The Best Shape of My Life!

This morning, I weighed myself……….187.8! The scale has continually shown me, recently, an increased number. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but I’m going to try to make the best of it.

I also measured bf………….13.5%. Not too bad. In fact, it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I’d still like to be under 10% again, but don’t know if that will ever be possible. I’ll keep plugging along, but it always seems like there are more important things that come up, my fitness keeps getting pushed to the side.

Couldn’t find my measuring tape, so I’m not in a good mood. Oh well, might be better that way, I can’t tell what my circumferences are. I’m sure most of them probably haven’t changed much. I can still wear medium shirts (for the most part), 34 waist pants, and 11 shoes. So if I’m gaining weight, it isn’t greatly apparent exactly where it’s going yet.

On a positive note…….today’s the last day of the school year! I’m so ready for summer! I have two finals today, enter grades, clean my room, and I’m done. It will be nice to catch up on a bit of sleep and get some things done around the house that have been needing to be done. Maybe I can also devote a bit of time to myself as well. It’s good to get a little "me" time every now and then.

Hopped on my bicycle for the first time probably over a year. It felt really good "zipping" up and down city streets. My legs were absolutely worn out when I got back home, and it was hard to walk for a while, but that’s what made it so great! I was out and about for 25 minutes, but it didn’t feel like it was that long. Unlike running, when it seems like I’m always looking at my watch or wondering if "time is up," biking allows me to just be free and enjoy a workout. Plus, there are plenty of nice hills in the city use for extra challenges.

This might have an impact on my abiliity to do squats for my strength workout, but that’s okay. I enjoyed it, and that’s all that matters right now.

Today’s workout (5:30 AM)

BB Squat = 205/10, 225/10
BB Bench = 155/8, 155/8
DB Uppercut = 25/12, 25/11
Supine Pullup = x/10
Bicycle Crunch = x/60 seconds
EZ Bar Curlup = 60/7, 60/6
1-Arm Overhead Extension = 25/7, 25/7

Didn’t feel quite as enthusiastic as I have been. I want to get stronger, but early in the morning like this I’m not really at my best. Unfortunately, at around 8-9 when I would be at my best, I’m at work, so I have to get my workout done at some point in the day. And mornings usually work out better for me than evenings, when I’m so tired from work, etc., that I don’t feel like doing anything.

One of these days, I will bench press my bodyweight.  
I think I have a better chance of losing weight than I do of increasing my bench sometimes. I know, negative attitude. But still, I plug along, hoping for the best.

Generally speaking, about 60% of your genetic potential comes from your mother. So, what more could you do on Mother’s Day than to thank her for giving you what you have? Although I think I got more of my dad’s genetics, I still thank my mom. Somehow, those two produced me, and though I’m nowhere near the best looking guy on the planet, I think I’ve managed myself pretty well. But today is not about me (that’s father’s day), today is about my mom, and my wife (who is a very proud mother of our daughter). Spend time with them, cherish them, and no matter what happens or what you look like, rest easy at night knowing that two very special people in your life (hopefully) love you very very much.

The drive that keeps me going…knowing that I have a beautiful and wonderful woman to come home to every night, and seeing my daughter grow physically and mentally right in front of my eyes!

It started Friday morning. I did my second strength workout for the week. Yeah, I only got in two this week, but that’s okay. I had worked in the garden on Sunday, and didn’t feel like doing another workout till Wednesday. Wed’s workout is posted in my previous blog. Friday’s was very similar to that…I don’t feel like posting the specifics. I was very pleased with the workout, it wore me down, and was a good test of some exercises I hadn’t done in a while.

Yesterday (Sat), then, I decided I needed a cardio workout. I was going to play some tennis with my bro-in-law, since we’re visiting family this weekend for Mother’s Day. However, we couldn’t do that because it stormed off and on all day. What we ended up doing is wrestling for 45 minutes at my parents’ house. I hadn’t wrestled anyone for that long (I don’t remember anyway), especially him. And for not working out or being extremely muscular, the boy is very strong and determined. That, and I’m probably a very weak fighter/wrestler. We both got a great workout from it, and I woke up this morning (just a bit ago) very stiff and sore. So much that I had to take some ibuprofen, I’m thinking about a nice, hot bath, and I may even have to resort to some icy hot, which I don’t use very often. I know, wrestling is more than cardio, which made it so great! It was a fun activity, and a very nice test of strength, endurance, and even flexibility.

I did a really good strength workout yesterday morning. I added BB Squat back into my workout program, along with BB Bench Press. I think I did pretty well, considering I haven’t done those exercises in a while. I did…

BB Squat = 205/10, 225/8
BB Bench = 155/4, 155/9 (I got distracted on the first set)
DB Uppercut = 20/12, 25/10
Supine Pullup = X/10, X/8 (wide grip, bodyweight only)
Bicycle Crunch = X/60 seconds, X/60 seconds
EZ Bar Curl = 60/6, 60/5
Bench Dips = X/15, X/15

So maybe I’ll get in some cardio today. I’d like to do a bit of running or something, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping to definitely do another strength workout tomorrow morning.

I knew it! I woke up this morning, and OUCH! Though my arms aren’t really what’s sore…it’s my back. Interesting how you think one area is going to be sore and then it turns out to be another area. My legs are pretty sore and stiff, too. So I just spent about 10 minutes stretching, and will probably do so again later this afternoon. Hopefully a little bit more time. Stretching really helps, and I’ll admit, I don’t do it as long or as often as I should.

Then there’s the issue of the sunburn. My back and arms for sure got hit yesterday, and I’m beginning to feel that. Since going shirtless to work is not an option, I’m going to have to endure the pain. I put some lotion on, and might take some with me to work so I can reapply if needed. I even used sunscreen! And usually, I don’t burn with sunscreen on. I wonder if the stuff I used was expired (it’s been in my cabinet for a while). Probably ought to get some new stuff for this summer. Maybe some tanning oil, too? Anyway, today will be interesting.

The workout I got yesterday was well worth the short "torture" I’ll go through today and maybe tomorrow.

Some people think of yard work as the devil, or the devil’s work. They trudge through it, complaining every step of the way. Not me. I’m not saying I’m better than everyone else, only saying that i love working outside in the yard! And that’s exactly what I got to do this weekend.

I don’t like the fact that my lawn is pathetic, and that it seems like I have to redo everything every year. But, as I looked at what I had accomplished the past three years my wife and I have lived here, and especially what I did this weekend, I felt much better. Some of the bushes and flowers we’ve planted the past few years are really starting to take off and fill in desolate areas. Parts of our yard have flourished with lush, green grass. And, overall, we’ve made vast improvements.

So, what did I do this weekend?

On the east side of our house is a small strip of yard covered in shade most of the day. It’s been very very difficult to get grass to grow there (even using shade grass). So my wife and I decided to plant some flowers and bushes. The ones we had previously planted are growing nicely, and will probably begin blooming sometime soon. This weekend, we planted some steppable ground cover (for shade areas) that we hope will take over, at least where the grass refuses to grow. We also planted some new bushes that we hope will add some color and lushness to the area.

I completely reseeded the entire yard, and fertilized it. Now, you might ask, why is this really a workout? Because there’s more to seeding a yard than just throwing seed. In some places, I had to cultivate the ground so that the seed would actually "catch." This meant getting out the claw, hoe, and rake, and going to town. Talk about a core and arm workout!

We also planted veggies in our garden. That’s always fun. But again, more work with the claw and hoe. We planted some squash (I love squash), tomatoes, and cucumbers (for my wife). Also, in an onion bed, some onions and peppers, and in a small garden in the far back of our yard, we planted some cantelope. So we’ll be pretty well set later this summer. Planting a garden takes some money, time, and energy, but wow! The payoff is well worth it.

Needless to say, I did no "planned" weight or cardio workout this weekend. Those of you who know what real yard work is and understand it, know what I’m talking about when I say that it was all the workout I needed. My legs are sore and tight, and my arms will probably be screaming at me tomorrow. I may be able to conduct my full body weight workout on Tuesday.

For now, a nice, warm bath, time to do some school work, and then most likely off to bed. Sleep is a working man’s best friend.