Category: Fitness

Motivation & Discipline

This is something that took me a long time to learn but wanted to share my thoughts. I always thought that motivation was the most important thing. I would say to myself “I have to get motivated to workout”. I would talk about internal motivation vs. external motivation. Some people need external motivation to workout whereas others are internally motivated.

I observe that many people will get motivated to workout. Perhaps it’s the new year and the person makes a resolution to workout. They are motivated by that. They will begin January 1st with a goal of getting in better shape or losing weight. I also observe that many of them will stop after a short time and revert back. Why is that? I guess the motivation wears off.

What I learned is that discipline is more important than motivation. Motivation is good for some time but discipline will carry you through. For me, I learned how to become disciplined and make exercise a part of my life. It has become part of my daily routine. I became disciplined by incorporating daily habits. It may start small, very small. Like doing a couple of pushups or going for a walk. It was a mindset shift. Something that I made a deliberate decision for.

One day I decided that exercise would just become part of what I do and who I am. Why is this important? Because motivation is good to give you a boost and get you going but when motivation subsides, discipline will carry you through.

Let me try and explain through an analogy. The NFL football is having a bad season and at some point during the season, they fire the head coach and hire an interim football coach. Almost always, the team does better with the interim coach then they did with the previous coach. Why? Because it was a change seen for the positive. The new coach comes in with a fire, intensity, and gets everyone motivated to do well. It’s the honeymoon phase if you will.

However, at some point the motivation wears off and the team reverts back to a normal routine. The normal routine is based on the discipline they all have to continue to excel. If there has been a lack of discipline, the team will revert back to this. When all motivation wears off and adversity hits, we fall back to our habits. If our habits are not satisfactory, will not be satisfactory. If our discipline and work we put in is outstanding, we will eventually become outstanding. The teams that ultimately have the best discipline, the best habits, will be the teams that succeed. Of course, great players help also. But usually the great players are great because of the discipline they have in their habits, their work ethic, their mindset to be great.

For exercise and fitness, I am not trying to win gold medals or win competitions. I am trying to be as healthy and strong as I can for as long as I can. I envision myself as that 90 year old man who is out there running and lifting and still being able to function well with my family. It’s not motivation that carries me, it’s my daily habits, discipline that I have built into my daily life that carries me. There are days when I am absolutely not motivated, days I do not want to get out of bed, days that I am just not feeling it. On those days especially, it is my discipline that carries me. Perhaps it wasn’t the best workout, perhaps I just went through the motions, perhaps I lifted light or ran slow or even walked slow. But I did it anyway. I accomplished it even in my worst. Even with that, I take solace in knowing I did better than laying around all days. I did something. Discipline did that, motivation did not.

I encourage everyone to consider building habits. Start small, stay consistent, but do something and build on it. There is a saying in football “get 1% better every day”. That is the mindset needed. Start at 0% and work at it. Walk 10 feet farther tomorrow than you did today. Start with no weights and build up to very light weights. Move your arms, shoulders, abs, legs, back, chest a little bit and build on it. Ultimately discipline is the key to success in anything we do.

Discipline is hard, it requires a person to dig deep and find what works for them. I have learned about myself and what it takes for me to accomplish these things. Each person must find what works for them. And this discipline carries through for me in all other aspects of my life. Whether it’s work, spending time with family, writing a blog post, or writing a book. Motivation will be a start but discipline will get you through. It takes time a relentless effort. It is so hard but it is so worth it. Have a great day!

Friday & Monday

I wasn’t able to submit a post on Friday so I will recap it here. I will also discuss this morning’s workout.

Friday was a pull workout, I did pretty well. I was able to hit 86 intensity minutes. That workout started with a 400M run warmup followed by deadlifts. I worked up from 120 to 330 pounds for the deadlift. That is the max I can get on my hex bar. Even then the weight about falls off when I put it down. The problem is one of my 45 pound weights are bumper weight plates and they are really fat. I need to get a couple more thin 45 pound weights. I will be doing that soon.

I then did hex bar shoulder shrugs at 185 pounds followed by 3 sets of hex bar rows at 120 pounds. I then did 1 20 minute AMRAP which each et involved 400M run, max pull ups, and 60 rep hammer curls with 15 pounds. I was able to complete 4 rounds.

The weekend was off for working out as I was travelling for a college football game to watch my son play. I will be doing that for the entire football season. So I probably won’t get back into weekend workouts again until January.

This morning was a push workout. I first did a 500M row for warmup, did some stretching with bands primarily targeting the chest. I then did bench press working up from 135 pounds to 255 pounds. It felt pretty good overall.

Next I completed dumbbell should press working up from 25 pounds each dumbbell to 40 pounds each dumbbell. It’s the 12-10-8-6-24 routine. I took very little rest in between. Just long enough to switch weight. I did 24 consecutive reps with 25 pounds each dumbbell for the last set. My shoulders were burning pretty good at the end.

Next, I performed skull crushers with the bar starting at 55 pounds working up to 85 pounds. Again this was the 12-10-8-6-24 routine with the only rest to switch weights. I did 24 consecutive reps with 45 pounds at the end.

Finally I did a 20 minute AMRAP which included 400M run followed by 15 pushups with the perfect pushup, 10 dips on the dip station, and 40 cable crunch with a heavy band over my rack. I completed 4 rounds.

Overall a good workout. I felt pretty good throughout but did get winded during my 400M runs but made it through. My sleep score was 81 so I had a decent sleep.

I will tell you I am a firm believer in strength training as it makes me feel pretty good and really sets up my day. I am feeling stronger and it keeps me young. Even though I am 60 years old I think this weight training is the key to staying young and allowing me to go hard consistently at work and at life. This helps me not only physically but also mentally.

Tomorrow is a run day so I will check back in after that. Have a great day!

Thursday – Run & Walk

Tuesday’s, Thursday’s, and Saturday’s are my run days. I have always struggled with running longer distances. To me longer distances are anything more than a 1/2 mile. Today I ran 3.27 miles. I try to get at least 3 miles and sometimes run 6 or 7 miles on Saturday.

I ran one half marathon in my life and a handful of 5K’s. I would like to run another half marathon and I am thinking of targeting one early next year so will start training more heavily for that in December.

After my run today I completed a series of leg stretches. I learned from a running coach a long time ago to not perform cold stretched before a run. A mistake I use to make. I basically do a walk to run warm up and sometimes will do 500 meters on the rower to warm up. After my leg stretches, I did one round of 100 rep triceps press followed by 60 reps of hammer curl. Both are done with 15 pounds dumbbells. I then finished with 66 reps of sit ups in 2 minutes.

Later in the day I walked 1.08 miles at a decent pace just to get some sun and take a break from work. My total intensity minutes for the day is 108 per the Garmin watch which brings my weekly total to 377. The week starts on Monday. I am well over the 150 minute intensity goal for the week set by Garmin. Decent week so far and I will keep at it and pick it up tomorrow morning with a Pull day.

Wednesday Fitness – Leg Day

I haven’t been sleeping well. I have a bout of poison ivy and my sleep scores have not been good. Last night was 46. It took everything I had to get up and out of bed at 4:30 am this morning. Very challenging but I did it.

I started my workout with bands tied around my knees and I did 100 reps spreading my knees against the resistance of the bands. Next, I placed the yoga ball between my knees and did 100 reps pressing against the ball. I then moved to the back of my bike and tied my ankles with the bands, placed the ball between my knees and did 100 reps spreading my ankles against the resistance.

I used a different band wrapped around the leg of the work bench in my garage and did 100 reps extending me left leg to the side against the resistance. I repeated the same with the right leg. I then repeated the same with left leg this time pushing my leg directly back against the resistance. I repeated with the right leg.

I used a band with Velcro straps wrapped around both ankles and did 98 reps walking side to side. After this I moved to squats. Again focusing on deeper squats. My first set was 135 pounds for 8 reps. I increased weight to 185 pounds and did 3 RFQ which means rounds for quality. I did 5 reps each set. I finished with one more set of 8 reps at 135 pounds.

I then did a 20 minute AMRAP consisting of 400M run followed by 10 Romanian Deadlifts for hamstrings, 24 walking lunges, and 45 calf raises with 80 pounds. I was able to complete almost 4 rounds. The last round I just finished the run when time expired. Overall, I got it done but because of the poor sleep quality I felt pretty sluggish and was challenged to complete. Tonight, I will try and get a better night sleep and prepare for a good run tomorrow. Have a good day everyone!

Tuesday – Run

Today I hit 97 intensity minutes per my Garmin watch. That brings my weekly total to 190 between Monday and Tuesday when the weekly goal is 150. So that is good.

The weather was a little better today at 65 degrees, still a little muggy. I ran 3.59 miles. I am not a good runner. Had to walk in some spots. No matter how much I work at it I still struggle to get a good pace. I will keep working at it.

After my run I did a series of leg stretches followed by 2 rounds of 100 reps of lying triceps extension and 60 hammer curls with 15 pound dumbbells. This is the first time doing more than 1 set so I am building up here. I also did 73 sit ups with the ab mat in 2:00.

Overall, I did get a pretty good intensity number and am pushing. I would like to run another half marathon. I am targeting next March/April for this so will begin training probably around December.

Monday Fitness – Back at it

Monday is push day and I was back at it. I was able to hit 78 intensity minutes per my Garmin watch. That’s slightly better than last Monday where I hit 75. Garmin sets my intensity minute goal to 150 each week and I usually hit that by Tuesday and sometimes Wednesday each week. I normally get between 400 and 500 intensity minutes each week.

I started by running a 400M warmup and doing some chest stretching with the bands. After that I hit the bench press. Started at 135 pounds and built up to 255 pounds. My goal is to hit 300 pounds and I believe this will take quite a while especially given my age of 60 years old.

Next I did shoulder press with dumbbells. This is a 12-10-8-6-12-12 routine. I start with 50 pounds for 12 reps, then 60 pounds for 10 reps, 70 pounds for 8 reps, and 80 pounds for 6 reps. I then drop to 50 pounds and actually did 24 straight reps. This is with hardly any rest in between sets. Just long enough to switch weights and get set.

After should press I then did skull crushers with the bar. This is also a 12-10-8-6-12-12 routine. 55 pounds for 12, 65 pounds for 10, 75 pounds for 8, 85 pounds for 6 reps. I then just used the bar of 45 pounds for 24 reps and I did an additional 5 reps of close grip press.

After about a 2 minute break and getting everything set up I did a 20 minute AMRAP. This includes a 400M run followed by 15 pushups with perfect pushup, 10 dips on dip station, and 40 cable crunches with heaviest band I have. I completed 4 rounds with 30 seconds to spare so I did an additional 10 reps of cable crunch. At one point I was really winded. I think it was on the third rounds and I had to walk a little bit during my 400M run. It was seriously humid and muggy again this morning. I really cannot wait until it cools down in the mornings.

I am happy I got it done and I am feeling it. After my workout I made a smoothie that consisted of 1/4 oatmeal, heaping tablespoon of dry peanut butter, heaping tablespoon of protein powder, heaping tablespoon of fat free Greek vanilla yogurt, and a teaspoon of creatine. This is my normal after workout meal and breakfast. I also drank a shot of Master Tonic and a shot of unfiltered olive oil. This holds me over for quite a while in the morning. I do try to eat small meals several times a day to boost my metabolism. However, I am undisciplined with nutrition and am working to overcome this. Anyway, have a great day!

Fitness – Run and Friday Workout

Due to travel this week, I had to adjust my fitness schedule. There has also been a delay in getting a blog post published.

Thursday’s are typically a run day for 3.5 – 5 miles. Since I was at a hotel there wasn’t a good place to run so I worked out in the gym. There was only dumbbells available so I went through several circuits with various exercises and was able to work up a pretty good seat over about 25 minutes. It was non stop with little rest. This involved shoulders, arms, and abs.

Since we left early Friday to head back on a very long drive I didn’t do my normal Friday workout. I performed my Friday workout on Saturday. This is a pull day. I started with deadlift with a hex bar working up to 260 pounds. Next I did 3 sets of hex bar shrugs at 170 pounds and 3 sets of hex bar rows at 120 pounds.

After that I did 3 sets of Good Mornings with 165 pounds followed by Farmers carry 70 steps with 120 pounds on the hex bar. This is done consecutive. Next, I did a 20 minute AMRAP HiiT routine involving a 400m run, max pull ups, and 60 hammer curls with 15 pounds on each dumbbell. Overall not too bad and was able to get through it. Total workout was about 55 minutes.

Sunday will be a rest day but I will be doing yard work which I will get some steps in and some physical labor. Starting Monday, I will repeat and continue to work. Have great day!

Fitness Leg Day – Wednesday

Today was tough again. Very hot and humid. I was able to get through it. Most of my workouts are about an hour in length, including today.

My leg day starts out on the ground with bands. I have these bands that are similar to what they us in physical therapy. I lay on the ground and tie them just above my knees. I then do 100 reps of spreading my knees apart against the resistance. Next, I will put a small yoga ball between my knees and squeeze for 100 reps.

I then sit on the seat of my bike in reverse. I tie the bands around my ankles and place the ball between my knees. I then perform 100 reps pulling my ankles apart against the resistance. Next I will switch to another band wrapped around the leg of a built in table in my garage. I place my left leg and swing my leg from inside out against the resistance for 100 reps. I repeat on the right leg. I then do 100 reps pushing each leg against the resistance front to back.

Next I have a difference band that has Velcro to wrap around my ankles and I step side to side for 98 total reps. Next, I move to squats. Today I worked up to 275 pounds and try to go as deep as possible. I was not satisfied today as to how deep I was able to go. I’ll keep working at.

Once that is completed I then did a 20 minute AMRAP. This included a 400M run with 10 Romanian deadlifts, 24 walking lunges, and 45 calf raises with 80 pounds. I was only able to complete 3 rounds today. Last week I got closer to 4 rounds so my performance was a little worse this week. I’ll try to build off of this for next week. Anyway, I am traveling today so my workouts over the next couple of days will be different than normal based on what is available in the hotel gym. Until next time, have a great day!

Tuesday Run

Today was a struggle. Tuesday’s are my run days and I normally run 3.5 – 5 miles. Today was brutal. My legs felt very heavy, it was everything to get out there and do it. I only ran 2.5 miles today and it was tough getting through it.

Every workout or run is different, some days I feel good and others I do not. Today was one of the bad days. On the positive side I was able to push through and get it done which its better than doing nothing. But it definitely was not my best. The humidity was exceptionally high and it was hot already at 5 am so that contributed. I like to run the best when it is in the 40’s.

After my run I always complete a series of stretching exercises which I did this morning. I also completed triceps’s press with dumbbells with low weight. this is 15 pounds only on each dumbbell for 100 reps. I have been getting stronger here so will probably go to two sets of 100 coming up. I also did 60 hammer curls with the same weight and will also probably go to two sets in a week or two. I also do max sit ups for two minutes with an ab mat. Today I was able to get 75 reps. I am working my way to 100 in two minutes. Just a couple of months ago I was only able to do 40 – 50.

Overall, I got it done but it was a struggle. I’ll keep at it. Until next time, good luck and have a great day.

Monday Fitness

Today was a decent workout. While I have trouble getting going any day, Monday’s are usually the worst. Coming off the weekend it is really tough to get out of bed at 4:30 am and get going. The alarm on my watch went off and I mustered up the mental toughness to get out of bed. Big win right there.

I fed our lab and let her out. While she was out I took pre-workout which takes 15 – 30 minutes to kick in. By the time I let her in I am ready to get my shoes on and hit the gym.

Monday is push day so primarily push exercises. I typically start with a 500M row or a 400M run to get warmed up. This morning I started with a 400M run. Just a slow steady pace to get the blood flowing. Once I returned from the run, I did some stretching with bands primarily focused on check and shoulders.

First exercise is bench press. I worked up by hitting 10 reps at 135, 6 reps at 185, 3 reps at 225, 1 rep at 245, and 1 rep at 255. I take 2 – 3 minutes rest in between sets. I am continuing to work on getting stronger. After bench press I did standing shoulder press with the bar. First set of 10 at 65 pounds then I did three sets at 95 pounds and a final set at 65 pounds.

Next was skull crushers. This is where I do 12-10-8-6-24routine. 12 reps at 55, 10 reps at 65, 8 reps at 75, 6 reps at 85, and finally 24 reps at 45 pounds. For this exercise I don’t take much rest in between. Basically as fast as I can switch the weights and get set I am going.

Normally I would do additional exercises like dumbbell shoulder press, dumbbell kickback, incline press, etc. However , lately I have been doing a 20 minute AMRAP HiiT routine which means as many rounds as possible High Intensity Interval Training. This morning my round was 400M run, 15 pushups with perfect pushup, 10 dips on my dip station, and 50 cable crunch using a heavy band on my rack. I was able to complete 4 rounds almost. I did complete 4 but took almost 21 minutes. The HiiT workout. really adds intensity.

I use a Garmin Fenix watch which tracks all of my workouts and today I hit 75 intensity minutes which is pretty good. Last Monday I think it was in the 50’s so better intensity today. My sleep score last night was 83 so I think that contributed to a better workout. Anyway, now I am ready for the day with a big win under my belt. Until next time, have a great day.