That's my mantra for 2023. I've reached a new chapter in life. I'm married. My kids are grown and living their own lives. My career is meaningful but not consuming me 24 hours a day. I have time to pursue excellence. My pursuit of excellence has led me to activities I never enjoyed before. I never enjoyed low intensity cardio. I never enjoyed treadmills. I never enjoyed group workouts / cardio classes. I never wanted a TV in my garage gym. All of those things are part of my daily routine now. I am lifting 6sixdays a week (Legs, Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull). I am doing 30 minute group workouts from Beachbody On Demand six days a week (Pilates, bootcamp, yoga). I am doing 30 minutes of steady state treadmill walking every night. None of this alone is particularly interesting. What is interesting to me is that by lowering my intensity I am able to get in 3 exercise sessions six days a week and still have time for big outdoor adventures...
I'm kind of big and kind of heavy. I weigh 235 and wear XXXL shirts ťailored to fit my size L waist. Even so, after moths of consistent effort, I'm strong enough to incorporate calisthenics as my primary form of training volume. My current plan is paying off in the form of major leaps in endurance, tighter physique, and fat loss. The schedule is: Mon - whole body Tue - arms Wed - whole body Thu - off Fri - whole body Sat - arms Sun - off My torso has always grown faster than my arms and I need to build proportion, so they get 2 dedicated sessions a week. A typical whole body session runs like this: 1. Single leg calf raise: 3-100 method* 2. 10 min EMOM: Big power movement like deadline, or snatch grip high pull, or clean&press. Start at 10x3 and stick with the same weight till you can perform 10x6. Rotate between 5-6 movements every session. 3. Conditioning circuit 1: 5 rounds of A. Pushup progression B. Pick a single leg squat patte...
I've been consistent. I've been dedicated. I've worked through some difficult scheduling challenges and personal tumult. The thing is, you just block out the crap long enough to do what needs to get done. Then when you carve out some quiet time, you face the demons and evict them from your mind. I've been working as hard to overcome the thought patterns that sabotage me. I'm continuing to invest in my spiritual growth and it is paying dividends. I'm seeing the fruit of my labors in my professional, physical, financial, and personal life. It brings it back to a realization I had a few years ago. When my plans & goals are devised to glorify myself, I fail. When they are devised to glorify God, I succeed. Right now I'm 198-203 lbs, depending on the day, and have a 32" waist and 17" arms. I'm as fit as I was when I competed in fighting at 185 pounds. When I lose the final 5 pounds of fat, I'll FINALLY be satisfied with w...
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