Pictures Coming Tomorrow…

I am planning to post some before and after photos of my 2 week transformation challenge tomorrow.  Stay tuned for more…

Going Paleo…

Results: in the past two weeks I’ve dropped 7 pounds and 4 inches from my waist (38″ to 34″)….Nothing more to report for now.

Colored Cards and Calorie Burning…

My New System…

I’ve embraced the simplicity of neon cards for recording all my workouts (not to mention the books I read for comps).  I am going to try to do a better job of keeping up with blog posts, but will still probably post twice a week or less.  Still better than I’ve been doing thus far.

So far those who are curious about my cards over the last several days…

Card 1 (09-14-2009)

On-The-Go: Avoiding Bread @ Subway Without Being Forced to Eat a Salad….

I’ve spend the summer neglecting every good bit of nutritional advice I’ve ever received, and as a result I feel bloated, tired, and “ick.”  So as of yesterday I got back on the nutritional wagon.  As per my trainers instructions:

“[Eat] fresh vegetables (no root vegetables or squash), berries, small amounts of nuts & seeds, unprocessed animal protein, unprocessed fats, salt, spices, coffee with cream, tea, water and 1 tbsp of fish oil per day.”

So I planned all my meals out for today.  But as we know the best laid plans often go straight down the toilet. My plans went down the drain thanks to a severe thunderstorm that left our family stranded in the local Wal-mart until lunch time today.  The only food place there was subway, and as we all know, if you want something that doesn’t come on bread (and isn’t a salad), Subway ain’t the best place to eat.  So after reviewing the menu several times, my frustration finally eased when I saw a steak and cheese omelet sub.  I ordered the sub with double steak, part-skim mozzarella, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and spinach.  I ditched the bread in the trash and laid out the omelet et al. on the table in front of me.  It was quite delicious, and despite the VERY user unfriendly nutritional info at the Subway website (they won’t let you deduct or add specific ingredients)   I was able, with a little math, to guesstimate my nutritional intake at around:

• 400 calories
• 9g carbs
• 37 protein
• 18g fat

Sounds good to me.  Not ideal, but the best alternative.

Training Log 7/20/09: The “Backyardagain”…

Well I’m back in the backyard again.  Today’s workout was supposed to be a three cycle H.I.T. training program, but ended up a bit different thanks to fatigue and the desire to toss my cookies that crept up on me during my second cycle.  But before I get carried away I might as well post the workout:

Cycle 1: 2 minutes activity/35 seconds rest

1. Sledge Hammer Drills (2 minutes each side)
2. Tire Press (basically the second part of the tire flip performed from a squatting position)
3. Tire Drag
4. Tire Flip
5. There was supposed to be an exercise here involving balancing my slosh bar, but let’s just say my body wouldn’t cooperate and leave it at that…

Training Log 7/19/09: Conquering the Drive Way…

I decided to bring back my old training logs.  Why?  Well, I enjoy posting about my workouts on here and I like that fact that they keep me honest.

Sunday are always a fun workout for me.  Sundays = sprint training in my house.  Not just ordinary old sprint training but balls to the wall up a steep sloped driveway digging my heels into the pavement kind of training.  The driveway is about 40 yards and the cul-de-sac is another 30 or so yards.  Starting from the other side of the cul-de-sac I sprint across the flat pavement then up my driveway–over and over and over again.  All in all about 17 or so times.  There is no set number, just however many sprints I can fit within 20 minutes.  

My Slosh Pipe Meets my Core…

Well let’s just say the meeting didn’t go all that well.  With only three thirty second holds (two of which I was barely able to accomplish), I have to say this was much harder than expected.  I had no problem pressing the bar, and could hold it up for a few seconds with minimal difficulty, but THEN the water started really moving around in that 10 foot long pipe and it was all trying to keep it from tipping from there on out. 

A New Fitness Toy Made of PVC Pipe…

Allow me to introduce you to my little big friend.  This is my new workout toy (and the first of several I plan on making in different shapes and sizes).  I will call it a hydro-bar.  The design is simple: PVC pipe + water = hydro bar.  Allow me to guide you through the process…

The process is simpe enough…

How I kicked my Own A**

You haven’t really worked out until you’ve put together an exercise routine that has made you curse the day you were born, beg for mercy, and fear that a heart attack was imminent.  That pretty much describes what I did yesterday.  At some point two days ago I thought, “basic H.I.T. isn’t enough, I need a little something more.”  So, I thought, what if I eliminated the rest breaks and performed 3 rounds of 5-6 minutes of activity with NO rest during each round.    The idea struck me as a good one as I sat in my computer chair- I would later regret this whole line of thought.

So what was the workout?  Well, it looks simple enough on paper until you try to run through, balls to the wall style, with no rest in between.

The Tale of the Tape…

The last week has witnessed an intriguing phenomenon.  As all of you who know me already know, I am quite O.C.D. about recording details and information.  So as I looked over the numbers this morning, something hit me.  Six of the last seven days I’ve either remained the same weight OR gained weight (between .2 and .6 lbs).  However, when I started my waist measured a gargantuan 38 inches.  As of this morning it measures about 36 and 3/4 inches.

Once again demonstrating the basic rule that you can’t let the scale rule your life or dictate how you should feel about your fitness and nutrition plan.

So why the rapid loss of over an inch in about a week?  I attribute it to the interval runs, 2 H.I.T. training sessions, and 2 old school resistance training workouts.  Yesterday’s H.I.T. workout follows below.  Now be warned, I don’t follow an entirely conventional H.I.T. routine since I allow myself a bit more rest between exercises.  Also I like to vary my activity and rest times on each exercise; as you can see from the chart below.

Well I am off to finish my last bit of work on the backyard (planting a blackberry bush).  See you tomorrow.