do it faster makes us stronger
"It doesn't get any easier, you just get faster" (Greg LeMond)
So what happens when it doesn't get any easier AND I don't get faster? Massive frustration is one. Along with a long search for different answers.
I started my current job 5 years ago this month, and started bike commuting (and running more) regularly about 6 months after that. That year, I made painful but positive physical progress, growing my leg muscles so that I outgrew all my pants in the quad, and getting better at the things I wanted to do.
The next 3 years felt like one big plateau. My commute was doable, but every day was still a big effort. Every hills ride pushed me to my absolute limit, behind everybody else. All my friends outpaced me. When I griped about it, the things people said boiled down to "just keep working at it and you'll get better!" and I hated that because I WAS working and I was NOT getting better. It wasn't just cycling, either. I had days I could run and days that I just slogged. Sometimes I could do a couple pullups and sometimes none at all. I tried working harder, more often, less often, eating more, eating less, and nothing much changed.
About 6 months ago something poked my brain with the idea that "can't put on muscle" is often a symptom of "not enough protein." I've always thought I've had a reasonably good and varied diet, but I HATE counting numbers so I never have. I decided to try a change that I could continue, which basically consisted of giving in to my love for eggs, snacking on nuts, and eating as much meat as I wanted instead of feeling guilty and stopping after a "serving" (i.e., 3oz). Then, since I don't actually need additional calories, finding other high calorie areas to cut back a little, which usually ends up being carbs and high-fat processed foods. My fruit/veg intake stays the same, which is "I seek them out fairly regularly" and my dairy is erratic but not heavy (some cheese, not much milk).
(Wait - lots of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and veggies? Minimal pasta, potatoes, sugary snacks, and dairy? Oh crap, I've accidentally gone paleo! Haha, not really. I still eat whatever I want, just in slightly different proportions.)
But back to the biking. Holy shit is there a difference. The changes weren't exactly like a light switch but it was really obvious within a month or two that I found the bugfix for this particular problem for me. 6 months later, my average commute speed is much faster. I started being able to do real hills without feeling like my legs would fall off, and faster than I ever could before. I hit more PRs in my running. I went from being able to do 3 pullups at a time (on a good day) to doing 8 at a time (and repeat it). But the biggest change is not even in what I can do but what it feels like to do it. It's the difference between "this thing is so hard; I cannot push harder yet I feel like I get very low output for high effort, and I can't sustain it beyond a few more seconds" and "this thing is hard; I'm pushing really hard but the output feels appropriate to effort, and I can sustain it and even have energy for a little more." It makes working out -fun- again.
Although I kinda hope I don't change shape too much again. I just finished stocking up my wardrobe with a nice selection of pants.
So what happens when it doesn't get any easier AND I don't get faster? Massive frustration is one. Along with a long search for different answers.
I started my current job 5 years ago this month, and started bike commuting (and running more) regularly about 6 months after that. That year, I made painful but positive physical progress, growing my leg muscles so that I outgrew all my pants in the quad, and getting better at the things I wanted to do.
The next 3 years felt like one big plateau. My commute was doable, but every day was still a big effort. Every hills ride pushed me to my absolute limit, behind everybody else. All my friends outpaced me. When I griped about it, the things people said boiled down to "just keep working at it and you'll get better!" and I hated that because I WAS working and I was NOT getting better. It wasn't just cycling, either. I had days I could run and days that I just slogged. Sometimes I could do a couple pullups and sometimes none at all. I tried working harder, more often, less often, eating more, eating less, and nothing much changed.
About 6 months ago something poked my brain with the idea that "can't put on muscle" is often a symptom of "not enough protein." I've always thought I've had a reasonably good and varied diet, but I HATE counting numbers so I never have. I decided to try a change that I could continue, which basically consisted of giving in to my love for eggs, snacking on nuts, and eating as much meat as I wanted instead of feeling guilty and stopping after a "serving" (i.e., 3oz). Then, since I don't actually need additional calories, finding other high calorie areas to cut back a little, which usually ends up being carbs and high-fat processed foods. My fruit/veg intake stays the same, which is "I seek them out fairly regularly" and my dairy is erratic but not heavy (some cheese, not much milk).
(Wait - lots of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and veggies? Minimal pasta, potatoes, sugary snacks, and dairy? Oh crap, I've accidentally gone paleo! Haha, not really. I still eat whatever I want, just in slightly different proportions.)
But back to the biking. Holy shit is there a difference. The changes weren't exactly like a light switch but it was really obvious within a month or two that I found the bugfix for this particular problem for me. 6 months later, my average commute speed is much faster. I started being able to do real hills without feeling like my legs would fall off, and faster than I ever could before. I hit more PRs in my running. I went from being able to do 3 pullups at a time (on a good day) to doing 8 at a time (and repeat it). But the biggest change is not even in what I can do but what it feels like to do it. It's the difference between "this thing is so hard; I cannot push harder yet I feel like I get very low output for high effort, and I can't sustain it beyond a few more seconds" and "this thing is hard; I'm pushing really hard but the output feels appropriate to effort, and I can sustain it and even have energy for a little more." It makes working out -fun- again.
Although I kinda hope I don't change shape too much again. I just finished stocking up my wardrobe with a nice selection of pants.