Often we find ourselves exercising herculean discipline to accomplish a particular goal. We have carefully thought through the requirements and designed a system to get there in the most efficient way. Then, we launch! Each and every day the particulars of our program are applied just the way we were taught to get it done. Then, we run into the two headed monster of feeling “STUCK” or “BORED” with certain things we do each day. The desired results are just not materializing the way we imagined. But, what do we do? We can either continue along the same path getting minimal results that are accompanied by the feeling of being “STUCK” in a rut and overwhelming “BOREDOM” or we can try something new.
Let me first say that changing something in our perfectly constructed plan is a daunting proposition. Despite the lack of progress, change is sometimes even more frightening than sticking to a losing effort. Let me illustrate:
I had adopted the philosophy that a workout must consist of a large volume of exercises with an ever-increasing amount of weight with each set. I had done two workouts per day for 3 years, morning and afternoon. I pushed the weight and numbers of reps and sets through the ceiling and I got some pretty substantial results but the cost on my body in the form of injuries, chronic pain, decreased range of motion was huge. There were times that I pushed through my training with more pain from the injuries than from actual muscle pain due to work performed. I was addicted to the program and I was NOT about to modify it. This program was “my baby” and I was convinced that all I needed to do was to continue and mighty things would happen. I even competed as a middle weight in my first three bodybuilding championships. Pain was the annoyance I had to endure to be good.
After these initial forays into competition I decided that I needed some help and I wanted to be bigger. I finally contacted Coach Justin Dees backstage at my final show in 2014. He agreed to work with me. He handed me his card and told me to call him. I called Justin the next week and we got together. He gave me the business plan that would exist between us. Then, Just began to outline for me what needed to be done. As I described to him my various areas of pain in my shoulders, legs, and arms he grew concerned that I was hurting myself. Needless to say, he was not impressed with the way I was training. In fact, the first thing he did was to take away my barbell exercises. I had “SO” over trained my shoulders that they would not grow and there was rarely a time when I was not in pain. Justin says to me, “Bro you have a fascial tract in your shoulder that has been so abused that you are going to need rest and deep massage to break up the calcification.” Well, he told me to not do ANY barbell work and he gave me a training regimen that allowed me to work a single body part daily six days per week and I was to only train once per day. The idea that I could not use a barbell and I could only train once per day and that I had to change to more cable and dumbbell work was “over the top” for a guy who is driven by rituals and habits. But, I complied—-grumbling the whole way! Like they say, “it hurs to switch.”
Justin asked me to forget about competing for a year so I could gain lots more lean muscle mass, learn some things, heal my injuries, and of course get the needed rest for my over worked tendons, joints and muscles. Just like that, I began to grow, I did not hurt so much anymore, and I was beginning to see and feel what my potential was. The new training regimen Justin provided me was exactly what I needed.
Last year I competed as a Light Heavyweight. I did ok finishing 6th in the Masters at the Nationals in Pittsburgh in July 2015 and then I finished 2nd in the Masters back in Utah. This year I am planning to do a Utah show in June, Nationals in Pittsburgh, and possibly the USA’s in Las Vegas that same month. All of these contests are a direct result of the advice I got from Justin and my willingness to be taught—despite the pain of change.
Bottom Line: If you continue to do the same thing over and over again, you cannot expect a different result. There are times when we “MUST” do things differently in order to advance or to improve. We have to have the guts to change based on us understanding that the change is for our good.
This is “OUR TIME!” Be flexible while we adhere to our plans to succeed. Being relentless does not mean being a victim of “hardening of the categories.” Let’s do what is required to reach our goals. Thus, we will not feel “STUCK” or “BORED.”
Until next time!
Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM
Six Pack and Senior 