Rest 4.5: Rest Begins and Goals Flow
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 I named the next 8 days "Rest 4.5" because it is a rest period that takes place between M4 and M5 (11/29/2008 thru 12/6/2008). This will be an active rest period meaning that I will continue my cardio and my abdominal training. I am merely letting my body rest from weight training. The one exception is that tomorrow I will be doing a test workout to determine the rep ranges for the various exercises I will be using during M5. The concept that Carlos DeJesus has thrown my way is extremely scientific in that it asks you to figure out your own personal high and low repetition range for each exercise prior to beginning the program. This insures that you are working at your optimal range for each workout. The concept is simple: (1) determine your 1 rep maximum; (2) rest 5 minutes; (3) do a set to complete failure with 80% of your 1 rep maximum; (4) add 15% to the number of repetitions you did in #3 and that becomes your high end of the range; (5) subtract 15% from the number of repetitions that you did in #3 and that becomes your low end of the range. As an example, if you can do 200 lbs. on the bench press as your 1 rep maximum, you would use 160 lbs. for your test set. If you were able to complete 8 repetitions with 160 lbs. you would then use 9 for your high end and 7 as your low end, so for bench press you would aim to hit a minimum of 7 repetitions and when you were able to do 9 repetitions it would be time to add some weight and start over. I love the concept and can't wait to see how things workout. 
The weight lifting program will be a High Intensity Training program that will run for 10 complete weeks. It will have certain body part focuses on various weeks. The aim is to spur growth in lagging body parts. This is accomplished through some special supersets that are interspersed into the H.I.T. workouts. I am dying to give this a try because supersets combined with H.I.T. is going to be incredibly intense to say the least! M5 will end on Valentine's Day 2009. My PRW for this mission is to be in the greatest shape of my life for my wife on Valentine's Day. Accountability During M5 As this is an accountability blog, I would expect my readers to hold me accountable for my goals and actions during M5 (and any other mission). Your comments spur me on. The knowledge that I must let you all know what I'm doing keeps me focused on the end result. Thus, I need your help in holding me accountable. Public accountability is just the kind of positive pressure I will need as I prepare to win my bodybuilding competition this coming summer. I am expecting this positive pressure from my readers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Today was a one hour steady state cardio session. I walked on the treadmill for the entire time. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Having a goal in mind is one of the keys to success when going through a transformation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 How often do you reevaluate and redefine your goals? Comment this post to answer the question. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Until tomorrow...GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
1 Planning for Getting Big
Hey Michael,
You have a great set of goals. Planning is indeed the key to ensure that you have not only know what you are going to do, but also a "plan B" when you enevitably need to overcome an unforseen obstacle.
Good luck, I'll be checking in on your progress.
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