This post will be a quick training note that’s been flying around in my head since I’ve toyed with the notion of training to throw the discus again. I don’t think I’ll be able to touch on all aspects of my training but maybe offer a little blurb...

I’ve come to the realization that my physical prime is likely behind me. As in, the time when my body had an amazing ability to gain whatever the hell it was that I wanted to gain and at the same time have rapid recovery. Back in college we were doing crazy shit. Not only lifting heavy but then also repping the hell out of it just because the hell of it. We wanted to work “hard”. We had plenty of ambition, energy, fire...what the hell ever. We always “dug deep”. Though our intentions were great, looking back it was kind of a pile of shit....at least in terms of our sport, which was power centric and way less about raw strength or stamina. 

So at the age of 33, I’ve got some ideas floating I’m pretty optimistic about. One of them being my mindset in the gym (training away from the discus). Who knows if I’ll be right. I think it’s healthy for athletes to always have a mindset of speculation as opposed to thinking in absolutes. We gotta be fluid and stay open to growth. So anyways...

-don’t rush the warm up. If you don’t feel warmed up before hitting it, then you’re probably right. Some days take longer than others. It’s the life at age 33.

-keep the mindset of acceleration and applying force to an implement. No stiff lifts. Always look for speed and performance. 

-you wanna lift heavy....but only if you can be productive. We lift heavy to improve performance, not just for the sake of lifting a certain number.

-have a focus and purpose for every set. Why am I doing this? How should I do this? 

-Personal records are not as important as productivity. 

-no matter the lift or the exercise, always have in mind “why am I here? How does the help me? How can I maximize productivity?”. Productivity is not always a personal record....it doesn’t have to be. The discus is only 2.2 KG,. 

-your training efforts exist to benefit athleticism outside of the gym. Don’t think of the weights as the destination...more so just merely a facilitator. So use the equipment or the venue...don’t let it be your end. 

Later.

James.