seedoggie’s blog

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.

To me, the choice is clear. On so many levels there is a clear choice. But I respect the fact that people see things differently. I’m amazed when somebody sees the same debate as I and sees a different “winner”. I used to think that it was just ’spinning’ the debate to go to the candidate you were backing. But I think now it’s deeper than that. Perhaps there’s a mental filter that we can’t get past even with more or different information. Maybe there’s one issue that gets it for some. I don’t quite understand that, especially when they don’t logically follow that issue all the way through.

But anyway, I’m from a state where my vote doesn’t count, it’s not a contest, it’s a given. But I’ll still vote.And I hope that everybody who has thought about it, no matter their decision, votes too.

But still remember that it’s up to you with what you do with what’s going on. You can still succeed. You can still reach your goals. Not inconsequential are your 52DC goals. It’s up to you.

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….

.

A fresh sheet of paper to begin with. Let’s add some bold writing, colorful  drawings from art to scribbles, erase, cross out, and run out of room.

If there’s a misstep, don’t crumple and look for a fresh sheet. Just keep on filling that page.

It’s great to see those kids out running on the streets of my city over the past couple of weeks. Girls, boys, some fast and easy, many slow and struggling, some walking and talking… going out for the high school cross country team. I like the mid-packers, they won’t win, maybe won’t officially compete, but are out there trying, getting in shape, making the effort for the team, or simply to improve themselves. Mid-packers do it for personal growth, don’t get the medals or scholarships, don’t get the recognition, but the recognition that you’re doing something good, healthy in every sense, is what’s important.

As far as diet goes, I’ve learned a few calories seem to make a big difference. If I start down the road to a small indulgence, such as a 100 calorie carb/fat snack, it seems to lead to a stop in weight loss. Probably due to the fact that a little indulgence leads to more, and before I know it, it may be 500 calories throughout the day unplanned. I can make up for it by eating less later in the day, but it crowds out some better stuff. I really have to watch that attitude, I’m getting closer to where I want to be, and somehow getting complacent.

It’s natural but not good.