Tag Archives: exercise

Day 99: For whom the kettlebell tolls

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Day 99

  • Weight: 133.2 lbs.
  • No workout today; next: Workout C, Dec. 10
  • Total inches: 121.9
  • Protein: 128 g (2 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,207

I wanted to change up my workout routine for December. It felt like I hit a plateau with Workouts A and B.

Reading through “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links] again, I found three options. The first was to focus on kettlebell swings (page 162). This was my original direction, but I saw more choices.

The second was “From Geek to Freak,” a series of 10 exercises, most using gym equipment (page 187). I looked for home options for each one, but decided it was too complicated for me right now.

The third was to split into pushing, pulling and leg exercises (page 221). Again, it was too complicated in tracking the days between workouts.

So I followed through on my original choice: kettlebell swings on Mondays and Fridays (Workout C), with barbell and dumbbell work on Wednesdays (Workout D).

I’m looking for more rapid development throughout the month on my arms, waist and hips. I’m also shooting for a lower body fat percentage by year’s end.

My total workout time (which I’ve forgotten to include in my monthly reports) for December will exceed October and November combined. But it won’t be much, about 4 hours total.

I’ve also done some walking around the neighborhood, which I’m tracking through the Runkeeper app. It’s fun to see the miles traveled and the calories burned.

One hundred days in, and the changes continue.

Day 91: 3 months in

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Day 91

  • Weight: 132.4 lbs.
  • No workout today; next: new workout on Dec. 3
  • Total inches: 121.3
  • Protein: 126 g (1 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,103

November has been even steven: My workouts were flat. My calories were flat. Everything was flat.

I can fix this.

weight 11-30-12

Weight through Nov. 30

As you can see, my rapid weight gain leveled off, never straying too far from 132 pounds this past month.

Measurement Sept. 1 Nov. 30 Change
Weight (pounds) 121.8 132.4 +10.6
Body fat percentage 23.5 26.8* +3.3 percentage pts.
Fat weight 28.6 35.5 +6.9
Lean weight 93.2 96.9 +3.7
Total inches 113.6** 121.3 +7.7

*Last measured Nov. 1.

**My measurements starting out weren’t terribly consistent.

Some of my gains in September and October were erased in November. I had a really challenging time making progress in the workouts.

Exercise Sept. 1 Nov. 30 Change
Yates row 7 x 55 lbs. 4.4 x 115 lbs. +109.1 percent
Barbell overhead press 7 x 30 lbs. 5.3 x 50 lbs. +66.7 percent
Myotatic crunch 6.5 x 2.5 lbs.* 4.5 x 5 lbs. +100.0 percent
Slight incline bench press 3.2 x 30 lbs. 0 x 60 lbs. +100.0 percent
Squat 10 x 45 lbs. 10 x 85 lbs. +88.9 percent
Kettlebell swing 32 x 20 lbs. 22 x 40 lbs. +100.0 percent

*I added weight to this exercise on Oct. 4.

The total workout time was almost identical these past 2 months: 84 minutes in October and 90 minutes in November. But I can see where my lifting has stalled out, even with adequate rest and recovery time.

total inches 11-30-12

Total inches through Nov. 30

calories 11-30-12

Calories consumed through Nov. 30

You can see a couple of factors at work. Total inches confirms that I haven’t gained or lost significantly in the last 30 days.

I adjusted calories dramatically, concerned over having gained too many pounds of fat vs. muscle.

In October, the target was 2,500 per day; actual average was 2,582. In November, the target was 2,050 per day (2,000 for the first half, 2,100 for the second half); actual average was 2,101. Protein intake has remained roughly the same all 91 days. Because I have not measured body fat percentage since Nov. 1, I can’t tell if it has changed, but I believe it has not gone up or down significantly.

The project has cost me $283.59 so far. (The cost dropped because my monthly food bill in November was lower than the 24-month average before starting all of this.)

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

I am making one small change and one big change for December.

The small change is moving up to 2,200 calories a day.

The big change is to switch to a new workout. I had been considering doing kettlebell swings and abdominal exercises on Mondays and Fridays, likely doubling my exercise time to about 3 hours total for December.

But in re-reading “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon |iTunes aff. links] last night, a set of exercises in the chapter “From Geek to Freak” caught my eye. I’ll research them over the weekend and have a workout routine in place for Monday.

I’m looking forward to bulking up for real in December, closing out 2012 bigger than ever.

Day 91 - side

Day 91 – side

Day 1 vs. Day 91 - front

Day 1 vs. Day 91 – front
[Click image for a larger version.]

Day 1 vs. Day 91 - side

Day 1 vs. Day 91 – side
[Click image for a larger version.] 

Day 62: The 2-month mark

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Day 62

  • Weight: 135.6 lbs.
  • No workout today; next: Workout B on Nov. 3
  • Total inches: 123.4
  • Protein: 125 g (0 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,126

October helped answer some nagging questions.

It’s all in the new numbers. I had another BodPod test this morning at the Lakeshore Foundation, so the body fat percentage is up to date.

weight 11-1-12

Weight through Nov. 1

Measurement Sept. 1 Nov. 1 Change
Weight (pounds) 121.8 135.6* +13.8
Body fat percentage 23.5 26.8** +3.3 percentage pts.
Fat weight 28.6 36.3 +7.7
Lean weight 93.2 99.3 +6.1
Total inches 113.6*** 123.4 +9.8

I gained 3.0 pounds of muscle in October, the same as in September. But it came at a higher cost: 5 pounds of fat in October, compared to 2.7 pounds of fat in September.

*The Lakeshore scale said 135.1 pounds, but I’m using my own scale for consistency.

**In the Poor range for my age group/gender.

***My measurements starting out weren’t terribly consistent.

Exercise Sept. 1 Nov. 1 Change
Yates row 7 x 55 lbs. 4.4 x 115 lbs. +109.1 percent
Barbell overhead press 7 x 30 lbs. 5.3 x 50 lbs. +66.7 percent
Myotatic crunch 6.5 x 2.5 lbs.* 3.5 x 5 lbs. +100.0 percent
Slight incline bench press 3.2 x 30 lbs. 6.2 x 50 lbs. +66.7 percent
Squat 10 x 45 lbs. 3 x 75 lbs. +66.7 percent
Kettlebell swing 32 x 20 lbs. 6 x 40 lbs. +100.0 percent

That’s an overall increase of 83.6 percent in pounds lifted. I had a total workout time of 1 hour, 24 minutes in October, or 5 hours, 7 minutes total for 62 days.

I gained just as much muscle in October as I did in September, but in about one-third of the workout time.

*I added weight to this exercise on Oct. 4.

The project has cost me $321.74 so far.

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

If I continue to work out for 20 minutes every 6 days and consume 2,500-plus calories daily (with at least 125 g protein) as I did in October, I can expect to add another 8 pounds in November, 3 pounds muscle and 5 pounds fat.

That would bring me to 143.6 pounds, with 9.1 pounds gained in muscle and 12.7 pounds gained in fat overall. I’ll be a lot rounder in the middle: My waist has gone from 31.4 inches to 36 inches in 62 days, meaning it could go to 38 inches easily by Nov. 30.

I will have some serious reshaping to do at the midsection. To temper this, I will change to 2,000 calories a day in November starting today, but still maintain 125 g protein.

And I plan to change my workouts on Dec. 1, to continue toning and shaping my upper body.

The numbers are guiding me, but ultimately, I have to pick the direction and continue the journey.

Day 1 vs. Day 62 - front

Day 1 vs. Day 62 – front
[Click image for a larger version.]

Day 1 vs. Day 56 - side

Day 1 vs. Day 56 – side
[Click image for a larger version.] 

Day 52: Yogi barely

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Day 52

Day 52
(See the gallery for more photos.)

  • Weight: 133.6 lbs.
  • Workout B: 17 minutes, 15 seconds. Next: Workout A on Oct. 28.
  • Total inches: 122.0
  • Protein: 133 g (8 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,514
  • See more measurements.

I have focused on my new workouts for the last 2 months, but I’ve been itching to walk or to practice yoga.

I have held back because I didn’t want to cloud the results with other exercise. I took up yoga earlier this year, and walking/running on a treadmill was my primary form of exercise for many years.

Plus, I wanted to be lazy.

Still, the temptation of yoga was too much. I have a couple of instructional DVDs I’ve never played, and I have episodes of “Wai Lana Yoga” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links] stacked up in my TiVo. Options coming out of my satsang.

A few minutes on the mat made me realize how out of shape I really am.

No matter how much I improve in lifting in free weights, yoga can humble me in one pose. I am reminded of how little range of motion my legs have, or how far I have to go in bending and stretching and balancing.

But yoga isn’t simply an exercise in humility for me. It gives me peace on a noisy day. It helps me to focus and work on being in the moment. It centers me.

Pumping iron does, too. Yoga lets me tune in to my body in a different way. And, I don’t think it will cloud the results when it comes to burning calories or developing and toning muscles.

Especially when I end up nearly heaving on my mat.

Day 31: More of me to love

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Day 31

  • Weight: 127.6 lbs.
  • No workout today; next: Workout A on Oct. 4
  • Total inches: 120.0
  • Protein: 143 g (21 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,523

I haven’t read “Moneyball.” I haven’t seen “Moneyball.” But I bet I would enjoy “Moneyball.” [all aff. links]

Rather than bore you with baseball statistics, I’d prefer to bore you with my physiological statistics.

weight Oct. 1, 2012

Weight through Oct. 1

Measurement Sept. 1 Oct. 1 Change
Weight (pounds) 121.8 127.6* +5.8
Body fat percentage 23.5 24.5** +1 percentage point
Fat weight 28.6 31.3 +2.7
Lean weight 93.2 96.3 +3.1
Total inches 113.6*** 120.0 +6.4

That’s not bad: 3.1 pounds of muscle in 30 days! Will muscle growth accelerate, slow or remain steady in the next 30 days?

*The Lakeshore scale said 127.0 pounds, but I’m using my own scale for consistency.

**In the Poor range for my age group/gender, but Excellent if I were a 67-year-old woman.

***I was terrible at measuring my legs for the first few days, till I found a way to standardize it. So take that early number as probably too low because of my errors.

Exercise Sept. 1 Oct. 1 Change
Yates row 7 x 55 lbs. 7 x 85 lbs. +54.5 percent
Barbell overhead press 7 x 30 lbs. 4.3 x 50 lbs. +66.7 percent
Slight incline bench press 3.2 x 30 lbs. 4.2 x 50 lbs. +66.7 percent
Squat 10 x 45 lbs. 10 x 65 lbs. +44.4 percent
Kettlebell swing 32 x 20 lbs. 50 x 30 lbs. +50.0 percent

That’s an overall increase of 55.6 percent in pounds lifted with a total workout time of 3 hours, 42 minutes.

The project has cost me $216.63 so far. What surprised me here was a $41.55 savings in the average monthly food bill (both groceries and dining out).

You can see all the numbers updated in real time on the Measurements page.

My plan for October: Do a workout every 6 days. Eat a lot. Take a daily photo. And post on workout days, so expect five or six more updates this month.

The numbers are encouraging, and I am growing, inside and out.

Day 29: Tick tock

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Day 29

  • Weight: 127.4 lbs.
  • No workout today
  • Total inches: 119.0
  • Protein: 145 g (23 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,581

I’m as serious as a metronome about my workouts.

Because many of my exercises involve 5/5, 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down, I’d prefer precision over guessing. It’s hard enough keeping the rep count; that’s right, I lose track just counting to 7.

So I use my phone as a metronome. I play a ticking clock MP3 on a loop. My entire workout sounds like being inside a mechanical clock.

Audio: Ticking clock

The sound is a familiar one from my childhood. I started taking piano lessons when I was 7, and a mechanical metronome accompanied my daily practice. But instead of struggling to keep up in tempo with a Bach suite, I sweat it out while trying to lift, breathe and count all at once.

The march of time, the pace of my workouts grow ever louder.

Day 10: Be stiller, my beating heart

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day 10

  • Weight: 123.0 lbs.
  • No workout today
  • Total inches: 116.6
  • Protein: 123 g (5 g over target)

My heart is slowing down. Apparently, that’s OK.

Every 8 weeks, I donate blood. (Coincidentally, I started shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.) As part of the clearance ritual, the Red Cross staff member checks my pulse rate. I expect it to be around 80 or 90 beats per minute, the usual.

I clocked in at 62. Whoa. I looked surprised. I was surprised.

Jamie, who had moved on to taking my blood pressure, asked, “Have you been working out?”

“Yes.”

“Exercise lowers your pulse. It’s normal. With some athletes with a pulse under 50, we have to get a doctor to OK their donation.”

I had no idea, even after exercising on and off again over the years.

I’m not planning on measuring this daily, but it’s perhaps another sign that this program is moving in the right direction.