Gym workout - July 31st, 2008

A new workout! Hereafter to be known as the "Gut Buster."

While I've been happy with my progress at the gym, the one area I really want to work on is my stomach, so with the introduction of a new (to me) machine - the Torso Rotation - I set up this workout:

5 minutes cardio
10 reps on the Keiser abdominal (70kg / 150lb)
10 reps on the Keiser lower back (70kg / 150lb)
10 crunches
10 reps, each side, on the Cybex torso rotation (40kg / 90lb)

All this, times 3.

One other interesting thing I noticed today. Usually when I'm doing my cardio, if I'm on a bike it'll be a recumbent one. But today I use a regular one and it was a very different feeling. Must remember to incorporate both bike types in my routine.

3k Run - July 30th, 2008

Another solo run this morning, but I'm getting better at those, I think. Total time was 25 minutes, 20 seconds.

2 minute walk; 4 minute run
2 minute walk, 2 minute run
2 minute walk, 2 minute run
2 minute walk, 2 minute run
2 minute walk, 1 minute run
4 minute walk

Gym workout - July 29th, 2008

Another full workout this morning.

5 minutes on the treadmill, Keiser circuit, 10 crunches
5 minutes rowing, etc., etc.
5 minutes on a bike, etc., etc.

• military press (30kg / 60lb)
• lower back (70kg / 150lb)
• leg extension (45kg / 100lb)
• seated butterfly (20kg / 40lb)
• leg curl (70kg / 150lb)
• biaxial chest press (45kg / 100lb)
• lat pull down (45kg / 100lb)
• leg press (180kg / 400lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• abdominal (70kg / 150lb)

On the treadmill this time I set it for 6 miles an hour and ran for the full 5 minutes. At that pace, I should be able to achieve one of my goals. That is, once I can run for an hour non-stop.

3k Run - July 27th, 2008

Yes, today is the sheduled 7-9k run but my girlfriend (and is it ever getting tiresome refering to her that way - must come up with a better plan) fears she's developing shin spinlts again so we took it easy this time. If her pain continues, I'll be on my own for the Wednesday & Friday morning runs.

Tennis - July 26th, 2008

Tennis again with our friends, but for over 90 minutes this time.

In the singles, my friend and I played a real game - a series of real games, that is - and it was a lot of fun. He ended up beating me, 6 games to 5, but I really enjoyed it. I look forward to the rematch!

3k Run - July 25th, 2008

So it begins.

Our first timed and tracked run. Over all, 29 minutes, 38 seconds.

4 minute walk, 2 minute run
4 minute walk, 2 minute run
4 minute walk, 2 minute run
4 minute walk, 1 minute run
6 minute walk

Gym workout - July 24th, 2008

Great workout this morning - and we were up and out of the house early enough (as we're about to leave, my girlfriend says "Let's toss the kitten's toy into the living room so he won't see us walk out the door...") that I had time for a full workout:

5 minutes on the bike, the Keiser circuit (see below), 10 crunches
5 minutes on the treadmill, etc., etc.
5 minutes rowing, etc., etc.

• military press (30kg / 60lb)
• lower back (70kg / 150lb)
• leg extension (45kg / 100lb)
• seated butterfly (20kg / 40lb)
• leg curl (70kg / 150lb)
• biaxial chest press (45kg / 100lb)
• lat pull down (45kg / 100lb)
• leg press (180kg / 400lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• abdominal (70kg / 150lb)

3k Run - July 23rd, 2008

Ah ha! Some else new (well, newly returned) to the gym scene. I'm not alone after all.

Good run this morning, but I am becoming a little frustrated in that I don't see any real progress. Am I less sweaty now than I was a month ago when we started these runs? Is the run easier? I dunno. I think part of the problem, as my girlfriend pointed out to me today, is that we're not being consistent in our run. It seems like every time we've got a new run-walk combination so it's hard to track progress.

Well no more. Starting Friday (the next scheduled 3k run) we're going to implement a consistent walk-run program, we're going to keep track of the times for the run and I'll post everything here.

Goals

Having goals is good, right? A tangible where one can look back, point and say "I did this!"

1) to be less than 200 lbs (90 kg) - frankly I'd like to get my BMI low enough that I'm "normal" but that means a maximum weight of 189 lbs (85 kg) and my love of beer may prevent that

2) to complete the 10k run in less than 60 minutes - I recently read that some world-class runners did 10k in just over 30 minutes, so I figure double their time is a good target

3) to lose my paunch - I'm not looking for a six-pack, but a flat stomach would be great

Gym workout - July 22nd, 2008

We got a late start this morning (no doubt to due to someones unbearable cuteness keeping us up last night) so it was another short workout:

5 minutes on a rowing machine
a Keiser circuit (10 reps for each station):

• military press (30kg / 60lb)
• lower back (70kg / 150lb)
• leg extension (45kg / 100lb)
• seated butterfly (20kg / 40lb)
• leg curl (70kg / 150lb)
• biaxial chest press (45kg / 100lb)
• lat pull down (45kg / 100lb)
• leg press (180kg / 400lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• abdominal (70kg / 150lb)

10 crunches
Then I did that whole thing again, but this time it was 5 minutes on a recumbent bike rather than rowing.

Golf - July 21st, 2008

A friend and I went out to the local pitch 'n' putt course this morning. I shot 82 and he got 80. Not stellar games for either of us. It's not unusual for me to break 80 there and I'd like to break 75. Soon, soon...

Obligatory cat post

There have been many, many times that I've read an "Obligatory cat post" on a blog and I always question just how much of an obligation it was (as opposed to an indulgence.

Well, my girlfriend got a kitten today so here he is. Cuteoverload, watch out!

9.2k Run - July 20th, 2008

This morning was our long run. Just over 90 minutes, almost 6 miles. Left home just after 8:30. This is a long grueling run, a real test of my willpower. Last time we did a long run, it was about 7.5 k. After we got back, my girlfriend plugged the route into that gmaps pedometer site and we'd done 9.2 - not running the entire time (I should hope not at 90 minutes!)

Tennis - July 19th, 2008

Played tennis - mixed doubles and singles - for about an hour this morning.

My girlfriend and I met a couple of friends of ours at the public courts by the local elementary school. There are two courts and one was already in use so we played doubles for about 30 minutes. Couples, battle of the sexes and partner swapping.

Then the other players left and we split into singles. My friend and I are pretty well matched, we can get a good long volley going and sometimes we're even whacking the ball back and forth from the baselines.

Gorgeous day - and we went early enough that it wasn't too hot yet plus there was intermittent cloud cover.

3k Run - July 18th, 2008

3.2k morning run. Left home at 6:45 - 2 minute run; 2 minute walk; repeat for 30 minutes.

Ran alone this time which is always more work. I tend to run too fast when I'm alone. I miss my little pace car.

Rock climbing - for real!

My girlfriend and I meet after work and we waited to be picked up. Our friends swing by and we head out to a local park, a 15 minute drive away to a suburb.

Absolutely gorgeous. Clear blue skies, sparky water and real rock climbing - our first time.

Our friends tie in and three of us head for the scramble (I love learning new phraseology) while the fourth rappels down. For some reason, I'm chosen as the first to climb (maybe I volunteered, I don't recall). It's interesting climbing real rocks - they don't have anything labeled like at the gym! But this climb is pretty simple. They say it's a 5.6, but it's both shorter and way, way easier than any 5.6 I've climbed at the gym. All four of us climb it, and then we (well, they, our experienced climbing friends) move our ropes to the next climb.

Now this is a climb - a fairly sheer rock face and much longer. Again, I'm first up. Definitely work this time. I'm having difficulty finding hand and foot holds that I trust but I get to the top and I have to admit, it's more than a little exhilarating. Our friends each climb it and then as we're waiting for my girlfriend to work her way down (she has vertigo issues) I climb again. It's not so much that it's easier this time, but I have more confidence. It's also a very different climb because I can't remember what foot- and hand-holds I used last time.

Still my girlfriend won't come down to the rope, so they tell her that the best bet is to go up top, tie in and I'll lower her down and then she can climb up. And she bought it! Up top she goes, ties in and slowly, ever so slowly, I see her creeping backward over the edge. It's a slow descent but soon enough she's on the rock beside me and getting ready to climb up.

Her ascent begins. She's obviously quite nervous but damn if that girl isn't one of the bravest people I've ever met. With lots of helpful advice being shouted by the rest of us ("Look to your right... No, the other right") she makes it to the top like a champ!

By this time we're all hungry and tired so we have a little picnic up top and enjoy the evening. There are now a dozen or so other climbers and it's starting to get late, so we head back to town.

Gym workout - July 17th, 2008

This morning was a shorter than usual workout because of a special after-work adventure today. More on that later.

The gym we go to, the Y downtown, has a circuit of Keiser equipment which I really like. They use air-resistance with simple buttons to add or remove "weight". So, my routine at the gym is 5 minutes of cardio (bike, rowing machine, treadmill, etc), a circuit of the Keisers and then 10 crunches. All this is repeated, usually, 3 times making a workout that lasts anywhere from 45-60 minutes. But, as I mentioned, today was an abbreviated workout.

So, today was:

5 minutes on a recumbent bike
a Keiser circuit (10 reps for each station):

• military press (30kg / 60lb)
• lower back (70kg / 150lb)
• leg extension (45kg / 100lb)
• seated butterfly (20kg / 40lb)
• leg curl (70kg / 150lb)
• biaxial chest press (45kg / 100lb)
• lat pull down (45kg / 100lb)
• leg press (180kg / 400lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• upper back (45kg / 100lb)
• abdominal (70kg / 150lb)

10 crunches

Then I did that whole thing again, but this time it was 5 minutes on a rowing machine rather than a bike.

3k Run - July 16th, 2008

3.2k morning run. Left home at 6:45 - 3 minute walk; 2 minute run; repeat for 30 minutes.

How it all started

On July 15th I was on the New York Times site and they had a BMI calculator. I gave it a shot and my index was 29.2. I was overweight. For the first time I wasn't obese.

How it all began, the short version:

Quit smoking, joined a rock climbing gym, got muscles, wanted more.

How it all began, the long version:

About 6 months before I turned 40, I quit smoking. This was due in no small part to the fact the my girlfriend had quit about a month earlier (thanks sweetie). A couple months after my 40th, we were out for a walk and passed by a climbing gym, "I'd like to try that," she chirped. "Yeah, could be fun." That fall we took their intro course, 10am - noon on a Sunday morning. It's a blast. We walk out exhausted and thrilled and go for a burger.

We go a few more times, then a few more. Within 2 months we have our own equipment and year-long memberships at the gym. We go once or twice a week through winter and one spring afternoon I come home from work to find a pair of tennis rackets (thanks again sweetie). In 8 months I'd gone from playing a half dozen pitch 'n' putt games a year to a climbing tennis player who gets the sticks out to have a slack day.

And then I started to notice the changes. I was building biceps. Not huge, not rock hard, but these were distinct muscles that bulged and almost rippled. I had pecs, quads and lats. My so-called six-pack was still more of a keg (one of those little Heineken ones), but the changes were undeniable. So, one step further. Join the Y. Twice a week, first thing in the morning. After a month I said it. Those 5 immortal words. "Let's do the Fun Run," our local annual 10k spring-time race.

As it stands now, mid-summer 2008 a good week involves 2 morning sessions at the Y, 2 morning runs of about 3k, a longer 7k run, a hour of tennis, 18 holes of pitch 'n' putt, an hour climbing and now there's talk of Yoga.