Day 32: Why Did I Do That To Myself?

Yesterday, as you know, I decided to start lifting weights.  The first set is Back and Legs and since I was easing back into weight lifting I thought I would stay light.  Let’s face it, I carry a large amount of fat around with me everywhere I go I didn’t think that 50 pounds would be that bad to do for dead lifts. In my hay day I was dead lifting 150 lbs.

I throw the plates on the bar, assume the position making sure to keep my back straight, I gripped the bar and lifted.  The first couple were not bad, by the 5^th one my legs were burning.  I completed the first set at 10 despite my goal of 12. There was too much pain.  Humbled, I lowered it down to 40, which is the same weight I buy my dog food in.

The second set was not a painful as the first and I was able to make it to 12.  After I set the bar down and walked around for a second I was pretty sure I could feel every muscle in my legs. I cut the third set short at 10 and I was sure I was going to be feeling it today. 

I kept the weight low for my “Back” portion, pumping out some Bent Over Rows.  I went back to legs with squats with even lower weight and finished with One Armed Rows. 

This morning when I woke up my legs were completely shot.  Burned out! Walking caused pain and there was no way I could run.  I walked.  I got up at 4:45 this morning and walked for 30 minutes.  I tried to jog, which hurt, and so I stopped.  I did a kind of walked and jogged between the electrical polls and it was hard. I would walk one and jog the other although sometimes I was pretty sure I was walking faster than I was jogging.

This afternoon I had planned to work chest and shoulders but, to be honest, that wasn’t going to happen. Not only were my leg shot my whole body was shot.  Dead lifts work two of the largest groups of muscles in your body.  Physically and mentally I think I hit a training wall.  I had zero energy and even less motivation. To make matters worse every step I took hurt.  I could feel yesterday’s lifts in my back, shoulders, and biceps. 

Maybe I bit off more than I could chew.

I need to rest a little and do less intense workouts.  That is the plan for tomorrow.  I am still going to do chest and shoulders I am just not going to hit them as hard as I did my legs and back.  I’m starting with very low weight tomorrow to ease in at a snails pace.  Let me recap.

Daily Recap:

Matt: Slow, painful 30 minute walk around the neighborhood at 5:00 am

Kelly: 1 hour walk.