~Francesco Petrarch
I have a few goals in mind. A general idea of what weight I would like to be, what size. Sort of. The question is, how do I get there? There are more opinions on this than a person could read in a lifetime. It can get a bit overwhelming if you let it. The truth though is pretty simple, caloric deficit and muscle hypertrophy. And drinking plenty of water. It's not terribly complicated at it's root. But some days it sure feels it. Information overload, opinion overload, this diet, that diet, new and interesting exercise routines, new equipment, new........ Faster, better, easier.... Oh just stop it! Sometimes it gets to be too much. Having said that.
I am always looking for new ways to do things. New methods, new ways of exercising a given muscle. They may not be "new" ways, but they're new to me and new means different. Because variety keeps me from getting bored. It's why I don't do a lot on the treadmill or any of the other cardio machines. I get bored, my mind wanders and concentration follows it. Motivation is running to catch up, and I'm done. I occasionally face the same issue in the weight room, so I change what I do. Did you know there's about 101 different ways to target any muscle or muscle group? I think it's the one plus to come out of so many years of "the newest cool tool". We now have dumbbells, barbells, bands, machines, ropes, free weights and fixed weights and..... The great thing about lifting weights is that there are very few rules. Leave your ego at the door, mind your form and don't be a douche. That about covers it. There's plenty of personal preference and people who will tell you that their way is the best way, but no law saying you have to listen to them. And that's a good thing.
I plan my workouts for the week, usually on Sunday, and write them in my book so I know what I'm doing on any given day. That way there's no wandering around the gym trying to remember what I did a day or two ago and what I'm going to do today. I know before I walk in the door. It also allows me the ability to rotate not only what days I do specific muscle groups on, but what exercises I do. There are an easy 25 different exercises that target biceps. If you do the same one every time not only do you get bored silly, your body adjusts to it and you don't get as good of a result. So one week I'll do barbell curls, the next I'll do dumbbell curls. Or I'll use the preacher curl machine instead of the bench. Or I'll do cable curls instead. I also change the number of reps I do and sometimes even the number of sets. Keeps it more interesting. Sometimes I use all machines, other times I use all free weights. A lot of days I do both. The only thing I'm stuck in a rut with are my legs. There's not a lot of variety that I'm capable of doing yet. But I'm fixing that.
Legs are that one part of your body that can get boring. Squats, deadlifts, more squats. Calf raises, lunges, calf raises........ I have a love/hate relationship with leg day. It's my strongest body part, but I'm sick of doing the same old same every week with them. I still can't squat very well. The knees just don't want to do it. Squatting low enough to do it properly can result in a one way trip to the floor. And that just hurts. But I'm getting closer. Thankfully there are options. Several of them. Though again, there are some who insist the only thing worth doing is a squat. Maybe they're just stuck in a rut, or afraid of change. I don't know. I know what has worked for me. And that, in my opinion, is the key to success in the gym. Find what works for you. You don't have to do what others do, you don't have to follow any specific routine. Pick some exercises, get the form down and have at it. Just remember, form does matter. If you're doing it wrong you may as well not be doing it.
Now, what to do next week. And the next. And the next.
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