Weight: 194.4
Exercise: Day off! Needed it. Spent the day grinding on Merge which was nice because I shipped the $3750 guarantee :).
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake w/Blueberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + Egg Whites, Avocado, salsa, small side of beans
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese + Peanut Butter, Cinnamon + Chocolate syrup
Really looked forward to the Sunday cheat day :)
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
6/29 Check-In
Weight: 194.8
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session. Finally getting near full intensity in sprints, which is nice. Body is holding up nicely, my knee isn't bothering me like I thought it might.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake + Blueberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, smallish side of beans, some grated cheese.
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter, Cinnamon
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session. Finally getting near full intensity in sprints, which is nice. Body is holding up nicely, my knee isn't bothering me like I thought it might.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake + Blueberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, smallish side of beans, some grated cheese.
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter, Cinnamon
Thursday, June 28, 2012
6/28 Check-In
Weight: 195.0
Exercise: Full Body weight training session. Felt really good for this third week, really pushed myself.
Meal 1: 6 Egg Whites + 1/2 can of beans, salsa
Meal 2: Peri-workout shake
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Watermelon and some grapes
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Peanut Butter and Cinnamon
Exercise: Full Body weight training session. Felt really good for this third week, really pushed myself.
Meal 1: 6 Egg Whites + 1/2 can of beans, salsa
Meal 2: Peri-workout shake
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Watermelon and some grapes
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Peanut Butter and Cinnamon
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
6/27 Check-In
Weight: 194.8
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session. Evening Jump Rope session. Killer cardio day for sure. I got a new Jump Rope this week and love it (my old one was too short). I am starting to get decent enough at Jump Rope to really go after it. Previously, because I wasn't that great at jumping rope (and because my jump rope kinda sucked), I was doing a Jump Rope/Mountain Climbers complex to really kick my ass. But now I'm really able to go after it with just the jump rope and it's nice. Maybe some day I can perform like this :):
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake w/Blueberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, beans and salsa
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session. Evening Jump Rope session. Killer cardio day for sure. I got a new Jump Rope this week and love it (my old one was too short). I am starting to get decent enough at Jump Rope to really go after it. Previously, because I wasn't that great at jumping rope (and because my jump rope kinda sucked), I was doing a Jump Rope/Mountain Climbers complex to really kick my ass. But now I'm really able to go after it with just the jump rope and it's nice. Maybe some day I can perform like this :):
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake w/Blueberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, beans and salsa
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
6/26 Check-In
Weight: 195.4. Really seeming to stall a bit on the weight loss front, but from a visual perspective I have no doubt that I'm recomping nicely. I look and feel leaner, and notice a ton of muscle gain.
Exercise: Upper-Body Density session w/Treadmill walk. I had a real amount of discomfort in my left shoulder during an incline bench press/bent over barbell row circuit. It seems like rotator cuff pain, which is not good obviously. I've been stretching/warming up that area and foam rolling the crap out of it since that workout. I noticed a little discomfort during the same workout two days ago but it was worse this day. Hopefully it will not be an issue during my last upper body density session for the month, which is 10+ days away.
Meal 1: Peri-workout shake
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Watermelon
Meal 3: Egg whites w/small side of beans, salsa
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter + Cinnamon + sugar free chocolate syrup
Exercise: Upper-Body Density session w/Treadmill walk. I had a real amount of discomfort in my left shoulder during an incline bench press/bent over barbell row circuit. It seems like rotator cuff pain, which is not good obviously. I've been stretching/warming up that area and foam rolling the crap out of it since that workout. I noticed a little discomfort during the same workout two days ago but it was worse this day. Hopefully it will not be an issue during my last upper body density session for the month, which is 10+ days away.
Meal 1: Peri-workout shake
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Watermelon
Meal 3: Egg whites w/small side of beans, salsa
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter + Cinnamon + sugar free chocolate syrup
Monday, June 25, 2012
6/25 Check-In
Weight: 194.8
Exercise: Upper Body Density Training session w/Treadmill walk.
Today was a Cheat day! I stuffed my face full of plenty of goodness including In N Out, Mac N' Cheese, Ice Cream and the like :)
Exercise: Upper Body Density Training session w/Treadmill walk.
Today was a Cheat day! I stuffed my face full of plenty of goodness including In N Out, Mac N' Cheese, Ice Cream and the like :)
Sunday, June 24, 2012
6/24 Check-In
Weight: 199.2 (Normal Cheat-day swing)
Exercise: Bodyweight training session + Jump Rope. This was supposed to be done in the morning but I really felt like shit, and did it in the evening instead.
Meal-wise, this was a full fast day.
Exercise: Bodyweight training session + Jump Rope. This was supposed to be done in the morning but I really felt like shit, and did it in the evening instead.
Meal-wise, this was a full fast day.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
6/23 Check-In
Weight: 195.4
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake + Strawberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, small side of pinto beans, some grated cheese
Meal 3: Smallish snack of Cottage Cheese + Peanut Butter, 3 Egg omelette a little later w/Avocado and Cheese
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake + Strawberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, small side of pinto beans, some grated cheese
Meal 3: Smallish snack of Cottage Cheese + Peanut Butter, 3 Egg omelette a little later w/Avocado and Cheese
Friday, June 22, 2012
6/22 Check-In
Weight: 195.4
Exercise: Full Body Weight Training Session. Goblet Squats are tough!
Meal 1: 6 Eggwhites + small side of beans, salsa
Meal 2: Peri workout carb/protein shake
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Strawberries and Watermelon
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Peanut Butter , Cinnamon, and some chocolate syrup
Exercise: Full Body Weight Training Session. Goblet Squats are tough!
Meal 1: 6 Eggwhites + small side of beans, salsa
Meal 2: Peri workout carb/protein shake
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Strawberries and Watermelon
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Peanut Butter , Cinnamon, and some chocolate syrup
Thursday, June 21, 2012
6/21 Check-In
Weight: 195.6
Exercise: Evening light walk/jump rope session
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake w/Blueberries
Meal 2: 2 Eggs + 5 Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, small side of Black Beans
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter + Cinnamon
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
6/20 Check-In
Weight: 196.2
Exercise: Lower-Body Density Workout
Meal 1: Peri-post workout shake
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Watermelon
Meal 3: 6 Egg whites + 1/2 can of Black Beans
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Peanut Butter + Cinnamon
Exercise: Lower-Body Density Workout
Meal 1: Peri-post workout shake
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Watermelon
Meal 3: 6 Egg whites + 1/2 can of Black Beans
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Peanut Butter + Cinnamon
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
6/19 Check-In
Weight: 195.4 (after 32 hours of fasting). It is amazing how good you feel the morning after a 30+ hour fast. It literally is the best I ever feel. Everyone should try it some time!
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session/stretching/walk, evening easy walk/Jump Rope session.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake + 1 Cup of Blueberries, a couple fresh Strawberries :).
Meal 2: 2 Eggs, 5 Egg Whites, 1 Scoop of Peanut Butter (because I was craving it), 1/2 Avocado, Salsa, small side of Black Beans.
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon. smallish salad with oil/vinegar.
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session/stretching/walk, evening easy walk/Jump Rope session.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake + 1 Cup of Blueberries, a couple fresh Strawberries :).
Meal 2: 2 Eggs, 5 Egg Whites, 1 Scoop of Peanut Butter (because I was craving it), 1/2 Avocado, Salsa, small side of Black Beans.
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon. smallish salad with oil/vinegar.
Monday, June 18, 2012
6/18 Check-In
Weight: 199.6
Exercise: Morning bodyweight complex + treadmill walk.
Today was a complete fasting day, so I didn't eat anything. I feel pretty good! Should be interesting doing a morning Sprint session tomorrow on a ~34 hour or so fast, we'll see how that goes :)
Exercise: Morning bodyweight complex + treadmill walk.
Today was a complete fasting day, so I didn't eat anything. I feel pretty good! Should be interesting doing a morning Sprint session tomorrow on a ~34 hour or so fast, we'll see how that goes :)
Sunday, June 17, 2012
6/17 Check-In
Weight: 195.0!
Exercise: Brutal Morning Lower Body Density session. I did this upon waking on poor sleep, so overall it was a pretty crappy workout, but I got through it.
Otherwise, this was a cheat day. Had a nice Father's Day lunch at Chili's with my dad and then spent the rest of the day shoving random crap in my face. Cheat days are tough when you've been following a restricted diet, my body really does not want to eat all that many calories anymore. Fasting day tomorrow!
Exercise: Brutal Morning Lower Body Density session. I did this upon waking on poor sleep, so overall it was a pretty crappy workout, but I got through it.
Otherwise, this was a cheat day. Had a nice Father's Day lunch at Chili's with my dad and then spent the rest of the day shoving random crap in my face. Cheat days are tough when you've been following a restricted diet, my body really does not want to eat all that many calories anymore. Fasting day tomorrow!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
The "Neural Wake-Up Call"
I thought I'd write a quick post about something that's been programmed into my current nutrition/fitness plan called a "Neural Wake-Up Call". I've been doing this for the last 5 weeks or so and it really is great. It's basically some combination of a morning dynamic stretching/warmup/bodyweight complex exercise that is done every day upon waking. After doing it for the last several weeks I can definitely attest to it's efficacy. It really gets the blood flowing and warms up up for any morning cardio session I have.
The guy I got it from, John Romaniello, just so happens to have a new article up in the Huffington Post about the Neural Wake Up Call, so instead of wasting any more time explaining it, I'll let him do it:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-romaniello/summer-shape-up_b_1593368.html
His sample Neural Wake Up Call (from the above article) is below:
Sample Neural Wake Up Call
A1) Left Leg Single Leg Squat -- 12 reps
Description: Extend your right leg, and using your LEFT leg, lower yourself (squat down) onto a bed, chair or other platform slowly. Once you hit the platform, stand up using your left leg.
A2) Right Leg Single Leg Squat -- 12 reps
Description: Extend your right leg, and using your RIGHT leg, lower yourself (squat down) onto a bed, chair or other platform slowly. Once you hit the platform, stand up using your right leg.
B) Alternating Lateral Lunges -- 8 each side (DEEP)
C) Push-up Hold -- 30 seconds
Description: In push-up position, hold at the lock out point for 30 seconds, keeping your abs braced.
D1) Left Bulgarian Split Squat Hold -- 30 seconds
Description: With your right leg on a chair/bench, hold the bottom position of a Bulgarian Split Squat. For the last five seconds, perform two- to three-inch "pulses."
D2) Left Leg Spiderman Lunge -- 6-8 reps
Description: From a push-up position, bring your left leg up toward the left side of your body, aiming to plant it near your left hand. Hold this position for two seconds; drive the groin downward to allow for optimal stretch.
E1) Right Bulgarian Split Squat Hold -- 30 seconds
Description: With your right leg on a chair/bench, hold the bottom position of a Bulgarian Split Squat. For the last five seconds, perform two- to three-inch "pulses."
E2) Right Leg Spiderman Lunge -- 6-8 reps
Description: From a push-up position, bring your left leg up toward the left side of your body, aiming to plant it near your left hand. Hold this positing for two seconds; drive the groin downward to allow for optimal stretch. Perform 6-8 reps.
Perform this entire thing once on training days, and twice on days you don't hit the weights.
Like I said, I've been doing this for ~5 weeks now and I highly, highly recommend it.
P.S., My Poker/Fitness/Hormones Part 2 project got a lot more involved than I expected, I've been doing a pile of research on it and hope to have something up in the next week. Very interesting stuff!
His sample Neural Wake Up Call (from the above article) is below:
Sample Neural Wake Up Call
A1) Left Leg Single Leg Squat -- 12 reps
Description: Extend your right leg, and using your LEFT leg, lower yourself (squat down) onto a bed, chair or other platform slowly. Once you hit the platform, stand up using your left leg.
A2) Right Leg Single Leg Squat -- 12 reps
Description: Extend your right leg, and using your RIGHT leg, lower yourself (squat down) onto a bed, chair or other platform slowly. Once you hit the platform, stand up using your right leg.
B) Alternating Lateral Lunges -- 8 each side (DEEP)
C) Push-up Hold -- 30 seconds
Description: In push-up position, hold at the lock out point for 30 seconds, keeping your abs braced.
D1) Left Bulgarian Split Squat Hold -- 30 seconds
Description: With your right leg on a chair/bench, hold the bottom position of a Bulgarian Split Squat. For the last five seconds, perform two- to three-inch "pulses."
D2) Left Leg Spiderman Lunge -- 6-8 reps
Description: From a push-up position, bring your left leg up toward the left side of your body, aiming to plant it near your left hand. Hold this position for two seconds; drive the groin downward to allow for optimal stretch.
E1) Right Bulgarian Split Squat Hold -- 30 seconds
Description: With your right leg on a chair/bench, hold the bottom position of a Bulgarian Split Squat. For the last five seconds, perform two- to three-inch "pulses."
E2) Right Leg Spiderman Lunge -- 6-8 reps
Description: From a push-up position, bring your left leg up toward the left side of your body, aiming to plant it near your left hand. Hold this positing for two seconds; drive the groin downward to allow for optimal stretch. Perform 6-8 reps.
Perform this entire thing once on training days, and twice on days you don't hit the weights.
Like I said, I've been doing this for ~5 weeks now and I highly, highly recommend it.
P.S., My Poker/Fitness/Hormones Part 2 project got a lot more involved than I expected, I've been doing a pile of research on it and hope to have something up in the next week. Very interesting stuff!
6/16 Check-In
Weight: 195.4 (I actually saw 194.x later in the day before my first meal, but I'm sticking with morning weigh ins for now). Seeing encouraging weight loss this last week and a half. I am getting a hydrostatic BF test done on Tuesday, here's to shooting for <15%.
Exercise: Day off, except for my morning stretching routine (more on that in a bit). Definitely sore and can use the break. Tomorrow will be what should be a brutal morning Lower Body session followed by a Father's Day lunch w/Dad and a Cheat Day thereafter :).
Meal 1: Strawberry Protein Shake blended with 1cup of Blueberries.
Meal 2: My now standard Eggs meal of 2 Eggs, 4-5 Egg whites, Avocado, Salsa, and some Black Beans.
Meal 3: Another Protein Shake w/Almond Butter and some Cinnamon. Broccoli w/Cheese. Ran out of Cottage Cheese and forgot, whoops :)
Exercise: Day off, except for my morning stretching routine (more on that in a bit). Definitely sore and can use the break. Tomorrow will be what should be a brutal morning Lower Body session followed by a Father's Day lunch w/Dad and a Cheat Day thereafter :).
Meal 1: Strawberry Protein Shake blended with 1cup of Blueberries.
Meal 2: My now standard Eggs meal of 2 Eggs, 4-5 Egg whites, Avocado, Salsa, and some Black Beans.
Meal 3: Another Protein Shake w/Almond Butter and some Cinnamon. Broccoli w/Cheese. Ran out of Cottage Cheese and forgot, whoops :)
Friday, June 15, 2012
6/15 Check-In
Weight: 195.6 (possible sub-195 soon?)
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session. Felt pretty sore today, got through the Sprint session OK but it was tough. I may decide to start wearing knee-sleeves for my sprints just to keep them warm and support my knees a bit.
My sleep quality has gotten pretty bad lately, which sucks. Today is definitely the most sore I've felt since week 1, and I'm probably a bit more sore than then too. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow, and some grinding on Merge, before I finish off week 1 with a tough Sunday workout and Cheat Day!
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake, 1 Cup of Blueberries (I love Blueberries, one of the best things about this month is the re-introduction of regular carbs allowing me some fruit).
Meal 2: 2 Eggs, 4 Egg Whites, 1/4 can of Black Beans, 1/2 Avocado, Salsa, Tapatio, small amount of grated Pepper Jack Cheese.
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter & Peanut Butter, Cinnamon and a couple of drops of Sugar-free chocolate syrup.
Exercise: Morning HIIT Sprint session. Felt pretty sore today, got through the Sprint session OK but it was tough. I may decide to start wearing knee-sleeves for my sprints just to keep them warm and support my knees a bit.
My sleep quality has gotten pretty bad lately, which sucks. Today is definitely the most sore I've felt since week 1, and I'm probably a bit more sore than then too. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow, and some grinding on Merge, before I finish off week 1 with a tough Sunday workout and Cheat Day!
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake, 1 Cup of Blueberries (I love Blueberries, one of the best things about this month is the re-introduction of regular carbs allowing me some fruit).
Meal 2: 2 Eggs, 4 Egg Whites, 1/4 can of Black Beans, 1/2 Avocado, Salsa, Tapatio, small amount of grated Pepper Jack Cheese.
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter & Peanut Butter, Cinnamon and a couple of drops of Sugar-free chocolate syrup.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
6/14 Check-In
Weight: 196.0
BF % ~16%
Exercise: Evening "Traditional" Full Body weight training session. Very tough. I'm feeling significant soreness today from the new stimulus this week. That being said, I got through this workout without too much issue, and I still honestly feel great. Looking forward to a Sprint session tomorrow and then a couple of days off before my next session.
Meal 1: Peri-Workout Drink Carbs+Protein, Slice of Sourdough bread post-workout.
Meal 2: Smoothie of Crushed ice, Strawberry Whey Protein, 2 Cups of Watermelon, 2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon.
Meal 3: 1 Egg, 6 Eggwhites, Salsa, 1/2 can of Cuban style black beans, copious amounts of Tapatio :).
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese + Freshly made Almond Butter + Cinnamon, and a dollop of sugar free chocolate syrup. 5g/Fish Oil
BF % ~16%
Exercise: Evening "Traditional" Full Body weight training session. Very tough. I'm feeling significant soreness today from the new stimulus this week. That being said, I got through this workout without too much issue, and I still honestly feel great. Looking forward to a Sprint session tomorrow and then a couple of days off before my next session.
Meal 1: Peri-Workout Drink Carbs+Protein, Slice of Sourdough bread post-workout.
Meal 2: Smoothie of Crushed ice, Strawberry Whey Protein, 2 Cups of Watermelon, 2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon.
Meal 3: 1 Egg, 6 Eggwhites, Salsa, 1/2 can of Cuban style black beans, copious amounts of Tapatio :).
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese + Freshly made Almond Butter + Cinnamon, and a dollop of sugar free chocolate syrup. 5g/Fish Oil
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
6/13 Check-In
Weight: 195.4! (First weigh-in sub 196!, be interesting to see if I get a "woosh" over the next week).
Exercise: Morning Sprint HIIT Session. My first sprint session which is replacing my bike workouts for this month. Sprinting is fantastic cardio but my left knee can flare up sometimes when I do heavy running. I am happy to report that I got through this first session great, and my body felt great. I didn't push 100% as I didn't want to hurt myself but I still got a helluva workout.
Also, I did a late evening Jump Rope + Burpee session which kicked my ass too.
Definitely feeling some serious soreness after my first Upper Body Density session yesterday, but I feel really good. We'll see how I feel tomorrow evening when I have a pretty tough "traditional" weight training session.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake (Strawberry) + 2 Cups of Watermelon. Blended them together, tasted great though I should have put some ice in it I think.
Meal 2: 2 Eggs, 5 Egg Whites Scrambled, 1/2 Avocado, small side of Black Beans,
Salsa and some Pepper Jack Cheese shredded on top!
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese + Peanut Butter (out of Almond Butter right now) and Cinnamon, Salad w/Oil and Vinegar.
Oh, and I stocked up a bit for my next cheat day (Sunday):
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And yes, a bunch of Whole Wheat bread :).
Exercise: Morning Sprint HIIT Session. My first sprint session which is replacing my bike workouts for this month. Sprinting is fantastic cardio but my left knee can flare up sometimes when I do heavy running. I am happy to report that I got through this first session great, and my body felt great. I didn't push 100% as I didn't want to hurt myself but I still got a helluva workout.
Also, I did a late evening Jump Rope + Burpee session which kicked my ass too.
Definitely feeling some serious soreness after my first Upper Body Density session yesterday, but I feel really good. We'll see how I feel tomorrow evening when I have a pretty tough "traditional" weight training session.
Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake (Strawberry) + 2 Cups of Watermelon. Blended them together, tasted great though I should have put some ice in it I think.
Meal 2: 2 Eggs, 5 Egg Whites Scrambled, 1/2 Avocado, small side of Black Beans,
Salsa and some Pepper Jack Cheese shredded on top!
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese + Peanut Butter (out of Almond Butter right now) and Cinnamon, Salad w/Oil and Vinegar.
Oh, and I stocked up a bit for my next cheat day (Sunday):
.JPG)
And yes, a bunch of Whole Wheat bread :).
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
6/12 Check-In
Weight: 196.4 (After about 32 hours of fasting after my cheat day)
Exercise: My first Upper Body Density session in the evening + a treadmill walk. Brutal but I got through it okay.
A few more Carbs on my workout days than last month, my body is plenty happy with that:
Meal 1: 1 Egg + 5 Eggwhites + Black Beans, Salsa and Tapatio!
Meal 2: Peri-workout drink w/Carbs and Protein
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake (2 scoops), 2 cups of blueberries (mmm)
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon, Broccoli w/Cheese
Exercise: My first Upper Body Density session in the evening + a treadmill walk. Brutal but I got through it okay.
A few more Carbs on my workout days than last month, my body is plenty happy with that:
Meal 1: 1 Egg + 5 Eggwhites + Black Beans, Salsa and Tapatio!
Meal 2: Peri-workout drink w/Carbs and Protein
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake (2 scoops), 2 cups of blueberries (mmm)
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon, Broccoli w/Cheese
Monday, June 11, 2012
6/11 Check-In
Weight: 199.2 (after a day of cheat meals, this is what happens, and is expected. It will be interesting to see how much weight I lose during the next 36 hours fasting :).
Exercise: Morning Bodyweight workout + Jump Rope/burpee complex. This Bodyweight complex is brutal, with everything you can imagine thrown together and done 5 times with very little rest. I had to rest a little more than I'd like to between circuits, but with the combination of new stimulus and the fact that I was training fasted for the first time in awhile I guess it was to be expected.
Diet: No food at all!
Exercise: Morning Bodyweight workout + Jump Rope/burpee complex. This Bodyweight complex is brutal, with everything you can imagine thrown together and done 5 times with very little rest. I had to rest a little more than I'd like to between circuits, but with the combination of new stimulus and the fact that I was training fasted for the first time in awhile I guess it was to be expected.
Diet: No food at all!
My Month 2 Program!
Welp, on to Month 2! For those who didn't read my blog post about my Month 1 Program, it was a custom program designed by Roman Fitness Systems. Month 2 is an extension of that program, but is significantly different in a few ways.
From an exercise perspective, this will likely be the toughest month of my life, and will be much tougher than before. All aspects of the training are tweaked to be more difficult than before. Is it wrong that I'm excited about it? I hope not.
The biggest change is that I will be incorporating something called "Density Training" into the majority of my weight training sessions. Here's a pretty detailed article over at T-Nation about it: Density Training for Fat Loss.
In short, it involves going multiple sets of circuit-type exercises, while increasing the difficulty (usually in the form of more weight), the second time through. I have done density training in the past, and they have been by FAR the toughest workouts I've done. I am both looking forward to it and dreading it.
I will be doing both an Upper Body, and Lower Body Density-style workout each week, as well as a more "Traditional" Full Body weight workout. I've looked them over and they are going to be ROUGH!
In addition, my weekly bodyweight circuit is more difficult, with more overall volume and some more intense exercises. I did my first one today and it was brutal. Finally, my pure Cardio routines are ramped up a bit, with pure Sprinting routines replacing my bike sessions, and additional Jump Rope work.
Like Month 1, I am a bit worried my body will begin to break down at some point, but Month 1 went very smooth so I'm hopeful Month 2 goes as smoothly. In particular, my knee has always had trouble with lots of running (or sprinting), and some of the density sessions will put more strain on my lower back than I had in Month 1. Here's to hoping for the best, hopefully I wont have to adjust things.
From a dietary perspective, the major change as I mentioned previously is that my diet now includes Cheat Days (Yay!) and Fasting Days (Boo! Well, not really). Having a Cheat Day is nice for multiple reasons, for instance seeing $2.99 specials on Tombstone pizza and not being able to take advantage was very painful last month :). It'll be nice to get to schedule some meals out with friends and such on my cheat day.
The science behind cheat days is very interesting, and there is some debate about them, but I am more than happy to put my faith in the program especially when that involves me shoveling a quesadilla in my mouth for the first time in a Month.
In addition to the Cheat Day, I will be following it with a Fasted Day, where I eat literally nothing for the entire day. In fact, I am doing that right now (currently about 22 hours fasted). I will be fasting until tomorrow afternoon and will break my fast before training. This sounds extreme, but is really not that big of a deal. Fortunately, it is something I have experimented with in the past, so it isn't much of a shock to me this time around. For those of you who haven't experimented with fasting, it is amazing how good you can feel while training in a fasted state.
Otherwise, I am still following a 16/8 Intermittent Fasting low-ish carbs strategy, with a bit of an increase in Carbs from Month 1 (which should help with the increased training volume and help build muscle). It'll also add some nice flexibility to my diet, as I'm mostly vegetarian so eating high protein and very low carb like Month 1 leads to some monotonous dieting (as you can see from my Month 1 updates :).
So, in summation, the diet should be a bit easier and more fun, the exercise should be much more difficult, but hopefully more fun as well :). I am looking forward to it and would be surprised if I didn't see some serious gains in my fitness this month.
From an exercise perspective, this will likely be the toughest month of my life, and will be much tougher than before. All aspects of the training are tweaked to be more difficult than before. Is it wrong that I'm excited about it? I hope not.
The biggest change is that I will be incorporating something called "Density Training" into the majority of my weight training sessions. Here's a pretty detailed article over at T-Nation about it: Density Training for Fat Loss.
In short, it involves going multiple sets of circuit-type exercises, while increasing the difficulty (usually in the form of more weight), the second time through. I have done density training in the past, and they have been by FAR the toughest workouts I've done. I am both looking forward to it and dreading it.
I will be doing both an Upper Body, and Lower Body Density-style workout each week, as well as a more "Traditional" Full Body weight workout. I've looked them over and they are going to be ROUGH!
In addition, my weekly bodyweight circuit is more difficult, with more overall volume and some more intense exercises. I did my first one today and it was brutal. Finally, my pure Cardio routines are ramped up a bit, with pure Sprinting routines replacing my bike sessions, and additional Jump Rope work.
Like Month 1, I am a bit worried my body will begin to break down at some point, but Month 1 went very smooth so I'm hopeful Month 2 goes as smoothly. In particular, my knee has always had trouble with lots of running (or sprinting), and some of the density sessions will put more strain on my lower back than I had in Month 1. Here's to hoping for the best, hopefully I wont have to adjust things.
From a dietary perspective, the major change as I mentioned previously is that my diet now includes Cheat Days (Yay!) and Fasting Days (Boo! Well, not really). Having a Cheat Day is nice for multiple reasons, for instance seeing $2.99 specials on Tombstone pizza and not being able to take advantage was very painful last month :). It'll be nice to get to schedule some meals out with friends and such on my cheat day.
The science behind cheat days is very interesting, and there is some debate about them, but I am more than happy to put my faith in the program especially when that involves me shoveling a quesadilla in my mouth for the first time in a Month.
In addition to the Cheat Day, I will be following it with a Fasted Day, where I eat literally nothing for the entire day. In fact, I am doing that right now (currently about 22 hours fasted). I will be fasting until tomorrow afternoon and will break my fast before training. This sounds extreme, but is really not that big of a deal. Fortunately, it is something I have experimented with in the past, so it isn't much of a shock to me this time around. For those of you who haven't experimented with fasting, it is amazing how good you can feel while training in a fasted state.
Otherwise, I am still following a 16/8 Intermittent Fasting low-ish carbs strategy, with a bit of an increase in Carbs from Month 1 (which should help with the increased training volume and help build muscle). It'll also add some nice flexibility to my diet, as I'm mostly vegetarian so eating high protein and very low carb like Month 1 leads to some monotonous dieting (as you can see from my Month 1 updates :).
So, in summation, the diet should be a bit easier and more fun, the exercise should be much more difficult, but hopefully more fun as well :). I am looking forward to it and would be surprised if I didn't see some serious gains in my fitness this month.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
6/10 Check-In, End of Month 1!
Today is the last day of my first Month's program. Starting tomorrow (6/11), I will be on an entirely new workout and nutrition program which I will detail later. Today was normally a scheduled Low-Carb day with a bodyweight workout, but I decided to take the day off for a couple of reasons, mainly A) I was very tired from lack of sleep the previous few days, and B) My upcoming exercise schedule is even more grueling than Month 1, so I decided to get an extra days rest in before what should be a very tough Week 1 of the new program.
Also, my Week 2 program includes Cheat and Fasting days (more on that later), so I went ahead and made this Cheat day. For the first month, my dietary discipline was rock solid, the only "cheating" I did was having beans AND rice with Shrimp and a couple of small pieces of pizza. So, having a cheat day was nice. I had a bunch of Ice Cream, Mexican Food, and even a Candy Bar :). I had phased out Peanut Butter in favor of Almond Butter this month, but I will be sure to get some Peanut Butter for my next cheat day (PB&J is probably my favorite cheat meal!).
Anyway, to summarize I think Month 1 went about as smoothly as I could have hoped. While my weight plateaued a bit the last couple of weeks, I continued to get leaner. My weight went from around ~204 to ~197, my BF went from ~18% to ~16% (based on pinch test). I'm going to get hydrostatic BF testing next week, I'm shooting to get around or under 15% by then, which would be nice :).
From an exercise perspective, things went great. My biggest fear for Month 1 was that my body would simply break down at some point, but that didn't happen at all. In fact, even though I worked harder with more volume and intensity than I ever have, my body felt fantastic the entire time.
In addition to losing weight, I have noticed a bunch of increased muscle, especially in my arms, chest and shoulders. That's not too surprising as my workout program was designed to help those muscles, but noticing that much muscle increase while losing fat and on a calorically restrictive diet is nice.
I'm not at home right now so I don't have access to my camera and tape measure, I'll update this with a full stats breakdown when I get a chance.
Can't wait for Month 2!
Also, my Week 2 program includes Cheat and Fasting days (more on that later), so I went ahead and made this Cheat day. For the first month, my dietary discipline was rock solid, the only "cheating" I did was having beans AND rice with Shrimp and a couple of small pieces of pizza. So, having a cheat day was nice. I had a bunch of Ice Cream, Mexican Food, and even a Candy Bar :). I had phased out Peanut Butter in favor of Almond Butter this month, but I will be sure to get some Peanut Butter for my next cheat day (PB&J is probably my favorite cheat meal!).
Anyway, to summarize I think Month 1 went about as smoothly as I could have hoped. While my weight plateaued a bit the last couple of weeks, I continued to get leaner. My weight went from around ~204 to ~197, my BF went from ~18% to ~16% (based on pinch test). I'm going to get hydrostatic BF testing next week, I'm shooting to get around or under 15% by then, which would be nice :).
From an exercise perspective, things went great. My biggest fear for Month 1 was that my body would simply break down at some point, but that didn't happen at all. In fact, even though I worked harder with more volume and intensity than I ever have, my body felt fantastic the entire time.
In addition to losing weight, I have noticed a bunch of increased muscle, especially in my arms, chest and shoulders. That's not too surprising as my workout program was designed to help those muscles, but noticing that much muscle increase while losing fat and on a calorically restrictive diet is nice.
I'm not at home right now so I don't have access to my camera and tape measure, I'll update this with a full stats breakdown when I get a chance.
Can't wait for Month 2!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
6/9 Check-In
Weight: 197.8
Exercise: Day off!
Meal 1: Eggs + Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, Black Beans
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Butter and Salsa
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter, Cinnamon, and some sugar-free chocolate syrup :)
Exercise: Day off!
Meal 1: Eggs + Egg Whites, Avocado, Salsa, Black Beans
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Butter and Salsa
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter, Cinnamon, and some sugar-free chocolate syrup :)
Friday, June 8, 2012
6/8 Check-In
Slept like shit the night before for some reason, my sleep schedule is out of whack right now and today kinda sucked because of it. Hope to get a good night's sleep tonight.
Weight: 197.8 (welp so much for 196)
Exercise: Evening Upper Body workout + Treadmill walk.
Meal 1: 6 Egg Whites + Salsa, 1/2 can of Chili Beans
Peri-Workout Drink of Carbs+Protein
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk and Almond Butter, 3g Fish Oil. Salad w/Oil and Vinegar
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Cinnamon and Almond Butter. Broccoli W/Cheese
Weight: 197.8 (welp so much for 196)
Exercise: Evening Upper Body workout + Treadmill walk.
Meal 1: 6 Egg Whites + Salsa, 1/2 can of Chili Beans
Peri-Workout Drink of Carbs+Protein
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk and Almond Butter, 3g Fish Oil. Salad w/Oil and Vinegar
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Cinnamon and Almond Butter. Broccoli W/Cheese
Thursday, June 7, 2012
6/7 Check-In
Weight: 196.8 (finally seeing 196 again!)
Exercise: Afternoon Bike HIIT workout, Evening Jump Rope+Burpee Complex
Meal 1: 2 Eggs + 4 Egg Whites, Avocado + Salsa + Black Beans
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk and Almond Butter, Salad with Oil and Vinegar
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Cinnamon and Almond Butter
Exercise: Afternoon Bike HIIT workout, Evening Jump Rope+Burpee Complex
Meal 1: 2 Eggs + 4 Egg Whites, Avocado + Salsa + Black Beans
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk and Almond Butter, Salad with Oil and Vinegar
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Cinnamon and Almond Butter
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
6/6 Check-In
Weight: 197.4
Exercise: Morning Bike HIIT workout. Kind of sore but feel okay.
Meal 1: 2 Eggs + 4 Egg Whites + Salsa + Avocado + Pinto Beans
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond milk and Almond Butter
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon
Exercise: Morning Bike HIIT workout. Kind of sore but feel okay.
Meal 1: 2 Eggs + 4 Egg Whites + Salsa + Avocado + Pinto Beans
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond milk and Almond Butter
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
6/5 Check-In
Weight: 197.4 (Would be nice to dip into 196 territory again here soon :).
Exercise: Evening Brutal Lower Body workout, that was by far my best Lower Body workout so far. I've noticed a huge jump in overall energy/endurance in my workouts since re-introducing moderate amounts of carbs to my diet.
Meal 1: Peri-Workout Shake of Carbs/Protein
Meal 2: Shrimp A La Diabla w/Beans and Rice
Meal 3: Small Whey Protein Shake
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon, Broccoli w/Cheese
Exercise: Evening Brutal Lower Body workout, that was by far my best Lower Body workout so far. I've noticed a huge jump in overall energy/endurance in my workouts since re-introducing moderate amounts of carbs to my diet.
Meal 1: Peri-Workout Shake of Carbs/Protein
Meal 2: Shrimp A La Diabla w/Beans and Rice
Meal 3: Small Whey Protein Shake
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter and Cinnamon, Broccoli w/Cheese
Monday, June 4, 2012
6/4 Check-In
Weight: 197.8
Exercise: Morning Bike Cardio session, Evening Upper Body Weight Training
Meal 1: Peri/Post Workout drink of Carbs/Protein
Meal 2: 6 Egg Whites + Salsa + 1/2 Can of Cuban-style Black Beans
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk + Cinnamon + Almond Butter
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter + Cinnamon, Salad w/Oil and Vinegar, Broccoli w/Cheese
Calories: ~2150, 40% Protein, 35% Fat, 25% Carbs.
Exercise: Morning Bike Cardio session, Evening Upper Body Weight Training
Meal 1: Peri/Post Workout drink of Carbs/Protein
Meal 2: 6 Egg Whites + Salsa + 1/2 Can of Cuban-style Black Beans
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk + Cinnamon + Almond Butter
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese + Almond Butter + Cinnamon, Salad w/Oil and Vinegar, Broccoli w/Cheese
Calories: ~2150, 40% Protein, 35% Fat, 25% Carbs.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
6/3 Check-In
Weight: 197.4 (Plateau City?)
Exercise: Day off! Did some stretching and foam rolling though.
Meal 1: My first legitimate "Cheat" of the past month, I had three slices from a Tombstone Pizza that someone cooked. It had a bunch of Veggies on it and was two smallish slices so I don't think it will kill me :).
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk
Meal 3: 1/2 Salad w/Oil and Vinegar, Cottage Cheese + Cinnamon
Calories: ~1800 as my best guess with the pizza cheat! :)
Exercise: Day off! Did some stretching and foam rolling though.
Meal 1: My first legitimate "Cheat" of the past month, I had three slices from a Tombstone Pizza that someone cooked. It had a bunch of Veggies on it and was two smallish slices so I don't think it will kill me :).
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk
Meal 3: 1/2 Salad w/Oil and Vinegar, Cottage Cheese + Cinnamon
Calories: ~1800 as my best guess with the pizza cheat! :)
Week 3 in the books.
Week three of my current program is in the books as of today. Been quite the experience so far. I am currently very tired and sore as the last few days have been brutal, my shoulders are really burning. That being said, I feel great on the whole. Week 1 was pretty rough as my body was adapting to minimal carbs and the new workouts + high frequency exercise program. Week 2 was a bit better.
Week 3 included the re-introduction of Carbs to my diet (outside of my workout shake). Since the introduction of Carbs, I gained back 2-3 pounds of water weight which is mildly discouraging (but expected) however in every other aspect it was a great week. After re-introducing Carbs, I have noticed a huge increase in endurance during my workouts, and have been able to push really hard in the mid-late stages of the workout, that was really hard to do in week 1.
I have become noticeably leaner and am noticing muscle development in the areas I'm hitting the hardest (shoulders, upper arms, legs). It's really cool to see improvements this quickly but at the same time I'm anxious to see more results. I'm looking forward to finishing up month 1 strong and changing the routine/diet up a bit for month 2!
Week 3 included the re-introduction of Carbs to my diet (outside of my workout shake). Since the introduction of Carbs, I gained back 2-3 pounds of water weight which is mildly discouraging (but expected) however in every other aspect it was a great week. After re-introducing Carbs, I have noticed a huge increase in endurance during my workouts, and have been able to push really hard in the mid-late stages of the workout, that was really hard to do in week 1.
I have become noticeably leaner and am noticing muscle development in the areas I'm hitting the hardest (shoulders, upper arms, legs). It's really cool to see improvements this quickly but at the same time I'm anxious to see more results. I'm looking forward to finishing up month 1 strong and changing the routine/diet up a bit for month 2!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
6/2 Check-In
Weight: 197.8
Exercise: Morning Bodyweight Complex, Evening Jump Rope/Burpee Complex/+Short Walk
Meal 1: 2 Eggs + 4 Egg Whites, 1/2 Can of Pinto Beans, 1/2 Avocado
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk + Almond Butter + Olive Oil, 1/2 Salad w Oil/Vinegar
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter, Cinnamon. Broccoli w/Cheese
Calories ~1550, 45% Protein, 30% Fat, 25% Carbs.
Exercise: Morning Bodyweight Complex, Evening Jump Rope/Burpee Complex/+Short Walk
Meal 1: 2 Eggs + 4 Egg Whites, 1/2 Can of Pinto Beans, 1/2 Avocado
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk + Almond Butter + Olive Oil, 1/2 Salad w Oil/Vinegar
Meal 3: Cottage Cheese w/Almond Butter, Cinnamon. Broccoli w/Cheese
Calories ~1550, 45% Protein, 30% Fat, 25% Carbs.
Friday, June 1, 2012
6/1 Check-In
Weight: 197.6
Exercise: Morning Bike HIIT session, Evening Upper Body session + Treadmill Walk
Meal 1: Intra-workout shake of Carbs/Protein
Meal 2: 5 Egg Whites + 1/2 Can of Cuban-Style Black Beans, Salsa
Meal 3: Whey Protein Shake w/Almond Milk and Almond Butter
Meal 4: Cottage Cheese w/Cinnamon and Almond Butter
Calories ~2000, 40% Protein, 30% Fat, 30% Carbs
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