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Mongo Clank Redux
Jun. 11th, 2011 01:17 amI've been wanting to get back in the gym for ages; just as I was getting set up for it, LEJOG prep and now a triathlon have got me with their beams of shiny. Once Burnham is done and dusted...
A shift all-out to some focused lifting. I looked at a strength assessment a while back and it reminded me (bigtime) that I'm a fair squatter, a really rather good deadlifter, but a novice bench-presser. It's been an avoid-training-weaknesses-because-they-suck thing. Well, balls to that. I'm going to go with 12 weeks of the 5x5 programme, which has a good reputation and satisfies my urge to pick up heavy things and put them down again.
One thing I got from LEJOG was a grok of the idea that repeat small stuff makes big results. I think that reflecting that on the winter's deadlift goal -- where it was less structured but still solid -- I have a mental toolkit for plugging away at this and not letting myself get derailed. Bored, distracted, or whatever, yes, but almost a degree of detachment that should keep me on track. Less "this sucks" because there's always an hour of suck, so just ignore it; less "ooh shiny" because shiny isn't going to get the miles in.
Also: that 74-year-old gymrat granny. Awesome. My inner transhumanist wants to see Aubrey de Grey all buffed up and greybearded, so it does. Between her and Jack laLanne and the inevitable wonderful old gimmer plugging round every club tri circuit, I think Yoda needs updating: "When this old you are, look this good you may well."
A shift all-out to some focused lifting. I looked at a strength assessment a while back and it reminded me (bigtime) that I'm a fair squatter, a really rather good deadlifter, but a novice bench-presser. It's been an avoid-training-weaknesses-because-they-suck thing. Well, balls to that. I'm going to go with 12 weeks of the 5x5 programme, which has a good reputation and satisfies my urge to pick up heavy things and put them down again.
One thing I got from LEJOG was a grok of the idea that repeat small stuff makes big results. I think that reflecting that on the winter's deadlift goal -- where it was less structured but still solid -- I have a mental toolkit for plugging away at this and not letting myself get derailed. Bored, distracted, or whatever, yes, but almost a degree of detachment that should keep me on track. Less "this sucks" because there's always an hour of suck, so just ignore it; less "ooh shiny" because shiny isn't going to get the miles in.
Also: that 74-year-old gymrat granny. Awesome. My inner transhumanist wants to see Aubrey de Grey all buffed up and greybearded, so it does. Between her and Jack laLanne and the inevitable wonderful old gimmer plugging round every club tri circuit, I think Yoda needs updating: "When this old you are, look this good you may well."
