Wellness Fundamentals

A Few Workouts

2011-11-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

Have been mixing it up lately with heavy weights and all-out effort sprinting. Trying to shorten the time spent in thy gym doing the weights. Right now, I've been only doing one weight workout a week and it's taking over an hour (too long). I'm going to play with diving the workout up but still keeping the rotation of weights, sprints, weights, sprints, etc. Ideally, maybe hitting the weights every 4-6 days and sprints the same (maybe a little longer) Current workout template below: Right now everything this is working so I won't mess with anything for now.

Weight Workout 1: Warm-up (various movements; swings, squats, push-ups, rows, get-ups, etc)

Deadlifts

Flat Barbell Bench Press
Single-arm dumbbell rows

Dips (bodyweight and weighted)
Chin-ups (bodyweight and weighted)

Incline Bench Flyes (Finishing with one isolation exercise for chest)

Weight Workout 2: Warm-up (various movements; swings, squats, push-ups, rows, get-ups, etc)

Squat (Of some type, maybe)

Incline Barbell Bench Press
Inverted Rows (Bodyweight and weighted)

Overhead Presses (maybe)
Pull-ups (bodyweight and weighted)

Flat Bench Flyes (Finishing with one isolation exercise for chest)

I say maybe on the squats on deadlifts because I haven't really been doing them lately. The sprints have been covering the lower body. Below are my past few workout... from memory because I have not been keeping a record. However, I need to as things are flowing real well right now.

11/23/11

Warm-up (various movements; swings, squats, push-ups, rows, get-ups, etc)

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 135x10, 155x8, 175x6, 185x4, 200x2
Single-arm dumbbell rows: started with two arms (DO NOT feel good on the lower back; switched back to one-arm rows with the other supported on bench, feels much better/safer) two-arm: 40x10, 60x8, one-arm: 75x6, 90x6, 110x3, 100x3

Dips (bodyweight and weighted): bodyweight x 10, 25x8, 35x6, 45x4, 55x2
Chin-ups (bodyweight and weighted): bodyweight x10, 25x8, 50x6, 70x4, 90x2

Incline Bench Flyes (Finishing with one isolation exercise for chest): 40x9, 50x5, 60x3, 40x4
Bench supported Rows (bat-wings, finisher to balance out flyes): 25x10, 40x7, 50x8

Strength and Speed

2011-08-11T04:31:00.000-07:00

The past few workouts have been geared toward a heavy strength and speed bias.

WEDNESDAY 8/10/11

Walked the dogs for one hour.

Warm-up was integrated with the workout; I've been finding this useful, effective and time efficient.

WARM-UP:

3x10 Bodyweight rows on rings: (varied hand position on all three sets; neutral grip, pronated, supinated)
3x10 Push-ups with feet elevated: (hands flat, on fists, hands turned backward)
3x5 Goblet Squats: - 35lb. kettlebell
2x5 Turkish Get-ups: (each side) with 35lb. kettlebell, 1x2 with 55lb. kettlebell
2x20 Bulgarian Goat-Bat Swings

Workout began during the second set of warm-up with deadlifts and overhead presses.

WORKOUT:

Deadlift: Warm-up: 135x3, Work-set (singles): 205lbs., 295lbs., 315lbs., 345lbs.
Overhead Press: (one arm at a time): 35x5, 50x5, 60x5, 65x4, 70x3 (push press)

Bent-over rows: (one arm at a time) 50x5, 60x5, 70x5, 75x5, 80x5
Incline Dumbbell Press: (one arm at a time) 50x5, 60x5, 65x5, 70x3, 75x2

Performing these lifts "one arm at a time" requires a fair amount of stabilization of the body, especially that of the side not actively performing the lift.

FOOD

BREAKFAST/LUNCH: 12:30-1:00
- Five pieces of organic bacon and four scrambled eggs cooked in grassfed butter with feta cheese.
- Big bowl of full fat Greek yogurt with vanilla extract, cinnamon, coconut flakes, blueberries, blackberries, a banana, pecans, almonds and walnuts.

DINNER: 7:00-9:00
- Pacific Asian Bistro with the wife
Four sushi rolls and some sweet and sour chicken, one beer, two glasses of Chardonnay.

SUNDAY 8/7/11

Surfed for three hours.

LUNCH:
- Left-over shredded meat, some cheese and nuts, and a Southern Tier IPA (beer)

DINNER:
- Went to parents house and had one Dos Equis beer, various grilled sausages, shrimp, cheese, homemade calamari, carrots/celery with dip, and two glasses of Chardonnay.

DESSERT:
- Lots of Breyers vanilla ice-cream with some dark chocolate.

FRIDAY 8/5/11

WORKOUT:

- 10 Sprints lasting between 10-15 seconds with approximately 3-5 minutes rest between runs. During the "rest period" of the first 5 sprints, I did farmer's walks with two 70lbs. kettlebells (one in each hand) until grip failed. During the last 5 sprints I carried only one kettlebell and then switched hands.

This is one of my favorite workouts; very basic yet very brutal and, extremely effective for athletic development..., especially done when it's 100 degrees outside. Carrying a heavy weight for a distance forces the body to stabilize itself and REALLY reinforces a proper upright posture. One can only carry a heavy weight hunched over for so long and far. You will find that the body wants to naturally correct itself by pulling the shoulders back, retracting the scapula and standing in a natural upright position. As with the one-arm exercises described above, the one-arm kettlebell carries force the body to stabilize on the side that's not carrying the weight.

THURSDAY 8/4/11

WARM-UP:

3x10 Bodyweight rows on rings: (varied hand position on all three sets; neutral grip, pronated, supinated)
3x10 Push-ups with feet elevated: (hands flat, on fists, hands turned backward)
3x5 Goblet Squats - 35lb. kettlebell
2x5 Turkish Get-ups: (each side) with 35lb. kettlebell, 1x2 with 55lb. kettlebell

WORKOUT:

One-arm snatches: 35x3, 60x2, 80x2, 90x2
Muscle-ups: Bodyweight x 3, 15lb. x 2, 25lb. x 2, 30lb. x 1

Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 295x2, 315x2
One-arm Dumbbell Flat Bench Press: 40x5, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5, 65x5, 70x3

A Few Workouts

2011-07-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday 7/24/11

Workout:

A circuit of:

10 sprints lasting between 10-15 seconds.
10 Farmer's walks with two 70lb. kettlebells until grip failed.
5 rope climbs (2 ascents up each climb).

Workout lasted approx. 45 minutes.

Wednesday 7/27/11

Workout:

Warm-up with 3 sets of 10 of push-ups and ring rows. Also did a mix of forward and reverse lunges and squats with increasing weight.

Workout was a slow circuit of:

Incline Dumbbell Press: 40x5, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5, 70x3 (one arm only.
Ring Rows: 25x5, 45x5, 70x5, 90x5, 100x5 (weight plates were stacked on lower abdomen/upper hips).
Front Squats with Dumbbells: 35x3, 50x3, 75x3, 90x3, 100x3, 110x3

Fast circuit of:

Incline Dumbbell Flyes and reverse delt Flyes: Don't remember the weights.

Saturday 7/30/11

Kettlebell swings on a 30 second on, 30 second off interval. First 10 minutes was with the 35lb kettlebell followed by one minute of rest. The next 10 minutes was with a 55lb. kettlebell. Had to cut the interval down to about 20-25 seconds.

It's been a good week in training. Lots of walking (but not too much), and did some foam rolling and stretching one day earlier in the week. I did spend about 4 hours in bunker gear on Thursday doing some training and was very dehydrated and weak during and for a bit of time afterward. Big headache, lots of water weight lost but, good nutrition followed and recovery was good. Felt great the next day.

Work after Work

2011-06-08T02:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Worked at station 16 (where I did not want to be), stood most of the morning reading and studying, caught a car fire, studied some more and then caught a brush fire. I fasted most of the day (whoops) and only ate two - 4oz. pieces of wild caught salmon just before the brush fire. Brush fire lasted from approx. 1430 to midnight. As it is with the military, so to it is with the fire service where we play the "hurry up and wait" game. The first few hours we stood around and watched everybody else work and later finally got our chance. I actually enjoyed this. I loved the hard work and was able keep going and going and going... all on two pieces of fish and lots of bottled water. So, what did I gather from this? First, I don't work out like I used to. Back in my crossfit and "more intense" metabolic conditioning days, I would've been gassed on a brush fire like this. No question. I've been there many, many times. These days, I lift heavy weights once or twice a week and sprint for the same mixed in with some surfing, daily walking, and various other low level but fun activities. I also go longer in between meals (fast) and don't require the energy I once did. So, why do people continue to train at such high intensities when they really don't need to? I figure it's because 1: they're simply trying to burn calories, lose weight, and get ripped and believe this is what it takes and 2: they've never "really" been in a situation such as a brush fire where they're actually putting their so-called "fitness" to the test. Everybody wants to train for "function" or "survival" but they really have no idea what that entails. Eat right, work hard but smart, and your body will respond accordingly in precarious situations. What I found even more ironic is the lack of energy, calories, or fuel (whatever you want to call it) that I required to do this kind of extensive and intense type of work for 10 hours. One of hour chiefs brought pizzas, subs, cookies, Five Hour Energy shots, sweet tea, granola bars, etc., for our "replenishment." I watched most everybody else consume this and then falter out later on. By the time we "contained the fire" sure, I was tired and ready to go to bed and probably could have ate something (as I was starting to get hungry). I also told myself that the workout I had planned for the next day was nixed. Well, I went to bed without any food and then worked out the next day. Something about that ongoing adrenaline rush that keeps you wanting to go! And so, I did workout, still on no food and just a couple big cups of coffee. The workout was Farmer's walks/carries and sprints.

Front Squat Singles

2011-05-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 5/24/11

Warm-up/mobility: 2x10 bodyweight rows, 2x10 Full ROM push-ups between benches, 2x5 pull-up/chin-ups, 2x5 dips. Some lunges, lightweight overhead squats, handstands.

Workout:

One-arm clean and jerk singles with barbell: 45lbs., 55lbs., 65lbs., 75lbs., 85lbs. 95lbs. (fail with left arm)/so instead did 90lbs. with left arm) 105lbs. (fail with right arm) Keeping 1RM at 90lbs.

Front Squat singles: 95lbs., 115lbs., 135lbs., 155lbs., 175lbs. 195lbs. 205lbs.

Elevated one-arm push-ups: 3x3
One-arm bodyweight rows: 3x3

Arms Extended Jack LaLane style push-ups: 1x10, 2x15.

The front squats were fine, felt much better than back squats (more natural/neutral position for the spine) but, I don't like the way these make my legs feel. Actually, I just do not like heavy loaded squatting or high rep squatting in general. They have always appeared to "blow" my legs and the rest of my body up and I always feel "immobile" for days afterward. Deadlifts do not do this to me. Squats give my legs a "concrete-heavy" feel and if I wanted to take off on a sprint for some reason I feel I would be moving in slow motion. I will stick to the goblet squat for mobility throughout the hips and heed Gray Cook's advice on "maintaining the squat and training the deadlift." Also, I seem to have found a new love for carrying heavy stuff. It just makes sense that if I'm going to lift something heavy I might as well carry it. The combination of heavy farmer's walks and sprints is pretty damn lethal but at the same time therapeutic. I am going to try some different carries next time, i.e, waiter's carry, front carry, suitcase carry, sandbag carry etc. and combine this with some sprinting and jumping.

Farmers Walks and Sprints

2011-05-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday 5/19/11

Walked for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon today. I studied all day long and just had to get outside and get some fresh air and move.

Friday 5/20/11

At work at the fire station today. Went out with the boys last night while our wives all went to dinner and a movie. Drank four glasses of wine, 2 white and 2 red and smoked a cigar. Yep.

We actually got a chance to workout on shift later in the day (about 4 p.m.).

Workout:

I did 10 sprints which lasted anywhere from 10-15 seconds with Farmer's walks done in between holding a 70lb. kettlebell in each hand until my grip failed. I had no watch and didn't really care. This was an amazing workout. I also did some high jumps onto a platform and a few muscle ups. I feel a very natural form of soreness today which feels amazing. I am tapping in!

However, when not doing busy work yesterday, I spent all of my time studying for the exam I had today (Sat. 5/21/11) and got very little sleep due to nonsense calls. I don't foresee tonight's sleep being any better as I have to wake-up tomorrow at 4 a.m. to be at the north campus by 6 a.m. for yet another exam...; did I mention I have one Monday night as well????

Recovery/Mobility Day

2011-05-19T02:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 5/18/11

Walked the dog for about an hour.

Breakfast: Ate 6 scrambled eggs with 6 pieces of turkey bacon and some cheese all cooked up in grass-fed butter.

Prehab/Rehab: Foam-rolled entire body for half an hour and then worked on scapular and hip mobility and stretched for another half hour... and yes, I took an Epsom salt bath to soak that magnesium into some sore muscles and hopefully aid in much needed and good sleep for the night.

Dinner: Dinner was early as I had school tonight; Ate 8 oz. wild caught salmon and a whole bundle of big, fat asparagus covered with coconut oil and Cajun seasoning.

Studied on and off today, felt pretty run down from work yesterday due to sleep being interrupted at approx. 0400 this morning for a call. Tired and lethargic throughout the day. I try and like to get in a mobility/foam-rolling and stretching day about two times a week. I find it works best when I either do this the day immediately following an intense workout session or the next day. I've noticed over time that by doing this I bounce back and am ready to engage in another intense workout fairly early. The hard part is not engaging; I try to take that one extra day of rest.

Tuesday 5/17/11

At work today, studied a lot, no workout, ate only once..., but ate big.

Mid-day Feast: 4 scrambled eggs with feta cheese, spinach, broccoli, two chicken breasts all cooked up in coconut oil. Seasoned with some hot sauce.

Couple of Workouts

2011-05-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Monday 5/9/11

One-arm dumbbell Clean and Jerk: 1x35, 1x45, 1x55, 1x65, 1x75, 1x80, 1x90, 1x100 (Right arm only)

Back Squats: 1x135, 1x185, 1x225, 1x245, 1x265

Dumbbell Bench Press: 1x40, 1x50, 1x60, 1x70, 1x80 (Right arm only)

Dumbbell Row: 1x60, 1x70, 1x80, 1x90, 1x100, 1x110

Ok workout. Tweaked my back a little on the right side while doing my final single set of back squats. No spotter, no rack..., and really don't like back squats. Going to stick with front squats.

Came home and did a Tabata of 35lb. kettlebell swings (Dan John style, minimum knee bend, maximum hip bend/extension, popping and firing the glutes and hamstrings) and then a second Tabata of one arm swings and switch hands on upward swing.

5/10/11 - 5/14/11

Walked about an hour a day (mainly barefoot) the rest of the week and surfed... a lot.

Sunday 5/15/11

10 - 100m sprints: (give or take a few meters) barefoot in the grass at UNF. Mixed in some box jumps, hurdle jumps, muscle ups, quadrupedal movement (great mobility work) side-to-side skipping, backwards running, etc. for about an hour.

Monday 5/16/11

Walked for an hour.

Mobility exercise, slow deep ROM push-ups between bricks/parallettes - 2x10, slow inverted bodyweight rows on the rings - 2x10

One-arm push-ups: 1x1, 1x3

One-arm rows: 1x1, 1x3

Single-leg deadlifts: 2x5 at 70lbs., 1x5 at 105lbs.

Played with some snatches

This was basically just a warm-up... then went to the county gym and threw around some heavier weight...

One-arm snatches with barbell: (Max is 90lbs. Took 90% of 1RM and then took 65%, 75%, and 85% respectively for the following poundages): 1x5 at 45lb.s, 1x5 at 55lbs., 1x5 at 60lbs. 1x5 at 65lbs. (I like these!)

Deadlifts: (Max is 375lbs. Took 90% of 1RM and then took 65%, 75%, and 85% respectively for the following poundages): 1x5 at 215lbs., 1x5 at 250lbs., 1x13 at 285lbs.

Dumbbell Overhead Press: (Max is 65lbs. Took 90% of 1RM and then took 65%, 75%, and 85% respectively for the following poundages): 1x5 at 35lbs., 1x5 at 40lbs., 1x5 at 45lbs. (with barbell).

Worked various planks in between exercises. Good workout, I feel strong.

I've been fasting fairly extensively for the past couple of days (about 18-22 hours). I started nursing school and have basically been skipping breakfast and lunch. I ate a lot leading up to Saturday and even still ate a lot on Saturday night (including three coconut popsicles). Bodyweight was its lowest it's been in a while yesterday after the sprints at 166.5. Today, after the workout is what at 167. In reality, I'm probably still holding steady at a morning fasted weight of about 170-171. Too heavy for me here still. I like being at 160. The heavy lifting twice a week seems to keep me in this higher weight range. Lifting once a week coupled with sprints drops me down though. Huh? Guess I'll just continue to mess around with this. Love lifting heavy and running fast!

B-shit Station 2

2011-05-06T07:20:00.001-07:00

Thursday 5/5/11

At work at Station 2 for 24 hours. Rather uneventful. Driver EVDT around the track, fire fighter physical agility test and a 2 mile walk in 30 minutes. Completed the test in 2 minutes and 33 seconds (not the 2 mile walk ;) ). No workout today.

Breakfast: Lots of coffee with heaving whipping cream, first cup had some raw honey, 4 pieces of organic bacon, 2 grass-fed sausages, 3 organic scrambled eggs with cheddar and blue cheese all cooked up with grass-fed butter in an iron skillet. Pretty good!

Dinner: Co-worker made Reuben sandwiches - corn beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on Rye bread. I don't normally do bread but... it was good.

Friday 5/6/11

Came off shift this morning and... it's finally raining in St. Augustine... pouring! The dog's walk will be delayed. No plans to do a workout today. I had planned to do some driving up to FSCJ North Campus but no need, will wait til Monday. Probably just going to finish up on the final touches of some school work and then hang out with the wife and some friends later tonight at Bold City Brewery and Intuition for some local micro-brews and grilled chicken wings.

Breakfast: Big coffee with heavy whipping cream, 6 scrambled eggs with 4 5 pieces of bacon, cheddar cheese cooked up with grass-fed butter in an iron skillet. Yep.

Some singles

2011-05-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 5/4/11

Deadlift: 135x2, 185x1, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1, 335x1, 365x1, 380=fail, 375x1
Dumbbell Overhead Press: 25x1, 30x1, 35x1, 40x1, 45x1, 50x1, 55x1, 65x1, 70=fail with left arm, 1 rep with right arm.

Dumbbell snatch with right arm for fun. Left wrist is injured. 75x1, 90x1
Dumbbell clean and jerk with right arm. 100x1.

Max Workout

2011-03-08T04:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday 3/6/11

Heavy bag: 12 x 3 minute rounds

Monday 3/7/11

5-3-1: Finding max's for deadlift and overhead press; were as follows:
Deadlift: Warm-up: 135x5, Work sets: 185x1, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1, 345x1, 365x1, 385=fail, 375x1.
Overhead Press: Warm-up: 45x5, Work sets: 95x1, 115x1, 135x1, 145x1, 155x1, 160=fail

Current max's:
Deadlift: 375 lbs.
Overhead Press: 155 lbs.

Too Much Information and "Mindlessness"

2011-02-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

How easy it is to fall back in to old ways. Going over some of my older blog posts, I'm cringing at some (if not most) of the stuff that I have written. I wonder if writing is like seeing and hearing oneself on camera? Everyone is their own worst critic I assume. With that, I am revising (once again) the way I write and what I write on. By nature, I'm a rambler and, I'm loud. I have attempted to rectify this but to no avail. Maybe, by writing here and paying better attention to my tone and maturity, I can better choose my words, decibel level, and writing style.

What I'd like to discuss today is information. Going back to my opening statement of today's post about falling back in to old ways, I believe that I do this simply because of too much information. This morning, while reviewing my posts over the past few years, it's fairly obvious when I am getting too much information. My posts become more infrequent and my workouts (which constitutes most of this blog anyway) become more voluminous and frequent. This is where and when I started to regress.

A year ago, I apparently had most things dialed in. I was working out very infrequently and random, doing mostly sprints and bodyweight stuff outdoors and walking a lot. I was much lighter, !54lbs. but stronger, faster and more energetic. Over the course of a year, without realizing it or better yet, blindly implementing various protocols back into my regimen (due to seeking too much information), my weight is back up approximately 20lbs. at 172-173lbs., slightly overtrained, sore most of the time and stiff. I really haven't gotten any stronger or faster and once again seeking more information to "show me the way." What's bad is that I know better. I got to where I was last year because I made the conscious decision to follow no one and to do my own thing. I did what felt good and what I felt was right. What happened? What I believe happened is that I for one reason or another, I wasn't satisfied. As humans, we're never satisfied. We always want/think we need more. More weights, better programming, better equipment, perfect diet, etc. I spend a lot of my time researching and surfing the net and other peoples blogs for different kinds of workouts, routines and regimens. I'll admit, I'm addicted. I love the science. I am fascinated with the human body and I love to read studies and peoples opinions on the subject. But, sometimes I(we) overdo it and either nothing gets done or too much gets done and, there is a fine line. I've once again crossed it. I have not been mindful. Most people, I think, probably are not very mindful while going about their day.

We rely too much on other people, the media, facebook, co-workers, friends, family etc, for approval and/or to dictate our actions and thoughts. I have fallen victim to this and hate to admit that I'm not exempt. What I have found though, is that when I let go of all the clutter and reliance on others, my mind becomes clear and my body follow suit. Letting go however, is hard to do. There's a reason why the saying is termed "the downward spiral" and not "the upward spiral." It's so easy to fall and keep falling but pulling yourself out takes hard work. How do we pull ourselves out? By being mindful. By being consciously aware of our thoughts, our mind and body and by minimizing the outside noise (the clutter). Every waking second we are faced with loads of (mainly) useless information that take over our lives and do the thinking for us. For me, it's the reading of everybody else's blogs, websites, and articles and the lack of trust in my own thoughts, experience, or writing/reading style.

It's funny to see all the folks out there who deem themselves "experts or gurus" who basically just regurgitate information from someone else. I often times think to my self "Why am I not writing and charging for this stuff?" I've been in the game for a long time as it pertains to exercise and diet. I know what works. However, like a lot of people, I become influenced by other and lose my way. That ends here. Today. I hope that it will end for you to. I am all for reading and researching various material and there are certainly a few people out there who I think probably have "it" dialed in. But none of us really knows what goes on behind the scenes of anyone's life. "Their" way may not be "your" way and, most likely isn't.

There has never been a program from someone else that has worked for me for any substantial length of time. It is blatantly obvious that what I was doing roughly a year ago was brutally effective and brutally basic. I ran fast, I jumped high, I did push-ups, pull-ups, dips and, most importantly, I appeared to be having fun. I looked awesome and felt awesome. Why did I go away from this? I now know. Damn, what a waste of time to research what "everybody else and all the experts" were doing. I'm going back to my way. You should do the same. Stay tuned.

Iron/bodyweight combo

2011-02-15T04:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday 2/13/11

Quick little workout with the fellas at work the other day.

Workout:

One-leg squats: 1x5 @ bodyweight, 1x5 at 35lbs., 1x5 @ 45lbs., 1x3 @ 75lbs.
One-arm only incline dumbbell bench press: 1x5 @ 55lbs., 1x5 @ 65lbs., 1x3 @ 75lbs., (two-arm dumbbell press): 1x5 @ 60lbs.
Assisted one-arm chins/pulls: 3x3
Assisted one-arm push-ups: 3x5

Sunday morning workout

2011-02-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday 2/6/11

Workout:

Deadlift: 1x5 @ 135lbs., 1x5 @ 185lbs., 1x3 @ 245lbs., 1x3 @ 295lbs., 1x3 @ 315lbs., 1x2 @ 335lbs.
One-arm dumbbell press: 1x5 @ 50lbs. 1x5 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 60lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs., 1x3 @ 80lbs., 1x3 @ 90lbs.,
Weighted chins: 1x5 @ 50lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs., 1x3 @ 90lbs.
Overhead dumbbell press: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 45lbs., 1x3 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 65lbs.
Standing ab wheel rollouts: two arm and one arm.

Played around with some handstands, levers and one arm push ups. Was able to get a one arm push up with each arm. I may try and play around with skills more often. Workouts are geared towards heavy lifting and strength to keep joints, etc protected when sprinting.

HIT Workout 3

2011-02-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday 1/28/11

Workout:

Dips: Down 4 sec., up 4 sec., Time Under Load (TUL) about one minute.
Front Squats @ 185lbs.: approx. 4-5 seconds down 4-5 seconds up. The weight was too heavy and I did not go to failure due to grip failing first. I didn't like these.
Close grip pull-ups: 4 seconds up, 4 seconds down, TUL about one minute.
FROM (full range of motion) push-ups with feet elevated on bench and hands on chairs: 4-5 seconds down, 4-5 seconds up, TUL about one minute.
Cable rows & approx. 50-60 lbs.??, 5 seconds concentric, 5 sec. eccentric, TUL about 90 seconds.

Sunday 1/29/11

Sprints with my wife and dog after a walk. I don't know how many I did but, the distance was varied and I was winded multiple times.

Wednesday 2/2/11

12 x 3 minute rounds of every other round being boxing and jumping rope. Very intense but very "cardio-like."

Some thoughts and observations. First, I've gotten way too "jacked" from the HIT stuff and, what I appear to believe is a lack of activity throughout the day/week. My bodyweight last year at this exact time was 154lbs. Today, I am close to 180lbs. The one day of HIT I did this past Saturday had me so pumped and nauseated I don't know what's going on. I am starting to believe that I am in fact a genetic freak and can pretty much just look at weights and get big and strong. On a related note, today I did some "kinda intervals" which turned into more of a cardio session. Again with this workout, I became supremely jacked. Later in the day I also noticed that I was ravenous for shitty carbs and sweets. Cardio certainly increases one's appetite. So, what to do? After looking at my workouts and diet from about a year ago, I was certainly eating a lot less during the day; more salads with some meat, some nuts and eggs. My workouts were mores sporadic and involved more sprinting, bodyweight stuff and tossing kettlebells around. Also, I was walking a lot, something that I'm still doing a fair amount of. I plan to cut completely out the cardio stuff which (I haven't done much of anyway) and cut back the HIT stuff (getting too big) I will try and keep updating as this now has become my little experiment to see why not "one way" works for everybody.

HIT Workout 2

2011-01-25T04:20:00.000-08:00

1/22/10

Quick warm-up

Workout:

Deadlift: 225lbs., approx. 4 seconds up and 4 sec. down. Was partially interrupted by my wife with questions (that's forgivable) and some guy wanting to "work in."
Dumbbell Overhead press: 40lbs. 3-4 sec. up, 3-4 sec. down. Will probably do these with a barbell next time.
Chins: Bodyweight, 4 sec. up, 4 sec. down.
Flat Dumbbell bench press: 50lb. 4-5 sec. up, 4-5 sec. down.
Bent-over barbell rows: (Actually, I used a curl bar because the "work in" guy was "benching."): approx. 70lbs., 4-5 sec. up, 4-5 sec. down.

Thoughts:

This was a good workout: total time was less than 13 minutes with the average TUL for each exercise between one minute and almost two minutes. I am certainly still feeling the effects almost three days later as I write this. I did this workout exactly 7 days after the last with absolutely nothing done in between (except walking the dog); no boxing, no sprints, no cardio, nothing. I felt pretty good all week. Depending on how I feel this mid-week, I may throw in some sprints. So far, I can attest to Body By Science's recommendation of working out once every 7-14 days or so with maximum intensity. Especially, in my little n=1 experimentation of what works for myself, I find this low volume, infrequent, high intensity concept to be spot on. My body needs the recovery. However, I did start getting a little "fidgety" approaching day 4 or 5 of doing nothing. Art DeVany likes to workout a little more frequently than BBS to increase insulin sensitivity and keep the mind and body fresh which, is why I think I'm going to throw some sprints in mid-week. A few things to note about the last workout however. 1. I hate driving to the gym and should have never sold my garage set-up. 2. The reason I hate driving to the gym is because there is always bound to be someone there that interferes with my workout; pointless chat, sharing of equipment, etc. At least though, I acknowledge this fact. I do not like to workout with people or around people, just as I don't like to surf with people. I guess I'm just a selfish prick who doesn't like to share, especially equipment and waves. 3. My wife, as beautiful and sweet as she is also cannot workout with me. Too many questions and too many instructions that I've given her over and over again. However, she must be doing something right in her workout endeavors because I've seen her push the intensity, she appears to be experiencing some DOMS and, though I though it was impossible, her rear-end keeps getting better and better.

Experimenting with HIT

2011-01-16T05:47:00.000-08:00

1/15/11

Workout:

Compound Movement – Squat - Approx. 3 seconds concentric, 3 seconds eccentric at 205lbs., TUL (time under load) about 90 seconds.
Horizontal Push – Dumbbell Press - 3-4 seconds up, 3-4 seconds down at 50lbs. TUL = 90 seconds.
Vertical Pull - Pull-up - 3-4 seconds up, 3-4 seconds down at bodyweight. TUL = 60-70 sec.
Vertical Push – Dips - 3-5 seconds up, 3-5 seconds down at bodyweight. TUL = 60-65 seconds.
Horizontal Pull- Dumbbell Row - 3-4 seconds up, 3-4 seconds down. Started with 70lbs. one arm, too heavy. Went to 50lbs. both arms, still too heavy. Finished with 40lbs. both arms.

Total workout time was about 13 minutes. Today, (the day after) I am more sore throughout my entire body than I have been in a long time.

2010-10-13T04:07:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 10/12/10

Walked Yogi for an hour.

Workout:

Conditioning:
Kickboxed: 6x5 minute rounds with a minute of rest in between rounds.

Lifting:
One-arm dumbbell snatch: 1x3 @ 35lbs., 1x3 @ 50lbs., 1x3 @ 65lbs. 1x3 @ 80lbs., 1x3 @ 90lbs.
Incline Chest Fly: 1x5 @ 25lbs., 1x5 @ 30lbs., 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 40lbs., 1x5 @ 45lbs.

Deadlift: 1x3 @ 135lbs., 1x3 @ 225lbs., 1x3 @ 300lbs., 1x3 @ 315lbs., 1x3 @ 335lbs.
Overhead Press: 1x3 @ 35lbs. 1x3 @ 50lbs., 1x3 @ 65lbs., 1x3 @75lbs.(push press), 1x3 @ 80lbs.(push press)

Assisted One-arm pull/chin ups: 5x2 (each arm)
Incline Dumbbell Presses: 1x5 @ 40lbs., 1x5 @ 50lbs., 1x5 @ 60lbs., 1x5 @ 65lbs., 1x1 @ 70lbs.,(failed, had to regress to 50lbs. for 5 more reps).

Rested approx. 4-5 minutes between same exercises (approx 2-3 minutes between each exercise) and performed various planks during the rest interval.

Monday 10/11/10

Walked Yogi for an hour. Walked myself for another hour.

Sunday 10/10/10

At work. Walked on the treadmill for an hour. I had to do something today. BORING.

Saturday 10/9/10

Walked Yogi for an hour. Cut the grass for an hour. Swept. Foam rolled and stretched for an hour.

Friday 10/8/10

Walked Yogi for an hour.

Workout:
Kettlebell clean and jerks: 1x3 @ 35lbs., 1x3 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs.
Muscle-ups: 1x3 @ bodyweight, 1x3 @ 17lbs., 1x2 @ 35lbs.,

Pistols: 1x3 @ bodyweight, 1x3 @ 17lbs., 1x3 @ 35lbs., 2x3 @ 55lbs., 1x2 @ 70lbs., I did not mean to do two sets of 55lbs; picked up the wrong weight.
Incline Ring Flies: 5x7

Kettlebell swings: 1x10 @ 35lbs.(each arm), 1x10 @ 55lbs.(each arm), 1x10 @ 70lbs.(both arms)
Incline Ring Push-ups: 5x5

Weighted pull-ups: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x4 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs.
Weighted dips: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x4 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs.

Thursday 10/7/10

At work. Did nothing.

Wednesday 10/6/10

Walked Yogi.

Tuesday 10/5/10

Workout:
Kickboxed: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute of rest between rounds.

Sprints: 10 sprints lasting approx. 15 seconds each with 5 minutes rest between.

Over the past few weeks I've been having some high quality and steady workouts coupled with my nutrition being spot on. I have noticed a few things however. 1. My body simply does not respond to high volume and frequent exercise, PERIOD. This past Friday, I performed a workout that was almost 2 hours long (ridiculous) trying to "get in" a bunch of different exercises. I felt great for the remainder of the day but, for the next two days, I was unbelievably sore, making daily tasks and overall movement unenjoyable (which, an effective workout should not do) and, due to the high volume of this workout, blew up my body. I believe I've stated this before on here but, I train for strength, mobility and flexibility which, in the grand scheme of things means I'm training for health and longevity. I have no desire to pack on an unnatural amount of muscle or to lift an unrealistic amount of weight. That being said; I've noticed that any exercise I do above 5 reps and I get that sarcoplasmic muscle "volume pump." On the other hand, when I keep my sets to 5 and my reps to between 3 and 5 (with 3 being optimal), my body and hence my mood respond favorably; no debilitating soreness, no muscle pump, just a good heavy lifting session. As far as nutrition is concerned, I think there certainly is a fine line between too perfect and what I'd like the call the "whatever" factor. What I mean by this is that I have not really noticed a huge difference when my diet is absolutely perfect which, is subjective anyway. I mean really, what's perfect to me may not be perfect to the next guy. One thing I've been telling myself lately is that "life happens." Good shit happens, bad shit happens. Sometimes a workout is good, sometimes a workout sucks. Sometimes I feel like eating chicken and veggies, sometimes I want a large pizza coupled with wine and/or beer followed up by some ice cream and chocolate. And no, I'm not looking for gluten-free either. Know why? Because I can do that. I love to live life which to me means, being active and doing things that I love to do. I surf, I walk, I workout hard in the gym, I workout hard in nature, I MOVE. I also, have great friends and surround myself with others who also live healthy and active lifestyles. Sometimes, these people, myself included, want pizza and beer and we stay up late consuming it. Hey, life happens, right? So, though I'm obviously a ridiculously healthy eater (because I love and appreciate good, real, and whole foods) and consider myself to predominantly be a "paleo" eater, I also love bad, "not so healthy" food from time to time and find no real noticeable difference in body comp and/or mood when I do this every once in a while. NOT EVERY DAY or even multiple times per week; EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

Some benching... I don't normally bench.

2010-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday 10/2/10

French press coffee with heavy whipping cream in the a.m.

Workout:

0800: Warm-up with some jump rope, pull-ups and push-ups
Incline Bench Press: 1x10 @ 95lbs., 1x10 @ 135lbs., 1x5 @ 175lbs., 1x2 @ 185lbs.
supersetted with:
Weighted chin-up/pull-ups: 1x7 @ bodyweight, 1x5 @ 45lbs., 1x4 @ 70lbs., 1x2 @ 100lbs.

Incline Dumbbell Press: 1x10 @ 40lbs., 1x10 @ 50lbs., 1x8 @ 60lbs., 1x6 @ 70lbs., 1x2 @ 75lbs.
Horizontal rows: (with rings): 1x10 @ bodyweight (hands supinated, thumbs on same side), 1x10 @ 25lbs., (hands pronated, thumbs on same side), 1x8 @ 45lbs., (supinated, thumbs opposite side), 1x6 @ 70lbs., (pronated, thumbs opposite), 1X6 @ 90lbs., (mix grip).

Dumbbell incline flies: 1x7 @ 25lbs., 1x7 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 45lbs.
Bent-over dumbbell rows: 1x7 @ 35lbs., 1x6 @ 45lbs., 1x6 @ 35lbs.

Walked Yogi for 45 minutes and got rained on. It was forecasted to be beautiful today. Not so much!

I don't like the way my shoulders felt while doing chest flies. I like the weight workouts, I just don't want any injuries. We'll see how these come along.

Food:

Brunch: 3 organic Italian sausages with 2 scrambled eggs mixed with lots of broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic, Nicaraguan raw cheese, salt, black and cayenne pepper, and hot sauce.

Fish oil supplement

Friday 10/1/10

At work. Just stretched today.

Food:

Coffee with heavy whipping cream and a little honey in the first cup in the morning.

Lunch: 4 Hard boiled eggs mixed with one avocado, various spices and hot sauce. Also ate many huge handfuls of mixed nuts. Fish oil supplement.

Dinner: 2 pork chops, a cup of broccoli in extra virgin olive oil and various spices, a Romaine salad with EEVO and Balsamic Vinegar. Fish oil supplement.

Thursday 9/30/10

Coffee with heavy whipping cream in the morning.

Workout:

One-arm dumbbell snatches: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 50lbs., 1x3 @ 65lbs., 1x3 @ 80lbs., 1x2@ 90lbs.,
Explosive push-ups: 5x5

Deadlifts: 1x5 @ 135lbs., 1x5 @ 185lbs., 1x3 @ 225lbs., 1x3 @ 300lbs., 1x2 @ 335lbs.
Overhead dumbbell presses: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 45lbs., 1x3 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 65lbs., 1x3 @ 75lbs., 1x2 @ 80lbs., (push press).

Walked Yogi for an hour.

Food:

Brunch: Left-over steak, onions and mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, and a big sweet potato with coconut oil, butter and cinnamon. Good, hearty, post-workout meal! Fish oil supplement.

Dinner: Went to the St. Johns Town Center with the wife for dinner. Went to Mitchel's Seafood Market and had Cedar Plank Salmon with asparagus, and two glasses of Chardonnay.

Wednesday 9/29/10

Coffee with heavy whipping cream in the a.m.

Walked Yogi for an hour. Foam rolled whole body for 30 minutes. Stretched for 30 minutes.

Brunch: 3 scrambled eggs with two organic Italian sausages with spinach, onions, peppers, feta cheese and hot sauce.

Dinner: Grassfed steak with onions and peppers in a white wine and balsamic vinegar sauce. Grilled asparagus. 3-4 full size glasses of a full bodied red Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tuesday 9/28/10

Coffee in the a.m.

At work at the station today. No walking, no workouts.

Brunch: 4 Hard boiled eggs mixed with one avocado, various spices and hot sauce. Also ate many huge handfuls of mixed nuts. Fish oil supplement.

Dinner: Shitty Mexican food at Cabo's Tacos. I ate steak and shrimp Fajitas. I ordered them and they were literally out on my table in about 4 minutes. This was glorified fast food. SUCKED. On top of that, we ran more bull-shit calls at night so, sleep was horrible which of course, made for a lack luster next day.

Heavy Iron and Bodyweight Combo

2010-09-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Monday 9/27/10

Coffee with heavy whipping cream honey in the morning.

Walked Yogi for an hour.

Workout:

Warm-up: 10 or 15 minutes

Muscle-ups: 1x5 @ bodyweight, 2x3 @ 17lbs., 1x2 @ 35lbs., Even with the wrist support, my sweaty, slippery grip gave way.
Kettlebell clean and jerks: 1x5 @ 70lbs., 1x5 @ 40lbs., 1x3 @ 55lbs., 1x3(each arm) @ 70lbs.

Weighted pull/chin-ups: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 55lbs. 1x3 @ 70lbs. 1x2 @ 105lbs., 1x1 @ 105lbs.
Pistols: 1x5 @ bodyweight, 1x5 @ 17lbs., 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x3 @ 55lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs., (PR) with 3 reps, Usually, I only get 2 reps.

Walked for another 25 minutes but jumped over peoples' trashcans in the process. Later, as I was down the street, I caught two of the neighbors (who were benching in the garage as I passed by) jumping over garbage cans to. Pretty funny.

Kettlebell swings: 1x10 each arm @ 35 lbs., 1x10 each arm @ 55lbs., 1x10 (both arms) @ 70lbs.
Vertical jumps: (onto the hood of my Tacoma).

Food:

Brunch: Big spinach salad with mixed peppers, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, lots of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and 3 organic Italian sausages.

Dinner: Organic chicken soup with zucchini, squash, potatoes, yucca, celery, carrots and various spices. Two glasses of some of the best red wine I've ever had. Wente Vineyards Estate Grown, Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay 2007

Dessert: 72% Dark chocolate (pretty good) 90% Dark chocolate (EVEN BETTER) Both were from Lindt. Didn't realize the 90% was that good. Actually, I didn't even realize they made a 90&. Awesome.

2010-09-27T03:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 9/22/10

No workout. Just walked Yogi for about an hour.

Coffee in the morning.

Can't remember what I ate for breakfast/lunch but I ate a ton of Canadian pulled pork and a spinach salad from Whole foods for dinner. Then, I went to work at 8:00 p.m. and practiced navigating the intracoastal waterway in St. Augustine at night. Fun stuff.

Thursday 9/23/10

Same as Wednesday, no workout, but dog walking.

Coffee in the morning.

Breakfast/lunch: Rotisserie chicken with a huge spinach salad with mixed vegetables.

Dinner: Yep, this is where it gets fun. Mar and I had our friends Jason and Jen over for dinner before they left for Hawaii for two weeks. Lots of food eaten and wine drank.

Chicken Bryan recipe (from Carraba's) with grilled asparagus, Champagne, red wine (Cabernet), white wine (Chardonnay), and lots of chocolate (with and without strawberries), ice cream with granola and honey. Yep, good stuff.

Friday 9/24/10

Coffee in the morning with just heavy cream.

Workout:

Incline dumbbell flyes: 1x5 @ 40lbs., 1x5 @ 50lbs., 1x5 @ 55lbs., 1x4 @ 60lbs.,
Horizontal bar rows: 4x7 @ bodyweight.

Incline dumbbell presses: 1x5 @ 50lbs., 1x5 @ 55lbs., 1x5 @ 60lbs., 1x5 @ 65lbs.
Assisted one-arm pull/chin-ups: 4x2 each arm.

10 all-out effort sprints for 10 seconds with approx. 3 minutes rest in between.

Leftover chicken and asparagus. Then, went to a Arend's 40th birthday party and had a couple of Margaritas, a few glasses of red wine and a bunch of pork and salad. Good stuff and fun times.

Saturday 9/25/10

Coffee in the morning.

At work. Did absolutely nothing today. No walk, no workout. Just slept, studied, and watched college football all day. Big time rest day!

Breakfast/lunch 11:00 a.m.: 4 hard boiled eggs with an avocado mixed with various spices and hot sauce. Mixed nuts (A LOT).

Dinner: 19:00 p.m.: Steak fajitas with a bunch of veggies, cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, and yes, black and re-fried beans. Damn good!

Sunday 9/26/10

French Press coffee in the morning.

No workout today. Walked Yogi for just over an hour and, then ate breakfast, foam rolled and stretched.

Breakfast: 11:00 a.m.: 3 scrambled eggs with 2 organic spicy Italian sausages with spinach, broccoli, peppers, onions, garlic, butter (lots) sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and hot sauce.

Foam rolled whole body for approx. half an hour and then worked up a good sweat out side simply by stretching my whole body for about half an hour. Feel pretty good today. Mind is clear, body feels great. Good stuff.

Went to the mall with my wife later in the day and walked around the shops. Then, went to Whole Foods with wife and brother-in-law to buy ingredients for dinner and, as always, over-consumed free cheese on display. Then, back over to the in-laws house for good company and good food... with of course, Yogi.

Dinner 1900 p.m.: Roasted and stuffed red peppers. Peppers were stuffed with ground beef, ground pork, and Parmesan and Seaside cheddar cheeses. Also, a spinach salad and a big ol' Arrogant Bastard hoppy, full-bodied, flavorful ale. Yum.

Make-up Surf Session and Heavy lifting

2010-09-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 9/21/10

Early in the morning: two big cups of coffee right off the French Press with heavy whipping cream and honey.

Activity:

Surfed for almost two hours and got worked by big, messy waves.

Workout:

Warm-up with planks, pull-ups, push-ups and jump rope

One-arm dumbbell snatch: warm-up @ 35lbs. x 5 and 50lbs. x 5. Work sets: 65lbs. x 3, 80lbs. x3, 90lbs. x 2.
Explosive push-ups: (start from ground and push and catch on benches) 5x5.

Deadlifts: (single arm/single leg) 1x5 @ 100lbs., 1x5 @ 110lbs.
(regular deadlifts) 1x3 @185lbs., 1x3 @ 225lbs., 1x3 @ 275lbs., 1x2 @ 315lbs., 1x2 @ 330lbs.
Overhead Press: 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x5 @ 50lbs., 1x4 @ 65lbs.,
(push press)1x3 @ 75lbs., 1x3 @ 80lbs.

Food:

Brunch: 13:30 Leftover chicken and lamb from the previous two nights with a spinach salad and mixed vegetables of broccoli, carrots, celery, and onions.

Dinner: 19:30 Grass-fed hamburgers with cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, onions, tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, and Thousand Island dressing. Yes, I ate the bun!
Sweet potato fries
Two glasses of red wine; Sterling Vineyard Cabernet.
Lots of ice cream (an unspecified amount).

I felt REALLY good after today's surf session and the heavy weights. I felt even better later in the day. The words I keep using to describe how I feel today (physically) are "punchy, springy, light and supple." I feel like if jump, my head will go through the ceiling or if I sprint I'll just be too fast to slow down. Definitely a very good feeling to have. I hope I sleep just as good. My dinner more than made up for today's activity. My wife has been wanting to do burgers for a while and tonight was a great night to do them.

Rest Days and studying

2010-09-21T03:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday 9/19/10

At work today. No walk, no workout. Just swam around in the ocean (rough and choppy) for about 15 minutes.

Breakfast: Big salad made of spinach, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, various peppers, feta cheese, 3 hard boiled eggs, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Dinner: Handful of mixed nuts, roasted chicken with celery, broccoli, carrots, onions and TONS of extra virgin olive oil and butter and various other seasonings.

Monday 9/20/10

No workout but walked Yogi for an hour and then myself for another hour.

Breakfast: (Last night's dinner) roasted chicken with celery, broccoli, carrots, onions and TONS of extra virgin olive oil and butter and various other seasonings.

Dinner: Gouda cheese with a glass of red wine. Lamb loin chops and a spinach salad with two more glasses or red wine.

Today sucked, for the simple reason that the surf was one of the best days NE Florida has seen and I could not go. I had to study and then go to school. I'm really hoping to make up for it tomorrow. We'll see.

Surfing and Boxing

2010-09-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday 9/18/10

Two big cups of coffee in the morning with heavy whipping cream and honey.

Activity:

Surfed for 1.5 hours from 0800-0930.

Kickboxed: 12 x 3 minute rounds. In between rounds did bodyweight circuits of push-ups, ring rows, dips, inverted pull-ups, handstand push-ups, and pull-ups, in that order. Did basically 3 sets of each. Great workout. Walked the Yogi for about 20 minutes aferward.

I only ate once today because I ate too much after my workout and actually felt a little nauseous for a few hours following.

Brunch:
3 scrambled eggs with 5 pieces of bacon, spinach, peppers, onions, and Nicaragaun cheese.
Homemade smoothie of frozen blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and rasberries, one banana, coconut flakes, cocunut milk, almond milk, vanilla extract, cinammon, and some ice.

No dinner but I went to a birthday party and had two and half beers and two glasses of red wine, a Malbec and a Rioja.

I'm sore

2010-09-17T17:44:00.001-07:00

Thursday 9/16/10

At work at the station today. No workout. Just walked for an hour and dipped in the ocean later in the day.

Breakfast: Two huge cups of coffee before work with heavy whipping cream and honey. 4 hard boiled eggs with one avocado and a bunch of spices drowned in Tabasco sauce. About 5-6 enormous handfuls of mixed nuts.

Dinner: Jason Green's chilli. Good stuff.

Friday: 9/17/10

Breakfast: Two huge cups of coffee with heavy whipping cream and honey.

Surfed for 3 hours off the swell from Hurricane Igor. Came home and walked the dog and myself for an hour.

Lunch: Leftover baked chicken with celery, carrots, broccoli and a ton of EVOO.

Dinner: Grilled grassfed steak with sauteed onions and mushrooms in a white wine and balsamic vinegar sauce with parsley, salt and pepper. Side of grilled asparagus. Almost a whole bottle of Alteca; a red wine from Spain and 85% dark chocolate for dessert.

Planning on rising at about 5 A.M. tomorrow to enjoy some good coffee and to be at the beach by approx. 0645 and be in the water by 7 for more big surf. Yep, probably no workout again.

Rest Day

2010-09-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 9/15/10

Two big cups of coffee with heavy whipping cream and honey.

Walked for two hours.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with rotisserie chicken, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, mixed peppers, feta cheese, butter, and extra virgin olive oil. Espresso with heavy whipping cream

Dinner: Oven-baked chicken with carrots, celery, broccoli, onions, and 3 glasses of red wine.

No workout, foam rolling, or stretching today. Just a walk and Microbiology class/lab. The weather is starting to turn nice here in NE Florida. The color of the day is changing and the VERY end of the day is becoming more fall like; a tad cooler with a slight breeze. Another month or so and it'll basically be my favorite time of year.

Low key, Foam Rolling and Stretching

2010-09-15T03:22:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 9/14/10

Activity:

0800 - A dip in the ocean.
0900 - 1100 - Walked the dog (and then myself)
1615 - 1645 - Foam roll whole body
1700 - 1730 - Stretch whole body

No workout today (or probably for a few days), as I am only working out every 4-7 days (mimicking paleolithic/primal movement patterns/times, as much as we know) and, I'm utterly sore from Monday's workout. I walked for two hours this morning and then foam rolled for approx. 30 minutes and stretched for 30 minutes later in the evening. Recently there have been a number of "expert" bloggers who are against stretching. I actually gave it up for a while but have recently included it back into my life when I feel that I simply need a good stretch. It keeps me loose and limber and I like the way it feels so until otherwise, I will be incorporating more stretching.

Nutrition:

I tend to eat a lot more on my non-workout days. I attribute this to a couple of things. One, being active, hence, working out, takes up time. I like to do the heavy weights/bodyweight stuff in the morning then, walk a little, stretch a little, etc., and therefore just don't really have the time to eat until much later. Second, working out is known (and I find this to be true for myself as well) to be a natural appetite suppressant so, I normally do not get hungry till much later in the day. With that being said, no workout today = more food today as noted below.

0530 - Two big cups of coffee with heavy whipping cream and coffee.
1200 - Breakfast/lunch: Scrambled eggs with rotisserie chicken, spinach, mixed peppers, onions, garlic, Nicaraguan cheese, and hot sauce. Smoothie made with mixed berries, a banana, coconut milk, almond milk, coconut flakes and, some ice.

1800 - 2000 - Dinner: Snacked on Gouda cheese and red wine before and while making dinner. Haddock fish fried in olive oil. Steamed broccoli with EVOO and various seasonings, BIG sweet potato with lots of butter and cinnamon. Another glass of Robert Mondavi 2005 Napa Cabernet. Yum.

Workout after an indulging weekend.

2010-09-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

Monday 9/13/10

Warm-up with some dips, pull-ups, push-ups, jump rope and heavybag work.

Workout:

Muscle-ups: 1x5 @ bodyweight, 1x5 @ 17lbs., 1x1 at 35lbs. (hands became to sweaty after this and could not continue muscle-ups.
Weighted pull-ups: 1x3 @35lbs., 1x3 @ 70lbs., 1x2 at 105lbs.
KB Clean and jerks: 1X5 @ 70lbs.(35lbs. each arm), 1x5 @ 80lbs. (40lbs. each arm), 1x5 @ 110lbs. (55lbs. each arm), 1x3 @ 70lbs.(each arm)

Band assisted one-arm pull-ups: 4x3
One-leg squats (pistols): 1x5 @ bodyweight, 1x5 @ 17lbs., 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x3 @ 55lbs., 1x2 @70lbs.

Before the workout I walked the dog for an hour. During the workout I jumped rope and worked the heavybag. After the workout I walked for another workout to cool off.

This much needed activity was therapeutic given the weekend of "off-kilter" eating and drinking I consumed. NFL Football game mixed with excessive beer, wine, pizza, ice-cream and chocolate. Need I say more?

I'm a slacker

2010-09-12T04:33:00.000-07:00

...and simply just haven't been posting. Below are some recent workouts that I've been doing. Basically, I've been doing two heavy weight or bodyweight workouts a week with a sprint workout every 7-10 days. I've been very consistent with this kinda/sorta routine for a few months. I've significantly increased the weight in some of my lifts, most notably with the deadlift and snatch. However, on the days that I am doing these workouts I've noticed that "workout time" has gotten a little long for my liking. My last workout was well over an hour and I like to keep things 45 minutes or less. Also to note, my neck has been more stiff than usual and also seems to tighten up even more when I'm surfing; too much shoulder and trap involvement I presume. I'm going to keep the number of days I lift to only two still but, will move back to solely bodyweight stuff again as I find it is more conducive to surfing and general daily activities. Walking, of course, helps with recovery from heavy lifting or marathon surf sessions.

Friday 8/27/10

Kickboxing: 6 rounds @ 3 minutes
Jump rope: 6 rounds @ 3 minutes

Tuesday 8/31/10

Muscle-ups: 1x5 @ bodyweight, 1x3 @ 17lbs., 1x3 @ 35lbs., 1x2 @ 45lbs.
Kettlebell Clean and Jerks: 1x5 @ 70lbs., 1x5 @ 80lbs., 1x5 @ 100lbs., 1x5 at 140lbs.

One-arm pull-ups: 5x3 each arm.
One-leg squats: 1x5 bodyweight, 1x5 @ 17lbs., 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x3 @ 50lbs., 1x2 @ 70lbs.

Jump rope and heavybag work in between sets.

Friday 9/3/10

One-arm snatch: 1x5 @ 35lbs.(warm-up) 1x5 @ 40lbs. 1x5 @ 65lbs. 1x5 @ 75lbs., 1x3 @ 80lbs., 1x2 @ 90lbs.
One-arm push-ups: 5x5 each arm.

Single-arm/single-leg deadlifts: 1x5 @ 100lbs., 1x5 @ 110lbs., 1x5 @ 125lbs. 1x3 @ 135lbs., 1x3 @ 140lbs.
Overhead press: 1x5 @ 40lbs., 1x5 @ 55lbs., 1x5 @ 65lbs. 1x5 @ 75lbs.(push press), 1X3 @ 80lbs.(push press)

Tuesday 9/7/10

Workout at work on the beach: A circuit of swim, run/sprint, calisthenics, and paddle.
Circuit of jogging to cone, sprinting back to start line, performing calisthenics or some variation of push-ups, squats, sit-ups, planks, burpees, etc. then, swim out into the ocean approx. 30-40 strokes each arm then, run/sprint again, then paddle out into ocean on paddleboard approx. 50-60 strokes. Repeat for 5 rounds. Took us approx. 40 minutes.

Thursday 9/9/10

Beach sprints and surfing with my wife at St. Augustine Beach.

10 beach sprints with approx. 3 minutes rest in between. Mar did push-ups and sit-ups, I swam. Then, we surfed.

Diet and fitness plan for a friend

2010-05-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is a simple diet plan that I wrote for a friend. Actually, it started off as just nutrition based and as usual, I got carried away and put in some fitness stuff and other philosophies and theories. Enjoy.

Nutrition and Fitness Essay

Breakfast Ideas:
1. 4 hardboiled eggs, one avocado, hot sauce and various seasonings, i.e. basil,
parsley, cilantro, pepper, chives, etc. Basically, just chop the eggs and
avocado up together and add all the rest to the mix. This is my quick and easy
“work” breakfast. Along with this and as a side I do lots of mixed nuts;
walnuts, almonds, macadamias, cashews, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, pecans,
brazil nuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.

2. Another breakfast idea yet not so specific should be anything with eggs, meat
and some veggies. DO NOT be afraid to scramble your eggs in butter, coconut
or extra virgin olive oils, and DO NOT be afraid to add bacon and/or sausage.
I would recommend staying away from the processed, packaged stuff as it
usually has a bunch of added artificial ingredients and generally isn’t very
healthy. A few days out of the week while at home I will sauté up in butter
either some bacon, sausage, steak, chicken (or some form of meat, even the
previous night’s dinner meat) in a large skillet along with some spinach,
onions, peppers and garlic and then scramble in anywhere from 2‐6 eggs and
then throw in some cheese.

Lunch Ideas:

I don’t go too overboard with lunch, as for me, it’s the most boring meal of
the day. If I’m pressed for time, such as at work and such, I usually do some
mixed nuts with some cheese and maybe some meat, salami, pepperoni,
chicken, etc. If I have some time I normally like to do a huge salad. My salad
consists of a fair amount of ingredients and is pretty damn healthy and filling.
I’ll do a lot of spinach (couple of handfuls) mixed greens, raw broccoli, red,
green, orange and yellow peppers, olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, some kind of
meat and I mix my own dressing which consists of extra virgin olive oil and
balsamic vinegar and yes, I use a ton of it as well.

Dinner Ideas:

Dinner is easily my favorite meal of the day. However, it involves the most
preparation and cooking but allows me to spend time with my wife. I highly
recommend while preparing dinner to have out a block of cheese (for
consuming as an appetizer), have open a bottle of wine, and have on some
form of Internet or satellite radio for some “eclectic musical entertainment.” I
won’t go too specific with dinner, as there are literally hundreds of thousands
of things to make. The premise should be however, meat and vegetables. Lots
of meat and lots of vegetables. Everybody, for one reason or another has this
absurd idea that in order to have a complete meal you mush HAVE A
STARCH! Not so. The solution: More MEAT and more vegetables. If you are
going to have a starch or carbohydrate I would highly suggest sweet potatoes
or yams. Sweet potatoes are actually considered one the world’s most perfect
foods and are extremely nutritionally dense.

As you can see, the meal ideas that I’ve provided are very high in protein,
even higher in fat (good fats) and naturally low in carbohydrates. The
macronutrient distribution of my diet (macronutrients being Fat, Protein,
and Carbohydrates) usually falls as such: Fats 60‐70% of my diet, protein 20‐
30%, and carbs 0‐10%. I do not go “low‐carb” on purpose, for me it really just
falls that way. The vegetables absolutely have carbohydrates in them just not
as much as you would get from eating things like breads, pastas, rice, corn
and pancakes and drinking things like orange juice, cokes, and various other
sugary beverages. Also, by consuming vegetables and fruit as your main
source of carbohydrates, you provide your body with so many more
nutrients than you would by just toasting up some bread or boiling up some
pasta. Look at it this way: two pieces of bread supply about 100 grams of
carbohydrates with almost 0 (ZERO) nutritive value (I don’t care what the
label says) while onions, spinach, peppers and some broccoli (and I mean like
cups of the stuff) supply half the carbohydrate (about 50 grams) yet provide
your body with a ridiculous amount of nutrients. The higher fat content
helps keep you satiated (satisfied and somewhat full) throughout the day
whereas excessive carbohydrate consumption will only spike glucose and
insulin levels and then quickly drop them back down “tricking” your brain
into thinking it’s hungry sooner rather than later when in fact it’s actually
not. Contrary to popular belief, saturated fat is not bad for you, and neither it
nor cholesterol is directly linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes or any of
the other major causes of disease/illness in our society. What is linked to
such diseases is our over consumption of processed foods (yes, mainly
carbohydrates) and processed sugar. These are both pro‐inflammatory and
systemic inflammation is what is leading to such diseases and illnesses.
Humans have been eating saturated fat, butter, and meat from animals for a
little over 2 million years. Grains and grain products, i.e. cereals, bread,
pastas, rice, sugar, corn, etc. have only been in existence for just about 10,000
years (hence agriculture) and our bodies simply have not adapted yet to be
able to handle those “types” of foods. Those types of foods are actually filled
with what are called “anti‐nutrients” such as phytates and lechtins that
basically product the grain from being eaten and hence digested by humans
and other animals. I’m going a little off the reservation here and will end my
scientific jargon at this point. Just remember to choose real, whole and
natural foods and to make the bulk of your food intake (I hate the word diet)
meats, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and some dairy. Try to minimize grains
and sugar. In this day and age, cutting out anything is impractical and not
realistic and really is no fun. What I advocate to people who ask me about my
eating habits is to follow an 80%/20% rule. You can look at this two ways.
You can either eat “clean” and strict 80% of the time and knowingly indulge
the other 20% or you can strive to eat clean 100% of the time and just simply
and sensibly indulge as the opportunity presents itself. With this way, you
may have a week where you’re diet looks more like 90/10, another where it
looks like 70/30, and another where it is 80/20. Hell, you may even have a
week or two where you’re actually trudging along at 100% perfect. The
point of looking at it like this is that it allows you to gauge how you’ve been
eating over the course of some time, not just ONE day. One day, or even one
week just won’t show anything. Following something for 30 days will usually
allow most people to not only see improvements, but feel improvements as
well, which is obviously equally important. I know you did not ask about my fitness regimen but I’ll provide it anyway because it’s kind of comical. Again,
contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to do that much, as I certainly don’t (anymore). Sure, I worked my ass off for years to look a certain way and to
perform a certain way but over the past few years I have gradually decreased
my level of intense activity and now mainly walk most days with two, maybe
three “somewhat” structured workouts a week. Walking is my cardio. One
day of the week I do some bodyweight stuff, push‐ups, pull‐ups, dips, etc
coupled with some heavy weights for never more than 30‐45 minutes. The
other day of the week I sprint ALL OUT preferably barefoot in some grass. I
have not directly worked my abs in years. Abs are actually built in the
kitchen: ) None of my workouts are the same, are routine or fall on the same
days of the week. EVERYTHING I do is completely random and is designed to
allow the body to function as a whole at different times of the day, days of the
week or periods of the year. This however, is just my belief. After years of self
trial and error I know this works. However, if there are certain activities that
you thoroughly enjoy to do, then do them. Countless fitness and workout
regimens fail every year because people are either forced or are forcing
themselves to do some activity that they hate. No one will ever stick with
something if it isn’t fun for him or her. Enjoy what you do. This same logic
applies to food. In Western society our taste buds are used to highly oversweetened
and salted foods and so we think that everything must taste like
that. Not true. Once you begin to eat real, whole and natural foods, your taste
for the artificially sweetened and salted foods diminishes. Once you really
learn how to eat and move like this, losing weight, becoming overall healthier
and simply feeling a ton better truly does become effortless. Again, I laugh
when people think that what I eat is either bad for me or is “too healthy” and
I really laugh when people think that I must put in hours in the gym each day.
It’s simply not the case. Our bodies were not meant to be fed fake foods and
our bodies were not built for chronic stress; i.e. too much routinized exercise,
lack of sleep, long work hours, etc. Make all (or the majority, 80%) of your
food choices benefit you by choosing nutritionally dense real, whole and
natural foods and make your workouts count by making them brief, intense,
infrequent and something that you love to do and, remember to walk… a lot.
As with nutritional intake, the 80%/20% rule applies to fitness as well. 80%
of your results are going to come from 20% of the work you put in.
I hope this “brief” write up helps you in pursuing your goals. Again,
this is a brief synopsis of my philosophy on eating and training but as well as
having done so‐called research on this for years, I know that it is also science
backed and self backed through trial and error.

1st Discussion for my Philosphy course and yep, a workout

2010-05-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Socrates' major task was to make us think critically about important issues. This involves a dispassionate, objective analysis with the aim of discovering truth. Why aren't most people critical thinkers? What are some of the major obstacles to critical thinking?

I believe there are many reasons and factors as to why most people are not critical thinkers. One reason why I believe that many folks do not think critically is that they are simply afraid of truth; a kind of denial, if you will. People consistently turn a blind eye to major issues in our society and just accept things as they are presented to them without ever really researching (on their own) as to why, what, who, when, or how such things apply or came about. We are led to believe by the media, politicians, Hollywood movie stars, doctors, stock brokers, etc. that what they say or do is truth when in fact, most of the time it is not. Many people hear things day in and day out and simply regurgitate this information to their friends, family and co-workers without ever really discovering the truth (if there is any) behind such information. This leads me to a second reason or factor as to why I believe that people don't think critically; because they simply don't have to (or feel that they do anyway). In our society we are bombarded by so much information, so many people espousing "the way/their way," or what is right and what is wrong, and who we should follow and who we shouldn't. People don't necessarily question or critically think like they may think they do or should, and really just follow the crowd and go with the flow, never questioning anything or anybody. At times, and to some extent, we are all guilty of this. I believe that critical thinking is a skill that truly must be learned and honed over time and through experience. I'm 30 years old and believe that I have just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to thinking critically about various issues as well as thinking critically and evaluating myself. Unlike most, I actually look forward to getting older and practicing and becoming better at not only thinking critically but many other valuable skills as well.

Today's workout and food:

Early morning: Two cups of coffee (French Press) with heavy whipping cream, and honey

Late morning: 3 hard boiled eggs smashed up with avocado with various herbs, spices and hot sauce. A huge glass of grass-fed, unpasteurized raw milk. A couple spoonfuls of fish oil.

No lunch or dinner eaten at the time of this posting.

Workout: Walked the dog for an hour then warmed up with some handstands, push-ups, pull-ups, dips and some heavy-bag work.

1.Pseudo planche push-ups (PPPU's): 1x8, 5x5, totals 6 sets, (don't know why I did 8 on the first one)
2.Front tuck lever holds: 6x10 seconds, pull to invert to skin the cat, pull back to invert and lower.

3. One-arm Kettlebell Presses: 1x5 at 35lbs., 1x5 at 55lbs., 1x3 at 70lbs. (last set was push-press)
4. Assisted one-arm chins: 1x2 (hand pronated), 1x2 (hands supinated), 1x3 (hands facing medially)

5. Full range of motion handstand push-ups (F.R.O.M. HSPU's): 3x3 (2 sets on bricks, 1 set on parallettes)
6. Inverted pull-ups on rings): 3x5, lower to full back lever (not particularly strong today

Another Random Workout

2010-04-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 4/21/10

Tuck planche holds: 10x3 seconds
Adv. front tuck lever pull-ups: 6x3
Pistols: 1x5 (BW), 1X5 @ 17lbs., 1x5 @ 35lbs., 1x2 at 55lbs.
Full range of motion HSPU's: 3x3
Standing wheel rollouts: 3x3 (two arm), 3x2 (one-arm_

This was a good workout. It was intermixed with push-ups, pull-ups, dips, free standing handstands on the parallettes, straight-leg and straddle L-sits, support holds on the rings, kicks and elbows to the heavy bag and some standing wheel rollouts. I'm getting very close to being able to do a one-arm standing wheel rollout. We'll see. Still no article ideas yet. Maybe in a few days.

Long sprint workout

2010-04-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

4/20/10

My garage workout today consisted of gymnastics, kettlebell lifting and heavy bag work. I held a free standing handstand today on parallelettes for over 30 seconds.

My track workout today consisted of 2x400m sprints, 2x300m sprints and 2x200m sprints with 5 minutes rest between sprints. My time has increased a bit but there can be a number of reasons why. I will run some long sprints in a couple of weeks again and see if my times aren't back down again. I figure they probably will be.

Nothing good (as far as articles go) has really crossed my mind to write on. This has been sort of an "off" week and am still trying to get back on track. Hopefully, I will post something soon.

Short sprint workout

2010-04-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

4/15/10

10 sprints at 10 seconds each with 5 minutest rest between sprints. In between sprints I performed various body weight and gymnastic exercises along with some kettlebell throws, swings, presses, snatches and cleans with the 17lb. and 35 kettlebells. This was one of my best workouts yet.

A Sporatic Past Couple of Weeks and Some Observations

2010-04-09T04:57:00.000-07:00

I've kind of been overdoing it the past few weeks with exercise, going out and food.

Too much cardio. I've been doing a little too much kickboxing and other various metabolic conditioning routines, usually for consecutive days with little rest and a little too intense. I think subconsciously I've been doing this to counteract all the little indulgences I've been engaging in a bit too frequently.

Not enough sprinting; once every two weeks (I like to do it once a week). Because of my ridiculous cardio workouts, I've been too sore and stiff to get out and really do what I enjoy, sprint! I also find that when I perform too much cardiovascular exercise, I don't have the energy (or sometimes desire) to do my other favorite activity that I love, SURFING! I plan to get back to both... more sprinting (a reasonable amount) and more surfing. They both keep me sane.

Not enough body weight stuff. I've been missing my bar and ground acrobatics and love mixing this up with the sprints. Handstands, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, levers, planches, flags, all the crazy gymnastics and circus stuff. I feel like Tarzan or an ape when I do this stuff! It's my thing.

TOO MUCH WINE, CHEESE, AND SUGAR! Yep, definitely been indulging with these too much and it certainly has taken its toll. Mood has been fairly inconsistent, (mostly bad and negative) and sleep has sucked. The cheese isn't really too much of a problem, the problem is that I usually like to couple the cheese with copious amount of red wine... which then leads to copious amounts of cheese which then leads to... not good.

I upped my sugar intake again in my coffee, TOO MUCH, and have been doing dessert a little too frequently. Again, I notice this mostly with poor sleep, waking up groggy and lowered energy levels.

My wife and I have been going out too much. Well, not really, compared to what we used to do. But, I've been getting that "feeling" you get when you know you're spending money on stuff you don't need (material goods) or on restaurant food (which is NEVER as good as a home cooked meal) and you feel like you just wasted both your time and money. Yep, too much of that.

With that being said, it's time to get back to simplicity. I find that when you simplify or limit certain things in your life, you appreciate all that you indulge in (and most everything else for that matter) that much more when you do indulge. Some things I like to do when simplifying my life are:

- Limit T.V., Internet, and most electronic stimuli as a form of entertainment. 90 percent (probably more than that) of what is on T.V., talk radio, the Internet, etc. is all crap and only complicates peoples lives. Turn that stuff OFF!

- Eat real, whole, natural food; meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. This comes easy to me. Boxed stuff doesn't taste good and is loaded with junk. When you REALLY eat well, as described by the food choices above, I find that I really don't want much of the crap, it just doesn't even taste good.

- Limit sugar, desserts, coffee and alcohol. My sweet-tooth is my weakness. Must defeat! I only do coffee in the morning and not too much, I just put too much sugar in it! Alcohol is also not a problem, but it can mess with sleep and I get enough disturbances with that through my job so, I can use all the quality sleep I can get. Which brings me to...

- Go to bed early and get adequate sleep. Try to wind down with a book, some low music or some good conversation with family. Don't watch Hannity and then think your mind is going to be clear of mindless thoughts while lying in bed.

- Limit exercise but when I do partake, make the sessions count; i.e. short, fast, intense bursts of strength, speed and power... and do it all outside. My favorite (and what I believe is the BEST way to stay in great shape) workout is to get outside, sprint barefoot, and mix it up with body weight exercise. There is absolutely no reliance on a gym, equipment, (even shoes in my case) or a huge block of time. 20-30 minutes of brief, all-out sprints with some push-ups, pull-ups, dips, mixed in out in the natural sunlight is ALL you really need to look and feel great.

- Walk more, not just around the neighborhood, but at social events; farmer's markets, festivals, the beach, etc. Change the environment. Walking briskly for 30 minutes to an hour is all fine and well but it's certainly not needed all the time or for that matter, the majority of time. I like to get out and leisurely stroll around various venues when I can; farmer's markets, art galleries/walks, the beach, nature trails, the mall (preferably outdoors), festivals, etc. Doing it with your spouse and/or family, friends or your dog (he falls under family for me) always makes it more enjoyable.

- Spend more quality time with family and friends. A lot of people spend all their time worrying about getting the right kind or enough exercise or eating the perfect foods or choosing the perfect diet and miss whats mostly important - family and friends. Yes, other cultures from around the world that have longevity as a commonality between them certainly have common factors such as eating real, whole food and staying active daily. But, what we as Americans fail to recognize is the sense of family and community with which these cultures have in common as well. This, I believe, along with a strong faith in a higher power (something bigger than yourself) whatever that may be, is what truly allows these various cultures to live happy, energetic and long lives. Not just Americans, but Western society as a whole, places the most emphasis and spends the most money on looking a certain way, eating a certain way, and just living a certain way that we're completely missing the boat to what truly matters. With so much emphasis placed on these things, you would think that we'd be leading the pack when it comes to health and longevity but that couldn't be further from the truth. So, put down you Cosmopolitan and Men's Health magazines, call your parents, siblings, spouse, children or friends, grab a cup of coffee, go take a walk and have some good conversation. Just... hold the sugar!

Broccoli and Squats?

2010-04-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

In a conversation with my wife over dinner the other night, she brought up the fact (after I made it for the 1000th time) that she hates broccoli. Basically, she eats it because she "knows it's healthy." Our conversation then transpired into that of nutrition and exercise and what's good for you and not. I explained how I've always hated squats, and that some time ago, I really just did them because squats were always considered the "end-all-be-all" of exercises and I thought they were good for me. We both came to the conclusion that 1. she hates broccoli and I like it, and 2. I hate doing squats, but she likes them. So, with that, you may be asking yourself, "what do broccoli and squats have in common?" Well, not much really. One's green, rather nutritious and you eat it. The other, depending on who you ask, may require you to squat down with a significant amount of weight across your back, on your shoulders, held out in front of you or even no weight at all for a prescribed amount of reps and sets perhaps performed a few times a week. So, if you're a broccoli hater and you despise squats then read on, this article may pertain to you.

Most of the time both are touted, whether by an expert in the diet industry or an expert in the fitness industry as being absolutely necessary for optimal health and functioning. I disagree. There are certainly many benefits to consuming broccoli and performing squats on a regular basis but some people just don't like either. Are they missing something?

According to The Commodity Spotlight: Agricultural Outlook/April 1999, broccoli is regularly identified as the vegetable eaten most often for health reasons, including cancer prevention. In addition, consumers often specify high fiber content as the reason to purchase broccoli. Broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes are routinely identified by consumers as the three vegetables with greatest nutritional benefits. USDA's nutritional information (not that we always trust the USDA around here: )) confirms that consumer perceptions of broccoli's nutritional value are correct. Broccoli's fiber content is one of the highest among vegetables, and 100 grams of broccoli contains 75 percent more vitamin C than an equal amount of orange, with one medium stalk (148 kg) providing 200 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C, 16 percent of recommended dietary fiber, and 10 percent of recommended vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. So, where are the negatives? Why not eat broccoli? I'll get to that in a minute.

"The squat has been the most important yet most poorly understood exercise in the training arsenal for a very long time. The full range of motion (F-ROM) exercise known as the squat is the single most useful exercise in the weight room, and our most valuable tool for building strength, power, and size. The squat is so effective an exercise because of the way it uses the muscles around the core of the body." Correctly performed, the "squat perfectly balances all the forces around the knees and the hips, using these muscles in exactly the way the skeletal biomechanics are designed for them to be used, over their anatomically full range of motion." Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 2nd edition by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. . So, why not engage in such a perfect exercise?

Bear in mind, both of the sources that I quoted from are riddled with information and what I have provided as benefits to both merely scratches the surface. The second source, Starting Strength, is an exceptional read for those wishing to become stronger, more muscular and overall athletic and the chapter on squats alone is almost 60 pages.

So, why not eat broccoli and why not perform squats? In short, because you simply don't have to, ESPECIALLY, if you don't like to. So many people in our society in pursuit of health, fitness or just a desire to look good, are constantly told to eat this, do that, and IF you eat this and IF you do that, you will be uber-healthy and fit and look amazing. Well, what if you don't like broccoli and what if you don't like or have access to do heavy-weighted squats? The truth is that there are literally thousands of foods to choose from, whether they be vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, seeds, dairy, and yes MAYBE...- MAYBE some grains that can provide all the nutrients and health benefits you need without ever having to ingest broccoli. Don't like squats? Then don't do them. People constantly fail at their brand new "New Year's Resolution" goals by choosing to do things they really hate. If you don't like it, chances are you're not going to stick with it for the long haul. Find something you truly enjoy. Like the many great food alternatives to broccoli, there are so many great alternative exercises to squats. Some of the most beautiful bodies in the world have been developed by body-weight exercise alone and many of us, simply don't have the time, means, money or access to a gym with all the fancy weights and machines.

So, after your next beach workout of sprints , push-ups and pull-ups under the pier, (notice, no squats) and you find yourself out to dinner with your spouse faced with staying on the healthy track, but you just can't seem to stomach the side of broccoli, don't hesitate to choose something different and that tastes good to you. Regularly engaging in activities that you love and choosing healthy foods that you enjoy will keep you motivated to continue on your healthy path to wellness and longevity.

For additional information on broccoli and other foods you can visit the Nutrition Data website.

For additional information on squatting and other weightlifting exercises you can click on the link above in the article, or simply visit amazon.com and buy the book.

Too much energy = a long, powerful workout

2010-03-21T17:20:00.001-07:00

Thursday 03/18/10

Ah, with the impending Mud Run I didn't want to do this but... I had pent up energy and had to release it. So, I hit it hard today with a workout, actually, two, followed back to back. By the end of the second one, I still felt great and spent the rest of the day running errands and being productive. Some days, energy level just REALLY falls into place.

Walked the dog for about an hour

Workout 1: Kick-boxed: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between rounds. The one minute was spent on trunk work (yes, that means "core," "abs," and lower back). I just dislike the trendy terms. My kicks were high and powerful, punches were crisp and clean (loud pops today) and my general overall movement was fast and fluid. Felt good.

Workout 2: Went to the soccer field to do some sprints. I did 10-11 ten second all out sprints with 5 minutes in between. During the five minutes I worked on OAC/OAP (one-arm chins, one-arm pull-ups), one-arm push-ups, side levers, back levers, muscle-ups, front levers, and handstands. Basic gymnastics.

The side lever on my left side is really coming along and I'm getting closer to straight-arm. My right side is taking off as well, just much slower than the left. Handstands are getting longer but HSPU's are still eluding me. I held an almost perfect straight back lever for about 10 seconds, but the front lever and the planche????

After the workout I stretched and walked for about an hour.

No fitness lost...

2010-03-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

... by just doing the bare minimum.

So far, my theory and experiment have worked. For some time now, I have been doing the bare minimum as far as workouts and physical fitness is concerned. Over the past few months, I have mainly been walking the dog, anywhere from one to two hours, with a sprint workout about once every 7-10 days and maybe some real heavy unconventional weight training and/or bodyweight exercise ONCE a week. Though my bodyweight has come down (don't really know why) from 165lbs. to 154lbs., I've become stronger, faster, my energy level has gone up and I'm sleeping A LOT better. It's hard to pinpoint why these changes have occurred. I believe I've narrowed it down to a few factors.

1. Less workout frequency (i.e. days of the the week)

2. less volume (not so many exercises or time during the actual workout)

3. More walking (a natural anti-inflammatory and form of recovery)

4. Good eating (HIGH GOOD fats, lots of meat, and yes, carbs, but smart carbs, and lots of wine-> not too sure if this is really contributing :))

5. Smart exercise (when I do workout, it is fast, hard, heavy, intense, brief and RANDOM).

By random, I mean the workout is never the same. It's on a different day of the week, it may be two days in a row, it may be a week without a workout, it's RANDOM! That being said, I performed a workout yesterday similar to what I used to do 3-4 times a week for years that I finally ceased about a year ago. The workout was a Tabata protocol which is 20 seconds of work as hard as you can possibly go (NO PACING) followed by 10 seconds of rest. Set a timer and repeat for four minutes. You end up doing 8 intervals of 20 seconds of work. Yes, most people look at this and think that you cannot possibly get a good workout in only four minutes. Funny, try it.

What I do, is I do the above with one exercise, rest one minute and then move on to another exercise for the same amount of time. I do this with 8 different exercises. 8 exercises X 4 minutes per exercise with one minute of rest between exercise = 39 minutes for total time in the garage. 32 minutes are actually spent involved in work and rest and only 21 minutes and 20 seconds of ACTUAL WORK. I used to perform these types of workouts day in and day out and it is simply WAY TOO MUCH and not needed for the average person (or the elite, in my opinion). This type of workout however, performed just once a week (or as I'm about to show, once every couple of months) even with its brevity of roughly only 21 minutes will get one in far better shape than trudging along daily on the treadmill, stairmaster, stationary bicycle or their real world equivalents of "free-radical damage producing chronic cardio" for hours on end ever will. Would you rather do an hour of boring, non-results-producing cardio 4-5 days a week, or 20 minutes of brief, variant exercise once or twice every couple of weeks or months with most of your physical activity spent walking and playing? Hmmm. My workout was as follows:

The Tabata Protocol

1.Jump Rope: rotated between double-unders and fast run-in-place forward and backward rope turns.
2. 100 lb. sandbag deadlift, clean and shoulder
3. Heavybag strikes, both punches and kicks with burpees mixed in.
4. 20lb. slamball, (take a basketball filled with sand and duct-taped) and with both hands like throwing a soccer ball in from out-of-bounds, slam it to the ground, catch it and do it over and over and over.
5. Kettlebell swings. (Rotate 50lbs. and 35lbs swings both one-arm and two-arm)
6. Ground heavybag work, (kicks, punches, and elbows)
7. Sledgehammer to the tire swings (both 20lb and 8lb. hammers)
8.20lb. medicine ball throws at the heavy bag. (Throw anyway you can, overhand, one-hand, underhand, twist-throw, HARD AND FAST).

I have not done this workout or this style of workout in approximately two months. While performing this workout yesterday, I noted there was no loss of skill, speed, strength, stamina, coordination, endurance, or overall fitness. Now, I am extremely sore today from head to toe, which shows this workout completely simulates the whole body unlike just jogging a few miles but, it's not meant to be done everyday or even weekly. So far, it appears that the intermittent bouts of high intense intervals of brief, fast, heavy and infrequent training with immense amounts of walking has payed off. I will be competing (for fun) in a Mud Run this Saturday which is a 10K race with boot camp style obstacles mixed in. I am not expecting some great physical performance on my part but rather to see how far my nonchalant and random natural way of movement will take me. It's a test of myself rather than a competition or test against a clock or another person. I advise people to at least try this low volume, low frequency, high intense but brief and random bout form of training. Trust me, it is what your body is craving and you will feel unbelievably powerful and naturally fit. If however, you want to be put through the above sadistic Tabata protocol..., please, give me a call and I will gladly watch you suffer. Just be prepared to call your doctor the next day for some pain pills because you WILL be hurting. Sometimes more is not what is needed. Sometimes, less is more.

Wellness Fundamentals Hierarchy?

2010-03-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

Is there such thing as a wellness fundamentals hierarchy? I think so. First, let's define "one" definition of a hierarchy; - a graded or ranked series. So, how does this apply to wellness and healthy living and is there an order or a map that we should follow when pursuing our wellness goals?

So often I hear and see people discuss and do things when trying to get fit and healthy and they are simply just spinning their wheels. The quote "you can't out-exercise a bad diet" surely comes to mind. I know all too many people that fit this mold. They kill themselves with excessive cardio day in and day out and go right back to eating processed and other unfavorable foods that simply don't jive with the human body and the viscous cycle continues. No progress is made as it pertains to strength gains, energy level or general health and wellness. However, this cycle is not just confined to exercise and diet, hence the hierarchy of wellness.

There are four components that I recognize as being vital for true health and wellness while yet seeming so simple, aren't necessarily that easy to dial in. They are diet, stress, sleep and exercise. Keep in mind, there is no real order of importance here as ALL of these are extremely important. If you do stop and think about it for a moment though, the order that I have placed these components in does make sense.

1. Diet - Everything that you put into your mouth has an effect on your body (basically shitty input, shitty output, great input, great output) and effects everything from mood to energy level to performance, etc. etc. If your diet is bad, you're going to have stress, both internally and externally. Your body will be in a state of chronic inflammation (internally) and your ability to handle daily stresses (externally) will be diminished. Food is medicine. When we become ill, we run to the doctor to get a pill. We pop the pill with a glass of water and wait to feel better. Most ailments are caused by a bad diet. Instead of digesting a pill after the fact (a reaction), try eating a healthy diet of real, whole, natural foods before the fact (a prevention and proactive approach) and observe how you simply won't get as sick as frequent, or if at all when simply eating better.

2 Stress - Ah, a biggie, and yet the hardest to control. If your boss is an asshole there's really not much you can do about it. If you're cut off in traffic, can't do much about that either. Bills are piling up and money is tight... yep, here we go again. How we choose to REACT to these situations on the other hand is how we manage stress and, do not be fooled, it is a choice! Stress, whether chronic or acute cause our bodies to release cortisol. Simply put, some cortisol release is good, too much is bad. Most Americans have too much of this stress hormone coursing throughout their circulation which leads back to... you guessed it, chronic inflammation, the root cause of most modern diseases. Figuring out how to manage stress is personal and I don't proclaim to be an expert in dishing out "stress management" advice. What I can suggest is to find what works for you. If it's taking a slow deep breath from time to time, wailing on a heavy bag, meditating, practicing yoga, eating some dark chocolate with a glass of wine, find what calms and relaxes you and makes YOU feel good about being YOU.

3. Sleep - 8 hrs., 7 hrs, 10 hrs., a 20 minute nap, dark room, cold room, hot room, yadda, yadda, yadda. So many recommendations but, who's right? The truth is, with the two categories above, diet and stress dialed in, good sleep will usually come fairly naturally, that is unless you're a public servant as I am and are subject to being awaken multiple times at night to run medical and/or fire calls, then, good sleep (coupled with stress and cortisol management) is tough to come by. I'M DOOMED! People do fool themselves into thinking that they need an Ambien, a night cap, or some sleep study to "fix" their "sleep disorder." 99% of the population most likely does not have a sleep disorder. 99% of the population on the other hand, most likely is not eating or managing stress as they should be and yes, this is what is REALLY affecting sleep. Again, it's up to each individual when, where and how they sleep. I like a bed, in a cold, dark room and I like to get between 7-8 hrs. Some folks can get a good night's rest in a tent out in the wilderness. It really varies. Find where you're most comfortable and relaxed and dream away.

4. Exercise - Last? You've gotta be kidding me! I thought this was a health and fitness blog! Again, no real order of importance here but, too much emphasis is placed on exercise and most people are overdoing it and underdoing the three above. Exercise is vital but it doesn't have to be regimented, routine or regulated (hey, 3 R's, maybe I'm onto something here!) Rather, think in terms of movement. JUST MOVE! When I hear people say, "I hate walking," or "I don't have time to walk," I say to myself, "then what the hell are you..., a human being or a slug?" We are meant to walk, run, jump, lift, carry, throw, etc. We are bipedal, that's what makes us human and there is no better or more natural activity than simply taking a walk. Walking actually reduces inflammation, whereas intense exercise enhances inflammation. Which do you think we should be doing more of? Walking is obviously something that can be done daily, multiple times a day at our convenience. Intense exercise on the other hand, for some people can be done daily, multiple times a day as well, the problem is, even the elitist of the elite will eventually burn out with too much exercise. And, with too much exercise, in any form whether it be frequency, volume or intensity, I'll say it again, CORTISOL RELEASE, hence chronic inflammation, hence poor sleep, hence higher levels of stress, hence chronically depleted glycogen stores, hence craving crappy food and a bad diet. See how we just went back up the ladder of this hierarchy? VISCOUS CYCLE! My advice and what I truly know works is to take it easy and be smart about how you move. Do activities you enjoy as often as you can. Get up and move frequently if you're confined to a 9-5 desk job as most of us are. You can get burned out with too much exercise but you cannot get burned out with a nice and slow daily therapeutic walk. So, walk often, do something intense once or twice a week and play and engage in activities or sports as often as your schedule allows. Play is good not only for the body, but for the mind and soul as well.

There you have it, my hierarchy of the wellness fundamentals as I see it. Though I know it can be difficult, and I consider it both an art and science; learning how to effectively manage your diet, stress levels, sleeping habits and exercise truly can lead to an overall healthy and more active lifestyle that will benefit us all in ways that for now, we can only imagine.

I'm 30 today!

2010-03-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

03/10/2010

Yep, today's my 30th birthday! I basically did everything that I wanted to do today. Could I have done more..., better? Probably, but, I did with what I have, the time that I was given and the circumstances that revolve around me at my current place in life and made the best of it.

0600 - woke up to my dog prancing around on the bed "begging" to be taken outside to pis and shit.

0649 - realized that just 3 minutes prior (0646) is the time when I was actually born. Oh well, missed the exact time.

0630 - prepared some amazing french press coffee with high fat heavy whipping cream and sugar and drank up for the next two hours as I "half studied, half surfed the net."

0830 - took the dog for an hour walk.

0930 to 1100 - worked out; sprints, one arm push-ups, one-pull-ups, handstands, threw some kettlebells, handstands, planches, levers; basically exercised like a kid for about half an hour and then walked again (without the dog) for about an hour and FINALLY got some SUN! VITAMIN-FUCKIN-D!

1130-1200 Cleaned up my car and got it ready to sell.

1300-1500 Went to Anatomy and Physiology II class and got the opportunity to go on a rant about vegetarianism. "Soy sucks!"

The rest of the day was mine. I met up with my wife at Whole Foods and bought grass fed meat, raw milk cheese and set up my birthday night for eating some good-ass food. Grass-fed Ribeye steak (about 14oz.) with mushrooms, onions, garlic, white wine and balsamic vinegar smothering it, Goat Gouda cheese, and yes, A WHOLE DAMN BOTTLE OF Cappola Zinfandel as I listened to Sade and Andrea Bocelli by the fire; no, I'm not kidding. What a great 30th birthday!

Everything... for a time, is a trend, even wellness

2010-02-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

Wellness, in all its forms, comes and goes in trendy waves. Fad diets, fad workouts, fad looks, etc. just keep rollin' in until the next thing that "looks good" comes along and people once again jump on the bandwagon, ditch their old program (that they probably weren't making gains on anyway) and become part of the trend. I'm not going to mention specific programs, people, DVDs or diets that have come out recently but, I'm quite certain that it's safe to say that what ALL of these new "wellness" trends have in common is that they're simply that; another trend that's appealing for the moment but won't last forever. I myself, am an advocate of a paleolithic way of eating. A trend? Absolutely! But, I said I'm an advocate, not necessarily a follower. In real basic terms here, the paleolithic diet is simply eating the way people (or cavemen, also known as the caveman diet) used to eat during the Paleolithic era. As far as the basics or foundation of the diet are concerned, there really is no room for argument. The diet calls for consuming mostly fruits and vegetables, meats (both lean and fat), nuts, seeds, and berries. I think we all can agree that we (Americans and the rest of Western Civilization) need to consume more fruits and vegetables as opposed to refined carbohydrates and the various other loads of processed "food-like substances" that we consume on a daily basis. I won't go in to detail about the consumption of meat (high fat vs lean) or dairy and grains and such. There's too much controversy in that arena and it would take way too long for me to explain thoroughly. Perhaps for another day.

Along with the paleo way of eating has come a paleo way of moving; a sort of "caveman style of fitness" if you will. Again, personally, I think it's great and yes I'm an advocate. The problem with the mentality of most of the people that embark on these trendy new styles of eating and/or moving is that they eventually begin to "commercialize or institutionalize" these new concepts and in a sense, take away from the original idea of the concept. Mark Sisson of marksdailyapple.com discusses in his book, The Primal Blueprint, that people should lift heavy once a week and sprint once in a while and I wholeheartedly agree. Well, it's only a matter of time before these trendy folks are back in the gym (a commercial institution) lifting for a prescribed amount of sets and reps or are trying to get their "sprint on" on the treadmill or an exercise bike. But hey, we live in modern times and this is modern stuff here! But... what I find so comical is that after all of these years of all of these American/Western civilization trends that have come and gone, whether it be fad diets or fad workouts, outside exercise or "globo-gym" exercise, Americans throw all their hard earned money away looking for the answers to wellness and longevity ye are still fatter, more disease-ridden and in overall poorer health than most other nations in the world. I've read numerous books, articles, studies, research papers, etc., etc,. on said subject matter and with all of the information out there it still amazes me that we still cannot get it right.

One book I've read that did strike a cord with me, though not immediately, was the Blue Zones by Dan Buettner. In short, this book was about wellness fundamentals but not in the sense that you're probably thinking. The author goes into great detail about five nations or regions where people (on average) live very long, productive lives. Notice the word PRODUCTIVE. The people he describes (and interviews) are mainly centenarians, living greater than 100 years. All of the people that are interviewed in the book are extremely active and energetic unlike most senior citizens in the Western world which when they retire at the age of 60 (give or take a few years), it's not too long after that they develop various diseases, cancers or a host of other medical problems and eventually check into a nursing home getting around mostly with the use of a wheelchair or at best with the use of a cane or walker. This is a sad truth. But why is it the truth? Again, you would think that with all of this advanced technology and all of these guidelines set forth by all the experts and so-called gurus in our country we'd be extremely healthy and fit and living well into a ripe old age with the vitality of the people that I described above. For us, this is simply not so.

So what, you ask is the answer? I don't know, I'm only 30 years of age and my wisdom and experience with longevity is obviously limited as I only know what has worked for me and what hasn't over the past 20 or so years I've been involved in athletics and fitness. Read the book if you think that will help. But, as I mentioned above, eating things like fruits and vegetables (MORE OF THEM) should really be a no-brainer by now. Did these people of such longevity eat copious amounts of fruits and vegetables? You bet. Did they deadlift and squat and lift weights all day long or for hours a day and then do cardio immediately following? I think not. This is a Western idea. The four attributes that I took from the book and with the advanced research that I've done on my own that I found these different people from these completely different backgrounds have in common is that 1) they ate real, whole, unprocessed foods, 2) they were simply active, but very active, lots of walking, gardening, just moving around and not being sedentary, 3) they were close with their families and, 4) they had a great deal of faith... in something.

I could continue to write on this subject matter for days on end but obviously won't. Implementing the fundamentals of wellness doesn't and shouldn't have to be hard. Eat good, healthy real food and not crap; YOU KNOW WHAT CRAP FOOD IS!, be active; play sports you enjoy, walk your dog, play with your children, DO SOMETHING EVERYDAY TO MAKE YOURSELF MOVE!; hang out with your family, talk to your kids, cook dinner with your spouse, call your parents, yada, yada, yada, and finally, believe in something bigger and more important than yourself. Hey, whether you believe in religion, evolution or whatever, just realize that there was something out there that created you and caused you to be here, so be thankful and have faith. Implementing such lifestyle changes or, as I like to call them, wellness fundamentals, will reduce stress, make you a happier person and lead to a life full of vigor and longevity.

What are wellness fundamentals

2010-02-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Wellness fundamentals are exactly that, the fundamentals of wellness. It's my personal philosophy of getting back to the fundamentals of what works when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. In our Westernized culture, we are barraged with advertisements from a variety of media outlets, this person's suggestion, that person's suggestion, etc., etc., on how we should venture on our wellness journey. "Eat this amazing food today but wait, don’t eat that same amazing food tomorrow! Do this one exercise today because it is hands down the best exercise you can do for yourself. Don't do this exercise ever again because you'll only get hurt!" Where do we begin? Who do we believe? As you can see, this can become quite overwhelming especially to the average Joe with limited knowledge when it comes to the fundamentals of wellness. Is there only ONE right way? Of course there isn’t. There are multiple paths to success in any endeavor in life; wellness is no different. The difficulty for most of us is tuning out all of the nonsense and choosing the path that fits us best. Ask yourself a few questions. What are my immediate and long-term goals? What kind of time do I have? Is this something I can do for a lifetime? Be realistic but be persistent and consistent about what you can handle. Allow yourself to slip up (I hate the word fail) from time to time and don't feel guilty it. Ok, so you had a little bit too much dessert or you missed a workout. Big deal. Tomorrow is another day and you can get back on track with your wellness goals then. We’re all human.

When it comes to wellness fundamentals as it relates to fitness, I always tell people to stick to the basics. Why? Because the basics always work and they are the foundation on which you will build and continue your wellness journey. At this point, you’re probably be asking, what are the basics? Well, I can certainly tell you what they are not; they’re not some trendy “wall handstand” with one hand on a medicine ball and the other on a wobble board or whatever other funky movement or contraption the latest health and fitness magazine would have us believe is the “exercise of choice” these days. Those types of exercises are totally bogus, do not work and are only there to get you to buy the magazine, program or product. Nonsense like that can also get you really hurt. People simply can’t sell the basics anymore. I'm going to go REAL basic here with you. You cannot get any simpler or basic than with bodyweight exercise. It is my philosophy that one can and should be able to get in tremendous shape by simply working with what you've got (your own body), where you're at. Not everybody has access to a gym or even money for a gym membership. Not to worry, as this is simply not needed. Some of the most beautiful bodies (both male and female) have been built from a routine consisting of a bodyweight routine only. Remember people, wellness fundamentals! What are the fundamentals? The basics. Squats, lunges, pushups, dips, pull-ups, and sure, sit-ups if you’re so inclined. These exercises (or movements) constitute the fundamental movements (the basics) one could do at home, without any equipment, no access to a gym, require minimal time and allow you completely work your whole body from head to toe. Even if you possessed all the riches in the world, had a personal trainer, a great deal of time and access to the most state-of-the-art gym, simple bodyweight exercise performed a couple of times a week will get you further than most. Any famous celebrities come to mind with access to all of these things yet still has not made any progress? A popular female T.V. show talk host perhaps? Those things are simply not needed. The “desire and want” to live a healthy lifestyle come from within, not from having access to money, people, a great deal of time or fancy gym equipment. In a future article I will lay out some workout routines that anybody can follow and can be done in as little or as much time as you choose. I will also discuss how the fundamentals have and always will outlast the latest exercise trend or gadget when it comes it to health and fitness. For now, perform the above exercises a few times throughout your day whenever you have a few minutes. For those of you that are stay-at-home moms or dads, this is relatively easy to do. For those of you that work the 9 to 5, be sure to take frequent breaks, perform the exercises that you can to get the blood flowing and then get back to work. It makes a profound difference and breaks up the redundancy throughout your day. Also, walk a lot. As humans, walking (bi-pedal movement) is our most natural form of moving and getting from point A to point B. If you don’t have time or make time to walk, then make time for a lifetime of nagging aches and pains, chronic fatigue and chronic illnesses. It doesn’t have to be much, 30 minutes a day most days of the week and outside (fresh air is key to wellness) will suffice.

With all this talk about wellness fundamentals, you’re probably asking, “What about diet and nutrition? You’ve provided the fundamentals for exercise but what about the fundamentals of diet?” Let’s start by realizing that when it comes to diet and exercise one is not any more important than the other. They are both equally important and are crucial in shaping your wellness fundamentals goals. Let us follow that up by throwing out the word “diet.” Whenever most people hear the word “diet” they naturally start thinking of a calorie restricted, bland food tasting, limited choice of foods eating plan that is 99% not sustainable for the long haul. The term “diet” can mean anything from a diet of pizza and beer to a diet of celery and water. While the first one sounds great, those particular “diets” and diets in general are not fun and not realistic! Unfortunately, what we’re led to believe is good for us by conventional wisdom (like exercise) as it pertains to food, is not entirely accurate. In a future article, I will go more in depth about the FDA, the USDA and their Food Guide Pyramid and other organizations that have been leading Americans down the wrong path for years. For now, let’s focus on the fundamentals when it comes to eating. I think we all can agree that we need to consume more fruits and vegetables throughout our day. I’m quite certain, that I’ve never heard anyone say “Wow, I really ate too many Brussels sprouts and lettuce today. I need to cut back!” Nope, never heard that one before. The truth is that most Americans do not eat enough of the green stuff. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid has its base (the foundation of what they believe we should be eating the most of) as grains, i.e., bread, rice, pasta, cereals, etc. (Oops, I said I was going to leave this stuff for a future article.) To put it bluntly and simply, this is wrong. Instead, we should be focusing on whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats (of all varieties), nuts, seeds and berries. “But I thought grains are natural… and good for me.” Not so fast, and not entirely true. Again, for a later article. For now, focus on buying and eating fresh fruits and vegetables of all varieties and slowly implement them into your meals. Choose good quality, lean cuts of meats (though fatty cuts and saturated fats aren’t as bad as you think either) as the main portion of your meals. As with the exercise routines that I plan to lay out in the future, I will also do so with meal planning, providing ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. For now, remember to choose fresh produce, good quality meats, and a vast array of nuts and seeds to help keep you satisfied and to provide satiety throughout the day.

One of the most difficult things to do in life is to find the right balance in all that we take on in our daily lives. By balance I mean managing our career, family, friends, play, exercise regimen, and sound a diet to name but a few. I created this blog one night after a long day of work, school, dinner with my wife’s family and some associated family issues, and realized just how daunting it can be for people to take on the many challenges that our fast-paced modern life hurls our way on a daily basis. My passion has always lied in the fields of that of health and fitness or (wellness), and has taken me on a quest and led to years of research, self trial and error and constant revision and fine-tuning of what I believe works and what I believe doesn’t. I have engaged in athletics and overall health and fitness for many years and have spent time at extreme ends of the spectrum as it pertains to being fit and healthy. I have been at the peak of competition, been superbly well conditioned and yet have also been injured, completely off my game and have suffered many overuse injuries from long, repetitive and grueling workouts without a purpose and bad advice from so called fitness experts or gurus. People are continually mislead as to what it truly means to be fit and healthy and as a result, travel down the wrong road and end up in worse shape than before when they began their search for a healthier lifestyle. Being happy, healthy and fit does not and should not have to be difficult. It is my utmost desire and passion to help and spread the word to the everyday person who works hard day in and day out in all aspects of his or her life and struggles to find the time or right balance when it comes to implementing what I like to call the wellness fundamentals.

About me:
My name is Steven and I am a professional firefighter and paramedic in Saint Augustine, Fl. My passion is helping people. After realizing that I can only do so much in “field medicine” when it comes to educating people about leading a healthier lifestyle, I decided to create this blog to put my thoughts, words and sometimes unheard advice in print (or cyberspace) for people to follow and hopefully implement into their lives. I am also a full time student of nutrition and exercise physiology.
As stated above, my passion is health, fitness and helping others. I have competed in a variety of sports, possess a Crossfit Level 1 certification and have been a personal trainer to various members of the fire department and friends alike. I believe such experiences have aided in me in continuing to lead a healthy lifestyle for myself and to project a healthy lifestyle unto others.
I thoroughly enjoy researching and reading other health and fitness enthusiasts’ blogs and websites. Of great inspiration to me, and two people that I admire and try to model my health and fitness ideologies after are Mark Sisson of marksdailyapple.com and Professor Arthur De Vany of arthurdevany.com. Both of these individuals are not only well-versed and experienced in elite competitive performance and general health and fitness but are also mere geniuses with their immense knowledge of evolutionary biology and steadfast challenge of the so-called “Conventional Wisdom.”

Busy day, big party

2010-01-31T05:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday 1/30/10

Rainy day, spent all day with the wife cleaning the house and preparing the food for her father's birthday. We had close to 30 people over and both the company and the food were great. My wife's an excellent cook and host and everything went well. Good times!

Walked the dog for two hours later in the afternoon after the rain subsided.

Sunday 1/31/10

Woke up at 0500 and walked Yogi for 2 hours.

A ceremony, amazing words, and a good workout

2010-01-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

Friday 1/29/10

... not necessarily in that order. We got up a couple of times last night again for calls, one at 0100 and one about 0330. These constant late night calls are going to be the death of me, I swear. Regardless, woke up at 0645, drank some coffee, turned over the keys to the truck and went and had a good workout.

Workout: One-arm/one leg dumbbell deadlifts: 1x5 at 80lbs., 1x5 at 90lbs., 1x5 at 95lbs., 1x5 at 100lbs., 1x5 at 110lbs.

Upon completion of a set of these (for both arms and both legs) I would "plank" for around a minute and then move on to superset with:

Dumbbell shoulder presses: 1x5 at 40lbs., 1x5 at 50lbs., 1x5 at 60lbs. 1x3 at 65lbs. 1x2 at 70lbs. (last set was a push-press/jerk) I would also plank again after this before going back to the deadlifts.

One-arm dumbbell snatches: 1x5 at 60lbs., 1x3 at 75lbs. 1x1 at 80lbs. (failed with left arm at 80lbs.)

I also intermittently played around with handstands; in all the workout took a little over 30 minutes. It was brief, intense, and fairly random as I have not had a structured workout in a while and had no clue what I was going to do when I walked in the county gym this morning. I just turned up the heat and went to it. Good sweat, good workout, good stuff. I went home and walked the dog afterward for about an hour.

Later in the day I attended an award ceremony for my fire/rescue department. The ceremony recognized the firefighter of the year and paramedic of the year (I was nominated for paramedic but, the individual who received the award was more than deserving), and unit accommodations for those who performed "above and beyond" on various calls. Great ceremony. Afterward..., what do a bunch of fireman do naturally after getting together for some kind of function? You guessed it, we hit the tavern! Drank some good beer (actually only two for me, mostly wine) and ate some good food and had some good conversation. My most stimulating conversation came from the fire chief..., THE fire chief. Working for a small department certainly has its advantages when it comes to being able to talk openly with the highest person in our chain of command. I cannot really express in words the passion that this man has for helping people, (first) whether they be members of his family, members of the department, or patients, and (second) his passion for building and growing our fire/rescue department. He has done an amazing job with all aspects and certainly has not received enough credit over the years. After speaking with him for damn near 2 hours, I admire and respect him even more now. Earlier this week I posted about how I was in a rut, lasting a little longer than usual, and how everyone is entitled to be in a rut every now and then. I think my chief definitely battles with "ruts" more often than I do and probably to a much greater degree. He has a lot more responsibility than I. Still though, a man of his experience (30+ years in EMS) and expertise, I found asking me for advice, giving me advice, and giving me accolades. I was honored and humbled all at once. I was sure to let him know my thoughts, beliefs, my intentions and what I though of him, as a person and a chief. Again, not many people (firefighters/medics, maybe even corporate office workers) ever get the opportunity to have such an in depth conversation with the head of upper level management. I was/am fortunate. Though I am only a firefighter/paramedic (lower ranks) and not an officer, I let him know that he may not value my opinion as strongly as if I were but, regardless, I think he needed to know that he's doing a great job and is well appreciated. He let me know my opinion was more than worth it. He gave out a tremendous amount of advice to me, more than I can write here today on this one page. The one thing that stuck however, that I know I need to be doing is having faith and believing in God. He told me that if I learned nothing else from him, that the one thing I should take would be to "devote one hour a week to God." He said that this is the ONLY reason why he has been able to continue to be chief and deal with not only the aspects of the profession, but of his whole life. I took this to heart because again, sometimes I feel an emptiness that simply cannot be filled by anything or anybody else and know deep down, what I'm missing. Why I continue to not acknowledge it and push it away, I don't know (or maybe I do now), but this is something that I will certainly implement into my life. Last night was a great night and much needed for me as I don't do it often anymore. I came home a little before 1100 p.m. thinking that my wife was going to be pissed..., she wasn't, quite the opposite actually. She's an amazing person, much like the chief and my fellow co-workers who were all recognized tonight for a job more than well done.

Fire station work and diabetes

2010-01-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

Thursday 1/28/10

At work at the fire station today. No walking the dog and no workout (attempted a workout with the guys but we caught a call). Today for training we watched a powerpoint/video on pediatric diabetes and as often does, the subject of diet and exercise vs. genetics came up. Now, through all of my years of self experimentation (n=1), and trial and error coupled with reading many of my favorite blogs and/or books about the effects of various diets and activity (or lack thereof) on such diseases as diabetes and others, I'd like to consider myself "somewhat" versed (by no means an expert) on such subject matter. So, the questions (and conventional wisdom) statements came and I responded, armed better than they with some of their claims which came from..., where else, yep, our friend conventional wisdom. Today however, I actually received accusations and question about where I get my information and what makes what I believe and me so knowledgeable. "I simply take what I learn and apply it. After a period of time it either works or doesn't." Does it get any simpler than that? I often quote names, books, blogs, etc. and then always try to end with a question of my own, simply asking, "Is what you are doing working or has it ever worked?" One only need to reflect on one's life, then struggle to simply get out of the recliner to go take a look in the mirror to find their answer. I am not a doctor and do not proclaim to know what is best for each individual's specific condition but I believe and continue to believe that if one is willing to self educate and then apply those self-taught principles to oneself, they may start to have the answers their looking for. I read the works of Arthur De Vany arthurdevany.com, Mark Sisson marksdailyapple.com and have read Loren Cordain's "The Paleo Diet," Gary Taubes's "Good Calories, Bad Calories, and the list goes on. The fact is that I can read all the material I want but not apply any of it and hence learn nothing. I have applied all of it at least one time or another and have kept what works for me and thrown out what hasn't. Notice I said for me, people are different (though recent research shows that 99.9% of share the same DNA, but that's for another discussion). The very people that I sometimes try to educate on the matter have never tried such things or made an attempt to make such changes in their lives or have chosen the wrong route all together and have fallen short... way short. This brings me back to the subject of diabetes. It is a disease that is becoming worse and worse and is only compounded by the problems of misleading information by conventional wisdom who use the media as their outlet, doctors who still are not properly schooled in diet and nutrition and the people not taking it upon themselves to self educate and hence continuing to choose low quality and the wrong foods and live sedentary lifestyles. I'm here to do my part to teach, show and demonstrate how people can take back control of their lives and stave off the major diseases that dominate our Western civilization by making strong, solid and sound choices when it comes to nutrition and activity. I love to talk and listen, especially to those who are open to learning how to lead a healthier lifestyle and live a long life without having to battle any disease.

Life can be complicated

2010-01-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 1/27/10

I have it easy... compared to a lot of people (but sometimes not), I have it easy. I have a good, stable and secure job, a roof over my head, food, water and to top things off, a beautiful wife who loves me and puts up with a lot my BS. Still though, I find that just "having it easy," at times, isn't enough and, like many others, I start looking for something more; a better job, more money, a different place to live, etc, (all except a better woman, I've got that one nailed). I recently came across a statement/question by a friend on facebook that read: "where do I get these lemons?" Had to laugh, so true. Though most things in my life are taken care of, I feel as though I've been recently bombarded with negativity and "tests," if you will. Everybody's entitled to be in a rut or bad mood every now and then, the trick is coming out of it a better person. Usually, I do, but this time the "rut" is sticking around a little longer than normal and I find myself asking questions that I don't have the answers to right now. This is frustrating and preventing me from progressing forward. In short, I know the (my) answer lies somewhere, maybe not with me yet, maybe not so obvious even but, it's somewhere and I know it will present itself soon.

Activity: 2 hour broken up walk with the dog today.

Food: Breakfast: 1 cup of coffee with cream, one black, no sugar today.

-4 hard boiled eggs with one avocado mixed with chives, parsley, basil leaves, oregano and hot sauce.

-A LOT of mixed nuts and seeds

Skipped lunch

Dinner: some sliced cheese and mixed nuts. Wings and blue cheese with friends.

2010-01-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 1/26/10

Walked the dog for an hour.

Workout: Kick-boxed: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between rounds. Today's workout was good. I took the down the full length 100lb. heavy bag and put up the shorter 80lb. bag. I like the way it feels when I hit the shorter bag as opposed the longer bag.

Walked the dog for another hour.

2010-01-26T04:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday 1/24/10

Wife and I walked the dog for about an hour out at Anastasia National Park. Beautiful day!

Monday 1/25/10

Walked the dog for two hours in the morning and then again for an hour in the evening. Yogi still had energy after all of that. He's a monster!

2010-01-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

Friday 1/22/10

Intermittent fasting for most of the day. At work and no exercise or walking; mainly just busy work. Ran calls steadily throughout the day and got annihilated at night. Lack of sleep is not a good thing.

Saturday 1/23/10

Walked the dog for two hours and then did a boxing workout (6x5 minute rounds) later in the day. I broke two of my rules of exercise: 1. worked out when not wanting to AND 2. it was not enjoyable. I basically did this to try and counter the sleepless night and give myself some energy. I couldn't (can't) sleep at all during the day (in sunny Florida). Workout really did not do any good. Eating today was a little haphazard and good but, my wife and I went to a party and I drank WAY too much wine. Feeling it this early Sunday morning.

Going to post more often...

2010-01-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've cut way back on the working out..., way back. Truth be told, I feel so much better. I'm certain that I was most definitely suffering from overuse injuries; tendinitis in both medial epicondyles (or inner elbows), and generally overtrained. As I believe I have mentioned in previous posts, I've adopted walking and have engaged in it more frequently. Various research suggests, http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2010/01/walking.html, that walking most if not all days of week greatly reduces systemic inflammation. Contrary to popular belief, walking is not just beneficial for the stay-at-home mom or the non-athletic. Athletes, whether elite, weekend warrior and the like can benefit as well. Studies show that intense exercise of any kind, that it be resistance or "cardio" in nature promotes inflammation. Walking can help to counteract this. Arthur De Vany states that he sometimes takes a slow, relaxing walk just after a brief intense exercise session to help keep inflammation at bay and to raise growth hormone (GH) levels. That being said, walking has found a solid role in my lifestyle, almost daily. On that note, below is what I've been doing for the past week and half. I cannot remember workouts further back than this but they are about the same. There is no pattern, uniformity or consistency. Everything is fast, hard and brief and the exercises and days that they fall on are completely random and chaotic. Very evolutionary.

Monday 1/11/10

Walked and ran the trails at UNF with some bodyweight work intermittently for roughly one hour.

Kickboxed 12 - 3 minute rounds with one minute rest between rounds.

Tuesday 1/12/10

Walked the dog for two hours.

Wednesday 1/13/10

Walked the dog for one hour.

Thursday 1/14/10

Walked the dog for two hours.

Friday 1/15/10

Walked the dog for one hour.

Sprinted barefoot in grass: 10 sprints at approximately 12-15 seconds each with about 3 minutes rest between sprints. In between sprints, I worked pull-ups, dips, push-ups, handstands, etc. I got a one-arm pull-up (OAP) with the right hand fairly easy today. I attribute this to not working out as much and allowing my body more rest and a decrease in bodyweight (about 155lb.s now).

Saturday 1/16/10 - Wednesday 1/20/10

Walking various times, some days only 30 minutes, some an hour, some two hours.

Thursday 1/21/10

Walked for an hour.

Worked on OAP/OAC: 3x2 each arm and one arm push-ups: 3x5 each arm. I also easily did superman fingertip push-ups (Jack Lalane style) and played around with various other bodyweight movements; lots of muscle ups (fat bar and regular) back levers, handstands, semi planches and dips.

Sprinted various distances/times (lost count how many sprints I did) and threw around some kettlebells, 17lb. and 35lb. Great workout.

Update

2009-10-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Monday 10/05/09

Ah, been a way for a while again. School has been my priority and studying has been consuming all of my time. I've been in a funk lately and it's taken me longer than normal to come out of it. I think it might be work; too much non-sense training and not enough real action, call volume's been low, real low! And, I've been studying a lot, sometimes sitting in the same chair all day long, reading, reading and reading some more.

We did however, have a good shift two days ago. We finally had a structure fire first thing in the morning and then a trauma alert about midnight. Calls went well and my adrenaline was flowing. How can people sit behind a desk?

As far as workouts go, they've been good. I did push it a little hard today. The wife and I had some family over last night and the eating was all good and primal right up until the ice cream. So, I had some dark chocolate (85% Cocoa) and some Breyers Vanilla. I had a craving but, even the littlest bit throws me for a loop now. Sleep was horrible and not very long. So, I pushed it today, workout wise. Took the dog for a walk (brisk, very brisk) in the sticky Florida humidity early this morning. I guess I made him suffer along with me. Then I did a 6 exercise string of a Tabata workout. I'll probably be sore tomorrow but...

Warmed up with some GHD sit-ups and back extensions and some one-arm pull-ups with pinky finger of opposite hand for assistance.

Tabata intervals for all exercises: - 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, continue for 4 minutes (or 8 intervals) with one minute of rest between exercises. Total workout time with rest 30 minutes.

1. Kickboxing to the heavy bag

2. 100lb. sandbag clean, shoulder and throw

3. Jump rope - double unders (forward and backward), run in place fast (forward and backward)

4. Sledgehammer swings to the tire - 20lb sledgehammer first four rounds for strength; alternated sides with each round and, last four rounds were with the 8lb hammer for speed.

5. Ground and pound (kicks, elbows and punches to the heavybag on the ground.

6. Kettlebell swings ( full range of motion ROM, to over head) started with the 70 pounder, then the 50 pounder and finished with the 35 pounder.

Breakfast: Couple of hand fulls (maybe more) of almonds and walnuts thrown into a bowl with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, coconut flakes and almond butter.

Lunch: Huge spinach and mixed greed salad with lots of left over veggies from last night's dinner

Dinner: Big fatty steak grilled with shallots and red onions and sauteed zucchini. One glass of red wine.

To note: I sold my bumper plates; hasty decision? I'm not sure. I miss them from time to time but I'm trying to simply me life. I've always been a bodyweight guy and like the fact of being able to get it all done with the minimal. So, thought I've always kept the basics, I'm now solely going back to them. Lots of one arm pulls, push-ups, sprints, plo's, oh and a lot of unilateral work, that yes, does involve some kettlebells and dumbbells. Ok, maybe not just bodyweight.

Sunday 10/4/09

One-arm kettlelbell presses

One-arm pull-ups

Handstands

Push-ups

Standing wheel roll-outs

I was just fiddling around today, throwing around some weight and playing with skills. I didn't keep track of reps or sets.

Saturday 10/3/09

Fought fire and overhauled for 3 hours, THAT WAS MY WORKOUT!

Friday 10/2/09

4 mile beach walk with intermittent soft sand and hard sand full on sprints. Also, plunged into the water after each sprint for a full on swim sprint.

Thursday 10/1/09

Walked the dog for about an hour

Wednesday 9/30/09

Marine Rescue training. Lots of swimming, jet skiing and paddling on the paddle board.

Tuesday 9/29/09

Walked Yogi

Monday 9/28/09

Walked Yogi

Sunday 9/27/09

Rest day, at work

Saturday 9/26/09

10 - 100m sprints barefoot in the grass at UNF with the wife. Three minutes rest between sprints. I like taking 5 minutes better, more recovery.

Evolving

2009-08-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well, last night was fun! I ate good all day long and had a really good dinner (to save money) before I went to the Ale house last night with friends. I ended up having 6 rather large draught beers, 3 Dos Equis and 3 Guinness. To my surprise, I woke up early (0530) feeling like a champ but to late and a little worn out to make it out the dawn patrol surf with the fellas! I guess your body sometimes needs some good healthy dark beer and some heavy sleep.

As the title of this post suggests, yes, I seem to keep evolving (with many things it seems lately). Surfing continues to humble me but, I'm becoming more fluid and somewhat smooth. I love it! I wished I lived closer to the ocean, the drive sucks. On the other hand, I could live in Nebraska and that would really suck! My workouts have become completely disorganized and it's awesome. I find now that when I do partake in an organized workout, I don't like it anymore. I've kind of always been this way sorta, I've never really known what I was going to do until the day or minute that I decided to do it, but I don't even really do that anymore; no more organized gym sessions, no consistent routinized progressions that cause overuse injuries, just none of that anymore, it's simply not needed. I am becoming the ulimate freestyler!

I've also realized that people are deathly afraid of change, and that from now on, even when asked (and I am asked a lot) about fitness, nutrition, running barefoot, having a positive attitude, and wanting to move somewhere (other than here), etc. etc., people just don't want the answers that I provide. I think most people want justification for the way they do or see things, to make themselves feel better..., I guess. I've just felt lately that most people don't want to see other people make positive, lasting changes in their lives and succeed. That is unfortunate. I refuse to join the ranks of people who act that way and I refuse to conform to the so-called "norms" of society and/or conventional wisdom (a Mark Sisson term for all the morons who think they've got it right but deep down have to know their dead wrong). I am learning to keep my mouth shut and only give advice to those who really ask and want it.

I'm trying, learning, practicing to show/use great restraint in all aspects of my life these days. Talking quieter (and not as much) not working out hard (see above) only enjoying really good beer and really good wine with really good friends and family and after I've put in a hard day's work of some sort. Not smoking cigars (I really hate tobacco, I don't know why I indulge in this from time to time..., it's rather stupid) Not being so cynical towards the ways of the world even though that now...uh, that's right, I won't go there. Just tyring to stray away from all the instant gratification and chronic indugences that most people partake in.

School will be starting up this Monday and I'm getting myself ready. It's tough to stay motivated sometimes, especially when surrounded by many negative people. I'm getting better at separating myself from such individuals but sometimes the negativity takes its toll. Nevertheless, I'll press on and try to get all A's again this term. There is a goal in sight. Whereas my goals use to lie in the health and fitness realm (I don't know what for) they now have moved to that of education and simply having fun with my life.

Other than that, I had a huge bowl of spaghetti with garlic bread and salad tonight at the fire station. This always seems to be the meal that allows me to sleep really good and wake up feeling totally refreshed. I hope this carries on because the surf is going to be big and clean tomorrow and I need some extra energy.

2009-08-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Not surfing dawn patrol session tomorrow because I'm currently drunk and will most likely be hungover in the morning. But, I will be going to good ol' Station 9 to get some much needed "hungover sleep" and recuperation from tonight's festivities.

Regression..., but not

2009-08-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post; just before I left for Cali, and Hawaii, actually. Just before I left I hit a big PR in the back squat, squatting 230lbs. 2o times! However, my deadlift took a serious nose dive. My 1RM was sitting at 380lbs. but I just barely got 320 a week ago today. I had to reset my new 1RM to 320 and work up from there. I don't really mind the regression in the deadlift though because I have felt a ton better from all of the walking and sprints. There is no formality to my routine anymore (guess that makes it "not a routine," either). I walk, for some distance or time (always varies) almost daily, sprint once or twice a week, lift something heavy a couple times of week and, intermittently play around with bodyweight stuff. I have discovered that I would much rather do hard work, i.e. working in the yard, surfing (which, by the way is hard work and fun at the same time) and something I have done for about 5 days straight due to the hurricane off the coast. I REALLY wished I lived somewhere where I could hike all the time, a place with big hills, mountains and a better variety of terrain, environment, etc, hmmm, maybe like San Diego.

Month three of 5/3/1 for Deadlifts and de-load on BP

2009-08-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday 8/1/09

Walked and sprinted with Mar and Yogi; they both quit on me early today! For being very, very sore, my sprints were light and fast today.

Workout: Deadlifts: Warm-up: 135x5, 185x3, Work sets: 235x5, 270x5, 305x3 (WEAK, WAS SUPPOSED TO GET AT LEAST 5 REPS!!!!) All I can think is that I am still way too sore from the squat PR only two days ago, my lower back is a little tender and my CNS is now completely fried from the early morning sprints (very CNS intensive). This was my last official workout for about 10 days. I am actually looking forward to this time off, it will be fun and much deserved. However, I plan to do a lot of low, low level aerobic work, i.e. walking, hiking and swimming, and plan to do some surfing and the occasional hill sprint while out on the west coast and in Hawaii. This is going to be a great trip! I haven't decided if I will continue to week two of month three for the lifts when I do resume or just do a quick recap. I think I'm going to recap so that I can bring my bench up to date with the other lifts and start fresh with everything, including becoming proficient at the snatch and clean and jerk (the O'lifts).

Good rest day

2009-07-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

Friday 7/31/09

Walked Yogi for an hour. Cut, edged and clipped the grass later in the day. Today was a good recovery day from yesterday's squats. Tomorrow is my last day before the big trip to Cali and Hawaii. I plan on getting in a good session of deads, power snatches, bench presses and sprints. The only working out I plan to do on the trip is all natural; lots of hiking, surfing and some much needed and (excited about) hill sprints (since we don't have a single hill around here). How many people get excited about hill sprints?

Month three of 5/3/1 for squat and press

2009-07-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday 7/30/09

Walked Yogi for an hour

Workout later in the day:

Power cleans: 125x3, 145x3 165x3

Back Squat: Warm-up - 135x3, work sets - 185x5, 210x5, 235x20!!!!!!!!!! Big time PR!!!!!!

Overhead Press: Warm-up - 45x5, work sets - 105x5, 120x5 137.5x5(whoops, forgot to put the other 2.5 on the other side of the barbell.)so... redid 140x5. These were weak after the squats, my legs were done. I realized how much legs (or full body rather) actually goes into this overhead lift. Unbelievable.

I also got a bunch of OAC's today with the right hand. I'm pulling higher with the left but not quite there yet. I can almost get a OAP (palm facing away).

2009-07-30T04:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday 7/26/09

Rest day, at work.

Monday 7/27/09

Paddled 4 miles in the ocean. Did some tree climbing, muscle ups, flags, etc at old station 18.

De-load with deadlifts, finish week 4/month 2 of bench press.

Deadlift: 145x5, 180x5, 215x5

Bench Press: 150x5, 165x3, 185x7

Tuesday 7/28/09

Walked the dog and did sprints. Swam a little in the pool. Did some bodyweight stuff later in the day.

Wednesday 7/29/09

Paddled 5 miles in the ocean and did various planks and push-ups throughout.

Walked both dogs for about an hour.

2009-07-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Friday 7/25/09

... later in the day

De-load week:

Workout:

Overhead Press: 65x5, 80x5, 95x5

Back Squat: 110x5, 135x5, 160x5

Saturday 7/26/09

Drank too much crap last night, shots (I hate "sweet" shots) and beer games. Hey, I'm all about drinking some good beer and wine but just not to excess. Over that. It ruined my day today and i had a lot planned that did not get done because I had a horrible hangover. Tried to surf; not happening; bad surf and I sucked

Workout: Intermittent sprints with some gymnastics stuff. I did explosive L-pull-ups and slapped my thighs and then grabbed the bar again. Good stuff!

2009-07-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 7/22/09

Surfed for two hours

Walked for an hour.

Thursday 7/23/09

Surfed for an hour EARLY in the morning. AWESOME TIME!

Swam and paddled (minimal effort) for a brief time later in the day.

Adv. front tuck lever holds: 10x6 seconds

PPPU's with feet on wall: 3x5

Friday 7/24/09

Surfed for two and half hours, again, AMAZING TIME. It's starting to really come around now.

2009-07-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday 7/18/09

Surfed for about one hour.

Walked the TWO dogs for over an hour (no sprinting).

Workout: Deadlifts: Warm-up: 5 reps x 135lbs., 3 reps x 185lbs., 1 rep at 225lbs. Work sets: 5 reps at 300lbs. (oops, wrong weight at the wrong set, this was supposed to be set two for 3 reps), anyway, went back to 265lbs.x5, 300lbs.x3, 330lbs.x7 (PR)

Sunday 7/19/09

Warm-up: Some kind of warm-up, forgot what I did.

Workout: Snatches: Uh, pathetic, did not do a very good job, back is sore and tight, just wasn't feeling it.

Clean and jerks: same as the snatches, but I finished my prescribed weights, sets and reps for today: 135x5, 155x3, 175x1

Monday 7/20/09

Walked Yogi for over an hour with a bunch of sprints mixed in. Sprints felt good!

Tuesday 7/21/09

Surfed for about 2 hours.

Workout: Kickboxed for 12x3 minute rounds with core work between rounds.

2009-07-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Friday 07/17/09

Warm-up with some dumbbell snatches and handstands.

Workout: Bench Press: warm-up- 45x5, 95x5, 115x3; work sets: 140x3, 155x3, 175x14 (PR)

Farmer's walk with 100lb. and 110lb. dumbbells

Walking...

2009-07-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

Walking is good. I used to make fun of people who would walk for exercise. Because I was "so hardcore" and intense with my exercise, I thought these people who simply walked didn't know what true fitness is. Turns out, I was the one who was wrong. Walking, with sprinting coming in a close second, is the purest form of exercise and human movement. I now find it to be very relaxing and to be the main source of my "cardio-esque" training now. I usually walk in the morning with my dog (so he can get his exercise to) and throw in some sprints (because I love to run fast). There is something about being awake and active and taking in the morning air when most of the world is asleep. It's as if you have the world all to yourself. It's a beautiful quiet.

I have found recently that the phrase "you have to crawl before you can walk, and you have to walk before you can run," applies to more than just the physical. In a sense, with my workouts and rediscovering walking, I feel as though I'm beginning all over again and in a way, crawling... if you know what I mean. I recently started back at school (community college to purse a degree in nursing). I will be officially finishing three classes on July 26th (should be making A's in all of them) and just registered today for four more in the fall. I feel I'm crawling again here, taking the basic courses and setting a good foundation for future studies. The road ahead will be long, but it will be worth it. Where will I be in five years? I know that five years ago, when I asked myself the same question, it seemed like such a long time away. Well, here it is five years later and... damn, it went by fast. I certainly have not wasted the last five years; I've learned a lot about myself and continue to do so, more-so now than ever before. Maybe these are my "identity college years," seeing that I never really went to college, or maybe this is just me, getting close to 30 and realizing that I truly do have the power to do anything I want, it's just a matter of doing it.

So, in some aspects of my life (most) I'm crawling, some I'm walking, and in others (much less) I'm running. I will do my best to find the balance between the three and at times stop all of them, to reflect and take in my surroundings. These are where the best moments are found anyway.

2009-07-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Friday 07/10/09

Warm-up

Back squat: 185x3, 215x3, 240x4

Bench press: 130x5, 150x5, 165x13

Felt great after this workout. Numbers are coming up.

Saturday 07/11/09

First day back at work after 3 shifts off. Busy as hell. Rest day.

Sunday 07/12/09

Clean and Jerk: 125x3, 145x3, 165x3

Deadlift: 245x3, 280x3, 315x3

Back was very tight, tender and sore from too much sitting at work the previous day. The deadlifts were extremely weak, probably also due to following the C&J's I was planning on going for reps on the last set of 315 but those 3 reps were a struggle today.

Monday 07/13/09

Extensive warm-up

Kick boxed 12x3 minute rounds with core work in between rounds for one minute.

Tuesday 07/14/09

At work, rest day.

Wednesday 07/15/09

Surfed for 2 hours than walked around the Farmer's market at the St. Augustine Pier and bought some fresh food. Fun time.

Warm-up

Workout: Power cleans: (de-load week): 70x5, 90x5, 110x5

Overhead Press: 115x5, 135x3, 150x3

Good workout, pressed felt strong.

Thursday 07/16/09

Walked and sprinted with Yogi for over an hour early in the morning.

Skills warm-up: handstands, flags, muscle-ups, levers, O'lift warm-up

Workout: Power snatch: 90x3, 105x3, 120x3

Back squat: 200x5, 225x3, 250x7

Great workout today. The sprints first thing in the morning were light, springy and fast. The power snatches felt fluid and the back squats felt real strong. 250 for 7 reps is awesome!

Surfed for about one hour later in the day. Small, but fun.

2009-07-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday 07/09/09

No workout today, rest day. Went surfing with the buddies. Fun surf today!

2009-07-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

Monday 07/06/09

Warm-up

Workout: Power clean: 135x5, 155x3, 175x1

Deadlift: 230x5, 265x5, 300x7 (feeling weak today, back was stiff).

Kickboxed 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between.

Tuesday 07/07/09

Warm-up

Workout: Snatch: 65x5, 95x5, 115x5

Overhead Press: 110x3, 125x3, 140x6

Wednesday 07/08/09

Natural warm-up of jumps, crawls, ducks, runs, push-ups, pull-ups

Workout: 1 400m sprint: 58 seconds

2 300m sprints

3 200m sprints

Great workout, took almost 30 minutes. This is my "distance" sprint workout.

Held the flag again, on a thinner bar, a fatter bar, and on a chain fence. Holding the flag with my right arm down is still tough though. I will bring this up to speed.

Some unexpected PR's in Miami Beach

2009-07-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

I don't know what superpower came over me this weekend but... Saturday, the 4th of July I was in South Beach, Miami with my wife. If you've ever been to South Beach then you can envision the ambiance; the beautiful cars, hotels, people, great food, drinks, luscious landscape and the list goes on.

Probably, right now (and it has been for some time) Miami is my favorite place on earth. This day, on our way to the beach, after we walked a mile from our hotel on the other side (bayside) of the island, as usual we saw some guys (and gals) on the parkour fitness bars on the beach. There's four stations, a set of 3 pull-up bars of varying height, parallel bars, push-up bars and I believe a sit-up bench. There was one impressive black guy there who was in phenomenal shape and was doing some very basic but good, strong, and functional exercises. The others', were just kind of there. Some were REALLY TRYING TO LOOK COOL and showoff for the onlookers.

Now, I passed on going over to this area on Friday because, "I'm not that kind of guy." But, on day two, after walking to South Beach to have breakfast and watching some of these guys not go to full extension on their pull-ups and my wife constantly asking for me to "assist" her on some pull-ups (so she could better fit into her too-small-for-her dress later in the day) I figured "what the hell" and on our next walk, after walking another mile back to the hotel and then another mile back to the beach, I decided to try some stuff!

So, with that I somehow managed to hold a back lever (RATHER EASILY) hold a front lever (FOR ABOUT A SECOND, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER), perform a right arm one-arm chin-up, and hold the FLAG with my left arm on the bottom for a really long tim!. I seriously have no idea where this strength came from. I told my wife that when under pressure, (I guess you could call a lot of people watching pressure), I seem to be able to bust stuff out that even makes my mind boggle. Now, I could go on and on how great this was for me and I've tried to describe to my wife the high that I got from doing this. But, it's no use. It's no use trying to tell anybody. This is one of the those things that is so personally gratifying that I simply can not put it into words. It makes me want to continue to just keep doing any and all things that I otherwise thought were impossible, from exercise, to school, to profession, to life.

There was a good bit of a crowd there on one of the world's most famous beaches and I received a bunch of cheers, praise and disbelief and... yeah, it felt pretty cool. But, if I would have done this in the wee hours of the morning without a soul in sight and no one there to witness it, rest assure that I would be just has thrilled, amazed and happy. Needless to say, I'm not necessarily happy to have left Miami, (I love it there and hate coming home sometimes), but I am looking forward to getting back to hitting some more moves and hitting the academics, two things that I have learned are completely in my control. Setting goals isn't always fun and can seem like a daunting task at times trying to achieve them (especially why you have multiple ones) but, when you do achieve them, DAMN, what a neat feeling!

Some PR's!

2009-06-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just finished m deload weak on the four major lifts, so nothing really impressive to talk about or list there. However, I did three days ago, get a one-arm chin-up (palm facing) with my right arm (I had a shit ton of energy). Also, after weeks of being able to one-arm press approx. 6o lbs. and a solid month of slowly and gradually building my two-arm barbell overhead pressing strength, I pressed the two-pood kettlebell yesterday with relative ease. I could possibly go for reps with this my the end of July. Funny as it is though, with all of this strength, the shorter workouts, the more energy, my muscles have become smaller and I have dropped weight. Must be all the natural movement stuff. Feeling good.

Time..., Priorities?

2009-06-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 06/24/09

Where does the time go? I have become extremely busy lately with way too much going on and my priorities seem to be out of whack. With the addition of my third class, which started about a month later than the other two and therefore is an accelerated course, things have become a little more chaotic. Some days I'm able to schedule and prioritize better, but not lately. Here though, is my official plan. Please, don't laugh; this plan does include some other... extracurricular activities that most definitely have to fit into my day. Below will be my day (depending on where I'm at or where I coming from in the morning) and how I would like it to pan out. The schedule, with all other things in life is subject to change and not stay on course.

Days that I wake up at home:

0530-0700 Usually wake up at this time and drink two big-ass mugs of only the finest coffee, watch some news and do some intermittent studying.

0700/0730-0800/0830 Walk/run Yogi

0830-0900 Workout

0930 Breakfast

1000-1230 Study, read, online course work, etc. EVERYTHING SCHOOL RELATED!

1230-1300 Lunch

1330-1400 Drive to beach and surf

1400-1500 Surf

1600-1800 Study again

1800-2000 Although since 1600 my wife has been home, telling me about her day and asking me about mine with a host of other "womanly" questions that I still don't really have the answers for, this time is complete devotion to her and the pup. Helping with dinner, drinking wine, eating dinner and probably watching some comedy, listening to some music... or watching some Bill O' Reily.

2100-2200/maybe 2300- Intermittent studying, trying reorganize and make sure I'm on track for the next day.

2300 Sleep...

Days that I wake up and go to the station:

0530 Wake up

0530-07000 Drink lots of coffee, maybe study, but probably watch a lethal combination of local news, Fox news, Univision music videos, Gala programming or some DVR'd HDNET fights or WEC Wreckage, make food for the day, get work related stuff ready, etc.

0700-0730 Leave for work.

0800-0800 (The next day, 24hours) Run calls, train, MAKE TIME TO STUDY, possibly get a short workout in, and make more time for more studying. Hopefully I get good sleep on these night, but not always and not likely, especially if I'm on rescue. Not cool.

Days that I wake up at the station:

0600-0700 Wake up

0700-0800 Drink lots of coffee, wash trucks (maybe) and bullshit with my boys (the crew, the A-team, the 12/9 Dream Team)

0800 Eat breakfast at station or in the car on my way to the surf spot.

0830/0900-1200 Surf

1230-1300 Workout

1330 Lunch

1400-1800 Study

1800-2000 Family devotion time

2000-2300 More studying.

2300- Sleep...

Well, there it is... my plan that I really need to try and adhere to. The time really is there, it's just a matter of cutting out the bullshit. The bullshit for me you might ask? Well, anything conventional, i.e. T.V., video games (I don't play these anyway), too much internet surfing (my weakness), long and arduous time-consuming workouts (simply not needed) and any other mind-numbing, media driven time wasters. My life revolves around me DOING GOOD and completing school (short term: nurse prereqs., mid term: R.N., mid/long-term: BSN, long term: CRNA.), not being selfish and allowing my dog to get some exercise, as well as teaching my wife, getting myself some good quality exercise (minimal time, minimal movements, minimal equipment, all natural, super fucking heavy and super fucking fast) all geared towards allowing me to complete my education so I can love what I do and get paid a shitload of money for it and with the workouts designed to get me that much better at surfing and having fun enjoying activities that I love to do.

On a side note, I'm still kicking ass on the 5/3/1 program. I can feel that I am getting strong as fuck and I like how I'm incorporating the O'lifts into the mix. I hope it is not a fluke, but the way I've felt over the pat couple of days and the energy that I've had have been amazing. I hope it continues right on.

Wednesday 06/17/09

Rest day, at work

Thursday 06/18/09

Warm-up

Back squat, can't remember what my sets and reps were. Then, I went to the lifeguard competition, fun stuff, and then drank beer afterwards, even more good stuff.

Friday 06/19/09

Kick box: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between rounds.

Saturday 06/20/09

Rest day, at work. Lots of studying and lots of work completed. Took a long nap.

Father's Day, Sunday 06/21/09

Walk and sprint with Yogi for about one hour

Warm-up, played around with handstands, levers, etc.

Workout: Deadlift: 5 reps, 3 reps, max reps. I can't remember all the reps, but I know I pulled 320lbs. 7 times, fairly easily.

Monday 06/22/09

Walk and sprint with Yogi for about one hour

Warm-up

Workout: Deload week: Overhead presses, 3 sets of 5 reps of a rather light weight.

Front lever pull-ups: 3x5

Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds

Played around with flags and handstands

Tuesday 06/23/09

At work

Warm-up

Workout: Clean and Jerks: 1x5 at 115lbs. 1x5 at 135lbs. 1x5 at 155lbs. Felt great

Bench press: 5,3, and max reps: 1x5 at 145lbs. 1x3 at 160lbs. 1x11 at 180lbs.

Later in the evening we did Marine Rescue training from about 1900-2200. Nothing life paddling and swimming in the ocean at night. Awesome.

Wednesday 06/24/09

Rest day but, paddled on the paddleboard for over an hour and for probably a couple of miles.

Behind on posting

2009-06-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 6/16/09

I've been behind on the postings for almost two weeks now. Sucks. Anyway, the workouts have coming along quite well. I'm still working on the 5/3/1 program but with my own "primal" modifications. On days that I bench press, I'm adding full squat clean and jerks (1RM is 205lbs.). On days that I overhead press I will be doing power cleans (1RM is also 205lbs.) and deadlifting days and squat days I may try to incorporate some full snatch and power snatch movements respectively. Other than those basic heavy compound fully body movement lifts, I am working on skills and sprints. I am keeping things extremely simple (down to the bare bones if you will). I have found this natural and "primal" way to workout (if you want to call it that) so refreshing. I have ton more energy to do all the other things in life that I really like to spend time doing. I will be taking tomorrow off while at work to hopefully get school work done for the rest of the week and to get ready for a beach flags competition on Thursday. We'll see how that goes.

2009-06-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday 6/4/09

CFWU X 3 with modifications

Skills: handstands, press-to-handstands, L-sit-to-press-to-handstands, L-sits: 8x8 seconds, tuck back levers: 8x8 seconds.

Workout: Adv. front tuck levers: 8x8 seconds/PPPU's with feet on wall: 5x3

Back squats: warm-ups sets: 1x5 with 45lb. bar, 1x5 at 135lbs. work sets: 1x5 at 165lbs.(65%), 1x5 at 190lbs.(75%), 1x17 (max reps) at 215lbs. (85%)

Weighted pull-ups: 1x5 at 50lbs. 1x3 at 80lbs., 1x2 at 100lbs.

FROM HSPU's: 3X4

Workout was a little lengthy today. I'll see how my legs feel tomorrow from all the squats.

The beginning of 5/3/1

2009-06-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday 05/30/09

At work at the station but worked on finding my max bench press, only 215lbs. not very good.

Sunday 05/31/09

CFWU X 3

Skills: handstands, L-sits on the rings, flags for about 30 minutes.

Workout: Deadlift: warm-ups sets: 1x5 at 135lbs., work sets: 1x1 at 225lbs., 1x1 at 295lbs. 1x1 at 335lbs. 1x1 at 350lbs., 1x1 at 365lbs. 1x1 at 380lbs. (match PR)

I was simply trying to find my 1RM for the deadlift so I can start a new program. Even with a long layoff from deadlifts, I still matched my personal best. Unbelievable.

Went out with friends to the beach and bar. Got really drunk and ate lots of pizza and chocolate..., come to think of it, a good recovery meal!

Monday 6/1/09

CFWU X 3

Skill work: very minor skill work today with just trying to feel the movement of the planche, practiced rocking from feet to hands and trying to squeeze my traps, lats, pecs and deltoids as I lean as far forward as I can possibly comfortably manage, without falling. Wasn't too comfortable, the planche isn't supposed to be.

Went to the park and practiced some short sprints, muscle-ups, levers, skin the cats for about 45 minutes.

Tuesday 6/2/09

Rest day, at work

Vehicle extrication for Spec Ops, was in and out of bunker gear for about 2.5 hours sweating my ass off carrying and manipulating various pieces of heavy equipment simulating cutting entrapped victims out of automobiles. Intensive training, good stuff.

Wednesday 6/3/09

Ah, so the program begins, or re-begins. With a much needed layoff (I feel) I am back (hopefully for good) full throttle into the strength and power stuff again. I'm following Wenler's 5/3/1 program centered around the 4 big lifts: the overhead press, the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. I took all last week finding my current maxes for each. Today, I started with the press. Of course, the program discusses assistance exercises and such, but I have my own for that. Because the program only requires one lift a day (beautiful) I have so much time for my gymnastic skills and strength moves and some other O'lifts.

I am going to create a template for the different workouts I'm going to be doing. ALL workouts will begin with a warm-up, probably the official crossfit warm-up because it utilizes the most muscle groups through a full range of motion and gets a good sweat going. Warming up is so key, I believe that all of the injuries that I have sustained have been to inefficient warming up. Next will ALWAYS follow skill work. Skill work should be done when fresh so the body does not create bad habits. For instance handstand are part of my skill work. Why would I put them at the end when fatigued from a workout when form will only be sloppy and sub par? After the skill work, the workout begins. It will usually be a planche/front lever static or dynamc, then I will move onto an O'lift such as the clean and jerk or snatch, then one of the BIG lifts (full body compound movement) then the remaining assistance exercises, i.e. RTO dips, weighted dips, OAC/OAP, weighted pull-ups, HSPU's PPPU's, one-arm push-ups, body rows, etc. All workouts will finish with stretching and/or cool down. Today's workout for instance will be called A1 and went as follows:

CFWU X 3 - 25 minutes (a little lengthy today)

Skill work - 20 minutes: handstands and press to handstands on parallettes and ground, flags (side levers) rotating right and left sides.

Workout: Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds/Adv. front tuck lever PU's: 2x5, 3x3

Power cleans: warm-ups sets: 1x5 at 115lbs. 1x5 at 135lbs., work sets: 1x5 at 155lbs. 1x5 at 165lbs. 1x5 at 170lbs.

Overhead press: 1x5 at 95lbs. (65%), 1x5 at 110lbs.(75%), 1x8 at 125lbs. (85%)

OAC/OAP: 3x2 each arm, assisted with alternate arm and two fingers offset on the bar, slow negative comedowns

RTO dips: 3x3

Stretch/cool down.

Been away for awhile!

2009-05-29T08:12:00.001-07:00

Ouch, well over a month without posting; my apologies. I have been consistent with my workouts. I went on a cardio rampage for about the last month. My elbows and forearms got burned out from too much gymnastics stuff and my programming seemed to be just too much. So, I started doing more kickboxing, shadow boxing, etc. Though I have been working out consistently, my workouts have been... all over the place to say the least; no real structure or organization. I also pulled my trapezius muscle almost two weeks ago and had to take about a week off, (pretty bad injury). I have slowly started to get back into it and slowly is where I think I'm going to keep it. I have started back the gymnastics stuff, some heavy strength stuff and oddly enough, have been hitting a few PR's and feeling pretty damn good. There really is no need to get all crazy with trying to cram too much into one day. I will try and post everyday and stay updated. For now, here's a minor recap over the last few days.

Sunday 5/24/09

Warm-up

Workout: Tabata:
Burpees
Shadow boxing
Double unders
20lb. med ball slams
40lb. one-arm dumbbell swings
Jump rope sprints

Monday 5/25/09

No workout, but I worked in the yard with my wife for almost 4 hours. Uh... it pretty much was a workout.

Tuesday 5/26/09

CFWU X 3

Skill work: approx. 40 minutes of ground L-sits, handstands and flag (side lever work). All are becoming increasingly stronger. Balance of the handstands are becoming more solid. No "real" free standing HSPU's yet, but close.

Wednesday 5/27/09

At work, rest day. I hate rest days like this. Sat around in the recliner all day. Very stiff and very moody; completely unproductive.

Thursday 5/28/09

CFWU X 3

Skill work: Straddle L-sits, handstands (floor and parallettes), flags for about 40 minutes.

Strength Workout: Overhead presses: 1x1 at 115lbs., 1x1 at 125lbs. 1x1 at 135lbs. 1x1 at 145lbs. 1x1 at 155lbs. 1x1 at 165lbs. 1x1 at 170lbs. (PR!) Obviously, these were all singles with approx. 3-4 minutes rest between sets. I was trying to find my 1RM for the possibility of starting the 5/3/1 program... will explain another day.

Friday 5/29/09

CFWU X 3

Skill and strength work: Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds, supersetted with Adv. front tuck lever holds: 10x6 seconds.

Back squat: 1x1 at 135lbs. 1x1 at 185lbs. 1x1 at 225lbs. 1x1 at 245lbs. 1x1 at 265lbs. 1x1 at 275lbs. 1x1 at 285lbs. (PR match by self with no spot!) Same as yesterday, trying to find my 1RM for the backsquat. Not bad today.

CF WOD: 30 muscle-ups for time: Mine- 6:31, not a PR for me.

2009-04-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 04/22/09

CFWU X 3

Squat: 3-3-3-3-3, My totals were: 135-185-225-245-265, OK

Deadlift: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1, My totals were: 325-335-345-360-370(fail), could not go any further, too sore from yesterday and should not have done with the squats.

First Crossfit workout in 6+months!

2009-04-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 04/21/09

Did "Angie" ax rx'd:
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

Time: 13:54 seconds

A rough week/weedend

2009-04-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 04/15/09

At work, was on jet skis and sleds all day "training" in the Ocean.

Thursday 04/16/09

Paddled out in the ocean EARLY in the morning (was still slightly dark) and watched the sun come up. Paddled for approx. one hour and probably a couple miles.

Hung my 2" diameter, 20ft climbing rope at Station 18 and messed around on it and doing pull-ups on trees and such.

Took Yogi for a walk/sprint at the parkour loop. Did lots of sprints, planches, MU's, levers, handstands and such. This was a really good workout.

Ate lots of pizza for dinner at Renna's (good pizza) and drank too much beer.

Friday 04/17/09

Shadow boxed: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest and core work between rounds.

Went to the rock climbing wall. Was very fun, but I was very humbled. My forearms were sore for days.

Ate lots of Mexican and drank lots of beer for lunch. This is where the downward spiral began for the weekend.

Lots of artificial carbs, sugars, candy, etc with dinner and lots of wine tonight. Hard to sleep, feel like crap.

Saturday 04/18/09

Had to take a rest day, WAAAAY LOW ON ENERGY, POOR, POOR, POOR EATING THE TWO NIGHTS BEFORE. I had too much sugar and way too much alcohol, my body is in a complete fog and is completely shut down. This sucks!

Sunday 04/19/09

Surfed for about one and half hours. Not feeling it today.

Kickboxed: 12x3 minute rounds with core work in between rounds.

Ate more crap today/tonight. Too much endurance work is probably fueling the carb binge/overload. Not good. Lots of beer at the Greek Eater festival.

Monday 04/20/09

My own Tabata workout: 20 seconds of intense work, 10 seconds of rest, 4 minutes each exercise.

1.Burpees
2. 20lb. sledgehammer swings on tire.
3. Ground and pound on the heavy bag
4. Double unders
5. 100lb sandbag clean and shoulder
6. punches and kick to hanging heavybag.

This is such a badass workout. I felt better after this. Nutrition is back on track and I am feeling much better. I did some research on fish oil supplements and bought some Carlson's liquid fish oil formula. We'll see how it goes. I'm feeling pretty damn good today. Again, going against the grain is my thing. I know how shitty nutrition makes me feel. I will not fall victim to other people's shit way of eating or pathetic ways of working out. What I do works and this weekend all but proved it. I certainly love to indulge on good beer, wine and crap food from time to time, but this weekend I certainly over did it and my mood and body paid the price. I also smoked too many cigars this week (while at the fire station) something again, I really find no purpose in doing. Back on track now!

2009-04-14T15:11:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday 04/12/09

At work at the station. Took the paddleboard out in the ocean and paddled and swam on and off for about an hour. Played a little bit of b-ball in the bay.

Monday 04/13/09

Kickboxed 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between rounds. Core work in between.

Tuesday 04/14/09

PPPU's with feet on wall: 8x3
Adv front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Deadlifts: Warm-up sets: 1x5 at 135lbs. 1x3 at 225lbs., Work sets: 1x5 at 325lbs. (85% 1RM), 1x3 at 345lbs. (90% 1RM), 1x2 at 365lbs. (95% 1RM)
Box jumps just following deadlifts, nothing too high or spectacular today.

Ring routine: Muscle-up to L-sit, lower legs to support, lower to hanging L, pull to invert, lower to tuck back lever. Each hold was held for 8 seconds.

Handstand and side lever practice. Both felt good today.

2009-04-11T14:50:00.001-07:00

... following today's earlier post. Got a lot done today, including working in the yard, lots of weed pulling and tree planting; got extremely dirty, loved it, truly primal. Had lunch and some good IPA! Will be going out with some friends later for food, drinks and a sssshtogie! Uh,..., still no surf in St. Augustine, WTF!

2009-04-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Friday 04/10/09

Kickboxing: 6x5 minute rounds on the heavybag with one minute rest between rounds. Sluggish today, no power behind any of the punches or kicks, basically just a workout to get the kinks out.

Saturday 04/11/09

Shadow kickboxing: 6x5 minute rounds with core work in between. More energy this morning, nice and humid outside so I worked up a good sweat. Fairly fluid kicks and snappy punches, felt good.

Followed this up with a nice HUGE breakfast, good coffee and a mimosa. I work tomorrow so today's my Easter. Will probably demolish some Cadburry Eggs later!

I had planned to head out to the ocean about 0600 this morning, but it was too windy and there's still no waves! Where is the surf? I'm working at the beach tomorrow (Station 9) so I'll probably paddle out before shift, waves or not, we'll see.

2009-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Friday 04/10/09

Well, I wish I could say the two days off were nice. But... I'm fairly low on energy today, can't figure out why. Healthy eating the past couple of days and zero workouts, not even stretching. Maybe I need some crap food! I do believe however, that I am possibly "overtrained," or as real HARDCORE fitness fucks would say "underrecovered." Regardless, I'm going to try and take some REAL time off any intense workouts. Due to tendonitis in both elbows and strained forearms from all the gymnastics, I really don't have a choice in the matter. It's to the point where it hurst to lift semi-heavy stuff. Probably stick to running/running sprints, shadow boxing and swimming.

"Be strong to be useful." Erwan Le Corre

2009-04-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

I find the above quote better than the now trendy "functional exercise" slogan. "Sooo, your giant green swiss ball is functional?" OK!! Slogans, phrases, workouts, exercises, clothes, slang sayings, etc. become so trendy so fast in today's world, they soon become so dumb too. I'll tie in my heading quote below in a bit.

Well, I haven't posted here in awhile mainly due to laziness. My workouts having been staying fairly consistent but, I am beginning to enter "yet another" CNS burnout/adrenal fatigue. I've went at it pretty hard for the past four straight days (today included) and am looking forward to a two day layoff. Today's workout wasn't really a workout per se, but is something that is becoming the backbone of my fitness/athletic endeavour.

I woke up at 0630 this morning at Station 9 (on the beach in Vilano Beach) and walked over to the boardwalk to watch the sun come up. Beautiful. One hour later after my relief had arrived, I was in the water (water temp.- 68, air temp.- 48) and on one of our paddleboard/rescue boards paddling up the coast. I probably paddled about a half hour, then swam a little. There is something therapeutic about the cold, ocean water on my body, especially that early in the morning. I noticed (as I have times before) that when doing this, all of my senses are working. You can see all the shadows cast by the sun and clouds, you feel the wind and the cold water, you smell the salt, you hear the waves, the ocean, the birds, sometimes the dolphins, and, on rough days, sometimes you even get to taste the salty ocean with a nice mouthful of water. That part sucks. Following this, I drove up to UNF to "run"the trails. Now, when I say run, I don't mean jog, like you would see gerbil imitators doing on a treadmill at your local 24hr fitness. I mean, I RAN, and jumped, and climbed and so on and so forth. I initially only planned on being on the trail for 20-30 minutes but it turned into about an hour and fifteen minute exploration fest. I had no timer, there were no reps and sets, no fixed weight, no bars, no iron, no chalk, no rings, no bags, no gloves, no nothing. It was me and nature. And as I described above about all of the senses working; the woods really brought that into perspective. What I did today was basically a trio/combo of me acting like a four-legged animal, a monkey and a child at play. This kind of natural work/play blows away any fitness routine, regimen one could think of. I'd be willing to put money on that one. I'd like to go into detail and describe to people exactly how pure and natural doing this is, but at this point in time I will not waste my breath. To be simple about it, it's basically parkour in the woods. Running full speed, jumping as high as you can to grab a tree branch, climbing the tree, jumping down (or falling from the tree) and then off on another sprint to the next obstacle. That's only a small sample. I'm sure that most people, if they came across me in the woods and observed me jumping from trees, throwing big rocks, and shadow boxing would probably think "what the hell is this guy doing?" I believe that getting back to nature as I have described above with my early morning ocean spectacle and my trail parkour adventure is for me, the ultimate mind-body connection. I don't think that is something you can find in the gym or even in a yoga or pilates studio with jungle music and spandex on. Maybe some people THINK they can, but I think they're missing some important elements. So, in a sort of concise way, that is my answer to "being strong to be useful." One day, you may have to lift heavy rocks to help free a loved one, or lift heavy sandbags to ready your home for an incoming hurricane or flood. You may have to fight off a predator in an alley and then sprint to safety. You may even have to climb something, again to escape some impending doom. All of these which I mentioned, you and I would never do at a "steady state" treadmill pace, nor a "let me stand here and curl my 50lbs. 10 times pace." Be strong to be useful, for yourself and for others.

Tuesday 04/07/09

I think I basically described this above, but...

30 minutes of paddling in the ocean, followed by a brief swim.

1 hr 15 minutes (approx) of trail/woods sprinting, jumping, climbing, walking, slower running, balancing and general human movement, ducking, squatting, lunging, hurdling, shadow boxing, etc. The UNF trail now actually has a "parkour" loop of various bodyweight stations; i.e. pull-up/push-up bars and such. Of course, I utilized these. I also did a muscle up on a really thick tree branch.

Monday 04/06/09

At work at the station but got a good workout in.

Adv front tuck lever PU's: 6x5
Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds
55lb. dumbbell swings (one arm): 4x5

Band assisted OAC/OAP: 3x3 (each arm)
Block assisted one-arm push-ups: 3x5 each arm

Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds
L-sits on the ground: 8x8 seconds

Sunday 04/05/09

Practiced handstands and flags. Handstands are becoming more solid. I am actually starting to feel the flag position. I held it for one second today.

Adv. front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds
PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x3
Standing wheel rollouts: 3x6,1x5 last set was one short, back started to hurt, overworked.

L-pull-ups from rope and square bar with 45lb weighted vest on: 3x5
RTO Dips: 3x3

Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds
V-sits: 8x8 seconds

Saturday 04/04/09

MMA style kickboxing, bag lifting, bag "ground and pound" work: 6x5 minute rounds with 1 minute rest between.

Friday 04/03/09

Rest day, at work at the station.

Thursday 04/02/09

Shadow kickboxed: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between. The one minute was spent on ab and lower back work.

Wednesday 04/01/09

Rest day. Up all night from a structure fire at 0300 this morning.

Tuesday 03/31/09

Rest day, at work at the fire station.

Monday 03/30/09

Boxed: 12x3 minute rounds with one minute rest between. The one minute was spend doing ab and lower back work.

Falling behind

2009-03-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated here in almost 2 weeks. I've been busy at work and with other miscellaneous stuff. I will try to post later this evening.

Getting back to BASICS

2009-03-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

So, I watched Glen Beck again yesterday, (he and Bill O'Reily are my media role models) where he interviewed Dr. Drew Pinsky, (another, seems to be cool, down-to-earth guy). I'm not going to go in depth about the interview but rather just hit on one point. Dr. Drew spoke about how this country needs to "get back to the basics," and how our culture, in so many words is simply "lost." This truly is sad...and true. "What basics are you speaking of?," one might ask. How about core family values. Parents are afraid to be parents. They'd rather be "friends" to their children and be considered "cool and hip" rather than lay down some authority and guidance. Kids have enough friends, what they need are some good role models and mentors, hence GOOD PARENTING! I was/am fortunate in this department. My parents are good people and did a good job raising my brother and I. Did I turn out perfect? Fuck no! Did my folks make mistakes? You bet. But, as a whole, the four of us stuck to the basics and got shit done. I'll take a break for a moment to lay out my "ideal" basics list, not in any particular order and for both parents and kids:

Love, talk, and read to your kids, from day one.

Eat dinner as a family and discuss the day. Pretty simply, right?

At some point, turn off the goddamn T.V...and limit the video games (or just break the console altogether).

Have a hobby; play an instrument, dance, sing, play a sport, work with wood (for boys, not your own), work on cars, etc.

Get the FUCK OUTSIDE and kick around a ball or something. (I don't believe in Global Warming, I don't think the ozone layer is depleting that fast and I don't think that sunlight is all that bad for you. Don't believe everything you hear.) Al Gore is a tool.

Stop eating crap, i.e. processed foods, sodas, etc. People need to learn (and know) that eating clean really can make everything in your life easier. I don't care what infomercial your currently "attached" to late at night, uh "P90X," you have to transform yourself from the inside out. This starts with good, healthy food; lots of vegetables, fruit, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds...you get the picture.

Exercise, or just get active. I hate gyms, but if you like em, utilize em. Personally, I think that spinning your legs on a stationary bicycle or running (for any length of time) on a treadmill is artificial and to put it bluntly, fucking stupid. The only thing running a marathon is good for is... well, running a marathon. To get away from the enemy, our Army guys, Navy SEALs, etc. are not going to run at a 6:00 minute/mile pace over a perfectly flat surface. When hunting Saber tooth Tigers thousands of years ago, our ancestors did not "pace themselves" during the chase. On a side note, I also don't believe that the previous mentioned groups lifted "light, pink and purple dumbbells" for excessive reps either. So, what am I trying to say? If you're going to run, run fast and run hard and don't do it for long time. If you want some good, natural cardio, then walk or ride a bike, but for God sakes, do it outside. Oh, and yeah, lift some heavy shit, that goes for women too. No, you're not going to get big and bulky, that's a "busted myth" from like the 80s and 90s.

Smile, help others, and be nice to people. Your day is not any worse than anybody else's.

There's so much more that I could add to this list, but I believe if people can at least get these down, other elements of their life may just be able to fall into place. Not so hard, huh? Well, obviously it is, because we're "discussing" it on the news now, which I guess makes it an issue. If we all, as Americans and as a society can quit bitching and complaining about how are lives suck and start focusing on what's important (THE BASICS), we may just be able to pull ourselves out of this cultural/economical/emotional/whateverelseical you can think of rut. Yes, their certainly are people who have the right to complain more than others. If you've lost your job, your retirement, (been fucked by Maidoff), you certainly have the right to complain. But, if you still have a job, a home, and are generating an income to pay for that home, food, or some nights out on the town, your life doesn't suck that much and you should feel fortunate.

2009-03-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 03/18/09

Worked out while I worked on the computer.

Tuck front lever holds: 8x8 seconds

PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x3

Ring rows with 45lbs. weighted vest (strong, explosive pull with slow negative): 3x5

One-arm push-ups: 3x5 each arm (assisted)

Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds
L-sits on ground: 8x8 seconds

Pistols: 1x5 at bodyweight, 1x5 at 35lbs., 1x3 at 53lbs. 2x2 at 72lbs. (all sets and reps are for each leg and holding a kettlebell)

Nutrition

Breakfast: 3 hard boiled eggs and a couple handfuls of almonds and walnuts.

Lunch: Spinach and mixed green salad with raw broccoli, various colored peppers, tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese, and grilled chicken.

Dinner: Chicken Bryan (ours is better than Carraba's), broccoli, mashed red potatoes, a whole bottle of red wine and dark chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. GOOD STUFF!

New thoughts

2009-03-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, a couple of weeks ago I posted "some thoughts" on what I was/am going to concentrate on. Well, yet again, things have changed. I think I will drop the O'lifts at least for now. I'm still learning how to put my training into perspective on what matters to me the most. First, is feeling good, springy and full of energy everyday (at least most days) and remaining injury free. I'm not a professional athlete, there is no reason for me to push my body in a non-smart abusive way. Sometimes, there's too much "going on." Every time I turn around or read another blog or forum, someone is posting that "you must SQUAT, or you must DEADLIFT, or you must do PULL-UPS." YOU, must shut the fuck up and stop trying to impose. I wrote before about this; about getting caught up in other peoples suggestions, advice, recommendations, etc. etc. Most of these people probably don't know half of what they're talking about and probably don't even do half of what they're suggesting. Do what you want to do and what's important to you right now. But, see it through, as you'll never make progress by constantly going from what thing to the next without progressing on one thing first.

What's important to me now:

Feeling full of energy and being injury free
Getting back to nature: sprinting barefoot, jumping, rolling, climbing, swimming, hiking, surfing, rock climbing
Gymnastic progressions: for me, that's the full front lever/front lever pull-ups, full planche/planche push-ups(this will take a while for me, I must be patient), 10 free standing HSPU's, the "flag"/side lever/side lever push-ups, full back lever, OAC/OAP
Deadlifting 500lbs. and increasing sprint speed.

Yes, this list is in order of preferance and importance. I believe everybody should have goals and write them down. I am trying to get better at this.

...been lazy

2009-03-17T16:22:00.001-07:00

Shit, this sucks! I haven't posted in a while and have forgotten a lot of my workouts. I will try to do somewhat of a recap.

Sunday 03/08/09

Went to the beach with friends and surfed for about 3 hours (yes, I was literally in the water for 3 hours, great fun, great workout)! Drank some good beer, 2 Modelo Negros, 2 Dog Fisheads, good stuff. Later in the evening, my mom and dad took my wife and I to dinner (my birthday is March 10th) to Maggiano's. Drank some wine, ate good food, and ate lots of cake and ice cream. Today was a really, really good day.

Monday 03/09/09

I can't remember the entirety of this workout, but I do remember deadlifting and I remember doing too much deadlifting too soon. I had to cut the deadlift sets to only 4, which is OK anyway.
I also did some pressing and believe I stalled at 160lbs. today, just no energy (and probably not enough recovery to lift the weight). Played with some gymnastics.

Tuesday 03/10/09 My 29th birthday, holy shit, one more year till I'm 30, fuck!

At work, rest today, more cake and ice cream.

Wednesday 03/11/09

Played around with some gymnastics and did 10 - 15 second sprints out in a field with some handstands/handwalking, and pull-ups/muscle-ups/ninja warior type work. Muscle-up to L-sit, lower to support, lower to L-hang, pull to invert, lower to tuck front lever: 8x8 seconds in each hold.

CNS is fried. My mood is down, my body is beat up and the night sweats are starting to slowly creep back due to my overtraining. Time to ease off again.

Thursday 03/12/09
Easy day, walked the dog, light work, can't recall too much of what I did. Planks, and pull-up work.

Friday 03/13/09

Rest day, at work.

Saturday 03/14/09

Warm-up

Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds
Front tuck lever PU's: 5x5
72lb. kettlebell swings: 5x5

Full ROM HSPU's: 1x5, 2x3
L-pull-ups: 3x5

Sunday 03/15/09

My own Tabata metcon: 20 seconds of intense work, followed by 10 seconds of rest, for 8 intervals for a total of 4 minutes for each exercise. The exercises were:

1. Sprint in place jump rope, (forward and backward).
2. Sledgehammer swings on the BIG TIRE, (rotate sides).
3. "Ground and pound" on the 85lb. heavy bag on the floor.
4. Double unders
5. 100lb. sandbag shoulder clean and jerks
6. Heavybag kicks, punches, knees and elbows.

Tuck front lever holds: 8x8 seconds
PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x3

Monday 03/16/09

Rest day, at work.

Tuesday 03/17/09 St. Patrick's day!

Warm-up with muscle-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, back extensions, GHD sit-ups, etc.

Skill work of flags (side levers), and handstands.

Workout:

Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds
Front tuck lever PU's: 6x5
One-arm wheel rollouts from knees: 4x5

RTO Dips: 3x3
One-arm chin negative come downs: 3x3 each arm

Straddle L-sits: 8x8 seconds
Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Took the dog for a walk/sprint. Lots of sprints, jumps, parkour rolls, a really fun and primal activity.

Feeling a little beat up after the workout today. Took a nap after the workout and lunch. I got up twice last night to run calls. Forearms and inside of elbows feel wrecked. Felt groggy after the nap.

Nutrition was good today (as always).
BREAKFAST: Hard boiled eggs and walnuts and almonds for breakfast (my quick breakfast)
LUNCH: HUGE SALAD for lunch: spring mix lettuce, spinach, raw broccoli, tomatoes, red, orange, yellow and green peppers, feta cheese and grilled chicken, (I basically eat this salad everyday).
DINNER: Grilled steak and meatloaf, and three big beer mugs of Guinness. Hey, it's St Patty's day!

Cardio sucks!

2009-03-07T04:56:00.000-08:00

...well not entirely. My thoughts, since REALLY cutting out cardio (or endurance based training): I feel better when I lift heavy, when I lift explosive, when I run fast, and when I throw my bodyweight around like it's nothing. I love how all of these help me to feel better throughout the day and make other things easier, like surfing, playing, etc. Hence, my workout program is mainly based on the following:

Powerlifting (aka, lifting heavy shit): Deadlifts, squats (back, front OHS and one-leg), presses (maybe bench presses one day)

Olympic lifting (aka, explosively lifting semi-heavy shit): Power cleans, Power snatches, clean and jerks, full snatches

Gymnastics: planches, levers, handstands, presses, etc.

Plyometrics: sprinting, max box jumps and verticals, broad jumps, depth jumps, medicine ball throws, etc.

Metcon: Maybe some boxing from time to time, maybe a CFish metcon (every once in a great while)

2009-03-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

Friday 03/06/09

Warmed-up by cleaning out my garage for about 5 hours.

One-arm barbell press: 1x5 at 45lbs. each arm, 1X3 at 45lbs., 1x3 at 55lbs., 1x2 at 60lbs.

Front squats: 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 185lbs., 1x2 at 205lbs., 1x1 at 225lbs. (PR) never front squated before.

Power clean and jerks: 1x5 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 155lbs., 1x2 at 175lbs., 1x1 at 185lbs., 1x1 at 195lbs.

PPPU's with feet on wall: 8x3
Adv front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Ring rows with 45lbs. weighed vest (strong explosive pull, with slow negative): 3x5

2009-03-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

Thursday 03/05/09

Surfing for one hour at Vilano Beach. Water temp was 57 degrees. NICE!

Slight warm-up with handstands, pull-ups, muscle-ups, etc.

(Press strength) Full ROM HSPU's: 1x5 head to ground (not full ROM), 1X4 on bricks, 2X2 hands on parallettes
(Press plyometric) 20lb. medicine ball chest thrusts while lying flat on ground: 4x5

(Pull strength) Deadlift: warm-up with 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 225lbs., Work sets: 1x3 at 315lbs., 1x3 at 335lbs. 1x2 at 355lbs., 1x1 at 375lbs. (PR)
(Jump plyos) One leg box jumps: 4x3 each leg to 24" box, 1x3 to 25", 1x3 to 26"

Tuck planche holds: 10x6 seconds
Tuck back levers: 8x8 seconds
One-arm wheel rollouts: 3x5 each arm

Burgener warm-up, and then some snatch practice with pvc pipe, 45lbs. barbell and finally 65lbs. NEED MORE WORK. I really want to get good at the O'lifts.

2009-03-04T12:18:00.001-08:00

Rest day, at work.

2009-03-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

Monday 03/02/09

Warm-up with hollow rock and hollow arches: 3x15 of each. GHD sit-ups and GHD back extensions: 3x15 of each, some pull-ups, handstands and overs and unders

(Push strength) Shoulder press: 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 145lbs., 1x2 at 155lbs., 1x2 at 165lbs., 1x1 at 170lbs. (failed twice) 170 is my 1RM for the shoulder press
(Push plyometric)20lb. medicine ball chest throw at heavy bag: 5x5

(Pull strength) Deadlift: 1x3 at 315lbs., 2x3 at 335lbs., 2x2 at 355lbs. 370 is my 1RM for the deadlift
(Jump plyometrics) Depth box jumps: 5x5

5 minutes rest between all exercises

Various tuck planche holds: 8x8 seconds
Hanging leg raises: 3x10 BW, 3x5 with 10lbs. (total on ankles)

Handstands

Tuesday 03/03/09

Tuck front lever holds: 8x8 seconds

PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x3

One-arm push-ups: 3x5

Tuck front lever PU's: 6x5

Back squats: 1x3 at 225lbs., 1x3 at 245lbs., 1x2 at 265lbs., 1x2 at 275lbs., 1x1 at 285lbs. 285lbs. is my 1RM for the back squat
Standing, two leg vertical jumps: 5x5

V-sits: 8x8 seconds
Tuck back levers: 8x8 seconds

Handstands

2009-03-01T06:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday 02/28/09

Over and under warm-ups, some pull-ups and handstands

Workout

PPPU' with feet on wall: 2x5 with hands flat on floor, 2x3 with hands on parallettes, 1X1 (attempted straddle), 1x3 with hands flat on floor.
Plyometric explosive push ups: 2x5, 2x3, 1x2 Rested five minutes between sets (after plyo's)

Pistols: 1X5 at BW, 2x3 at 53lbs., 2x2 at 72lbs.
Box jumps: 1x5 at approx. 38 inches, 2x3 at approx. 43 inches, 2x2 at 47 inches (and some misses) 5 minutes rest between sets.

Adv. front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds
L-sits on ground: 8x8 seconds

Held a straddle front lever for approx. 1 second, NICE!

Sunday 03/01/09

Rest day, at work.

Rollercoaster of a week!

2009-02-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

Yep, as the title states, that's basically what it's been for me. Maybe I was (possibly am) suffering from burnout; job related, work related, hell, maybe even life related! I've always (almost always anyways) prided myself on being a positive person. Lately, I have found myself being the opposite. For the most part, my mood is good, but when it's bad, it's bad, and I really don't like myself. A few things that I think may be contributing: First, TOO MUCH DAMN SPARE TIME! Oh, don't be fooled, you read that right. You see, I'm a firefighter/paramedic and have the luxury of working 24hr shifts with 48hrs off, a great schedule. The problem is that when I'm at work and not running calls, I'm doing the exact same thing I do at home, sit in the recliner, watch T.V., maybe read, maybe get up and stretch or even workout a little. I know, I know, I could be training right, doing something productive toward the job, yeah, whatever, that's all well and good, and we do a lot of that, physical training, fire training, EMS training, etc. etc. Most of the time though, it is BUSY work, boring, mundane busy work. Believe it or not, I actually like it when my day starts off with a bang and we're knocking off calls left and right. What I hate, is not running any calls all day, then getting some BS call at dinner time or right before or during bed. But hey, that's the nature of the business and the profession that at this current time, I have chosen. I try REAL HARD not to complain, because I hate whiners, so why become one? My father was right however about this, "Idleness is the devil's workshop." That statement is so true. I truly believe that evil stems from sitting around doing nothing and constantly being unproductive in society. As I've said before, I'm not a staunch, right-wing Republican nor am I a loony, left-wing Democrat, but hey, fuck you socialists!

Which brings me to my next, kinda, sorta burnout, the shitty economy. Ok, maybe not that shitty (this country has seen worse), but shitty enough for me to first handedly see the effects. I, personally, am grateful that I have a job and am fortunate to collect a paycheck, but paying the bills has become somewhat harder. Harder even still, is watching and knowing that my parents and in-laws who have spent far more time at this game of life than I, are slowly losing their retirement and are having to "make rearrangements." That sucks, they shouldn't have to do that. They should be looking forward to the day they retire and excited to move on to the next half of life, the half of life that I continue to think for myself, will be better than this one, even though I'm in my youth.

And finally, my workouts. Yep, they've been sucking lately, and really this is the one area that I have the most control over yet repeatedly continue to ignore my body and push through fatigue (not the good fatigue) and pain. As a result, I've had to take some days off from various movements and progressions. Did me some good though, but, I'd rather do a little each day, have fun, and not suffer the mood swings that accompany chronic pain, fatigue and burnout. I dabbled in a workout this past Monday while at work, it sucked. Tuesday, I hit it fairly hard but was unmotivated and it as not fun, hence, it sucked. Did a light, "loosening up" workout on Wednesday, getting better. Thursday, at work and rested, good day. And today, was probably one of the best workout days I've had in a while. Again, as I've said before, I will be changing some things.

Monday 2/23/09

At work, messed around with pull-ups, inverted PU's, some handstands, some levers, that's it really. Not very productive and not very good. I'm done working out at work.

Tuesday 2/24/09

Gymnastic progressions

PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x5
Adv front tuck lever PU's: 8x8 seconds
Standing wheel rollouts, Standing one-arm wheel rollouts with assistance.

Full ROM HSPU's on parallettes:3x2
L-sit PU's: 3x5

V-sits: 8x8 seconds
Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Unmotivated and I hurt, uncomfortable.

Wednesday 2/25/09

Boxed 6 - 5 minute rounds (MMA style) core work beforehand. A nice, loosening up workout.

Thursday 2/26/09

Rest day, at work. Needed this

Friday 2/27/09

Ah, yes, the ultimate, natural workout! Surfed, with my buddy Pete, in cold-ass water for approx. 3 hours. Caught some great waves today. Later in the day did:

...kind of a Barry Ross "speed workout."

Kettlebell one-arm press: 1x3 at 53lbs. 1x3 at 58lbs., 1x3 at 63lbs., 1x1 at 65.5 lbs. 5 minutes rest between sets

Deadlifts: 1x5 at 300lbs., 1x3 at 315lbs., 1x2 at 330lbs., 1x1 at 355lbs., 1x1 at 370lbs. (PR) 5 minutes rest between sets.

Standing wheel rollouts: 4x5

Played around with handstands and front levers, almost can hold a straddle front lever, after taking 4 days off.

Upon completion of this workout, I felt so invigorated and fresh. WOW, today was a good day, but an even better end to a roller coaster of a week!

Week 3 of cycle 2 complete

2009-02-22T12:01:00.000-08:00

Monday 2/16/09

25-30 minutes of handstand and flag practice

One-arm push ups: 3x5 each arm
One-arm ring rows: 3x5 each arm

Tuck planche holds: 8x8 seconds
Adv. front tuck lever pull-ups: 6x5

Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds
Floor L-sits: 8x8 seconds

Tuesday 2/17/09

Rest day, at work.

Wednesday 2/18/09

25-30 minutes of handstand and flag practice

Full ROM HSPU's on bricks: 3x5
Weighted chins/pulls: 1x5 at 50lbs. 1x4 at 85lbs., 1x2 at 110lbs.

PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x3
Adv. front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Muscle-up to L-sit on rings (hold 8 seconds), lower legs to support (hold 8 seconds, lower to L-hang (hold 8 seconds), pull to inverted hang, lower to tuck front lever (hold for a seconds or two). Rested approx. 2-3 minutes between each set, repeated 8 times.

10x100m sprints barefoot in the grass at UNF with 5 minutes rest between. Practiced free standing handstands.

Thursday 2/19/09

RTO dip: 3x3
OAC/OAP (assisted): 3x2 each arm

Tuck planche holds: 8x8 seconds
Adv front tuck lever PU's: 6x5

Straddle L-sits: 8x8 seconds
Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Back squats: 1x3 at 45lbs. 1x3 at 95lbs., 1x3 at 135lbs. 1x3 at 185lbs., 1x3 at 225lbs. 1x3 at 245lbs.

Friday 2/20/09

At work, shitty workout! Interrupted by numerous BS calls.

PPPU's with feet on wall: 8x3
Adv. front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds
(ran a couple of calls)

Inverted PU's on PU bar: 3x5, clapping and switch grip pull-ups: 3x6
PPPU's with feet on bench and hands on parallettes: 3x5, explosive push-ups from floor, hands land on bench: 3x3
(ran some more calls)

Muscle-ups to support on bar, bend arms slightly and lower to L-sit (hold 8 seconds) lower to hang, tuck pull to tuck back lever (hold for 8 seconds). Repeat for 8 sets.

Saturday 2/21/09

Rest day, at home. Some foam rolling and lots of sleep.

Sunday 2/22/09

Warm-up with GHD sit-ups and back extensions: 4x15 of each, jump rope 4x100 turns (twice forward, twice backward)

Shadow box/kickbox: 6x5 minute rounds with one minute rest between rounds. During the minute, did hollow rocks and archer rocks for a total of 3x20 of each.

Walked with my wife and puppy for approx. 1.5hrs. Lots of steady walking, lots of sprints and fooled around on some monkey bars and pull-ups bars. I need to do more of this. PRIMAL!

Week 3 is in the books. I had to take off the weekend and some extra days from handstand work and the gymnastics. My forearms, wrists, and elbows feel destroyed and overworked.

Be your OWN person.

2009-02-19T16:31:00.001-08:00

Be your own person. It's that simple yet THAT hard to do. That's basically what Hannity said today on "The Hannity Show." No, I'm not an avid Hannity follower and no, I'm not a right wing conservative who is part of the "conservative underground" either. But, I do think Hannity is an intelligent man/journalist and I like to listen to what intelligent people have to say, whether I agree with them or not. Today, I happened to agree with Hannity. He talked about how the people of yesteryear, our founding fathers, the pilgrims, the goldrushers, etc., all came to this country with a dream, a dream of freedom and prosperity. They risked so many things, sometimes risking their lives. They came to this country without the promise of money/wealth, medical insurance, etc. They believed in themselves and that's it. They worked hard. Hannity explained how in this day and age we, as Americans don't have that drive and we are mislead by our "leaders." We think that everything should be handed to us, without any hard work put forth. We seek advice from so-called leaders who are no better of than us. We seek information on the Internet, "the endless search" trying to find the answers to...well, everything. What we don't realize is that the answer lies in each of us. We have the power TO DO anything we want. I truly believe this. The "DOING" is what separates the "haves from the have nots," or better put, the doers and the don'ters" <-(my new word). I want to do and to have, I want to know, and I want to be... I want to BE my OWN person. I too, fall victim to this, we all do, even the greatest. I love health, fitness, athletics, etc. I'm strong, fast, agile and I will always be a student of "the game." Sometimes I find myself searching for answers that I all ready know. I know I need to eat healthy, but do I REALLY need my diet to be that perfect all the time? Do I really need to perform exercise X for Y reps, because some "guru" says that's the rule. No, I don't and neither does anybody else. Some advice is great, some is not. Decipher what is good, take it, apply it, and move on. Next time, YOU give the advice. I love learning but I hate following. I like creating. I like taking samples, putting them together and creating "my own thing." I like being my own person. I encourage everybody to do and be this...sometimes I even have to encourage myself when I feel like I'm searching in the wrong places and listening to the wrong people. And speaking of being healthy, I'm making homemade pizza and drinking Stella Artois beer with my wife tonight, screw healthy!

End of week two!

2009-02-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

Sunday 02/15/09
Warm-up with PVC pipe shoulder dislocates and snatch practice. Did some bar muscle-ups and hollow rocks and arch rocks

Skills:
10 minutes of handstand practice facing wall, was able to knock out a couple of freestanding HSPU's. 10 minutes of side lever (flag) practice

Workout:
Adv. front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds
PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x5

PPPU's on rings with feet on plyo box: 3x5
Inverted PU's on rings: 3x5, lower to front lever with one leg extending on last rep of each set.

Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds
Roll to straddle L-sits on the floor: 8x4

Shoulder press: 1x3 at 45lbs., 1x3 at 95lbs., 1x3 at 115lbs., 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x1 at 155lbs., 1x1 at 160lbs.

2009-02-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 02/10/09

PPPU's (with feet on wall): 6x3
Adv. tuck front lever holds: 8x8 seconds
hollow rocks and archer rocks: 4x15 of each

One-arm push-ups (assisted): 3x5 each arm
One-arm ring rows (assisted): 3x5 each arm

Straddle L-sits: 8x8 seconds
Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Back Squat: 1x3 at 95lbs., 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 185lbs., 1x3 at 225lbs., 1x3 at 255lbs.

Handstand practice

Wednesday 02/11/09

Rest day... kind of. I was at work and had marine rescue training at the pool and did lots of swimming. My shoulder felt tired and worn by the end of the day.

Thursday 02/12/09

Handstand practice and straight-arm press-to-handstand practice

Warm-up with PVC pipe snatch practice, Burgener Warm-up, back extensions and GHD sit-ups

Full ROM HSPU's: 3x5
L-sit PU's with 45lb weighted vest (various hand positions): 3x5

PPPU's (feet on wall): 6x3
Adv front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Muscle-up to L-sit hold for 8 seconds, lower to support, lower to L-sit hang, pull to inverted hang, lower to adv. tuck back lever, hold for 8 seconds, pull to adv front tuck lever and drop.

Snatch: 1x5 with bar (45lbs.), 3x3 at 65lbs. Very sloppy. This was more just a way of getting acclimated to the snatch. I would like to get to where I'm snatching a significant amount of weight, but this is a very technical move and is going to take some practice and consistency. The little work that I did do felt so good though. Just forcing my body into the correct position made me extremely sore the next day; good sore though.

Friday 02/13/09

I received my "Tiger Paw" wrist guards in the mail last night, they work great. My wrists felt strong and were without pain during Friday's workout. All movements and holds felt really strong.

Warm-up: 3x10 Glute-ham raises supersetted with Hanging leg raises (HLR): 3x5. I overdid the GHR's. I'm showing too much hypertrophy in my legs as a result. At least I proved to myself that I can do 10 of these with no problem. I'll probably add weight and do like 2-3 sets of 2-3 reps as an assistance exercise to bring up my deadlift numbers and increase sprint speed.

Bar muscle-up practice (felt good and easy; I will be practicing these everyday). Parallette handstand practice and side lever practice. Side levers weren't too bad today. I need to practice these while fresh and I have to remember to consciously PRESS HARD with the bottom arm and PULL HARD with the top arm.

PPPU's (feet on wall): 6x3 (REALLY strong today, I was actually able to press up and bring my feet slightly off the wall.
Adv front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds
One arm wheel rollouts (kneeling): 3x3 each arm (felt strong)

RTO dips: 3x3
OAC/OAP: 3x2 (each arm, with opposing arm holding on to side of power rack about chest high)

V-sits: 8x8 seconds
Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Power clean and jerks: 1x5 at 95lbs., 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 165lbs. (BW), 1x2 at 185lbs.
Clean and jerk: 1x3 at 135lbs.

Good, strong workout. However, like I said above, a little hypertrophy in the legs. All weighted exercises I have to remember have to be low, low, low sets and reps for max strength and max power.

02/14/09

At work, rest day. Not like Wednesday's rest day. Today, I will do nothing.

Week one of second 8 weeks complete

2009-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Friday 02/06/09

30 minutes of handstand practice

HSPU's (full ROM): 5x3 on bricks
L-sit PU's with 45lbs. weighted vest (various grips): 5x3

PPPU's with feet on wall: 6x3
Front tuck lever holds: 8x8 seconds
Hollow rock and archer rocks: 4x15 of each

V-sits: 8x8 seconds
Adv. tuck back levers: 8x8 seconds

Saturday 02/07/09

Extensive warm-up of jump rope, GHD sit-ups and back extensions and shoulder dislocates.

RTO dips: 3x3
OAP/OAC (assisted with opposing arm approx stomach high): 3x3 each arm

Tuck planche holds: 8x8 seconds
Tuck front lever PU's: 6x5
Back extensions on GHD holding 45lb plate: 4x6

Strict muscle-up to L-sit, hold for 8 seconds, lower legs to support, drop down to hanging L-sit, pull with straight arms and straight legs to inverted hang, tuck legs and lower to an adv. tuck back lever, hold for 8 seconds. These were potent and f*****g awesome to say the least.

Sunday 02/08/09

Boxed 3 - 12 minute rounds with core work in between. Drank too much last night but I believe this workout would have sucked regardless. The boxing was too much for wrists and forearms today. Hurt

Monday 02/09/09

30 minutes of handstands: 15 minutes on the parallettes with some L-sit to bent arm presses to handstands. 15 minutes of handstand facing wall and rolling out. I also spent 5 of those minutes working straight-arm press to handstands with my shoulder into the wall for support. WOW, I GOT A FEW. That was a real confidence booster, I am definitely making progress.

PPPU's on rings: 3x5
Inverted PU's on rings: 3x5 (pulled up, held, slowly lowered)

Tuck planche holds: 8x8 seconds (I was supposed to do the PPPU's with feet on the wall. Oh well, it's been a long weekend!)
Tuck front lever PU's: 6x5
Standing wheel rollouts: 4x6 (getting easier)

Tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds (I extended to a full back lever, HOLY SHIT, I can do this now!!!)
Glute-ham raises: 5x5 (I definitely feel these in my hamstrings, but they're not that hard.)

Deadlifts: 1x3 at 135lbs., 1x3 at 185lbs. Work sets: 1x3 at 225lbs., 1x3 at 265lbs., 1x3 at 305lbs., 1x3 at 325lbs., 1x3 at 335lbs., 1x2 at 345lbs. (left hand underhand), 1x2 at 350lbs. (right hand underhand)
One-arm KB presses: 1x5 at 35lbs., 1x5 at 40lbs., 1x5 at 50lbs., 1x3 at 53lbs., 1x3 at 58lbs., 1x3 at 60.2lbs., 1x3 at 63lbs.

10 - 100m sprints in the grass (but with shoes on) with 5 minutes rest between. The 5 minutes was spent doing free standing handstands and press to handstands. I also did some L-sits: 8x8 seconds with various hand positions.

Longer times, harder progressions

2009-02-05T07:44:00.001-08:00

Wednesday 02/04/09

One-arm push-ups: 3x3 (elevated)
One-arm rows: 3x5 (each arm)

Tuck planche holds: 8x8 seconds
Adv flat front tuck lever PU's: 6x5

L-sits on floor: 8x8 seconds
Flat tuck back lever holds: 8x8 seconds

Strong work today. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm only two months in to a consistent gymnastics program and the results are going to come... but slowly. It can be frustrating at times.

Thursday 02/05/09

Rest day, at work.

8 week cycle complete!

2009-02-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 02/03/09

PPPU's on rings: 3x5
Inverted PU's on rings: 3x5

PPPU's: 6x5
Front tuck lever holds: 10x6 seconds
One-arm wheel rollout from knees: 4x3 (each arm)

Straddle L-sits: 10x6 seconds
Tuck back lever holds: 10x6 seconds

Pistols: 1x5 at bodyweight, 1x5 at 17lbs., 1x5 at 35 lbs., 1x3 at 53lbs., 1x3 at 72lbs. (each leg, holding kettlebells)

Sprint 400m one time: Time: 1:04 (not bad)
Sprint 300m two times
Sprint 200m three times
Sprint 50m four times

I rested 5 minutes between EACH sprint and during that time practiced free standing handstands. This workout was very tough today. It was cold and I was kind of tired. But, all was good. I finished the 8 week gymnastics cycle today so now I have to figure out what progressions to move on to. I was planning on starting tomorrow but I injured my left tricep today when I tried to do handstand pushups on the rings and toppled over busting my ass. I'll see how I feel in the morning.