Tag Archives: workout

Day 28: Epic fail

day 28- front

Weight: 127.4 lbs.
Workout B: 11 minutes, 45 seconds
Total inches: 119.5
Protein: 135 g (15 g over target)
Calories: 2,389

I had been seated for about 5 seconds before I reached the breaking point.

It’s not an encouraging sign when that’s the first move of your workout.

In my previous seven workouts, I had managed to complete 90 to 100 percent of the workouts. I reached the point of failure late in the routine, as fatigue and weakness set in.

But not at the beginning. Never at the beginning.

My first exercise was to do seven reps at 50 pounds (two 25-pound dumbbells) of the slight incline bench press. In a previous workout, I had completed seven reps at 40 pounds.

I sat down, and the dumbbells felt like they were super-glued to the floor. Oy. Usually, I have no problem picking them up, sitting back and having them near my ears, ready to lift skyward.

I couldn’t even get them up to my lap. Uh oh.

I started to sweat. Was I screwed?

I lifted the right dumbbell and tested to see if I could get it in position. Not graceful, but doable.

I lifted the left dumbbell, with two hands. I barely got it in place after a mild struggle.

How the hell was I going to get these two 25-pound monsters to budge at the same time?

I moved a stack of plates and sat the left dumbbell on it. Five minutes had elapsed, and I still hadn’t even gotten close to the first rep. I slowly, very slowly picked up both dumbbells and sat back on the bench.

Four puny reps later, I was done. Oh for a spotter right about now …

Fifty pounds had kicked my ass. I skipped the squat reps and the 3-minute stationary bike, but I did the optional 50 kettlebell swings at 30 pounds. I was going to pound out those 50 no matter what.

And I did. Nothing like four reps to loosen you up for the kettlebell.

The shortest workout to date will lead to another day of rest between workouts, totaling 4. In re-reading the Occam’s Protocol info in “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links], I saw that author Tim Ferriss had gotten up to 12 days between identical workouts, or 5 days between alternating A/B workouts.

Not only does the body need more time to rest and recover (and feed), muscles need a lot of time to grow. Grow, damn you, grow!

I made sure that I tried hard. No way was I going to give up that early in the workout. Not at this point.

Day 28 - side

Day 23: The definition of failure

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Day 23

Weight: 126.0 lbs.
Workout A: 21 minutes, 33 seconds
Total inches: 118.1
Protein: 133 g (13 g over target)
Calories: 2,408

Today was another failed workout. If that’s how we look at it.

Each workout is supposedly designed to be done till failure. Getting through all the reps means the resistance is too low.

Only two of the seven workouts so far have resulted in failure, or not doing (n-1) reps.

So the next workout will come a little later, and at the same barbell weight.

But real failure would be to stop short. I wish that 30 days would be enough, but it’s clear at this point that I’ll need to invest more time.

Quitting happens because results are small, or even undetectable. They take too long, or cost too much.

I have great patience, so I don’t mind continuing to move forward on a slowly unfolding project. I believe the end results will prove me right. But even if at Day 60 or Day 90, it doesn’t happen, that will also not be failure.

I will see it as a great experience, something from which more lessons can be drawn.

No failure here. Only room to grow.

Day 20: A small win is still a win

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Day 20

Weight: 125.2 lbs.
No workout today
Total inches: 118.1
Protein: 155 g (37 g over target)
Calories: 2,333

I am sometimes discouraged by my overall progress. The daily photos tend to look the same. The weigh-ins are falling short.

So I focus on one area where I’ve seen progress: the workouts. No matter how small the lifts seem, they go up with each workout.

Maybe the number of reps increases by one. Or the total lifting weight goes up 10 pounds. It doesn’t matter that I started with 30 measly pounds for the slight incline bench press and can now do 40 pounds. It went up.

The most impressive number to me will seem puny to real lifter, but I’ve gone from 55 pounds for the Yates row to 75 pounds in 2 weeks. I end up sweating, but it is the sweat of glory. And I have not hurt myself in the process.

I can’t do 10 myotatic crunches. Yet. But I’ve gone from five-and-a-half to eight in 2 weeks.

Kettlebell swings kick my ass. But I went from 32 reps of 20 pounds to a full 50 reps, and then to 31 reps of 30 pounds.

Three weeks ago, I had never done any of this.

I go into each workout determined. I want to take that attitude with me to every challenge, whether physical or mental or spiritual.

I want to win.

Day 11: I. Am. Smarticus.

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day 11

Weight: 123.0 lbs.
Workout B: 18 min., 36 sec.
Total inches: 116.6
Protein: 132 g (14 g over target)

I completed my first full workout today! I feel strong.

As the dudes at my gym would say, “I totally crushed it, dude!” Wait a minute, the only dude at my gym is me, and I’d never say that.

In my brief workout, I completed seven reps at 30 pounds of the slight incline bench press, 10 reps at 55 pounds of the dumbbell squat and 50 reps at 20 pounds of the kettlebell swing. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.

(I made it through 1 minute 50 seconds of the optional bicycle exercise, instead of 3 minutes. I’m still counting it.)

My hope is that I can get through every workout from now on, as unrealistic as that may be. I don’t want to keep increasing the recovery time between workouts, but I will if I must.

Part of it was simply attitude. At the start, I realized I’d rather push as hard as I can for the brief time today rather than have to do it all over again in a week. That motivation was good incentive to get through the last reps.

I like feeling strong, and I love feeling like I’m progressing as I should.

Momentum!

Day 4: On the fly

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day 4

Weight: 123.4 lbs.
Workout B: 53 minutes
Total inches: 116.6
Protein: 117 g (1 g over target)

I am not a gym rat.

When you’re a nerd in school, you find ways to get out of PE. Climb the rope? Have rubber balls hurled at your head? No thanks. (Though I did dig the square dancing.)

So given the choice between signing up for an expensive gym membership or getting the most basic equipment at home, I took the latter. (I think I could’ve gotten away with doing a free 30-day trial membership, but what would I do if I didn’t bulk up fast enough in that period?)

I’m now the proud owner of a dumbbell set, barbell, plates and a workout bench for just under $130. I also built a T-handle from pipes ($19) as a decent kettlebell substitute.

Even with my careful shopping, I hit a couple of potential setbacks with today’s Workout B.

“The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links] has great workout suggestions if you’re using a fully equipped gym. Otherwise, you might spend some time looking for alternate routines.

The first exercise is the slight incline bench press. Since I don’t have a power rack or a spotter, the safest alternative was using dumbbells instead of barbells.

Video: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

YouTube has so many videos demonstrating the proper way to do each routine. This made it a little easier in doing the exercise with different equipment or method.

The second exercise is the barbell squat. Again, without a squat rack, I didn’t want to take chances injuring myself using the barbell. Fortunately, the dumbbell squat provides similar benefits.

The third (optional) exercise is the kettlebell swing, and author Tim Ferriss gives a great homemade substitute to pricy kettlebells. In the book (and this video), he explains how to make a T-handle (or T-bar).

Video: How to make a T-handle as a kettlebell substitute

And the last exercise (also optional) is 3 minutes on a stationary bike to alleviate any leg soreness. I do have a mountain bike, but the tires are flat and the frame in general needs a tune-up.

So I did bicycle exercises on my back. Take that, neglected mountain bike.

The home gym is working out nicely, thanks to some improvised solutions. That makes me a home rat.

Day 1: The first workout, the first milkshake disaster

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day 1 - front

Weight: 121.8 lbs.
Workout A: 60 min.
Total inches: 113.6
Protein: 120 g (4 g over target)

I didn’t think I’d be this excited, but I am rarin’ to go.

Day 1 is about starting my workout routine and the mildly annoying habit of weighing food for estimating protein.

It started with the recommended milkshake for breakfast (milk, protein powder, almond butter, brown sugar, ice). (Already a challenge since Asians are generally lactose intolerant.) But I forgot a quirk about my food processor (and many of similar design: It don’t do too well with excess liquid.

As soon as I poured the third cup of milk into the mixing bowl, it started leaking rapidly on the counter. Yikes.

I processed what I could save, mopped up the spilt milk and put out the call for a real blender to borrow.

I’ve made a homemade milkshake before (the same way I’m afraid) and it again came out more liquid with chunks than legitimate shake. It will, sadly, not bring the boys to the yard.

But it did the three things expected: Took care of breakfast, triggered my lactose defenses and knocked out 75 grams of protein.

Dinner, by the way, was a delicious barbecue chicken breast (made in the slow cooker) on baked potato, with sautéed okra.

The eating came easy. The workout was a new beast.

The first one for Workout A, as warned in “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon | iTunes aff. links], takes longer because you have to determine your starting weights for lifting. I tried out a low weight on the barbell for the Yates rows, then repeated with higher weights until reaching “failure.”

I repeated the process for the overhead press. I know Workout B in 3 days will have the same incremental build. And I forgot to record today’s session on video, but I’ll try for the next one.

I’m energized, I’m excited, and I’m embracing this experiment 100 percent.

Because 110 percent is mathematically impossible.

Day 1 - side