Saturday, December 03, 2011

King of Pain

I have dubbed myself, Sir Loin.

Nah, like Collis B. Tumor, I'm in pain all day, all night (sorry, that's a joke for 5 people and five people only).  Hopefully not for long.

You remember when I used to write all about my gym & exercise exploits?  Notice how I haven't been for the last few months?  I kind of fell off of the 4-5 times a week visits to the gym.  It went down to more like 4-5 times per month.  ....and then there was last month.

You might have seen the video I made of my November travels for work.  I wasn't home a heck of a lot, so I didn't go to the gym a heck of a lot.  And by heck of a lot, I mean:  at all.

No frets.  I'm back.  But at what price?  Oddly enough,  I not only maintained my weight, but lost some - at  which I am not complaining.  Maybe it was all muscle that I lost and not fat.

True, my Spin and complete cardio routine went to hell in April with my tendinitis.  I am still suffering, but maybe not quite as much.  Don't scold but I'm waiting until first of the year to see someone.  It's tied to my benefit package and my deductible.  So that is Pain #1.

Pain #2 would be what I'm experiencing these last few days.  I dove right back into my weight lifting routine, and my ab routine. Still no cardio. And now I have big body ache routine going on.  I can't cough, sneeze or laugh, as it hurts my abdominal muscles to do so.  My back aches, but in a good using muscles kind of way.  My upper arms ache.  My chest hurts, but not in that having an MI kind of way.  Just in that too many bench presses kind of way.

Pain #3 is a real pain.  I experienced this a year or so back but it had not really bothered me for a bit.  It's back with full-force (no Lisa Lisa or Cult Jam):  my left shoulder and elbow.  Cable pulls hurt it.  Squats makes me tear up.  Curls are a major hassle.  I should probably get that looked at too - but at the first of the year.  Hey!  It's only 28 days away.  29 with the New Year's holiday.

Now for the worst kind of Pain:  #4.  Backsliding

I can't lift as much as I used to.  That is to be expected.  I have to earn that back and I totally get that.  But most importantly, I had stopped comparing myself to other guys at the gym.  Their routine, their goals, their definition was theirs and not mine.  I finally stopped feeling bad about myself and how I didn't look and tempered my unrealistic expectations.  Alas, they are all back.  Every single one of the neurosis:  the envy, the doubt, the feeling I'm in 3rd grade and can't climb the fucking rope.

I don't doubt I'll get past that.  I'm putting the art of yoga to work for me:  this is my practice!  No one else's.  Still, it jabbed at me most of the week at the gym.  I didn't much like the guy curling next to me and he started at 105 lbs.....in each hand, and increased the weight from there.  FUCK YOU!   You're making us all look bad.   I don't care how attractive you are.

Oh the pain.  The pain.



Song by:  Alanis Morissette

3 comments:

BosGuy said...

Love the Lisa Lisa reference. Don't focus on what others are doing its best to just concentrate on your own fitness. You'll get there - just be careful you don't hurt yourself.

anne marie in philly said...

hey, dr. smith, you lift what is correct for YOU. sometimes 15# is the best I can do that day; other days (like today) I did 65#. and I don't give a fuck what other people are doing!

Ur-spo said...

I have to make a point not to compare myself in the gym for I always come up deficit.