Tonight, I plan to start the lifting routine I'll use for the next few weeks. It's loosely based on items I've gleaned from both Mark Rippetoe and Chad Waterbury.
First, I'll jump rope to loosen up, then stretch.
Then, I'll squat according to the protocol in Starting Strength. This is the lift I am most concerned about gaining strength on.
Then, I will do a 3 x 15 workout, 1:00 rest, for each of the following exercises: alternating DB bench press; one-arm row; alternating DB shoulder press.
Finally, I'll do a Chad Waterbury ladder on the assisted chin-up machine for four cycles. This means I find my 10RM weight, and do sets of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, etc. When I do four cycles, I'll have done 60 reps. This should help my upper-body strength immensely
If I have time, I'll finish with 10 minutes of cycle sprints, 1:00 easy, :30 sprint, etc.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Log: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Today was a rest day, and I did not work out at all.
I also did not eat very well. Of course, I had my usual healthy lunch and breakfast, but I had two servings of Twizzlers as a snack at the office, and we all ate ice cream for dinner. I actually don't feel bad about the ice cream - it's a nice treat for all of us on the nights we go to the library - but if it happens more than once every two weeks, it'll become a problem.
I also did not eat very well. Of course, I had my usual healthy lunch and breakfast, but I had two servings of Twizzlers as a snack at the office, and we all ate ice cream for dinner. I actually don't feel bad about the ice cream - it's a nice treat for all of us on the nights we go to the library - but if it happens more than once every two weeks, it'll become a problem.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
A Fresh Start
One of the things I have wanted to focus on is giving myself fresh starts, getting back on the wagon when I fall off, and not giving in to becoming a lazy couch potato even when other priorities in my life overtake fitness. That's what I need to to do right now - refocus.
The first thing I am going to do is give myself a break, as I need. Mentally, physically, emotionally, I am worn down. I'm edgy, I'm cranky, and I'm acting out. I've gone too long without a break from anything, and I can feel myself spiraling into a funk. (I'm avoiding using the word "depression" because I don't think I'm medically Depressed - with a capital "D". I'm just depressed, or in a funk, and these lift in time.)
This break will not mean that I stop doing anything at all. To the contrary, my goal is to leave this break feeling healthy, strong, and as light as possible. I expect this break to last about six weeks.
The break is coming - and, in fact, is largely brought on by - the imminent birth of my next son. That will turn my life upside down and destroy any semblance of a schedule for awhile. It will make it hard to get to the gym regularly, or to track my eating accurately, or any of the stuff that I have been doing. So, I'm not going to worry about most of it.
Instead, I plan to eat healthily, the way I've been eating when I have been tracking food, and minimize cheats. I plan to drink a lot of water and little alcohol.
I plan to lift as often as possible, with the only goal of improving my squat (which I will do following the Starting Strength template). I otherwise plan to use lower weights and higher rep schemes to work on form and range of motion, tiring my muscles without punishing my body in the way that heavy weights do. I'll probably use a lot of dumbbells, just to mix things up.
I also plan to log this stuff here, to the extent it's logged, but not anywhere else for awhile. My point in doing this just to refresh myself, get hungry for the strength training that will come when our schedule settles down, and hopefully help me lean out a bit in the process.
The first thing I am going to do is give myself a break, as I need. Mentally, physically, emotionally, I am worn down. I'm edgy, I'm cranky, and I'm acting out. I've gone too long without a break from anything, and I can feel myself spiraling into a funk. (I'm avoiding using the word "depression" because I don't think I'm medically Depressed - with a capital "D". I'm just depressed, or in a funk, and these lift in time.)
This break will not mean that I stop doing anything at all. To the contrary, my goal is to leave this break feeling healthy, strong, and as light as possible. I expect this break to last about six weeks.
The break is coming - and, in fact, is largely brought on by - the imminent birth of my next son. That will turn my life upside down and destroy any semblance of a schedule for awhile. It will make it hard to get to the gym regularly, or to track my eating accurately, or any of the stuff that I have been doing. So, I'm not going to worry about most of it.
Instead, I plan to eat healthily, the way I've been eating when I have been tracking food, and minimize cheats. I plan to drink a lot of water and little alcohol.
I plan to lift as often as possible, with the only goal of improving my squat (which I will do following the Starting Strength template). I otherwise plan to use lower weights and higher rep schemes to work on form and range of motion, tiring my muscles without punishing my body in the way that heavy weights do. I'll probably use a lot of dumbbells, just to mix things up.
I also plan to log this stuff here, to the extent it's logged, but not anywhere else for awhile. My point in doing this just to refresh myself, get hungry for the strength training that will come when our schedule settles down, and hopefully help me lean out a bit in the process.
Log: Monday, June 8, 2009
Body Comp.
- 220.6 lbs.
- 22.4 % body fat
- 54.4 % hydration
Workout:
(all 3 x 5 with 1:00 rest)
- squat, 185 - 5, 5, 5
- bench, 205 - 5, 5, 5
- clean, 105 - 5, 5, 5
- barbell row, 155 - 5, 5 - 135 - 5
- barbell tricep extension, 65 - 5, 5, 5
- barbell curl, 65 - 5, 5, 5
- 220.6 lbs.
- 22.4 % body fat
- 54.4 % hydration
Workout:
(all 3 x 5 with 1:00 rest)
- squat, 185 - 5, 5, 5
- bench, 205 - 5, 5, 5
- clean, 105 - 5, 5, 5
- barbell row, 155 - 5, 5 - 135 - 5
- barbell tricep extension, 65 - 5, 5, 5
- barbell curl, 65 - 5, 5, 5
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Fat Loss Report
I have now completed Waterbury's 10 x 3 for Fat Loss, with good but not great results. I attribute any shortfall less to the program and more to my own performance.
The program, for a fat-loss program requiring only two days of lifting per week, was fun. I like the heavier work that could be done with a 10 x 3 format. I liked the cycle sprints after the lifting, something I may keep. I liked jumping rope, which I also hope to keep up. I kept increasing many of the weights I was using, which also led to a sense of accomplishment, particularly when doing things such as heavy deads (305, I believe, was my last work set weight) that I had trouble believing I could do.
The challenge, as expected, was my diet. I generally did okay, and doubt that I ever ate over maintenance, but I fluctuated quite a bit, between 2300-2800 calories on most days. (For comparison, I estimate my maintenance to be 3300.) As a result, my weight loss was only about three pounds - not the 6-8 I had hoped for.
That said, weight loss is not my goal here; fat loss is. That's been hard for me to quantify, as my Tanita scale has that all over the place, with measurements from 21-25% and fluctuating by as much as 3% within a few days. Clearly, that is not accurate, and something else is affecting the numbers (hydration?).
Still, I look and feel leaner. My suits fit worse - the pants and jackets are too big, and my jeans won't stay up without a belt. I am also stronger - I do not doubt that I have gained some muscle. So, to that effect, I certainly believe that I have lost some fat in this process. I just have more to go.
Would the program have been better with an ever stricter diet? Yes. In fact, simply stricter adherence likely would have produced even better results. But, all in all, I am happy where I am right now.
Next, I have to decide what to do for the next four-to-six weeks while our life adjusts to the impending birth of our new son, due in about one week.
The program, for a fat-loss program requiring only two days of lifting per week, was fun. I like the heavier work that could be done with a 10 x 3 format. I liked the cycle sprints after the lifting, something I may keep. I liked jumping rope, which I also hope to keep up. I kept increasing many of the weights I was using, which also led to a sense of accomplishment, particularly when doing things such as heavy deads (305, I believe, was my last work set weight) that I had trouble believing I could do.
The challenge, as expected, was my diet. I generally did okay, and doubt that I ever ate over maintenance, but I fluctuated quite a bit, between 2300-2800 calories on most days. (For comparison, I estimate my maintenance to be 3300.) As a result, my weight loss was only about three pounds - not the 6-8 I had hoped for.
That said, weight loss is not my goal here; fat loss is. That's been hard for me to quantify, as my Tanita scale has that all over the place, with measurements from 21-25% and fluctuating by as much as 3% within a few days. Clearly, that is not accurate, and something else is affecting the numbers (hydration?).
Still, I look and feel leaner. My suits fit worse - the pants and jackets are too big, and my jeans won't stay up without a belt. I am also stronger - I do not doubt that I have gained some muscle. So, to that effect, I certainly believe that I have lost some fat in this process. I just have more to go.
Would the program have been better with an ever stricter diet? Yes. In fact, simply stricter adherence likely would have produced even better results. But, all in all, I am happy where I am right now.
Next, I have to decide what to do for the next four-to-six weeks while our life adjusts to the impending birth of our new son, due in about one week.
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