General strength and grip training

[Aleksandar Milosevic]

Today's training (30.11.2019.):

Boxing: not timed, but about 20 minutes total, with a single rest

Hub: 27.5 kg right easy, same weight for key pinch

I'm not motivated to train, so I'm not going to log any sessions from now and I'm stopping conventional weight training.

I feel like I'm wasting my time doing something that's goes away as soon as you're forced to stop doing it. Spiritual, mental and skill gains are forever, so that's where my focus is.

I'd rather swim, climb, play table tennis, do yoga etc. than just lift weights for itself. It's a big change, since I always thought I'd never have an idea about stopping my weight training.

Things change.

[Aleksandar Milosevic]

On 12/1/2019 at 9:53 PM, Hopefully said:

I like the way you reason. I agree with it and I think it makes perfect sense. I hope it makes you satisfied.

I'll do the same eventually. Or, I have already done it before. I guess fear of becoming weak and a mild obsession took me back. Also I have lifted for so long that I feel like it's a part of my self, I identify myself with it. Not a good sign. 

I'm not really dissatisfied, but I just see it now as Sisyphean task, I constantly train in order to be strong, and then when I'm unable to do it for some time, because of an injury or moving, you lose so much.

I remember a few years back, when I was 21, I went to the US for a student exchange program, I was at 95 kg bodyweight, could bench press 100 kg x 20, squat 220 kg, deadlift 215 kg. It was my first time away from home, all alone and I was also scammed, and the person I worked for was a fraud. So for two weeks I was working 14-17 hours per day on a single or two meals, extremely stressed, and yeah, just to add, he scammed me for about 1000$ too. The result was - 17 kg lost in two and a half weeks. I went to the gym on the 3rd week and bench pressed 100 kg for 2 extremely hard reps and I could barely squat 140 kg. That was the first spark in my head that it's an illusion and felt that I've wasted hours and hours. I have never gotten back to those strength levels.

I've enjoyed lifting weights for 11 years non stop now, since I was 15 years old, but I think it's time to put it on a backburner. I'm still doing the basics - ab wheel, squats, push ups, pull ups, handstand push ups, but I'm doing a lot more yoga, breathing exercises, I'm playing table tennis, I want to start climbing once or twice per week. 

It's impossible to be weak after 10 years of training, even at your worst state you're still plenty strong for normal standards.

You hit the nail in the head about the identification part, I want to get away from that too, since it was the main thing in my life for such a long time. Everything was about training, I even went to college and have a master's degree in top end sports training, but I'm kind of sick about everything revolving around that. I will still train, only doing some bodyweight exercises and yoga. And also, my biggest interests, which are philosophy and esoteric/spiritual literature are taking a lot more of my thoughts and time.

Thank you for your comment.