Saw a Facebook post this morning from someone asking whether Daylight Savings Time was affecting others -- making them tired and out of sorts and such.
Aha! So that's what is going on with me the past two days ... Unusually tired and sore from my pole vault workout on Sunday, and just not with it physically or mentally today at the gym. I was starting to get a little concerned, but then I saw that post and it dawned on me -- maybe that's it. A really good vaulting practice, and a decent workout today, but, man, just kind of in a fog. It's only an hour's difference in the time, but maybe that produces some sort of great cosmic shift in biorhythms or something. I don't know. Anyway, I did make it to the gym today. Started out with some incline bench press, alternating sets with bench step-ups holding a pair of dumbbells. Got up to my normal last set of 145 pounds on the incline bench, but only one rep, and it was a struggle. I followed with some seated dumbbell shoulder presses, lat pull-downs, and single-leg machine presses, which I'd never tried before. After about 45 minutes total, I was done. My friend, Bubba, always says to work out with whatever body shows up that day, and don't worry about it. He quotes Bo Jackson or somebody saying, "Some days, 100 pounds feels like 50, and some days 50 pounds feels like 100." Today, 50 pounds definitely felt like a hundred. But I showed up. That's what counts, and that is often the hardest part of the workout. Just showing up. What did you do today?
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A great pole vault practice today, with just myself and two teenage studs working out under the watchful eye of a terrific coach and friend, Jack Chapman.
I must have hit it pretty hard, from around noon to 1:30, because not long after I got home, cleaned up, and had some lunch, I was getting sore and tired. Nevertheless, I dragged my low-bar apparatus out of the garage into the driveway and knocked out six reps of my core strengthening move -- or tried to, anyway. By then, I didn't have much left in the tank, and the reps weren't real good ones, but like everything else, consistency is the key. Gotta get in those reps. Later, sitting on the couch watching Wisconsin play Ohio State in basketball, I ordered a new yoga DVD designed for athletes, to increase strength and flexibility. Those are the two things I need to improve my runway speed in vaulting, which along with lack of core strength, is one of the things holding me back some in the pole vault. But I'm getting there ... Stretching and flexibility are two things that always seem to take a back-burner, but both are so important -- for athletes, and for everybody else, too. Here's a few stretching exercises you can do at home. Before you get started, take about five minutes to warm up, get the ol' blood pumping with some push-ups, leg swings, walking lunges -- any kind of bodyweight exercise to loosen up a little. - Standing quadriceps stretch: this one is good for flexibility and balance; stand straight and tall, bend one knee, reach behind you with the opposite hand and grab hole of your foot (hold onto a chair or wall or something for balance, if you need to); pull your foot up to your rear end, chest out, and hold for 30-40 seconds; repeat with the other side. - Calf stretch: stand facing a wall, reach out and places your hands flat against the wall, step back with both feet, keeping them flat on the ground and legs straight, until you feel a stretch in your calves; hold for 30 seconds; step forward with one leg, leaving the other leg back, and stretch that side individually; repeat with the opposite leg. - Back stretch: lay on the floor, both legs out straight; bend one knee up toward your chest, grab it with both hands and pull further toward your chest; feel the stretch in your hamstrings and lower back; switch legs and do the same. Those are just a few basic stretching and flexibility exercises pretty much anyone can perform in the comfort of your own home, or at the gym. Try it. You can do it ... I When I was in Reno in January for the National Pole Vault Summit, rubbing elbows -- literally at times -- with some of the greatest pole vaulters in the world, I met a guy who told me I should incorporate yoga into my training workouts to help increase my flexibility.
One of my issues as a new Masters vaulter is runway speed. When I take off running toward the pit, it feels like I'm getting up to a decent speed. But when I see video of one of my jumps, all I see is a really slow, old guy lumbering along -- almost unrecognizable, at times. When I was in my late 30s, my oldest daughter, who was then 17 years old, said something about being able to beat me in a foot race. I took her up on the challenge, and I beat her pretty easily. About a month ago, I was running some weighted sleds before vaulting practice, and the teenagers were warming up, doing sprints and other things to get loose. I challenged one of the boys to a race, even though he was at least four decades younger and probably 60 pounds lighter. Not to mention I was wearing a harness attached to a metal sled with a 25-pound barbell weight on the top of it. He said, sure, walked back to the end of an adjacent runway, about 10 meters or so behind me, and said, "Whenever you're ready." I took off and held the lead momentarily -- about two seconds -- before the kid just blew by me like a shot out of a cannon. He turned around at the finish, held his forefinger and thumb up about a half-inch apart, smiled, and said, "Got ya by this much." Apparently, the two biggest factors in improving my speed are strength and flexibility. I do plyometrics to work on those fast-twitch muscles, things like leg press and squats to work on strength, and run weighted sleds for overall conditioning. Flexibility is something I still tend to forget about. So this morning, I plugged in an old yoga DVD and did a 15-minute workout in the living room. It was really good, and I plan to start doing that more often. I've got to get faster, so I can grip higher on the pole, hit the box with more force, and generate more energy at the take-off. If you've never tried yoga, it's pretty cool stuff. You can do it ... As I continue preparing for the Texas Senior Games in April and the National Senior Games in June, my training workouts are split between the gym, home, and the pole vault barn.
Twice a week, I go to my friend Jack Chapman's vaulting facility and work out for an hour-and-a-half, two hours; three times a week, I lift weights and do plyometrics at a local gym, and a couple of times a week, I have a little workout at home. Maybe sounds like a lot, but it's plenty manageable. Admittedly, sometimes I don't exactly feel like doing it, but I do it anyway. For those who don't have the luxury of a gym membership, there are plenty of ways to get a great workout at the house. Try this for starters: - 20 bodyweight squats - 10 push ups - 20 lunges (10 for each leg) - 10 dumbbell rows (instead of dumbbells, fill up a gallon milk jug or similar container with water) - 15-second plank - 20 sit-ups (slide your feet under the edge of the couch for an anchor) - 30 jumping jacks - 10 floor bridges Do this routine three times a week for a couple weeks, then do two sets of each exercise. Couple weeks later, make it three sets. Come back tomorrow, and I'll provide some more details. Gotta go now ... You can do it. My youngest daughter is in town for a week and called to say she wanted to come over for a little visit this afternoon, so I decided to just head on home after work and do some low-bar reps and run some weighted sleds.
It kind of worked out perfectly, since I also forgot to take my damn gym bag with me to work this morning, and so I'd have had to go all the way home anyway to change, then head back to the gym to work out. Running sleds is a pretty decent workout in itself. I did six reps with ankle weights on the low bar stand, then put on a 20-pound weighted vest and ran a few easy warm-up sprints with a 10-pound plate on the sled. Then, I switched the 10-pound plate for a 25-pounder, ran eights sprints back and forth at probably about 30 meters each. Then I added the 10-pound plate and did two more. Then I grabbed the pruning shears off a nail in the garage wall, and chopped down some out-of-control brush in the side yard, but I digress ... Had a nice visit with the daughter, who lives on the East Coast, and who I haven't seen since last July. She's here for a week, visiting other family and a bunch of friends, so we'll get together again Saturday and hang out for a while. Tomorrow -- praise the heavens -- is Friday. I'll get in a good workout in the afternoon, then maybe play with my new laptop a little bit, work on my new book some, and turn off the alarm clock before I go to bed. How was your day? For several weeks now, pole vault practice has gone from hobbling through warm-ups for a half-hour, trying to loosen up various weakened and/or damaged body parts enough to be able to make some jumps, to feeling great -- stronger, faster, and most importantly, pain-free.
When I first started this journey about 16 months ago, I was considerably overweight, way out of shape, not to mention 60 years old and drinking too much beer every day. I knew it was going to be rough, and I asked my friend, Bubba, if I should try and get in shape some before I started learning to vault. He said, no, I could do both at the same time, and eventually the stars would align and my conditioning and newfound skills would converge, and I'd be sure enough pole vaulting. Well, it looks like that time is almost here. I've been jumping twice a week, and the additional reps are paying off, I think. I'm getting more confident on the runway. My pole planting is stronger and less hesitant. I'm consistently getting my hands up high at take-off like I'm supposed to, hitting the box hard, and jumping to the back of the pit, keeping my hands moving until they reach my hips -- most of the time. Sometimes, I still have a tendency to try and pull myself up the pole, instead of extending my arms, driving my hands through and down, and letting my body naturally swing up as the pole moves to vertical and beyond. But things are coming along nicely. In about two months, the Texas Senior Games will be in San Antonio again, and I plan on setting another personal record height. Right now, my best is 7-9, which I cleared in January at the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, I missed three times after that at 8-1, and should have cleared my third attempt, but I actually moved through the jump too quickly, and kicked the bar off on my way up. That means the take-off was fast and powerful enough that I should have been holding higher on the pole. As it was, the pole moved forward too quickly, and my body didn't have time to get over the bar on the way through. If that makes any sense ... So, tomorrow, it's another workout at the gym. Probably some good leg stuff, since the next vault practice will be three days away. That'll allow enough time to recuperate. I'll do some box jumps for plyometrics, maybe some single-leg squats. Some pull-ups, pull-downs, cable rows. Right now, it's about time for bed. How are your workouts going? Along with cutting out alcohol and getting a lot more exercise, one of the things I’ve done for my get-back-in-shape journey is something called intermittent fasting.
Basically, this involves fasting – not eating anything – for 16 hours a day, then eating whatever during the ensuing 8-hour “window.” Sixteen hours a day??? Hang on, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Roughly half of that time is spent sleeping. Another four hours or so is between dinner and bedtime. That leaves four hours that might require a little adjustment from your current routine. Here’s how it works: Let’s say you eat dinner at 6 o’clock. From there, count ahead 16 hours. You wind up at 10 the next morning. So, you can’t eat anything from 6 o’clock at night to 10 o’clock the next morning. Simple. Just skip – or delay – breakfast. It’s really not that bad. I get up in the morning between 5:30 and 6, have two cups of coffee with cream and a natural sweetener, and I don’t eat anything until between 10 and 11 o’clock. There are other methods of intermittent fasting, as well, such as restricting calories on one day, and then eating as much as you want the next. Studies have shown that this practice promotes weight loss, and also helps preserve lean muscle mass, which is important as you age. Do some research. See if any of this sounds like it might be right for you. No gym workout for me today, but I’ll go home later, strap on my ankle weights and do some of my upside-down reverse crunches. That’s what I call them, anyway. My power pole vaulting move that will take me to the next level in my progress from 60-year-old novice to a respectable veteran. Then Wednesday is … drum roll, please … vault practice. Gotta love it. I learned a long time ago that consistency is the key to making improvements in physical fitness.
Back in the day, when I was just a youngster in my 30s and 40s, I worked out four days a week like clockwork -- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Two hours in the gym, pumpin' iron with the boys. There was a dedicated group of four or five of us, and we were all in damn good shape. I may have mentioned that at some point in my 50s, I gradually got away from going to the gym, one thing led to another, and after a while, I wound up not going at all anymore. Consequently, I found myself putting on the tonnage, getting fat and out of shape, feeling old and not very good about myself, or about life in general. Part of that was due to depression, and part of it was due to stress from a career move that may or may not have been the best decision in the world. I kind of floundered around for a while, but eventually got things together again, and here I am, back on track and working out again, getting back in shape. I still have a ways to go, to get where I want to be, but I've come a long way in the past 10 months. One thing I still need to improve on, though, is my consistency. I've been pretty consistent, but not like I was back when I never missed a workout. It's really easy when you're tired, or busy, had a long day, don't feel up to snuff, to just say, "Aw, it won't hurt to miss one day." That little voice inside my head tells me that all the time. The trick is to not give in. Today, for example, I had to go after work to the auto parts store to get my battery tested, after it seemed to bog down this morning when I went out to start my pickup after an especially cold night. The forecast called for even colder temperatures tonight, and I'd had the feeling for a while now that the battery might not have quite as much punch in it as it used to. Sure enough, it needed to be replaced, and so I took care of that, and didn't get home until an hour later than I would have otherwise. It was 30 degrees outside -- bitter cold for central Texas -- and getting colder as the sun went down. I got home around 5 o'clock, and that meant I'd be at the gym until at least 6, maybe 6:15. Usually, I'm through with an afternoon workout by 5-5:15, and I nearly talked myself out of going. But I went anyway. Had a good workout at the gym, then came home, put on my 5-pound ankle weights, dragged my low-bar set-up out into the driveway and did six reps of my hanging reverse crunches, or whatever they're called. You grab onto the bars, flip yourself upside down in a ball, knees tucked tight into your chest, and lower your hips down toward the ground until gravity takes over. It's an exercise to strengthen the midsection for pole vaulting, and I wasn't going to do it, either. Too late; too cold; too this; too that. But I did it, anyway. Consistency is the key. You can do it. Well, best laid plans and all that ...
It's 38 degrees outside, and that means no pole vaulting practice today. No running sleds out in the backyard, or anything like that. So I was going to go to the gym this afternoon -- get a head start on the week's workouts. Instead, I've spent all afternoon in my little home office working on my new book, writing a new story for the newspaper, doing a little painting, and forgetting all about my plan to go to the gym. Oops ... So now, I'm writing this little blog post, and I'll spend the rest of the evening watching a little TV and relaxing on the couch. Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do, you know? One issue I've had since I started this whole personal training business is finding enough time in the day to do everything I need to do. My to-do list is nowhere near finished. There are a lot more unchecked things on the list than things checked off. And that's OK. I'm an impatient person -- sometimes to the extreme -- and I have to realize that things take time sometimes. I like to get things done, check 'em off the list, and move on. That's it. Finished. Go to the next thing. I have to learn that I can't do everything all at once. Chill out, fella, chill out. Now, tomorrow morning, I'll be back at it again. There's a difference between procrastination, and knowing when to say when. Today's been a fairly productive day. I've accomplished quite a bit -- maybe not what I intended to accomplish exactly, but nevertheless ... If any of this sounds familiar, give yourself a break. It's OK to slow down and take some time off. Be good to yourself. Most of us remember the USDA food pyramids that showed us how we should eat for good health and proper nutrition. The number of recommended daily servings of meat, dairy, vegetables, milk and cheese, fruits, and so on.
Those pyramids were the go-to guideline back in the day, but now there is something called MyPlate, designed as a simplified way to help people figure out what to eat each day. Basically, this diagram is a circular plate, divided into proper amounts of fruits, grains, vegetables, protein, and dairy. Of course, my philosophy on diet is the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) system. For good health and weight management, don’t overindulge in anything. Some say too much sugar will make you fat. Too much carbs will make you fat. Too much fat will make you fat. Too much protein is bad for you. The fact is, folks, too much of anything is not good for you. Too much of anything will make you fat. If you consume more calories than your body uses, then it stores the excess for later. Plain and simple. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could eat as much as you want, and your body used what it needed, and then got rid of the rest? A perfectly efficient, fuel-burning machine. Unfortunately, for some reason, God decided – maybe for the same reason he decided to design teeth that get cavities – that excess caloric energy would be held onto and converted into blubber. It just ain’t fair. Of course, the healthiest foods are whole foods, those that have been tampered with the least. One piece of sage advice I heard or read one time was to do most all your shopping around the perimeter of the grocery store – produce section, meat department, and dairy. Up and down the aisles in the middle is all the pre-fabbed, pre-packaged stuff that is bad for you. If it comes in a box, don’t eat it. And like my friend, Bubba, says – when it comes time for meals, eat whatever you want, but stop eating before you get full. A lot of us, me included, were taught as kids to “clean” our plates, and it’s still hard for me to not eat everything. According to the American Heart Association, we should eat 5 servings a day of vegetables, four servings of fruit, six servings of grains, three servings of dairy, and three servings of fats and oils. Poultry, meat, and eggs should be 8-9 servings a week; fish and other seafood 2-3 servings per week; and nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes 5 servings per week. Sounds like a lot of servings. If you ask me, and remember, I’m certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, variety is not only the spice of life, but they key to healthy eating. Fill up your kitchen with a good mix of protein foods, carbohydrates, and fats. Don’t eat too much of any one thing. Don’t gorge yourself at meals. Eat some vegetables every day. Cut back on sweets and cut way back on sodas, if you’re a soda drinker. There’s no magic bullet, so to speak, when it comes to healthy eating. It’s all a matter of developing new habits, and habits take time to develop. You can do it. |
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