My Rage PR (Personal Record)
I use exercise to help manage my mental health. I become more relaxed, despite being in the middle of a hard workout. I’m extremely proud that I trained when I was raging mad. This is when training is non-toxic.
I’m mostly proud of this and kinda not proud.
I’m not proud of how angry I get. I am extremely proud of what I did with that anger in this case.
I was raging mad at a professional service I hired to care for our property. They made it worse and then told me to get someone else to fix it.
It was 9:35 pm and I was an emotional mess. Tense, angry, feeling betrayed, feeling like I should have done more, feeling helpless.
My anger response can be inappropriately large sometimes. It’s definitely genetic. Partly my past. Whatever it is, it’s something I deal with, and if not handled properly, it impacts my family in a really bad way.
I use exercise to help manage my mental health. And this is a good example.
So I hit the weights. Posting it (and commentary about good business practices) on my instagram as I went. Susan wasn’t around so I spoke into the void as part of this catharsis.
Notice my shorts are on inside out? I didn’t, until well after the workout.
Notice my belly roll over my shorts? Don’t care. I’m not perfectly fit and that’s ok.
I felt great. To put all that tension into heavy movement. To have my body respond. All my pilates and rehab helping me stay connected and safe. Forced deep breathing helping me calm down.
I became more relaxed, despite being in the middle of a hard workout.
The weights felt light.
Cautiously I added more.
Kept on making sure my core was locked in. Checking in with my shoulder labral tear. Seemed fine.
Up they went again and again. Until I PR’d my tripod row. Prev record 2015 80 lbs for 3-5 reps (not sure) and now was 80 lbs for about 10 reps.
The exact numbers are not important.
And I’m not particularly proud of the PR. It’s a meaningless footnote compared to how I am around my kids and wife.
I’m extremely proud that I trained when I was raging mad.
This is when training is non-toxic. Not about some arbitrary number, or how we look. OK fine those things are fun too and motivate us SOMETIMES. But I’m trying to be the best man I can be for my girls.
The thing about mental health is… the thing we should do… (like journal, train, sleep, walk away, etc.) is often the hardest thing to do.
It’s that first step on the correct path that is the hardest.
That’s what I’m proud of.
Training helped me let go and sleep, and thus, be a better man the next morning for my kid.
I had a rough few days but it would have been way worse without exercise.
I want you to have this kind of relationship with exercise. That it’s better for you, in a meaningful way. Joyful. Useful. Functional. Non-toxic.
Here are some quick workouts you can try:
“15 Up” A great chest/push workout.
Do 15 pushups
Rest 30 seconds
Do 14 pushups
Rest for 30 seconds
Do 13 pushups
Rest of 30 seconds
And you repeat this, doing 12, 11, 10, 9, etc. until you did the last one
Note: If the push ups become too difficult, just drop down to your knees or do them on a kitchen counter or in a stairwell (inclined is easier). If they are too easy, do clapping push ups or put your feet up on a bench.
Body Weight Leg Workout
Do 60 seconds of body weight lunges, alternating sides:
Then, 30 seconds of Jump Squats
Then a Wall Sit to failure
Rest 15 seconds, and repeat
After about 10 minutes, you’ll be a quivering mess! And feel amazing!
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Stay strong, stay curious, and don’t buy into the toxic noise.
— Kb