Friday, November 8, 2013

Stop Being Schizophrenic with Your Workouts

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't been on here. I have been working out but I have not been consistent. I was jumping from program to program every couple of weeks. I was trying to find one that was going to get me to my goal. My goal of getting to 10% body fat by Christmas. This seems like a decent goal with a firm date and a tough but attainable and measurable result. However, I was not happy with what I was doing to get there and so I was confused on what program I wanted to do. There is so much information and so many programs to try that give great results, but it can get chaotic when you try to process all of it. I had to find something to fix this issue.

Well the other day Cory Gregory, the President of Muscle Pharm, put out a twitter Q&A session. I sent him a tweet asking  Do you ever feel like a schizophrenic when deciding workout routines? Ideas on overcoming? I expected a response because he is good at interacting with his followers and the response I got really got me thinking. This is what he responded:  yea thats why I try to have a goal at the end of the plan helps me focus. It is not a deep revelation or an awe inspiring piece of knowledge, but it got me thinking.

Then he also has been blogging at #StayMotivated and when I went back and read a few of the posts that I missed. I came across this one.I-could-feel-it-in-air. I realized as I read it that my goal of 10% body fat is an aesthetic goal and I am not an aesthetic person. Yes, I do pose in front of the mirror and I like to flex my biceps and look at the V-Taper that is building as my body fat decreases, but I have never cared about aesthetics or showing everyone my physique. I had forgotten what I really loved to do in the fitness world.

So the solution to my schizophrenic workout mindset......evaluate and set proper a goal(s). This is what I have done and I have a plan, which is still under construction details wise. I really like the power lifting aspect o f weight lifting. Do I want to set world records and become one of the strongest men in the world? That is not part of my goals at this time, but if it happens then it happens. So with a goal set and a date set, I am working out the specific strategy to work toward those goals. I have the program I am going to use to reach my goals chosen.

Before I tell you my specific goals I am going to give a quick overview to the world of power lifting to those who don't know. Power lifting is based around 3 main lifts. Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift. The goal is to max out for 1 rep (1RM) on all three lifts. To the best of my knowledge, during a meet or competition they have placings for each of the main lifts and an overall which is a combined weight of all your lifts. So for example, say someone has a bench of 300, squats of 450, and deadlift of 500 they would have a combined of 1250 lbs.

So to my specific goals, I plan on holding a personal meet....IE this is my deadline for my goal on the 3rd of January. Based on my past performance my goal is a combined of 1300 lbs. This is based off my best lifts in the past where bench was 295, Squat was 350, and deadlift is 455. The squat is an approximate because I never had as spotter to go for a true 1RM. So my estimated combined is 1100 lbs.

I know, I know, you cannot base a goal on an estimated starting line. So this is where the strategy comes in to play. This upcoming week, I am going to do all three lifts to find out my 1RM on each one of the lifts. This will allow me to adjust and finalize my goals on the lifts and combined. The second part of the strategy is the program I am going to used to get me to my goals. One of the role models that I have had in fitness is Mike O'Hearn. Mike O'Hearn is a huge fitness Icon. He has a program that he follows called Power Bodybuilding. It incorporates the three may lifts in a power lifting routine followed by secondary bodybuilding routine. I am sure that I had mentioned this in the past because I was following this program earlier in the year.

So I ask you once again, to stick with me and keep checking in. ...I will keep you updated with my current 1RM for all three lifts and if I need to adjust my goal for January 3rd then I will update you with that information too.


God Bless,
Travis

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