X-ZACT Training session XXIII: 42113 - 50413

Session XXIII starts today!! I’m in the final 60-some days of X-ZACT and it seems that the first part of 2013 has been wrought with attempted illnesses, injuries and various incidents that have attempted to hold me back and challenge my goals. Despite these non-setbacks it seems I’ve made noticeable gains in size, muscularity, definition and a different kind of strength. My body, however seems to miss running. I can’t remember the last time I ran more than five miles, or even three. As the weather gets warmer I’ll start running the woods again. My buddy wants to do a series of mud runs, so I need to get my butt and mostly my joints in gear for those – just in case they actually happen. There are a few days of travel scheduled in this session which could either result in a break/rest or an opportunity for me to do some body weight “guerrilla” training when and where ever I can. Might be a good time to put a little Tabata in my routine. But who knows. It’s a good thing these introductions are not promises because I’d likely break every one. I go day-by-day. I heard a good quote that goes “Never go to bed today without knowing how you’re going to exercise tomorrow.” The practice exists in the back of my mind; the quote is there just in case I forget. 

For the past four (? Maybe 3) weeks my routine has been such – Monday, Park workouts: Tuesdays GX & Aqua Classes (teaching): Wednesday aqua & Squats: Thursday Y-GX: Friday Lift therapy Saturdays Random usually home work: Sunday – random. Plus Back room training at the gig. So I’ve been pretty consistent. OK let’s get #23 started.

42113 (Sunday #303) – wake 192.5 Party, nothing else to say.

Session XXIII starts on a high note… high weight, but I was celebrating so let’s see how long it will take this to level out and see if it will trigger a great fall.

Massage Day – Feedback: Shoulders got bigger (more muscular). Ice right back (trapz/shoulder – done). Scar tissue build up at rt shoulder/triceps area. No training tonight, but I can still work legs & core. Rt forearm was kind of tight but not as bad as last time. Wonder if I’ll go back to acupuncture. Hello again 23. 

I can still run through the park, squat, jump, kick & role up – taking the workout stack daily, protein shake + recovery before work. Back to salads tonight and fruit+veggie shakes. 

42213 (Monday #304)
Tonight’s casual Lineup: deep assisted squats (maybe try some unassisted), uneven (1 leg elevated) lunge-squats, toy soldiers and walking with the weights on my ankles… like I say, casual. I may not even record reps. (And updated the journal.)

Wake 195  31.5 – 49%  3 gone!! Didn’t take a lot of wake up notes, so let’s see what I can remember. Drank breakfast and the wake stack, then the pre-workout stack and off to the park.

Park work 3 (from the phone);
Conditions 47, sunny, breezy. Pre-work stack, NO Xplode during, protein & recovery after.
I think I may have had too much protein today.
Run/jog thru woods, then across field… 12 minutes
Calisthenics – cross legged side run bk & forth.
Run fwd & back.
Jacks
Fwd & back base run/sprint 3 x 2 (fwd & bk = 1 rep)
Side bench jumps 8 – 12
Turn 180 degree side bench jump (must video this at some point) – new move 6 – 8
Jumping front kicks (march style)
Cross leg side run, bases (on diamond from home to 3rd) 2 x 2
Rope 45 degree squats 20 – 30 – 31 (had to get more than 30 last set)
Bench 1 legged lunge squats 2 x 12 each leg
Surf interval (just 1 pants ripped)

PISTOLS –
Off the low bench no count, two rounds, getting more control
High rope – 8 ea. (Maybe do more high before lowering, maybe 2 rounds each.)
Low rope – 4 ea. Got cocky and made it harder second round.
Stretch time 10 mins stretching/yoga barefoot in the grass – nature.
Backwards walk up hill.
Max HR 168!!!

This was pretty good. Legs feel really good. Give me more!!

Calorie burn data:
1114 first hour
2243 @ 2 hr mark
2570 @ 3 hr mark
2886 2 4 hr mark = 721.5 cph, slightly better than last week.
Salmon & veggies before work.

42313 (Tuesday #305)  -  AM – work: feeling very energized. Wonder if I should chill or do upper body? Probably should give the arm(s) a rest from pushing and pulling. Got the next five days off from work. Zona bound.

TU-GX later today. I should be okay for squats on Wednesday. I think I’m still burning good calories. Looks like I averaged 10 times more cals per hour than sleeping 4 hours yesterday including 1 hour of training.

Wake 191; 26% - 51.5% - the process continues. Stacks, pbh – finish my shake before heading out.

Good GX – thought my cal-burn was light 320 – 2468/ 200 = 740.5 ph – but it’s actually better averaged.

42413 (Wednesday #306) – Wake 189.5 (drank breakfast)  - just eeked back into the 180s – 3 so far. Practiced some 1 arm pushups on knees with yoga block, some regular push pushups, and some off the wall with the right. Air squats, misc exercise b/w chores & wasting time. Ankles are sore, both evenly. I’m thinking exercise/impact even light…

Good aqua GX – broke sweat. Squats: (225 lbs) 44 in 4 sets. 13 reps 1st set.  2 sets of calf presses. Pre-meal, grilled cheese, toms-shrooms-spinach.

42513 (Thursday #307) – Wake 189.5 after a short 90 min. nap (4 AM). Zona bound, drank breakfast. Walked to 69th st.

42613 (Friday #308) – Tucson, AZ.

Ate at the frat house last night. No doubt eating and training differently this weekend. Long sleep, jet lag, time change, etc. hotel gym is only ok, probably do more and better in my room. Woke with sore/tight low back, so more core work @ work. 

Morning cals: squats, pushups, bridge presses, toe touches, - still not done. Aqua Box style pool workout. Pretty rough at first but not bad: jump kicking is beastie, sunning, meditation, 30 mins.

42713 (Saturday #309) – Tucson, AZ. Saturday morning chill. Walked to Waffle House for breakfast, maybe get some pool time or can I see how far I can walk? Keeping no meat breakfast, but still getting some during the trip. No terrible effects.

Chillin' in Tucson - Got a couple of Aqua Workouts in, which I 

immediately incorporated into my aqua sessions at the university.

Pool workout done!! Some new ideas for class, if I can remember. Took a lot out of me. It’s HOT  today!!

42813 – (Sunday #310) – Tucson, AZ – rough night at the hotel. Alarms kept going off. I did get some zzz & dreams. Travel day. No workout today I imagine. Straight to work or call sick// hmmm.
Tucson – 2 Dallas – 1

42913 – (Monday #311) – PHL – wake 189.5 – Took a sick day. Right thing to do. Dreary and rainy… sucks to be here but time is passing, maybe some morning calisthenics, especially back stretch work. Plane got the lower back tight.

100 squats, slow & steady to start the day off. 20 bridge presses, 50 knee lifts – just trying to get started.

Home Work!! Kind of a new combo method. Choose weights, choose reps and try and reduce rest time and sets. 
Two 30 lb dumbbells. We increase reps as the exercises become easier.
#1 Squat-Curl-Press  20 reps in 4 sets  (uneven sets)
#2 Squat-Thrust-Press – 20 reps in 4 sets (even sets of 5)
#3 Squat-Press – 20 straight (probably should have done more)
#4 Shrugs – 25 – 20 – 25 – 30 (change hand position each time)  100 total, they’re shrugs.
#5 Dead Lifts (straight legs) 20 – 20 (slow) will probably increase this as well.
#6 Mat press + pushups (wide off the dumbbells) super sets
              Press – (2, 50 lbs) 15 – 12 – 13 – 15 [the less time between sets the less reps produced]
              Pushups 8 – 7 – 8 – 6  [these buggers were hard, especially wide and right after fatiguing the muscles with the presses. I’ll take it tho.]

Done Deal!! New home work sequence. Keep at this, increase reps, increase strength and power.

43013 – (Tuesday #312) – AM work. Recovering, relaxing and preparing for GX later today.

Wake 189.5 – 100 squats, drank breakfast, PBH Sammich.
Home – 3/Temple – 1/Home 1 – that should clear things up. Extra normal cleaning up from the weekend.
Good gx & Aqua – wiped out as usual. Cal counter went off on me 2742 cals in 2:22, about 1350 per hour. 3026 @ the 2:36 mark. Call it a day. Seems like a lot of intermittent measuring. Clock kept turning off/stopping.

MAY!!! [About 60 days to go]

50113 (Wednesday #313) – Wake 188: drink water. 100 squats; 30 bridges; various other body wt stuff; 120 front kicks (3 x 20 ea.). Thinking I should add the wt vest, but let’s just do more squats. Imagining new routines for TU-GX. Last Aqua Box of the session today – Squats after, try to increase to 50-ish!! Get stronger!!!!

Measuring Day – small reductions throughout [maybe I’ll transfer the data to this log. I don’t feel that excited about it for some reason.] Most lean muscle zones stayed the same. Leaner and hopefully denser all over. Better definition in the belly. Yes!! 

MEASURING DAY RESULTS:
Torso measurements ever 45 days:
Top – 102 cm was 101  +1cm (insignificant)
Middle – 91 cm – was 93 -2cm (less than an inch but going in the right direction)
Bottom – 95 cm – was 97 -2 cm (same)
Under – 97 cm – was 98   -1 cm (right direction): Get my torso measurements down into the 80s, again.

60 DAY MEASUREMENTS
Chest 101 cm – was – 104  -3cm (hopefully this is a loss of fat and not muscle. Definition suggests fat)
Shoulders 122 – was 125   -3 (same)
Butt 104 – was 106    -2 (same)
Thighs 61 [both] was 61
Calves 35.5 [both] was 36 essentially no change
Forearms 29 [both]  29 no change
Upper Arms [bent] – 39 – was 40
Knees both 38 [knees were measured b/c the rt seems bigger, swollen.

Good Aqua!

Squats: 225 – 55 in 5 sets. 15 reps first set. Feeling stronger by the 3rd set. Maybe I should do 5 or more sets a week. Still doesn’t feel any lighter. [155 total squats today.]
Cal-Burn: 3107 @ 3 hr mark. 1036.6 CPH – 7462 @ 8:12 mark. 910 CPH – not bad. Have to note 3 hours at a Limpbizkit concert, may have skewed the results. Hot dog, beer & pizza slice may negate the burn however. This is basically two lbs of fat burned in 8 hours, (waking.)

50213 (Thursday #314) wake 189.5: H2O first thing:110 squats in 4:40 (mins:secs); 50 pushups [felt the burn in my chest and not the pain in my arms/shoulders. Can I get back to 100 a day (in one set)??] Don’t forget one-arms. 40 bridges: 100 knee lifts. Drank breakfast, then almonds, fruit, yogurt covered raisins second breakfast.

To Media – (Great blackened duck salad at Quotations)

My strength and balance in doing this move has diminished from lack

of practice. I've found it difficult to get back into it. As you can see, my 

form is also lacking. Yet another challenge.

Need to get back to practicing planges & back to suspension training at work tonight. I think this session ends this week. Two weeks off from Temple, I should do some run- or jogging. Park tomorrow of lift therapy??
Y-GX: Strong 2505 cals @2:30. Started the cal counter 1 hr before class. 3667@3:41
2:30 – 1002 CPH
3:41 – 995.5 CPH

Y-GX kicked my ass today. I don’t think I ate enough. Protein & meal replacement mix after, but no energy boost. Need to find the formula for high E!!

50313 (Friday #315) AM – work. What to do? Still kind of tired, first night back I never seem to get enough sleep. I think I can hit the park this afternoon, but can I do that and suspension training in antemeridian as well? We will know later…

Wake 188.5
125 Squats, just over 5 minutes
50 pushups
30 bridges
100 knee lifts
20 each side plank (knee) leg raises
Veggie patty for breakfast, stack. Park training, wiped me out. Protein afterwards.

It didn’t feel as intense as previous sessions until I finished. The wake up stuff probably fatigued me. Good.
Run thru grass ten minutes – very rough, slow and embarrassing.
Base Intervals (home plate to 3rd base)
Side shuffle 3 sets.
Cross leg run 3 sets
Run fwd & back 4 sets (walked last set). I am very slow but trying to build speed and endurance. 
Left knee doesn’t hurt but it’s weak. So it slows me down.

This may appear to represent yo-yo dieting, however the weight span is
only a couple of pounds (188 - 189.5). The drama does help to keep me
on top of things. For what it's worth, i think I like the discipline; the
exercise of recording my daily weight, making charts and watching the
numbers more than I am concerned about losing weight. I've been
rethinking the benefits of being at 175, I do believe I'll be faster and
more agile at 175; if I can maintain and or increase my strength that
would be BONUS!!

Bench Jumps (Video); side jumps (16) 180 degree front turn; 180 degree back turn combos

Bench Pistols – Rope pistols – One legged lunge squats off the bench.
Rope pushups easy style. Pushups/Dips bench combos.
Max HR 156 probably higher. Wrecked afterwards
1474 cals at 2:10 680 CPH, low compared to the rest of the week.  Funny I’m burning these cals but have lost no significant weight. Must be the food. I feel like I’m not eating enough. Need to get back to the wake up veggie shakes and perhaps have post workout food on hand. 

50413 (Saturday #316) AM – work. Last day of the Session XXIII – wow, 50 days to go. I’m thinking leg therapy at the Y later today. More leg extension stuff rather than presses etc. I wonder if I should give the wake up squats a break? I’m afraid I won’t come back to them. We’ll see when I wake up. I think my body/mind expects me to do them.

Wake 189 – no workout, just did chores and tried NOT to exercise. Nice way to end a session. Session XXIV starts at midnight (Cinqo de Mayo) and session XXV will be the final session ending midweek June 18th.

Went back to veggie breakfast drink today and decided to add an extra ½ scoop of protein, but I still feel sluggish and heavy. I think maybe my body is missing red meat, or maybe it’s just adjusting. I may have to introduce some lamb back into the diet every so often and maybe even a little pork, or maybe goat. It was sunny and warm today so I can’t blame the weather. I thought I should go to the Y for leg therapy today, but opted to catch up on chores, plus I wanted to get back to the back room workout – suspension training and pull-ups. Oh yeah, the left knee and rt ankle joints need strengthening, they are causing me to be wobbly going up the El (double) steps.

X-ZACT Training Session XXII - 40713 - 42013

SESSION XXII – Starts today

40713 (Sunday #289) AM – work [Summary]

Starting a new session gives me the opportunity to reset, reframe and/or reassert my goals and my strategies. The last two sessions have been complicated due to what we shall euphemistically term a “medical event” it’s all documented in previous sessions so no need to go into it again. 

This session will probably find me returning to the outdoors and possibly even running through the woods again. The all too familiar cycle of cutting the cardio and lifting heavy to bulk up during the cold seasons is making feel conflicted again. When it comes time to start the run/jog I wish I had never stopped, yet I stop every year. 

Okay; so let me restate or possibly even refresh my goals: In three more I’ll be retiring from this gig. I want to be the same weight when I leave that I was when I arrived (170 – 175). Of course I don’t want to wait three years to achieve this. I want my weight to be well established, my health to be immaculate and my body to be ripped, tight, strong and agile. I also want high endurance, nothing like iron man, but pretty close. 

Now, what kind of training will I need to do to accomplish this? And, what kind of eating will I have to do? I have already begun cutting down on the meat and increasing the vegetables beginning back when I started eating salads over night (most had chicken or turkey in them.) I have since started making my own salads, sans meat; and have been getting more greens via smoothies, pretty much daily, with protein and fruit mixed in. I may actually be somewhere close to 50% raw already counting shakes, salads and the fruits, nuts & seeds I eat. I may have to measure this one day. 

New way of lifting. Pick a weight and stick with it. First increase reps, then increase weight, advises Joe Cannon. This will be a test of my discipline. Three  examples, squats, bench presses and leg extensions; 225, 135, 195 respectively going for single sets of 30 reps. (at one time I could do 20 bench reps at 135, but these days I am just about getting 10.) 

I should also have my joints checked out, especially my knees. I need a doctor who’s not going to dismiss these aches as “getting old.” I need someone who understands that I am a fitness enthusiast and I’m pushing the (at least ‘my’) limits. I want my connective tissue to grow strong along with my muscles. 

I should also get back to acupuncture sessions. This should be easy to do, even starting this week because I have two weekdays off. I can probably go Thursday. Let’s see if this happens. I should refer back to these goals and challenges periodically. 

Today’s AM Lineup:
Water Bottle squats: 20 – 20 – 20 – 20 = 80
Chin ups: 6 – 8 – 10 – 10 = 34
Pushups (suspended, legs elevated) – 17 – 17 – 13 – 10 = 57
Dips (suspended) 15 – 11 –  12 – 10 = 48

First round was hard. Right triceps/shoulder area sore and weak after dips. Very close to 20 pushups yes!!!! Second round, wrapped elbow. Surprised myself on the chin ups, burnt on the pushups, sore on the dips. I should do more stabilized dips at the Y. (Took recovery BCAA & Brewer’s yeast 2 each after round two. I may do another round or two before the end of the shift.) Third round – winded. Medium to low hang chin ups in round 3. Last dose of BCAA & BY. Salad between round 3 & 4. Lots of H2O. 
Making progress. Pleased, but right arm hurts, ugh!! 

Wake 189.5 – gained!!

Stretch, work around the house – twists and such. Bands night & maybe some dumbbells n pushup bars. Thinking I can get to the Y or play outside tomorrow.

40813 (Monday #290) AM – work
Band night, blue & green reps!!!

Deep squat lat pulls: 22 – 30 – 30* (add yellow band)
Triceps extensions (overhead) 12 – 16 – 10*
Standing Shoulder press (box) 16 – 16 – 12
Triceps curls (Tandem) 12 – 10 – 8*
Forearm pull (slow) 10 – 10 – 10*
Last round – deep squats & random band work.

Wake 188 – drop two

First Day in the park –
10 mins run/walk thru grass/field… really lame.
Jacks & shadow boxing 3 rounds
Bench jump (up & down) + squats  3 sets of about 8 (This is kickin’ my ass!!)
45 degree squat (on ropes) 20 – 25 each & various chest work, about < 45 degree angle
Rolls (but not all the way up, not the first set anyway). They started to come in sets 2 & 3, pretty awkward but still rolled up.
Squat-mt. climber- pushup combo, roll then reverse. 3 rounds 6 reps each. (Rough)
Ab work, trx type pikes – got 3 good ones.
Stretch, yoga style down dog & cobra, walk backwards up the hill.
Calorie breakdown (experiment)
1120 cals burned during training hour
2122 @ 2 hr mark. (1002 burned first hr after exercise) 1061 cph ave.
2652 @ 2.5 hr mark
2810 @ 3 hr mark. (688 cals burned in 2nd hr.) 933 cph ave.
2990 @ 4 hr mark (180 cals burned in 3rd hr.) big drop, 748 cph ave.

Recovery BCAA & Brewers Yeast.
Pre-workout – Mass gainer veggie shake, workout stack. May have to mix arginine & beta-alanine. Next park op is probably Friday.

I can still train at the gig tonight.
Iced (lf) knee afterwards. Gave me trouble during the first part of the run, but settled after. Opted out of taking a pic although I still think I should have. Oh well. 

40913 (Tuesday #291) AM – work
Make my body do new shit!! 

Low hang pull ups 3 – 5 – 3 of course legs have to stay in L to keep from hitting the floor.
Assisted pistols, legs tightening on this one. 5 ea – 6.
Uneven pushups p/u bar & dumbbell 5 ea then 8.

Train the nervous system and the body will follow. 

Heat rub right shoulder/triceps. 
Hard holding opposite leg out, semi-straight.

Wake 188.5 – drank breakfast, protein, creatine, strawberries, blueberries, ½ banana, chia seed, spinach, kale, coconut water, aloe juice, ginger shot ½, carrot extract shot.

Looks like a breakfast that will take me thru class. Calorie exp. In progress. First hr. preworkout, 3 bogeys shot down before leaving the house. Stomach feels empty… rely on the fat. Be strong for class.

Good GX – came strong w/o big meal. Low calorie burn.  4 hrs 1326 total. Didn’t get the high intensity burn today. Bands tonight.

41013 (Wednesday #292)  AM – work. Band night.

Deep squat pulls – 19 (cramp in left inside thigh, legs have been getting punished this week) This is not going to work.

Straight arm pull  20 -10 – (rev) 5
Shoulder push – 20 – 16
Forearms – 10 -12
Triceps ex. 12 – 12
Box press – 10 – 10
Pushups – 5 ea. – 6 (push up bar & table support) left side seems stronger.
Not so deep squat pull, 20 duh!! 20 more. Decent amount of work – kept me active through the night.

Wake 189.5  - - -  3 bogeys, no change. Drank breakfast, added a scoop of oatmeal. Aqua today and squats 87 degrees – just to note.

Good GX – squats 32 in 4 sets, do more in less sets. Maybe see how many squats I can do in 4 sets and not limit myself to 30-something.

41113 (Thursday #293) – wake 188. Extra fast last night. Last night working on bridges. Do bridges instead of crunches. Work it!! Reminder – pistol chair squats, working them 5 eac. + 5

I have to be as strong as I can be for the rest of my life.

Strong GX-YMCA session. Even more participation (from me).  10 ea. Ball pushups – random body work all day.

41213 (Friday #294) – wake 189 – sleep experiment – 576 cals in 8 hours sleeping. 72 cals per hr. (72 x 24 = 1728). This is pretty close to the rule of thumb that estimates a person will burn 10 calories per pound of body weight per day when they are in a coma. In my case 1890, so I’m just 162 calories off that mark.

Chair pistols – legs are tired. When down and back up doesn’t work, I just press up off the chair.
Lift Therapy at the Y today!!

Lift therapy complete!!
Round I: Leg press 400-ish  (8 plates) 35 reps in 3 sets + calf presses + shin flex (90 lbs) + bent calf presses. 3 sets.

Round II: bent row (135) 10-12-12 + step ups (10 – 16 – 20) + shin flex (90).  3 sets.

Round III: bench press (135) 10 – 12 – 10 + wrist curls 35 lbs. 3 sets: these bug my (rt) shoulder. So I’m keeping the weight light and not breaking the chest plane. Shoulder feels a bit better with reps.

Leg Therapy
Extensions – 195 lbs  6 – 8 – 10 (keep wt constant a increase reps )
Curls 165 lbs 6 – 8 – 8

Stretch & out. Wiped out but happy with the progress.

Note; LT replaced the park due to rain and 45 degrees.

Home work – twists, inverted squats, downward dog pushups, leg stack, just trying to get more flexible.

Workout stack: arginine: carnitine: HgW: yohimbe: guarana: CoQ10: D3: E: B12

41313 (Saturday #295) AM – work

Looking over the progress I’ve made over the past week. Better squats, better leg presses & bench presses. Nothing wrong with moving slowly. I guess it’s more maturing. I still have lofty goals – or inner visions of pushing my limits and becoming stronger, but I also want the agility and balance and flexibility – I want this weight 13 – 15 lbs. off of me so I can move my body more efficiently..

Tonight’s line up:
Waterbottle squats: 20 – 20 -  (suitcase style)
Suspension pushups; 13 – 14 – 10
Chin ups: 10 – 10
Dips: 12 – (kills rt. Shoulder) 10
WB shrugs: 20 – 20

One arm wall push-outs (practice sets)
Table pistols (practice)
Dips – although I dread them, I may have to do a few sets. Need to better stabilize my core. Need to center on nervous system training… the root of the body. If I can imagine this I think I can become better.

Wake 189 – drank breakfast, walk to 69 for groceries.
Chair pistols, up only arms folded, getting better balance. Wondering when I’ll restart insanity sessions.
BW home training this eve. Maybe some balance work, stretch & twists. Bands @ the gig. Hmm, spent home time in the kitchen… end of this week; will begin next week at midnight with the bands.

Ciao,

41413 (Sunday #296) – AM – work ::: Band Day

Deep squat pulls: 25 – 30
Chest Push: 20 – 20
Straight arm pull down: 12 – 10
(Already feeling stronger)
Triceps Ex: 12 – 10
Forearm pull – 12 – 10
(Ready for the orange band, more reps.)  Misc stuff.
One arm wall push outs. Pistol push – chair table.

Wake 188.5 – random stuff; pushups, chair pistols,

41513 (Monday #297) AM – work: EZ night – hard stuff…

Low bar pull ups (L) – 5 – 5- 6
Rev pushups elevated – 5 – 8 – 10
Water bottle press – 12 – 10

Wake 188.5 – 2 bogeys

Park Work: run ten minutes thru grass – a bit stronger but still slow, full pack, wts, boots.
Calisthenics 10 mins. Jax, shuffle, shadow box (should’ve kicked)
Up & down on bench
Side jump over bench, run fwd & backwards.
Leg work 3 – rounds
Air Squats: 30 – 40 – 50!!
45 degree rope squats (push)– 16 – 20 reps tough to hold.
Deep rope squats – 10 – 16 reps each.
Pistols (sort of0 off the bench, up & down alt legs. 8 – 10 total, good control.  – Good stuff.
Yoga stretch – boots off 10 mins in the grass. Open legs/hips, stretch, twist. Backwards walk up hill.
Calorie Burn info;
Max HR 161
Cool down HR 111
One hr. 1016
2 hrs. 1662 (808ph)
4:15; 2908
4:50 – 3035 average 627 per hour. A little less than last week. Could be lower RHR??
NO Xplode & pre-work stack.

41613 (Tuesday #298) AM – work

Not really aspiring to this. I don't think my body could pull it off with-
out drugs, but it's good to illustrate muscularity. I found that gaining
weight, even mostly muscle wasn't that good of an idea. I think my
knee started reacting to the extra weight. It was 15 lbs in about 7 or 8
months. Now that I'm "trying" to lose, I find myself becoming better
defined.

Lite band work, upper back & biceps – red & green bands
Hi pull back – 12 – 12 – 10 – 10
Standing biceps curls – 10 – 10 – 10 – 10
Bent flies (10 lb dumbbells0 12 – 12* (maybe more)

Legs are sore from the park. Got to be strong for Gx-TU today11
No more hoodia – don’t think it did any good.

Wake 188 – TU-GX today. Ate breakfast for a change.

41713 (Wednesday #299) – AM – work, relaxed.
Some upper-inner thigh (near) cramp, honey fixed it (& stretching) legs have been hammered this week, but make them stronger. 

Wake 188.5 21.5 54 (2): chore, did a few chair pistols, legs are sore, esp bottom back near ankles.
Post aqua squats 40 (4 x 10) beasties!!!!
Casein shake before bed.

41813 (Thursday #300) wake 188.5 – Night off no drop. This could be the new norm. still thinking 175, but in light of new info this weight may not be the best for me.

#1 – I’m maintaining weight, eating better and getting more defined. 
#2 – one statistic showed people with BMIs between 25 – 30 do as well or better health-wise than those under 25 BMI. 175 = 24.4 BMI 188 = 26.2 BMI
#3 – Ethnicity works in my favor. Some groups fare better at higher body weights & BMIs (slightly higher). 
#4 – Age, as I get “older” I should be packing on more pounds (muscle) to hedge against age-related muscle loss and maintain high (as possible) metabolism. 

Seems I’m moving into the more scientific realms of fitness, nutrition & health.

Dropped 6 lbs. since starting this book 12-12-12. 

Ate out, chicken sandwich – couldn’t eat the salad. Call it a cheat day.  Lift Therapy tomorrow – but I think I can do some home stuff tonight, upper body, no legs, they need a break. I mean rest…

Kind of sluggish when I got in, went to bed early. No home work… 

41913 (Friday #301)  wake 188.5 8 hrs sleep. Pretty good. Wake stack. Shake – no veggies – maybe a supplement. Not burnt out (on veggies) I don’t think. Lift therapy after lunch. This session ends tomorrow.

The fluctuations aren't as dramatic as they seems. There are
2/10 of a pound between each line. I'm pretty sure the weight is a
combination of fat burn, water drop and muscle build.

Lift Therapy successful – feel good, worked but not worked over. Ate Vietnamese #39 pre-workout.

Round I:
Leg press 360 – 400 lbs. (45 reps in 4 sets) + calf presses + calf raises (no wt.)

Round II: T-bar row (70 lbs) 12 – 12 – 10 + shin flex…

Round III: bench press (135) – 12 – 13 – 10, wrist curls 25 lbs.

Leg extensions 195 – reps.
Leg curls 165 reps
Asst pistols – bridges – stretches – cross leg squats/balance 1:15 mins
Slice of Pizza after, protein + recovery shake after.

42013 (Saturday #302) AM – work –

I may have burnt out on vegetables. They don’t appeal to me at the moment, but there are still lots in my fridge. 

Maybe jump rope tonight or just relax. Last day of Session XXII, maybe 3 or 4 sessions left. One will be short or extra long, they don’t work out evenly. Stop date is June 18 and that may be in the middle of the week. Anyway, I’ll have the opportunity to review the last year. 

I think the smartest thing I’ve done on my entire fitness journey aside from losing the first 25 lbs, is start muscling up my legs. Got a compliment from Frank on them today. (He once referred to them as pink flamingo legs. And I thought “chicken legs” was bad.) 

I don’t want to become obsessed with sarcopenia, but I do want to keep my fast twitchers (muscle fibers) alive and thriving as long as possible, like another 100 years – for real! Not sure whether I’m at the age when I should be trying to lose weight. “They” say we start losing body mass as we age, maybe as early as 40 (which is also when sarcopenia seems to come about), so I need to keep my major muscles as strong, big & condensed as possible. 

I’m noticing unprecedented definition on my torso so (again) maybe 175 is not a beneficial goal. 

Injury (or pain) report:  have to check back to when the ankles started bothering me. I think it was a strong Y-GX session where I did a lot of jumping. They’re still wakable, runable and jumpable. I haven’t wrapped or iced them yet. I should be more pre-emptive. 

Looks like it’s going to be a festive weekend. Been dining out since Thursday and got 2 parties later today. Discipline within reason.

Tonight’s casual line up; toy soldiers w/ ankle weights, db (10s) shoulder presses and flies and front raises, 1 arm push-offs (the wall). This will continue on and off throughout the shift.

Wake 189 – Got some bending and stretching done, esp legs. Got to push and stretch hammies. Chair pistols are still tough! Keep at it. Parties tonight, eat, drink, merriment.