Monday, October 02, 2006

I'm Not Dead Yet, I Think I'll Go For A Walk

No, I'm not dead. I made only one post in September but there wasn't a lot of interesting stuff going on, so nobody missed anything.

I've been concentrating on my gym work, pushing myself to lift heavier weights and increase my overall muscle mass. I'm now squatting 235 for 5-6 reps on a regular basis and leg pressing 275. That doesn't sound like much to some, but if you've seen my skinny legs you'll realize I'm not doing too bad at all.

My shoulder is strong again and I've stepped up my bench press, with a max now back around my body weight - 170. I'm nowhere near the 205 I did four years ago but I'm getting there. My arms are again showing definition, my chest and back are larger and my shoulders are growing. I missed the feeling of working out like that.

I've started using the stationary trainer at the gym two to three times a week because it allows me to track my cadence, heart rate and wattage, something my regular bike trainer setup does not. My fitness is still decent despite scaling back the riding significantly.

All in all, I feel pretty great. If I can keep gaining muscle (especially in my legs) and maintain my fitness until my base training starts in November, I should be a pretty imposing force in the 3/4 racing scene next season. And if not, at least I've got some really good teammates to support.

I'll try not to go so long between posts, sorry about that if you missed me.