TUESDAY
30 minutes stretching
20 minutes airdyne
McGill situps 5x10
1hr Deep Tissue Massage
WEDNESDAY
30 minutes stretching
20 minutes hamster wheel
Bird Dogs 5x10
THURDAY
30 minutes stretching
20 minutes treadclimber (my parents have one, it's brutal)
Side Planks 5 sets 15 seconds each side
It is the accumulation of those little things that I feel sets me apart from a lot of competitors. This is not meant to be boastful. This does not make me a better human being. However, it does make me a damn good lifter. I am proud of my accomplishments because I know all the work that is put into it.
When you see 30 minutes of stretching, that is not bullsh!t I just write. I am doing half an hour of stretching. Without that stretching, I would not be able to compete again. Heck, I would probably be in surgery or doped up on pills all day.
If you know you need to stretch, get yourself a timer. Set it for however much time you can spare. It will make you better. It does not have to be some elaborate program. Foam roll, move, do some basic stretches, etc. Your body will love you for it. I do have one caveat. If a stretch hurts, don't do it. Stretching is not a place to be tough. I have done far more bad than good in the past taking that approach. Just like strength cannot be developed in a day, flexibility cannot either.
So you can all deduce from the tone of this post, that I am feeling much better. The accumulation of all this work for the past 8 months has paid off. I am pretty pain free daily and am starting to bench at a level I feel is appropriate with my ability.
A new addition you will notice is additional core work. I am trying to put a little something in everyday. My pt really ingrained how important it is to stretch and strengthen my core simultaneously. Slowly, but surely, I am reaping the benefits of that advice. That said, I will be removing McGill situps from the rotation. It is quite possible I am doing them wrong. Regardless, they bother my back, so they are out! If it hurts, don't do it. Unless it's in bed, and the good feeling outweighs the pain, but that's another story for another time.
Oops, almost forgot to mention the deep tissue massage. I swear it was a difference maker this week. I have some really good masseuses. This particular lady gives really nice elbow. She made sure to comment on how much more supple my spinal erectors had become since the last time she saw me. Yet another indicator all these little things are paying dividends. I will be getting massage weekly leading up until the meet. I'm worth it.
I got better today, did you?