard to workout too, but I have found that if you go to the gym with friends and you all can challenge each other/motivate each other, it can make it easier.
@ Ryan
Great to hear from you man! I just checked out your blog and it looks like you've been up to some awesome adventures. I'm hoping to backpack Europe over the next year so I'll probably be contacting you for some tips. Hope you're enjoying your time in Australia!
@ Erik
I definitely know what you mean. What Jason said definitely helps...finding a support group (or even one friend to go with regularly) can definitely be helpful. If no one that you spend most of your time with enjoys training, then chances are you won't get yourself in there either. This is by no means an exhaustive list but here are a couple other things:
1) Try to set up a new plan for only 2 to 3 days a week, but work your butt off while you're in there. I find that people frequently begin training 5-6 days a week, and keep up with it for a while, but eventually burn out and never go back. You can actually achieve great results working out only 2-3 days a week, provided you design your program appropriately (I can help with this if you want). Stick with 3 days a week for a while, and if you're able to stay committed through the more "busy" times, then you can always add another day per week and work from there.
2) Even if you may not be going through a rough spot now (and have lost those motivational factors), it's a given that crap will hit you again. The great thing about lifting is it always gives you something to strive for. If you get in there now and build up discipline and confidence as you see your numbers (and body comp) improving, you'll be more mentally prepared when external factors in life hit you (when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts in my opinion).
3) It will help you focus on other aspects of your life better, guaranteed. A lot of people race around throughout the day and before they know it they're in bed again. The gym gives you a chance to step back, clear your mind, and improve yourself. As you walk out, you'll be refreshed to tackle your remaining chores.
@ Jason
Glad you like the breakfast man! I eat it probably way too much haha. And I can definitely do a post on dinner.
Regarding late night eating, try taking a look at my first blog post (I wrote an entire article on it). In general though, I wouldn't worry too much about what you're eating, especially since you're coming from the gym. And 8pm is not too late. You do typically want more of your carbs earlier in the day, but also your body processes them much more efficiently after a workout. So since you're driving straight home from the gym to eat, I wouldn't worry about it too much. As long as your meal is fairly balanced (lean protein, some healthy fat, and vegetables), you don't need to fear the hour of your meal.
Oh yeah, I highly recommend Gourmet Nutrition:
www.gourmetnutrition.com
It's one of the best nutrition resources out there, hands down. It will teach you how to whoop up delicious meals at the snap of your fingers, as well as food-prep strategies which help with saving time.
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