Instinctive training;

For the past several months we have been on a six day a week program, working one bodypart per day and arms only on saturday. Due to my work schedule, i train my triceps with chest on tuesday and biceps with shoulders on friday. Lately however, we have been working out so hard on monday through thursday that i have been taking fridays off due to the fact that i am so exhausted by the time friday rolls around, that i see no reason to try and train when i am that tired, for fear of injuring myself. Over the many years that i have been training i have learned to listen to my body and what it tries to tell me and have become quite proficient at it. Sometimes it is more important to allow the body ample time to rest than it is to get to the gym just to be able to get the workout in. You have more to gain in the way of muscle by taking the day off than to try and get that day of training in. Even if you haven't been training for very long, you can begin to slowly listen and learn the warning signs that your body is giving to you. Perhaps you are not overtraining, or on the verge of it, you can curtail the muscle wasting that takes place when your body is in an overtrained state by taking in some more high quality calories and taking a couple of days off from training. Even one day off from training will help, provided your diet is on target and you use that day off to get the quality rest and recuperation that your body so despeartely needs. There are a wide variety of great books out there on instinctive training and some are worth reading, espically if you are new to this style of training and your gains have slowed down a bit but you continue to religiously get to the gym and train hard. First look at your diet and if that is allright then try to cut back a little on the volume of your training, in other words get more done in less time at the gym. If the gains still don't come, then it may be time to take a short layoff to get things back on track.

Brain maintenance tips;

I know we always cover topics that relate to the outside of the body and to a lesser degree, the inside as well, but today i want to touch upon an often overlooked organ that is as equally important, the brain. While thumbing through my latest issue of psychology today, i came across an article titled, "Brain maintenance tips" and felt i should share this with you all. We do not need to worry so much about our brains when we are young, it is however, a necessity as we grow older to keep our brains active and sharp by not only working out but by challenging our brains on a daily basis as well to ward off such diseases as alzheimer's disease. Psychology today recommends these tips;
1. Exercise your mind by reading, playing challenging games and following current affairs.
2. Exercise your body to help your heart and blood vessels healthy and increase blood flow to the brain.
3. Eat a healthy diet to provide your brain with plenty of fuel.
4. Get a good night's sleep to help you retain information.
5. Stay socially active and learn new hobbies to engage your imagination.
Get into good, positive habits while you are young in order to keep your brain working as well as it is now, well into your golden years.

New Year, New Goals;

Well, we are already through the first month of two thousand and seven and time is just flying bye for me! We are well on our way to reaching our first of many new goals we set regarding ted's training and well on our way, with the hope of getting ted his procard in two thousand and eight at the master's nationals.
I was contacted by henri' skiba about a powerlifting competition coming up in april and i am seriously considering giving it another go in the powerlifting competition arena. The april competition will be held somewhere in delaware and it would give me some exposure into the larger world of the powerlifting circuit. I will keep you all informed on my decisions as i make them, as for now i plan on training with henri on a bi-weekly basis to see how far i can go with powerlifting while still maintaining my bodybuilding goals with ted and glen. It will not be easy to do both but i am not one to go the easy route and it will be all the more gratifying if i do well in april as a powerbodybuilder. After all isn't that what this blog is all about?!!?
As i mentioned previously, just to be there to compete is enough for me and to try something new with the hope of it helping me become a better weight lifter in a general sense. It isn't always about winning and losing, sometimes you win no matter what the outcome of a competition may have been! I have a lot of great people helping me and teaching me on a daily basis and just that alone is a triumph in itself!
The point i guess i am trying to make is that it is all well and good to enter and win competitions, regardless of what the competition may be about, but just remember to always be humble and always remember that you didn't get there without the help of some people who really care about you and feel as though they also succeed whenever you do! That is what being a competitive powerbodybuilder is all about! So train hard and smart and appreciate those around you!!!!!!!