Endorphins
Working out can hurt
Endorphins overload me
Pain and rush, so good
Gains
Just one last rep, man
Lactic acid overdrive
But what gains I make
Weight
The weight of my world
Bench press, squats, rows, curls, pull ups
Take my cares away
Sweat on brow
Lactic acid burning
Muscles straining
Joints and ligaments
Crying out
Such wonderful pain
These moments
Bring me back to life
In its absence
Today was chest day in my 4-day body split workout (Back/Chest/Shoulders/Arms). My workout for each body part changes each time to dupe muscle memory (so the muscles don’t get used to the range of motion and stress), but here’s the routine I did for chest, today.
I’ve included links to the main exercises, so you can see how they’re done.
5 x supersets – each superset includes:
Slow movements for the exercise, then move quickly to the next.
5 x sets – includes:
That was today’s workout. Very enjoyable, in a painful sort of way.
Warning: I’m not your doctor. If you haven’t exercised before, or are out of condition (read: unfit, overweight, etc.), talk to one before attempting strenuous exercise. You have been warned.
(‘So, you’ve been resting for a week,’ says Alpha Girl. ‘Does your arm feel any better?’
‘Well, it did,’ I reply, ‘But I just worked out and now it hurts again.’
‘Did you go to the doctor last week?’
‘Yes, I did. He’s referred me for an ultrasound on my elbow in four weeks.’
‘Well, make sure you go to it.’
‘No worries. You know you sound like my Mum.’
‘There are worse things I could be.’)
So, the week of rest is over, and I’m back into working out.
I did my back workout this morning – 5 supersets of wide grip chin/pull ups (8-10 slow reps per set) combined with bent over dumbbell rows (10 reps each side per set), 5 sets of neutral grip chins (8-10 slow reps per set), 20 sets of push ups (20 slow reps per set), and 20 laps of the back yard (2 kilometres). Yes, I know push ups are for chest, but I was doing them after each lap, as part of the cardio.
And my left arm was in pain. It still is.
I know I have to get something done about it. But I’m not about to rest for 6 months. My workouts are not just physical training, they’re part of my mental health routine.
Tomorrow is chest day. We’ll see how that goes.
(‘Dude, you still working out?’ says Beta Max. ‘You should take a leaf out of my book, man.’
‘And do what, exactly?’ I reply.
‘I just rest 24/7, man. And I never strain anything.’)
(It’s been three days since my last workout. I’m lying on the lounge, checking Twitter. Alpha Girl enters and does a double-take. “Hey,” she says. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing 500 push ups or something, by now?”
“I’m having a week off,” I reply.
“So, you’re resting your arm?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“Good. It’s about time you used your brain for something other than being stupid, or upset with yourself. Are you intending to lie around all week?”
“That was my intention.”
Alpha Girl’s hands are on her waist, her head cocks slightly to the side. An air of haughtiness floods the already cramped room. “Oh, no you don’t, mister. If you’ve got a week off, you can help Beta Max to paint the spare room. And clean up all that crap in the back yard.”
Beta Max enters the room and smiles. “No rest for the wicked, bro.”)
Every few weeks of working out, I have a week off. This is so my body has a chance to completely recover, allowing time for muscle tissue to grow and ligaments to repair themselves.
At my age, you don’t recover as fast as you do when you’re younger, so you need to take a bit more care. For those of you who have followed my blog from early on (that would be none of you), you may remember (or not) that I have a long-term tendonitis injury in my left elbow that causes me pain when I use it (read about it here). I’ve been using an ultrasound wand on it, but after some initial positive results, my elbow seems to have settled back into the “I hate you and intend to hurt you by making all your fevered self-torture dreams come true” mode.
If you’ve read any of my blogs, you will know that I use exercise as a way of combatting my ongoing depression (along with medication, therapy – you know, the usual suspects), so skipping a week is a big thing for me. But I have to weigh up the pros and cons. On one hand, it’s good for my tiny brain, on the other, I need my arm to get (slowly) better.
Yeah, I can still do chores and the like, I just don’t push myself with big weights until I’m a wet smear on the ground. That means no tabatas as well (don’t know what a tabata is? You really haven’t been reading my blog – check it out here). So, this week is going to be laid back. A week I can catch up on my uni work, watch some TV, look for jobs (yes, I do that occasionally, y’know), read, and do some work around the house. I might even do some meditation.
I think I’m going to be absolutely desperate for a workout by the end of the week.
(“Have you finished that yard work, boys?” calls Alpha Girl from the kitchen window.
Beta Max hides his beer and yells: “No worries, we’re right on it.” It’s been three hours and we’ve managed to move one small pile of junk about five feet away from where it was originally.
“She’s going to come out at some point,” I say.
“By that time, my friend,” says Beta Max, “we will be safely ensconced at the pub.”
While his logic is sound, I don’t believe the final outcome will be ideal for either of us.)
