Reach for your dreams

As a family we have had a few ups and downs over the past few years. Sometimes it feels like we have more downs than ups. But with the support of good people there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you Charlotte xx

Over the years I have played the self guilt game. Denying myself things I want as punishment for not following through things I felt I should of achieved. A lot of these things I should have done, fit within that area of your persona that you find uncomfortable to do, through negative self imaginary. Unfortunately this is a self fulfilling prophecy, as you feel low for denying yourself something you enjoy for not following through on something you personally find difficult. It become hard to break out of the cycle.

So over the last year, with support of my family, I have changed my outlook on life. Seizing my dream and pushing hard to achieve what is important to me.

Surprisingly the upshot is those things that if I didn't do would cause me to punish myself, and deny my dreams are getting done as well. It is amazing what a positive self image can do to ones outlook and drive.

So my goal is to compete in a bodybuilding contest, I have worked hard on getting my diet right and taking my body back into some sort of shape.

But feel that I need some additional help to take my body to the next level. So I have invested in a personal trainer to help me push forward on my goal. We had our first session today and it was a great workout.

He recommended that I take some before shots and measurements, so here is a before shot of my back.

Old wives tales

My training has been going well recently. To keep the body growing, I've review my training routine, as I've had the same routine for over 10 weeks, and was we all know variety is the spice of muscle.

So in this new routine I tried dips. I haven't done dips for a number of years, primarily because I've had a weak shoulder. I cannot tell you how chuffed I was, when I attempted dips and found I could do very strict dips for more than one rep :)

But we all know pride becomes before a fall, and my fall came in the disguise of a torn tricep. I was gutted. Luckily I stopped before I did to much damage. But when I got home my wife was shocked at the sight of my injury. She could put her thumb in the dent caused by the rip.

I treated it with a penetrating pain and inflammation cream to try and bring down the swelling, and a ultrasonic gun to try and promote healing.

But it didn't seem to improve anything, in fact it started twinge whilst I was driving. A necessary evil with my job. So I got a bit concerned for my immediate future in the gym.

But my wife came to the rescue. She comes from a family that believes in all the old time remedies. Her aunt
still rubs her joints with olive oil to beat joint pain, and my wife spent much of her young life walking around in goose fat and brown paper to beat chest colds.

So some of them are a bit questionable. But she mentioned something her dad used to use, Witch Hazel.

So I thoroughly soak a cotton cloth in witch hazel, and wrapped it around my tricep, and slept with it on.

All I can say, is it is amazing, the tricep looks like the tear never happened and although it is still not 100% fixed it feels 100% better. So if you do have a muscle tear, give it a go.

Hair today...

So my physical development is coming on great. My only problem is that I have a slight problem seeing it... No it is not due to any physical of mental problem, but... Okay, I admit it a hairy one!

Yes, I am folliclely blessed ;).

I have clipped and shaved, but it's a bit like painting the forth road bridge (a never ending task). So the other night my wife offered to wax me. I pondered for a moment it really hurts when you pull a plaster off and you're hairy. Then again walking the day after you've done your legs is no picnic either. I was not going to let a little body hair get in the way of my goal.

We've all seen the scene in the 40 year virgin, but surely, he was just acting, wasn't he.

Well, no he wasn't!

The pain...

"It will get easier the more you do"

Foolishly, I believed her... It doesn't!

So now I have a left pec, which is sparsely haired and a trimmed right pec.

The benefit, is I can clearly see my level of definition and size, and it is better than I'd thought. But there has to be any easier, less painful way...

An Evening of Classical Entertainment

It is a very strange mix of personalities in our house. Being out female'd on a scale of 3 to 1, I'm not counting the dog, as he will side with anybody with the tastiest snack, or sweatiest feet :) Plus we had his balls removed, a surgery that I'm sure would effect any guy.

So tonight it was a very different evening, no gym, or relaxing watching the latest blockbuster, but and evening of culture and open air poetry.

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how the mood goes, the weather was good, so the evening went ahead and as my dear wife was reading, all the family showed willing and went to offer moral support.

Poetry is a strange thing. I'm sure at school, I was taught that poems rhymed, or had a beat. But tonight, only a handful of the offerings offered me what I understood to be poems, the rest just seemed like very short stories. It probably that I'm just a heathen.

So my wife read two poems, one entitled "Why I won't win the lottery", which if I had previously heard might of put me off marriage, as I quite fancy winning the lottery.

The second was an interest thing, that she assured me was about her love for me, but how I'm liken to a 6 minute boiled egg is lost on my I uncultured brain.

Give me something with a plug on it, it need to get back to reality...

Pain and Injury

When I was younger, and began my interest in bodybuilding, I found I was prone to numerous injuries. Hurting my shoulder and the worst, the most painful, ripping my left lat. At the time I wasn't very sure why I was so prone to some very painful injuries, but looking back now I can see that a these were due to a combination of bad form and too much weight. It always looks good to load the bar, but if there is too much weight, your form will suffer and you can do yourself serious injury. Luckily, I have recovered from both of these injuries with no adverse affects.

Now I look at the form first, and concentrate on feeling the muscle work, rather than going for the large poundage. Result? I'm seeing good strong and balanced growth. And surprising I'm moving larger poundage than I would expect so early back into my training.

As for my recent injuries?

So far my only injury I've received since being back in the gym, is a ruptured capillary on my eye, nothing seriously thankfully.

Stay strong.