The life of Rain: January 2016

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

At the core

Or is that the middle? Eh, anyway, contrary to what many seem to believe, there is much more to the "core" than just your abs. Your core is a complex series of muscles, extending far beyond your abs, including everything besides your arms and legs. It is incorporated in almost every movement of the human body. But it's really easy to ignore many parts of it. Core muscles are what support your spine, they're the ones that hold things together. The major muscles that move, support and stabilize your spine are what make up the core. Major muscles included are the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. Minor core muscles include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius. Your core is not only where your organs and central nervous system do their work, it’s also where your body’s largest veins and arteries are based. Keeping strong core muscles will help ensure everything stays protected. They are what keeps your lower back from going out on you once or twice a month. Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles. Weight lifting certainly does. And I've grossly neglected mine. Of course I've also had numerous holes punched through my abdominal wall in the last few years. Twelve or so of them if I counted right.

As the weight I lift increases I'm finding that I'm noticing my core more. And I'm also noticing that it needs some attention. There's more to building a strong core than simply doing some sit-ups and crunches. Here is an example of what some of those muscles are responsible for and an exercise to target them:

RECTUS ABDOMINUS

Location: Covers the area from sternum all the way down to the pelvis bone.
Function: Pulls the upper torso to the hips
Exercises: Crunch or Sit-up

OBLIQUE

Location: Side of the waist.
Internal Obliques
Transverse Obliques
External Obliques
Function: Tilt and twist the torso
Exercises: Side Bends and Decline Oblique Crunches

INTERCOSTALS

Location: Between the side of the rib cage. It comes into play when you flex the torso and twist from side to side.
Function: Elevation and depression of the ribs
Exercise: Air Bike

SERRATUS

Location: Between front abs and lats.
Function: Pulling of the scapula forward and around like in the motion of throwing a punch
Exercises: Barbell Pullovers and Cable Crunches

One of the interesting things about core exercises is that there are many of them that can be done with nothing more than your body and some room on the floor. They don't require a gym or any special equipment, just some time and dedication. Here's a list of 25 of them. The internet can provide plentiful examples of each one being performed.

There are two different types of muscles that make up the core: The muscles responsible for stabilizing respond best to isometric exercises held for a period of time or low-intensity (bodyweight) exercises for a higher number of repetitions. The muscles responsible for providing movement of the trunk respond best to increased loading (resistance) for a fewer number of repetitions—this rep range won’t make the muscles bigger, but will be more effective at stimulating the muscle fibers; for optimal results the muscles should fatigue before twelve repetitions. If you can complete more than 12 repetitions, increase the load or resistance of the exercise. When using heavier resistance for a fewer number of repetitions, the rest period between sets or between circuits should be longer. For example, an exercise with a heavy resistance for 6 repetitions should be followed by a rest interval of 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

For some reason I have resisted focusing on my core but I do believe it's time to change that. It is part of the strong foundation and a house built upon a poor foundation won't last long at all. And cardio, I loath cardio. And I need to do more of that too.

Sources:

How's your grip?

Lifting strap

If you lift for a while one thing is certain, you will figure out just how much you can hold in your hands before your grip gives out. Many exercises require a great deal of strength in the hand, wrist and forearm to perform optimally. If you don't have the grip you just can't lift the weight. There are exercises that help build that strength and there are also tools that help with it. In the past that tool has been straps. Straps get a lot of negative press for various reasons. Some people think that using a strap instead of building grip strength is simply counterproductive. Some people view straps the same way they view gloves, they go best with a purse. Personally I was never a fan of straps simply because I found them more a pain in the ass to use than useful. And I never really seemed to need them. The few times I did attempt using them I had a great deal of trouble wrapping the left strap as my my right hand was already strapped to the bar. I couldn't get them tight enough to work properly and finally just gave them back to the person I borrowed them from. They seemed more hassle than help. So I never bothered with them again until today. But what I used today aren't straps exactly. They're called VarsaGrips. http://versagripps.com/

Versa Gripps eliminates grip fatigue and failure, allowing the user to concentrate on the larger muscle groups while not thinking or worrying about one's grip. When you no longer have to worry about losing your grip or your grip becoming tired, you will then be able to concentrate and appreciate the mind/muscle connection. Huge gains will be experienced.

Versa Gripps are used for all pushing (as in the bench press) and pulling (as in the deadlift) movements in strength training. The patented Versa Gripps take the place of gloves, lifting straps, hooks and wrist supports. By using Versa Gripps, both movements are accomplished safely, easily and comfortably.

Unlike lifting straps - that are difficult to use, particularly over your head - Versa Gripps are flexible, self-supporting and stand-up in front of your hand. This design makes it quick and easy to reach by the tips of the fingers on the same hand that is wearing them.

There are several video reviews of these online but those reviews don't really talk about how they actually work in the gym, they're more about construction, look and all that useless crap. I wanted to see how well they actually worked so I bought some.

I usually use gloves in the gym because of the nerve damage in my hands. When I have to grip tightly with nothing to assist my fingers will go completely numb and then I can't close my hands anymore. Once that happens my day at the gym is done. However, gloves don't really help with grip strength, especially when pulling heavy weight. The Versa Gripps do though. I used them today both for pushing and pulling exercises as well as on a rope attachment and they performed better than I had hoped.

I noticed a few things almost instantly. My hands don't sweat not being in gloves. The bar felt much tighter and more secure in my hand. My hands didn't move, at all. And most importantly, I was able to lift heavier and longer without my fingers getting fatigued and feeling like I was going to drop the bar. I found that doing the full number of repetitions was noticeably easier as was maintaining my form. I have had issues with the rope attachment sliding through my grip when doing certain exercises, the Versa Gripps didn't allow that to happen. There are couple negatives, but they're not terrible. It's very difficult to write with the grips on, they tend to get in the way. It's also somewhat difficult to grab things other than the bar due to how the grip sits over your palm. But, as I said, those things aren't terribly troublesome and they can be worked around. You can see in the photo below just how they hang in relation to your hand. But this is also what makes them so easy to use.

I also noticed that, while these certainly help with grip, they don't completely eliminate the need for some muscle. You aren't relying completely on the grip like you can with straps, you still need to squeeze and hang on. And they work for pushing, straps don't. I left these on for my entire workout and found they worked with every exercise I did.

So, if you lift often and need something to help with your grip, I highly recommend these. If you hate straps like I do, try these instead. Yes, they're a bit pricey but if you use them every day it's an investment in you. And you are always worth an investment.

On a side note, if you live in the Springfield, Oregon area and want to buy them locally I found them at Gym Ratz Sports Nutrition. It's at 1843 Pioneer Pkwy E. That's the little "mall" on the corner of Pioneer and Q. He's got a great little store with a wide selection of sports nutrition products. Pre-workouts, post workouts, protein mixes, all that stuff places like GNC sell but without the corporate attitude and prices.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Slow and steady wins the race

The two top photos are from August of 2013, the bottom two are from today, Sunday January 24th, 2016. Now when I look at these photos I don't see much of a difference. I think I was around 500 pounds in August and now I'm hovering at 406, so only 94 pounds. It seems like it's taken decades and at times I feel like I've accomplished nothing. But I keep going. I have to remind myself that it takes time. You can't go from zero to 100 in six seconds when you're driving an old, beat up car with high mileage and knocking lifters, it just don't work. And if it does it won't end well. I have to rebuild the car one piece at a time. Or to mix metaphors, you have to build the foundation before you can build the house. I've spent the last several months working on the foundation.

When I first stepped into the gym I could barely climb the steps to the second floor, now that's no problem. 10 minutes on the treadmill was exhausting for me, now it's how I warm up. I can fit in clothes I haven't had on in 10 years. I can walk through a store without having to stop. I fit in cars, with the seat belt on. So I've made progress. Now it's time to adjust my methods and decide what I want to do. Well, other than the obvious. I still have a great deal of weight to get rid of.

I, like everyone else who spends time in the gym, wish there was some magic trick I could use to simply abra cadabra myself fit and thin, but it just doesn't work that way. Damnit anyway. Myself, being much like that old car trying to make the top of the hill, have to pace myself and go one step at a time. I haven't done my body any favors over the years and it reminds of that fact pretty much every day. There are days when I dwell in the past and remember my younger years when I could push myself far harder than I can today and still walk the next day. Those days, like my sanity, are long gone and should probably just be forgotten. I aint no spring chicken. Though in all honestly I do seem able to hold my own in the gym these days. I've had a chuckle or two watching the youngsters try to keep up with me and failing. That's always good for the ego. And the day I let my ego run ahead of my common sense is the day I hurt myself and have to take 25 steps back.

And that's what I'm dealing with right now. I'm at the point that I want to push harder and faster and yet I know that if I do I'm going to hurt something again and be worse off than if I simply stay with the slow and steady. There's a story about that method winning the race you know. Every time I get an urge to pile on the weight and show off I have to remind myself that it's just not worth it and the only person I need worry about in the gym is me and how I did yesterday and what I want to do tomorrow. It's not a competition and no one cares anyway. I can't compare myself to anyone else, only myself yesterday or last month or last year. And when I do that I know I've accomplished something.

If you care to look you'll find that there are as many opinions about weight loss and weight lifting as there are people with something to sell. There's books, magazines, websites, blogs and vlogs too. You can watch Youtube videos until your eyes bleed and you're so confused you can't remember your own name. It's all well and good I suppose, but it gets to be a bit much. I focus on only a few very basic principles. Do more today than you did yesterday. Even if it's only one minute or one pound or one rep. Form is VERY important. Form prevents injury. Form puts the focus on the desired muscle. Good form looks cool too. Bad form though, bad form looks silly and puts people in traction. Bad form is the fastest way to ruin a good workout and end it by limping home to find the muscle ointment and pain meds. And finally, try and have fun. People take this shit so seriously. I see it every day, these people that just look pissed the hell off about being in the gym. They show up, look miserable, blast out a few reps, chug their "workout" drink of choice, check themselves out in the mirrors and leave as miserable as they came. Lighten up! Going to the gym is my medicine. It keeps me sane. It reduces my stress level. It gets me out of the house. And one other thing, write it down. I don't know about you but the older I get the less I can seem to remember so if I don't write it down I sure can't remember it in a week, or a month.

When you write it down you can go back later and compare last month, or six months ago, to what you did today. This way you can see what, if anything, has improved. You can see what is and isn't working, you can see what hurt and figure out why (bench pressing with a bad shoulder, not a really fab idea). And this allows you to make changes, to improve your workouts and thus improve yourself. That's where I'm at today. I'm trying to figure out the next step, the next goal and what I need to do to achieve them. This is when that information (opinion) overload gets to be bothersome. Given the plethora of options it's not feasible to simply try them all until something sticks, that would take years. So it becomes necessary to weed through the mounds of bullshit and find the truths, the proven methods, the "tried and true". And even then there's entirely too damn many to choose from. Though it really boils down to lift more. There is some fascinating science behind some of it. Why muscles get bigger and stronger is well known, it's the methods used to achieve this where the confusion often arises.

Here's a little basic science I ehhhhh......borrowed from http://www.builtlean.com/2013/09/17/muscles-grow/

3 Mechanisms That Make Muscles Grow

Underlying all progression of natural muscle growth is the ability to continually put more stress on the muscles. This stress is a major component involved in the growth of a muscle and disrupts homeostasis within your body. The stress and subsequent disruption in homeostasis causes three main mechanisms that spur on muscle growth.

Muscle Growth Mechanism #1: Muscle Tension
In order to produce muscle growth, you have to apply a load of stress greater than what your body or muscles had previously adapted too. How do you do this? The main way is to lift progressively heavier weights. This additional tension on the muscle helps to cause changes in the chemistry of the muscle, allowing for growth factors that include mTOR activation and satellite cell activation.

Muscular tension also most dramatically effects the connection of the motor units with the muscle cells. Two other factors help to explain why some people can be stronger, but not as big as other people.

Muscle Growth Mechanism #2: Muscle Damage

If you’ve ever felt sore after a workout, you have experienced the localized muscle damage from working out. This local muscle damage causes a release of inflammatory molecules and immune system cells that activate satellite cells to jump into action. This doesn’t mean that you have to feel sore in order for this to happen, but instead that the damage from the workout has to be present in your muscle cells. Typically soreness is attenuated over time by other mechanisms.

Muscle Growth Mechanism #3: Metabolic Stress

If you’ve ever felt the burn of an exercise or had the “pump” in the gym, then you’ve felt the effects of metabolic stress. Scientists used to question bodybuilders when they said the “pump” caused their muscles to become larger. After more investigation, it seems as though they were onto something.

Metabolic stress causes cell swelling around the muscle, which helps to contribute to muscle growth without necessarily increasing the size of the muscle cells. This is from the addition of muscle glycogen, which helps to swell the muscle along with connective tissue growth. This type of growth is known as sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and is one of the ways that people can get the appearance of larger muscles without increases in strength.

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Muscle tension is why it's important to do today just a little (or a lot) more than you did yesterday. It's the reason that half hour on the treadmill isn't hard anymore but also why the 45 minutes is. You've adapted to the stress, built the proper muscles to compensate and your body is now able to conduct that activity. If you keep at that half hour for a year you'll probably be wondering why you don't see anymore improvement. Adaptation. The same is true of lifting. If you do the same weight for the same reps in the same order, day after day, month after month, nothing will change after awhile. You'll adapt, it will seem easier, but you won't grow stronger or build more muscle. You have to push just a little harder. And then a little more. Well, unless you're happy with where you're at, if that's the case then congratulations and carry on. You've succeeded. I'm not there yet. Not even on the same continent. Though the ship is steaming in that direction.

Everyone's favorite, muscle damage. It sounds so darn scary but it's necessary if you want muscle growth. Every time the muscle is damaged it repairs itself and comes back stronger. Well, it should be noted that this form of muscle damage is far different than the other kind of muscle damage. There is a good kind and there is a bad kind. The bad kind can takes months to repair, even require surgery. The key is to know the difference. In my younger days I witnessed several people doing irreparable damage to their muscles by trying to lift entirely too much and failing miserably. Muscle damage is also a reason to push just a little harder every day. If you want them to grow you have to hurt them just a little. Tough love kids, tough love.

And finally, metabolic stress, or "the burn". I love feeling the burn. It usually starts about the same time as the endorphin rush and that rush is better than snorting coke off a whore's ass (not that I've ever done that, just heard about it). The burn usually starts the rep after you think you can't do anymore reps.

There are three primary rules to getting stronger, or so I've read and been told. They are:

1. Always train to a point where your muscles are seriously taxed. If you don't, there won't be adequate stimulation for the adaptation response to be triggered. Gym rats call this working "to failure" and it's long been a successful method. I generally don't push to that point but that's because I don't really follow rule 3, I spend 5 days a week in the gym. I need it for my sanity.

2. Always keep changing the exercises you do and the way you do them so your muscles do not adapt too quickly to the work you are doing. There are quite literally thousands of options to choose from.

3. Make sure that you spend more time resting that you do training. Physiologically, training is about breaking down your muscles, while resting is about building them up, so if you are serious about increasing your results, you should train harder but less frequently. This is one rule I don't really follow. I suppose it depends on just how far along you are too. It's also why each day I spend in the gym is dedicated to a different part of my body.

My 5 days are chest, shoulders, back, triceps & biceps, legs. Every day starts with a 10 minute warm-up, usually on the treadmill. I slacked on this step for a while and paid the price. Hitting the weights straight out of the gate, cold and stiff, first thing in the morning, not a great plan. I keep my rest period between sets to a minute or less and my rest between exercises to around 3 minutes. Sometime when the gym is busy it gets up to around 5 but if it's going to be more than that I just choose a different exercise and move on. I go for 5 or six sets per exercise and 8 to 12 reps, depending on what I'm doing and how much it weighs. So far I've had a lot of success with this method but I've found that lately it's just not having the desired effect any more. Time to change things up some. Time for rule number 2 I suppose.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Life is.....

Depression is a constant sense of hopelessness and despair. It can be difficult to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy friends and activities. Some people have clinical depression only once in their life, while others have it several times in a lifetime. And still others deal with it every single day of their existence. I fall in that lucky group.

Most people feel sad or low at some point in their lives. But clinical depression is marked by a depressed mood most of the day, particularly in the morning, and a loss of interest in normal activities and relationships -- symptoms that are present every day for at least 2 weeks. In addition, according to the DSM-5 -- a manual used to diagnose mental health conditions -- you may have other symptoms with major depression. Those symptoms might include:

Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day
Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day (called anhedonia, this symptom can be indicated by reports from significant others)
Restlessness or feeling slowed down
Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
Significant weight loss or gain (a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month)

If you've ever heard that phrase "my give a damn is busted" you've heard a pretty accurate description of clinical depression. It makes everything hard. And I mean everything. Hard to get out of bed in the morning, hard to go to sleep at night. Hard to function in the daytime, to find motivation, to simply function. You have no drive, no ambition, no will to do much of anything other than exist. Constantly tired, annoyed, even angry for no tangible reason. The thought of doing what others do every day is as daunting as climbing Everest in the winter wearing nothing but shorts. Frankly it sucks.

I've dealt with it my entire life and up until a few years ago really had no idea what it was or why I felt the way I did. I always knew there was something "wrong" with me but no one ever bothered to explain it to me and I didn't know how to find the answers. When you wake up every day and wish you hadn't, when you spend your free time thinking of all the different ways you could end your life, you know you have a problem. It wasn't until a few years ago that I finally realized just how bad the problem was and decided to do something about it. And I still wish there was more I could do. While I, for the most part, don't sit and contemplate ending my life, I do struggle every single day to keep going. Some are better than others, I have the occasional good day. But it's something I know will never go away, I can only learn to live with it. And that is the struggle, to live, not simply to survive. There is a difference. To exist only requires breathing another day, it takes little effort. To live though, that is much more difficult when you have depression.

I recently turned 42 and I realized what simply surviving had done to me, how it affected every aspect of my life. Jobs, choices, relationships, more choices. Moving here and moving there and making more choices. Gaining weight and allowing my health to deteriorate to the point it did. For me, as I get older self reflection becomes easier and I find that I'm much more honest with myself than I was earlier in life. In the moment I would almost always find a way to blame anyone or anything other than myself for my choices and actions. When leaving a job or a lover or a location, it was always some outside force that made it necessary, never me. When you survive with depression it's very difficult to be honest with yourself. When you simply don't care, or can't care, it's easy to "go with the flow". Or at least that's why I always told myself. Just go with it, don't fight for it, that would take effort. Just move on, float away. Ship the oars and let life take you where it will. Even if it's straight off a cliff.

So here I am at 42, learning to live for the first time in my existence. I've conquered the majority of my demons, I've accepted who and what I am, I've addressed my many issues and while I still struggle with some of them every day I can now recognize them for what they are. I have finally, after entirely too many years of saying "fuck it", made a commitment to my health, both physical and mental. Now what? What do I do with the rest of my life? At 42 I feel like my options are somewhat limited. My choices brought me to where I am today and I can't change that, what I can control is my future. And I have no idea what to do with it. I still struggle with the "give a damn", I still struggle with the depression. And I know I always will. But I have built the tools to work with it instead of fighting it or simply floating along. Yet I have no idea what to do. I lack direction, as I always have. The difference is that these days I have children and wife. I have responsibilities and commitments. I can't simply say fuck it and float away until I finally bump ashore someplace. It's time to put the oars back in the water and pick a direction.

I am, above all else, a father. My children are the number one priority in my life and I know that I need to do something to give them the future and the life I was never given. My children are the primary reason I'm alive today and certainly the number one motivation for finally addressing my issues. I wanted to be here for them, both physically and mentally. I make that my goal every single day. But there is more to life than just my kids. And my kids, they want to do things, to get out of the house, to play. And those things are often a struggle. I still find myself wanting to hide, to ignore, to be left alone. I know why I feel that way and sometimes I catch myself in time to adjust, but not all the time. I think about going back to work and I wonder if I can. Sometimes I miss it, having a place to go every day and something to do. My daily workouts at the gym help with that to some extent, but that costs me money, I'd like to actually make some. I wonder, given my past choices would anyone even offer me a job? Would I manage to keep it? I don't have the best record when it comes to that.

So at this point I have no idea what direction to go or what I want to do. I shall continue to focus on my children and on my health. I shall continue to visit the gym 5 days a week and eat better so that I can feel better. And maybe, just maybe an idea will works its way into my head one of these days.