Healthy Eating Weekend It Was Not

So I have a confession to make. I ate off track this weekend. Not terrible but bad enough for me to get on here and write about it. Friday was family movie night and we enjoyed the usual snacks that come along with watching a movie. Popcorn, chocolate, soda, etc. It was a great time and I really enjoyed being able to let loose a bit and my family really enjoyed it as well. Saturday I was back on track and the same goes for most of Sunday. Then came the birthday cake the kids and I made for my wife. Since it was homemade, and the girls hand decorated it, I naturally wanted to partake in a piece or two. I kicked that back with some chips and cheese to complete the night. I know. Don't judge me.

One thing I have learned from this experience is my body doesn't do well when I go off track. Friday night, when I went to bed, I felt like I was going to thrown up. The same goes for tonight. I don't feel good. My body knows what I did to it and it's trying to get rid of the crap that I have put into it. My body hates me right now.

Truth is, I actually plan these events for every few months. It helps to get it out of my system and it reminds me very quickly, why I don't eat like that anymore. I would like to say that this probably wont happen again for quite a few months but with Thanksgiving coming up in 4 days, it doesnt look good. I am going to try and stay very low calorie for the next few days in hopes that it will counteract this weekend and the upcoming holiday's.

Wish me luck!

Thanksgiving Day Plan

My plan for Thanksgiving week is simple. No workouts (except for some ab work), eat light (except for Thursday of course), and don't worry about anything. The timing of this week is actually perfect. This week marks the 4th week of my new training program. I was suppose to start week 5 next week but I decided to take the week off and enjoy the holiday. Plus I am going out of town so hitting a gym would be even more difficult. What I didn't plan on was having a crazy week at work that would cause me to lose my last 2 days of training before the break. But that is life and I cannot worry about what I cannot change.

It's my plan to try and go into a calorie deficient starting tomorrow through Thanksgiving along with a calorie deficiet following Thanksgiving. I am hoping to use Thanksgiving as a bit of a refeed/cheat day. I say tomorrow because tonight is family movie night and we are going to enjoy some popcorn and candy. I know it's not primal but I really enjoy this time with the family and I truly believe in the 80/20 rule. Enjoy life!  Peace out.

Site Redesign

As anyone can clearly see, I have redesigned my blog.  A few days ago I was looking around the old site and noticed that I hadn't written much lately. It's not that I didn't have anything to write about, it's just that I am not that great of a writer. My old theme was a magazine style theme that tended to make the reader believe they were going to be reading something fantastic and mind blowing. That is not really me.  I would sit down at my computer and try to come up with a story or article that would really impress my readers. In the end, I usually had nothing that lived up to my own high standards.  So I started to think about why I started the blog in the first place. It originally came about as a place to place my thoughts about working out, nutrition, food, etc. It was never meant to be a place where I could single handily solve the world's obesity problems.  The old theme made me think that was what I needed to do.

I set out to modify the original theme into a more personal site.  I wanted full articles on the page with easy links for comments. I wanted some simple widgets on the side and a toned down advertising section. About an hour into my tinkering, I really managed to screw up the old theme and quickly realized it wasnt going to do what I wanted it to do. So I set out to find a new theme. If you visited the site the last few days you have probably noticed quite a few different looks as I messed around with different ideas and concepts.  Totally I finally settled on (for now) the theme you are seeing before your very eyes. It's clean, refreshing, simple, and loads pretty fast.

Most importantly,  I feel it really allows me to open myself up to start writing about more simple things. Things like the struggle I am having at the gym lately or my lack of motivation to eat right. The old theme didn't allow me to share that very well. This new theme is going to open up a a whole new world for me. Watch out!

With all that said, what do you think of the new theme? Do you see anything that could be different? Is it easy to read and follow? Is it easy on the eyes? Do you like it? I am open to opinions and thoughts. I really want to make it into a great site.

StrengthTime Gym Review

Last weekend, I was invited by owners Jason and Julie to try out their gym which is new to the Kansas City area. StrengthTime is located in Lenexa KS just off of K-7 and Woodland Road which is a nice 15 minute drive from my house. The day started out just like any other Saturday. I slept in and enjoyed my morning coffee but refrained from eating anything with substance. I practice the leangains approach to working out and almost always train in a fasted state. I had previously spoken to one of the owners regarding the gym and its ideal's so I knew that morning I was going to be getting an introduction to the concepts of the gym and then I would get a work out on their fitness machines.

Now fitness machines are not really my thing as they tend to be one size fits all and that size usually isn’t me. I tend to be able to lift close to the entire stack on most every machine I have ever tried and I figured these machines wouldn’t be much different. I was wrong. Upon first viewing, I could tell that the equipment StrengthTime uses isn't your typical run of the mill YMCA Precor machines but rather state of the art work out machines that can be moved and adjusted to fit any person perfectly; like a glove.

Any idea I had about stacking the weights and pumping out my 4 sets of 12,10,8, and 6 were quickly dissolved with the reintroduction of slow movement training by my trainer, Jacob. Being around fitness for years, I was familiar with the general concept and had even practiced it in its simplest form many years ago (slow movement on the last rep of each set) but I had never taken it to the extreme intensity that I was about to partake in.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of slow movement training, it is regarded as one of the most effective methods of resistance training to increase muscle mass and strength. In simplest terms, its essentially lifting and lowering a weight for x number of seconds in a slow controlled fashion with very minimal stopping. Obviously it's a bit more complicated than what I have explained here. I am definitely not an expert by any means. If you are interested in learning more, give one of the trainers at StrengthTime a call.

After Jacob’s introduction to the concepts of slow movement training, he took me into the weight room and over to my starting machine. A Leg Press of sorts. I was thinking at the time that I hoped he was prepared to be blown away by my awesomeness because my legs are massive and I can usually push some serious weight on this machine. I don't "recall" what weight he started at but I do remember it wasn’t anywhere near my personal best. I thought I would humor him and give it shot. What could it hurt? Well right out of the gate, I heaved the weight out in an explosive masculine manner. I may have even grunted. I could tell he was impressed. I mean he had to be impressed… right? Well, he may not have been but I surely was! “Ok” he said, "That was really good but now try it again but slower...slower....slower. Good, now bring the weight back at the same speed. OK, now without resting, do it again until I tell you to stop." Well after a few reps at that speed, he didn’t have to tell me to stop because I dropped the weights back into the starting position. I had finished that exercise and the smile on my face proved I was happy with my results. I don’t think he was as impressed with me as I was though. He said, "Next time, you push until you have nothing left in you, then you hold it, and then you release it." I knew he was right. I gave up on that last rep way to easily. I made a vow that I wouldn’t do that again...and I didn’t. He proceeded to take me through the rest of my workout routine that managed to hit every major part of my body. 30 minutes later and I was worn-out. I felt like I had just worked out harder than I had in a very long time.

After a few minutes of rest and gabbing I took off for my next appointment. But before I drove off, I sat in my car for a few minutes in such a state of pure exhilaration. I could not believe what had just happened. How could I feel like this in only 30 minutes and on machines!? It felt like I had used muscles that I didn’t even know I had!

So if you are like me and looking for a new challenge or someone just looking to get into shape and live a healthier lifestyle, give the trainers at StrengthTime a call. Trust me when I say you will be glad you did! (During their Grand Opening celebration, they are offering your first 3 workout sessions for FREE.) I would definitely take them up on that offer! You will not be disappointed.

(Disclaimer - I received no compensation for this review. I was just so impressed with the workout and staff that I wanted to spread the word.)

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StrengthTime

Hours
By appointment, not limited to the hours listed:
Mon - Thur: 5am - 7pm
Fri - Sat: 5am - 6pm
Address
10084 Woodland Rd.
Lenexa, KS
Phone
913-428-TIME (8463)
Emailinfo-lenexa@strengthtime.com

Website
http://strengthtime.com/locations/strengthtime-lenexa.php

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lenexa-KS/StrengthTime-of-Lenexa/146666232022637?ref=ts

Suspension Trainer Thoughts

I figured after owning my homemade suspension trainer for almost a year now, I probably should put it to good use...or any use. It was always my intent to blog about how I made it but I cannot seem to find the pictures of the work in progress so I am not sure if that post will ever happen. So the next best thing is to do a post about me using it.

A few weeks back I finished up a 12 week workout and was looking for something different. Something challenging that would keep me interested for a few weeks at least. Enter into the picture my suspension trainer. Now that I had it, I needed to know what to do with it. Off to the internet I went in search of a workout. It was tougher to find than I thought. Apparently those TRX guys don't believe in posting any workouts online. Sure there are a ton of how-to's for the exercises but I really wanted a full workout. I finally found something close to what I wanted on a forum and then adapted it for my needs. What you see below is my workout. If you have questions about the workouts or exercises, leave me a comment or drop me an email.

Monday: Chest and Arms

• Atomic Push-Ups - I loved this exercise as it really worked my abs.


• Single Arm Bicep Curl - I don't know if its just me but I tended to cheat a little bit when doing curls with the suspension trainer. I found it hard to keep my arm in one place.


• Tricep Press - Pretty simple exercise. I do something very similar using the cable machines in the weight room.


• Dips - These were awesome. I elevated my feet on a chair which made it quite a bit harder. This is definitely an exercise that I will continue to do.


• Steep Chest Press - Basically just an angled push-up. Nothing special about that.


• Suspended Push-Ups - I lowered the trainer until it was just a few inches off of the ground and then did push-ups. These were tough. My arms were shaking and I really had to engage my core in order to not wobble all over. I loved it though!


• Deltoid Y-Fly - I didn't really feel these while I was doing them but I sure felt the effects of them the next day!

Overall Impression of Chest and Arms:  I could really see the benefit of doing chest exercises with the suspension trainer. The constant balancing act really made my muscles work and my core was tight the entire time because of it. The arm exercises I felt really lacked though. The curls I felt were mediocre at best. The best arm exercise was definitely the Tricep Press.  I ended up hitting the real weight room to do some dumbbell curls and tricep push-downs when I was all done, just to feel like my arms really got a good workout. I will probably incorporate some of the chest exercises into my usual workout though.

Tuesday: Cardio

• I did 5 hill sprints then it started to rain so I ran back to the gym


• Proceeded to do about 5 intervals of some jumps where I had my hands on the bench and jumped over the bench from side to side. Does anyone know what that is called?


• Went into the gym and stacked up the blocks and did 10 high jumps.

Wednesday: Shoulders and Back

• Single Arm Row - I thought this was a good move. Overall it felt great.


• Back Extensions - I didn't really get this one. I looked it up on the internet before I left and performed it to the best of my ability but I felt stupid doing it and am pretty sure I got nothing out of it.


• Max Inverted Rows - These felt really good. I set the angle so that my body was almost parallel with the floor. I really felt the burn as I was performing it.


• Incline press - This is probably my favorite exercise. Its the one where you put your foot in the stirrup and swing around and do a handstand. Then press. It really works the core because you still have to balance yourself. Felt great when I was done.


• Pull Ups - I tightened up the handles all the way to the top and did some suspended pull-ups. I got a pretty good workout from this as well as I really needed to use all my muscles to stabilize myself.

Overall Impression of  Shoulders and Back:  I read online that there are not a lot of exercises that can be done with a suspension trainer that targets the shoulders. I found this to be very true today.  The Incline Press was the closest thing my shoulders got to a workout until I went into the weight room and did some military presses and lat. raises.  My back muscles fared pretty well with the rows though and I was feeling the effects of that workout throughout the day.

Thursday: Core and Cardio

• 5 x 25 yard sprints


• 5 x 50 yard sprints


• Box jumps - Went to the park and did 20 jumps up on the seat of a picnic table followed by 30 jumps to the table top.


• P90x Ab Ripper X - Its been awhile since I have done Ab Ripper X and it gave me a good run for my money. I must say that it probably wasn't smart to do it after the sprints and box jumps though. My legs where dead.


• Tried to do some core work with the suspension trainer buy my garage just isn't a good place to try and work out. I hung the trainer from the garage door track but I didn't feel that comfortable putting a lot of weight on it. I did manage to do some Pikes and some Max Body Saw's. Both felt pretty good.

Friday: Legs

• Hip press - This will felt a little awkward as you have to thrust your hips to the ceiling. It took a few reps before I really started get a burn from it. By the end of the cycle, my back hurt more than anything.


• Single Leg squat - This can really be done without the suspension trainer if you have good balance. I do not, so I used one of the handles to keep myself up. Simple squat down on one leg with the other out in front of you.


• Lunges(each side) - Tony Horten calls these Speed Skaters. It is essentially a lunge where you kick your back leg behind you and use the suspension trainer for balance.  It's another leg exercise that can be done without the suspension straps.


• Hamstring Curl - This exercise is quite similar to the Hip Press. You lie on your back and bring your feet to your butt. I really didn't feel anything on this one.


• Hip Abduction - The idea is you get into a plank position with your feet in the straps. You then spread eagle. The only thing I felt on this one was embarrassment.

Saturday: Core and Cardio

• 10 x 25 yard sprints


• Box jumps - Went to the park and did 60 jumps up on the seat of a picnic table followed by 20 jumps to the table top. Video of that workout can be seen here.

Sunday: Rest Day

My overall impression of the suspension trainer is pretty good. I really loved the workout that it gave my core. I could really feel it in just about every workout I did. Some of the exercises where quite a bit more challenging than others, and some just left me asking WTH??  I would have to say that the Chest exercises are probably my most favorite to do and most of those will find their way into my daily workouts back in the weight room. The least favorite body part to workout was Shoulders. Mainly because I just couldn't find more than one exercise for shoulders in all of the internet. To me shoulders are in integral part of working out. Hopefully someone somewhere can come up with a decent shoulder workout for suspension trainers.

The suspension trainers are a good tool for those that do not have access to a gym but I do not feel that they are a good replacement for a gym full of equipment. You won't get big doing these exercises but you will get toned.  After awhile, I could see this piece of equipment getting really boring. And at $200 dollars for the cheapest TRX kit, I think you would be better off spending that money on a gym membership. Or spend $30 dollars like I did and make your own.

With all that said, I am not giving up on it yet. I am going to go another 2 weeks with the above workout and see if I notice any results what-so-ever.

Park Cardio Workout 1

A short but intense cardio workout that I did at the park over the weekend. I also think I may have broken my finger doing it. Doh!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBE-cWeqa4g

Intense Cardio Workout

Lately I really despise cardio machines. I would almost rather not do cardio at all than spend an hour on an elliptical. I was faced with that decision tonight. Go to the gym and be a rat on a treadmill or brave the weather and head out into the rain for some good old fashioned sprints. I chose option number 2. I headed over to my local park and proceeded to do the following sprints:

• 5x25 yard sprints


• 5x50 yard sprints

I followed that up with some picnic table jumps.  I was a little hesitant at first so I begin with only jumping up onto the seat. I did that 20 times. I then grew some courage and made the leap up onto the table. I was amazed that  I could actually do it! I followed that jump with 29 more! I then took off for home and did a few core exercises with my homemade suspension trainer followed by a session of P90x Ab RipperX.

[singlepic id=119 w=320 h=240 float=center]

When all the cardio was said and done, I cooked up a meal of ground beef, red pepper, white onion and tomato paste.  Mixed it into a bowl and scarfed it down.  And that was the end of that. Day 2 of the Primal September Challenge complete.