New Training Plan & Thoughts

I know I've talked lately about how I've been in a weird place with my workouts and how I just really don't know what I want to do anymore. Well, I've decided that I'm going to take a break from powerlifting for a bit. 

My plan as of now is just to do a phase of purely hypertrophy/high rep, low weight training for 6-8 weeks with NO heavy lifts. I do believe that a mix of lower and higher reps is beneficial for building muscle, which is what I do right now, but I think that taking a break from anything super heavy is needed occasionally, not only to give the body a break, but for a mental break as well. 

Here is my plan for the next 6-8 weeks. I am not going to put too much into upper body training, as I'm not concerned about hypertrophy with that. For the lower body, I had fitness competitor friend write me up a plan for leg hypertrophy, so I'm really excited!

UPPER BODY MONDAY	UPPER BODY FRIDAY
1)Horizontal push- Incline DB chest press 3x8-10	1)Vertical row- Pullups 3x6-8
2)Horizontal row- 1 arm row or cable row 3x8-10	2)Vertical push- 1 arm db press 3x10
3a)Lateral raises 3x10-12	3a)Rear delts 3x15-20
3b)Curls 3x10-12	3b)Tricep pushdowns 3x15-20
4a)1 arm Farmer’s walks or overhead carries	4a)Farmer’s walks
4b)Abs	4b)Abs
QUADS & GLUTES WEDNESDAY	HAMS & GLUTES SATURDAY
1)Goblet dumbbell split squat:  4x10-12	1)Glute ham raise: as many as possible (hold weight if more than 15)
2)Front squat: 4x12	2)Sumo deadlift: 4x10
3)Leg press: 5x8-10 heavy!  (1 set neutral,2 sets wide, 2 sets narrow)	3)RDL(db, bb, or cable) 4x12
4)Barbell walking lunges: 4x15	4)Seated leg curls: 4x12-15
Optional- Jump rope or Airdyne sprints	Optional- 10 minute prowler pushing

Hopefully this will shock these leg muscles into growing! And if not...well, then I will totally be okay with the fact that after lifting for 20 years what I've achieved thus far as far as my physique is going to be it...and I'm happy with it!  I'm just going to train for my health, for my enjoyment, and for my quality of life-because ultimately, that's really what it's all about.

I love lifting heavy, and I always feel like I have to have at least one heavy lift in my workouts to feel like I'm accomplishing anything.  Plus, it's just fun to me. I don't like circuit training or metabolic conditioning or any of that jazz, and I don't like purely bodybuilding workouts either. I've done well the last few years doing a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding/hypertrophy work, but I just want to change things up a bit.

Now, let me say first of all-I do NOT train solely for looks. That is not the case at all. I won't do something I absolutely hate just to look a certain way. Which is why I'll never go back to CrossFit, even though some of those chicks look freaking amazing! And I'll never go back to pure bodybuilder training either. I like being athletic, fit, and strong, and I want to enjoy my workouts. I am not giving up lifting heavy forever-heck no! At this point after almost 20 years of lifting, I just feel that if I really want to be stronger, I need to hire a coach. It's that simple. And since I'm not a competitive powerlifter, it really doesn't make sense for me to do that.

Ya'll know I always talk about how it's good to get outside of your comfort zone sometimes and try different things. Throughout my fitness journey I started with bodybuilding workouts, then CrossFit, then powerlifting, and the last few years have been more "powerbuilding" style workouts. Now I'm going to back to a bodybuilding focus for a short time.

When fitness is your lifestyle, it's normal for your goals to change and even your style of workouts to evolve over time as well.  That's part of the fun of it, to me. You experiment, you try new things, and you find what works for you and what you enjoy. And that may change over time! When it comes down to it, you have to enjoy what you do and how you train in order to stick with it...But I have always liked a challenge, and I think part of the fun of lifting weights is seeing how you can transform your body!

I'm not afraid to admit that I do care about how my body looks.  But my relationship with God, my health, and my mental well being is what matters first and foremost to me now.  I know that being big and muscular is not my life's work. It's not my purpose. It's not what brings me happiness or confidence. I can honestly 100% say that now. 

I love my body. I love what it can do. And I'm thankful to have the strength and the ability to go into the gym and train hard. That y'all, is a gift-don't forget it.  I don't train from a place of hating my body, and that makes allll the difference!!