Inching back (Saturday... feelin grits)

Saturday, at hotel in Philly, got a really quick one in but felt like death. Gym was cold, so maybe that had something to do with it, but my lungs were on fire. Did not accomplish much (although ended up nice and sore - legs and butt - the next day anyway).

skretched a little, samson style...

3 rounds of cindy (just 3, should be a warm up not a workout)

• 5 pull ups
• 10 push ups
• 15 squats

DB Circuit - kept it light with 40lb

• DB snatch x 5/side
• DB bench press x 5/side
• DB row x 5/side
• DB lat raise x 10
  

Ideally I would have wanted to finish 3-4 rounds and then finish the workout with high rep DB swings and some core work. But only completed two rounds before was feeling kind of rough. I was pressed for time and had to wrap it up, but that was just a rationalization/excuse for not finishing a 3rd round -- I should have sucked it up and cranked out one more as fast as I could.

Density training to hit rep goals

http://www.weight-lifting-workout-routines.com/workout-routine-3.html

Pick an exercise that you would like to improve. Exercises that require little or no set-up time work best, pull-ups, pushups or kettlebell snatches are all excellent choices. Simply double the volume of your goal repetitions. For example, if you want to be able to perform 20 straight pull-ups, double that number to 40. Perform 20 sets of 2 reps in 20 minutes. You must start each set at the top of each minute. When this set and rep scheme becomes easy, move onto the next level, which would be 3 reps every minute for 13 minutes, and so on and so on…. It should look like this over the weeks. • 20 sets of 2 reps for 20 minutes • 13 sets of 3 reps for 13 minutes • 10 sets of 4 reps for ten minutes • 8 sets of 5 reps 8 minutes • 7 sets of 6 reps for 6 minutes • 6 sets of 7 reps in 5 minutes • 5 sets of 8 reps in 5 minutes • 4 sets of 10 reps in 4 minutes • 3 sets of 13 reps in 3 minutes Eventually, you will be able to accomplish your desired goal of 20 repetitions. Do this routine only twice per week. You may however, use Density Training for two separate workout routines. Not only does Density Training accelerate your progress and improve your numbers, it allows you to carry out more work in less time. That is power.

'4-Hour Body' Version of "Slow-Carb" Diet - Day 3/4

Jan 1 was a Saturday and therefore my "cheat/binge day -- pancakes for breakfast, nandos with bun and rice for lunch, chinese food for dinner... Since then, only two full days on the diet, and I've lost maybe 4lb (my guess is water weight). Progress reports will be more valid every week, at least 2-3 days after cheat days.

After reading around on the tubez, it seems that the main criteria for defining a slow-carb diet is a low glycemic index, so therefore there is a lot of variation in prescribed diets.

Carby foods with high GIs spike insulin response and rapidly increase blood sugar, causing energy bursts followed by periods of lethargy. Carby foods with low GIs -- or "slow carbs" -- will cause slower, more sustained increases in blood sugar and energy. Pretty simple.

Interestingly, some of the "root vegetables" that are such staples in a Paleo diet have very high GIs. Beets are high and parsnips are through the roof! I was liking the idea of 'em, and had nibbled some beets during my egg pickling, but it's time to stay away from 'em!

Many low-GI foods that are permitted on some slow-carb diets are not permitted in the 4-Hour Body diet -- for example, low-GI dairy like yogurt, low-GI grains like rolled oats and low-GI fruits such as grapefruits. Since my goal is to avoid fructose six days a week, I am fine skipping out on certain "slow carbs." My cheat days might include lots of fruit eating -- especially to compensate for vitamin C and fiber (mostly vitamin C).

Legumes

I've introduced beans as Tim Ferriss suggests, but I did not check GI of specific beans in making my decisions about which ones to make my staples. I went with the highest protein beans like black beans and kidney beans... and while they don't have very high GIs (prob around 53 and 52 respectively, if canned, and lower if dry), lentils (29) and lima beans (32, frozen) and even green beans (super low at 15 according to one site) have lower GIs. It will be worth checking the protein on those compared to black and red beans.

Chick peas have a low GI even when canned (42), and since canned beans are 1) easier to prepare and 2) when rinsed, less prone to make you gassy, it's good to find canned beans that are low GI. Only problem with chick peas is caloric density is a little bit over the top and it's easy to eat too many (same thing with almonds)... that will upset weight loss goals. If I want to go with dried beans, soaked, prepared and then eaten over a few days, that might be the best Rx. Black and Red should be fine in that case.

Green peas are okay -- relatively low GI, but not very low... like carrots. Both green peas and carrots have GI of just under 50, so are fine to eat maybe 1-3 times a week, but it might be good not to go making carrots my go-to snack I guess.

Based on more research into GI, protein, fiber, etc, here are some foods to emphasize:

• Lentils
  
• Lima beans
• Most other beans, dried, but light on chick peas
• Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, onions and red peppers - GO CRAZY (they all have a very low GI of about 10)
• All peppers have low GI
• Other veggies with nice low GI include snow peas, string beans and spinach (which is, of course, bursting with other nutrients)
  
• Cauliflower -- low GI at 30 and high in fiber
• Eggs -- egg whites and cage free or organic whole eggs
  
• And, of course, meats -- mostly beef (grass-fed when possible) and chicken (free range or at least organic when possible)... AND tuna fish (one can has about 26g of protein and at least 20g of protein per meal is like most important part of diet.
  

After Month 1, consider adding some low-GI, low or no-sugar yogurt and/or kefir if you feel you want it.

Lunch time.

UPDATE: Looks like I was a little too intuitive about my understanding of glycemic index, thinking, "if 'low' is good, the 'really low' or even nonexistent must be better!" However, after a little more reading, it seems at least, that a low glycemic index is what to look for in itself -- "low" being defined as 55 and under on the 100-point scale. Everything mentioned in this post would therefore be "low" and more than permissible in whatever amounts I want (tinned beans, carrots, etc.).

Goodbye 2010, you piece of diseased dog shit you. Helloooo 2011, you handsome thing.

Not normally one for New Years resolutions, because they always involve fitness and Jan.1 until about Valentines Day is the absolute worst time of year for the gym, BUT I am hitting the ground running this year.

Weighed in this morning at 192... been hovering around 195 last week or two. Have put on 10-15 pounds in last 2-3 months. Also haven't had a training regimen in months and my body is weak and sluggish.

LET'S SET SOME REAL GOALS AND REAL STRUCTURE!

Diet

January 1 starts the Slow Carb Diet as prescribed in Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Body.

• STRICT 6-day-a-week diet that eliminates almost all carb-heavy foods like sweets, grains, potatoes and fruit, eliminates most dairy (I will say all) and replaces all the lost calories with more proteins, veggies and LEGUMES.
  
• Stick mostly to only a few basic meals, keeping it simple. I would say 5-10 basic meals, which is easy since you can do "chicken/steak and vegetables" a bunch of different ways. Eggs for breakfast, salads for lunch, veggies and nuts and stuff for snacks IF NEEDED..not too tough.
  
• Saturday will be my cheat/binge day where I can eat any crap I want...doesn't mean I need to force it, but can have sandwiches, or pasta, fried rice, fruit, whatever (as known, spiking calories helps with metabolic balance).
  
• Must make an actual, conscious effort to drink less. NO beer and very little liquor and wine on non-cheat days, and only red wine in moderation when having it. Cheat days (Saturday) anything goes and I can get as awesome as I want :) .
  
• Make sure to adjust schedule for Super Bowl Sunday - that week, Sunday will be cheat day and Saturday will be on diet.

Training

• Start getting general fitness up with GPPs, body weight strength training, easing back into some of my favorite big lifts, some weighted circuit work, and some interval training and sprinting.
• Rely HEAVILY on the 2-handed DB swing. Really try to do lots of reps at least 2 days a week, possibly with some alternating 1-handed sets in between those days (M-W-F). Ideally, take another tip for Ferriss's book and try to do some ab work (those special swiss ball fill extension crunches) with the swings, possibly alternating the exercises as a pair in 3 sets.
• At one point in later half of month, by my birthday, start an ongoing strength-building regimen in the ABA/BAB style like this.

That's it. Looks very doable. If I hit these very VERY basic goals, even with working out only a few times a week, I think we could be looking at 10-15 pounds of true fat loss by end of the month (possibly 20 pounds total with the elimination of a bunch of water weight).

Paleo diet day 6 and energy seems to be taking a hit

I've been on the paleo diet pretty darn strict for 6 days (exceptions are the rare splash of milk here and there, like in the eggs my girlfriend made for me, and regular meats, although I did procure some organic steaks and stew beef, and grass-fed ground beef at Eastern Market... oh, and been drinking wine regularly - oh well).

I feel pretty good... although I've been spending more time preparing fun paleo meals than working out, and eating a lot since I've been cooking up a storm, I've been losing a few pounds slowly (probably from ketosis). I'm eating nutrient-rich vegetables, more root vegetables, lean meats, fruit, cooking with avocado oil and supplementing with fish oil. Prob could do with some more tree nuts in the mix, but that's no biggie. What IS a biggie is that I am getting tired earlier at night, and I just got my ass KICKED at the gym (not from a vigorous workout, but by not being able to perform with even a reasonable amount of energy/strength). I think the lack of energy might be due to no/low carbs. Will have to do some research. Compare workout from today with last time I lifted, in San Fran two weeks ago...

Workout:

- Warmed up with some stretching and 15 fast burpees (those last few were tough and this was exhausting)

- Bench Press (warm up with a bunch on bar and 6x95)

• 5 x 135 (hard)
• 3 x 135 (all I could get)
• 1 x 145 (since I failed so hard, decided to at least boost weight)
• 8 or 9 x 95 to finish

The plan was to try for 5x5x135, or at least 4x5x135

- Chin Ups and Dips Alternating 3 x F

• Chins: 7, 5, 5
• Dips: 3, 3, 4

Those Dip # are a DISGRACE... and those sets of 3 were hard as shit

- Finished with a gay little circuit x 2

• DB shrugs (15 or so x 70; 12 x 80)
• Tricep press downs (9 x I have no idea ... maybe 80lb? felt heavy for that, but I am not even sure of poundage on new machines)
• DB swings (10 x 60)

Then hit the track for some alternating jogging, walking, running, running with light DBs, walking holding DBs in raised positions, etc.... just to make sure workout could even be called a workout...

I think the problem was energy more than strength. I had no *umph* behind my lifts. Was feeling lazy and weak, but even the weak feel strong when they have adrenaline or an energy surge...

By comparison, I lifted a couple of times in San Francisco when I was there for work two weeks ago and my strength and energy seemed way higher. I was working out in morning before eating both times, but I almost completed 5x5x135 on the bench... think I might have started early sets with 6 reps too. And I was pressing weight over my head with little trouble, while today, I picked up some 40lb DBs just to experiment and was having TROUBLE pressing those light little paperweights. Incredible. I also was pressing down more weight on the cable tricep extensions with rope grip with relative ease.

Maybe it's the diet, maybe it's not.... maybe it's normal and my energy will increase as my body adapts. I'll find out!

Weigh in: 188.5 (ouch, but at least under 190!)

UPDATE: Well, Whaddya know?

From here:

During the first few weeks of the ketogenic diet the body has to go through the "metabolic shift", as Mauro DiPasquale calls it. While going through this the body will experience a small degree of fatigue and brain fog, but once the body gets used to manufacturing ketones as the main energy substrate the body actually has more energy than it previously had, and you won't have to be fighting through all those low blood sugar crashes that your high carb meals previously gave you. Also when in ketosis, ketones are the preferred energy substrate for the brain over protein.

AND, I guess when on low-carb diets there's something called carb crash a bit less than one week in... cure is to eat carbs (permissible ones like fruit -- don't load, but maybe a banana immediately pre-workout will help next time)

good primal fitness resource

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/

great one fr CF Gotham -- push ups / burpees / squats

9.13.10 School's in!

For time:

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Push-ups
10 Burpees
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Squats

So, like this:

21 Push-ups, 10 Burpees, 21 Squats

18 Push-ups, 10 Burpees, 18 Squats

15 Push-ups, 10 Burpees, 15 Squats

...

Great one for the road.