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Hanging Tough – Focus on the Goals

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment (Edit)

In the past week or two, I have felt a bit sluggish. I really could not pinpoint the main reasons why I was feeling as tired as I was, but I am sure that it was a combination of diet and rest. I still do not drink carbonated beverages and have not since Christmas of 1999, so water is my main beverage of choice yet I am sure that I have not been drinking enough throughout the day. Also, there are nights when my schedule just did not allow me to sleep long enough, so I am sure that it caught up with me. I guess you could consider this to be a challenging time of sorts for me, but I would not let it bring me down. Instead, I remembered what my main short- and long-term goals were, and made a plan according to them.

feeling sluggish??

While unusual for me, I ended up taking a few days off here and there from the gym to ensure that my body was fully rested. I decided to take 10 days off of pre-workout supplements. I even shifted my workout routines towards high repetition, low-weight exercises, and I shortened the time I stayed in the gym. Thus far, I am feeling a little bit better, but I know that I need to also step up my cardio. So, I plan to add more cardio back into the mix in the next few days, and I will transition back to Cellucor M5 Extreme 2-in-1 from [Cellucor] C4 Extreme for my preworkout once I get back to my next chest day (in two more days).

I wanted to share my odd [ongoing] experience with you to say this. We all must hang tough. Challenges will come our way, so we have to continue to focus on the goals that we have made for ourselves and ensure that we are doing the right things to reach them. Are you staying on track with your workout plan and/or diet? Are you sleeping enough at night? Are you drinking enough water? Are you staying positive no matter what life throws at us, good or bad?

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Persistence and Positivity Pay Off!

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment (Edit)

So, we are already well into the second month of the year, and most of us have hit a few challenges along the way towards our fitness goals. For some, it might be the lack of energy or drive to continue the workout routine that we set forth in our New Year’s resolutions; for others, it might just be a lack of time available in the schedule over recent weeks. No matter the situation, keep on track and moving towards your goals can be a challenge in and of itself. I’m here to encourage you to remain persistent with your hard work ethic and discipline. Additionally, I recommend that you remain positive throughout. By doing both, you will be able to climb closer to your goals. Certainly, the journey can be extra frustrating at times, but, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Keep on track and keep your head held high! Before you know it, your goals will come into sight. Here are a few quick tips to keep you in the game.

  1. Be sure to have reachable, quantifiable goals! You want to make sure that your goals are realistic, timely, and quantifiable. For me, I want to lift more weight on the bench press, but I need to be sure that I pick a specific number of reps for a specific weight if I am going to be able to better achieve my goal. Of course, while I’d love to bench press 500lbs, that is not a reasonable goal for me right now, so I selected 315lbs for 4 reps and 225lbs for 10 reps instead!
  2. Keep track of your progress! It is always great to see how well you are doing along the journey. If you are trying to lose 10lbs in 6 weeks, maybe you want to weigh yourself every week. If you are trying to walk 5 miles each day, maybe you should get something like the FitBit to help you monitor your daily progress. Tracking your progress can be a great motivational tool as you strive to reach each goal.
  3. Reward Yourself! As you reach various milestones and your overall goals, be sure to take a minute to reward yourself. If you attach an award for reaching a specific goal or milestone from the outset, it can really help boost your overall motivation levels!

goal barriers

Let me know how your resolution journey is going thus far. Keep working at your goals, stay on track, and remain positive! In the end, you will thank yourself!

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No U.S. 10K Classic in 2011

May 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment (Edit)

Last year, I decided to run the US 10K Classic; it was my first official race! I spent a great deal of time preparing for this Labor Day race throughout the summer, and my goal was to finish within the first 1,000 so I could get a medal. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful, I was prepared, and I ran a nice race. I am proud to say that I reached my goal, but, with every accomplishment, new goals are formed and sought. I decided that 2011’s race would be the place where I would run even faster and break the 50 minute mark. But, while I was walking out of the local Huddle House, I noticed the front page of the Marietta Daily Journal at the newsstand, and it caught me by total surprise. Due to the economic issues that we are all facing, sponsorship has decreased for the 2011 race; as a result, event coordinators decided that it would be best to take a one year hiatus in an effort to weather the storm and make 2012 even better. That is sad to hear, but I guess that means that I will be in search of a different race to prepare for. Sure, this isn’t the only race in town, but it was one that I truly enjoyed. One of the great luxuries I enjoyed in this race was that I was permitted to wear/use my iPod Touch, and that is not always the case for road races.

2010 US 10K Classic Medal

Wearing My 2010 US 10K Classic Medal

From what I heard from news outlets and by interacting with the US 10K Classic’s social media presence, the loss of some sponsorship for the race was a bit much to bear if it wanted to put on a great race for thousands of participants and supporters. Plus, those losses would equate to higher expenses, and that is difficult for any non-profit charity. Lastly, it appears that the race wants to grow, so they may be looking to alter the route for the 2012 race in an effort to have a larger facility at the finish line! Well, time will tell how that turns out, but I am hoping for the best. I seek a challenging 2012 course and still hold out for a miracle for 2011 (although that appears impossible). Until then, you can find me in a local LA Fitness pumping the iron and looking to improve my cardio!

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Color Coded Plates

October 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment (Edit)

As many of you have known already (and to those who do not know but will soon figure out), I am a bit obsessive compulsive here and there, especially at the gym. When I walk up to the paper towel dispenser, I always pull two sheets off and line them up exactly back-to-back before folding it twice and spraying it with the disinfectant. I do the same thing when I need a dry (double) paper towel to wipe my sweat off of me. It is just part of my routine. Of course, I have other routines as well, just as many other weightlifters do. Now, if you read some of my other remarks and blog posts about fitness before, I really get flustered when I see the wrong weight on the wrong rack. At my gym, this becomes a bigger issue near the two Smith Machines.

Now, I would consider myself to be a nice fellow gym member. After using each machine or bench, I wipe it off. Also, when I use the plated weights (on benches, leg presses, etc.), I return each weight to the exact stack I got it from. For me, this is probably most popular on legs and shoulders day where, on a heavy workout day, I am stacking up 20-26 (45lbs) plates on the angled linear leg press (1300+ lbs total with the sled) and 300 to 400lbs on the Smith Machine when I do shoulder shrugs. No matter how much I decide to or attempt to lift, I try my best to be courteous to the other lifters by returning all plated weights to their rightful spot. In fact, you will typically find me noticing plated weights out of place and fixing those pet peeves of mine by returning those for the lazier gym rats.

So, what’s the problem (besides a few lazy people in the gym from time to time)? Well, great question, and here is one of my answers. The gym should be a bit more organized, especially for those visual learners. Of course, it is not fair just to complain about the problems or downfalls of the gym or any issue or place without offering up a potential solution. After great thought the other evening, I found that my gym and many others like it should simply have color coded plated weights. We could make each weight level a different color and color code the bar or slot where to return it, but I offer a different idea. Instead, I think that we should section off the gym more visibly by making each section of weights a different color because I find that some stacks are not full while others seem to overflow. So, the plated weights that are stacked on the leg press and squat machines should be one color (I say, pick green since it is my favorite color, and I love to work out my legs). Then, the plated weights over on the Smith machine should be colored blue (have you ever noticed just how clustered and unorganized the Smith Machine weights can be?)! Then, let’s go to the other plated machines and color those plates purple. Lastly, let’s color the plated weights within the bench section red. This will allow others to see where they borrowed the weights from in the first place. Furthermore, if I am using a red plate over in the leg press area, I know where it should be returned to. Attention gyms: Let’s get organized! And to my fellow lifters… take an extra minute and return the weights to their rightful spot after using them – think of it as the final repetition or something!

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Recent Pet Peeves at the Gym

July 16, 2010 By 1 Comment (Edit)

As with anything in life, a few things get on my nerves while trying to workout at the gym. I go to LA Fitness near my house, and I really enjoy my time there, typically spending over two hour each day tackling various cardio and weight training routines! Since I attend a large gym like LA Fitness, I seem to come across a few more things that jump on my nerves than I might endure at a small facility.

Here are some of the pet peeves that I have endured in the past month:

Urinals not flushed – Okay, so this is a guy thing that is quite mind-boggling at times. Are we just trying to conserve some water here or what? Typically, the gym is never out of hand soap, so it is not like the guys can’t wash their hands after flushing, something that they probably should be doing anyways!

People who don’t put weights back after using benches and plate machines – This is simply a courtesy thing, and the gyms ask that you do this when you are done with the weights and prior to moving on to your next exercise or machine. As the gym teacher back in high school would say, “If you can lift the weights up to use them, you can lift them to put them back where they belong.”

Weights on wrong stack – Well, some people put the weights back, but they do not put them back where they truly belong, so I guess they get half credit, right? This is particularly true over at the dumbbell racks. Since it is sometimes easier (depending on which bench someone uses and which benches are available) to simply put the dumbbells back on the nearest racks instead of where they belong, you have to really be watchful when going to grab the dumbbells that you want for your workout. I recommend that you double check because people can make mistakes from time to time, but some actions are purely blatant. I recall one recent workout where I grabbed one 50lb dumbbell with my right hand and a 55lb dumbbell with my left hand to go use on the flat bench. Surprisingly, I did not notice the difference during the chest press routine, but I noticed it after the first set. Luckily, it did not cause me an injury or something of a similar nature. Certainly, it does not stop there either; people put the 25lb weight plates on the 45lb rack, so I find myself having to fix it – must just be my perfectionist or slight OCD self showing himself!

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