Al–1961’s BodyBlog

So I stepped into the breakroom a little bit ago to warm up my clean eats leftovers for lunch, cooked up by my fantabulous & most awesome wife.  One of the other departments was in the breakroom having a departmental Thanksgiving potluck.  One of the ladies asked me if I wanted some dessert, and I responded "Thank you, but I think I’ll hold off".  This lady says "Oh c’mon, relax, it’s the holidays.  Live a little.".  Mind you, this lady is "a bit" on the heavy side.  And a good 10 years younger than me.  That moment, and her comment, really hit me.  So, I’m blogging my thoughts. 

To my way of thinking these days, that’s PRECISELY what I’d be doing……living a LITTLE.  But I want to "live a LOT".  For me………

1)  Living a lot means living with a healthy, trim & fit body, and simply feeling better.  Like the migraines that are rare these days.  Like the fact I get sick much less often than I used to, before committing to a clean eats diet a few years back.  THAT’s living a lot.  Quality of life.  A good quality of life.  And with a body closing in on 50 years, stuffing my face at the office potluck, and generalized eating of processed foods, foods out of a box or with lots of refined sugars is not going to cut it. 

2)  #1 flows into #2…….Living a lot means a lot of years.  I don’t want to be suffering the many avoidable ailments & decline in mobility as I get older.  I want to be active & healthy well into my 70’s, 80’s and God-willing, my 90’s. 

So here’s to LIVING A LOT over the holidays & beyond.  That’s not to say I won’t indulge a little, but really, 2 months of pounding all the holiday goodies and mega-meals?  That’s not for me.  I’m thankful to God for the truly good foods available on this good earth.   And for my good health, which is not something I want to take for granted. 

Sorry if this comes off preachy.  She really touched a nerve.       

I read another blog post that set my mind to thinking about a life well lived & a fav song of mine (below).  A life filled with purpose & passion, and not just going through the motions.  This relates to our workouts certainly…….But, how about an all-encompassing passion that flows into all areas of life?  Vocation.  Family.  Relationships.  Making a impact in this world.  Faith (if that’s important to you…..I believe there is purpose & meaning to life…..I DON’T want to simply go through the motions)  That’s a daily battle for me.  To keep that mindset……focus my energies on what is important, not urgent. 

Those thoughts were running through my head this morning, and boy did I have an extra measure of oomph in the workout.  Major teeth gritting & sweating (BEFORE cardio). 

Here’s the song by Matthew West, titled The Motions.  If you’re not into the faith thing, not to worry.  The song is really about living life with passion, and NOT just going through the motions.  Have an awesome & purpose filled day.      

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XKe2haD_9Y 

WEEK 9:  Alternating cycle  -  HEAVY week  vs  high reps week

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  SHOULDERS  &  TRICEPS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest)

–  Military press  (5 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Front DB raises  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Overhead DB press  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Close grip bench press  (5 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Cable rope pushdowns  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Cable reverse grip tricep extensions  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

CARDIO:  20 min’s of intervals on the elliptical.  HR 140-160.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Hitting the legs with high reps is a two-er…….it’s also one heckuva cardio workout.  I’d say it’s HIIT, only with weights.  Especially if you don’t go for more than 1.5 to 2 min’s rest between sets.  And yes, I was dripping with sweat. Definitely so during squat exercises. 

Here’s a repeat of a couple fav quotes.  I hope I don’t come off as pedantic, but the older I get, the more I am convinced of the veracity of these sentiments.  As I tell my kids, no one gets through life unscathed.  It all comes down to ATTITUDE & CHOICE.  THAT determines our outcomes, and the manner in which we get to them.  Do you react (negative), or do you respond (positive) to what life throws at you?  This also helps determine whether a person will consistently stick with a healthy lifestyle of exercise & clean eating, since it takes intentionality & work.  I’m certainly not living this out 24/7/365, but I’m learning……….. 

ATTITUDE:  "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be".  (Abraham Lincoln)

CHOICE:  "The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it."   (Chuck Swindoll)

WEEK 8:  Alternating cycle  -  Heavy week  vs  HIGH REPS week

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  LEGS:

(High reps:  18-22 reps, 60-75 sec’s rest)

–  Smith machine squats  (4 sets) 

–  Hack squats  (3 sets)

–  Standing calf raises  (4 sets)

–  Leg extensions  (3 sets)

–  Leg curls  (3 sets)

–  Walking lunges  (2 sets, 25 lbs in each hand.  Could only manage 12 steps ea leg)

ABS:  Crunches w/ 10 lb wt  (4 sets)  +  situps on decline bench  (4 sets)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!      

I’ve come to realize how important it is to separate the function of food from the emotional side of eating food.  (At least MOST of the time)  Should we take LSD or heroin, simply because these drugs bring momentary pleasure?  How about drinking a case of beer or a couple bottles of wine everyday, since they bring pleasure?  The answer is obvious.  But how about food?  How many people make a regular diet of pizza, chips, fried foods, ice cream, cake, beer, etc., simply because they bring momentary pleasure, or comfort? 

More & more, I am learning to view food primarily as fuel.  One wouldn’t dream of paying $1 million for a thoroughbred race horse, then feed it a daily diet of pizza, chips, french fries, ice cream, cake, etc., and wash it all down with beer or wine.  How many Triple Crown races would it win on that diet?  But people do that to themselves everyday.  Hmmmmmm. 

You’ve got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?".…….OOPS, sorry!  Having a Dirty Harry moment.  But we should ask ourselves, ‘Are the finite & momentary pleasures of eating crap food worth it?’  Worth it to be overweight, tired, unhealthy (LOTS of health problems stem from our diet, NOT AGE), etc.?  I am NOT saying this is an easy or instantaneous change of mindset, or easy to put into practice.  It is a process.  I’m certainly a work-in-progress, and not 100% there yet.  But I’ve made huge strides the past few years. 

Back to Harry:  "Go ahead, make my day"……..       

WEEK 5:  Alternating cycle  -  HEAVY week  vs  high reps week

On the way to Abs City, I took a detour this morning to Slogsville.  I had a great workout yesterday, but was operating on just a few hours sleep from Tuesday night.  Stayed up too late watching a flick, and didn’t sleep well.  It caught up with me this morning.  Tired & low energy.  The weights felt like a ton of bricks.  Nothing for it………GET-R-DONE. 

Here’s a quote on persistence from Richard Nixon.  Whatever your opinion of the man, if you know anything about his career before becoming President, the man was not a quitter:  "A man is not finished when he’s defeated;  he’s finished when he quits."  Hope that encourages someone today who’s stumbled on the diet, gained weight, had setbacks or whatever.  NEVER QUIT! 

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  SHOULDERS  &  TRICEPS:

(Heavy:  4-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest)

– Military press  (5 sets, dropset on last set)

– Lateral DB raises  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

– Curlbar tricep extensions  (5 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Close grip bench press  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

–  Military press behind the head  (5 sets, last 2 superset w/ front DB raises)

–  Reverse cable tricep extensions  (5 sets, last 2 superset w/ cable rope pushdowns)

CARDIO:  21 min’s of LIIT on the stairmaster.  HR 140-155.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Longevity……..that’s my ultimate goal.  While I’m on an Indiana Jones type quest, Raiders of My Lost Abs, my long-term goal is to be fit, trim & active over the long haul.  I met a guy in the gym yesterday morning that I thought was in his late 50’s.  Turns out he’s turning 68 this year.  While my parents were still alive & living in an assisted living place, they had this brother & sister as neighbors.  She was 94, he was 95.  He was sharp as a tack & had a vice-grip handshake.  I thought he was going to crunch my hand.  He told me he went for a brisk 3 mile walk every morning.  A few years ago, I met this 84 yr old man who lamented that he was no longer able to do long distance running & marathons due to his knees.  He regretted being able to run ONLY 4 miles when he went for runs.  Man, I want to be these guys!  I hope that I’m hitting the gym, hiking, riding my bike, etc. when I’m in my 60’s, 70’s, 80’s & beyond if I’m still hanging.  I don’t want to follow my parents’ example of poor diet & no exercise, which led to a lot of health problems & poor quality of life their last 10 years each. 

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  SHOULDERS  &  TRICEPS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest)

–  Military press  (4 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ lateral DB raise

–  Overhead DB press  (4 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ lateral DB raise

–  Arnold DB press  (3 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ lateral DB raise

–  Front DB raise  (3 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ lateral DB raise

–  Curlbar tricep extensions  (4 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ kickbacks

–  Close grip bench press  (4 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ kickbacks

–  Cable rope pushdowns  (3 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ dips

–  Cable reverse tricep ext’s  (3 sets)  –  Last set superset w/ dips

CARDIO:  21 min’s interval sprints on elliptical.  Heartrate 140-160.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!      

"MOTIVATION"……..We read so many laments about lost motivation for workouts or healthy diet on this site.  WHAT IS motivation & how do we maintain it?  Well, there are 2 different definitions of motivation.  The 1st is really about goals.  What is your goal?  What "motivates" you to exercise & eat right?  To gain muscle?  To lose weight?  Etc.  The 2nd definition is the one most people really mean……..How does one keep up the enthusiasm for hitting the workouts & staying on point with clean eating?  This is what I want to comment on.  How do we keep the fire going to hit the workouts & diet, day in & day out?

Persistence & determination are key, not “motivation”.  Here’s a fav quote of mine from Calvin Coolidge, which helps when I don’t “feel” like doing what I know I should do: 

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

I HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE TODAY WHO FEELS DISCOURAGED.

PRIORITIES & PERSPECTIVES.  This weekend I thought about my goals & priorities.  Lately I believe I have put too much of my energy into trying to lean out, and not enough energy into family, work, etc.  I don’t plan to change the M-F early morning workout schedule, but I do need to remember what this is all about, at least for me.  It is to enhance & enrich my life, relationships, etc…..not to become my primary focus.   I doubt I’ll look back at age 80 or 85 and see that getting a lean & shredded physique as the highlight of my life.  But I would look back with regret if I did so at the expense of family, relationships, faith, etc.  So…….with that in mind: 

GLADIATOR (Day :  The weekend was Gladiator Warrior clean.  I did munch on some extra pretzel crackers at lunch & after lunch yesterday, but the diet was clean all weekend, and no after dinner munchies.  The weekend was a 2-day rest, but I did go for a leisurely bike ride with the family yesterday afternoon. 

WORKOUT THIS MORNING:  I’m doing another change-up this week, but still on heavy cycle.  I tried a new rotation that I’ve never done before.  I did 3 different bench exercises, 1 set per exercise, then moved to the next, and next, and then did 2 different flyes, until through all 5 different exercises.  Then I went back to the 1st bench exercise again, as follows.  And it kicked my butt!     

CHEST:  Bench exercises (5-8 reps per set & 60 sec’s rest) followed by flyes (10-15 reps per set & 20-30 sec’s rest).  I did 1 set of flat bench, then 1 set of decline bench, then 1 set of incline bench, then 1 set of flyes (flat, incline or decline), then another set of different flyes.  Then I started back at flat bench again.  I did this rotation 5 times, for 5 sets in all.   

CARDIO:  35 min’s of interval runs on the treadmill.   Heartrate 155-170.   Then finished up with 6 quick sets, alternating between 3 sets each of decline pushups (feet on bench) & incline flyes.  20-sec’s rest between sets. 

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!!     

The last 2 days have been a bit of a slog.  Felt like I was going through the motions on most of my sets.  For cardio this morning, my legs felt heavy heavy heavy. 

It’s a good thing that I’ve found that the real difference between a lousy or tough workout and a great workout is really only 5-10% at most.  That I don’t lift 50-75% more weight on a great day, compared to a bad day.  Habits, persistence & a positive attitude make the difference.  Sticking with it when the motivation wanes. 

Today, I determine to keep that positive attitude.  This is a lifetime process, not a diet or short-term workout program.  It’s not a race, it’s a marathon. 

Have a blessed day.  —  Al

JUST GETTING TO THE GYM IS A SUCCESSFUL WORKOUT!!    

Is it true that "JUST GETTING TO THE GYM IS A SUCCESSFUL WORKOUT"? 

I have found that the real difference between a lousy or tough workout and a great workout is really only 5-10% at most.  I certainly don’t lift 50-75% more weight on a great day, compared to a bad day.  For a bad workout, I might lift 85-90% of my normal weight, or only get 7-8 reps compared to a normal 10 reps.  Unless I’m nursing an injury. 

So, get to the gym.  Or hit the running trail.  Get on that bike.  Whatever.  Because…..

JUST GETTING TO THE GYM IS A SUCCESSFUL WORKOUT!!      

Have a blessed day.