Picking back up after a hiatus
If you read my intro post from last week you might recall two things: I love lifting, and I fell off the wagon in a real way. It took me a long time to dig out of the mental hole I got myself in and swallow my pride. Thinking you can just stop lifting consistently for two years and then hop back on the bench and crank out 225 lbs for repetition is frankly dumb.
One thing Jake has been stressing to me is to just get consistent and work a program regularly, not to worry about hitting numbers. He has assured me the strength will come back, that it takes a while for it to really go away.
Well, he was right…
On Saturday the 25th I had moment of redemption; I finally got 225lbs for two reps on the bench (I swear, I had 3 in me), and it felt SO good. It’s been a long time since I was able to get multiple reps at this weight. Afterwards, I went 5 reps by 5 sets for 225lbs on the trap bar deadlift. While I’ve been able to get myself back to a 1rep max on the bench press and trap bar deadlift that I’m happy with, I had been struggling to get multiple repetitions for anything close to my target weight.
This past weekend I did it all over again and then some. It wasn’t just a fluke. I’m ecstatic!
Before things dropped off two years ago, I was training towards a 1 rep max of 315 on the bench press, and at points could comfortably barbell deadlift 315 for a few reps. I’m not going to talk about squats; that’s always been my weak link, and an area that I’m focusing on much more these days.
Barbell bench and barbell deadlift have always been my favorite movements. I wanted those three 45lb plates on either side real bad. I let the numbers get in my head. Instead of working a set program regularly, I was single-mindedly trying to hit my number. Things started pretty balanced; I was consistently working out 3-4 days a week, on a set program with a combination of compound lifts, cardio, and HIIT. I was building muscle, getting stronger, and my conditioning was improving.
Things quickly got out of wack though. I’d spend 3/4 of my workout on the bench, then I’d go put in a half-ass leg effort, maybe do a few deadlifts when I was out of gas. Consistency dropped. If I didn’t hit my target numbers, or, god forbid I was having a bad day and dropped a few pounds, it was a huge defeat that would even cary over into my next workout. The negativity made it easier to say, hey, today’s been a long day, let’s skip the gym, or I don’t feel great, and I’m not going to hit my numbers, so let’s go tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow… I’m sure you all can guess where that goes. I got discouraged stopped lifting with any consistency whatsoever.
I really want to stress the importance of balance and consistency; two things I’ve always struggled with. Any fitness effort, whether for weight loss, building strength and muscle, or training for a specific activity, requires consistency and a balanced approach to health and lifestyle. This is where our Live Nicely concept comes into play. When things get imbalanced in our life, whether it’s family, work, financial, or health issues, it gets really hard to be in the headspace to work out. It becomes really hard to find the time and energy to take care of your needs, such as sleep, proper nutrition, exercise, and stress management.
It took me getting my head right, improving my confidence, finding meaningful work, and finding a purpose to get me back to consistency and balance. I tried to get back into working out so many times, but I couldn’t get consistent because the focus wasn’t there. There were too many other things on my mind vying for attention and my exercise and nutrition needs suffered from a lack of proper focus. The best I could do was try to maintain, and even that was a struggle.
What got me back to working out with consistency has been casually lifting. I’ll explain: I wasn’t ready to get back to seriously logging my reps, sets, pounds, caloric intake, and cardio, but I really enjoy the practice of lifting weight. I was concerned that I’d get back into the same unbalanced cycle of getting focused on one particular area, obsessing over the numbers, and then falling off the wagon. Instead, I took to focusing on 2 things: making sure I work out a minimum of 3 days a week and making sure I do compound lifts that target all of my major muscle groups with a reasonable weight so I can focus on the movement and form. I also make sure I do at least some condition exercises for endurance. Muscle memory is a real thing, and getting back to lifting after an extended period is not as hard as you might think if you start light, go for form, and maintain consistency. I was genuinely shocked at how much of my strength came back in roughly a month.
I know we’d all love a shortcut, but at the end of the day, consistency is what matters for making gains, whether in building strength or losing fat. When I was working out consistently 4 days a week, incorporating strength training, cardio, stretching, and HIIT training, I was making regular gains in strength, my body composition was improving, and I generally felt good. When I cut down to three, then two days a week, the gains stopped coming, I gained some fat, and my conditioning dropped noticeably. When you drop to working out two or less days a week, you’re at best maintaining; you certainly won’t be improving. Once I got to the point where I was averaging two or fewer workouts a week, it became much easier to go from two to zero.
This is not to say life doesn’t happen. It’s hard for a lot of people to manage their day to day work obligations, family emergencies, you name it, and have the drive to get to the gym at least 3-4 days a week. But here’s the thing, don’t let those bumps in the road stop you. If your workouts fall off, take care of the life stuff and find ways to incorporate healthy activity, even if it’s not the focus.
Start slow, take a walk to clear your head if you’re having a rough time. You don’t need to have a fixed goal, just get out and walk. If you like to jog or run, do that. If you like to lift, go with a lighter weight and really focus on your body going through the motion with good form to relieve stress. Stretch. Breathe. Just do something.
Once you have a fitness baseline established, and you’re doing at least some activity regularly it’s much easier to get back to a point where you’re advancing, even after a prolonged absence. As you work through those life stressors, you can build more consistency and intensity into your workouts. You may be surprised to find that pulling back on your fitness and nutrition focus to take care of personal needs puts you in a great position to absolutely crush it in the future. That’s what happened to me. While a prolonged hiatus isn’t a great idea, sometimes, pulling back to take care of yourself can be crucial.
In future posts I’ll go into greater detail about dealing with roadblocks, managing the life stuff, identifying and setting goals, and crushing them.