Round 6: Day 80: Just Arms

I saw an interesting movie last night, JCVD, where Jean-Claude Van Damme plays, well, himself. It's in French, and it was nice to see Van Damme break the mould of action hero to play a completely different role. Of note to me was that in the film he stated that he was 47 (and looked it, too), but his body was still in terrific shape, especially his chest, shoulders and arms. Also, he still had that familiar hip flexibility and demonstrated that several times with a few high kicks. Although he's been in great shape pretty much his whole life, it's still inspirational to see someone close to my age look as good as he does. I get the same sense of inspiration when I see Tony Horton. I know he's been working out intensively and eating cleanly for the past 25 years, but he still acts as a role model for us older folks, even though we may have come late to the game. I'm not going to be a JCVD or a Tony Horton, but I can be the best I can be with the genes I was given.

And so, the Week 12 push continues, with Just Arms. I've had some difficulties with this routine recently, so I tried to speed up the pace a bit, keeping slightly ahead of Tony, to give myself breaks where I felt I needed them, without pausing the DVD. For the most part, this strategy worked, although my nemesis remains Hammer Curls. This should be an easier exercise for me, because the biceps are involved, but because of the weights I'm stubbornly sticking to, I've really struggled. I should probably lighten my load a little, because for the past few weeks I've only been doing 6 or 7 reps, but I'm doggedly trying to eke out 8, which I was able to do about 4 weeks ago. Sometimes you've got it, sometimes you don't. I still really enjoy this workout, which leaves my arms dangling limply by my sides at the end. I really find that it kills my forearms, which don't seem to get worked out too heavily during any other routine.

This workout, like many others, is largely psychological. I find that if I put a number in my head, then clear my mind and work towards that number, I usually succeed in my objective. If I'm distracted, or doubtful that I'll reach my number, I usually don't succeed. So much of working out is in your head. A positive attitude can really make all the difference.

Stay positive, my friends.