Lean, Strong, and Fit

Better than Ever!

2011-04-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update. Work's been pretty busy, and I have not been very active online in terms of any writing. I did manage to eek out a mildly acceptable training regimen for my half-marathon. I was pretty nervous the couple of days before the race, but I ran it as strong as I could and finished in 2:03:32. I wanted under two hours, but long water stops and cramps at the end got the best of me. I averaged around a 9:30 pace.

I remember during training how tough the runs were. Once you start running past an hour per training run, there's nothing fun about workouts. Couple the long time with the treadmill (training was mostly in the winter and we had a rough one in NE), and it was a grind week in and week out. I remember on more than one occasion that I said I would never train for another half. But...but the fact that I ran it so close to two hours makes me think that I could do it next time.

After my race, I changed up my routines again. Now I'm doing somewhat of a split for my weights. Instead of two weight workouts and two runs a week, I'm aiming for three weight workouts and two runs a week. I was aiming for shorter workouts and just being more active during the week. I recently got in a very good week of sleep too and was rewarded with 8:30 miles during my last 4+ mile runs. I hope to get faster so that my future races would be faster.

Lesson from this post? Rest is very important.

Last weight-in:
169.0 lb

How bad do you want it?

2011-01-18T21:29:00.002-05:00

I came across this video from HBO last week. It's inspirational as heck, and I thought I'd share it. It shows that if you want something, then go get it. It's not going to be easy. It'll be a lot of work. It'll be hard. But if you are determined enough. Persevere enough. Push enough. You'll get it.

Same for fitness. You don't need a special diet. You don't need a special workout. You don't have to get fit in 90 days. You don't have to slim down X amount of pounds in X amount of time. Fitness isn't something you get on and get off. It's a life change. Who cares if it takes you two years versus two months to get your six-pack? Or if you have to run the marathon next year versus this year (although you can't keep delaying a goal. That's procrastination.)? What matters is that you keep working. Keep striving. Keep improving. One rep at a time. One foot at a time. One second at a time. One ounce at time. You'll get there.

I have pictures of me from 2007 when I thought I'd go on P90X. Work and life got in the way. Never did get the body I wanted in 90 days. It's 2011. I'm doing my own consistent workouts. Running pretty consistently. Eating consistently. My pictures today are pretty good. Am I satisfied? Nope. I'll still aim for that extra rep each week. That extra second off my running time. That extra .01% off my body fat. That extra foot in my distance runs. You know why? Because I want it bad. And this video reminds me when I forget.

Last weigh-in:
168.0lb

P.S. Don't have the guts to post the pictures yet, but the progress is amazing. I suggest you take pictures, if not for tracking progress, then for bragging rights if you are already fit.

A New Year, A New Challenge?

2011-01-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

So it's 2011, people. I feel like last year just came and went. Overall, I'd say 2010 went decent. If I have to go by the guideline that I should do something that scares me, well, I did it. The triathlon scared me for eight weeks. Now I'm wondering what I should do to "scare" me this year.

Since the tri, I've been lifting twice a week and running twice a week. I've built up my mileage such that I've been running at least six miles each run for the past couple of weeks. I wouldn't say I'm addicted to running, since I seem to have a love/hate relationship with it. There are days where I dread going out in the cold or to the boring treadmill at the gym. Then there's the constant grind for a few miles before I even start feeling good about running. But man, right when I hit the one hour mark, I feel great. I mean, what a feeling it is to know that your mind and will is strong enough to push your body! I hit 10K distance a few weeks ago, and I felt GREAT. I reached 8 miles one run a couple of weeks ago, and that felt AWESOME despite the fact I could barely walk at the end. So yeah, love/hate.

I haven't ran outside for about a week since the snowstorm hit. It's draining to watch where you're landing your foot strikes and hope you didn't hit ice. So, I've been running at Planet Fitness on the treadmill. Downside is that the treadmill automatically starts cooldown after one hour. So I aim to be faster each time I go to the treadmill. I usually aim for increasing distance when I'm running outdoors.

Recently, my cousin has been bugging me to do a half-marathon with him. Needless to say, a 2+ hour run is not very appealing to me at all. Thoughts of hitting the wall or succumbing to a walk has been discouraging me from committing. Yet, I've been constantly running twice a week, always aiming for 6+ miles each run. The half is in March, and I have plenty of time to train for it. Not to mention the fact I did run 8 miles helps. I'll admit, the half scares me a bit. Can I actually run for that long? Lately, I've been questioning why I convince myself out of doing things that scare me. So, I'm pretty certain that I will attempt the half in March. I just need to bring myself to sign up for it. Haha.

So depending on how soon I decide, 2011's first challenge will be a half-marathon. Now to go find some new running shoes!

Last weigh-in:
169.0 lb (The running is making it difficult to keep building mass)

Lift weights anywhere!

2010-10-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

I'm currently in the middle of moving, and it's not leaving me with a lot of time. Life is pretty busy too, so fitting in workouts while making sure I have time to rest in between is getting tough. I've been getting somewhat serious with my runs too, so that makes it even harder. So far this week, I've ran once (5.11 miles in 46:48, about average of 9:08 mile), lifted in lite workouts twice, and swam once. I had planned on doing a full lift workout and running one more time before this week ends, but here I am sitting at work. I went out last night too, so I couldn't squeeze in the run I wanted to. But, it's a slow day and I've found the perfect thing to help!

With my limited action with my full lifting workouts, I've done more pushups and curls than I really wanted. This is leaving my back feeling pretty ignored and me with okay posture. While going about my work here, I found an extra 5 gallon Poland Spring bottle--full. So I'm going to fit in some deadlifts and some rows. Heck, I might even do some shoulder presses with it! Workout anywhere, people.

Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb.

Finished the triathlon!

2010-10-09T17:04:00.000-04:00

It's been almost a week, but I did wind up doing the triathlon. Saturday night, when my cousin came up, I was coughing up a storm. I was barely recovered from whatever I had, and I doubted if I could even finish the triathlon let alone survive the swim. But I did it.

When I woke up Sunday morning at 5:30AM, my cough wasn't there. I felt pretty good, but the fear of drowning during the race came back. At the same time, I knew if I didn't do it, then it would've been because I wussed out. It was almost time to leave, so I dressed anyway and grabbed my gym bag and helmet. We went to pick up another cousin who would photograph and I contemplated grabbing my bike. I decided not to, but LI cousin convinced me to bring it just in case. We got to the YMCA and all I saw were pretty fit people with road bikes. I had a heavy mountain bike with hybrid tires, bar ends, and a non-working third gear. More fear. I walked LI cousin to the registration and I stood outside. Then I realized how stupid it was and I went to register. There was a funny scene where the race director was shocked at the time I wanted to change my swim time to, but whatever.

Leading up to the swim, I was nervous as heck. I got inked up with my numbers, setup my transition area, and warmed up a bit in the pool. Seeing how I doubted my ability, I lined up near the end of the 122 people pack. The first guy that finished did it in about 4.5 minutes. Craziness. Meanwhile, I stood there with some first-timers and worried how it would look to rest every 25 yards I swam. Until...until I saw a guy kick on his back the whole 250 yards. That immediately put me at ease. It finally got to me, and I freestyled the first 25 yards. I opted not to rest and went under to the next lane. I got on my back and did a combo of kicking and "jellyfishing" for three laps since I wasn't sure how I would feel without stopping for any rests. I hit my head on the wall and decided I couldn't do that the rest of the way. I wound up doing my back kick for most of the remaining laps with me switching over to freestyle near the wall so I could see. I finishe the swim at 11:28 instead of the 20 minutes I thought it would take.

I jogged to the transition, put on my top, socks, shoes, sunglasses and helmet. I ran to the bike mount area and started biking. I thought it would be better to put on my gloves on the bike, but I nearly wiped out twice. Bad idea. Did the 3-loop 10.1 mile course. Hopping off the bike, I felt my calves cramp and seize up. Not good. I hobbled/jogged to transition again, racked my bike, whipped my helmet off, and was off to do the 4.5 lap 5K. My legs felt like they were gone. I stripped my gloves after the first lap and just kept reminding myself to run like I trained. I ran through the cramps, ran through the pain, ran through the fatigue that was creeping in. I kept telling myself, "You did this. Remember the bricks? You did this." The last half lap, my LI cousin came to run alongside. He had finished much earlier. A 42-year old lady started cheering me on as she finished too. I started pumping my arms harder, and just like in training, I switched to a sprint near the last 50 yards and bolted to the finish. The feeling was pretty kick*ss. Time? 1:29:34.

It was quite the accomplishment, and I would definitely do it again. By signing me up, my LI cousin effectively forced me to finish learning to swim. Now I have to work on my technique. Triathlon season is pretty much over, so I have plenty of time to get better before the next one. I did get sick again afterwards, but I'm almost good again. I'm already working out again, albeit a bit softer 2 - 3 times versus 4-5 per week. I'm thinking of doing a 5K in a couple of weeks. In training, I'm hoping to reach the 10K mark too. Exciting stuff. Now to get a real bike.

Last weigh-in:
169.5 lb (while sick, so probably more like 170.5 - 172.0lb)

A Big Question Mark

2010-10-02T12:58:00.000-04:00

So...I haven't trained that much at all this past week. After my buddy's wedding this past Saturday, I wound up with a sore throat which quickly was accompanied by some small body aches, stuffy sinuses, and a low fever. I've only started to feel better Thursday, and tried swimming again, but energy level is very low. I still have an itch which makes me cough now and then. All this leaves me with a big question mark.

As much as I dread the swimming leg of the triathlon, now I'm left wondering if I can even make it through the bike and run legs as well. I know I'm not 100% over whatever I had (cold? small flu?), so I'm not sure how much I have in the tank, so to speak. I swam Monday just as I was getting sick, and even though my form felt good, my endurance still sucks. My muscles screamed after one 25M lap too; effects from my illness, of course. Thursday swim was okay, but after getting out of the pool, I was light-headed and queasy from the effort. This does not bode well at all. I question my ability to do the 10M bike and 5K run.

It's already Saturday and the race is tomorrow morning. I can go through with the prep and see how I feel tomorrow morning, but I just don't know what's going to happen. It's unfortunate that I got sick the week before. I put a lot of time into this race, even if my swim portion was ever so frustrating. In the back of my head, I'm trying to justify quitting by committing to some road races before the year is out. We'll see what happens.

Weak swim endurance

2010-09-15T13:37:00.000-04:00

Ever since doing a nonstop 25M swim, I've been a bit more hopeful with my swim sessions. After two sessions so far this week, I find I have no endurance when swimming.

For the week, I did a quick shoulder workout on Saturday and hit the pool Sunday. I don't know if it was the lack of rest between my shoulders workout or if it was because I was showing off my airborned dynamic pushups and one-armed pushups about 30 minutes prior to swimming, but I tightened my right shoulder. It feels like a minor strain and seems to be around the upper outer pectoral muscle or the lower trap. It only bothers me when I reach my right arm across my chest to the left or sometimes when I lift my arm. Not good. This was Sunday night. Monday, I did another indoor bike/run brick, then I swam again last night. Good thing was the affected area doesn't really affect my swimming, but my lack of endurance definitely does.

I can't seem to do more than 25M at a time. I need to work on making my technique more efficient. I also need to increase my endurance by a lot. The pool for the race is 25M and goes from 3 feet deep to 9 feet. This means I also need to work on not relying on my feet being able to touch the bottom. I'm thinking I need to at least be able to swim 50M nonstop and rest at the edges. That or learn to pace myself better in the water so I can last 250M. This would mean getting more comfortable in the water and learning to breathe effortlessly during the slow swim.

I'm going to try to hit the pool three times a week for the last two weeks to see if I can squeeze in some last-minute improvement. I'm probably going to stop my shoulder workouts as well to prevent hurting myself. My goal for the rest of this week is to run one more time and swim 1 - 2 more times. Also, need to rest up and hope this tightness/strain goes away. Oy. It's almost funny to think that I've went from a non-runner to someone that looks at my 4 mile run tonight and think, "Oh good, an easy day."

Swimming is kicking my butt

2010-09-09T11:54:00.000-04:00

So it's been a while since my last update. During this time, I went on vacation and then caught up with work and working out when I got back. While away, I did manage to use the hotel pool four days. I also realized that I suck at swimming. I couldn't get my rhythm right and swallowed a lot of outdoor pool water. Not fun. I ate a lot and ran and lifted once that week.

Since coming back, I have been keeping up with my other workouts. I didn't swim all of last week, but devoted 20 minutes to working on my strokes and breathing timing. I think this helped the most because last night I was able to do 25M laps with breathing. I did it three separate times, so it was quite encouraging. I'm looking at doing some private lessons again, but being ready for a 250 yard swim by Oct 3 is still looking doubtful. My runs are doing well. I've been consistently running at least 5Ks now, but the bike/run is killing me. I did a real brick last week outdoors and did 7.5 miles biking and 2.0 miles running. My legs felt like they disappeared on me after getting off my bike. This week, I ran 3.5 miles on Monday night with my 5K clocking in at 29:38. Feels great to see my 5K under 30:00, but I'm sure after a swim and a bike, that time will go up a lot. Tuesday night, I did an indoor brick of 10 miles stationary bike and 4.1 miles treadmill running. Needless to say, I didn't have much gas left for my swim last night.

I'm going to continue with my training, but as I've said before, the swim event is going to make or break this triathlon. I'm not sure how the three weeks I have left will go, but at the very least this triathlon has got me off my butt and doing more than I've ever done. That's what I'll keep telling myself...oy.

Crazy week so far

2010-08-19T17:41:00.000-04:00

It's been pretty crazy so far. After skipping my Sunday workout, I was "forced" to do a double workout day on Monday with Workout AH in the morning and a bike/run at night. I would up doing a 6.3 bike on the stationary bike and a 2.0 mile run on the treadmill. I was pretty happy that I was able to bump up my running mileage from 1.75 miles.

The next day I hit the pool again, but with goggles. The googles helped a lot, but I overthought my stroke and form and wound up panicking a few times. Longest nonstop swim is just a bit over half the Bally's pool. Not looking so good there. Need to relax and stay calm. I probably should stick with one to two strokes per day to maximize my time there. I was in the pool for about 25 minutes and worked on backstroke, freestyle, and even some breaststroke. Too much for a short workout.

Last night, my shoulders felt sore from the stress of having Workout AH and the swim session so close together. I opted out of Workout CH (I might skip this until the race is over) and just did one-arm pushups and curls. I followed this with a run outdoors. I aimed to hit over 2.0 miles, but after hitting 2.25 without much pain, I decided to go for the 5K. I finished 3.18 miles with the 5K clocking in at 31:02. I'm a few minutes off my PR, so I have more work to do there as well, but I'm quite happy that I can do a 5K again. Now if I can get it up to a 10K with the 5K finishing under 28:00, I'll be happy.

Still loads more training to do. I'm on vacation next week, but hope to keep up with my running and swimming at the hotel. Oh man.

8/12/2010 Swim

2010-08-14T16:50:00.000-04:00

The past Thursday would've been like every other Thursday except for the fact that I knew I was going to go swimming after work. After having it in the back of my head all day, I made the drive to Bally's to sign up for a 7-day thing. Wouldn't you know that they were have a class till 8PM? So with even more suspense, I drove home to change into street clothes then went back for my first swim since Summer 2009 (which was when I learned how to swim).

I went back with gym bag over my shoulder. I changed then cursed myself as I discovered my goggles were not with me. I made my way to the pool and hopped in. After getting a lane to myself, I did some simple kicking and then some freestyle strokes without the breathing. Feeling a bit more comfortable, I tried to get myself used to water surrounding me by immersing myself and doing various strokes. Feeling a bit better, I went for a freestyle with breathing. Oh man. Timing was off. Got some water in. Long story short, 15-20 minutes later, I got the timing right, but I was tired. It was my fifth day straight of working out, and my body was getting tired. I got out and went home.

This first week has been interesting. I did Workout CH the night before the swim, so I had five straight days of working out. By yesterday, different parts of my body were sore. I took yesterday and today off and will be back at it by tomorrow. I'm buoyed by how fast I remember how to swim, but I got a long way to go to build up to 250M of swimming. What comforts me is that the backstroke is not hard to do, so that's my backup stroke when I start drinking water in the pool on the day of the race.

I'm going to enjoy my rest for now, but I still got seven weeks to go.

8/10/2010 Run

2010-08-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was supposed to be a swim day, but the work pool is too small and I didn't have anything lined up. I got home around 9:45 and decided to go for a run just to fit something in. The run started out pretty good. Tried to fly down the hills and pound up the inclines. Side stitches weren't as much of a problem today, but eventually the uphills on the way back cause my abs to cramp out pretty bad. I ended at 1.75 miles with an average pace of 9:42. It was an okay run, but I'm a bit consoled at the increase in mileage. I'm hoping to be running consistent 5Ks soon and 10K's by the time I race. Not much else to write about. I stretched, showered, and went to bed.

Workout CH tonight, maybe an easy run after and hope to hit the pool Thursday.

First bike/run

2010-08-09T11:30:00.000-04:00

Part of my new training regimen includes a day of biking followed by running. Since I've never ran after biking before and that I'm rebuilding my running distance again, I figure I do an easy bike/run today. It wasn't my best, but it'll do for now.

I started with driving to my mom's home. That's where I keep my bike since my apartment doesn't really have the best place to store my bike. And besides, my mom's is close to a good bike route. But today was different. Seeing how I need to bike then run, I decided to kill two birds with one stone by biking my cousin's bike back to my apartment, then running back for my car. Since I knew biking is easier, I tried to take detours when possible to make the ride longer. But since I was riding a female bike, and it was a comfort bike, I cut it short and ended the ride at 2.34 miles. Nonetheless, I gave my quads a taste of what it was like to pedal and climb hills again.

I rested for a bit, and ran back to my car. The running is still a bit difficult. No leg cramps this time, but some side stitches here and there. It's been a while since my core was used to the constant pounding of running. With the sun beating on me, there were a couple times where I thought of putting in the 0.8 miles I did before and call it a day. But I put my head down and pushed through till I reached my mom's. I started slow at around 4.5 mph, but ended around pace, pounding through downhills when I could. I wound up running 1.11 miles at an average of 6.52 mph (9:12 pace). My max was 8.97 mph (6:40 pace) and was probably from the downhill.

Today's workout isn't one to rave about, but it gave me a good idea of how it would be like to run after a bike. My next bike/run would probably be 5+ miles followed by a progressively longer run. I'm hoping to build up to a 5K by September and be able to run 10K by end of September. There's a lot of work to do, and I still need to figure out a place to practice my swimming. On top of all this, I need to stay on my lifting regimen. I did Workout AH yesterday, hope to do swimming or arrange for some swimming tomorrow, and probably do Workout CH Wednesday. It's still looking to be a long 7-8 weeks till the triathlon. Oh man.

Eight Weeks to a Sprint Triathlon

2010-08-04T23:45:00.002-04:00

So my cousin surprised me by signing me up for a sprint triathlon. Now mind you, I haven't ran since early May, and all I've been doing is lift. On top of that, I just kinda learned how to swim last summer, so I have super anxiety about the swim leg of the race. To add to all the fun, the race is October 3, giving me about eight weeks to train for this. This is going to be an interesting eight weeks.

I think it'll be kinda cool to write some posts during these eight weeks and see how I either tackle this race or die trying. I just found out today, so I tried to calm myself down by doing a resistance workout, followed by a quick run (to Subway for dinner). The run didn't go so well. I wound up running at racing pace and lasted 0.8 miles before cramps (probably from lifting) and a side split stopped me, but I made it to Subway. On a tangent, I wound up only bring an American Express credit card, and the Subway near my place didn't take Amex. So off I went running home to grab my wallet...and my car.

Since I haven't been hitting the gym for my workouts, I've tweaked my workouts a bit. Exercises are paired so that I do one, rest, do the other one, rest and repeat two more times before going to the next pair.

Workout AH (Essentially Workout A, but modified to a full-body routine. Added the "H" to emphasize the at home part):
Pullups/Lateral raises
One-armed pushups/Front raises
Shoulder press/shrugs (No rest before shrugs. Sometimes followed by one-legged squats or 3-way calf raises, if I'm not running anytime soon.)
Bent over dumbbell row/Biceps curls
Incline pushups on Swiss ball/Hammer curls

Workout CH:
Pullups/One-armed pushups
Australian pullups/Incline pushups on Swiss ball
Rear lat raises/Chest flies
Biceps curls (Preceded with a leg exercise if I'm not running anytime soon)
Hammer curls

I've been consistently doing Workout AH once a week, and supplementing with Workout CH if I have time. So far, results have been great. Consistency and sticking to a decent diet has led to increase in strength and muscle mass with a decrease in fat and overall weight. It definitely shows that hard work and sticking to at least a loose schedule pays off. If you are close to me at all, I'll let you know that it's Workout AH that occasionally makes me want to puke. To be fair, it's usually on a hot day and I drank too much water, but it's a tough workout. I currently use 40-lb dumbbells at 3 sets of 9. Pullups are 3 sets of 11, one-armed pushups are 3 sets of 5, incline pushups 3 sets of 19. I aim to finish within an hour.
Today I did Workout CH, followed by the run to Subway. I've thrown together a schedule for the next eight weeks to try to get some training in before the race. I'm going to see how that goes, but I'll probably have to tweak it. Again, I'm very nervous yet highly motivated to train, so this is going to be interesting. Stay tuned!

Last weigh-in (a couple of days ago):
170.5 lb

Quick update

2010-07-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

This isn't going to be a detailed update, but since I posted a link to MuscleHack in the previous post, I wanted to quickly update where I am now.

Weight's pretty good. I've been average 172.5 lb. What's great is that I've been able to make gains in my strength. I am now on 40 lb dumbbells for my at-home weight workouts. I haven't hit the gym for awhile. Been busy with a new job and the heat makes me less motivated to make the drive. I haven't been able to hit the heavy weights, since I haven't gone to the gym, but I try to compensate with incline pushups, one-handed pushups, one-legged squats. Pullups are still the way to go for hitting my lats/back.

Cardio is suffering. I currently travel a lot for my job, and the long commutes not only saps my energy, but my time. I'm hoping to start running/biking 2-3 times a week, but it's not looking too good. My hiking goals have been seriously challenged. It's July, and I haven't hiked once. Not good.

Even with my setback in terms of cardio, I feel I'm still doing well on my fitness. I feel stronger than ever and I have a hunch that my body fat is around 13-14%. Ideally, I'd like to get that closer to 10-11%, but it'll take more control with my diet and more cardio. We'll see how it goes.

T.A. 3.1 from MuscleHack coming soon

2010-07-10T10:40:00.000-04:00

If you don't read MuscleHack.com and you're pretty serious about getting bigger, then you should start...soon. Mark McManus over there writes some very good, detailed articles about...yup..."hacking" your muscles. He provides a lot of his own research and trial and errors in his approach to getting bigger. He also has a few programs on his site to achieving that goal efficiently. So while World Fitness Network is targeted to getting strong and lean, MuscleHack is about mass. Go check out his latest post teasing his Total Anabolism 3.1 now!

In the current T.A. 3.0 cycle you overload each muscle group in a single set then wait until the peak overcompensation point (P.O.P.), then do it over again. Each successive full-body workout should progress in reps or weight to ensure continuous muscle growth.

In this new cycle we place MORE overload on each muscle. This will stimulate more growth by imparting more muscle damage in each workout; anabolism (building up) is stimulated by catabolism (breaking down) which is a negative feedback control.

via MuscleHack.com

Taking a break from updating

2010-05-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

If you haven't noticed already, I don't post much to this blog anymore. I've come to realized that the blog became my own fitness journal, and that's not quite what I had in mind for it. I still write weekly updates, but since they were mostly for me, I'm keeping them in a fitness journal now. There are quick a few blogs out there that do a lot better job than what I had intended to do here. MuscleHack and World Fitness Network immediately come to mind. I just don't have the time and resources to provide what they do there. They provide a lot of great information for bodybuilders and fitness-oriented people alike. I think they are better equipped and more-knowledgeable to help others better than I can.

I'll keep doing what I do in terms of my own fitness goals. I might even post here and there when I actually have something more useful or interesting to talk about. So, good luck all in your pursuit of being lean, strong, and fit.

Getting more runs in

2010-04-13T14:21:00.000-04:00

Got a double update here. Here are the breakdowns:

Week 1
Sunday: Workout A
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout B
Wednesday: None
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: Run (outdoors)

Week 2
Sunday: Workout A
Monday: None
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Run (outdoors)
Thursday: Workout C
Friday: None
Saturday: Run (Spot Pond: ~6K. 5K in ~34:00)

I'm still sticking to my Saturday Morning Runs. Having people running with you really motivates you to stick to a consistent schedule. Weights-wize I'm pretty consistent with two sessions per week. Hoping to be able to hit three sessions once in a while. I'm trying to bump my weekly runs up so that I'm doing 2 - 3 sessions per week as well.

It appears that distance-wize, I'm ready for a 5K again. But to be where I would be satisfied by my performance, I need to get my speed back. I seemed to have fallen into comfort running 10:30 miles, but to beat my last 5K score, that needs to get back down to 9:30. I'm still hoping to do a 5K in May, then a 10K in the summer. I'll reassess during the summer and see what else I want to do this year.

With warmer weather approaching, I need to start tackling the 4,000 footers in NH. I've already decided that I'll have to do some this hiking season, even if it means I'm on my own. With 40 peaks in NH over 4,000 feet, I have quite a bit to do. Summiting four peaks a year would take 10 years to do all 40, while something like 10 peaks a year would bring the time frame down to 4 years. Quite a big difference. I'll probably do Mt. Monadnock later this month as a warm-up, then start some peaks in May.

I'm pretty excited that the warmer weather is here so I can start tackling some goals of mine. Can't wait.

Last weigh-in:
174.5 lb

Hives are gone.

2010-03-28T12:41:00.000-04:00

Double update here. First week was a bit rough with me dealing with the remainder of my hives. Had to be careful how I did my workouts so my sweat wouldn't trigger the histamine. Here's the breakdown:

Week 1:
Sunday: None
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout A
Wednesday: Walk
Thursday: Workout B
Friday: None
Saturday: Light hike

Week 2:
Sunday: None
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout A
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout C
Friday: None
Saturday: Run outdoors (2.6 miles)

I've been missing my Sunday workouts due to plans on the weekends. But my weekends are a bit more open now and I've already made my Sunday workout for this coming week. So things are looking good. Had a good run yesterday outdoors with some people. I hope to do a group run every Saturday morning where it'll just be fun to get together. In addition to my Saturday runs, I hope to do a couple of runs during the week to work on speed and tempo. I know plans don't mean anything until I do it, but I hope to be ready for a 5K soon and then a 10K by summer.

My wrist got better during my episode of hives. Probably due to the corticosteroids I was on, but now that I'm back to lifting hard again, my wrist seems to bother me during certain moves. Currently, I think it's a combo of an inflammed tendon and tight forearms from gripping heavy dumbbells. I'm trying to be vigilant with forearms stretches daily, but it's tough.

Not much else to write about.

Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Triple update

2010-03-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

I've been pretty lazy with my updates. So, here's the breakdown for the past three weeks:

Week 1:
Sunday: None
Monday: Planks
Tuesday: Workout A, arms
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout B
Friday: None
Saturday: Run

Week 2:
Sunday: Workout A, arms, planks
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout C at home
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout B
Friday: None
Saturday: Ski @ Sunday River

Week 3:
Sunday: None
Monday: None
Tueday: Workout A
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Workout C at home
Friday: None
Saturday: Run (25 minutes outdoors)

Consistency is key, and I have not been consistent with running. Last week, I started to get back in the swing of things, even running when I was up in Canada for the weekend. Unfortunately, I came down with a bad case of the hives and I can't afford to run since the sweating triggers it. I'll see how it goes laying off for this week. I hope to get back to it next week. Not much else to write about.

Last weigh-in:
175.5 lb

Took a week off

2010-02-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

It's another double week update. I'm having some issues with my wrists/forearms, and see how last week was pretty busy, I wound up making last week a "rest" week. Here's the breakdown:

Week 1
Sunday: Workout A, abwork
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout B
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout C
Friday: None
Saturday: Run - 1.41 miles outdoors (9:14 pace at 25 degree weather)

Week 2
Sunday: None
Monday: Planks
Tuesday: Walking lunges, shovel, Workout A, triceps pulldowns
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Pushups, planks
Friday: Run outdoors - 1.41 miles (9:07 pace)
Saturday: None

I laid off my full body workout to give my muscles some time to recover, but my main reason was to see if it'll help my wrist a bit. I noticed that my symptoms are beginning to resemble golfer's elbow. I know, I don't even golf! But golfer's elbow is like tennis elbow but on the other side. The issue mostly stems from grip. I started researching tendinitis when I noticed my wrist pain sometimes emanates from a tendon near the inside of my elbow. At one point, the area even felt inflammed. Another time, I felt similar aches on my left forearm/wrist, which I hadn't sprained. So, I'm beginning to think that my sprain healed, but now I'm dealing with overtraining/grip/tendon issues.

I'm not even sure if it is golfer's elbow, but I'm approaching it by "treating" the suspected cause, which I think is a combination of my full-time desk job and gripping heavy dumbbells during my leg workouts. Besides this recent "off" week, I'm reminding myself to focus on more forearm stretches. I'm also occasionally massaging the suspected inflammed tendon. To address the grip issue during leg workouts, I'm either going to have to get lifting straps or switch gyms, since my current gym do not have the proper free weights for legs. My short-term solution is using the leg press machine in place of squats. I'm still using relatively medium weights for lunges, so dumbbells can still work there.

I'm heading back to the gym this week, so we'll see how it goes.

Last weigh-in:
175.0 lb

Missing runs...

2010-02-10T14:01:00.000-05:00

Here's another double update. Work's been a bit busy, but here's the breakdown:

Week 1
Sunday: Workout A
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout C
Wednesday: Planks
Thursday: Neutral-grip pullups, pushups
Friday: None
Saturday: None

Weigh-in:
173.5 lb

Week 2:
Sunday: Workout A
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout B
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout C
Friday: None
Saturday: Run - 1.5 miles @ 2.0% incline (9:05 pace, with intervals at end)

It's been a rough two weeks for running. Either I didn't have the time or I just didn't have the motivation to go out and run. There was also the whole losing strength issue that I had, so I was pretty focused on making sure I got enough calories and rest to ensure my muscles would rebuild. When I did finally go running, I wound up with some heavily-cologned guy "walking" next to me. The cologne was so strong, I nearly had an asthmatic attack. Even though he left before I finished, I had a slight wheeze by then. This coupled with an already hard run (first time since two weeks), destroyed my hopes for that workout. I was very annoyed when I left the gym that day. Almost enough to write a post about do's and don'ts of working out at a gym.

Not sure if I mentioned it before, but I've been pretty bummed about this winter. Usually, I'm pretty psyched about skiing and stuff, but I'm more excited about the warmer weather so I can run (outdoors), bike, and hike again. The good thing is that it's nearly mid-February. So, I'm going to start tackling my runs so I can get back into the swing of things by spring.

Last weigh-in:
174.5 lb

Even more moving...

2010-01-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

So there was even more moving last week. Pretty crazy. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Help move
Monday: Workout A
Tuesday: Run - 2.0 miles @ 2% incline (started at 9:13 pace, increased 0.1 mph every 0.5 mile); finish with intervals @ 2% incline (7:03 pace - 1:15, 1:30, 2:15)
Wednesday: Workout B
Thursday: None
Friday: Ski
Saturday: Help move

With all the moving, it was all I could do just to make sure I rest enough. Then to top it off, I had my first ski trip of the season. Drove 3+ hrs to Wildcat Mountain in NH. Long drive, but the slopes and the $9 lift ticket was worth it. We didn't ski that long, maybe 4 hours, but I still noticed a difference in my conditioning. I wasn't tiring that fast and I lasted longer in terms of legs than last season. So, I'm liking the results of my training.

Lately, I've been tired, so I haven't been able to get more than one full-body workout in. Usually it's either my shoulders and then Workout B or Workout C during the week. Then I'm lucky if I get two cardio sessions in. Last week, I purposely left out leg workouts and one cardio session because of skiing and all the moving (lotta stairs). I think that helped, but the combination of moving and waking up early for skiing wiped me out for the weekend. I'm still somewhat trying to rest up.

On another note, I think I need to up my eating. Last week, I felt weaker than normal. At my lowest I weighed 172.0, a full 1.5 pounds than last week's weigh-in. Again, it's coming down to whether I want to add muscle, maintain where I am, or cut some fat. The problem is that I am trying to increase strength while trying to get back to 5K running form--two conflicting goals. It's not impossible, just very hard to gain muscle and lost fat at the same time. The good thing is that I'm not in a rush nor do I really place that much emphasis on how I look. Performance is my goal.

As for my injuries, my wrist is still VERY slow to heal. It usually makes some progress over the Friday/Saturday layoff on weights, but by Sunday, it's usually shoulders day and the stress begins anew. Range of motion is slowly returning and I can perform biceps curls again. The moving didn't really help, but I just have to keep paying attention to it. Ankle seems to be doing better. Sitting in seiza (my favorite quad stretch) isn't as painful anymore. I'm trying to keep up with stretching everything in general, so things are looking good.

I haven't really been that excited about this winter. Usually, I'm pretty pysched about skiing, but that's somewhat ho-hum for me at the moment. I'm more excited about being able to run outdoors again and to start hiking again. That and biking. I still haven't really tried out my new hybrid tires.

Anyway, this turned out to be a longer post than expected. We'll see how this week feels. I think I'm going to add a mini protein shake to my daily meals and see if that helps with anything.

Last weigh-in:
172.5 lb

Lotta moving...

2010-01-21T13:51:00.000-05:00

Wound up helping move a lot last week. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Workout A; help move (lotta stairs)
Monday: Rest - legs tired
Tuesday: Workout C
Wednesday: Run - 2.0 miles @ 2% incline (started at 9:13 pace, increased 0.1 mph every 0.5 mile), finished with intervals at 7:03 pace (1:00, 1:00, 3:00 @ increasing incline)
Thursday: Rest - wrist aches, sore body
Friday: Move stuff
Saturday: Rest

To try to jumpstart my running, I've been doing intervals at the end of my runs. It's still pretty tough break the two-mile mark right now. Lack of consistency and lack of motivation. The intervals help to break the monotony, while still killing my legs. With all the moving last week, I had to be a bit attentive to my rest periods to make sure I don't overwork my body. Had some wrist aches last week from a combination of an intense Workout C and moving. I'm still pestered by a partially healed right wrist and left ankle. Really stinks. Hope that changes soon.

Last weigh-in:
173.5 lb

First week in 2010

2010-01-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

Well, last week was my first full week in the new year, and I've made a change already. But before I get into it, the breakdown:

Sunday: Workout A
Monday: None

Tuesday: Pushups, rows, ab work, dips

Wednesday: None

Thursday: planks, Workout B

Friday: None
Saturday: Run - 2.0 miles @ 2% incline (9:13 pace); 3x intervals at 7:03 pace (1:00, 1:00, 2:00)

The weight regimen seems to be doing well for me, so no changes there. But if you look at my one run last week, you'll notice that I am adding some intervals at the end of my longer run to try to boost my progress. It's been a tough road building back up to 5K at near racing speed; most I've gotten was 2.0 miles. So far it seems like it's working - my run this week felt easier. What's for sure is that I am soaked by the end of my running workouts. We'll see how it goes. I'm pretty busy this week, so it's been tough to get my workouts in.

Last weigh-in:
173.5 lb

Weight is creeping up...

2010-01-07T17:24:00.001-05:00

I put in a decent week last week, but I'm noticing that my weight is creeping up. I did have the opportunity to check my body fat at my cousin's gym. 14.2%. It's okay. I knew it went back up, but it's still not good knowing for sure. Here's my breakdown:

Sunday: Workout A
Monday: Run - 2.0 miles @ 9:13 pace
Tuesday: Workout B
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout C
Friday: None
Saturday: Run - 1.5 miles @ 9:13 pace, two easy intervals @ 7:03 pace

I did pretty well, considering it was New Year's and my other cousin came up to visit. Usually, it's just eating and drinking, but we managed to hit the gym a couple times. My running is still horrible. I need more motivation to get me to run through my pain; I'm giving up too fast. It's a new year, so I gotta gather my focus and fit in some training if I want to make my goals this year. Oy...

Last weigh-in:
174.0 lb

What can I say...

2009-12-29T17:43:00.000-05:00

Well, apparently, I'm very good and skipping workouts. Here's the breakdown:

Week 1
Sunday: Workout A
Monday: None
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Workout B
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: Rear lat raises

Week 2
Sunday: Workout A, ab work
Monday: None
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Workout C
Thursday: None
Friday: Squats, pushups
Saturday: Run - 1.8 miles @ 9:13 pace

Really no excuse for my laziness besides having my wrist bother me again. Well, this cough is still here, so sometimes I just don't feel like heading out to run. Then there's my ankle; the recovery time is really bugging me. I definitely notice the lack of cardio. I haven't changed my caloric intake, so I feel like I've put on some mass. However, I've also put on some fat. So really, I've unintentionally went on a very basic bulk phase. I'm trying to fit the runs back in. I've ran Saturday and yesterday, so hoping to keep the consistency in. I still want to meet my goal of running a 10K in 2010.

Ski season is beginning, and I usually try to prep by adding some hops and other lower body exercises, but this ankle is making my wary of pushing it too much. I've already got two ski events planned, so I hope to be good enough soon. Also, with 2009 winding up, I'm pretty excited to push myself to some new limits in the new year. Can't wait.

Last weigh-in:
173.5 lb

Need to run more...

2009-12-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

Blah, another double week update. Just not staying on top of this. But here it is:

Week 1
Sunday: Run - 4 miles @ 11:30 pace
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders, hammer curls, squats, calf raises, ab work
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout B
Friday: None
Saturday: None

Weigh-in: 173.0 lb

Week 2
Sunday: Workout A, ab work
Monday: None
Tuesday: Workout C
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Workout B, 1-mile cooldown run
Friday: None
Saturday: Run - 1.5 miles @ 9:13 pace

As I've mentioned before, I've switched to a simple full-body routine where I'm targeting almost every group about twice a week. After my first couple workouts, my muscles were sore for a few days, so that means working out is a challenge again. Nice! I've gained some weight over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I seem to be settling back to around 173.0 174.0 lb. It's heavier, but I think it's a combination of the increase resistance-training and the decrease in cardio. I think I'll drop back to 171.0 - 172.0 when I start running again. My motivation is back again, so I'm actually looking forward to working out and running.

My ankle is still not quite 100%. I can't fully flex my foot, and lateral range of motion is still limited. I've been trying to lightly stretch it out, but it's a very slow process. Wrist was doing fine up until yesterday. I forgot I usually do upright rows with 25.0 lb dumbbells and did 3 sets of 8 with 32.5-pounders. Tweaked it a bit, but not as bad as before...I hope. In general, the upright row is very stressful on the wrist area, so I'm going to drop it temporarily. I might not even perform it again unless I have access to an EZ-curl bar so my wrists can be in a more natural position. Overall, I need to baby my wrist again and that means biceps curls are back on "we'll see" basis. Hammer curls are okay though.

I've had an annoying cough for a couple weeks now as well, and I think it's beginning to subside. So, I'm going to try to hit the treadmill some more. I still would like to get to running 10K's by spring.

Last weigh-in:
173.0 lb

Simple Full-body Routine

2009-12-07T16:28:00.001-05:00

I've been somewhat on a split-body routine for a bit now. As much as it's been easy-going, it's not producing the results I'm looking for. As always, I evaluate a lot and upon some thinking, I'm realizing that I'm not hitting my muscle groups often enough. I perform resistance training a few times a week and try to do cardio the same amount, so with split body workouts I'm hitting each group about once a week. Hardly a challenge. So I decided to change it up.

I sat down and wrote down the basic areas I target: chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs. Then under each category, I wrote down the usual exercises I perform for those areas. I like to try to hit the weights three times a week, and my shoulders can be finnicky, so I opted for one shoulder workout with two "full-body" workouts per week. This is what I wound up with:

Workout A
Lateral raises
Front raises
Shoulder press/Shrugs
Calf raises/Upright rows

Workout B
Press/Row
Incline Dumbbell Press/Deadlifts
Dips/Lat Pulldowns
Squats/Shrugs
Extensions/Hammers

Workout C
Pushups/Pullups
Dumbbell Press/Dumbbell Rows
Chest Flies/Rear Lat Raises
Lunges/Upright Rows
Skullcrushers/Biceps Curls

Not a bad setup. With the new routines, my muscles are sore again, which is great news for me. It shows that my muscles were very used to my program before, so I'm very glad I'm shocking them again. Now I'll be hitting my most of my muscle groups twice a week, albeit in slightly different ways. For shoulders, I'm sticking to once a week with shrugs and upright rows getting action twice a week. My shoulders gets injured often, so I'm gonna take it easy on them. I'm going to try to do cardio on the days that fall between workouts.

Holiday double update

2009-12-02T17:19:00.000-05:00

Got caught up over the holiday and didn't have a chance to update. But here's the breakdown:

Week 1:
Sunday: Pullups/pushupsMonday: None
Tuesday: Upright rows, curls
Wednesday: Shoulders, light legs
Thursday: None
Friday: Chest/back, 1 mile cooldown run
Saturday: None

Week 2 (last week):
Sunday: Pushups, ab work, upright rows
Monday: Pullups
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Shoulders, hammer curls, ab work; run - 2.0 miles (9:13 pace)
Thursday: EAT
Friday: Chest/back, upright rows, calf raises; 1.0 mile cooldown
Saturday: None

Really not much to say. I've been pretty lazy on the cardio front and even worse on the eating. I've even fell back into candy! If I were one to place blame, I'd blame it on the cold. "It's too cold to go out to workout...It's so cold, candy will make it better." No excuses, though. Had a pretty rough week in terms of eating due to the holiday, so it's time to make it better. Ironically, the bad eating is actually motivating me to focus on working out again, so let's see how this makes out. I still need to work on reworking my routines as I've mentioned a couple weeks ago, so got some work to do on that front.

Last weigh in:
172.0 - 173.0 lb (I really don't know since I weighed before Thanksgiving week, but not after)

Where's my motivation?

2009-11-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

I started easing back into running again after a week out of running due to my ankle. Nothing to write about really. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Light shoulders
Monday: Run (1.0 mile run, then a 0.5 mile interval after a brief walk)
Tuesday: Pullups/pushups, bicep curls
Wednesday: Run (1.6 mile run, then a 0.25 mile interval after a brief walk)
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: None

So, what's my injury report? My wrist is gaining more and more range of motion, but there is pain here and there depending on what angle. I'm off of any wrist supports/wraps now and am just working with lighter weights. I'm still stretching my wrists whenever I remember to slowly loosen up that joint. As for my ankle, it feels fine during running. I can't really rotate my foot that much and the outside part of my ankle is a bit tender still. Luckily, these things don't matter when I'm running in a straight line. I'm no longer wrapping, as the tape actually irritates me when I'm running.

The thing is about running lately is that I have no motivation to continue. First day back, I did one mile. I suppose that was okay since I was more or less testing the stability of my ankle. Second day, I did 1.6 before it started getting difficult. Normally, this is where I turn it on and get my head in the game. But, I went, "meh" and took a walking interval. The drive isn't there at the moment. Hopefully this week will be different. I want to at least get back to running 5K 2-3 times a week, preferably outdoors or at 2% on a treadmill.

I've been thinking about my weight sessions lately. I think I'm going to take this opportunity to change my workouts again. Change is what shocks the muscles anyway. I've been doing pretty much a split body workout. Bodyweight on Day 1, shoulders/legs on Day 3, back/chest on day 5. Not a bad schedule, but the pressure not to miss a workout is high. Missing a workout means missing working a muscle group for a week. And I feel I'm not taking full advantage of a split body workout by not doing it twice a week. So I'm thinking of doing full-body workouts 2-3 times a week. So, I'm going to sit down and figure out how I want to do this. I have a general plan, so it'll probably be something I'll start next week. We'll see.

Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Slow week

2009-11-11T09:57:00.000-05:00

It was a pretty slow week dealing with an injured wrist and an injured ankle. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Neutral-grip pullups/pushups on fists
Monday: Ab Ripper X
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Shoulders, Kenpo X
Friday: None
Saturday: None

I took the week off from running as I had said. My ankle was swollen for a couple days after the injury. I supported it by taping it for three days. The compression helped with the swelling, while the support gave me a little comfort. No pain relievers; not really a fan of them. Anyway, I noticed I was still able to move forward and backwards with the foot, so it was really an issue of lateral movement. It's still a bit tender at the injury site, but I'm going to be easing my runs back in.

As for my wrist, my range of motion increased, but excessive twisting causes slight pain. I did modified exercises for my upper body to minimize unnatural twisting of my wrists. Pullups were performed with neutral grips. Pushups were similarly performed on my fists. Then I did a day of Kenpo X give my upper body an overall workout. Nothing really too crazy this week. I fit in stretching when possible.

Nothing else to write about really. It was an uneventful week. We'll see how this week goes.

Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Well, isn't this just great?

2009-11-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

So, I've been taking it easy while my right wrist heals from the sprain. I'm annoyed, but I have my running. So guess what happens Saturday? I sprained my ankle. Before I get into it, here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: Run - 2.0 miles in 18:26 @ 2% incline (9:15, 9:11)
Tuesday: Ab Ripper X
Wednesday: Run - 5K in 28:22 @ 2% incline (9:14, 9:12, 9:03)
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: Light set of shoulders

It was an okay week in terms of runs. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't run 5K on Monday, especially since I was aiming for four miles. The run on Wednesday was pretty tough. I couldn't hit 4 miles, and I was pretty bummed. But I did some research, and the last time I ran four miles, it was at 0% incline. So I'll just have to slowly build to it.

During the week, I got an email with a link to my official results for my 5K. Turns out I finished faster than I thought, officially at 27:54 with an average 9:00 pace (Official Jumbo Stampede results. Computerized Timing and Scoring By Spitler Race Systems.. Sweet. I placed 98 overall, 46 in my age group of 18 - 29, and 63 in my gender group.

Now onto my ankle sprain. I was chaperoning a trick-or-treating outing. Crazy, huh? Well, throughout the outing, I pretty much walk up to the steps/door, then step aside to give a clear way for the kids to come out. At one house, I guess the path was a bit elevated, but I couldn't tell because the leaves covered it. My left foot slipped off the edge and bent in a pretty bad way. The pain was a bit sharp, but went away after a few minutes. I had sprained my ankles a lot as a kid, and that made it difficult to sprain them after, so I assumed it would be okay. But by morning, I was in pain and my ankle was swollen. It's been taped up for the past two days.

So to summarize, I have a recovering right wrist and a bum left ankle. I'm taking myself off running and lower body exercises. I can now only do ab work and modified upper body exercises. For example, I did neutral-grip pullups and pushups on fists last night. I think I can do shoulder work since it doesn't require my wrist to rotate. This is a tough time for fitness right now. Oy...

Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Preparing for a 5K Race

2009-10-29T17:36:00.004-04:00

I was somewhat bored the other day and wrote a little blurb about my experience prepping for my 5K. So, if you need some tips, go check it out:

So you've just signed up for a 5K? If it's your first, you're probably nervous about the race and what you need to do to prepare. I recently completed my first 5K earlier this month, so I've done plenty of research.

Long enough to be challenging for a new runner, but short enough to not require long-term training, the 5K (equivalent to 3.1 miles) is one of the most popular road running races. Whether you're a new running hoping to reach a milestone in your fitness goals or a marathon runner looking for a fun short "training" run, a 5K is a great race for people of all ages and abilities...

Read more here...

Aw crap...no lifting for a bit

2009-10-26T17:32:00.000-04:00

I had a relatively good week last week, except for the fact that I sprained my wrist! Phooey. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ribber X
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders/legs/arms
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Run - 2.82 miles in 26:46 (3 min of which were warm-up. 2 laps - 14:34, 12:12. 10:20 min/mi, 9:08 min/mi)
Friday: Chest/Back
Saturday: None

Prior to the sprain, everything seemed to be going along fine. I did all my weight exercises, though the chest/back workout was somewhat tough. Somehow, skipping the workout last week didn't help me at all. Lats were tired early. Chest was strong though. I even did a couple sets at 180 lb. But I think that might have pushed it, because incline dumbbell presses were hard. Last set, I failed at the fourth rep. That may have been the point I sprained my wrist, but it's hard to tell since I didn't feel the pain till around midnight.

I only ran once last week, but I did run outdoors, and I hit close to a 9 minute mile. I keep incorporating my warm up into my first lap and that really messes with my numbers, so I think next time I run my predetermined route, I'll warm up and then start counting my laps from the point I run. That way, I'll have more accurate numbers for the run, especially the first lap. I tried running on Saturday, but again I've been feeling sluggish. I slept in and just didn't have the drive to get up and go. I may be stressed and it's really affecting how my body recovers.

Anyway, with my sprained wrist (my right), I really need to reevaluate my workouts this week. I've sprained my left wrist a couple of years ago and that took a very long time to heal, partly because I was in denial about it. But having gone through that and my recent shoulder injury, I'd like to think I'm smarter about injuries now. Although my wrist only hurts when I rotate it, I'm going to lay off the weights for a week at a time. I'll reevaluate every Sunday and see where I am. What does this mean? It'll mean my main focus will be cardio until my wrist heals. I know, I know. Right away, I thought about the gains I've made in terms of my resistance training. I'm at a place where I'm lifting more than I've ever had. Shoot, I'm doing shoulder exercises with 37.5 lbs when just a couple of years ago, I thought over 25 lb would have been impossible. But I understand that to ensure my longterm health, I need to lay off. I'll probably return with less strength, but I can build it up again.

Since I'll be doing mostly cardio until my wrist heals, I've also decide to dig into my past workouts. I'm going to try to supplement my running with some martial arts-influenced workouts. P90X has a pretty good karate-influenced workout called Kenpo X. I'll aim to do that once a week. The workout is heavily dependent on how much you put in, so I can adjust the intensity as I see fit. My lower body is healthy too, so now would be a good time to hit the gym for some leg workouts. Machines, of course, since I don't want to hold any weights.

That's it for now. Let's hope my wrist heals soon!

Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

I gave in...but it's okay?

2009-10-20T21:35:00.001-04:00

It's pretty sad, but I had a blah week last week. What happened? I gave in. I gave in to weakness. I gave in to sloth. But I suppose it's for the better. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ripper X
Monday: None

Tuesday: None

Wednesday: Shoulders/legs/arms
Thursday: Run - 4.0 miles in 37:09 (9:24, 9:24, 9:20, 9:01; 5K in 28:56)
Friday: None
Saturday: None

As you can see, I missed a lot of workouts. I only had one run, and I missed my chest/back workout. BUT, I had horrible sleep and it was cold. Okay, the latter was a bad excuse. But I didn't get enough sleep. I felt tired and didn't think it would've helped my body to push it through 5-6 days of workouts. Besides, I had turned it on for a week or so before my 5K, and I broke my expectations that race. My last "break" was end of August, so I made up my mind to take a semi-break. Kind of a let-my-muscles-relax-and-rebuild phase. But I have to get serious again.

The highlight of last week was my one run. My local cousin has been putting up consistently great numbers on her way to rebuilding her cardio, and the competitiveness made me aim for a four mile run. I completed the run, despite my cramp at mile two. Focused breathing ushered the cramp away, but still left whether or not my mental toughness could tough out the extra .9 miles I aimed for. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or the higher speed I was running at, but mile four was very tough. At times I felt like I needed to throw up. Haha. Very rare. It usually happens when I'm tired or I just ate. My stomach was empty, so I'm thinking it's because I was tired. Either way, I managed to push through, running mile four in 9:01. Pretty sweet.

I don't have any races in the near future, but I do have some goals I'd like to hit before year end. I want to run 5K under 27:00 (less than 9 minute miles). I want to bench 200 (even if it's on the machine). I want to hit 3 sets of 15 pullups (I'm at 13 now). Also, by spring, I'd like to be able to run 10K easily. This would mean future 5K races would be easy. It would also put me on track to join my LI cousin on the Men's Health Urbanathlon next fall. So, I've got some work to do.

Last weigh-in:
171.0 lb
I'm not concerned about my weight at this point. If I can hit all the above goals by year end, then I wouldn't care what weight I would be at. In fact, I'm contemplating going into a brief bulk stage to handle that bench press goal. But that would mean cutting back cardio, and cardio is making me feel good lately. Decisions, decision.

Set a PR with my 5K!

2009-10-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

The Tufts Jumbo Stampede 5K was this past Saturday. I'll admit I was pretty nervous going into it, but it was fun. Here's last week's breakdown:

Sunday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ripper X
Monday: Run - 5K in 29:08 at 2% incline (9:34, 9:30, 9:11)
Tuesday: Shoulders/arms (skipped legs)
Wednesday: Run - 5K in 29:29 at 2% incline (9:33, 9:31, 9:31)
Thursday: Chest/back

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Tufts Jumbo Stampede 5K - finished in ~28:05

I knew going into the week that I would skip my legs workout. The week before, my legs were a bit tired from the leg workout and the inclines I added to my indoor running. I didn't want to risk running the race with tired legs. So, no legs. I tried giving a bit more in terms of runs. I figured it was my last week to do anything, and I wasn't really too concerned with going too crazy before the race since it was only a 5K.

First run of the week after cooling down from my 5K run, I decided to do a half mile interval at 8.5 mph. I did it pretty well and cooled down again afterwards. I figure that little burst of speed after a run might tell my body that it's possible to sprint after 30 minutes of running. Second run was a bit difficult. My legs were tired after two miles and my heartrate went as high as the 170s even though I didn't increase speed or incline. Last 1.1 miles was really tough. I had to fight pretty hard mentally to keep going and finish. Looking back, I think it was due to lack of sleep. I was averaging 5.5 hours per night. I made the decision to make sure I was well rested before the race. I was going to run easy on Friday, but I decided to dedicate that day to rest.

Night before the race, I hit the sack early and got about seven hours of sleep. I rested all of Friday and kept myself pretty comfortable. Also, I had picked up my number bib on Friday, so I could "sleep in" on Saturday. I still woke up earlier than I would've for work. I got there with my cheering group and warmed up and got ready. The 15 minutes before the start was a bit of a torture with my adrenaline pumping, but I somewhat managed to calm myself a bit. During the warmup run, I was able to use the track to gauge my running speed; sort of a calibration run if you will. I overshot myself with the warmup run and wound up running at a 8:30 pace. I made a mental note to slow myself down during the race or I knew I wouldn't last.

The race organizers came in and asked everyone to get ready. I settled into the middle of the pack and waited for the start. When we did start, several people passed me immediately, but not too much. So I knew I picked a good place in the pack to start. I settled into what I thought was a 9:30 pace and picked a competitor to run behind. When I heard him wheezing two minutes into the race, I picked a trio of young runners and settled behind them instead. I stuck with them for a while, even when a quartet of scantily-clad nubile females ran by (haha). After passing several people, we hit the first hill. It was a gradual climb that lasted for a very long block. I focused on pumping my arms and leaned into the hill. We then had a short break of a small level block before hitting the next short but steep hill. The trio I was tailing had to stop after this hill, so I blew by them and picked a different target. After passing a few other people, I settled on two girls wearing elephant hats. I stuck with them till the end until I passed them around the last quarter mile. Turns out I was being tailed as well, and this girl passed me at this point. We hit the track for our finish and I sprinted the last 90 or so meters to the finish. I forgot to stop my chrono right away (the sprinting does that) and forgot to look at the official time, but I calculated my time as ~28:05. A personal record.

I was pretty pleased with my results. I knew I didn't win the race, but I was happy with my performance. I got a t-shirt, too. Haha. My main goal that day was to finish without walking and to finish under 30 minutes, and I hit both and set a new best for my 5K, so I'm psyched. I'm going to keep adding distance and speed to my runs. I hope to eventually run a 10K along with hitting my other fitness goals.

Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb

Adding inclines to my indoor runs

2009-10-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

I haven't been able to run outdoors lately. I'm too tired in the morning, and I live in a crappy neighborhood, so I don't want to run at night. So I've been running indoors. If you run at all, you would know running on a treadmill is much easier than running outdoors. So I thought I would start adding inclines. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ripper X
Tuesday: Run - 5K in 29:34; total 4.25 miles in 40:33 at 1% incline (avg 9:30 min/mile)
Wednesday: Shoulders/legs/arms
Thursday: None
Friday: Chest/Back
Saturday: Run - 5K in 32:02 at 2% incline (9:29, 9:32, 11:50)

So, first run of the week, I did 1% incline. This would make running similar to outdoor running on flat ground. It wasn't a bad run. I even made it a slightly longer run at 4.25 miles. I was quite satisfied with myself. Second run was a different story entirely. I decided to run the full 5K at 2% incline. First mile started off okay, but ended a bit rough. Second mile was a killer. My lower legs were burning from the extra exertion of the incline. I held on as long as I could, but wound up walking for a half mile. Then I finished the remainder of the 5K at 1.5% incline. It was a very disappointing run (Note: I did complete a run at 2% last night, but that's next week's update).

There were a lot of reasons for my failed run. I might have let too much time pass between runs. I might have tired my legs out with my leg workout. I might have increased the incline too much and should've done 1.5% instead. Either way, I didn't run it. I learned a few things from that run. One, I'm skipping my leg workout this week to keep my legs fresh for my 5K. Two, I am weak on hills, so I need to focus on that a bit with either hill training or incline running indoors. Three, I need to run more consistently and not let too much time pass between runs. I only hurt my own progress doing that. I have to work harder at it this week. It's my last week to prepare for the race.

Weights-wise, I'm doing fine. Back seems to be evening out with the chest. The rows at 170lb seem to be getting easier. I'm going to work to three sets of 8 and/or play around with 180lb before moving on to the next plate at 190lb. My chest can already handle 180lb, so it shouldn't be too long before I hit my goal of 200lb. At this point, I wish Planet Fitness has heavy free weights. Best they have are 60 lb dumbbells and Smith machines. Either way, the good thing about doing these heavy workouts is that my pullups are improving. I'm at three sets of 13, so I should hit 15 soon.

Well, that's it. It's all about the 5K this week.

Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb

Running outdoors is harder

2009-09-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I fit in more than one run. That's nice. But I also found out running outdoors is much different than running on a treadmill. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders/legs/arms
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Run (2.82 miles in 28:3x)
Friday: Chest/Back
Saturday: Run (2.82 miles in 27:35)

I did pretty well last week. I missed my pullups and pushups; I was in NY celebrating my cousin's birthday. We only had one meal on Saturday, so I didn't gain any weight. I did wind up sleeping in a car, but that's a different story.

One thing I did differently last week was to start running outdoors again in anticipation of my 5K on October 10. Wow...I forgot how different it was. The route I chose had gradual inclines, so that kinda killed me. My pacing was slower than what I had been doing indoors. Then there was the cold air. First run, I actually had to stop. So disappointed in myself. But the second run two days later, I managed to finish without stopping. After these runs, I told myself to run outdoors whenever possible, and if I find myself on a treadmill, then I need to add in the incline to mimic how tough outdoor running can be. I also realized that I probably won't finish under 30 minutes for that 5K. I especially won't be able to get under 27:00.

I'm hoping to fit in three runs this week. I need as much runs as I can get since the race isn't that far away. Hopefully, I can fit in a couple of longer runs and some fast runs. We'll see.

Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb

Ab Ripper X still tough as ever

2009-09-22T11:12:00.000-04:00

Again, only one run this week. I guess I can take some consolation in that I improved a bit in time. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ripper X
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders/Legs/Arms
Wednesday: Run (5K in 28:40)
Thursday: None
Friday: Chest/Back
Saturday: None

I changed up my ab routine on Sunday. Instead of 3 sets each of four exercises, I decided to do all my pullups and pushups first. Then I started up Tony Horton's Ab Ripper X from his P90X series. I couldn't do the whole workout without stopping. It was tough. Then for the next two days, my hip flexors and abs were pretty sore. It was rough. I'll try to do this at least once a week and see how it goes.

As for running, I've managed to do a bit better with the 5K. I started at around a 9:30 minute mile and finished at an under 9:00 minute pace. It was nice to finish a bit faster, and I would like get the time down to 27:00. I also signed up for a 5K, so that should be motivation for me not to miss my runs. If I run multiple times a week, I could probably break it up so that I'm running a timed run one day and then a longer distance one another day. If I could fit three runs in, I'll make one a speed session. Let's see how it goes.

Last weigh-in:
171.0 lb

Argh...one run again...

2009-09-15T17:55:00.001-04:00

Had another okay week, in that I did horrible in cardio again. However, the one time I did run, I performed well. So, not too shabby, but my caloric burn for the week could've been more. That's all I'm saying. Here it is:

Sunday: Pullups/pushups, ab work
Monday: None
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Shoulders/legs/arms
Thursday: Run (5K in ~29 min)
Friday: Chest/back
Saturday: None

My weight is creeping up 0.5 - 1.0 lb at a time. Not noticing much in terms of fit of my clothing, so maybe it's muscle? Haha. Who knows? I'm placing more emphasis on my back right now since I noticed I couldn't row as much as I could bench. I think it's 150 lb versus 180 lb. So, I'm more focused on trying to balance that out before I continue on my goal of benching 200 lb. I could do a set of rows at 170 lb, but that's it. It's interesting though, because I can do 15 pullups and I can do pulldowns at 170 lb. Must be a part of my lats that I'm not quite hitting.

Oh, speaking of which, I hit 15 pullups. So my next goal for pullups is 20 pullups, which is on my life list anyway. What other fitness goals are on my life list you might ask? Pretty crazy stuff. I would classify them as long-long term goals:

100 consecutive pushups (highest I went was 55 and that burned)
20 pullups
Benchpress 1.5x bodyweight
10 one-arm pushups
Perform a handstand
Many other things...

Anyway, I'm aiming for a better week this week, so let's see what I can do.

Last weigh-in:
171.0 lb

Workout Motivation

2009-09-13T12:15:00.007-04:00

I'm sure we've all felt it before. You had a long day at work and just plopped yourself down on your bed. But it's your weight day or a cardio day or an interval day. Whatever, you need to work out. But you just can't seem to get yourself to do it. Would anything even motivate you?

Usually, when I'm in a workout slump, I try to look up some pictures of fit people. That usually gets me pumped pretty fast. It used to be Brad Pitt from Fight Club. Then I used Hugh Jackman from Wolverine for a bit. Then there was Daniel Craig in the Bond movies and Ryan Reynolds in Blade Trinity. Seeing those guys or reading about their workouts makes me want to...well...workout. Well, today I came across this video. It's Microsoft's live-action ad for their game Halo: ODST. Oh man, I watched that and I instantly want to work out or kick some a$$. I'm thinking this would have the same effect to any guy out there with a pulse. Check it out.

Running Hurts...Stop B*tching

2009-09-11T11:16:00.004-04:00

When I was at my cousin's place on the weekend of my friend's wedding, I saw a Pearl Izumi ad that was hanging on his fridge. The headline caught my eye right away: "IF YOU RAN WITHOUT SACRIFICE, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU JUST JOGGED." That really intrigued me and I went over to read the rest of the text:

Running hurts. It always has. Woolly mammoths didn't just roll over onto a plate and serve themselves up to prehistoric man with fries and a shake. They had to be caught - and running down woolly mammoths was a bitch. Guess what? Running is still a bitch. But one with a purpose. It teaches us that good things do not come easy. It teaches us that we are capable of more than we think. It teaches us that hard work will be rewarded and laziness will be punished. Don't expect to learn those life lessons from running's shiftless stepchild, jogging. Next time you suffer on the roads or trails, suffer proudly. It means you run like an animal. ~ Pearl Izumi

Needless to say, I now run with this in my head. Running does hurt. Oh man, does it hurt. Whether you're cramping, getting hotspots, getting a side stitch, getting shin splints, or a combination of those, running is not fun and games. But every since reading this, I now press on through the pain. I used to slow down when I start to get a side stitch. I used to walk when it really starts to hurt. But now I just think of sacrifice.

Last night, I went to the gym to run. It was night time, so I was not going to run in my neighborhood. That's too much of a sacrifice. But anyway, I warmed up for about 6 minutes, then I started my run. Not sure if it was because I didn't wait long enough after dinner or if I didn't have enough water, but I started cramping about 8 minutes in. I had planned for 30 minutes of running, a very long time to go. It was a right side stitch, so I knew controlling my breathing would stop it, but I've never really succeeded in stopping a side stitch without slowing down to a walk. But I thought of sacrifice. So for the next six minutes, I only thought of my breathing. Exhale, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 2, 3, 4. Always on the left foot. Let me tell you, those six minutes really tested my resolve. I really, really, REALLY wanted to walk. I fought to stay in good posture. I fought to keep my breathing regular. And before I knew it, the cramp was gone, and I was running free.

I did pretty well. Not including my warm up/cool down, I ran 3.1 miles - a 5K. I started at under a 10 minute mile (9.40 min/mile or 6.2 mph) and ended with around a 9.13 min/mi (6.6 mph) pace. That brought my 3.1 mile time to 29 minutes. Not bad. I was pretty pleased. I even forgot about my side stitch episode for a while. And since I got my new Sauconys, I haven't had any issue with blisters or hotspots. Nice. If only I can fix the sweating issue...puddles...

Lost focus

2009-09-09T17:14:00.000-04:00

Blegh. Had an okay week last week. I barely squeezed in a run at the end of the week. Good thing was that I ran a route that I did before, only this time I was able to run non-stop. Pretty pysched about that. Last week was also the week where I switched to a 6-rep program for my weights. So far it seems pretty good. Anyway, here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders/Legs/Arms
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Chest/Back
Friday: None
Saturday: Run

I know, the breakdown was soooo mindblowing huh? I had just come back from a long weekend, but the lack of cardio is disappointing. The 4-5 day rest from weights was very well appreciated though. Muscles felt better during last week's workout. I'd like to say I did well with my diet last week, but I didn't. I didn't have time to shop for groceries, so I was out of a lot of food for my snacks and lunch. Big hit was the bread, since I eat at least one PB&J sandwich a day as my mid-afternoon snack (one slice of bread, kinda my natural protein bar). Wound up eating bagels for a couple of days. Was not happy about that.

I'm trying for a better week this week. I'm also hoping to improve on my runs. My 3-mile runs are just under 30 minutes, so that's about a 10 minute mile. Not fast by any means, but I am pleased that I can run 30 minutes straight now. Hoping to improve my speed and endurance. Then, I'll start considering doing some 5K's (~3.1 miles).

As for goals, I'm doing 6-8 reps of 170 - 180lbs at the chest press machine. I know that's not quite the same as doing bench presses, but I think I can safely say I have reached my short-term goal of benching my weight. New short term goals would be to bench 200lbs and get my 5K under 27 minutes. Longer term goal would be to run 10 miles. Men's Health does this Urbanathlon and I'd like to do that next year. This year is too close for me to train for (it's next month).

Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb

So much eating...

2009-09-01T16:52:00.002-04:00

Just got back from a weekend of eating and drinking. A friend got married and it was close to my cousin in LI, so naturally I stayed there. That just lead to three days of eating and drinking. Craziness. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: Chest/back/abs
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Pullups, heavy weights, shoulders, biceps/triceps
Thursday: Run
Friday: None
Saturday: Run

I anticipated I would have no time for my workouts, so I improvised a weight workout on Wednesday to incorporate my shoulders and my heavy weights. So I was able to put some attention on most of my body prior to my 4-day binge. I also thought it was a good time to give my muscles some rest from weights, so I didn't really mind the long stretch of no weights too much. I packed some workout clothes in case I ran, and my cousin did drag me out for what I thought would be a quick three mile run. Now, I've never really lasted more than 30 minutes of straight running, and at my average speed, that's about three miles. Well, he wound up pushing me to run 4.6 miles. Insane. But it felt good at the end to have realized I did that.

In addition to reaching a new limit, at the wedding I was placed at the same table as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). We had a good amount of conversation about working out. Coupled with some thoughts from my cousin later, I came home with some insight about my workout program. And since I've been on my current program for a while, it's time to change it up anyway. Anyway, both the CSCS and my cousin think that low weights and high reps aren't really necessary. The CSCS said that most people can benefit fine with heavier weights and low rep ranges (6-10). I mean, if you're a bodybuilder, maybe some even lower reps will help, but 6-10 seem to be sufficient. The CSCS goes on to say, that if you need other specialized workouts, he would put them in as needed (agility drills for athletes, etc). For him personally, the CSCS cycles between power and strength workouts month to month. He does mostly circuits with little rest, so he hasn't done cardio for a while, but he believes cardio has its place.

So with all this new knowledge, I've decided to change my workout. I still like pushups and pullups, so those will stay in. Cardio hurts, but it definitely helps me, so that's staying in. Here's an outline of what my new workout would look like:

Day 1: Pushups, pullups, other body-weight exercises, ab work
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Shoulders/Arms
Day 4: Cardio
Day 5: Chest/Back
Day 6: Cardio
Day 7: Rest

I will do legs at least once a week. This looks very similar to my previous workout, but with the exception of my body-weight day, I will aim for higher weights with 6-10 reps. I will superset whenever I can so my workouts will be shorter. We'll see how this goes.

Last weigh-in:
168.0 lb
I actually weighed on Wednesday in my workout clothes and got 166.0 lb. I added 2.0 lb since I normally weigh with all my stuff. I have a feeling the number should be closer to 171.0 - 172.0 lb after all the eating and drinking.

Getting old...

2009-08-24T10:15:00.005-04:00

Last week wasn't bad. But taking stairs 3-5 times a day every work day was taking a toll on my knees. So I had to stop it for now. I tried to go biking on Sunday after putting on my new tires, but my knees starting complaining. I think I did 1 mile before I decided to head back. Here's the update:

Sunday: Bike
Monday: Chest/back/abs
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Shoulder/triceps/biceps
Friday: None
Saturday: Heavy weights, run

I managed to fit two great runs in. Instead of doing somewhat of an interval running program, which I've done for a while, I just decided to run straight at a lower speed. For both runs last week, I was able to run 25 minutes at 6-ish mph (warm up and cool down not included). Not bad. Hope to slowly increase duration and speed. Knees didn't bother me so much for the runs. I guess stopping the stairs was a good idea. When I start up again, it'll be every other day to minimize stress.

My weights program still seems to be holding up. Last heavy weights workout, I was able to work up to 5 reps of 180.0 lbs. It was at the machine, but whatever. I do notice my lats are not as strong as my chest, so need to focus more on that. I've been hating my endurance weights workout more and more. It's the high reps and the long workout. I know it's good for me, so I keep doing, but it's the least favorite weights workout of the week. It's a love-hate relationship, just like running.

After working out regularly since my shoulder injury, I do notice that my body can't take the stress it used to. It's part of getting older. So as much as it is important to fit workouts in, it's just as important if not more to fit in rest periods. My knees are a great example of overworking, even though I didn't think much about it for weeks. Stairs was just a part of my day, but taken two at a time, they're practically lunges. Now, I try to give at least 48 hours rest after any workout. Really have to listen to the body and watch for warning signs.

Last weigh-in:
169.0 lb

Another okay week

2009-08-20T14:38:00.000-04:00

Last week was okay. I was able to fit in all my weight workouts again. Not too good with the running, but I'm breaking in new shoes. Only fit in a run after my heavy workout. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: Chest/back/abs, calf raises
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Shoulders/triceps/biceps
Thursday: None
Friday: Pullups
Saturday: Heavy weights/chinups, run

I went into the gym for my heavy weights workout. I started by warming up with some dumbbell presses, then went at the chest press machine. I was alone and didn't feel like using the smith machine. With the chest press machine, I was able to work my way up to 8 reps of 170lb. Can't say that I would be able to bench press 170lb, but that felt pretty good to do it. Between sets, I was at that lats/row machine working on my back. Afterwards, I did some incline bench presses and finished off with some chinups. Someone was using the chinup/pullup station, so I did them at one of the Smith machines. Afterwards, I hopped on a treadmill for a quick 20-min jog in my new sneaks.

Okay week. Nothing to go out and celebrate about. It was nice to head into the gym for the weights, and I hope to do that again this week.

Last weigh-in:
170.5 lb

My "endurance" chest and back workout

2009-08-14T16:41:00.002-04:00

If you've been following my fitness updates here and previously on my personal blog, you would know I do two chest and back workouts a week. One is my regular workout, which I sometimes refer to as my "endurance" chest and back workout because of the high bodyweight reps. The other is my "heavy" workout with 6-10 rep sets. Today, I'd like to share my regular chest and back workout.

I usually start by warming up my joints. You know, arm circles, moving through the range of motion. I also warm up my neck by doing circles and twists. I've been warming up my neck ever since a neck injury doing a shoulder workout in college. Don't want that to happen again. I live on the third floor, so if I'm home, I try not to do anything loud like jumping jacks or running in place. When I'm all warmed up, I do the following four supersets. I follow each superset with an ab workout then repeat the set three times before moving to the next superset. Rest is only after the ab work for about 60 seconds.

Superset 1
Pushups
Australian pullups (you can do this with a barbell set low enough so you can grab from below; I use the Perfect Pullup)
1 set of ab work

Superset 2
Wide pushups
Wide Australian pullups
1 set of ab work

Superset 3
Dumbbell chest fly
Bent over rear lat raise
1 set of ab work

Superset 4
Dumbbell chest press
Bent over dumbbell rows
1 set of ab work

Finishers
Dumbbell deadlifts
Ab twists (7.5 lb dumbbell)
Calf raises
Ab leans (7.5 lb dumbbell)

Again, I aim for endurance with this workout, so I usually do high reps. My numbers now for my body weight exercises are 18 pushups, 18 Australian rows, 13 wide pushups, 13 wide Australian rows. For my dumbbell exercises, I'm at 13 reps with 30-lb dumbbells. I was on a 8-15 rep cycle where I would start a new weight at 8 reps and slowly increase to 15 reps before adding more weight. But I think I'm pretty good at 30-lbs for my endurance workout. I'll just keep adding one rep per week for as long as I can go. I have to take it easy anyway as I do three sets of this workout. My main focus anyway is to increase the weights for my heavy workout.

So that's pretty much it for my first chest and back workout. I'm always reviewing my workout and adding/changing parts of it, but this is the current version. I know some people do a bulk-up/cut-down cycle, but I don't like the idea that I'm either bulking or cutting at any one moment. I feel I should be preparing myself for whatever I might find myself doing. So I do a somewhat endurance workout then a heavy workout for strength. Besides, I find that this confuses my body a bit and it can't really adapt completely to one workout. I find that by the time I recover from my heavy workout, my body struggles with the last few reps in my endurance workout for the following week. I like how my body struggles. It means I'm challenging it.

Now, I'm not knocking the people who do the bulk/cut cycles. That's just not for me. I've written before that I want to develop a body that's ready for anything, not just being able to push 300 lbs off my chest or squat 500 lbs. I need to know that I can carry a child out of a building or run a decent mile or hike long distances out of a forest for help. I want a practical body.

There was a great article in Men's Health...or was it Men's Fitness...whatever. There's a guy that teaches this crazy fitness lifestyle. Barely a weight or gym to be seen. Instead, you might pick up a heavy rock and throw it at each other in a circle, sometimes unannounced. Or you would carry a log down a beach with your buddies. Or you would run this crazy course through the trees and climb them with no gear. One workout was to grab a buddy and fireman-carry them down the beach. Crazy stuff, but guess what, the instructor was insanely lean, strong, and fit. That's what I want to be.

A boring update

2009-08-12T13:05:00.002-04:00

Well, I made my modest goal of running once last week. Nothing special last week. I managed to fit in all my weight workouts. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: None
Monday: Chest/back/abs, calf raises
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Shoulders/triceps/biceps
Thursday: None
Friday: Pullups
Saturday: Pushups, heavy weights, pushups/chinups

I guess you could say I've been lazy. Weights-wise, I'm doing pretty well. Slowly increasing reps in my pushups/pullups. Heavy workout, I'm at a good place. I'm at my dumbbells capacity with the weight plates I have, so I have to head into the gym if I want to add more weight. Shoulder hasn't been bothering me much, but I do get some elbow fatigue every now and then. I think I'm really confusing my body with the "endurance" chest workout early in the week coupled with the heavy workout near the end of the week.

I just got some new running shoes. A pair of Saucony Progrid Jazz 12's. Just need to break them in. They seem to fit pretty well and have more cushioning in the forefoot, which is good as I tend to strike with my midfoot to forefoot. I'm pretty excited about them, especially since I haven't had new running shoes in a while. I got some trail runners from Vasque half a year ago, but I'd like to keep those on the trail and for light hiking.

That's it for this update. I know...pretty uneventful.

Last weigh in:
170.0 lb

Running? What running?

2009-08-03T15:59:00.001-04:00

After starting the week off with an amazing 45 mile bike ride in the Cape, I've done zilch for cardio last week. Disgusting. I need to work on that. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Cape Cod Rail Trail (Dennis to Wellfleet and back - 45.0 miles)
Monday: Full body with light weights
Tuesday: None
Wednesday: Shoulders/triceps/biceps
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: Pushups/pullups, heavy weights, pushups/chinups

The whole week was out of wack. I usually start the week with a high rep chest/back/ab session on Sundays, but the bike ride pushed that off. I wound up doing some light weight workout with very little rest instead on Monday. It was a great workout in that I was always moving. I fit in the rest of the weights workout, but I never put on my running shoes.

One thing I did manage to do was to get into REI and buy some parts for my bike. I bought some L-shape bar ends and bar tape. I didn't buy the tires right away, so I only have the bar ends installed at the moment. I picked up the tires on Saturday, and they are sitting in my car now. After some thinking, I decided on a semi-slick tire, the Continental Travel Contact. They come in pretty much a MTB tire size, 26" x 1.75". It was either that tire or the Michelin City Tire, but that meant new tubes since the Michelins were thinner. The cost would've wound up being the same. Plus, the Michelins were meant to be more road-oriented, while the Continentals have knobs on the tire edge which gives me flexibility in terms of road-surfaces I can ride on. I'm pretty excited about the tires as some reviewers have said these tires alone increased their average speed from 4 - 7 mph. That's quite an increase! I'll try to post a pic up of my bike after I get these tires on.

Weight-wise, I'm returning back to my training weight. It's amazing how fast your weight returns to normal when you cut out drinking and junk food. I'm sure I'll be back on track when I put my cardio back it. I also made the decision to start going to the gym for my heavy workout. It only makes sense since a pushup for me is roughly 72% of my body weight. Why do my heavy workouts with 55 lb dumbbells, when I should be working on reaching my goal to bench press my full body weight?

I'm still taking stairs at work going up. I even made it a point to use the restroom on the first floor so I have an excuse to take the stairs back to the office. And when I refer to taking the stairs, I mean taking them at least two steps at a time. It gives me a good burn while simulating hiking up a mountain, which by the way I am very behind in. Those 48 mountains still loom over me.

Well, that's it for this update. Let's aim to run at least once this week. Oy.

Last weigh-in:
171.0 lb

Lose weight by eating right

2009-07-30T11:50:00.003-04:00

Ever since taking a more serious approach to my fitness, I genuinely see that diet is indeed the majority of a good fitness plan. Unfortunately, food is very much my weakness. So I approached my diet as I would approach a casual financial budget. Save some early in the period so you have more to spend later.

I'm sure if you do some research, you will find a smorgasbord of diet plans and eating theories. But if you're looking to lose weight, then it's really simple math. Burn more than you consume. If you create a deficit of 3,500 calories per week, that would equate to 1 lost pound. Now 500 calories is a lot to cut from a day, but if you cut 250 calories and workout to burn 250 calories, there's your 500 calorie deficit for the day. As for the actual food, well that can get complicated.

We've all heard of the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, the Weight Watchers diet. There's a whole lot out there. And we can get into all the counting of the protein, the carbs, the fat. Whether you do 40/40/20 or 60/20/20 or any other ratio(protein/carb/fat ratio). But I'm just not that detail-oriented in terms of food at the moment. I do use quite a bit of common sense. Junk food? No-brainer. It has the word "junk" in it. Limit these a lot. Same for sugar. You don't really need more than what you can get in regular food. As for carbs, aim for whole grain/complex carbs and try to consume the bulk of it in the early part of the day. You know, things like that.

As for the actual budgeting part of my eating, it's quite simple. I know I don't eat the best outside of work, so I make the most of what I can do when I'm at work or at home. Here's a typical work day for me:

Breakfast: Cheerios w/milk - I aim for skim, but I do 1% if it's on sale. You should really train yourself to like at least 2% milk. Go to skim if you can take it. You don't need the fat and lower fat milk has higher calcium content.

Mid-morning snack: Varies. I try to do a handful of nuts. Sometimes, I'll do a protein shake if I know I'm going to do a hard workout later in the day.

Lunch: I try to bring this meal from home. If you didn't make it, you never know what's in it. So I usually do 1-2 servings of veggies with some protein (usually chicken breast). Occasionally, I'll have rice with it if I'm not lazy to cook it.

Mid-afternoon snack: This has been pretty consistent for me. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's made with one slice of whole grain bread with Skippy's Natural PB and Smuckers Sugar-free preserves. A quick 200 calories of goodness. If I was lazy, then I'd take a protein bar. It's less calories than a candy bar and has a lot more nutritional value to it. And no sugar.

I don't really count calories, but I limit my snacks to 250 calories or below. No reason for more for a snack. Also, my eating during the day usually doesn't have a lot of fat or sodium. I skimp on those because I know I'll probably eat that stuff later on. In fact, I apply some rules 24/7 to "budget" for indulgences later. Dinner out or dinner at my mom's can get pretty unhealthy. So my little rules are:

-Remove skin from chicken
-Eat a lot of vegetables
-No sodas, if you must avoid full sodas; aim for diet
-Avoid cream sauces/dressings
-Avoid white bread (except sourdough...I love sourdough)
-Eggs are usually poached. I do over easy sometimes.
-Ice water. Lots of it.

So, nothing crazy in my eating habits. Just doing the best I can to work with what I got. I love food, so I try to cut down wherever I can. Another habit you must get into is weighing yourself regularly. Pick a time and the conditions and do that consistently once a week. That will give you an idea if you need to adjust your eating. In fact, think of eating as fueling and your body as a machine. Pick up on how you feel and how you weigh and tweak the fuel to maximize performance.

In the end, don't go too crazy with any eating plan. You need to have a cheat meal/day, and you need to allow yourself small mistakes. Otherwise, you'll be overwhelmed and burn out. So pick a good eating plan, couple that with a decent workout regimen, and get lean, strong, and fit!

Weekend of biking!

2009-07-27T16:08:00.002-04:00

Well, last week was a bad week for running again. I fit one run in Sunday later in the day, but haven't had a full run for the rest of the week. I did a quick cooldown run on Tuesday, but that's it. I did, however, did quite a bit of biking. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Chest/back/abs, calf raises; run
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders/triceps/biceps; cooldown run
Wednesday: None
Thursday: Pullups
Friday: Pushups/pullups, heavy weights, pushups/chinups
Saturday: Minuteman Bike Trail (Bedford to Arlington and back)

The long bike ride fell on Sunday, so that'll go on next week's update. I must say, after 60+ miles of biking, my butt is sore from the saddle. The long ride made me reevaluate my bicycle, too. I currently ride on a Trek 6500 mountain bike. Don't have all the specifics, but it's pretty decent. Mostly Shimano parts, three-gear crankset with a 9 speed cassette. It does have mountain bike tires on, and I've never minded it before. But after doing a 45 mile bike ride, there are some things I would definitely like to change.

For one, my tires are overkill for what I usually do with my bike. I have never gone on an actual mountain bike ride, so the tires are actually inefficient for what I usually ride. I do appreciate them whenever I find myself cutting through a dirt/gravel path, but most of my riding is on paved surfaces. So, I am planning on switching out my tires with some road tires. Also, my horizontal handlebar made supporting some of my weight on my hands a bit difficult. I get numb fingers once in a while. So to fix that, I will add some bar ends. I thought about swapping out the bar with some drop handlebars, but that would require new shifters, which may require a new drivetrain. Shifters and drivetrain components can be expensive, so not a cost-effective solution for me.

You're probably thinking why I can't just get a road bike or a hybrid bike. It's a fact that no matter how many parts I change on the bike, it'll never be up to par with a road bike. The frame just wasn't designed for that purpose. Well, there's the cost. A decent road or hybrid bike will set me back at least a few hundred dollars. A nice one, $1,000+. I'm also not at the point where I need/want a road bike. The tires confine me to certain road surfaces, and I'm big on flexibility. The road tires I picked out for my Trek are good enough for the road yet sturdy and grippy enough for the occasional dirt/gravel path. Another reason to just "hybridize" my mountain bike is that total cost of the "upgrades" will only set me back $89.00. Not bad huh? So, I'll tweak my bike first, then when I need another bike, I'll go shopping.

As for the rest of my fitness update, my weight workouts are doing fine. I did wind up at the gym for my shoulders and arms workout and discovered that my 30-lb dumbbells at home weren't quite comparable to the 30-lb dumbbells at the gym. Not sure which one's correct, but I sucked it up and went with the 25-lb dumbbells to preserve form. Form over pride, people. Without good form, your reps mean nothing. Pullups-wise, I'm up to 3 sets of 11 (though on the last set, the last couple reps really really kill). I've added some diamond pushups for my chest and back workout that I do with my heavy workout, so that's pretty cool.

I'm pretty happy with how my legs held up during the bike rides, and I largely attribute this to my running and stair climbing at work. So I will make more of an effort to run more and use the bathroom downstairs at work (I like taking the stairs two at a time back up when I'm alone). My heavy workout consists of squats and lunges, so that'll continue. I did skip last weeks leg section in anticipation of the demands on the legs from the riding. That was a great decision.

Diet-wise, I took one extra protein shake between my breakfast and lunch. I was feeling I'm under for my protein intake. I did wind up gaining weight, but my cousin came and we did three straight nights of drinking. So that skewed the effects of my diet change. I'll see how this week goes. I'm still taking glucosamine twice a day.

Last weigh-in:
172.0 lb

Back on glucosamine sulfate for my shoulder

2009-07-20T11:07:00.002-04:00

After feeling something in my shoulder every now and then, I decided to get back on glucosamine sulfate. My shoulder doesn't hurt, and my range of motion is fine. But I'm paranoid. I'm not sure what's wrong with it, but my strength is still there too. Maybe it's just one of those injuries you don't get back to 100% from. I'll just keep working at it until I get a better feel for it. I'm taking 1,000mg twice a day and reevaluate in a week or two.

Here's my breakdown for last week:

Sunday: Chest/back/abs, calf raises
Monday: None
Tuesday: Shoulders/triceps/biceps
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Pushups/pullups, heavy weights, squats/lunges, pushups/chinups
Friday: None
Saturday: None

Again, not too good with the cardio. But yesterday, I've already ran once so this week is looking good. As for my weights, my emphasis is more on my the heavy days now. I've lost some weight and some fat, but I'm feeling my muscle mass isn't where I want it to be. So I'm going to focus on increasing my workouts on the heavy day. To reiterate from previous postings, my heavy day isn't really that heavy either. My recovery from my shoulder has forced me to take it easy when adding weight back. Right now I'm using 45-lb dumbbells for the "heavy" workouts, which are mainly chest, back, and leg workouts. The heaviest I've gone are my elevated pushups and my full-body pullups. So that's probably about 75-90% of my body weight for the pushups and 170.0 lb for pullups. Not bad, but I'd like to improve with my chest press and squats.

I also changed my Sunday workout to incorporate more of my body weight. So we'll see where these changes will take me. Changes are good anyway, since you don't want your body to get used to any one program for too long. That's when plateaus happen.

I'm pretty comfortable with my weight hovering around 170.0 lb. I know I set a new weight goal of 165.0 lb, but I think I'll focus more on strength gains and body fat loss for now. I'll monitor my weight to ensure I'm not falling too far off track. So, new goals:

-Bench press body weight
-Work up to 15 pullups

Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb

Working out with an injury

2009-07-13T14:53:00.001-04:00

We've all experienced it. Whether you're a casual weightlifter or an experienced weight maniac, we've all been sidelined with an injury before. I've had my share of injuries when I was younger. Back then, I lay off the weights for 2-3 weeks and get right back to it. The wonders of a young body. Well, during the time I was doing mainly mini-workouts, I managed to injure my right shoulder (which I've injured twice before). The road to recovery this time was long and quite insightful.

First thing I did after the injury was go in denial. I wrote off the injury as general tightness. I continued with my mini-workouts, which at the time was a day of pushups alternated with a day of pullups during the work week. I also did some dumbbell workouts at home that targeted the shoulder (raises, shoulder presses, etc.). When I started feeling discomfort during the dumbbell work, I started to realize I had an injury. I took out the weights, but still continued the pushups and pullups. But soon I started feeling discomfort in everyday movements.

During this time, the injury confused me. It was unlike anything I've experienced. There wasn't any real pain. It it didn't feel like a strain, and I couldn't really remember what caused it. I remembered tightness, but that was it. I tried various stretches to see if I could target the muscle, but couldn't find a stretch that worked. Finally, I decided that maybe it was a rotator cuff injury. I put weights back into my workout program, but kept them at 5 lbs (by this time, that was all I could lift with my shoulders anyway). I added rotator cuff exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff. I went on a program that alternated chest/triceps with back/biceps/shoulders. Then one day I heard my shoulder move during an exercise. It sounded like the ball of my humerus moving in the shoulder socket. Something was definitely wrong.

As bad as things sounded, my doctor had already reassured me that things seemed fine. I even took a week off as suggested. But after some more thinking and reevaluation of my workout, I determined that I was overworking my shoulders. I wasn't giving it enough rest for it to recover. From there I changed my entire weight program. I then started basically from scratch. All my exercises from chest to back to shoulders to arms now were set strictly to 5 lb dumbbells. I focused on sets and started with 8 reps each, focusing very much on form.

I realized that this injury was somewhat of a blessing in disguise, because I lost most of my weight during this recovery/"rehab" period. I would increase 1-2 reps every week until I hit 15 reps. Then I increased weights by 5 lbs per dumbbell and start at 8 reps again. I slowly rebuilt my strength and range of motion one small step at a time. It was a painstakingly long process before I hit 20 lbs again. But the focus on form and slower reps to avoid jerking the shoulder really helped. I'm up to 30 lb dumbbells and I'm leaner than ever with my cardio workouts.

So what did I learn from this injury and the recovery? A lot. If you find yourself injured, do this:

-RICE. If you catch the injury early, do the traditional RICE method. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Forty-eight hours should be good.

-Rest. By all means, don't be stubborn or go into denial. If it's not soreness, rest. Depending on how fast your body recovers, this can be as short as 2 weeks or 8 weeks. And when I mean rest, it means nothing. If it's an upper body injury, don't do any upper body workouts. Believe it or not, a seemingly unrelated exercise is still somewhat tied to the injured area. So do more cardio and lower body exercises. The same applies vice-versa with a lower body injury.

-Keep moving. While resting, don't immobilize the injured area. Try to mimic the exercise motions without any weight. Try to slowly increase range of motion if that has been limited. Get the blood moving to help speed recovery. Carefully stretch the area regularly.

-Take anti-inflammatories as needed, especially right after the injury. I don't really believe in this as I like to keep aware of what might be hurting so I don't do things to hurt it more. I rarely take pain medication, and when I do, it's usually for a headache. But if it helps during the early stages of the injury, go for it.

-Ease back into action. When you're ready to get back to action, start slowly and lightly. Light weights might seem really silly, but you don't want to risk re-injury. Aim for higher reps, while keeping overall stress low. Be strict with your form. This is the perfect opportunity to correct any bad mistakes and habits you might have had. Keep at it until you're back where you were before injury. It's worth it to focus on neglected areas before.

So that's it for my injury tips. One other thing you might want to keep in mind is to lower your calorie intake. Since you might not be working out at your peak, this will help keep your weight gain down. Other than that, good luck!

Broke the 170 mark

2009-07-12T15:38:00.002-04:00

Well, at my last weigh-in, I broke my short-term goal of 170.0 lb. It took a while to go from 175.0 to 170.0, but persistence paid off. Here's the breakdown:

Sunday: Chest/back/abs
Monday: None

Tuesday: Shoulders/triceps/biceps

Wednesday: Run

Thursday: Pushups/pullups, heavy weights
Friday: None
Saturday: None

I've been bad again at the cardio. Only ran once. I did, however, manage to stay on top of my weight workouts. What a surprise, huh? Part of it is that it's tough to wake up in the morning and get to the gym. Yeah, I can run outdoors, but it's been bad outside in terms of weather. Then this past Saturday, I had to decide between running and showering or cutting my hair and showering. I decided on the latter as I was due for a cut.

The good news is that I've hit 15 reps for my "light" workout and 10 reps for my "heavy" workout. So as of today, I've increased my weights and dropping my reps. I'm going to increase the reps by 1-2 per week until I'm good for the next one. Increasing weights is good, because with my weight loss, it means I'm getting stronger while leaning out. I still need to work more on cardio endurance. And my diet? Argh. That part is so hard. Food is too good. Haha. But it is true. Diet is 80% of your fitness regimen. I'm just going to have to keep on top of what I'm doing.

Next weight goal? I'm gonna see how I feel at 165.0 lb. I'll reevaluate then and see what I want to do from there.

Last weigh-in:
169.5 lb

To supplement or not?

2009-07-10T14:42:00.003-04:00

I've weight lifted since I discovered I had a lanky frame when I was in middle school. I started with pushups and chinups and eventually went into weights. I've started reading fitness magazines as well. And if you've ever picked up a fitness magazine, I'm sure you've seen the ads for supplements.

Lifting all these years, I've done decent research on how this whole thing works. Along the way, I've briefly read about all sorts of supplements (for the life of me, I can only remember creatine right now). Early on, I made the decision to try to build a decent body with no more than working out and a multivitamin. When I had trouble packing on weight, I added protein to the mix, but never more. Then of course, we all know the story of how I eventually stopped working out. With that, the supplements stopped. Yeah, I took a multivitamin here and there, but that was it.

Now that I'm older, I realize my body needs certain things to respond how I want it to. I do try to take a multivitamin everyday. It only makes sense. I try to eat well, but just in case I take one. And now that I know more about weight loss and how half the weight I lose is muscle, I take protein after every workout. I need to do what I can to maintain muscle mass while I'm losing weight. When I had my shoulder injury (which I would say is about 90% healed), I went on glucosamine sulfate for a while to ease discomfort. But that is still all I took. Sure I see ads for products that help you look super ripped and all that, but I don't want to put too much stuff into my body. It seems so artificial, you know?

So, bottom line: Eat well, train hard, take a multivitamin, and don't forget the protein (whey or casein)!

New concentrated blog

2009-07-10T11:57:00.005-04:00

I've been writing about my fitness thoughts and experiences for a little big on my personal blog. In fact, I've been blogging for a bit. But I'm noticing that I write a lot about my fitness workouts. So I decided to put them in a "fitness" blog instead to help concentrate things a bit. You can still access all my old fitness posts here.

In case you're new to my fitness postings, I'm like any average American. I was somewhat fit throughout high school. Gained a few pounds in college. Then hit the workforce and just watched my weight go up. As life got stressful, workouts decreased. Then one day I stepped on the scale and saw my weight at 189.0 lb. Standing at 5'9" and having started this involuntary journey at 155.0 lb in high school. I was mortified and disgusted with myself. Then there was the fact that I barely summitted a mountain that I've done easily before. Thus, started my fitness journey.

It's been a slow gradual journey, but I am now at 170.0 lb and leaner, stronger, and fitter than ever! Stay with me while I continue on this lifelong ambition to remain that way.