GymSamurai: Personal Fitness Challenge Day 12 - Back

Hard work is a two-way street. You get back exactly what you put in.

Body weight: 255.4lbs (+2.8lbs)
Calories burned: 3237
Calories eaten: 3207 (197g protein, 158g carb, 181g fat)
Steps taken: 4144
Workout duration: 30 min
Weight lifted: 13,435lbs

Beginning microcycle three. After two cycles of pretty hard lifting, I'm changing my rep range targets up to 10-12 reps per set. This not only results in a great pump via increased blood flow, it gives the tendons and supporting muscles time to recover from the intense efforts of the last two weeks. As I get further into the cycles, I will likely target one week with high reps (10+), one week with mid reps (6-8) to emphasize hypertrophy, and one week with low reps (3-5) to increase strength. Cycling through the various rep ranges targets more of the muscle over the course of three weeks, as well as facilitating recovery, growth, and strength. Change is good!

Back

Parallel grip lat pulldown: 143x12/12/10/7
Bent over barbell row: 90x12/10/10
Seated cable row: 110x10/10/10
Straight arm pulldown: 44x10/10/8

It was Friday night and I totally didn't want to go to the gym. I was finished with my work week, which ran late yesterday, and I was mentally just done and ready for a rest. I toyed with the idea of skipping the workout and maybe doing two today, but once I decided I was going to do it I hit the gym and had a good workout.

It's so interesting and ironic that, when asked, most of us acknowledge that we feel so much better after a workout. Yet we all struggle to get into the gym day after day. I am no different - there are days where the last thing I want to do is hit the iron. Before committing to this year-long program, I would have taken the easy road out and delayed or skipped the workout. But, because I have this goal, and I know that every day counts, I was able to overcome the inertia of the comfy chair and get out to the gym.

My workout wasn't particularly remarkable and was relatively short, but I still view it as a personal victory. Another day's effort, another step forward in this year-long journey. Progress, not stasis. Just gotta keep my eyes on the prize and accept that not all workouts are going to be amazing, great, or even good. The important thing is to keep doing them, day after day, no matter what, and the progress will come.

I've actually gained a couple pounds. This could be off-putting if I only looked at the scale, but I can feel my body tightening up and my clothes are fitting looser and tighter in the right areas. I'm looking forward to doing another 3d body scan in two weeks or so and see what actual difference I've made.

Next up: Chest Day - Stay Strong, Steemians!

Feel free to read my original post about the why and how I'm doing this challenge: GymSamurai: One Year Birthday Fitness Challenge Begins, view all my GymSamurai posts at https://steemit.com/created/gymsamurai, or view my feed at @imagin8orr for other posts.