They say that if you do anything for 21 days or so, it becomes a habit. I’m not so sure that’s accurate for me, but since I figure the comment is about most people and not each and every person, I’ll let it slide.

But I will say that if it’s remotely true, then training is, indeed, a habit.

Today marks a special day for me. Not super-special, mind you, but special none the less. You see, today is the five-month anniversary of me beginning training once again.

As a result, I’m going to offer some thoughts by way of celebration.

Good Things:

Unlike the past couple of times I tried to train, I’ve managed to stick with it better this time and I’m not really feeling like this won’t be sustainable. One of the things I did was to tell myself early on that this was simply part of who I am. I chose to make training part of my identity, in a way. As a result of taking that approach, I feel like I’ve made it much easier to get up and lift every day.

I’ve also found that training at home helps with that since even when I don’t feel like training, it doesn’t matter. I just go and do it. There’s no trip to the gym, waiting for equipment, any of that crap. I just lift, even if I feel like taking a nap instead.

As a result, I’m stronger and lifting more now than I did when I was training semi-regularly in my youth. All of my lifts are lifetime PRs, pretty much, and this is despite hitting 45 earlier this year.

I’ve also managed to not get injured. I credit the ease in which you can swap one weight plates on a barbell versus a couple of dumbbells with this. You see, I actually warm up now, which is good. I used to not do much in the way of warmups because it was kind of a pain in the butt. Now, I do them and I’m in much better shape for it.

I’m down a total of 25 lbs. That’s only about 5 lbs per month, but since I didn’t lose much of anything for the first month or two, that’s OK. I’m losing weight and it’s going nicely. I’m trying to bump it up a notch or two to maximize weight loss prior to the holidays, because I know I’m going to overeat then, but hopefully, I can be in good shape (relatively) by then.

I’m also not particularly hungry most of the time. I mean, sure, I feel hungry sometimes, but that’s rare and it’s never because I’m not “allowed” to eat. It’s usually because there’s some reason I can’t, like I’m tied up and there’s no food handy.

Those times are rare, so I’ve been quite happy.

But not everything has been sunshine and rainbows.

The Bad:

Not everything has been great. For a good chunk of time, I’ve been experiencing pain from my training. Yes, I said I wasn’t injured, and I haven’t really been. But I haven’t been pain-free either.

And no, I’m not talking about the burning pains you get while lifting heavy. I’m talking about actual pain.

My elbow has been wonky much of the time, probably due to low-bar squats, for example. I moved my hands out a bit, and that helped, but it hasn’t made the pain go away.

Also, my shoulder was giving me a lot of trouble, though I think that had been due to improper bench press form. I haven’t had much issue with that for some time.

Another “bad” has been boredom. Up until Monday, my routine was essentially the same thing for five months. That’s…dull.

I know that it shouldn’t matter, that the basics are sufficient and it should be all I need. I know that. But it does change the fact that my ADHD-addled brain wants variety. It doesn’t care that all you really need are the big four lifts. It wants something a little more exciting.

I also had a problem with my training sessions lasting way too long. One day lasted up to three hours! I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous. Even I know it’s ridiculous and I’m the jackwagon in control of stuff.

Luckily, I think the new routine is doing nicely on that front, as is my renewed insistence for workout music. I start a new set at the top of each new son, which means I can’t sit around for too long and drag the workouts out.

Giant sets are also helping with that. I’ll talk more about giant sets tomorrow, though.

Overall Impressions

Man, I’m glad I’m doing this. What started as basically an effort to make sure I wasn’t being a freaking hypocrite has morphed into a genuine enjoyment of the training.

And I don’t really “enjoy” things most of the time.

I really like seeing the weights increase and I like knowing that I’m in a much better position to survive a number of situations than I was just a few months ago. That’s obviously awesome.

Additionally, I’m really enjoying sharing my observations here and while the feedback is limited, what I’m getting is awesome. I’m a student of pretty much everything, so I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned. I’m also open to learning from others, and that’s the great thing about blogs. At least when the comment section isn’t a toxic sewer of profane idiocy, like some I’ve encountered.

Luckily, I suspect there are years and years ahead of me before this site will remotely hit that point, but we’ll see.

For what it’s worth, those who read the site regularly, thank you. I appreciate it. Your support has meant the world to me.

For those who don’t, please check out the rest of my content and keep checking as we move forward.