Autobiography, Chapter 1

[Majestic]

December 26 2006, 23.00 PM

Today i decided i want to make a change in my live, and i want to share my struggles, goals and victories with the rest of the people on this site. What i really want to do is to keep myself anonymously, so people wont know who i am. The reason for that is, that i already get too much response to the things i tell and write, and it's a matter of pride. It's really hard for me to fail in front of other people.

I had two goals for the month december:
- Get up at 4:00 and train right after getting up
- Give up alcohol

They're reached by now, but it's really hard not to drink at christmas. Especially when my father asks me to get him and the visitors a beer. When analysing this emotion, i really know it grounds from boredom, not having something to do. I have absolutely no urge to drink when i'm really busy. My drinking pattern wasn't that big in the past, only drank once per 2 weeks, but giving up alcohol is closer to how i see myself in the long run. In my vision i should be perfect and nothing else. That really deprives myself sometimes of my emotional state, but in the long run i hope to reach some wonderful things thinking this way.

Right now i get up at 4:00 AM every day, and since the start of December there's been a 0 % failure rate from the moment i deceded it was time. I've been struggling a lot longer with this, since december last year to be exact. The biggest change that gave me succes this time could be reflected by defining insanity:

"insanity is the process of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting diffirent results"

The error i made over and over again was thinking i could do it "just once" (oversleeping), and i think that's the biggest mistake people make when trying to adapt to a new sleeping pattern. I'm not there yet, but i'm pretty far along at this point. I guess Vince Lombardi's statement about victory really is true (winning is a habit, so is losing), because at the moment you decide to reach a goal or vision of how you see yourself, you will succeed and the feeling and succes of succeeding makes it a habit. It's subconcious.

The next two goals of me are:
- Sleep only in intervals of 1,5 hour
- Get a specified amout of volume in the morning training each day, for example when the specified volume is 20 sets, i will do 20 worksets every morning.

This mornings training went like this:

Barbell lunge: 80 kg, 5 sets, 3 reps per leg
Pullup: 5 sets, 3 reps
(barbell lunge and pullup were supersetted, that means they're done right after each other, so in this case i will do the 3 lunges with 80 kilos per leg and right after it the pullups, then rest)
Thick bar hold (grip, 5 cm diameter): 45 kg, 10 sec per hand, 3 sets
Ab bridge: 2 sets of 20 seconds
Glute ham raise: 5 sets of 6 (assisted reps in the lower part of the range of motion)

This is a glute ham raise:

http://www.kvusa.com/wl/floorghr.htm
The second and third pic is the way i perform it.

Furthermore there is nothing of importance to mention about this day, it's quite boring.
I don't know if it's allowed to post a blog on this forum, but we'll find out. Hopefully steve will appreciate it because if this get's big, it will give extra visitors

[mattsonn]

I don't mind reading blog entries on a forum, but another option open to you is to create a blog on blogspot, and then put the link in your signature.

[Majestic]

Fell asleep this night listening to a tape about Nietzsche, a TTC tape about his life, books, the things he has done and his philosophy. Are there any other people who like Nietzsche?

Trained this morning after getting up. Really sucked though, felt some back pain

Front squats: Worked up to 140 kg * 2 reps, felt back pain (or weakness). This type of pain i've experienced before, i think i'm going to visit a physical therapist to solve this problem. I already think i have figured it out, think it's due weak abs but you're never really sure.

So after that did 8 sets of underhand pullups for 4 reps supersetted with some ab bridges of 15 seconds. I'm just pathetically weak at the ab bridges. 3:00 m should be easy but i fail after 20 seconds. So the problem is probably that the rectus abdominis is too weak, and my erector muscle (the back extensor) is overactive.

[mattsonn]

Also remember that while there's a fair number of stuff in that entry that I found interesting and am tempted comment on, I will probably refrain from doing so until I get to know you better on the forum. So go forth and socialize!

[Majestic]

Thanks for your comments

[thef0x]

Originally Posted by Majestic

Fell asleep this night listening to a tape about Nietzsche, a TTC tape about his life, books, the things he has done and his philosophy. Are there any other people who like Nietzsche?

Trained this morning after getting up. Really sucked though, felt some back pain

Front squats: Worked up to 140 kg * 2 reps, felt back pain (or weakness). This type of pain i've experienced before, i think i'm going to visit a physical therapist to solve this problem. I already think i have figured it out, think it's due weak abs but you're never really sure.

So after that did 8 sets of underhand pullups for 4 reps supersetted with some ab bridges of 15 seconds. I'm just pathetically weak at the ab bridges. 3:00 m should be easy but i fail after 20 seconds. So the problem is probably that the rectus abdominis is too weak, and my erector muscle (the back extensor) is overactive.

Huge Nietzsche fan here. What's the tape called?

[Majestic]

Originally Posted by thef0x

Huge Nietzsche fan here. What's the tape called?

It's this tape:

Will to Power: The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

[Majestic]

Well, average day. Overslept this morning by a few hours, the problem really is that when i'm in my bed, i don't really care to oversleep because there's no reason to get up. This is on my morning nap, after i have trained. At 7 AM i go back to bed usually.

Trained this evening, nothing special

Some behind the neck presses with 60 kg for 4 reps, 6 sets supersetted with
Cuban rotations 30 kg for 8 reps, 6 sets

Military press 2 singles with 80 kg (front press), nothing heavy

The goal is to complete reading Anthony Robbins books, awaken the giant within and the other one, unlimited power. Many reviews on the internet have rated unlimited power above awaken the giant within but i think it's the other way around. Lots of good idea's in this book, one of the best books i've read this year. Also went to the library today to lengthen the loan time of some books, which are about different subjects. One book about Jung, two about the dalai lama, beyond good and evil and the antichrist from nietzsche, one about wealth and money and the last one about effectiveness.

Want to read them before the end of the year. By then the total books read this year comes close to 130

[Majestic]

Completed the anthony robbins books i posted about above. Traind this morning, this is what i did:

All in row, then rest 2 min, repeated 8 times:
Pistol squats + 55 lbs for 3 reps per leg
Hip rotation (prehab exercise)
Ab bridge 15 seconds
Pullup 3 reps (overhand grip)

Feel really grateful about the fact that i've stood up about a month in row at 4:30 and trained. I'm really grateful for the great books i read, the great changes in my thinking i've made. Succes may be delayed at some point, for example i overslept again on my morning nap. But there will be a point when the pain of oversleeping becomes too much and i will get a perfect succes rate

Futhermore, the method i used to stand up every morning is to send a mail at 4:30, 5:00 and 5:30 every morning to a good friend, with the subject 1 / 2 / 3 . For every mail i miss i have to pay him 10 dollars, which is about 1 % of my monthly income. Make sure your computer is not positioned next to your bed but in the living room downstairs for example.

Evening training:

Speed bench press: 60 kg 10 sets of 3 reps, 30 secs rest between sets
3 board press: 130 kg 10 sets of 3 reps

[Majestic]

Did heavy lunges yesterday ending up with a few sets of 90 kilo's for 3 reps. Also did chins and GHR's if i remember correctly. Trained this morning too, did about 8 sets of GHR's, abs and pullups. Nothing special, still no heavy weights on my back. Only slept 3 times 1,5 hour today and i'm about to do that again tomorrow. I feel good now, not tired at all.