The times they are a-changing
Ok time for a status update:
1. I broke up with crossfit.
Big decision I know, but with a combination of work hours and injuries plaguing me, it just became impossible to train with anything resembling regularity. It was not an easy decision, and as I am now finding, exercising without a program is hard. Luckily that is being solved next week, which bring me to status update numero dos -
Scary new gym. I have now shifted my focus away from the crazy intensity of crossfit to the more measured madness of powerlifting. I have started training at PTC ( http://www.ptcperth.com.au/ for those of you playing at home). I think I am going to really like it there - and I think my body will benefit from the change of pace. I think I am also designed better to be a lifter than a crossfitter... although it does mean I will have to do a lot of conditioning work on my days off.
The way my new training schedule is going to work is very different to what I am used to. Training is only 4 days a week instead of 6 - 3 weight sessions (squat, bench and deadlift are the focus) and then a conditioning class on Saturday mornings. I had a movement assessment on Friday night - basically one of the coached takes you through a series of movements and figures out how functional and flexible you are, how your core strength is, your stability and overall health. Having to run through the list of things that are currently wrong with me took a while... he needed more paper to keep up... but based on my results there are no restrictions on any of my basic movements. The only thing I need to stay clear of is overhead lifts until my trunk stability improves. Which is fine with me, anything that corrects my movements and works on my weaknesses is going to benefit me overall. This is a long term plan that is going to rehab my current injuries, build on my strengths, work on my weaknesses and turn me into a more functional athlete.
4. Speaking of athlete...
Last year when I was training for Primals I realised how very very motivating competition is. This is part of the reason I am really looking forward to improving my functionality - I really want to compete. But here is the double edged sword of that idea: powerlifting is divisionally ranked by body weight. Right now I would be in what is called 'Super Heavy Weight'... yuck. Just Yuck. I mean, c'mon - I've heard of calling a spade a spade, but really? Is there not something a little less demoralising to call it? Ugh.
So therein lies my dilemma - I could compete or I could wait until I was in a sub-90kg division to spare my dignity of being saddled with Super Heavy Weight as my wonderfully descriptive prénommer. As it stands I wouldn't be ready to compete for at least 3 months anyway, which does give me time to drop some of the weight I would need to drop - but I would be pushing it to get to a sub-90kg in that time. Especially with the way my diet has been lately.... bringing me nicely to point 4.
4. Nutrition... if you can really call it that.
Oh dear lord how the mighty have fallen. You know that promise you have with yourself that you will be better on Monday and you will eat only good food and totally eat so many vegetables and never eat pizza again. Well I have that conversation with myself most weeks now.
I don't know what happened but DAMN! Did I fall off the healthy bandwagon with a thump! Luckily Pizza broke my fall or I could have really hurt myself. I guess one of the biggest things I noticed when I stopped writing was that I stopped being accountable for my diet, because who would know! And because food! Yeah, food - delicious delicious food. All up in my belly all the time. And don't kid yourself - I was definitely not binge eating vegetables - unless you count the peanuts inside the MnMs as legumes?
Which means according to the highly accurate and professionally calibrated scales at the new gym, I now have 7 kilos to lose AGAIN... as well as the other, you know, 30 odd ones that I was already working on. Boo! But it was totally the kick in the butt that I needed. I mean you can hardly eat Butterfingers for breakfast and hope to lose weight now, can you? Can you? No really - if you can, I would really like to know.
Basically on Monday I get my first 12 week training program - so along with that is going to be the unfun food "nutritional therapy". And all the joys that go along with it - the sugar cravings, withdrawals, cantankerousness, abject disgust in all humans not also in some state of suffering, violent outburst of loathing focused at smilers, and all-round grouchiness for at least the first 11 weeks and 6 days of this plan. Bring it on - it needs to happen and it needs to happen now!
To help get me started, this weekend I am doing a 48 hour rapid detox just to really torture myself - I mean, why only suffer a little bit, when you can suffer a whole lot? The fact that I have a Hen's day on Saturday should really turn the screws too. I'm super excited. Can't wait. Pumped, one might say.
Just fucking kill me already.
But there you have it - my plan for doing stuff this year. Fix body, lift heavy, eat good, don't kill anyone in the process.
