Optimum Anabolics - Day 85/I'm Special

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

Why?

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

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

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

WORKOUT - SHOULDER SPECIALIZATION ONLY

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

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

Superset 1: Shoulders only (see below)

My shoulder specialization superset:

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

Total Time => 25:00

Comments:

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

My shoulders were completely toast after the specialization set.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 82/Kre-Alkalyn Pro

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

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

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

Whoa!

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

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

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

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


WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS

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

Superset 1: DB Flyes (on stability ball), Dips - Chest version
Superset 2: DB Pullover, Bench Press (Flat)
Superset 3: Reverse Ball Crunches, Mountain Climbers (plus 15 LBS per ankle)

Total Time => 38:32

Comments:

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

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

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

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


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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
















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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 81/Tuesday

Just a quick workout and diet summary today.

**YAWN**

WORKOUT - BACK

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

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

Total Time => 38:02

Comments:

Focused on my form again today.

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

I felt very strong during the remainder of the workout.

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 80/Poofy Product Review

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

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

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

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

Short and sweet. Just the way I like it.

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

I was not disappointed.

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

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

WORKOUT - LEGS

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

Superset 1: Leg Extensions, Reverse DB Lunges
Superset 2: Standing Calf Raises, Dead Lifts
Superset 3: Donkey Calf Negatives, Bulgarian Split Squats

Total Time => 39:22

Comments:

Lunges kicked my butt today.

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Post workout breakfast was 2 eggs over easy in coconut oil which I chopped up over a "white death" roll topped with Louisiana hot sauce. For carbs (and some extra protein), I got the blender going with a "banana berry" smoothie:

• 1C almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1C frozen strawberries
• 1TBS Udo's Oil Blend
• 1 scoop plain whey protein isolate powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 handfuls of ice

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

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

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

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 75/Squashed

Shopping at and making meals from the fresh fare at the local farmer's markets also leads to, for the most part, seasonal buying. I definitely had my fill of lettuces in the spring, cucumbers and zucchini in the summer, and tomatoes and peppers during the late summer/early fall. Now that we are deep into fall, the hard squash and winter veggies are all the rage. Over the past couple of weeks, we've munched on or purchased:

• yellow
• spaghetti
• acorn
• butternut
• buttercup (kabocha)
  
• pumpkin
• sweet potato

Here's what we did with each so far:

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

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

Acorn - still sitting on our counter awaiting consumption.

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

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

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

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

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



WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS

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

Superset 1: DB Flyes (on stability ball), Dips - Chest version
Superset 2: DB Pullover, Bench Press (Flat)
Superset 3: Reverse Ball Crunches, Mountain Climbers (plus 12-1/2 LBS per ankle)

Total Time => 40:29

Comments:

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

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

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

I enjoyed changing up the exercises, also.


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)


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

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

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

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

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
















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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 73/That's A Crock

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

This recipe is SO easy...

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

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

The lineup before cooking:

















WORKOUT - LEGS

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

Superset 1: Leg Extensions, Reverse DB Lunges
Superset 2: Standing Calf Raises, Dead Lifts
Superset 3: Donkey Calf Negatives, Bulgarian Split Squats

Total Time => 39:23

Comments:

Great work on the lunges today.

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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















Wow!

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

Lunch was cashew chicken salad (modified) from Dr. Hyman's book The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook. The best part of this dish, in my opinion, is the dressing:

• 1 TBS of cashew butter (I used tahini)
• 2 TBS of lime juice
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 1 TBS minced garlic (look out vampires!)
• 1 tsp minced ginger

This combination could and should be mass produced and sold at the markets. Outstanding.

I snacked on raw nuts and cottage cheese this afternoon.

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
















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

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

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

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

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

Grain-free Gluten-free Waffles:

• 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp milk (we used coconut milk)
  
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• Optional – 1 Tbsp maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener (we'll use more next batch)
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 Tbsp coconut flour

Simply mix everything together, and let the ingredients meld for about 5 minutes (or during your workout :-) while your waffle iron gets warm. The coconut flour seems to react better if it has time to “soak” so please don’t leave out this “melding” time.

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

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

The verdict? Delicious!

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

WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS

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

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

Total Time => 38:29

Comments:

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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






































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

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 71/Soul Fitness

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

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

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

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

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


WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

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

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

Total Time => 36:19

Comments:

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

Before heading out to the expo this morning, I cranked up the blender and made a "chocoffee" smoothie to get me going.

• 1 C of chilled Cafe Brioso coffee
• 1 C of Snowville Creamery whole milk
• 2 scoops of plain whey protein isolate powder
• 2 TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 TBS Udo's Oil blend
• 2 TBS+ of coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp stevia
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum

Christina and I ate lunch out today at Ted's (as in Ted Turner) Montana Grill. We had not been in a long while and once again left happy. The corporation behind the name gets more impressive every time I go there. Here are some highlights...

• Fresh, never frozen, bison meat direct from Ted's ranch
• Extensive gluten-free menu
• Use of recycled paper for menus and table coverings
• Use of low energy bulbs and fixtures
• Paper straws
• Complimentary pickles (instead of rolls!) made fresh daily

Pretty cool, huh?

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

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

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 68/Lawn Fitness

Why shouldn't the health of our lawns be part of our Overall Fitness?

After I gave our lawn a haircut this evening, I sprayed on a "lawn tonic" that I began using in the spring to keep our grass healthy through the tough, unpredictable summer months. What time better than the present to share it with you.

Christina and I are working on eliminating as many toxins from our lives as we possibly can. We use many glass storage containers for our foods, eat organic produce and meats whenever possible, have a whole-house water filtration system, sleep on organic cotton sheets, and clean with natural cleaners.

Since we started making moves toward more natural products, I had been searching for a safer treatment for my lawn that would keep it decent (I don't pretend to be weed-free and perfect) and be safe for the pooch to roam around on. She is stubborn and refuses to wear shoes. (~:

Thanks to Christina's uncle in Cleveland, this recipe appeared in my inbox. I put it to work the first part of June and never stepped foot in the fertilizer aisle at Home Depot again.

Check it out...

• 1 can of beer -- any kind, but not "lite"
• 1 can of pop -- any kind, but not diet
• 1/2 cup of ammonia
• 1/2 cup of mouthwash
• 1/2 cup of liquid dish detergent --do not use "anti-bacterial"

Mix all ingredients together and use in a 10 gallon sprayer hooked to a hose.

Apply every 3 weeks after mowing, preferably in the evening.

It takes about two batches to cover a 5,000 square foot lawn.

Granted, this is still not "organic" but it's a far cry from the toxic dump found in a bag of Scott's lawn products.

Give it a shot. Your grass will thank you for it and your pooch just might have better breath. :)


WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS

2 supersets of the Week 10, Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work

Superset 1: DB Flyes (on stability ball), Dips - Chest version
Superset 2: DB Pullover, Bench Press (Flat)
Superset 3: Reverse Ball Crunches, Mountain Climbers (plus 12-1/2 LBS per ankle)

Total Time => 40:48

Comments:

Almost (almost) made it through all the sets of dips without needing any assistance. Sweet.

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

It was good to have longer rest periods this week.

I enjoyed changing up the exercises, also.

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

My post-workout breakfast this morning was rather uneventful and a repeat of Day 66. 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.

Mid-morning, I snacked on Greek style yogurt along with 1/3 scoop whey protein isolate, and 4 tsp of ground flax seed mixed in.

For lunch I had wasabi salmon from Dr. Mark Hyman's book Ultra-Metabolism stuffed into a red bell pepper.

Work was far too hectic today which put me eating lunch late and skipping my afternoon snack. Cottage cheese and raw nuts live to see another day. (~:

Dinner tonight was a new (to us) chili recipe from a fine blog that Christina and I used to visit often, Eat, Live, Run. The recipe was simple and healthy but lacked the punch and flavor complexity Christina and I like in our chili. If we make this again, it will require a significant overhaul. On a positive note, the ingredients did lead to a good, thick texture. Something to build on.

Right before hitting the pillows, I put down 30 g of whey protein isolate powder in about 3/4 C of water along with my supplements.

Optimum Anabolics - Day 67/The Losers Missed It

Christina and I kicked back and watched Week 4 of The Biggest Loser this evening. One very important concept surfaced in this episode that was all but glazed over by everyone, including the professional trainers/coaches on the show.

One of the contestants on the Purple Team is medically unable to participate in any of the boot camp style workouts until her inflammation markers (blood work stuff) come down. In the meantime, the other contestants are putting in upwards of 6 hours per day in the gym performing all sorts of workouts varying in style from traditional, steady-state cardio to high intensity intervals, to circuit training with resistance. Despite not working out AT ALL, this purple lady managed to lose 4 LBS during this week.

What? How'd she do that without killing herself at the gym like the rest of the teams?

Diet. Diet. Oh, and diet.

Everyone thought this lady would be in line to go home this week because she was forced to be a couch potato. Not so! And, as I said previously, NO ONE ACKNOWLEDGED IT. In fact, they all treated her like she didn't deserve to be there and there was no way she could've lost that amount without being in the gym.

Show me your nutrition and I'll show you your body. What you eat is 90% of the game, I believe. Workout to sculpt your body, not to make up for the damage you might do in the kitchen.

After 8 seasons of doing this, how could The Biggest Loser skip over this point??

WORKOUT - BACK

All 3 supersets of the Week 10, 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 => 38:46

Comments:

Focused on my form today.

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

I started my post-workout meal off with a hunk of tahini meatloaf from last night's dinner. Meatloaf for breakfast? Hey, why not? I followed that up with a bowl full of Asian Fusion oatgurt. I tweaked it for my taste by using 1 TBS tahini, 2 tsp raw honey, and 2 tsp of miso paste, 1 TBS of Udo's oil.

Refueling with scenery:
















That gorgeous Lincoln rose was from our back yard and it smelled 10 times better than it looks. Yes, that good.

Before a meeting this morning, I had a 1/2 cup of Greek-style yogurt with 4 tsp of ground flax seed and 1/3 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder.

After the meeting, a salesman took us out to lunch at a local restaurant, Barley's Smoke House. My meal was a house salad followed by a half a roasted chicken (BBQ sauce on the side) with a side of green beans. On the surface, this sounds like a darn fine meal. It was meh at best. Glad someone else was picking up the check on this one. (~:

I skipped an afternoon snack today for two reasons. First, that lunch chicken was plenty to tie me over until dinner. Second, I wanted to be hungry for dinner that was going to be at 5:00 which is early for me.

As it turns out, dinner wound up being breakfast. I agreed to take part in a taste test for Wendy's International at their headquarters here in Columbus. I tasted two different types of breakfast burritos that may (or may not) be hitting the market soon. A fast food fan I am not, but these burritos were of fairly decent quality. Sauteed green and red peppers and onion, eggs, and monterey jack cheese were stuffed inside a grilled whole wheat tortilla. Good ingredients but only fair taste. I was hoping the chipotle hot sauce would save it but no luck. My egg scrambles at home are much better. Maybe I need to go cook breakfast for the Wendy's folks, huh?

Before bed, I chugged back my 30 grams of plain whey protein isolate powder mixed in water along with my supplements.

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:

• 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.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

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.

Optimum Anabolics - Day 65/Supplements

As I mentioned yesterday, Week 10 of Optimum Anabolics requires a switch back to a higher protein diet. I figured this was a good time to introduce some supplements that are considered optional on the program.

Here's a quick peek at what I'm taking, the timing, and what they are taken for:

• Creatine Monohydrate: 5g before and 5g after a workout. Great for providing strength and energy during a workout and for encouraging muscle recovery during the post workout time period.
• L-glutamine: 5g immediately after a workout and 5g before bed. This supplement is for tissue recovery and secondarily boosts your immune system.
• Branch Chain Amino Acids: 15g immediately after workout. BCAA's are the building blocks for protein. The muscles soak these up like a sponge in the recovery mode.
• Fish Oil and Udo's 3-6-9 Oil: Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) sources. I take these throughout the day for so many reasons. There isn't enough room on this post to do justice to what EFA's can do.

WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS

The Week 10, Day 2 workout included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.

Superset 1: DB Concentration Curls, Cable Push Downs
Superset 2: Twisting DB Curls, Dips (tricep version)
Superset 3: Plank (1 minute hold on stability ball), Hanging Knee Raise (with 5 LB ankle weights)

Total Time => 39:28

Comments:

My biceps felt very strong today.

Stability ball plank holds were tough!


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

For breakfast this morning, I went with a protein fest of eggs and sausage. Mmm...protein. With the eggs, I sauteed up some onion and bell pepper and topped it off with some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Ambition got the best of me so I fired up the grill flame the sausage patties. Wow.

As a mid-day snack, I dug some chocolate protein powder out of the pantry and mixed up a protein bar based on the Muscle Hack's recipe which can be found here. I went with raw almond butter, of course.

Post workout (early) dinner was grilled chicken (raw, dairy free) alfredo. Oh yes. The chicken was marinated for a couple of hours in lemon juice, EVOO, garlic, salt, and pepper then grilled up. If you're scoring at home, I did indeed use the grill *twice* today. :-) We healthied the normal version of this dish up (a little, anyway) with organic brown rice noodles. I also sauteed mini-bella mushrooms with a sliced up onion and coconut oil. This went over the pasta before the alfredo sauce topped it all off. Dinner to die for, kids.

I forgot to mention in my previous post what the deal was with the "Plus 1" in the diet section of the blog. For the next 3 weeks, I'll be taking in 30 grams or so of protein right before bed. Most likely, this will come in the form of whey protein powder but might also include cottage cheese. The main requirement is that this snack should be low fat and low carb to keep from raising insulin levels too high during the night which can inhibit growth hormones. Bad news when you're trying to increase muscle mass.

Optimum Anabolics - Day 64/Return To Protein

For the past 3 weeks, the Optimum Anabolics program has required that only 30 grams of "true" protein (meat, fish, eggs, protein powders, dairy) be eaten each day. More specifically, the protein was to be consumed immediately (within an hour) after completing a workout. This cycle of Protein Deprivation sounded difficult at the beginning but it wound up being a nice change. Looking back on the last 3 weeks here are a couple quick thoughts:

• By the end of the cycle, I was craving protein. Specifically, meat. If were to go all out vegetarian, I would need to correct this deficiency.
• My digestive system was a little "off" near the end. Too much fiber?
• My body felt "soft" for lack of a better description.
• I was able to maintain my workout intensity levels.
• Energy levels throughout the day were very good.

Today, it was time to flip the protein consumption upside down and return to the high protein (percentage wise, anyway) diet. I was ready. Hummus is good and all, but this guy needs some grass-fed beef back on his plate.

In addition to the change in protein consumption, a few supplements were added this week. I'll cover those in a future post. Tease, tease. :~)

WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

Week 10 of the Optimum Anabolics program feels like a rest period after 3 weeks of a Progressive Loading cycle. Rest periods increase to 3 minutes between supersets and the number of repetitions of each exercise decreases dramatically.

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

Total Time => 36:35

Comments:

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

My post workout breakfast this morning started off with eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) and red onion and peppers sauteed in some coconut oil. For glycogen replenishment, oatgurt was in order. I went with my new favorite...Asian Fusion. Oatgurt, honey, tahini, and miso. Delicious!

After breakfast, we headed out to Columbus' Center of Science & Industry (COSI) with some friends to celebrate their son's birthday. I packed a coffee smoothie for lunch to avoid the cafeteria style diner. Today's version...

• 1 C of chilled Cafe Brioso coffee
• 10+ Ice Cubes
• 2 scoops of plain whey protein isolate powder
• 2 TBS of cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 TBS coconut milk (full fat)
• 2 shakes of chili powder
• Lots of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1/8 tsp pure stevia

A perfect on the go meal.

After learning all about science, we headed back to the homestead for celebratory cupcakes that Christina had made from our favorite gluten free cookbook. They were outstanding! Who needs gluten??

We decided to do take out for dinner and dialed up O'Charley's after looking on the net and finding out they offer a gluten free menu. Sweet. I had the grilled salmon with broccoli casserole and a side salad. Not bad, but Christina's cedar plank salmon was much better in the taste department.

Optimum Anabolics - Day 60/Busy So I Need An Answer

It was a crazy busy day today, so I thought it'd be a good time to ask a question about something that has me stumped.

We bought the baked, not fried, organic blue corn tortilla chips at Trader Joe's this past weekend (see photo below). For a 7 oz bag, the price was $1.99. For a 16 oz bag of FRIED chips, they charge $2.99.

How is it that the fried version costs more than the baked? Anyone?

WORKOUT - BACK

All 3 supersets of the Week 9, Day 4 workout were focused on the back.

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

Total Time => 46:15

Comments:

This workout just murders my grip and forearms. With the exception of the rows, all the exercises require me to hold on tight. This is terribly taxing for that "pump" set of 15 at the end of each superset!

The "pump" sets lived up to their name today. My back felt very wide all day.

The heat warmers are "on call" for tomorrow. Started feeling my legs tighten up later in the day.

DIET - PROTEIN DEPRIVATION

I started my post-workout meal off with a bowl full of oatgurt. I got brave today and, with guidance from my oatgurt pal, Heather, went with Asian Fusion for the flavor theme. I tweaked it for my taste by using 1 TBS tahini, 2 tsp raw honey, and 2 tsp of miso paste. My hesitation on stirring in that miso paste quickly turned to excitement on my first bite. Wow! What a great combination of flavors. Not sure why I doubted it would taste good. Sweet and salty. Yum!

To get my post workout protein requirement taken care of, I had a coffee smoothie with the following:

• 1 C of chilled coffee (Cafe Brioso, of course!)
• 1 C of almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 scoop of plain whey protein isolate powder
• 1 tsp chocolate extract
• 2 TBS of cocoa powder
• 2,000 shakes of cinnamon powder
• 3 TBS of coconut milk
• 1/2 packet of Vitargo Muscle Fuel & Recovery (more on this tomorrow)

Outstanding of course!

I had a couple of The Cookie Cop's oatmeal-cinnamon-flax cookies and 3 raw brazil nuts as a mid-morning snack.
















At lunch time, I had raw tortilla soup along with a sandwich baggie full of the aforementioned baked blue corn tortilla chips.
















My afternoon snack was half of a tomato and a green bell pepper loaded up with hummus.

The left over veggie burgers and cole slaw from Day 58 made a convenient dinner for a busy evening.

And that's all she wrote....

Optimum Anabolics - Day 58/An Inside Look

This afternoon, we did some re-arranging of the master bedroom. It's amazing what a difference just the slightest change can make.

While in the switch-a-roo mood and having just purchased a stationary bike, it seemed like a good time to change up the home gym space, too.

I snapped a photo while things were all nice and organized. Here is the new and improved look all set up to kick my glutes (butt) tomorrow on leg day....
















The new (to me) stationary recumbent bike is over to the left along with the Body Solid dip stand. The incline/decline bench is set for leg curls while the rack is locked and loaded for squats. Behind the squat bar is a high/low pulley system that is great for tricep pushdowns and rowing exercises. On the floor to the right are dumb bells ranging in weight from 3 LB to 40 LB. Tomorrow morning I'll be using those for lunges which will be done right in front of the leg curl attachment.

It may not be pretty, but it gets the job done!

WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS

The Week 9, Day 2 workout included 2 supersets of arms followed by a superset of ab work.

Superset 1: Incline DB Curls, Overhead Rope Extensions
Superset 2: Close Grip Chin Up (assisted), Dips (tricep version)
Superset 3: Bent Leg Crunch (with towel roll under back), Ab Slide (with 10 LB on my back)

Total Time => 47:15

Comments:

Shoulders got worked very hard yesterday and were letting me know today.

My arms respond very well to the "pump" sets during Week 9.

My abs are getting stronger at doing crunches with the towel and correct form.

The pump set of abs was done in the fully contracted position. Brutal.

DIET - PROTEIN DEPRIVATION

As a post-workout meal today, we met my friend Luke out and treated ourselves to First Watch. Love that place. Their service is amazingly quick no matter how busy they are. Most importantly they have a gluten free menu and go to great lengths in their kitchen to make sure the food is prepared without cross-contamination. Christina is a happy camper there for sure.

I managed to chow down on 3 big blueberry pancakes and a turkey sausage patty. I think I drank about a 20 cups of coffee, too. Whoops!

Lunch time came around mid-afternoon. It seemed like a good day to finish off the leftover lentil taco "meat" along with some homemade guacamole. I also had some baked blue corn tortilla chips to scoop up the escapees from the romaine lettuce "shells".
















Kombucha in the background to drink. Ahhhh!

I had been craving veggie burgers since we first made them a couple weeks back. We brought back the copycat recipe from Houston's Restaurant and once again it did not disappoint. Of course, we had to make the non-dairy coleslaw again, too. Also on the side was a sweet corn and bean salad from our favorite cookbook that Christina had put together earlier in the day. Definitely could make a meal out of that alone!

Optimum Anabolics - Day 57/Don't Blink

Do you ever have days that seem to go by so fast that when you lay your head down on your pillow you're wondering if you ever left the bed at all?

Today was one of those days...no idea where it went.

We had to meet a tenant at the bank at 9:00 so we got up around 8:59 (haha), grabbed a quick breakfast and headed out the door.

From there, we were off to the last farmer's market of the season, at least for our favorite location. Despite the rain, we spent over an hour filling our bags with produce, talking to our favorite farmers and vendors, and thanking them for doing what they do. I was especially appreciative this year since we tried to grow some produce but lost interest early on. Next season, we'll be exclusively shopping. No green thumbs in this house. (~:

After returning home, it was time to workout, take a quick shower, and make up some lunch before the Buckeye game.

The game ended in a route, we fixed up some dinner, and watched The Biggest Loser that was waiting on the DVR for us from Tuesday.

I tried to hang to the end of the Penn State/Iowa game but it just didn't happen. Last night wore me out!

WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

Week 9 of the Optimum Anabolics program is the 3rd week of a Progressive Loading cycle. This means getting more work load accomplished in progressively shorter amounts of time. In other words, this type of workout really gets the heart and lungs going.

The 3rd week is also the final week of the Progressive Load phase so it's a killer. 5 sets of each exercise are performed with very little rest time. The last set is a high-rep "pump set".

The intensity drops off again next week. I'm going to need it!

Superset 1: DB Front Lateral Raises, Standing Arnold Presses
Superset 2: DB Rear Raises, Side DB Raises
Superset 3: DB Shrugs, Twisting DB Presses

Total Time => 43:04

Comments:

My shoulder muscles continue to get stronger since the last Optimum Anabolics Progressive Load workout.

I thought I was going to pop out of my skin after this workout. I had forgotten how much that "pump set" blows you up.

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

DIET - PROTEIN DEPRIVATION

For breakfast I repeated yesterday's recipe for (mostly) raw blueberry cereal. Perfect for getting out the door quickly in the morning.

Lunch was more of a post-workout brunch. I finished off the very last of the grass-fed meatloaf that I topped with some of the veggie burger BBQ sauce. Awesome! Dessert was two of Polly's oaty cakes and a piece of pumpkin bread from Bob Evans that Christina saved for me from her breakfast out yesterday. It went great with our rainy day and my Cafe Brioso coffee. Yum!

For dinner, we whipped up another batch of white bean hummus with Greek-style salad. After a big brunch, it was nice to have a lighter dinner.

That pillow is calling...

Optimum Anabolics - Day 54/BOO-cha

I assure you this post has nothing to do with Stewart Scott from ESPN who is known for hollering out "BOO-YEAH!" during highlight clips. :)

There have been several posts in the blogosphere recently that have mentioned one of my favorite beverages. Kombucha! Correct pronunciation (as far as I know) = com-BOO-chah. Around the Overall Fitness household, it's just known as "bucha".

Since I make/brew my own and drink 4-6 oz of the stuff after nearly every meal, I thought I might join the trend and do a little post of my own.

First, with a little help from www.kombucha.org, here is what it is...

The Kombucha Culture, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a mushroom, is a symbiotic, probiotic colony of yeast and bacteria (the friendly type). Kombucha Tea is made by combining the culture, with a mixture of black tea, and sugar. The ingredients are allowed to "ferment", usually from 7-10 days. The resulting beverage contains dozens of elements, many of which are known to promote healing for a variety of conditions.

Now, with assistance from www.getkombucha.com, here's why I drink it...

Top 10 Noticeable Benefits of Drinking Kombucha Tea Daily

+ Prevents Acid Reflux

+ Assists With Weight Loss

+ Aids in Digestion of Heavy Meals

+ Strengthens Hair, Restores Hair

+ More Energy in the Morning

+ Helps With Sleep

+ Relives Constipation

+ Post Work Out Recovery Drink (Cardiovascular and Resistance Training)

+ Reduces Severity of Hangovers

+ Better Skin Complexion, Tighter Skin Tone

Not too shabby, eh?

Now to my brewing process. My ingredients are as follows:

• 3 quarts (96 oz) of fresh, filtered water
• 1 C sugar (I use cheap white sugar)
• 6 tea bags (any tea will do EXCEPT herbal teas)
• 1 Kombucha culture
• 1 C or so of previously brewed kombucha

Starting out, I boil a quart (32 oz) of water and then dissolve one cup (or a little more) of sugar in the boiling water.

Next, I brew the tea with 6 bags for 10 minutes (or longer).

Starting out...















After the tea has brewed it's time to add it to the jar where it will be fermenting for 7-10 days (or more if it's cooler in the house).

I pour one quart of water into the freshly brewed tea to cool it off. We now have 2 quarts of liquid.

The 3rd quart gets poured directly into the fermenting jar.

















The 2 quarts of cooled tea then get added to the fermenting jar. I put a paper towel over the jar and secure it with a rubber band.

All set to hang out for a few days...


















Flash forward to tonight and we're all set to bottle it up!
















Bottled and ready for drinking...




























WORKOUT - CHEST/ABS

2 supersets of the Week 8 Day 5 workout were chest related, followed by a superset of abs work

Superset 1: Incline DB Flye, Dips - Chest version (I had to do some assisted reps here...phew!)
Superset 2: DB Front Lateral Raises (palms up), Incline Push Ups (I got creative and used 2 chairs and ladder!)
Superset 3: Mountain Climbers w/ ankle weights, Reverse Ball Crunches

Total Time => 46:13

Comments:

I have to admit, I just did not have it in the home gym today. My strength was lacking; particularly on the dumbbell flyes. Good thing tomorrow is cardio work only.

Legs were not sore but stiff for sure. They got worked well.

I went with 8 LB weights on my ankles today while doing mountain climbers. Abs...done.

It was a good week in the home gym even though today was somewhat disappointing.

Strict form continues to be a point of focus.

DIET - PROTEIN DEPRIVATION

My post-workout meal this morning was delicious. I cooked up 2 eggs sunny-side up with half a red pepper and a few slices of red onion in a teaspoon or so of coconut oil. I put them on a piece of Ezekiel bread along side 2 oz of homemade grass fed beef meatloaf. The eggies were followed up by 2 of Polly's oaty cakes with a TBS of organic butter and 2 TBS of pure Ohio maple syrup.

Mid-morning snack was 3 carob energy cubes along with a handful of raw nut mix (cashews, almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts).

Lunch was a fantastic cashew salad with cabbage cole slaw mix, red peppers, carrots, and scallions dressed with an almond butter, rice vinegar, lemon juice dressing. The recipe was from our favorite Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook by Dr. Mark Hyman. This salad is really, really good.

At snack time, I had a green bell pepper with lemony hummus.

Dinner was eggplant parm from Day 51 along with some roasted, organic spaghetti squash from the farmer's market. Delicious is an understatement. (~: