Appetite for construction

[Will Walshe]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll be implementing a lot of this. I'm gonna try for around 3 strength workouts per week to start out with, keeping them on the short side. Lots of mobility work and stretching too.

I'll let yis know how it works out.

Chris, picking stuff up all day at that size must have really sucked, I'd say things on the floor must haved started to look like they were an awfully long way away by the end of the day!

[Jonathan Owen]

I come from a construction background. Ceramic tile, framing, concrete, and tree service. Even though back then I was training like a moron (I liked Muscle & Fitness that should say it all) I had to cut things way back. I just tried to get what I could when I could. It was very hard to find energy after 10 hours of framing or concrete work. What everyone else has said is great advice, especially to get sleep and drink lots of water. It was actually that type of work that inspired me to seek out legit training. I was surprised when my awesome bodybuilding program built around benching and no leg work did not transfer to carrying sheets of 3/4" 4X8 plywood up a ladder, or many of the other tasks I was required to do.

[Will Walshe]

That sounds very familiar Johnathan! I was a "3 sets of 8" with plenty of isolation guy for years. Didn't see the point in training legs back then. Why bother? I never wear shorts I used to think benching just made you "strong". Like in general...

Been doing crossfit since last october and SS for the last few months, and I'm finding my job by itself to be a walk in the park this year. My job + training at the same time now...different story.

[Jonathan Owen]

Yeah, my excuse for not training legs was " I run, so that should make my legs strong." I got into crossfit a year and a half-ago. Totally blew me away when on my first workout (Cindy) I only got 8 rounds and I thought I was dying; then when I saw on the comments what other people doing I was blown away! Especially seeing the #'s of that chick that at first I thought was a guy! (Kelly Moore) For the past 7 months I have mostly dropped the wod's and have been focusing on o-lifting because I had trouble mixing the two. I really like what Dan John says, "a little over the long haul." Especially lately; I think I am just now realizing in my own training how important consistency is. Sorry, for the tangent!
Good luck on your training
Jon

[Will Walshe]

Hey guys, here's how things are going:

I think Dr G nailed it with the dehydration angle. Things are pretty much back on track now that I've upped my mineral intake and starting emptying a 2L thermos of green tea every day (I'm officially addicted). I wasn't paying any real attention to hydration before, which is probably the rock I was perishing on. We're having the wettest summer I've ever seen over here (I'm referring to it as Monsoon Season these days). You tend not to notice how much you're sweating in the rain methinks.

I'm presently in a state of what I guess you'd call unstable equilibrium: every day at work is different, so training is a bit of a juggling act. When I get the food/sleep/rest/work/training ratios right all is good, although I've slipped up a few times and become a drooling zombie for a day or two.

The major shift has been abandoning trying to follow a program as such and just doing as much lifting as I feel like I can get away with 3 days a week, based on how I'm feeling that particular day. Not an ideal system, but I've managed to improve some lifts by a couple of kg and at least maintain a few others.

My work capacity has definitely improved a good deal. There's nothing quite like a building site for randomised functional movements executed at a high intensity.

I'm calling it a success.