Change of hearts

I know, I did it before. It looks more serious this time though. After the last back pain episode I am thinking - again! - about switching to a completely non-loading routine. Interestingly, my best muscularity (mind you, when I was 20) was achieved while I was doing gymnastics. We lifted nothing and did a lot of bodyweight stuff, as gymnasts do. I was never at any serious level in the sport, but my physique turned a few girls' heads on Jurmala beaches. I was agile and strong.

My back trouble started several years ago, when I started doing more lifting. I definitely fucked it up by incorrect and too heavy snatches and cleans. So yeah, it's my fault. But it's me who is going to deal with it too.

Last few training sessions I've been doing bodyweight exercises and enjoying them. Some exercises are from Convict Conditioning 1 and 2. I cannot help the feeling that both of these books were written by Pavel. It's SO his style, both writing and conceptual, trainingwise. Good books, whoever wrote them. If Wade exists then my hat goes off to him. Exercise progression is laid out well, and programming is great.

After all it's about self-acceptance. I am a small guy and will never be able to deadlift 300 kg. And it's fine, and I should accept it. On the other hand, I can do a lot of bodyweight stuff others cannot: pistols, handstand pushups, bar pullovers and a few other tricks. Not that it is good or bad. Just the way it is. Lifting weights also made me tight. Sure it's my fault, and I should have paid more attention to flexibility, but that's the way it is with my training.

So yeah, for now I am going to try progress CC way. Chins, handstand pushups, planks, bridges, stretching and what not and their variations. I want to get back to handstand balancing as well. Handstand is a tremendous exercise for strength and agility. Doing towel pullups and tigerbent pushups yesterday gave me tremendous workout while leaving me fresh. I like it.

I know, without squats and deads you're never strong enough. Bullshit. Gymnasts have great physiques, and they virtually never lift weights. You reckon this guy is weak?

I probably don't need to mention it here, but anyway: I am getting bored with Irongarm. Few years ago it attracted me for several reasons. It was very different from the politically correct Dragondoor, relaxed, witty and silly, in a good sense. The silly part of IGx was what made it enjoyable. Arguing while you could say "fuck" several times in one sentence, that was great fun! Rant could come out and say some outrageous shit which would turn into a five page thread. But then not everyone could understand the lighthearted silliness, and the thread would often turn into insults, often tactless and rude. Not that I am a big fan of Rant, but the forum is much less fun since he is gone.

Gradually though it changed. It is more "expert" run, and posts of the training section are dominated by either "how to..." and "look how stupid he is", "how to...". The former is useful, of course, and replies are often good. However, two things often happen. One, those who reply turn it into the latter, and two, the same question may have been asked several times in one year. The latter used to be fun, but how long can you continue to dis others? The longest and most popular thread by far was on Crossfit. About a thousand pages of "how stupid they are"! Is that how you guys assert yourself? In the very least it's bad manners to talk shit about others for such an extended time.

Over several years I picked up some good advice from that place. The thing is though that for guys like me training advise is not that useful. By "me" I mean the average middle age male with very average physique and not overly ambitious goals. I need to follow very simple principles: train regularly, limit number of exercises, increase the load with time and try not to get injured. One thing that many muscleheads cannot understand is that someone can be interested in the theory of training, and the fact that you can lift more than me doesn't necessarily mean you know more. Hell, about everyone had better GS numbers than me, yet I knew way more about GS training. And that was another reason I was hanging out on IGx. These days it's not even possible to post the opinion without getting insulted. I am over Irongarm.

My current goal is to reduce fat. While trying to get stronger and bigger the lifting way I added considerable amount of flab. I was always afraid that if I lose it I am going to look too small. Well, I am small, and it's better to be small and lean than small and "soft".

This blog has strayed from it's title long ago, so I am starting a new one: No Bullshit Workout. Everyone is welcome. Bye now.