Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Passed this thought to someone today
Any workout program that does not include strength training is an incomplete program. Do not believe anyone that tells you differently.
Simple, but true.
Simple, but true.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Food
Let's start with number one. Food.
It is really easy to overcomplicate things when it comes to food. Everyone will have an opinion, including you. What to do? Break this down into a few easy steps.
1. Estimate your daily caloric requirement.
There are an awful lot of internet based calculators that can help you here. Make a realistic assumption about your activity level. If you're trying to lose weight, assume your activity level to be one notch lower than you think it will be. Now, you have a daily caloric target.
2. Estimate your daily nutrient breakout between carbs, protein and fats.
Personally, I run about 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. At times, I'm probably a little lighter on the carbs and a bit higher on the protein. Years ago, I followed the Body for Life program, which was a 40/40/20 split. That could be a good starting point, but I think it's a bit low in fat. When considering this, think about what kind of exercise you'll be doing, and how much/often. Endurance athletes may consider going higher on carbs and a bit lower on fats. Those looking to add strength and muscle mass will want to go high on protein.
3. Figure out how many meals and snacks you'd like to eat each day.
Some people recommend eating five to six times per day, some say it makes no difference. Whatever you decide, make sure it makes sense for your schedule and lifestyle. The last thing you need is to be stressed out because you're missing a meal.
4. Divide up your daily calories among your meals and snacks.
This will give you an approximate number of calories for each meal and snack. If you try to keep the carb/protein/fat ratio pretty much the same for each meal, you make the process much easier.
5. Think about the foods you will eat. Do some homework and figure out what a serving size is for each of those foods. Calculate the calories and nutrient breakdowns of those servings.
6. Plot out a menu for a few days or a week.
Shop accordingly. It may make sense to cook only once or twice per week and reheat as needed. Make sure your daily caloric intake an nutrient breakouts are in line. It's okay to go a little high one day and a little low another. You don't want to be counting peanuts in an effort to make an inexact science exact.
7. Keep a log of what you're eating, and compare it to your plan.
8. Monitor results.
9. Adjust behavior as needed.
Try to wait at least a month before tinkering, unless you are having tremendous difficulty. You need to give your body time to adjust before changing things. Tinker a bit if you need to. Remember that all of this was based upon estimates. You may need to change it a bit as you monitor your results. If you hit a plateau, change something up. Change your nutrient breakdown a bit. Raise calories a bit. Lower them a bit.
10. Think about this as a lifestyle change, not a temporary change.
The objective is to remake your habits and the way you live. Proper nutrition is something you should just do, not do until some event occurs. The only event that should end proper nutrition is the big D...death!
At some point, you'll be able to go onto autopilot here. Getting started is the hard part. Once you gain knowledge and awareness, you really shouldn't have to constantly monitor and measure every single thing. One of my thoughts on health and fitness relates to sustainability, along with the desire to sustain something. If eating right is a big pain in the neck project, you will be much more inclined to drift away from it and back into your old habits. In all honesty, I no longer count calories or nutrient breakouts or anything. I've got a very good feel for how to assemble meals properly, so it takes little effort for me to just pull them together.
That being said, It may not be a bad idea to track your food for a couple weeks twice a year. It becomes quite easy to underestimate serving sizes as time goes on.
Next post I'll write a bit more about what I do, and ramble on about food in general.
It is really easy to overcomplicate things when it comes to food. Everyone will have an opinion, including you. What to do? Break this down into a few easy steps.
1. Estimate your daily caloric requirement.
There are an awful lot of internet based calculators that can help you here. Make a realistic assumption about your activity level. If you're trying to lose weight, assume your activity level to be one notch lower than you think it will be. Now, you have a daily caloric target.
2. Estimate your daily nutrient breakout between carbs, protein and fats.
Personally, I run about 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. At times, I'm probably a little lighter on the carbs and a bit higher on the protein. Years ago, I followed the Body for Life program, which was a 40/40/20 split. That could be a good starting point, but I think it's a bit low in fat. When considering this, think about what kind of exercise you'll be doing, and how much/often. Endurance athletes may consider going higher on carbs and a bit lower on fats. Those looking to add strength and muscle mass will want to go high on protein.
3. Figure out how many meals and snacks you'd like to eat each day.
Some people recommend eating five to six times per day, some say it makes no difference. Whatever you decide, make sure it makes sense for your schedule and lifestyle. The last thing you need is to be stressed out because you're missing a meal.
4. Divide up your daily calories among your meals and snacks.
This will give you an approximate number of calories for each meal and snack. If you try to keep the carb/protein/fat ratio pretty much the same for each meal, you make the process much easier.
5. Think about the foods you will eat. Do some homework and figure out what a serving size is for each of those foods. Calculate the calories and nutrient breakdowns of those servings.
6. Plot out a menu for a few days or a week.
Shop accordingly. It may make sense to cook only once or twice per week and reheat as needed. Make sure your daily caloric intake an nutrient breakouts are in line. It's okay to go a little high one day and a little low another. You don't want to be counting peanuts in an effort to make an inexact science exact.
7. Keep a log of what you're eating, and compare it to your plan.
8. Monitor results.
9. Adjust behavior as needed.
Try to wait at least a month before tinkering, unless you are having tremendous difficulty. You need to give your body time to adjust before changing things. Tinker a bit if you need to. Remember that all of this was based upon estimates. You may need to change it a bit as you monitor your results. If you hit a plateau, change something up. Change your nutrient breakdown a bit. Raise calories a bit. Lower them a bit.
10. Think about this as a lifestyle change, not a temporary change.
The objective is to remake your habits and the way you live. Proper nutrition is something you should just do, not do until some event occurs. The only event that should end proper nutrition is the big D...death!
At some point, you'll be able to go onto autopilot here. Getting started is the hard part. Once you gain knowledge and awareness, you really shouldn't have to constantly monitor and measure every single thing. One of my thoughts on health and fitness relates to sustainability, along with the desire to sustain something. If eating right is a big pain in the neck project, you will be much more inclined to drift away from it and back into your old habits. In all honesty, I no longer count calories or nutrient breakouts or anything. I've got a very good feel for how to assemble meals properly, so it takes little effort for me to just pull them together.
That being said, It may not be a bad idea to track your food for a couple weeks twice a year. It becomes quite easy to underestimate serving sizes as time goes on.
Next post I'll write a bit more about what I do, and ramble on about food in general.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Things I've Learned Part 2
I think I'm going to just add stuff a little at a time as I get a chance.
While I understand that what I do isn't for everyone, I do think that most people can get a great deal of benefit out of what they find here. I believe that there is a common thread at the foundation of most effective health and fitness programs, and that common thread is the basis for the majority of the results you will achieve. Everyone will have to build upon that foundation to tailor their program to their own goals, activities, and desires.
My own program is based on the theories of primal or evolutionary fitness. What I eat, how I eat, how I exercise and live are all based upon trying to emulate how our distant ancestors lived as they evolved into humans. I also believe that what we do affects how our genes express themselves. Gene expression theory is interesting stuff. I'll get into more specifics of my own program at a later time. For anyone that wants to read more on the concept of Primal living and gene expression, I'd recommend spending some time on Mark's Daily Apple. There is far more information there than I could ever get across in this forum, or anywhere near as well as Mark does.
Okay. There is one really important thing to know about improving your health, fitness and wellness. This is especially important for those of you that are just starting out. You'd think this was the most well kept secret in the world, but it really isn't. It's there for anyone to see if they would open their eyes and look. (This is starting to sound like a bad internet advertisement, isn't it?)
Improving your health fitness and wellness is simple. As in, not complex. That's right. Not at all complex. You're not going to do it with a thighmaster, or by drinking all of your meals out of a can, or by buying any of those idiotic things you see on infomercials. You're not going to do it by buying a special pair of sneakers, or wrapping a vibrating belt around your abdomen while you watch television. We get bombarded with so much stuff that is supposedly going to make all of the difference in the world for us, that we lose sight of how simple this all is.
I didn't say this was easy, I just said it was simple. Actually, once you change your habits, it does become easy, or at least easier. The first steps are the hardest to take.
I'll write some more about each of these in the future, but here's what you really need to know:
1. Eat the right kinds of foods, and eat the right amount of food.
2. Get enough exercise.
3. Get enough sleep.
4. Live an active lifestyle, in mind and body.
5. Don't put stuff in your body that doesn't belong there.
Following these five rules is simple. There will be a little effort getting started along with some trial and error, but once you get on track, it is so much simpler than most of us realize. I think one of the reasons people fail on a health and fitness program is because it all becomes too much to manage. Too much counting and measuring and nonsense that gets old and boring and starts feeling like a ball and chain. It doesn't have to.
Okay. Enough for today. I promise I'll actually write something useful next time out!
While I understand that what I do isn't for everyone, I do think that most people can get a great deal of benefit out of what they find here. I believe that there is a common thread at the foundation of most effective health and fitness programs, and that common thread is the basis for the majority of the results you will achieve. Everyone will have to build upon that foundation to tailor their program to their own goals, activities, and desires.
My own program is based on the theories of primal or evolutionary fitness. What I eat, how I eat, how I exercise and live are all based upon trying to emulate how our distant ancestors lived as they evolved into humans. I also believe that what we do affects how our genes express themselves. Gene expression theory is interesting stuff. I'll get into more specifics of my own program at a later time. For anyone that wants to read more on the concept of Primal living and gene expression, I'd recommend spending some time on Mark's Daily Apple. There is far more information there than I could ever get across in this forum, or anywhere near as well as Mark does.
Okay. There is one really important thing to know about improving your health, fitness and wellness. This is especially important for those of you that are just starting out. You'd think this was the most well kept secret in the world, but it really isn't. It's there for anyone to see if they would open their eyes and look. (This is starting to sound like a bad internet advertisement, isn't it?)
Improving your health fitness and wellness is simple. As in, not complex. That's right. Not at all complex. You're not going to do it with a thighmaster, or by drinking all of your meals out of a can, or by buying any of those idiotic things you see on infomercials. You're not going to do it by buying a special pair of sneakers, or wrapping a vibrating belt around your abdomen while you watch television. We get bombarded with so much stuff that is supposedly going to make all of the difference in the world for us, that we lose sight of how simple this all is.
I didn't say this was easy, I just said it was simple. Actually, once you change your habits, it does become easy, or at least easier. The first steps are the hardest to take.
I'll write some more about each of these in the future, but here's what you really need to know:
1. Eat the right kinds of foods, and eat the right amount of food.
2. Get enough exercise.
3. Get enough sleep.
4. Live an active lifestyle, in mind and body.
5. Don't put stuff in your body that doesn't belong there.
Following these five rules is simple. There will be a little effort getting started along with some trial and error, but once you get on track, it is so much simpler than most of us realize. I think one of the reasons people fail on a health and fitness program is because it all becomes too much to manage. Too much counting and measuring and nonsense that gets old and boring and starts feeling like a ball and chain. It doesn't have to.
Okay. Enough for today. I promise I'll actually write something useful next time out!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Things I've learned
I’m coming up on the fourth anniversary of the day I decided I was going to take back my health from the brink of disaster, and I’m doing a bit of reflecting on what I’ve learned. It’s been twenty five years since I first started playing with barbells in earnest, and I’ve been through a lot of programs and more ups and downs than I’d care to admit.
I like to think that I’ve gained some knowledge along the way, either through trial and error or by spending a significant amount of time reading and evaluating information I’ve searched for or come across. By sharing this, I hope some of you will pick up a thing or two that helps you on your own journey.
These apply to everyone, now matter what you’re trying to do:
1. You need to decide what you want. Even though I said these are in no order, you really should do this one first. What are you trying to accomplish? Is it realistic? Is it sustainable? Do you really WANT to sustain it long term? Can you measure it? Get to the bottom of what you’re really looking for. For example, I want to gain weight or I want to lose weight are substandard goals. Why? Because lean body mass is important. You want to add muscle. You want to lose fat. Goals like that will shape what you do, and they will keep you focused.
2. Align what you like to do with your goals. If you really enjoy going for very long runs, it would be silly to have a goal to add thirty pounds of muscle and enter a bodybuilding competition. You will be working against yourself, and will get nowhere, or you will be giving up something you really enjoy doing.
3. Whatever your fitness goals, diet will be at least 85% of the equation. Health and fitness begin at the grocery store. The types of foods you bring home will set you up for success or failure. If your goal is fat loss, you just cannot outwork a bad diet. A pound of fat equates to 3,500 calories. That could take more than 5 hours of exercise to burn off. If you frequently splurge, it will be very difficult to drop fat from your body. If your goal is to gain muscle, providing your body with substandard or inadequate amounts of nutrients will not optimize your ability to build muscle. It is absolutely critical to understand this point.
4. Train to your goals. If you want to build a lot of muscle, you need to train to that, and, more importantly, eat to that as I’ve noted above. It is very, very difficult to add significant muscle mass while you’re trying to lose a significant amount of weight. If you want to be a power lifter, you will train very differently that someone training for a triathlon. There will always be some crossover, but you need to train with your goals in mind.
5. Exercise is a catalyst for change. Food is a major factor, but exercise is critical for achieving your goals and improving your health and well being. It cannot be ignored.
6. Everyone benefits from some form of strength training. What and how much will depend upon what your goals are, but this should be a part of everyone’s program.
My next post will be a bit more specific to what I do and my own thoughts on health, fitness, nutrition and wellness.
I like to think that I’ve gained some knowledge along the way, either through trial and error or by spending a significant amount of time reading and evaluating information I’ve searched for or come across. By sharing this, I hope some of you will pick up a thing or two that helps you on your own journey.
These apply to everyone, now matter what you’re trying to do:
1. You need to decide what you want. Even though I said these are in no order, you really should do this one first. What are you trying to accomplish? Is it realistic? Is it sustainable? Do you really WANT to sustain it long term? Can you measure it? Get to the bottom of what you’re really looking for. For example, I want to gain weight or I want to lose weight are substandard goals. Why? Because lean body mass is important. You want to add muscle. You want to lose fat. Goals like that will shape what you do, and they will keep you focused.
2. Align what you like to do with your goals. If you really enjoy going for very long runs, it would be silly to have a goal to add thirty pounds of muscle and enter a bodybuilding competition. You will be working against yourself, and will get nowhere, or you will be giving up something you really enjoy doing.
3. Whatever your fitness goals, diet will be at least 85% of the equation. Health and fitness begin at the grocery store. The types of foods you bring home will set you up for success or failure. If your goal is fat loss, you just cannot outwork a bad diet. A pound of fat equates to 3,500 calories. That could take more than 5 hours of exercise to burn off. If you frequently splurge, it will be very difficult to drop fat from your body. If your goal is to gain muscle, providing your body with substandard or inadequate amounts of nutrients will not optimize your ability to build muscle. It is absolutely critical to understand this point.
4. Train to your goals. If you want to build a lot of muscle, you need to train to that, and, more importantly, eat to that as I’ve noted above. It is very, very difficult to add significant muscle mass while you’re trying to lose a significant amount of weight. If you want to be a power lifter, you will train very differently that someone training for a triathlon. There will always be some crossover, but you need to train with your goals in mind.
5. Exercise is a catalyst for change. Food is a major factor, but exercise is critical for achieving your goals and improving your health and well being. It cannot be ignored.
6. Everyone benefits from some form of strength training. What and how much will depend upon what your goals are, but this should be a part of everyone’s program.
My next post will be a bit more specific to what I do and my own thoughts on health, fitness, nutrition and wellness.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Ch-ch-ch-changes
When I look back over my workout logs over the past year, I realize that I've been stagnating. I've had ups and downs and vacations and injuries that leave me pretty much exactly where I was a year ago in terms of loads on the major lifts. My running is certainly no better, and I feel like my metcon ability may even be worse. I continue to TALK about all of the lifts and movements I need to learn and work on, but I don't do them. I'm not making any progress at all. It's time to do something different.
I've been reluctant to take the complete plunge into Crossfit, for fear that I will give up strength gains. I want both strength and metcon ability. I've been poking around a number of the Crossfit affiliate sites, and I think I found the one that fits the bill for me: http://centralbuckscrossfit.typepad.com/central_bucks_crossfit/.
Their workouts generally have a strength portion followed by a metcon portion. This is exactly what I was looking for. They wrote on their blog:
M.E = Max Effort; you will start seeing this format routinely throughout our programming. You’ll notice rep schemes of 5,5,5,3,3,3 one week and 3,3,3,1,1,1 the following week. This programming, mixed with essential and smart metcons and skill work, will ensure optimum strength and power gains along with progress in all the other parameters of fitness.
My plan is to follow these workouts on Monday thru Wednesday, take Thursday off, and do my own Strength workout on Friday, and my own metcon on Saturday. The following Monday, I'll pick up on their workouts where I left off. Because I'll be able to see what's coming ahead of time, I can add something to the strength workouts if I feel like something is being neglected without it conflicting with an upcoming workout. If the workout calls for a movement I can't do, I'll substitute and make sure I set aside time to work on the movement, so I can begin using it in the future.
I really think this will take my fitness to the next level. My first workout was today.
I've been reluctant to take the complete plunge into Crossfit, for fear that I will give up strength gains. I want both strength and metcon ability. I've been poking around a number of the Crossfit affiliate sites, and I think I found the one that fits the bill for me: http://centralbuckscrossfit.typepad.com/central_bucks_crossfit/.
Their workouts generally have a strength portion followed by a metcon portion. This is exactly what I was looking for. They wrote on their blog:
M.E = Max Effort; you will start seeing this format routinely throughout our programming. You’ll notice rep schemes of 5,5,5,3,3,3 one week and 3,3,3,1,1,1 the following week. This programming, mixed with essential and smart metcons and skill work, will ensure optimum strength and power gains along with progress in all the other parameters of fitness.
My plan is to follow these workouts on Monday thru Wednesday, take Thursday off, and do my own Strength workout on Friday, and my own metcon on Saturday. The following Monday, I'll pick up on their workouts where I left off. Because I'll be able to see what's coming ahead of time, I can add something to the strength workouts if I feel like something is being neglected without it conflicting with an upcoming workout. If the workout calls for a movement I can't do, I'll substitute and make sure I set aside time to work on the movement, so I can begin using it in the future.
I really think this will take my fitness to the next level. My first workout was today.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
You're fooling yourself
One of my pet peeves at the gym is when I see people using poor form on exercises. I am particularly irritated by those people that use a very short range of motion (partial reps) on squats, bench presses, and overhead presses. There is a part of me that wants to tell them they're doing it wrong....what with me being an expert on everything and all.
I was wondering why. Why do I care? What difference does it make to me? I think it's about competition. People, more specifically men, are competitive in nature. If someone is loading up a bar with weight they can't handle for a full ROM rep, they aren't playing fair. In comparison, I'm using less weight but going ass to the grass. I'm at a disadvantage in the amount of weight being used. Yes, we all need to check the ego at the door and focus on our own goals. Blah, blah. The truth is that we all want to be the baddest badass in the gym.
I can take solace in the fact that I am, in fact, more badass then they are. They are afraid to go full ROM; I'm not. Their ego won't let them, and their performance will suffer because of it. I'm going to just snicker when they do their lame workouts, knowing they are fooling themselves and will eventually fall way behind.
I was wondering why. Why do I care? What difference does it make to me? I think it's about competition. People, more specifically men, are competitive in nature. If someone is loading up a bar with weight they can't handle for a full ROM rep, they aren't playing fair. In comparison, I'm using less weight but going ass to the grass. I'm at a disadvantage in the amount of weight being used. Yes, we all need to check the ego at the door and focus on our own goals. Blah, blah. The truth is that we all want to be the baddest badass in the gym.
I can take solace in the fact that I am, in fact, more badass then they are. They are afraid to go full ROM; I'm not. Their ego won't let them, and their performance will suffer because of it. I'm going to just snicker when they do their lame workouts, knowing they are fooling themselves and will eventually fall way behind.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Confession
I think I subconsciously choose my metcon workouts by selecting those things that I can most easily handle. Human nature, I guess, but I'll never fix my weaknesses like this. It's why I'm going onto a modified Crossfit program in January. I'll have no choice but to follow the WOD and not leave my workouts to personal choice.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Chocolate Decadence
A cake, Ice cream, raspberry sauce and whipped cream dessert that is shared...and is like the size of a shoebox. Does that sound primal to you? Holy crap. That wasn't a really great idea in the least! Hey. At least I didn't eat any bread or pasta, right?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Gone Primal
I've gone primal...with the horrific exception of the July 4th weekend...but I won't talk about that debacle. What I will say is that I feel very good, and I've shaved almost five pounds of fat in a couple of weeks effortlessly...even with the unspoken debacle stuck in the middle of it.
I've been trying to eat like this:
Eat lots of animals, insects and plants.
This is the basic description of everything our ancestors ate to get the protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phenols, fiber, water and other nutrients necessary to sustain life. But it was a huge list of individual foods – some anthropologists say it may have been 200 or 300 food choices at a time depending upon the geographic area. The net result was a dietary “breakdown” of fat, protein and carbohydrate that was far different from what Conventional Wisdom considers optimum today. This diet provided all the necessary fuel and building blocks that, along with specific exercise, prompted their genes to create strong muscles, enabled them to expend lots of energy each day moving about, to maintain healthy immune systems, to evolve larger brains and to raise healthy children. They ate sporadically, too. When food was plentiful, they ate more than they needed (and stored the excess as fat). When times were scarce, they survived on fat stores. This random or “non-linear” eating pattern kept their bodies in a constant state of preparedness. Source-Marks Daily Apple. Check it out!
My workouts are essentially the same, although I have added walking/low level aerobic activity, which is the solid base of the primal blueprint. In fact, I took a day off and hiked up a mountain by myself the other day. Just me and a bottle of water. I need more hill work. I liked it a lot, and it was good to be alone by myself for a while.
I've been trying to eat like this:
Eat lots of animals, insects and plants.
This is the basic description of everything our ancestors ate to get the protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phenols, fiber, water and other nutrients necessary to sustain life. But it was a huge list of individual foods – some anthropologists say it may have been 200 or 300 food choices at a time depending upon the geographic area. The net result was a dietary “breakdown” of fat, protein and carbohydrate that was far different from what Conventional Wisdom considers optimum today. This diet provided all the necessary fuel and building blocks that, along with specific exercise, prompted their genes to create strong muscles, enabled them to expend lots of energy each day moving about, to maintain healthy immune systems, to evolve larger brains and to raise healthy children. They ate sporadically, too. When food was plentiful, they ate more than they needed (and stored the excess as fat). When times were scarce, they survived on fat stores. This random or “non-linear” eating pattern kept their bodies in a constant state of preparedness. Source-Marks Daily Apple. Check it out!
My workouts are essentially the same, although I have added walking/low level aerobic activity, which is the solid base of the primal blueprint. In fact, I took a day off and hiked up a mountain by myself the other day. Just me and a bottle of water. I need more hill work. I liked it a lot, and it was good to be alone by myself for a while.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Two cool things
Yesterday at the gym, I was working my strength program. When I hit the third group of sets, the guy at the rack next to me looks over and says "Ripptoe, huh"?
"Yup".
I knew he knew what he was doing, because he was doing textbook full squats. Sad to say, I don't see many people doing those in the gym I go to. It turns out he works out at the the Crossfit Black Box here in the city, and is taking the summer off from CF to work on a strength program.
Other cool thing...
I've been tracking my workouts on Evernote these days. I mentioned it to my 22 year old son, and he asked if I could share with him. I was happy to. Now he's created a notebook too, and he's sharing with me. Yesterday he wrote:
Metco
Timed 4 Rounds of
400m Run
500m Row Machine
My time was 19:42 I'm pretty sure I beat Dads time, I'm happy about that.
I just looked back at dads time i did beat him, but the machine he was working on gave him so trouble so i did not really beat his time. I also realized that this was dads workout for one day and i mixed strength training into this. no surprise to me my endurance will be higher than his i am 30 years younger
So...it seems as if we have the challenge of the old guy vs. the young guy. I think we'll both be better off for it!
We're also looking to see if we can coordinate working out together some time. It makes me happy that he's actually looking to do some stuff with me! :)
"Yup".
I knew he knew what he was doing, because he was doing textbook full squats. Sad to say, I don't see many people doing those in the gym I go to. It turns out he works out at the the Crossfit Black Box here in the city, and is taking the summer off from CF to work on a strength program.
Other cool thing...
I've been tracking my workouts on Evernote these days. I mentioned it to my 22 year old son, and he asked if I could share with him. I was happy to. Now he's created a notebook too, and he's sharing with me. Yesterday he wrote:
Metco
Timed 4 Rounds of
400m Run
500m Row Machine
My time was 19:42 I'm pretty sure I beat Dads time, I'm happy about that.
I just looked back at dads time i did beat him, but the machine he was working on gave him so trouble so i did not really beat his time. I also realized that this was dads workout for one day and i mixed strength training into this. no surprise to me my endurance will be higher than his i am 30 years younger
So...it seems as if we have the challenge of the old guy vs. the young guy. I think we'll both be better off for it!
We're also looking to see if we can coordinate working out together some time. It makes me happy that he's actually looking to do some stuff with me! :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Changes
Just after the previous post, I started tracking my workouts and nutrition on an online notebook site. It has all of the benefits of this place, but without the public forum. I guess the public forum isn't really necessary since I have no readers anyway! It's unlikely I'll write here any more.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Fit test today
I performed a fit test to try to calculate my maximum heart rate, which came out to 175. This is pretty close to the aged based formula of 170, but makes little sense compared to my ability to have a decent running pace of 165 on Saturday. I did the test on a treadmill incline, so maybe a heart rate of 165 on an incline isn't equivalent to a HR of 165 when running on a flat surface. I certainly was more winded running on the incline. I did some sprints after the test for a little extra kick to the workout.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Strength plus Metcon
Strength plus metcon
Strength:
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups 3 sets to failure, kipping
Dips with 25lb weight, 3 sets of 10
Raised weight on the squats this week.
It may be time to reset on the bench and the overhead presses. I couldn't hit the 5 reps. The problem may be mental, but even so, I'm still reaching that reset point anyway.
Metcon:
For time, 21-15-9 reps of
135 lb Deadlifts
24 inch box jump
7:40
Strength:
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench 3x5 Working sets
Chin-ups 3 sets to failure, kipping
Dips with 25lb weight, 3 sets of 10
Raised weight on the squats this week.
It may be time to reset on the bench and the overhead presses. I couldn't hit the 5 reps. The problem may be mental, but even so, I'm still reaching that reset point anyway.
Metcon:
For time, 21-15-9 reps of
135 lb Deadlifts
24 inch box jump
7:40
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Running for metcon
Ran 2.32 miles in 20 minutes. That is an 8:37 pace.
Started with a warm up of about 4 minutes in a 135 heart rate zone. Sped up to about 145-155. Finished with a big part of the run around 165, which seems to be a good zone right now.
In the future, should warm up and then run 20 minutes in the 165 zone.
The age based formula would put my maximum heart rate at 170. This is clearly too low and isn't accurate for me.
To do: Research method for calculating maximum heart rate and calculate mine.
Started with a warm up of about 4 minutes in a 135 heart rate zone. Sped up to about 145-155. Finished with a big part of the run around 165, which seems to be a good zone right now.
In the future, should warm up and then run 20 minutes in the 165 zone.
The age based formula would put my maximum heart rate at 170. This is clearly too low and isn't accurate for me.
To do: Research method for calculating maximum heart rate and calculate mine.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Strength plus metcon
Strength:
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Pullups-Kipping 3 sets to failure
Overhead Press 3x5 Working sets
Very difficult day today. Failed to hit target reps on bench and overheads.
Metcon:
Two 4 minute Tabata sets
First set burpee pullups
Second set jumping jacks
2 sets 20 pushups
10 strict pullups on squat rack beam
Squat 3x5 Working sets
Bench press 3x5 Working sets
Pullups-Kipping 3 sets to failure
Overhead Press 3x5 Working sets
Very difficult day today. Failed to hit target reps on bench and overheads.
Metcon:
Two 4 minute Tabata sets
First set burpee pullups
Second set jumping jacks
2 sets 20 pushups
10 strict pullups on squat rack beam
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Rest day today
Lot's of DOMS in my legs, especially the posterior chain. I'll give these old bones a day off today.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Strength Day
Front squats, 3x5 working sets
Deadlifts 5x1 working sets, PR set on rep 4. Attempted to add 20 lbs for set 5, failed. Dropped 10 pounds, failed. Still, a PR is a PR, right?
Power cleans 5x3 working sets
I was struggling with not using my arms to pull in the cleans. I haven't done them heavier for a while. I think I need to drop weight and work back with good form.
No metcon today. It was a heavy day, and I figured I'd leave it at that.
Deadlifts 5x1 working sets, PR set on rep 4. Attempted to add 20 lbs for set 5, failed. Dropped 10 pounds, failed. Still, a PR is a PR, right?
Power cleans 5x3 working sets
I was struggling with not using my arms to pull in the cleans. I haven't done them heavier for a while. I think I need to drop weight and work back with good form.
No metcon today. It was a heavy day, and I figured I'd leave it at that.
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