week 2 day 3

Many days in the gym are not magnificent. That is to say it is just showing up and putting in the work. Pushing limits where there seems to be a lack of space to do so. Dropping off bad moods at the door and shutting out the world. It's been my best practice at being present. The monumental moments truly aren't on max effort days. It's the in-between ones where consistency counts--when you come in, omit small talk, and do what needs to be done.

I decided to compete again next April. That gives me just under 5 months to train, which is downright luxurious. To show up and do well I would need a solid 12 week program, so I have plenty of time to build my muscle and add to my total. The wiggle room is nice. I'm adding a bit more cardio and some every training day things, such as AMRAP push ups or pull ups at the tail end. It is, currently, the worst part of the training day because I'm tired and spent and do not want to do them at all. But that's the point. Do it exhausted, build some endurance.

It's funny how deciding to compete again helped me regain my focus and excitement overall. I wasn't getting burnt out, but I was becoming distracted. Now there is something to aim for, so I'm building arrows in my quiver for a purpose. It's nice.

Today I woke up at 6am, on my day off, to get there and do what I needed to do. Workout included:
4x7 low bar squats @ 150
3x8 high bar squats @ 135 (tempo'd to focus on form)

3x4, 1x4+ overhead press
+40 reps dumbbell incline press
+28 deadbugs

3x20 tricep extension(behind head)
3x20 face pulls
3x20 tricep rope pulldowns
3x6 hanging leg raises
3x15 barbell curls

I'm in the beginning of this training block, so lots of hypertrophy to promote some growth. I know growth is happening because, ahem, I'm growing out of some of my shorts(again). Time to add new ones to the stock.

new max, what's next?

On Saturday I retested my one rep max on back squat. Initially, my hope was to retest all three lifts, but I was on a tight schedule. Retesting takes time--it takes time to warm up, time in between as the numbers climb. Oh, the patience.

So. I only needed a spot for the very last attempt. I asked my buddy Nate, who was just about to start pedaling the assault bike. I locked in my shoulders, braced my core, then started my descent. All I could think was knees forward, get back up. And I did. It was a grinder in the end, but max attempts should be. Finally. Two plates on either end of the bar! 225lbs. That's a 20lb increase from mid-April of this year. I'm extremely happy with that, and motivated to keep growing over the winter.

What's next? I'm planning on running the 12 week program template again, with some changes to the exercises to shake up the muscle memory a bit. Also implementing a bit more cardio, and continuing to dial in the diet. This is the anxious part of the journey for me--one training block is ending, and another one is ahead. I can implement any changes I want, but in doing so I hope to commit myself to them for at least a few months. My cardio of choice lately is 100's--10 sets of 10 reps for various exercises. Right now it's just challenging enough to make me hate myself halfway through(and those are usually the best workouts).

My gym has also offered to let me teach a spin class, and I've been working on a setlist for a workout. So much planning goes into it, and I wish I had more time. Perhaps I'll use more of my rest days for that. Overall, things are wonderful and feeling promising.

Was honestly hoping to write more here tonight, but dealing with a tooth ache(root canal is Tuesday thank goodness) and would rather get some more rest than type. Until again.