It’s been a little while since my last workout. Last time I posted I was down to 235, well I’ve managed to eat my way back to 240. Merry Christmas.
I play some Racquetball Christmas Eve and today. I've been trying to run more and I think it's paying off some. Today I beat Marvelous M 15-13. It wasn't one of his better efforts, but I closed the deal. On Monday I played with Marvelous M, Super D, Mr. S and Mr. R. It was fun, but I was playing like crap. Afterward, we went to Ricky's Embers for some Christmas breakfast. We all had a good laugh at Marvelous' expense as the waitress dumped 3 of the breakfasts on Marvelous.
Well I haven't been real good over Christmas. I worked out Friday and did cardio today, so that was 4 days off. Didn't gain any weight after celebrating 4 days of Christmas, so I didn't fall that far behind. Stepped up the Elliptical Program to Strength today for 30 minutes. 6/10 was too hard after 2 minutes, 5/10 after 8 minutes still had me pumping too fast, so after 8 minutes, I finished the workout off at level 4. I was really kicking my knees up high. It was almost like a stair climber motion. Burned 500 calories in 27 minutes. Brought some treats into the office today to get them out of the house. After January 1, Amy and I are throwing away any leftover Christmas treats.
Good husband and housewife, now chiefly be glad,
Things handsome to have, as they ought to be had.
They both do provide, against Christmas do come,
To welcome their neighbors, good cheer to have some.
Good bread and good drink, a good fire in the hall,
Brawn, pudding, and souse, and good mustard withal.
Beef, mutton, and pork, and good pies of the best,
Pig, veal, goose, and capon, and turkey well drest,
Cheese, apples and nuts, and good carols to hear,
As then in the country is counted good cheer.
What cost to good husband, is any of this?
Good household provision only it is:
Of other the like, I do leave out a many,
That costeth the husband never a penny.
Christmas Cheer a Christmas poem by Thomas Tusser
Two days of overeating and a few beers, and I’ve been wondering if I’ve been getting too comfortable/complacent, so I stepped it up a notch on my swings. I wasn’t really sure which step to take next: more reps per minute with shorter rest periods, more sets, or more weight.
Yesterday was OK. I spent more time looking after KT than eating. I was a little (OK a lot) miffed that we had to go to the Holidazzel parade. I had to carry KT, all 50 lbs of her, for fifteen minutes at a good pace, on the ice, uphill (not uphill both ways, but it felt like it) and then hold her up to see for about 10 minutes of the parade until a saint let us get down in front. I am a little stiff in the back and shoulders. KT had a blast so it was worth it in the end. Still...
(Also known as the Evil Bachelor) I was huffin’ and puffin’ and I’m going to blow that weight down –
Weight: 237!!
Played some racquetball this morning. Although it didn't start out well. Little warmup... I played cut-throat with Big D and Mr. D. I only got 4 points. Big D owned us!
It sure feels good to feel healthy again. Last week I came down with some bug and had the chills and body aches for 2 straight days. Missed 3 workouts last week. That and not really having a workout plan really had me feeling like I was losing grouond.
Literally. I compared some of my baseline measurements (I know, I couldn't wait) and only two really changed. My neck was .5" larger and my Azz was an inch smaller.
I got home cold, tired and hungry. Needless to say I was not motivated. I almost talked myself out of the workout…then I stepped on the scale. After Wednesday’s binging I was pushing 241; very disappointing after finally crossing the 240 threshold. (Even after my ab workout this morning). Well somehow I saw 238 and said to myself, “self, that’s what it’s all about.” So I went downstairs and hit it.
Ok, This is how you post a You Tube video.
1. go to the You Tube video you want to post
2. on the right side of the video window, copy the code that says Embed (grey window)
3. past in the Edit Html part tab of your post.
4. Publish Post
5. It's that easy, Scoundrel!
Dean Martin? Swinging with Svetlana is like dancing. Actually, I'm not super motivated, but I’m liking the results.
Weight: 238
Workout:
HOW TO STOP BEING A CHRONIC UNDER-ACHIEVER AND
REALIZE YOUR FULL PHYSICAL POTENTIAL
Proven, “best practice” methods to take your genetic destiny by the throat and force-feed greatness upon it
I haven't found a good leg routine that will fill 3 days of weight training and I don't have the time to make a routine right now, so I am going to try the "Triple Threat" for the next 6 weeks. That will carry me through the holidays. I might have to sub the medicine ball exercises though as I don't think Snap has one, or would want me throwing it against the wallboard on steel studs :D
Since I completed my 6-week program, I wanted to find my new 1RM in Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift. I was fairly surprised...
Scoundrel passed this article along...
From The Roads We Choose, Chapter 6, Vozmi v Sputniki Silu, Moscow, 1990 (translated by Dr M Yessis, Fitness & Sports Review Intern Oct 1992)
Athletes and bodybuilders are always asking what is the best program to develop strength or muscle mass, or a combination of both? Even magazine articles and books relate to the program that a particular athlete or bodybuilder uses.
Same routine as last time with a few more crunches.
Workout:
Kettlebell Swings at 16Kg for 10 minutes. 15 reps per set, alternating arms on the top of the minute - 75/75. BPM up to 170 with the swings, but they seem to be a little less formidable.
Riding the rollers for 40 minutes. When I stopped and filled the tires it was like I was in a whole new gear.
Abs - Evil wheel on my knees 1 x 12, crunches 2 x 20.
Finished up my program this morning. Haven't been on the blog all week with all the meetings at work. I kept my portions normal and didn't indulge in the many many sweets this week. Had a few sugar pops though when I couldn't find a Diet Dew.
Testing changes to the blog format. Scoundrel was whining again... Didn't like the spaces between post title, post and picture. I was trying get a little more space. Things seemed cramped. I have done some tweeking. Let's see if it made any difference or appeases Scoundrel.
It seems that when you add a picture, a space is inserted at the top. Not sure why. The easy thing to do is delete the top line space. Not sure if that is technically too challenging for Scoundrel though.
The “Thundering Legion” got its name from a battle in 172 AD, in Slovakia, when they were besieged, trapped in the mountains without water during a dry spell. They were dying of thirst. The leader, who was a non-Christian, sacrificed to the roman gods, but nothing happened. In turn, the Christian soldiers of Legion XII asked him if they could pray for their safety and water. Soon, a huge thunderstorm came, which allowed the legion to collect water. Lightning mixed with hailstones routed their attackers, resulting in an easy victory for the Romans. In consequence to this miracle, the Legion was called “Thundering” (i.e. Legio XII Fulminata).
Another component of my ‘program’ that I have yet to elaborate on is the diet portion. I’m still in the early chapters of New Atkin’s Diet Book. It’s very informative. I get that insulin is something to be concerned about. I’ve been eating more vegetables than before. My typical day....
I actually had to go down one notch on my belt today. My waist is either shrinking, or more likely I've stretched the leather on my belt to the point that I need to go down one to stay even. I'm not ready to compare to my base lines. I figure I'd do that monthly or even quarterly, starting 1/1/08.
Even though I'm out of town, I went to the little gerbil room and biked for 35 minutes and a 5 min cool-down (people were waiting). Lifefitness 95re. Fat Burn, 120BPM, 75RPM, 306 Cal, 14 Mi. A real good sweat. Funny, my knees don't hurt while I'm biking or shortly after but after I come down from the workout they are sore and feel 'loose'.
I'm going to have to change what I'm doing. I have constant pain in my knees and I did something to my lower back. My knees are sore all the time. Sitting still, getting up, going up stairs. My back I think I injured doing the squats on the Smith machine. I could have been from the Torso Twister too. Anyway, the exercises I was doing last year to strengthen my knees are not helping this year. So I'm going change direction. I'm going to do more biking, if I do weights, they will be lighter, especially for my legs. I will have to concentrate more on small exercises and stretching.
280lbs. I did my normal routine (mostly). Man 200lbs is heavy! My goal today was to work on form, not just completing my sets. For squats, that means going almost parallel (remember knees!) and keeping the 2/4 cadence with a pause at the bottom and trying not to lockout at the top. Boy this really kicks my butt! I am huffing and puffing when I'm done. For exercises like leg curls, chest fly and lat pulldown. It means squeezing a holding for a 1 count. I skipped the leg extentions - knee pain. I will have to look at this machine and see if my knee alignment is off.
70lbs on the inclined press 12-7-5!
I’ve been taking grief from Swami for not “easing” into the whole workout routine thing. The reality is I have not jumped into anything. I’ve been doing Kettlebell Swings and riding my bike on the rollers. Two things. Granted, I’ve done DARC, doubles and singles, but those are just variations on a theme. No squats. No snatches. No windmills. No clean and jerks. No get-ups. The reason for this is that I am ‘taking it easy’ (sounds like a song). I’m also trying to focus on technique. Thirdly, I don’t want to burn out by doing too much all at once. Burn out meaning not only overtraining, but sick of the KB’s.
280lbs, must be all the muscle I gained on Saturday. ;)
I am moving like a snail. Must be the near zero temperatures.
3 games of cut-throat.
#1 with Mr. S and Mr. K. I was ahead 6-2-2, then lost 6-13-15.
#2 with Mr. R and Mr. T. At least I got to 13 points before losing.
#3 with Mr. S and Mr. R. 8-13-15. Still moving like a snail. I hit a few crushing backhand rollouts though.
Its the start of Week 6. I was a little nervous about my workout today after having wrestled with my niece and nephew last night for about 30 minutes. My back was sore this morning. My 1RM Bench Press before I started this program was 210 lbs. Today my 6th set was 230 lbs for 8 reps. Feels good. I plan to find my new 1RM on Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift (Romanian) next Monday. This week is MAPP Committee meeting week, so I will be consuming many extra calories, the workouts will be very important this week, especially the cardio Tu and Fr.
I'm working on a post about yesterday's workout. But here is a qick note. I am stiff and sore. Triceps, Glutes, Hammy's, Knees and most disturbing - lower back. I just was doing my normal lift routine, even skipped a few exercises! But I added 25lbs to the squat (200) and added an inclined press. I won't disclose the weight now. You will just have to wait. Going to bed very sore and stiff. I'm going to need a lot of warm-up for racquetball tomorrow! (note: not as bad as Jan '91, but it's in the ballpark)
Opie done growd up.
Swami has been giving me a tough time about over doing it. OK, I’ve been a slacker. But now I’ve seen the light. Halleluiah Amen. Actually I’m just motivated and looking forward to figuring out where this is going and how Svetlana fits into the picture. Swami and I probably have the same type of history: working out in the weight room to get ready for high school football. Most of what we know came from education and math majors who were frustrated athletes themselves.
But this is 2007! Things have changed while I wasn’t looking.
In process... Trying to reconfigure and laying with some stuff. I wanted to see what the picture would look like. I would like to go to a 3 column blog but I'm afraid. I have to use an 'outside' template. Anyway. I can edit and play with the picture. Of course, Scoundrel and Galan are free to lend their hand too. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. If you run across any blogs that you like the format, color scheme, widgets, etc. Just let me know.
Swami
…cause my lungs were on fire.
I stepped back a little Swami. But I didn’t have much energy to start with.
One armed swings with 16kg. Fifteen swings starting on the top of the minute, alternating arms; first left then right. 10 minutes. 150 swings total. After the third set my pulse was at 160 bpm. I had about 30 second to rest after each set. I’m really struggling with the left arm.
Then 40 minutes on the rollers. Did a couple one minute sprints at the end. Really felt it in the quadriceps.
Played this morning. 1st game - cut-throat with the Marvelous Mr. M and Mr. K. I was at 2 points and the got 4 mercy points near the end. 2nd cut-throat was Mr. K and Mr S. I might have gotten to 5 or 6 points. But!! Marvelous Mr. M and I play a singles game. I won 15-14. It was a 20 minute affair. Mr. M's game was off a bit. 279lbs after a double cheeseburger, coffee-chocolate malt, fries and onion rings at Annie's Parlor last night.
Big Boys: End of Week 5
Romanian Deadlift with too much back...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eZA_QDy9cY
187.8 lbs
Finished Week 5 of 6 today. I'm not quite ready to be done with the program. I like it and I'm happy with my results. I haven't found a replacement program yet, but I know I want to include more legs so I am in skiing shape for a February trip to Colorado. I'm tempted to go in Saturday morning and find my new 1RM on Bench, Squat, and Dead Lift. I realized this week I'm not doing the regular deadlift, I'm doing the Romanian Deadlift with my hands inside my legs and a wide stance. So that's what I'll continue through week 6 anyway. My posts are bland, I'll have to think about spicing them up.
Biked on a Life Fitness 9500HR. Fat Burner mode, THR 120BPM, 75RPM, 40 minutes w/5min cool down. I reached 120BPM at the 8 minute mark. the sweat started at 10 minutes. Felt good. I need to work on my stretching though.
..or rather Dragging MY tail.
Didn’t eat a whole lot today. Bad choice. Svetlana let me know about it. Nag, nag, nag.
I thought I’d kick it up a notch. Mistake.
One Arm Swings 16Kg. 20R, 20L, 20 seconds,20R, 20L, 20 seconds, 20R, 10L, 80 seconds of sucking wind, 20L, 20R, 90 seconds, 20 doubles, 90 seconds, 20 doubles.
Wednesday morning is a big day for racquetball. Everyone shows up. Big D, Little D, Mr D, Mr R, Mr A, Mr. R2 and the rest of the regulars. My first game was cut-throat with the Marvelous Magnificent Mr. M and Mr. K. Let's just say I got 3 points. Mr. K is like the guy you expect to meet when you climb that mountain to ask that eternal question.
There is a lot of talk about "Target Heat Rate" when it comes to exercise. The general consensus is that for your workout to be effective you need to be at your THR for at least 20 minutes. To complicate matters, there are 3 target levels depending on what you are trying to achieve.
Fat Burn 60% of your maximum heart rate (age adjusted), Aerobic 70%-80%, Anaerobic 80%-90%.
