Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 5 sets of 20
Pushups: 5 sets of 20
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.00 miles, 16:59 total (About 8:29 pace)
Situps: 5 sets of 20
Pushups: 5 sets of 20
Dips: 6 sets of 3
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Romaine salad with corn, tomato, sliced chicken and a small helping of cilantro dressing
Large cappuccino with non-fat milk
Dinner (6:00)
One helping of Mexican rice
One helping of corn and peas
Two small chicken breasts
Thoughts
It was a more strenuous workout today than it was on Monday. Maybe because I was stressed out over a test, or maybe because I changed my routine slightly (went to the gym at 3:00, not 9:30-10:00), but for whatever reason, I struggled a bit. Maybe I didn't have enough carbs in my system--I should have had a snack, like on Monday, but I went straight from class to the gym.
Anyway, despite my struggles, I still finished running only slightly above Monday's pace. But, it was much more of an ordeal. I had to stop at .65 of a mile, after going at least a full mile before stopping on Monday and last Friday. I took another break at 1.25, 1.65 and 1.85. I finished my first mile in eight minutes on the dot, and sprinted the last .10 of the second mile (about a six minute pace), once again yelling out to myself and drawing the eyes of the people around me. Oh well. I still have blisters on my left foot, which I seem to numb out during my run, only to have it come back more painful later in the day. I hope they go away quickly.
I did some dips in lieu of pullups...again. Those went well. The pain in my hand from Monday seems to have gone away.
The pushups were particularly hard today--once I hit 15 on each set, I started to ache. The situps weren't too bad, just a standard burn.
As for eating...I could probably add more calories to my diet. I imagine that I'm below 2000 right now and, given my metabolism and current activity, that's not good. Snacks and breakfast are in order.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Week Two, Day Two: January 20th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 10 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Breakfast (9:30)
One banana
Lunch (12:00)
One helping of curry chicken
One slice of whole wheat pita
Dinner (7:00)
Nine pieces of assorted sushi
One bowl of chili
Thoughts
A fairly light and uneventful day. In the pool, I finished my first four laps in five minutes, which led me to believe that I might be able to boost my total laps from 10 to 12. Alas, it wasn't mean to be, and my pace slowed as time went on. It was again a mix of free style and breaststroke.
On a separate note, my blisters that I spoke about yesterday have gotten exponentially worse, to the point where I have a hard time walking on them at all. We'll see how that impacts my running tomorrow, but it's a gigantic pain in the ass right now.
I passed on pizza for dinner and instead opted for some sushi and chili--an odd but delicious combination.
Tomorrow should have more for me to report. I have a test, though, so it's back to studying for now.
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 10 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Breakfast (9:30)
One banana
Lunch (12:00)
One helping of curry chicken
One slice of whole wheat pita
Dinner (7:00)
Nine pieces of assorted sushi
One bowl of chili
Thoughts
A fairly light and uneventful day. In the pool, I finished my first four laps in five minutes, which led me to believe that I might be able to boost my total laps from 10 to 12. Alas, it wasn't mean to be, and my pace slowed as time went on. It was again a mix of free style and breaststroke.
On a separate note, my blisters that I spoke about yesterday have gotten exponentially worse, to the point where I have a hard time walking on them at all. We'll see how that impacts my running tomorrow, but it's a gigantic pain in the ass right now.
I passed on pizza for dinner and instead opted for some sushi and chili--an odd but delicious combination.
Tomorrow should have more for me to report. I have a test, though, so it's back to studying for now.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Week Two, Day One: January 19th
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 5 sets of 20
Pushups: 5 sets of 20
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.00 miles, 16:43 total (About 8:21 pace)
Situps: 5 sets of 20
Pushups: 5 sets of 20
Dips: 6 sets of 3
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
One bowl of chicken noodle soup
Snack (3:30)
One Chewy bar
Dinner (6:00)
Two pieces of chicken breast
One pieces of fish
One helping of rice
One cooked mushroom
One Egg
Thoughts
Quickly, on eating: nothing special today. Pretty standard. Protein, carbs, etc. Fin.
I don't know what's happening, but I love it. I have blisters on my feet and can barely walk, yet I still decided to do my workout today, running and all. The result? I finished my two miles in under an 8:30 pace, and finished my first mile in 7:45. I didn't take a break until 1:15 in, and then took only one more break after that. And honestly, this was my "easiest" run yet, despite the pain from the blisters. My breathing was good, again, and my legs didn't feel like jelly afterward. It was tiring, sure, but I'm getting faster and not feeling the effects as much. At this time last week, I was struggling to finish at under a 10 mile pace. Now, I'm beating the set workout pace. Something has clicked, and my speed and endurance keep getting better.
I've stopped trying on pullups. It's a shitshow. I don't know how to get better, except try to build up arm strength, but I can barely do more than one. It's a waste of time until I can find a way to hoist myself up. I did see a machine at the gym today that is essentially an assisted pullup--I might start doing that until I can do one without any help.
The dips were all right, but something was wrong with my left wrist--I felt a shooting pain around the third set. I powered through it, but it still stings now. I'll rest it for the next day or two.
The extra set of pushups and situps certainly made a difference. I was heaving for air and tiring far worse than during my run, and the 10 total sets probably took about the same amount of time. My abs and arms are on fire right now, but overall, a nice start to the week.
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 5 sets of 20
Pushups: 5 sets of 20
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.00 miles, 16:43 total (About 8:21 pace)
Situps: 5 sets of 20
Pushups: 5 sets of 20
Dips: 6 sets of 3
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
One bowl of chicken noodle soup
Snack (3:30)
One Chewy bar
Dinner (6:00)
Two pieces of chicken breast
One pieces of fish
One helping of rice
One cooked mushroom
One Egg
Thoughts
Quickly, on eating: nothing special today. Pretty standard. Protein, carbs, etc. Fin.
I don't know what's happening, but I love it. I have blisters on my feet and can barely walk, yet I still decided to do my workout today, running and all. The result? I finished my two miles in under an 8:30 pace, and finished my first mile in 7:45. I didn't take a break until 1:15 in, and then took only one more break after that. And honestly, this was my "easiest" run yet, despite the pain from the blisters. My breathing was good, again, and my legs didn't feel like jelly afterward. It was tiring, sure, but I'm getting faster and not feeling the effects as much. At this time last week, I was struggling to finish at under a 10 mile pace. Now, I'm beating the set workout pace. Something has clicked, and my speed and endurance keep getting better.
I've stopped trying on pullups. It's a shitshow. I don't know how to get better, except try to build up arm strength, but I can barely do more than one. It's a waste of time until I can find a way to hoist myself up. I did see a machine at the gym today that is essentially an assisted pullup--I might start doing that until I can do one without any help.
The dips were all right, but something was wrong with my left wrist--I felt a shooting pain around the third set. I powered through it, but it still stings now. I'll rest it for the next day or two.
The extra set of pushups and situps certainly made a difference. I was heaving for air and tiring far worse than during my run, and the 10 total sets probably took about the same amount of time. My abs and arms are on fire right now, but overall, a nice start to the week.
Weekly Measurements: Start of Week Two
Time for the first tangible results of this workout program. At the beginning of last week, I weighed 222 pounds and had a body fat percentage of 22%.
After one week on the program, those numbers are now...
218 pounds and 19.5%.
That's some nice progress! I'm pretty pumped, four pounds and 2.5% in just seven days is quite a lot. Let's see what the next week holds. I never really put down weight/body fat goals, and I don't intend to--wherever this program leads me, it leads me. I may very well end up at the same weight at the end, just with half the body fat. Or, I might drop 30 pounds. Who knows? (Actually, someone with a trained eye could probably look at the program and tell me, but I'll keep myself in the dark). Still, it's nice to see that my efforts have already had an effect.
After one week on the program, those numbers are now...
218 pounds and 19.5%.
That's some nice progress! I'm pretty pumped, four pounds and 2.5% in just seven days is quite a lot. Let's see what the next week holds. I never really put down weight/body fat goals, and I don't intend to--wherever this program leads me, it leads me. I may very well end up at the same weight at the end, just with half the body fat. Or, I might drop 30 pounds. Who knows? (Actually, someone with a trained eye could probably look at the program and tell me, but I'll keep myself in the dark). Still, it's nice to see that my efforts have already had an effect.
Week One, Day Seven: January 18th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 10 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Lunch (3:00)
15 chicken dumpling
Dinner (9:00)
Assorted Chex Mex
Two Chewy bars
Thoughts
First, the eating: it looks like a) a light day and b) an unhealthy day. But, the dumplings had a surprisingly low number of calories and carbs, as did the Chex Mex and Chewy bars. That being said, I'll be surprised if I ingested more than 1,000-1,200 calories on the day, which is far too low. But, I woke up at 1:00, and was pretty busy after then. Sometimes, I simply forget to eat. I'm going to try and make sure this doesn't happen again.
As for the workout, you'll notice that I went from 13 laps on Thursday to 10 on Sunday. I finally found an underwater watch, so I timed myself for real, instead of simply in my head. The result? It takes me almost exactly 15 minutes to do 10 laps on a 50 meter pool. Before, I was almost certain that my times were too good to be true, so I swam 13 laps. But, I must have gone over the 15 minute mark. The workout felt good, I tried to go as many laps as possible before taking a break of any length, even if it was only for a few seconds. I also swam in the fast lane, so I was egged on by people passing me--I hate being beaten, even if it's in recreational swimming. I swam mostly breast stroke, so I'm going to focus on free style this week.
I also played about an hour of pickup basketball at night, which was fun, despite my team being destroyed. We had no subs, so I played the entire game, which, of course, involved a lot of running a jumping. That was a nice, added bonus to the day's workout. It concluded my first week on the program, which overall, felt good. There were definitely some times--Wednesday, in particular--when I questioned what the hell I was doing, but after Friday's run, it seemed to be coming together. Back in a few with the weekly weigh-in.
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 10 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Lunch (3:00)
15 chicken dumpling
Dinner (9:00)
Assorted Chex Mex
Two Chewy bars
Thoughts
First, the eating: it looks like a) a light day and b) an unhealthy day. But, the dumplings had a surprisingly low number of calories and carbs, as did the Chex Mex and Chewy bars. That being said, I'll be surprised if I ingested more than 1,000-1,200 calories on the day, which is far too low. But, I woke up at 1:00, and was pretty busy after then. Sometimes, I simply forget to eat. I'm going to try and make sure this doesn't happen again.
As for the workout, you'll notice that I went from 13 laps on Thursday to 10 on Sunday. I finally found an underwater watch, so I timed myself for real, instead of simply in my head. The result? It takes me almost exactly 15 minutes to do 10 laps on a 50 meter pool. Before, I was almost certain that my times were too good to be true, so I swam 13 laps. But, I must have gone over the 15 minute mark. The workout felt good, I tried to go as many laps as possible before taking a break of any length, even if it was only for a few seconds. I also swam in the fast lane, so I was egged on by people passing me--I hate being beaten, even if it's in recreational swimming. I swam mostly breast stroke, so I'm going to focus on free style this week.
I also played about an hour of pickup basketball at night, which was fun, despite my team being destroyed. We had no subs, so I played the entire game, which, of course, involved a lot of running a jumping. That was a nice, added bonus to the day's workout. It concluded my first week on the program, which overall, felt good. There were definitely some times--Wednesday, in particular--when I questioned what the hell I was doing, but after Friday's run, it seemed to be coming together. Back in a few with the weekly weigh-in.
Week One, Day Six: January 17th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
4.5 mile hike
Eating
Brunch (11:30)
Egg white omelete with turkey, onions, American cheese and mushrooms
One grapefruit
Two glasses of chocolate milk
Dinner (7:30)
Pasta with tomato sauce and clams
Large root beer
Non-fat chai latte
Thoughts
My apologies for the lack of updates this weekend. I'll catch up now. There isn't much to report, as the weekend was fairly light.
I was meant to go swimming on Saturday, but other obligations forced me to miss the pool times. Instead, I went for a hike with some friends in the mid afternoon, which was fun. There were some steep inclines at a few points but it was otherwise fairly manageable, and I worked up a pretty decent sweat by the end of it. I then went to a basketball game and cheered my ass off for over two hours, jumping up and down and practically losing my voice. That has to count for some sort of workout, right?
Eating was also fairly lite. I went to the movies on Saturday night and had a big root beer--I was thirsty and it was tantalizing. Probably not the best decision, but I had eaten fairly healthily over the week, so it wasn't a huge deal. I also had Starbucks for the first time in about a month (I generally avoid it at all costs), and had a chai latte. Yeah...
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
4.5 mile hike
Eating
Brunch (11:30)
Egg white omelete with turkey, onions, American cheese and mushrooms
One grapefruit
Two glasses of chocolate milk
Dinner (7:30)
Pasta with tomato sauce and clams
Large root beer
Non-fat chai latte
Thoughts
My apologies for the lack of updates this weekend. I'll catch up now. There isn't much to report, as the weekend was fairly light.
I was meant to go swimming on Saturday, but other obligations forced me to miss the pool times. Instead, I went for a hike with some friends in the mid afternoon, which was fun. There were some steep inclines at a few points but it was otherwise fairly manageable, and I worked up a pretty decent sweat by the end of it. I then went to a basketball game and cheered my ass off for over two hours, jumping up and down and practically losing my voice. That has to count for some sort of workout, right?
Eating was also fairly lite. I went to the movies on Saturday night and had a big root beer--I was thirsty and it was tantalizing. Probably not the best decision, but I had eaten fairly healthily over the week, so it wasn't a huge deal. I also had Starbucks for the first time in about a month (I generally avoid it at all costs), and had a chai latte. Yeah...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Week One, Day Five: January 16th
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.00 miles, 17:23 total (About 8:41 pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Dips: 6 sets of 3
Eating
Breakfast (10:00)
One banana
Lunch (12:00)
One calzone with assorted meats
Snack (3:30)
One Kudos bar
Dinner (6:00)
Two helpings of turkey lasagna
Half a dozen carrots
One Egg
Thoughts
I am pumped! My mile time dropped nearly a minute and a half...in two days!! I'm at a loss as for why it happened, but I have an idea... I ate a Kudos bar one hour before my workout. This seems like small potatoes, but I do think it made a difference. For those that don't know, Kudos are small, 100 calorie candy bars. Previously, I found myself getting tired on the treadmill soon after starting. I reckoned that it had something to do with exercising long after meal times. So, even though it was just a little stick of granola and chocolate, I think the Kudos bar made some difference. Yes, I know...Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc...but this is a blog and my mind is searching for answers, so there you go.
Additionally, when I was on the treadmill, I tried to get my breathing in rhythm. Before, I found that I would breathe at an infrequent rate, and would invariably have to take a huge gasp, which would cause me to break any sort of rhythm I had going. So, this time, I was conscious about my breathing, and it made a huge difference--my panting never really got harder, just slightly more intense, whereas before, I would have to breathe harder by the end to make up for shorter breaths that I had taken previously.
In the end, I only took three (very) short breaks, and still finished in just over 17:00, which is where I'm supposed to be. I ran the first mile completely without stopping, finishing in...wait for it...eight minutes flat. I bumped up my pace from 8:30 to 8:00 to see if there was much of a difference, and if my body would notice. The conclusion? Pretty much the same. Anyway, I only took a break because I started to cramp up--something that had never been a problem before. I fought through it at first, but it kept up and I had to walk for a second. I took a break again at 1:35 and one last one at 1:70. After the second break, I bumped the treadmill up to 7:40. It stayed there after the final one, but I decided to incorporate an aspect into my run: a final sprint. When the ticker showed that I only had a tenth of a mile left, I increased the speed to 6:15, and ran all out for the last few feet. It was instantly more tiring, and my breathing got substantially heavier. With .05 left, I wanted to quit, but instead of hitting the stop button, I yelled (outloud) to myself, "You will NOT fail" and "Don't fucking quit." In the words of a certain sarcastic corporal from Generation Kill, it was cheesy-moto-bullshit, but I didn't care: it kept me going. When the final hundreths of a mile ticked off, I started a countdown. "3.....2....1", and when the ticker struck two miles, I yelled out "GET SOME!!!"
It was a small acheivement and one that most people would scoff at, but it felt good to bring my time down and add a sprint to my routine. We'll see on Monday if this was an anomoly. I hope it's not. More than any other time during the workout so far, this made me feel like I was actually making some progress. So although my legs felt like lead afterwards and I was panting like a dog, I was still enthusiastic.
While I was the gym, I tried to do some pullups, since this is my largest current weakness. Unfortunately, I still absolutely suck at them, so I managed one set before calling it a day. Instead, I added three more additional sets to my dips, which I was already using to compensate for the poor pullup totals. Those went well, though my arms were exhausted by the end.
I came back to the dorm and did my pushups/situps. The pushups get progressively easier for me as the days ware on, but the situps remain difficult. By the final set of the latter, my abs were on fire and I was having a hard time lifting myself off the ground. Nevertheless, I never stopped in the middle of a set, which is a first.
As for eating today, I made sure to eat something for breakfast. Calzone was the only option at lunch, so I did away with most of the bread and just ate the meat and sauce. Same with the lasagna at night--I tried to avoid the pasta aspect of it as much as possible and focus more on the substance.
Anyway, an all together successful day, certainly my best so far. The weekend will be relatively laid back--just some swimming--before starting up again with a slightly more intense workout for Monday, the beginning of Week Two.
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.00 miles, 17:23 total (About 8:41 pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Dips: 6 sets of 3
Eating
Breakfast (10:00)
One banana
Lunch (12:00)
One calzone with assorted meats
Snack (3:30)
One Kudos bar
Dinner (6:00)
Two helpings of turkey lasagna
Half a dozen carrots
One Egg
Thoughts
I am pumped! My mile time dropped nearly a minute and a half...in two days!! I'm at a loss as for why it happened, but I have an idea... I ate a Kudos bar one hour before my workout. This seems like small potatoes, but I do think it made a difference. For those that don't know, Kudos are small, 100 calorie candy bars. Previously, I found myself getting tired on the treadmill soon after starting. I reckoned that it had something to do with exercising long after meal times. So, even though it was just a little stick of granola and chocolate, I think the Kudos bar made some difference. Yes, I know...Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc...but this is a blog and my mind is searching for answers, so there you go.
Additionally, when I was on the treadmill, I tried to get my breathing in rhythm. Before, I found that I would breathe at an infrequent rate, and would invariably have to take a huge gasp, which would cause me to break any sort of rhythm I had going. So, this time, I was conscious about my breathing, and it made a huge difference--my panting never really got harder, just slightly more intense, whereas before, I would have to breathe harder by the end to make up for shorter breaths that I had taken previously.
In the end, I only took three (very) short breaks, and still finished in just over 17:00, which is where I'm supposed to be. I ran the first mile completely without stopping, finishing in...wait for it...eight minutes flat. I bumped up my pace from 8:30 to 8:00 to see if there was much of a difference, and if my body would notice. The conclusion? Pretty much the same. Anyway, I only took a break because I started to cramp up--something that had never been a problem before. I fought through it at first, but it kept up and I had to walk for a second. I took a break again at 1:35 and one last one at 1:70. After the second break, I bumped the treadmill up to 7:40. It stayed there after the final one, but I decided to incorporate an aspect into my run: a final sprint. When the ticker showed that I only had a tenth of a mile left, I increased the speed to 6:15, and ran all out for the last few feet. It was instantly more tiring, and my breathing got substantially heavier. With .05 left, I wanted to quit, but instead of hitting the stop button, I yelled (outloud) to myself, "You will NOT fail" and "Don't fucking quit." In the words of a certain sarcastic corporal from Generation Kill, it was cheesy-moto-bullshit, but I didn't care: it kept me going. When the final hundreths of a mile ticked off, I started a countdown. "3.....2....1", and when the ticker struck two miles, I yelled out "GET SOME!!!"
It was a small acheivement and one that most people would scoff at, but it felt good to bring my time down and add a sprint to my routine. We'll see on Monday if this was an anomoly. I hope it's not. More than any other time during the workout so far, this made me feel like I was actually making some progress. So although my legs felt like lead afterwards and I was panting like a dog, I was still enthusiastic.
While I was the gym, I tried to do some pullups, since this is my largest current weakness. Unfortunately, I still absolutely suck at them, so I managed one set before calling it a day. Instead, I added three more additional sets to my dips, which I was already using to compensate for the poor pullup totals. Those went well, though my arms were exhausted by the end.
I came back to the dorm and did my pushups/situps. The pushups get progressively easier for me as the days ware on, but the situps remain difficult. By the final set of the latter, my abs were on fire and I was having a hard time lifting myself off the ground. Nevertheless, I never stopped in the middle of a set, which is a first.
As for eating today, I made sure to eat something for breakfast. Calzone was the only option at lunch, so I did away with most of the bread and just ate the meat and sauce. Same with the lasagna at night--I tried to avoid the pasta aspect of it as much as possible and focus more on the substance.
Anyway, an all together successful day, certainly my best so far. The weekend will be relatively laid back--just some swimming--before starting up again with a slightly more intense workout for Monday, the beginning of Week Two.
Week One, Day Four: January 15th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 13 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with avocado, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and mustard
Dinner (7:00)
Grilled chicken breast
Cooked vegetables (mainly mushrooms and tomatoes)
Pasta salad
One Kudos bar
Thoughts
Sorry for the delayed post--I had a lot of work to do last night, and didn't have much time, even for what I'm sure will be my shortest post yet. It was a pretty lite day. I decided to add more laps to my swimming, since I timed myself going one length of the pool (50 meters) in about 1:10 minute, so the 10 laps I swam Tuesday were a bit too little for my 15 minutes of allotted time. Overall, the workout felt very good. I found that swimming free style for an extended period of time--which wore me out quickly on Tuesday--came a bit easier to me. On breast stroke, I kept my strokes relatively short and tight so that I could get more out of it (more pulls as opposed to less, but longer individual pulls). I probably could have swam about 20 laps, but I was constrained by time, since I had class shortly after.
I spoke to a friend of mine on the swim team here, and he gave me some tips to get the most out of swimming. 1) Kick more, 2) On free style, turn onto your side when you bring your heard up for air, since that works the muscles on the side of the torso, 3) Short strokes as opposed to long strokes during breast, which I was already doing but will make a conscious effort to keep doing. I compared my soreness to his, and it was generally the same (a lot in the deltoid region), with the exception of my side muscles, since I hadn't been turning completely during the breathing part of my free style.
Eating wasn't too eventful. I missed breakfast...again...even though it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I woke up. This needs to stop. Anyway, the rest of my eating day was lite to go along with my light workout. I found that one of the harder things to do is not give in to temptation. My roommate wanted to make a frozen pizza last night, and despite my desire to make one as well, I immediately said no. Same with some Milkduds.
Back in a moment with an update from today, which was far more exciting.
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 13 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with avocado, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and mustard
Dinner (7:00)
Grilled chicken breast
Cooked vegetables (mainly mushrooms and tomatoes)
Pasta salad
One Kudos bar
Thoughts
Sorry for the delayed post--I had a lot of work to do last night, and didn't have much time, even for what I'm sure will be my shortest post yet. It was a pretty lite day. I decided to add more laps to my swimming, since I timed myself going one length of the pool (50 meters) in about 1:10 minute, so the 10 laps I swam Tuesday were a bit too little for my 15 minutes of allotted time. Overall, the workout felt very good. I found that swimming free style for an extended period of time--which wore me out quickly on Tuesday--came a bit easier to me. On breast stroke, I kept my strokes relatively short and tight so that I could get more out of it (more pulls as opposed to less, but longer individual pulls). I probably could have swam about 20 laps, but I was constrained by time, since I had class shortly after.
I spoke to a friend of mine on the swim team here, and he gave me some tips to get the most out of swimming. 1) Kick more, 2) On free style, turn onto your side when you bring your heard up for air, since that works the muscles on the side of the torso, 3) Short strokes as opposed to long strokes during breast, which I was already doing but will make a conscious effort to keep doing. I compared my soreness to his, and it was generally the same (a lot in the deltoid region), with the exception of my side muscles, since I hadn't been turning completely during the breathing part of my free style.
Eating wasn't too eventful. I missed breakfast...again...even though it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I woke up. This needs to stop. Anyway, the rest of my eating day was lite to go along with my light workout. I found that one of the harder things to do is not give in to temptation. My roommate wanted to make a frozen pizza last night, and despite my desire to make one as well, I immediately said no. Same with some Milkduds.
Back in a moment with an update from today, which was far more exciting.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Week One, Day Three: January 14th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.10 miles, 20:58 total (just under 10 minutes pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 3, 6 sets of 1
Situps: 3 sets of 20, 2 sets of 10
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Dips: 3 sets of 3
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Green salad with chicken, corn, tomato, cucumber, a small portion of cilantro dressing
Dinner (6:00)
Three pieces of teriyaki salmon
One piece of teriyaki chicken
One helping of white rice
A dozen green beans
Night (10:00)
Medium cappuccino with non-fat milk and three packs of sugar
Thoughts
This was definitely my toughest workout day yet, although I only have a three day sample size to choose from. I was still sore from swimming on Tuesday, and had to wake up for a morning class, so by the time I went to the gym for my run at 4:00, I was a) aching and b) tired from hours of class. Nevertheless, I hit the ground running. My first mile went very well--I didn't start to feel tired until about the .75 mark, and I finished in about eight minutes. But, as soon as I hit the one mile mark, it was as if I hit a wall as well. My legs felt heavy, my breathing got staggered, and as much as I tried to keep my mind off running (there were some good basketball games on the TV), I couldn't help taking breaks every .25-.30 of a mile. By the time I was done with my two miles, I had come close to eclipsing the 20 minute mark. I decided to do an extra minute, just so I could make up the time that I spent walking during breaks.
Exhausted already, I attempted to do some pullups. At this point, I don't have the brute strength in my arms to do them a) well or b) consistently. Even when I was more of an athlete, I always had FAR superior leg strength to arm strength. Anyway, after cooling down a bit from running, I went to the bars, and after one set of one, was able to do a set of three, which was surprising. That's not to say I did them well (I used my legs to generate some momentum), but I got up and down. Still, after that, I could only manage a few more sets of one. Disappointed, I decided to do some dips--which are a part of the latter section of the program--since I felt that could supplement what I missed with pullups. I did far better with the dips, and was able to do three full sets of three.
After returning back to my dorm, I started with pushups and situps. I did two sets of situps, which caused quite a large burn in my abs as I got to the fortieth situp overall. I switched to pushups, which were also hard, since my arms were still sore from swimming. In each set, I was able to do the first five with relative ease, but the second ten burned. After two of those, I switched back to situps, and got to the tenth situp of my last set before having to take a break. I powered through the final ten, and then wrapped up with my last two sets of pushups.
By the end, I was drenched in sweat, panting, sore throughout my body, and fatigued. I was happy overall with the day, but disappointed that I had so much trouble with the running. My time didn't drop--if anything, it might have gone up a tad. I was on a different treadmill, which was a bit harder, in terms of running surface, than the others, and, despite a long line to get on a treadmill, the person ahead of me passed on this particular one because it wasn't good for his legs. I don't want to blame the treadmill for my non-improvement, but I have to consider all factors. From now on, I'll try to keep it constant and stick to one treadmill.
As for eating, I forget breakfast...again. Crap. But, I did have a relatively healthy day overall. Maybe too much fish at dinner time, but I was starving after my workout--I needed to replenish. As an aside, unless otherwise noted, I drink water with meals, which is why I made sure to note the late night cappucino. Overall, I'm eating a bit less than before, and healthier, but still feeling full. I have to add a regular breakfast, though, or else my metabolism won't start for the day until lunch time. And, with swimming coming up tomorrow in the morning, this is all but a necessity. Basically, I'm looking at a piece of fruit (apple or banana, usually), and maybe a bowl of cereal. Breakfast isn't served in our dorm, so unless I make eggs on my own, I have to stick to cold food. Either way, I'm happier with my eating habits. I need to make sure that I eat enough, though, that I'm storing a lot of energy--as I said yesterday, this will ensure that when I workout I'm burning fat instead of muscle.
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.10 miles, 20:58 total (just under 10 minutes pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 3, 6 sets of 1
Situps: 3 sets of 20, 2 sets of 10
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Dips: 3 sets of 3
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Green salad with chicken, corn, tomato, cucumber, a small portion of cilantro dressing
Dinner (6:00)
Three pieces of teriyaki salmon
One piece of teriyaki chicken
One helping of white rice
A dozen green beans
Night (10:00)
Medium cappuccino with non-fat milk and three packs of sugar
Thoughts
This was definitely my toughest workout day yet, although I only have a three day sample size to choose from. I was still sore from swimming on Tuesday, and had to wake up for a morning class, so by the time I went to the gym for my run at 4:00, I was a) aching and b) tired from hours of class. Nevertheless, I hit the ground running. My first mile went very well--I didn't start to feel tired until about the .75 mark, and I finished in about eight minutes. But, as soon as I hit the one mile mark, it was as if I hit a wall as well. My legs felt heavy, my breathing got staggered, and as much as I tried to keep my mind off running (there were some good basketball games on the TV), I couldn't help taking breaks every .25-.30 of a mile. By the time I was done with my two miles, I had come close to eclipsing the 20 minute mark. I decided to do an extra minute, just so I could make up the time that I spent walking during breaks.
Exhausted already, I attempted to do some pullups. At this point, I don't have the brute strength in my arms to do them a) well or b) consistently. Even when I was more of an athlete, I always had FAR superior leg strength to arm strength. Anyway, after cooling down a bit from running, I went to the bars, and after one set of one, was able to do a set of three, which was surprising. That's not to say I did them well (I used my legs to generate some momentum), but I got up and down. Still, after that, I could only manage a few more sets of one. Disappointed, I decided to do some dips--which are a part of the latter section of the program--since I felt that could supplement what I missed with pullups. I did far better with the dips, and was able to do three full sets of three.
After returning back to my dorm, I started with pushups and situps. I did two sets of situps, which caused quite a large burn in my abs as I got to the fortieth situp overall. I switched to pushups, which were also hard, since my arms were still sore from swimming. In each set, I was able to do the first five with relative ease, but the second ten burned. After two of those, I switched back to situps, and got to the tenth situp of my last set before having to take a break. I powered through the final ten, and then wrapped up with my last two sets of pushups.
By the end, I was drenched in sweat, panting, sore throughout my body, and fatigued. I was happy overall with the day, but disappointed that I had so much trouble with the running. My time didn't drop--if anything, it might have gone up a tad. I was on a different treadmill, which was a bit harder, in terms of running surface, than the others, and, despite a long line to get on a treadmill, the person ahead of me passed on this particular one because it wasn't good for his legs. I don't want to blame the treadmill for my non-improvement, but I have to consider all factors. From now on, I'll try to keep it constant and stick to one treadmill.
As for eating, I forget breakfast...again. Crap. But, I did have a relatively healthy day overall. Maybe too much fish at dinner time, but I was starving after my workout--I needed to replenish. As an aside, unless otherwise noted, I drink water with meals, which is why I made sure to note the late night cappucino. Overall, I'm eating a bit less than before, and healthier, but still feeling full. I have to add a regular breakfast, though, or else my metabolism won't start for the day until lunch time. And, with swimming coming up tomorrow in the morning, this is all but a necessity. Basically, I'm looking at a piece of fruit (apple or banana, usually), and maybe a bowl of cereal. Breakfast isn't served in our dorm, so unless I make eggs on my own, I have to stick to cold food. Either way, I'm happier with my eating habits. I need to make sure that I eat enough, though, that I'm storing a lot of energy--as I said yesterday, this will ensure that when I workout I'm burning fat instead of muscle.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Week One, Day Two: January 13th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 10 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Breakfast (10:00)
One apple
Lunch (12:00)
Green Salad with avocado and lite mustard miso dressing
Chicken Gumbo
Dinner (6:00)
One slice of Beef Tenderloin
Red Potatoes
Green Salad with carrots, onions and lite mustard miso dressing
One Special K bar
Thoughts
It was a fairly good day. I realize that I don't own any waterproof watches, so when I went to the pool, I had to guestimate how long I was in the pool. I did 10 laps in the 50 meter pool, with a combination of mainly breast stroke, free style, and a little bit of back stroke. The free style was surprisingly difficult to do for extended periods of time--after about a lap, I would have to switch to breast stroke for a little bit. Either way, though, I experience a nice burn in my upper arm that persisted even when I left the pool at around 11:15 a.m. My arms felt dead until about 1:00 p.m.
That was the extent of today's workout. At the early part of this plan, I intend on running and doing other exercises on M/W/F and swimming on T/Th/Sa/Su. No rest days.
As for eating, it was a pretty healthy day. I made sure to at least eat something before swimming, but I think I need to eat a little bit more before working out--otherwise, I risk burning muscle in addition to fat, which is not what I'm going for. I might need to add a bit more protein to my diet (which is pretty funny to anyone who knows me, since I'm a carnivore of the highest order), because right now there's a lot of green but it needs to be complimented by a bit more chicken/beef, etc. Not too much, just a little more.
Back tomorrow with part deux of running, et al. Hopefully I can manage more than just a few pullups this time.
Prescribed Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 15 minutes
Actual Workout:
Swimming: Continuously for 10 laps in a 50 meter pool
Eating
Breakfast (10:00)
One apple
Lunch (12:00)
Green Salad with avocado and lite mustard miso dressing
Chicken Gumbo
Dinner (6:00)
One slice of Beef Tenderloin
Red Potatoes
Green Salad with carrots, onions and lite mustard miso dressing
One Special K bar
Thoughts
It was a fairly good day. I realize that I don't own any waterproof watches, so when I went to the pool, I had to guestimate how long I was in the pool. I did 10 laps in the 50 meter pool, with a combination of mainly breast stroke, free style, and a little bit of back stroke. The free style was surprisingly difficult to do for extended periods of time--after about a lap, I would have to switch to breast stroke for a little bit. Either way, though, I experience a nice burn in my upper arm that persisted even when I left the pool at around 11:15 a.m. My arms felt dead until about 1:00 p.m.
That was the extent of today's workout. At the early part of this plan, I intend on running and doing other exercises on M/W/F and swimming on T/Th/Sa/Su. No rest days.
As for eating, it was a pretty healthy day. I made sure to at least eat something before swimming, but I think I need to eat a little bit more before working out--otherwise, I risk burning muscle in addition to fat, which is not what I'm going for. I might need to add a bit more protein to my diet (which is pretty funny to anyone who knows me, since I'm a carnivore of the highest order), because right now there's a lot of green but it needs to be complimented by a bit more chicken/beef, etc. Not too much, just a little more.
Back tomorrow with part deux of running, et al. Hopefully I can manage more than just a few pullups this time.
Week One, Day One: January 12th
Workout
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.25 miles, 22:21 total (just under 10 minutes pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 2, 7 sets of 1
Situps: 2 sets of 20, 4 sets of 10
Pushups: 2 sets of 15, 2 sets of 10, 2 sets of 5
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Mixed green salad
Two small chicken breasts
Five baby corn
One egg
Snack (4:15)
One Special K bar
Dinner (6:00)
Carne Asada
Mexican Rice
Black Beans
Diced Chicken
Guacamole
One Special K bar
Thoughts
A mediocre first day, to say the least. First, the eating: I didn't have breakfast, or even a small piece of fruit. This has to be remedied immediately. My lunch was good and healthy, but I think I went a little overboard at dinner--I could have done without the second Special K bar, for instance.
I went to the gym at about 10:00 p.m. for some running. Even at my most lazy, I've always been a decent runner, boasting better endurance than sprinting speed. At my most fit, I was running miles at times lower than 7:30, so I felt that two 8:30 miles were in reasonable reach. I started off well, going .75 of a mile at a 8:27 pace on the treadmill before taking my first break. I walked for about .05 of a mile, then ran again until the 1.15 mark, walked for .05, ran until 1.55, walked for .05, ran until 1.95, walked for .05, then ran until 2.25. I went over the recommended total because I wanted to account for the .20 of a mile of walking that I did, and an additional .05, just for good measure. The running was easily my best success of the day, even though I went close to 5:30 over the prescribed pace. For a first day, I'll take it.
I then moved over to the pullup bar, where I watched a lanky kid do 10 with relative ease. I figured that I could at least do my 3 sets of 3. Wrong. I was able to do two on my first set, but couldn't pull myself up for the third. After that, I couldn't do more than one at a time. Cue the humiliation--fortunately, most people were too absorbed in their own workouts to notice.
I returned back to my dorm room for the pushups and situps, which I figured would be the easiest part of the night. Again, incorrect. I focused on doing proper pushups and situps, so I tried to keep my form as strict as possible. I started with the situps, and was immediately struck by the toll it took on my abs. I struggled through the first set of the 20, and then the first 10 of the second set. At that point, I had to take a short break before finishing the final 10. I switched to pushups, which were difficult at first until I got the hang of it--my first two full sets came at the end. I concluded the day with my last two sets of situps, as I powered through the final one, despite a now burning midsection.
I underestimated how hard the first day would be. On the surface, it's fairly simple, but trying to acheive all of the tasks within reasonable bounds proved to be quite difficult. I need a change of mindset tomorrow, when I first take to the pool.
Prescribed Workout:
Running: 2 miles, 8:30 pace (17 minutes total)
Pullups: 3 sets of 3
Situps: 4 sets of 20
Pushups: 4 sets of 15
Actual Workout:
Running: 2.25 miles, 22:21 total (just under 10 minutes pace)
Pullups: 1 set of 2, 7 sets of 1
Situps: 2 sets of 20, 4 sets of 10
Pushups: 2 sets of 15, 2 sets of 10, 2 sets of 5
Eating
Lunch (12:00)
Mixed green salad
Two small chicken breasts
Five baby corn
One egg
Snack (4:15)
One Special K bar
Dinner (6:00)
Carne Asada
Mexican Rice
Black Beans
Diced Chicken
Guacamole
One Special K bar
Thoughts
A mediocre first day, to say the least. First, the eating: I didn't have breakfast, or even a small piece of fruit. This has to be remedied immediately. My lunch was good and healthy, but I think I went a little overboard at dinner--I could have done without the second Special K bar, for instance.
I went to the gym at about 10:00 p.m. for some running. Even at my most lazy, I've always been a decent runner, boasting better endurance than sprinting speed. At my most fit, I was running miles at times lower than 7:30, so I felt that two 8:30 miles were in reasonable reach. I started off well, going .75 of a mile at a 8:27 pace on the treadmill before taking my first break. I walked for about .05 of a mile, then ran again until the 1.15 mark, walked for .05, ran until 1.55, walked for .05, ran until 1.95, walked for .05, then ran until 2.25. I went over the recommended total because I wanted to account for the .20 of a mile of walking that I did, and an additional .05, just for good measure. The running was easily my best success of the day, even though I went close to 5:30 over the prescribed pace. For a first day, I'll take it.
I then moved over to the pullup bar, where I watched a lanky kid do 10 with relative ease. I figured that I could at least do my 3 sets of 3. Wrong. I was able to do two on my first set, but couldn't pull myself up for the third. After that, I couldn't do more than one at a time. Cue the humiliation--fortunately, most people were too absorbed in their own workouts to notice.
I returned back to my dorm room for the pushups and situps, which I figured would be the easiest part of the night. Again, incorrect. I focused on doing proper pushups and situps, so I tried to keep my form as strict as possible. I started with the situps, and was immediately struck by the toll it took on my abs. I struggled through the first set of the 20, and then the first 10 of the second set. At that point, I had to take a short break before finishing the final 10. I switched to pushups, which were difficult at first until I got the hang of it--my first two full sets came at the end. I concluded the day with my last two sets of situps, as I powered through the final one, despite a now burning midsection.
I underestimated how hard the first day would be. On the surface, it's fairly simple, but trying to acheive all of the tasks within reasonable bounds proved to be quite difficult. I need a change of mindset tomorrow, when I first take to the pool.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Welcome
Oh, hello. This must be our introduction. I'm Dubsy. Nice to meet you, take a seat. This will just take 18...weeks.
This is my workout blog. Here, you will find daily updates on the status of my exercise program, eating habits, and progression.
A few basics about me: I'm a college student on the west coast who gave up organized sports some five years ago. Since then, with the exception of the occasional pick up game or impulsive run, I haven't done any serious physical activity. And it shows. I went from about 5'10", 180 lbs as a high school sophomore to 6'1", 222 lbs now. This is unacceptable. My body fat is at 22%, which is just on the border between "ok" and too much. Why haven't I tackled it earlier? Honestly, I got complacent. I didn't feel motivated to workout because I knew my metabolism was at its all time peak. Additionally, and I know how ridiculous this sounds, I looked fine in clothes. But once it got to a point where my belly and love handles were distinguishable even through t-shirts or sweaters, I realized that it had gone too far.
So, I'm taking measures to stop this spiral and revert it back in the opposite direction. Enter this workout plan, the U.S. Navy SEAL Workout. I have two friends that swear by it, and say that they saw results quickly and only kept on improving. Why this plan as opposed to others? It's both highly intensive, and doesn't require a tremendous amount of machinery. I am not a gym rat--even in my more athletic days, I didn't lift many weights, and instead relied on calisthenics. However, there is a gym at school and an open pool, meaning that I can easily find pullup bars, treadmills and swimming lanes.
In addition to the workout plan, I am reforming my eating and drinking habits. No more soda or similarly sugary drinks--water, for the most part, will be my beverage of choice. I am also quite an eater, as I can down more food than just about anyone of my friends. But, at the same time, I routinely eat only one meal a day, just because I get busy and literally forget to have lunch, for example. Neither one of these two habits is acceptable. So, I will both tone down my eating--and eat well, too--and schedule meals on a more frequent basis. I don't eat breakfast too often, but this will change.
So, how will this blog work? The basic format will be a daily post chronicling the day's events, both from an exercise and nutrition standpoint. Every Monday, I'll weigh myself to see if any progress has been made. I may also post an end-of-the-week wrap up on Sunday, just to talk about how the previous seven days felt. Otherwise, it's free flowing.
The work starts now.
This is my workout blog. Here, you will find daily updates on the status of my exercise program, eating habits, and progression.
A few basics about me: I'm a college student on the west coast who gave up organized sports some five years ago. Since then, with the exception of the occasional pick up game or impulsive run, I haven't done any serious physical activity. And it shows. I went from about 5'10", 180 lbs as a high school sophomore to 6'1", 222 lbs now. This is unacceptable. My body fat is at 22%, which is just on the border between "ok" and too much. Why haven't I tackled it earlier? Honestly, I got complacent. I didn't feel motivated to workout because I knew my metabolism was at its all time peak. Additionally, and I know how ridiculous this sounds, I looked fine in clothes. But once it got to a point where my belly and love handles were distinguishable even through t-shirts or sweaters, I realized that it had gone too far.
So, I'm taking measures to stop this spiral and revert it back in the opposite direction. Enter this workout plan, the U.S. Navy SEAL Workout. I have two friends that swear by it, and say that they saw results quickly and only kept on improving. Why this plan as opposed to others? It's both highly intensive, and doesn't require a tremendous amount of machinery. I am not a gym rat--even in my more athletic days, I didn't lift many weights, and instead relied on calisthenics. However, there is a gym at school and an open pool, meaning that I can easily find pullup bars, treadmills and swimming lanes.
In addition to the workout plan, I am reforming my eating and drinking habits. No more soda or similarly sugary drinks--water, for the most part, will be my beverage of choice. I am also quite an eater, as I can down more food than just about anyone of my friends. But, at the same time, I routinely eat only one meal a day, just because I get busy and literally forget to have lunch, for example. Neither one of these two habits is acceptable. So, I will both tone down my eating--and eat well, too--and schedule meals on a more frequent basis. I don't eat breakfast too often, but this will change.
So, how will this blog work? The basic format will be a daily post chronicling the day's events, both from an exercise and nutrition standpoint. Every Monday, I'll weigh myself to see if any progress has been made. I may also post an end-of-the-week wrap up on Sunday, just to talk about how the previous seven days felt. Otherwise, it's free flowing.
The work starts now.
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