Routine to Ritual

My father once taught me to turn a routine into a ritual. When times change as they always do a change in routine can be a major disruption. I've been is sales for over twenty years, change jobs, change route. New school? New sports team, new club, new season? 

My Dad once said, "A good routine will carry the day, but your rituals determine your future. Know your route and within it build some rituals that satisfy your soul."

As usual I had no idea what he was talking about.

But now,

Routine and Ritual

I wrote this July 3, 2013 

Last week I was under 220 for the first time since I was 20! I never thought I would be this thin or this strong again, ever. I was shocked to see I weighed 218 pounds! I try not to pay too much attention to my weight, especially when I weighed 269. Actually at 269 is when I would stop weighing myself at all, but two years ago when I couldn't stand up straight because of my back and I used all the pain I was experiencing in my knee, hip, back and wrists as an excuse to be old I decided to make what was routine into a ritual. My workouts and physical therapy were routine and ineffective. I drudged through them with zero enthusiasm and my work outs became a reflection of my life.

I was on the treadmill in the cardio cinema at Gold's limping through a warm-up mile and the worst movie ever to work out to was on, "27 Dresses" I know right, and I was really angry and feeling sorry for myself and pissed that such a chick flick was on and then all of the sudden all these wedding scenes start playing and some pretty monumental revelations come to me when I see my dad at my sister's wedding, and at my brother's wedding, and at my wedding and I remember how he had to fight, and claw himself back into shape against all odds from heart attacks and strokes just to be at those most special events. At my wedding he made an incredible toast about sipping the sweet nectar of life and that moments like this are what make all the hard work and disappointment we face worth it.

Maximum Fatigue is Back

MF is not dead. It was just sleeping. Actually I am going through a time where I find it most important turn deep inside myself to tap heart and soul. Publishing these experiences is truly a painfully outwardly exercise.

So last night at Gold's I did my current Maximum Fatigue workout in about 45 minutes. One lift in particular, Tri's with a full stack and two on top. I banged out twenty and then locked in a pose with bar at belly button height, elbows at 90*, leaned back a little on my heals and and let it burn. I started to really hear the music in my headphones. Eminem, Lose Yourself. Maybe a minute of actual time but for me time for a flood of an epiphany. I thought about my Dad. I thought about my wife and girls. I heard Mary say, "just onemoretime." I pushed down hard with nothing left and bamm I drop one more rep. Letting the stack drop gently I turn to the mirrors and see this guy I haven't seen in a long, long time. My first thought was, "Damn Dude!" Second was, "Best Maximum Fatigue moment in years!"

So look out world. Maximum Fatigue is back!

First assignment. Have Kayla film a little and post video of a MF set like the affor mentioned!

Second. Elaborate on "Routine into Ritual"

Third. Get in the best shape of your life.

Am I having a stroke?

It has been a long time since I've posted here on Maximum Fatigue. I experienced yet another physical challenge and it rocked me to the core. After a solid year of Maximum Fatigue work outs, conscious diet improvement and good health rituals that helped me loose nearly 40 pounds and regain the strength of my twenties my body started to fail. I started having sharp pains that ran down my neck and into my limbs and my left arm would sporadically go completely numb. The feeling would come back, but the symptoms started getting worse and more sever and I would also experience tightness in my chest and shortness of breathe and overall sense of doom. I started to loose my strength, but weight training seemed to improve things as the workouts progressed. I was comforted that I started to feel a little better at the end of my workouts because that meant it couldn't be my heart as I seemed to be passing the "stress test".

I tried to work through it, but several times I couldn't get half way through a workout without thinking I was having a stroke. I went to my doctor and all tests came back negative and after a physical exam he said I was fine and the numbness was obviously a severely pinched nerve in my neck and everything else was probably due to stress from being laid off twice in the last six months. He said take it easy for a couple weeks and it should resolve itself. He said change your routine swim, ride your bike, hike, but lay off the weights and you should be fine. It couldn't be that simple. But it was. Right now I feel great. I lowered the weight and increased the reps on all my lifts and still work it to Maximum Fatigue!

I should have practiced what I preach, "No pain, no pain!"

Exception to No Pain No Pain

OK there is one exception to my "no pain no pain" rule. If your working out in physical therapy, especially trying to regain range of motion then I'm good with, "NO PAIN NO GAIN" but in normal life-extending exercise get out of my face.

This came to me in the cardio-cinema where most of my exercise induced revelations slap me in the face. Most recently memories of my father have been washing over me as I hump out the miles in front of the big screen as try and avoid the obvious; I have become my dad. If you want to read about me figuring out what this means check out; www.dumbdumbdaddyo.blogspot.com.

He was a great man and a world class athlete. Played both ways and long snapped for the undefeated, Sugar Bowl Champion, 1951 Maryland Terrapins. He taught me everything he knew about overcoming physical and emotional adversity and I didn't appreciate any of it until now.

I learned the root of Maximum Fatigue, however, from a coach who I also didn't appreciate. In fact I hated him. A lot. He was my second least favorite coach in a long list of coaches who (for better or worse) made me what I am today. I will give him the credit he deserves in a future post.

My last cardio-cinema inspired revelation was emotionally overwhelming and it became clear to me what maximufatigue.blogspot.com was going to be; a tribute to the coaches who taught me everything I know about physical fitness. The first and greatest being my father, who taught me how to appreciate good coaching and overcoming the bad ones.

I just read a little book that changed how I feel about all of them.

My new favorite all time book, "Bleachers" by John Grisham is a must read and offers keen insight into the power, magic, and dangers of MAXIMUM FATIGUE.

Goal Weight Achieved

January 16, 2013 was a day like any other day. In fact it was not a particularly good day by any measure. I had two phone interviews, received two dings, took my wife's car in for a free oil change, and realized just how crappy a car I could afford without a job. But as I look back on yesterday there is one thing for which I am very proud. I dragged myself into Gold's, speed walked 2 miles in the cardio-cinema, banged out a six set maximum fatigue work out, did my anti-angalosing spindalitis stretches in the hot tub, 5 minutes in the steam room, dove in the pool, and then weighed myself. It took three years but I made my goal weight! 225 lbs. down from 269...that's me 6' 3" 225!!!

I haven't weighed a healthy 225 since my senior year of college football. Back then I was embarrassed at being so skinny, at weigh-in for summer camp I remember the coach's disgust, but in every other measure that day I was in the best shape of my life and for the first time beat all TEs, FBs, and QBs on the track.

(There was one time I did weigh less. I had Graves disease and didn't know it. As I got really sick my brother called and asked me what my mother had asked him, "Did you move to Aspen to die of AIDS?" I went to the doctor and found I was HIV negative but obviously there was something terribly wrong with me. My inability to manage my health drove me unnecessarily close to death. By the end of this experience I weight 145 lbs. and discovered what it's like to be too skinny. Not fun. Live and learn.)

Goal weight achieved: 225. New goal set: 210.