Accepting injury. Sticking to the plan.

It's important I log mental paradigm shifts. I've written about doing what you can in the midst of injury multiple times. What I have not talked about is becoming numb to setbacks.

The gift of injury

Last week my knees were feeling great for the first time in a long time. I decided to take a light sandbag (50lbs) and take it for a walk. By that evening both of my knees were on fire. It didn't hurt necessarily, but everything was screaming DONT DO THAT STUPID. I lay in bed with my wife and vocalized my frustration. Phrases like 'I didn't deserve this' and 'I set myself back weeks' poured out of my brain. As always she was empathetic to my frustration. We passed out and that was that.

Days later, my knees still feel like shit. I've done nothing physically with my lower body other than go on long walks. I'm objectively in worse shape than when I first complained a week ago, but my mental state is MILES ahead. 

This is the gift I received from a set-back:

• Realizing I'd been shirking the mobility courses I purchased. My body will not heal unless I give it a reason to heal.
• Remembering my catastrophic neck injury in 2021. What used to be the inability to feel or pull with my left arm is now barely a numb buzz. Through persistence and strength training, I will recover.
• Refocus my goal on brutalizing my upper body. There is a mountain of progress I can make that is unrelated to my knees.  

2024 Goals: Ring Muscle Up, Shoulder a 150lb Sandbag, Snatch a 24kg KB for 20

First day back at work for 2024. Fresh in my brain are the physical goals I have for 2024. 

GOALS:

• One(1) Ring Muscle Up.
• Shoulder a 150lb Sandbag.
• Snatch a 24kg KB for 20.

Given my current strength levels and progress in my program, these are extremely achievable. I'm actively working towards a ring muscle up daily, and I'm laying the bricks that will allow my body to safetly murder the other two(2).

The why behind each goal is easy. I've always thought I was too heavy for muscle ups. The change was a mindset shift on bodyweight training. A heavier starting point means each rep has more muscle building potential. If I build my upper body back up while simultaneously practicing the skills tied to muscle ups, this 

Shouldering a 150lb bag is likely doable now, but not without aggravating my knee. I want to be able to throw this bag around pain free. Then do it again and again and again.

Snatching a 24kg KB is weirdly the biggest reach goal. A full KB snatch scares me even with 16kg, and 24kg is generally considered the minimum 'working weight' most men should be using before you can see much in the way of results from KBs. This is entirely arbitrary of course, but I want to throw around a weight that scares me a little now.