I’m a fan of a metaphors.
Daydreaming while I was driving home from the gym, it occurred to me that I’m in the summer years of my life. The newness and naivete of spring have passed, and the age of summer with its sun-soaked revelry and earthly abundance is well in progress. To me, being at this juncture means enjoying life and experiencing it to its fullest. While I feel that I will always at my core be a lighthearted person, now is probably the time that trait will flourish the most. Summer is the time to frolic and feast and explore, and although sometimes those thunderstorms may ruin it (*cough my last post cough*), they never last too long.
Call me cheesy, but I found something very comforting and endearing in that thought. In that moment it really made sense to me.
This quote by Yoko Ono also came to mind:
“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.”
Yes, I think I need to indulge my exuberance more.
The above was brought to you by post-workout endorphins. Who says you need drugs?! But seriously, I forgot how nice that natural pick-me-up is. While I was thinking all that stuff I was like…”Wait. I’m…in a good mood. And thinking happy thoughts. OMG ENDORPHINS!” Which was good, because a few minutes prior I felt light-headed and kind of foggy. Translation: I had a really good, intense workout.
So ANYWAY. Here’s a video from last week of me pressing 35 lbs overhead for the first time. I usually use 30s. This made me very happy.
Notice me grimacing in the mirror.
This is another video of me squatting. I was really reluctant to post it because my form is not great. I’m squatting 120 lbs and that’s pretty heavy for me, considering I weigh about 115. You’ll notice that I’m bringing my hips up a little too soon on the way back up, especially on the last rep. I don’t have this problem when I go lighter, so it probably has a lot to do with the weight being heavy. I would like to fix this, although I’m not entirely sure HOW.
There might also be some muscle imbalances that are causing this specific issue. But alas, a Google search did not give me a definitive answer. So for now I’m going a little lighter with the weight, adding front squats to my routine and foam rolling and stretching all the muscles in my legs (and my glutes.)
As I’ve mentioned before, your weight lifting form is an evolving thing. It will probably never be perfect, but I think always striving to improve is what keeps it interesting. Honestly, I was a little disappointed that my form is kind of mediocre even after years of practice, but at the same time it kind of rejuvenated me by giving me a new challenge to tackle.
So yeah, BOOYAH!
PS. I am on the Facebooks now. Like me! PLEASE, ALL I WANT IS FOR YOU TO LIKE ME!
