I've got some big goals and ambitions. Physically, I have had a rough year or two. I've been pretty sick a few times, had two surgeries, and hit my all time fattest as well. The worst of it was probably the back surgery. That one really slowed me down for a bit. Not only did it hinder my motivation to go to the gym before the surgery, it also removed my ability to go for awhile thereafter. Weight aside, I went through a period earlier this summer where I felt more out of shape than ever before in my life. I had never been that soft before. Flabby. I didn't like it.
After I got back from my trip to Ireland in June, I started to slowly make my way back into the gym. It has been a pretty slow process, because I have to be very careful since the surgery on my back. I had basically blown out my L2 disk in my lower back, and the little disk material that was left was effectively dead. The Dr. had wanted to do a Spinal Fusion, but decided against it because I am still relatively young. He said that eventually I will have to get that done, but they would rather not do it right now. Because of this higher risk, I need to be especially careful with my back and avoid herniating that disk again.
At the peak of my flabbiness, I weighted about 220 lbs. I could barely bench 125 lbs, and had gone up to a 38" waist. If I tried to do any cardio, I would break into a dripping sweat after about 10-15 minutes. Gross.
Thanks to a severely hardened sense of determination, things have changed. I also owe a lot to a couple of my amazing friends who have helped to motivate me and joined me in the gym. Randy and Ikaika, you guys are my boys! Thank you! I wouldn't go as far as to say that I am content with where I am at now, as I still have a ways to go before I reach my goals. However, it is important to look back at the progress we make sometimes and recognize how far we've come.
Currently, I weigh about 205 lbs. My last bench was 225 lbs. I'm back down to a 34" waist. I now include at least 30-45 minutes of cardio with each workout, and am hardly breaking a sweat anymore. The weight isn't really important to me, because I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so I am likely to put on a little more weight as I increase my muscle tone. I feel good. That is the most important part.
My cardio health is finally doing a lot better. My next big goal is to really strengthen my core. This is going to be pretty tough for me. Not only do I hate doing core work, it is also probably the hardest for me to work, because of my back. A couple of months ago, I bought this really good Core Workout book. Now I just need to use it. I'd like to get my core back in shape, and finally have that 6 pack again. My last goal is to get my bench up a little bit more. Before I started going to school, my max bench was 310 lbs. That seems so far off now. I'm not sure that I'll ever quite get back to there, but I do want to get my max bench back up to at least 275 lbs. Why? Just because.
So next step, how do I get there? For the most part, I've been pretty consistent with making it to the gym 2 times a week. I need to dial that up to 3 times a week now. I am going to break my routines down as follows:
Day 1: Chest & Back & Cardio
Day 2: Cardio & Arms & Core
Day 3: Shoulders & Legs & Core
Nutritionally, I have just a few basic goals for improvement. First off, I need to drink less. I have mostly cut hard liquor out completely for now. I'm trying to drink more water every day. I also have way too much salt in my diet, so I'm trying to cut back on that as well. I have a daily vitamin I'm taking now, along with getting more protein in.
I would like to reach these goals by next summer. I know it's going to be a lot of hard work, but I am determined. With the early onset of the snow this weekend, I've been reminded that I'll be indoors a lot for the next 4-5 months. I've never been a big skier, and still have never been snowboarding either. Outside of work, you will likely find me one of 2 places. Out and about with Preslie when I have her, or at the gym. Tomorrow is week 1 of my new resolve and new routines. Time to get fit.
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