Weight Gain

It's been some time since my last blog.  First off, I want to say that my workout has been maintained due to the motivation I have pushing me to continue.  However, I have gained ten pounds!  How frustrating is that?
After many weeks of fretting, I had an epiphany from God last night.  Could my bone density be increasing due to my weight lifting?  Yes, indeed.  There have been studies for the last 50 years that it is true; bone density is increased by weight lifting.  The Mayo Clinic  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710 provides details on how lifting weights three times a week is a major benefit to overall health and increased bone density.  LiveStrong has some great guidance as well. http://www.livestrong.com/article/452698-exercises-to-increase-bone-density/
One thing I should comment, a couple months ago I changed my routine again.  I decreased my weight and increase the reps to a minimum of 15 and a max of 25.  I have discovered that I have lost some body mass (size), but the muscles must be getting leaner and denser.
On the subject of supplements, I have dropped ForceFactor as it was not providing the results I was expecting.  I started to take a daily Vitamin C routine to avoid getting sick, but I discovered that it can cause an increase of iron absorption into the red blood cells which leads to muscle aches.  So I cut back on Vitamin C. 
I did go have an X-ray performed on my hip to check the status of my 23 year old Acetabular fracture (hip socket break).  I'm glad to say that while there is still evidence of the break, it is not getting worse.  However, the other hip joint which did not break in the accident, there are signs of Inflammatory Arthritis of the Hip.  I have to say that the pain is not severe enough to warrant surgery or shots, so I have a long time before any invasive medical work.  Overall, the doctor said I was doing the correct things to make my hip last a lifetime.
The doctor did say something that I was suprised to hear.  Every time a hip ball is dislocated from the socket, there is a 10% chance of bone death.  I have to say Thank God!  I know for sure that my hip was dislocated well over ten times in the months that followed the accident.  Today, the bones look healthy and my exercise is actually helping.  I was very concerned that performing leg exercises like squats, leg press, and clean press would harm me.  But the doctor was very clear that as long as there are no sudden jerks or pounding as in running, jogging, or jumping, I was fine.  He did say that converting my walking routine to an Elliptical or NordicTrac machine would be better for me due to the smooth action of the machine.  Walking still has some pounding each time the foot hit the ground.
Anyone have advise on a good machine and how it works?

Off Days

Have you ever had an off day, a day where you couldn't get it done?  I just did and it sucked.  I barely got through half my cardio and a quarter of my workout; just plain pooped out.

I could blame it on several factors; lack of good sleep from a new position in my work life, a busy morning with my son's baseball activities, or a new supplement routine using Force Factor's latest stuff: Factor2.  Blame is not the issue I need to focus on right now; continuing on is important.  I can't let this one bad day or a bad week affect my future.  I have to continue on.

I spoke in an earlier blog of the need to have a goal that is outside of yourself for motivation.  This is the time when that external motivation is so important.  Off days can discourage you from continuing on, but the external reasons will help you get past the down time. 

I find it helpful to not let up on my routine, but to get right back into it.  So for now, Sunday is a new day and I will get back into it with the same workout I started today and finish it.  Why?  Because my wife needs a healthy husband to grow old with and my four boys need a active father to guide them through life.

DOMS. Do you have it?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS.

DOMS is generally defined as the 2nd to 4th day muscle soreness caused by an extreme workout. My experience with DOMS has been more intense than the normal 1st day soreness. With any exercise routine, there is usually a bit of soreness the day-of or day-after as the muscles recover from the tearing caused by the physical strain. However, DOMS is different; at least that is what I have experienced over the last year due to the dramatic change in my routine since my shoulder injury.

Before I begin, I would like to go over a debate I have had with extreme lifters. Some guys tell me that the 2nd to 4th day soreness is actually "atrophy" or muscle wasting away. I never fully agreed with these guys, but had nothing to base my "gut feelings". Hence, I began my search for the reason of my 2nd to 4th day muscle soreness usually followed by an intense workout. Atrophy is not the answer, DOMS is the reason.

In the beginning, it was only with my legs that I would experience this intense short term soreness for several days after a workout. Many times after my "leg day" workout, I would have difficulty walking, sometimes preferring to crawl. This is the reason why I only do legs on Friday or Saturday. I started to ask around if others experienced the same thing and all agreed that legs are killer recovery cycle. The conclusion is that leg and butt muscles are so much larger than other groups, the soreness is much more intense. However, I noticed that I worked my legs differently than other muscle groups.

Prior to my shoulder injury in late 2010, I was content with working with heavy weights and low reps. The only difference I noticed is that I was more intense in my workout with my legs. Intensity for me is how much I squint my eyes and grit my teeth during the lift; for my legs, this was normal, but not the other groups. My routine worked well for me and physical changes were evident, yet I plateaued and decided to change my workout.

I dropped the weight by 10% to 20% on all my routines, but increased the reps to a max of 25 per set and no less than 15. If I could not do 15 reps, I decreased the weight more; if I could achieve more than 25 reps, I increased the weight. However, I leave the weight at a high enough level to where I was really straining to get the last reps out. We are talking about "eyes squeezed shut, teeth grinding, throat grunting, muscle aching" reps. No more "pansy" reps except for the free-weight bench-press for safety reasons (Google "USC football player injured benching") since I don't have a spotter. Being a responsible Trojan, I know better than to do something that could really hurt me. My high school age sons at times will spot me when they are available, but that's only on the weekends.

So the end result of my new routine is PAIN! We are talking about pain that Motrin or Aleve won't remove. The first week of my new routine was miserable, I had a terrible time trying to sleep at night. I visited my Chiropractor and he was able to take care of a horrendous torment in my left trap (trapezius) using electro-stimulation, but it took several weeks. I found that the pain would only go away for several hours after a workout.  Since I work each muscle group once a week, I would experience this pain for days on end. 

DOMS is the end result for those who really want to see dramatic results of their exercise. For me, I have to deal with it. No Pain, No Gain!  Since I have to work at a "real job" like most of us, we have to come up with ways to make our routine work for us. I can't spend all my time in the gym or at the Chiropractor.  What do you do?