attitude | Project Bulk

Day 20

Weight: 125.2 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 118.1
Protein: 155 g (37 g over target)
Calories: 2,333

I am sometimes discouraged by my overall progress. The daily photos tend to look the same. The weigh-ins are falling short.

So I focus on one area where I’ve seen progress: the workouts. No matter how small the lifts seem, they go up with each workout.

Maybe the number of reps increases by one. Or the total lifting weight goes up 10 pounds. It doesn’t matter that I started with 30 measly pounds for the slight incline bench press and can now do 40 pounds. It went up.

The most impressive number to me will seem puny to real lifter, but I’ve gone from 55 pounds for the Yates row to 75 pounds in 2 weeks. I end up sweating, but it is the sweat of glory. And I have not hurt myself in the process.

I can’t do 10 myotatic crunches. Yet. But I’ve gone from five-and-a-half to eight in 2 weeks.

Kettlebell swings kick my ass. But I went from 32 reps of 20 pounds to a full 50 reps, and then to 31 reps of 30 pounds.

Three weeks ago, I had never done any of this.

I go into each workout determined. I want to take that attitude with me to every challenge, whether physical or mental or spiritual.

I want to win.

day 11

Weight: 123.0 lbs.
Workout B: 18 min., 36 sec.
Total inches: 116.6
Protein: 132 g (14 g over target)

I completed my first full workout today! I feel strong.

As the dudes at my gym would say, “I totally crushed it, dude!” Wait a minute, the only dude at my gym is me, and I’d never say that.

In my brief workout, I completed seven reps at 30 pounds of the slight incline bench press, 10 reps at 55 pounds of the dumbbell squat and 50 reps at 20 pounds of the kettlebell swing. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.

(I made it through 1 minute 50 seconds of the optional bicycle exercise, instead of 3 minutes. I’m still counting it.)

My hope is that I can get through every workout from now on, as unrealistic as that may be. I don’t want to keep increasing the recovery time between workouts, but I will if I must.

Part of it was simply attitude. At the start, I realized I’d rather push as hard as I can for the brief time today rather than have to do it all over again in a week. That motivation was good incentive to get through the last reps.

I like feeling strong, and I love feeling like I’m progressing as I should.

Momentum!