The bad news: I haven't updated my blog in awhile
The good news: I've still been working out, eating right, and sleeping a lot. Still sticking with Pat's programming, M-W-F with weights, meat/veggies 90%+ of the time, whey/gatorade/creatine/glutamine shake post-workout, and a good 8-10hrs of sleep every night. I feel really lean, and strong at the gym, which is great!

I feel like I have a great balance in life right now of exercise, nutrition, rest, work, wife/kids, friends, and getting out and doing the occassional fun thing (eg a day of wake boarding or a concert).

I'm with Pat, I really like Dan John's stuff. And at 31, I feel like it's all about having that good balance.

Crossfit AMRAP Workout

Went to my friend Matt's gym (Crossfit AMRAP, Crystal Lake) to get in a fun Saturday workout. I've been following Pat's programming, and haven't done a metcon in a LONG time!

Half Cindy: AMRAP in 10:00 of:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

I did 8 full rounds, plus 5 pullups and 5 pushups. It was fun!

Then I did some snatch, some clean & jerk, laces to bar, handstand pushups, and "windshield wipers" (ab exercise on the pullup bar). It's too bad Matt's gym is so far away (45/50 minutes), as I'd love to go there more often.

Upper Body Workout

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 2
215 x 1

Pullups
x3 @ bodyweight
4x: x3 w/ 35lb dumbbell

Close grip bench press/bentover barbell rows
140lbs/135lbs
8-6-4

Dips
x5 @ bodyweight
x3 w/70lb dumbbell
4x: x3 w/100lb dumbbell

2:00 plank

Upper Body Workout

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 3
210 x 2
210 x 1

Weight Pullups
x3 @ bodyweight
x3 w/25lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell

Close Grip Bench/Bentover barbell rows
145lbs/135lbs
8-6-4

Weighted Dips
x3 @ bodyweight
x3 w/70lb dumbbell
x3 w/100lb dumbbell
x3 w/100lb dumbbell

2:00 plank

Lower Body Workout

Back Squat
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1 - This felt VERY heavy. I barely stood it up. I just don't have strong legs - but I'll keep at it!
135 x 11 - burnout set

Front Squat/Romanian Deadlift Superset
90lbs/135lbs
12-9-6

Laces to Bar/Back Extension Superset
3 sets of 10 of each

Upper Body Workout

Followed Pat's advice on switching up the reps, weights, and some of the exercises today. Today's workout felt GREAT! I felt really strong.

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1 - Did not feel heavy, flowed nicely
195 x 1
205 x 4 - Goal was at least three, got four, tried for a fifth but couldn't push it out

Weighted Pullups
x3 at bodyweight
x3 w/ 25lb dumbell
x3 w/35lb
x3 w/35lb
x3 w/45lb

Superset Close Grip Bench Press & Bentover Barbell Rows
135lbs/135lbs
8-6-4

Weighted Dips
x3 at bodyweight
x3 w/45lb dumbell
x3 w/70lb dumbell
x3 w/90lb dumbell

2:00 plank

Upper Body Workout

Pushed with all my strength to get 225lbs up today. Got it unassisted. I went for 230, but knew I didn't have the strength to get it. Will try again next week.

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
225 x 1
230 - Failed
135 x 16 (burnout set)

Chins
3 @ bodyweight
1 w/ 45lb dumbell
1 w/ 55lb dumbell
1 w/ 60lb dumbell
1 w/65lb dumbell
1 w/ 70lb dumbell
11 @ bodyweight (burnout set)

Close Grip Bench/1 arm dumbell rows
115lbs/50lbs
12-9-6

As many pushups as possible in 3:00: 57

30 minutes of volleyball

Lower Body

Legs were still tight from last week - struggled with the weight today, could not go very heavy.

Back Squat
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
195 x 1
195 x 1
195 x 1
195 x 1
135 x 8 - burnout set

Front Squat/Romanian Deadlift Superset
95lbs FS/135lbs RDL
12,9,6

Laces to bar
3 x 10

Hyperextensions
3 x 10

Upper Body Workout

Bench Press
45 x 1
135 x 3
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
225 x 1
135 x 19 (burnout set)

Pullups
3 @ bodyweight
1 x 40lbs
1 x 50
1 x 60
1 x 65
1 x 65

Close Grip Bench/1 Arm DB row Superset
115lbs/50lbs
12-9-6

As many pushups as possible in 3:00: 55

Some "Before" Pictures

This is me today, July 2, 2010. 155lbs, just finishing up my first week of "Pat's Programming". My goal is to build muscle while hopefully losing some fat. The combination of 9+ hours of sleep per night, meat and vegetables, and Pat's Programming should hopefully get me where I want to be. I have 8 weeks before our third baby (Jessica) gets here, so my "after" pictures I plan to take in that 8th week right before our new baby is born.

Upper Body

Bench Press - Work up to a single rep max
45lbs x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
225 x 1 (my PR is 235lbs, so not too far off. I plan to get to 250lbs in the next 6 weeks)
Burnout set: 135lbs x 18

Weighted chins - Work up to a single rep max
x1 at bodyweight
x1 at bodyweight
25lbs x 1
50lbs x 1
60lbs x 1
70lbs - Couldn't quite get my chin over the bar

Superset
Close grip bench press (115lbs) & One arm dumbell rows (50lbs)
12-9-6, 30 second rest in between

As many pushups as possible in 3:00: 58 pushups total

Post-workout shake:
48g whey protein
3 scoops orange gatorade
10g creatine
25g glutamine

7.2g EPA/DHA fish oil
1500mg Vitamin C

Lower Body Workout

Back Squat
45lbs x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
225 - Failed
(Forgot to do a burn-out set)

Wow, I've been away for TOO LONG! 205lbs felt heavy! Moved up to 215 and got it. Dumped 225lbs, couldn't stand it up (my PR is 260lbs). I'm confident that within a month I'll be back up to where I was before.

For my front squat/Romanian Deadlift superset, I was supposed to do 135lbs/145lbs, and do 12-9-6 reps. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do 135lbs on the front squat for 12 reps, not on my first day back anyways. So I used 115lbs for the front squats, and 135lbs for the RDLs. Even with that, my supersets looked like this:

9/9
6/6
4/4

My quads literally locked up after the front squats. Killer!! Loved it though, so great being back training legs again. I can 100% see how this programming will help me build some serious muscle.

After this, I walked SLOWLY (so my legs would stop cramping up) to the pull-up bar, and did three sets of 10 of laces to bar.

Immediately post-workout I had a shake with:
40g whey protein
25g glutamine
7g creatine
3 tablespoons of orange gatorade powder

Last night I slept a full 10 hours, and had another perfect day of just meats and veggies. I can't wait for Friday's workout!

Pat's Programming

Started Pat's programming today. I spent the better part of the past two months not exercising, but eating right (meats and veggies) and getting 8-10hrs of sleep a night. I leaned down to 154lbs, and felt great - leaner than when I was lifting 5-6x per week. Pat was right - I was doing too much then, too much cortisol being released, and I was "fat" even though I was exercising every day.

My new programming that Pat put together for me follows a basic M-W-F schedule. Focus is still on getting plenty of sleep, and eating meats & veggies 90+% of the time. My goal now is to just put on muscle, and this should do the trick. Here is the schedule, followed by what I did this morning:


Workouts start at 6:30am (they’ll only take 45 minutes total)

Monday
Bench Press – work up to a single rep max, then do a burnout set at the end.
Chins/weighted chins
Superset:
Close grip bench/bent over barbell rows
Little METCON/Competition like wall sit dumbell curls, max clapping push-ups, 21-15-9 kipping pull-ups, push-ups. These are very short (less then3min), but competitive
Abs – planks, knees to elbows, Ab Ripper X, etc.

Tuesday
Off, completely off, get extra sleep

Wednesday
Back Squat-and do the burn out. Remember the burn out sets will get you breathing hard, and give you that METCON dose you want
Front Squats
Romanian Deadlifts - RDLs
2 Supersets=Done fast, another METCON dose
Back Extensions
Knees to elbow

Thursday
Off, completely off, get extra sleep

Friday
Repeat Monday, alternating between trying to hit a 1RM, doing heavy sets of 5, etc.

This is what this morning looked like (first time back in months, so I know these numbers will increase rather quickly over the next four weeks):

Bench Press
135lbs x 8
185 x 5
205 x 1
135 x 15 (burnout set)

Deadhang chins
x8
25lbs weighted x 5
25lbs weighted x 4
x6 (no weight)

Superset close grip bench press (135lbs) and dumbell rows (55lbs):
x8, x8/8
x4, x8/8
x5, x8/8

6 minutes of 1 minute planks (15 second rest in between).

PWO: 40g whey protein mixed with 20g L-Glutamine. Will look into picking up some gatorade powder and creatine this week to experiment with Pat's whey/gatorade/creatine PWO (post workout) drink.

Friday Fun Day

Was joined this morning at the CDW gym by my good friend Brian Maastricht today! We did a great mix of weights, abs, and having fun playing a sport. We did:



3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Flat dumbbell press: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets of 10 reps
3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Dips: 4 sets of 15-20 reps

We then played 3 on 3 volleyball for 30 minutes. I never realized what a great workout volleyball is, and it was a ton of fun!!

Where ya been, Dave??

As mentioned in my last post, on Saturday, April 24 I fractured my finger helping my buddy Matt setup his Crossfit Gym (http://www.crossfitamrap.com/ - tell your friends, it is a SWEET gym!). I spent most of the four weeks after that NOT working out. During this non-workout time, I experimented with Pat's idea on losing weight WITHOUT working out.

I ate clean, and I ate light. Typically 1-2 small meals per day, less than 1500 calories per day. And I lost weight, and have kept it off! I quickly dropped to 155 (from a starting weight of 165lbs), and have remained there the entire time. Pat was right - you don't have to exercise to lose weight. In fact, exercising can potentially INHIBIT weight loss - either by making you think you can eat more because "I've earned it", or by making you even more hungry post-workout.

Of course you need to consider what Pat says, too, in that if you ARE exercising, you may be more inclined to WANT to eat healthy. I know that's typically how I am - though have been able to stick to a clean diet with or without exercise.

About two weeks ago I started hitting the workouts really hard again. Back at the CDW gym in the mornings, doing a solid mix of weights, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), lots of sprinting, TONS of planks/ab work, pullups, pushups, other bodyweight stuff.

In the evenings I have been doing INSANITY, which is a DVD workout series by BeachBody (same folks who made P90X). Let me tell you, these workouts are TOUGH! 40 minutes of non-stop bodyweight/cardio/plyometric work. Sweating after the 5 minute warmup, and sweating all the way until the end.

So I'm back, and back with a vengeance. I'm at a nice, lean, 155lbs, doing two workouts per day, and continuing to eat light and clean. And I feel great!! This "being healthy" stuff really isn't that tough - I wish it didn't seem so complicated for so many people. Do exercise that makes you feel good, eat real foods (read: meat and vegetables) in moderation, and you can be healthy!

I'm Back

First day back in the gym after hurting myself (baseline fracture of my left pointer finger - power tool accident).

What's interesting is Pat's post from a few days ago, asking if exercising helps you to lose weight. I didn't exercise for 10 days, but ate SUPER clean, and also pretty light - probably around 1400-1500 calories per day over the past 10 days, and only meats and vegetables. Two small meals per day. And I lost SIX pounds over those 10 non-workout days! I feel great, too. Lean. Good feeling.

So this morning I did:

Max pushups in 3:00 (77)
Back Squat: 135 x 5 x 10 (5 sets of 10 reps)
Helen in a boat:
3 rounds of: 500m row, 21 53lb kb swings, 12 pushups - Stopped half-way through, finger was hurting.
7 sprints up and down the basketball court

Vanity workout and basketball

Did a good old-fashioned 'arm' workout today. Curls, close grip bench press, tricep press downs, spider curls.

Followed that up with 30 minutes of full court, 2 on 2 basketball. Awesome cardio, lots of fun.

Tomorrow the plan is O-lifting...Snatch followed by Clean & Jerks.

Misc. workout

VERY sore from yesterdays squats, run, and Bulgarian Sandbag "Around the Worlds". Took it a little easier today:

Push Press:
135 x 5 x 5

Pushups: As many as possible in 3 minutes. 79 total.

Knees to elbows: 3 x 10

Basketball for 25 minutes

Incline Press, Bulgarian Sandbag, CF Metcon

Incline Press
135 x 10
155 x 8
175 x 4
185 x 3
185 x 3

42lb Bulgarian Sandbag "whirlybirds/around the worlds" - 15 sets of 10 swings

At the local high school track:
4 rounds of:
50 squats
400m run

Did not time it, just went at it hard.

OH Squat, Push Jerk, Bulgarian Sandbag & Basketball

Overhead Squats
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5

Push Jerk
155 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 1

Bulgarian Sandbag exercises

15 minutes of 2 on 2 full court basketball