I know you're only taking the ****, but I'm going to write the following...
Over the past half a dozen years (and even a little before that, but not as much) I started going to gym as part of my rugby training. I started to develop more power and strength. As I took it more seriously, and ate more, and didn't really care about how I looked, I kept training hard, playing rugby, and eating everything in sight. I go big, I got strong, and I loved the power - it made me formidable on the rugby pitch. I became faster too - which for an outside center was brilliant. It was a great place to be for the teams I represented, I was able to become an integral part of a group of people, with a common end goal - to become a better team, and win games!
However, along the way I started to learn more - as I'm still learning now. And whilst I was able to lift a lot of weight, I also came to the realisation that I was struggling to get beyond certain points - but grinned and beared it and carried on. Then after a blight of injuries, and realising I didn't want to take ruby that seriously anymore, I started to taper down my training, and focus more on improving my physique into a more manageable size. Of course, my cardio side of training was still paramount (and always will be).
As my learning curve continued, I understood that I wanted to get stronger, but also improve my functional strength - that involved taking a step back and understanding where I was at, and where and what the problems were that were holding me back. Along with a string of personal issues, injury and general life problems, my training took the back seat.
When I returned to it, I hadn't lost that much functional strength, but the reflection had provided me with opportunity to appreciate and accept that I needed to improve parts of me. So, mobility, form, biomechanics, sprains and strains etc... I realised that I wouldn't breach my phenomenal lifting statistics if I kept doing what I was doing. I was basically getting to the peak of my ability owing to my issues. Like for example, having a 3GHz processor in a Motherboard only able to cope with 2GHz. I know I have more in me, but the platform on which I was basing my performance was not able to cope with this ability.
I had to dig deep and realise, I've got to almost "go back to school" on myself and try and unlearn, relearn and just plain LEARN, how to do some things.
To be able to progress you have to understand what the problem is, and fix the root cause, rather than the symptom - sure, short term, you'll improve, long term (which has ALWAYS been my outlook - hence my refusal for steroids, and acceptance that it takes years to get results) I want to be more mobile, more explosive, have more power, be injury free. These things are more important to me. To achieve that I had to identify, and plan to resolve those issues, before I can start winding the clock past 2GHz to get to my goal. What's the point in me getting close to that goal, and then just cocking everything up making me go backwards be 2-3 years. I'm at the age now, where I can't afford to do so, and if I did stall 2-3 years, I'd probably just give up on weight lifting altogether. Things also happen slower now, unfortunately despite my health, knoweldge, and exeperience, my body will start to slow down, and take longer to improve - it's just one of those things!
So these "stupid" exercises, I'm doing are going to help establish a stronger core, individual leg strength, balance, more explosion at the bottom of a rep/mid rep, more control, and more power throughout my lifting/movements. Heck, I can manipulate my bodyweight now in a remarkable way - I'd never have been able to do 1/2 of this 2+ years ago. And it's far more impressive. I've lost a lot of weight, but as you can see from my pictures I've maintained a lot of mass. Why? Because I'm patient, I do things slowly, but carefully, and I learn, and work hard (as I know all of you do).
So once I've got through some of this almost "rehab" like work, it'll provide a more solid and stable platform from which to progress - and not stall as quickly (I accept we all stall owing to genetics and life).
It might take me another good year or so - however, in spite of my lighter physique, I will be striving good power:weight ratio lifts, but at the same time, maintain my health and fitness without compromising it. Also, priorities change, and whilst unless injuries or a major set back occur (as I mentioned above), I will be continuing the gym and striving for health, I have more things to consider than just me - I'm hopelessly selfless in that respect.
I'm still striving for improvement - after all, that's what this is about, improving, or making yourself happier with who you are. However as a whole package, and sometimes some things have to give - I'm not vain enough or insecure enough to want to be the biggest, most cut or strongest. As long as I know I'm improving that's all that matters to me.
This is not me having a pop at anyone - but just a reflection on my direction. I admit, if I could just be a stone heavier and a few % BF less, and 15% stronger I'd love it. However, it may take me years - and unfortunately, owing to starting later in this, it will take me longer to get there... I also accept it may never happen and I may never get there either.
I've got time, and I still get to enjoy life and not be obsessed about the gym, it's a tiny part of my life - an important part, and still a part of it, but it's not the MOST important thing to me.
To progress / improve / seek the next level, you have to accept a re-engineering of your process to get there.
TLDR;
I got really far in my training, got stuck, understood the problem, had to step back, fix the problems before I can re-establish myself. Happy for it to take years. I'm old, and it'll take longer. Love the gym, but it's not the biggest thing in my life. But I love you all. xx
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