Workouts Great, Weight the Same

August 2015

I've added a bit more running (mostly treadmill but some road) to my weekly workouts, and I'm still lifting.  The body weight though never changes.  It fluctuates from 227 to 230 lbs.  If I skip dinner, then I may weigh in at 227.  It has nothing to do - so far as I can tell - with the number of calories I eat.

I may have to go back to the Atkins Diet.  It was great once upon a time, but I don't know if I have the will to do it again.  However, I also don't seem to have much choice.

I've been substituting veggie, fruit, protein drinks for meals.  I've been increasing my fiber consumption.  I'm drinking lots of water.  I'm not eating sugar.

I am still eating rice and bread.  I am still drinking coffee with cream and sugar substitute in the mornings.  I may have to simply nix the breads and rice.

Ingredients for one version of my protein shake; I use water or
unsweetened almond milk for the liquid base

230 Lbs, Very Strong, Very Fat @ Age 45

Things are not going too well.  I gain 10 pounds in Ramadan, and now I'm sitting at a very fat 230 pounds.  I feel terrible, but I keep eating poorly.  The only positive thing going for me these days is that my strength training is going very well and I'm the strongest I've been in many years.

I need to find a way to be this strong but a lot less fat (I'm not trying to be cut or ripped; that was too hard to do as a young man so now it's simply not in the cards for me).

Moderation does not work for me.

I need something extreme and I need a goal.

So here are the goals:

By September 12, 2015

Weight: 210 pounds

Body fat %: 20%

Exercise Benchmarks: run 4 miles in 44 minutes on the treadmill at a 3% incline, bench press 210 pounds x 25 reps, dead lift 210 pounds x 10 reps, leg press 320 pounds x 10 reps

By November 14, 2015

Weight: 200 pounds

Body fat %: under 20%

Exercise Benchmarks: run 5 miles in 50 minutes on the treadmill at a 3% incline, bench press 195 pounds x 35 reps, dead lift 250 pounds x 10 reps, leg press 370 pounds x 10 reps

HIIT Added; Getting My Knee Fixed

It's been a rough time.

Without running as a mainstay I've felt blah.

Over the last 14 months I've packed on solid muscle, but I've also added about 10 pounds of fat and that is proving to be very hard to reverse.

Yesterday I went to the gym to try something new: HIIT.  That stands for high intensity interval training.

I jogged on the treadmill for 1.25 miles to warm up, and then I did a little HIIT on the elliptical machine and the stationary bike.  On the elliptical I did 10 minutes of 1:1 (one minute of high intensity, 1 minute of regular intensity).  On the stationary bike I did 5 minutes of HIIT using the 1:1 ratio as well.

I was definitely tired afterwards.  I liked it. I'm going to do this more regularly in my workouts going forward.

Let's try this again… Falling off the wagon… Getting back on

It's been a tough 12 months.  It was around this time last year that I began to slack with my diet and workouts, and it has had a noticeable impact on my physical and mental well-being.

Today I am 45 years old, and I am still trying to stay in shape.  That I am still trying is a positive sign.  I've fallen off the fitness and healthy living wagon (again), but I'm going to climb back on today.

Up to now this blog has been about me chronicling my efforts to keep myself motivated.  I am going to try to use this blog going forward to educate myself on fitness and healthy living issues that impact men over 40.

Never, never, never, backslide! It sucks!

I let myself get lazy last year, and now I'm paying for it.

I didn't run very much.  I got lazy with my diet.  I got away from the "food is fuel" mantra.

Now I'm trying to get back in shape and it is depressing.  At this time in 2010 I was really getting into shape.  Now, 4 years later, I'm struggling.

To make matters worse, a few months ago I twisted my right ankle.  It's been on-and-off achy every since.  I was able to get it healed to the point where I could run on the treadmill again.  Back in March I was at the Grand Canyon and was jogging along some trails.  I didn't injure it per se, but the achy feeling return soon thereafter.  It subsided a bit, and then on Sunday I went out for a 3 mile run (only my second time out this year and the longest of the year).  It felt great, but on Monday the ankle start aching, and it's been pretty bad every since.

I joined a local gym (Planet Fitness).  I'm trying to lift weights while the ankle gets better.  I'm feeling very impatient though.  Recovering from workouts takes longer, and I have less time to spend at the gym when I do work out.

Tough Mudder Michigan 2013: Team Red White & Blue

The smiley faced guy in the white Team RWB shirt
is my buddy.  The guy in the red Team RWB shirt
with the pained look on his face is me.  We just crossed the
finish line.

June 29, 2013 - Brooklyn, MI.  My first Tough Mudder was, for me at least, just what I expected.  It was tough, and it was muddy.  It was a 12 mile course with 20 obstacles interspersed throughout.  It is, to date, the hardest event I've tried, and I loved it.  I'll definitely do another one next year.

I was definitely not prepared for this run.  It's not that I didn't train right.  I just didn't train enough.  And I came in too heavy.  I gained about 15 pounds over the winter and I didn't shed the weight before the Tough Mudder.  That hurt me too.

I ran with a small team of 3 (myself included).  Our group, Team RWB, had a total of about 50 who ran in smaller groups such as ours.  My team was great.  They could've completed this course faster but they hung back so I could keep up.  That sucked.

Tough Mudder is something to be tackled with friends.  It's a great bonding experience.  I'm looking forward to running it again next year.

Tough Mudder, Chicago Marathon

I'm doing the Tough Mudder on June 29, 2013 in Michigan with a few friends.  I'm not as ready as I should be, but I will be okay.  I anticipate being very sore the next day.  After this race, I'm going to be singularly focused on training for the Chicago Marathon.

That's right!  I got into the marathon!  Team "Leave No Veteran Behind" was able to secure a few more spots on its team.  I tried to sign up with them initially, but because of the messed up registration and subsequent lottery, I did not get in.  Now I'm in.

Yes, it's going to be hard, but to hell with second guessing.  I'm going to do it.  I ran the Soldier Field 10 Mile run over Memorial Day weekend and have run up to 5 miles at a time since then, so I have some base from which to work from henceforth.

I bought a beginners marathon training plan from Runners World and will try to follow it to the letter.  The period from July 10 through August 10 will be tough because that will be Ramadan and I fully intend to observe the fast and train.  My initial thought is that I will do my runs in the evening after I break my fast.  That way I can hydrate, fuel up, run, and then re-hydrate and re-fuel before going to bed.

The training calls for a 4 mile run today and tomorrow (each), and then a 10 mile long run on Sunday.  The 10 mile run is going to be hard.  I'm going to need to get up early and just knock it out.

Here we go!

Run Ranger Run

I'm not sure why I just don't sign up for stuff every month.  It keeps me moving.  I'd say the that investing $300 to $400 in race fees is money well spent if it keeps me running hard.

Take today for example.  I came home from work, then met up with the wife and kids and another family for dinner at an Indian-Chinese restaurant.  The food was great.  And heavy.  And then we took the kids out for ice cream.  I passed on the treats, but the damage was already done.

We returned home around 9pm.  Was I going to run now?  Normally I'd say "hell no!" but I joined a charity effort for February 2013 called "Run Ranger Run" sponsored by GallantFew.  A team of 10 runs, walks or bikes 565 miles total in February to raise money for veterans needs/issues.  I went to the Facebook event page and one guy logged 10 miles today.  Doh!  Another did 6 miles.  And so on it went.

That was enough motivation to get me to the basement for 2.4 miles in a cold, dark space on a nice 2% incline.  And I feel wimpy about it.

I'm going to try to go out and log my first outdoor miles tomorrow.  It's amazing what you can do with goals and a little mental toughness.

Next Big Challenge: Tough Mudder

The new year is starting off slow.

I've been struggling because I'm running for park commissioner in my home town and all of my mental energy is directed towards the campaign.

I've signed up for the Tough Mudder on June 29, 2013.  It's in Michigan.  I need to get serious with my training or I'm going to make a fool of myself.

Ugh.

Today was a crappy workout.  I did sit ups, bench press (3 sets), dumbell shoulder presses (3 super sets), a 1/4 mile sprint at 1.5% incline on the treadmill and then 40 push ups.  It's better than nothing, but not by much.

The diet's been okay throughout the day, but the evenings have been a challenge.

I'm healthy and ready to go.  No injuries at all.  It's all mental.  I haven't flipped the switch in my head to make taking my fitness to a crazy new level a priority.

Damn.

Okay.  Here we go.  Switch.  Flipped.  Done.

I fell off the wagon...

Eating 2 sirloin burgers w/ cheddar cheese &
turkey bacon...  that there is about 1pound of beef!

Oh crap!  I'm slipping.  I let my guard down, I let one cheat become two cheats and now I'm weeks and weeks off my healthy regimen.

I know why I was so unhealthy for so long.  It's too damned easy.  And on the flip side, it is so damned hard to stay on track.

Thank God I caught myself.

There are a couple of reasons why this happened.

Reason # 1: I tried to do too much & couldn't

This year I wanted to add strength training to my running regimen.  I have the physical ability run and lift and spend a couple of hours working out everyday.  I will not do it though.  I have other priorities.

This isn't the same excuse as "I can't exercise because I don't have the time".  I know I have to make time to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise 4 to 5 times per week (minimum).  This is about whether or not I want to give up on other things like sleep, spending some time with my kids and doing my writing.

I was able to keep it up over the summer because the kids weren't in school.  Now that they are back in school the premium workout hours - from when I get home to when the kids go to bed - have to be shared with workouts, family meals and homework.  That's the difference.  The workouts have to be pushed to later in the evening, and by then I'm running low on energy.

Yes, I know it can still be done.  I've done it.  But there are consequences.  An awesome running and lifting workout will have me jacked up and wired for a few hours afterwards.  If I hit the workout around 9pm the I will not actually fall asleep until midnight and that doesn't work for my early morning schedule.

Reason #2: An "All or Nothing" Mentality

Because I've got it in my head that I want to do these amazing combo-workouts of lifting and running, I'm allowing myself to talk myself out of doing something - even if it's less than the full workout - when  there isn't time for the full one.

It's all in my head.  I know this.  I just need to remember it when its time to get the workout down, as little or as much as it may be.

Reason #3: I can't do moderation

I can eat like a spartan six days a week for months and even years at a time (I've done it).  I can pig out on carbs daily.  This is a flaw.  One day I should get around to fixing it.

In the meantime, I need to accept it and embrace it.  It's time to get back on the extreme healthy eating wagon.

Reason #4: I lost my virtual training community

As of late I haven't been working out for any particular races and I haven't been talking about what I want to do and what I am doing on Facebook and on Twitter.  Some people think its all about the ego.  That's definitely a small piece of it, but the biggest part of it is the sense of community I feel when others chime in with what they're doing and who keep an eye out for what I am or am not doing.  I need to get back to that now.

I'm back to the blog!

Lifting Weights @ Prairie Stone
Wellness Center in Hoffman Estates

This has been an interesting year!  I've been away from this blog for almost 6 months.  Fortunately, my absence from the blog is not because I have not been working out.

This year I resolved to work on both my running and my weight training.  In my youth I did a lot of heavy lifting.  In the last few years I've developed my running skills.  This year I wanted to see if I could work on both fitness goals simultaneously.

So far so good!

I've curtailed my running.  I'm running about 10 to 12 miles per week and lifting 3 to 4 times per week.  On some training days I run and lift weights.

Although max lifts are not my focus, I  cannot resist testing myself on my favorite exercise - the bench press!  I'm at 275 lb max bench press.  I did this a few weeks back at a body weight of 205 lbs.  That's way off from the "glory days"!

Back in 1989 I achieved a max bench press of 305 lbs at a body weight of approximately 185 lbs.  I'm not sure if I can get back down to 185 lbs (I'll address that in another post), but I think I can get up to 305 lbs again.

I'm really enjoying the combination of running and weight lifting.  I feel great!

A bad workout vs. no workout: which is better?

I had a bad workout today.  I did the bare minimum and wrapped it up quickly.  It makes me wonder: is it better to have a bad workout or to skip it until the next day with the hope that I'll be more focused later?

Excluding the scenario where the lack of motivation is due to fatigue caused by strenuous training, I'm going to side with those who say a bad workout trumps skipping the workout.

Today's workout called for strength training focused on my chest, shoulders and triceps followed by a 1 mile run and some core exercises.  This workout usually takes about 70 minutes.  I hit all three major muscle groups, did some core exercises and skipped the 1 mile run.  I finished the workout in 40 minutes.

I started out with sit-ups.  I did 3 or 4 sets.  Next, I did my regular barbell bench presses, but I skipped the supersets of machine benches and lying dumbbell flies.  For my shoulders I did 3 rounds of supersets that started with dumbbell lateral raises, upright rows and then barbell shoulder shrugs.  I wrapped up the workout with 3 sets of triceps pushdowns.

Midway through the bench press sets I turned off the television (UFC Unleashed on Spike TV) because I was wasting too much time in between sets watching the fight.

There are a couple of things that contributed to the lack of focus (and it was the lack of focus that was the culprit).  First, I was trying to workout during the last hour and a half before my kids go to bed on a night when my wife came home late from work.  Part of my mind was on the yelling and screaming upstairs.  I felt guilty that I wasn't upstairs helping out.

Today is pizza night for the kids.  I should have made a protein shake with some berries to fuel the workout, but instead I had several slices of cheese pizza.  That couldn't have helped, and psychologically I know it made me feel sluggish.

All of the foregoing notwithstanding, I'm glad I got the workout done.  This will keep me on track with the remaining workouts for the week (b/c missing a workout has a domino effect on all the remaining workouts).

Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot better!

AM Run, PM Weights

I woke up today feeling ill.  I had a queasy stomach.  I felt the same way yesterday and ended up missing a workout.  I couldn't let that happen again today.  I want to start 2012 on a strong note, and missing workouts this early is not starting strong.

By 10:20pm tonight I've completed two workouts.  Late this morning I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and did 13 minutes on the stationary bike immediately afterwards.  This evening after dinner I did a 40 minute strength training workout focusing on chest, shoulders and triceps.

I was able to get some extra reps out of my bench press because I convinced my wife to spot me.  I did my best to look and sound strong to impress her.  When I finished I got up and looked at her.

"Okay.  Can I go now?" was all she said.

Whatever.  I know I'm strong!  Now I'm going to chill out and watch the rest of the Cotton Bowl.  I picked Arkansas to win.

The reason for this quest has changed...

About two years ago, around December 2009, I decided to lose weight and regain some dignity.  Two years later I've lost lots of weight, gained plenty of endurance and regained a fair amount of the strength I once had.  I look better and I feel great.  But what's next?

On the eve of a new year I am adopting a new purpose.  It's no longer about the vain reasons that animated my long runs and rigorous diet.  The new purpose is to achieve all the things I once dreamed about accomplishing in my youth but set aside, little by little, as I fell short at one thing after another.

My kids are getting older.  I need to give them a real life example of how to push through pain, to overcome failure, to endure hard work, to do mundane prep work day after day and to pursue dreams.  Fitness training is an excellent way to train the mind and the body.

The world is a hard place.  I've actually had a very easy go of it, but everywhere I look I see others struggling and can't help but think to myself that but for the Grace of God I might be struggling like others.  While I've avoided any real challenges (homelessness, illness, chronic unemployment, ailing children, etc), there is no guarantee my kids will have the same luxury.  My parents struggled.  My kids may too.

I want my kids to have iron wills.  It's not enough to be book smart.  They may not struggle for physical survival (I hope), but the physical stress and the challenge that comes for grueling physical exertion has an impact on the mind and can the benefits can translate into purely cerebral situations.

How do I help them develop iron wills when I question whether I have one myself?  My solution is to challenge myself with tougher goals that require extreme dedication and grueling effort.

I don't know how to make them understand the connection between the strength of their bodies and the strength of their minds, but I know that there is connection.  While I can't explain it to them with words alone, I can try to live it for them.

In 2012 I'm going to train to run the Chicago Marathon (10/7/12) and I'm going to commit to simultaneously pursuing a powerlifting regimen as well.  I will bring myself down to (or under) 15% body fat by the end of 2012, and I will exceed 300 lb. lifts in each of the three powerlifting moves (bench press, dead lift and squat).

These are the challenges I will take on in 2012.  I expect them to be very hard, but if, by some miracle, they are easier than anticipated, then I will revise them mid-year.  And all the while I will keep my focus on relishing those moments when I'm feeling too tired or too sore too un-motivated and push myself to do more in those moments.

December 2011 Workouts, goals

It's been a good year.  Back in January I wanted to run 600 miles by 12/31/11.  I hit that goal about 2 months early so I added another 100 miles to that goal.  I've kept my body weight down, and I've gotten stronger thanks to a decent amount of strength training over the year.

December is here, and I know I need to end the year strong.  That means a great month of running, lifting and a great diet.  I want to enter 2012 with a lot of positive energy and tons of momentum!

My goal for December is to run 2 miles everyday throughout the month.  Treadmill miles wills be fine so long as I run them on a 1.0% incline.  I also want to strength train 4 times per week (Saturday & Sunday plus two days during the week).

Over the past 3 months my diet has become a lot less strict.  In December I intend to return to a more healthy and rigorous routine.  More fiber, more green veggies and plenty of lean chicken, fish and some lean beef.  The diet in December is going to be high fiber, high protein and low carb.

No breaks or easy days in December!

Post-thanksgiving rest

With lots of kids running around the house all thanksgiving-weekend long it is hardly surprising that I finally caught a bug.  It sidelined me from Saturday through today.  The last time I worked out was a 2-a-day on thanksgiving day.  I've had 6 days off and frankly it feels okay.

I have 47 miles to run in order to hit the 700 mile mark.  With 31 days in December that averages out to about 1.6 miles per day.  I will achieve this goal too.

Thanks to the rest I'm feeling better and I'm fired up to begin working out hard again!  I hope to wrap up 2011 with a very strong set of workout in December.  I'm not sure what the workouts are going to look like, so I know planning the next 31 days of workouts, diet and goals is a top priority.

Thanksgiving workouts

The turkey is good feasting fare.  It's the sides that kill...

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  In the afternoon it's thanksgiving lunch at my brother's house, and then in the evening it's thanksgiving dinner at my wife's sister's place.  This year's thanksgiving is going to be a lot less guilt-ridden than thanksgiving meals of the past.  That's because this year I plan to load up on the turkey, nibble on the sides and treat myself to a nice serving of pumpkin pie.

The turkey is good feasting fare.  It's the sides that kill!

Oh, and I plan to do two workouts as well.  If the weather is nice then I'm going to make one of the workouts a nice run outside.  Another workout with involve weight training.  The timing of the workouts will depend on the weather.  If it's at least 30 degrees out by mid-morning then the run will be in the morning.  If it's too cold for my mood in the morning then workout one will be the weights.

2011 Races done! Next stage of training?

My next half marathon will be in June 2012.  I'll start training for the next big race around mid-March 2012.

That means I have between now and mid-March to change up my training a bit (away from the longer distance runs).  I want to use this time to work on strength training, building more muscle and losing some more fat.  I want to continue running 3 times a week, but I plan to scale back the mileage to about 9 miles per week (rather than the 11 to 20 miles I've been doing over the year).

A big challenge for me is figuring out what my body can handle in terms of strength training.  In my mind I still think I can do the hard and long trainings from my high school and college days, but when I go all out in that way, I often end up so sore that I can't workout again for at least 3 or 4 days.  That's not productive.  I need to be able to push myself hard enough that I can lift weights 2 or maybe 3 times per week per muscle group.

I'm debating whether a 3 workouts per week regimen with core exercises that provide a full body workout is the way to go.  These lifts would be: squats, dead lifts, overhead barbell shoulder press, bench press and bent over rows.   An alternative is to split up the body into two groups and then do 2 days for each (yielding 4 days of strength training).  One possible split is: chest, shoulders and back on one day and legs and arms (mostly an ego muscle group) on the second day.

I'm inclined to go with the latter regimen (and muscle grouping) because it will allow me to keep each workout to about 1 hour.

Team RWB runs the Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate 5/15K in Chicago

I ran my last race of 2011 on Saturday, November 5, 2011 in downtown Chicago.  It was a 15K (9.3 miler) in the Ghirardelli's Hot Chocolate 5/15K Sweetest Race.  I organized a team to run in this event on behalf of Team Red White and Blue (the same charity we ran for at the 9/11/11 Chicago Half Marathon).

Team RWB runners waiting for the thirty thousand or so
5K runners to start before the 15K runners begin!

A bunch of folks from the half marathon in September ran with me again for this race.  My wife joined us in the 5K portion while sporting the Team RWB colors as well.  A few other friends participated in their individual capacities (we'll get them to run with Team RWB soon!), and a runner introduced herself to me during the 15K race as a person from our Team RWB Facebook page!  How cool is that?!

The morning started out very cold but by race time it was absolutely perfect running weather!  I felt great during the race.  Even though I spent some time slowing down to take pictures and some video, I was nonetheless able to post a very decent 1 hour 40 minute time (which translates to a 10:45 minute/mile).  This race and the time I posted is just what I need to get me focused on training for next year's half marathons.  If I can run 9.3 miles at a sub 11 min/mile, then I can, with the right training, run a half marathon at an 11 min/mile pace in June 2012.

A few of our Team RWB runners at the start of the 15K

Despite all the hype about the free hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and chocolate candies at the post-race party, I am happy to report that I did not partake of any of it.  Frankly, I just didn't have a taste for hot chocolate after a 9.3 mile run!  A few of us who live in the 'burbs went out for brunch instead.  In lieu of chocolate fondue I had a big steak omelette with some wheat toast!

It was a great race to wrap up the year.  I've already been tempted to sign up for a thanksgiving half marathon (the same one that kicked off my long races last year), but I'm going to hold off.  I'm going to focus on running a few races but with better planning and training in 2012.

Random Running!

Earlier this week I downloaded the Endomonodo app for my Blackberry.  It's like a GPS watch - it measures my miles and time and pace.  I tested it out the other day on a route I normally run and whose distance I know.  The app measured the distance almost to a exact one hundredths place!

Today I went out for a run but instead of running a set route I went out and ran through subdivisions without a set plan.  I had some idea of where I wanted to go, but near the end I decided to take an extra loop and to go a bit farther and double back to extend my run a bit.  It felt great to run this way and then still know how far and how fast I ran!

Check it out.  It's called Endomondo.