REST
A few weeks ago I was bench
pressing for maximum weight and asked someone who appeared capable to spot me.
I explained to him exactly what I needed him to do and we proceeded. Well
either I did not explain it correctly or he did not understand because it did
not go well. As soon as I heard the click in my right shoulder I knew there was
a problem. Those who have been at this for awhile know the sound and feeling
the moment an injury occurs. When I got home I did nothing to treat it and
slept on it awkwardly which seems to have increased the damage.
Now you are probably thinking I
guess you stopped lifting for a day or so to allow it to heal. Nope, instead of
shutting it down and listening to my body I continued over the next 2 weeks or
so to do weight resistance exercises. The discomfort caused by the injury to
shoulder became progressively worse and now I have had to shut it down
completely for the last week or so. I continued to lift because I was
determined to reach certain goals and I was closing in on them quickly. My plan
was to compete in a weight lifting contest that was certified and provided an
opportunity to go after the PA/USA bench press record for my age and weight.
The record for PA for a 54 year
old in the 220 lbs range is 347 and my last maximum was 375. I was able to take
it down to my chest stop it and press it without help. Having gained so much
strength since I started back in April 2012 I was determined to keep it moving.
In April, I struggled to lift 200 lbs and now I was approaching 400. I was
excited to see what the limit was and I did not pay attention despite not being
able to turn in bed without discomfort. I finally accepted the reality of my
situation last week and ceased lifting free weights as the strain is too much.
As a result I will not be competing this weekend and in addition I will lose
the registration fees.
I am disappointed not as much
about not competing but because this did not have to happen. If I had stopped
immediately and treated the injury with ice initially and then heat after the
first 24 hours, I believe I’d be fine right now. However my fear of losing
ground dominated my mind and led to poor decision making. My body was telling
me to stop and instead I allowed my ego to drive my decision making. As I
reflect on my life in and out of the gym decisions driven by ego usually lead
to negative outcomes. This one certainly has.
My shoulder is healing slowly and
I have not lifted for the last 7-10 days and I miss it. However I know it is
not ready and my decision making is coming from a different place. So I want
you to take this lesson from my experience pay attention and hang your ego at
the door. Whether it is in love, work or play ego based decision will almost
always create barriers to your success and our ego is almost always actively
present in our minds. It takes conscious decision making and that requires us
to make outcome based decisions always keeping the goal in mind.
My goal was to go beyond just
competing and obliterate that record on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at a State
certified competition. It is likely, based on the progress I made, that I would
have done exactly that. However the positive feedback I was getting at the gym
was seductive and I lost sight of the goal. Breaking the record at the gym was
not the goal and now all I have is a few witnesses that are able to tell what I
did. However here I sit with no certified record.
The main reason I was training to
set the record was to increase my credibility as a fitness expert and promote
my brand. It will have to wait for now as I sabotaged myself because I did not
pay attention to clear and indisputable evidence that I was injured and required
rest. So my advice to you is pay attention and do not let your ego create
barriers to your goals. This is a setback that I am certain I will overcome
however there is no guarantee. As I have advised many people, make conscious
decisions based on the goals you have set for yourself. If it is not consistent
with and does not further your progress towards achieving your goal, why are
you doing it?
I continue to work out but I am
making very conscious decisions about what I am doing. So I have adjusted my
work out and I am using bands, and machines so I do not strain the shoulder any
further. I have also increased the amount of cardio and core work so that I am
still able to Get Up Get Moving because I know……….
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