Take care of yourself

The last-man-up sounds fun — really — in a "this sucks" sort of way.

 

I've been trying to kill myself this week, apparently. Did the reverse filthy fifty on Monday. Like that better, honestly, because it gets the burpees out of the way early rather than late. Rode 38 miles yesterday on the bike on a trail I'll never ride again because it was just so damn boring. It was 38 miles of work, too. No place to coast at any point, really. Barely made it to the end. Sore in a good way today.

 

I've had the same thought about my first 5K, and my second, and now my third, "Tunnel to Towers" in late September. I might quit running after that though. I just don't enjoy it, though crossing that finish line is freakin' awesome.

A neighbor has become a devotee of Insanity's abs workouts. We did hip-hop abs and last-minute abs this morning, neither of which seemed particularly difficult (though there also wasn't the carpet burn common from our usual abs class.) I didn't even need to follow Tanya's remedial demo.

Are the abs videos just the gateway workout to full-on Insanity?

 

Ohhhhh, Tanya.

 

Training for the half-marathon is going well. We do hillwork on Mondays, speedwork on Wednesdays, a tempo run on Friday (to work on marathon pace) and a "long, slow" run on Saturdays.
To give an idea, Monday this week was 1 mile warmup, 8 trips up and down a hill for a total of 3.2 miles, and a 1 mile cooldown, so 5.2 miles total. Wednesday was 1 mile warmup, 6 rounds of 200-meter sprint and 200-meter jog, 8 rounds of 100-meter sprint and 100-meter jog, and 800-meter cooldown for a total of 4 miles. Friday will be a 5-mile run, with 3 at goal pace, and Saturday's run for me will be 9 miles. The marathoners are doing the same schedule, but a little longer distances (exception being Saturday, when they're going 14 to our 9).
Also been working on pushups, situps and squats. Just got back into it this week, so I've been doing 2 sets of 25 squats, 35 pushups and 35 situps per day. Going to up the number of reps next week most likely, as my PT test is about six weeks out and I want to do as well as I can.

 

I had to withdraw from my powerlifting meet. I have tendinitis in my left elbow that makes locking out on the bench very painful.

 

Any runners out there ever experience this? 30 years old. Excellent shape. I've been running for years. The past couple of weeks, I've had to stop my runs very short (less than a mile in) because of intense pressure in my right lower leg. I get this lump that forms just to the ouside of my right shin, near the front of my leg. Within seconds of stopping my run, the pressure/pain ceases, and within a minute the lump is gone. But within 100 yards of starting to run again, the lump and pressure/pain return. Yesterday, when the pain/pressure started, I quit running and went to a nearby set of stairs up a large hill and began doing sprints there. Felt no pain or pressure doing so, so it seems this problem is limited to distance running.

What causes this? What can I do to stop it so that I can keep running? I'm sure my best bet is seeing a doctor, but do any of you have any thoughts first?

 

So I've been doing dumbbell squats completely wrong. Finally youtubed the right form and forced myself to do it and felt everything in a whole new way.

 

I've been a lazy slug for the past few months — hell, for the last six months, really, since we moved from CoMo to the Ozarks. I eat too much and exercise not at all. Shit. I've gained a good 15 pounds of fat, making me look like I'm sympathetic pregnant while my wife's in her 29th week. I'm closer to 200 pounds than I've ever been. Shit.

So, today I took the first step in climbing out of this hole. Five rounds of 10 pushups, 5 up-and-down on my stairs (15 steps one way). Good lord. I'm a long way from getting back into the CrossFit workouts, which depresses me, but I've only myself to blame.

My goal: Drop AT LEAST 10 pounds before my wife delivers girl No 2. Give me encouragement. Berate me if I stop posting. Post your workouts to keep me motivated. Help!

Joe

 

You can do it, man. Just start making a habit out of it. That turned my whole fitness life around. People think it's crazy that I get up at 3:50 and work out (hence the occasional 4 a.m. posts that Moddy gave me shit for), but I had to make it a part of my routine.

The best advice I can give is to invest in some exercise equipment, even if it's over the course of time. That way, weather's never a factor, for example. We bought a treadmill as our wedding gift for each other nine years ago. And I've been accumulating dumbbells the last few months - with each paycheck for a while, now once every 4-6 weeks.

Anyway, my workout routine, currently:

SUNDAY
50 minutes treadmill
First 30 minutes 6.2 mph, 3.0 incline for three minutes, 7.2 mph, 3.0 incline for two minutes, repeat.
Next 10 minutes 6.2 mph, 4.0 incline for two minutes, 7.2 mph, 4.0 incline for two minutes, 8.2 mph, 4.0 incline for one minute, repeat.
Last 10 minutes same 6.2/7.2/8.2 pattern, except with 5.0 incline

MONDAY
Chest and triceps workout
75 lb dumbbell bench press (just got 80s to move up to for next week), 4 sets of 9 reps
70 lb incline dumbbell bench press, 4 sets of 6 reps this week
55 lb dumbbell flyes, 4 sets of 6-8 reps
55 lb overhead triceps dumbbell

TUESDAY
Repeat Sunday treadmill workout

WEDNESDAY
Shoulder and biceps workout
55 lb shoulder press, 4 sets of 6-8 reps
35 lb front raises, 3 sets of 6-8 reps
35 lb lateral raises, 3 sets of 6-8 reps
35 lb bicep curl, 4 sets of 6-8 reps
25 lb hammer bicep curl, 2 sets of 6-8 reps

THURSDAY
Repeat treadmill workout

FRIDAY
Back workout
4 sets of 40 lb deadlifts/squats (pretty much the same movement with dumbbells)
4 sets of back extensions using the bench
4 sets of 30 lb bench dumbbell pull-over (I think this is what it's called)
4 sets of 40 lb dumbbell rows

SATURDAY
Treadmill workout

SUNDAY
Treadmill workout

Anyway, that's my routine, and I've been able to stick to it.

Habit is the key. It has been months - seriously, months - since I've woken up and skipped a workout of my own volition/laziness. The only reason I have is because of life circumstances like a sick kid or a holiday gathering, and then I try to double up one of the days later in the week to make up for it.

If I miss a workout, I am seriously miserable the rest of the day. I've been fat. More than once, in fact. And I'm terrified of going back to it now that middle-age approaches.

 

I am trying to make eating right and exercising more a key routine in 2014 (I know, everyone is doing this.)

I am trying to do it by setting new goals which build on each other each month.

For example, January is make going to the gym a routine so my goal is to go to the gym three times each week. In February, we are trying to increase non-pasta meatless dinners. March is about increasing water/decreasing soda in take. They are all tracked by metric with goals and charts to follow my progress (I am a bit of an excel geek so this is easy to set up).

Getting on the exercise routine has been tough in January. Sick kids and getting the house ready to move is sucking up time that should have gone to the gym routine. Nevertheless, I am doing well with eating better. Since Jan 1 I am down 12 pounds to 202 and my BMI has dropped below 30. I am no longer considered obese, which is a plus, but I certainly have a long way to go.

 

Also, Joe, I used to obsessively track my weight and waist size. I do still occasionally do a ballpark check of my waist, but I haven't stepped on the scale for months. I instead concentrate on the process - lifting goals, running goals, nutrition goals, etc., etc. The body then takes care of itself.

And finally, if you get in the habit of popping out of bed and working out, you'll actually be excited to do it every day. I can't wait to get up tomorrow morning before dawn and crank out my workout. Trust me, I wouldn't have believed that before, either. But once you start seeing results, you'll get addicted to it.