Most obsessed muscle-heads are laser focused on training to the max and not missing workouts. That’s because we can’t bear to lose an ounce of muscle…
That goes double for those of us who are drug-free. Muscle is much harder to accumulate when you’re clean, not to mention old and genetically challenged.
I don’t even exfoliate in the shower because it could take a quarter centimeter off my delts.
That work ethic is all well and good—until it’s not. Cumulative damage from too much training or intensity can take you down, like it did me. Here’s the story…
My 83-year-old mom came for a two-week visit for the holidays. She stayed with my wife and me, and we did the rounds, visiting family and seeing her first great grandchild, 11 months old…
That’s her in my daughter’s gym asking, “Can you spot me, bro?”
Even with my mom’s visit, I didn’t miss any of my workouts—at first. A week after she arrived, I started getting the sniffles. No big deal…
I knew my bodybuilding-bolstered, vitamin-fortified immune system would take care of it, so I kept hitting the weights and heading out for my runs.
Four days before Mom was to leave, I was sick as a dog—sore throat, coughing, blowing my nose.
A few days after my last workout on New Year’s Eve day, I felt like I was run over by a truck and then backed over by a bus. Toasting in the New Year was not going to happen—bed early, no champagne…
Luckily, a few days later I was able to get her to the airport, but I couldn’t work out for an entire week. That hasn’t happened to me in years.
That’s the very reason I’ve been focused of late on reducing damage in the gym. I know overtraining weakened my immune system. I simply wasn’t recovering sufficiently from my training…
It was interesting that after I missed a few workouts, I actually looked bigger and more muscular despite feeling like dog shit. That’s a sure sign I was not recovering enough to allow full supercompensation…
What really opened my eyes was that after I coughed all over everything in my house, my mom didn’t get it—at 83 years old. Her exercise regimen consists of, lifting weights a bit to warm up for her yoga. She’s now back at home, not even a sniffle….
My wife, who works out about one-fourth as much as I do, did get a minor cough with nose blowing—but it never took her down the way it did me. My granddaughter also got some sniffles, but not bad at all. As you can see from the photo, her workouts are with light dumbbells only.
So I was the only virus punching bag—which my wife called me out on: “I thought you were King Health-meister. Guess not.”
I realize now that making an effort to reduce damage in the gym is an excellent idea long overdue for me. The past few newsletters discussed ways I’m doing that. Maybe scheduling a few more recovery days might help too…
Damage reduction at my workouts? Check. I’m on it. Scheduling more off days? Probably won’t happen.
Note: For a chart of stretch-position exercises for each muscle, as well as the ideal and contracted-position moves, see pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
Sculpt your perfect physique: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
Recommended
Just Because Everyone is on TRT,
Doesn’t Mean You Should Be…
Millions of men are struggling with the problems associated with low-T in today’s world, such as extra belly and chest fat, low energy and stamina, lack of sexual desire, ED problems, and loss of muscle.
Sadly, millions of men also turn to Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) to try to overcome these problems and try to feel like a new man again…BUT there are some VERY concerning problems with TRT that every man NEEDS to know.
After reading the article below, you might want to consider alternate routes of boosting your T levels naturally instead of through something that’s potentially as harmful as TRT…
–> Why Testosterone Replacement Therapy can do more HARM than good (for any ladies reading this, please pass this on to your husband or boyfriend if they are using or have considered using TRT)