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.
Showing posts with label Dr. Hyman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Hyman. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 66/Do The Splits
In an effort to mix things up (muscle confusion rocks), I added a new exercise to the regimen this morning. Bulgarian split squats.
Check out this 50 second instructional video on how to do these.
The reasons I chose to slip these into the workout are:
This morning was my first attempt and it required some "on the fly" adjustments. It also took a few reps to figure out my optimal weight and feet position to keep my shin bone perpendicular to the floor.
WORKOUT - LEGS
All 3 supersets of the Week 10, 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 => 43:32
Comments:
Getting much better at the lunges...strong core and solid balance.
Dead lifts have become my favorite exercise. If I had to pick only one exercise to do for the remainder of my days, it would be dead lifts.
There was a learning curve involved with the Bulgarian split squats. Next week should go smoother.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)
This morning's post workout breakfast was rather quick and easy. I thawed out two of Polly's oaty cakes and put them into a warm oven before my workout. These got gobbled up with organic butter and Ohio maple syrup. For some protein, I heated up a grass fed beef sausage patty that was grilled up over the weekend.
There was a manager's special going on at the grocery this past weekend on Greek style yogurt. That, along with 1/3 scoop whey protein isolate, and 4 tsp of ground flax seed was my mid-morning snack today. Dang yummy!
For lunch I had wasabi salmon from Dr. Mark Hyman's book Ultra-Metabolism stuffed into a red bell pepper. Pepper season is about over here in Ohio so I'm trying to sneak them in wherever I can.
Mid-afternoon, I snacked on a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and raw almonds, cashews, Brazils, and walnuts.
Dinner was our usual grass fed beef meatloaf prepared by Chef Christina with steamed broccoli and green beans from the farmer's market. We added a bit of a twist tonight, though, and topped the meatloaf with a tahini sauce inspired by my blog buddy Heather. Thanks HEAB! It was a great addition.
Before bed, I slurped down 30 grams of whey protein isolate powder shook up with a 1/2 cup or so of water. The taste? Quite a bit like milk, actually.
Check out this 50 second instructional video on how to do these.
The reasons I chose to slip these into the workout are:
- Isolation. Any time you can work one limb at a time rather than two (think dumb bells instead of bar presses or bar curls) you are far better off. One part cannot lag the other using this method.
- Convenient. Not much set up involved here. Ok, none. No excuses for not being able to perform this one.
- Full Body Activation. While working one leg at a time, the remainder of your body must kick it in to keep you upright. Proper form ensures your core and shoulders will feel this one, too.
This morning was my first attempt and it required some "on the fly" adjustments. It also took a few reps to figure out my optimal weight and feet position to keep my shin bone perpendicular to the floor.
WORKOUT - LEGS
All 3 supersets of the Week 10, 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 => 43:32
Comments:
Getting much better at the lunges...strong core and solid balance.
Dead lifts have become my favorite exercise. If I had to pick only one exercise to do for the remainder of my days, it would be dead lifts.
There was a learning curve involved with the Bulgarian split squats. Next week should go smoother.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)
This morning's post workout breakfast was rather quick and easy. I thawed out two of Polly's oaty cakes and put them into a warm oven before my workout. These got gobbled up with organic butter and Ohio maple syrup. For some protein, I heated up a grass fed beef sausage patty that was grilled up over the weekend.
There was a manager's special going on at the grocery this past weekend on Greek style yogurt. That, along with 1/3 scoop whey protein isolate, and 4 tsp of ground flax seed was my mid-morning snack today. Dang yummy!
For lunch I had wasabi salmon from Dr. Mark Hyman's book Ultra-Metabolism stuffed into a red bell pepper. Pepper season is about over here in Ohio so I'm trying to sneak them in wherever I can.
Mid-afternoon, I snacked on a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and raw almonds, cashews, Brazils, and walnuts.
Dinner was our usual grass fed beef meatloaf prepared by Chef Christina with steamed broccoli and green beans from the farmer's market. We added a bit of a twist tonight, though, and topped the meatloaf with a tahini sauce inspired by my blog buddy Heather. Thanks HEAB! It was a great addition.
Before bed, I slurped down 30 grams of whey protein isolate powder shook up with a 1/2 cup or so of water. The taste? Quite a bit like milk, actually.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 35/Week 5 Is In The Books
Hard to believe another week has passed.
My results continue to be rather so-so. Considering the program says this 3 week period (Weeks 4, 5, and 6) are designed to be easier on the muscles, I guess this makes some sense.
One more week of light (relatively) lifting then it's back to pushing my muscles hard. Also, after 6 weeks of the same ol', same ol', my diet will change significantly. Stay tuned!
MEASUREMENTS:
Weight: 179.0 LBS (UP 1.0 LB for week, DOWN 0.5 LBS total)
BF: 8.1% (according to the calipers I have) (NO change)
Neck: 15-1/2" (NO change)
Chest: 39" (NO change for week, DOWN 1/2" total)
Shoulders: 47-1/4" (UP 1/2" for the week(!!), DOWN 1/4" total)
Biceps: 13-1/2" (UP 1/4" for week, NO change total)
Waist: 33-1/4" (UP 1/2" for week, UP 1/2" total)
Thighs: 19-1/2" (DOWN 1/4" for week, DOWN 1/4" total)
Calves: 14-3/4" (NO change for week, DOWN 1/4" total)
Adonis Effect: 1.421 (UP 0.018 for the week, UP 0.016 total)
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
My lungs and breathing were quite good today again so I jogged and rode the bike even faster today than yesterday.
I should mention that I've been walking at a good pace for 5 minutes or so prior to hopping on the bike for the first interval.
Here is today's intervals:
Comments:
Abs STILL feeling those reverse ball crunches!
Left heel was better today. Must keep stretching and rolling!
Calves and feet got stretched for 2 minutes per side today rather than the usual 1 minute per side.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
For breakfast I another quarter of this new recipe from yesterday. Very, very good!
How to use a pepper for a salsa scoop...
My results continue to be rather so-so. Considering the program says this 3 week period (Weeks 4, 5, and 6) are designed to be easier on the muscles, I guess this makes some sense.
One more week of light (relatively) lifting then it's back to pushing my muscles hard. Also, after 6 weeks of the same ol', same ol', my diet will change significantly. Stay tuned!
MEASUREMENTS:
Weight: 179.0 LBS (UP 1.0 LB for week, DOWN 0.5 LBS total)
BF: 8.1% (according to the calipers I have) (NO change)
Neck: 15-1/2" (NO change)
Chest: 39" (NO change for week, DOWN 1/2" total)
Shoulders: 47-1/4" (UP 1/2" for the week(!!), DOWN 1/4" total)
Biceps: 13-1/2" (UP 1/4" for week, NO change total)
Waist: 33-1/4" (UP 1/2" for week, UP 1/2" total)
Thighs: 19-1/2" (DOWN 1/4" for week, DOWN 1/4" total)
Calves: 14-3/4" (NO change for week, DOWN 1/4" total)
Adonis Effect: 1.421 (UP 0.018 for the week, UP 0.016 total)
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
My lungs and breathing were quite good today again so I jogged and rode the bike even faster today than yesterday.
I should mention that I've been walking at a good pace for 5 minutes or so prior to hopping on the bike for the first interval.
Here is today's intervals:
- Bike, Intensity 1 (warm up), 5:00
- Jumping Jacks, Intensity 2, 3:00 ± (160 jumps)
- Jog, Intensity 2, 5:00 ±
- Flying Romans, Intensity 3, 45 seconds (15 each leg)
- Jog, Intensity 2, 4:00 ±
- Bike, Intensity 2, 4:00 ±
- Jumping Jacks, Intensity 2, 3:00 ± (about 170 jumps)
- Flying Romans, Intensity 3, 45 seconds (15 each leg)
- Jog/Walk (cool down), Intensity 1, 5:45 (jogged 3:30, walked 1:45)
Comments:
Abs STILL feeling those reverse ball crunches!
Left heel was better today. Must keep stretching and rolling!
Calves and feet got stretched for 2 minutes per side today rather than the usual 1 minute per side.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
For breakfast I another quarter of this new recipe from yesterday. Very, very good!
Along with the crustless quiche I also had Christina's homemade salsa. I used half a yellow bell pepper as a scoop. No fried corn chips necessary!
Everything all together...
How to use a pepper for a salsa scoop...
Mid-morning snack was the usual yogurt, ground flax seed, and whey protein isolate powder.
My lunch was the remaining wasabi salmon from Day 32 as well as a blended zucchini salad on the side.
Negative on the mid-afternoon snack today. I ran some errands at lunch and wound up getting back to the office much later than planned. The boss also let us go a little early today since this was the Friday before a holiday weekend. Woo!
No snack meant it was time for dinner when I got home. Tonight it was Spanish-spiced shrimp from our favorite cookbook along with some steamed broccoli and lima beans. Here is my delicious plate of goods...
Pre-bed snack was a 1/2 scoop of whey protein isolate powder and a little water.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 26/It CAN Kill You! (A follow up)
Yesterday I expressed my opinion on how I felt in general about eating chemical laden, highly processed meals, snacks, desserts, etc. As it turns out, I underestimated the effects even just one meal can have on your system.
Check this out ==> The Effects of One High Calorie Meal
Can you believe that?!?
One thing that was mentioned near the end is that the effects of that meal can disappear in about 6 hours. I think this is VERY important. If you eat meals similar to the one shown in the video more than once per day, you most likely feel those effects on a continual basis. Not good! Chronic disease, illness, and obesity here we come.
On a positive note, this gives you a little breathing room (no pun intended). If you go overboard at a meal (holidays, parties, vacation, etc.) it's not the end of the world. Pick yourself up and eat well following your indiscretions and your body will forgive you and recover. Remember, it's what we expose ourselves to through our actions AND thoughts 90-95% of the time that determines our physical and mental state.
WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS
2 supersets of the Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work.
Superset 1: DB Pullover, Incline DB Press
Superset 2: Flat DB Flye, Incline DB Press
Superset 3: Weighted Ball Roll-Outs, Knee-Ins On Bench (with weight)
Total Time => 41:26
Comments:
Back and shoulders were a little sore today but not like after a very heavy workout.
This week of Hyper-Adaptive Cylce was quite a change from last week's routine of heavy lifting and very short rest periods. It was a nice break.
I put a lot of focus into keeping strict form this week.
My weight choices were a little off from time to time this week due the introduction of new exercises.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast started off with a one egg, two egg white omelette with peppers and onions for mix-ins. I topped that off with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce from Saturday's dinner. On the side, I had a homemade Italian sausage patty with a few spoonfuls of sauce (because it was so good!). Carbs were a piece of raw corn bread, a big handful of red grapes, a wilting peach, and an oaty cake (with butter, of course).
Mid-morning snack was a 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 T of ground white chia seeds, and 1/3 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder.
Lunch was a tuna salad stuffed pepper. Who needs bread?! This was a genius idea! On the side, I had a blended zucchini salad. It's "hump day" and this was the first one I had all week! The recipe is here.
Pretty? Eh. Delicious? You bet!
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts).
On my way home, I stopped at the farmer's market and picked up some (is 3 LBS still considered "some"?) green beans. These went immediately into the oven with some EVOO and salt and roasted for about 25 minutes at 450*. The beans served as a side to some leftover grilled ginger chicken from Day 24. I also had a cucumber-tomato salad with a dressing of almond butter, coconut milk, chili powder, and lime juice. This was loosely based on a recipe from The Ultra Simple Diet book by Dr. Mark Hyman.
As a snack before bed it was a 1/2 scoop of protein powder mixed with a little water.
Check this out ==> The Effects of One High Calorie Meal
Can you believe that?!?
One thing that was mentioned near the end is that the effects of that meal can disappear in about 6 hours. I think this is VERY important. If you eat meals similar to the one shown in the video more than once per day, you most likely feel those effects on a continual basis. Not good! Chronic disease, illness, and obesity here we come.
On a positive note, this gives you a little breathing room (no pun intended). If you go overboard at a meal (holidays, parties, vacation, etc.) it's not the end of the world. Pick yourself up and eat well following your indiscretions and your body will forgive you and recover. Remember, it's what we expose ourselves to through our actions AND thoughts 90-95% of the time that determines our physical and mental state.
WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS
2 supersets of the Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work.
Superset 1: DB Pullover, Incline DB Press
Superset 2: Flat DB Flye, Incline DB Press
Superset 3: Weighted Ball Roll-Outs, Knee-Ins On Bench (with weight)
Total Time => 41:26
Comments:
Back and shoulders were a little sore today but not like after a very heavy workout.
This week of Hyper-Adaptive Cylce was quite a change from last week's routine of heavy lifting and very short rest periods. It was a nice break.
I put a lot of focus into keeping strict form this week.
My weight choices were a little off from time to time this week due the introduction of new exercises.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast started off with a one egg, two egg white omelette with peppers and onions for mix-ins. I topped that off with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce from Saturday's dinner. On the side, I had a homemade Italian sausage patty with a few spoonfuls of sauce (because it was so good!). Carbs were a piece of raw corn bread, a big handful of red grapes, a wilting peach, and an oaty cake (with butter, of course).
Mid-morning snack was a 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 T of ground white chia seeds, and 1/3 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder.
Lunch was a tuna salad stuffed pepper. Who needs bread?! This was a genius idea! On the side, I had a blended zucchini salad. It's "hump day" and this was the first one I had all week! The recipe is here.
Pretty? Eh. Delicious? You bet!
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts).
On my way home, I stopped at the farmer's market and picked up some (is 3 LBS still considered "some"?) green beans. These went immediately into the oven with some EVOO and salt and roasted for about 25 minutes at 450*. The beans served as a side to some leftover grilled ginger chicken from Day 24. I also had a cucumber-tomato salad with a dressing of almond butter, coconut milk, chili powder, and lime juice. This was loosely based on a recipe from The Ultra Simple Diet book by Dr. Mark Hyman.
As a snack before bed it was a 1/2 scoop of protein powder mixed with a little water.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 25/Go Ahead...It Won't Kill You!
Before I list the days workout and food details, I thought I'd mention something briefly that I think plays a big part in our society's disease epidemic.
Today was a milestone birthday for one of my co-workers (Happy Birthday Terri!). About 9:00, the office staff gathered in the conference room, sang the HB song (poorly...think Office Space here people!), and had cake.
As the cake pieces were getting passed (again, picture Office Space) I was, of course, offered a piece. I declined but got a rather typical response from some folks of "go ahead! It won't kill you!". This happens a lot since I often take a pass on things like this.
I'm the first to admit that I have my days or periods of indiscretion (please see Day 22 post) when it comes to food choices but I try to limit my intake of straight up, no doubt about it "Franken-foods". In my opinion, there's a big difference between eating a baked good made from scratch with whole food ingredients in someone's home versus eating a factory-made cake.
Still, would that piece of cake kill me? If I ate it and other similar chemical concoctions on a regular basis, my answer would be yes. Since I really prefer to not eat these sort of things AND I had just had a "screw it" meal a few days ago, I chose to abstain. This works for me. For others, it may be different. However, I believe that until we get back to eating "the old fashioned way" (whole, fresh, simple ingredient foods) on a consistent basis, our health as a species will continue to suffer.
Perhaps, too, it comes down to your goals and your values. Is that piece of cake moving you closer or further away from that goal or that value? Additionally, no matter which choice you make, you must accept responsibility for it. Own what you choose.
What would you do?
WORKOUT - BACK
All 3 supersets of the Day 4, Week 4 workout were focused on the back.
Superset 1: Straight Arm Pull Down, Pull Ups (Assisted)
Superset 2: Wide Arm Cable Row, Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Superset 3: Close Grip Cable Row, Wide Arm Lat PD
Total Time => 40:15
Comments:
I did well at pre-setting the weights today and meeting the prescribed rest periods. Felt good!
Weights used were a little light which is probably ok during this phase of the program.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast was a tropical paradise today. Hehe. I started with a bowl of oatgurt mixed up with a mango, some cinnamon, and a solid spoonful of almond butter. Who needs packaged, processed cereal?? Next I blended up another "toffee" smoothie with almond milk, chilled coffee, espresso flavored whey protein isolate, a frozen banana, cocoa powder, and about 2 TBS of coconut milk.
Here's the smoothie before shot...
Hey! Our favorite cookbook made the photo! (~:
Mid-morning snack was 1/2 cup of yogurt, 4 tsp ground flax seed, and 1/3 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder.
Lunch was a repeat of yesterday...wasabi salmon from this book and a salad of raw broccoli slaw, with cucumber, peppers, celery, and scallions. As a dressing for the salad, I made the ginger, sesame oil dressing from our favorite book.
As a mid-afternoon snack I had a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese along with my raw nut mix of walnuts, cashews, almonds, and Brazil nuts.
Dinner tonight was a fabulous summer time meal of grass-fed beef burgers on the grill wrapped up in a turnip green "bun" with big slices of tomato. There also may have been some salsa involved. Since the grill was all fired up for the burgers, I threw on some eggplant burgers, too. Maybe I could be a vegetarian, huh? (~:
As a quick snack before bed, I had a half scoop of plain whey protein isolate mixed with a little water.
Today was a milestone birthday for one of my co-workers (Happy Birthday Terri!). About 9:00, the office staff gathered in the conference room, sang the HB song (poorly...think Office Space here people!), and had cake.
As the cake pieces were getting passed (again, picture Office Space) I was, of course, offered a piece. I declined but got a rather typical response from some folks of "go ahead! It won't kill you!". This happens a lot since I often take a pass on things like this.
I'm the first to admit that I have my days or periods of indiscretion (please see Day 22 post) when it comes to food choices but I try to limit my intake of straight up, no doubt about it "Franken-foods". In my opinion, there's a big difference between eating a baked good made from scratch with whole food ingredients in someone's home versus eating a factory-made cake.
Still, would that piece of cake kill me? If I ate it and other similar chemical concoctions on a regular basis, my answer would be yes. Since I really prefer to not eat these sort of things AND I had just had a "screw it" meal a few days ago, I chose to abstain. This works for me. For others, it may be different. However, I believe that until we get back to eating "the old fashioned way" (whole, fresh, simple ingredient foods) on a consistent basis, our health as a species will continue to suffer.
Perhaps, too, it comes down to your goals and your values. Is that piece of cake moving you closer or further away from that goal or that value? Additionally, no matter which choice you make, you must accept responsibility for it. Own what you choose.
What would you do?
WORKOUT - BACK
All 3 supersets of the Day 4, Week 4 workout were focused on the back.
Superset 1: Straight Arm Pull Down, Pull Ups (Assisted)
Superset 2: Wide Arm Cable Row, Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Superset 3: Close Grip Cable Row, Wide Arm Lat PD
Total Time => 40:15
Comments:
I did well at pre-setting the weights today and meeting the prescribed rest periods. Felt good!
Weights used were a little light which is probably ok during this phase of the program.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast was a tropical paradise today. Hehe. I started with a bowl of oatgurt mixed up with a mango, some cinnamon, and a solid spoonful of almond butter. Who needs packaged, processed cereal?? Next I blended up another "toffee" smoothie with almond milk, chilled coffee, espresso flavored whey protein isolate, a frozen banana, cocoa powder, and about 2 TBS of coconut milk.
Here's the smoothie before shot...
Hey! Our favorite cookbook made the photo! (~:
Mid-morning snack was 1/2 cup of yogurt, 4 tsp ground flax seed, and 1/3 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder.
Lunch was a repeat of yesterday...wasabi salmon from this book and a salad of raw broccoli slaw, with cucumber, peppers, celery, and scallions. As a dressing for the salad, I made the ginger, sesame oil dressing from our favorite book.
As a mid-afternoon snack I had a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese along with my raw nut mix of walnuts, cashews, almonds, and Brazil nuts.
Dinner tonight was a fabulous summer time meal of grass-fed beef burgers on the grill wrapped up in a turnip green "bun" with big slices of tomato. There also may have been some salsa involved. Since the grill was all fired up for the burgers, I threw on some eggplant burgers, too. Maybe I could be a vegetarian, huh? (~:
As a quick snack before bed, I had a half scoop of plain whey protein isolate mixed with a little water.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 24/Bearing Weight
It was back to work today but not before getting in the Day 3, Week 4 workout. This was a leg workout so the question was, would my calf muscles be able to do any work?
Amazingly, the answer was "yes"! Timing is everything and the fact that this week's workouts are lighter than previous ones helped tremendously. Based on today's performance, I am hoping to be able to test out doing some cardio (at a slower pace than usual) on Thursday to keep the lungs in shape.
WORKOUT - LEGS
All 3 supersets of the Day 3, Week 4 workout were leg related. This wasn't too bad today since the number of sets and reps are scaled back during this week. I still managed to work up a good sweat, though!
Superset 1: Leg Extensions, Leg Curls
Superset 2: Donkey Calf Raises, Dead Lifts
Superset 3: Seated Calf Negatives, Barbell Squats
Total Time => 46:15
Comments:
Did not plan ahead very well today. Took too much time between sets adjusting weights, moving equipment, etc. Workout would've been shorter otherwise.
Side planks did their job yesterday! I noticed the core muscles at elbow height are somewhat sore today.
Abs were feeling that "pump" set today for sure. They didn't appreciate having to provide support for my back while doing squats. My core is really solid right now.
Should not need the seat warmers tomorrow! :~)
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast started off with a one egg, two egg white omelette with peppers and onions for mix-ins. I topped that off with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce from Saturday's dinner and about 1 oz of raw milk cheddar cheese. On the side, I had a homemade Italian sausage patty with a few spoonfuls of sauce (because it was so good!). Carbs were a piece of raw corn bread, a big handful of white grapes, and an oaty cake (with butter, of course).
Mid-morning snack was my usual 1/2 cup of yogurt with 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate powder and 4 tsp of white chia seeds (change of pace from my typical ground flax seed. Mr. Excitement, I tell ya!).
Lunch was wasabi salmon from this book and a salad of raw broccoli slaw, with tomato, peppers, celery, and scallions. As a dressing for the salad, I made the ginger, sesame oil dressing from our favorite book. Here's the wasabi salmon before assembly:
Salad ingredients:
And the dressing:
And finally all together...
Ah lunch at the desk cafeteria...how interesting, right?
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk with the typical raw nut combination of almonds, cashews, walnuts, and Brazil nuts. In case I haven't mentioned why the Brazil nut consumption has increased, allow me to tell you. I found out recently through this fabulous resource that Brazil nuts contain a fair amount of selenium. Why is that important? If you have the old fashioned cavity fillings in your mouth, you likely have a mouth full of mercury. I fit the bill on this one. Thankfully I don't have a whole bunch but one is more than I'd like to have. Eventually I'll have these removed and replaced with something more benign. Until then, rather than potentially have the mercury wreak havoc on my system, I'm going to try and ingest a proper amount of selenium which helps, in a sense, neutralize the effects of mercury. It's not the ideal fix, but it's the best practice for now.
Dinner was Apple-Soy Salmon and Pan-Roasted Green Beans (and mixed veggies) from our favorite cookbook. The recipes in this book are so incredibly good! They're also fairly simple and not too terribly time consuming either. Check this book out immediately if you're looking for healthy dishes that you and/or your family will love! The copy we're using right now is from our library so there's no excuse!
This photo doesn't do the flavor justice... :~)
Pre-bed snack was a 1/2 scoop of whey protein isolate powder mixed with a few ounces of water.
Time for a nap!
Amazingly, the answer was "yes"! Timing is everything and the fact that this week's workouts are lighter than previous ones helped tremendously. Based on today's performance, I am hoping to be able to test out doing some cardio (at a slower pace than usual) on Thursday to keep the lungs in shape.
WORKOUT - LEGS
All 3 supersets of the Day 3, Week 4 workout were leg related. This wasn't too bad today since the number of sets and reps are scaled back during this week. I still managed to work up a good sweat, though!
Superset 1: Leg Extensions, Leg Curls
Superset 2: Donkey Calf Raises, Dead Lifts
Superset 3: Seated Calf Negatives, Barbell Squats
Total Time => 46:15
Comments:
Did not plan ahead very well today. Took too much time between sets adjusting weights, moving equipment, etc. Workout would've been shorter otherwise.
Side planks did their job yesterday! I noticed the core muscles at elbow height are somewhat sore today.
Abs were feeling that "pump" set today for sure. They didn't appreciate having to provide support for my back while doing squats. My core is really solid right now.
Should not need the seat warmers tomorrow! :~)
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast started off with a one egg, two egg white omelette with peppers and onions for mix-ins. I topped that off with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce from Saturday's dinner and about 1 oz of raw milk cheddar cheese. On the side, I had a homemade Italian sausage patty with a few spoonfuls of sauce (because it was so good!). Carbs were a piece of raw corn bread, a big handful of white grapes, and an oaty cake (with butter, of course).
Mid-morning snack was my usual 1/2 cup of yogurt with 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate powder and 4 tsp of white chia seeds (change of pace from my typical ground flax seed. Mr. Excitement, I tell ya!).
Lunch was wasabi salmon from this book and a salad of raw broccoli slaw, with tomato, peppers, celery, and scallions. As a dressing for the salad, I made the ginger, sesame oil dressing from our favorite book. Here's the wasabi salmon before assembly:
Salad ingredients:
And the dressing:
And finally all together...
Ah lunch at the desk cafeteria...how interesting, right?
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk with the typical raw nut combination of almonds, cashews, walnuts, and Brazil nuts. In case I haven't mentioned why the Brazil nut consumption has increased, allow me to tell you. I found out recently through this fabulous resource that Brazil nuts contain a fair amount of selenium. Why is that important? If you have the old fashioned cavity fillings in your mouth, you likely have a mouth full of mercury. I fit the bill on this one. Thankfully I don't have a whole bunch but one is more than I'd like to have. Eventually I'll have these removed and replaced with something more benign. Until then, rather than potentially have the mercury wreak havoc on my system, I'm going to try and ingest a proper amount of selenium which helps, in a sense, neutralize the effects of mercury. It's not the ideal fix, but it's the best practice for now.
Dinner was Apple-Soy Salmon and Pan-Roasted Green Beans (and mixed veggies) from our favorite cookbook. The recipes in this book are so incredibly good! They're also fairly simple and not too terribly time consuming either. Check this book out immediately if you're looking for healthy dishes that you and/or your family will love! The copy we're using right now is from our library so there's no excuse!
This photo doesn't do the flavor justice... :~)
Pre-bed snack was a 1/2 scoop of whey protein isolate powder mixed with a few ounces of water.
Time for a nap!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 23/The Ego Gets A Workout
Today was an interesting day for me. To start off, this week, Week 4, it's back to just 3 sets of each exercise (down from 5 sets last week). Each set stops 2-3 reps from failure. For a guy that's used to pushing things to the max, racking the weight before pushing out one last rep was hard to do!
We also had a scheduled 5K race this morning at 8:10 A.M. My original plan was to workout before the race and use the run as my post-workout cardio. It was tough to get out of bed this morning, though, after such a long day yesterday and a few drinks (whoops!) with dinner. I did manage to get a good workout in (see below) however, to add to my discomfort, my calves and feet still needed some rest time.
Typically on race day, I'm up near the front of the pack at the starting line all fired up and ready to go with my music thumping. Once the race starts, I bolt out to avoid the pack, settle in, and try to beat as a minimum, my previous time. In other words, pushing things to my max. Not so much today. I set my ego aside and walked. It was tough to see some of the familiar faces running by and not be able to be right there with them grinding out the last stretch of the race.
Why did I even bother going you ask? As it turns out, first, it was a fine day for a walk. Second, my ego needs to know it's ok to "take a knee". Third, I got to spend the beautiful morning walking with my wife and sister-in law on a gorgeous trail through the woods. Not a bad way to spend a morning, right?
WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS
The Day 23 workout was a repeat of Day 2 and included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.
Superset 1: DB Preacher Curls, Overhead Cable Extensions
Superset 2: Twisting DB Curl (arms braced against wall), Close Grip Push Ups
Superset 3: Side Planks (30 second hold per side with 15 LB weight raised), Ball Roll Outs
Total Time => 41:10
Comments:
Not much in the way of soreness at all today.
New exercises meant some experimenting with weights again.
Side planks reminded me of doing Yoga. I've been missing it! Love those static holds!
Once out of the gym, I put on a sweatshirt and we headed out to the 5K race. This was my post-workout cardio today. We finished walking in just around 50:00.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast came today after returning from the 5K race. I had a bowl full of oatgurt, peaches (yes, two), and almond butter sprinkled (ok, loaded) with cinnamon. Out came the blender at that point for a protein smoothie of almond milk, chilled coffee, whey protein isolate powder (plain), a heaping TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder, a frozen banana, and a few peanuts for some crunch. This cleared out any remaining cob webs from the previous night's indiscretions. ;~)
We had some cleanup and prep work to do at one of our rentals so we spent the afternoon getting ready for a tenant to move in next week. I readjusted my meal schedule and just had a snack of 1/2 cup yogurt, 4 tsp ground flax seed, and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate powder around 3:30. While snacking, I mixed up the marinade for the chicken we were having for dinner.
Dinner was grilled ginger-herbed chicken from our favorite cook book. Before chowing on the bird, I cut up some tomato and cucumber and had that with some sea salt and Italian spices. Along side the chicken, we roasted up a bunch of fresh green beans with some EVOO and salt. Green bean fries! Awesome!
My pre-bed snack was an exciting 1/2 scoop of whey protein isolate powder mixed with a little water.
We also had a scheduled 5K race this morning at 8:10 A.M. My original plan was to workout before the race and use the run as my post-workout cardio. It was tough to get out of bed this morning, though, after such a long day yesterday and a few drinks (whoops!) with dinner. I did manage to get a good workout in (see below) however, to add to my discomfort, my calves and feet still needed some rest time.
Typically on race day, I'm up near the front of the pack at the starting line all fired up and ready to go with my music thumping. Once the race starts, I bolt out to avoid the pack, settle in, and try to beat as a minimum, my previous time. In other words, pushing things to my max. Not so much today. I set my ego aside and walked. It was tough to see some of the familiar faces running by and not be able to be right there with them grinding out the last stretch of the race.
Why did I even bother going you ask? As it turns out, first, it was a fine day for a walk. Second, my ego needs to know it's ok to "take a knee". Third, I got to spend the beautiful morning walking with my wife and sister-in law on a gorgeous trail through the woods. Not a bad way to spend a morning, right?
WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS
The Day 23 workout was a repeat of Day 2 and included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.
Superset 1: DB Preacher Curls, Overhead Cable Extensions
Superset 2: Twisting DB Curl (arms braced against wall), Close Grip Push Ups
Superset 3: Side Planks (30 second hold per side with 15 LB weight raised), Ball Roll Outs
Total Time => 41:10
Comments:
Not much in the way of soreness at all today.
New exercises meant some experimenting with weights again.
Side planks reminded me of doing Yoga. I've been missing it! Love those static holds!
Once out of the gym, I put on a sweatshirt and we headed out to the 5K race. This was my post-workout cardio today. We finished walking in just around 50:00.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast came today after returning from the 5K race. I had a bowl full of oatgurt, peaches (yes, two), and almond butter sprinkled (ok, loaded) with cinnamon. Out came the blender at that point for a protein smoothie of almond milk, chilled coffee, whey protein isolate powder (plain), a heaping TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder, a frozen banana, and a few peanuts for some crunch. This cleared out any remaining cob webs from the previous night's indiscretions. ;~)
We had some cleanup and prep work to do at one of our rentals so we spent the afternoon getting ready for a tenant to move in next week. I readjusted my meal schedule and just had a snack of 1/2 cup yogurt, 4 tsp ground flax seed, and 1/3 scoop of whey protein isolate powder around 3:30. While snacking, I mixed up the marinade for the chicken we were having for dinner.
Dinner was grilled ginger-herbed chicken from our favorite cook book. Before chowing on the bird, I cut up some tomato and cucumber and had that with some sea salt and Italian spices. Along side the chicken, we roasted up a bunch of fresh green beans with some EVOO and salt. Green bean fries! Awesome!
My pre-bed snack was an exciting 1/2 scoop of whey protein isolate powder mixed with a little water.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 21/Take A Load Off
This morning I got up at the usual time but did somethings that weren't the usual for me. For the past few weeks, this day on the Optimum Anabolics program would've meant that I'd be out doing a high intensity interval workout. Not today. Not with my calves and/or feet in shambles.
Instead, I headed downstairs with the borrowed hand-held massager and newly purchased heating pad and grabbed some ice packs out of the freezer. It was therapy time. Over the next 45 minutes, I applied ice, heat, and massage to my calves and feet. Not a bad way to wake up!
Overall, I was much more mobile today though every once in a while my right calf would "catch" and let me know it was still there. "Hey! I'm trying to heal down here!"
Tomorrow it's back to the weights with a shoulder workout. This should allow for continued lower body rest and healing. There will be more ice and heat applied and, of course, more massaging. ;-)
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
Uh....no! Today was a rest day.
Comments:
With all the focus on my calves and/or feet, I didn't really pay much attention to much else today.
That being said, we'll get right to my measurements for the week. Drum roll please....
MEASUREMENTS:
Weight: 178.0 LBS (Down 1.0 LBS for week, 1.5 LBS total)
BF: 8.1% (according to the calipers I have) (NO change)
Neck: 15-1/2" (NO change)
Chest: 38-3/4" (DOWN 1/4" for week, 3/4" total)
Shoulders: 47" (No change for week, DOWN 1/2" total)
Biceps: 13-1/2" (NO change for week, NO change total)
Waist: 33" (NO change for week, UP 1/4" total)
Thighs: 19-3/4" (NO change for week, NO change total)
Calves: 15" (NO change for week, NO change total)
Adonis Effect: 1.403 (DOWN 0.026 total)
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast was a beast of an omelet consisting of one egg, two egg whites, fresh salsa, green and red peppers, and raw milk cheddar cheese. I topped it with a few shakes of the Louisiana hot sauce, too, of course. Today I cooked up the homemade Italian sausage (recipe here) into patties and had one along side of the eggs. Very good!
Mid-morning snack was a 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 T of ground flax seeds, and 1/3 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder.
Lunch was a grass-fed beef burger wrapped in romain leaves along with some fresh salsa that was made Sunday from lots of fresh veggies. On the side, I had yet another blended zucchini salad. Not sure if I'm going to get tired of these! The recipe is here.
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts).
For dinner, Christina and I made up Asian Spice-Rubbed Shrimp with Sesame Dressing from this book. This was a repeat of Day 16's meal. We couldn't resist!
Pre-bed snack was a half scoop of whey protein isolate powder mixed up in a little water.
Tomorrow the weights await (haha). Week 4 begins!
Instead, I headed downstairs with the borrowed hand-held massager and newly purchased heating pad and grabbed some ice packs out of the freezer. It was therapy time. Over the next 45 minutes, I applied ice, heat, and massage to my calves and feet. Not a bad way to wake up!
Overall, I was much more mobile today though every once in a while my right calf would "catch" and let me know it was still there. "Hey! I'm trying to heal down here!"
Tomorrow it's back to the weights with a shoulder workout. This should allow for continued lower body rest and healing. There will be more ice and heat applied and, of course, more massaging. ;-)
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
Uh....no! Today was a rest day.
Comments:
With all the focus on my calves and/or feet, I didn't really pay much attention to much else today.
That being said, we'll get right to my measurements for the week. Drum roll please....
MEASUREMENTS:
Weight: 178.0 LBS (Down 1.0 LBS for week, 1.5 LBS total)
BF: 8.1% (according to the calipers I have) (NO change)
Neck: 15-1/2" (NO change)
Chest: 38-3/4" (DOWN 1/4" for week, 3/4" total)
Shoulders: 47" (No change for week, DOWN 1/2" total)
Biceps: 13-1/2" (NO change for week, NO change total)
Waist: 33" (NO change for week, UP 1/4" total)
Thighs: 19-3/4" (NO change for week, NO change total)
Calves: 15" (NO change for week, NO change total)
Adonis Effect: 1.403 (DOWN 0.026 total)
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast was a beast of an omelet consisting of one egg, two egg whites, fresh salsa, green and red peppers, and raw milk cheddar cheese. I topped it with a few shakes of the Louisiana hot sauce, too, of course. Today I cooked up the homemade Italian sausage (recipe here) into patties and had one along side of the eggs. Very good!
Mid-morning snack was a 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 T of ground flax seeds, and 1/3 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder.
Lunch was a grass-fed beef burger wrapped in romain leaves along with some fresh salsa that was made Sunday from lots of fresh veggies. On the side, I had yet another blended zucchini salad. Not sure if I'm going to get tired of these! The recipe is here.
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts).
For dinner, Christina and I made up Asian Spice-Rubbed Shrimp with Sesame Dressing from this book. This was a repeat of Day 16's meal. We couldn't resist!
Pre-bed snack was a half scoop of whey protein isolate powder mixed up in a little water.
Tomorrow the weights await (haha). Week 4 begins!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Optimum Anabolics - Day 9/You Call That A Dog?
This morning I drug my booty out of bed around 6:30 A.M. and, after letting the pooch out, mixed up my oaty cake batter for my post-workout meal. I wanted to head to the couch with a spoon and gobble it down! Awesome! :~)
After that it was workout time at Scott's home gym. Just like yesterday, I followed up the Optimum Anabolics arm routine with some short bursts of light cardio (see the WORKOUT section below). As I headed out down the driveway, I noticed the neighbor was talking to one of the other residents that lives on our court. This person has THE most annoying dog on the planet Earth!
The dog is a roaming, darting fur ball that moves quick as a rabbit and chases after and barks at *everything* (cars included!) that comes into it's sight. This pup thinks it's king of the court and it's the size of an overgrown squirrel. Needless to say, it has a soprano-pitched bark (think yap, yap, yap) that just grinds on you like armour being dragged across a chalkboard.
The dog proceeds to yap it's head off as I run off up the street AND come back down the street. Lucky for me, they're still talking as I take off on my bike interval. YAP, YAP, YAP again! Up the street....back down the street. At this point, it's worth noting that this happened YESTERDAY morning, too!
I really need to figure out how to show this dog some love and stop resisting it. What you resists, persists, and I'd really love to not be barked at first thing in the morning...whether it's on my bike or in my car on the wary to the office. I'm open for suggestions? What's a guy to do??
WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS
The Day 9 workout was a repeat of Day 2 and included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work. One set was added to each superset exercise.
Superset 1: DB Concentration Curl, Twisting DB Kickbacks
Superset 2: Close Grip Chin Up (assisted), Dips (tricep version)
Superset 3: Bent Leg Crunch (with towel roll under back), Ball Roll Outs
Total Time => 50:08
Comments:
Shoulders sore but not killing me today.
My arms were hit pretty good today. Next week I'll be upping the weight, tho. Could've done better.
Doing crunches with the towel and correct form totally burnt my abs again! That slow negative is a killer, dude!!
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
My post-workout meal today was *crazy good* people! Remember that fresh sausage I mixed up last night? Yeah, that got browned up and tossed into some scrambled eggs with a touch of buttermilk and half a boat-load of fresh salsa. To cool the eggs down (haha), I sprinkled some Louisiana (pronounced "Loo-zee-anna") Hot Sauce over the top. Before knocking back a couple of the oaty cakes, I munched on an apple and some grapes that were unbelievable sweet tasting. I'll be the first to say that organic produce definitely is better tasting than conventional. Anyone care to challenge me on that??
Here are the oaty cake ingredients...
Here's a pic of breakfast all put together...
After we cleaned up, it was off to check on one of our rental condos and "borrow" the pool at the complex. We finally had a true summer day here in Central Ohio so it felt like a day in Florida out there. It seemed like vacation for a couple of hours, at least! (~:
When we got back, lunch was in order. I chopped up another salad like yesterday's and munched away.
Later on, Christina and I put together some almond shrimp lettuce wraps for dinner. What a great summer recipe! One of these days I'll get a picture of it. The recipe is from the book Ultra-Metabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman. If you even think you MIGHT have a food sensitivity or allergy, you owe it to yourself to check him out. His books and programs are incredible!
After that it was workout time at Scott's home gym. Just like yesterday, I followed up the Optimum Anabolics arm routine with some short bursts of light cardio (see the WORKOUT section below). As I headed out down the driveway, I noticed the neighbor was talking to one of the other residents that lives on our court. This person has THE most annoying dog on the planet Earth!
The dog is a roaming, darting fur ball that moves quick as a rabbit and chases after and barks at *everything* (cars included!) that comes into it's sight. This pup thinks it's king of the court and it's the size of an overgrown squirrel. Needless to say, it has a soprano-pitched bark (think yap, yap, yap) that just grinds on you like armour being dragged across a chalkboard.
The dog proceeds to yap it's head off as I run off up the street AND come back down the street. Lucky for me, they're still talking as I take off on my bike interval. YAP, YAP, YAP again! Up the street....back down the street. At this point, it's worth noting that this happened YESTERDAY morning, too!
I really need to figure out how to show this dog some love and stop resisting it. What you resists, persists, and I'd really love to not be barked at first thing in the morning...whether it's on my bike or in my car on the wary to the office. I'm open for suggestions? What's a guy to do??
WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS
The Day 9 workout was a repeat of Day 2 and included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work. One set was added to each superset exercise.
Superset 1: DB Concentration Curl, Twisting DB Kickbacks
Superset 2: Close Grip Chin Up (assisted), Dips (tricep version)
Superset 3: Bent Leg Crunch (with towel roll under back), Ball Roll Outs
Total Time => 50:08
Comments:
Shoulders sore but not killing me today.
My arms were hit pretty good today. Next week I'll be upping the weight, tho. Could've done better.
Doing crunches with the towel and correct form totally burnt my abs again! That slow negative is a killer, dude!!
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
My post-workout meal today was *crazy good* people! Remember that fresh sausage I mixed up last night? Yeah, that got browned up and tossed into some scrambled eggs with a touch of buttermilk and half a boat-load of fresh salsa. To cool the eggs down (haha), I sprinkled some Louisiana (pronounced "Loo-zee-anna") Hot Sauce over the top. Before knocking back a couple of the oaty cakes, I munched on an apple and some grapes that were unbelievable sweet tasting. I'll be the first to say that organic produce definitely is better tasting than conventional. Anyone care to challenge me on that??
Here are the oaty cake ingredients...
Here's a pic of breakfast all put together...
After we cleaned up, it was off to check on one of our rental condos and "borrow" the pool at the complex. We finally had a true summer day here in Central Ohio so it felt like a day in Florida out there. It seemed like vacation for a couple of hours, at least! (~:
When we got back, lunch was in order. I chopped up another salad like yesterday's and munched away.
Later on, Christina and I put together some almond shrimp lettuce wraps for dinner. What a great summer recipe! One of these days I'll get a picture of it. The recipe is from the book Ultra-Metabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman. If you even think you MIGHT have a food sensitivity or allergy, you owe it to yourself to check him out. His books and programs are incredible!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
