July 2012
60 posts
Rest is key to building muscle
When you’re lifting weights, the muscle is being broken down, it is not growing as you workout. Due to the the trauma caused my the resistance, muscle fibers tear and it is only during the recovery phase that these tears repair and therefore build muscle.
It all happens once your out of the gym. A basic explanation - during the muscle ‘building’ phase, a muscle will repair itself by increasing in the number of fibers and thickness. Rest is an incredibly important component of muscle building. There are several studies to suggest that with prolonged periods of hard training and little rest time, it can leave the body sluggish and feeling worn down.
Do you feel like slack or your somehow cheating if you aren’t hitting the iron each day? If you aren’t getting adequate rest than you wont see as much growth. Rest is one of the big three when it comes to those gains:
- Lift heavy
- Eat big
- Rest/Sleep Well
Rest and sleep are often neglected. Jason Ferruggia says:
“When you’re short on sleep your insulin sensitivity decreases and your cortisol goes up. Both things lead to less than optimal fat loss. You also miss out on the critically important Growth Hormone boost that comes each night during deep sleep. If you want to lose more fat you have to get more sleep. Most people will ignore this and some of you are probably reading this at 2am. Unfortunately this just might be the most important thing on the whole list. More sleep improves EVERYTHING. Make it a priority.”
Hit it hard and fast, eat big and rest well.
I’ve been sleeping an average of 10 hours a night this week. Was on a carb crash yesterday after lunch and my mom told me maybe I should sleep less; and I continually have it stuck in my mind that I should be waking up earlier than I do.
But every night, I think, ‘I’ve got no obligations right now, I can workout whenever, and sleep is good,’ so I go to bed without setting my alarms and wake up when I feel rested.
Workout for July 27
Tracked a workout for 823 pts
One-Arm Dumbbell Row:
15 lb x 6 reps (+38 pts)
15 lb x 6 reps (+38 pts)
15 lb x 6 reps (+38 pts)
15 lb x 6 reps (+38 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
15 lb x 2 reps (+19 pts)
15 lb x 2 reps (+19 pts)
15 lb x 2 reps (+19 pts)
15 lb x 1 reps (+15 pts)
Dumbbell Bench Press:
15 lb x 8 reps (+48 pts)
15 lb x 8 reps (+48 pts)
15 lb x 8 reps (+48 pts)
15 lb x 8 reps (+48 pts)
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
15 lb x 6 reps (+46 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+43 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+43 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+43 pts)
Dumbbell Shrug:
15 lb x 11 reps (+22 pts)
15 lb x 11 reps (+22 pts)
15 lb x 11 reps (+22 pts)
15 lb x 11 reps (+22 pts)
——
No swimming cause I’m a pansy. Arms were worked hard. Food was.. Delicious. Went over my calorie range by like 150, but worth it. Mom took me out shopping and we got pizza, then had The Keg for dinner. I had some of the table bread, didn’t feel like a dessert (what?!) and gave the end of my mashed potatoes to Chris. If you’ve ever had The Keg, you will know what a sacrifice this is.
Watching the opening ceremonies and talking to one of the guys from skating tonight makes me want to train my ass off. I want to go to a Games. I have NO idea how to do this, and no way to hire a coach or anything. Meanwhile, Chris leaves for BC to go play hockey… Wish my parents supported me wanting to do sports as much as they supported him..
Anyways. Swimming and lifting in the morning. Maybe starting a running plan. Night ladies and gents.
Workout for July 25
Tracked a workout for 1,073 pts
Swimming:
0:04:11 || 187 m || 0 bpm || Freestyle (+78 pts)
17x11m
Dumbbell Lunges:
15 lb x 20 reps (+90 pts)
15 lb x 20 reps (+90 pts)
15 lb x 20 reps (+90 pts)
Dumbbell Squat:
15 lb x 13 reps (+51 pts)
15 lb x 13 reps (+51 pts)
15 lb x 13 reps (+51 pts)
15 lb x 13 reps (+51 pts)
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat:
15 lb x 10 reps (+56 pts)
15 lb x 10 reps (+56 pts)
15 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
Overhead Dumbbell Squat:
15 lb x 8 reps (+35 pts)
15 lb x 8 reps (+35 pts)
15 lb x 8 reps (+35 pts)
15 lb x 8 reps (+35 pts)
Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift:
15 lb x 11 reps (+50 pts)
15 lb x 11 reps (+50 pts)
15 lb x 11 reps (+50 pts)
15 lb x 11 reps (+50 pts)
Body Weight One-Leg Squat:
5 reps (+22 pts)
5 each leg
——
BACK OVER 1000 POINTS, BABY!! (Shhh, this is exciting)
Also, found the cause of my treacherous ass/hammies DOMS. It’s that deadly combo of Bulgarian split squats and straight-legged deads. More pistols in the future should even out the workload for my quads. Wee!
Food today was pretty good. Dinner was probably enough to hit my calories, but wasn’t the best. AKA I had sugar. And wheat. I’m attempting to stay added-sugar-free for the next two weeks, since Joslyn is being a BAMF and doing that. what I’ve learned so far: we have a lot of freakin sauce that I can’t eat now. And it’s REALLY freaking hard to eat enough!!
I experienced this last summer when I tried Paleo. Felt great, figured out my body hates gluten, but topped out the day at 1000kcal after stuffing myself. It’s taken a while oto get my breakfasts figured out so I can almost consistently hit 500kcal, need to work on lunch as well now.
your swimming is very confusing to me, you swim in an 11m pool?
Haha, yeah it’s the pool in my backyard!
Invest in Yourself
Anyone can have a desire, a dream, a wish or good intentions. Anyone can start something and go with full force until the first or second or maybe the third obstacle challenges that decision. But it’s the person with commitment who WILL GO ALL THE WAY!
Commitment is the reason why some people succeed and others wonder if they ever will. Commitment is the reason why winners keep winning and losers never make it.
The difference between success and failure is the “commitment threshold.” When your commitment threshold is low, failure is around the corner. Great achievers are always trying to increase their commitment thresholds. They don’t allow past victories, defeats, successes or failures to stop them.
It’s akin to an investment and we always say you commit to yourself, not to your diet (for example). So therefore, commitment is investing in yourself as well. And you can’t fake it - people know when you’re not committed; it’s reflected in your actions and behaviours.
A committed person never gives up, despite obstacles; they keep walking towards their goals not allowing even the slightest discomfort to distract them. That’s the difference between intentions/interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit, but when you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.
Persevere in the face of challenges.-Erik Ledin
