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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 DownSuperset 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.
At times it seems that our weekends are busier than our weekdays. This is something I suppose we should work on. Today was no exception.
I slept in (this is a relative term) a bit this morning and then headed right to the home gym for Day 1 of the Week 4 workouts. From the home gym, we immediately headed to one of our favorite places, First Watch, for some breakfast. What a breakfast it was (see below)!
We sipped a few cups of coffee and then headed to the farmer's market to see what produce we could get that would not have to come from the grocery. We did pretty well picking up several colors of peppers, some green onions, and an eggplant. A few of those items went into dinner later.
From the market, we ran a few other errands and shopped the grocery for the balance of our weekly meals. I swear, planning is what keeps me somewhat sane during the week. Not stressing over "what are we going to have tonight?" helps me tremendously. I believe it's also great for keeping your nutrient and portion sizes under control. All around, it's a good practice to get into.
Once we got back from the morning errand loop, I started prepping for dinner by mixing up the meatball recipe we have from Christina's grandmother. Into the fridge that went to allow the spices and herbs to blend for a few hours and then off I went to mow the grass and weed eat.
I got back inside from mowing and needed a break before resuming dinner preparations. It was a perfect time to do some therapy on my calves and feet. Ice, ice, baby! This was followed by the heating pad and the vibrating hand-held massager. I finished up my break with some email reading and then headed up for a shower.
Dinner prep continued around 5:00 and then something weird happened...a martini showed up in my hand! Huh! Boy did that hit the spot! The familia showed up around 6:30 for dinner, dessert, belated birthday wishes for my sister, and some chatting.
Everybody left around 10:30 so Christina and I slammed the kitchen cleanup in about 45 minutes before passing out. It was a long day, kids!
WORKOUT - SHOULDERS
Superset 1: Lying Cable Pullover, Twisting DB Military
Superset 2: Dip Bar Shrugs, Side DB Lateral Raises
Superset 3: DB Shrugs, Barbell Military
Total Time => 38:57
Comments:
You may have noticed these were different exercises this week. Week 4 starts a 3 week break of sorts from the beating the first three weeks puts on you. It's a welcome break, believe me!
I had to experiment some with weight ranges on the new exercises. Next week should be better.
No "extra credit" cardio this week since the calves and feet are still in healing mode.
DIET - HIGH PROTEINPost-workout breakfast this morning was at First Watch. This was good for my tummy! I had the Acapulco Express omelette (eggs, chorizo sausage, avocado, green chillies, onion, cheese and sour cream with salsa on the side) but skipped the side of potatoes and toast. No, no, that wasn't all I had...it was pancake time! Two banana crunch cakes the size of a car tire went down the hatch.
At this point, I'll mention that I am a total freak and brought my own organic butter from home. I try not to wear the waitress out since I put more butter on my pancakes than most restaurants have available at any given time. :-) Delicious!
Since breakfast was rather large (putting it modestly), lunch was just a smoothie of chilled coffee, whey protein isolate powder, 1/2 cup or so of homemade plain yogurt, stevia, cinnamon, and nutmeg. To thicken things up a bit, I tried a trick first brought to my attention by a good blogger friend of mine, Heather. If you like your smoothies so thick that the blender starts smoking trying to mix it, then add some xanthum gum...just about a 1/4 teaspoon is all you need. No way you could've got this smootie through a straw!
Dinner was a belated celebration of my sister's 29th (no, seriously) birthday. She had requested spaghetti, meatballs, and garlic bread. Christina and I put on a spread of just that and also added a salad of mixed greens with toppings that included carrot, scallions, black olives, cukes, and peppers from the farmer's market. To go on top of the spaghetti (along with sauce from TJ's), I sauteed up some garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms. In my not so humble opinion, this took a ho-hum spaghetti dinner to a new level! YUM!
To keep things gluten and dairy free for my lovely wife, we substituted quinoa flour in the meatballs and left out the cheese and made up some brown rice pasta. Very good! If you've never tried this stuff, it's worth picking up next time your looking for cure a noodle fix. Dessert was this ice cream. I thought it was just "eh", but it did the trick for Christina.
My sister's birthday cake was a mom-made fruit tart that involved oat cookies, nectarines, red raspberries, and plenty of REAL whipped cream. None of that imposter chemical stuff in this house! This was an excellent, excellent dessert! Great job mom!
No snack needed tonight!
It was time for bed since the morning was coming early to get to a 5k race.
This was a weekend day but Christina and I had scheduled some training on the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for today from 10:00 to 6:00. That meant the Day 1 workout of Week 3 needed to be accomplished first thing so we could get out the door.
Week 3 adds a "pump" set of high reps at the end of heavy lifting for each exercise. To really keep things interesting, the rest periods between exercises are cut to 30 seconds. Ouch! Believe me, this seemed like basically zero rest! What a workout, though!
WORKOUT - SHOULDERS
Superset 1: DB Front Lateral Raises, Standing Arnold Presses
Superset 2: DB Rear Raises, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: Dip Bar Shrugs (awesome!), Twisting DB Presses
Total Time => 48:30
Comments:
Used just about the perfect amount of weight today for each exercise. Very pleased!
To top things off, I did 9 quick minutes of some light cardio...3 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of jumping rope, and 3 minutes on the bike.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
For breakfast this morning (post workout), I made up an omelet of one egg, two egg whites, peppers, onions, Italian sausage, an ounce or so of raw milk cheddar cheese and some tomato sauce. Pizza omelet! To get the carb load up, I had a handful of grapes and a cup or so of oatgurt with almond butter. I was definitely satisfied and good to go for our meeting!
On our lunch break, we came home and I fired up the blender for a Green Monster! Suh-weet!
- 1/2 frozen banna
- 1 C frozen strawberries
- 1 C water
- 1T coconut milk (full fat!)
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- dash of stevia
This monster was so thick I burnt up the motor on the blender! Yep, had to pitch it in the trash. Yikes!
After our meeting was over it was dinner time I had another big salad with all the usual trimings of peppers, scallions, carrots, tomato, celery, parsley and cilantro. Tonight I added half an avocado, squeezed on some lime juice and was good to go! For dessert I had a coconut milk protein smoothie with vanilla, almonds, and a little stevia mixed it. Perfectly refreshing!
It was a full day so I hit the rack without snacking and passed out!
It was the second "off day" with no weights today. I was up at 4:30 and ready to hit the cardio again to stretch the legs and lungs.
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
Here was today's intervals:
- Bike, Intensity 1 (warm up), 5:00
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:00
- Jog, Intensity 2, 5:00
- Sprint (all out!), Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog, Intensity 2, 4:00
- Bike, Intensity 2, 2:00 ±
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:00
- Sprint, Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog/Walk (cool down), Intensity 1, 5:00
Total Time => 31:30 ±
Comments:
Shoulders and chest feeling a little tight today.
Legs and booty still a little sore.
Abs were finally calmed down.
Much more comfortable on the interval times today.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast was a beast of an omelet consisting of one egg, two egg whites, fresh salsa, homemade Italian sausage (recipe here), green and red peppers, and raw milk cheddar cheese. I topped it with a few shakes of the Louisiana hot sauce, too, of course. Sound familiar? It should since this was yesterday's breakfast of choice, too. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit. Hence my staple morning snack of...
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 homemade tuna salad wrapped in a collard green leaf "bread". Along side the tuna was another blended zuke salad. Yes...same as yesterday. Remember what I said about being a creature of habit??
My afternoon snack consisted of 2 hardboiled egg whites and one yolk along with my usual raw nut combination of walnuts, cashews, and almonds.
For dinner, I had a big 'ol salad with spinach and lots of veggies including carrots, tomato, celery, peppers and scallions all topped off with the last of some leftover chicken. I used some of Drew's All Natural Romano Caesar as a dressing.
As a snack before bed, I had a 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese.
Tomorrow it's back to the weights!
Knowing that today was going to be much less hectic at the office, I headed downstairs with enthusiasm ready for some early morning cardio. What a perfect morning...moonlit skies, no wind, and a dry 58*! August weather is on the way, though, so I'm not planning on getting used to it for another month or so.
Speaking of August, it's a fine time to take in a ball game. This time, my sister called and offered 2 of her and her husband's 4 seats. We gladly accepted and enjoyed a great summer night at the ballpark. I came to the conclusion that there is just something about baseball that I love. It was a huge part of my childhood so maybe there's a ton of nostalgia there. Regardless, it's definitely my game! Thanks for the tickets, sis!
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
My lungs felt remarkably better today than last week. I think the light cardio right after my weight workouts helped this week.
Here was today's intervals:
- Bike, Intensity 1 (warm up), 5:00
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:45 ± (about 300 revolutions)
- Jog, Intensity 2, 5:45 ±
- Sprint (all out!), Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog, Intensity 2, 4:30
- Bike, Intensity 2, 2:00 ±
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:30 ± (300 revolutions...faster this time!)
- Sprint, Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog/Walk (cool down), Intensity 1, 5:00
Total Time => 32:37
Comments:
Shoulders and chest feeling a little tight today.
Legs and booty still a little sore.
Abs were finally calmed down.
Good timing on the intervals this week.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast was a beast of an omelet consisting of one egg, two egg whites, fresh salsa, homemade Italian sausage (recipe here), green and red peppers, and raw milk cheddar cheese. I topped it with a few shakes of the Louisiana hot sauce, too, of course.
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 homemade tuna salad wrapped in a collard green leaf "bread". Along side the tuna was another blended zuke salad. I'm addicted!
Mid-afternoon snack was 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and about 4 tsp of ground flax seed.
For dinner, I stir-fried up some chicken, broccoli, onion, lima beans, and mixed veggies in a sauce of coconut oil, garlic, hot mustard, and Bragg's liquid aminos.
Tomorrow morning brings a repeat of today's cardio workout then it's back to the weights on Day 15. I'll be ready for the iron again by then but the Week 3 workouts get way intense. Stay tuned!
The morning started off as usual at home then things got crazy right out of the gate at the office. Today was bid day which means papers flying, phones ringing, calculating, and re-calculating. Once the dust settled, we picked up about $6.5 million dollars worth of work! Good day!WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS
2 supersets of the Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work
Superset 1: Incline DB Flye, Incline Push Ups (used 2 chairs and ladder)
Superset 2: DB Pullovers, Dips - Chest version (I had to do some assisted reps here...phew!)
Superset 3: Mountain Climbers w/ ankle weights, Hanging knee raises
Total Time => 39:33
Comments:
Legs and booty were still feeling the pain! More therapeutic seat warmers required! :)
This week was definitely more challenging than Week 1 with the added set per exercise.
I felt like I did a good job of keeping strict form, even on the last set when my muscles were pretty well exhausted.
My weight choices were very good this week.
As I said last week, pre-setting the weights for each exercise was critical to not exceeding rest periods. Paying attention at the start definitely kept the workout flowing. This will be extremely important next week when the rest periods drop dramatically.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast (post-workout) kicked off with about 1 cup of oatgurt. Into the oatgurt base went a peeled and chopped mango and a big spoonful of TJ's raw almond butter. Outstanding combination! The mango was very sweet and juicy, too. To finish things off, I blended up a toffee protein smoothie of almond milk, some chilled coffee, a frozen banana, espresso flavored whey protein isolate, and some peanuts. I think I might've shed a tear when I got to the bottom of the glass. Yeah, it was that 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.
For lunch, I thought I might go out and get something but instead I went with the wasabi salmon left over from yesterday. The salmon got rolled up in some collard leaves with some extra green and red pepper strips for some added crunch and flavor.
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts).
For dinner we finished off the shrimp from Sunday and made another batch of almond shrimp lettuce wraps. Such a light but satisfying dinner!
As a snack before bed it's going to be a 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese...just enough to keep the muscles fed overnight and fuel an interval cardio workout in the morning!
See you then!
Yeah, you know you're singing it! "One a penny, two a penny..." (~:
Fans, I have never felt such deep, consistent muscle soreness like I have today after yesterdays leg workout!
Seriously, it was so intense, the seat warmers in the car got their first use in like 6 months! Now you know where the title for this post came from. (~:
The culprit, you ask? Lunges! Damn them!
Today was nuts at work as it was the day before project bids are due to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the work my construction company does. I did not return to the homestead until after 8:30 P.M.!
WORKOUT - BACK (JACK)
All 3 supersets of the Day 4, Week 2 workout were focused on the back. Very cool, man!
Superset 1: Hanging Row, Pull Ups (Assisted)
Superset 2: Twisting DB Row, Wide Arm Lat Pull Down
Superset 3: Wide Arm Cable Row, Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Total Time => 41:17
Comments:
I did better at pre-setting the weights but need to watch my rest periods closer. Too much wasted time!
Weights used were more in line with what I needed this week.
Legs and booty were sore, sore, sore! Seat warmers were employed again! :~)
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast (post-workout) kicked off with a little creation I'll call apple-cinnamon oatgurt. Into the oatgurt base went a chopped up apple, tons of cinnamon (duh), almond butter and a little bit of agave syrup. It was eye brow raising good! In addition, I had one egg and two egg whites scrambled up with more of that homemade salsa goodness, green and red peppers, and my homemade Italian sausage. Phew! What a meal!
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.
For lunch, I brought back a good friend, wasabi salmon. Wass-dat-be, you ask? Salmon mixed up with some yogurt, wasabi powder, ginger, and chopped celery and peppers. Another great summer lunch. The salmon got rolled up in some collard leaves with some extra green and red pepper strips for some added crunch and flavor.
My afternoon snack was a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with some white chia seeds mixed in.
Dinner, like lunch, came in front of the computer. Let's replay lunch from yesterday, shall we? I had a grass-fed beef burger wrapped in collard green leaves along with a blended zucchini salad. The recipe is here and has quickly become a favorite. Very refreshing during the hot summer months!
Since I'm all about piling on the suffering, not only was today Monday, it also was leg day. Day 3 of Week 2 of Jeff Anderson's Optimum Anabolics Program.
I actually got up about 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off. I find it's better if I just go ahead and get out of bed rather than sleep with one eye open for a few more minutes. What would you do?
I tip-toed by our passed out pooch, Rocki, got some water and headed down to the basement home gym. I was an absolute sweaty mess today...and typically it takes a lot of work for me to perspire like that. I was gettin' it!
After I made my way upstairs on my knees, it was breakfast, a shower and off to work to take in a Monday.
The office day included a couple meetings so it really flew by.
On the way home, I stopped at our local organic grocery co-op for some goodies...molasses, cocoa powder, raw milk cheese, raw cashews, and some digestive enzymes. I LOVE that place!
When I got home, I made up a stir fry, then helped the wife out on her basement crusade. She is kicking some serious butt on getting things ready for our neighborhood garage sale and organizing the dungeon.
While I brewed up some detox tea, I prepped my meals and snacks for tomorrow. Wednesday, the construction company I work for will be submitting bids on a few state roadway projects. It's going to be a long day of sorting through quotes, taking phone calls, and putting together pricing. To add to the madness, I have a Health Care Committee meeting later in the day that has some pretty tough topics to discuss. It'll be a wild day for sure!
WORKOUT - LEGS, LEGS, FOLLOWED BY LEGS
All 3 supersets of the Day 3, Week 2 workout were leg related. Killer!
Superset 1: Forward DB Lunge , Backward DB Lunge
Superset 2: Standing Calf Negatives, Barbell Squats (AFTER lunges? Yep!)
Superset 3: Donkey Calf Raises, Dead Lifts (AFTER squats?? Yep!)
Total Time => 40:29
Comments:
Shoulders still sore today from Sunday. Good workout!
Arms were a little sore this week. Better but still need to work on that.
Abs were not as sore this go around. Those crunches kick butt, but I think my body is warming up to them.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Breakfast (post-workout) kicked off with about 1 cup of oatgurt. Into the oatgurt base went a peeled and chopped mango. Outstanding combination! The mango was very sweet. To finish things off, I blended up a toffee protein smoothie of almond milk, some chilled coffee, a frozen banana, espresso flavored whey protein isolate, and some peanuts. Son of a (fill-in-the-blank)! Best smoothie I've ever made!
A fine looking mango and some oatgurt in waiting...
Here is the blessed toffee smoothie...
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 collard green leaves along with a blended zucchini salad. What's that you say? A blended salad? 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).
For dinner I went back to my stir-fry stand by....such a good meal. I steamed up broccoli, green beans from my sister's garden, and some mixed veggies. When those were ready they got mixed into a sauce of coconut oil, tamari, garlic, and hot mustard. For protein, some leftover chicken was thrown into the mix as well.
Pre-bed snack was...hang on to your seat...a half-cup of cottage cheese. Exciting, huh? (~:
See you tomorrow!
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 PROTEINMy 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!
Day 8 meant it was time to go back to the weights. Sweet! Even though it was the weekend, I chose to keep to my morning workout schedule...albeit a tad later than the usual 4:45 A.M. (~: We planned on running errands today so I didn't want to have to worry about when my workout was going to be fit in later in the day.
After working out and eating breakfast, the wife and I finished up our meal plans for the week. Before heading off to the store, I whipped up some oat groats that had been soaking overnight into some oatgurt. This is my first try at it. Hopefully it'll make a nice filling post-workout during the coming week.
The oatgurt was pretty thick so I had to blend it in two shifts to let the motor cool down. Yikes! In the meantime, I made some pico de gallo salsa that will be infusing my eggs from time to time this week as well. Yee-UM!
After a little (and I do mean a little) clean up, it was off to the races. Bank, grocery store #1, then grocery store #2. After putting things away, it was time for lunch salad. Christina had a reserved library book come in so she went to pick that up and stopped to get us some home-grown eggs on the way back. Back at the ranch, I cleaned up the kitchen which looked like WW II London after a German Luftwaffe air raid. Kaboom!
Just before putting the final touches on the cleanup, I mixed up what will be breakfast sausage for the week. That went into the downstairs fridge to let the spices permeate the grass-fed beef through the overnight. Breakfast tomorrow's going to be awesome, so stay tuned!! :~)
Before dinner, I took some time to blow through some emails, blogs, and do some blogging of my own. Dinner was quite the stir-fry you see below!
WORKOUT - SHOULDERS
Superset 1: DB Front Lateral Raises, Standing Arnold Presses
Superset 2: DB Rear Raises, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: Dip Bar Shrugs (awesome!), Twisting DB Presses
Total Time => 48:30
Comments:
The workouts this week increased by 1 set which is why the time increased. Rest time between supersets was shortened, however.
Used just about the perfect amount of weight today for each exercise. Very pleased!
To top things off, I did 9 quick minutes of some light cardio...3 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of jumping rope, and 3 minutes on the bike. Why 9 minutes? It's important to keep your work time under an hour. Growth hormone levels (for muscle building AND fat burning) start to fall off a cliff after about 60 minutes. Don't want to turn the GH faucet off!
DIET - HIGH PROTEINPost-workout I heated up a grass-fed beef burger and topped it with the last of the goat cheese. Yeah, I know, a burger for breakfast? So good, though! On the side was the last piece of sour oat bread from the inaugural batch with a scoop of almond butter for topping.
To replenish the muscle glycogen, I carbed up with a kiwi and an orange followed by some oat cakes topped with a banana, maple syrup, and, of course, some butter. This breakfast had some staying power! It held me for a solid 5 hours! Not many meals I make accomplish that!
After the errand running, lunch was calling. I put together a BIG salad of multiple types of lettuces, green and red peppers, green onions, and an avocado dressing I whipped up. The dressing had a whole avocado, 1 ts EVOO, 1 ts flax oil, 1 T of almond butter, turmeric, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Deliciousness!
And here it is...
Once dinner time rolled around, it was stir-fry time. On this plate are 2 different types of green beans, broccoli, and mixed veggies all in Scott's special sauce. :) The sauce would be soy sauce, mustard sauce, dijon mustard, garlic, and coconut oil along with a splash of red wine and apple cider vinegar. Once it reduces, it's almost BBQ-y (is that a word??).
Between the salad and the stir fry, I'd say I got my green veggie servings in for the day, huh? (:
See you tomorrow for arms!
When following a specific program, it's important to track your progress as you go along. No sense it spending week after week busting your butt to find out your body is much the same as before you got fired up to hit the gym and eat well.
The Optimum Anabolics Program keeps a 5 day weight routine followed by 2 off days (cardio optional). Taking measurements before the next 5 day weight cycle seemed like as good a time as any to check in.
Reviewing your numbers (plus your workout and diet compliance) for the week let you know if you need to make changes or just keep plugging along for the next 7 days.
Here are my stats as of Day 7:
Weight: 179.5 LBS
BF: 8.1% (according to the calipers I have)
Neck: 15-1/2"
Chest: 39-1/2"
Shoulders: 47-1/2"
Biceps: 13-1/2"
Waist: 33"
Thighs: 19-3/4"
Calves: 15"
Adonis Effect: 1.439
This is my first set of numbers since starting Optimum Anabolics because I'm quite certain my body was a swollen mess after a week long vacation. I'm starting to see some definition return and hope that trend continues as I work through Week 2.
Week 2 brings some extra sets in the weight room with decreased rest periods. Nutritionally, I'm going to keep things about the same in terms of calories but the quality of my grub should go up this week. Vacation foods are pretty well bye-bye and there are no ball games to attend this week so I should have no problems keeping the diet tight. I'd like to see those veins around my waistline return ;-)
WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
It was another day away from the weights today. Muscles resting and building as we speak. (~:
Here was today's intervals:
- Bike, Intensity 1 (warm up), 5:00
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:15 ± (about 300 revolutions...a little faster today)
- Jog, Intensity 2, 4:45 ±
- Sprint (all out!), Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog, Intensity 2, 3:00
- Bike, Intensity 2, 4:00 ±
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:15 ± (300 revolutions)
- Sprint, Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog/Walk (cool down), Intensity 1, 7:13-ish (I lightly jogged for 5:00)
Total Time => 31:28
Comments:
Shoulders and chest still a little tight today.
Feet and calves are sore from the absence of cardio for a couple of weeks. Some stretching tomorrow should help that.
My interval times today were much more per the pre-determined schedule. I extended things out a bit at the end just to walk a bit.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Today was a good nutritional day!
For breakfast, I started off with some veggies sauteed up with a whole egg, 2 eggs whites, and an ounce of goat cheese. On the side is a piece of sour oat bread and a little butter. Yeah, I totally wound up covering that piece with the good stuff! (`;
I followed up the eggs and veggies with an orange and kiwi. That preceded this combo of ingredients:
I called this bad boy a toffee smoothie. Friggin' fantastic bolt of energy out of this one!
If you're wondering, yes, that is espresso flavored whey and it is AWESOME(!!) except for the fact that it's loaded with chemicals and artificial sweeteners. Once it's gone, it's gone. Poisoning the body = bad idea.
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 grass-fed beef burgers wrapped in 2 collard green leaf "buns" with goat cheese. On the side I had a nice plateful of blanched green beans from our local farmers market. I sprinkled them with a bit of salt and man were they tasty. You can't beat this time of year in Ohio for all the fresh produce to be had!
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts).
For dinner it was Green Monster time again!- 1/2 banana frozen
- 1/2 C strawberries frozen
- 1 tsp Carlsons lemon flavored fish oil
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach
- 1 C water
I left the whey isolate out tonight and ate about 4 oz of chicken instead. I was pretty hungry since I got home later than usual this evening. The chicken gave the belly a little extra to do. (:
No pre-bed snack tonight. Took my usual supplements of BCAA's and L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate then it was off to bed.
The weights return to the program tomorrow! After a couple days off, I'm looking forward to it!
...the roof is on....ok, it's not on fire, but I couldn't resist. (~:
We are getting a new roof as I type, though, thanks to 2 hurricane force windstorms last fall and spring. Crazy Ohio weather!
I'm really glad I got my cardio workout in this morning since there's roofing debris EVERYWHERE around our house right now. It didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous 57* outside this morning and the moon was so bright I thought one of the condos behind us had left a flood light on! Can't ask for much more than that in August! WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)
It was great to get the legs and lungs pumping again today. My lungs definitely felt the 2 week layoff, however. No worries, though, because I plan to fit in a few more cardio days right after my weight workouts. I have been missing my longer runs, too, but those will have to wait for a bit.
Here was today's intervals:
- Bike, Intensity 1 (warm up), 5:00
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:45 ± (about 300 revolutions)
- Jog, Intensity 2, 5:45 ±
- Sprint (all out!), Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog, Intensity 2, 4:30
- Bike, Intensity 2, 2:00 ±
- Jump Rope, Intensity 2, 3:30 ± (300 revolutions...faster this time!)
- Sprint, Intensity 3, 30 seconds
- Jog/Walk (cool down), Intensity 1, 5:00
Total Time => 32:37 (29:00 should've been the stopping point)
Comments:
Shoulders and chest feeling a little tight today.
Legs and booty still a little sore.
Abs were finally calmed down.
My interval times today did not go at all as scheduled. Pretty much, I overestimated how far I could ride or jog in the time allotted. Adjustments will be made tomorrow!
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Again, I'm still eating some vacation foods by my diet was pretty solid today. I noticed I was a little hungry this PM so that means I'm getting a little fat burning going on. That's good!
For breakfast, I finished off the last of the kiszka (the horror!) with tomatoes and ketchup. I FINALLY got to have a piece of the raw cornbread that had been "non-cooking" in the oven the past few days. Good stuff!! For dessert it was a cut up nectarine and apple. Wow that was a good combination!
Here's the raw cornbread before "un-baking"...
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 homemade chicken salad wrapped in a collard green leaf "tortilla". I also ate up some cut up green and red peppers and carrots. It's not been mentioned yet, but lunch typically ends with 4-6 oz of kombucha. It's totally refreshing and as a bonus, it knocks out any sweet cravings I might have (which is all the time after a meal !).
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts).
For dinner it was Green Monster time again!- 1/2 banana frozen
- 1/2 C strawberries frozen
- 1 tsp Carlsons lemon flavored fish oil
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach
- 1 C water
- 1 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder
Tonight's was super fluffy and delicious!! I might have had a few walnuts for dessert, too. (~:
As a snack before bed, I'll probably go with a 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese again. Good stuff!
The morning brings a repeat of today's cardio workout then it's back to the weights on Day 8. I'll be ready for the iron again by then!
What things you ask? Dumbbells mostly! (~:
I can't believe the first round of 5 workouts is in the books already!
It was a pretty typical Wednesday for me. Out of bed to workout, fix up a tasty breakfast, shower and then off to work.
After work, I ran a couple of errands, blended up a Green Monster (see below), mowed the lawn, then applied a super cool organic "lawn tonic" to the freshly cut grass.
As I sip my detox tea, a conversation I had with a co-worker earlier today popped into my head. His 2 daughters, one in her mid-20's and the other around 30, have really kicked it into fitness high-gear. The youngest just signed up for a fitness model competition in Greensboro, NC and the oldest ran not one, but two 5K's this past weekend. He also mentioned their fitness routines and nutrition goals which were pretty impressive.
After updating me on his daughters, he gets this sad look on his face and says "they're really trying to make their old man look old". This co-worker of mine has a great home gym and treadmill and puts in a lot of quality time in there. Add in the fact that he works in the yard or around the house nearly non-stop on the weekend and this guy should be ripped up...despite the fact that he's staring 60 in the face.
What's his problem? Diet, diet, diet! His girls are showing him first hand that there are 3 parts to the health and fitness equation. The first is mental. You need to be mentally committed to putting yourself first and set some goals for yourself. Second, you need to move your body in a such a way to move toward your goal(s). Third, you have to fuel your body properly to, again, move toward your goal(s). Sounds simple, right? Simple, yes. Easy, not always.
That's my rant for the day! (-:
WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS
2 supersets of the Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work
Superset 1: Incline DB Flye, Incline Push Ups (I got creative and used 2 chairs and ladder!)
Superset 2: DB Pullovers, Dips - Chest version (I had to do some assisted reps here...phew!)
Superset 3: Mountain Climbers w/ ankle weights, Hanging knee raises
Total Time => 39:33
Comments:
Felt enormous all day! My shirt was rubbing in the right places. (~:
Legs and booty were sore but not as bad as expected.
Still feeling those abs!
All-in-all it was a good first week. I had to learn a few new exercises and figure out the best weight to use on a few others.
I felt like I did a good job of using strict form. Occasionally this meant lowering the amount I was lifting to make that happen.
Lastly, pre-setting the weights for each exercise is critical to not exceeding rest periods. This will become even more important in the upcoming weeks.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
I'm still eating some vacation foods by my diet was pretty solid today...stuck right to the plan I had laid out.
Breakfast should be pretty familiar by now...a post-workout feast of kiszka (a Polish sausage), tomatoes, a nectarine and a kiwi. No pancakes today, though. It was sour oat bread and butter along with the sausage. Friggin' addictive!
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, home made pico de gallo salsa, and an ounce of goat cheese wrapped in a collard green leaf "tortilla". I also ate up some cut up green and red peppers and carrots. Wow, that's a good lunch, huh?!?
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of Trader Joes raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, raisins).
For dinner it was Green Monster time once again! Are you seeing a trend here?
- 1/2 banana frozen
- 1/2 C strawberries frozen
- 1 tsp Carlsons lemon flavored fish oil
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach
- 1 C water
- 1 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder
As a snack before bed it's going to be a 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese...just enough to keep the muscles fed overnight and fuel an interval cardio workout in the morning!
I'm looking forward to a little cardio, believe it or not! It's been almost 2 weeks! Lace 'em up!
To help ease the pain of a Monday after vacation, one of the companies that supplies stone to the construction company I work for took us to a "business man's special" today. An afternoon at the ballyard. Fantastic!
Muscle building foods? Uh, no, not so much. I had a couple beers, too, but, hey, it was a ball game and someone else was buying!
WORKOUT - BACK (JACK)
All 3 supersets of the Day 4 workout were focused on the back. Very cool, man!
Superset 1: Hanging Row, Pull Ups (Assisted)
Superset 2: Twisting DB Row, Wide Arm Lat Pull Down
Superset 3: Wide Arm Cable Row, Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Total Time => 41:17
Comments:
I need to make sure I pre-set exercises better for this workout. Too much wasted time!
Weights used will be bumped up next time
Legs and booty were sore but not as bad as expected.
Still feeling those abs!
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
I switched things up a little for breakfast today. I cranked out some scrambled eggs with salsa and had some butter with sour oat bread on the side. :~)
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.
For lunch, we hit up the concession stand before it was time to "Play Ball!". I had a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy brewski and a chicken tenders basket with fries. Of course I had to have some BBQ sauce for dipping the tenders and ketchup for the fries. The horror! Not a lot of good options at the ballpark...at least not yet.
Mid-afternoon snack was a few handfuls of peanuts in the shell around the 6th or 7th inning of the game.
For dinner it was Green Monster time and boy did I need it!
- 1/2 banana frozen
- 1/2 C strawberries frozen
- 1 tsp Carlsons lemon flavored fish oil
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach
- 1 C water
- 1 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder
Tonight's was super cold which felt good after being in the sun earlier at the stadium.
No snack tonight...just my supplements of L-arginine and branch chain aminos (BCAA's). A good place to get quality supplements is here.
See you tomorrow for the last weight day of the week!
This Monday meant it was back to work after a week-long vacation. The 4:30 a.m. alarm came too quickly this morning mostly because I did not sleep well. Not good since a formidable leg workout was in store 1st thing. Yeah, my weekday workouts typically begin with a warm up around 4:45 a.m.
Here we go!
WORKOUT - LEGS, LEGS, FOLLOWED BY LEGS
All 3 supersets of the Day 3 workout were leg related. Killer!
Superset 1: Forward DB Lunge , Backward DB Lunge
Superset 2: Standing Calf Negatives, Barbell Squats (AFTER lunges? Yep!)
Superset 3: Donkey Calf Raises, Dead Lifts (AFTER squats?? Yep!)
Total Time => 40:29
Comments:
Shoulders still sore today from Sunday. Good workout!
Arms were not sore at all really. Need to work on that.
Abs were sore, sore, sore. Those crunches kick butt, I tell ya!
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Diet vacation took a vacation today. :~) I felt tremendously better, too.
Breakfast should remind you of lunch the past two days...a post-workout feast of kiszka (a Polish sausage), tomatoes, sour oat bread, some fruit. No pancakes today, though. :~(
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 chicken salad wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves along with some cut up green and red peppers, cukes, and carrots. Wow, that's a good lunch, huh?!?
Mid-afternoon snack was 2 hard boiled egg whites and one yolk along with a handful of Trader Joes raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, raisins).
For dinner it was Green Monster time. I messed with the recipe tonight a little, tho...
- 1/2 banana frozen
- 1/2 C strawberries frozen
- 1 tsp Carlsons lemon flavored fish oil
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach
- 1 C water
- 1 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder
Notice I cut down on some of the carbs but the Monster still came out nice and thick. Just like I like it on a warm summer day!
As a snack before bed I had 1/2 a scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder in some water...just enough to keep the muscles fed overnight. Will that help with any soreness? I hope so but we'll see!
Here it is, Sunday. Meh. This particular Sunday was mentally tough since the post-vacation work week lies ahead. A good part of the day was spent in preparation for the new week to come...meal planning, grocery shopping, laundry, paying bills, etc. Exciting stuff! (~:
WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS
The Day 2 workout included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.
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 => 41:26
Comments:
Shoulders sore but not killing me today.
My arms were popping after that workout!
Doing crunches with the towel and correct form totally burnt my abs. I could only get 6 reps on the last set.
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Vacation mode continues so my diet was not stellar again today. I know it'll be all good in the next few days so not to worry!
I did get things started right again today with another Green Monster. I love these drinks but man, they make me and "the little boys room" good friends! TMI? Sorry 'bout that... (:
- 1 C Almond Milk
- 1 banana frozen
- 1/2 C blueberries
- 4 tsp white chia seeds
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach (the green in the monster!)
Lunch was (again) a post-workout feast of kiszka (a Polish sausage), tomatoes, sour oat bread, some fruit, and my favorite...pancakes with maple syrup and loads of butter! Yum!
It felt like a beer kinda night so dinner started off with a Magic Hat Brewery Pale Ale. Hit the spot! While sipping on the brewski, I prepped and cooked our dinner which consisted of sliced sweet potatoes and onions drizzled with olive oil and baked. That was topped with fresh asparagus and wild caught mahi-mahi. Rosemary, garlic, mustard, and lemon juice served as a dressing for the fish. The whole thing went back into the oven and baked up in about 15 minutes. Seriously, this dish is now one of our favorites!
Then it was ice cream time! I loaded up a bowl and topped it with many layers of nuts and almond butter. Outstanding! It was so good last night, I had to do it again! :-)
Hello there again, fans! My blogging hiatus has ended! Additionally, the Wife and I are back from a 5-day bed & breakfast vacation up at Lake Erie.
You know what that means? Time to get back after it! Ok, perhaps we'll just ease into it...
Over the course of the next 24 weeks (maybe more??), I'll be reviewing and tracking my progress as I follow Jeff Anderson's (aka The Muscle Nerd) build and burn workout routine known as Optimum Anabolics. The added bonus should be that I am focused and accountable as I go along. I'm going to need that since The Muscle Nerd's first program provides some interesting challenges.
The week or so before our vacation, I took the time to read through the manual and found it to be quite thorough. Jeff really gets into detail on everything from hormones, to exercise frequency and rest periods, to diet and supplementation. I won't be giving away any of the secrets but hopefully you'll get the feel for how this program keeps you on your toes both at the gym (home gym for me!) and in the kitchen. While we were on vacation, I spent some time putting together my personalized diet and exercise regimens that I would be following for the next few weeks. Optimum Anabolics takes you step by step through this process. Very, very simple! The rest, the implementation, is up to you!
WORKOUT - SHOULDERS
Superset 1: DB Front Lateral Raises, Standing Arnold Presses
Superset 2: DB Rear Raises, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: Dip Bar Shrugs (awesome!), Twisting DB Presses
Total Time => 41:00
Comments: My shoulders have never been worked over like that!
DIET - HIGH PROTEIN
Admittedly, I'm still in vacation mode in this category. I have my meal plan all set for the week so I'll be tapering back on the "vacation food" as I go along (hopefully). For me, this is butter with pancakes (yes you read that right!), pizza, ice cream, and alcohol...not necessarily in that order.
I did get things started right today with what's known in the blog world as a Green Monster. Cram all the ingredients you see below into a blender, crank it up, pour it out, and enjoy!
- 1 C Almond Milk
- 1 banana (frozen...there is no other way!)
- 1/2 C blueberries
- 4 tsp chia seeds (ground flax seed is also outstanding)
- Couple handfuls of fresh organic spinach (the green in the monster!)
Lunch was a post-workout feast of kiszka (a Polish sausage), tomatoes, sour oat bread, some fruit, and my favorite...pancakes with maple syrup and loads of butter! Yum!
Dinner started off with a Bombay Sapphire martini paired with Spanish olives. :~) After that, I settled in to some chicken salad with veggies, tortilla chips with homemade salsa, and an apple. Then came the ice cream! I loaded up a bowl and topped it with many layers of nuts and almond butter. Outstanding! Thankfully, there was no whipped cream in the house or it would've been toast! :-)
On a positive note, I definitely got my protein in for the day.
