ScriptUO
General => Off Topic => Topic started by: Paulonius on June 09, 2010, 06:51:01 AM
-
So we have three kids now and each time right after the baby is born my wife goes on a three month workout rampage, 5 days a week at the gym/pilates/whatever and bounces back to 120Lbs and cut abs. She works hard, but she also has a metabolic advantage. I on the other hand have a metabolism built to go three days on a slice of bread so I gain a little more each pregnancy and the dove bars at bedtime that is her pregnancy routine. I used to be in great shape rowing, running marathons and generally being active, but that fell by the wayside as I got older. Still not in terrible shape, but starting to get soft at 42 and decided to do something about it.
So my new routine started yesterday at 5am and I am in the second day of the Insanity workout with Shaun T. Not sure what his name really is.
http://www.amazon.com/Insanity-Ultimate-Workout-Fitness-Program/dp/B002QZ1RS6
Shaun dips into the thug vernacular from time to time, but seems like a nice guy. The workout is in short, intense intervals, so it keeps you engaged and able to keep going longer than you think you would be able to. I did the test yesterday and the first regular workout today. The first two thirds of the workout are a really solid workout. I kept up for most of it and was working my butt off. The last third was ridiculously hard. Most of the 20 or so 20somthing workout warriors in the class in the video were dropping out to take rests. I think one girl was just laying on the floor pretending to do it. This was actually really positive as I know I am out of shape and that if I can complete the class by the end of the 60 days I will have made a ton of progress.
After two days my impression is really positive and I am psyched to complete the program. I am also pretty sore. Recommend you get a big water bottle and a towel when you go to do the videos. The towel is helpful when you start to sweat like a pig, but also when you are doing stuff out of the plank position. My forearms have some pretty sweet carpet burn right now.
-
Keep it up! Sounds like it's something that will work for you.
The most important thing is getting into a routine that actually *works* for you and doesn't wear you down or wear you out.
Here's a similar experience I had with training.....For my birthday this year, my wife (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since playing racquetball a few years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My wife seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.................
Monday:
Started my day at 6:00am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. She took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. She was alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I attribute it to standing next to her in her Lycra aerobic outfit. I enjoyed watching the skilful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring. Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
Tuesday:
I drank five cups of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full kilometre. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It's a whole new life for me.
Wednesday:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying on the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other *bleep* too.
Thursday:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the men's room. She sent Lars to find me, then, as punishment, put me on the rowing machine - which I sank.
Friday:
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anaemic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the *&%#&**!!@*@ barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.(Which I am sure you learned in the sadist school you attended and graduated with honours.) The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
Saturday:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.
Sunday:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my wife will choose a gift for me that is fun - like a root canal or a vasectomy.
;)
-
I got P90x a week ago and am waiting for a few items to help come in. in the mean time I tried a few of the workouts. the abs and yoga. Needless to say I am very sore too. I am psyched to do it. I cannot imagine 90 days straight with my biking though. I tried to down hill the day after the yoga x and my calves were screaming and weak due the work out from the day before. I bet it gets better each week as far as recovering goes. Fun stuff though.
-
I was looking at the p90x but dont really have the room right now. Thinking about going back to the mma routine at the golds. Took a break about six months ago due to a shoulder injury. I really enjoyed it to. Everday was something different. Some days it was strictly bag work, five minute rounds of combos and a couple rounds toward the end of the workout all out. Other days its alot of abs and plyometrics, and other days a combo of the two. Its also kick boxing too. Always intense.
-
I highly recommend taking pics of yourself every 2-4 weeks. Sometimes you may lose motivation and I find that seeing the progress helps me go. P90x and Insanity DO work. But it's mainly for fat burning. If you are looking to bulk up at all, you need to be lifting.
I also recommend drinking water and water only. You get sooo many unnecessary calories, sugar and carbs from soda, juice, coffee, etc. Also, try keeping a food diary. Just write down what you eat and drink and approx what time. Try to eat something every 2-4 hours.
-
Keep it up! Sounds like it's something that will work for you.
The most important thing is getting into a routine that actually *works* for you and doesn't wear you down or wear you out.
Here's a similar experience I had with training.....For my birthday this year, my wife (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since playing racquetball a few years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My wife seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.................
Monday:
Started my day at 6:00am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. She took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. She was alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I attribute it to standing next to her in her Lycra aerobic outfit. I enjoyed watching the skilful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring. Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
Tuesday:
I drank five cups of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full kilometre. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It's a whole new life for me.
Wednesday:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying on the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other *bleep* too.
Thursday:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the men's room. She sent Lars to find me, then, as punishment, put me on the rowing machine - which I sank.
Friday:
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anaemic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the *&%#&**!!@*@ barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.(Which I am sure you learned in the sadist school you attended and graduated with honours.) The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
Saturday:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.
Sunday:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my wife will choose a gift for me that is fun - like a root canal or a vasectomy.
;)
LMFAO!! I laughed so hard reading this that tears were coming out of my eyes! Thanks Cerv! I needed a good laugh!
JaF
-
Thursday's made me laugh the hardest.
-
That was a great post!! +rep for the laughs!!
On the topic, I'm a firm believer in Crossfit (http://www.crossfit.com). Follow the Workout of the Day routine and watch the transformation. Nothing to buy, they have nothing to gain by people following other than perhaps attendance at their heavily coveted workshops. Gym Jones used Crossfit to train the cast of the movie 300 and it has been adopted by a number of military, police, fire and rescue, etc training programs. I believe heavily in it and have lived it myself.
X
-
I checked out their website 12X, that may well be my next fitness thing, I am loving the cross training deal.
I am two weeks into the Insanity workout and the results have been solid. I have lost 5 lbs (from 201 to 196) of my goal of 15 and am feeling a lot better. Today is the first day of the third week in the Insanity workout plan, but I am +2 days. I rode my bike instead of Insanity one day and played basketball another.
I changed my eating habits last week as well. My wife decided to go on weight watchers with her friend and asked me to do it with her to help her stay on track. Definitely eating less, but not starving. I had a ten course meal at an awesome Thai restaurant on Father's day. I have never really kept track of what I eat and it makes a big difference just being aware of what you are shoving in your pie hole. The only real changes in my diet are that I stopped drinking sugar soda and I am eating crap like carrots and celery for snacks instead of cookies -- and I started putting Splenda in my coffee instead of sugar.
Here are my week two testing results from the Insanity program:
Exercise/Week One/Week Two/Delta
Switch Kicks/85/107/+22
Power Jacks/32/48/+16
Power Knees/70/82/+12
Power Jumps/30/32/+2
Globe Jumps/10/11/+1
Suicide Jumps/16/15/-1
Push up Jacks/25/34/+11
Low Plank Oblique/30/40/+10
I think I went down on two of the jumping things in the middle because when I did it the first week I stopped the tape gasping for air and restarted it. This week I powered through without stopping, which I think is the way you are supposed to do it.
Oh, almost forgot to mention: I have had recurring problems with my achilles for going on ten years. I used to do a lot of running and ran a couple of marathons, which is when they started giving me trouble. I think the interval training with lots of jumping and landing has been helping, because they are feeling better than they have in years lately.
-
That's some great progress Paul!
Yeah I stumbled onto Crossfit when researching how in the world the guys from 300 got in such great shape for the movie. A lot of people think that it was all airbrushing but it absolutely wasn't, these guys trained at a place called Gym Jones (http://www.gymjones.com/) (check out the video at the bottom of the page) 10-12 hours/day, 5 days/wk, for 4 months prior to making the movie (300 Training Info (http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=35)). Gym Jones was using the Crossfit methodology for this; a hardcore approach toward this methodology.
From there I found the Crossfit homepage which is tailored a little bit more toward "normal" people but still those with a different perspective or drive for change and physical fitness. These are great resources though and frequenting even just the sites can sometimes be enough to get motivated!
X
-
I started P90X but unfortunately never finished it because my job/school pulled me in too many places too often. I just started the GM diet last week (google it if you don't know what it is). It was a little rough, but I lost 9 lbs in the first 3 days. By day 4, I was feeling A LOT better and it honestly made me feel like I had energy to actually exercise every day. I will be finishing up the diet tomorrow and it looks like i'll have lost roughly 12 lbs in one week. I've decided I'm going to restart P90X or Insanity and repeat the GM diet one week each month. The best tips I can give for people is:
#1. WATER WATER WATER - Something like 70% of people walk around mildly dehydrated EVERY DAY! A lot of people think it's bland and would rather drink juices and stuff like that (thinking that juice is healthy), however most juices only contain an 1/4 of a glass of water effectively and have waaay too much high fructose corn syrup. Soooo....drink 10 glasses of water a day (yes, you do have to pee a little more often, but you'll know it's working if you're always peeing CLEAR liquid). Soda is an absolute NO-NO!! If you drink it, drink it once a week or less (try to save it for a time when water may not be an option)
#2. Fruits - As you may have read if you read about the GM diet, fruits are nature's perfect food. Let's think about this logically. The purpose of the fruit is to nourish and protect the seeds inside. They provide excellent sources of energy, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and much more!! I found that small berries, such as cherries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are excellent for food cravings. Anytime you even feel mildly hungry, go to the fridge, grab a handful of berries, chomp away happily and then give yourself 5 mins. If you're still hungry, grab some more (and a glass of water!). Melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, etc) are great for when you're thirsty AND hungry.
#3. BEEF - It's what's for dinner! Just make sure it's lean. Hamburgers made with 93% lean beef, or on a George Foreman-type grill are ideal, as are non-fatty cuts of steak. I know the fat is what adds the flavor, but find a basic rub that you like, and use that to add a little flavor. Grilling in the summer is an excellent choice since a lot of the excess fat drips and burns off. It's a great source of protein and combined with fruits, water, and some green veggies, you're all set!
#4. Salads - Boring salads make the diet suck. Instead, get creative. I found that taco salads (with very few tortilla chips) were excellent since you get your veggies and meat combined. Lay off the sour cream though! As much as I love caesar salads, you probably want to avoid them as well. Caesar dressing tends to be unhealthy as are the cheese and croutons. Stick with garden and chef salads topped with strips of chicken or steak!
Considering that my family is heavily Italian, I thought the lack of carbs (since we used to eat pasta every other night) would be horrific, however, I find myself with much more energy just eating red meats, fruits, and some veggies. It's difficult at times, and I definitely cheated a few times on the diet, but it worked great for me!!!
-
Great tips Maddog for those trying to lose some weight/fat. If anyone ever wants to bulk up though, gotta pack on the protein and carbs. Need to eat around 5k calories a day. It is harder than it sounds!
-
You're telling me onlyindreams. I've been pumping iron for 3 months straight now. Was 6 feet and 135 pounds. Now I'm 6 feet 155 lbs.
I'm making process and get very muscular. I'm excited! Only another year and I should be up to 180 like I want!
Muscle Milk RTD FTW! :D
-
You're telling me onlyindreams. I've been pumping iron for 3 months straight now. Was 6 feet and 135 pounds. Now I'm 6 feet 155 lbs.
I'm making process and get very muscular. I'm excited! Only another year and I should be up to 180 like I want!
Muscle Milk RTD FTW! :D
Nice man, congrats! Keep working hard. I highly recommend taking pictures of yourself every 2-4 weeks. It's nice to be able to see how far you've come!
-
I hit double digit weight loss today.
I have lost ten pounds toward my goal of 15 three weeks into the Insanity workout and two weeks into trying to eat healthy with a diet that is low fat, high(er) fiber, more vegetables. I have always eaten more when I went into a workout cycle, so this is the first time I have done both a dietary and a workout regimen. Pretty crazy how fast it is working. I started at 201lbs (5'11") and my alleged ideal weight is 180. I figured if I could lose 15 pounds in 60 days 185lbs would be a reasonable target. I am pretty surprised that I can still be this active coming up on my 42nd birthday. I am going to start looking at my stretch goal of 20lbs now and see if I can hit it by the end of July.
I figure once I am there I will start lifting again and maybe let myself put on muscle back up to 185, but I will reassess when I finish the Insanity thing in five more weeks.
-
Congrats Paul! Keep up the great work!
-
I started at 201lbs (5'11") and my alleged ideal weight is 180. I figured if I could lose 15 pounds in 60 days 185lbs would be a reasonable target. =
Yeah, you have to be careful with "ideal weight." It's just a formula, which doesn't take into account muscle mass, or bone density.
A girl in my class, her husband is a "body builder." He is techically considered obese, yet he is like 5% body fat.
Pick a weight that to you looks good and you feel good.
-
That's why I put it in quotes. 180 for me would be pretty skinny.
-
Bringing this one back! Yeah baby!
Just signed up for the Men's Health online personal trainer. It's 45 bucks every 3 months and gives you workout plans and diet plans.
So basically I'm not a big cooker so this program gives me weekly shopping lists, weekly meals (with recipes), and tells me how many calories I'm getting.
The workouts are pretty easy. Nothing to major.
Overall I'm hoping this program can help me get up to that 180-185ish mark.
I'll give some updates. I need to get some measurements done tonight as well as my 6 page grocery list for next 2 weeks.