Your body is an instrument, not an ornament.
Nice sentiment to be fair. Basically use your body for functionality instead of trying to have it as something nice to look at. I say this as I think about the bass guitar I have discarded by the dryer in my house, the one I have not picked up since I moved in. Could be classified as a bit of an ornament really, but now it is more of a hindrance then anything. clogging up space. No good to anyone if not utilised, going out of tune, just like a body. However, on the other end of the spectrum, if it is indeed used to its full capacity, it still needs some TLC.
Like what happens if a string breaks? Ya got to get a new string so you can keep going. Like, yeah, you can play with only three strings (Or like Seasick Steve play with just the one string on a guitar), but you wont be using the bass to it’s full potential. That is how I feel right now, like a broken string on a bass guitar, and all I wanna do is play. This long inane analogy comes from the fact that I pulled my calf again, like an eejit I never learnt my lesson.
If you remember week 1, I alluded to the fact I injured myself on my birthday of all days, at the end of September. You see I love running, few things can be as exhilarating as when you hit your stride when the solo in “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd reaches its apex. Coincidently this is the exact scenario that got me injured in the first place, sprinting as the number 3 on Guitar World’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time was in full swing.
Since then I have been testing it with slow runs after a bit of a break, trying to build it back up. Eventually I felt like I was at a stage where I could do a proper run, unaided by any leg wrap and low and behold, the string broke, and I am back on the shelf. Despite playing, I am not looking after my instrument in the times inbetween sets, and ultimately that just leads to a bad gig. Diet, rest and stretching will need to start becoming more of a focus in my everyday life, as opposed to just training. T
Monday
Despite me telling Vinnie I would see him next Tuesday, I actually crossed paths with him on Monday for chest and back. Everyone sings off the same hymn sheet at Davy Jones Fitness, with their own added quirkes. So it was a nice change as Davy himself looked after leg day the following session.
Vinnie is a fan of pacing your set, X amount of seconds to get the weight up, hold it for Y and release at Z. If you are following me on instagram you may notice that any videos going up, shows that the weight is generally light. It can be humbling when struggling, but the timing and amount of reps really does add to a killer workout. Do 80 pecs flys where each fly takes 8 seconds , and you will know what I am talking about. Same again with lat pull downs, it was exhausting. Not helped by the dreary weather, adding to the slog like atmosphere of the workout.
It was a bit of a slog, but those days matter, the discipline of mentally switching the mind on so your body will follow, its something that takes time. Varying the workout can certainly help, and thats what we did.
Tuesday
As stated, Davy was taking charge of leg day. The familiar warm up of three sets of 20 squats followed by 20 lunges helped the blood flow around the extremities. There was a nervousness from me, when Davy announced with would be doing the power squat today. This was something I had neglected when i was on my own in the wilderness. Why? Because it fecking sucks! There are several benefits to performing power squats. First, they strengthen the entire posterior chain. Second, they are easier on the knee joint than other squatting techniques, as they place so much emphasis on the hips. Third, they enable the lifter to achieve heavier weights.
My lack of stretching in my 33 years has really hampered my flexibility over the years and the power squat allows you to go deep into the muscle, whereas I am restricted by my tight muscles when having no pivot to assist. Now, normally we go light but Davy today kept adding weight, knowing what I was capable of doing. Each time much to my bemusement, thinking to myself “I’ll never be able for that”, and each time being able for it.
Now I will admit I got over zealous of the single leg press, adding weight that I could definitely not handle! That machine does suck! We had a good workout clocking in at an hour, before I had to run off to rehearsals.
Thursday
Unlike last week, I was actually looking forward to the shoulder and arm session. I had a nice un-aided run the day before. So though it was a good idea to run over the the gym, and low and behold that is where the calf injury re-occurred. I actually went into the gym in a very bad mood, and warmed up on the punching bag, with a few ab workouts in between. I was fairly tired before I started but shoulders and arms are generally enjoyable.
This was no different and a similar workout to last weeks, with added a bit more weight added. In certain exercises I felt my triceps burning, as we reduced hand width on my grip of each machine. It was definitely burning with by the time we came to triceps. I was on a strict time schedule, so by the time I got outside into the car park, I realised I had ran over. So stupidly I made the decision, considering I had to get home shower and go again, to do a slow jog home. Putting all the weight off to the side and hoping for the best.
I made it home in one piece and I took a break from training for two days. However, by the time Sunday rolled around, I began then to second guess my injury, maybe it wasn’t that bad, maybe if I go slow I will be ok. So off to the park I went, it was quite evident my intended distance would not be possible, so I gave up after 4 m and went over to Davy’s gym to get on the bike for twenty minutes.
It is not all doom and gloom. It is very apparent, I need to do more stretching after years of neglect. I need to be more diligent with my diet, and I may buy new runners cause these ones are well worn!
If you want to make a change, you can contact Davy on 0892528904 or email [email protected].
