Saturday, October 24, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 85/I'm Special

Maybe I'm not but for the next few weeks, my shoulders should feel like they're getting all the attention.

Why?


This week I started Jeff Anderson's program
Muscle Specialization Secrets. The purpose of this program is to accelerate gains in a particular muscle group that is stubborn and/or lagging behind the others. If you will, the "red-headed step child" of your muscle structure is what we're after here.

I chose to hit my shoulders since they are in some serious need of expansion. Proportionally (see Adonis Effect), I need to add about 5 inches (!!) to match the waist measurement for my height, and weight. Long story short, I need all the help I can get to make King Atlas look like a twig.

The great thing about the Muscle Specialization Secrets program is that it integrates with whatever training program you are currently using. In my case, of course, this is Optimum Anabolics.

WORKOUT - SHOULDER SPECIALIZATION ONLY

The
Week 13, Day 1 base workout focuses on the shoulders. Good place to start, huh?

Warmup: Pull Ups, Crunches (with towel under back)

Superset 1:
Shoulders only (see below)

My shoulder specialization superset:

Superset 2: Standing BB Military Presses, Side DB Lateral Raises


Total Time => 25:00


Comments:

Whoa! The shoulder superset was a lot more difficult than I expected.

My shoulders were completely toast after the specialization set.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN

Post-workout today turned into an Italian feast. I cooked up Italian sausage with green and red peppers from the farmer's market and served it along side of eggplant and a couple leftover rolls from O'Charley's.

This was a bit of heaven on a plate...















Friday, October 23, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 84/Roger Staubach

Today marks the end of Week 12 for me on the Optimum Anabolics program.

12 happens to be the jersey number of my all-time favorite QB, Roger Staubach. My man had more concussions than rushing yards but boy could he throw a football. More importantly, however, he was a leader.

Random, crazy factoid for the day...yours truly "conga"-ed behind Roger at a wedding in Dallas around the time I graduated from college. Too bad there were no iPhones or YouTube back then! (~:

MEASUREMENTS:

Weight: 185.0 LBS (UP 2.5 LBS for week, UP 5.5 LBS total)
BF: 9.5% (according to the calipers I have) (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1.4% total)
Neck: 16-1/4" (UP 1/4" for week, UP 3/4" total)
Chest: 40" (UP 1/4 for week, UP 1/2" total)
Shoulders: 47" (DOWN 1/2" for the week, DOWN 1/2" total)
Biceps: 13-3/4" (UP 1/4"
for week, UP 1/4" total)
Waist: 33-1/2" (UP 1/2" for week, UP 3/4" total)
Thighs: 20" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/4" total)
Calves: 15-1/4" (UP 1/4" for week, UP 1/4" total)
Adonis Effect: 1.403 (DOWN 0.036 for the week, DOWN 0.010 total)




















































WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

This morning's intervals were done on the stationary bike for 28 minutes.

Flying Romans were done for time (30 seconds) today rather than repetitions.

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals):
  • 32 (16 per leg)
  • 34 (17 per leg)
  • 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)
Comments:

Not much soreness to speak of today...just a some stiffness here and there.

Left heel is still sore and I'm still favoring it for the most part. However, walking actually felt normal at times today.

Calves and feet got stretched for 1 minute per side today. I'm also incorporating some hamstring stretches by sitting on the floor with legs out and grabbing my feet. The objective is to try and loosen up my entire leg musculature.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Breakfast, post interval training, was a 2 egg white, 1 whole egg omelet with red and jalapeno peppers and red onion sauteed in coconut oil. I topped 'er off with an ounce of raw, grass fed cheddar cheese and a big spoonful of leftover chili. Look out!

Snack this morning was 1/2 c of yogurt, 4 tsp ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder.

Come lunch time, I opted for another hunk of tahini meatloaf preceded by a Hugh Jass salad of spinach, arugula, carrots, tomato, cucumber, celery, fresh parsley, yellow pepper, and scallions. I dressed it up with a mix of almond butter, chili powder, lemon juice, and milk. Sounds strange, I know, but it was terrific.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 83/3D Abs??

Here is some great information from my good friend, Jeff Anderson, talking about how to do some good ab sculpting while working out. It's important to note that while endless sets of crunches are definitely NOT necessary for excellent abs, it is beneficial to work them out as part of your routine.

Read on!

Check out any local gym and you'll see inexperienced members training their abs with endless sets of situps and crunches, right?

While the abs are predominantly made of Type 1 (endurance) muscle fibers and respond to slightly higher repetition ranges,your abs are made up of muscle just like any other part of your body.

Therefore the best abs exercises to get that "cut" look are those that are resistance-based and treat them like any other muscle.

But there's a special little trick you must know in order to maximize your abs training on your way to having a stacked 6-pack.

In fact, ignoring this principle, could force you to develop "lopsided" abs that are so common among beginner bodybuilders.

Let me share this secret with you now...

The main abdominal muscle you want to be working when training your abs is your "rectus abdominis", that sheet of rippled muscle that goes from your rib cage all the way down the front of your body to your pelvis.

What's unique about this abdominal muscle group is that the upper abs can work separately from the lower abs (to some extent)...BUT when you work your lower abs exercises, your upper abs are ALWAYS working as well.

This is why most people (including myself from years of military training focusing on upper abs) had overdeveloped upper abs but underdeveloped lower abs.

Here's how to correct this...

Make sure you train your LOWER ABS first in your abs workout (ALWAYS!) which brings both upper and lower abs into the workload!

If you don't work your lower abs first, you exhaust your upper abs too soon and when you DO target your lower abs, your upper abs will fatigue too fast and you'll end up with under-targeted lower abs.

So the best exercises for lower abs are:

* Incline Leg Raises
* Incline Knee Ups
* Hanging Leg Raises
* Flat Bench Leg Raises

And then follow up with the best upper abs exercises:

* Crunches
* Weighted Crunches
* Situps
* Hanging Knee Raises


WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

This morning's intervals were done on the stationary bike for 28 minutes.

Flying Romans were done for time (30 seconds) today rather than repetitions.

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals):
  • 31 (16 one leg, 15 the other)
  • 34 (17 per leg)
  • 35 (18 one leg, 17 the other)
Comments:

Sore in my chest today. Sweet!

Just a some stiffness here and there elsewhere.

Left heel is still sore and I'm still favoring it but it does seem to be progressing...slowly. There are times when walking that I completely forget anything is going on down there. Mornings right out of bed are the worst. Walking behind the mower last night seemed fairly normal for the first time in several weeks.

Calves and feet got stretched for 1 minute per side today. I'm continuing to incorporate some hamstring stretches by sitting on the floor with legs straight out and grabbing my feet. The objective is to try and loosen up my entire leg musculature.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

After my interval workout this morning, it was Tex Mex omelet time. First, I cooked up a red jalapeno, half a red bell pepper, and some red onion in coconut oil. To that, I added 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg along with several shakes of the Louisiana Hot Sauce bottle. Once firm in the pan, I folded it in half with 1oz of raw milk cheddar and about 1/4 C of leftover chili in the middle and topped it with medium salsa. My mouth was on fire (pronounced "far!" when eating a Tex Mex omelet)!

I went with the usual 1/2C of yogurt, 4 tsp milled flax seed, and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate powder as a snack around 9:45.

Lunch was spent with my buddy, Hugh Jass (salad), and the last bit of lamb roast that was trying to hide in the fridge. The salad was just a salad but the dressing was most excellent:
  • 2 TBS sesame oil
  • 1 TBS Udo's Oil Blend
  • 2 TBS rice wine vinegar
  • 1 TBS lime juice
  • 1 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos
  • 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro (stirred in after all other ingredients)
This afternoon, I snacked on a 1/2C of cottage cheese and raw cashews, almonds, Brazils, and walnuts.

Right before bed I sloshed down 30g of whey protein isolate powder mixed in about a cup of water.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 82/Kre-Alkalyn Pro

You may recall from an earlier post that one of my supplements of choice is creatine monohydrate. It is the most studied, tested, and most importantly, proven supplements on the market today. Of late, I've been reading that creatine should really be the only supplement you take that is for muscle building. If you do any looking around on the internet, you'll notice there are all sorts of combinations and versions of creatine. So which do you choose?

Everything I've read seems to indicate that creatine monohydrate, the very first form of creatine introduced to the market, is the best. I must say that I have gotten very good results with it and would therefore recommend it to anyone looking for muscle fullness. It also is becoming a supplement for seniors looking to maintain their muscle, as well.

The latest type of creatine to show up in the marketplace is Kre-Alkalyn by All American EFX. I signed up for a sample through SuperHumanRadio, received it in the mail (for the price of "on the house"!), and took two pills per the instructions prior to my workout for three days.

Whoa!

This stuff was powerful in the energy department. I worked out *very* hard the past 3 days. In addition, my muscles felt like they were pumped up for several hours after my workout.

Verdict: Kre-Alkalyn Pro does what is says it will do...give you amazing pumps.

The downside was that I had the jitters and was shaky for all morning and for a while into the afternoons. Not fun. I'm wondering if it's because I was taking it in a fasted state first thing in the morning.

I personally will be sticking to the original...creatine monohydrate.


WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS

2 supersets of the Week 12, Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work

Superset 1: DB Flyes (on stability ball), Dips - Chest version

Superset 2: DB Pullover, Bench Press (Flat)

Superset 3: Reverse Ball Crunches, Mountain Climbers (plus 15 LBS per ankle)

Total Time => 38:32

Comments:

Workout was a little sluggish and "choppy" today. Never got in the zone.

I went with 5 LB ankle weights with 10 LBS attached while doing mountain climbers. Holy moly.

It was an average week...jumbled schedules, 2 nights of sub-par sleep, and not the greatest nutrition.

I'm ready to mix things back up next week!


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Since dinner was the only true highlight of the day, it's the only meal I'll post. It was good enough to deserve the spotlight, anyway. ;-)

Asian Spicy Shrimp over roasted spaghetti squash along side steamed broccoli...
















Of course, I had my 30g of plain whey protein isolate powder before heading off to bed, too.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 81/Tuesday

Just a quick workout and diet summary today.

**YAWN**

WORKOUT - BACK

All 3 supersets of the Week 12, Day 4 workout were focused on the back.

Superset 1: Twisting DB Rows, Pull Ups (Assisted)
Superset 2:
Wide Arm Cable Row, Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Superset 3: Close Grip Cable Row, Wide Arm Lat Pull Downs

Total Time => 38:02

Comments:

Focused on my form again today.

Struggled with pull ups even more than usual. Not sure what was up with that.

I felt very strong during the remainder of the workout.

My grip muscles got a bit of a break but still plenty of pulling during this workout.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Post workout breakfast was a homemade grass fed beef Italian sausage patty with 1 oz. of grass fed, organic mozzarella cheese topped with 2 TBS of organic pasta sauce. To carb up, I had some leftover Easy Overnight Oatmeal and mixed in some sweet potato pie and maple syrup. Delicious!

Mid-morning I reached for a 1/2C of plain yogurt with 4 tsp milled flax seed and 1/3 scoop of protein powder mixed in.

For lunch, wasabi salmon from
Ultra-Metabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman was back on the menu. I stuffed what I could into a green/red pepper from the farmer's market and then stuffed the rest in my face with a spoon. :-)

Mid-afternoon, I snacked on the last homemade protein bar from the previous weeks batch.


The fall weather was gorgeous here today (Indian summer??) so we fired up the grill and covered it with chicken breast tenders from Trader Joe's. While the chicken was grilling, I heated up a plateful of roasted spaghetti squash and cut up an ounce of grass fed mozzarella cheese. Once the chicken was done, it was plated up and covered with TJ's new Putanesca tomato sauce and
"parm".

For overnight muscle-building, I drank 30g of whey protein isolate powder mixed up in water.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 80/Poofy Product Review

As some of you know, my skin, at times, can be as dry as a mouthful of saltine crackers and look like the bottom of a drought-stricken lake in August. This condition has me on a continuous search for the best lotion available...particularly come winter time.

To make things even more interesting, my lotion must now be all but toxin free and preferably organic.
The thought process behind this is that your skin is your largest organ and absorbs nearly everything around it or put on it into your body. If I'm putting less and less chemical crap into my mouth, I felt I best be doing the same with my skin. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the lotion is not edible (not in the gourmet meal sense), it's not going on my skin. No more methyl paraben for me, please.

Following a link from Annie D. over at
enLightened Life, I stumbled on Poofy Organics and purchased their unscented hand and body lotion. Check out the ingredient list:

Distilled water, organic sweet almond oil, organic shea butter, organic vegetable glycerin, emulsifying wax, organic rosemary extract. Scented lotions contain organic & natural essential oils, benzoin gum.

Short and sweet. Just the way I like it.

I can blow through an 8 oz bottle pretty quickly, so I was hesitant to fork over $13 plus shipping but I wanted to at least give it a shot.

I was not disappointed.

The lotion was extremely thick which meant that just a little covered a whole lotta body. It was also very effective in keeping my leather crack-free. The best part for this guy...no stinky perfume! The fact that the product comes with an expiration date is an added bonus. You know it's fresh!

I have some other products in line to be tested but would not hesitate to order from Poofy Organics again in the future.

WORKOUT - LEGS

All 3 supersets of the
Week 12, Day 3 workout were leg related.

Superset 1: Leg Extensions, Reverse DB Lunges
Superset 2: Standing Calf Raises, Dead Lifts

Superset 3: Donkey Calf Negatives, Bulgarian Split Squats


Total Time => 39:22


Comments:

Lunges kicked my butt today.

Even better this week at the Bulgarian split squats. Just about have the weight dialed in.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Post workout breakfast was 2 eggs over easy in coconut oil which I chopped up over a "white death" roll topped with Louisiana hot sauce. For carbs (and some extra protein), I got the blender going with a "banana berry" smoothie:
  • 1C almond milk
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1C frozen strawberries
  • 1TBS Udo's Oil Blend
  • 1 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 handfuls of ice
Snack this morning was 1/2C of plain yogurt with 4 tsp ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate powder.

At lunch time, I had a big salad of spinach, arugula, carrots, tomato, green onion, celery, parsley, red pepper, and zucchini followed by the last piece of tahini meatloaf. To dress the salad I mixed up 1 TBS almond butter, 2 TBS lime juice, 2 TBS almond milk, and 1/2 tsp chili powder.


This afternoon, I had a 1/2C of cottage cheese and raw walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, and cashews for a snack.


We've been grooving on the pan-browned fish (mahi-mahi is our current favorite) recipe from
The Ultra Metabolism Cookbook so we thought "what the heck? Let's have it again!". On the side we pan-roasted sliced yellow squash in a couple tablespoons of "butter" with lemon pepper. Dessert was a few pieces of left over roasted kabocha squash. Perfect!

Just before bed, I slammed 30g of whey protein isolate powder mixed in a cup or so of water.


Sunday, October 18, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 79/The Godfaddah (& Momma)

This morning, Christina and I had the honor of becoming Godparents to little Brenna Elizabeth Sampson. Pretty cool, huh? Brenna is the beautiful youngest daughter of our good friends Adriann and Don Sampson. Christina and Adriann spent their entire school-age years together and went to the same church growing up. So close are these two that Adriann was the co-officiant at our wedding! Very cool.

The proud Godparents...

















The happy family and Pastor Megan...

















The whole gang...



















WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS

The Week 12, Day 2 workout included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.

Superset 1: DB Concentration Curls, Cable Push Downs
Superset 2: Twisting DB Curls, Dips (tricep version)
Superset 3: Plank (1 minute hold on stability ball), Stability Ball Jackknife

Total Time => 37:28

Comments:

It seems my biceps and triceps are getting significantly stronger each week.

Stability ball plank holds were tough when combined with the jackknifes (jackknives??...haha).

Worked out later in the day (6:30 P.M. ±) today and felt like I had more strength.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

The hotel we stayed at provided us (ok, me at least) with vouchers for the hot breakfast buffet. This was not a high-end meal but not too bad, either. Comparable to the $10 buffets out in Vegas. Anyway, since this was not a post-workout meal, I ditched the carbs and had a plate full of scrambled eggs with some bacon and sausage while waiting for my made-to-order omelet. (:

The omelet was actually quite good. The kitchen stuffed it full of green peppers, onions, mushrooms, ham, and cheddar cheese. Holy protein.


Lunch after church and the baptism was family-style Chinese. I could have went nutso and pigged out because everything was so good but I kept a solid hold on the reins. Amish pumpkin pie and ice cream made up dessert. Somehow I managed to only have one piece of that, too. Clearly I was not focused. (~:


On the way back to Columbus, I did a little post workout meal pre-planning and stopped at my college-days employer,
Pizza Oven (a local Italian family run establishment), for a take out pizza. I took home a bianco (white) pizza topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, mushrooms, and provolone cheese. Ahhh the memories!

After shoveling the 'za in my face just like the old days, I had some leftover sweet potato pie for dessert.
What a wild day of eating this was...

So glad to be home, too.


Saturday, October 17, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 78/Deacon Dad

Last September, my dad was ordained as a Deacon in the Roman Catholic (Cat-lick as we like to say) Church. Today, just a little over a year later, he had the opportunity to preside over his wedding ceremony and give the homily (sermon).

Christina, my mom, and I managed to sneak in to witness the event and snap a couple photos.

Despite a shaky start (he almost lost it when the bride came down the aisle), he gathered himself and gave a stellar homily on blessings. I'm pretty sure my mom and I cried more than the rest of the congregation combined.

Listening to the readings and staying safe from the Swine Flu (note hand sanitizer)...























Getting ready to officially announce the new couple:

















It was a fun day and I'm very glad Christina and I made the trip. Nice job, Dad! We're proud of you!


WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

Week 12 of the Optimum Anabolics program is the 3rd of 3 weeks of lighter workouts. Rest period remains at 3 minutes between supersets and the number of repetitions of each exercise are reasonable.

Superset 1: Lying Cable Pullovers, Barbell Military Press
Superset 2: Dip Bar Shrugs, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: DB Shrugs, Twisting DB Presses

Total Time => 37:20

Comments:

Increased the weights used just a touch today. Still made sure I was not going all the way to failure.

I did 15 minutes on the stationary bike after the weights for some light cardio work.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Dinner was for breakfast this morning after my workout. I started off with leftover gluten-free pizza topped with onions, green peppers, mushrooms, grass fed beef sausage, and grass fed, organic mozzarella cheese.

Dessert was unbelievable. The leftover roasted pie pumpkin was warmed in the oven during my workout. Just before eating, I mixed in a frozen banana, maple syrup, and the last square of Ghirardelli dark chocolate. The Great Pumpkin would be proud. (~:
















Before we hit the road, I blended up a smoothie for a quick lunch later in the day. The Kitchen Aide whipped up:
  • 1c of chilled Best Coffee Ever
  • 1c of whole Snowville Creamery milk
  • 2 scoops of plain whey protein isolate powder
  • 2 TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 TBS Udo's Oil Blend
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp chocolate extract
  • 1/4 tsp corn starch
  • 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
Mom cooked up a feast for dinner of horseradish beef pot roast, carrots, and potatoes with gravy. Christina and I supplied the Brussels sprouts from yesterday's farmer's market and gluten free, dairy free sweet potato pie! Somehow I missed getting a picture of the pie but check out the size of the sweet potato we used!
















Friday, October 16, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 77/Double Ones

Week 11 on the Optimum Anabolics program has come to a close.

Overall, it was a good week. My workouts when very smoothly. I ate a lot of food but everything was clean. Reviewing the week in my head, I believe there was zero restaurant food in my diet the past 7 days. Interesting...

Time to see how the data looks:


MEASUREMENTS:

Weight: 182.5 LBS (DOWN 0.5 LBS for week, UP 3.0 LBS total)
BF: 9.5% (according to the calipers I have) (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1.4% total)
Neck: 16" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/2" total)
Chest: 39-3/4" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/4" total)
Shoulders: 47-1/2" (UP 1/2" for the week, NO CHANGE total)
Biceps: 13-1/2" (NO CHANGE
for week, NO CHANGE total)
Waist: 33" (DOWN 1/2" for week, UP 1/4" total)
Thighs: 20" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/4" total)
Calves: 15" (DOWN 1/4" for week, NO CHANGE total)
Adonis Effect: 1.439 (UP 0.036 for the week, UP 0.026 total)




WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

This morning's intervals were done on the stationary bike for 28 minutes.

Flying Romans were done for time (30 seconds) today rather than repetitions.

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals):
  • 32 (16 per leg)
  • 34 (17 per leg)
  • 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)
Comments:

Not much soreness to speak of today...just a some stiffness here and there.

Left heel is still sore and I'm still favoring it for the most part. However, walking actually felt normal at times today.

Calves and feet got stretched for 1 minute per side today. I'm also incorporating some hamstring stretches by sitting on the floor with legs out and grabbing my feet. The objective is to try and loosen up my entire leg musculature.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Breakfast, post interval training, was a 2 egg white, 1 whole egg omelet with red and jalapeno peppers and red onion sauteed in coconut oil. I topped 'er off with an ounce of raw, grass fed cheddar cheese and a big spoonful of leftover chili. Look out!

Snack this morning was 1/2 c of yogurt, 4 tsp ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder.

Come lunch time, I opted for another hunk of tahini meatloaf preceded by a Hugh Jass salad of spinach, arugula, carrots, tomato, cucumber, celery, fresh parsley, yellow pepper, and scallions. I dressed it up with a mix of almond butter, chili powder, lemon juice, and milk. Sounds strange, I know, but it was terrific.

Mid-afternoon I had another homemade protein bar along with a few Brazil nuts.

For dinner, Christina and I heated up the last of the lamb roast to which I added the last of the broccoli from the farmer's market. Such a great meal.

We baked TWO sweet potato pies (photos, etc. to come later. Patience!) after dinner so I, of course, had to do some sampling which made for a nice dessert.

Just before bed, I had my usual 30g of protein powder mixed with water.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 76/Choices, Choices

With the approach of winter another season is also upon us...the so-called flu season. Time to get your flu shot, right? And the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine, too, yes?


I have my own (very strong) opinions regarding the seasonal flu, swine flu, and their respective vaccines. Lately I have found that, for the most part, it's an all or nothing game. You're either for the vaccinations or you're not.


Which side of the fence do you fall on?


No matter where you stand, I *highly* recommend you check out the following resources and come to your own conclusions. If you only have time (10 minutes) to check out one item, watch the video embedded in the first link.


http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2009/10/15/does-the-flu-vaccine-work/

http://www.naturalnews.com/027239_vaccines_flu_vaccine_.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1


Wishing health, both short and long term, to all of you.



WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

This morning's intervals were done on the stationary bike for 28 minutes.

Flying Romans were done for time (30 seconds) today rather than repetitions.

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals, 15 per leg):
  • 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)
  • 34 (17 per leg)
  • 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)
Comments:

Not much soreness to speak of today...just a some stiffness here and there.

Left heel is still sore and I'm still favoring it. I have noticed that if I put full weight on it when walking, the pain lessens somewhat and the stiffness also diminishes. Interesting...

Calves and feet got stretched for 1 minute per side today. I'm also incorporating some hamstring stretches by sitting on the floor with legs out and grabbing my feet. The objective is to try and loosen up my entire leg musculature.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

After my intervals this morning, I took the smoothie route for breakfast. Today's "toffee" smoothie had:
  • 1 C chilled Cafe Brioso coffee
  • 1 C Snowville Creamery whole milk
  • 1 big scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder
  • 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 TBS coconut milk
  • 1 TBS Udo's Oil blend
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum
Mid-morning, I had a 1/2 cup of yogurt mixed up with 4 tsp of ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate.

Lunch was cashew chicken salad (modified to lower the carbs by deleting the noodles) from Dr. Hyman's book The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook.

For a snack this afternoon, I went with one of my homemade protein bars and a few Brazil nuts.

Leftover chicken parmigiana and roasted spaghetti squash along with some steamed Brussels sprouts made the plate for dinner.

After roasting our sweet potato for later pie making, I stuck 1C of whole milk in the warm oven and mixed in my whey protein isolate powder as a snack before bed. Mmmm...warm milk.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 75/Squashed

Shopping at and making meals from the fresh fare at the local farmer's markets also leads to, for the most part, seasonal buying. I definitely had my fill of lettuces in the spring, cucumbers and zucchini in the summer, and tomatoes and peppers during the late summer/early fall. Now that we are deep into fall, the hard squash and winter veggies are all the rage. Over the past couple of weeks, we've munched on or purchased:
  • yellow
  • spaghetti
  • acorn
  • butternut
  • buttercup (kabocha)
  • pumpkin
  • sweet potato
Here's what we did with each so far:

Yellow - sliced up, sauteed with butter/oil and lemon pepper seasoning. Easy side dish!

Spaghetti - cut in half, roasted in 400* oven for 45 minutes. Nutritious pasta!


Acorn - still sitting on our counter awaiting consumption.


Butternut - see "Acorn". Christina bought a fry cutter the other day, tho, so this one could be gone soon! (~:


Kabocha (buttercup) - this was new to both of us. We sliced it thin (1/4" to 1/2") and roasted the pieces on parchment paper in a 400* oven for about 40 minutes (20 mins per side). Before roasting, we coated the pieces in brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, salt, and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Sweet, spicy, and salty. This was a side dish and dessert all in one!


Pumpkin - cut in half, roasted in 400* oven for 45 minutes. Mixed up with cinnamon and nutmeg in the food processor and used as a topping on oatmeal. So good!


Sweet Potato - we'll be making pie to take to my parent's house later in the week!


As you can see, these fall and winter foods are very versatile. Head out and buy what you can (or pick your own!). The markets won't be around too much longer but squash come in their own container (their shell (: ) and can be stored for most of the winter.




WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS

2 supersets of the Week 11, Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work

Superset 1: DB Flyes (on stability ball), Dips - Chest version

Superset 2: DB Pullover, Bench Press (Flat)

Superset 3: Reverse Ball Crunches, Mountain Climbers (plus 12-1/2 LBS per ankle)

Total Time => 40:29

Comments:

I made it through all the sets of dips without needing any assistance. Sweet. Creatine perhaps?

I went with 5 LB ankle weights with 7-1/2 LBS attached while doing mountain climbers.

It was good to have longer rest periods again this week.

I enjoyed changing up the exercises, also.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)


Post workout breakfast was a homemade grass fed beef Italian sausage patty with 1 oz. of grass fed, organic mozzarella cheese and Easy Overnight Oatmeal, of course. Inspired by Polly, I mixed in some roasted pie pumpkin and maple syrup.

Mid-morning, I had a 1/2 cup of yogurt (back to the regular kind) mixed up with 4 tsp of ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate.

For lunch I once again heated up a hunk of tahini covered meatloaf and had a big ol' salad with spinach, arugula, carrots, celery, tomato, red pepper, and scallions.

Mid-afternoon I had a snack of 1/2C of cottage cheese and raw cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, and walnuts.

We repeated the pan-browned tilapia (we used mahi-mahi) recipe from our favorite cookbook, The Ultra Metabolism Cookbook for dinner tonight. As a side dish, we roasted up the buttercup (kabocha) squash (see above).
















Late snack: 20g of whey protein isolate powder in 1C of milk

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 74/Homemade Protein Bars

In an attempt to mix up my snack routine, I did some looking around and found a recipe for making your own protein bars. Easy, portable, convenient, and cheap. Perfect.

A note of caution: this recipe is not for the fat or calorie fearing folks.

Better sit down for this long ingredient list :)
  1. Natural Nut Butter of your choice – I used almond butter
  2. Heavy/Double Cream - I used full fat coconut milk this time around
  3. Whey Protein – The flavor of your choice.
Almond butter and protein in the bowl prior to mixing:
















Got it nice and crumbly for addition of coconut milk (did not use the milk this time):


















Snack time!
















WORKOUT - BACK


All 3 supersets of the Week 11, Day 4 workout were focused on the back.

Superset 1: Twisting DB Rows, Pull Ups (Assisted)
Superset 2:
Wide Arm Cable Row, Close Grip Lat Pull Down Superset 3: Close Grip Cable Row, Wide Arm Lat Pull Downs
Total Time => 38:48

Comments:

Focused on my form today.

My grip muscles got a bit of a break but still plenty of pulling during this workout.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

After my workout this morning I cooked up a 2 egg white and 1 whole egg omelet. I mixed in some red onion and bell pepper sauteed in coconut oil and topped it off with 1 oz of grass fed mozzarella cheese. For carbs, I made a primal waffle sandwich with chocolate and maple syrup...

















In hindsight, I should have glopped on some of the roasted pie pumpkin. Next time!

Mid-morning, I had a 1/2 cup of yogurt (back to the regular kind) mixed up with 4 tsp of ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate.


For lunch I heated up a hunk of tahini covered meatloaf and had a big ol' salad with spinach, arugula, carrots, celery, tomato, red pepper, and scallions.


See photo above for afternoon snack details.

Leftover lamb roast with steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts (fresh, local veggies from the farmer's market today!) on the side was dinner tonight.
















Look at that plate of veggies!

Pre-bed snack was 30g of whey protein isolate powder mixed in water.


Monday, October 12, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 73/That's A Crock

Since we got the crock pot out of seasonal storage last night for the lamb roast, it seemed like a good opportunity to bring back a favorite breakfast recipe...Easy Overnight Oatmeal.

This recipe is SO easy...
  • 4 C milk (or almond milk for us)
  • 2 C oats (gluten free for us)
  • 1 C chopped walnuts (I threw in some almonds, too)
  • 2 Apples chopped (local, organic)
  • 2 TBS butter (we used Earth Balance to keep it dairy free)
  • 2 TBS brown sugar (we left this out...we'll add as we go, if needed)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt (sea salt for us)
  • 1 C raisins (no luck finding organic at the store today)

Put everything above in the crock on low heat before heading off to bed and it's ready for you in the morning!

The lineup before cooking:

















WORKOUT - LEGS

All 3 supersets of the
Week 11, Day 3 workout were leg related.

Superset 1: Leg Extensions, Reverse DB Lunges
Superset 2: Standing Calf Raises, Dead Lifts

Superset 3: Donkey Calf Negatives, Bulgarian Split Squats


Total Time => 39:23


Comments:

Great work on the lunges today.

Much better with the Bulgarian split squats today. What a great exercise. I'm still experimenting with weight ranges.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Post workout breakfast was a homemade grass fed beef Italian sausage patty with 1 oz. of grass fed, organic mozzarella cheese and Easy Overnight Oatmeal, of course. Inspired by Polly, I mixed in some roasted pie pumpkin and maple syrup...















Wow!

Mid-morning, I had a 1/2 cup of yogurt (back to the regular kind) mixed up with 4 tsp of ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate.

Lunch was cashew chicken salad (modified) from Dr. Hyman's book The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook. The best part of this dish, in my opinion, is the dressing:
  • 1 TBS of cashew butter (I used tahini)
  • 2 TBS of lime juice
  • 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
  • 1 TBS minced garlic (look out vampires!)
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
This combination could and should be mass produced and sold at the markets. Outstanding.

I snacked on raw nuts and cottage cheese this afternoon.

At dinner time, we roasted up a spaghetti squash and had that along side an on-the-fly chicken parmesan. This meal turned out so good thanks to the sauce Christina found at Trader Joe's today...Putanessca. What a find!
















Pre-bed, I had 30g of whey protein isolate powder mixed in water along with my supplements.


Sunday, October 11, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 72/Gluten Free, Dairy Free Waffles

There are times when I do not care for the internet. Today, I love it.

Not too long before my wife determined it was in her best interest to not consume dairy or gluten, I had hooked her on homemade waffles (and pancakes). My mom could make a heck of a waffle so they were Sunday morning, post-church comfort food for me growing up. But how to make them gluten free, dairy free, AND taste good had me scratching my head.


I had been craving waffles lately and then it happened. One of the blogs I follow, Mark's Daily Apple (thanks, Heather), recently posted a link to a grain-free waffle recipe. With a substitution of coconut milk for cow's milk we made it dairy free, too. Beautiful!

Grain-free Gluten-free Waffles:

  • 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 Tbsp milk (we used coconut milk)
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • Optional – 1 Tbsp maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener (we'll use more next batch)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 Tbsp coconut flour
Simply mix everything together, and let the ingredients meld for about 5 minutes (or during your workout :-) while your waffle iron gets warm. The coconut flour seems to react better if it has time to “soak” so please don’t leave out this “melding” time.

Then, thinly spread over your waffle iron – I didn’t need to use nonstick spray for these. You’ll want to just barely cover the “hole” lumps of the waffle iron, because this batter expands a lot.

Close the iron and wait several minutes, until the steam stops coming out quite as much. If you want, you can open it to peek… it won’t hurt anything. When the steam isn’t as crazy, and the waffles are starting to brown, remove them to a plate.

The verdict? Delicious!

I would not hesitate to serve these to any waffle lover.


WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS

The Week 11, Day 2 workout included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.

Superset 1: DB Concentration Curls, Cable Push Downs
Superset 2: Twisting DB Curls, Dips (tricep version)
Superset 3: Plank (1 minute hold on stability ball), Stability Ball Jackknife

Total Time => 38:29

Comments:

It seems my biceps and triceps are getting significantly stronger each week.

Stability ball plank holds were tough when combined with the jackknifes (jackknives??...haha).

Mowed the lawn (again) this afternoon for some "extra credit" cardio.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Breakfast was later in the morning after my workout and included waffles (see above) covered in homemade chocolate syrup (maple syrup and coco powder) and homemade bacon from my friends at Bluescreek Farm Meats. Awesome breakfast, fun pictures. :)






































Since breakfast was late today, I skipped lunch and had a mid-afternoon snack of cottage cheese and raw walnuts, almonds, brazils, and cashews.

Earlier in the day, I dusted off the crock pot (literally) and put dinner in to cook. A 3+ LB lamb shoulder roast (also from Bluescreek Farm Meats) simmered all day long in chicken broth, spices, and onions. Outstanding. I think I could have eaten the whole roast...it was that good.

Before bed, I had my 30g of whey protein isolate powder and called it a day.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 71/Soul Fitness

Too often my focus gets caught up in the physical aspects of life...workouts, nutrition, work, business, etc. Being in excellent Overall Fitness, however, involves balance and not just the kind where you stand on one foot. I'm talking about the well-being of your soul.

Mid-morning today, Christina and I made the trek to downtown C'bus to attend the 2009 version of the Universal Light Expo. This year there were over 300 vendors advertising and/or selling services such as reiki, psychic readings, massage, alternative medicine and selling items like jewelry, gems and stones, and hand crafted items.

This was our first time attending and what a great experience it was. I left feeling very energized and peaceful. We saw many friends from our spiritual community, met all sorts of interesting people, and were introduced to new stuff we had not seen or heard of previously. For example, one vendor was relieving back stress/pain by manipulating various bones just by asking them to move. I'm all about alternative medicine so this was incredible stuff.

My point is that sometimes we all need to put aside our physical body and play with our soul. It needs attention, too.

What do you do to give your soul the attention it needs? Listen to music? Meditate? Cook? Paint? Blog (hehe)?


WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

Week 11 of the Optimum Anabolics program is the 2nd of 3 weeks of lighter workouts. Rest period remains at 3 minutes between supersets and the number of repetitions of each exercise are reasonable.

Superset 1: Lying Cable Pullovers, Barbell Military Press
Superset 2: Dip Bar Shrugs, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: DB Shrugs, Twisting DB Presses

Total Time => 36:19

Comments:

I was pleased with the weights I was able to do with these exercises.

It was a good workout despite not needing to push my muscles to failure.

I took a 15 minute bike ride after the weights for some light cardio work.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Before heading out to the expo this morning, I cranked up the blender and made a "chocoffee" smoothie to get me going.
  • 1 C of chilled Cafe Brioso coffee
  • 1 C of Snowville Creamery whole milk
  • 2 scoops of plain whey protein isolate powder
  • 2 TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 TBS Udo's Oil blend
  • 2 TBS+ of coconut milk
  • 1/4 tsp stevia
  • 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum
Christina and I ate lunch out today at Ted's (as in Ted Turner) Montana Grill. We had not been in a long while and once again left happy. The corporation behind the name gets more impressive every time I go there. Here are some highlights...
  • Fresh, never frozen, bison meat direct from Ted's ranch
  • Extensive gluten-free menu
  • Use of recycled paper for menus and table coverings
  • Use of low energy bulbs and fixtures
  • Paper straws
  • Complimentary pickles (instead of rolls!) made fresh daily
Pretty cool, huh?

Needless to say, we both had bison burgers (no bun!) along with plenty of pickles and green beans for me.

It was pizza time for dinner after my workout. We used Gluten Free Pantry's crust and topped it off with peppers, onion, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and home made grass fed beef sausage. My "zah" also had grass fed mozzarella cheese all over it. Tremendous.

For dessert, I snarfed down two cookies I picked up today from Omega Aristan Baking at The North Market. I might or might not have had a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, too.

Just before heading off for the night, I shook up a quick protein drink.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Optimum Anabolics - Day 70/Half Time

Today marks the end of the 10th week on the Optimum Anabolics program. If I did my math right, that puts me right at the half way point. 10 weeks down, 10 to go.

Despite not yet exploding into the Incredible Hulk, I am pleased with where I'm at (except for the heel pain) and am really enjoying the
Optimum Anabolics workouts. My past experience with other programs would have me getting rather bored at this point. Not the case at all here. I'm looking forward to another 10 weeks. In case you're wondering, that's the week before Christmas. Have you started your shopping yet? (~:

Ok, here is what the measuring devices had to say followed by a few progress photos:

MEASUREMENTS:

Weight: 183.0 LBS (UP 1.5 LBS for week, UP 3.5 LBS total)
BF: 9.5% (according to the calipers I have) (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1.4% total)
Neck: 16" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/2" total)
Chest: 39-3/4" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/4" total)
Shoulders: 47" (UP 1/2" for the week, DOWN 1/2" total)
Biceps: 13-1/2" (NO CHANGE
for week, NO CHANGE total)
Waist: 33-1/2" (UP 1/4 for week, UP 3/4" total)
Thighs: 20" (NO CHANGE for week, UP 1/4" total)
Calves: 15-1/4" (UP 1/4" for week, UP 1/4" total)
Adonis Effect: 1.403 (UP 0.012 for the week, DOWN 0.010 total)



































































WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

This morning's intervals were done on the stationary bike for 28 minutes.

Continued to work on getting faster at the Flying Romans.


Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals, 15 per leg):
  • 30 seconds
  • 28 seconds(!)
  • 27 seconds(!)
Comments:

As I mentioned yesterday, now that I have cracked the 30 second mark on the Roman's, next week I'll set the timer for 30 seconds and see how many I can do.

Not much soreness to speak of today. I'm fine with that since this is part of the lighter cycle.

Left heel is still sore and I'm still favoring it. Progress? I'll describe it as "no change".

Cardio over the weekend will continue to be bike rides only to rest the foot.

Calves and feet got stretched for 2 minutes per side today.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Post workout this morning I again went with a 1 egg and 2 egg white omelet. Mixed in was yellow pepper and red onion sauteed in coconut oil. I topped the omelet off with 2 oz of raw organic sharp cheddar cheese and a few shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Mid-morning, I snacked on 1/2 c Greek style yogurt mixed up with ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder.

At lunch time, me and 3 co-workers headed out to Champps restaurant. I studied the menu on line ahead of time and opted for the Greek salad with grilled chicken and the dressing on the side. Turned out to be a great salad served in a bowl that was the size of a bathtub. Anyone know the Greek term for "Hugh Jass"? (~:

My lunch salad was so large and satisfying that I decided to skip my afternoon snack.

We relaxed a bit at dinner and re-heated the chili that Christina made earlier in the week. Chili and Fall weather go so well together. For some added nutrition, I steamed up a plateful of fresh broccoli from the farmer's market, drizzled it with Udo's Oil, and sprinkled it with sea salt. Awesome.

30g of whey protein isolate and a cup or so of water went down the hatch just before bed.