Thursday, March 31, 2016

Another weird week, still one more day

I'm really letting the unofficial weigh ins get to me, which isn't the point of them, but ya, today has put me in a not so great mood. But I guess you need to know how yesterday went first, huh?

Woke up yesterday feeling good and hit play on Shaun T's arm workout. This is a YouTube video I found a few months ago, but at 25 minutes it seemed like a good workout. I enjoyed it, but this will probably be the last time I ever do it. Just not super intense. Made perfect sense for my recovery week though.

I hopped on the scale after that, hoping to hit my goal of 203.3. But to my amazement, I was at 203.3, or 203.anything. I was at 202.2!

So ya, that was pretty freakin' outstanding.

I spent the rest of the day eating clean. My walk was super short, work got a little busy and my lunch didn't really happen, but I still did something. Only weird thing about yesterday was having to eat an extra salad in my car, as I was going to a meeting instead of home for dinner. When I did finally get home, I had a few bites (literally a few bites, not even a snack's worth) of cottage cheese.

Woke up this morning and hit play on HIIT 25 from TurboFire. Like I said two days ago, these things are killer! I was moving slow today, but definitely got a great workout in.

So then I got on the scale today, hoping to be on track for 201.7, Friday's goal. Unfortunately, the scale logged me at 202.2 again. Yup, literally no movement since yesterday. That means I have an entire half a pound to lose in one freakin' day.

So ya, not happy right now. I'm trying to figure out if I can get an extra workout in tonight. I've already hit my step goal for today, so that's good.

Anyways, ya, bummed about today's unofficial. Hoping to make that up tomorrow with the official weigh in. Tomorrow's also the last day of the recovery week, and then it's right into three weeks of Month 2 of Max:30.

Bring it!

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Recovering from cake

Ok, my titles are starting to dwell on the bad. Next title, positive, I promise.

So I set out to eat healthy over the weekend. And while "failing miserably" isn't what I'd call it, I had a few more cheats than I wanted. The Mrs. and I had a date day (thanks Mom and Dad for babysitting!) and we had popcorn at the movies. And then we ate sushi. Now, this wasn't nearly the sushi debacle I found myself in the week before, but it was sushi. Then there was a slice of pizza at Mom and Dad's. Then Sunday....I kept Sunday super clean because we were having people over. And I really ate healthy even at dinner. And then the Snickers cake came out. Now, I say cheat meals should be allowed and you can and should be able to eat whatever you want, and I mean that. So I ate a slice. A whole, good sized, delicious slice. And it was delicious.

Monday's goal was 203.5. Despite working really hard in the gym and trying to balance my diet, I only clocked in at 203.8. Sigh. At least it didn't go up.

So, let's talk workouts. Saturday was Les Mills Combat Upper Body Blowout. I still like this workout. It's different from the usual upper body weight stuff I do, and it feels much more functional for martial arts (makes sense, considering the program). I have this written in a few times throughout my next program, and I'm looking forward to it. It's not a good building workout and won't be around forever, but as long as I focus on functional fitness right now this is a good one.

I followed that up with Max:30 Max Out 15. Another good round. This isn't my favorite Max:30 workout, but in 15 minutes it definitely gets the job done.

Sunday was TurboFire HIIT 20 and Insanity Fast & Furious. K, I may have overdone it here with the loading of programs. But screw it, I did it. HIIT 20 was great. It's definitely not a guy's workout, this has ladies-dancing-to-hip-hop written all over it, but man oh man does Chalene do HIIT right! Then F&F was good. I'd never done this program before. Like my problem with regular Insanity now, the stretch just feels SUPER long. But aside from that, this is basically a Max:30 workout. Go go go go go go. It's so fast and down to the point that at a few points, literally no one is working out. Even Shaun T is huffing and puffing saying "keep jumping, seriously, we need at least one person to keep going." So, that was awesome. I'm trying to figure out if there's room to revisit this one in a future program because I really did dig it.

I also joined my wife in 21 Day Fix Upper Body on Sunday. I knew there was bad food coming, so I wanted to add in the extra workout.

Monday was Bas Rutten's Kickboxing 3 Minutes. Holy crap do I love this workout. I can do the whole thing too, which is crazy. I could never do the whole 3 minute rounds version before. I got tired and slowed down in Round 7, the final round, but I was stronger here than I'd ever felt. Next week is back to MMA, the 3 minute rounds, so I'm hoping this work translates well.

Finally today was HIIT 30 from TurboFire. 30 minutes of HIIT (actually 25, plus a long stretch at the end). Like I said above, there's no doubt I'm not the intended audience for this workout, but damn is it a good workout. I have this and the 25 minute versions programmed in weekly in the next program. I'm really trying to get those HIITs in for two months.

Alright, so tomorrow's goal is 203.3, and I clocked in today at 203.4. Good, I've got this, but I still need to push through.

Bring it!


Friday, March 25, 2016

Mixed feelings about this week

Well, today is a milestone day. Today marks the end of my 12th week of working out and dieting. Altogether, I've lost 36 lbs. But today is a milestone, not just because it's the end of week 12 (and the halfway point of my second program), but because I outlined 3 programs for myself, all based on the 8-week Max:30 schedule, making it a 24 week goal. Thus, I'm at the halfway point of the cardio-portion of my plan. 12 more weeks and I can focus on weights more. At least, that's the plan. Plans change. I might want to focus on more cardio and adjust to lose more weight, not sure yet. I'm also dreading hitting a plateau, which hasn't actually happened yet.

But anyways, despite such successful progress, and seriously, 36 lbs in 12 weeks is a huge success, I have mixed feelings about this week. I started the week off higher than I wanted, but I caught back up. I was 206.0 on Wednesday, making today's goal 205.5.

Working toward that Friday goal, I woke up yesterday and hit play on Sweat Fest. Side note, this might be the last time I see Sweat Fest. I've actually grown to like it overall. It's more traditional Insanity than the rest of Max:30, which I like, but it also has a long stretch in the beginning that throws off my rhythm. It's not currently programmed into anything I'm doing further, but like I said above, plans change.

Anyways, I hit play on Sweat Fest yesterday, and the workout was pretty mediocre. Not sure why, just never really got going the way I like. I sweat, it definitely happened, but it wasn't as great as some other workouts this week.

Despite that so-so workout, I hopped on the scale yesterday and found myself at 204.0. Yup, WAY lower than I thought I'd be. Now, since my last post, I should say that I've eaten super clean and had a good walk on Wednesday, so I was happy to see that all of that had been working just fine. I was actually pretty elated all day thinking about that 204.0.

Yesterday was a weird diet day. I had a meeting that cut into my usual schedule. I still kept it clean, but ended up having dinner much much later than I'd like. I wrote about it the other day, but I think late dinners screw up my morning weigh ins.

This morning I woke up, feeling mighty groggy, and hit play on Friday Fight Rd. 1 (the last time I see this workout until my next program). Man oh man, I had a terrible workout today. Like I said above, I broke a good sweat, and to the modern man this might have actually been a decent effort, but compared to what I know I'm capable of, I was pretty disappointed in myself. My legs just couldn't keep up and I was severely dragging ass.

So, another poor workout behind me, I hopped on the scale. And there, looking back at me, was 204.0.

Now this is the mixed feelings part. My goal today was 205.5, and I overshot that by a full 1.5. But I also didn't move the needle at all from yesterday (which I think seeing yesterday just raised my expectations too much) and with two poor workouts and a late-night dinner between official weigh ins, I can't help but want to kick myself for not focusing a bit more.

Oh well, what's done is done. And hey, new goal of 203.5 for Monday. I don't think the wife and I have any cheat meals actually planned over the next few days (I might splurge for popcorn at a movie though, not sure) so I'm hoping to stay really clean over the weekend. Onward to a weight that starts with a 1 (which numbers wise shouldn't happen for two weeks, but I'm not-so-secretly hoping it happens next week).

Onward to my recovery week. Tomorrow I revisit Les Mills Combat's Upper Body workout, along with Max:30 Max 15, and then next week is a lot of TurboFire HIIT workouts. Let's see what I can pull off.

Bring it!

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

So we can learn to pick ourselves back up

Yup, I finished the quote with today's title. Good times.

Monday I was a bit down. Emotionally, not weight wise. Weight wise I was up. Not good times. But I kicked it into gear from there and have had a good week since. Let's talk workouts first.

Yesterday I hit it hard with Eccentric Upper. Tony Horton's the man, and I love lifting weights with him. Good times. Lots of pushups, lots of pullups (I'm still using the bench for support) and lots of shoulders. This workout needs more biceps/triceps, but I'm getting that from Incinerator, so all good.

This morning I was super tired, but I hit play on Sweat Intervals. This is such an excellent workout from Shaun T. I was drained and it kicked my ass hard core today, but I got it done. I'm giving myself a C+ on the workout, so not great at all, but I came out of it soaked and was still happy with that.

Alright, let's talk scale. Monday's goal was 206.3, and I clocked in at an abysmal 208.8. JEEZ! That's terrible. Well, that made today's goal 208.3. I kept the diet clean, and actually clocked in yesterday (an unofficial day, so it doesn't count) at 206.8. Alright, already overshot the goal and already back on track-ish from last week. But I wanted to keep pushing, and push I did with the diet and the ok-ish workout this morning. And I stepped onto the scale today to find....


206.0!

Yup, I felt good. For a brief moment the scale flashed 205.8, but it locked in at 206. Hey, still good. So, I basically overshot Monday's goal today. All things considered, I'll take it. Back down, losing weight again, and feeling good.

I'm going to keep it clean all week and I really don't plan on doing any cheat meals this weekend. Let's see how long I can keep the weightloss train going. The current overall goal weight is 180, though I'm still debating if I want to take that down to 170, but either way I'm really really eyeing right now that sub-200 number. It's close. Really close. I can feel it. I'd say I can taste it, but I have no clue how many calories are in sub-200 and I'd rather not actually taste it for that reason. Yup, bad jokes are rampant today!

The rest of the week is filled with cardio. Let's see what I can pull off by Friday. Then it's onward to a recovery week (which basically just means very very little Max 30, and some different weight workouts).

Bring it!

Monday, March 21, 2016

Why Do We Fall Master Bruce?

Ya, my title's a quote. Deal with it. For those just joining us, from Batman Begins....

Alfred: Why do we fall, Master Bruce?
Bruce: To pick ourselves back up again.

There's a chance I'm paraphrasing. I don't feel like checking.

So why this quote? Well, last week I had a truly excellent week. Lost a bunch of weight, worked out great, etc.

But today? Today I weighed in at 208.8. Yup. I came in 2 lbs heavier than I did on Friday, AND I am 2.5 lbs above what my goal for today was.

So what happened in the middle? My poor diet was destroyed. First off, I ate WAY too late Friday night. We went out, and when we came home I made a big omelette. The food itself wasn't too unhealthy, but I can't eat that late. After a certain point, there has to be a cutoff.

Next, Saturday, I ate sushi. I ate a lot of sushi. It was homemade. And while delicious, that also means I had a ton of rice (boo, carbs), cream cheese, and eel sauce. Oh, so much eel sauce. And then I had mochi! Three pieces of mochi!

It gets worse. Then the wife and I got a sitter (last minute thing) and went over a friend's birthday party. Jelly beans, cheetos and chips. Lots of them! It was bad!

As for yesterday, Sunday, I actually kept it pretty clean overall. I had leftover sushi, so the rice and cream cheese still killed me, but at least I never stuffed myself. But again, the end result was bad. Very, very bad.

I did get some good workouts in this weekend. I did Incinerator on Saturday morning, and got my arms and chest/back feeling pretty good. Didn't feel any DOMS, but that's to be expected. My body's getting used to the workout. Fortunately I'm switching the order of Incinerator/Eccentric Upper starting in two weeks, plus next week I'm doing a totally different lifting workout, so hopefully that keeps me going.

I also threw in Ab Ripper X from P90X. I haven't been focusing on abs this round, and decided, after getting my abs handed to me from a 21 Day Fix Workout the week before, that I should probably start.

Sunday I had a rockin' Cardio Challenge from Max:30, and also did a pretty solid upper body workout with the wife (another 21 Day Fix workout, those things are brutal). Yesterday was also a weird day. Our daughter woke up with a bad ear infection, so the day started in the urgent care instead of the gym. I didn't miss my workout, but my nutrition was all out of whack at that point.

And then this morning I did Bas Rutten's MMA workout. All 10 rounds of 2 minutes. I did much much better than I've ever done on this workout before, but holy crap do I still have a long ways to go. By round 5, I feel like I'm going to die. Those damn burpees kill me. I have kickboxing next week, and then I'm moving up to the 3 minute rounds of this one. I'm starting to wonder if that's a bad idea. I'm still going to do it for this round, but for future programs I might need to rethink if I'm capable of doing the mother of all Bas Rutten workouts.

Anyways, whatever workout positives I want to take from this, it was still a bad weekend for my diet/fitness. 2 lbs. 2 freakin' lbs.

Well, I'm back on the horse. Got lots of little, healthy meals with me today. And I'm going to go for a harder than usual walk at lunch to try to get some extra calories gone. I still want to lose a lot of weight this week, and be under 206 by the end of the week. I think I can do it. I know I can do it. I just need to bring it!

Wish me luck!

Bring it!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Well, Week 3 was Fantastic!

And that's all she wrote for Week 3. Yup, my Max:30 revised program now has 3 weeks in the books.

Today was Friday Fight Rd. 1. Holy crap are the Friday Fights hard. I've had energy all week, and truthfully I had energy today too. But that didn't stop this workout from kicking my ass six ways from Sunday (is that a phrase? I think it's a phrase). The no break between warm up and workout already sets this one up to be difficult, and it doesn't stop from there.

Even though I didn't rock this as well as I rocked my other Max:30 workouts this week, I feel like I came out of this ok. A solid B. That's ok considering the great progress I've already had this week.

So, I had a good walk yesterday and kept the diet clean. There was cake at work, but today was a weigh in day so I stayed away (incidentally, there was cake at work today too, but I stayed away again because I just don't need it). Food was super clean. Made some very spicy edamame for a snack, also had a chicken salad that was mighty tasty. And the wife/brother in law made fish, creamed spinach and brown rice. I'm not exactly no carb, but I didn't feel like opening the carb door last night, and just stuck with the fish and spinach. Ate lots of fish too, it was mighty tasty.

Alright, my goal for today was 208.1. I clocked in yesterday at 207.6, so already ahead of the game, but yesterday of course didn't count. So, here we are this morning, a good diet 24 hours of diet, a good walk, a good workout and a number already ahead of my goal under my belt. This morning I stepped on the scale to see.....

206.8!

That's right, this weight goal was completely obliterated!!!! I feel outstanding!

For those keeping score at home, that puts Monday's goal at 206.3. Weekends are always tougher, but I also give myself an extra day to compensate. Let's see what I can pull off.

Side note: major congrats to my wife. She completed 21 Day Fix today, and I couldn't be more proud of her! I think yesterday I said she was on track to lose around 7 lbs. Ya, I was wrong. She lost 9.8 lbs! In 3 weeks! Good freakin' job to her, that is awesome! Next stop? She's starting the program over. It's so cool having the love of my life embracing fitness. I love talking to her about working out, eating right and doing Beachbody programs.

Alright, that's where I'm at. This has been a stellar week for the family and our fitness goals. And now? Now I'm hungry. Looking forward to eating leftover fish for lunch. And tomorrow I'm looking forward to hitting some weights again!

Onward to Week 4!

Bring it!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Still having a pretty great week!

Well, the week of good progress continues.

Yesterday I did Sweat Intervals from Max:30, and honestly, that might have been my best workout this entire year. Seriously, I was blown away. I had energy, I had focus, and I pushed really hard. I came out of it soaked in sweat and felt amazing.

Now, I should say, I was coming off a sushi night the night before, and I did eat a good amount. Mostly fish, a little rice, but still, it was a lot.

So, after my great workout yesterday, and after all that sushi, I hopped on the scale. The goal was 208.9. And then I clocked in....

....at 208.6! KABOOM! What an awesome thing to find out. I kept the diet clean on sushi day so I could eat my fish/rice massacre, worked super hard after, and came out just fine.

I kept the diet clean yesterday too. I'm still eating literally all day, snack almost every 2 hours, and I love it! It's fun making so much food the night before too. I really enjoy cooking.

Also I got a decent walk in yesterday. Got busy at work, so it wasn't the longest walk, but anything is better than nothing, right?

This morning was Sweat Fest, the Insanity workout that snuck its way into Max:30 as an alternate workout. The long stretch always throws me off on this one, but other than that I felt really good. Aside from the brutal warmup at the beginning, this really is just a great 20 minute HIIT workout. I didn't have as much energy as yesterday, but I had an above-average workout none the less (after my legs finally woke up). All in all, I'm pleased with myself.

So, based on yesterday's weight, tomorrow's goal is 208.1. Excellent, totally doable. Especially since this morning I clocked in at 207.6!!!! Yup, huge drop from yesterday. See what exercise and keeping it clean does? Unfortunately, today is not an official weigh in day, so I can't count it, but it looks like I'm well on my way to obliterating my goal for tomorrow.

So, side note, still super proud of the wife! She's about to annihilate her first round of 21 Day Fix. She'll be done with the program tomorrow, and it looks like she's going to be down more than 7 lbs! What an awesome victory for her, I'm so unbelievably happy for her. She's doing amazing, and I can't wait to see how she does on round 2 of this program!

One final thought before I sign out. I really enjoy lifting weights. I had that awesome workout on Tuesday, and my arms are still feeling it (barely) today! I'm a little sad I only get to lift twice per week now, but priority one is to get this damn fat off me, and then I can hit the weights hard come June.

Alright, that's my story. Have a great day team!

Bring it!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Feeling good this week

I'm feeling pretty good this week.

I woke up yesterday and had a few things to accomplish, and it ate into my workout time. Thus, instead of hitting play on Bas Rutten, I only had time for the 15 minute Max 30 workout. Oh well, still a good workout.

I clocked in my weight yesterday morning at 209.4. The goal was 209.3, so I just barely missed, but there were a few diet slip ups (including potato soup and cheese bread Sunday night), so I'm actually pretty damn pleased with that.

This morning I hit weights again with Eccentric Upper from P90X3. I've gotta say, I really love lifting weights. I can't wait to start a full weight routine in a few months, after I lose the rest of the fat. I have some ideas in my mind, and on paper, for what that schedule is going to look like. Won't start til Summer, but I'm pumped for it! Today's workout really got me excited. This is such a great resistance workout for the upper body, all in 30 minutes.

I was feeling bloated today, not sure why, but I checked my weight and I'm at 209.8. Oy, I went up. Based on yesterday, my goal for tomorrow is 208.9, so I'm seriously hoping I can take off that .9 lbs today. I'm doing a sushi meal tonight, so I'm going to 1) keep the calories low today, even probably subbing a meal for a protein shake, and 2) I'm going to avoid rice and focus on fish tonight whenever possible. I absolutely love sushi, so I definitely want to enjoy dinner. Keeping it smart/healthy is going to be the challenge.

Alright, that's my story. I have cardio the rest of this week, so hopefully that'll help me take some extra weight off.

Bring it!

Friday, March 11, 2016

Kaboom to Friday's weight goal!

Wrapped up Week 2 today, and man oh man has it been an excellent fitness day!

I got up this morning feeling pretty good. Baby slept most of the night, which means Mom and Dad slept most of the night too! After a few chores I got into the workout. Today was Friday Fight Rd. 1, which I haven't seen since January. This is such a great workout, it's basically Pure Cardio from the original Insanity with a few harder moves. 1 minute long each, very very few breaks (I think there's two, and the first doesn't come in until the 15 minute mark. Not even one after the warmup!).

And how did I do on today's workout? After a pretty lackluster workout week, today was awesome! I had energy, my muscles felt good (after the warmup. My legs weren't having any of it during the first warmup round) and I feel like I rocked it. My energy dragged a little after the halfway point, not by a lot but a bit, so I'm giving myself an A-. Oh, also my back was acting up the last few days, so two of the pushup/jump/land on a single arm moves I modified a bit. I think that was only two exercises, but I wanted to note it.

As for nutrition, yesterday I ate super clean all day. We had an old friend who I hadn't seen in literally a decade join for dinner, and my amazing wife made us salmon with crab on top, spinach salad and cauliflower rice (which I've really wanted to try). It was all very delicious. We also had fruit salad for dessert.

So, with that healthy meal and great workout under my belt, I got on the scale. Today's goal was sitting at 210.9, and I clocked in at....

209.8!!!!

Yup, I even checked again, and it came up the same. I also didn't feel queesy like I did on Wednesday. So ya, KABOOM, that weight goal got blown out of the water. I'm also in the last 10 pounds before I get below 200 zone. I'm absolutely stoked!

So far I'm loving my new program. It's still basically Max:30 with a few modifications, but ya, I'm feeling good and enjoying the results.

Planning on healthy leftovers for the rest of the day for nutrition, and gonna keep it clean this weekend too so I can hit Monday's new goal of 209.3.

Also I wanted to give another shout out to my wife. She's about to enter Week 3 of 21 Day Fix. She's absolutely rocking the workouts, and the diet, and she's down almost 7 lbs already. I couldn't be more proud of her! Next week is her doubles week (which is kind of cool that 21 Day Fix has) and I'm planning to join her for a few of the night workouts. I'm really excited!

Alright, that's my jam. Talk at you soon Internet land.

Bring it!

Thursday, March 10, 2016

A few updates for missed days

Don't let the title mislead you, I have not missed a day of working out. I have just missed a few blog posts. Hey, I said from the get-go it wouldn't be an every day thing.

Tuesday I got back into weights with the return of Eccentric Upper. Wasn't a long break, it's only been two weeks, but it felt good. Honestly, this is the same muscles as Incinerator, my current Saturday workout, but done with the opposite emphasis (more chest/back, less arms). Doing the two together this whole program, I'm very excited to see the results.

Yesterday was the return of Sweat Intervals. Holy crap is this a workout! I was soaked by the end! Absolutely awesome, even though I was sort of moving slow and had a B- workout.

I spent yesterday on a work trip, and did a lot of walking. According to my Fitbit, that was the most steps I've taken in a single day. So, that was cool.

Unfortunately, the work trip also resulted in some not so healthy meals. Sigh....

I did Cardio from 21 Day Fix with the wife last night as well. Wanted to work off the goo from the food.

And then today was Sweat Fest. I like this workout as a midweek recovery workout. It's basically a 30-minute Insanity workout (which they all are, but this one actually follows the old Insanity format). But for some reason I really wasn't feeling it today, and I'm going to give today's workout a C-. Boo!

So, let's talk weight. Feeling super bummed about Monday's weigh in, I worked really hard for a good number on Wednesday. Tuesday I saw literally no scale movement, which I guess was good considering I had a few fried noodles at dinner the night before. But I wanted to kick it in gear, so I pushed hard on the diet.

And Wednesday morning (pre bad food) I clocked in at 210.8. That's .1 under Monday's original goal. So, that's awesome! Unfortunately, I felt really queesy from being on a pretty empty stomach, so this was definitely at the limits for me on the how-low-can-I-force-the-scale scale.

So, a few workouts and yesterday's bad diet later, today I clocked in at 211.4. Yup, back where I was last Friday. With that in mind, I'm keeping the diet super clean today, and I got a decent walk in at lunch. I've got Friday Fight Rd. 1 tomorrow morning, and then the weigh in. My goal for tomorrow is 210.3. That's going to be a huge stretch, especially considering how I pushed for the 210.8, but it's what I wrote down so I'm going to shoot for it.

Wish me luck!

Bring it!

Monday, March 7, 2016

My diet was assaulted this weekend

Well, it's Monday. Since I last checked in, my diet has suffered some unfortunate situations.

Friday at lunch, my boss bought us all sandwiches. And that was a super appreciative thing to do, but I personally gave in and ate a whole 9 inch cheesesteak. No good.

Saturday night, we were going to go out, but our little girl was having a rough night and we decided to do takeout instead. There's a great pita place that does salads near us, but for some reason I convinced myself to do a pita instead. And without thinking, I ate the whole thing.

And finally, last night we went to a burger night event with my folks. And this was amazing. They had everything you could want on a burger. Truffle aioli, garlic aioli, candied bacon, 6 different cheeses, kobe patties....it was intense. For some reason I threw caution to the wind and got the kobe, not the turkey, used a few cheeses and sauces, and even used a bun instead of going bun less.

The result? My Friday weigh in was 211.4, my goal for today was 210.9, and I clocked in today at 211.8. Sigh. The scale moved in the wrong direction.

Now, that all said, my diet was super duper clean all weekend aside from these cheat meals. And I worked out hard. So, all things considered, I'm not too displeased with these results. Not happy, that's for sure, but it clearly could have been worse and I'm definitely starting to figure out this whole eat to balance the bad stuff mentality.

So, like I said, workouts were good this weekend. Friday I got into P90X3 Incinerator. The name's interesting. This is an upper body weight workout, with slightly more emphasis on the arms than on the chest/back. It also has an interesting mix, where you hit a body part with weights, then hit it again with body weight work. Overall, I really liked it, and want to pair it with Eccentric Upper someday to get a really good overall balance for the upper body.

Sunday was the return of Cardio Challenge. I haven't seen this workout since Week 4 of Max 30, and I had forgotten how truly awesome it is. It kicked my butt, and I'm sure this workout will never be easy. They say the second month workouts are harder, and they are, but only slightly. Also it felt really good to get back into the mix of Max 30 workouts again after my recovery week.

Finally, this morning I did the Bas Rutten MMA CD, 2 minute rounds. I did all 10, but man oh man, this was not a good workout. The burger was sitting in my belly, and I didn't get a ton of sleep last night thanks to a certain little munchkin, and my energy was just zapped. I flailed more than punched, my kicks got lost toward the end, and my burpees got slower and slower. That said, I was definitely soaked with sweat by the end, so it was definitely a better workout than no workout at all.

I'm slightly debating doing an extra 20 minutes tonight, but it'll be a game time call. I'm just not pleased with my work this morning.

I also have a walk planned today, and for most of the week. Last week I didn't get any walks in, it was just a super busy week at lunch each day, but I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of that too.

Alright, that's my story. Hitting weights again tomorrow with the return of Eccentric Upper. Should be fun.

Bring it!

Friday, March 4, 2016

The Recovery Week is Over

Ok, first off, my definition of Recovery Week is probably inaccurate. Basically I just wanted a break from Insanity for a week. And honestly, I miss it. But this week was an absolute killer. The Turbo Fire HIIT workouts were brutal, the 3-minute Bas Rutten workout was brutal, and even my two weight workouts were brutal. All brutal!

Anyways, I did my final two workouts for the week this morning. Yes, two, but they were both 15 minutes, so still stuck to 30 minutes. I started with HIIT 15 from Turbo Fire. This is definitely the easiest of the TF HIITs, not just because it was 15 minutes but because the HIITs were noticeably shorter. That said, I was pretty darn sweaty by the end of this, and kind of regretted having Max 15 cued up next.

Max 15 was eh. This is a great workout, but I was feeling pretty dead at this point. I got more cardio in, but it wasn't my best workout. Oh well. I think I got overzealous when I put today together, but thought it would be cool to start and end the recovery week with this 15 minute version of Max 30.

I'll revisit the Recovery Week in a few weeks, written out the same. Should be fun, but overall I don't think I'm building recovery weeks into future programs.

So let's talk scale. As you know, today;s goal was 211.9. I came in at 212.2 yesterday, and was a little worried because I had a potluck last night to go to with pizza. I did, in fact, have a slice of pizza ( just one) but other than that stuck to cold cut meats and cheeses as my dinner. I also kept it super clean all day, eating two salads, a piece of salmon and a few protein shakes. So, good job nutrition overall.

I weighed in this morning, and found myself at.....

211.4!!!

Yup, overshot the goal! I'm pumped! This now puts Monday's goal at 210.9. This one's going to be a challenge. Family is in town on Sunday and we're doing burger night, today is employee appreciation day and my boss got us sandwiches (I'm having a small cheesesteak, and yes, that was the healthiest option), and tomorrow's a fight night which is never good. But everything food-wise is ok on the diet as long as it's 1) in moderation and 2) I eat the rest of the day with that food in mind. So, let's put this to the test!

Looking forward to some good workouts this weekend. Some P90X3 weight stuff, some Max:30 cardio, and I'm probably going to try to join the wife on a workout for 21 Day Fix too (which, by the way, she is absolutely crushing!).

Alright, that's my story.

Bring it!

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Turbo Fire HIITs are HARD!

Today was HIIT 25 from Turbo Fire. I know, it wasn't a full 30 minutes, but 25 seems close enough. And holy crap did this thing kick my ass! I'm typing a short post today, so details will be saved for future posts (I"ll see this again in about a month) but yes, it was brutal!

I really like the Turbo Fire HIIT workouts, and am planning on incorporating them more into Calendar #3.

Weighed in at 212.2 today. Considering dinner with family last night meant not the healthiest of meals (I even ate a cookie!) just seeing the scale move downward was a victory. Tomorrow I still am shooting for 211.9, so I'm pushing extra hard today.

Also another shout out to my wife, who is destroying her workouts! 21 Day Fix sounds awesome, and I'm so proud of her for doing it. I might have to try a few more of those workouts soon too. They sound hard as hell!

Bring it!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Lifting Weights with Shaun T

While putting this program together, I was looking into YouTube fitness videos. There's a lot out there, like a lot a lot, and some are really great at first glance. But I've come to trust a select group of trainers, namely the Beachbody folks. As luck would have it, that's when I came across an upper body workout from Shaun T, totally free. So, I've built it into my current program, once during each of the two recovery weeks.

This was a pretty great workout. Not the best lifting program I've ever done, but a good 25 minute workout that hit the arms decently. I liked it. There's also punching in between the lifting sets, mostly to keep the heart rate up, but that was a good mix up as well. After this program there's a good chance I'll never see this workout again, but never say never, who knows. I'll give it a B- for quality.

Weight wise, my goal for today was 214.3. If you remember, I clocked in under that yesterday. And this morning I clocked in for the official weigh in, coming in at 212.4! Holy crap, I blew this goal out of the water!

Well, this puts Friday's goal at 211.9, and I plan to crush it. I should mention, our new scale only does weights in even numbered decimals, so 211.9 is officially impossible on my scale, but I'm still going to move forward with my .5 lbs goals. I guess I'll just have to overshoot in the actual numbers sometimes.

I'm also doing a challenge with my work to lose the most weight. The challenge started today and goes through May 9. I had an official weigh in after lunch, and came in at 216.0 on that (a few hours later, plus some food, lots of water, and some clothes). So, I'm not planning to change anything with my current plan, but the added motivation helps. I'll let you know how I do on that plan in a few months.

Not sure what I have scheduled tomorrow, a TurboFire workout I think, then I'm almost done with the Recovery Week and back into a killer workout program.

Bring it!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Missed some blogs, but didn't miss workouts (Also the wrap up Max:30)

Well, it's been a busy few days and I've missed some checkins. Almost a week's worth. But I haven't missed workouts. I'll give an overview of what's been going on.

First off, Insanity Max:30 is complete! I finished Friday in a puddle of sweat. I joyfully jumped on the scale and found myself at 213.8. A reminder, I don't know my actual starting weight thanks to old scale issues, but I'm putting it around 240. Thus, I'm saying I lost about 25 lbs on this round!

My thoughts on Max:30? It's an amazing program, and I personally liked it more than Insanity. The strength stuff is lame, just not how I like to work out, but the overall program, especially the cardio and endurance, is outstanding. If you're ever looking for a great way to lose some weight in 8 weeks, this is the program you need to check out!

Well, Saturday I started my new program, based predominantly on Max:30. I'm starting with a "recovery" week. Recovery is a relative term, it's hard as F$%@, but no Insanity workouts this week minus a few of the 15 minute ones.

Saturday I broke into Les Mills Combat Upper Body, and I've gotta say that that was awesome! Totally different workout than I've ever done before. I liked it.

Sunday I got into one of the Fire workouts from Turbo Fire. This is where I had some issue. I like Turbo Fire a lot, but I've only ever done the HIIT workouts. The Fires are not the same. Much slower, more dance like moves. 10 minutes into it and I realized it wasn't for me. So, I switched over to a HIIT workout, and have since modified my recovery weeks to only be HIIT workouts on TF days.

Yesterday was the Bas Rutten Kickboxing workout, the 3-minute rounds, and it was awesome! I absolutely love the Bas Rutten workouts.

And finally, today was HIIT 30 from Turbo Fire, and it truly kicked my ass.

Back into some weights tomorrow.

So, how's my weight been? Well, the weekend wasn't kind, and I ballooned up to 214.8 on Monday. Sigh. I didn't eat terribly, but I didn't eat great either. Well, rules are rules, so that puts Wednesday's goal at 214.3. I weighed in this morning, though, and clocked in at 213.2! Back on track, but unfortunately today's weight doesn't count, it's not a goal day. So, just need to eat clean and stay on track today and I should be able to blow tomorrow's goal out of the water!

Also quick shout out to my wife. She started 21 Day Fix on Saturday, and is absolutely crushing it! She's rocking the meal plan and hasn't missed a workout yet. I jumped in to one or two with her, and these things are tough! I need to remember the Upper Body Fix workout especially when I put future programs together.

Alright, that's my story. Wish me luck today!

Bring it!