I just finished a 6-week power lifting cycle at the gym. The awesome news is that I dropped a net of 6 pounds, increased my max bench press by 25 pounds and decreased my body fat percentage by 5%. What makes this so great is that based on the advice of a nutritionist, I altered my eating habits so that I’m pretty much eating all the time and I gained 5 pounds before my body became convinced that I was really going to keep eating and my metabolism kicked in. So if you count the 5 pounds I put on after starting, I actually lost 11 pounds, but I’m going to say I lost 6 pounds and my metabolism kicked back into gear. My max bench press had been the same since I was a senior in High School, so to have a 25-pound increase is great. The actual goal for the last 6 weeks was to decrease my body fat percentage by 3%, so I’m thrilled to have surpassed that goal.
Another thing that has come out of this training cycle is that my body responds well to heavy weight training. Apparently this isn’t the case with a lot of women who are looking to reshape their bodies. Many women can do a lot of cardiovascular work to burn off body fat. I, on the other hand, apparently need to ramp up my metabolism through strength training. I’ll admit, the day after a good workout, I really like being able to feel that my muscles have been taxed. It is a good feeling, it lets me know that I worked hard at something and that gives me personal satisfaction. It is also nice to know that if I have to, I can lift heavy objects on my own.
I’m considering adding to my list of minimal qualifications for a date. There are two similar, but different options I’m considering:
- You must weigh more than I can bench press.
- You must be able to lift more weight than I can.
Gotta love being independent. I love the idea of having people in my life because they make me a better person and I want them there. I can survive on my own. I can meet my own basic survival needs, so I don’t need people in my life for the sole reason of performing a task or paying a bill. I have some awesome people in my life and the best are ones that I know would give me anything they could if I needed it. I don’t plan on asking for anything too often, but these are the people I trust beyond all reason. These are the people that I’d do the same for without hesitation.