This morning I seem to have hurt myself a little bit while doing my workout. On my second group of lifts, the side laterals, I pulled, or tweaked a muscle in my neck and right shoulder. That's probably not good. I can somewhat turn my head to the right, and almost not at all to the left. This could take a few days to feel better from. I'm not at all happy about this.
I don't know if it was because I had less sleep last night (thanks Daylight Saving Time!), or if I just wasn't warm enough yet. I'd finished my inclined presses okay, but on my second set of the side laterals, I just suddenly felt off and the muscle in my neck was not right. Or I pinched a nerve. Something.
Needless to say, today's workout was not up to snuff compared to normal.
Checked with my supervisor today (who is working his once-every-three-months weekend) who I know works out down at the gym, but he doesn't carry any Icy Hot or similar product. Called security to see if they have any hot packs or something (nope). So, I get to sit here and suffer today. I do have some ibuprofen to take the edge off. My neighbor has a heating pad at her desk, but she's pretty unhappy about people touching her stuff (which most of us are, so it's understandable).
So, for the next couple of days, I might just be on the treadmill or elliptical while the issue with my neck heals up.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
It's not all about exercise...
I'm still working on dropping weight. I have 15 months until the 2015 Spartan Race in Utah, and it's going to be take a LOT of work to get there. (My father-in-law thinks I can make the 2014 race. To that I say ha ha!).
I've started a better balanced meal plan over the last several days, and my wife and I have been doing more of the "outer circle" for shopping. We still have bread and pasta, but we're pushing for less bleached out items, and I've been making a stronger effort to bring veggies w/ my lunch to balance out the fruit. It's easy to throw in a banana or apple, but then your carbs (sugars, not fiber) end up way out of balance with everything else.
I've started a better balanced meal plan over the last several days, and my wife and I have been doing more of the "outer circle" for shopping. We still have bread and pasta, but we're pushing for less bleached out items, and I've been making a stronger effort to bring veggies w/ my lunch to balance out the fruit. It's easy to throw in a banana or apple, but then your carbs (sugars, not fiber) end up way out of balance with everything else.
For example, today I packed 100 cal yogurt, a bagel thin (110) w/ laughing cow wedge (35), carrots, an apple, a cutie orange, two pieces of beef jerky, some reduced fat cheez-its, and leftovers from dinner last night. The dinner last night was actually really high in fat (it's made with prosciutto, a lot of Parmesan cheese and cream, so there you go), but portion control is a big thing.
I remember feeling particularly hungry when I got prepared to make dinner, but I still only had one serving and didn't over eat. Sure, when I made the protein shakes last night and filled our travel bottles (we re-use 8 oz. Ensure bottles for easier grab and go), I drank the rest of what didn't fit, but that stopped me from having a bowl of cereal before bed (something I haven't done in weeks, and it used to be a REGULAR, every night kind of thing).
I broke "code" today and stepped on the scale before my workout (usually only weigh in on Sundays), and found I'd dropped 1.8 pounds since last Sunday (sure, I'm still 292.6, but progress is progress).
Anyway, thanks for reading my additional run on...
See image...
Yup, learned the hard way that leg presses aren't even close to the same thing as squats. Ha. I knew that, but wow, it's like I never used my legs before yesterday, jeez.
Today was a return to biceps and the back:
Lat Pulls 2 x 10 @ 80 lbs
1 x 12 @ 80 lbs
Bent Over Dumbbell Row 2 x 10 @ 15 lbs
1 x 15 @ 15 lbs
Back Extensions 3 x 10
Concentration Curls 3 x 10 @ 15 lbs
Preacher Curls 1 x 8 @ 50 lbs
2 x 8 @ 45 lbs
I liked the change up in the exercises from "Day 1." The routine still worked the same muscle groups, but in different ways. Keep the workouts interesting I guess, and the body from adapting too fast.
So, I expect to be in 100% pain tomorrow, and somehow pull off an active rest day with 26 - 32 minutes of cardio.
Bring.
It.
On.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Leg day, Leg Day, LEG DAY!
My legs think they're dying. I'm pretty sure they're not, but they maintain that they indeed are.
Let's show you why:
Squats: 2 x 10 @ 45 lbs (yes, that's the bar - but even squatting with just my body weight is a workout).
1 x 20
Squats are not my friend; I feel off balance and very unsteady. I'm glad I'm by myself when I am in the gym, because I do a lot of feet shuffling getting in place to where I feel comfortable starting my dip. However, I'm also happy that I actually executed squats, and didn't fall on my butt.
Dumbbell Lunges: 2 x 7 w/ 12.5 lbs dumbbells
Also not my favorite. Upper body weight makes it difficult to maintain the proper stance to execute these safely. I try, but once I get out of balance, that's usually the end. I don't need to hurt a knee or anything.
Leg Curls: 2 x 10 @ 80 lbs
1 x 20 @ 80 lbs
Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift: 2 x 10 @ 45 lbs
1 x 20 @ 45 lbs
Another new workout for me, so again I only used the bar to make sure I was working the set properly. Watching myself is not fun either. But, I did something new today, so that's a good thing.
Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 10 (feel the burn!)
Crunches: 3 x 10 (was so tired by this time, lol).
Was supposed to do lying leg raises, too. But after doing crunches, my body said "yeah right," and I managed to do just one.
Me tomorrow:
When I was walking through the lunchroom on the way to my desk, one of the security guards that passes through the gym sometimes when I'm still in there, came through at the same time and asked if I was on my way to work out and I told him I was done for the day and he told me that I was doing a good job with that lately. It's nice to be noticed for something positive like that.
My legs were trembling when I was filling up my water jug (72 oz... more like water tub); just standing there and I feel small muscle twitches in my quads.
It's time to stagger to the breakroom (or as they call it here, the refill station) and get some more coffee. Until tomorrow!
Let's show you why:
Squats: 2 x 10 @ 45 lbs (yes, that's the bar - but even squatting with just my body weight is a workout).
1 x 20
Squats are not my friend; I feel off balance and very unsteady. I'm glad I'm by myself when I am in the gym, because I do a lot of feet shuffling getting in place to where I feel comfortable starting my dip. However, I'm also happy that I actually executed squats, and didn't fall on my butt.
Dumbbell Lunges: 2 x 7 w/ 12.5 lbs dumbbells
Also not my favorite. Upper body weight makes it difficult to maintain the proper stance to execute these safely. I try, but once I get out of balance, that's usually the end. I don't need to hurt a knee or anything.
Leg Curls: 2 x 10 @ 80 lbs
1 x 20 @ 80 lbs
Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift: 2 x 10 @ 45 lbs
1 x 20 @ 45 lbs
Another new workout for me, so again I only used the bar to make sure I was working the set properly. Watching myself is not fun either. But, I did something new today, so that's a good thing.
Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 10 (feel the burn!)
Crunches: 3 x 10 (was so tired by this time, lol).
Was supposed to do lying leg raises, too. But after doing crunches, my body said "yeah right," and I managed to do just one.
Me tomorrow:
When I was walking through the lunchroom on the way to my desk, one of the security guards that passes through the gym sometimes when I'm still in there, came through at the same time and asked if I was on my way to work out and I told him I was done for the day and he told me that I was doing a good job with that lately. It's nice to be noticed for something positive like that.
My legs were trembling when I was filling up my water jug (72 oz... more like water tub); just standing there and I feel small muscle twitches in my quads.
It's time to stagger to the breakroom (or as they call it here, the refill station) and get some more coffee. Until tomorrow!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Better than nothing...
Today was difficult to get up and get into the gym. I'd skipped the last two days at work, was dealing with some issues with my house that the weather had decided to show me, and just flat out didn't have the motivation to work out yesterday.
It could have easily slid into another day, or week, or month. I really didn't want that to happen, so last night I made sure I had my meals ready for today at work, got up at 3:30 and got dressed, grabbed my lunch bag and headed right out the door.
Here's where I picked up today:
Bench Press: 3 x 10 @ 105 lbs
Incline Flyes: 3 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs
Seated Dumbbell Press: 3 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs
Dumbbell Side Laterals: 3 x 10 @ 10 lbs
Triceps Extention: 3 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs
Bench Dips: 1 x 6
Yeah, my bench dips are laughable, and so are my dumbbell weights, but part of building strength is getting that stability in check. I don't always feel the most stable lifting the free weights, so I'm working on those to become more comfortable with my abilities.
I really had to fight with myself on the Bench and Incline this morning. I guess something I did working on the house over the weekend strained my right pectoral muscle, so it was definitely complaining as I lifted. It didn't have any kind of searing or sharp pain, so I felt okay to keep lifting, but it definitely made itself heard while I was working.
While my chest, shoulders, and triceps are complaining a bit right now, that's probably nothing compared to what my legs and back are going to be doing on Wednesday when I hit them for the first time in about two weeks.
It's good to be back to work.
It could have easily slid into another day, or week, or month. I really didn't want that to happen, so last night I made sure I had my meals ready for today at work, got up at 3:30 and got dressed, grabbed my lunch bag and headed right out the door.
Here's where I picked up today:
Bench Press: 3 x 10 @ 105 lbs
Incline Flyes: 3 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs
Seated Dumbbell Press: 3 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs
Dumbbell Side Laterals: 3 x 10 @ 10 lbs
Triceps Extention: 3 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs
Bench Dips: 1 x 6
Yeah, my bench dips are laughable, and so are my dumbbell weights, but part of building strength is getting that stability in check. I don't always feel the most stable lifting the free weights, so I'm working on those to become more comfortable with my abilities.
I really had to fight with myself on the Bench and Incline this morning. I guess something I did working on the house over the weekend strained my right pectoral muscle, so it was definitely complaining as I lifted. It didn't have any kind of searing or sharp pain, so I felt okay to keep lifting, but it definitely made itself heard while I was working.
While my chest, shoulders, and triceps are complaining a bit right now, that's probably nothing compared to what my legs and back are going to be doing on Wednesday when I hit them for the first time in about two weeks.
It's good to be back to work.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Hitting reset
This last week has been a bit rough. Motivation can be difficult to find sometimes. It's when you start to think that gets you into trouble.
Pauline (Fighter Diet) Nordin said it well in a tweet not long ago when asked what to do when you have trouble with motivation in that you "don't think. Go on autopilot" - basically, get going, get the workout done. Think later.
I would go find the tweet to get the quote completely right, but she tweets/retweets so much that it'll take ages to track down.
So, today I hit the reset button. Packed a fairly clean breakfast / lunch, I think. Salad w/ a roasted chicken breast (separate); apple, two cutie oranges, protein drink powder, greek yogurt, and a thin bagel w/ laughing cow spreadable cheese. Coffee and water to drink for the day. - sugar content is still too high, will need to adjust shopping and lunch packing to include more carrots / celery / radishes, etc. over fruit to keep the sugar/carb levels much lower.
Hit the gym this morning with a repeat of last Wednesday's workout - tried pushing it:
Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row: 2 x 12 (15 lbs); 1 x 30 (failure - also at 15 lbs)
Lat pulls: 1 x 10; 1 x 7 (100 lbs); 1 x 5 (90 lbs); 1 x 10 (80 lbs) - next time I think I'll stick with 90, so I'm not dropping down so quick.
Standing Barbell Curl: 2 x 12 (45 lbs); 1 x 11
Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl: 2 x 10 (15 lbs); 1 x 9 - this felt much better than the 12.5 I did last time. Really had to fight at the end. I got 10 with my left arm but couldn't quite get a full curl out of my right, so I didn't count it as 10 this time.
So, I felt the work in my arms for sure, especially when I had to go back to change. :)
Now, I haven't worked on legs for over a week now. According to my schedule on the 12 week program, that's going to fall on Saturday, when I'm off of work. I will need to suck it up and head into the work gym (wonder if Saturdays are as abandoned as Sundays... or does the custodial crew clean it out on Saturdays too? guess we'll find the answer to that this weekend). But, looking at it, it should be a challenging workout. Squats, I want to be your friend, but you keep me off balance.
Anyway, that's the recap for today. Back to work.
Pauline (Fighter Diet) Nordin said it well in a tweet not long ago when asked what to do when you have trouble with motivation in that you "don't think. Go on autopilot" - basically, get going, get the workout done. Think later.
I would go find the tweet to get the quote completely right, but she tweets/retweets so much that it'll take ages to track down.
So, today I hit the reset button. Packed a fairly clean breakfast / lunch, I think. Salad w/ a roasted chicken breast (separate); apple, two cutie oranges, protein drink powder, greek yogurt, and a thin bagel w/ laughing cow spreadable cheese. Coffee and water to drink for the day. - sugar content is still too high, will need to adjust shopping and lunch packing to include more carrots / celery / radishes, etc. over fruit to keep the sugar/carb levels much lower.
Hit the gym this morning with a repeat of last Wednesday's workout - tried pushing it:
Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row: 2 x 12 (15 lbs); 1 x 30 (failure - also at 15 lbs)
Lat pulls: 1 x 10; 1 x 7 (100 lbs); 1 x 5 (90 lbs); 1 x 10 (80 lbs) - next time I think I'll stick with 90, so I'm not dropping down so quick.
Standing Barbell Curl: 2 x 12 (45 lbs); 1 x 11
Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl: 2 x 10 (15 lbs); 1 x 9 - this felt much better than the 12.5 I did last time. Really had to fight at the end. I got 10 with my left arm but couldn't quite get a full curl out of my right, so I didn't count it as 10 this time.
So, I felt the work in my arms for sure, especially when I had to go back to change. :)
Now, I haven't worked on legs for over a week now. According to my schedule on the 12 week program, that's going to fall on Saturday, when I'm off of work. I will need to suck it up and head into the work gym (wonder if Saturdays are as abandoned as Sundays... or does the custodial crew clean it out on Saturdays too? guess we'll find the answer to that this weekend). But, looking at it, it should be a challenging workout. Squats, I want to be your friend, but you keep me off balance.
Anyway, that's the recap for today. Back to work.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Push it better...
Changing my shirt was probably the hardest thing I've had to do today, post-workout. Hitting arms, but different parts, a second day in a row really put the burn into them.
First up was the Bench Press: 3 x 10 @ 105 pounds. Now, the way it's supposed to work is to do 10 -12 reps in the first two sets and then lift until muscle failure on the third. I struggled so much with the 10th rep on the third set that I knew the next one would fail and probably pin me to the bench. Since I'm the only one there at 4:12 AM, I knew better than to hope the cleaning lady in the women's locker room could help me. So 10 was it. Maybe next time I can get 11 out of my bench press on the last set. :)
The rest as follows:
Incline flyes: 1 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs dumbbells; 1 x 10 @ 15 lbs; 1 x 16 @ 15 lbs
Seated dumbbell press: 3 x 10 @ 15 lbs.
Dumbbell side laterals: 2 x 10 @ 10 lbs; 1 x 7 @ 10 lbs (seriously. weak. shoulders.)
Triceps extension (laying on my back on the bench with dumbbells, not a machine): 1 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs; 1 x 10 @ 15 lbs; 1 x 9 @15 lbs. So close to getting that full 10 on the last set, but couldn't get my arms quite back to starting position, so I didn't count it.
Last night I asked my wife to indulge me and feel my arms when flexed just to see what she thought. I was pleased at her surprised reaction to how solid they're starting to feel after about a month. Now that I'm on a tougher routine for the next 12 weeks, I'm looking forward to the progress again around this time next month.
One last exercise I was supposed to do was Bench Dips. One, I didn't really have a proper place to put my feet other than the floor (no prop up spot around, and I didn't see any aerobic steps) and two, after what I had just done above, trying to make my triceps and shoulders lower and push up my 294 pound frame was honestly asking too much. I'd just end up sitting on the floor and possibly having to pick up an overturned bench behind me for my trouble. I know my limits. Usually.
Tomorrow is an active rest day. So, I'll either spend some time on our little used stationary bike at home, or hit some Kinect cardio exercises on Your Shape, or maybe even break out my Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure
game. We recently added a new (used) couch to our living room, so workout space in there may be a little tricky.
First up was the Bench Press: 3 x 10 @ 105 pounds. Now, the way it's supposed to work is to do 10 -12 reps in the first two sets and then lift until muscle failure on the third. I struggled so much with the 10th rep on the third set that I knew the next one would fail and probably pin me to the bench. Since I'm the only one there at 4:12 AM, I knew better than to hope the cleaning lady in the women's locker room could help me. So 10 was it. Maybe next time I can get 11 out of my bench press on the last set. :)
The rest as follows:
Incline flyes: 1 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs dumbbells; 1 x 10 @ 15 lbs; 1 x 16 @ 15 lbs
Seated dumbbell press: 3 x 10 @ 15 lbs.
Dumbbell side laterals: 2 x 10 @ 10 lbs; 1 x 7 @ 10 lbs (seriously. weak. shoulders.)
Triceps extension (laying on my back on the bench with dumbbells, not a machine): 1 x 10 @ 12.5 lbs; 1 x 10 @ 15 lbs; 1 x 9 @15 lbs. So close to getting that full 10 on the last set, but couldn't get my arms quite back to starting position, so I didn't count it.
Last night I asked my wife to indulge me and feel my arms when flexed just to see what she thought. I was pleased at her surprised reaction to how solid they're starting to feel after about a month. Now that I'm on a tougher routine for the next 12 weeks, I'm looking forward to the progress again around this time next month.
One last exercise I was supposed to do was Bench Dips. One, I didn't really have a proper place to put my feet other than the floor (no prop up spot around, and I didn't see any aerobic steps) and two, after what I had just done above, trying to make my triceps and shoulders lower and push up my 294 pound frame was honestly asking too much. I'd just end up sitting on the floor and possibly having to pick up an overturned bench behind me for my trouble. I know my limits. Usually.
Tomorrow is an active rest day. So, I'll either spend some time on our little used stationary bike at home, or hit some Kinect cardio exercises on Your Shape, or maybe even break out my Jillian Michaels Fitness Adventure
game. We recently added a new (used) couch to our living room, so workout space in there may be a little tricky.
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