Iron Garage Wisdom, Thoughts, and Tips Part 2

BLUF: 1. When you feel energized, go for it.
2. Performance correlates with calorie intake
3. Flexible workout programming is more realistic and productive than rigid programming.
4. The best plans usually fail as soon as the first shot is fired, first punch is thrown, or first rep is executed. Have a plan B, C, and D.
5. Listen to your body when you have the experience to do so.

Last night's workout went way better than I thought it would. The workout consisted of a warmup: 2 minutes sanddune stepper march in place, 1 set of standing band chest press x 20, 1 set of standing band chest flyes x20, 1 set of bench press 135x10. Followed by light stretching. Then slingshot bench press sets of 225x11, 235x8, 245x8, and 255x5. Rest periods between sets was 2-5 minutes for maximizing ATP/CP cycle replenishment. The original plan was to do 4x5 with 235.

 
I felt really good and energized from the beginning. I know from experience that when I feel this way, I need to do more than my original plan intended. Had I stuck with the original plan, I would have had success and a good workout but would have missed the opportunity to do better.

 
225 is my baseline assessment weight on the bench press for me and my clients. Decades of experience have taught me that 225 is a true indicator of where you are at fitness wise (for males). 5 reps or less means that you suck and need to do better. 6-8 reps means that you suck less but need to do better. 8-10 reps means that you are doing good so keep at it. More than 10 reps means you are on track and need to build upon where you are at.

 
How much you eat directly impacts performance. Simple version: If you have been eating big, your performance will be much better. If you have been eating light you will be sucking wind in the gym. Macronutrient ratio and total calorie intake based upon goal requirements are very important to track and understand.

 
Using the wrong rest periods and under eating will kill performance and progress. Also understanding the 3 main metabolic energy pathways and how it impacts and relates to your training is important to learn and understand. Inexperienced people who say that they listen to their bodies and flow based upon how they feel usually do not maximize progress and potential.

 
Your body is programmed to protect you and always seeks homeostasis. This unfortunately does not take your performance goals into consideration and will usually cause you to come up short. I don't know how many times I've heard people tell me that I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat, or gurus telling people to eat until you are satisfied.

 
Performance doesn't care how you feel. Your body as a machine, needs fuel and raw materials to achieve the goals that you have set. If you don't provide the right amount, of the right fuel, at the right time, the machine cannot produce the desired result. How you feel about that does not matter. 

Until next time-Go eat and hit the weights!

Eric Dempsey

MS, ISSA Master Trainer

Iron Garage Wisdom, Thoughts, and Tips Part 1: Your Mindset in Fitness and in Life is the True Challenge to Conquer

 

Last night, I had a great workout in the Iron Garage. It became great when it was over.
The workout was simple but challenging.

 
Warmup: 2 min on the sanddune stepper, 20 reps standing band chest press, 135x10, 225x1 on the bench, light stretching.

 
Now it was getting hot and humid, rain and thunder, starting to question my course of action.

 
The slingshot bench workout consisted of 245x6, 245x5, 245x4, 245x3, 245x2, 245x1. The rest periods between sets decreased as the reps went down.

 
This made the last 3 sets as difficult as the first 3 sets. Manipulating rest periods and metabolic energy pathway recovery requirements.

 
I laughed at the end as I said to myself "I am smoked, like a cheap cigar". And then I pondered while laughing, who in the hell came up with all the corny sayings that we all used in the military?

 
It was hot and humid, even with the fans blasting. I was sore and in pain. Left shoulder was hurting -sharp pain style, who knows why. My excuses to quit were piling up fast and I almost convinced myself to call it.

 
I had no coach or trainer, no spotter, no one to cheer me on or encourage me, and no one to answer to if I quit early. Despite that I convinced myself to do one more set, one more rep until before I knew it I was done. 

With Jesus as my spotter, and my mb slingshot as my safety device, I drove on and finished the workout. As the Training for Warriors crew always say "Last Set, Best Set". (I'm a certified level 2 TFW coach by the way).

 
Ok so you finished your workout. Great job. I'm proud of you. Here is a cookie. GTFOutta here with that crap. So why do I tell you all of this? 

Because this invisible battle rages on with me and most people who have trained in any physical events, during every single workout. I had the same mental struggle when I was doing some of my first strength and conditioning workouts at 10 years old. Same stuff different decade. It's part of the journey.

 
In my program that I teach, my pillars of wellness are 1. mindset and behavior, 2. lifestyle, 3. nutrition, and 4. fitness and exercise.

The real struggle that I faced during my workout, wasn't the 245lb barbell. It was my mindset. Facing the mental battle every workout is what I call "entering the arena and facing the beast". Defeating the beast in the arena is the true victory, not the completion of a workout. 

This applies to every aspect of life. Don't let your mental beast defeat you in the arena. Free your mind and your ass will follow. Now, go hit the weights!

Eric Dempsey

MS, Certified Mindset Specialist