Keep on Keeping on

[CliffA74]

So, My last journal was sounding depressing. Therefore we are starting anew. Less tales of woe this time. (Unless warranted. Sometimes you just need to vent your spleen.)

First off: I rejoined Weight Watchers!! My eating for August was not controlled. My parents being here for a week is part of that, but also I just fell off The Wagon earlier and didn't really feel all that bad about it.
But this week I ran, caught back up to The Wagon, and have hopped up.
WW is how I lost the 50+ pounds many moons ago. My wife being a WW leader makes rejoining and getting my lifetime membership pretty darn easy. And maintaining Lifetime means being holding myself accountable to the group at the gym, my wife, and you fine folks here.

Last weeks weigh in: 200.6 pounds!!
My measurements increased by 1.75 inches overall, in all the wrong places. (waist, hip, thigh)
My fault, not McDonald's or Mama Dathie's at church who makes the best apple dumplins on the planet.
I let you know how today's weigh in goes.

[CliffA74]

Second:
I got back down to business with my workouts.
Weekly goal of 5-6 training session per week. 3 strength training, 2-3 "cardio." Mostly Crossfit WODs, but I reserve the right to do whatever I want at any time.

Monday 09/08/08
"Linda" (also now known as Sonuva Crap That's Hard)

• DeadLift 225#x10, 205#x9, 8, 195x7,6,5,4
• Bench Press 185x10, 165#x9,8,7,6,5,4
• Clean 95#x10, 75#x9,8,7,6,5,4

I kept dropping in weight to maintain form. You are supposed to go all the way down to just a 1 rep set, but I was gassed, and my grip completely failed during my last set of DLs, dropped the weight, scared me and everybody else. I can always do better next time.

Tuesday 09/09/08
Sprint intervals for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I prefer outside, but it's still too hot here in Dixie.

Wednesday 09/10/08
Car died. Had to arrange towing and rental and such. Mental workout day.

Thursday 09/11/08
"Fight gone Bad"
3 rounds of 1 minute intervals, max reps, rest 1 minute between rounds:

• Exercise.................... Round I...Round II...Round III
• Wall Ball ~15# .............20..........25...........30
• Sumo DL High Pull 75#....20..........15............15
• Box Jump.....................15..........20........... 20
• Push Press 75#.............20..........15...........15
• Jump Rope...................1min........1min........1mi n

5 min warm up
10 min stretch/cool down
Lots of gasping for air and cursing the second hand for speeding up during breaks and slowing down during exercise.
Again, limited by cardiovascular fitness during these workouts. But that's the point, right?

[minime]

hey new journal! good job on linda and FGB Cliff!

and good luck with the diet!

[CliffA74]

Howdy all!
Last Friday's weigh in was the kind of thing that got me kicked out of my old Weight Watcher's group.
Weight: 190.2#

Obviously blew off a great deal of bloat from previous gastronomic excess. Still, makes you very unpopular in a group of ladies who get excited at a 0.5 pound weight loss.
I can't drop weight like that every week, but I drop weight faster than most middle aged women who despise exercise. So the last group of ladies started getting openly hostile. Hopefully this group will be better.
PLUS, Weight Watchers has started a Lose For Good Campaign. For every pound of weight lost, they will donate one pound of food to various food banks and such.

Friday 09/12/08
Sprint intervals for thirty minutes. Before the weigh in. Probably helped.

Saturday 09/13/08
Porch workout!
Warm-up
2 rounds of:

• Russian Twist with 15# DB x15, x15
• Plyo Push ups x12, x20
• Lunge/kickback/curl/press combo 15#x20, 20#x15
• Running man x60, x50
• Chataranga run x30, x30
• Overhead 15# DB sit ups x12, x12
• Straddle Plank
  • Slow x40, x40
  • Fast x40, x40

Wall Squat x3min
Handstand Hold x30 seconds

Porch workout's are dependent upon the weather, and it was plenty humid and hot. So not much energy towards the end.

Monday 09/15/08
On call workout
15 minute time limit
Pushups x100
Double Crunch x100
Air Squats x100
Bridge Pose x 3min
DVR pullups x50 light tension

Tuesday 09/16/08
Water strength cardio intervals
Taught by my wife, she's evil in classes.
60 minutes, 700 calories

Wednesday 09/17/08
Rest day.

AttaCliff! Great job on chiseling some sludge off of you. I bet those tubby WW ladies are scoping you out like guys check out a hot babe at a meat market happy hour scene.

Go Cliff go!

[CliffA74]

Thanks pierini!
I was anxious about today's weigh in. WHY?
Week 2 for the biggest loser contestants, is usually a bad one.
Today's weight: 187.2
Weight lost in one week: 3.6#
Goal weight: 184.0 (this will secure my WW Lifetime Status)

Yay me!!

Workouts:
Thursday 09/18/08
10 minute warmup on Elliptical.
Five Rounds

• Body weight Bench Press
  • 190#'s x5, x5, x5, x5, x7
• Pull-ups, dead hang
  • x5, x5, x5, x5, x5
• Body weight Back Squat
  • 190#'s x5, x5, x5, x5, x10

Wall squat: 2 minutes
Handstand (feet on wall): 1 minute
Plank: 1 minutes

5 min cool down on Ellipitical
5 min stretch

Friday 09/19/08
30 min sprint intervals.
Though sprint is a highly relative term today. Did not have all the juice I wanted to, but still had a good workout. Used more elevation than speed on treadmill, going up to 10% and back. Keeps my HR ~90% of MAX, so it still counts.

Have fun!

[CliffA74]

Quickie today.

Saturday 09/20/08
Tabata Anything
4 min round of Overhead broom Squats
4 min round of Pushups
4 min round single leg Romanian dead lift
4 min round crunches

Will go puke now....

[CliffA74]

Good week. Mostly good choices as well.

09/22/08 Monday
Filthy Fifty

• Box Jump x50
• Jumping Pullups x50
• DB swings 35# x50
• Air Squats x50
• Double Crunch x50
• Push Press 45# x50
• Back Extensions x50
• Wall Ball Shot x50
• Burpees x50
• Jump Tucks x50

Time: 41:56!! (previous time: 42 min, 25 secs )
Cal: 829
Peak HR: 183


09/23/08 Tuesday
Sprint intervals,
more speed than elevation this time: 20 min, 10 mph peaksx3
Elliptical going backwards: 6 min
Stretch: 5 min

Cal: 558
Peak HR: 181

09/24/08 Wednesday
Rest Day.

09/25/08 Thursday
For time 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 rep rounds of:

• Virtual Shoveling 25#
  
• Jumping Pull-ups

Time: 42:00
Cal: 751
Peak HR: 170

That was a neat workout. I attempted the 45# plate on the shovel, thought better about it. Went down in weight since I was supposed to be doing 30 stinking reps. I'll try it again going heavier for less reps.
But I was King O' The Gym, everybody wondering what the heck I was doing, and wanting to try it. So that added some minutes to my time.

Weigh in later today. Hope I did OK. I get so nervous!

That's some good training this week Cliff. You'll be getting your lifetime membership to WW soon. You'll be a prized catch there too with your chiseled body with all the tubby woman fist-fighting over who will "have" you.

Keep your pedal to the metal!

[CliffA74]

Thanks pierini!

Win some, lose some.
Weigh in for Friday: 188.2
Gain of 1.2#'s.
I'm sure it's all muscle.
It made some of the ladies feel better that I gained weight. I'm not sure I'm good for moral...
The weight gain could have been the Lasagnax2 this week, or I still "cheat" on the weekends.
I usually stall out at the 188# mark. Perhaps I need to change a few things in order to get to the next level.

But I am looking good. It's great to look in the mirror and be proud of the way you look. I'm not quite perfect, but I'm happy.

09/26/08 Friday
Ran 5K.
Time: 36:27
2 minutes less than the last time I ran it, last spring. Still have to drop back down to a walk from time to time.

09/27/08 Saturday
Hotel Fitness Center Workout

• Jog down the road and around the parking lot.
• AB loungex50
• Fast upright row with rusty cable machine 50#x15, x15
• Unstable Pullup using completely rusted lat pulldown machine x4, x4
• T-pushup progressionx20
• One Arm pushup x5/arm
• Ab Loungex30
• 1min wall squat, dropping lower every 10 seconds
• 1 min one legged wall squat, alternating legs every 10 seconds
• Handstand pushups x9
• Ab Loungex30
• Stretch 10 minutes

Went out of town for a funeral. The fitness center was a bit of a joke.
But, that's no excuse. You should be able to get a great workout where ever you are.

Sunday=Day of rest.

[minime]

oh those hotel gyms are the worst! but it is nice to have something in a pinch.

that is the greatest thing about crossfit, even in the crappiest of gyms we can get a great workout.

good job on your weight loss cliff! even though you gained some back it is still a loss, and the 2 you gained back probably just water from eating extra salt or something and the main thing is that you like what you see in the mirror!

[CliffA74]

Thanks Mm!

09/29/08 Monday
Good run spoiled by technology
Ran outside today at a local park on the way home. Little too warm still, ~85-89 degrees F, but it was OK.
My stupid heart rate monitor konked out half way through. It works about 85% of the time. Bugs the poo out of me when it decides not to work, and I'll ruin my workout trying to get it to work again. Then I get mad at myself, try to let it go, fail, try again, and by then times up.
Time: 32:54
Peak HR: counted at ~180.
Calories: ??? I guess around 600 calories, a similar calorie count from a similar workout.

[CliffA74]

Long time no update.
Life, work, complications, etc. More on all that later.

09/30/08 Tuesday
Weeks worth of exercise in one day
Warmup- Elliptical 10 min
1st circuit, 3 rounds

• Wall Ball Shot x15, x15, x15
• Sumo DL High Pull 90#x10, x10, x10
• Box Jumpsx20, x20, x20
• DB swings 35#x10, x10, x10

Intermission jump rope 3 minutes

2nd circuit, 2 rounds

• Overhead Squat-Broomx15, DB15#x10
• Pushup/DB Row/Crawl 15#X10, x10
• King Squat x15/leg, x15/leg
• Full Situpx15, x15
• Side Bridge x10, x10

Cooldown/stretch 7min

Time: 59:49

10/01/08 Wednesday
Rest

10/03-05 On Call
Absolutely brutal. No sleep. Sucked. No exercise.

10/06/08 Monday
Rest, sleep, nap

10/07/08 Tuesday
Recovery workout, Charles Atlas style!
Hindu Pushupsx25
Balance Squatsx20
Atlas Pushupsx20
Scissors Squatx20
Hingesx10
C.A.T. DVR, heavy tensionx10
Knee Press inx10
Liederman Chest pressx10
Knee Pressoutx10
Weird Chest press while moving `em forwardx10
Liederman Leg Press outx5/leg
Rope Pulldownx10
Bench dipsx30
High Kicksx30

Still exhausted from Weekend.

Wednesday 10/08/08
Tabtata!
8 minute continuous Tabata round of DB swings 35#
Created puddle of sweat. Very nice.

Thursday 10/09/08
On call again. Hoping for a good night.
Weigh in tomorrow. Hope to be able to run before it. Will require a good night and finishing hospital rounds early.

[CliffA74]

Last night was a bad night at the hospital. Got about three hours of sleep, plus another nap this morning after rounds.

Friday 10/10/08
Sprinting around
Jogged from the gym about a mile down the road to a football field, then ran sprints across the width, walked back then sprinted it again for about 12 minutes. Jogged back to the gym. Took 30 minutes.

Weigh in: 189
Actually, not that bad. I'm basically maintaining, but that is OK with me. It's been a bad two weeks emotionally.
My wife was initially told she was about to have another miscarriage, then maybe not, then maybe, then ok you are, then maybe you're not.
It's been a crappy roll-a-coaster, and we are still on it.
But we've decided that, today, we are happy. We might be sad tomorrow, but Today we are happy.

Hi Cliff,

I'm sorry to hear that your wife may have a miscarriage. I believe that life begins at conception. My wife and I will include you, your wife and your unborn child in our prayers.