Thursday 19 September 2013

Project Jason: Initial Impressions

When my work hours suddenly spiked and adjusted into later in the day I grew a bit concerned. Up until that point I had been heading to the gym after work before heading home, making it just in time for dinner, and then collapsing in my bed.

But with these extended hours, I'd be making it back home around 9PM each evening if I went to the gym after work. So I decided that I would start going to the gym in the morning, and then driving off to work when I was done.

Clearly, I overestimated my love of sleeping in.

ZZZZ...


Unperturbed, I simply did the obvious. I went to the gym late. And I came home late. Problem solved. The fact that my family knew that I was working late added credibility to my fatigued body as I stumbled into the house.

I've been pushing myself. If I don't feel like a bruised meatbag the next day, I know I haven't done my job right. In fact, one issue that I've been having on leg day is that my calves and soles of my feet keep cramping up. This often forces me to cut my session short. Stretching only gives me an extra 10 or so minutes, I've eaten plenty of bananas for potassium and drank milk for calcium but this doesn't seem to help much either.

Anyone with any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Oh god I can feel my leg twitching in anticipation of a cramp just by thinking about it.

But for some positive news, I have gained weight. I know, some of you may be shocked or surprised or horrified. But for someone who has stayed at the same weight (or less) for the last decade, the sudden addition of 5-10 pounds is incredible. My body is actually changing.

I've also had an improved appetite and have been eating like crazy. And because I've been recording the amount of weights lifted each session I can see a definite improvement for each day. 5 pounds here, 10 pounds there, even double what I was initially lifting.

If only my progress reflected on my physical appearance.

Maybe one day.

They say that within 6 weeks of working out, you notice the changes. In another 6 weeks, your close friends and family begin to notice, and after 6 more weeks, everyone else notices. I've been working out since the beginning of August so I can definitely say that I'm following this outline so far.

Also, an unexpected outcome of working out has been improved posture. I had a terrible tendency to slouch due to my height. But I realized that even if I had a more toned body, it was all wasted if my back was constantly curved.

So I stand and sit straighter now too. More health benefits.

Now I can't tell if my back hurts from the gym or from sitting up for the first time in years.

I'm fairly proud of myself. This is one of the few projects that I've been able to consistently dedicate myself to regardless of obstacles.

I hope I can keep it up. I'd rather not stop at a mere 10 pound weight gain.

23 comments:

  1. This is definitely something to be proud of too. If you're in this much pain you might want to be considering lowering your workload though. Gym wise that is. Maybe do more weight for less reps or increase the resistance and lower the time. It's beginning to take too much of a toll on your body. Or at least it sounds that way.

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  2. Better posture? Tell me your secr- oh wait, you just did, hah. Sounds like you're making nice progress on this man. The cramps are a pain though, I had å short one after running yesterday. Try massaging your muscles and not putting too much strain them?

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  3. congratulations! i am starting to work out again...well as soon as I can walk again...hooray!

    this must be tough going to the gym late, how do you do it? Just make sure you keep your muscles a rest day, and protein for recovery!!

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  4. The benefits of the gym are plentiful both physically and mentally. Kudos to you for making such a positive life change.

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  5. Good luck, sounds like you are well on your way

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  6. Um, you do know that you're only supposed to work out maybe 3 times a week, don't you? You have to have at least a day off between each workout to let your muscles recuperate. Otherwise you're in grave danger of injury, which it sounds like is happening. Sorry to sound like your Mom but you're overdoing it.

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  7. a new gym is opening near my work. They only charge ten for the whole month (which has done very well for them on the east side of our city), so I thought about going there.

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  8. Good for you! Congrats on the progress so far.

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  9. Get rid of the cramps, more magnesium much more, the spray on kind is the best if you get the 100 percent natural stuff, it can sting like a sob for a few seconds though, but it works

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  10. I'm impressed that you've kept it up this long, especially with all the hours you've been working too. Just try not to burn yourself out!
    And congratulations on the weight gain, I understand about it being a big deal because my sister has been trying to put weight on for a long time (she's naturally skinny, and people always think she's got a disorder because of it).

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  11. I don't really work out anymore, but usually when you take all the precautions you should be taken, your diet contains many fruits and veggies and whatnot, the problem is the exercise. If you're doing sessions in areas, do different exercises before it takes its toll on you. Or just shorter repetitions. Wouldn't hurt to get yourself a personal trainer for a little bit too, so they can make sure everything's fine.

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  12. This is such great news, happy for you. I get those cramps too and no cure yet.

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  13. I think that the big news in all of this man is that you put on five pounds, a bit amount of weight that shows that you are getting heavier and putting on muscle, great work buddy, keep on going. I'd never heard that six week theory either, I wish that I'd paid attention to how people reacted now.

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  14. As long as the weight gain isn't just because you are sitting at a computer for more hours each day, it's all good! Well done!

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  15. sure hard work will pay you

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  16. Hopefully you get this sorted out.

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  17. In a few months you're gonna be built like a TANK dude! Just remember to try not to overexert yourself as you can get hurt that way

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  18. Glad you are putting on weight and improving your posture!! Fingers crossed you also keep and stay HEALTHY!! That's most important! Take care
    x

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  19. Wow, I'm proud of you too!
    Keep it up :D

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  20. Congrats, and keep going! It takes forever to adjust to not sleeping in...I suggest coffee ;)

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  21. Congrats on the progress. Consistency really does pay off, and it sounds like you're right on target for your goals! Have a great week. :)

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  22. Who doesn't skip leg day? This guy.

    Glad to hear you're seeing some results! As for the calf workouts, how many sets are you doing of each exercise? Four to five is about the magic number. Anything over that is overkill.

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  23. Shall we sea a photo of the muscled DWei soon?

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