Rewiring The Body

Two weeks into working out in a gym and my body is sore in places that it hasn't been sore in for years....but it's a good kind of sore.

Last Thursday I did over squats, an exercise that has been absent from my programs for years, and my shoulders still felt it on Friday.  Yesterday was back squat day! Due to a jacked up L1-L5 I've stayed away from back squats for the last 18 months. During that time I've done DB lunges, sled pulls and Goblet squats and really concentrated on strengthening my core. Yesterday I re-watched EliteFTS so you think you can squat series on You Tube since I've been out of the groove for a while. I managed to work up to a set of 175, far from where I had been in the past but it felt good. After I was done one of the trainers came over and said I had one of the best squat forms that he had ever seen........since he didn't try to sell me a block of training sessions I taking it as him being serious LOL.

This morning was cardio day..... a 40 minute run. I manged to knock out 3.4 miles running HIIT style. My total for the week was just under 10 miles, not bad for someone that's not a runner.

Oh yeah, I still haven't gotten on the scale to find my starting weight for this challenge.....I should have made it my goal to be under 210 instead of just losing 5lbs, oh well live and learn.

OK, so it's starting to come back to me.

After 2 days of good clean eating mixed with some exercise I'm back in the grove. The KB Swings are giving my cardio a run for the money. It's been over a week since I've gotten a decent RT session in.

The RT plan is as follows:

Warm Ups	Sets		Reps
DB High Pulls	2		5
DB Hang Snatch	2		5
DB Squat Press	2		5
DB Bent Over Alt Rows	2		5
Push Ups	2		5
Core Rows	2		5
Workout A	Sets		Reps
1a Weighted Hip Raises	3		10-12
1b Suspended Inverted Rows	3		10-12
2a Goblet Squat	3		10-12
2b DB Bench	3		10-12
3a Plank	3		60 sec
3b DB One Arm OHP	3		10-12
4a DB Shrugs	3		10-12
4b KB Swings	3		25
Workout B	Sets		Reps
1a Deadlift	3		10-12
1b Kneeling One Arm Row	3		10-12
2a Sumo Squat	3		10-12
2b DB Incline Bench	3		10-12
3a Side Plank	3		60 sec
3b Lunges	3		10-12
4a KB Swings	3		25
4b Hammer Curls	3		10-12

Dinner On the Road

If you saw some crazy man in Wegmans this evening in a red t-shirt and black shorts it was I....(someone forgot to look at the weather report before leaving the house this morning)....Wegmans is my place to shop on the road. Fresh, fresh, fresh food and not all that expensive.

This evening in Hotel Kitchen Stadium it was a cranberry chicken salad, almonds, orange, a low carb wrap and a pouch of Starkist tuna warmed in the coffee pot.
It's amazing what kind of foods you can pack into a suitcase and then add imagination and a microwave and or a coffeepot you can whip up a pretty damn good meal.

I ended up working out at MAC Express this evening. I've trained there before, it's a great place...and it's close to the hotel and Wegmans.
As with most gyms the squat rack was all mine....the best thing about this place is that it's located on McCormick Road...McCormick road as in the spice company. There are times when you can actually smell the spices when you leave the gym..

Years ago and in a previous blog life I took a picture where McCormick advertised "Food Testers Needed!".....you can't make this stuff up.

Feb 13

It was a great weekend I managed a CT and an RT, saw a movie, cooked on the grill, cooked a turkey that we bought for Thanksgiving and cut the grass.







Since I cut the grass what would be better than tear it up with the weight sled.....my wife managed to snap a picture or two of my primitive landscaping tool.






We had seen a Spaghetti Squash recipe the other night on Diners Drive-ins and Dives and tried to recreate it at home.

We cut the squash in half and boiled the squash for around 10 minutes..... while boiling we sweated garlic and onions in olive oil and then added squash, sweet peppers, zucchini and mushrooms and let them cook down



After the squash got soft we scrapped it out and added it to the skillet after a few minutes we threw in some sauce and the spooned the whole mixture back into the cleaned out squash boats.






Throw on some mozzarella and back into the oven till browned.

All in all it's one of those recipes that we'd fix again and it turned out to be somewhat healthy.

Feb 8

Have you ever been to Subway and gotten one of those perfect TV commercial subs? Well tonight I landed a 6" double meat Turkey sub that was truly TV commercial perfect. I found a site that will calculate the calories in a Subway Sandwich...I'm not attesting to the accuracy but at least it gives me a number to put in FitDay.

I worked out at ZX Fitness in Laurens SC. Anytime I get to workout in a gym I take advantage of as many of their resources that I can. Tonight I got to do Box Squats which I haven't done in a few months, Barbell Shrugs and my favorite - Deadlifts.

Feb 7

Got in a double header yesterday an early morning 42 minute walk with my wife.....followed by an afternoon RT session......followed by some Michelob Ultra and the game. The exercise was all good, the beer? It was OK not terrible, not great..just middle of the road.

Feb -4

I took Thursday completely off from exercise....it was a long day....it started before 7:00am and finished around 11:30pm when I pulled into St. Petersberg, Fl. When 5:30am came this morning it was just to early to do any kind of cardio.

Managed an after work RT before I fell into the Chipolte Burrito Bowl trap...The Burrito Bowl not that bad calorie-wise 570 which was OK the 65g of carbs was high but I knew what I was getting into. What put me over the edge was the 73g carb loaded Chips and Salsa....damn




As many different workouts that I've tried over the years the one below is next up on my list.

Feb 1

4.6 miles of an evening walk........there's something to be said for walking a neighborhood and getting the lay of the land. Right at 14 miles worth of cardio since Saturday..



So far the boredom of the new template hasn't set in but then again it's only week two ahhhhh the joys of Adult Attention Disorder...that's what I'm blaming it on. The squat thrusts do get the heart rate up.

Jan 31

Managed to get a jump on the day yesterday by nailing an RT early in the morning. I forgot how taxing DB Snatches can be on the cardio system.
Elevated-Inverted rows (Feet on a bench) from suspension straps also managed to to set a few muscles on fire.



Got in an evening walk with wife my last night, not long enough to count as any real cardio - but long enough for the two of us to talk and get caught up on all the things that are going on.

Still holding on around 221lbs and I'm thinking about throwing my diet a curve ball to see if that will restart my metabolism.

Jan 28

I got to work from the house today so I treated myself to a homemade bowl of shrimp and brown fried rice, Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries....Mmmmm Mmmmm good. Unfortunately any gained health advantage from my lunch was lost at dinner time - 18 wings later I left a full and satisfied customer - on well a CE lost. The only saving grace might have been the fact that I had a double header today, a CE in the morning and then a RT before dinner. How did I manage to demolish 18 wings less than an hour after working out? Who knows but I did take in a whole bunch of protein at dinner.

Managed to walk at a 4MPH pace this morning...sunny and Friday...sweet.

Last session of the new template and I like it each of the sessions. I'm planning on working in some sloshpipe exercises, sled work and farmers walks. I took measurements on Jan 1st and re-took again this evening - 11lbs gone and 1" missing from the waistline, an 1" off the thighs, 1/2" off the biceps, 1/2" off of the chest and as usual nothing missing from the calves....still 19 1/2"..

A day without laughter is a day wasted. Charlie Chaplin

Jan 26

It's been one of those weeks where I'm not on the road and it's been nice...This evening my wife made a wonderful Weight Watchers Chicken with Black Bean Chili dinner.
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine or water
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, undrained
1 can (14.5-oz) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, undrained
6 Tbsp low-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the ground round in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to crumble. Add chopped onion and the next 7 ingredients (onion through garlic), and cook for 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Place meat mixture in an slow cooker, and stir in beans and tomatoes. Cover with lid, and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with cheese.

257 Calories; 10g Fat (36.1% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 578mg Sodium

I managed two servings and I've got some for lunch tomorrow...sweet!

Getting more into this new template and still feeling muscles ache that haven't ached in a while.....I cut the rest periods down to 60 seconds and started with about 10 minutes of stretching and foam rolling.



I managed to get in a four mile walk while my wife was in school. Several folks were still burning their Christmas lights....more power to you! Keep 'em burning till Easter I say. Most of the time that I walk or run in a new place I just start out and sometimes I manage to easily find my way back to the car sometimes it's not so easy and it adds an extra mile or so to my trek....but the nice thing with Runkeeper is that it lets you see the route you've walked.....

Jan 24

Hanging out with my wife at Starbucks this evening....how did we ever survive with dial-up internet? Once you connect to their WiFi and hit their landing page they have categories to browse I choose wellness and then was presented with many choices one of which was local runs and rides..I clicked on the link and found no less than 25 local places to run or ride all marked with distances and elevations. Being in Florida most of the elevations were 1".


Got in a RT before a marathon day of phone calls and projects. Changed up the routine a bit...added some exercises that I haven't done in a while and this evening I can actually feel some muscle soreness in places that I haven't felt it in quite some time. That is always a welcome feeling.

Jan 23

A very uneventful weekend (for a change) no travel, no major projects just a few trips to the grocery store, working in the yard, cooking on the grill and a couple of adult beverages...not beer...

Saturday afternoon I got in an RT..nothing that crazy..I got the sloshpipe out as well as the weight sled, and from the inspiration of TNTMan I tried doing countdown sets...I made it through 7 before the wheels came off..I think these may need to be their own session or at least at the beginning not the end of the workout.


I got to try out my new running shoes this afternoon....sweet. I love Nike Air Max shoes. The South FL weather was sunny with a slight breeze. The run was finished with firing the grill up for a ginger infused flank steak, and as the coals heated I kicked back with a glass of Gentlemen Jack on ice. It was a nice weekend.

Jan 20

I woke up this morning threw a frozen banana, blueberries, milk and a scoop of protein powder into MFT and created my 300 calorie breakfast drink. As I got ready for my morning workout I looked out back and noticed my kettlebells and decided that it was time to start working them back into my workout.....It became Kettlebell Thursday this morning. KB Snatches and foam rolling to warm up with then followed up by an intense 46 minute RT session......


I think that the fat loss template I was following is officially kaput....I'm sure it works but it's just so damn boring. The kettlebell swings managed to get the heart rate elevated just as the squat thrusts did....all in all a good workout.





I'm fighting a bit of a cold...I just love being trapped in airplanes several days a week...so I took my lunch hour and went for a run hoping that I could sweat this bug out of my system. 10 hours later I'm feeling better than I did this morning.

Jan 14

Managed to get in a workout today nothing that spectacular, but I got it done and out of the way.....
Back on the BBOE Fat Loss template, as hard as it was I did it. I added a few extra sets - Fallouts, Incline DB Press and some Kettlebell work so that I would make the 40 minutes.


Everyone wants to go to the ice rink tonight so who knows maybe
I'll end up on skates, it's only been 20 years or so how tough can it be? Planning to head to the beach in the morning for a CT, have a great Friday evening....

Jan 11

Got a very early workout in this morning, again I strayed from the BBOE Fat Loss workout and went my own way. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with this template, 3rd week into it and I'm not following it.

Gobble Squats 3x10
DB Bench Press 3x10
Push Ups 3x20
DB Highpulls 3x10
Scaption 3x10
Seated Reverse Fly 3x10
Planks 3x60sec
DB OHP 3x10
Suspension Strap Curl 3x10

I made into Tampa early evening, changed into my cut off sweatpants and looked for the exercise room....and I found it Ughhh... there was a homeowners version of a treadmill that didn't work, an eliptical that wobbled way to much for a piece of stationary exercise equipment. I ended up heading out for an evening walk around Tampa, FL. I decided that I must be in the better part of the city after I walked past Thee Dollhouse (you can Google it if you can't figure it out).

I can knock off two more 40-4-40's....and my eating is still staying clean, the calories are way under 2500...lots of tuna, chicken and very little of the carbs, especially the bad ones.

Jan 9

Managed to enjoy the beautiful South Florida weather today with a bike ride into the Everglades. I headed 25 miles out into the "River of Grass" where I found Shark Valley and their 15 mile bike path. I've spent the last few months seriously considering buying a bike. It's probably been 20 years since I've been on a bike, and it's true what people say - You never forget how to ride a bike.





But I can tell you that I forgot what it feels like to ride a bike 15 miles......by the time I hit the observation tower (the halfway point) and dismounted from my bike both the bike and my butt let out a heavy sigh........
I grew up down here and saw many alligators during my youth but to this day I never tire of seeing these huge creature. The trail banks were littered with coots, herons, turtles and gators.

From the top of the 65' tower the view was amazing saw grass, water and palmetto bushes. At the bottom of the tower 3 of the biggest gators I'd seen all day were catching a few rays themselves. I rode past Boy scouts hiking, a few runners, lots of families and a bunch of photographers taking pictures of the animals and landscape.

Nothing but grass...click picture for biggie size

Got home early afternoon and managed to get in a RT. My legs were fried from the bike ride so I ignored the designed template and just played it by ear...and here's what I ended up with.

Tomorrow is weigh in, lets see where I'm at.........

Jan 7

TGIF!.... even having Monday off the four day work week was brutal, but I did manage to stay out of the airports.
The morning started with an oatmeal, flax seed and peanut butter breakfast, followed by the grueling commute to the gym....once on the back porch a 40 minute RT session ensued.



My car needed an oil change, so while at the local Firestone I noticed that there was a park behind the shop...as it turns out the park had a walking trail....so off I went 40 minutes later the oil change is complete and I've ticked off another 4-4-40.......





"LUNCH TIME" - since I missed out on a real "Tuna Tuesday" I participated in my own "Tuna Friday"....a 2 egg, egg white, spinach, cheese and hot sauce omelet had the kitchen smelling like the local fish market but it did taste good.
The evening came and of to Sam's to stock up on chicken, veggies and red meat

Jan 6

Rolled back into town this evening to a healthy meal of baked chicken, wild rice, roasted brussel sprouts and raw carrots.
My wife and I had planned for an after dinner walk but as things, like the weather, seems to happen in South Florida, it started raining.. so instead of nixing our plans we pulled out a new "Biggest Loser Power Walk" DVD that we bought over the holidays. It turns out the DVD was broken down into four 16 minute one mile segments. Perfect for the 40-4-40...40 minutes 2.5 miles....easy.....or not

I've never really given much of a thought to exercise DVD's, I thought they were something that I wouldn't be able to get much out of..after all I've always trained as a power-lifter and only did cardio when I thought it was necessary..come on how high could your heart-rate get walking in place? Well somewhere around minute 20 by glutes were on fire, sweat was building up on my brow and my heart-rate was actually elevated... I was kind of glad to see 40:00 displayed on the DVD. Would this be something that I want to do everyday? probably not, is it something that I'd do every week or so ...maybe.....possibly next challenge I make a PG to do 4 or 5 new types of workouts.

Jan 5

Today begins the Winter 52DC, and I weighed in at 231.6 a mere .4 lbs less than I weighed at the beginning of the last challenges....the holidays were very, very good to me! At first the scale showed "One At A Time Please" and just look at those little toes it's no wonder that I have no balance..

Participants have posted their goals and they range from limiting alcohol/soda, reading books and going to church.....to posting body composition pictures, to no nail biting.....it covers the gamut.

I've decided on 3 Personal Goals
40-4-40 - 40 minutes of exercise for 40 of the 52 days
Warrior Dash - Participate in the Warrior Dash on 1/30
Lose 10 lbs - self explanatory.
I got an early morning 40 minute resistance training in and then hit the road North to Orlando then across the state to Sarasota. Unpacked my suitcase threw on my sneakers and shorts and headed out for an evening stroll. Runkeeper told me I walked for 41 minutes...so that's 2 of my 40-4-40's out of the way.
I've been using FitDay to track my food intake, this strategy has always worked for me...inspect what you expect.
Food breakdown
Fats 35%
Carbs 27%
Protein 38%
One thing that I've learned from all the years of exercise is that my body does not react kindly to lots and lots of carbs, (Isn't beer high in carbs?) unless I'm bulking then my body is very happy....so next Monday I'll post another weigh in picture and we'll just see if the FitDay strategy pays off again.