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 84/Roger Staubach

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

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

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

MEASUREMENTS:

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



















































WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

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

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

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals):

• 32 (16 per leg)
  
• 34 (17 per leg)
  
• 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)

Comments:

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 83/3D Abs??

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

Read on!

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

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

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

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

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

Let me share this secret with you now...

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

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

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

Here's how to correct this...

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

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

So the best exercises for lower abs are:

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

And then follow up with the best upper abs exercises:

* Crunches
* Weighted Crunches
* Situps
* Hanging Knee Raises

WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

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

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

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals):

• 31 (16 one leg, 15 the other)
  
• 34 (17 per leg)
  
• 35 (18 one leg, 17 the other)

Comments:

Sore in my chest today. Sweet!

Just a some stiffness here and there elsewhere.

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

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


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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

Lunch was spent with my buddy, Hugh Jass (salad), and the last bit of lamb roast that was trying to hide in the fridge. The salad was just a salad but the dressing was most excellent:

• 2 TBS sesame oil
• 1 TBS Udo's Oil Blend
• 2 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 1 TBS lime juice
• 1 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro (stirred in after all other ingredients)

This afternoon, I snacked on a 1/2C of cottage cheese and raw cashews, almonds, Brazils, and walnuts.

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

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 79/The Godfaddah (& Momma)

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

The proud Godparents...

















The happy family and Pastor Megan...

















The whole gang...



















WORKOUT - ARMS/ABS

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

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

Total Time => 37:28

Comments:

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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

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

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

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

So glad to be home, too.

Optimum Anabolics - Day 78/Deacon Dad

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

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

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

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























Getting ready to officially announce the new couple:

















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


WORKOUT - SHOULDERS

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

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

Total Time => 37:20

Comments:

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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
















Before we hit the road, I blended up a smoothie for a quick lunch later in the day. The Kitchen Aide whipped up:

• 1c of chilled Best Coffee Ever
• 1c of whole Snowville Creamery milk
• 2 scoops of plain whey protein isolate powder
• 2 TBS of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 TBS Udo's Oil Blend
  
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp chocolate extract
• 1/4 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum

Mom cooked up a feast for dinner of horseradish beef pot roast, carrots, and potatoes with gravy. Christina and I supplied the Brussels sprouts from yesterday's farmer's market and gluten free, dairy free sweet potato pie! Somehow I missed getting a picture of the pie but check out the size of the sweet potato we used!

Optimum Anabolics - Day 77/Double Ones

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

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

Time to see how the data looks:


MEASUREMENTS:

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



WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

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

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

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals):

• 32 (16 per leg)
  
• 34 (17 per leg)
  
• 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)

Comments:

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Optimum Anabolics - Day 76/Choices, Choices

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


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


Which side of the fence do you fall on?


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


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

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

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


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



WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

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

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

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals, 15 per leg):

• 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)
  
• 34 (17 per leg)
  
• 33 (17 one leg, 16 the other)

Comments:

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

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

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


DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

After my intervals this morning, I took the smoothie route for breakfast. Today's "toffee" smoothie had:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 74/Homemade Protein Bars

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

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

Better sit down for this long ingredient list :)

1. Natural Nut Butter of your choice – I used almond butter
2. Heavy/Double Cream - I used full fat coconut milk this time around
   
3. Whey Protein – The flavor of your choice.

Almond butter and protein in the bowl prior to mixing:
















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

















Snack time!
















WORKOUT - BACK

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

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

Comments:

Focused on my form today.

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

















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

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

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

See photo above for afternoon snack details.

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
















Look at that plate of veggies!

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

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 69/Ready, Set, STOP!

Don't say it. Don't say "go".

When it comes to working out and eating well most of the time, I really do not struggle for motivation anymore. Exercise, good nutrition, and Overall Fitness are just part of my life. However, I know others lack the motivation to treat their bodies well or, like me, have other tricky areas where they often trip up.

I found this blog post on eliminating the various forms of the word "go" to be very helpful.

Why cut out the "go" and "going"?

As it turns out, our subconscious instantly thinks of work when we use these terms.

Pay attention to how you react when you say things like "I'm going to eat healthy today" or "I'll go to the gym tomorrow". Feel negative to you?

Now switch it around. How about "I am eating healthy today" or "I'm making time for the gym tomorrow"? Better?

Try this mentality switch out on a few small things you want to change or get done and see what happens. Maybe something will!

WORKOUT - CARDIO (HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING)

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

Continued to work on getting faster at the Flying Romans.

Here are today's Flying Roman results (3 intervals, 15 per leg):

• 33 seconds
  
• 28 seconds(!)
  
• 29 seconds(!)
  

Comments:

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

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

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

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

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

DIET - HIGH PROTEIN (PLUS 1)

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

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

I had lunch today with Hugh Jass. I was in need of some greens and veggies so I filled up one of those big spinach containers from the grocery about 2/3 of the way to the top with spinach, arugula, red and yellow peppers, cucumber, celery, green onion, carrots, shredded cabbage, and parsley. The tub-o-salad got dressed with 2 TBS of EVOO mixed up with rice vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, and a dash of cayenne pepper and topped with 5 oz of grilled chicken breast. It seemed like I was chomping away endlessly but it was delicious.

My afternoon snack today was less than stellar nutrionally but it sure tasted good. Mmm...chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

By time dinner rolled around, I was quite hungry. The cookies just didn't cut it...imagine that. Tonight we tried a different recipe from our favorite cookbook, The Ultra-Metabolism Cookbook. Once again we were not disappointed in our choice...pan browned tilipia. We went with mahi-mahi, however, instead of the tilipia. Another good choice. On the side was raw, dairy free alfredo sauce over zuchinni noodles.

Lookin' (and tastin') good...

















I knocked back 30 g of whey protein isolate powder along with my supplements just before bed time.

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.