Tuesday, April 29, 2008
11w, 1d to pictures--163.5 pounds :)
Work 8p-6a (4th night of 9 day stretch)

I postponed yesterday's workout to today for a multitude of reasons. I've had a little bit of "the crud" the last few days and not felt completely tip-top. And I, honestly have been dragging around feeling sorry for myself because of this stupid 9 day stretch at work. To make a long story short, there's always the "one guy" who always gets his way and comes out looking golden while everyone else picks up his slack. That guy has been pissing me off lately. And I've even been seriously considering quitting my job because of him. I really just don't think I can put up with this guy's lack of consideration for everyone else any longer. And unfortunately, I've been griping to the "higher ups" for two years now, they always say they'll do something about it, but never do. I guess I'll have to. I'll probably go from this job straight into another one where there's an equally inconsiderate a$$ hole, but so be it, I guess. The only thing is that otherwise I love the people I work with and the place where I work. GRRR.
Regardless, I got my a$$ out of bed and worked out before work this afternoon.

WORKOUT: Heavy/16kg Workout 1
A. 16kg TGU--AMAP in 15 min=21 (one more than last week)
Rest 5 min.
B. 16kg Snatch--AMAP in 15min
9/9, 8/8,7/7,7/7,7/7,6/6,5/5, 4/4, 4/4,3/3,2/2,2/2=66/66 (4 less per side than last week. I don't think I miscounted but who knows. I was feeling weak today for some reason.)
Rest 5 min
C. Squat w/12kg KB + pushup from the knees--AMAP in 15 min
15/15, 12/12, 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 8/8, 8/8, 8/8, 2/2=83/83 (5 more than the last time I did this round).
I went down on the weight for the squat section because my knees have been a bit unhappy lately. Seemed to work pretty well, and my knees haven't hurt as much the last couple of days.

9 Months' Progress Update

Sunday, April 28, 2008

11w, 3d to pics--164#

Work 8p-8a

I wasn't scheduled for a workout today, and I decided not to add in anything extra though I've been debating that some lately. My knees have been aching quite a bit lately, so the last couple of days have provided some much needed rest. I think I'm going to back down the weight on my squats this coming week, too. I'm not a big puss, but I think that if I don't back the weight down now, I just might be forced to in the near future. I'd much rather do it on my terms.

Last month I made a commitment to myself to more consistently post progress pictures. I was scheduled to do so on the 16th, but had actually forgotten my camera when I left for vacation so I didn't have a good way to do it. I decided today to suck it up and post some more pics. They aren't exactly progress pics, though, because I have made exactly NONE (no progress that is). One of the gajillion things bouncing around in my head is what I'm gonna do about that fact. I keep going over and over my intake because I know that is the limiting factor. Now I just have to make the necessary changes. These pictures are posted mainly to shame me into doing what the f&*% I need to do.

Today April 22 March 16
Weight 164# 167.5# 167.5#

Waist 31.5" 31.75" 32.5"
@belly button 37" 36.5" 37"

hips 39.5" 39.5" 40.5"

Okay, so now that I put it side-by-side I see that I may be being a little melodramatic, but it is slow going. I'd really like for things to be moving better than this.

The blue suit is from last month. The pink one is today. And, yes, before you worry, I know I still look like shit in a swimsuit.

Saturday, April 26, 2008
11w, 4d to pictures--165.5 pounds.
Work 6p-6a (first of a nine day stretch)
No Workout

Friday, April 25, 2008
11w,3d to pics
Off-Went to Reelfoot to take pictures. Will post some later.
WORKOUT: Heavy Workout 2:
16kg C&P--AMAP in 15min
37/37=12 more on each side than last week.
Rest 5 min.
12kg split squat--AMAP in 15 min.
39/39=7 more on each side than last week.
Rest 5 min.
16kg Swing--AMAP in 15 min.
425=55 more than last week.

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Work 6p-8a
WORKOUT: Light Workout 1
12kg TGU--AMAP in 15 min
29=2 more than last week.
Rest 5 min.
12kg snatch--AMAP in 15 min.
256==4 less than last week (not sure what happened here).
REst 5 min
12kg squat+pushup form the knees--AMAP in 15 min.
78/78=11 more of each than last week.

A Week's Gone Already

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

12w, 1d to pics--167.5#

First day back to work in the last week.

I'm accustomed to frequent travel and constantly being on the road--enjoy it even--but the last month has been a lot even for me. All day long I have thought it was Saturday and I've not known whether I was coming or going. As I sat down to post, I came to the realization that somewhere I've lost an entire week. Time does fly. Since I'm too tired to be terribly thoughtful about this, I'll just give a synopsis of my workouts for the last week.

Wed, 4/15--No Workout

Thur, 4/16 In Orlando, Light Workout 1:

12 kg TGU--AMAP in 15 min=27

Rest 5 min

12kg snatch--AMAP in 15 min: 25/25, 15/15, 12/12, 10/10, 8/8. (5/5 x12)=260

I did not set the bell down during this 15 min.

Rest 5 min

12kg squat and pushup from the knees.

10/10, 10/10, 8/8, 6/6, 6/6, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 2/2=67/67

Fri, 4/17 In Orlando, Heavy workout 2:

12kg Split Squat--AMAP in 15 min

6/6, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 4/4, 4/4, 3/3=32/32

Rest 5 min

C & P 16kg--AMAP in 15 min.

3/3, 3/3, 3/3, 3/3, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 2/2, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1=25/25

rest 5 min

16kg Swing--AMAP in 15 min=370

This was my workout spot at the hotel in Orlando. All-in-all not too bad. Note my wonderful, ever-present training partner.

Sat, Sun--No Workout.

Mon, 4/21--Heavy Workout 1:

16kg TGU---AMAP in 15 min = 20 (2 more than last week).

REst 5 min.

16kg Snatch--AMAP in 15 min=153 (35 more than last week. I think I counted correctly.)

Rest 5 min

16kg Squat+pushup from the knees= 70/70 (15 more of each than last week).

I also had the treat of playing outside with my Godson for an hour on Monday. Here's a pic of him on the funky ladder going to his favorite slide. He got stuck about 1/2 way up an dsaid "I can't do it. Help me." Maybe I'm an ogre, but I wouldn't. I made him do it on his own. So he did. Funny thing was, there were some kids his age and even older who wanted to go up this ladder but were convinced that they couldn't--even though they hadn't tried. And some of them just couldn't figure out how to do it. Genetic? Learned? Interesting.

Today's workout: Light Workout B

12 kg C&P--AMAP in 15min=70/70 (4 more than last week)

REst 5min

Unweighted Split Squat--AMAP in 15 min=75/75 (8 more than last week)

REst 5 min

12kg Swing--AMAP in 15 min=530 (62 more than last week).

A Little Inspiration--& Starting A New Cycle

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
13w1d to pics
Off--Back in Central Florida

Watching TV a few days ago, I came across a Nike commercial that instantly had me ready to get outside and get with it. The power of a 60 second video amazes me. So I decided to see if I could find a link to it and share it. Here you go...Enjoy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4TbxS_CdWE

I started a new cycle of workouts from David this week. So far I like it, as always it's a challenge that shows me how heavy 16kg and 12kg can become.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: heavy Workout 1
Turkish Get-up--AMAP in 15 min
R/L 2/2, 2/2, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1, 1/1=18 with 16kg
Rest 5 min
Snatch--AMAP in 15 min
R/L 10/10, 10/10, 7/7, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 2/2=118 w/16kg
Rest 5 min
Squat w/16kg KB + Pushup (from the knees) AMAP in 15 min
10+10, 10+10, 5+5, 5+5, 5+5, 5+5, 5+5, 5+5, 5+5=55+55

Have felt the workout from yesterday over the course of the day, not so much as soreness as from residual muscle fatigue. I didn't eat very well yesterday in the process of travelling i.e. I didn't get enough quality fresh veggies and protein, and I can feel it. I continue to be amazed by how much difference I can tell in the quality of foods just in the way my body feels. When one consistently eats crap, one cannot tell the difference. A year ago I would not have noticed the difference. Now I understand "fueling the body" in ways that I never knew possible.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: Light Workout 2
C&P--AMAP in 15 min
L/R 10/10, 10/10, 8/8, 8/8, 7/7, 7/7, 6/6, 6/6, 3/3, 1/1=66 w/12kg
Rest 5 min
Split Squat--AMAP in 15 min
L/R 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 8/8, 8/8, 7/7, 4/4=67 w/o weight.
Rest 5 min
Swing--AMAP in 15 min
100 2HS, 250 Alternating 1HR, 1HL, 2HS every 10 swings, 218 changing from 1HS to other to 2HS every 2 swings=568 w/12kg.
HOOyah!

Flavor of the Day: Addicts and Crazies..and a bitch fest.

Friday, April 11, 2008

13w, 5d to pics 165.5#

Slept 6 hours. Work 5p-8a.

The emergency department has "flavors of the day." I may have talked about this at some point already, but it truly does. Today's flavor has been addicts and crazy people (that would be the highly technical medical term). Sometimes this flavor is entertaining. Tonight I have simply found it sad. At times I felt the futility of things weighing down my soul. There is no end to humankind's ability to abuse itself and all that surrounds it.

Perhaps I should have said that the flavor of the day is "futility" because come to think of it, I awakened this afternoon with that sense, a fact that no doubt has colored the way I look at each patient in the ER tonight. My mood being such that it is in light of the ER's flavor tonight is interesting, certainly makes some patients more difficult to deal with. Regardless, I was thinking as I got up and ready for work about what clothes I am going to pack to take on my next trip to the Sunshine State, and I had some realizations. I am in the same pair of jeans that I was so excited to buy in January. And I still cannot wear (without embarrassment) the pair of pants I bought slightly small in January in anticipation of being able to wear them in a month or so. I know my measurements are slightly smaller (1/2-3/4 of an inch) and my weight is about 4-5 pounds less, but I had genuinely hoped for more visual results by now. And I had really hoped for being a size smaller, too. This realization on the coattails of the 168 that showed up on the scale on Monday really jumpstarted my attitude today.

In light of these realizations, I have spent what little free moments my mind has had tonight thinking about what i need to be doing differently to accelerate change. My calories are in the 1500-1700 calorie range which I feel is appropriate, and David has said that he would like to see me in the 1600-1800 range. I should be good there. Just before I left for Florida last time and since I have gotten back, I have tried to follow his other advice which was to keep my carbohydrates below 100 and my protein above 120. That has been going quite well. Since coming back from Fl, Splenda has been cut out completely. I just don't think that cutting my calories any more would be productive. As hard as I'm pushing my body, it just can't be wise to eat much less than what I am. (Any thoughts?) That leaves kicking up the workouts. I just got my new series from David,and it has, indeed, increased in volume, so we'll see where that leads me. Any observations or ideas here would be appreciated.

WORKOUT: 12kg Workout B:REnegade Rows 5R/5L, 20 Swings, AMAP in 30 min--23=3 more than last time.

Artwork by Alexis: A friend's daughter drew this "portrait" of me the other day. Funny what a 6-year-old sees. I was proud to see that I am a rectangle, not a circle, and I have a smile on my face. My hair isn't quite long enough to reach my feet, though.

Thursday, April 10, 2008
13w, 5 d to pics-166#
Slept 5.5 hours-Work6p-8a

My workout, 12kg Workout A, was interesting today in that I didn't feel the mojo at all. I was achey, tight and generally just didn't feel good, yet my numbers were on par with the same workout last week and overall were a rep or so above the numbers I pulled then. So I guess I'll take it.

Snatched the 20kg

Wednesday, April 10, 2008
14w to pics--166#
Work 6p-8a, Slept 10.5 hours.

For a while now the 20kg (actually a 45# GoFit--I just can't bear to refer to bells in pounds) has been jeering at me, taunting me. I've thought about trying it, just going for the snatch, but just haven't done it. Then I read where Tracy Rif snatched the 24. Damn that's a heavy bell--and she snatched it. And my 20kg began to laugh as I walked past. So before my workout today I decided just to go for it. The lock out was a little more difficult than I had anticipated, but I hit it. Once on each side. I didn't try for another, just tried to be satisfied with that. Then I did my scheduled workout.

WORKOUT: 16kg Workout B: 5 renegade rows per side then 20 swings--AMAP in 30 minutes. Last Wednesday I hit 18. Today I hit 20.

Afterthought...My right trapezius is angry at me for the 20kg snatch.

"If You Could Bottle This Up..."

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
14w 2d to pics--167.5#

Off

I hopped in the car yet again yesterday to drive to Nashville and squeeze in a workout with David. It was yesterday or wait 'till May. Honestly, I was in a seriously bad mood on my way there. Nothing would satisfy me--no playlist on my iPod, no Serius station, nobody on my contact list. I was under an ugly black cloud.

I think it spawned not only from the nightmares I've been having lately but also from the damn 168# I saw on the scale yesterday morning--5 pounds in 10 days. I'm hoping that the majority of that is water weight from the boiled peanuts I had on the way home and some other factors. And I'm hoping that extra 5 pounds--and maybe a little more--will be gone by the time I leave out next week for Florida again. My measurements are more-or-less the same, only a 1/4 inch increase at the waist, so that's somewhat reassuring. Next trip, though, I'm gonna tighten up those calories a little bit more.

All is not for naught, though, if I can learn from what happened, so I tried to analyze what happened and this is what I found. I made three critical mistakes on this last trip...1. 3 desserts in 10 days. From this I learned (other than the obvious)... Splurges that are not planned are not worth it 90% of the time. Of those desserts, only one of them was planned and in retrospect, I couldn't even remember what one of the three was until I thought about it for a few hours. 2. About 1/3-1/2 of the days I just flat had too many calories--around 2200-2800. This stemmed mainly from piss poor planning. I only cooked 2 meals in the camper. Should have been more. 3. LOTS of Splenda. I truly believe this makes a difference. I DID keep up my workouts, though. Gotta give myself credit there.

So back to my Nashville trip...I did a little shopping while I was there. Got a few clothes that actually fit. And found myself another hat... This picture doesn't do it justice, but I thought I would include it anyway.

And after my beating I left with a smile on my face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. Can you imagine what people would pay if we could just bottle that feeling up? Endorphins rule.

Finally...A Connection!

Friday, April 4, 2008

14w-5d to pics

On Vacation!

Sleep-at least a gazillion hours. :)

We have been in internet purgatory for the last week or so since the place where we have the RV parked is still working the bugs out of the system, so-to-speak.  Marc got tired of getting kicked from the network, though, and fixed it today, so now I'm back in business.  We've come down to central Florida to spend a little time around the springs.  We really enjoy it down here, and Marc is certainly much better for it--already down a couple of pants sizes.  I think he's lost more weight in the last 4-6 weeks than I have in the last 4-6 months, but he denies it.

We made the trip down here with the full intention of spending a large amount of time diving the springs but have ended up just kicking back quite a bit.  I did need the rest, so after a couple of days of fretting about wasting the days away, I just decided to enjoy it.  Eventually I realized sometimes I just have to kick back and do a little bit of nothing...

I've really enjoyed keeping up with my workouts and doing so without having to worry about the  time restraints associated with work and the other commitments of home.  The workouts have remained what they were the last week or so posted. Mondays have been 16kg ass-kicking (45 sec lunge r, 45 sec lunge L, 45 sec push-up from the knees, 45 sec rest, 45 sec 1arm row R, 45 sec 1 arm row L, 45 sec swing, 45 sec rest, 45 sec 1 arm press each side (on 16kg days this is a C&P cuz I'm a puss), 45 sec squat, 45 sec rest--Repeat 5 times.), off Tuesdays, Wednesdays 16kg renegade rows 5 per side alternated with 20 swings for AMAP in 30 min, Thursdays same as Monday but with the 12kg, Fridays same as Wednesdays but with the 12kg.

I've been keeping up with the numbers of reps accomplished and have been increasing pretty consistently each week for the most part.  I'll tell ya, though, that 5 round jobber kicks my rear on Mondays and Thursdays.