I see my last blog post was Tuesday. It seems so long ago. Between work, classes and extracurricular volunteering, I've had little time to even think about keeping this up to date.
And as indicated, I had a weekend of training that meant throwing out the meal plan and no workouts. Take into account I didn't get back home until late Sunday afternoon and workouts for last week, we're toasted.
I did get in a Triceps workout on Wednesday, but that was it.
So yesterday it was a reset (sort of). My meal plan wasn't fully planned but I did get in my shoulder workout (using same numbers as week previous). It felt really good if not a bit tough.
I also got my run in today. It was one of those runs where as soon as I took a couple of steps, it just felt RIGHT. And it was. I did one of my usual "interval" sessions, but with a tweak at the end:
1/2 mile warmup
1/4 mile sprint / 1/4 mile jog (5 times)
1/8 mile sprint
The difference with the above is that usually it's 4 times for the intervals and this time I went to 5. By doing this, I was able to complete my fastest 5K. The time was 24 min 23 sec.
I won't do each interval breakdown, but my avg speed worked out to be 7.7 mph with 403 calories being burned.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
OK Go
Hopefully I'll remember and post my Monday workout results soon. However, I wanted to quickly blog while things were fresh in my regarding the last couple of days.
On Sunday, I did Legs again. It felt great. I bumped up my leg press to 230 lbs and was able to complete 12 reps. I'm definitely feeling stronger in my lower half and the leg presses seem to be doing wonders for stretching out my knees.
Monday was shoulders and I did them first thing in the morning. My work required me to travel out of town for the night so I was pretty sure I wouldn't get a workout in. Unfortunately, when I travel, it tends to mean really crappy eating habits. Yesterday was no exception.
I had an omelet in the morning (good). I got to my work location and by the time lunch rolled around I was starved. That meant Subway. Tasty but carb-y Subway. So I gorged there. Then supper. Gorge yet again.
Today I had a breakfast omelet wrap at Subway and lunch there again. I decided when I got home that I would go for a run as Tuesday's are normally my running day.
I figured with all the carbs I had ingested I should be good to go for a long run and I had been wanting to do a long run for a bit now but never had the time. Tonight worked out perfect and I got in 10K run in just over 53 minutes. It broke down to the following (approx):
1 mile warm up
1/4 mile run
1/2 mile jog
I did the 1/4 mile - 1/2 mile segment 6 times in total, jogged again until I had .1 mile left and then "sprinted" that one. I put quotations because I was gassed. However, considering that in August 2010 I couldn't even run 2 miles, this is huge for me. I'm very happy - especially when I seen that I had burned 900 calories.
However, that high was dropped a bit when I stepped on the scale at home AFTER the run. 172.5 lbs. Dammit. And I have a training event that starts on Friday and goes until Sunday. This week is not going to be a good one for muscle build / fat burn. Such is life I guess. At least after this weekend, I don't foresee travel that will interrupt my workout schedule / eating plan as much.
On Sunday, I did Legs again. It felt great. I bumped up my leg press to 230 lbs and was able to complete 12 reps. I'm definitely feeling stronger in my lower half and the leg presses seem to be doing wonders for stretching out my knees.
Monday was shoulders and I did them first thing in the morning. My work required me to travel out of town for the night so I was pretty sure I wouldn't get a workout in. Unfortunately, when I travel, it tends to mean really crappy eating habits. Yesterday was no exception.
I had an omelet in the morning (good). I got to my work location and by the time lunch rolled around I was starved. That meant Subway. Tasty but carb-y Subway. So I gorged there. Then supper. Gorge yet again.
Today I had a breakfast omelet wrap at Subway and lunch there again. I decided when I got home that I would go for a run as Tuesday's are normally my running day.
I figured with all the carbs I had ingested I should be good to go for a long run and I had been wanting to do a long run for a bit now but never had the time. Tonight worked out perfect and I got in 10K run in just over 53 minutes. It broke down to the following (approx):
1 mile warm up
1/4 mile run
1/2 mile jog
I did the 1/4 mile - 1/2 mile segment 6 times in total, jogged again until I had .1 mile left and then "sprinted" that one. I put quotations because I was gassed. However, considering that in August 2010 I couldn't even run 2 miles, this is huge for me. I'm very happy - especially when I seen that I had burned 900 calories.
However, that high was dropped a bit when I stepped on the scale at home AFTER the run. 172.5 lbs. Dammit. And I have a training event that starts on Friday and goes until Sunday. This week is not going to be a good one for muscle build / fat burn. Such is life I guess. At least after this weekend, I don't foresee travel that will interrupt my workout schedule / eating plan as much.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Keep Rollin Rollin Rollin
A week ago, my workout was as follows:
Squats 200x9 (4 min rest)
Squats 195x12 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x11 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x9 (3 min rest)
Leg Extension 110x3 (3 min rest)
Leg Curls 100x12 (4 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x12 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x10 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x8 (Done)
As I mentioned before, I was really worried about this workout, but it went really well.
It was also a day of garbage eating. Arby's gorging among other things. Not pretty.
Monday rolled around I had a lunch meeting to go to. Gorging event #2.
Workout day as well - Shoulders. I did this at home due to multiple things going on. Because of this, I substituted Cable Shrugs with EZ Bar Upright Rows.
Overhead Press - 105x12 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x11 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 9 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x9 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 95x7 (4 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x12 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x10 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x8 (done)
Tuesday was gorging event #3. I believe at this point I was sitting around 172. Keep in mind, on Saturday I had weighed in at 167.5. Not good.
I got in a 15 minute run outside that evening (-20 weather). It felt really really good, both legs/knees wise and just overall physically.
Wednesday was back to clean eating and Triceps day.
French Curls 65x12 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x10 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x8 (4 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 85x8 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x10 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x8 (Done)
Thursday was supposed to be a run, but didn't get it in. Too much going on to head down to the gym and it was bloody cold outside.
Friday was Chest and Abs. This particular area has been very troubling for me. Before Christmas, I could bench 160lbs. Now, I have problems benching 150lbs.
Anyways, here was the workout:
Barbell Bench Press: 150x6
Pec Deck: 95x10
Pec Deck: 90x10 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x10
Pec Deck: 90x6 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x8
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x12
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x10
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x8
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
Saturday was Back and Biceps.
Deadlift: 195x9
Deadlift: 190x12
Barbell Row: 120x12
Barbell Row: 120x10
Pullover Machine: 140x10
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x12
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x10
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x8 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x9
Barbell Curls: 70x11
Barbell Curls: 70x9
Workout went fairly well. Had to laugh because there was two guys there that I'm not sure what their goal is. If it's being douchebags in a gym, they're succeeding. They basically would do cable curls and it would be rapid fire reps. Not the best way to build muscle or anything. Looks retarded to.
The best news was that I was down to 167lbs on Saturday. After 3 days of pure crap eating at the beginning of the week, I was able to get back down in weight AND still be at the same body fat percentage (12.34). Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday this week are going to consist of travelling, which means the tendency to eat like crap increases and energy levels decrease due to stress and travelling. Oh well - onward and upward - or I guess in this case, it's outward in muscles and downward in fat!
Squats 200x9 (4 min rest)
Squats 195x12 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x11 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x9 (3 min rest)
Leg Extension 110x3 (3 min rest)
Leg Curls 100x12 (4 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x12 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x10 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x8 (Done)
As I mentioned before, I was really worried about this workout, but it went really well.
It was also a day of garbage eating. Arby's gorging among other things. Not pretty.
Monday rolled around I had a lunch meeting to go to. Gorging event #2.
Workout day as well - Shoulders. I did this at home due to multiple things going on. Because of this, I substituted Cable Shrugs with EZ Bar Upright Rows.
Overhead Press - 105x12 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x11 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 9 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x9 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 95x7 (4 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x12 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x10 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x8 (done)
Tuesday was gorging event #3. I believe at this point I was sitting around 172. Keep in mind, on Saturday I had weighed in at 167.5. Not good.
I got in a 15 minute run outside that evening (-20 weather). It felt really really good, both legs/knees wise and just overall physically.
Wednesday was back to clean eating and Triceps day.
French Curls 65x12 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x10 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x8 (4 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 85x8 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x10 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x8 (Done)
Thursday was supposed to be a run, but didn't get it in. Too much going on to head down to the gym and it was bloody cold outside.
Friday was Chest and Abs. This particular area has been very troubling for me. Before Christmas, I could bench 160lbs. Now, I have problems benching 150lbs.
Anyways, here was the workout:
Barbell Bench Press: 150x6
Pec Deck: 95x10
Pec Deck: 90x10 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x10
Pec Deck: 90x6 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x8
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x12
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x10
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x8
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
Saturday was Back and Biceps.
Deadlift: 195x9
Deadlift: 190x12
Barbell Row: 120x12
Barbell Row: 120x10
Pullover Machine: 140x10
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x12
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x10
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x8 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x9
Barbell Curls: 70x11
Barbell Curls: 70x9
Workout went fairly well. Had to laugh because there was two guys there that I'm not sure what their goal is. If it's being douchebags in a gym, they're succeeding. They basically would do cable curls and it would be rapid fire reps. Not the best way to build muscle or anything. Looks retarded to.
The best news was that I was down to 167lbs on Saturday. After 3 days of pure crap eating at the beginning of the week, I was able to get back down in weight AND still be at the same body fat percentage (12.34). Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday this week are going to consist of travelling, which means the tendency to eat like crap increases and energy levels decrease due to stress and travelling. Oh well - onward and upward - or I guess in this case, it's outward in muscles and downward in fat!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Long Long Ago In A Galaxy Far Away
It's been a while since I posted. Not for lack of anything going on though. Thursday I did pretty good for sticking to meal plan:
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Lunch: Mushroom Soup
Snack: Pepperoni sticks
Supper: Crusted salmon and broccoli
Friday was a workout day (Chest & Abs) along with being a day off of work (yay!).
Barbell Bench Press: 160x5
Pec Deck: 95x9
Pec Deck: 90x11 immediately followed by Bench Press: 135x6
Pec Deck: 90x9 immediately followed by Bench Press: 4
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x11
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x9
Seated Crunch Machine: 120x12
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
My meals were:
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: Cucumbers and dip
Lunch: Cheeseburger Quiche
Snack: didn't happen
Supper: Sloppy Joe Pie
Saturday was a workout day (Back and Biceps) and measurements day. I'll post the measurements later. We were supposed to travel to my best friend's house but weather decided otherwise. I ended up playing soccer that night, so I got some good cardio in. Unfortunately, we went out for drinks later and this caused a late night which caused some unhealthy eating late at night.
Deadlift: 195x8
Deadlift: 190x11
Barbell Row: 120x11
Barbell Row: 120x9
Pullover Machine: 130x12
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x11
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x9
Cable Preacher Curls: 50x12 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x8
Barbell Curls: 70x10
Barbell Curls: 70x8
Meals:
Breakfast: Omelet
Lunch: Sloppy Joe Pie & Cheeseburger Quiche
Supper: Steak and Mashed Cauliflower with Carmelized Onions
Sunday was workout day (Legs). I was a bit worried about this workout as my knees were feeling very very sore. However, I felt much better after doing the workout and was happy with what I ended up squatting.
I will hopefully be posting more later that will detail Sunday through to today.
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Lunch: Mushroom Soup
Snack: Pepperoni sticks
Supper: Crusted salmon and broccoli
Friday was a workout day (Chest & Abs) along with being a day off of work (yay!).
Barbell Bench Press: 160x5
Pec Deck: 95x9
Pec Deck: 90x11 immediately followed by Bench Press: 135x6
Pec Deck: 90x9 immediately followed by Bench Press: 4
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x11
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x9
Seated Crunch Machine: 120x12
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
My meals were:
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: Cucumbers and dip
Lunch: Cheeseburger Quiche
Snack: didn't happen
Supper: Sloppy Joe Pie
Saturday was a workout day (Back and Biceps) and measurements day. I'll post the measurements later. We were supposed to travel to my best friend's house but weather decided otherwise. I ended up playing soccer that night, so I got some good cardio in. Unfortunately, we went out for drinks later and this caused a late night which caused some unhealthy eating late at night.
Deadlift: 195x8
Deadlift: 190x11
Barbell Row: 120x11
Barbell Row: 120x9
Pullover Machine: 130x12
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x11
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x9
Cable Preacher Curls: 50x12 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x8
Barbell Curls: 70x10
Barbell Curls: 70x8
Meals:
Breakfast: Omelet
Lunch: Sloppy Joe Pie & Cheeseburger Quiche
Supper: Steak and Mashed Cauliflower with Carmelized Onions
Sunday was workout day (Legs). I was a bit worried about this workout as my knees were feeling very very sore. However, I felt much better after doing the workout and was happy with what I ended up squatting.
I will hopefully be posting more later that will detail Sunday through to today.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
5K
Got in a 5K run just now. Really nice out with it being -6 Celsius. Did the following today:
471
5 min run (.58 miles @ 7mph)
.25 mile run (1:35 @ 9.4 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:13 @ 6.7 mph)
.25 mile run (1:43 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:10 @ 6.8 mph)
.25 mile run (1:45 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:09 @ 6.9 mph)
.25 mile run (1:41 @ 8.8 mph)
1 min walk (.06 miles @ 3.7 mph)
5:12 jog (.62 miles @ 7.1 mph)
.125 mile run to finish off (49 seconds @ 9.2 mph)
The 5K took a total of 25 min 21 seconds and burned 471 calories. I had an average heart rate of 180 bpm with a peak of 198 bpm.
I actually feel pretty good after doing the sprint intervals. My lungs are on fire a bit, but that's a combination of cold weather, asthma and cardio fitness.
471
5 min run (.58 miles @ 7mph)
.25 mile run (1:35 @ 9.4 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:13 @ 6.7 mph)
.25 mile run (1:43 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:10 @ 6.8 mph)
.25 mile run (1:45 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:09 @ 6.9 mph)
.25 mile run (1:41 @ 8.8 mph)
1 min walk (.06 miles @ 3.7 mph)
5:12 jog (.62 miles @ 7.1 mph)
.125 mile run to finish off (49 seconds @ 9.2 mph)
The 5K took a total of 25 min 21 seconds and burned 471 calories. I had an average heart rate of 180 bpm with a peak of 198 bpm.
I actually feel pretty good after doing the sprint intervals. My lungs are on fire a bit, but that's a combination of cold weather, asthma and cardio fitness.
Thirsty Thursday
I only say that because there's a local bar that has a promotion of $1 draft little cups of beer and they call it Thirsty Thursday. Mmmmmmmmm beer. *Drool*
Anyways, yesterday's menu was...challenging to say the least.
I was supposed to have a salad with chicken and cheese on it for lunch. Turns out there was no salad left. Ended up having homemade butternut squash soup instead. Unfortunately, because of this, it threw my carb targets right out the window as I also had a smoothie in the morning. I also was supposed to have tuna muffins, but hadn't prepared those yet. So this was my final menu:
Breakfast: PB & J Smoothie
Snack: Pepperoni sticks & cheese sticks
Lunch: Butternut squash soup
Snack: Cheeseburger quiche
Supper: Low carb pizza (yes - there is a way to do this!)
I also had a soccer meeting and once I got home from that, I cracked and munched on a bunch of chili lime peanuts. They...were...so...good.
Unfortunately - the scale reflected that poor choice this morning. It told me that I had been naughty by showing a number of 168. However - this scale has been known to fluctuate a bit, so we'll see what it shows tomorrow with the Wii Fit scale having the final say.
Yesterday was also a workout day - Triceps. This consisted of:
French Curls: 65x10
French Curls: 65x8
French Curls: 60x11
Pushdowns: 90x6 (target was 8)
Pushdowns: 80x11
Pushdowns: 80x9
I also did 20 reverse crunches, 20 regular crunches and 20 side crunches (each side).
Anyways, yesterday's menu was...challenging to say the least.
I was supposed to have a salad with chicken and cheese on it for lunch. Turns out there was no salad left. Ended up having homemade butternut squash soup instead. Unfortunately, because of this, it threw my carb targets right out the window as I also had a smoothie in the morning. I also was supposed to have tuna muffins, but hadn't prepared those yet. So this was my final menu:
Breakfast: PB & J Smoothie
Snack: Pepperoni sticks & cheese sticks
Lunch: Butternut squash soup
Snack: Cheeseburger quiche
Supper: Low carb pizza (yes - there is a way to do this!)
I also had a soccer meeting and once I got home from that, I cracked and munched on a bunch of chili lime peanuts. They...were...so...good.
Unfortunately - the scale reflected that poor choice this morning. It told me that I had been naughty by showing a number of 168. However - this scale has been known to fluctuate a bit, so we'll see what it shows tomorrow with the Wii Fit scale having the final say.
Yesterday was also a workout day - Triceps. This consisted of:
French Curls: 65x10
French Curls: 65x8
French Curls: 60x11
Pushdowns: 90x6 (target was 8)
Pushdowns: 80x11
Pushdowns: 80x9
I also did 20 reverse crunches, 20 regular crunches and 20 side crunches (each side).
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
No Sleep And No Beer Making Me Go Something Something
Last night was a bit of a late one - and for all the wrong reasons. Between trying to fix a laptop, attempting to do web programming (attempting is the key word as I locked out the account), and a Deadmau5 performance on Much Music (apparently they've given up on the rap genre?) sleep was not forthcoming until close to midnight. Mix that in with a 6AM alarm clock and well, I'm a bit tired today.
As for no beer, that's kind of true. I haven't had anything alcoholic recently as I'm trying to keep that out of my diet as much as possible. However, after stepping on the scale this morning and seeing myself at 166.5, I think I may partake in a few beverages and tasty treats this weekend. My goal was 160 by middle of February, so I wouldn't want to get there too quickly!
Now - there is one thing to note. A drop of 3.5 lbs is a bit drastic. Keep in mind that I ran yesterday which would have aided me as that would have gotten rid of excess water weight. Combined with the fact I didn't get my protein shake and that explains the drastic weight dip. We'll see what the numbers say on Saturday morning. One good thing though - it's nice to be back at 166 again. Most of December was spent at 170-173 and honestly - if I can spend a month like December where I'm eating a lot more "bad" stuff and get rid of it in a month or two - I'm ok with that. It makes life MUCH more enjoyable.
I have a triceps workout scheduled for tonight so I'm looking forward to that. There's also some other items on the agenda for tonight (bed time by 9:30 maybe? lol), but I'll see about getting my menu up for today.
As for no beer, that's kind of true. I haven't had anything alcoholic recently as I'm trying to keep that out of my diet as much as possible. However, after stepping on the scale this morning and seeing myself at 166.5, I think I may partake in a few beverages and tasty treats this weekend. My goal was 160 by middle of February, so I wouldn't want to get there too quickly!
Now - there is one thing to note. A drop of 3.5 lbs is a bit drastic. Keep in mind that I ran yesterday which would have aided me as that would have gotten rid of excess water weight. Combined with the fact I didn't get my protein shake and that explains the drastic weight dip. We'll see what the numbers say on Saturday morning. One good thing though - it's nice to be back at 166 again. Most of December was spent at 170-173 and honestly - if I can spend a month like December where I'm eating a lot more "bad" stuff and get rid of it in a month or two - I'm ok with that. It makes life MUCH more enjoyable.
I have a triceps workout scheduled for tonight so I'm looking forward to that. There's also some other items on the agenda for tonight (bed time by 9:30 maybe? lol), but I'll see about getting my menu up for today.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Run Forrest Run
During my previous THT Volume Cycle workout...oh yeah - guess I should explain the workout regiment I'm utilizing!!
A few years ago, I discovered www.musclehack.com. Through progressive overloading and other articles, I've been able to transform a 5'6" 200lb frame into 5'6" 170lb frame that is approx 12% body fat.
This is huge for me. I was skinny growing up and got fat when I went to college and entered the workforce. Since using Mark's techniques and programs, I've been able to build muscle, drop fat and even got myself in enough shape to run 2 half marathons.
So back to my original starting line. One of his programs is the THT Volume Cycle. It is basically working out a set of body parts on a day. For example, yesterday was shoulders.
ANYWAYS, previously, Tuesday's were a nothing day. However, because I really like running I brought my gear to work and did an outside lunch run. No big deal right? Except it's -10 CELSIUS here (-16 with the windchill) (14 Fahrenheit and 4 Fahrenheit for non-canucks) and snow is on the ground. I was still able to complete a 5K run in 27:16. Not bad for not running in over a month.
The run felt pretty good all things considered. Here was the format I used:
5 min warm up
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
1 min walk
Remaining time jogged
I'll switch it up next time though. I might go 1/4 mile sprints with 2 min rests, etc. Hard to say until that day. HIIT is one of the best methods for losing fat and quickest as well. In 27 minutes I burned 450 calories.
I guess I should also mention my meals for today:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, sweet red pepper, chipotle mayo
Snack 1: cucumbers, chipotle mayo
Lunch: Homemade mushroom soup, pepperoni sticks
Snack 2: cottage cheese, peanut butter, 1/2 banana
Supper will be a chili lime pork steak and salad.
My energy levels feel quite low right now. Some of it is because I'm back at work today, so that meant getting up at 6AM. Some of it is going low carb. Some of it is also from the run. Oh well - that's fine with me.
My shoulders are a bit stiff as well. I actually enjoy that as it means two things: 1) I should not have slacked from working out and; 2) I'm back working out
A few years ago, I discovered www.musclehack.com. Through progressive overloading and other articles, I've been able to transform a 5'6" 200lb frame into 5'6" 170lb frame that is approx 12% body fat.
This is huge for me. I was skinny growing up and got fat when I went to college and entered the workforce. Since using Mark's techniques and programs, I've been able to build muscle, drop fat and even got myself in enough shape to run 2 half marathons.
So back to my original starting line. One of his programs is the THT Volume Cycle. It is basically working out a set of body parts on a day. For example, yesterday was shoulders.
ANYWAYS, previously, Tuesday's were a nothing day. However, because I really like running I brought my gear to work and did an outside lunch run. No big deal right? Except it's -10 CELSIUS here (-16 with the windchill) (14 Fahrenheit and 4 Fahrenheit for non-canucks) and snow is on the ground. I was still able to complete a 5K run in 27:16. Not bad for not running in over a month.
The run felt pretty good all things considered. Here was the format I used:
5 min warm up
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
1 min walk
Remaining time jogged
I'll switch it up next time though. I might go 1/4 mile sprints with 2 min rests, etc. Hard to say until that day. HIIT is one of the best methods for losing fat and quickest as well. In 27 minutes I burned 450 calories.
I guess I should also mention my meals for today:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, sweet red pepper, chipotle mayo
Snack 1: cucumbers, chipotle mayo
Lunch: Homemade mushroom soup, pepperoni sticks
Snack 2: cottage cheese, peanut butter, 1/2 banana
Supper will be a chili lime pork steak and salad.
My energy levels feel quite low right now. Some of it is because I'm back at work today, so that meant getting up at 6AM. Some of it is going low carb. Some of it is also from the run. Oh well - that's fine with me.
My shoulders are a bit stiff as well. I actually enjoy that as it means two things: 1) I should not have slacked from working out and; 2) I'm back working out
Monday, January 3, 2011
Food For Thought...Actually For Eating
Today's menu consisted of the following:
Breakfast: 3 large eggs + green peppers + chipotle mayo
Snack 1: Cottage cheese + banana + peanut butter
Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup
Snack 2: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Supper: Eye of round roast with chipotle mayo
Today was interesting because:
1. I got to try out the homemade chipotle mayo. This is right now one of my favorite dips. Chipotle is a nice slow burn.
2. I finally found something to mix with cottage cheese that made it enjoyable.
3. Butternut squash was something we had never had before. Making the soup was a bit more work than I like, but in the end it turned out to be a huge bowl of win.
A majority of the recipes I use will come from Linda's Low Carb - http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/. Thanks to her trial and errors, we have been able to adjust to a low carb lifestyle and enjoy it.
I also use AllRecipes.com for some of the carb-y recipes. They have a low carb section, but it doesn't compare to Linda's recipes.
I should mention that the cake found on Linda's website is probably one of the best low carb desserts ever - along with being the healthies. Using my numbers, it works out to 236 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs (!!!) and get this - 24 grams of protein!! That's absolutely outstanding.
Breakfast: 3 large eggs + green peppers + chipotle mayo
Snack 1: Cottage cheese + banana + peanut butter
Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup
Snack 2: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Supper: Eye of round roast with chipotle mayo
Today was interesting because:
1. I got to try out the homemade chipotle mayo. This is right now one of my favorite dips. Chipotle is a nice slow burn.
2. I finally found something to mix with cottage cheese that made it enjoyable.
3. Butternut squash was something we had never had before. Making the soup was a bit more work than I like, but in the end it turned out to be a huge bowl of win.
A majority of the recipes I use will come from Linda's Low Carb - http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/. Thanks to her trial and errors, we have been able to adjust to a low carb lifestyle and enjoy it.
I also use AllRecipes.com for some of the carb-y recipes. They have a low carb section, but it doesn't compare to Linda's recipes.
I should mention that the cake found on Linda's website is probably one of the best low carb desserts ever - along with being the healthies. Using my numbers, it works out to 236 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs (!!!) and get this - 24 grams of protein!! That's absolutely outstanding.
Head and Shoulders
Well - actually today was a shoulders workout. It consisted of:
Overhead Press - 105x8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x10 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x8 followed by Overhead Press - 95 x 7 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 85x7 (4 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 60x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 70x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 90x12 (done)
The overhead presses were tough today. I haven't worked out since about 2nd week in December and since then was hit with the flu and Christmas baking.
It felt great to be back at the gym although there were some trouble spots. First up was my inability to hit a minimum of 8 reps on the overhead press during two of the sets. Second was trying to find the appropriate cable upright row weight. I'll have to go to 110 next time and see what happens.
The third trouble spot? People!! So many people there. Thankfully I was still able to get access to my equipment that I required but wow. I have to laugh a little though - some people definitely need it but are hitting it hard. Been there done that. Doesn't work. Reintroduce yourself and then kick some ass. Don't try and kick some ass but instead end up kicking your own ass and doing away with your New Year Resolution within the first month. Oh well - their problem I guess.
Later on tonight or tomorrow I'll post what I had to eat today. So far, it's been going great!
Overhead Press - 105x8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x10 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x8 followed by Overhead Press - 95 x 7 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 85x7 (4 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 60x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 70x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 90x12 (done)
The overhead presses were tough today. I haven't worked out since about 2nd week in December and since then was hit with the flu and Christmas baking.
It felt great to be back at the gym although there were some trouble spots. First up was my inability to hit a minimum of 8 reps on the overhead press during two of the sets. Second was trying to find the appropriate cable upright row weight. I'll have to go to 110 next time and see what happens.
The third trouble spot? People!! So many people there. Thankfully I was still able to get access to my equipment that I required but wow. I have to laugh a little though - some people definitely need it but are hitting it hard. Been there done that. Doesn't work. Reintroduce yourself and then kick some ass. Don't try and kick some ass but instead end up kicking your own ass and doing away with your New Year Resolution within the first month. Oh well - their problem I guess.
Later on tonight or tomorrow I'll post what I had to eat today. So far, it's been going great!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Numbers Numbers Numbers
Today is the day to get the baseline on everything. Weight, measurements, etc. What I found interesting is that compared to last September when I first did the Six Pack Abs Furnace program, my body composition appears to have changed.
For example, my daily calorie requirements was 2068. Today, it is now 2189.
Here's my measurements to start off with:
Weight: 170
Stomach: 35
Hips: 38.625
Waist: 33.5
Thigh: 22.875
Right Bicep: 13.75
Left Bicep: 14.125
Chest: 39
Neck: 15
Also, using body fat calipers, we calculated my body fat to be 12.49%.
Now, you might be reading this and thinking "wow, 2189 seems like a lot of calories". In reality, it's kind of not. A can of ravoli is 400 calories. Now, I don't know about you, but that barely fills me up. So, maybe a person has some other food to go with it. Milk, juice, pop, etc. Now that meal is approx 800 calories - and that's just lunch. Once you factor in supper, it's no wonder people are obese.
Next step is to take some pictures as well. I'll try and get those up later.
For example, my daily calorie requirements was 2068. Today, it is now 2189.
Here's my measurements to start off with:
Weight: 170
Stomach: 35
Hips: 38.625
Waist: 33.5
Thigh: 22.875
Right Bicep: 13.75
Left Bicep: 14.125
Chest: 39
Neck: 15
Also, using body fat calipers, we calculated my body fat to be 12.49%.
Now, you might be reading this and thinking "wow, 2189 seems like a lot of calories". In reality, it's kind of not. A can of ravoli is 400 calories. Now, I don't know about you, but that barely fills me up. So, maybe a person has some other food to go with it. Milk, juice, pop, etc. Now that meal is approx 800 calories - and that's just lunch. Once you factor in supper, it's no wonder people are obese.
Next step is to take some pictures as well. I'll try and get those up later.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year, New Blog Content?
Well - 2011 is now upon us. I'm going to try and do more blogging. Why? I don't know. Pretty sure not many people are even aware of this blog. However, I'm going to try and use it as a way of journalizing my goals of weight reduction and marathon training in addition to journalizing my weight reduction and fitness progress.
I'm going to publish body stats, workout stats and my food menus that I will use to achieve these goals. Who knows - maybe it will inspire someone else!
Monday January 3 will be my first day back at true healthy eating and strength training. Follow me will you?
I'm going to publish body stats, workout stats and my food menus that I will use to achieve these goals. Who knows - maybe it will inspire someone else!
Monday January 3 will be my first day back at true healthy eating and strength training. Follow me will you?
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