Getting Into a Better Frame of Mind

So last night marked the return of the progressive 5x5. I know this will sound rediculous, but taking this long offseason has really allowed me to learn a lot about how to listen to my body and my mind when it comes to training. In the past, my offseasons were maybe 3 or 4 months, if that, so I was always in a state of "near-dieting." I never really needed to vary my training to make progress because my offseason was too short to allow for any progress, much less a change in training. But with all this time on my hands now, I've watched myself go through so many stages of change in terms of my physique, my diet, and my attitude to training and the whole process overall. But what has struck me the most is how good I have become at reading the signs indicating a need for change in my training. When the time comes for a switcheroo, I tend to get down on everything. I lose sight of the progress that I have made, and I feel like I can't possibly make any more. And there are some physical signs to back this up, too. Usually I lose sight of the progress I've made because in general, my progress has STOPPED. I start dragging through my workouts, and I get that "hazy-brain" feeling you get when you're training on a contest diet. Essentially, I'm bored.

This was how I knew I was ready to go back to the 5x5. I stopped it a couple of months ago because the pressure I put on myself to hit a new max each week was getting to be too much. But now that I feel like I'm lacking goals in my training, I am ready to bring them back. Trying to beat the log book will hopefully get me motivated again. And, after last night's back workout, that seemed to be just the push I need. Hopefully, that's an indicator of good stuff to come in the next few weeks. While I only got 295 for 3, the rest of the workout went pretty well, and having something to work towards seemed in infuse some new enthusiasm into the workout.

To help matters last night, I ran into a girl who used to work the front desk at my gym. She can't be more than 20 years old, and she's just the cutest thing ever. I haven't seen her in a few months, and she came up to me and literally gushed about how great she thought I looked. I was like, "Even if you're just saying that to be nice, I love you." Her timing of the compliment and her genuine nature were exactly what I needed. So, even if it wasn't the truth, it was still nice to hear.

Tonight it's off to hit arms....provided we don't get snowed in, AGAIN.