Life has a terrible way of thwarting my lifting plans. Early Wednesday morning my mother had what was initially believed to be a heart attack. Thankfully my father was home & they got her to the hospital quickly. Turns out it was a bigger issue than the Sioux Falls hospital she was at was prepared to handle, so they flew her to St. Mary - Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. After 8.5 hours of surgery her ascending aortic artery was replaced. She has an artificial aortic heart valve already, so it was far more complex (as is the recovery) than it would be for most people. The aorta had begun to split internally and was bulging causing it to be about 2.5 times the normal size.
That meant late Wednesday night I drove to Rochester to beat a blizzard to keep my dad company who had driven from Sioux Falls to Rochester like a madman to also beat that same blizzard. We "slept" in the family waiting room Wednesday night and I returned home late Thursday. We had family stop & visit us Friday night & were there late so I didn't get to the gym then either. So against my norm, I went into the gym this afternoon. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've been in the gym on a Saturday since I started back at this.
Now off to finish up my sermons for the next two days and get some practices in.
It was Pneumonia...
Turns out not only was I sick, I was really sick. Pneumonia in my right lung. My lung actually hurt. Such a strange/stupid feeling. But thankfully I'm back at it at the gym. I started going regularly last Monday, though went really easy on Monday and Tuesday as I was still coughing like crazy any time I strained my lungs (like walking up stairs). This week I started hitting it hard again, and while I only lifted hard 3 times in 17 days, I didn't lose a ton of strength. I did lose some stamina though, so I'll get to working on that.
Where I've noticed it most is in the deadlift. I was significantly sore late last week after doing a leg workout, and my pull totals we weak. I was supposed to have a heavy day yesterday, but my back was feeling a bit off, so I took the night off and feel good today so I'll hit it tonight with legs & lower back work.
On decline bench on Monday I was able to push 315lbs x7 reps for my final set which is very fine at this point if you ask me. I'll keep at it. Time to get strong & lose flab.
Where I've noticed it most is in the deadlift. I was significantly sore late last week after doing a leg workout, and my pull totals we weak. I was supposed to have a heavy day yesterday, but my back was feeling a bit off, so I took the night off and feel good today so I'll hit it tonight with legs & lower back work.
On decline bench on Monday I was able to push 315lbs x7 reps for my final set which is very fine at this point if you ask me. I'll keep at it. Time to get strong & lose flab.
Run down, sick, tired
It has been a long November. Just this week on Tuesday my wife fell and hurt her knee so we spent all day in the ER in a neighboring community. The following day my son woke up puking so I spent the day catching barf from a 3-year old. And then today I'm sick. Miserable.
But I've been keeping at it at the gym. I traveled last week to Nashville to CPLF which screwed up my workouts a bit. We've also brought on staff at church a worship intern. The distractions have been many, and my motivation has been few.
But I keep at it. I'm at one year of working out next week I think. I've lost a bit of weight (not what I was hoping to lose) and gained a LOT of muscle (more than I might have expected. So I'll call that a wash. But this next 365 days is going to require me to drop the weight.
Life is good though, and I am thankful.
But I've been keeping at it at the gym. I traveled last week to Nashville to CPLF which screwed up my workouts a bit. We've also brought on staff at church a worship intern. The distractions have been many, and my motivation has been few.
But I keep at it. I'm at one year of working out next week I think. I've lost a bit of weight (not what I was hoping to lose) and gained a LOT of muscle (more than I might have expected. So I'll call that a wash. But this next 365 days is going to require me to drop the weight.
Life is good though, and I am thankful.
Slow week at the gym last week, but back at it now
I was suffering from a combination of things last week that kept me out of the gym for a few days. I was a bit burned out personally, fighting through a cold, working on some things with the family, I went to the Minnesota Vikings game (terrible loss), and then on Saturday I helped move wheel barrows filled with cement to pour a friend's new basement floor. So I took Thursday-Saturday off at the gym (2 workouts, & went easy on Wednesday night).
The good news is I didn't gain any weight. That's actually amazing news when you consider I tried to eat my body weight in delicious meats at Fogo de Chao in Minneapolis for lunch on Friday. It was a delayed birthday gift from my wife.
So Sunday night I did some light cardio on the recumbent bike at the gym, and then hit it full force last night with my chest/arms/shoulders/upper back workout.
I took some Star Six N.O. Fury (pills) about 40 minutes before my workout. First time trying this product. I took 3 of the pills to see how it might affect me. While it may be a placebo effect, I do think it helped in my workout. I felt like I had a lot of energy throughout the workout, especially toward the end where I start to flame out. I added some narrow grip bench presses at the end of my workout because I felt so good, and I was able to hammer them out better than I've ever done them before. I did 12x135, 12x155, 12x175 and only on the last two reps was I feeling gassed. So I'm impressed to say the least at this point. I'll try them again tonight for my leg workout and see what I think from there.
I had the gym all to myself last night, so I didn't get to go quite as heavy as I had hoped to on my decline bench. I did 10x135, 8x225, 8x275, 6x295. I was hoping to push for 8x295, but I was breaking down a bit on #6 and didn't want to risk injury or getting stuck under the bar with nobody to help lift it off.
The good news is I didn't gain any weight. That's actually amazing news when you consider I tried to eat my body weight in delicious meats at Fogo de Chao in Minneapolis for lunch on Friday. It was a delayed birthday gift from my wife.
So Sunday night I did some light cardio on the recumbent bike at the gym, and then hit it full force last night with my chest/arms/shoulders/upper back workout.
I took some Star Six N.O. Fury (pills) about 40 minutes before my workout. First time trying this product. I took 3 of the pills to see how it might affect me. While it may be a placebo effect, I do think it helped in my workout. I felt like I had a lot of energy throughout the workout, especially toward the end where I start to flame out. I added some narrow grip bench presses at the end of my workout because I felt so good, and I was able to hammer them out better than I've ever done them before. I did 12x135, 12x155, 12x175 and only on the last two reps was I feeling gassed. So I'm impressed to say the least at this point. I'll try them again tonight for my leg workout and see what I think from there.
I had the gym all to myself last night, so I didn't get to go quite as heavy as I had hoped to on my decline bench. I did 10x135, 8x225, 8x275, 6x295. I was hoping to push for 8x295, but I was breaking down a bit on #6 and didn't want to risk injury or getting stuck under the bar with nobody to help lift it off.
400lb deadlift in the books!
Below is the video evidence from last night! Very happy with my progress in deadlift. Now I just have to get squatting going!
Tight back, obliques cramping
Legs and lower back day today. Not sure what it was, but when I stood up earlier tonight to go to the gym I felt a pang of pain in my upper back. Random, but decided to not kill myself tonight.
Leg Press - 370x8, 460x8, 550x8, 640x8
Deadlift - 225x8, 315x8, 225x8
Abs & back extensions as well.
Then on the drive home my right side obliques decided to rebel and started to cramp. I drove the last mile to our house in pain trying to find a position where they wouldn't cramp harder. Took about 5 minutes once I was standing to get them to quit locking up. Not fun. I'm not dehydrated, so I'm guessing I pushed a bit too much on my abs. As long as it doesn't lock up in the middle of my sleep tonight I'll be OK. A good bit of it is likely from coughing a lot today from a cold I'm battling with.
Leg Press - 370x8, 460x8, 550x8, 640x8
Deadlift - 225x8, 315x8, 225x8
Abs & back extensions as well.
Then on the drive home my right side obliques decided to rebel and started to cramp. I drove the last mile to our house in pain trying to find a position where they wouldn't cramp harder. Took about 5 minutes once I was standing to get them to quit locking up. Not fun. I'm not dehydrated, so I'm guessing I pushed a bit too much on my abs. As long as it doesn't lock up in the middle of my sleep tonight I'll be OK. A good bit of it is likely from coughing a lot today from a cold I'm battling with.
 | |
| 640lbs. on the Leg Press ready to go! |
325lbs. for reps on dead lift
I've been upping my dead lift totals lately. My last two sessions I've finished my sets by doing 325lbs for 8 reps. Both times #7 and #8 were bordering on losing my form, though yesterday was certainly better that my first go around. Below is video.
New Link - My Fitness Pal
Added a new link to the sidebar - MyFitnessPal.com. Started using it yesterday to track my calorie intake. Time to get a bit more serious about losing the weight. We'll see how it impacts my strength gains, but the weight needs to come off.
Holy Sweat - 3 reasons church leaders should get in shape
Great article by Greg Stier on ChristianLeaders.com.
Keep reading here.
I don’t run triathalons or marathons. Nor am I a fitness freak. But as a 47-year-old preacher, I’ve become increasingly aware of my mortality and the ever-sagging effects of gravity.
It was early on in my ministry experience that I began to realize that I had better start working out or bad stuff was going to happen to me. Heart attacks, diabetes, and strokes happen to preachers, too.
It was easy for me to dismiss my out-of-shapeness in ministry because for years I was in excellent shape. In my late teens and early twenties, I was a roofer by trade. The result of 10-12 hour days of manual labor was me being slim, tan, and quasi-ripped. In college, I had 8% bodyfat and could hang with the best of them when it came to push-ups, sit-ups, and the like. But then something strange happened. I went into ministry full time.
My roofing hammer was exchanged for a commentary, my ladder for a desk, and my once rigorous manual labor job for a sedentary calling. To add injury to insult, I tore my ACL while dancing to a Michael Jackson video (don’t ask.) My injury gave me an excuse to be even less active.
Keep reading here.
Great night at the gym - a bunch of PR
Lifted hard tonight. Set a new personal record (PR) - by a lot - on decline bench tonight. I'm not sure how long I'll continue to progress in growth in decline, but I'm really enjoying it while I can.
Decline Bench - 135x8, 225x8, 275x8-PR, 285x6-PR!
Also did standing cable decline presses (PR), single arm triceps extensions, preacher curls, standing reverse fly (PR), dumbbell lateral raise, Cable Seated Row (PR).
Plus I'm fighting a cold, and today was my 38th birthday! All in all though, a really good night. We hit Buffalo Wild Wings for supper to celebrate my birthday, and I'm sure I consumed way too much, but today I don't care.
I have started tracking my workouts with an Android app called Jefit. It has a pretty solid corresponding web site that the phone app synches with. I've added a link in the side bar if you want to check it out.
Decline Bench - 135x8, 225x8, 275x8-PR, 285x6-PR!
Also did standing cable decline presses (PR), single arm triceps extensions, preacher curls, standing reverse fly (PR), dumbbell lateral raise, Cable Seated Row (PR).
Plus I'm fighting a cold, and today was my 38th birthday! All in all though, a really good night. We hit Buffalo Wild Wings for supper to celebrate my birthday, and I'm sure I consumed way too much, but today I don't care.
I have started tracking my workouts with an Android app called Jefit. It has a pretty solid corresponding web site that the phone app synches with. I've added a link in the side bar if you want to check it out.
Keep on trucking
Decline bench night again. 8x135lbs to warm up. 8x225, 8x245, 8x265 as my workout. I think I could've gotten 10 on the last set at 265lbs.
Then did arms (biceps and triceps), shoulders, and upper back with seated rows.
And I am definitely tight from the dead lifts last night. I would've guessed I might be sore in my quads, but definitely tight in my hamstrings instead with no other soreness. And quite happily, my knees feel great.
I need to order a lifting belt one of these days. I have an old one that might fit around one of my thighs now...
Then did arms (biceps and triceps), shoulders, and upper back with seated rows.
And I am definitely tight from the dead lifts last night. I would've guessed I might be sore in my quads, but definitely tight in my hamstrings instead with no other soreness. And quite happily, my knees feel great.
I need to order a lifting belt one of these days. I have an old one that might fit around one of my thighs now...
Tough night at the gym
Legs & lower back tonight. Definitely a tough workout.
Leg press - 8x370lbs warmup. 8x460lbs, 8x550lbs, 8x600lbs. At 600lbs it really was a good bit of effort to get out of the hole (to start the weight back up). I made them all, but I'd guess another 30-40lbs more and I might not have done so.
Dead lift - 8x225lbs warmup, 8x245lbs, 8x245lbs. Last two were starting to have bad form so it was clear I was getting tired.
Closed the workout with some ab work.
Leg press - 8x370lbs warmup. 8x460lbs, 8x550lbs, 8x600lbs. At 600lbs it really was a good bit of effort to get out of the hole (to start the weight back up). I made them all, but I'd guess another 30-40lbs more and I might not have done so.
Dead lift - 8x225lbs warmup, 8x245lbs, 8x245lbs. Last two were starting to have bad form so it was clear I was getting tired.
Closed the workout with some ab work.
Seeing steady improvement in decline bench
Sticking with the decline bench in spite of my one flat bench session last week. While I don't have pain in my shoulder from that session of benching, there was a bit of lingering soreness that let me know I still need to hold off for a while longer to be fully healed.
With that said, I pushed it heavier on my decline bench last night. Started out with 8x135 as a warmup. Then jumped to 8x225, 8x245, and 8x255. To finish my chest segment I did some standing cable push downs (imagine decline bench while standing. Cables starting at shoulder level pressing to waist level at a 45 degree angle). I moved up 20ish lbs on these cable presses as well. I could go heavier, but getting the cables away from the machine to start the movement is nearly impossible at my finishing weight, so I don't have an easy solution at this point.
Finished the workout with machine bicep & triceps work. Had planned on doing shoulders as well, but got distracted with a very impressive thunderstorm out the gym windows. I cooled down while watching it, so decided to call it a night. I did fit 20 minutes of recumbent bike in after the arms segment.
With that said, I pushed it heavier on my decline bench last night. Started out with 8x135 as a warmup. Then jumped to 8x225, 8x245, and 8x255. To finish my chest segment I did some standing cable push downs (imagine decline bench while standing. Cables starting at shoulder level pressing to waist level at a 45 degree angle). I moved up 20ish lbs on these cable presses as well. I could go heavier, but getting the cables away from the machine to start the movement is nearly impossible at my finishing weight, so I don't have an easy solution at this point.
Finished the workout with machine bicep & triceps work. Had planned on doing shoulders as well, but got distracted with a very impressive thunderstorm out the gym windows. I cooled down while watching it, so decided to call it a night. I did fit 20 minutes of recumbent bike in after the arms segment.
I keep getting stronger
Good workout last night. Left the gym with more waddle than walk. Did Leg Press, Dead Lifts, Back Extensions, and Ab Machine (kinda like a weighted sit-up).
Started with Leg Presses. Warmed up with 10x370lbs. Then did 8x460lbs, 8x550lbs, 8x600lbs. Definitely was nearing my limit with the last few at 600lbs. That last set was 50lbs above where I'd previously gone. My hope is to build a good base and transition over to squatting, or at least a mix between the two. No additional leg extensions for this workout, with my legs telling me they'd had enough already.
Then went with Dead Lift. 8x225lbs, 8x245lbs, 4x265lbs, 6x265lbs. The last 6 felt good, but the 4 before that were feeling very heavy. By the end of dead lifting my legs were jello. I hadn't done much above 245 for a few reps, so this was a big jump. Pulling last 2 of the final 265 I could feel I was tiring out, though the went up just fine.
I then finished things off with some with some additional lower back and ab work to just make sure all of me was fatigued. Left the gym and had to get some things at Walmart and my legs were incredibly heavy while waddling around there. Even this morning my legs were heavy. A good heavy feeling, and thankfully not painful or cramping.
I probably should've added in some calves work, but I was tired and had more to do with the shopping.
Started with Leg Presses. Warmed up with 10x370lbs. Then did 8x460lbs, 8x550lbs, 8x600lbs. Definitely was nearing my limit with the last few at 600lbs. That last set was 50lbs above where I'd previously gone. My hope is to build a good base and transition over to squatting, or at least a mix between the two. No additional leg extensions for this workout, with my legs telling me they'd had enough already.
Then went with Dead Lift. 8x225lbs, 8x245lbs, 4x265lbs, 6x265lbs. The last 6 felt good, but the 4 before that were feeling very heavy. By the end of dead lifting my legs were jello. I hadn't done much above 245 for a few reps, so this was a big jump. Pulling last 2 of the final 265 I could feel I was tiring out, though the went up just fine.
I then finished things off with some with some additional lower back and ab work to just make sure all of me was fatigued. Left the gym and had to get some things at Walmart and my legs were incredibly heavy while waddling around there. Even this morning my legs were heavy. A good heavy feeling, and thankfully not painful or cramping.
I probably should've added in some calves work, but I was tired and had more to do with the shopping.
Aches and pains of lifting
Had a really good workout again last night. The past 6-8 weeks I've been dealing with some lingering pain from weightlifting. My left elbow has had some mild pain in it - likely RSI - Repetitive Stress Injury. I felt it coming on early in the process and have been managing it. I adjusted my workouts to not include dips and a few other things that were really aggravating it. I've also been icing it regularly and using some Naproxen as needed. While it isn't 100% healed, it is slowly getting better and I'm still able to continue lifting.
The other issue has been my left shoulder. It has been hurting due to bench pressing, so again I modified my workouts and bought a new larger cold pack to ice it as well. I took the last 2 weeks off from flat bench pressing and have instead done all incline benching. I used to love incline benching, but haven't really done it since I began working out again last November. Unfortunately my gym doesn't have a decline bench so I have to improvise with a sit-up bench and either a squat rack or the Smith machine. Certainly not idea, but it is getting the job done.
So last night I hesitantly benched again. Warmed up with 135x8. Then 225x8, 245x8, then did 225+2 20lb chains (265lbs at full extension)x6, and 275x4 to finish. If I had a spotter I think I had 275x6 in me.
And the good news is that I have no shoulder pain today. The time off and the ice seemed to be enough. Since I am lifting for health as my primary motivation I'm trying to not push too hard through pain that I know isn't "good" pain. By letting my body heal early on I'm losing a bit in gains probably, but making up for it by preventing larger injuries that would force longer periods off.
So I'm pleased with my progress even if my bench still isn't to where it was before my intestinal blockage back in late June/early July.
The other thing I've been really happy with is my pump I have been getting when lifting arms. This might be the biggest my arms have ever been quite frankly. Certainly some fat to lose there, but it looks good in the mirror when I'm lifting. Not my motivation, but is a nice added bonus.
The negative is that my weight loss has stopped completely, and maybe even regressed a bit. Hectic schedule, big life changes with my wife getting a new job and some other things have all led to bad eating and fewer workouts plus more stress. Hoping the next few weeks level back out and I can really work on it again. I've been reading up on some dietary thinking by John Kiefer and am thinking of trying out some of his ideas myself (in a form it is a CKD - cyclical ketogenic diet). I already (unintentionally) am doing quite a bit of it, I just need to get disciplined with my carbs and see what happens. If it does work, it is a very sustainable thing for me I think.
The other issue has been my left shoulder. It has been hurting due to bench pressing, so again I modified my workouts and bought a new larger cold pack to ice it as well. I took the last 2 weeks off from flat bench pressing and have instead done all incline benching. I used to love incline benching, but haven't really done it since I began working out again last November. Unfortunately my gym doesn't have a decline bench so I have to improvise with a sit-up bench and either a squat rack or the Smith machine. Certainly not idea, but it is getting the job done.
So last night I hesitantly benched again. Warmed up with 135x8. Then 225x8, 245x8, then did 225+2 20lb chains (265lbs at full extension)x6, and 275x4 to finish. If I had a spotter I think I had 275x6 in me.
And the good news is that I have no shoulder pain today. The time off and the ice seemed to be enough. Since I am lifting for health as my primary motivation I'm trying to not push too hard through pain that I know isn't "good" pain. By letting my body heal early on I'm losing a bit in gains probably, but making up for it by preventing larger injuries that would force longer periods off.
So I'm pleased with my progress even if my bench still isn't to where it was before my intestinal blockage back in late June/early July.
The other thing I've been really happy with is my pump I have been getting when lifting arms. This might be the biggest my arms have ever been quite frankly. Certainly some fat to lose there, but it looks good in the mirror when I'm lifting. Not my motivation, but is a nice added bonus.
The negative is that my weight loss has stopped completely, and maybe even regressed a bit. Hectic schedule, big life changes with my wife getting a new job and some other things have all led to bad eating and fewer workouts plus more stress. Hoping the next few weeks level back out and I can really work on it again. I've been reading up on some dietary thinking by John Kiefer and am thinking of trying out some of his ideas myself (in a form it is a CKD - cyclical ketogenic diet). I already (unintentionally) am doing quite a bit of it, I just need to get disciplined with my carbs and see what happens. If it does work, it is a very sustainable thing for me I think.
Legs got smoked tonight
Added in a new element to my routine tonight. Leg presses & calves. Not ready to start squatting quite yet - knee issue - but need to get moving that direction.
I started off in the Leg Press machine (we used to call it a hip sled) with 463lbs x10 then did 3x8 of 513lbs. The odd number is due to the weight of the Leg Press machine being weird. I try to make sure each one is "deep" with my heels nearly touching my butt - mimicking a good deep squatting range of motion.
I then did alternating sets of leg extensions (machine) and calf raises. 3x10 on both exercises. I finished with machine back extensions alternating with machine abs.
I'll definitely feel it in my abs tomorrow. Probably in my thighs as well. Should be fun.
I started off in the Leg Press machine (we used to call it a hip sled) with 463lbs x10 then did 3x8 of 513lbs. The odd number is due to the weight of the Leg Press machine being weird. I try to make sure each one is "deep" with my heels nearly touching my butt - mimicking a good deep squatting range of motion.
I then did alternating sets of leg extensions (machine) and calf raises. 3x10 on both exercises. I finished with machine back extensions alternating with machine abs.
I'll definitely feel it in my abs tomorrow. Probably in my thighs as well. Should be fun.
Buffal Wild Wings & CrossFit don't mix
There needs to be a bouncer stationed outside of our local Buffalo Wild Wings on nights I'm planning on doing CrossFit. That bouncer should be instructed that under no circumstances am I to enter the premise on those night.
That's either the 2nd or 3rd time I've made this mistake. Didn't quite feel like puking it all up tonight, but still unpleasant.
3 Bars of Death (Linda) modified again tonight. Push press + Hang clean + Dead lift.
PP & HC 155lbs. on the bar for 1st set of 8 - but only did 6 each. Not fun. Too big of a jump up in weight. Moved back down to 135lbs. and did 6/5/4/6 to finish out the workout
DL with 225lbs. and did 8/6/5/6/6. I thought about adding some weight tonight, but was really feeling worn our before lifting. I do feel better after lifting, so that's a bonus.
Last night I went at it hard on chest/arms/back/shoulders. Added in some single arm barbel triceps extensions that definitely added some soreness in my arms today that I haven't felt in quite some time. A good soreness, but they are definitely letting me now I lifted hard yesterday.
The other part of the reason I was tired tonight was that I helped out with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp at our local high school all afternoon. News article here - with the picture of the girls kicking the large red football being at my station. Lots of running after the ball, cheering on students, and standing in the surprisingly hot sun. Got a bit of sunburn on my left side of my face and a bit on my chest below my neck. Nothing major, but it all sapped me of energy for my CrossFit workout. But I'm glad I pushed on and finished it out.
That's either the 2nd or 3rd time I've made this mistake. Didn't quite feel like puking it all up tonight, but still unpleasant.
3 Bars of Death (Linda) modified again tonight. Push press + Hang clean + Dead lift.
PP & HC 155lbs. on the bar for 1st set of 8 - but only did 6 each. Not fun. Too big of a jump up in weight. Moved back down to 135lbs. and did 6/5/4/6 to finish out the workout
DL with 225lbs. and did 8/6/5/6/6. I thought about adding some weight tonight, but was really feeling worn our before lifting. I do feel better after lifting, so that's a bonus.
Last night I went at it hard on chest/arms/back/shoulders. Added in some single arm barbel triceps extensions that definitely added some soreness in my arms today that I haven't felt in quite some time. A good soreness, but they are definitely letting me now I lifted hard yesterday.
The other part of the reason I was tired tonight was that I helped out with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp at our local high school all afternoon. News article here - with the picture of the girls kicking the large red football being at my station. Lots of running after the ball, cheering on students, and standing in the surprisingly hot sun. Got a bit of sunburn on my left side of my face and a bit on my chest below my neck. Nothing major, but it all sapped me of energy for my CrossFit workout. But I'm glad I pushed on and finished it out.
CrossFit - feeling my workout today
Had a very good workout last night. Normally Sunday nights are light gym nights with me riding the recumbent bike watching TV. But I took a day off from the gym this past week, and that day was a CrossFit day. So I did that instead of my normal recovery workout.
I decided to push things a bit - I was feeling really quite good.
I continued on with my variant on the "Linda" workout (AKA 3 bars of death).
135lbs. on the bar for push press & hang cleans.
225lbs on the bar for dead lift.
Total workout time was on par with my previous workout - which in reality is a big improvement because I did 8/7/6/5 as my workout last night. Considering I had been doing 8/6/4 for a while (with some variance) that was a sizable move up in reps. 26 of each movement last night compared to 18. I'm definitely feeling it in some stiffness in my back and hamstrings today. Not pain - I didn't injure myself - but a clear reminder of the fact that my workout is moving to a new level.
We will see if/how that impacts my bench workout tonight. I haven not previous done a CrossFit workout followed up by lifting. It has always been lifting day followed by CrossFit.
And tonight's workout isn't going to be helped by the fact that we stayed up WAY too late last night dreaming about tropical vacation destination and Google Mapping driving distances between all sorts of places in the USA.
I decided to push things a bit - I was feeling really quite good.
I continued on with my variant on the "Linda" workout (AKA 3 bars of death).
135lbs. on the bar for push press & hang cleans.
225lbs on the bar for dead lift.
Total workout time was on par with my previous workout - which in reality is a big improvement because I did 8/7/6/5 as my workout last night. Considering I had been doing 8/6/4 for a while (with some variance) that was a sizable move up in reps. 26 of each movement last night compared to 18. I'm definitely feeling it in some stiffness in my back and hamstrings today. Not pain - I didn't injure myself - but a clear reminder of the fact that my workout is moving to a new level.
We will see if/how that impacts my bench workout tonight. I haven not previous done a CrossFit workout followed up by lifting. It has always been lifting day followed by CrossFit.
And tonight's workout isn't going to be helped by the fact that we stayed up WAY too late last night dreaming about tropical vacation destination and Google Mapping driving distances between all sorts of places in the USA.
Keeps on coming back
Upper body again tonight. Making more progress in recovering my bench strength, which is always encouraging.
Bench:
135x8 warmup
225x8
255x8
275x5 - surprised how well these went up.
295x2 - needed help on the second one.
On Monday when I last benched I did 275x2 and didn't have a third one in me. So the progress is keeping up at a pretty good clip.
Also did curls, triceps dips, shoulder extensions, & lat pull downs. Some time on the recumbent bike as well.
I did upper body on Monday of this week, my CrossFit workout on Tuesday. Was able to move up to 225lbs on my deadlifts during CrossFit, and added a couple of reps to all three movements, all the while keeping the same time as my previous workout. Finished after CrossFit with some recumbent cycle. Thursday was a mix of treadmill and recumbent.
Bench:
135x8 warmup
225x8
255x8
275x5 - surprised how well these went up.
295x2 - needed help on the second one.
On Monday when I last benched I did 275x2 and didn't have a third one in me. So the progress is keeping up at a pretty good clip.
Also did curls, triceps dips, shoulder extensions, & lat pull downs. Some time on the recumbent bike as well.
I did upper body on Monday of this week, my CrossFit workout on Tuesday. Was able to move up to 225lbs on my deadlifts during CrossFit, and added a couple of reps to all three movements, all the while keeping the same time as my previous workout. Finished after CrossFit with some recumbent cycle. Thursday was a mix of treadmill and recumbent.
Sore today - but deadlift is improving!
CrossFit again last night. 3 Bars modified once again. I did it a bit differently by going 8-6-6 rather than my 8-6-4-2 on Push Press & Hang Cleans. I was able to do this because I am improving. Previously I wouldn't have been able to do a second 6 without a lengthy rest period. I cut 2 minutes off of my total workout time, while simultaneously adding a fair amount to my dead lifts.
Push Press - 135lbs
Hang Clean - 135lbs
Dead Lift - 185lbs/205lbs/215lbs + 2-20lb chains (so top of lift was 255lbs!)/185 (8-6-6-6)
I am definitely feeling the added weight of the dead lifts today in my back. Quite tight, a bit stiff, but no pain thankfully.
Monday night I did chest & arms & recumbent bike. My bench is starting to come back a bit thankfully.
Bench:
135x10 warm up
225x8
245x6
275x2 - got both up, but didn't have a third in me
225x5 wide grip
225x4 narrow grip
The other thing I'm noticing is that my pants are getting quite loose and I've had to go down a belt notch to keep them on. I'm not fully a notch smaller yet, but if I don't go to that one I'll be mooning the world walking around. Another couple of pounds lighter and that notch will become perfect. Long term I'd really like to get my waist down to 42 inches. I think it is unrealistic to expect to get smaller than that given my frame size. When I graduated from High School at 215lbs I was a size 38, so 42 really seems like it'll be my bottom end as an adult.
Making progress is definitely encouraging. Though I do wish it happened faster.
Push Press - 135lbs
Hang Clean - 135lbs
Dead Lift - 185lbs/205lbs/215lbs + 2-20lb chains (so top of lift was 255lbs!)/185 (8-6-6-6)
I am definitely feeling the added weight of the dead lifts today in my back. Quite tight, a bit stiff, but no pain thankfully.
Monday night I did chest & arms & recumbent bike. My bench is starting to come back a bit thankfully.
Bench:
135x10 warm up
225x8
245x6
275x2 - got both up, but didn't have a third in me
225x5 wide grip
225x4 narrow grip
The other thing I'm noticing is that my pants are getting quite loose and I've had to go down a belt notch to keep them on. I'm not fully a notch smaller yet, but if I don't go to that one I'll be mooning the world walking around. Another couple of pounds lighter and that notch will become perfect. Long term I'd really like to get my waist down to 42 inches. I think it is unrealistic to expect to get smaller than that given my frame size. When I graduated from High School at 215lbs I was a size 38, so 42 really seems like it'll be my bottom end as an adult.
Making progress is definitely encouraging. Though I do wish it happened faster.
Improving on my CrossFit
Making progress, but it is still trying to kill me. Did my variation on the 3 bars of death tonight again. 27 minutes total, with about a 3 minute break to talk to another guy in the gym in the middle.
I did the 8, 6, 4, 2 tonight.
Pushpress - 135lbs
Hang Clean - 135lbs
Dead Lift - 205lbs
I raised my dead lift amount. In a week or so I'll put that at the full two plates weight of 225lbs.
The early Pushpress were really hard. And each round of Dead Lift tries to make me pass out. Hang Clean just makes me want to puke, so all in all a very enjoyable workout. :-)
I ended the night with 15 minutes on the treadmill keeping my heart rate above 150bpm throughout. Definitely will sleep well tonight. Thinking my hamstrings will be sore again tomorrow.
And I've been losing weight this week! I'm lighter than I have been since starting the journey (barely) so that is at least encouraging. By the gym scale I'm down 20lbs as of today!!
I did the 8, 6, 4, 2 tonight.
Pushpress - 135lbs
Hang Clean - 135lbs
Dead Lift - 205lbs
I raised my dead lift amount. In a week or so I'll put that at the full two plates weight of 225lbs.
The early Pushpress were really hard. And each round of Dead Lift tries to make me pass out. Hang Clean just makes me want to puke, so all in all a very enjoyable workout. :-)
I ended the night with 15 minutes on the treadmill keeping my heart rate above 150bpm throughout. Definitely will sleep well tonight. Thinking my hamstrings will be sore again tomorrow.
And I've been losing weight this week! I'm lighter than I have been since starting the journey (barely) so that is at least encouraging. By the gym scale I'm down 20lbs as of today!!
CrossFit is trying to kill me
That or I'm trying to kill myself.
Did my modified 3 Bars of Death last night (Linda) with Push Press, Hang Clean and Deadlift. Same bar for PP & HC with 135lbs on it, and 185 on a second bar for DL's. Did 10, 8, 6, 4 then quit. Probably a bit tired on PP from my bench/arms workout the day before. Felt the DL's in my hamstrings something fierce. But it is the Hang Cleans that are pure evil in my book. By the end of my 4 rep cycle I was sure I was going to pass out, puke, or both.
Remind me to not eat Buffalo Wild Wings on CrossFit days.
I had a rolling sweat going, so bad that I'm going to order some headbands. I couldn't see between the sweat running in my eyes, dripping on my glasses, and my glasses constantly trying to fall off my head.
Tonight will be a light cardio night. No lifting. I'm hoping I've turned the corner on my sore elbow. There is still a bit of soreness present, but it no longer feels like it is giving me a warning, rather it feels like each day it is getting better and healing. Certainly giving praise for that.
Did my modified 3 Bars of Death last night (Linda) with Push Press, Hang Clean and Deadlift. Same bar for PP & HC with 135lbs on it, and 185 on a second bar for DL's. Did 10, 8, 6, 4 then quit. Probably a bit tired on PP from my bench/arms workout the day before. Felt the DL's in my hamstrings something fierce. But it is the Hang Cleans that are pure evil in my book. By the end of my 4 rep cycle I was sure I was going to pass out, puke, or both.
Remind me to not eat Buffalo Wild Wings on CrossFit days.
I had a rolling sweat going, so bad that I'm going to order some headbands. I couldn't see between the sweat running in my eyes, dripping on my glasses, and my glasses constantly trying to fall off my head.
Tonight will be a light cardio night. No lifting. I'm hoping I've turned the corner on my sore elbow. There is still a bit of soreness present, but it no longer feels like it is giving me a warning, rather it feels like each day it is getting better and healing. Certainly giving praise for that.
Back to being sore again
Upper body workout last night, and some soreness today from it. Not severe soreness, but enough to know that I am sore for sure. Tired too.
Bench was really tough and discouraging for me. 3 weeks ago I was at 340lbs bench. Now I'm about 80lbs below that I think. Frustrating.
Bench:
10x135 warm up
10x225
8x225
6x225
5x225 - and I barely got the last ones up on the 6 and 5 sets.
Incline bench machine - 180lbs 3x8
Arms (biceps & triceps) and shoulders in machines 3x10 each. Shrugs with 90lb dumbbells 3x12.
15 minutes on the treadmill gradually increasing speed to 3.5 made me sweat hard. Kept my heart rate above 145 throughout.
After the workout I did take my first dose of creatine. I used to use this before seminary with some really good results. I will load this week slowly and see how it goes. In the past it has definitely helped in gaining strength and having quicker recover times. I don't eat much red meat (almost never!) so I think it will help me once again.
I'm going to have to purchase some lifting gloves fairly soon. Mine are starting to come apart in a couple of places. I like the ones with integrated wrist wraps like the Valeo Ocelot with wristwraps.
Bench was really tough and discouraging for me. 3 weeks ago I was at 340lbs bench. Now I'm about 80lbs below that I think. Frustrating.
Bench:
10x135 warm up
10x225
8x225
6x225
5x225 - and I barely got the last ones up on the 6 and 5 sets.
Incline bench machine - 180lbs 3x8
Arms (biceps & triceps) and shoulders in machines 3x10 each. Shrugs with 90lb dumbbells 3x12.
15 minutes on the treadmill gradually increasing speed to 3.5 made me sweat hard. Kept my heart rate above 145 throughout.
After the workout I did take my first dose of creatine. I used to use this before seminary with some really good results. I will load this week slowly and see how it goes. In the past it has definitely helped in gaining strength and having quicker recover times. I don't eat much red meat (almost never!) so I think it will help me once again.
I'm going to have to purchase some lifting gloves fairly soon. Mine are starting to come apart in a couple of places. I like the ones with integrated wrist wraps like the Valeo Ocelot with wristwraps.
First post-sickness workout
Made it to the gym last night (finally!) and could really feel the time off and loss of strength. Especially in bench press. Good news is that I'm sure I can recover much of that fairly quickly compared to my initial growth, or at least I hope I can.
Bench:
135x10
225x10
245x7
Incline Press machine:
180x10x3
I did arms - curls and triceps extensions 3x10 - on a machine as well. Finished with some delts 3x10 doing shoulder raises in a machine. I think I'm going to continue doing arms on the machines for a while rather than dips and curls like I was before. Prior to getting sick I was trying to manage some pain in my left elbow that I'm quite certain was repetitive stress related. Rather than aggravate that I'll try to give it a bit of a break and hit my muscles in some different ways for a while. No pain today, and truthfully the prior pain was never bad, just enough that I knew it was time to let it rest or it would actually be painful & cause problems.
Finished the night with 20 minutes in the recumbent exercise bike. Of everything I did last night, the biking is what I'm feeling the most. A bit of soreness in the hips from it. Managed to work most of that out while mowing the lawn earlier today, but I can certainly tell I took two weeks off from going to the gym.
Bench:
135x10
225x10
245x7
Incline Press machine:
180x10x3
I did arms - curls and triceps extensions 3x10 - on a machine as well. Finished with some delts 3x10 doing shoulder raises in a machine. I think I'm going to continue doing arms on the machines for a while rather than dips and curls like I was before. Prior to getting sick I was trying to manage some pain in my left elbow that I'm quite certain was repetitive stress related. Rather than aggravate that I'll try to give it a bit of a break and hit my muscles in some different ways for a while. No pain today, and truthfully the prior pain was never bad, just enough that I knew it was time to let it rest or it would actually be painful & cause problems.
Finished the night with 20 minutes in the recumbent exercise bike. Of everything I did last night, the biking is what I'm feeling the most. A bit of soreness in the hips from it. Managed to work most of that out while mowing the lawn earlier today, but I can certainly tell I took two weeks off from going to the gym.
The unexpected effect of time off
As I mentioned, I had some planned time off. A week for national conference and then a week of vacation. Sounds good right? Our denom meeting was indeed good - historic in fact. Made some new friends, got to hang out with Ed Stetzer for 3 days, and overall ate pretty healthy save for the 18oz. Prime Rib that Ed suggested I get (he's on Atkin's...I'm not...).
Left for vacation last Thursday. Had started feeling ill on Wednesday evening, and really quite poor on Thursday afternoon. Made it to Sioux Falls where my parents live with the idea to over night here and then on to Colorado!
Woke up Friday feeling worse yet, so decided to stay the day rather than press on. The rest of the family went and did fun things while I lounged around the house. In fact, I missed my brother proposing to his girlfriend at her surprise birthday party because I felt so bad (she said yes!). When the family got home I asked that someone take me to the hospital ER.
After being admitted and some nasty stuff I'll skip I got a CT scan of my abdomen. Shortly later and I'm diagnosed with a blocked small intestine. That leads to the most torturous 10 minutes of my life with a nurse trying to put a tube up my nose & down my throat. Imagine someone poking your gag reflex for 10 minutes. I could only get so empty. I think I saw bubble gum from 4th grade leave my body.
So I spent the weekend in the hospital, getting out Monday mid-afternoon. No solid food from Friday until Monday morning. Sunday they let me have a few cups of chicken broth. IV in my right elbow the whole time giving me a steady drip of sugar water to keep me going.
IV antibiotics (and now oral) seemed to remove whatever infection that had gotten into my bowels and shut everything down. Thankfully I didn't have to have surgery.
Only today (Wednesday) am I starting to feel good again. But it feels as if I have lost a lot of muscle and strength. Afraid of what my lifts are going to look like when I get back to the gym in a few day. Add to that a persistent cough from laying in a hospital bed for a few days and I know I'm going to really feel the pain.
But I'll get it all back and then some. I'm not giving up. I need to quit being so fat.
One side benefit of the whole medical nightmare is that my stomach shrunk considerably. I can only eat about 60% of what I could eat a week ago. So if I can make good choices, and not push that part back out I might start to make some real progress!
Left for vacation last Thursday. Had started feeling ill on Wednesday evening, and really quite poor on Thursday afternoon. Made it to Sioux Falls where my parents live with the idea to over night here and then on to Colorado!
Woke up Friday feeling worse yet, so decided to stay the day rather than press on. The rest of the family went and did fun things while I lounged around the house. In fact, I missed my brother proposing to his girlfriend at her surprise birthday party because I felt so bad (she said yes!). When the family got home I asked that someone take me to the hospital ER.
After being admitted and some nasty stuff I'll skip I got a CT scan of my abdomen. Shortly later and I'm diagnosed with a blocked small intestine. That leads to the most torturous 10 minutes of my life with a nurse trying to put a tube up my nose & down my throat. Imagine someone poking your gag reflex for 10 minutes. I could only get so empty. I think I saw bubble gum from 4th grade leave my body.
So I spent the weekend in the hospital, getting out Monday mid-afternoon. No solid food from Friday until Monday morning. Sunday they let me have a few cups of chicken broth. IV in my right elbow the whole time giving me a steady drip of sugar water to keep me going.
IV antibiotics (and now oral) seemed to remove whatever infection that had gotten into my bowels and shut everything down. Thankfully I didn't have to have surgery.
Only today (Wednesday) am I starting to feel good again. But it feels as if I have lost a lot of muscle and strength. Afraid of what my lifts are going to look like when I get back to the gym in a few day. Add to that a persistent cough from laying in a hospital bed for a few days and I know I'm going to really feel the pain.
But I'll get it all back and then some. I'm not giving up. I need to quit being so fat.
One side benefit of the whole medical nightmare is that my stomach shrunk considerably. I can only eat about 60% of what I could eat a week ago. So if I can make good choices, and not push that part back out I might start to make some real progress!
Getting ready for a bit of time off
This coming Thursday begins our denominations meeting for the better part of a week. Then following that we are traveling for a week of vacation. So I'm going to have to be creative and intentional about finding places and ways to get workouts in. But it'll be good to get away and have some time off.
Did 45 minutes of cardio on Sunday night. I was wiped out after a terrible night's sleep Saturday and a long Father's Day. I was actually surprised I stuck it out that long.
Last night I did chest/lats/shoulders.
Bench:
135x10 for warm up
225x10
255x8
275x4
A bit lighter/less volume at the end than I'd have liked, but I was pretty tired going into the workout and didn't want to really push it with an empty gym and nobody to spot me. I suspect I could've gotten 275x6 and then 295x2 with no problem, but that'll have to be next time.
For lats I did machine pull downs. While I don't know what the actual weights are, I did 130x10, 130x10, 150x8. In between these sets I did some side arm extensions with free weights to work on my shoulders.
I didn't do any targeted arm lifts for two reasons. First, my left elbow has had some soreness in it and I don't want to aggravate it and cause a larger problem that would necessitate taking time off from lifting upper body. Naproxin, massage & some ice, plus avoiding things to aggravate it for the next week or so should put it back to where I want it. The second reason I didn't lift arms is that I'll be doing my CrossFit workout tonight with push press, deadlift and hang cleans. I'm interested to see if not doing arms yesterday will translate into a better workout today.
I wrapped up my workout with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike moving between level 8 and 10 for resistance. Not too hard, but enough it kept me sweating.
Did 45 minutes of cardio on Sunday night. I was wiped out after a terrible night's sleep Saturday and a long Father's Day. I was actually surprised I stuck it out that long.
Last night I did chest/lats/shoulders.
Bench:
135x10 for warm up
225x10
255x8
275x4
A bit lighter/less volume at the end than I'd have liked, but I was pretty tired going into the workout and didn't want to really push it with an empty gym and nobody to spot me. I suspect I could've gotten 275x6 and then 295x2 with no problem, but that'll have to be next time.
For lats I did machine pull downs. While I don't know what the actual weights are, I did 130x10, 130x10, 150x8. In between these sets I did some side arm extensions with free weights to work on my shoulders.
I didn't do any targeted arm lifts for two reasons. First, my left elbow has had some soreness in it and I don't want to aggravate it and cause a larger problem that would necessitate taking time off from lifting upper body. Naproxin, massage & some ice, plus avoiding things to aggravate it for the next week or so should put it back to where I want it. The second reason I didn't lift arms is that I'll be doing my CrossFit workout tonight with push press, deadlift and hang cleans. I'm interested to see if not doing arms yesterday will translate into a better workout today.
I wrapped up my workout with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike moving between level 8 and 10 for resistance. Not too hard, but enough it kept me sweating.
Sore today
Did my second round of Crossfit workout yesterday and am feeling it today.
I did similar to my 1st workout with push press, hang clean and dead lift.
I did 10/8/6/4/3 reps on the push press with 135# on the bar.
I did 10/8/6/4/3 reps on the hang clean with 135# on the bar.
I did 10/8/6/4/3 reps on the dead lift with 185# on the bar.
I can feel it in my traps of all places. They are tight, but not particularly sore. My hamstrings are sore however. Some tightness in the lower back as well.
Realistically the 185# on the DL is still a bit light, but since I haven't regularly dead lifted in about 15 years, I'm not pushing it. Especially not since my hamstrings are tight and sore from what I've been doing. Push press and hang clean seem to be just about right at 135#.
Definitely gets the old ticker clicking, especially after the round of 8's. I dream of someday doing the "Linda" workout aka "3 Bars of Death". But at this point I have no doubt it would indeed be my death.
I did similar to my 1st workout with push press, hang clean and dead lift.
I did 10/8/6/4/3 reps on the push press with 135# on the bar.
I did 10/8/6/4/3 reps on the hang clean with 135# on the bar.
I did 10/8/6/4/3 reps on the dead lift with 185# on the bar.
I can feel it in my traps of all places. They are tight, but not particularly sore. My hamstrings are sore however. Some tightness in the lower back as well.
Realistically the 185# on the DL is still a bit light, but since I haven't regularly dead lifted in about 15 years, I'm not pushing it. Especially not since my hamstrings are tight and sore from what I've been doing. Push press and hang clean seem to be just about right at 135#.
Definitely gets the old ticker clicking, especially after the round of 8's. I dream of someday doing the "Linda" workout aka "3 Bars of Death". But at this point I have no doubt it would indeed be my death.
CrossFit for the fat pastor
I've been doing a lot of research and reading on CrossFit. Sound principles, and people are getting great results. Great FAQ if you are into that.
So last night I gave it my first try with my first CrossFit workout.
I did upper body - chest & arms + some back extensions on Monday, so I didn't try to kill it for my first workout. That was wise, because it tried to kill me.
I put 135lbs on the bar and did 3 movements - push press, dead lift and hang clean - in that order.
I did a 10/8/5/3 cycle, so I did 10 push presses, 10 dead lifts, 10 hang cleans, then 8 of each, 5 of each and 3 of each. The idea being you do it for time and as you keep doing it you try to reduce the length of time it takes to complete the workout. Of course you still have to use sound lifting principles and techniques all the while.
After the 10's I rested for 1 minute and got a drink.
By the end of the 8's I was breathing HARD, sweating like crazy, and my heart was pumping like a machine gun. I rested for about 2 minutes.
By the time I made it to the 5's I was really feeling it in the push press and hang cleans. Had I been doing more than 5 my form would've broken down & I'd have likely failed on the next hang clean. I rested for about 3 minutes.
On the 3's I was pretty gassed, but got everything up. I was jumping hard to get the 3rd hang clean up, but it snapped right into place. The 3rd push press was a bit hard to lock out on my left arm, but I got there.
In all the sessions the deadlift was by far the easiest movement - and that is even after doing a solid back extensions set the day before.
All in all, I'm impressed. I'll do it again, and eventually incorporate some other movements and/or workouts.
I'm not sore today, though a bit tired and a bit tight.
I'm thinking I'll move to a weekly schedule of heavy lifting on Monday's, Tuesday CrossFit, Wednesday core workout, Thursday volume lifting (still heavy, but lighter than Monday with higher reps), Friday CrossFit, Saturday off, and Sunday mostly just cardio. I'll do recumbent bike/treadmill/elliptical on Monday-Friday as well, though possibly less on Crossfit days.
We'll see what it does to my body!
So last night I gave it my first try with my first CrossFit workout.
I did upper body - chest & arms + some back extensions on Monday, so I didn't try to kill it for my first workout. That was wise, because it tried to kill me.
I put 135lbs on the bar and did 3 movements - push press, dead lift and hang clean - in that order.
I did a 10/8/5/3 cycle, so I did 10 push presses, 10 dead lifts, 10 hang cleans, then 8 of each, 5 of each and 3 of each. The idea being you do it for time and as you keep doing it you try to reduce the length of time it takes to complete the workout. Of course you still have to use sound lifting principles and techniques all the while.
After the 10's I rested for 1 minute and got a drink.
By the end of the 8's I was breathing HARD, sweating like crazy, and my heart was pumping like a machine gun. I rested for about 2 minutes.
By the time I made it to the 5's I was really feeling it in the push press and hang cleans. Had I been doing more than 5 my form would've broken down & I'd have likely failed on the next hang clean. I rested for about 3 minutes.
On the 3's I was pretty gassed, but got everything up. I was jumping hard to get the 3rd hang clean up, but it snapped right into place. The 3rd push press was a bit hard to lock out on my left arm, but I got there.
In all the sessions the deadlift was by far the easiest movement - and that is even after doing a solid back extensions set the day before.
All in all, I'm impressed. I'll do it again, and eventually incorporate some other movements and/or workouts.
I'm not sore today, though a bit tired and a bit tight.
I'm thinking I'll move to a weekly schedule of heavy lifting on Monday's, Tuesday CrossFit, Wednesday core workout, Thursday volume lifting (still heavy, but lighter than Monday with higher reps), Friday CrossFit, Saturday off, and Sunday mostly just cardio. I'll do recumbent bike/treadmill/elliptical on Monday-Friday as well, though possibly less on Crossfit days.
We'll see what it does to my body!
Bench up to 335lbs.
Moved my bench max up again tonight (officially). Put up 335lbs with enough ease to know I had 340.
Warmed up with 135x10
245x8
335x1
245x8
Did curls, dips, triceps extensions, and shoulder extensions.
Then did the first part of a Pilates video in the video on demand room at our gym. All in all a very nice workout.
Did 60 minutes on the recumbent bike last night with speed intervals every 10ish minutes.
Warmed up with 135x10
245x8
335x1
245x8
Did curls, dips, triceps extensions, and shoulder extensions.
Then did the first part of a Pilates video in the video on demand room at our gym. All in all a very nice workout.
Did 60 minutes on the recumbent bike last night with speed intervals every 10ish minutes.
Why "Eat Less, Move More" Doesn't Always Work
From Lifetime Fitness.
Written by: Tom Nikkola – Director of Nutrition & Weight Management
Many of the articles on this site, and information in our weight management programs, clearly show why controlling weight is not just about counting calories or moving more. A new article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (EJCN) provides further support to this position. Even though the article is published in a prestigious journal, you shouldn’t expect it to make many headlines. If the authors’ perspectives were acknowledged publicly, it would mean changing public health recommendations and would go against much of the advertising found in the food industry.
The research review is titled Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog?[i] One of the major themes in the review is the point that rather than looking at lack of activity (sloth) or overeating (gluttony) as causes of obesity, it’s quite possible these may be results of something going awry with our metabolisms. In other words, we don’t get fat just by eating more and moving less. What’s making us fat, also gives us an insatiable appetite and makes us lethargic.
The premise behind the calorie balance equation is that if the calories we burn each day are less than the calories we eat, we gain weight. Yet, when people consciously decrease calorie intake, weight loss is frequently less than would be predicted — cutting back on calories does not result in expected weight loss.
In addition, when people move more, by adding structured exercise programs or engaging in other regular activity, they technically burn more calories. Yet, research shows this rarely impacts weight loss with any significance. However, studies do show people who eat lower-carbohydrate diets lose more weight, even without counting calories. The impact can even be greater when these individuals add exercise to their program. If weight loss occurs by lowering carbohydrate intake without reducing total calories, there’s more than calorie counts affecting weight loss or gain.
As long as we continue focusing on controlling calories, foods often containing processed carbohydrates and artificial ingredients will be viewed as appropriate for weight loss nutrition programs. But the evidence doesn’t support this. Instead, these low-calorie, low-nutrient food products could be one of several reasons we’re gaining weight.
In fact, when was the last time you saw an advertisement for fresh vegetables or fruit? It’s probably been a while, yet fruit juice is advertised everywhere, making people think it is a sufficient replacement for whole foods.
These modern foods drive up our blood sugar. Elevated blood sugar causes high insulin. In fact, some people can disrupt their hormones so that their insulin levels will be elevated even if they haven’t eaten much carbohydrate in a while. They may also secrete much more insulin than necessary. Aside from leading to a lot of other health problems, elevated insulin shuts down the body’s ability to burn fat. Even on a low-calorie diet, if insulin is too high, fat won’t be burned efficiently. Instead, the body may use its muscle tissue for energy. Translation: Someone can lose some scale weight, yet their body fat remains at unhealthy levels. Even people who appear thin in street clothes may have a very high percentage of body fat.
In addition, because of how fructose is metabolized, it doesn’t give the body the same sense to stop eating either. As a result, people may consume far more calories from fructose-containing foods than they would from other sugars. High-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sucrose (often labeled as “natural sugar”), agave nectar and many other “natural” sugars have a significant amount of fructose. Even if the label suggests the product is “natural” or seemingly healthy, be sure to check the ingredient list.
At some point in the near future, public health professionals and the food industry are going to have to admit that convenience foods dominate grocery store shelves — and that no matter how they’re fortified or modified, they do not support health or weight management.
Based on the research in the EJCN review, and many other studies, the answers actually seem quite simple:
Get a regular lab assessment on your body’s metabolic chemistry to see if any issues need to be addressed.
We also have to admit that some people have metabolic dysfunctions that must be addressed before they start focusing on their diet. As we always say, weight management is more than just calories in, calories out.SM
This article is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations in this and other articles is at the choice and risk of the reader.
[i] Wells JCK, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog? EJCN. 2011 July. Advance online publication. Doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.132
Written by: Tom Nikkola – Director of Nutrition & Weight Management
Many of the articles on this site, and information in our weight management programs, clearly show why controlling weight is not just about counting calories or moving more. A new article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (EJCN) provides further support to this position. Even though the article is published in a prestigious journal, you shouldn’t expect it to make many headlines. If the authors’ perspectives were acknowledged publicly, it would mean changing public health recommendations and would go against much of the advertising found in the food industry.
The research review is titled Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog?[i] One of the major themes in the review is the point that rather than looking at lack of activity (sloth) or overeating (gluttony) as causes of obesity, it’s quite possible these may be results of something going awry with our metabolisms. In other words, we don’t get fat just by eating more and moving less. What’s making us fat, also gives us an insatiable appetite and makes us lethargic.
The premise behind the calorie balance equation is that if the calories we burn each day are less than the calories we eat, we gain weight. Yet, when people consciously decrease calorie intake, weight loss is frequently less than would be predicted — cutting back on calories does not result in expected weight loss.
In addition, when people move more, by adding structured exercise programs or engaging in other regular activity, they technically burn more calories. Yet, research shows this rarely impacts weight loss with any significance. However, studies do show people who eat lower-carbohydrate diets lose more weight, even without counting calories. The impact can even be greater when these individuals add exercise to their program. If weight loss occurs by lowering carbohydrate intake without reducing total calories, there’s more than calorie counts affecting weight loss or gain.
As long as we continue focusing on controlling calories, foods often containing processed carbohydrates and artificial ingredients will be viewed as appropriate for weight loss nutrition programs. But the evidence doesn’t support this. Instead, these low-calorie, low-nutrient food products could be one of several reasons we’re gaining weight.
Insulin
So if it isn’t just excess calories that are causing the obesity problem around the country, and the world for that matter, what is it? One obvious answer the EJCN experts referenced is constantly high insulin levels. It’s only been in the past few generations as humans that we’ve had access to granola bars, processed breakfast cereals, crackers, and other pre-made, processed junk food.In fact, when was the last time you saw an advertisement for fresh vegetables or fruit? It’s probably been a while, yet fruit juice is advertised everywhere, making people think it is a sufficient replacement for whole foods.
These modern foods drive up our blood sugar. Elevated blood sugar causes high insulin. In fact, some people can disrupt their hormones so that their insulin levels will be elevated even if they haven’t eaten much carbohydrate in a while. They may also secrete much more insulin than necessary. Aside from leading to a lot of other health problems, elevated insulin shuts down the body’s ability to burn fat. Even on a low-calorie diet, if insulin is too high, fat won’t be burned efficiently. Instead, the body may use its muscle tissue for energy. Translation: Someone can lose some scale weight, yet their body fat remains at unhealthy levels. Even people who appear thin in street clothes may have a very high percentage of body fat.
Leptin
Another possible suspect in the battle against body fat could be the hormone leptin. Leptin is a hormone that signals us that we’re full. When leptin levels are elevated following a meal, we should get the sense to stop eating. Studies show leptin is elevated in many obese individuals, which means they may become leptin resistant the way they become resistant to insulin. The body keeps secreting the hormone to say, “Hey, you don’t need to eat anymore.” Yet, the brain doesn’t get the signal. There are many theories around this phenomenon, including the idea that processed foods may block leptin signaling.Healthy bacteria
The balance of good and bad bacteria may influence not only the nutrients we extract from our diet, but they may also influence the amount of caloric energy we derive from our foods. There is emerging evidence that certain bacteria can increase the caloric value we receive. Simply having more of the right bacteria may allow us to limit the calories we get from the foods we eat. Probiotics may become one of the recommended nutritional supplements in the near future, as additional research begins supporting their use.Fructose
Looking specifically at our diets, the authors discussed a couple likely factors in weight gain. The first is the fructose content in a diet. While the total sugar consumed by the average American outrageous, fructose is a sugar that’s metabolized quite differently than other sugars. The body’s ability to properly manage blood sugar becomes more disrupted from this sugar than others. If this causes elevated insulin, again the body becomes limited it its ability to burn fat.In addition, because of how fructose is metabolized, it doesn’t give the body the same sense to stop eating either. As a result, people may consume far more calories from fructose-containing foods than they would from other sugars. High-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sucrose (often labeled as “natural sugar”), agave nectar and many other “natural” sugars have a significant amount of fructose. Even if the label suggests the product is “natural” or seemingly healthy, be sure to check the ingredient list.
Macronutrients
The authors also acknowledged the importance of where daily calories come from. The majority of support in this area is for higher-protein , lower-carbohydrate , higher-fiber diets. However, this is not what you find in the majority of foods at the grocery store. Instead, high-carb, low-fat, low-protein foods are generally the types of food found in ready-to-eat packaging.At some point in the near future, public health professionals and the food industry are going to have to admit that convenience foods dominate grocery store shelves — and that no matter how they’re fortified or modified, they do not support health or weight management.
Sleep
Finally, the EJCN review covered sleep and its effect on weight gain. Studies show those who don’t get enough sleep tend to gain more weight. Again, if weight management was about calorie-burning, you’d think that being awake would burn more calories and help with weight loss — but that’s not the case at all. Missing out on sleep actually disrupts the metabolism in many ways and it’s one of the first things we address with clients. Getting enough sleep also helps in stress management, another factor in a healthy metabolism.Summary
I’m glad I paid for the full access to this journal article as it was a thorough review of many of the areas we must address if we’ll hope for success in reversing the obesity epidemic. Seven out of 10 people weigh too much. The answer is not to count total calories and move a little more!Based on the research in the EJCN review, and many other studies, the answers actually seem quite simple:
Get a regular lab assessment on your body’s metabolic chemistry to see if any issues need to be addressed.
-
Eat real food: plenty of vegetables and other plants which provide a ton of nutrients.
-
Eat enough protein with each meal, each day.
-
Stop looking at fat as bad.
-
Get enough sleep every night and manage stress.
We also have to admit that some people have metabolic dysfunctions that must be addressed before they start focusing on their diet. As we always say, weight management is more than just calories in, calories out.SM
This article is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Use of recommendations in this and other articles is at the choice and risk of the reader.
[i] Wells JCK, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog? EJCN. 2011 July. Advance online publication. Doi:10.1038/ejcn.2011.132
Workout 4-23-12
30 minutes cardio on recumbent bike.
Bench:
10x135 warm up
10x225
8x245
5x265
4x285
2x305 - with a spotter but no help. Barely made it, but all on my own!
Did 3 sets of weight assisted dips. 3 sets of curls too.
Bench:
10x135 warm up
10x225
8x245
5x265
4x285
2x305 - with a spotter but no help. Barely made it, but all on my own!
Did 3 sets of weight assisted dips. 3 sets of curls too.
That was a good workout
Arms & chest are fully fatigued.
Bench:
10x135 warmup
10x235
5x275
5x275
3x295
Then onto alternating bicep curls and triceps extensions. Mixed in some arm extensions for the delts. Then did some narrow grip bench for the tri's with 10x135, 10x155, 10x155. Then did some incline press with 180lbs to failure.
Definitely shot in the arms. Wanted to hit it really hard to see how my body will respond. Tomorrow I'm expecting some soreness (mild) and weakness.
Bench:
10x135 warmup
10x235
5x275
5x275
3x295
Then onto alternating bicep curls and triceps extensions. Mixed in some arm extensions for the delts. Then did some narrow grip bench for the tri's with 10x135, 10x155, 10x155. Then did some incline press with 180lbs to failure.
Definitely shot in the arms. Wanted to hit it really hard to see how my body will respond. Tomorrow I'm expecting some soreness (mild) and weakness.
Keeping at it
Good upper body workout tonight.
Bench:
10x135 warm up
8x225
6x265
4x295 - needed help on #4
2x315 - needed help on #2. Barely got #1 up. I did these last two reps with a very short turn around from the 295lb ones so another guy could get on the bench.
And while I haven't tried maxing out (and won't for a while now) by using a bench press calculator I should now be able to bench more than my body weight. I guess that also depends on what I weigh the next time I step on the scale. I don't believe in weighing myself daily. I'm not going to be a slave to that nonsense. From time to time, yes, to remain accountable, but not every day.
On my last rep I could definitely feel it in my triceps, so I'm going have to start hitting my tri's more for a while.
Curls, Triceps Extensions, assisted dips with 72lbs of relief, rows, dumbbell arm extensions (shoulders/delts)
Then 30 minutes on the recumbent cycle.
95% over my cold. Took 2 full weeks. Palm Sunday my voice barely made it through the end of the worship service. Easter we were as full as I think I've ever seen our church and my voice was strong.
Skipped my workout last night to work on taxes. Sigh. I hate taxes. But that meant I had 4 full days since I last benched, and it seemed to help a bit.
Bench:
10x135 warm up
8x225
6x265
4x295 - needed help on #4
2x315 - needed help on #2. Barely got #1 up. I did these last two reps with a very short turn around from the 295lb ones so another guy could get on the bench.
And while I haven't tried maxing out (and won't for a while now) by using a bench press calculator I should now be able to bench more than my body weight. I guess that also depends on what I weigh the next time I step on the scale. I don't believe in weighing myself daily. I'm not going to be a slave to that nonsense. From time to time, yes, to remain accountable, but not every day.
On my last rep I could definitely feel it in my triceps, so I'm going have to start hitting my tri's more for a while.
Curls, Triceps Extensions, assisted dips with 72lbs of relief, rows, dumbbell arm extensions (shoulders/delts)
Then 30 minutes on the recumbent cycle.
95% over my cold. Took 2 full weeks. Palm Sunday my voice barely made it through the end of the worship service. Easter we were as full as I think I've ever seen our church and my voice was strong.
Skipped my workout last night to work on taxes. Sigh. I hate taxes. But that meant I had 4 full days since I last benched, and it seemed to help a bit.
Growing in bench still
My bench workout tonight was:
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x300
The last @ 300lbs was all I had. But I had it. Another 10 days (after Easter) and I'll really start honing in on my diet with the hopes of dropping some more weight. I know my weight loss has slowed due to muscle gain, but there is a lot of room for improvement in my diet. A LOT.
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x300
The last @ 300lbs was all I had. But I had it. Another 10 days (after Easter) and I'll really start honing in on my diet with the hopes of dropping some more weight. I know my weight loss has slowed due to muscle gain, but there is a lot of room for improvement in my diet. A LOT.
Progress or plateau in weightlifting
I've been lifting weights since I was 15 years old, and have been really serious about it (off and on) since I was 18. It is something I'm pretty good at, and frankly I enjoy it. One of the secrets to growth I have discovered, is intentional time off - generally a week.
When I find myself hitting the wall physically, stuck on a plateau in some of my lifts, I take a week off from that lift (or on rare occasion I take a week off entirely!). When I come back to it, I'm re-energized and my strength has grown.
So I lifted a week ago Monday, and put in a heavy day on chest & arms. But I could tell I was out of gas and wasn't able to get through the workout like I would have liked to. So I skipped my second chest/arms workout last week and rested until last night.
I notice the greatest impact from this method on my bench press. I did a pyramid on bench last night with warmup at 135lbs, then:
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x295
(I use gloves but nothing else while benching BTW)
I did all without any assist (including liftoff you sissy! ;-) ). The 10x225 felt like I could throw the bar in the air at the top of each of the first 5 reps. The 2x295 went up back to back quickly with enough in the tank I might have squeezed in a third if I wanted.
Very encouraging.
It is motivating when you keep getting stronger. Even in small increments, it keeps fueling me on.
Another set of ideas for improving your bench specifically can be found here by Louie Simmons. If you want to bench 500lbs or more, give it a read. I'm obviously not there yet, but long term I really do hope to get there.
When I find myself hitting the wall physically, stuck on a plateau in some of my lifts, I take a week off from that lift (or on rare occasion I take a week off entirely!). When I come back to it, I'm re-energized and my strength has grown.
So I lifted a week ago Monday, and put in a heavy day on chest & arms. But I could tell I was out of gas and wasn't able to get through the workout like I would have liked to. So I skipped my second chest/arms workout last week and rested until last night.
I notice the greatest impact from this method on my bench press. I did a pyramid on bench last night with warmup at 135lbs, then:
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x295
(I use gloves but nothing else while benching BTW)
I did all without any assist (including liftoff you sissy! ;-) ). The 10x225 felt like I could throw the bar in the air at the top of each of the first 5 reps. The 2x295 went up back to back quickly with enough in the tank I might have squeezed in a third if I wanted.
Very encouraging.
It is motivating when you keep getting stronger. Even in small increments, it keeps fueling me on.
Another set of ideas for improving your bench specifically can be found here by Louie Simmons. If you want to bench 500lbs or more, give it a read. I'm obviously not there yet, but long term I really do hope to get there.
Sports blogger drops 153lbs in 1 year
http://aarongleeman.com/2012/03/07/how-i-lost-150-pounds-in-one-year/
The above link is a great story of a regional sports blogger who has committed himself to working out and eating better, and through that process has dramatically changed his physical make up.
The above link is a great story of a regional sports blogger who has committed himself to working out and eating better, and through that process has dramatically changed his physical make up.
325lb fail
Tried 325lbs on bench last night for the first time. Failed. Not by a lot, but knew going out of the hole that it wasn't going up. I'll give it another month.
Working my way through a second round of crud
Something settled into my lungs early this past weekend - I suspect I got it from my 2.5 year old. Coughing up the nasties. But I'm not letting that hold me back. Hit the gym both last night (cardio for an hour+) and tonight (lifting & light cardio). Since I'm feeling pretty run down, and since I have to get up early tomorrow to shovel snow, I took it a bit easier on cardio tonight, doing just some light treadmill walking.
I'm not in a hurry to lose weight - I want to do it in a sensible and sustainable way. But I know I've been gaining muscle, so my overall weight drop hasn't been what I initially hoped for. But in the long run, that muscle keeps burning fat, so it is a win in the bigger picture.
I'm not in a hurry to lose weight - I want to do it in a sensible and sustainable way. But I know I've been gaining muscle, so my overall weight drop hasn't been what I initially hoped for. But in the long run, that muscle keeps burning fat, so it is a win in the bigger picture.
When it rains it pours
Tuesday night I must've sprained something in my right foot (yes, seems to not be structural in nature so no bone). Woke up yesterday with quite a lot of pain. Woke up today in only slightly better condition. Not fun.
Then last night we had a carbon-monoxide scare in our house. Very elevated levels. Boiler wasn't working right and was leaking into the house. Thankfully everyone is fine and we (my wife) caught it before going to bed or anything like that. Made for a long night though. Got it fixed this morning so the heat is running as it should be.
That means I didn't go to the gym Wednesday, which was originally my play anyhow to give my body a break. Plus my foot hurts. On Tuesday I benched heavy again with my final set being 285lbs 2 times and I did it with no assist. Considering I wasn't sure just a week prior I could even lift that much, I consider that a win.
Then last night we had a carbon-monoxide scare in our house. Very elevated levels. Boiler wasn't working right and was leaking into the house. Thankfully everyone is fine and we (my wife) caught it before going to bed or anything like that. Made for a long night though. Got it fixed this morning so the heat is running as it should be.
That means I didn't go to the gym Wednesday, which was originally my play anyhow to give my body a break. Plus my foot hurts. On Tuesday I benched heavy again with my final set being 285lbs 2 times and I did it with no assist. Considering I wasn't sure just a week prior I could even lift that much, I consider that a win.
Working out when getting sick?
So do you workout or not? I do, and make sure to wipe everything down extra well so as to not spread it. I do take it easier - shorten length and intensity of workout, but I keep at it.
I've been at the gym 14 of the last 17 days. It feels good to go, though I still never really "enjoy" it. But getting stronger is certainly encouraging!
Got invited to climb Pike's Peak in late spring but had to turn it down. Still too much of a liability for something that adventurous. Yes, I'm qualified to make that call. I was a professional backpacking guide for 3 summers in college. I've climbed Long's Peak and a handful of other significantly lengthy climbs like Pike's Peak, and even if I lost 50lbs between now and then I still have a right knee that is sketchy, and I'd still feel that I weigh more than I'd want to, especially coming from our much lower elevation. Maybe the next summer. We'll see. I do miss the mountains.
Easy 300lb bench press
I put up 300lbs on bench press tonight with no problem. I tried 320lbs minutes later and failed, but barely. I was close enough on 320lbs that I think if I had done that first I would've gotten it. Next time I'm putting on three plates on each side (315) and I'm confident I'll have it. I won't max out like that again for a while though. Great to see continued progress, it is encouraging. Great to be benching near my body weight once again. There was a time I benched 125lbs (ish) over my body weight. I've seen smaller guys go to almost 2.5x's their body weight (in person) which is mind blowing. I don't think I'll get there, even if I lose a LOT of weight.
I've done cardio 6 of the last 7 days. 3 days of 45 minutes, 2 days of 80+ minutes and tonight with 35 minutes.
Along with that, for personal growth I'm reading Tim Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage". Truly the BEST book on marriage I have read.
I've done cardio 6 of the last 7 days. 3 days of 45 minutes, 2 days of 80+ minutes and tonight with 35 minutes.
Along with that, for personal growth I'm reading Tim Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage". Truly the BEST book on marriage I have read.
Bent wedding ring from lifting weights
Noticed a rough spot on the edge of my wedding ring today. Took it off, looked at it, and realized I'd bent it pretty severely. Much more and I think I'd have actually noticed it physically. So I'll have to get that fixed. I'm sure my wife will be excited to hear that. But at least it is from a good thing!
Grace Motivated Dieting
This is a segment of a great article by Mike Cosper over on The Gospel Coalition blog.
There are two possible motivations for the desire to transform our bodies, one that has the power to motivate and one that has the power to kill.
The latter motivation is more common. It's the reason young faces and bodies grace the magazine covers in grocery stores aisles. These images help drive the market for plastic surgery and much of that $62 billion dieting economy. This motivation cannot be limited to a single emotion or sin. But some combination of vanity, obsession with youth, and fear of death results in anxious discontent, a deep feeling of inadequacy and desperation for acceptance. We foolishly believe that if we could get skinnier, bulkier, younger, prettier, or stronger, we'll be satisfied.
This motivation literally leads to death. For some, the short-term fixes lead to crash diets, eating disorders, and a variety of other methods that do our bodies more harm than good. Ultimately, all of us face the ticking clock of time, slowing metabolisms, disease, grey hair, wrinkles, cellulite, and expired bodies. The desire to avoid death and old age that drives us to the gym can't ultimately stave off our inevitable end.
We become enslaved to the "law" of fitness, obsessively fighting a losing battle against our wills and the march of time. Our victories are short-lived, our defeats are crushing.
Bench Press Goal fo 275lbs completed
Had a rough evening last night with my very strong willed and defiant 2 year old, so I was really needing to get away to the gym. Thankfully things wen really well there!
My strength is continuing to improve. I was able to bench 275lbs last night, which was big for me mentally. Two plates plus a 25 on each side. Nice. And even better, it went easy. Real easy. As in I wish I had put 300lbs on the bar because I think I had it easy. So what I'm doing seems to be working. I did arms and shoulders as well last night, and I am sore this morning. A good sore, but sore. Added in 20ish minutes on the treadmill to round out my night.
On Sunday I did 60 minutes of cardio. I got into a TV show so I first bumped it from 30 to 40 minutes thinking that would get me to the end of the show. Apparently it was a 2 hour long show because I added 10 extra minutes two additional times! And along with that I moved up the resistance on the recumbent bike for most of that period as well. When I got off I could really feel it in my legs, but again it was that good feeling of being very spent as opposed to a painful overuse burn.
Now I just need to start dropping some more weight to go along with these successes at the gym.
My strength is continuing to improve. I was able to bench 275lbs last night, which was big for me mentally. Two plates plus a 25 on each side. Nice. And even better, it went easy. Real easy. As in I wish I had put 300lbs on the bar because I think I had it easy. So what I'm doing seems to be working. I did arms and shoulders as well last night, and I am sore this morning. A good sore, but sore. Added in 20ish minutes on the treadmill to round out my night.
On Sunday I did 60 minutes of cardio. I got into a TV show so I first bumped it from 30 to 40 minutes thinking that would get me to the end of the show. Apparently it was a 2 hour long show because I added 10 extra minutes two additional times! And along with that I moved up the resistance on the recumbent bike for most of that period as well. When I got off I could really feel it in my legs, but again it was that good feeling of being very spent as opposed to a painful overuse burn.
Now I just need to start dropping some more weight to go along with these successes at the gym.
I've been in the gym 50% of the days of 2012
But then again...it is only January 2nd. Had a good workout tonight. I hadn't been to the gym in 10 days I think (9 or 10) and while my heart rate was a bit higher than 10 days ago while riding the recumbent bike, I was able to do the full workout with no problems. Followed that up with bench/arms/shoulder work. Bench was rock solid, like I hadn't left. My arms were a bit weaker it seemed, but nothing that I'll worry about at this point.
Need to focus on my diet and keep at it at the gym. In the 10 days I took off, I ate like a pig and did little physically. It was a great refresher for me, especially having taken this past Sunday off so I didn't have to preach and got to actually go to church and listen to someone else for the first time in quite a while. The downside to all of that is I gained just over 2 lbs. I honestly expected it to be more. And considering that is a very small percentage of my overall weight, I'm not sweating it, but wish it hadn't have happened nonetheless.
If one meal could've done it, I know which one. I spent some time in my hometown with family, and while there I hit one of my favorite burger places. Double cheese with cheese curds and fries to boot. I'm not a fry eater, so I farmed most of them to the family, and I didn't finish the burger, but I did eat about 1/2 lb of delicious fried cheese. Some calories are just worth it.
May 2012 bring you closer to God and to your goals!
Need to focus on my diet and keep at it at the gym. In the 10 days I took off, I ate like a pig and did little physically. It was a great refresher for me, especially having taken this past Sunday off so I didn't have to preach and got to actually go to church and listen to someone else for the first time in quite a while. The downside to all of that is I gained just over 2 lbs. I honestly expected it to be more. And considering that is a very small percentage of my overall weight, I'm not sweating it, but wish it hadn't have happened nonetheless.
May 2012 bring you closer to God and to your goals!
Workouts for 2012 - Happy New Year!
Well I've survived the storm known as Christmas. My workouts have suffered the past week, but it has been great to take time off to visit family and to spend with my own family. Tomorrow it is time to hit it hard. I can really feel the need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)