So it seems ironic that the day after I post my “starting line” post, I’d hurt myself. I was doing overhead dumbbell extensions last night, was on my 4th set and feeling pretty good, when all of a sudden at the very bottom of the rep I hear a “pop” and feel something like a slight shifting in my spine. Did one more rep, then switched to only cardio for the remainder of the workout. At the time of injury, it only hurt a little, and was more just frightening than anything else.

Hoped I could just sleep it off, however I slept like crap as the pain got worse through the night. Now I can barely turn my head in any direction without some pretty substantial pain. Called out from work, and going to the doctor this afternoon.

Don’t worry, until I’m paralyzed, the yoking will continue.

I’ll keep you posted.

Update(08/04):

So I went to see the doc last Friday, and he basically gave me a goody bag full of muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medication. Said I most likely just had some serious inflammation, but to come back if it got worse, which would probably indicate a tear in my trapezius. Well it’s now Wednesday, and I feel 100x better, though there’s still some minor pain when I twist my head fully. Should be able to go back to lifting at regular levels tomorrow.

Lesson learned? Don’t go too deep on overhead dumbbell extensions, I guess.

If you’ve experienced any neck or back injuries from working out, please feel free to share what it was from. I’d like to avoid any more neck injuries if possible, particularly because they freak me out.

Before I started writing this blog, I knew that my first goal was going to be to reduce my body fat. I wasn’t sure how much, or in what kind of timeframe, but I knew that was going to be the first goal I shot for. Knowing this, I took some pictures on May 17^th, 2010 displaying my lovely pasty-white body. If you’re wondering where my happy face is, well, considering these were taken at 6:15 AM, this is my happy face.

In these pictures I am 191 lbs. @ 10.6% body fat. From the last post, you’ll know that my short term goal is to get to under 6% body fat by the end of September. So now we have a starting point: 10.6%. Fast forward a couple months to July 17^th, and here’s my unhappy face:

I’m not unhappy because of the ungodly hour, but because it has been 2 months and I’m only down to 187 lbs. @ 9.6%. Where you at cardio?  Must be the 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk I pound every day. Probably should work on that. After all, burning 1000 calories is great, but only if you don’t go home and put 1500 back in…

I’m not discouraged however, since during the 2 months preceding the last weigh in I had no plan; just an idea. Now I’ve got a plan, a deadline, and people to call me names if I don’t make plays (that’s your job).

There’s also anorexia if necessary.

I kid, I kid. Cop outs are for wusses… and I guess runway models.

Next weigh in will be August 17^th. Progress will be made. If not, I’ll at least stand a little straighter and flex in the pictures to sell the illusion.

Quick recap:

- To achieve your fitness goal a well thought out plan is needed
- I find it helpful to break the plan into 3 closely related parts:

1. The workouts
2. Short term goals
3. Long term goals

For the sake of my stupid analogy, I listed the parts backwards when you really think about it. Your long term goal dictates your short term goal, and your short term goal will dictate you actual workout regiment. Having said this, I’ll share my current plan in that order.

Long term goal(s):

Max deadlift @ 2x bodyweight

Max bench press @ 1.5x bodyweight

Max back squat @ 1.75x bodyweight

Like many young guys with too much focus on what you think “the ladies” like and too little common sense, when I first started working out I completely ignored any and all leg exercises. Yes, I mean ALL.

This lasted for a long time. I’m actually a little embarrassed to admit that this has only changed in the past couple years, and therefore I’ve made up my mind to make leg strength my primary long term focus. I feel that deadlifts and back squats are pretty solid leg strength benchmarks, so that’s why I picked them.

There’s also a certification I’m interested in acquiring, and it requires that you be able to deadlift 2x BW, as well as bench 1.5x BW, so that’s why the bench is on this list.

Short term goal:

Achieve a body fat percentage of under 6%

This, at first, may seem completely unrelated to my long term goal, and I guess in a sense it is, but hear me out:

I figure, in order to gain the strength I’m looking for, I’m going to be putting on quite a few pounds, with a good bit of it inevitably being body fat along with the muscle. I’d like to not become a complete fatty, so I’d like to strip the fat down before adding some of it back on. I’d like to achieve this goal before the end of September, so that only gives me 2 solid months, and I’m currently at 9.6%. No more Papa John’s… dammit.

Workouts:

- 3 to 4 times a week: lift weights

- 3 to 4 times a week: 30-45 minutes of cardio

- 1-2 times a week: rock climbing

- Once a week: Yoga (yeah, I said yoga)

- Every other week: Body pump (cardio/weight lifting class)

So as you can see my weekly routine isn’t just Monday – Friday: go to the gym and lift weights.

But let’s be serious, you can only deviate from that so much. Lifting and doing cardio at the gym is still the bread and butter. I try to split my training days into something that makes sense. Currently I’ve been gravitating towards a 3-day split, with the 4^th day being a rotator-cuff complex that I’ll post at a later date: I have a legs day, a “push” day, and a “pull” day. I always try to lift before doing my cardio, just so I make sure I have all the juice for the lifts.

The rock climbing is a great forearm workout, and helps with back strength and overall flexibility. It’s also just flat out fun.

I’ll admit the Yoga has taken a little bit for me to get used to. I still have a hard time not cracking up when the instructor gets all spiritual on me, and there I am struggling not to face plant into the backside of the woman in front of me. Pretty sure I look ridiculous, but I have underestimated the importance of flexibility in the past, and it has come back to bite me in the form of injury, so I’m trying my best to be proactive in that regard.

Body pump is… different. First of all, I think it’s a great overall body workout, and hits pretty much every muscle in your body in one way or another. Unfortunately it’s all done to the worst sound track ever devised by man. Imagine someone taking all the horrible pop music we have today, and then giving it to some Swedish techno DJ who most certainly has blond highlights, and saying to him, “See if you can screw this up worse than it already is.” Great job, Sven, mission accomplished.

I tell you what though, that stuff motivates the heck out of some soccer moms. They demolish me in lunges every single time. Every. Single. Time.

I’m going to be sitting down with a fitness coach in the very near future to discuss my plan and get some feedback on it, so I’ll let you know if it changes. Also, if you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to lay them on me. I’m always open to good ideas and constructive criticism.

I left off last time with some crazy talk about the fitness journey being similar to a road trip: It takes careful thought and planning in order to reach your destination. Continuing on with that chain of thought, I think this can be broken down into three parts:

Individual workouts

I think of these as being the mile markers. There are a whole heck of a lot of them, and at times they can seem very insignificant. However, each one that you put in your rearview mirror puts you a step closer to the prize. Now just doing any “workout” won’t do. Each one should be planned to achieve a specific purpose. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be any spontaneity in the exercise regimen, but you can get creative while staying on track towards your….

Short term goals

These are the exits off the highway. Without short term goals, I’d probably never get anywhere. I know every guy wants to be 5% body fat with the ability to deadlift a Geo Metro, flip tractor tires, and juggle baby ligers. I am no exception. But unless you have some Odysseus-like patience and determination, it can be pretty easy to feel defeated when you’re nowhere close to your ultimate idea of fitness. By setting realistic, yet challenging, short term goals for yourself, you’ll always be working towards something that’s attainable within a relatively short period of time. This helps keep you motivated on a day to day basis, and every goal that you hit will keep you confident and driven to hit your….

Long term goal(s)

So this is where the analogy breaks. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “fitness is a journey, not a destination.” Sorry to say, it’s absolutely true. Still though, there should be pinnacles and highlights during the journey. Whether it be finishing a race in a particular time, or hoisting an ungodly amount of weight that years before seemed impossible, when the feat has finally been done you should think you’re Kratos incarnate (or something as equally awesome and epic if Greek mythology isn’t your thing.) Point is, even you should be impressed and amazed at your accomplishment. Have a t-shirt made or something…

I’m not saying this is the only way to view fitness or reach your goals, but I find that it keeps me motivated and on track.

Now that I’ve laid out my idea of how to go about the journey, the last entry in this little series will give the gritty details in how this applies to me getting yoked.

So great, good for me. I’m going to get yoked. Ready, set, go…. Uh… How do I get there, and how do I know when I’ve arrived? And for that matter, where am I?

Good question. Anytime you take a trip to somewhere you’ve never been before, if you’re smart, you plan your route ahead of time and know step-by-step, turn-by-turn, how you’re going to get there before you even get in the car. (GPS systems screw this analogy up, but just for me pretend like it’s still the 90’s). If you’re not smart, or overly confident in your Bear Grylls nav skills, you end up lost, angry, and sometimes even just give up and go home… you might even get robbed because you had to stop and pee behind a dumpster in the ghetto. I’m not saying that it’s ever happened to me, and I hope it never happens again. I’m just throwing out worst case scenarios here.

Point is, at the root of almost all successful ventures is a solid game plan: a map of steps, milestones, and goals (…and safe places to pee).

Analogies are great, but how does that translate into the context of getting yoked?

For that, you’ll have to read the next post… Look, I sit on my butt all day at my job, okay, I can only write so much at one time.

So right off the bat, a couple questions need answering: why write a blog, and why should you care.

The first one I’ll answer in detail, and as for the second… well, let’s be serious grandma, you’re the only one reading this.

My reasons for writing a blog are mostly selfish, but I’d like to think that each post will provide some benefit to you as well:

1. Keep me motivated

It’s easy to blow the gym off when the only person who knows you didn’t go to the gym, and instead ordered a Large Hawaiian pizza from Papa John’s, is you. Now the whole world (or at least grandma) will know if I dropped the ball.

2. Keep me focused

Part of this blog will involve me listing, recording, and tracking my goals. With firm goals in place, and the numbers and facts right in front of my faced, I’ll be better able to keep my eyes focused on the prize.

3. Keep me growing

I’m not talking about muscle, or cardio capacity here. That goes without saying. I mean keep growing in my knowledge and understanding of physical fitness and my own body. If all I write about is myself, not only will you get bored and stop reading, but I’ll get bored and stop writing. Who wants to talk about themselves all the time? The idea is, I’ll continuously learn and develop, and as I do, I’ll write about the things I learn and discover with you.

So now that I’ve voiced the reasons why I would like to write a blog, what are some things that I could do to make you want to read this blog? Stupid and serious comments are all welcome.

…Goodnight, grandma.

There was fat. And the fat was with Luke, and Luke with the fat. Luke saw that the fat was not good, so Luke said to his fat, “You are not good.” So began the epic struggle.

Okay, while 10-11% body fat may not qualify as “fat” to most people (including myself), it certainly wouldn’t cut it if I was at a company picnic for Olympic athletes. Michael Phelps would say, “Hey, who invited the fat guy? Hey fatty, you want a hot dog? I bet you do.” Jerk.

Point is, this isn’t going to be another blog about how a fat person got un-fat-ified, and then possibly fat again. There are already plenty of those out there, and power to the ones who pull it off and keep it off. I respect what you’re doing, and keep on rocking it.

This is going to be about a guy who’s already in decent shape, trying to take it to the next level. I’m bored with being another person who “Works out” and “goes to the gym”, just so I can check it off my list for the day. If I get bored with something, then I stop doing it. I’m a person that always has to be moving up or down, but never staying the same.

That said, I have two options:

1. Get skinny-fat.

What’s “skinny-fat”, you ask? Well for better or worse, I’m an ectomorph (naturally skinny body type), so what happens if I stop working out is the following:

a. My arms, legs, chest, and back…shrivel.
b. My lowerback, and lower stomach start to put on the fattyness (technical term).
c. I end up looking like the unlucky offspring of Olive Oil and John Candy.

2. Get yoked.

I want nothing to do with the first option. For me, I think the first step to achieving option 2 is to deny that option 1 even exists. So let me revise the list:

To do:

1. Get yoked (and stay yoked).

Here we go…