Well, my first week of bodybuilding has been going pretty well. I'm trying to do 2 to 3 hours a day, but it's shaping up more like every other day. With Arnold's guidance I'm working much harder and much smarter than before. But I still lack that raw edge where I'm going to push myself 30 reps past my breaking point. I can hit that 110% fine but I categorically can't go to that 150% point that I feel like may be very crucial to building muscle. Arnold says the only way to build muscle is by telling your body you need more, by pushing it past those limits. My strategy has always been to do more sets with fewer reps. That way I can work out for 3 hours instead of an hour & 1/2. I've always been the type of person who would rather walk 10 miles than run 4. But if I'm being honest with myself, that strategy may be incompatible with bodybuilding. If I really want to see my results, I may have to start pushing way harder than ever before.
The good/bad news is, I have a goal set, and it's coming up fast. My original inspiration was to get fit for the volleyball tournament next fall. But there's an event quickly approaching where I'd be even happier to show my work off. While I've no doubt the grecian behemoths at the volleyball tournament take pride in their flawless physique, a nudist event isn't really a place for showing one's self off. You're essentially supposed to ignore it.
But a convention, well, costume play is one of the primary hallmarks of a convention. And we have an anime convention here coming up this spring. And the really fun thing about this one is, I'll get to be around more people that I actually know. So frankly I'm much more dedicated to looking good here than I am for next year's tournament -- it's just a shame that the anime con is so damn soon!
The convention starts April 16th, and I have a peeeeeerfect costume planned out. It'll be absurdly easy to put together, almost stupidly easy, and it will secure me with an ironclad excuse to show off my body.
Master Roshi hails from my second favorite anime. He's Son Goku's sensei and the creator of the iconic Kamehameha. He's also ripped as fuck when he wants to be -- and as far as I can gather from the site rules, guys are allowed to be shirtless in the con. I definitely won't be as ripped as he is, but if I can get tone enough it'll be more than worth showing off.
I have about 3 & 1/2 months until D-day. Bodybuilding takes years. Is it even physically possible to see the results I need to see, in such a short timeframe? Maybe yes, maybe no. But I'm gonna goddamn fuckin' try until I am face down in the dirt. I'm dead set on this happening. I will fade into dust before I go to Tekko with a scrawny body.
But hey, that's part of the fun. All my heroes, the ones who've inspired me to get fit in the first place, they had to face even greater odds. Aang didn't think he could learn all the elements in less than a year to stop the conquest of the world. Goku and the Z-warriors didn't think they could train hard enough to defeat the almighty Saiyans in less than a year. I have three months to change MY world. Am I up to the challenge? We'll find out.
I've gained A LOT of fat in my stomach over the holidays. I love, love sweets, and I made the conscious decision to let myself eat sweets for Christmas since it's a cherished part of many of my favorite holiday traditions, and Christmas Eve/Christmas are my two favorite days of the year. It's been a hard habit to fully kick, though. I'm also struggling with trying to eat enough that I can build muscle, without eating too much. This will be perhaps the hardest part of my journey, trying to find that balance. But I've happened upon some cardio techniques that are much more palatable than running, so I should be able to slim down when I need to. I may or may not be able to build those abs, but at least I can have a flat stomach.
I'd really prefer not to do a gym, luckily I have some decent equipment at home. But it's inevitable eventually. I'm looking into the LA Fitness near my job, which would be fairly convenient, except that they have a $100 initiation fee... which, um, is the stupidest thing I've heard in my entire life. You expect me to pay $100 for the privelege of PAYING FOR MEMBERSHIP? It's not like you have to pay $100 up front and that covers the first 4 months or anything. You pay the $100 -- money for which you are receiving absolutely positively nothing but having your name entered into a computer -- and on top of that you have to pay $60 for the first two months -- the regular membership fee, not even a discount. It's exactly like if McDonalds charged you $5,000 for a hamburger AND you had to pay $20,000 for the privelege of buying from McDonalds.
If I can't talk them into waiving this ridiculously fucking tyrannical fee, I'll have to go to a different gym -- luckily there's a different one every block. But I reckon I'll start gym training about a month & 1/2 before "D-Day." Arnold frequently talks about "shocking" your body into response, so I figure this will give me that extra boost I'll need before the big event.
Well, crew, we know what we have to do. I'm off to Kami's Palace, I'm off to Kaio's Planet, I'm entering enemy territory to find a Firebending master.
Does Arnold have anything to say about pushing your body *too* far? Because every time I've tried to push myself harder - since I've heard time and again that that's how you get stronger (and, well, that's how it always works in the shounen animes :p) - I find my body starting to break down instead. I mean, maybe that's part of the process (then again, using Saiya-jin physiology is probably a dangerous comparison), but once I tried to power up a bunch of stairs like one of those mountain temples and I ended up in the hospital fearing heart failure. And another time I tried out jogging regularly and I ended up barely able to walk for weeks with what I can only guess was shin splints (I didn't really care to see a doctor about it that time). It's also possible that I'm just a naturally fragile person - I've long felt that way. Not that I care to ever be super strong, but it feels good to exercise and be fit, yet I have a lot of anxiety about over-doing it and paying the cost (instead of reaping the benefits).
ReplyDeleteArnold does, but it's more in the vein of not giving your muscles the time to rest that they require in order to actually grow. As someone who has experienced some of what you're talking about though, I can try to help.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that has kept me from exercise up until the last few years is that when I would try, within minutes I'd end up feeling ready to barf my intestines out and with a pulsating migraine. But 7 years of working a fairly active job, plus walking several hours a week, has made me more capable of starting these activities, and then progress over time.
Sounds to me like you're taking it way too far, way too fast. If you run a marathon right now, sure you'll kill yourself. I think you have to start slow, work your way up, and THEN you're ready to push your limits. Try doing something for just a couple minutes at a time and then increasing when you feel ready.If you're increasing in tiny intervals, do you think that would help?
Another thing is to just find what works for you. For example, with me, running... fuck no. Even with my body in the best shape of my life, I still find running virtually impossible, a couple minutes and I'm spitting my lungs out. But instead I've been jogging up and down the stairs, and that's been much more palatable for me, plus it probably burns at least as many calories if not more. Plus, going down the stairs is like a little break, so it's not 100% up, which would be a lot more exhausting.
Another thing is stretching, warming up. My legs get fucked up if I, say, jump out of bed and go right for a 2 hour walk. You are obviously a healthy adult with a decent physique, there's no you can't make exercise work properly if you do it right. Just take it extremely slowly, since you don't have an active job to push you there over several years.
Also, don't get discouraged if you DO get fucked up the first time. When I started my regimen I had to schedule an extra half hour before my shower because I would feel sick and have to lay down after my workout. That only lasted a week or two, now I'm coming home from a 9 hour shift and an hour walk and then doing cardio and lifting as soon as I get home.
ReplyDeleteWith the stairs thing, that was definitely too much too fast, but the jogging perplexes me more. I built up very slowly. I even got into the habit of stretching, which I've always felt was an annoyance. And it does feel uncomfortable at first, but I was starting to get used to it, and it felt good. Except, I don't think my legs like it. Maybe I have weak knees or something, but I'd prefer not to end up needing surgery when I'm 60 or whatever.
ReplyDeleteIt's just the whole "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I like that philosophy, but I've survived things that have made me weaker...
Anyway, I always think about getting into shape as the spring looms on the horizon - for the con, for the camping season (which starts Memorial Day weekend), and for the summer in general.
P.S. The best thing about cosplaying Master Roshi is that you get to perv on all the girls and say you're just getting into character. -_^