Online Fitness Journal - week of 4 January 2010

[ZenLefty]

Once while I was working out, a guy asked me what I was training for. A simple enough question, but at the time I really didn't have a very good answer. I stammered and shrugged a bit and finally muttered something about just weight training and getting fit and stuff. He said he thought I was a boxer, which I took as a compliment. But I couldn't help but to think about what a lousy, dumb, stupid response it was that I had given him. "Duh, I just moov duh waits from duh rak an pickum up over my hed like dis, and moov um around and stuf. Yoo got any dog food? Me hungry." I may as well have said that.

I immediately realized you have to have a good answer to that question. What are you training for? Why are you in the gym when there's a perfectly good TV in your living room? Why are you spending an hour inside a dank concrete building when you could be taking a nap under a tree somewhere? If you go to the gym without a purpose, you're just wasting your time.

So I thought deeply about what my purpose was. And once I analyzed it, it didn’t take me long to realize it.

My purpose is to be the biggest, baddest mother fucker in the gym.

I want to be the first guy people think of when they see a squat rack. When I hit the leg press, I want people to wonder where all the 45 pound plates went. When the strongman competition is on TV, I’m not the guy who’s gaping at the freaks, but the guy who’s nodding quietly and taking mental notes. There’s plenty of guys stronger than me, but I don’t let them out-work me. When I leave the gym, I want to hear the iron breathe a sigh of relief.

You know, ever since then, ever since I articulated my purpose, my workouts have been significantly better. Physical fitness is 90% mental. And the other 10%... is mental. The physical effort, the pain, the scheduling, that’s the easy part. The self improvement, whatever form it takes, comes from inside.

Exercise with a purpose. That’s all I ask of you.

[ZenLefty]

1. Tuesday, 5 January 2009

Time for another.....

BENCH PRESS DAY!! :D

Warmup set - 135, 16 reps
225, 10 reps
275, 6 reps
245, 6 reps
245, 8 reps
245, 6 reps
225, 10 reps

21's - 70, 1 set of 21 reps

Wide Grip Bench
185, 3 sets of 10 reps

Decline bench, Hoist machine
230, 5 sets of 8 reps

Cable Chest Flye
40, 10 reps
60, 8 reps
50, 3 sets of 8 reps
Tried a new machine for these. Wasn't very comfortable.

Short workout tonight. Things to do, places to be. I'll see if I can squeeze in some sit ups tonight.

[ZenLefty]

2. Cure Friday, 8 January 2010

It was back to the gym with me after a two day hiatus. The Cure's live album Show carried me through most of my workout, though I switched to The Head On The Door while I was doing weights.

Treadmill - 30 minute run (5.5) and 15 minute walk (3.2 - 4.0). Little over 3 miles and little under 400 calories.
I was tired. I didn't think I could run 5 minutes but I made myself go.

Overhead behind-neck barbell press
135 - 10, 10, 10, 8 and 7 reps

Dips
Body weight - 4 sets of 12
These were tough today, for some reason. Front deltoids did not enjoy them.

Seated Cable Row
150 - 10, 10, 10, 8 and 8 reps

Side Bends (obliques)
75 - 3 sets of 10

[ZenLefty]

3. Saturday, 9 January 2010

I barely managed to get in one workout this weekend, and it was on Saturday. Elliptical machine, 30 minutes, moderate intensity. Can't remember any of the details. I can remember hitting the punching bag for a bit afterwards, though. And a few sit ups and pull ups.