Body is a Vessel

Disclaimer

I’m not a professional athlete, nor am I pleased with my current physical and mental situation. But I genuinely see how sports and exercises drag me into a better state where I see improvements, don’t feel like shit, am more aware and think more clearly.

Though any confidence you’ll find below is fake, these are no more than thoughts and personal remarks.

Perception

I like to think of myself (and of other people too tbh) as an internal operator, whatever that means, who is using his body as an interface to the outside world. In other words, the body is the only thing through which people can tumble to the essence of my inner self.

Applying this guideline to people around (primarily to acquaintances) helps a lot in a way that it compels me to distinguish physical impression (attractiveness, neatness, style) from the real mental state of a person. And the latter is clearly primal imo.

A concept of soul and the nature of decision making (determinism, idealism, self-perception) is above the scope of this pondering. I’m just clarifying that although one’s body physique affects how we see them, it should never lead to preconceptions, or hasty conclusions.

Reasoning for getting my ass out of a couch (occasionally)

The fact is that workouts are definitely staying out of my comfort zone, and yet for some reason I stick committed to my plan. Thus, there must be some motivation behind that I struggle to spot atm.

I think, in general I want to wake up one day and think to myself like “damn, that’s a decent physique”... And I expect that day to be sometime within 4-5 years from now

Now that the purpose is defined - shall we proceed with the methods of achieving it... and there are innumerable ways to get in shape... I personally find powerlifting/bodybuilding the most mentally efficient cuz I hate doing isometric exercises, overstretching and running. Powerlifting (for those who don’t know) involves “just” 3 types of lifts: bench press, squat and deadlift. I practice them, on chest, legs and back days correspondingly. All other groups are targeted separately with the help of various gym machines.

A bit of theory

They say there are 2 main secrets to systematic strength gain and therefore muscle growth:

1. progressive overload - continual increase in the total workload of a training session

Human body is lazy and highly adaptable to external impact, so it needs to be constantly challenged to the limit (called muscle fatigue¹) in order to improve (this applies to strength training, cardiovascular workouts, flexibility and mobility workouts). When on failure, muscle cells are destroyed, and throughout the week they supercompensate and become stronger than they were initially. An unfortunate side effect of muscle fatigue is the pain that comes along. Even though the post-workout muscle soreness is manageable, there is nothing except some drugs that would help with pain during the workout itself.

2. consistency

There is no point in destroying the same muscle fibers (training till failure) for more than once a week. But having one strength plus one training workout (80% of the max volume) weekly is good for both technique and performance boost. For a rookie athlete (1st year in gym) it is recommended to do at least 5 sets per each muscle group a week. All these sets should be till failure or 1-2 reps beyond failure (you’ll never know where the failure is without reaching it from time to time). For more experienced dudes (1-3 years of lifting weights) it’s generally recommended to increase volume and do 8-15 sets per muscle per week². That’s what I’m doing rn.

Those who have been training for more than 3 years are unlikely to need my expertise. Anyway, at that point people use some advanced techniques like myo-reps, lengthened partials, etc.

Slightly noticeable results in body physique usually appear after 1 month of training, and conspicuous ones - after 3-6 months.

Another rule is to occasionally change the routine (once every 2-3 months) so the body doesn’t get used to the very same sequence of moves. Remember that it has to be challenged at every workout, otherwise the progress will be delayed.

Tips to stay consistent

From a rational person’s point of view, staying consistent will require the perceived gains to be strictly more than costs incurred. Gains include subjectiveness, so do costs. The point is that if you focus on searching for positive outcome of the gym sessions, rather than negative, you are more likely to commit eventually. Below are some things I wish I would have done when I started:

• Make a weekly plan (not necessarily a timetable, for some reason I hate these), stick to it.
• Make preparation a routine, do not overthink it - you won’t regret going to the gym when you are already in the gym.
• If you are interested in science behind powerlifting/bodybuilding/fitness/whatever else - watch the related content. There are lots of educational and entertaining channels out there.

My bodybuilding routine

I hit my chest, legs and back on separate days of the week. These three types I call primary: the aim is to design and implement workout session around them.

Arms are targeted at each workout: biceps on chest day, shoulders on legs day and triceps on back day. That way - by training arms and body separately - I allocate the free time and do arms while resting between the sets of the primary muscle groups. Forearms are also being hit once a week, but are not tied to a particular session. Same for core. I train them when I feel like it...

I don’t mind what exercise to do at a particular session as long as it causes muscle fatigue and “feels good”. Even though it’s frankly difficult to find even a glimpse of pleasure in regular and continuous pain, the trick is to enjoy small things like communication during workout and a short period of mental uplift right after the session. Having a gymbro has helped me a lot: struggling together makes it easier and more fun.