PenteKing’s BodyBlog

I achieved a new personal best today. I swam 560 yards. I can’t begin to tell you how psyched I am about this achievement. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who could barely make it 50 feet without laboring like a beached whale. Today, I went 560 yards. Granted, this isn’t even close to what I need to do in order to compete in October’s Triathlon, but it’s a huge leap forward. I actually felt like a swimmer today. There was very little thrashing about, and even on those occasions when I temporarily lost my rhythm and swallowed some water, I didn’t panic. Instead, I concentrated on what my instructor told me. I slowed down, rolled to one side, cleared my mouth, took in a new breath of air, and kept going.

Man, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I’m so happy, I could bust.

Okay, it’s now been officially four days since the start of my routine/attitude (whoa! hold the presses! Four whole days!) and I’m here to report that so far, I’ve adhered to my promised activities. My diet has been super clean. I’m eating only fresh, unprocessed food, and have eliminated bread, pasta and wheat from my meals. I’m substituting brown rice, barley and quiona (which doesn’t taste half bad, if the truth must be told). I’m lifting religiously and so far this month, have been in the water 3 out of the 4 days. I’m gradually getting more and more comfortable in the water. Of course, it helps knowing that at any time all I have to do is stand up and I’m out of danger, but still…For me, this is huge. I mean, we’re talking about a man who has never learned to swim. Even though I live in San Diego, I visit the beach maybe three time a year, and when I do, I play volleyball or lay in the sun, working on my tan.

I haven’t weighed myself yet. I plan to weigh myself every Friday morning, immediately upon waking. If I weigh myself any more frequently than that, I’ll become obsessed about my progress (or lack thereof) and lose focus on what I’m trying to accomplish. Sooooo, as the old saying goes, "So far; so good."

To snap myself out of this funk that I’ve been in for the past week and a half, I’ve decided to mix things up a bit. I have made a personal commitment to myself to lose approximately 10 pounds this month. I’ve been struggling to get below the 200 pound mark for about a year now, and it hit me that the only thing standing in the way of my achieving my goal is ME! In the timeless words of Strother Martin in the film, Cool Hand Luke, "I haven’t got my mind right." I’ve been eating pretty clean, but I can do better. I’ve been exercising pretty hard, but I can do better. I can. I will. As of today, there are no ‘ifs’, ‘ands’ or ‘buts’. No excuses will suffice. I will not cut myself any slack. None. Today is a new day. My mind is right. Let’s get it done.

Took to the pool today in an effort to improve my swimming technique. I enlisted the ai of a friend who is a part-time instructor, and she took me through the drills they teach children who are just learning to swim. At first, I was skeptical of asking for assistance, but then realized that if I am serious about this triathlon, I had better swallow my pride and get help. The swim is my weakness. I have a fear of the water, haven’t yet learned how to regulate my breathing, and am tense and nervous. If I don’t conquer my fears now, it will be too late to do so on the day of competition.

I’m happy to report that I did fairly well today. I started off the way I normally do (tense enough to add ten pounds of fear onto my frame), but by the end of the lesson, I was sluicing through the water with little fear of drowning to death. Andrea is a great teacher - calm, patient and repetitive. She went through the drills again and again until I mastered what she was trying to teach me.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m a long way from being a serious swimmer, but I feel 100 times better now than I did yesterday, and for that, I am grateful.

As I’ve immersed myself deeper and deeper into the bodybuilding lifestyle, my attitude about what it means to be fit has gradually evolved over time. At first, I wanted a physique like Steve Reeves’ - wide, powerful shoulders; deep, thick back; impossibly narrow waist; and tree trunk thighs. When I realized my genetic structure would not support a physique like that, I set my sights on another (though no less ambitious) goal - I wanted to a twelve-inch drop between my chest and waist. To me, this is the Holy Grail of body types. It automatically gives one that V-taper that is so admired by men and women alike. Then, I came across this.

Men’s Health has listed ten things every man should be able to do in order to call himself "fit". (Women, I assume, have different criteria, and if I have the time and if I remember to do so, I will research what Women’s Health has to say on the topic.) Here is the list as published on the Men’s Health web site.

1. Bench 1.5 times your body weight
2. Run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes
3. Touch the rim
4. Leg-Press 2.5 times your body weight
5. Swim 700 yards in 12 minutes
6. Do 40 pushups
7. Measure up (explained in more detail below)
8. Run 300 yards in under 1 minute
9. Touch your toes
10. Toss a basketball 75 feet while kneeling

Before commenting on the list, let me explain number 7. First, take a good look at yourself. If your belly is growing faster than your butt, you have bigger problems than figuring out how to get a tan without taking off your shirt. The more fat your body stores in your midsection, the higher your risk of heart disease. And this much we know: Fit men don’t get heart disease.

The Test: The easiest method of determining your risk level is a comparison of your waist and hip circumferences. Grab a measuring tape and measure the circumference of your waist at the narrowest point. Then measure the distance around the widest part of your hips and butt. Divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference for your score.

The Scorecard:
0.92 or higher: Your wife and kids are going to miss you
0.82 to 0.91: Ordinary
0.81 or less: Flat and happy
Of the items on this list, I cannot do numbers 1, 3, & 5. Some would say that seven out of ten isn’t bad, but that’s not good enough for me. I’m actively working on the swimming exercise (although 700 yards in 12 minutes seems like a daunting task at the moment). I’m halfway to the goal on number 1. As far as number 3 goes, I haven’t tried to do this since my days playing college ball. Now that I know this is a criterion for optimal fitness, I’m going to have to go out, find a basketball rim and practice jumping until I can touch the rim.

How well do you stack up? Thoughts and comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Wow! This is going to be tougher than I at first anticipated. The biking and running aren’t presenting a problem for me, but this swimming is kicking my a**. I have a new-found respect for competitive swimmers. Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps are animals. Swimming looks so easy - deceptively so. You see lean, lithe bodies slicing effortlessly through the water, and you think, "How hard can it be?" Well, I’m here to tell you that it can be very hard indeed. I know a lot of it has to do with never having been in the water for any length of time and the fact that I’m starting this at an age when most people are abandoning the sport. Still…

The hardest part is keeping my head in the water while controlling my breathing. It’s a whole ‘nother skill, my friends. Blow out when your face is in the water; breathe in by turning your head to one side, all the while trying to remember to keep kicking my legs; keeping my stroke constant; and NOT swallowing a gallon of water in the process. Whew! Is it too late to change my mind about this triathlon thing? Would it label me as a wuss forever? Enquiring minds want to know….

Yesterday, I officially began my training routine for the triathlon I’m planning to enter. Not wanting to overdo it (or injure myself) I laid out a workout routine that is designed to build my endurance and stamina while progressively increasing my strength. I am fortunate enough to live in a condo complex that has a well-maintained pool. As I am a poor swimmer, this is a boon because it means that I concentrate on crushing my weakness. The pool is 140 feet in length. I traversed ten laps yesterday, for a total of 1,400 feet. I had to rest between laps, but I finished the ten that I had planned, so I cannot be too disappointed in my performance. After completing the swim, I took to the bike and rode for five miles at a steady pace (90 rpm). Then, I ran for 20 minutes at a steady 6 mph.

At the end of it all, I was tired, but not overly so. Later in the day, I felt a little soreness in my rear delts as aresult of the swim, but aside from that, I felt good. Of course, this first training day is nothing compared to what is to come, but I have to be pretty pleased that I didn’t totally collapse. More to come.

I have mentioned my biking partner, Julie, on many occasions. To refresh your memory, I met Julie through a mutual acquaintance. I was preparing for the 150-mile MS marathon and she wanted to participate. We began riding together and discovered that (despite the differences in our ages) that we had many things in common. The one trait that we both share is an unquenchable desire to be the absolute best at what we do. In our training sessions, we push one another hard. I’m faster and stronger on the straightaways, while Julie makes me eat dust on climbs. But the partnership has worked. I’ve become a stronger hill climber, and Julie has increased her speed and power output as a result of riding with me.

Yesterday, I told Julie that I was going to have to slack off on our biking forays because I needed the additional time to train for a triathlon. I thought the news would either piss her off or make her feel rejected. Imagine my surprise when she said that she wanted to go along for the ride. She wants to do a triathlon as well. So I now have a training partner - one who I know is every bit as dedicated (and crazy) as I am. I couldn’t be happier.

I’ve decided to compete in a triathalon. My sons think I’m as mad as a hatter (an expression, by the way, that has a very interesting origin) but I’m going to do it anyway. I’ve often thought about training for one, but never got around to actually committing to a training plan. This time, however, I’m in up to my neck.

I took my first swimming lesson this past Saturday, and I’m ashamed to admit how woefully bad I am in the water. You’d think I had a millstone tied around my neck. I sank like a stone. And when I tried to do the freestyle, I thrashed around as though I were wrestling a rabid alligator. It was pathetic. People came from miles around to mock my efforts. Did I let those taunts and jibes cow me? No, I did not. I continued my lesson, content in the knowledge that I can only get better. (I shudder to think how bad things could get if I grow worse!) I have no worries about the biking and running. I know I can do both. Hell, I have done both (maybe not in the same day, but you get the idea). The swimming, though… Well, I can only improve. Wish me luck.

Those of you who have occasionally perused my blog know that I’m an avid bicyclist. I try to get into the saddle at least three times a week. I love biking. In my opinion, it’s the best lower body exercise there is. On a properly fitted bike, there’s no chance of injuring oneself (except, of course, for maniacial motorists). It helps one lose weight, lowers the blood pressure, increases one’s aerobic capacity, and reduces stress. What more could you ask from an exercise?

Somehow, the saddle on my bike had come loose. It had slid back, placing undue strain on my knees. The maladjustment was so imperceptible, I didn’t notice it until my riding partner, Julie, clued me into it. So, I pulled out the tools, and fixed the problem. What a difference! Today, I did 60 plus miles without strain - even going up hills (a notorious weakness of mine). On the straightaways, I was a monster. FOr the whole ride, I averaged 17 miles an hour, 2 miles an hour faster than my usual average. To make it even better, today was an absolutely gorgeous day in San Diego. It was sunny, with high clouds, and a temperature that hovered in the mid 60s. It was perfect biking weather.

Need I tell you that I’m a happy man?