Alternating specific muscle groups allows me to lift harder and longer.
I am much more focused.
I can now see what I need to work on.
I now know what causes certain pain and what doesn't.
I have more energy after my workout
I don't wander aimlessly wondering what to do next
I don't forget one exercise and repeat another.
So while it's only been one week, it's gone well. I've found all the suggested reasons for having a plan and keeping a record to be valid for me. After only 5 days I can feel the difference. After each workout I know without a doubt that I hit the targeted muscles. And yet those muscles have plenty of time to recover before I abuse them again. Instead of having one body part aching from DOMs, it's all of them.
For the next few weeks the routine is this:
Monday/Friday: Legs
Tuesday: Back & Biceps
Wednesday: Chest & Triceps
Thursday: Shoulders
Saturday is either a rest day or a goof off day
Sunday is a rest day.
Worked really well for this week. Hopefully next week will go equally as well. I have left room to alter exercises if need be. Add one in, take one out, as long as it focuses on the same body part. That is the nice thing about doing it like this, you can change it up a lot easier.
When you workout do you have a plan? A script? Or do you just wing it at the gym? I've gone both ways. I started with a plan. Had my little book of daily workouts and everything. Stuck with that for a little while and then just decided I knew what I was going to do so I'd leave the book at home. What did I learn? It really doesn't work for me. I get sidetracked, I get distracted, I forget one exercise and repeat others. And then I burn out. So it's back to the notebook, back to a plan and hopefully back to a better workout.
Today was the first day actually following a routine again. It seems to have worked well for me. I was more focused, I knew what I was going to do and I did it. I spent less time in the gym and accomplished more. I felt better. I didn't end the day feeling annoyed and frustrated or like I wasted my time. So I will be sticking with the book from now on. It's always up for a revision or three but will certainly be used.
So what is a plan? It's basically a list of what/how many times/how heavy. There are thousands of examples available online. Quite a few exercise webpages offer their own versions. Some let you modify them or adjust for your personal goals, abilities and what nots. Some of the sites I use are:
There are many more. There are some webpages dedicated just to women too. Though Bodybuilder.com gives you the option to pick from genders if you wish to. You can specify what body parts you want to focus on, or not. You can decide how much cardio you want to do, if any. Or you can do all cardio. There are three examples at the bottom if you care to look at them.
So why keep a log? Why have a plan? If I had been logging my workouts and actually paying attention to what I was doing I would not have burned myself out so bad. I would have noticed that I was overtraining and adjusted. Having a plan and log allows you to make goals and then take note when you achieve them, or when you don't. Had I been logging and following a plan I would have realized just how sidetracked my workouts had become. Can you remember what you did last Tuesday? The reps, weight and how you felt after? I can't. Am I working the same muscle group again today? What was it I did yesterday? Having a plan and a journal ends these issues. And one more reason. In 6 months, a year, three years, you can look back and see just how far you've come. Just what you've accomplished and just what it took. And if you're a geek like me there are even apps for your phone that do all this.
So now I have a plan again. And I'm sticking with it this time. OK, there may be a little tweaking along the way, but I'll have notes on what and why.
First let me say that this is meant to be humorous, mostly, not as a gripe. There are actually webpages dedicated to this subject, if you can believe that.
Number one:
Grunters. I hate grunters. Not the one's moving a large amount of weight, I understand that. I'm talking about the ones doing it just because that's what they do. Either for attention or to be obnoxious. If you're pushing heavy (and that's really relative) I get it. I think we all grunt on occasion, I know I do. But if you're doing pullups and grunting like you're giving birth to a small truck, that's obnoxious. If you're simply doing bodyweight exercises and sound like you should be in the maternity ward you're either doing something very wrong or you're an attention seeker. People are trying to concentrate. You're about as distracting and annoying as fingernails down a chalkboard. Shut the hell up. I really don't want Serena Williams working out next to me. If you don't get what I'm saying, here's an example:
Number two:
Attention seekers. If you come to the gym in full makeup, check it every two minutes, fix your hair in the mirror, you're in the wrong place. If you spend more time flexing in front of the mirror than actually lifting, you're in the wrong damn place. I enjoy looking at an attractive lady as much as anyone, but there are better places for that. There is no need to slam the weights back into the rack so everyone looks at you. You don't need to drive the plates into the ground when doing deadlifts. It's obnoxious. Seriously, just stop. If you're looking for love try a bar or the internet, or the grocery store. You should smell like sweat, not cologne or perfume. Your lipstick should not be perfect after 45 minutes on the treadmill. If you take a mirror with you on an elliptical....
Number three:
Good grief dude, you're going to hurt yourself! This isn't so much a peeve as a concern. If you have absolutely no idea how to use a certain machine or do a certain exercise DON'T DO IT! Ask someone. Ask your phone. Go home and use Google. Talk to a trainer. I see this every single time I'm in the gym. I can't help but watch some of these people. It's a morbid fascination. I look and my inner voice says "what the fuck are you doing?". There's bad form and then there's "how are you not in traction". I see plenty of half (or less) reps, flared elbows, improper lifts and the like, that's an entire different subject, but not nearly as concerning. Watch the video below, there's a man in my gym that does lat pulldowns exactly like that. I have witnessed some of this first hand. Put the ego away and ask some questions before you hurt yourself or destroy a machine.
Number four:
And lastly, the campers and the spread outers. How is it possible for one person to be using every single piece of equipment in the gym, at the same time? I understand "circuit training" but come on. You've got weights on the squat rack, Smith machine, incline and bench all at the same time? You throw a hissy tantrum when someone asks to work in, 'cause I'm using that dude. And then you leave without racking a single plate?
Gosh dude, I know that 45 minute call to your lover is important, but could you do it someplace else? Standing in the squat rack is not the best place to be passing that next level of Candy Crush. I understand resting between sets, but you're taking a damn nap on the bench. Move it along.
I guess what I'm trying to say with this is just have some damn respect. A little courtesy goes a long way. Most of us are there to exercise, to sweat, to work on ourselves. Let us do it. If you're looking for your next ex, try a bar. If you need a nap then head to the lounge. If you are that desperate for attention, call your mom.
On Thursday my daughter and I got hit by an idiot that apparently doesn't understand red means stop. Thankfully we're both fine. The car is totalled, but we're fine. And I honestly believe that the biggest reason I'm fine, other than driving a big, solid car with airbags, is all the time I've spent in the gym over the last few months. Had it happened 4 months ago I most likely would have ended up in the hospital, not walking away. I wouldn't have been able to get my door open, I probably would have crushed some body part on the steering wheel. It would have been far worse than it was. Two days later I hurt, but I'm able to move. My back hurts, but I can walk. My arm hurts, but it's not broken. I try not to think about how bad it could have been. And it's yet another reason to stick with working out.
You can see the imprint of his license plate on the corner of the bumper
My daughter and I spent a grand total of 9 hours with doctors making sure nothing was wrong. Asshole who hit me went to the mall. But we did walk away. I'm glad to have been able to do that. I'm glad my daughter only has a bruised belly. I'm pissed that the asshole who hit us seemed completely unphased by it. Never once asked if my daughter was OK, never once acknowledge me. And then went to the mall. I try to avoid discussing other things on this blog, but I feel the need to make an exception.
What the hell has happened to our society, to humanity, that has made people so selfish and callous? I'm a self admitted asshole, I can't stand people, yet I can not imagine hitting a car with a child in the backseat and then simply rolling up my windows, locking the doors and staring at the person I hit. The entire situation and all involved left a sour taste with me. The response of the Springfield police department seemed callous at best. I spent a grand total of 2 minutes being talked to by an officer. They seemed busy kissing the ass of the person who hit me and totally unconcerned about me or my daughter. What happened to basic human decency? How did society get to the point that we simply don't give a shit about anyone else? The fire department showed up and seemed more concerned about getting the car out of the road than about my child.
I'm not saying you have to like people, or agree with people. You don't have to send them flowers. But is it that hard to express maybe a tiny bit of concern? I admit that when I climbed out of my car I wanted to punch the dude in the face. I also admit that I told him he was a fucking moron, loudly and repeatedly, but that did have a bit to do with the fact that he was just sitting there giving me dirty looks like "how dare you go through an intersection on a green light and get in my way". It astounds me, the number of times driving I see people go through red lights. Like actually stopping and not killing someone is just too much trouble. It goes back to that selfish, entitled attitude that seems so damn prevalent in society. As if the world and everyone in it is supposed to get our of your way, because you're special. Apparently there was something so important at the mall that he couldn't be bothered to stop at a light for 30 seconds.
In my 41 years on this planet I have witnessed people drive around bodies in the road without a care. I've watched people slow down to take photos of wrecks but not bother to stop. I've seen people completely ignore those in need because stopping would somehow inconvenience them, or they simply don't give a shit. Some insist it's about "religion" but I know full well that many of the people who turn a blind eye went to church that weekend. It seems a basic (and sad) human condition that is steadily getting worse. People will leave their own children in a hot car to die but not forget their cell phone. People will stand in line for days to get some "deal" or new gizmo, but won't take two minutes out of their day to check on a person. It's sad. I can't tell you how many cars drove around me after this wreck, not a single one stopped, not a single one asked if anyone needed help. They simply looked inconvenience and annoyed. Like "how dare they slow me down". It was truly a sad reminder of just how shitty our society has become.
