04/19/2011

Morning session of Cardio Intervals was far tougher than I anticipated.  There’s something deceptively difficult about the increases every thirty seconds, and for some strange reason it always feels easier on the way up then on the way back down.  As per my previous posting about Cardio Intervals I went ahead and did three cycles.  I used the machine which I want to make hot steamy sumo love to, the Arc Trainer.  I warmed up for 5 minutes setting the incline to 5, and the resistance level starting at 30 and worked up to 40 for the last minute of warm up.  My first interval was at the resistance level of 50; I worked up to level 100.  In the final two intervals I raised the incline first to 10, and then on the last one to 20.

At the bottom of the arc I performed 2 sprints one with full resistance and incline, and the second a speed sprint set at incline level 5 and resistance level 40.  I repeated the above pattern 3 times.  When I finished the third cycle with plenty of time to spare in the hour I went ahead and did 10 sprints.  All the sprints were spent 1 minute on, and then 1 minute off, except on the last one I sprinted for 2 straight minutes.   5 sprints were performed with full resistance and full incline, with the last 5 sprints the incline was set to 6 and the resistance to level 40. 

Cardio Workout Plan.

This machine kicks my ass every time I go, and it’s like a big secret.  Knock on wood, every time I go to the gym the treadmills, and the Precor ellipticals always have people, but the bank of Arc Trainers rarely has anyone on it. 

My meals for today, click here.

My work day was a bit more stressful than normal, with an OSHA inspection at one of the sites, fortunately it went well, and I was able to keep calm without panicking.  My managers have been well trained in handling safety issues, and we are always striving to make sure we create a safe work environment. 

My evening session today was with Ali.  I got to the gym about 15 minutes before the session, and I warmed up doing a miracle mile on the treadmill.  It took 13:24 seconds to finish the mile, I think had I eaten a little bit more today I could have beaten that time, but it was really hard trying to get the treadmill beyond 6 mph for short sprints.  I did like the treadmill I was using because it has a diagram of a track, and shows your progress around the track.  For this type of exercise this kind of visual helps keep your mind more focused on the distance and not the time.

 The session started with a bit of boxing, probably 5-8 minutes of it.  We rolled right into working with some resistance bands performing a series of squats with one motion pulling down, and the other one pulling up.  Each type was done for 1 minute each and we did both exercises twice. 

Today was just as fast paced as the other sessions; we rolled right into the next exercise.  He had me flip a heavy bag about 10 yards in the gym, each pass was timed.  The first time I did it took 22 seconds, by the last one I think I was down to 13 seconds.  He also had me work with the medicine ball, doing squat and side extensions.  After I did this motion on both sides of my body I insisted we do 1 minute of medicine ball throw downs, and then 1 minute of medicine ball side twist throw downs the kind I did with Michael in Malibu. 

Ali continued to weave 3-5 minute stints of boxing in after a few rounds of various exercises.   We did some Bosu related footwork, along with Burpees, and Mountain Climbers.  We also worked extensively with the Free Range Cable machine doing trunk twists, squat and presses, squat and curls, and lunge and presses.  At the end of the session I felt I had gotten a good workout.  I accomplished my goal of soaking thru a shirt. 

I intentionally brought a second set of shirts, so when Ali and I finished up, I changed my shirt and hit the Arc Trainer again.  I set the incline to level 0, and the resistance to 40.  I then did another Miracle Mile.  On the Arc Trainer it took 15:30.  When I reached the mile, I went into an active recovery period of four minutes and thirty seconds.  I kept the resistance the same but increased the incline to 6.  Once I reached the 20 minute marker, I decided I would do 5 sprints which would get me to 30 minutes of extra cardio.

When I finished I still felt I had some juice left, so I thought it would be a good idea to do a little chest work.  I picked 50 lb dumbbells, laid back on an incline bench and started working, striving for 4 sets of 15.  After the third set I got on a treadmill walked at 3.8 mph for 1:30 and then ran the last :30 at 8 mph.  I then went back and finished the last set.  Immediately I moved into the flat bench press with the same weight.  At this point I could feel I was starting to tire a bit.  With the feelings of fatigue setting in I thought 4 sets of 12 would be a good number.  Again after the third set I went to a treadmill walked 1:30 at 3.8 mph, and ran the last :30 at 8 mph.  My last chest exercise was a seated incline isolation press on a Hammer Strength Machine.  I first did two sets of 10 with 45 lbs on each arm, then I walked over to the Arc Trainer went for 1 minute and then sprinted for 1 minute.    Then moved down to 35 lbs on each side, and attempted to do a burn out starting with 10 reps, then 9 reps, then 8 reps, then 7, then 6, then 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1.  It took longer than expected and I had to take short breaks several times.  After the burnout I was done.

I had been at the gym for two and half hours, and gone through two sets of shirts.  I always wear a dry fit shirt underneath a regular t-shirt.  I would just wear the dry fit shirt but I don’t think anyone wants to see my jiggly man boobs.  So the dry fit is my manzeare, and the t-shirt a cover.

I am really happy to have gotten through the second day of my second week.  I have a hike planned for tomorrow but will have to stay close to home because the A/C guy is coming at noon.  For the time being I have been disciplined about the meals, and the workouts.  I am still working on figuring out the right time to wake up in the morning and the right time to get to bed and how to alter my schedule to maximize my productivity at work while maintaining this regiment. 

I did have one tiny issue of concern today.  While stretching after my double session, I had two separate moments of feeling light headed, so much so that I had to grab one of the bars which surround the stretch area.  If its blood sugar related I’m ok, but I’m wondering if it’s now a matter of caloric intake.  We shall see as the rest of this week moves on, I still haven’t found the right balance yet of Cardio and Strength training, and maybe will need to increase my calories closer to the actual 2000 number.  I’ve been staying below in case my numbers are off; I want to have room for error.  I don’t want to just be skinny, I want to bit fit.  I’ve been skinny before and I felt emaciated.  It was very easy to regain weight because I was tired all the time. 

I want to be fit, full of energy, and strong enough that I can handle double my body weight.  This is what would me make happy.  The road is long, but at least now the fog is starting to lift, and I can see the road ahead. 

As for the issues with the scale, and all the encouragement I’ve been getting, thank you all!  Every comment helps keep me moving forward.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Moving forward I must remember the true definition of any person is not how we act with success but how respond from failure.  This Sunday is going to be a much better day I’m sure of it.