Time: 9am
Garage Workout
Challenge workout for myself...
I. General Warm Ups
II. Circuits x 5 rounds
- 20 s work/10s rest
- getting as much reps in within a 20 sec window with good form
Jump Rope
10 sec rest
12 lb Med Ball Slams
10 sec rest
Power Station ½ way Push ups fast tempo (neutral grip hold)
10 sec rest
Eccentric Wide Grip Pull Ups (Only Slow Tempo exercise here in the circuit but hard)
10 sec rest (Gloves on)
Fast Continuous, Heavy Bag Punching at one specific target of bag, legs moving moving simultaneously with the punching (“crab walk” -like fashion)
10 sec rest (Gloves off)
Close grip Pushups with Spiderman Climbs
10 sec rest
Power station BW dips (½ way at the negative)
10 sec rest
Hanging Leg Raises
30 sec rest (Repeat 4 more times)
Circuit Finisher:
Advanced Burpees (Burpees with Push up, jump to full wide grip pull up) = 15 reps
III. Core Specific Training
A. 200 rep Med Ball Challenge (1 circuit)
Big circles
Wood Choppers
Standing Torso Twist
Squat to OH press
Lying Med Ball crunch
Rocky Solos
Toe Touches
45 degree torso twists
Suitcase Crunches
Diagonal Crunches
B. Med Ball Throws (done in the backyard)
Overhead throw to approximately 10 feet away, run, pick up and overhead throw back to starting point. Each overhead throw is one rep = 20 reps
III. ½ mile Hard Run (Treadmill)
- 4'30" (I just flat out suck.)
IV. Shoulder Strengthening
- Using 10 lb KB
a. Close Body External Rotations
b. 90 degree rotations (Elbows up and away, pulling upwards)
c. Cross body to overhead pull to working arm
V. Foam Rolls and static stretching
-- Enjoy the weekend!
Andy
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
I Won A Flip Camera!
Didn't even realize I won a free Flip Camera courtesy of FitandBusyDad Fitness Expert Chris Lopez at his great blog at www.fitandbusydad.blogspot.com. There was a essay contest on "What are you going to do in 09 to be a better Dad?". I was so quick with my essay it really didn't take much thinking as this was one of my own goals I made on a retrospective essay I did for my own self right before the New Year (I thank a friend for the suggestion to do this for my own good re: a retrospective essay on myself for 2008).
Now what I'm going to tell you is so funny...had Alex not mentioned anything about it to me early this afternoon - I would have just stumbled on it here on my own blog and found out myself - but thanks for the heads up, Alex! =)
Chris Lopez has one helluva program...I did 3 full weeks of one of his early fitandbusydad programs courtesy of Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Membership - and it's no joke and incredibly effective. And it's very time efficient for busy Dad's like me and many others! I've posted my thoughts on his workouts sometime late last year here in my blog - and his program is definitely a winner in my book.
He has an 84 day transformation contest at his site as well. For those interested in joining - I suggest you check it out - NOW!
Here's the link to his site again, for more information on it:
www.fitandbusydad.blogspot.com
Let's all be fit and be better Dads in 2009 and beyond!!!
Andy
Thursday, January 29, 2009
"Share your Inspirations with the World"
This is a captivating, inspiring video! "Share your inspirations with the world and keep your fears to yourself. This is my vision.".....Awesome.
I WONDER HOW HIS KNEES MUST FEEL! hahaha!!!
I WONDER HOW HIS KNEES MUST FEEL! hahaha!!!
Was checking out a great website called pickthebrain.com...(www.pickthebrain.com)...ever since I've started blogging, I've had that great pleasure of reading the thoughts of many others like myself who enjoy blogging and those who simply enjoy reading them. And it's been through this new discovery of blogging that I've met some pretty interesting people. Meeting different people from all the over the world and learning perspectives on life, fitness and health is awesome. And it's all within your fingertips!
Here's a great one I found...it's about "What do you REALLY want?". It was a post by a blogger at that site (John Wesley) back Dec 7, 2007.
I find this a question I ask myself with alot of my own reflections of life and those of others who may be in the same boat as I may be in. It might not be in fitness..it might be anything under the sun...but that's a pretty good question to ask ourselves every now and then.
What do you really want? In fitness: what do you really want to accomplish...a sexy body, better health, a better you? What's your real motivation? What's your drive? What makes you keep going?
This great article has alot to do with setting specific goals for oneself and being persistent enough to stay with it. Let's face it: the closer you are to your fitness goals the harder it becomes. I'm realizing that and that's so true! But you have to set some sensible, attainable goals to get there. I agree with him: you have to set some goals and follow a clearly defined path #1...
Here's the article! It's a great read.
******
"The statement, “You can do anything you put your mind to,” leads us to believe that all you must do is imagine what you’d like to accomplish, set your mind to the task, and wait for success.
To a certain degree this is true. Focused intention combined with action is a powerful force. But the statement is misleading because it fails to mention the difficulty and necessity of focusing your mind on a specific goal.
Most of us don’t know what we want. We think we do, but we really don’t. We only know what we don’t want. We don’t want a boring job. We don’t want to be poor. We don’t want to disappoint our loved ones.
Knowing specifically what you want is much different than knowing what you don’t want. When you only know what you don’t want, your intentions aren’t focused. Consider this example.
Pete doesn’t want to be poor. He’s sick of earning less than his friends, and he’s determined to raise his status. To accomplish this goal, Pete could take many different paths. He could train for a high paying profession, such as doctor or lawyer. He could start his own company, go into real estate, or do many other things that would lead to acquiring wealth.
But Pete isn’t sure what he wants to do. He doesn’t know which path best fits his skills and personality, so he doesn’t resolve to follow any particular path.
Hoping to answer this question, he investigates a dozen possibilities, but as soon as he runs into adversity he decides that path isn’t for him and moves on to a new solution.
Pete’s actions aren’t focused. Although he works very hard, his efforts don’t build on each other. Rather than building one giant impenetrable sand castle, Pete has built twenty smalls ones that are easily toppled. He ends up confused and discouraged. Ultimately Pete’s lack of focus leads to failure.
Now, what if Pete had chosen a specific path? Suppose he decided on the law profession. His actions would have been clearly defined:
Get a high score on the LSAT
Attain letters of recommendation
Get accepted to a good law school
Decide on a field of law
Earn a law degree
Find a high paying job with a good law firm
A set of specific goals is much easier to achieve than a vague end goal like becoming wealthy. Being focused on a path gives Pete a logical set of actions to follow. Each accomplishment is one step closer to the final goal.
I think we can all agree that committing to a clearly defined path, regardless of which one, gives Pete the best chance of becoming wealthy.
But how can he choose a path if he doesn’t know what he wants? Maybe money isn’t his only goal. Maybe he wants to do something he loves at the same time. Maybe he can’t afford to go back to school. Reality is complicated, and Pete doesn’t want to commit too soon.
And that’s why he fails.
But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Most people don’t fit neatly into a predefined path. Forcing yourself into one may lead to success, but it probably won’t make you happy.
This is the point. If you want to be conventionally successful, to attain wealth and status, you need to choose a specific path (preferably something mainstream) and follow it to the letter.
On the other hand, if you aren’t particularly concerned with wealth or success, you can take your time searching for that perfect niche. ---> (Sounds like me! Hahahaha!!)
Just don’t wait too long to decide. Each moment you deliberate, your already committed competitors sprint further ahead.
But, then again, maybe life isn’t a race, and maybe the most interesting people follow a path all their own."
Here's a great one I found...it's about "What do you REALLY want?". It was a post by a blogger at that site (John Wesley) back Dec 7, 2007.
I find this a question I ask myself with alot of my own reflections of life and those of others who may be in the same boat as I may be in. It might not be in fitness..it might be anything under the sun...but that's a pretty good question to ask ourselves every now and then.
What do you really want? In fitness: what do you really want to accomplish...a sexy body, better health, a better you? What's your real motivation? What's your drive? What makes you keep going?
This great article has alot to do with setting specific goals for oneself and being persistent enough to stay with it. Let's face it: the closer you are to your fitness goals the harder it becomes. I'm realizing that and that's so true! But you have to set some sensible, attainable goals to get there. I agree with him: you have to set some goals and follow a clearly defined path #1...
Here's the article! It's a great read.
******
"The statement, “You can do anything you put your mind to,” leads us to believe that all you must do is imagine what you’d like to accomplish, set your mind to the task, and wait for success.
To a certain degree this is true. Focused intention combined with action is a powerful force. But the statement is misleading because it fails to mention the difficulty and necessity of focusing your mind on a specific goal.
Most of us don’t know what we want. We think we do, but we really don’t. We only know what we don’t want. We don’t want a boring job. We don’t want to be poor. We don’t want to disappoint our loved ones.
Knowing specifically what you want is much different than knowing what you don’t want. When you only know what you don’t want, your intentions aren’t focused. Consider this example.
Pete doesn’t want to be poor. He’s sick of earning less than his friends, and he’s determined to raise his status. To accomplish this goal, Pete could take many different paths. He could train for a high paying profession, such as doctor or lawyer. He could start his own company, go into real estate, or do many other things that would lead to acquiring wealth.
But Pete isn’t sure what he wants to do. He doesn’t know which path best fits his skills and personality, so he doesn’t resolve to follow any particular path.
Hoping to answer this question, he investigates a dozen possibilities, but as soon as he runs into adversity he decides that path isn’t for him and moves on to a new solution.
Pete’s actions aren’t focused. Although he works very hard, his efforts don’t build on each other. Rather than building one giant impenetrable sand castle, Pete has built twenty smalls ones that are easily toppled. He ends up confused and discouraged. Ultimately Pete’s lack of focus leads to failure.
Now, what if Pete had chosen a specific path? Suppose he decided on the law profession. His actions would have been clearly defined:
Get a high score on the LSAT
Attain letters of recommendation
Get accepted to a good law school
Decide on a field of law
Earn a law degree
Find a high paying job with a good law firm
A set of specific goals is much easier to achieve than a vague end goal like becoming wealthy. Being focused on a path gives Pete a logical set of actions to follow. Each accomplishment is one step closer to the final goal.
I think we can all agree that committing to a clearly defined path, regardless of which one, gives Pete the best chance of becoming wealthy.
But how can he choose a path if he doesn’t know what he wants? Maybe money isn’t his only goal. Maybe he wants to do something he loves at the same time. Maybe he can’t afford to go back to school. Reality is complicated, and Pete doesn’t want to commit too soon.
And that’s why he fails.
But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Most people don’t fit neatly into a predefined path. Forcing yourself into one may lead to success, but it probably won’t make you happy.
This is the point. If you want to be conventionally successful, to attain wealth and status, you need to choose a specific path (preferably something mainstream) and follow it to the letter.
On the other hand, if you aren’t particularly concerned with wealth or success, you can take your time searching for that perfect niche. ---> (Sounds like me! Hahahaha!!)
Just don’t wait too long to decide. Each moment you deliberate, your already committed competitors sprint further ahead.
But, then again, maybe life isn’t a race, and maybe the most interesting people follow a path all their own."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
"Patience, Grasshopper..."
"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." ~ Phaedrus
"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." ~ Brian Adams
Nuff Said!
"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." ~ Brian Adams
Nuff Said!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Hardcore TT'ing Once Again...
Hardcore TT'ing once again...not that the last program I was on wasn't...I think my body really benefitted from that routine in many ways than I can imagine. I will always love circuit training...but I'm really enjoying this new program very much. Now this is an ass kicking program hands down.
I primarily like to workout at home or at work...but today I decided to take my TT routine to my ever lovely commercial gym on a Monday morning...sigh. I needed a squat rack so I really had no choice.
Anyway....."Welcome to the jungle!!!"...Now this is where you will see all sorts of weird things on a Monday morning.
Things I noticed at the gym today:
Hardly anybody supersets...let alone does circuits over there.
NOBODY does interval training on a treadmill at this gym I go to...not even in the typical early mornings I go in. It's always that slow boring cardio on an eliptical, bike or treadmill.
Everybody works chest on Monday. All BB flat benches were taken. Luckily not many use dumbells this time of day over there.
Alot of people spend so much precious gym time on isolation exercises more than anything. From ab crunches on a decline bench, to bicep curls, to triceps pressdowns, to leg extensions...
Squat racks are totally untouched on Mondays.
People workout the muscles they see on a mirror 9 times out of ten. BTW, we have a very glaring, unsightful cracked mirror at the dumbell station for some reason...
A lady doing the leg abductor machine while talking on a cellphone with no bluetooth to be more specific. Now, how do they do that so effortlessly?!
This was hillarious and annoying as hell at the same time. A guy bringing in his nice looking apple laptop and using his laptop as an MP3 player next to a treadmill near me casually walking on a treadmill and sipping on some Gatorade the entire time. Verrrry annoying.
And the only great thing I saw today was a lady with a pre weighted barbell. Saw she was doing lunges and rows with them in superset fashion...best thing I saw my whole 1hour there.
Good for her...
I primarily like to workout at home or at work...but today I decided to take my TT routine to my ever lovely commercial gym on a Monday morning...sigh. I needed a squat rack so I really had no choice.
Anyway....."Welcome to the jungle!!!"...Now this is where you will see all sorts of weird things on a Monday morning.
Things I noticed at the gym today:
Hardly anybody supersets...let alone does circuits over there.
NOBODY does interval training on a treadmill at this gym I go to...not even in the typical early mornings I go in. It's always that slow boring cardio on an eliptical, bike or treadmill.
Everybody works chest on Monday. All BB flat benches were taken. Luckily not many use dumbells this time of day over there.
Alot of people spend so much precious gym time on isolation exercises more than anything. From ab crunches on a decline bench, to bicep curls, to triceps pressdowns, to leg extensions...
Squat racks are totally untouched on Mondays.
People workout the muscles they see on a mirror 9 times out of ten. BTW, we have a very glaring, unsightful cracked mirror at the dumbell station for some reason...
A lady doing the leg abductor machine while talking on a cellphone with no bluetooth to be more specific. Now, how do they do that so effortlessly?!
This was hillarious and annoying as hell at the same time. A guy bringing in his nice looking apple laptop and using his laptop as an MP3 player next to a treadmill near me casually walking on a treadmill and sipping on some Gatorade the entire time. Verrrry annoying.
And the only great thing I saw today was a lady with a pre weighted barbell. Saw she was doing lunges and rows with them in superset fashion...best thing I saw my whole 1hour there.
Good for her...
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Busy All Day with a "Move"...a Good one though!
Yep..I'm moving again.
But not what you think! I've been contemplating about moving my home gym from upstairs down to the garage and I finally started the move this morning! Have been busy all day carrying all my workout stuff down to the garage (On top of a workout I did this morning...pooped out!). I just think it's facillitates me better as far as better workouts down in the garage without having to wake up the kids upstairs in the morning (YAY for med ball slamming! Whoohooo!!!).
Having done my workout downstairs this morning...it was almost like a light switch and made so much sense, so I decided to make the switch around. At least that gives us another room upstairs as a guest room or another kids room in the future.
All day, I was bringing down some pretty heavy stuff such as my treadmill, my stationary bike, my Bench and my 100 lb Heavy bag. Left the weights upstairs and hope to take care of that tomorrow. I also just assembled a Power Station this morning that I really like alot. Let's go total bodyweight circuits!!!
Hope to take pictures of it soon....
Nutrition front has been very good this whole week....very good. Hope to keep this up but I know I have a few food challenges coming up here in a few days...
Andy
But not what you think! I've been contemplating about moving my home gym from upstairs down to the garage and I finally started the move this morning! Have been busy all day carrying all my workout stuff down to the garage (On top of a workout I did this morning...pooped out!). I just think it's facillitates me better as far as better workouts down in the garage without having to wake up the kids upstairs in the morning (YAY for med ball slamming! Whoohooo!!!).
Having done my workout downstairs this morning...it was almost like a light switch and made so much sense, so I decided to make the switch around. At least that gives us another room upstairs as a guest room or another kids room in the future.
All day, I was bringing down some pretty heavy stuff such as my treadmill, my stationary bike, my Bench and my 100 lb Heavy bag. Left the weights upstairs and hope to take care of that tomorrow. I also just assembled a Power Station this morning that I really like alot. Let's go total bodyweight circuits!!!
Hope to take pictures of it soon....
Nutrition front has been very good this whole week....very good. Hope to keep this up but I know I have a few food challenges coming up here in a few days...
Andy
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Great Day of Rest Today...
Rest and Recovery is very underestimated in training be it a weight loss, a mass building program, strength training program or what have you...
REST IS NEEDED. I definitely got a great one today.
Many times I’ve fallen into that trap of trying to find the optimal balance between training as well as to make time for optimal recovery for the body to repair itself under all that stress we put on it throughout the week through exercise. If you’re like me, we tend to pile on so much of our efforts in stepping on the gas pedal when working out that we fail to recognize the importance of when to step on the breaks to allow the body to recover. Can you imagine all that stress we tend to put on our bodies constantly 3,4,5 maybe even 6 times a week!? Just like a car on it’s last drip of gas in the tank - it’s almost a slam dunk that the body will breakdown if we don’t listen to it and pay attention to those needs like rest and recovery. And when we don’t listen to our bodies...here comes the injuries, here comes the sickness...and here comes the overtrain state we all dread.
I've learned this overtime...the ability to be able to listen to your body which is a very essential component in fitness if making exercise is going to be big part of your lifestyle.
So I took the day off today...a complete day off. No workouts, no light days...just a pure day off. I worked today but I felt like the body was definitely in repair mode (my triceps, chest and legs are pretty sore right now from a TT workout I did yesterday afternoon). I’ve taken breaks...just late last year..I took a week off from training because it was actually getting to me physically. And even though it was a week or so off...I still felt like I was still training...doing bodyweight exercises essentially...So when a program dictates: “Rest and Recovery”...I think it is wise to do such.
Not that I’m in the state of overtrain by any means (dude, I'm all energetic and excited about these new goals I hope to get to soon)...but this is a useful tip I googled up from a sports training expert in the U.K. by the name of Owen Anderson regarding well being of athletes in regards to training and recovery and a study he read up on regarding mood states of athletes. It was based on a study called Profile of Mood States back in 1971 (man I wasn’t even born yet and they already developed such studies on the effects of overtraining). It’s a set of numerous questions which have corresponding points to each question answered. It’s pretty straightforward set of questions he abbreviated and shortened. This is part of his article and I’ll qoute it here. This is from a Peak Performance Newsletter written by Owen Anderson:
“There are only six points, and the whole test takes less than one minute to complete. Simply rate each statement on a 1-5 scale as follows: 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree.
(1) I slept really well last night.
(2) I am looking forward to today's workout.
(3) I am optimistic about my future performance(s).
(4) I feel vigorous and energetic.
(5) My appetite is great.
(6) I have very little muscle soreness.
Evaluate yourself in this way each morning when you are ready to start your day. If your total score is 20 or above, your overall state of recovery is pretty good and you have probably recovered enough to carry out a high-quality workout on that day. If your total score is below 20, it is probably a good idea to rest or work easily until your score rises again.
This checklist can also be used during tapering periods to determine how well your recovery is going. If you have been training close to the borderline of overtraining before tapering, you might start the tapering period with a score of 15-18 (a lower score may indicate that you are already stale or overtrained). As the tapering period progresses, your score should rise steadily. In fact, the optimal situation would be for your ratings to reach 'flood stage' of 27-30 just before your major competition.
Naturally, for this exam to be valid you have to believe in the whole notion of recovery. If you are one of those athletes who gets depressed when you can't punish yourself on a daily basis, then all bets are off. On the other hand, if you can trust your body to adapt to reduced training and increased recovery with sizable gains in fitness, the little quiz will usually work well for you, encouraging you to avoid hard work on days when you need an easy ride and undertake challenging efforts when you are ready. Overall, it will make you a fitter athlete - an individual who can achieve new peaks in performance.”
Based on these series of questions I assessed myself at a 22 last night. Now I feel at a 28...so I definitely feel like today was a day to just take a day off. I feel good right now and ready to roll tomorrow!!!
Great stuff!! Definitely learned a lot from that.
So after a good days rest - the body feels recovered - the mind is relaxed and it's right back at it again tomorrow...training that is. =)
Words of advice: Take a break every now and then! It does the body tons of good. So listen to it.
Andy
REST IS NEEDED. I definitely got a great one today.
Many times I’ve fallen into that trap of trying to find the optimal balance between training as well as to make time for optimal recovery for the body to repair itself under all that stress we put on it throughout the week through exercise. If you’re like me, we tend to pile on so much of our efforts in stepping on the gas pedal when working out that we fail to recognize the importance of when to step on the breaks to allow the body to recover. Can you imagine all that stress we tend to put on our bodies constantly 3,4,5 maybe even 6 times a week!? Just like a car on it’s last drip of gas in the tank - it’s almost a slam dunk that the body will breakdown if we don’t listen to it and pay attention to those needs like rest and recovery. And when we don’t listen to our bodies...here comes the injuries, here comes the sickness...and here comes the overtrain state we all dread.
I've learned this overtime...the ability to be able to listen to your body which is a very essential component in fitness if making exercise is going to be big part of your lifestyle.
So I took the day off today...a complete day off. No workouts, no light days...just a pure day off. I worked today but I felt like the body was definitely in repair mode (my triceps, chest and legs are pretty sore right now from a TT workout I did yesterday afternoon). I’ve taken breaks...just late last year..I took a week off from training because it was actually getting to me physically. And even though it was a week or so off...I still felt like I was still training...doing bodyweight exercises essentially...So when a program dictates: “Rest and Recovery”...I think it is wise to do such.
Not that I’m in the state of overtrain by any means (dude, I'm all energetic and excited about these new goals I hope to get to soon)...but this is a useful tip I googled up from a sports training expert in the U.K. by the name of Owen Anderson regarding well being of athletes in regards to training and recovery and a study he read up on regarding mood states of athletes. It was based on a study called Profile of Mood States back in 1971 (man I wasn’t even born yet and they already developed such studies on the effects of overtraining). It’s a set of numerous questions which have corresponding points to each question answered. It’s pretty straightforward set of questions he abbreviated and shortened. This is part of his article and I’ll qoute it here. This is from a Peak Performance Newsletter written by Owen Anderson:
“There are only six points, and the whole test takes less than one minute to complete. Simply rate each statement on a 1-5 scale as follows: 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree.
(1) I slept really well last night.
(2) I am looking forward to today's workout.
(3) I am optimistic about my future performance(s).
(4) I feel vigorous and energetic.
(5) My appetite is great.
(6) I have very little muscle soreness.
Evaluate yourself in this way each morning when you are ready to start your day. If your total score is 20 or above, your overall state of recovery is pretty good and you have probably recovered enough to carry out a high-quality workout on that day. If your total score is below 20, it is probably a good idea to rest or work easily until your score rises again.
This checklist can also be used during tapering periods to determine how well your recovery is going. If you have been training close to the borderline of overtraining before tapering, you might start the tapering period with a score of 15-18 (a lower score may indicate that you are already stale or overtrained). As the tapering period progresses, your score should rise steadily. In fact, the optimal situation would be for your ratings to reach 'flood stage' of 27-30 just before your major competition.
Naturally, for this exam to be valid you have to believe in the whole notion of recovery. If you are one of those athletes who gets depressed when you can't punish yourself on a daily basis, then all bets are off. On the other hand, if you can trust your body to adapt to reduced training and increased recovery with sizable gains in fitness, the little quiz will usually work well for you, encouraging you to avoid hard work on days when you need an easy ride and undertake challenging efforts when you are ready. Overall, it will make you a fitter athlete - an individual who can achieve new peaks in performance.”
Based on these series of questions I assessed myself at a 22 last night. Now I feel at a 28...so I definitely feel like today was a day to just take a day off. I feel good right now and ready to roll tomorrow!!!
Great stuff!! Definitely learned a lot from that.
So after a good days rest - the body feels recovered - the mind is relaxed and it's right back at it again tomorrow...training that is. =)
Words of advice: Take a break every now and then! It does the body tons of good. So listen to it.
Andy
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Box Squats, Pull ups and Nutrition
Squeezed in a great lower body strength exercise last night. Box squats up to 315 lbs. Proper form, great results too! Whoohooo!
Just saw a great video on Craig Ballantyne's blog site on the "Evolution of Pull Ups". Craig shows in great detail on how to improve on them. Very helpful tips and bless this man's soul for really reaching out to his viewers and fitness followers. Here's great educational video on the evolution of pull ups:
This is no joke, pull ups, chin ups, modified variations...I couldn't even do a single one more than 2 years ago...it was all inverted rows or assisted chins/pull ups for me. I can only do 8 a year ago...but as I slowly developed upper body strength through exercises like inverted rows as Craig stated in his video - I in fact got stronger at the actual pull up looking back at all the workouts I did over a 2 years but more so while doing Turbulence Training.
On to other things. I did do a full 15 reps of wide grip pull ups this morning but failed to get it recorded on my digital camera. Rushing to get my kids ready for school, for some reason I thought it was recording all this time when it actually wasn't. So I got the kids ready for school, took my camera with me...went to the gym for some light cardio and it was off to the park at noon to do another attempt at it. My other mistake was I did a modified pull up instead of the wide grip after looking at it on video when I got home just a few minutes ago. Once again, my apologies on this but take my word that I did do 15 wide grip reps this morning...It won't happen next week! Promise!
So 15 reps of wide grips which is +1 from last week.
Anyway, here's the video I took at the park. I did say "2nd attempt" and I did say "trying to get to 15 today"...but if you listen closely, I did mention "2nd attempt at it"...sorry for the confusion ya'll!! Wrong script when I shot this one...original uncut version was left at home. "Tsk, Um, where's the director here???" Hahahaha!!! But kiddingness aside, I will not count this at all towards my original challenge as this is a modified version of the pull up. It was in fact 16 reps ON THIS MODIFIED VERSION...but again, it doesn't count on my own little week to week "track sheet" I got going here. Sorry for the confusion.
Again, this just goes to show how some of us are stronger at different variations of the chin up/pull up...Anyway, here it is:
Got a trainer to do skin fold measurements on me before I did some cardio work at the gym after dropping my kids off to school. Not bad overall. "Fit" is what he says. My electronic BF scale readings and his caliper readings are a bit off in comparing the two but I honestly think I have to improve on this. Nutrition will always be 90% of the battle. Something I have always seemed to struggle with...not as inconsistently as you would think. I think it's very good compared to a few years ago. It just tends to get very inconsistent, but I have that desire to always strive for 90% compliance as best I can....everyday. I'm realizing how harder and harder it is the closer you get. If I was sedentary and just starting to exercise and knowing then what I knew now - I may be dropping weight like crazy..but that's why I have to keep striving to improve on intensity of my workouts and of course - working on that nutrition. I'm honestly just so inconsistent with it but not to a point of total letdown. I'm well over that phase. Take the good with the bad...but expect the best. I was watching President Obama's speech today and he said something like this and I paraphrase: "Don't think what you can do about something tomorrow, do what you can do about it today..because tomorrow can't promise you anything". My nutrition has been great after a little splurging action over the weekend. But again, I really have to clean that up if I really want to succeed in this lean out goal of mine.
Someone had asked me if I journal my food intakes...I haven't in some time. Maybe she's right in that maybe I should for greater accountability.
15 reps this week...here's shooting for 16 actual wide grip reps next week!!
Andy
Just saw a great video on Craig Ballantyne's blog site on the "Evolution of Pull Ups". Craig shows in great detail on how to improve on them. Very helpful tips and bless this man's soul for really reaching out to his viewers and fitness followers. Here's great educational video on the evolution of pull ups:
This is no joke, pull ups, chin ups, modified variations...I couldn't even do a single one more than 2 years ago...it was all inverted rows or assisted chins/pull ups for me. I can only do 8 a year ago...but as I slowly developed upper body strength through exercises like inverted rows as Craig stated in his video - I in fact got stronger at the actual pull up looking back at all the workouts I did over a 2 years but more so while doing Turbulence Training.
On to other things. I did do a full 15 reps of wide grip pull ups this morning but failed to get it recorded on my digital camera. Rushing to get my kids ready for school, for some reason I thought it was recording all this time when it actually wasn't. So I got the kids ready for school, took my camera with me...went to the gym for some light cardio and it was off to the park at noon to do another attempt at it. My other mistake was I did a modified pull up instead of the wide grip after looking at it on video when I got home just a few minutes ago. Once again, my apologies on this but take my word that I did do 15 wide grip reps this morning...It won't happen next week! Promise!
So 15 reps of wide grips which is +1 from last week.
Anyway, here's the video I took at the park. I did say "2nd attempt" and I did say "trying to get to 15 today"...but if you listen closely, I did mention "2nd attempt at it"...sorry for the confusion ya'll!! Wrong script when I shot this one...original uncut version was left at home. "Tsk, Um, where's the director here???" Hahahaha!!! But kiddingness aside, I will not count this at all towards my original challenge as this is a modified version of the pull up. It was in fact 16 reps ON THIS MODIFIED VERSION...but again, it doesn't count on my own little week to week "track sheet" I got going here. Sorry for the confusion.
Again, this just goes to show how some of us are stronger at different variations of the chin up/pull up...Anyway, here it is:
Got a trainer to do skin fold measurements on me before I did some cardio work at the gym after dropping my kids off to school. Not bad overall. "Fit" is what he says. My electronic BF scale readings and his caliper readings are a bit off in comparing the two but I honestly think I have to improve on this. Nutrition will always be 90% of the battle. Something I have always seemed to struggle with...not as inconsistently as you would think. I think it's very good compared to a few years ago. It just tends to get very inconsistent, but I have that desire to always strive for 90% compliance as best I can....everyday. I'm realizing how harder and harder it is the closer you get. If I was sedentary and just starting to exercise and knowing then what I knew now - I may be dropping weight like crazy..but that's why I have to keep striving to improve on intensity of my workouts and of course - working on that nutrition. I'm honestly just so inconsistent with it but not to a point of total letdown. I'm well over that phase. Take the good with the bad...but expect the best. I was watching President Obama's speech today and he said something like this and I paraphrase: "Don't think what you can do about something tomorrow, do what you can do about it today..because tomorrow can't promise you anything". My nutrition has been great after a little splurging action over the weekend. But again, I really have to clean that up if I really want to succeed in this lean out goal of mine.
Someone had asked me if I journal my food intakes...I haven't in some time. Maybe she's right in that maybe I should for greater accountability.
15 reps this week...here's shooting for 16 actual wide grip reps next week!!
Andy
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Week In Review...
1) Happy with the progress so far I've made with the metabolic approach with the workouts in conjunction with better eating habits. Surprisingly, on a lean out, I haven't really lost much muscle..hardly any but I like the fact that my BF %'s are looking good. Lean outs are a good thing if the weight loss is body fat and not lean mass. I want to retian that if not improve it. A few cheats this week but not to a point of hindering any progress. But those have to get buckled down as well. Hope to keep this up (not the cheats, but the lean out! hahaha!!)
2) Mixing it up. Rob's right - you definitely have to mix things up. Variety is good and he makes a great point. Although I am doing an awesome program right now...for off day activities which although may seem over the hill for some...this is definitely something I'm benefitting here and enjoy doing.
3) The Amazing Power of.....S-L-E-E-P. Power napping or just flat out sleep - PERIOD! Can't believe how one hour of just taking a good nap after work or that extra hour at night can do wonders when you wake up. I feel rested...more focused. And the muscles are recovering and working here too. Sleep comes far and between when you have a family. But I loved to take those power naps! REFRESHING.
4) Capoeria...I want to learn this! =)
5) Volleyball has been non-existent the past month. With the holidays, open volleyball gyms were pretty much closed for the holidays. Martin Luther King Jr Day tomorrow...so scratch that. Hope to get back into it again next week or this Friday night. Surprisingly, after dropping the kids off to school last Tuesday, went to the park with my little one and I tried to see if I can touch that thing (the rim). Barely by an inch of my fingertips.
6) Getting back into the gym scene. Hoping the resolutioners have died down at the gyms or at least see some new commitment from them for the long haul and not just the 1st few weeks of each new year (that would be sad). Remember there's only one day of the New Year...every other day is just another day in fitness...but you got to keep at it. I love my home workouts and my work gym...but hopefully starting tomorrow if everything goes as planned - I'm going to try and make it to my commercial gym at least twice a week for a change up.
7) Home gym...going to take all my "toys" into the garage. Too much space is taken up in that one room - I think in the garage would be a better place for all those things. And I can throw my med ball around all over the place and mix it up with some other great interval work without waking up the little ones!
8) Wide grips...14 last week. Hoping for 15 full ones this week.
And that's my "Week In Review" for this week! Til next week! =)
2) Mixing it up. Rob's right - you definitely have to mix things up. Variety is good and he makes a great point. Although I am doing an awesome program right now...for off day activities which although may seem over the hill for some...this is definitely something I'm benefitting here and enjoy doing.
3) The Amazing Power of.....S-L-E-E-P. Power napping or just flat out sleep - PERIOD! Can't believe how one hour of just taking a good nap after work or that extra hour at night can do wonders when you wake up. I feel rested...more focused. And the muscles are recovering and working here too. Sleep comes far and between when you have a family. But I loved to take those power naps! REFRESHING.
4) Capoeria...I want to learn this! =)
5) Volleyball has been non-existent the past month. With the holidays, open volleyball gyms were pretty much closed for the holidays. Martin Luther King Jr Day tomorrow...so scratch that. Hope to get back into it again next week or this Friday night. Surprisingly, after dropping the kids off to school last Tuesday, went to the park with my little one and I tried to see if I can touch that thing (the rim). Barely by an inch of my fingertips.
6) Getting back into the gym scene. Hoping the resolutioners have died down at the gyms or at least see some new commitment from them for the long haul and not just the 1st few weeks of each new year (that would be sad). Remember there's only one day of the New Year...every other day is just another day in fitness...but you got to keep at it. I love my home workouts and my work gym...but hopefully starting tomorrow if everything goes as planned - I'm going to try and make it to my commercial gym at least twice a week for a change up.
7) Home gym...going to take all my "toys" into the garage. Too much space is taken up in that one room - I think in the garage would be a better place for all those things. And I can throw my med ball around all over the place and mix it up with some other great interval work without waking up the little ones!
8) Wide grips...14 last week. Hoping for 15 full ones this week.
And that's my "Week In Review" for this week! Til next week! =)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Flexibility….Yoga and…Capoeira?!!!
I’ve been reading up on some new things fitness (still sticking with TT here for the long haul. For those new to this blog check out the right of this blog site)…but I’ve developed such an appreciation all these other forms of exercise philosophies such as Yoga just recently…and it has opened doors to a lot of other approaches to cardio than a standard run on a treadmill or bike. It really has opened my eyes to a lot of things regarding flexibility, conditioning and basically, a certain type of fitness mindset.
Open your mind to new things…but don’t mix it up with what you’re doing now. If it works - stick to it. Stick to one form of training and nutrition – but add variety for the sole purpose of keeping things from being stale in your workout schedule! Believe me: it will keep things fresh to move on the fitness journey. Boredom can be an obstacle in fitness and we simply can’t allow that to happen. Keep it fresh, keep it fun!!! So open yourself to new ideas but stick to routines that are your foundation. In my case, that would be TT and rosstraining.
Interestingly enough, I’ve found heaps of benefits from Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training Principles, Ross Enamait’s Rosstraining Principles, Boxing type conditioning workouts, volleyball conditioning..now YOGA routines…but I have always been fascinated by a very unique form of martial arts – Brazilian Capoeira. Unlike Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which focuses on grappling and ground fighting (mixed martial arts) – Capoeira involves almost dance like moves that can be a great form of cardio exercise to do on off training days. Nothing too advanced here..just the basic stuff I'm interested in. I’m not flexibile to really kick some butt with it (heck I don’t even know exactly where to start!) but am willing to learn some basics of this fighting style. And the great thing is: I don’t need a sparring partner to do them and I can do them at home or on grass at a park with the kids.
Back in 93, there was this pretty cool movie called “Only the Strong”…very basic story theme here but capoeira was coming out pretty quickly at the time and ever since I've been a big fan of the art form.
Again, with family and work – I honestly don’t have the time or the means to go to a school and learn anything at all…but I do make time for exercise! So I rely a lot on self teaching through reading. Some internet, some books. So I went on amazon.com and purchased 2 items for my own personal reading enjoyment and learning. One book I ordered is a Capoeira book on strength conditioning, titled:
"Capoeira Conditioning: How to Build Strength, Agility, and Cardiovascular Fitness Using Capoeira Movements"
And a DVD by Paula Verndino – “the Capoeira Workout”
Did not really put a hole in my wallet with the purchase (very discounted prices on both by the way)…so I thought I’d read up on this great form of “aerobic” type form of martial arts at home or even at work.
Paranaue!!! Paranaue!!! Hahah!!!
Again..this is all for the enjoyment of reading and education. If it’s something I want to do, in anything – I’ll make sure I get the basics down first. This ego of mine is definitely in check. Don’t want to risk any type of injury here. Lots of leg movement, lots of flexibility here as well(shoot, 95% of the moves I don’t think I can even do! Backflips? Handstands?). Whew! I almost see it like breakdancing almost during the original hip hop days. I was a big fan of that growing up as a kid (never was good at it either but was a big fan of that dancing art as well.
Paranaue!!! Paranaue!!! Hahah!!!
Here’s a great video of the basic “ginga” move:
Here’s another one which is more thorough including kicks, this girl's pretty good:
I may not even attempt doing any of this at all as I do have some goals I want to accomplish at a fitness level standpoint at this time.
But it should be one helluva a good reading experience!
Open your mind to new things…but don’t mix it up with what you’re doing now. If it works - stick to it. Stick to one form of training and nutrition – but add variety for the sole purpose of keeping things from being stale in your workout schedule! Believe me: it will keep things fresh to move on the fitness journey. Boredom can be an obstacle in fitness and we simply can’t allow that to happen. Keep it fresh, keep it fun!!! So open yourself to new ideas but stick to routines that are your foundation. In my case, that would be TT and rosstraining.
Interestingly enough, I’ve found heaps of benefits from Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training Principles, Ross Enamait’s Rosstraining Principles, Boxing type conditioning workouts, volleyball conditioning..now YOGA routines…but I have always been fascinated by a very unique form of martial arts – Brazilian Capoeira. Unlike Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which focuses on grappling and ground fighting (mixed martial arts) – Capoeira involves almost dance like moves that can be a great form of cardio exercise to do on off training days. Nothing too advanced here..just the basic stuff I'm interested in. I’m not flexibile to really kick some butt with it (heck I don’t even know exactly where to start!) but am willing to learn some basics of this fighting style. And the great thing is: I don’t need a sparring partner to do them and I can do them at home or on grass at a park with the kids.
Back in 93, there was this pretty cool movie called “Only the Strong”…very basic story theme here but capoeira was coming out pretty quickly at the time and ever since I've been a big fan of the art form.
Again, with family and work – I honestly don’t have the time or the means to go to a school and learn anything at all…but I do make time for exercise! So I rely a lot on self teaching through reading. Some internet, some books. So I went on amazon.com and purchased 2 items for my own personal reading enjoyment and learning. One book I ordered is a Capoeira book on strength conditioning, titled:
"Capoeira Conditioning: How to Build Strength, Agility, and Cardiovascular Fitness Using Capoeira Movements"
And a DVD by Paula Verndino – “the Capoeira Workout”
Did not really put a hole in my wallet with the purchase (very discounted prices on both by the way)…so I thought I’d read up on this great form of “aerobic” type form of martial arts at home or even at work.
Paranaue!!! Paranaue!!! Hahah!!!
Again..this is all for the enjoyment of reading and education. If it’s something I want to do, in anything – I’ll make sure I get the basics down first. This ego of mine is definitely in check. Don’t want to risk any type of injury here. Lots of leg movement, lots of flexibility here as well(shoot, 95% of the moves I don’t think I can even do! Backflips? Handstands?). Whew! I almost see it like breakdancing almost during the original hip hop days. I was a big fan of that growing up as a kid (never was good at it either but was a big fan of that dancing art as well.
Paranaue!!! Paranaue!!! Hahah!!!
Here’s a great video of the basic “ginga” move:
Here’s another one which is more thorough including kicks, this girl's pretty good:
I may not even attempt doing any of this at all as I do have some goals I want to accomplish at a fitness level standpoint at this time.
But it should be one helluva a good reading experience!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Grocery Day...4lbs of beef anyone?
Went to the grocery and stocked up on some veggies and meats for the week. As I was at the meat section of our local market...I was so astonished to how 4 lbs of beef weighed in my hands.
Never realized how heavy that is until I looked at how much it actually weighed in my hands...
4lbs of beef, compared to 4 lbs of fat - which would you rather have? I'll take the beef and toss the 4lbs of fat to the The J.M. Smucker Company that owns Crisco cooking oil.
If fat loss was that easy in real life: I'd be shipping them by the pounds...
People think 4 lbs weight loss is "easy"...after actually looking at how it actually felt in my hand - imagine that as body fat...now that's a load to lose!
Again...fatloss principles are pretty straightforward: nutrition, nutrition, nutrition and a little exercise to balance it out. Simple solution but over time, I've realized how hard it is to lose it especially when reaching a certain point in the fat loss game.
But you have to keep going...have to keep pushing the ticket...and you got to have the desire to want to do it.
Very happy with a week's worth of exercise and great nutrition this past week. Hoping the numbers don't lie here...but I can definitely feel a "lightness" about it. It just feels RIGHT for some reason!
Never realized how heavy that is until I looked at how much it actually weighed in my hands...
4lbs of beef, compared to 4 lbs of fat - which would you rather have? I'll take the beef and toss the 4lbs of fat to the The J.M. Smucker Company that owns Crisco cooking oil.
If fat loss was that easy in real life: I'd be shipping them by the pounds...
People think 4 lbs weight loss is "easy"...after actually looking at how it actually felt in my hand - imagine that as body fat...now that's a load to lose!
Again...fatloss principles are pretty straightforward: nutrition, nutrition, nutrition and a little exercise to balance it out. Simple solution but over time, I've realized how hard it is to lose it especially when reaching a certain point in the fat loss game.
But you have to keep going...have to keep pushing the ticket...and you got to have the desire to want to do it.
Very happy with a week's worth of exercise and great nutrition this past week. Hoping the numbers don't lie here...but I can definitely feel a "lightness" about it. It just feels RIGHT for some reason!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Be Like "Will"!
Here's an awesome of video I found of Will Smith aka the Fresh Prince in one of his movies...now this guy is cut up!
My 20 Rep Wide Grip Pull Up Challenge
I was emailed by a good friend of mine and confidant about all things fitness about my goal to do 20 full wide grip pull ups by the end of 12 weeks. This friend of mine actually said it might be a bit too low for me. OK: Perspectives have changed here: RESET...I’m going to aim to do more than 20 reps then!
I think my friend is right: I guess it’s ok to aim for more but never less!
I’m getting each attempt each week on video for my own reference and fun.
Here is my 1st attempt that I did last week. This was all after a did a Turbulence Training workout prior to doing this by the way...did 2 shoots but went with the 2nd one for reasons I don’t know why. Then another online friend and fitness confidant was inquiring why no voice? Sigh...ok, so today I got up early and did my 2nd attempt for this week on a fresh body with some voice in it this time.
I can do neutral grips pretty easily...but I want to get better at wide grips! That’s one of my goals for 2009!
Here’s Week 1 where I did 13 reps (Sorry had to give props to my team before attempting this. Again..I did a full set of 13 reps just minutes prior to this take. I look so silly on the 13th rep):
Here’s today: Week 2 where I did 14 reps. Little bit of mustard on the 14th rep...but I’m taking it. Sorry about the soft voice here...it was way too early to be talking on the top of my lungs. Kids were still sleeping. =)
Sorry bout the dirty looking socks...hahahaha!!!
I think my friend is right: I guess it’s ok to aim for more but never less!
I’m getting each attempt each week on video for my own reference and fun.
Here is my 1st attempt that I did last week. This was all after a did a Turbulence Training workout prior to doing this by the way...did 2 shoots but went with the 2nd one for reasons I don’t know why. Then another online friend and fitness confidant was inquiring why no voice? Sigh...ok, so today I got up early and did my 2nd attempt for this week on a fresh body with some voice in it this time.
I can do neutral grips pretty easily...but I want to get better at wide grips! That’s one of my goals for 2009!
Here’s Week 1 where I did 13 reps (Sorry had to give props to my team before attempting this. Again..I did a full set of 13 reps just minutes prior to this take. I look so silly on the 13th rep):
Here’s today: Week 2 where I did 14 reps. Little bit of mustard on the 14th rep...but I’m taking it. Sorry about the soft voice here...it was way too early to be talking on the top of my lungs. Kids were still sleeping. =)
Sorry bout the dirty looking socks...hahahaha!!!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Go Chargers!
What can I say...FOOTBALL SUNDAY in January!!! Nothing like it. Today will be a great game which I hope I don't get too emotional over. I haven't been too emotional over football in years. I'm old enough to realize that these multi dollar millionaires make enough money and if they win: Great. Lose: we move on to next year.
Exercise helps take care of those emotions througout the week! BW circuits this morning...
Chargers vs Steelers....very reminiscent to the playoff game back in the 94 Season when we upset them for our first trip to the Super Bowl (and got our asses whupped by the Niners in Miami).
Go Bolts!!!! Being a big sports fan this is what it's all about! Win here...we host the AFC Championship Game...against the powerful defense with Ray Lewis and the Baltimore D.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Week in Review
Great week the past week! Taking a full week to get alot of that junk food out of my system really worked.
1) Dropped a few more lbs on my morning weigh in. I know I'm going to lose some muscle here but I'm definitely in that fat loss mode once again. Nutrition is the whole name of the game here the next 12 weeks - and it's fun eating again (those Holidays were no joke). Definitely keeping the cals in check. Will be awfully tough if the Chargers keep pushing on here. Got to buckle down. No more alcohol and useless carbs if I can avoid it. I'm not much of a drinker anyway just in social gatherings is all...I know it can be avoided.
2) The circuit workouts are doing great too. Can't be going too heavy here while on a fat loss program. Main reason why I took a break from any type of weight training for a week. Got to get that mindset out of my system (except for strength work). Hitting a circuit training program I'm doing over at Turbulence Training is doing me wonders right now. Did do some strength work on the DB bench presses the other day but one of my goals is to increase in that aspect while still maintaining a more strict diet. I love the combination of body weight + resistance work via circuits and intervals via Turbulence Training principles and a few of my own.
3) Yoga is doing me wonders. It truly is. I can't believe how beneficial this is. I also got this Dr. Scholl's cordless Percussive Massager for a Christmas gift from a friend that works like a charm on top of my foam rolls. It's awesome.
4) Nike Frees came in the other day. Perfect time to break those in with some HIIT and leg work the upcoming weeks.
5) Wii Fit. What a game! We got it (the Wii) for the kids for Christmas and they had their first dose of it last night - so did I!! The boys definitely worked up a sweat - they konked out pretty quickly after the milk. =)
1) Dropped a few more lbs on my morning weigh in. I know I'm going to lose some muscle here but I'm definitely in that fat loss mode once again. Nutrition is the whole name of the game here the next 12 weeks - and it's fun eating again (those Holidays were no joke). Definitely keeping the cals in check. Will be awfully tough if the Chargers keep pushing on here. Got to buckle down. No more alcohol and useless carbs if I can avoid it. I'm not much of a drinker anyway just in social gatherings is all...I know it can be avoided.
2) The circuit workouts are doing great too. Can't be going too heavy here while on a fat loss program. Main reason why I took a break from any type of weight training for a week. Got to get that mindset out of my system (except for strength work). Hitting a circuit training program I'm doing over at Turbulence Training is doing me wonders right now. Did do some strength work on the DB bench presses the other day but one of my goals is to increase in that aspect while still maintaining a more strict diet. I love the combination of body weight + resistance work via circuits and intervals via Turbulence Training principles and a few of my own.
3) Yoga is doing me wonders. It truly is. I can't believe how beneficial this is. I also got this Dr. Scholl's cordless Percussive Massager for a Christmas gift from a friend that works like a charm on top of my foam rolls. It's awesome.
4) Nike Frees came in the other day. Perfect time to break those in with some HIIT and leg work the upcoming weeks.
5) Wii Fit. What a game! We got it (the Wii) for the kids for Christmas and they had their first dose of it last night - so did I!! The boys definitely worked up a sweat - they konked out pretty quickly after the milk. =)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Some Motivational Quotes for Training....
Googled up some nice ones today for inspiration (got up rather late this morning. Feel really rested and recovered...so I'll be doing my workout this afternoon):
An old Shaolin saying: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times"
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." - Muhammad Ali, Boxer (ALI'S THE MAN!)
"Train hard... fight easy." (WELL THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE...BUT ANYWAY...sounds good though! Hahah!!)
"Tomorrows battle is won during today's practice." - Samurai maxim (I AGREE!)
"In the course of achieving anything, nothing is more important than persistence." (persevering is golden!)
"Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret!"
"Battles are not fought during the fight but inside yourself when you train."
"The extra mile is the stretch of road that is never crowded."
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." - African proverb
"Repetition is the mother of skill..."
"Knowing is not enough; you must apply. Willing is not enough, you must do."
"Success must be felt within before it can be seen on the outside."
"Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated."
"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
Tidbits...so I did some math lath night and this morning...meaning a few calculations as far as what I want accompish these next several weeks. No easy task but willing to face the challenges! Should be fun.
An old Shaolin saying: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times"
"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." - Muhammad Ali, Boxer (ALI'S THE MAN!)
"Train hard... fight easy." (WELL THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE...BUT ANYWAY...sounds good though! Hahah!!)
"Tomorrows battle is won during today's practice." - Samurai maxim (I AGREE!)
"In the course of achieving anything, nothing is more important than persistence." (persevering is golden!)
"Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret!"
"Battles are not fought during the fight but inside yourself when you train."
"The extra mile is the stretch of road that is never crowded."
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." - African proverb
"Repetition is the mother of skill..."
"Knowing is not enough; you must apply. Willing is not enough, you must do."
"Success must be felt within before it can be seen on the outside."
"Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated."
"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
Tidbits...so I did some math lath night and this morning...meaning a few calculations as far as what I want accompish these next several weeks. No easy task but willing to face the challenges! Should be fun.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Cool Reading from Alwyn Cosgrove's Blog
Was reading up on Mr. Alwyn Cosgrove's blog moments ago (after getting an automated email of his recent blog posting) and this dude has some really good insight on the new year that's become. What really surprises me is that most of my assumptions of my previous blogpost do in fact support these great tips. He also supports foam rolling which I do rather relgiously. For the past few days (again except for Saturday) I've eliminated pretty much all the stuff he mentions in there and I can honestly say water weight or not - you can in fact lose 5 lbs in a week. I can attest to that. Especially after cleansing that body of all that useless junk in your body....wow - I surprised myself. Again, it's amazing how proper nutrition and exercise can really make a difference.
I'm already getting back to my nutrition once again than I am my workouts...need to concentrate on that more once again for sure.
Sometimes going back to basics makes a huge difference in the long run. If I didn't know any better...I'd be hitting that cardio machine with reckless abandon right now. That's not the solution. It may help in some ways...but overworking your body doesn't help matters. Getting the rest, getting your mind in connection with the body, the body in connection with your soul (thanks YOGA!)...it's fascinating.
Anyway, he really emphasized the fat loss disaster that beer brings here which is so ironic to my own little mishaps over the holidays...not much but there was definitely some beer involved this past month for sure.
Anyway, I'll post it here for readers to read up on. Again, this is all Alwyn's stuff so take a read! It's great!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Five Tips for 2009 Fitness Success!
After a holiday season of too much beer, food, chocolate, beer, late nights, junk and beer (!) a great start is to systematically just completely eliminate all the junk from your diet. There are an entire category of diets and plans out there but my favorite is from Dax Moy - and is entitled simply the "Elimination Diet".
This involves eliminating caffeine, alcohol, wheat, red meat, sugar, artificial sweeteners and dairy amongst others. It's tough but you'll feel great at the end. Couple of bonuses - you'll probably lose 4 or 5lbs during the first week, and more importantly it's completely free here!
You can even pick up a useful Elimination diet cookbook, which will make it a lot easier here.
If fat loss is your goal -- Make a real commitment to lose the unwanted pounds. Write it down and make it specific. Saying that you want to lose weight is not enough. Saying how much and how you are going to do it by when is far more powerful. And WRITE IT DOWN.
For example:
I am going to lose 12lbs of fat by March 1st 2009
I will do this by exercising six days per week for a minimum of 30 mins
This will include metabolism boosting resistance training three times per week for a minimum of 45 mins.
I will meet with a trainer at least once a week for my resistance training sessions.
or
I will follow the Warp Speed Fat Loss Program for the next 28 days and maximize my results by February 5th.
I will then continue on a three times per week program including 30 mins of resistance training and 30 mins of cardio for the next 6 weeks.
I will cut 500 calories from my diet and track this using fitday.com
Maximize your cardio training by using a heart rate monitor. You wouldn't lift weights for a completely random number of sets and reps with an arbitrarily chosen weight - but many people follow up their resistance training with a cardio program that involves just riding the bike or running on the treadmill. Get specific with a good heart rate monitor and work at a given heart rate intensity. A good rule is to use the Karvonen formula (220-age-resting heart rate= HRR - heart rate reserve). Work at 85% of your max (0.85 x HRR + resting heart rate) for 60s and then recover until your heart rate is below 60% of your max (0.6 x HRR + resting heart rate). Repeat that for 4-6 rounds.
Work on the quality of your muscle tissue. A regular stretching session from a trainer or sports therapist is a great investment. Failing that making a commitment to stretching regularly on your own is never a bad idea. Ideally though - a regular massage will do wonders for the health of your musculoskeletal system - but if that's not economically viable - then pick up a foam roller.
Hire a coach. Outside expertise allows you to focus on your job and commitments and literally just "show up" and let them take care of it for you. Studies have shown that people exercising when a trainer only supervises (no instruction or coaching) work up to 30% harder than they do on their own. 30% more work translates to significantly faster results - imagine what you could do if that trainer actually pushed you through to harder workouts and designed a program that would work better?
If you can't afford a coach three days per week, then hire the best coach in your area once per month and use him or her as a consultant to design your monthly workout and provide third party accountability.
One last tip -- plan the whole year in advance. Writing down your goals and your plans to achieve them can greatly help - for a great resource to assist you in that - check out the publisher of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy's manual - Design Your Best Year Ever.
Make 2009 a great year!
--
AC
www.alwyncosgrove.com
I'm already getting back to my nutrition once again than I am my workouts...need to concentrate on that more once again for sure.
Sometimes going back to basics makes a huge difference in the long run. If I didn't know any better...I'd be hitting that cardio machine with reckless abandon right now. That's not the solution. It may help in some ways...but overworking your body doesn't help matters. Getting the rest, getting your mind in connection with the body, the body in connection with your soul (thanks YOGA!)...it's fascinating.
Anyway, he really emphasized the fat loss disaster that beer brings here which is so ironic to my own little mishaps over the holidays...not much but there was definitely some beer involved this past month for sure.
Anyway, I'll post it here for readers to read up on. Again, this is all Alwyn's stuff so take a read! It's great!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Five Tips for 2009 Fitness Success!
After a holiday season of too much beer, food, chocolate, beer, late nights, junk and beer (!) a great start is to systematically just completely eliminate all the junk from your diet. There are an entire category of diets and plans out there but my favorite is from Dax Moy - and is entitled simply the "Elimination Diet".
This involves eliminating caffeine, alcohol, wheat, red meat, sugar, artificial sweeteners and dairy amongst others. It's tough but you'll feel great at the end. Couple of bonuses - you'll probably lose 4 or 5lbs during the first week, and more importantly it's completely free here!
You can even pick up a useful Elimination diet cookbook, which will make it a lot easier here.
If fat loss is your goal -- Make a real commitment to lose the unwanted pounds. Write it down and make it specific. Saying that you want to lose weight is not enough. Saying how much and how you are going to do it by when is far more powerful. And WRITE IT DOWN.
For example:
I am going to lose 12lbs of fat by March 1st 2009
I will do this by exercising six days per week for a minimum of 30 mins
This will include metabolism boosting resistance training three times per week for a minimum of 45 mins.
I will meet with a trainer at least once a week for my resistance training sessions.
or
I will follow the Warp Speed Fat Loss Program for the next 28 days and maximize my results by February 5th.
I will then continue on a three times per week program including 30 mins of resistance training and 30 mins of cardio for the next 6 weeks.
I will cut 500 calories from my diet and track this using fitday.com
Maximize your cardio training by using a heart rate monitor. You wouldn't lift weights for a completely random number of sets and reps with an arbitrarily chosen weight - but many people follow up their resistance training with a cardio program that involves just riding the bike or running on the treadmill. Get specific with a good heart rate monitor and work at a given heart rate intensity. A good rule is to use the Karvonen formula (220-age-resting heart rate= HRR - heart rate reserve). Work at 85% of your max (0.85 x HRR + resting heart rate) for 60s and then recover until your heart rate is below 60% of your max (0.6 x HRR + resting heart rate). Repeat that for 4-6 rounds.
Work on the quality of your muscle tissue. A regular stretching session from a trainer or sports therapist is a great investment. Failing that making a commitment to stretching regularly on your own is never a bad idea. Ideally though - a regular massage will do wonders for the health of your musculoskeletal system - but if that's not economically viable - then pick up a foam roller.
Hire a coach. Outside expertise allows you to focus on your job and commitments and literally just "show up" and let them take care of it for you. Studies have shown that people exercising when a trainer only supervises (no instruction or coaching) work up to 30% harder than they do on their own. 30% more work translates to significantly faster results - imagine what you could do if that trainer actually pushed you through to harder workouts and designed a program that would work better?
If you can't afford a coach three days per week, then hire the best coach in your area once per month and use him or her as a consultant to design your monthly workout and provide third party accountability.
One last tip -- plan the whole year in advance. Writing down your goals and your plans to achieve them can greatly help - for a great resource to assist you in that - check out the publisher of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy's manual - Design Your Best Year Ever.
Make 2009 a great year!
--
AC
www.alwyncosgrove.com
Back in the swing of things once again.
I't been about a week from any consistent type of weight lifting...body felt it's got it's share of rest...felt GREAT!
But all good things come to an end and I'm so happy to get back in this again...Honestly: I felt my body needed this break. As far as the dieting: I feel like I got all those useless carbs out of the system as well (til next Sunday when the Chargers play the Steelers)...but I feel much lighter, more refreshed mentally and physically and ready to hit it hard once again.
I remember a post I made about how Manny Pacquiao can add so much weight overnight. Reason? My best guess is FLUID RETENTION and a boatload of CARBS. Carbs hold water and I think alot of my own recent weigh ins had alot to do with what I ate! Well, DUH!!!! Processed carbs here...beer there...and I wasn't too happy about that the other day when I stepped on the scale. I was very skeptical about what I saw anyway.
But with these past few days if not a whole week (except for Saturday)...it's been my goal to get my nutrition to where it was before this holiday season even started -I think I'm where I left off pre holiday which is good. Will be working on lean mass and getting my BF%'s down again for the next 12 weeks. Again: it's all in the diet for fat loss. It only took a week or so to really get that "straightened" out...it's incredible what a diet can do to weight loss and it is very true - you are what you eat. You're body may dictate what you eat...but you have to eat right to get to your goals..be it a lean out or a bulk...either way - NOT necessarily more is good or less is good - but it will consistently involve alot of trial and error but it becomes manageable once you figure it all out. Something I hope I can continue here the next 12 weeks or so. Well, that's the goal at least.
I also noticed when lifting for strength...I ate more. That's just the nature of the beast in body building. You want to get big...you're body's going to tell you to eat big too. You want to lose weight: work on your calories and keep them at a doable deficit and keep up with your workouts as consistently as you can.
It's alot harder than you think - but it does take an understanding of how the body works.
Again, I'm not a firm believer of the scale...I never will be but I like the significant weight drop which tells me again: water weight or maybe even some muscle loss here as well (or it can be the other way around...more fat and more muscle - because I did gain a very small amount of weight over the holidays that I consider workable). The number I got today on the scale anwered my own question about this solveable puzzle of mine. =)
So I've started getting the nutrition aspect cleaned up and started a circuit training program again to work on even getting more BF down. Perfect combination starting the new year.
Just got done with my first TT workout for the year of 2k9. It's one of my favorite workouts involving circuits (my favorite fat loss routines quite frankly). Circuits are fast, efficient and doesn't take too much out of you to where you crash on your sofa after some heavy lifting (but you will feel very spent throughout these circuits though...that's for sure).
Anyway, enough of my ranting here...time to clean up the house here!
But all good things come to an end and I'm so happy to get back in this again...Honestly: I felt my body needed this break. As far as the dieting: I feel like I got all those useless carbs out of the system as well (til next Sunday when the Chargers play the Steelers)...but I feel much lighter, more refreshed mentally and physically and ready to hit it hard once again.
I remember a post I made about how Manny Pacquiao can add so much weight overnight. Reason? My best guess is FLUID RETENTION and a boatload of CARBS. Carbs hold water and I think alot of my own recent weigh ins had alot to do with what I ate! Well, DUH!!!! Processed carbs here...beer there...and I wasn't too happy about that the other day when I stepped on the scale. I was very skeptical about what I saw anyway.
But with these past few days if not a whole week (except for Saturday)...it's been my goal to get my nutrition to where it was before this holiday season even started -I think I'm where I left off pre holiday which is good. Will be working on lean mass and getting my BF%'s down again for the next 12 weeks. Again: it's all in the diet for fat loss. It only took a week or so to really get that "straightened" out...it's incredible what a diet can do to weight loss and it is very true - you are what you eat. You're body may dictate what you eat...but you have to eat right to get to your goals..be it a lean out or a bulk...either way - NOT necessarily more is good or less is good - but it will consistently involve alot of trial and error but it becomes manageable once you figure it all out. Something I hope I can continue here the next 12 weeks or so. Well, that's the goal at least.
I also noticed when lifting for strength...I ate more. That's just the nature of the beast in body building. You want to get big...you're body's going to tell you to eat big too. You want to lose weight: work on your calories and keep them at a doable deficit and keep up with your workouts as consistently as you can.
It's alot harder than you think - but it does take an understanding of how the body works.
Again, I'm not a firm believer of the scale...I never will be but I like the significant weight drop which tells me again: water weight or maybe even some muscle loss here as well (or it can be the other way around...more fat and more muscle - because I did gain a very small amount of weight over the holidays that I consider workable). The number I got today on the scale anwered my own question about this solveable puzzle of mine. =)
So I've started getting the nutrition aspect cleaned up and started a circuit training program again to work on even getting more BF down. Perfect combination starting the new year.
Just got done with my first TT workout for the year of 2k9. It's one of my favorite workouts involving circuits (my favorite fat loss routines quite frankly). Circuits are fast, efficient and doesn't take too much out of you to where you crash on your sofa after some heavy lifting (but you will feel very spent throughout these circuits though...that's for sure).
Anyway, enough of my ranting here...time to clean up the house here!
Friday, January 2, 2009
"Talkin 'Bout a Resolution"...
Guess we all can relate to this.
Honestly, I've never kept one single one myself...so I don't make them any more. Hahaha!!!
But I do like making goals and that's very important! Always shoot for the goals! And they're much different than resolutions because you can always work towards them. Nothing's absolute in life.
Happy New Year to one and all!!!
Good health, good life...and cheers to 2009!
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