seedoggie’s blog

I’m trying to figure out what worked this past 8 weeks for BOC, and what didn’t work. It seemed things didn’t work mostly, in my case. I figured that I could lose an average of 2 pounds per week, or 16 pounds. A group of challengers who had some experience working out and eating pretty clean, and didn’t have really big weight loss goals, stalled in the middle of the 8 weeks. I did just about the entire middle 6.

I’ve heard of not eating enough, but I was eating 2000 to 2500 calories on a calculated maintenance level of at least 2900. And I gained weight, in the past, on probably (not measured) 500 calories a day more than this diet (extra: pretzels, cookies, crackers daily). So I’m guessing that my maintenance must be lower, and I wasn’t NOT eating enough this BOC, I was eating too much. Which is strange, the calculator being wrong, especially since I generally have always had a high metabolism.

My goal was to lose about 16. I lost 5 the first week. The next 6 weeks I stayed the same or even gained. The last week I lost 3 pounds. My diet was pretty much the same the whole time. Workouts too (maybe even increased in the middle, which was stalled).

more to follow later….

I put on a push to meet my goals for the challenge. I got behind in both RT and CT, and with some injuries both were a little tough to make. And I wondered if it was worth it. Is it worth chronic muscle soreness and minor injury to meet the goals?

It’s the process, the steady day to day. Sure, I did some doubles (morning cardio then back to the gym at night for another cardio) to meet my goals. Somehow it feels like cheating, but I know it isn’t. I have to fight the feeling of perfection, that a CT is a minimum of 5 miles run at a pace that is no more than 1:30 per mile slower than my 5K race pace.

That’s the wrong attitude. I guess the meeting of a goal is important enough. And I made it without beating up my body too much. And it was good to make it. But if it led to hazard to my body I would have given up the goals. My goal is long term, ongoing, and each challenge is just a step in the means to that end.

New woman working out at the gym! Looks like a runner, lean and sleek. Wears form fitting clothes. Caught my eye!

But that’s all. I don’t stare or change my workout routine for her. Yeah nice scenery. But my sympathies to you ladies! The guys (48 there with his wife, 67, 63 and short & round, 43 and fit, all married) are using equipment near the women’s workout section that they never used before. They’re standing and talking for 15 minutes - when they should work out - not by the front desk, but where they get a view of her. And trying to find out about her.

Probably just human nature, and maybe I should be as bold as they…. but my sympathies to you ladies. I understand Curves and women-only health clubs.

But though I don’t stare….. and I try not to bother her…. damn! you motivate me to kick it up, and trim down and look as good to you as you do to me. That’s an advantage I have on the twenty year olds, I can appreciate form and function without the craziness, at least sometimes!

It was a dark and stormy night….

He comes into the gym about 55 minutes till closing, on a weekend afternoon. (OK, sometimes I do too, 65 minutes to closing. But I’ve seen Nick come in 30 minutes to closing several times.)

Spends 15 minutes in the locker room. He may have been in workout clothes when he came in. (OK, I was on the elliptical near that door, was bored, and had nothing else to watch. Besides, I’m trained to watch. It’s my job. Might just keep me alive.)

He came into the workout area and proceeded to read the newspaper for about ten minutes. He’s maybe 40. Got 30 left. Thirty minutes…. that is. (OK, but when he came in, he looked a little dejected. Maybe it was the check-in guy, that the college girl who usually is at the desk wasn’t there today.)

He hit the treadmill next to the (only) girl (maybe 20 years old) in the gym for some maybe 5 mph jogging. (OK, that’s probably good for him, I think I’d call him obese. His weight hasn’t probably changed in the couple years I’ve seen him every month or so. The treadmill’s right behind the 50 year old guy with a towel over his head - I imagine it’s a badge of honor for his sweaty workout each week, sitting there cycling, Red-Page-Boy-Style-Towel-Headed-Guy.) Just had a thought that hit me like streetfight on a February night - those are gym towels, what if the next time I go I pick up that one?

He’s a lawyer, and a politician. (So he’s probably not getting off a timeclock job, regularly late - he probably has other free time.)

I don’t know what happened this time. I wasn’t there till closing. (Other times sits at protein drink bar when I leave at closing.)  I was done with my 30 minutes of (what can I say? It’s an affirmation) the machine I LOVE, the elliptical. ( I have to make up a lot of CTs without running/stairstepping.)

I ‘m seedoggie, Private Eye.

I feel that maybe I’m being a little harsh on this guy. OK, maybe. He makes it in. I don’t know his intentions. (I do have good instincts - keeps me alive in this type of work.) We all have different goals. He does make it in.

But mostly I feel good. I get in  4 to 5 times a week. I work briskly. And hard. Some may find me unfriendly, I’m not; they chat and spend time, I’m tortured and focused and on to the next demon.

I’m seedoggie, Private Eye. I feel lucky. I feel I do work good.

Did RT at the gym today, a 3 sets of 5 heavy day. Also hit the elliptical for a much needed CT. I figured the elliptical would be best for my leg injury, it’s continually healing but not 100%.

Thing is, I don’t like the elliptical, I figure that stairstepper or running outside, both HITT, or steady state, really give me a good workout, and the ellip is just moving your arms and legs, going nowehere fast. Everybody I see on them is just looking like a drone, watching some dumb-rear TV show, no sweat, and their body composition never changes. OK, now I’m sure I’m exaggerating. But most the time it seems that way.

But I got a CT in, leg feels alright or better, and tomorrow, I’ll look for more of the same, elliptical and abs/core. Maybe I can change my impression of this machine. Felt good to get a steady 138 heart rate going.

Easy day today, easy because it’s just 2 sets of 15 with 120 seconds rest and most are machines so more controlled. These are my least favorite ways to work a bodypart (except for Low Rows). I switched to Total Body Workouts six workouts ago.  I cycle through different exercises, with days of 2 sets of 15; 3 sets of 5; and 3 sets of 8, and maximize the weight for each.

Machine Iso Lat Raise 105
Cable Low Row 110
Machine Rear Delts 120
DB Decline Curls 50
DB Triceps Overhead 65
Machine Sit Chest Press 117
Machine Lat Pulldown 125
throw in some Cable Woodchops 100, probably

Hit chest and back 2x each today because I’m gonna try to stay away from legs, and they’re compound exercises, biggest bang for the buck.
Maybe I’ll superset today, seems like a good change.
Hope that I stay away from squats or lunges today with my leg, but when I get going there, I feel that I’m okay to do them (and regret it)!

-Updated felt great today, wasn’t simple… and got that familiar little pain in left shoulder that says “did too much chest!”

Halfway through this 52DC, I’m behind but still in the race. Realized I was slightly behind two weeks ago, set up a calendar plan to meet my goals, did well for a week, then got a strange ache in the front quadriceps after a RT/CT session. Next day it was better, the next day after doing RT I could hardly walk. I don’t see how it could be due to CT, just doing stairstepper as I do often. Didn’t feel like it was due to RT, but all I can figure it was pulled back muscle radiating to my leg. I waited 2, then 3, then 5 days with little change.

Finally did RT Monday, felt I couldn’t make it much worse. RT felt fine, leg felt better, ache came back later in the day but seemed better, and seems to be getting better today. Tomorrow I’ll do total body RT again.

Anyway, I’m a little behind on planned RTs, and CTs will take some major clearing up but I know if I’m okay I can knock out 5 CTs a week.

Yeah, I guess it would help to do some yoga, I may have neglected stretching.

I’m gonna change my workout routine.  I generally get in there and do things hard and fast and well, but I think I need a change. Change is needed. I came up with that, but Barack stole it and then John can’t come up with anything, and that Maverick! decides that saying “change” actually causes a change. So I’m getting my new workout routine ideas from an unlikely source… the U.S. Presidential candidates. I ask myself (and ask, “my friends” too, LOL), should I be…

Barack Obama - Total body training, spread the wealth of exercise around - but will I end up skinny as he? [Done that, as a runner]

John McCain - Talk about changing my routine, but not answer the question, and beat the current workout routine (Joe the Plumber) into the ground over and over and over? [Yup, done that repetition, my friends, done that repetition, done that. ACORN! Ayers!]

Sarah Palin - Not put any thought into my workout ahead of time at all and - you betcha! - just do what sounds good? [Last time I did that I did this hyperactive weight/treadmill/circuit training and couldn't move for a week]

Joe Biden - Overanalyze what I’m gonna do, and when I get to the gym, spend a long time, too long in there? [Yup, that's me - that's why I always go late, so I get kicked outta there by closing time]

Well, based upon what I actually did today, I’m none of those… I’m Ralph Nader, nobody knows I was there because I didn’t even show up enough to get a workout. LOL.

Tomorrow it’ll be different. Change. You’ll see.    LOL 

Since I haven’t kept up with workouts quite as well as I like (especially CTs), I’ve started doing RT and CT in the same gym session. Normally I do RT one day, CT the next, RT the next, etc., with a rest here and there.

Now I’ll still do RTs for 60 minutes, but somewhere around 40 minutes I break off and do 20 minutes of HIIT on the stairmaster. It’s hard, and I love it. Besides, it gives me a chance to recover and do some hard RT again later. So today I did:

• Bench press 5×5 (max) with 8 reps at the end with 65% max
• Squat 12×3 moderate
• Cable side pulls 10×3
• Dips 12×3
• 3, then 3 Pullups (just for balance, it’s not a Pull day, it’s a Push day)
• 5×5 Shoulder Push (max)
• 20 mins HITT stairs
• Shrug 12×3
• Triceps pushdown supersetted with Lat Raises 8×3
• Pec Deck supersetted with Rear Delts (max) 8×3

Not any more tired than usual (still hard to lift my arms for an hour afterward) but I’m getting cardio in. I have to get to doing cardio alone on my off RT days, though.

OK, I’m a bit miffed at myself from the end of the Summer 52DC till now.

You know when you make good progress and start going places and somehow just lose it? Does negative reinforcement work? (Threatening to do something negative like posting a “current” picture or a “before” picture to motivate oneself). I figure I’ve got it pretty good, I’m not starting out too bad, I give all the respect in the world to those people who are on the road to losing 50, 80, 100, 150 pounds or more and keep it up for a long time. But so many of us get to a point and then, tend to revert to where we were before - yo-yo dieting and whatelse.

Think I need a new challenge. Thinking about challenging myself about posting a picture of me in March before the challenge if I don’t get to 186 pounds or less. I was worse then (over 200) than I am now, but I have gained 10 pounds since July. Darn! Don’t think any of it was muscle. (Guess carbs just don’t seem to build muscle, just fat.)

Too ashamed to post today’s photo. Here I am in July. Not quite where I want to be then yet, but now I’m just scaring the kids away. Hey! Not a bad idea! With kids coming for Halloween! I’ll get to keep all the candy!!! Waaaait, maybe not a good idea after all….

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