Closing In On The Home Stretch

 Not 100% out of the woods yet but my recovery is near its end. I can feel it drifting away little by little. I still have moments where there's little shots of pain down my leg but it's becoming less and less. It has been a very slow process, far slower than most injuries in the last number of years and I'm just itching to get back to my old self again. 

At times the pain was so great that it made me irritable and lash out which by all accounts I hate doing to anyone. I also hate taking stuff to numb the pain and part of me needed to suffer in order to punish myself for what I put myself through. Didn't take enough stuff to become addicted which is a good thing. I wasn't popping pills like they were fucking M&Ms, just a thing or two to relieve some of the pain in order to go about my day. Got this one thing called Nerve which helps with circulation and gives the nerves in my body an extra boost to help me recover since some of the pain was shooting down straight into my ankles and feet starting at the hip. Only take the recommended dose. 

Seen a Chiropractor half a dozen times now and most likely need a couple more adjustments to realign this sumbitch and the guy that has been working on me is really damn good at what he does. Like I said it has been a slow process but I know it's almost over. I've been slowly getting back to strengthening and lengthening my body doing stretches (mainly), cables, isometrics, Sandbell training and loaded carries with a lighter weight. I have also been using my foam roller which at times does feel painful but I'm getting that bad alignment readjusted and you just take it for what it is. 

Over these last, I think it's now almost 6 weeks, there's been lots of ups and downs, restless nights, moving like an 80 year old man ready to die and struggling mentally to keep my sanity. To distract myself, I got caught up in the fight against those who have been so extreme against those who are LGTBQ and the things these people put up to justify them as a whole has just burned a hole in my brain. I have friends and knew people in that community and it breaks my heart that all this hatred towards them because a few bad apples made their way into the news. Believe me, I'm totally against grooming or forcing kids against their will but from a statistical standpoint, nothing compares to the grooming and sexually exploitation of kids in Beauty Pageants and those in religion who've taken advantage of young boys. All this shit with Trans folks is an extremely small number in comparison and yes whoever is hurting kids should be punished but not all Trans or gay or whatever are like this. 

Throughout this whole process and the pain, it boils down to keep fighting because you want to get better and there will be days where it feels hopeless but you can't give up because there are people who need you. I have strong feelings about what I do in order to build myself up mentally and physically. It's not meant for everyone and some will say I'm an inspiration and others will say I'm a pussy and have no value to anyone but whatever my beliefs are training wise or in my thoughts about the news and hatful/fear being spread around, I see things from a different angle and at times only I'll see it and that's ok. Once this shit is over, I'll be seeing my training with a greater appreciation and determination.  

Let me end this with a bad ass Disney Song with that fires me up every time and sung not by the original singer but by an up and coming artist who's expressive, has a voice that pumps up the blood in your veins and makes you never hear your childhood songs the same way again. Have an amazingly awesome day and be good to one another. Don't give into hate, that leads to the Darkside. 

Rest Periods: How Long Do You Need Before The Next Set?

In my time of learning different forms of exercise, Playouts, programs & styles I have found that when it comes to rest periods, there's something bigger than you haven't completely seen yet. Most trainers would tell you that shorter rest periods are the key to developing muscles. In reality, its not good to generalize how often to rest between sets and not take into consideration what effects it has on the Central Nervous System.

You've heard of the tabata style HIT that is one of the biggest rages in fitness today or resting for no more than 30 seconds between sets. I'm going to tell you a hard to hear truth that will piss off a lot of people and hard to convince public on actual rest between sets or exercises......

Your body can only push so hard during an exercise and if you're told to go hard and then rest for an equal or shorter amount of time, that can create greater harm on your body than you can realize. That no pain, no gain line is bullshit plain and simple. If you're in pain during your training, you are doing something very wrong or you are forced to keep going even though your body can tear a joint or even worse break a bone in the process. If you're highly conditioned and your body can handle the stress, sure shorter rest periods can be ok but you at some point need to let the body recuperate. This isn't the military or training for competition and that's where many trainers are so damn stupid that they have convinced people to use this mentality.

Let me ask you something...Have you ever thrown up in a workout, passed out, bled, felt dizzy or felt that your energy is flat out gone somewhere between when you started and ended a session? I have done at least 4 of these things in my lifetime and its not worth your life to be in those situations. Its really about how an individual can truly recover and be efficient in their next set of exercise because here's a fact, if you're sloppy at any time during your session and you keep going, your body will give you a hard lesson in what its like to feel pain in places you didn't think pain existed in. If you rest too early, your energy can be depleted and you can lose the ability to recover at an optimal rate, however if you're too late to recover you're not giving the body the fuel it needs to feel the muscles. There has to be a balance there.

Here's an example of what i'm talking about; Hill Sprints: A powerful exercise where you run up a hill as hard as you can and then walk down the hill and repeat until you have done the allotted amount of sprints. The recovery process aught to be enough to where your breath is at a solid level and breathe deeply and calmly; if you haven't recovered enough, your run will deplete your energy levels and your speed will become way too slow and nowhere near the level you want it to be. Your recovery is what brings in highly oxygenated blood to your cellular tissue and builds up your hormone levels. Think of it this way, when you swim and come up for air, if you're not breathing effectively coming up and back into the water, you will be depleted and you can drown; same thing with exercise, if you can't recover you won't be efficient and you can get hurt or worse end up in the hospital with heart problems, kidney failure, floppy limbs and your chest will feel like a crowbar is hitting it every time you take a breath.

Rest is needed to get the most out of your session, the more conditioned you are, the greater your capacity is and resting at times mean just taking a few breaths and you're good to go, its all in determining what your level of fitness is at. When I do sprints, I use to do the 30/90 protocol which is better than the 30/30 or less concept in my opinion. There were times where I needed about 5 minutes or more to get into another set and be effective, others it could mean just a few breaths but I never truly bought into what someone else said because I'm very intuitive and have an understanding of my body and what I need to do to be great in the exercises I perform. Somebody can give you ideas and give you tips but in the end, it should come down to how much YOU need to be at your best. When it shoved down your throat, you can rest (no pun intended) assured that they're not looking out for your best interest. Most trainers today don't really know what the hell they're talking about and when you teach something you read out of a textbook more than teaching them to be intuitive they're not a real trainer. Through trial & error, mistakes & learning from others in the last 2 decades of being around fitness I can tell you first hand is that the more intuitive you are, the better.

A trainer ought to help students learn to rely on themselves and pass on knowledge that will give them a greater outlook that teaches about how to avoid injuries, utilize the ins and outs of being at your best from start to finish and teaching the value of recovery. I have exercised everyday for nearly 12 years, fought a few minor injuries and pushed myself in ways many can never understand but because of those experiences I have learned how to use my rest periods and be at my best whether it was for 5 minutes or more than an hour. Your rest is the key to how you perform at an optimum level. However long you rest is up to YOU not someone else.

Herb Of The Day: He Shou Wu

He Shou Wu is taken in order to slow down ageing, nourish Jing, strengthen knees, lower back, bones, muscles, tendons and fortify the blood.

What To Do On Days If You Are Sore

When you've been roughed up in the gym or have gone through a particularly tough workout, you'll feel sore for a period of time whether it's a few days or over a week it happens. I've put myself through nearly 3000 Reps worth of exercise over the course of the last few days or so and yeah being sore at the moment is an understatement. Being sore isn't fun but it is a lesson and it doesn't mean you take a complete day off. With me there's no such thing but how do you handle yourself when this happens?

First off, being sore is a sign that your muscles have broken down and the muscle fibers need the chance to reproduce and grow with greater muscle density so for your next training playout you'll be stronger. Sore however is not the same as pain, that's how a whole other sport basically, it takes longer to come back from pain than it is being sore. Now what options do you have? Unless you're a professional athlete, being sore means you need to lay off the typical intensity you use and focus on taking in some good stretching, deep breathing, some Isometrics and practicing very low impact exercise.

These are just ideas but to get the full benefit you must find that form of recovery because not everyone recovers the same way. When I have sore days, I like to do Animal Flow, where the intensity isn't very high but I do feel it and I'm getting stretched. DDP Yoga is another great option, don't need to do a full hour of ass kicking training but do enough to where it feels really good, your body is being lengthened and you're getting your heart rate up. If you do or attempt the same intensity while you're sore, you're risking breaking up more muscle tissue and not giving it a chance to grow and you'll end up more than just pulling a muscle, you could tear something or worse. Your body needs a chance to grow muscle and letting it do it's job. I've gone through days where I was sore and just kept pushing and I paid the price for it, I ended up with a minor injury to my shoulders and wrists because I didnt allow my body to do it's job.

Many people believe being sore is like having a badge of honor, it's not fun at all and on days where you're so sore you can barely get out of bed there's something wrong there. Some have gone to such extremes (crossfit anyone?) that being sore means nothing but something to push past and get that through the session; when that happens, your body can only be pushed so far until you finally end up in the hospital over stupidity and paying out the ass for torn muscles, a ripped tendon or worse a broken bone regardless of where it is (I've had broken bones so don't even try to argue with me). I do believe however that being sore doesn't mean you should stop training, just lower the intensity and letting your body heal and repair itself so when you go hard again, you'll be at a higher level than the last time.

Many times when I was sore over the last 12 years or so, I practiced Chi Kung; doing different styles, holds, hand movements and loosening the joints, this gave my body the ability to recover faster and always came back stronger and had a greater mindset and will to reach a goal or at times go beyond it or close to it. Recovery is the opportunity to give your body a chance to bring it to optimum levels of intensity, endurance and strength. Sore does not mean give up, it just means back off a bit and letting things breathe and rest.

Be safe while you train and always have a blast. Recover with the best intentions and be on a mission the next time.

Today's Herb, Titan Post Workout Formula