“Have you been working out?” she asked.

I thought about it for a few milliseconds, pondering the precise amount of truth required for my response. Yes, I had been to the gym in the months since we previously hung out, so in a sense I had been “working out.” But of those sixty or so days, at most ten of them were spent worshiping the iron.

She is a dear friend, moreso than I am worthy of, and she deserved the truth.

“Sorta, I don’t want to talk about it,” is what I recall blurting out. A veracious statement, but there was certainly no meat in that sandwich. I was grateful that she did not press the matter further.

“But what is my….motivation?”

I hear actors and directors alike groaning in unison at this heading, which amuses me to no end.

Establishing any sort of lifelong routine requires planning and a motivation that can withstand the ebbs and flows of existence. Some people can get by on what I will call “vague but useful rationalizations.” These are the usual things you hear thrown around any time fitness is discussed: “I wanna look good at the beach,” “I wanna run marathons,” “I wanna impress the babes,” or “I feel fat.” For those that can use these low-level aspirations to enable lasting change, I congratulate. Seriously, I wish I was so lucky.

Unfortunately, I have an overly analytical mind which knows fair well that these rationalizations end at the moment of their achievement. For example, looking good at the beach ceases to be a motivating factor through the tail-end of summer and into winter. It has taken me a long time to develop what I believe is a full-spectrum reason for healthy living.

While my life hasn’t exactly panned out in a “timely” instance of the American Dream^TM, I have managed to accomplish a few things along the way that are out of the ordinary and I am thankful for the chance. As I get older, I find myself increasingly ready to start my own family and shoulder the responsibilities that go along with that. With that, as the head of a household I should be able to protect and enjoy my family to the fullest, for as long as I can. Prior to establishing my family, becoming the best me that I can (at least from a physical perspective) will help me find the best person to spend my life with.

That is a long-term rationale even my annoyingly analytical brain can get on board with.

Circuit Carousel

I have found a second catching point for myself to be determining exactly which trainer’s lifting plan to go forward with. I have tried quite a few over the years:

• The “Bro Split” – 3 days/wk: Back/Bi’s, Chest/Tri’s, Legs
• Starting Strength – 3 days/wk: Squats/Deads/Bench
• Circuit Training – 5 days/wk: Full body, machines only
• Free-for-all – Show up and workout whatever
• Random internet guru (RIG) workouts

Each had its own set of issues for me. For instance, the “Bro Split” tends to be heavy on days one and two, and Leg Day tends to be very short. I found I would often simply skip it, telling myself that I would just add it to the next day….which I’d forget to do. Starting Strength was great for me. It was very focused on complex lifts (lifts which engage many muscle groups) and I saw quick improvements in the amount I was able to lift. Sadly, it is only a beginner’s program and leaves out a lot of excellent complimentary lifts. Circuit training is immensely boring, and the machines isolate muscles way too much, meaning support muscles are rarely engaged. I’d notice this later on bench presses, where improvement would take forever because my smaller support muscles would fail before the big muscles (pecs). The free-for-alls died out naturally from a lack of focus and planning, and RIG workouts rarely had any balance.

Given that last statement, it is somewhat amusing that I have found the workout for me from exactly that: a random internet guru. Listed on the bodybuilding.com forums is a workout called “AllPro,” which has everything that I need. It is a 3 day/week schema with both compound and accessory lifts, meticulously determined muscle balance, decent weight increments and a long timetable.

After 2 weeks on the plan, I’ve already noticed that I am sore in places that I am never ever sore in, and that I’m excited to come in and work out. There is nothing worse than going to the gym for an hour and feeling like you haven’t actually worked any of your muscles out.

Putting it Together

I’m a firm believer in Zig Ziglar’s methods for setting goals:

• Describe your goal specifically
• Put a date on it
• Identify the obstacles
• Identify the people that can assist you
• List the benefits of achieving the goal
• List the required skills to achieve the goal
• Develop a plan

I believe that between developing a strong motivation and adopting the plan above, that I have crossed off these bullet points. All that’s left is to put in the effort.

I’ll report back at the end of the first cycle in a month.

Praise be to Brodin, the All-spotter! May your lifts be heavy and your form infallible. I will meet you at the gates of Swolehalla! Wheymen.