I haven’t felt this great at the end of a week since my first week back home.  I think the change to morning workouts is having a significant effect on how I feel throughout the day, further getting the cardio done in the morning makes me feel like I’m burning calories through the entire day. 

I had a 6 AM session with Ali, I asked him if we could stick with the big muscles groups, chest, back, and legs.  I didn’t want to do much cardio oriented work because I didn’t have much energy this morning, also my legs felt sore from the two workouts with Ian, and the one workout at Crossfit. 

Ali had me start by doing dumbbell chest presses lying on a resistance ball.  I warmed up my chest by using 35 lbs dumbbells, and doing 15 reps.  With each new set Ali increased the weight eventually finishing with 10 reps using 65 lbs dumbbells.  What I like about the way Ali weight trains is that he not only varies the motion, weight, and reps, but will alter whether I press or pull using both sides of my body or one side.  During the resistance ball chest presses Ali would tell me to hold the weight at the top, and then tell me to press the right time once or twice, then I would do the same for the left side, and then continue pressing both arms together.  This variation challenges my mental focus during a motion.  After the resistance ball he had move to an incline bench, and I supersetted an incline bench press with dumbbell flies.

From this initial chest work I was moved to the lat pull down machine where I did two sets of straight lat pull downs, and two sets of negative resistance.  Immediately following this initial back work I was put on the TRX to do regular chest presses, and then one armed chest presses, I also did two armed and one armed back rows.  I did a handful of other exercises prior to the final two sets of work.

Ali had me finish doing one set each of straight leg deadlifts, and regular deadlifts.  In the final set of work I had to do one rep of a regular deadlift, and then move right into a straight leg deadlift. 

After the lifting, I started to attempt a cardio session on a treadmill, after a minute of walking fast on the treadmill I realized I wasn’t going to be able to handle the impact of running today, so I moved to my trusty Arc Trainer.  On the Arc Trainer I did a session of Treading ( 6 on, 6 off, 5 on, 5 off…down to 1 on, 1 off), it took me a while to figure out what level of resistance and incline would be my “on” cycle. 

Once I got through the initial 6 minute “on” period I was feeling warmed up enough that I knew I would increase the resistance on the next “on” cycle.  I had initially planned to only go for 45 minutes, but when I was at the 46 minute marker, I just figured I might as well finish a whole hour, it’s Friday.  When I got off the Arc Trainer after 60 minutes of intense cardio, I felt great, I felt alive, I’m sure my body was full of adrenaline, and the endorphins were kicking. 

The rest of my day was spent at work, although I did take time to have lunch with my Sister and her family.  There were quite a few items I had to catch up on, including going through resumes to find a new manager for one site, and a replacement at another site.  It’s frustrating as hell not being able to find good people, even though we are paying a competitive wage for the skill set. 

I was actually still stewing about the kid I wanted to choke out from the day before, I’m so pissed.  It makes you not want to help other people; in fact it makes you want to be an ass to everyone.  It’s insane how someone who needs help can get help, then bitch slap the person giving them the help.  I almost feel like I’m enabling an emotional basket case.

This weekend I think I’m going to try to go to the Dupont Circle farmers market in DC, as I have my family coming over for grass fed steaks Sunday night.  I don’t know how I’m going to get 10 people in my one bedroom condo.  I plan on broiling the steaks, and preparing an arugula salad with pine nuts, and balsamic dressing.  I want to make one or two more sides.  I also have to cook some chicken for my two nieces. 

In closing out another week post Malibu, I realize that I’ve made some serious changes to my lifestyle.  What’s great is that I haven’t felt that I was slipping, I haven’t ever felt out of control to the point that I can’t return to where I am living this new lifestyle.  I realize now that first the change really started from someplace deep inside myself, the place where I keep secrets from everyone, the place I lock away my true hopes and desires, and the place I lock away those embarrassing moments that I don’t share with anyone, like the one time I took my dog out for a walk and halfway through the walk I had a sudden urge to poop, which required me to walk awkwardly for a mile back home, and then pooping a little bit in my shorts right when I got into my building, ok I pooped a little more than a little.  Yes I am 32 years old and I have pooped myself.  Third the changes had to start with what I eat.  Just working out doesn’t cut it, I had to fundamentally change what I put into my mouth.  Ultimately getting to where I am today, I had to live in the moment.  As Sam likes to say you can only work has hard as the moment that you are in. 

The moment I am in today is patting myself on the back.  Who knows I will feel tomorrow but today I feel as if I have taken significant steps towards my ultimate goal of weighing 185 lbs.