Six Days a Week.

I grew up training six days a week. First, it was gymnastics with five scheduled workouts plus what we did on our own on Saturdays( and sometimes Sundays as well- at least flexiblity and handstand work). Then, after gymnastics it was running which was often seven days as well. In my world view at the time nothing succeeded like excess so I did what the top guys were doing and they were training A LOT.Add in swimming and cycling and six days barely got all the work in I needed. Multiple sessions per day were added in.Life was training. And I loved it. It was my passion, my calling,my journey,my vision quest. It was what I knew and pretty much all I wanted to know, as well.lol.
A journey into my soul via my body.It seemed a good path.
Then, onto bodybuilding where multiple sessions, six days a week were common place amoung the best so thats what I did as well. Start at the top and work down. Always a key Rifism.
But then powerlifting came to town and everything shifted. Now it was less, rather than more. Intensity rather than volume. I was not used to this and didnt like it at all til I found Louie Simmons and the Westside Barbell Template which at least had more than two top work sets that you could do. Add in the sled dragging, the extra reverse hyper workouts as well as special exercises for weak points and you could get a fifth day in, as well as multiple sessions. There were, as one might expect, still demons to kill.Even after all those years of demon slaying. Go figure.
Still the powerlifting template begs for less rather than more; and the heavier you go the more it is true.Normal humans just can't recover from such close approximations to total body structural limits that quickly. Especially old, high mileage athletes without the help of AAS.
By the time powerlifting had had it's way with me I was happy to be training twice a week, if you could even call it training.Both volume AND intensity were in the toilet.And I was happy to be able to do anything I recall, as I saw the writing on the wall and it didn't have spell check. I was hosed.
But Enter the Kettlebell and things changed.I could train three days a week.
Enter Rifga stretching and Z health and things changed.I could train three days a week hard.AND I could do my yoga and Z drills on the other days now too. Setting the stage.
Enter the idea of getting my gymnastics body back and things changed.Stretching out all the time became a priority.
Now, Enter Bikram Yoga to the list and things are really changing. Thank God that Tracy dragged my butt there. I never would have beleived I could do it.Even for one workout.But she did.I know what it did for her but never thought it could have even half the effect on me. But it seems to. Right training at the right time.There is a sequence and a symmetry to this all it seems. Full circle too.
I just finished my third Bikrams Class this week and my sixth workout for the week. I literally can't remember the last time I could train this much and not only survive, but thrive.
And today was the best class yet, too. Made the standing bow on the left leg for 45 seconds and only didn't make the full minute because I lost concentration. My leg would have held. Amazing.
Having to stand with so many close leg stances totally brings back gymnastics posititions and muscle memories.My adductors are getting so much stronger and that takes so much tension off the IT bands as well.Just think tucked double backs.
Same with arms so close together and totally behind the ears. I can't beleive how much my shoulders are opening up which is really working the posterior aspects of the shoulder in ways they haven't gotten in eons.
And, I'm not wiped.I actually have better energy now the more I train, which is what I remember when I search the old hard drive. But who would have ever thought this possible given my condition such a short time ago? Certainly not me.And I had hope, lol!

Swings tomorrow and back to kb basics as well. Start of another six day training week. How cool?The more I can move without pain, the more I like it.The human animal indeed.

datsit.

ps and I know what's next too. Handstands. Getting my arms overhead so tightly in bikrams has given me confidence that soon I will be able to train my handstand again. Now THAT will be fun. Without a doubt the handstand was my best and most consistent gymnastics skill I could do. I never fell out of a handstand in competition. Can't wait.