Lose That Sixth Grader

I got back on my Turbulence Training band wagon today and truly escaped couch potato land. Right now my schedule will work better working out on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Here’s my workout and some commentary that I posted over in the TT Members Forum. I also got in some walking today. Walked about 8 blocks at lunch time. Walked a few blocks to and from the parking lot.

Beginner Bodyweight Workout B Week 2 Day 1

Once again I did pretty much zero exercise. I stayed at my desk working from home. I didn’t even get up and take a walk around the block. I didn’t get on the stationary bike. I didn’t do Turbulence Training. I didn’t stretch or do Tai Chi. I’m not sure what was wrong with me.

I’ve already done better than that today. I just did a quick 4 block walk on my street. I’m almost done with my first Liter of H2O. I’m going to do my 3 Turbulence Training workouts on Wed-Fri-Sun. I think that will fit with my schedule better.

Yesterday I revisited couch potato land. I watch four movies: A Bridge to Terabithia, Rendition, The Golden Compass and Michael Clayton! I also flipped in and out of a couple of NFL football games, but my favorite teams weren’t on TV so I didn’t stick with any game choosing movies instead. I didn’t exercise. I ate randomly and not very healthily either. I cannot afford too many more days like that. I’ve got to seize the day, remember that Today’s the Day.

Also, on the 27th I walked the dog twice for about 35 minutes total. He’s strong, about 70 pounds, and still full of puppy energy. It’s quite a workout to walk him.

I walked at a moderate pace for about 35 minutes at 9AM. I’ll do some stretching later on this evening.

Today I finished my third of three Turbulence Training bodyweight workouts for the week. Legs and core exercises are most challenging. Legs due to still being in recovery mode from my knee surgery and my quads, particularly the right one, are not quite up to full strength. Core is hard cause I’ve neglected it too long.

The hardest exercises today were Prisoner Squats and Planks. The planks were part of my warm up. I really pushed hard on my intervals. The interval workout was 5 mins warm up followed by 3 sets of one minute of cycling at 8 out of 10 intensity followed by 2 minutes of 3 of 10 intensity. That last set was followed with one final high intensity sprint then a 5 minute cool down.

I feel really good to have done my workout today. I’m energized now and had a really great mental high once I finished, a real sense of accomplishment. Now I just need to keep the momentum of the last 3 weeks rolling into the new year and into the Transformation Contest!

I just reviewed the manual and I was still taking 60 second breaks between supersets. That needs to be reduced to 30 seconds. I thought most of the supersets this week were a little too easy. My fault for not reading the manual closely enough.

Here are some specifics of my workout yesterday. One of  my warmup exercises was stability ball leg curls. These are still tricky. It’s a challenge for me to keep in the groove.

Another tough one was Split Squats with my front foot elevated. The balance was a little tricky. I started getting the hang of it on my third and final set but also put a hand on the wall to help with the balance. Also, I had arthroscopic knee surgery on 18 September 2008 and I’m still regaining strength in my right knee and quads.

Probably the toughest of all the exercises was Bicycle Crunches. My abs have traditionally been a weak spot. My first Kung Fu instructor way back in 1984 encouraged me to do more ab work. My form was no where near as good as the person in the video. I will get better though.

The interval training was done on our stationary bike. It was tough. The workout consisted of a five minute warm up of gradually increasing perceived intensity( 1 minute at 3 of 10, 2 minutes at 4 of 10, 2 minutes at 5 of 10) followed by three two minute periods of cycling at a seven out of ten  perceived intensity. In between those 3 high intensity sprints, I did two low intensity ( 3 out of 10 ) recover periods. This was followed by a five minute cool down at 3 of 10 intensity.

I was breathing hard and sweating profusely at the end of my last hard sprint. The main challenge was dealing with the lactic acid burn in my quads and hamstrings. That’s mostly a mental thing though. I talked to myself and occasionally outloud w/ encouraging words.

These workouts were all courtesy of Turbulence Training. I didn’t post all the exercises I did. I actually did supersets of 6 exercises. If you want to know more pick up a copy of TT. I can’t wait for the Transformation Contest to begin on 26 December 2008. I’m entering with the mindset of winning and making a huge transformation in my body in twelve weeks. I’ll post my before photos and measurements on the 26th.

I did no organized exercise on 20081221 or 20081222. I did house work on 20081221. That got me off the couch so to speak. My knees didn’t feel so good on 20081222. I did walk for a about six blocks running an errand yesterday afternoon.

Today I just finished doing the Turbulence Training Beginner Bodyweight and Inteval Workout B. Feels good. I also began a 24 hr. Eat Stop Eat fast at 1600 hours today. I ate reasonably health today. I’m on my third liter of H2O for the day. Most of what I ate is on my twitter stream.

I have yet another medical appointment in the morning at 0815. At least this time they’ll be able to get a fasting blood test for my cholesterol and triglycerides. I will get in some walking and/or tai chi tomorrow.

Today I did my first Turbulence Training Beginnner level bodyweight workout A. It was more challenging than I thought. I followed it with the Beginner level Interval Training A. My legs are fried!

I had a resitance band from the physical therapy for my knee, but I need to get a longer one to do some of the exercises. But I do feel really good. I’m a little tired, but energized at the same time. It feels really good to be working out again.

On the way to work yesterday LEB and I listened to a segment featuring Dr. Ian Smith on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. He talked about getting started with your fitness and health goals for 2009 now. Don’t wait until January 1st, get a head start on all those who will wait by beginning your program now. That’s what I’ve already done. So, I hopped over to Dr. Smith’s 50 Million Pound Challenge and signed up. You should, too!

Yesterday I walked two miles at a pretty good pace with some guys from work. We walked a mile to a Mexican restaurant where our team had lunch. Then we walked back. I would say that my effort level for the walk was between 5 and 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest.

I did my workout last night. I did the complete Turbulence Training for Intro Workout B. I also did the TT Beginner’s Interval Workout B. However, the sight and smell of fresh home made tacos overwhelmed my resolve for the Eat Stop Eat 24 hour fast. So, I’ll pick that up tonight after a having had a good dinner, breakfast and a good lunch today. Also, I walked 12 or 14 blocks yesterday at lunch time.

I realize thought, after long trying to do the opposite, that you can’t out train bad nutrition. It’s a fact. At least not over the long term.

As I wrote yesterday, I intended to do a TT workout and begin another 24 hour fast. I did not get either of those things done. I will not beat myself up. I will just do them today. I began my ESE fast at 0830. I wi’ll do my workout when I get home tonight.

The main thing is to get them done. If I do them on different days than intended it is okay. Being flexible yet consistent overall is my aim.

What are your techniques for mentally handling missing or not doing things you had planned without getting down on yourself?