Working on the Nobelly Prize

Yeah yeah yeah I know its 4 days into July, but my life outside the internet has been keeping me busy.

Working with Leigh is paying off big time. With her guidance, I’ve taken off 13 lbs in the month of June and several inches. It’s the most progress I’ve seen in a while.

If your progress is stalled and you aren’t weighing, measuring, and tracking your food, do it. You are probably overeating.

I’m working back with Leigh Peele. The focus right now is Fat Loss and Metabolic repair.

For most of June I’ve done little exercise due to lots of travel with work. I’ve kept calories in check at the recommendation of Leigh, but nothing more than walking, stretching and foam rolling for exercise. For the first time in a really long time I’m seeing some significant weight loss and my clothes are looser. I’m down almost 10 lbs since the start of the month and most importantly I’ve almost lost the weight I managed to regain in the last 6-9 months.

With hard work I should solidly be in the 240s by the end of next month. 

Walk tonight with Bob was the exercise of choice. Boy can you tell that summer has arrived in Texas. I was dying by the time we got to the park and there’s not a friggin water fountain to be had. It wasn’t bad tho when the gulf breeze was blowing. Did pretty good on my eats this weekend. Had a couple of hotdogs tonight on the grill and made up some extra lean hamburger patties and grilled them up for the week. 

Grilled Summer Salad
6 small squash (I used a mixture of yellow squash and baby zuchinni)
1 bunch of fresh asparagus spears, ends snapped off
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 head of garlic
3-4 medium tomatoes
1 jar of pimento OR 1 red bell pepper

Get grill nice and hot. While you are waiting, cut zuchinni and yellow squash on the diagonal so you get nice slices for grilling. Mix squash and asparagus spears with olive oil. sprinkle sea salt and pepper over the top. Remove most of paper skin from the garlic head and wrap garlic in foil. Place garlic on bottom grate or on the coals themselves. Place squash slices and asparagus spears on top grate. Cook for about 10 minutes then turn and cook for another 5. Remove to bowl to cool. Take tomatos (and red pepper if you are using that instead of pimentos) and put on grill. Cook until heated through or the skin splits (I cooked my tomatos for about 15 minutes turning once). Remove to bowl and cover with foil so the tomatos can steam and the skins can be easily removed. While tomatos steam, roughly chop squash, asparagus, and pimentos into 1 inch pieces.  Pull garlic off the grill and let cool. Take tomatoes and peel the skin off. Cut stem portion off the tomato and squeeze out the seeds. Roughly chop tomato flesh. Squeeze the soften garlic out of the head and add to bowl. Lightly toss.

My workouts for the last week have focused mostly on getting outside and walking.

I’ve been chained to my desk for the majority of the last week and it just feels good to get outside and move after being stuck at a desk all day.

I tend to grab my camera to take with me so photographs are an added benefit to my walking.

Last Night’s Walk garnered some Armadillo Pictures

While out at the company picnic on Saturday, I got the opportunity to walk around the edge of a lake that had a Heron and Egret rookery in the midde of it.

I also caught this handsome fella at a nearby park

Drills may have to be something i do in the morning. This evening didn’t go so hot

Drills - 1:45 (supposed to be done for 20:00 - only way to go is up right )

I was supposed to be 15 minutes on the elliptical only made it 10. Not as good as I wanted but I think it was more of a timing issue than anything.

I didn’t get home until almost 7:30 after getting caught at work until almost 6 without food. I had yogurt and PP mixed together, but I don’t think that was enough/the right mix for aerobic. I’m thinking morning might work better for these since I could have a shake before I leave the house and by the time I got to gym at work it would be in my system. We’ll find out on Friday I guess.

I did this program last fall and had good results and it was tailored to fix some of the structural issues I seem to have going on so I decided to go back there. Maybe if I get brave enough, I’ll post tonight’s before pictures. I have a long long way to go after the last 6 months of screwing around. I’m almost back to the weight I started this whole mess at, but I am still leaner than when I started this almost a year and half ago.

Mag Mob Warm Up
Yoga Twists
Side Twists
Bent knee Twists
Side Lying Trunk Twist
Fire Hydrant
Supine Bridge.

Front DB Squats
3×15x17.5s

(I could really feel these in my ass)

SS/w Lat Pullovers (subbed for Lat Pulldowns since I don’t have a lat machine at home
3×15x15

Lat Raises
3×15x7.5s

SS/w Good Mornings
3×15x45

Incline DB Flyes
3×15x7.5s

SS/w Swiss Ball Crunches
3×20xbw

Side Planks
Left and right X3
15/15
15/15
8/8

Elliptical 15 minutes level 5

Warmup
5 Minutes on Elliptical
Prisoner squats (10)
Y-Squats (10)
Hip Pop (10)
Single Leg Hip Pop (10 Each Leg)
Ys, Ts, and Is (10 each)
Birddogs (10 each side)

Squats
1×5x65
1×5x80
1×5x95
1×5x110
1×3X130 - Failed
1×8x95
Missed the 3×130.  My front hip was giving me fits so I thought it would be wise to back off on these.

Bench
2×5x45
1×5x50
1×5x60
1×3x75
1×8x55

These felt really good tonight. The stretch in my left hip felt really nice.

Row
1×5x45
1×5x50
1×5x60
1×5x70
1×4x80 < couldn’t count on this set was supposed to be 3×80)
1×8x60

Decline Bench
1×8x55
1×8x55
1×8x55

Will stay at this weight. Although I got all 8 reps out, it wasn’t easy.

BB Curls
1×8x45
2×5x45
I could really tell that the diet has kicked in with these

Tricep Extensions BB
1×8x17.5s
1×5x17.5s
1×5x17.5s

Will stay here for a little bit.

Cool Down
Supermans (10)
Lying Scorpions (15 each side)

Not a bad workout over all. I was a little surprised by the hip because it felt pretty good until I went to try and pick up the 130 for the squat. It just didn’t feel good so I ditched the heavy set. Will try for it next week.

Other than that, this was a good workout.  

Squats
1×5x65
1×5x80
2×5x95

Incline Bench - Set to four holes showing on squat rack
1×5x50
1×5x60
1×5x70
1×5x80

Deadlift
1×5x80
1×5x95
1×5x110
1×5x130

Situps on Stability ball
3×8xbw

Overall a pretty good workout. Was sweating pretty good after the warmup and then when I got into the workout, sweat really started pouring. Squats felt super easy. Incline bench and CDLs I was eeking out the last set. Grip was lacking on the last set of CDLs.