12/30/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 12

High Intensity Day - Warm-up + Workout 85-100%HRM + Cool-down
Score = 33

I blew my last High Intensity score away today. I felt good on every exercise except the sit twist, which is still very tough for me. I'm doing a bit of hip flexibility work each day to help it along. It's going to be hard to top this score in 4 days...


Breakfast: three poached eggs, cottage cheese, Bengal Spice tea

Lunch: cup of beef and barley soup, grilled cheese sandwich w/sun dried tomatoes

Snack: slice of whole wheat bread (homemade!) w/butter

Dinner: t-bone steak, mashed potatoes, appetizers (fried shrimp, pot stickers), tapioca pudding w/raisins

I had a pretty good breakfast and lunch, but my dinner was probably way too large. This is the problem with eating after a high intensity workout. I was ravenous - and steak sounded perfect, which is pretty rare for me. Perhaps I am experiencing an increased protein demand due to TFW?

I cooked a lot today - eggs, grilled cheese, fresh bread, tapioca pudding, and I am soaking some beans overnight for a 10 bean soup tomorrow. I am enjoying working in the kitchen again, now that I am getting my weight loss back on track. For a while there I was feeling so bad about food that it just wasn't any fun to cook anymore. This feels much healthier.

12/29/30

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 11

Moderate Intensity Day - Warm-up + Workout 65-85%HRM + Cool-down
Score = 24 (would have been 28 but I went over 85%HRM on two exercises...)

The pinched nerve in my back is better, but still a bit ouchy. I took it really easy on the prone worms during warm-ups, just in case.

The actual workout was ok. I scored one point higher than my last moderate intensity workout, but it was due to higher plank pull and shin lunge scores. I was actually over the target heart rate for two exercises. The sit twist and the sit thru are both killing me. My reps were very low on both, but my pulse shot up into the 150-160 range.

We are looking at heart rate monitors online tonight - we want more accurate readings!


Breakfast: omelette w/fake crab, Bengal Spice tea

Lunch: saag paneer, chicken tika masala, curry, and naan (at the Indian buffet), chocolate yerba mate

Dinner: pineapple and 2 bananas, w/cottage cheese

Before bed: vanilla chamomile tea

Breakfast was ok, but I kind of ruined mine by losing control of the salt as I was seasoning it. I ended up scraping most of the salt off of it, but it was still really salty.

For lunch we went to the Indian restaurant near campus, and it was vert tasty. It was also a test - I have never been to a buffet and only filled my plate once. I'm usually the kind of guy that buffets lose money on, but today I ate one plate with naan and I was full. I had the chocolate yerba mate at home - it's not bad, for tea.

I realized today that I haven't had a diet soda since Christmas day. My caffeine withdrawal headaches are gone, and I think I am getting past the hump with the psychological cravings as well. In my recent restaurant outings I've had either lemonade or water, and I didn't feel too deprived by that.

12/28/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 10

Low Intensity Day - Warm-up + Stress Conversion

My pinched nerve is somewhat better, but still a long way from good. i took it pretty easy on the prone worms today - did them in slow motion to avoid a re-injury.

The stretching is helping; I can feel a big difference in my hips already. Some of the postures in the stress conversion program are brutal on my insteps, however. My ankles are not flexible enough to sit comfortably in that position for any length of time. The first few exercises where we are in seiza are quite painful.

Breakfast: pineapple and banana, bengal spice tea

Lunch: clam chowder and a dinner roll

Snack: 3 gingersnaps

Dinner: pepperoni pizza (2 slices), chamomile tea

I didn't eat as much protein as I was supposed to for breakfast, but otherwise a pretty good day. I went shopping today for protein sources - looking forward to my imitation crab omelette tomorrow morning...

12/27/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 9

No Intensity Day - Warm-up + Strain Prevention

During the prone worm warm-up, something twinged in my back, between my shoulder blades. It feel like a pinched nerve - I've had these many times before. It is quite uncomfortable. I can't move my head forward and downward without stabbing pain just to the right of my spine. I'm hoping sleep will help.

Breakfast: 2 poached eggs, banana, Bengal Spice tea

Lunch: 1/4 muffaletta, cup of tortilla soup

Dinner: 6 potstickers, pineapple and banana

Snack: chocolate ship cookie

I didn't get my lean protein at breakfast, but I felt pretty good about the day's eating otherwise. My portion sizes were reasonable, and my snack was not great, but at least it was small.

12/26/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 8

High Intensity Day - Warm-up + Workout 85-100%HRM + Cool-down
Score = 27

I realized a few things today. First, I discovered that I was counting reps for a few exercises incorrectly. All of the exercises that have a right and a left version - I was counting those individually. It turns out that a right and a left = 1 rep. Makes my scores much less impressive... but, at least I'm scoring them correctly now. I went back and changed all of my scores from the previous workouts so that my records would be right.

Second, I realized that I wasn't doing the sit-thru stretch correctly. I wasn't extending my leg out behind me. I think I have that techniques squared away - now I just need to work on hip flexibility.

My score today was lower than day 4 (due to a bad plank pull round), but I believe my technique was much better. Progress!

Breakfast: 4 egg omelette w/American cheese. Beans and mushrooms. Pumpernickel roll.

Lunch: 1/4 muffaletta, mashed potatoes w/gravy (McAlister's)

dinner: 1/4 muffaletta, hot wings (leftovers)

I feel like I ate a lot today, but I was never bloated at any point. I ordered the 1/2 muffaletta at McAlister's without realizing that the whole one is supposed to feed four people. It kept well, anyway.

Tomorrow we begin the next wave. New diet changes: add 4-8 ounces of lean protein to breakfast, and add 2-4 liters of clean water daily. The water won't be a problem for me, but the lean protein might be - I'm not often in the mood for a big breakfast.

12/25/10 Merry Christmas Workout!

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 7

Moderate Intensity Day - Warm-up + Workout 65-85%HRM + Cool-down
Score = 23 (would have been 25 if I hadn't gone over 85%HRM...)

Good workout, even if it was done at an odd time. Couldn't sleep - woke up just past midnight. Figured I'd just get it out of the way now. I'll try to get a few more hours of sleep before time for presents...

I went back to sleep, and woke up at 6:00 feeling terrible. I seem to have some kind of stomach bug - I spent the bulk of Christmas day either on the toilet or asleep. After presents, I crashed for several hours, got up for a bit and then crashed some more. Even now, I'm falling asleep as I type this.

Merry Christmas!

12/24/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 6

Low Intensity Day - Warm-up + Stress Conversion

I slept in, then did my workout first thing. It felt good to stretch and get the blood flowing. I am still a bit sore, but I feel ready to get after it again tomorrow.

As for food today, it's Christmas eve - I decided to relax about what I ate. I had some fried chicken strips w/buffalo sauce for lunch - I know it wasn't a great choice, but it certainly felt festive!

Tomorrow will be filled with more holiday eating, and I'm not going to feel bad about it. I'll journal my eating again starting on the 26th.

12/23/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 5

No Intensity Day - Warm-up + Strain Prevention

I was very stiff this morning. The strain prevention program felt great - I was moving much better afterwards. We had a lot of Christmas errands to run and it was a stressful day. TFW was the best possible way to start it - this was a good Christmas gift for us.

Breakfast: Leftover BBQ brisket

Lunch: 1/2 of a huge hotdog, 1/2 of a tuna sandwich (Flying J)

Dinner: BBQ beef, a dinner roll, diet Coke (at the Denver Zoo)

Food was a mess today. I did eat breakfast in the first hour I was awake, but the rest of the day was not the most nutritious. We were running errands all over, and we had to be in FC by 3pm, so we ended up eating out twice. In order for us to succeed, we will need to start packing our own food as much as possible. It's going to take a lot of planning - we can't just hop in the car and hope we find the right options on the road.

12/22/10

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 4

High Intensity Day - Warm-up + Workout 85-100%HRM + Cool-down
Score = 29

Tonight's workout went well, except for the sit behind twist. It's my lowest scoring round, and my highest heart rate. I need to just accept it, and move more deliberately through those sets.

We have finished the first 4 day wave, and I feel really good about it. I am looking forward to the next two days of recovery. I can feel that I need the flexibility and mobility stuff. I might do a full IF tomorrow, depending on how I feel.

Breakfast: Granola bar, 0 calorie Lifewater

Lunch: Hotdog, 0 calorie Lifewater

Dinner: BBQ beef brisket, 7.5oz diet Coke

Today's eating was not great, but it wasn't worst day I've ever had either. I was tempted by junk fast food while I was running errands around lunch time, but I was able to control the cravings. My lunch was still not great, but it was better than what I wanted, which was a greasy burrito with sour cream. I probably ate too much BBQ brisket but it was a delicious reminder of my childhood in the South. I am thinking of bringing BBQ down to FC for Christmas dinner. The question is, beef or pork?

We are about to start the second cycle of the TFW diet. The requirement is "eat breakfast within one hour of waking." That can be tough for me; I spent years skipping breakfast because it allowed me to sleep a bit longer, and also because I am frequently not hungry at all in the mornings. I am planning on having oatmeal for the first few days, mostly because it's quick and easy to make in the microwave.

12/21/10 Day 14

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 3

Moderate Intensity Day - Warm-up + Workout 65-85%HRM + Cool-down
Score = 8 (would have been 23 if I hadn't gone over 85%HRM...)

Ok - so this tells me that I know nothing about "moderate intensity." On the 2nd exercise (shin lunge) my heart rate went up to just above 85% (between 86% and 90%). I knew I was working a bit, but I had no idea that I was so close to my HRM. Tomorrow I will basically try to replicate today's performance, with a few more reps of the sit twist and sit thru stretch. The tricky thing will be slowing down on the next moderate day. So far, I really like Tacfit Warrior.

Breakfast: Hot dog on a plain bun, smoked almonds, hot peanuts, 20oz diet Mt. Dew

Lunch: Tuna salad and cheese on pumpernickel, small bowl of chicken Alfredo pasta (last of the leftovers), 7.5oz diet coke

Dinner:Carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, all raw, with ranch dressing.

Obviously breakfast was a problem today. I got a late start this morning, plus it snowed 10+ inches overnight. I was late getting ready for work, so I didn't make breakfast at home. The servings of nuts were very small (1.5oz each) and I did avoid the truly terrible breakfast options in the Union - doughnuts, danish, etc.

Lunch was good - the pumpernickel buns were tasty. Unfortunately, it gave me some heartburn later. That's been happening lately with tuna; not sure why.

Dinner was post workout. After the initial adrenaline rush wore off, I began to get hungry. It was a bit too close to bed time, but I was legitimately hungry, so I just hit the veggie tray that was already in the fridge.

12/20/10 Day 13

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 2

Low Intensity Day - Warm-up + Stress Conversion

Some of the positions in today's workout were quite difficult for me, due to tightness in my hips and shoulders. The shoulder bridge was particularly tough - I have a long way to go on that one before I can grab my ankles. I will use my yoga mat from now on. The additional traction would help quite a bit. Looking forward to tomorrow's workout!

Breakfast - oatmeal w/raisins, ham steak (Perkins)

Lunch - Chicken Taco Salad, chips and queso, diet pepsi (Qdoba)

Dinner - Chicken Alfredo Pasta leftovers (Pizza Hut)

I feel good about the portions that I ate today, if not the content. I had relatives in town for the holidays, so there was a lot of eating at restaurants. I did have seconds of the pasta, but neither serving was as large as my usual, so I guess that's progress...

12/19/10 Day 12

For the past 4 days I haven't worked out. I have done the Tibetans, but nothing else. I've spent most of my work out time reading the Tacfit Warrior Manual. Today is day 1 of our first 4x7 mission, and I am excited to get started.

TFW Pre-Recruit Mission, Day 1

No Intensity Day - Warm-up + Strain Prevention

The Strain Prevention program is like a stripped down version of Intu-Flow. We have agreed that we might do a full IF set in place of Strain Prevention on days when we have time.

We are doing the Tacfit Warrior Diet as well. For Cycle 1 we are supposed to begin journaling about food (include feeling/energy level/mood).

Breakfast: Banana

Lunch: Grilled Chicken sandwich hotwing sauce, swiss cheese, bleu cheese crumbles, lettuce, and tomato. (Stuft Burgers in Fort Collins)

Dinner: Chicken alfredo pasta. (Pizza Hut in Laramie)

Drinks: Water with meals, 1 bottle of grapefruit kombucha throughout the day.

I felt pretty good throughout the day, energy-wise. The main problems with today's eating were the timing of the meals and the pasta for dinner. We postponed dinner because we were Christmas shopping and waiting for relatives to arrive, and we opted for Pizza Hut pasta because it was cheap and quick. I need to plan ahead much better, and bring food with me when we have a busy day like today.

The kombucha was a pleasant surprise. I usually hate tea, so I was surprised to find that this tea was... not terrible. I wouldn't say that it's my favorite drink, but it is palatable.

12/14/10: Day 7

5 Tibetans - 5 reps each

BW:
Ring Push-ups - 3x10
Ring Rows - 3x10
Assisted Ring Pull-ups - 3x8
Assisted Ring Dips - 1x10
Archer Push-ups - 2x5
Ring Flys - 1x10
Lawnmower Extensions - 2x5

The Tibetans are going better now that I'm using the push-up board for #4. The ring exercises are brutal, however. Archer push-ups are very tough, and the lawnmower extension makes my hamstring on the opposite side feel like it's about to cramp up. On the pull-ups and dips it's hard to gauge the effort level. I always seem to be either babying myself, or making it impossible to complete a rep.

The big news of today, however, is that Tacfit Warrior finally went on sale! We ordered it and then I stayed up way too late downloading it all. I'm going to start reading it and sorting it all out tomorrow. We should have a new workout plan by the weekend.

12/13/10: Day 6

5 Tibetans - 5 reps each

BW:
Tacfit Warrior Challenge lite - 20 minutes, 3 reps per set (some sets of 4 also): 20 points

I did the Tibetans first thing in the morning, and I think that is the best way to approach them. I think I don't really understand #1 - it just makes me feel queasy - and #4 is much easier for me if I put my hands on the push-up board - I can actually get close to a full rep that way. My shoulder flexibility (or lack there of) is not normally an issue, but it's a serious limiter in this exercise.

I did Warrior Challenge late in the day - just before bed. It felt pretty good, except for my scraped up knees. The yoga mat is protecting them now, but it will take a while for ny rug burns to heal. I added in a few sets of 4 to up the intensity a bit. I think I may make every odd numbered set a set of 4.

I'm writing my entry in the $5000 TacFit Warrior contest. I'll be making my video later this week.

12/12/10: Day 5

5 Tibetans - 3 reps each

I took today off from workouts other than the Tibetans. I took my dog to Flyball practice, which involved a bit of running, and then I took a nice long nap in the afternoon. Tomorrow I'll be adding 2 reps to the Tibetans, and stepping up my Warrior Challenge a bit as well. Looking forward to a good, productive week.

12/11/10: Day 4

5 Tibetans - 3 reps each

BW:
Ring Push-ups - 3x8
Ring Rows - 3x8

Bending:
1 yellow nail - reverse grip
1 blue nail - reverse grip
1 blue nail - d.o. grip

I didn't do my workout until right before bed - the day was full of unplanned stuff and I didn't get to to them until 11:30. I feel good about making myself do it when all I really wanted to do was go to bed.

The bending went well today. When I hit the initial kink on that d.o. blue nail it felt great. I think a lot of my problem has been flexibility. The d.o. on a blue nail is easier than a yellow because it's an inch shorter. I could get my hands in the proper position up under my chin and it bent pretty easily.

I swapped my Intermittent Fasting day to tomorrow because it fits my schedule better. My GF will be out of town all day tomorrow, so we went out to breakfast together with friends today. I suppose that's cheating...

12/10/10: Day 3

5 Tibetans - 3 reps each

BW:
Tacfit Warrior Challenge lite - 20 minutes, 3 reps per set: 20 points

I used my new yoga mat this time, and it saved a lot of wear and tear on my knees - much more comfortable than the carpet. The sets are coming more easily and with longer rest periods, so I decided to move up to 4 reps per set for the final few sets. What a difference! I was suddenly very winded, and the period between sets was nowhere near long enough to recover. I have a ways to go with this, and I'm really excited about the full program. It goes on sale on the 15th - my GF and I are getting it for ourselves as a Christmas gift to each other.

12/9/10: Day 2

5 Tibetans - 3 reps each

BW:
Ring Push-ups - 3x10
Ring Rows - 3x7
Assisted Pistols - 3x5
Hanging Leg Raise - 3x5

These are the primary ring exercises I know - I need to explore some other techniques. Time to surf RMAX, Diesel Crew, Dragon Door, etc.

Did the 5 Tibetans this morning, just after showering. I also began the Intermittent Fasting portion of the program. Today is a "no eating" day, but you are allowed to eat fresh fruit or veggies if you get too hungry. For most of the day I was fine, but towards dinner time I was feeling pretty lousy. I ended up having a salad - greens and Italian dressing with a handful of cashews tossed in. It made me feel a ton better.

12/8/10: Day 1 of 101 days

5 Tibetans - 3 reps each

BW:
Tacfit Warrior Challenge lite - 20 minutes, 3 reps per set: 20 points

I started Steve Barnes 101 days program today - the 5 Tibetans were interesting. Number 4 is pretty tough for me due to very poor shoulder flexibility, but the hardest is number 1. I get dizzy so easily; working up to 21 reps of that will be tough.

As for the Warrior Challenge, I'm a bit sore today; mostly along my sides. The sit throughs hit my torso pretty hard, but it's not too much - the intensity level is perfect for me right now. The carpet wrecked my knees, so I went and got a cheap yoga mat right after I finished the workout.

12/6/10

BW:
Tacfit Warrior Challenge lite - 20 minutes, 3 reps per set: 20 points

This Warrior Challenge workout is part of a new program by Scott Sonnon. It's not out yet, but this little preview is interesting. There are three exercises (sit throughs, lunges, and spinal rocks) and you perform three reps of each, every minute on the minute. You score a point for completing all reps in 60 seconds. You add reps gradually, and when you can handle 6 reps per exercise you're ready for the more advanced version of each exercise. I'm trying it three days per week for now. This first time it was challenging but not impossible. I'm not feeling very sore - we'll see what tomorrow brings.

I'm shifting to this program because I am likely to be moving to a place where I can't immediately take my kettlebells and other heavy equipment. I will only have sandbag, rings, a push-up board, and my own bodyweight for training. I want to establish an alternate program that I can use until I can get back to my heavy stuff. This might be it - the full product looks pretty tough.

11/30/10

MB:
360s - 50 each direction w/10kg
Ballistic Curls - 2x50 w/10kg

KB:
TGUs - 5 minutes w/20kg
Swings - 6 minutes w/20kg (30sec on, 30sec off)

Bending:
Blue nail - (stalled just after the initial kink... finished it 20 minutes later)

I forced myself to end my afternoon nap to work out. For the most part it felt pretty good, but my grip is now shot. The combination of macebell 360s and kettlebell swings destroyed my hands. By the time I got to the bending, I couldn't even finish my first nail. The initial hit was reverse style and it went ok, but when I switched to the standard grip I just got stuck. After three sustained hits, I couldn't finish the bend.

I think I am going to get out the Diesel Crew nail bending book and have another look at it. I need to brush up on my technique and see where the leaks are in my form.