Short Film Showcase & Lifting

I wish I could pretend I was some sophisticated film lover who pairs their wine with the right foods. But I'm not. More often than anything I watch a film based on who is in it -- this is the reason why I watched a very depressing movie about Mark Ruffalo being a sex addict. It was like an anti-rom com. Anyway, I do LIKE movies. I just have really poor taste in films. This is why when Jazmyn has a film to watch for an Independent Study, or class, or fun I am always down. She has good taste.

Anyway, yesterday I was procrastinating going to the gym and I saw an event nearby on Facebook for a short film showcase. It was at the theater nearby that I've been meaning to check out so I decided to go-- plus, it was $5! The films were great! It was cool to recognize some of the actors from around town. Although I have to be honest, being the film noob that I am, I was especially excited for this vegan strawberry milkshake I got:

I also met a couple from Minnesota who actually knew that Western Mass exists! Tom was in one of the films (which I voted for as my favorite, of course.) Their son and daughter-in-law live in the PV and apparently their daughter-in-law works at Smith. Smallest world, seriously. 

*~ This next portion is about Lifting and you may have no interest in this. Sry. ~*

Before I went to the showcase I went to the gym. I love going to the gym. I go 5 days a week for an hour+. If I don't go I feel all aggro and tense. A few weeks ago I met a guy named John who also lifts and we talked ad nauseum about our routines and favorite lifts. He advised me not to deadlift on the same days that I squat to give my hams a break and be able to nail each move more. So I've taken deads off of one of my leg days and kept them on one but am doing a lighter weight. 

Yesterday was the day I did them on the same day and did a lighter weight for less reps with deads. I went crazy on my squats. I did 5 sets of 8 at 105! 5 lbs higher than last week! I realized that by the end of the summer I will be able to squat my boyfriend, if I continue to improve by 5lbs/week. Until I hit a plateau, that is. (Side note: If you want to know more about my lifting schedule feel free to shoot me a message or leave a comment!) So while I'm nailing these squats and feeling on top of the world, this little tiny thing comes in and starts super setting deadlifts and squats. ......don't do that. But furthermore, she's deadlifting the same as me (95, this was my lighter day.) She hasn't warmed up at all and she's doing at least sets of 8. Then she starts squatting and I see she has two 45lb plates on. I became so frustrated and bummed out. 

This girl probably weight 30lbs less than me, and is squatting 30 lbs heavier? Disgruntled, I finished my workout including reverse lunges, split squats, some ab work, and box jumps. A few minutes after I left the gym I realized a couple of things. 1. She was using the Smith machine. There's nothing wrong with the smith machine except that your natural form is totally compromised. If you're new to lifting it can be helpful to working up to the barbell, but really you can probably lift the barbell no problem. 2. Because of the assistance of the smith machine, the bar weighs nothing! she was lifting 90lbs!!

Even though it turned out that she wasn't lifting way heavier than me for being waay smaller than me, there's a clear message here not to compare yourself to others. This bummed me out for the rest of my workout and got to my head. It did motivate me a little bit to continue improving my lifts, but I felt like a bit of a jerk for a while afterwards. 

While I am seeing a lot of progress in what I can do and my muscle definition, my weight never moves and this is frustrating for me. However it's important to remember that a lot of the time people at the gym are trying to look as buff or cool as possible and either have a flawed regiment because of this (guys with chicken legs and huge upper bodies...) or are actually putting themselves in danger. It is so not worth looking at what other people at the gym are doing. You have no idea where they've come from, what their history is, or how long they've been working. 

Ok, now I've got to get dressed to go to the gym. Hopefully, this thinking will stick with me during my workout.

Until next time!

M

I think this post is a perfect example of why I have this blog. I am talking about a short film showcase and lifting weights in nearly the same breath. My interests seem so separate from one another but I find that I am happiest when I let myself embrace how different these things are.