I'm starting to think water is important...my philosophy

So here's the deal on my philosophy about water. Because I'm a big philosopher on water.

I do an Ironman on close to 20 hours of training per week and feeling pretty good and properly recovered when I wake up to do train every day. I do the race and now I'm training about 6 hours per week and I'm waking up feeling like I got hit by a truck. My body is sore.

I know part of it is from the weight lifting. I've been going hard at it every 2 or 3 day and seeing great results. The rest is just a run, bike or swim each day. Normally I'm doing about 2 of each per week.

The good news about weight training and testosterone is I learned today from a reply I got from Mark Allen and part of it read

You can use strength training to stimulate T release. Without it as you get older it's almost impossible to maintain good T levels. It has to be pure strength work (1-2 sets of 12-15 at most with a very challenging weight done about twice a week on 8-12 overall body exercises)

That was an interesting read. I've been heavy into weight training these past couple months and I've seen incredible gains. More than I ever had as a young adult even.

With the soreness when I wake in the morning I did some reflecting and I think it's partly due to not drinking enough water. Since IMCZ I haven't drank near as much water as I did prior to the race in training and I intuitively know that is the issue. I need the water to flush and rejuvenate my muscles.

Today I was going to ride but decided not to. I wanted to give my muscles a break. I'm not in training. It's the off season. It's post Ironman Cozumel and normally you are to take a month of training off after an Ironman. Essentially one day for every mile of the marathon you run which would be 26 days.

I also have learned that recovery is the key to gains. As counter intuitive as that sounds properly embedding the right amount of recovery moves you forward not backward and when in doubt if you should train or not based on how you are feeling, don't train. Just the fact that you are sore enough to have to ask should be enough reason to take a break. ESPECIALLY in the off-season.

My day was filled with the regular stuff. Always some issue or issues to deal with. I don't mind it, in fact I somewhat enjoy it, it's challenging. Some people would get pretty stressed. I thrive on it. When things are going along to well or not growing fast enough I get bored. I need challenge.

I remember years ago a major problem would happen or a key employee might quit and it would work me up. Over time I've realized getting worked up don't help and this too will pass and someone has to be the calm in the eye of the storm. And that someone would be me. That's why I have the President's title on my door.

The one thing about fitness is it is a gut check if you have things under control in your life, business or personal. If you are unable to get to the gym because the STRESS you are under, you don't have things under control or don't have the perspective required to cope with the situation.

We've all been there.

What's cool is you can use it as a barometer. Then you can use it as a growing agent. It's very liberating when you don't want to train and bury your head in your sorrows and you train anyway. Number one is it builds personal strength and confidence and number two your problems don't seem as big after you finish doing something good for yourself with that endorphin high.

No Training - Rest Day