warm_marble’s BodyBlog

 I am sure I mentioned earlier, I am working at a summer camp that specializes in teenage weight reduction this summer.  I found out a few days ago that I’m not allowed to use the weight room without one of the three "fitness counselors" present.  Which means that my plan that included boxing, and limited, but intense lifts is pretty much shot.  That’s what the title of today’s post is about.  I could make up a bunch of reason’s not to train because I don’t have a weight room, or I can produce results and find ways to work.

I’ve still got the track, bleachers, my ab routine, yoga and the Men’s Health push plan.  I think I can make them work into something.  I wouldn’t be getting any bigger this way but maybe I can get more cut and fit.  I already lost two pounds during training (which included dodge ball, rock climbing, and kayaking, along with 7 days of clean eating).  I actually want to gain 10lbs, but maybe until August I can work on maintaining weight, and getting lean.  With enough work maybe I can even gain a few pounds of muslce, after all, didn’t Atlas use mostly bodyweight? 

When I stop working on August 1st I can start working with a friend who is in love with tire flips, bench, and military press.  Until then I’ll be doing my own work, an experiment of one.  Trying to get as fit as I can.

I’ve been at work for two days now.  My job is a counselor/nutrition teacher at a weight reduction camp.  I still have no idea what a typical day is like, but from what I’m seeing I think I’ll be spending most of my day with the kids or teaching.  The plus side is that I’ll be engaging in lots of cardio vascular activity.  The bad side is I doubt I’ll find myself in the weight room often.  I have been told that we do get at least a one hour break a day, and I have discovered that it’s okay to be in athletic clothes and just coming from a workout here.  So I am working on developing high intensity, short workouts.  This is going to be difficult because I am more of a long workout (one hour plus) kinda guy.  One nice thing I saw was a heavy punching bag in the gym.  I love boxing based workouts!!!  So I’m thinking of having a boxing day, and a running/lower body dynamic day (jumps squats, frog hops, and so on).

Otherwise I have adopted the push-up plan from this month’s issue of Men’s Health, and then my favorite all crunch variations ab routine at 6 am.  The first two mornings have left me sore, and optimistic.

I’m hoping to have something up soon, and on either the fourth or the fifth I should have my first summer picture up,and then every week for the next 8 weeks.

Weight lifting for the Spring saw some good improvements, I went from dumbbell bench with 55lbs dumbbells to 60lbs.  In squats I went from 2 sets of 12 at 235 to 4 sets of 10 at 260.  I saw similar results with small (about 5 to 10lbs) increases in almost all of my lifts after 8 to 16 weeks.  However, I didn’t get much bigger (my friends say they can see a difference in my shoulders, but I can’t).

I really neglected my fledging body space and I’m here to fix that.  Introducing this summer:  Operation Accountability.

During the Spring I discovered  something called MovNat, and it changed the way I think about cardio, weights, and what it means to be fit.  My old goal was to build Bruce Lee’s cut body, my new goal is to be a great all around athlete, and hopefully I’ll build a good body in the process.

How does this play in Operation Accountability?  This summer I am working at a "weight reduction" camp teaching nutrition.  I’ll have an immediate source of good food, which isn’t always available when I’m in college.  I’ll also have a great reason to workout, and only one day off a week.  My immediate goals from now until August 10th are:
1.  Kick my sweet tooth in the butt
2.  Circuit train to build muscle
3.  Get stronger
4.  Take one picture a week, and post it here
5.  See a great difference at the end of the summer
6.  Keep up with my bodyspace

As you can see goals 3 to 6 lend themselves to accountability.  So I hope all of you will help keep me honest and working hard.  I’m looking forward to noticable improvement in 10 weeks.

Well I stuck with the Bruce Lee routine for a few weeks, and did pretty well.  I was away at college while I was doing it, and when I came back I got some pretty good compliments on the improvement on my arms.  The problem is I’m already getting bored with the routine.  I also have been invited to run my fourth half marathon by a long time friend.  I have accepted.

I have heard that is impossible to have that kind of endurance and the muscular physique I am seeking.  I don’t believe that though.  This summer I was at a triathlon and I saw a guy that was huge, ripped, and completed the triathlon in a pretty good time.  I only dable in the tris, I am mostly a runner.  To get ready for the half I have divided the Lee routine up, and added swimming in.  On running days I’ll lift for my abs and lower body, and on swimming days I’ll lift upper body.  I’ll do each day 3 times a week.

The idea is this:  The running is essential and I need at least three days to train for a half.  The weight trainning is essential for building muscle.  The swimming is the compromise.  It is definetly cardio, but it builds some muscles too (based on my own experience getting ready for a tri).  Hopefully I’ll build enough new muscle and lower my body fat percentage enough that I’ll have some great results.

I’m feeling good about this new routine.  It’ll do until I finish the half.

Well I’m about done with week one of the full routine.  The weight trainning seems to be about where I need it.  I’m still playing with the weight on my squats, but otherwise I’ve found good workout weights for the other exercises.  I’m so pleased with the routine I am going to go from two session a week to three.  I think that will help me see the results I want.

I attempted the "choreographed kickboxing" class.  I’ve done Aikido and Boxing, and I have to say, the kickingboxing class isn’t kickboxing at all.  Instead it’s a dance class.  I am not interested in a dance class.  It’s just as well, I was starting to wonder if I have too much cardio in my routine.  I’ve decided to drop the abs from my routine next week and take the pilates class instead of the kickboxing.  I’ve been reading good things about pilates, and it’s inventor was a boxer, so it should be good for me.

I’ve been eating small meals every two hours too.  Inspite of this, I’ve lost 2lbs.  I guess the intensive routine is burning fat.  Hopefully the muscle will start piling up soon enough.

Well I sampled the Bruce Lee weight training regime today, as outlined by John Little in the article and books I have read.  I added shadow boxing as a warm-up, and I am going to take it right back out and in its place put jumping jacks.  I don’t go to a fighting gym, they don’t appreciate me punching a mach oppent.  Otherwise the training went pretty well.  I haven’t done some of the lifts since high school, and I am pleased to announce I am stronger. 

I’ve been looking more and more at my body.  I have the broad, ambitious goal of adding ten pounds of muscle, and being super cut (I am already pretty cut).  I think in order to fulfill my goal I need to specifically work on my weak areas, i.e. arms and forearms.  They’re both a bit to skinny.  I also think I may need to do more for my abs, I have a six pack, but I feel like the muscle lacks depth.

Finally, I am face with a true dilemia in my attempt to train like Bruce Lee and to get a comparable body.  I have decided to substitute the intense martial arts action of Lee with a choreographed kickboxing and yoga class.  I feel that kickboxing is similar to his art.  The dilemia is that I found a Judo class that is pretty cheap.  Judo is nothing like Lee’s style, but very intense.  I don’t know if I should stick with the boxing that is noncombative, but similar to Lee’s fighting style or go for the Judo where I will surely push myself combative and competively.  It’s something I’ll have to decide soon.

Decisions, decisions.  It’ll probably be time for a new workout schedule by the time I nail this one down. 

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