tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68718938634786629032024-03-05T17:30:09.278-08:00Building A Fitter MeOne man's quest to find the fitter man within.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-52113127440258252932017-01-30T09:47:00.002-08:002017-01-30T09:47:54.511-08:00Still here, still workingToday's weigh-in: 255.6 lbs.<br />
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I've been meaning to post more often but life has gotten in the way. The first few weeks were a little tough, adjusting to a cleaner diet and more exercise, but I'm pretty dialed in right now. I've pretty much hit my goal for this month (yeah, .6 over, but I'll take it, and I still have today and tomorrow). I haven't worked out as much as I wanted to, so it's been almost all diet. Initially I was just counting calories without regard to food quality, but in the last week I've transitioned into a low-carb, no alcohol approach which is working really well for me right now. My energy levels are great, my sleep is restful, my GERD symptoms have reduced by 80%, and I'm motivated to start hitting the gym hard again.<br />
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My goal for February is to end the month under 250 lbs.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-79444346702116138342016-12-27T12:30:00.000-08:002016-12-27T12:30:10.702-08:00I'm back!Let's see, my last post was a year and a half ago? Jeez. Makes sense, though, since I haven't been focused on health and fitness for quite a while now. This year especially has been pretty rough. I started out the year suffering from anxiety and panic attacks on a daily basis, which led me to begin taking an antidepressant. Which did help, but one of the side effects was weight gain. I'm not sure if it's a direct physiological effect or if it just made me too tired/unmotivated to cook and eat healthy food or go to the gym, but it resulted in about 20 pounds of added bodyweight. Most of my clothes don't fit any more, and I got a sweet new set of stretch marks on my belly. It sucks, but it is what it is. I managed to get off the medication a few months ago (which resulted in some bad withdrawals, but they're gone now) and with the holiday season almost over I think it's time to shift my focus back onto my health again.<br />
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Here are my obstacles: food, booze, and exercise. Too much of the first two and not enough of the last. So, how do I rectify this imbalance in the force?<br />
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Since I've been at this for a few years now I've learned that free-eating does not tend to go well for me. My natural appetite is higher than my metabolism and activity level can handle. If left to my own desires I will put away about 4000 calories a day, easily. Doesn't really matter if it's healthy food or junk, as I can put away a 24oz. steak with some asparagus just as easily as a Whopper. Which means I'm left with tracking my food intake and counting calories. I'm okay with this, since it keeps my mind focused on the task at hand instead of letting it slip into the back of my mind. Right now I'm shooting for 2,500 calories a day, with 170 grams of protein so I can maintain as much lean mass as possible.<br />
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For weight loss food is number one. I know that I can lose weight simply by reducing my caloric intake, with no other effort whatsoever. So that's the priority, to stay within those calorie bounds every day, regardless of external situations.<br />
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That also mostly takes care of the booze question. Booze has a high caloric load for its volume (7 calories/gram) so it'd be pretty hard to drink heavily and still stay within my calorie limits. So I figure if I have the calories left at the end of the day and have hit my protein requirements then I can have a glass of wine or a beer, but pretty much not under any other circumstances. As I've gotten older most of my friends who I used to go out and drink with are too busy with their jobs, homes, and starting families to go out carousing. So I don't really have a temptation in my life in that regard any more. Which means I don't have any excuses either.<br />
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The last thing is exercise. I'm still a Crossfit coach at my gym, so I have 24/7 access to equipment and facilities. Right now I'm rehabbing a lower back injury, so I can't take on any kind of rigorous strength program until it's healed, so for now my goal is to just improve my cardiovascular conditioning as well as get back my mobility and strengthen my core muscles so my back doesn't get re-injured. To that end I'm focusing on full body movements without much external load done quickly to get my heart beating and my lungs burning. Once my back heals I'll get back into barbell and kettlebell work to get my strength and power back, but for now just moving around for an hour a day is plenty, since my conditioning is truly awful at the moment.<br />
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My goal is to lose 50 pounds by my birthday at the end of August.<br />
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Current weight: 261 lbs.<br />
Goal weight: 210 lbs.<br />
Short-term goal: 255 lbs. by end of January 2017<br />
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I find that having both a short-term and long-term goal is really useful for weight loss. Only having a long-term goal can be discouraging, especially when you hit a plateau for a week or two. Having the short term checkpoints helps to keep the eyes on the prize, so to speak, so that's my plan. I'll try to update the blog with my progress a couple times a week as well. It's another tool that helps me to keep my goals close at hand. Wish me luck!Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-65848243320546938762015-05-05T12:16:00.000-07:002015-05-05T12:16:25.107-07:00Week 3 completedToday's weigh-in: 240.0 lbs.<br />
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I know, I missed posting last week. It was a hectic week. I haven't fallen off the wagon, though. I've finally completely overcome my bronchitis, and being consistent in the gym has helped me regain some of my lost capacity. The blood pressure medicine the doctor put me on is doing its job, and my blood pressure is now just a bit above the normal range. Still working on lowering it completely and getting off the ACE inhibitor, but that'll come along with lowering my body weight and improving my overall fitness.<br />
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What it does mean is I can lift again, so over the past 2 weeks I've been adding squatting, pressing, and olympic lifting back into the routine, and I'm progressing nicely. Yesterday was the first workout I've done in a long time where I didn't feel like passing out or being unable to catch my breath after squatting, and just felt really good overall. Today I'll be focusing on conditioning, and tomorrow is bench press and deadlift along with pull-up work.<br />
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It's only been in the last week really that I've started to be able to dial in my diet, but I'm definitely gaining momentum in that area. My cravings for sweets are almost completely gone, replaced with cravings for meat. I've started cooking for myself again, making sure I have groceries, and prepping meals ahead of time. I've gotten rid of all snack foods and junk from my fridge and pantry, and now I just eat 2-3 solid meals, and maybe a protein shake after the gym if I feel like it.<br />
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I'm going to ride this momentum and use it to continue to adjust and fine-tune my diet and workout regime to maximize my fitness gains and weight loss. See you next week, hopefully we'll see a number under 240 for once.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-76205463737963417122015-04-20T11:34:00.005-07:002015-04-20T11:34:57.424-07:00Week one doneToday's weigh-in: 242.0 lbs.<br />
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Not a whole lot of movement on the scale compared to last week's weigh-in, but I have seen a few days of 240 flat. Maybe weighing in on Monday after the weekend isn't the best plan.<br />
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My proposed workout routine has had to be put on hold, sadly, due to the advice of my doctor. I went and saw him for a check-up last Tuesday and my blood pressure was really high (like 170/110), so he advised me to avoid heavy weight training until we can get it under control. He prescribed me an ACE inhibitor, and I've been making lifestyle changes to reduce blood pressure naturally. These include reducing alcohol intake, cutting out caffeine, drinking hibiscus flower tea, and getting my sleep and exercise dialed in. With just a few days of these interventions my blood pressure is pretty stable at 130/80 or so in the evenings, and lower in the mornings. Still higher than I would like, but great change for the first week.<br />
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Ideally by losing weight and getting my cardiovascular system into good shape the blood pressure issue will resolve itself and I can get off the ACE inhibitor sooner rather than later. Not that it has any real side effects that I can notice, but I'd just rather not have to rely on it.<br />
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So with all that in mind I've been doing some moderate-intensity workouts focusing on getting sweaty and moving well for a longer period than I normally would program for myself. Bodyweight circuits, rowing, running, kettlebell swings, and jumping rope have all made appearances. Coming back from being sick over the past month is rough, as my conditioning is pretty bad, but even just doing those 3 workouts last week has made a positive difference in my body and mental health. I'm going to try to fit in 4 workouts this week, along with daily walks and calorie counting. I have a follow-up with the doctor next week, so hopefully he'll see the positive changes and clear me to do more of the barbell training I enjoy so much. Until then I'll just work on building my base back up, and keep working on dialing in my diet.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-67386604688411061942015-04-13T14:26:00.001-07:002015-04-13T14:26:19.844-07:00Here we goToday's weigh-in: 242.8 lbs.<br />
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The weigh-in was a little bit higher than I was expecting, but no big deal ultimately. I was finally able to work out on Friday evening, still coughing a bit but was able to move some light weight around and get sweaty. Now I'm sore, even though the weights I was lifting were extremely light for me (less than 50% of my 1RM for sets of 5 in front squat, deadlift, and shoulder press). Oh well, that's the way of the road, bubs.<br />
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This week I have workouts planned for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. My food choices today have not been great but I'm still in line with my calorie goals, at least. Baby steps.<br />
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Nothing much else to say today, just wanted to get in the habit of writing and keeping my goals in the front of my mind.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-92059633331649971782015-04-10T12:46:00.002-07:002015-04-10T12:46:53.877-07:00Goal setting timeRight after my last post I got sick with a bad cold, which turned into bronchitis, so that's put a damper on my fitness goals. I'm still sniffling and coughing a bit, but I'm feeling good enough to start getting back in the gym, and with that I thought about goal setting. Looking back on the times I've been successful with regards to my health and fitness it was always when I had a clear, measurable goal in mind. I've heard Arnold Schwarzenegger speak at length about setting goals and then visualizing yourself achieving them, and that's made a big impact on me. I need something concrete to strive for, otherwise I'll just dick around and accomplish very little.<br />
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What kind of goals should I set? I thought about it, and honestly I don't have any concrete fitness goals in mind at the moment. I'm so deconditioned from not working out consistently over the past year that I really don't have any good reference point. Sure I still want to squat 400 pounds, but right now that's not in the realm of possibility. So until I get some semblance of strength and cardiovascular fitness going I don't want to commit to something like that, not quite yet.<br />
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Honestly, the simplest goal for me to visualize and keep in my mind is simply my weight. I would like to lose about 40 pounds, in total, but to do that I've gotta take off the first 5, then the next 5, etc. So that's my goal: drop 5 pounds in 6 weeks. Simple, achievable, and necessary to get me to the next stage. Sure, I could probably do it faster than that, but 6 weeks sets the bar low enough to ensure success. I really like what Tim Ferriss has written about setting very simple goals, at least in the beginning, to help build momentum and avoid disappointment, which just sets the stage for continued failure. So, low-hanging fruit it is.<br />
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I will begin my 6 weeks on Monday, April 13th, and I'll go through May 18th. I'll weigh myself on Monday and that will be the baseline weight. I'm guessing around 240, honestly I haven't stepped on a scale since my last post. And I will attempt to post updates each week to keep myself focused.<br />
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My plans for the gym are to just get my body used to moving and lifting again, so I'll focus on the fundamentals. Powerlifting movements, mobility, some Olympic lifting, and really simple conditioning (kettlebells, rowing machines, bodyweight circuits). 3 times a week for at least an hour. Diet-wise it's all about keeping track, so I'll keep doing that and try to limit my calories to about 2800/day.<br />
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Once this 6 week re-introduction period is over I will re-evaluate where I'm at and where I want to go from there.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-84265236440351182842015-03-24T13:23:00.002-07:002015-03-24T13:23:17.528-07:00FlounderingI haven't posted in almost a year and a half. No real reason why, except I guess lack of motivation. This general lack of motivation has also slipped into my regular life, and into my health and fitness. Let's catch up a bit.<br />
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Last time I posted I was training with some strongmen as well as doing a traditional strength program (squats, deadlifts, bench, etc.). I was enjoying the strongman training, even though it was pretty brutal, but in the end the guy who was running the show was interested in building a strong competitive team, which I was not interested in. So we parted ways, amicably. Our goals just weren't on the same page, and I respect that. The sport is also pretty hard on the body, and I was having a hard time recovering between each week's training.<br />
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Since then I've tried a few things to get myself back into a good training regimen. I started doing Crossfit again for a while, and I did an 8-week cycle of Starting Strength, but nothing's really gotten the old fire back, and I would end up burning out and just not really working out for weeks at a time. I would maybe go once or twice a week and just do something, but nothing particularly intense or heavy.<br />
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To add on to that, I pretty much stopped watching what I was eating, and my home cooking became less and less a part of my daily diet. There were more nights spent drinking and partying than going to bed early or cooking healthy food than I even care to admit. Basically just slid back into what I used to do before I ever tried to get healthy.<br />
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Today I'm back up at 239 pounds. I haven't gained any weight since before Thanksgiving, but also haven't lost any. I'm kind of floundering here, and I'm not really certain what I need to do to find my way again. All the things that motivated me in the past just don't work any more. I know I need to lose weight to get my blood pressure within healthy levels, I know I'm in a lot more pain from sitting so much and being generally heavier and weaker. I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to get my ass in gear. But this blog post is an attempt to do just that. I don't even know if anyone is reading it, and to be honest it doesn't matter. Just writing out these words and really seeing the big picture makes me at least feel a bit better, like I'm not giving up. Because I'm not. I still teach Crossfit, I'm still at the gym all the time, and I still know how to cook and eat healthy food. I have all the tools in the toolbelt, I just need to pull them out and use them.<br />
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I think the trick here is to start slowly. I think that much of the knowledge that I have is almost detrimental, because I always want to come up with the perfect routine, diet, meal plan, schedule, etc. When all that's really necessary is something better than what I'm currently doing. So I think if I can just start by focusing on how much food is going into my face that's the first step. That's the biggest determiner of bodyweight, and all it requires is a bit of writing down what I eat. So I've started with that, trying to get back in the routine. I'll still try to make it to the gym, but if I can just start losing some weight by controlling my intake then that will get the ball rolling, and it gives me only one thing to worry about. Everything on top of that is gravy.<br />
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Once that's dialed in I can build on it by determining what my athletic goals actually are and start (slowly) working towards them. I know from experience that trying to go balls-out from the starting line is a surefire way of getting injured and frustrated. I will need to start slow, both in terms of the workouts/weights themselves and also with regards to number of times a week I'm in the gym and how long those sessions are. Crippling soreness/achiness is not a great way to stay motivated.<br />
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And then I'll move on bit by bit. I'm rebuilding myself from fundamentals. It won't be as fast as I would like, but at least it's movement in the right direction again. I'll try to post here at least once a week, just to keep myself accountable. Today's goal is to just eat a reasonable amount of food (instead of the ~4000 calories I've been putting away on a daily basis for the past year).<br />
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<br />Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-65212887932275066182013-10-15T12:34:00.003-07:002013-10-15T12:34:25.281-07:00ImprovingThis week's strongman training went much better than last week's. Apparently removing booze from my life and sleeping like the dead (and eating a lot) actually does improve recovery and athletic capacity. Who'd have thunk? The medley that almost killed me last week? Well, we did it again, and this time we added a 450 lb. backward sled drag (75 ft.) to the end of it. I'm not going to lie; I was scared. I couldn't even finish the farmer carry without assistance last time, and my body literally felt like it was going to stop functioning, and now I have to do that plus more (incredibly heavy) work? Gulp.<br />
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But I impressed myself, in that I did the whole thing unbroken without assistance, and in much less time than before, even with the added work. I figured out an easier way of carrying kegs that allowed me to take longer steps, which saved my legs a bit, the weather was better (last week was really dry), and my body is just getting better, stronger, and more capable. If last week's effort was a 10 on the difficulty/pain scale, this time it was like a 6 or 7. I was winded, for sure, but no more so than a normal Crossfit workout. I'm very happy with this, I was afraid I was always going to feel like dying, and I wasn't sure I could handle that, mentally.<br />
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This week we also did an overhead medley: one rep each of keg press (pretty light, maybe like 60 lbs.), log clean + press (185 lbs.), axle clean + press (210 lbs.), and circus dumbbell press (~110 lbs. I think). I ended up doing it twice through, just to get in some conditioning, but I smoked this, mostly due to my experience with Olympic lifting and knowing how to actually jerk a weight (which involves dropping under the weight after you've applied upward force) instead of just push-pressing it (which has no re-bend of the knees). The other two dudes who are around my level are both stronger than me on pulls from the ground, and just overall, but I beat both of them at this due to my technique (neither of them were able to complete 2 run-throughs, as they kept failing their lockouts).<br />
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They kicked my ass on the Atlas stone, though. I've never even lapped a stone larger than about 175, and here I was being told to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzwDvA0fUNA" target="_blank">lap and load</a> a 240 pounder. At first I couldn't even budget the thing from the ground, but then I got tackied up (tacky is a pine resin that's incredibly sticky, which improves grip on stones) and was able to lap it a few times, and actually load it over the yoke once. The other guys loaded it for multiple reps, which made me feel like a chump, but it's just something I have to practice and get used to. I was left with 6 gnarly bruises for my efforts (forearms, biceps, and inner thighs), but they say my body will adapt and stop bruising as I do the movement more.<br />
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I don't have any strongman training this week, as the other guys will be at Strongman nationals in Texas competing. Since I do have access to some strongman equipment at my home gym I plan on coming up with a couple of medley-type workouts for myself this Saturday, and I'm thinking I can probably talk some other dudes to give it a shot too, so that should be fun. Maybe some keg walks and tire flips, plus a prowler push or drag. We'll see; it's fun to play around with this stuff, as it's pretty endless with regards to possibilities.<br />
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So, yeah, getting stronger, still feeling good, still not drinking, still not worried too much about diet. I told myself I'd focus on not drinking for at least a month before making any other changes to my routine, and I'm halfway there as of today. Next month I should be pretty used to not drinking, so I'll then make some changes to my diet so I can improve my body composition again. It'll be pretty cool if I can actually lean out a bit over the holidays this year, instead of my normal 20 lb. gain.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-49664192618378559582013-10-05T21:00:00.000-07:002013-10-05T21:00:00.187-07:00Holy crapI did my first Strongman workout today. Like I mentioned earlier, the dudes (and one lady) I'm training with are legit, training for nationals in 2 weeks. There were 6 of us in total, with me being the smallest guy (at 225 lol).<br />
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We started out with axle-bar jerks (ground to shoulder, then shoulder to overhead). The axle bar is much fatter than a regular barbel, more like a length of 2" pipe than a barbell, really. Also, the ends don't spin like an Olympic barbell, so it's harder to get from ground to shoulder. I worked up to about 190 for a triple (one clean, three jerks), which was fine. My overhead strength is my best aspect, and I could've gone heavier no problem.<br />
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Then I played around with another axle bar, but this one actually had truck tires on it, so it started from higher off the ground (which makes it a bit easier) but was also heavier and more unwieldy due to it's size. I learned how to get it up using a <a href="http://www.liftbigeatbig.com/2012/10/the-continental-clean.html" target="_blank">Continental</a> (wearing a belt, you lift the bar up onto your belly, the pop your knees fast and move the bar to your shoulder), and did a single overhead with 220, which I was pretty happy about. I could've gotten more, but I knew there was a lot more stuff to be done, so I left it at that.<br />
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Next up was farmer carries. I warmed up with about 135 in each hand for 50 yards (25 and back), then moved up to about 205 in each hand for 25 yards, which was tough but doable. Then came the hardest thing of the day: a medley of kegs and farmer's carry. A yoke was set up really low, so we could throw the kegs over it. Then 3 kegs were set up 25 feet apart, the one furthest from the yoke being the lightest, closest the heaviest. You start at the far end, carry the lightest keg 75 feet, throw it over the yoke, grab the middle one, go 50 feet, throw it over, then the heaviest, 25 feet and over. Then grab the farmer's implement (still loaded with 205 on each side) and walk for 75 feet. This was one of the most heinous things I've ever done, physically. The kegs were heavy as hell, with the heaviest weighing in over 300 pounds, IIRC. The first one was fine, second one I started slowing down, and the third one I ended up dropping a couple of times because I literally could not fire my quad muscles any more. I finally got it over, then moved on to the farmer's implement. I was so smoked and sucking so much wind at this point that I couldn't even pick the damn thing up, but a couple dudes helped me and screamed at me the whole way. I dropped it a couple times because my grip failed, and tore a small chunk of skin off (not bad, though), but I did finish. It took me 3 1/2 minutes, even though the real time limit in competition would be 90 seconds. Oh, also, the humidity is in the single digits today, with gusty winds up to 50 mph, so the air was so dry I literally couldn't swallow afterward until I got some water, and then I couldn't stop breathing hard for about 20 minutes. Started coughing up phlegm all over the place too lol, just because I was camping last weekend and was around a lot of smoke and dust.<br />
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This *wrecked* me. I can think of maybe one or two Crossfit workouts I've done that might compare, but it's definitely up there in terms of hard shit I've done. I know where I can make some changes, though. My keg technique was crap, and my conditioning is really bad right now. Once I get it back up things like this will be not quite so gnarly. I also know now where I need to focus my training: grip, legs, and wind. And I need to get me a keg full of sand to practice on.<br />
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After that I kinda just hung out for a while as the other people did their version of this medley (of course with heavier weights and way faster) and recovered a bit, at least to the point where I could walk and talk again. The last thing we did was deadlift a car for reps. No joke; they have a welded steel rig that you park the back wheels of a car onto, and it has handles on the ends, and you lift it for reps. You can adjust the handles to make it easier or harder (basically lengthen or shorten the lever arm), but I couldn't even do one rep on the easiest (the guy who was closest to my ability there did it for an easy 10).<br />
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The girl who was training with us (who was strong as hell) couldn't do the car either (even though it was her car) so they removed it and placed a tire instead, which I think weighed 500+. She repped that for 10 with a 230+ lb. dude sitting on the tire, then it was my turn. Of course, I couldn't do the same weight as a girl and maintain my dignity, so they had another dude who had to weight at least 325 sit on it along with the other dude for me. I hit 5 reps before failing, then the lighter dude got up and I repped it with just the big dude for another 5 reps. After that I was doneskies.<br />
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All in all it was an eye opening experience. I've never really done stuff that heavy before, and it really highlighted my weaknesses. Right now I'm sore and tight, but no damage was done, but I'll probably walk like a cripple tomorrow. I committed to come back next week, so now I have a reason to train hard and smart in the gym this week: so I don't look like such a weakling next week. I need to continue working on my grip strength, but I also need to learn how to use my legs again, because I kept defaulting to using my lower back for a lot of stuff, and that's just no good, both in terms of exerting force and for orthopedic health.<br />
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I can tell my metabolism was cranked to the max, because afterward I was ravenous, and I destroyed an El Pollo Loco ultimate double chicken bowl, which is a lot of food, and then 3 hours later downed a half pound of salmon, a bunch of rice with butter, and some buttered almonds, and I could still go for some dessert. Feels good to gorge on healthy protein after a hard sesh.<br />
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That's it for now, I'll keep you posted as my training continues.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-52633541721709729962013-10-03T10:54:00.003-07:002013-10-03T10:54:59.125-07:00Off to the racesSorry for the late post, work's been pretty busy this week. I've started training again as of the first of the month. I haven't been lifting consistently for the last 2 months, so right now I'm slowly working my way back up in terms of volume and intensity so I can hopefully avoid being completely wrecked sore. Right now my basic training template is just compound lifts, mostly 3 sets of 5, increasing weights each session. For example, Tuesday was 3x5 back squat at 225, 3x5 shoulder press at 125, supersetted with 3x8 barbell row at 125 and 3x12 DB curls at 35, deadlift 1x5 at 265 (double-overhand grip to improve grip strength). Finished up with some atlas stone work (lapping and shouldering the 140 lb. stone) just to get in some practice with the strongman implements. Today's training will be similar (front squats, power cleans, bench press, hopefully some yoke or tire work). These are baby weights, but I have to re-train my nervous system and supporting tissues before I can push myself as hard as I would like, unless I want an injury.<div>
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Saturday will be my first real strongman training session, so I'm looking forward to that quite a bit. I'm trying to do enough work this week so I won't be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk45TJqb9SE&feature=player_detailpage#t=176" target="_blank">weak like kitten</a>, but not so much that I'm really sore for Saturday, since I understand that it's about 4 hours long. I'm sure I'll be smashed afterward, but I'm really excited regardless.<div>
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In terms of eating I'm not really too focused on that right now. I've done some research into human habits and willpower, and the evidence suggests that it's much more likely to create a new habit or break an old one if you focus on a single thing at a time. That's been my experience in the past as well. So right now I'm focused on not drinking, and the training just kind of helps with that. I love training, that's not something that is hard for me to do, as long as I feel good physically, but drinking makes me feel like crap physically, so it's gotta go. I've been having some digestive pain lately, and alcohol really seems to aggravate it, so that's the main impetus behind giving it up. My sleep has improved tremendously as well, which is necessary to recover from hard workouts.</div>
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My eating goals right now are simple: get enough protein and fiber each day, mainly from whole foods. Avoid inflammatory foods, and take fish oil every day. As I get further into my training and start setting some more concrete goals I will dial that in a bit more, but like I said above, one thing at a time. Right now my body can't handle a whole lot, so the idea is to get my work capacity back up to a level that can support vigorous training, and right now that means lots of quality food to help me recover. I'm not trying to gain weight, and in fact I won't be surprised if I lean out regardless, but I'm not trying to actively restrict my intake right now.</div>
Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-81682876635071427302013-09-25T15:33:00.004-07:002013-09-25T15:33:47.845-07:00A New DirectionHoly crap it's been a while since I last posted. It's been a crazy few months. I bought my first condo, so that whole process kind of took up all my focus, and as a result I let my training fall by the wayside. Tsk tsk. But the place is all fixed up, and I've been living there for a couple weeks, so all the hard stuff is done, and now I have the brain RAM to re-focus on my training goals.<br />
<br />
I'm still weighing in around 225, but I'm definitely a bit softer than before. Even with my sporadic training I was still making some gains in the gym. I hit a front squat PR a few weeks ago (325) which I haven't done in a while. I also hit a 180# power snatch, up from 175. But that's neither here nor there. What I want to talk about today is my new training goals.<br />
<br />
I've decided to train for and compete in Strongman.<br />
<br />
I found a gym in my area owned and run by a pro strongman, and they have a team and everything. My regular gym (Crossfit 714) actually does have quite a few Strongman implements (atlas stones, tires, axle bar, yoke, chains, sleds) but not even close to all of them. Plus, to be honest, I don't know how to program them into workouts, or even really how to do the movements correctly. So I plan to train with the strongman crew once a week, learn the implements and the technique, get some good coaching, and learn how to program for the sport, and the rest of the week I'll train for strength, power, and grip at my gym.<br />
<br />
Why Strongman? Why not? :-) I've already competed in Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting, and I enjoyed both, but I ultimately ended up getting bored with doing the same basic movements over and over. I don't have a high tolerance for boredom or repetitiveness. And while I love Crossfit, the randomness of the training isn't conducive to my specific goals and weaknesses at this point in my training career. Plus I just don't like pushing my system to 100% intensity every single day. It just hurts, and I have a hard time recovering.<br />
<br />
Strongman seems to fit somewhere in the space between; There's enough variety of event types and implements that the training shouldn't get stale, but there's enough structure that I can program directly to my weaknesses. There's also the camaraderie factor. Strongman competitors tend to train together and push each other, which (as I've learned from Crossfit) is a huge motivator. It's also brand new to me, whereas I'm fairly well-versed in the other stuff, I know very little about strongman or how to train for it. And then there's the fact that my body is definitely more well suited to high-power, short-duration exercise.<br />
<br />
The current plan is to train 4 days a week, with one day being specifically training the strongman stuff. I plan on cutting out alcohol completely for the rest of the year in order to allow my body the recovery it's going to need if I want to train hard. That's pretty much it; dial in the training, let it dictate the food requirements. I'm not going to specify any body weight goals right now, just going to focus on getting my training consistent. One step at a time. Training starts Oct. 1st.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-52095293750058619292013-06-10T11:41:00.001-07:002013-06-10T11:41:20.169-07:00Still on trackNumber of workouts this month: 6/22<br />
<br />
I'm still making good progress on my goals this month. Today I missed my first workout so far, because I was just dead tired. I went to bed early got 8.5 hours of sleep, and was just dragging, so I went back to sleep for 2 more hours instead of hitting the gym. Oh well, it wasn't for being lazy, I was just listening to my body and my body was telling me it needed more rest. I felt fine when I got up after the additional sleep. I did a gnarly Olympic lifting workout on Saturday, so I think I just needed a little bit more to recover effectively. From now on I'll make sure to take a nap and eat a little extra food after my longer, more intense workouts on Saturdays. I should be able to still stay on track for the 22 workouts this month, but I don't have any more leeway with that now.<br />
<br />
Saturday I clean and jerked up to 245, then 8 singles at 205 (on the minute). Did some Romanian deadlifts (3x5@175 from a 5" deficit) and some clean pulls (3x3@225). Then I hit the front squats hard. The goal was to hit a heavy single, then work on volume at 80%, but since I haven't front squatted heavy in a while I wanted to see what my true max was. So I worked up, slowly, to 305, which I nailed, but 315 was too much and I had to dump it. Seeing as my best-ever front squat was 310, back in December 2011 (after an 8-week Wendler cycle), I was pretty happy with where I'm at. After the max I did some reps at 275 and called it a day.<br />
<br />
I'm focusing on the front squat this month (and for at least a month after) because they feel so much better than the back squat for my body. My hip and back don't hurt after a heavy front squat session like they tend to with the back squat, and I feel safer going heavy since they're easier to bail on. I figure as long as I continue working my posterior chain with heavy RDLs and kettlebell swings I should be able to actually make some good progress without hurting myself (and who knows, it might actually translate over to my back squat).<br />
<br />
I weighed myself late last week, just for shiggles, and was down to 223 which is pretty good, especially since I started loading creatine (10g/day) consistently this month, which usually adds a few pounds. My diet's been decent over the weekend; I had one cheat meal, and a decent amount of beers, but I tried to keep the calories in check and did a pretty good job. As long as I don't set myself back on the weekends, and make progress during the week, I'll be fine for a while. I know as my body fat gets lower I'll have to get a bit more strict, so I'm doing so gradually so that by that time I'll already have the good habits in place.<br />
<br />
<br />Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-39681060177369219512013-06-05T11:45:00.001-07:002013-06-05T11:45:13.610-07:00Feels good man<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;">Number of workouts completed so far this month: 4 (out of 22 planned)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;">Still on track with workouts and food. Not gonna lie, I was pretty sore this morning when I got out of bed, but I knew that once I got to the gym and got warmed up everything would be fine. I'm getting used to working out at 7AM, it doesn't really feel early any more (although I'm sure in the winter months that will change). Today was a standard Crossfit workout (4 rounds for time of 400m run + 50 squats), and it sucked! My legs are smoked from the other workouts I've done this week, all of which have included some form of weighted squatting (full cleans on Saturday, front squats on Monday, and Overhead Squats and Snatches yesterday). I could feel the lack of glycogen in my muscles half-way through, but I pushed through. Then I slammed a protein shake and ate a Snickers bar (regular size, not the big old double bar). Yeah, on purpose. Not only are they delicious, but they provide some much needed fast carbs. And now I'm back to my regular low-GI, low-carb foods. I am of the opinion that smart, reasonable, targeted cheats can actually help when done correctly, and they give you a little mental freedom from strict dieting.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;">Tomorrow is a rest day, thank God. I plan to spend some time working mobility and foam rolling, so I can come back Friday feeling fresh. Probably take a long walk as well, just to keep thing moving and get the blood flowing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;">From a subjective perspective (yay word play) I'm looking leaner. My stomach has flattened out, most likely due to the lack of gluten and processed carbs. I wake up and my eyes aren't puffy, and while I'm stiff first thing in the morning, I am able to loosen up and move well in the workouts, without any nagging pains, which tells me that my inflammation is improving. All-in-all, I know I'm moving in the right direction, and it feels good, man.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfefa; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-67654775715569954162013-06-04T15:40:00.000-07:002013-06-04T15:40:53.581-07:00Goals awaitJune 1st weigh-in: 225<br />
Number of workouts completed so far this month: 3 (out of 22 planned)<br />
<br />
So far, so good. I haven't missed any scheduled workouts so far, and I prepped a crap-ton of food over the weekend. I've been eating a ton of meat and veggies, trying not to snack much, and including carbs sparingly (usually post-workout sweet potato/apple hash). I'm not tracking my calories because it's too much work when you're eating whole foods, so I'm just making sure to eat until I'm satisfied, then stop. Surprisingly easy when you're eating a lot of greens and good quality protein, at least it has been so far. The hardest part is making sure I have everything prepped each night for the next day so I can just grab my food and go.<br />
<br />
My training is going great so far. I'm really excited to see my improvements in my Olympic lifting this month with all the additional emphasis I'm placing on it. If it goes well and I make good gains I think I'll keep going with this template until I hit a wall, no reason to mess up something that works and is enjoyable. I've been training with an experienced Olympic weightlifter in the mornings on my Oly days, which is nice because he has a good eye for the lifts, and we can kind of coach each other as we go along. For example, this morning I was doing power cleans + push jerks, and he noticed I was dipping forward in the beginning of the jerk. I made a correction, and the lift instantly felt easier and more solid (and less painful in my wrists). Really cool stuff, looking forward to improving my technique a lot.<br />
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Much of the past year has been spent dealing with nagging injuries, including some kind of abdominal wall sprain and issues with my lower back and right hip. But for the first time in a long time I'm finally feeling close to 100% (as close as I'll probably ever be), and it's a really good feeling. Now is the time to make gains by training hard and smart. Goals await!Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-85935057459054884372013-05-31T14:00:00.002-07:002013-05-31T14:00:53.427-07:00Prep workIn order to achieve my goals this coming month, I've taken the time this morning to come up with all the food I plan to eat next week, along with a shopping list and required prep work. I realized I've not been eating nearly enough vegetables lately, and I think my health and waistline are worse off for it. Here's what I have for the first week of June:<br />
<br />
Shrimp ceviche (shrimp, onion, cucumber, cilantro, tomato, lime juice)<br />
Cobb Salad with vinaigrette and chicken<br />
Tuna salad (oil-packed tuna, greens, avocados, olives, red onion, cucumber)<br />
Tacos (using lettuce wraps)<br />
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Breakfast scramble (eggs, onion, chorizo, sweet potato)</div>
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<br /></div>
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All I have to do is go shopping, buy everything I need, do some fairly simple prep work (chop up veggies, boil eggs, poach chicken breasts), and put everything into containers. Tons of veggies and protein (I'll be adding 50g whey post-workout as well), low calories, and all Paleo-compliant. I'm keeping the bulk of the carbs in the breakfast meal (with the sweet potato), since I workout in the morning so that will be the best time for that. This is pretty low-carb, so I am aware that I might need to adjust my carb intake to support athletic performance, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there (plus I figure I can just throw a half-cup of rice in with dinner to cover it). This doesn't really include dinner stuff, but I'll most likely stick with meat (either steak or salmon) and some veggies (I'm really digging asparagus lately, and broccolini is in season too).</div>
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I've gotten fairly good at prepping food for the week over these past few years, but lately I've been stuck in a rut of making chili or stew, and I'm really sick of eating both of these. So I had to put in a little bit of effort and came up with what you see here. The whole thing took me about half an hour, and all the prep work will probably take about two hours on Sunday afternoon, but that sets me up for a whole week of eating right and staying compliant.</div>
Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-74770527502416683482013-05-30T15:13:00.001-07:002013-05-30T15:13:09.344-07:00May's done, let's make June happenI took a vacation from work all last week, that definitely did not help me out in the weight loss department. Lots of booze and lots of crap food. I didn't gain anything though. Came back, weighed myself, 224. I've been cutting my calories and carbs the past few days in hopes of hitting my goal by June 1st, so it's doable but sketchy.<br />
<br />
This month has been a transitionary period, I hope. Next month my goal is consistency in the gym, more specifically I want to get 22 gym sessions next month. That's averaging 5 days a week, which is what I really need to do to stay on the wagon. I've noticed whenever I get inconsistent with my workouts I also start slipping everywhere else. So hopefully I'll kill a few birds with one stone just by showing up consistently.<br />
<br />
My new programming is pretty simple: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I'll do the Crossfit WOD at the gym, whatever it is. Tuesday and Saturday will be days focused on Olympic weightlifting (snatch and clean and jerk) since I have not made any good gains on my snatch in over a year. The regular Crossfit program contains the other strength lifts (squat, bench, deadlifts) so I really only need to supplement the Oly stuff. Ideally I would like to hit at least a 185 snatch and a 275 clean and jerk by the end of the month (currently at 175 and 260). Not sure it's doable, but hey, gotta have measurable goals.<br />
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I'll weigh in on the first and report in with my new weight goals for June.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-75010128943825641632013-05-07T10:32:00.001-07:002013-05-07T10:32:17.850-07:00Keeping momentumNothing much to post, but I wanted to post nonetheless to keep this whole thing right in the forefront of my mind. I'm not going to be doing daily weigh-ins, I've decided they fluctuate too much and throw me off, and I know if I just do what I know I should do (hit my calories/macros and my scheduled training) the weight will go where it needs to. I'll weigh in at the end of each month, just for goal tracking.<br />
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Last week I only ended up doing 3 gym sessions (instead of the 5 I had planned) which is bad. I'm always strong at the beginning of the week, but lose my steam by Thursday. I think I get into this whole rest-day mentality of "it's a rest day, need to make the most of recovering (i.e. being lazy)" and then I have a hard time getting out of that mindset. I need to focus on more active recovery, and just not getting out of the routine of getting up every day and doing something, even if it's just getting warm and doing some mobility work, maybe go for a walk or easy bike ride.<br />
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I'll focus on not losing momentum going into the weekend this week. I only have 4 scheduled workouts this week, since I'm working a fundraising event on Saturday, but I'm going to try to squeeze in some kind of workout later in the day outside of the gym.<br />
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Food has been pretty good. I ate well over the weekend, but too much beer is hindering things, so I have to ratchet that down as well. Bit by bit, just gotta find these little issues and knock them down one by one.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-2678898623643719922013-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:002013-05-01T13:36:27.583-07:00Some 'splaining to doToday's Weight: 223.6 lbs.<br />
<br />
First official weigh-in. Down three pounds from the last time I hopped on a scale, dropping carb intake will do that. I'm still going strong, got another workout in this morning, hit my calories/macros yesterday, and am on track to do so again today.<br />
<br />
I wanted to talk about some of the reasons I'm doing this now. I just took a blood test (from WellnessFX.com) to track my health markers (blood lipids, vitamin levels, electrolytes, glucose, etc.), and while most of my numbers were good (high Vitamin D, triglycerides/HDL/Lp(a) in the low-risk range) a few of them were disconcerting. One of them is Apolipoprotein-B, which is now thought to be a better predictor of cardiac risk than just total cholesterol or LDL-C. Under 60 is low risk; above 80 is high. Mine is 160. Not good. Combine that with a too-high LDL and total cholesterol, and I'm a bit worried. Also, my HbA1C (which tracks average blood sugars) is 5.7, which is borderline, and my fasting glucose is 103, again borderline. I'd like the former to be < 5.4 and the latter under 80). And my triglycerides and HDL, while in the low-risk range, are not quite where I want them to be.<br />
<br />
So that brings us here. I figure if I can drop 25+ pounds by eating healthy and exercising intensely over the summer (and then maintain a healthy weight), I can bring these numbers back to where I want them to be, and hopefully not die of an infarction at a young age. My mom's side of the family has a history of heart disease and resultant early death, but they also didn't take good care of themselves (smoked, drank too much, ate poorly), so I'm hoping that by being aggressive about my health and wellness I can overcome the genetic odds and avoid having to go on any medications now or in the future.<br />
<br />
I plan on redoing the blood test again in 6 months or so, when I'm at my goal weight, so we can see just how big an effect food and exercise can have on someone who has the genetic cards stacked against him. A little biohacking, if you will. Being an analytical person by nature, I love the idea of experimenting on myself, so I'm excited (and it's a good motivator anyway).Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-82486984961619325362013-04-30T17:15:00.001-07:002013-04-30T17:15:05.750-07:00Stacking days togetherWell, yesterday went well. I hit my calorie goal for workout days (2500), hit my protein goal (175g+), and got in a good workout. I've already worked out today as well, and am on track to hit my nutritional goals today as well. This is really it, just stacking one day on the next and keeping it consistent. The fat will come off quick enough, just one day at a time.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-80179500063699697072013-04-29T13:34:00.001-07:002013-04-29T13:34:16.771-07:00Back in the saddle (again)<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to get back in the saddle again. Let me fill you in on what's happened since my last post (almost a year(!) ago). I kept going pretty strong, and got down to about 207 pounds. But, I was working 80 hours per week, 7 days a week, and my stress level was really high. I started getting nerve pain in my feet and legs (from sitting at a desk for 12 hours a day), which came and went and came again, and later in the year I did something to my side that hurt like crazy, and still hurts to this day (although much less). Went and had an ultrasound, but it didn't show anything, so we still don't know exactly what happened. I think the original injury has healed, but it's left some lasting nerve damage that is mostly just annoying, and which comes and goes daily. Needless to say these nagging injuries/problems have been really demotivating, as every time I would think "Okay, I'm feeling good again, now I can start training regularly" I would tweak something and be in pain for another week. As a result of that (as well as stopping taking a medication whose side effect was decreased appetite) I've regained the weight, plus some. Last I checked the scale it was 227, and that's just too damn heavy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I still have some issues with these injuries, but I'm determined to find a way to work through/around them, and get back down to a healthy weight. I think losing some weight should help with the nerve issues, since there won't be as much pressure on them due to my bulk. Thankfully I've stayed in pretty good shape strength-wise, and do still strive to be quite active, so I'm not starting from square one (i.e. I've been able to train 1-3 times a week, albeit a bit conservatively). I'd like to be able to work back up to 5 days/week, doing a mix of Crossfit and Power- and Olympic lifting. Here's my basic template:</span><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday: Crossfit</span></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday: Back Squat and Bench Press (using the </span><b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></b></span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wendler 5-3-1 template)</span></b></b></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4f233f5a-5774-f3b0-6abf-06feaa71b691" style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" style="display: inline !important; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> + accessories (single-leg work, hip extensions, abs)</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday: Crossfit</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday: Rest</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday: Crossfit</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday: Oly work (singles, doubles, and triples of snatch, clean, and jerk) and 3x10 push-press (linear progression) + accessories (mostly Oly-oriented: overhead squats, snatch balances, partial movements)</span></div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday: Off (or skill work, if feeling good)</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll just be doing the regular group classes at my gym for the Crossfit portion, unless it's something that would not benefit me with regards to my injuries, then I'll come up with something on my own. I like the group classes because they provide some accountability, plus force me to work on some of my weaknesses. And the camaraderie just makes it more fun than working out alone. I'll be doing mobility work every day to help improve my ability to get in positions as well as to hopefully continue to rehab and improve my injuries. I'm starting off pretty conservative with the weights, and will work my way back up so as to not re-injure myself along the way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Diet-wise I'm going back to my roots: whole foods (with a Paleo-esque template) plus calorie counting. High protein, moderate fat, low-ish carbs (50-100g/day, just enough to fuel my workouts). 2000-2500 calories/day. Avoiding alcohol as much as possible without being completely abstinent, and making sure I still hit my macros and calories. I want this to be simple and to keep the barrier to entry as low as possible, to improve my chances of compliance. I already cook for myself, I just need to be a little more on top of it so that I don't run out of food and then have to fight off the temptation to just grab something from a fast food place. Just gotta stay a step ahead, you know?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm going to start using this blog to keep myself accountable, again. Not even sure if anyone reads this any more, but that's okay; it's more for me than anyone else at this point. I know what to do, just gotta start doing it and then stay consistent, and writing here will help with that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh yeah, what's my goal weight? Well, ultimately I think somewhere around 185-190, but I want to take this in smaller chunks, as that worked well for me in the past, so for now my goal is to get under 220 by June 1st.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">That's it for now. Wish me luck!</span></span>Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-8673191335349657452012-06-13T13:55:00.001-07:002012-06-13T13:55:26.061-07:00Day Fourty-FourToday's Weigh-In: 215.1 lbs.<br />
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I'm still maintaining a slow but steady weight-loss of about a pound per week. Pretty happy about that. My energy in the gym and recovery capacity hasn't been awesome, to be perfectly honest, but I knew going into this that I would have to make some trade-offs to achieve this goal. In the past when I started to have trouble recovering I would end up eating more, but that would stall my weight-loss efforts, so I would basically stagnate. But this time I have one goal, and that's weight loss with as little strength/muscle loss as possible, and so I know that having to reduce my volume and stick to the basics is a necessary thing. I really like being in the gym and training, so it's hard mentally, but once I hit my goal and ramp up my calories I'll be able to ramp the volume back up.<br />
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Right now I'm mostly focused on hitting my strength work (back squat, bench press, shoulder press, deadlifts, and Olympic lifting) consistently and only adding in as much conditioning as I feel I can recover from, which right now is about 2 really short (5-10 minutes) workouts a week. I've been doing a version of <a href="http://www.silverhydra.com/2011/03/cheat-mode-the-official-guide/" target="_blank">CheatMode</a> on my workout days, fasting for 16-18 hours, eating one meal, hitting my workout, and then eating the rest of my food (including higher carbs) after. On non-workout days I've still been mostly doing the fasts but eating lower-carb and spreading things out more evenly, and just eating less food. It's definitely working; the numbers don't lie, and I'm leaner visually (can see my ribs more clearly, and shoulders look more cut). Still got a long ways to go, but if I can keep up this momentum I will definitely hit my goals.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-31689642273063250042012-06-01T12:11:00.002-07:002012-06-01T12:11:32.790-07:00Day Thirty-TwoToday's Weigh-In: 217.4 lbs.<br />
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Well, I lost 4 pounds this month. Less than I wanted, but hey, it's still 4 pounds gone. If I can keep it up I'll be at my goal in 5 months instead of 3, but if that's what it takes then fine.<br />
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Not much to report. Doing pretty well overall. I have made one fairly big change in my lifestyle recently which was to stop consuming liquor completely, and to limit myself to a 2-drink maximum when drinking wine or beer. This should help me get through those weekend get-togethers without blowing through my calorie limits with non-nutritious booze (and bad food decisions made as a result). I had been drinking 4-5 drinks per night, mostly whiskey, which I knew was too much but didn't care. Now I care, so we'll see how it goes.<br />
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I've been asked to help judge an Olympic weightlifting meet tomorrow, which should be fun. I've competed once before but never judged, but I'll be excited to meet some other local people who are into this (unfortunately not very popular) sport.<br />
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I'm trying to fill my time with as much gym-time as I can. It keeps me accountable, and it keeps my mind focused on my goals. Even when I have to drag myself out of bed to go I know I will feel awesome when I'm done. We have a great community of people and friends at Crossfit 714, and they inspire me to push my limits, so the more time I spend around them the better.<br />
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Anyways, that's all for May. I'm hoping June will be a bit better due to my modifications, and If I can hit 211 by July I'll be pretty happy.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-43346313596057706462012-05-22T13:52:00.002-07:002012-05-22T13:52:58.831-07:00Day Twenty-TwoToday's Weigh-In: 217.6 lbs.<br />
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So, the weight's not quite coming off as quickly as I had hoped. I seem to be hovering around 217-219 still, but I think I should be under 217 before the week is done. Kinda frustrating, but I know how this stuff works. I didn't gain the fat in a week, I'm not gonna lose it all in a week either.<br />
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I've actually been doing pretty well. The only off day was a pool party I attended on Saturday where I had quite a few beers and very little actual food. But other than that I've been solidly within my calorie limits and hitting my protein requirements nicely. I ended up getting in four training sessions (plus one easy bike ride) last week. I had hoped for five but I was just too sore. Now that I'm consistently hitting intense workouts my soreness should be much less, though, which will allow me to get more sessions in this week. I'm just going to continue what I'm doing, and listen to my body. If I feel good I'll push it, if not I'll kick back and do more recovery work. I like the intuitive nature of my training right now, so let's see where it goes.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-26081750555660577782012-05-16T17:50:00.001-07:002012-05-16T17:50:02.080-07:00Day SixteenDay Sixteen<br />
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Today's Weigh-In: 217.2 lbs.<br />
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Sorry for the delay between posts. I've been super busy and it's hard for me to post during work any more.<br />
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So this week has had its ups and downs. I started out strong last week, then kinda petered out toward the end of the week. The weekend was better, but not perfect, and then I got fired up for this week again. Right now I'm feeling really motivated, so I'm just gonna ride it out as long as I can. I think if I can manage to be in the gym pretty much every day and working out with others who are better than me that will help me stay motivated and consistent.<br />
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I did two conditioning workouts yesterday, and then did some Olympic weightlifting and front squatting this morning. I plan on hitting two gym sessions tomorrow (strength work in the morning and conditioning at night).<br />
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Diet has been really spot on. I had had some digestive problems last week and as a result have removed any and all gluten-containing foods from my diet, and haven't had any issues since. I seem to be tolerating a small amount of dairy, mostly greek yogurt or some cheese, without issue. I'm hanging around 2500-2700 calories on my workout days, 2200-2400 on off days. Not being super strict about counting calories, but I try to keep track of what I eat throughout the day so I know how much I have left in my allotment for dinner, and try to stay within that range.<br />
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I'm about half-way done, and I'm about 4 pounds down; perfectly on target to hit my goal of 7 pounds this month. I'm very excited, and I know if I hit this goal it will motivate me harder to keep going and finally get the physique I want.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6871893863478662903.post-10380349775074020642012-05-09T12:03:00.002-07:002012-05-09T12:03:12.065-07:00Day NineI didn't get a chance to weigh-in today. But I have been hitting the gym consistently. I've done two workouts thus far this week, mostly strength work. I'll get some conditioning in tomorrow and Saturday, and see if I can't squeeze in some hill sprints or something on Friday. I hit a PR clean and jerk today, 260 lbs. I've never jerked that much from the front rack, and it was a big surprise as to how easy it was. I guess just going through the motions in my class each week (remember that I teach an Olympic weightlifting class on Wednesday nights) has improved my own technique, even without actually doing anything heavy for a few months. It's pretty interesting stuff.<br />
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What's also interesting is how some days in the gym feel great and others feel terrible, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Monday I was back squatting, and I was feeling really stiff, I didn't feel like I was getting a good bounce, and the whole thing just felt awkward. But today I came in, got a good warm-up, and hit a PR in less than 20 minutes. Nothing has changed, but I felt really good today. I guess it just goes to show that not every day is going to be great, and that doesn't mean you're failing as an athlete or overtraining (necessarily). It might just be an off day.<br />
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I really feel like I'm getting back up to speed with my training, and I'm feeling really good about it. My diet has been really solid, getting big protein (~200g/day) and keeping calories below 2500 each day. I'm also starting to feel more solid in terms of muscle tone, i.e. that my muscles are kinda waking up and being more active throughout the day. Just gotta keep going. 9 days down, 83 to go on (according to the plan). Although, if I'm not where I want to be by then, I'm gonna keep going. I want to get rid of this extra layer once and for all and be done with it. Good riddance.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610611633437823965noreply@blogger.com1