Getting my mojo back!

So many posts I read are about how brilliantly everyone’s training is going, and how much consistent progress they’re making. But what about the other side of the story? Things can’t go right 100% of the time. I hit a plateau, and then I hit a wall and it made me miserable. The wall stayed in place for a month and it’s only this week I’ve been able to get back on track. Why do we never hear about this part of the fitness journey?

However much I tried to pick myself up over the last month, I just couldn’t. I went into a session with my trainer determined to tackle it full on, but one failed attempt at repeating my 1RM was all it took to crush my determination. After that I could barely lift anything, even once we'd stripped half the weight from the bar. I got frustrated.

But I knew I couldn’t just give up. I gave myself two weeks training just twice per week instead of the normal four/five times, to get a mental break from the gym. I wrote a plan of action started tackling it one step at a time:

Getting my mojo back

§  New exercise plan based on strength and mobility - hopefully this means I'll keep seeing progress while addressing underlying problems

§  Training with a friend - taking a break from my programme and having some company to boost my motivation, she's training for a bikini competition so I'd best be on good form ; )

Lifestyle changes

§  Night time routine - I need sleep, a routine should help me nod off faster

§  Meal plan - I let my planning drop, which led to miserable post-work snacking, which led to guilt and extra misery. No more! 

Attitude changes

§  Accepting failure - it's normal, it happens, both physically and mentally. I need to suck it up and get on with it rather than wallowing! This is such an important goal.

Thankfully my mojo is back in full force, and I’m loving my 7am workouts again (even though my hamstrings hate me)! I'd love to hear what you do when you hit a wall, whether mental or physical. Any tips?

Tiffany x

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Exercising my way to Recovery - #EDAW2015

In September 2012 I decided that I needed to finally kick my eating disorder - every last shadow of it. Although I was going about my normal life it still influenced me on a daily basis and enough was enough. I needed to learn how to nourish my body and how to make it strong, but at the same time know that my weight wouldn't spiral out of control. I went to the gym and signed up with a Personal Trainer. 

In my initial consultation I explained my situation very honestly. I was told I'd need to eat meat to put on some muscle mass, and put butter on my vegetables. I'd been 'vegetarian' for four years, purely because of my ED. I went home and decided I'd never be speaking to that particular moron again, his demands were impossible.

Two days later I found myself in my first session with him. I had decided to commit 100% to his nutrition and training plans. No personal trainer aims to make their client fat, so I convinced myself it was safe. I needed to take a leap of faith to recover, so I threw myself in at the deep end (and had chicken for dinner that very night with only a teeny tantrum). 

Two and a half years later, weight lifting has become a huge part of my life. I'm very aware that this is still a way of controlling my body and my food, but it is entirely different to the control exerted by anorexia and bulimia. At first perhaps, there wasn't too much difference. I used my excessive willpower and control-freak tendencies and applied them to my gym regime, but as that regime has become an established part of my life I've relaxed. I eat clean for six days of the week, but anyone who gets in between me and my treats on day seven doesn't know what's good for them. If there's a particularly delicious treat floating around I'll eat it even if it's not cheat day. I am now in control of my food choices, rather than them controlling me.

It hasn't always been plain sailing. I still find it difficult to be weighed by somebody else. Analysing my body fat can still send me wobbly for a few hours if the result isn't what I want, but it used to be days. It took a while to get used to a curvier and more muscular appearance, but now you couldn't pay me to go back. Once I nearly relapsed when someone told me my bum was massive, now I'm proud that my massive bum has been voted the best in the gym ; ). 

Going to the gym gave me a new focus. Rather than trying to drive the number further down the scales, I am trying to push the weight on my lifts up. Rather than spending all day crying over calories, I spend all day living my life. I relish the time I spend in the gym but it's not the be all and end all. I am healthy and I am happy and I am strong. It couldn't be a stronger contrast to my life with an eating disorder. 

Tiffany x 

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Gym Goal #1 - the chin up

When I'm training I set myself short term goals, like adding a bit more weight each week, and long term goals. One of the long term goals I set myself was to do a chin-up.

In all honesty, this was a goal I didn't really think I'd achieve, or a goal I thought was in the very distant future. All the work I put in to build up the necessary strength seemed a world away from performing the actual exercise. But this weekend I managed not one, but five - and I'm over the moon!

Getting there has been a long process. Us ladies are at a natural disadvantage when it comes to performing chin-ups and pull-ups. Women have up to 40% less muscle mass in their upper bodies than men[1], and if there's any exercise that's upper body dominant it's the chin up! The make-up of our muscle is different too, we have slightly less fast twitch muscle fibres in the upper body than men, and its fast twitch muscle fibres that generate the explosive force you need to get your chest level with the bar [2].

This isn't to say it can't be done. With the right training and determination it is possible! These are the exercises I found really helpful to build my strength:

Scapular Retractions 
If you hang from the bar, you'll find that your shoulders are being pulled upwards out of their sockets, and your arms are fully extended. From there, pull your shoulder blades back, down and together, engaging your scapular muscles. Your body should rise an inch or so. Hold this position for 3-5 seconds and then lower yourself back down to full extension. I started by doing 3 sets of 5, and built up from there. This is the position your shoulders should be in through the whole range of the chin-up, so it's a good idea to get used to how it feels.

Banded Chin-ups
Using a resistance band to help you bounce up to the top is really useful when focussing on form. It allows you to get used to the correct position of your body, and the motion involved in the lift. Banded chin-ups aren't that great for building strength though. Try three sets of 8-10, and focus on feeling your lats.

Eccentric Chin-ups
These made the biggest difference in the world! The eccentric movement (going down from the top) is much stronger than the concentric (getting up there). Use your leg to push yourself up, make sure your lats are engaged with your shoulders back and down, then release your leg and lower yourself down slowly.

There are different variations of this depending on your strength levels. At first I'd leave my leg on the cushion to take some of my weight, and lower myself down for five seconds. As I got stronger I let both my legs hang and stuck to five seconds. I aimed to build up to a 30 second eccentric - that took some doing! I also found it helpful to wear a weight belt with a 5kg plate when doing shorter eccentrics. 

Of course there are lots of other exercises that are useful, and the set and rep ranges will vary depending on strength - but this is how I got going. 

Do you struggle with chin-ups? What did you find helped your strength?

Tiffany x

[1] Janssen, I. & Co. (2000). Skeletal muscle mass and distribution in 468 men and women aged 18–88 yr. Journal of Applied Physiology. 89 (1), p81-88.
[2] Wegner, H. (2007). Developing Upper Body Strength for Women in the Canadian Forces.

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