Mission Readiness Challenge Week 2 Recap

Hey guy.  Sorry I haven't been on the ball the past few days, but I've pulled one hell of a marathon weekend.  Video below to explain.

I'm so tired!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pass out...zzzz....

Three In One Challenge Week 2, Day 4: Spartacus 1.5 and I Talk a Bit About Form

Ok, so another quick blog entry; it's been a pretty hectic week, and it's only going to get worse as the week continues.

But that doesn't mean that I'm gonna get down on a workout!  It was a bit warmer today, so I decided to work out outside and give the Spartacus 1.5 Workout another go.  

Here you go:

Power!

Keep in mind that this is an advanced workout, and the reason why I created this workout was that the regular Spartacus Workout wasn't doing it to me anymore.

That being said, I decided to try and slow down and really pay attention to my form: improve my range of motion; regulate my breathing; make sure I was taking care of my shoulders.

What was the result of doing this pain-in-the-ass training?  A sweat inducing workout that had me exhausted both physically and mentally, but leaving me spiritually refreshed.

Here's to tomorrow, and the weekend of hell.

Three In One Challenge Week 2, Day 2 and 3: Double-Whammy!

So because I was restructuring things a bit with how I'm doing the workouts.  Currently everything is still in the works; tomorrow I'll have some time, so I'll be able to dabble a bit into the suggestions that y'all presented to me.  But for tonight, with a lack of time and me possibly having an ridiculously insane weekend, I'm gonna get right to it, and make it short and sweet and to the point.  But don't worry: I'll give you some eye candy very soon ;-)

Tuesday: I did my Spartacus 1.5 workout AKA Functional Spartacus Workout.  For those of you just tuning in, here's the skinny: each exercise lasts 60 seconds, with 15 seconds rest in between each one.  Once you do all 10 exercises once, rest for a couple of minutes, then go through it twice more.  Pick a moderate to light weight for your dumbbells.

Check it:

I am Spartacus!

If you feel like going for a full minute is too hard, that's fine: start with 30 seconds per exercise.  If you need to stop (as I sometimes do), feel free to take a couple of seconds to catch your breath.  This is an advanced exercise routine, so start slow.

Now for Wednesday:

I did my little TRX killer workout.  I'm starting to build up my muscle and cardiovascular endurance while allowing myself a bit more rest.  Here's what I did, 4 times:

TRX Hamstring Curl: 20

TRX Low Row: 20

TRX Lunge (Left): 20

TRX Lunge (Right): 20

TRX Pushup with a Pike: 20

The hardest art: the Pushup.  My arms, legs and core were quivering.  It was also the only exercise where I had to take some rest during my repetitions.  Not ok.  Tomorrow I'm really going to work on TRX form to see what kind of pushup would work best for me in the TRX.  This workout is also highly advanced, and if you haven't worked with someone who's a TRX Trainer, find one; they'll help you get the most out of this device.  Or you can talk to me, as I'm a certified TRX Trainer.  No really, it's true...why are you all laughing at me?

Anyway, enjoy this video of the exercises:

I'm such a cute lil' host :-)

That's all until tomorrow, when I'll hopefully have some time!  Wish me luck; I began fasting #2 tonight; hopefully it will go better than the last one!  Time will tell...

Three In One Challenge Day 7: Re-Cap!

Re-cap guys!  After a great yoga session today and some heavy shoveling (what with the foot of snow we got last night), I decided to do a video.  Here we go!

Look at me just lounging

Bring on week 2!

Three In One Challenge Day 6: Yoga

Another short but sweet one guys, since I've been preparing for the Nor'easter up here (seriously, it's October...that's just weird).

I did some yoga today to try and soothe my aching muscles.  Good times were had as I really went for it, finding the nitty-gritty in certain positions.

Tomorrow I will do a re-cap, just like in the 300 Challenge.  If I still have power.  For now, I'm gonna snuggle up and read a book.  Nighty-night all.

To all my friends who have experienced this crazy weather: be warm, be safe.

Three In One Challenge Day 5: I Re-Visit Trial By Water

Ok everyone, short but sweet today, as I've had a lot done today, including work and recording a comedy podcast (more on that when it's edited).  For now, let's discuss the workout.

You guys remember Trial by Water, right?  Well, in case you forgot, here's a refresher:

You have two circuits, and each circuit contains 5 exercises.  You perform each circuit all the way through, with no rest.  Then you take a minute to a minute and a half break, and do it again.  Perform each circuit 4 times through.  Then set up yourself for the next circuit, and repeat the process.

Let's do it:

Circuit 1:

24" Box Jump: 8

Dead Lift @ 155 pounds: 8

Thrusters @ 30 pound dumbbells: 8

Pull Up: 8

Shift Pushup: 8

Circuit 2:

Pull Up: 8

TRX Low Row: 8

Hang Clean: 8

Shoulder Press @ 25 pound dumbbells: 8

TRX Atomic Pushup: 8

Thoughts: the workout felt a lot easier.  No, really.  I was really starting to get into the swing of things.  The pull ups are probably the hardest thing, especially when it's the only move you have to do in both circuits.  I do have to admit though, your arms shake a lot during the atomic pushup when you've done a ton of crazy exercises.

Chia Thoughts: I tried something new today: I put a bunch in a bowl, mixed it with water, then let it sit overnight.  Added a squirt of lemon, and viola!  Not gonna lie, it still tasted a bit like runny eggs, but I felt so much more energized than I thought I would be.  I'm going to try and perfect the ratio that works best for me.  But the energy boost that I got from it (and am still getting from it) has been pretty constant throughout the day.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna squeeze in a workout before a (hopefully) long drive; let's hope we don't get a Nor'easter eh?

Three In One Challenge Day 4: Fasting and Running

So, I finished my half fast.  What I call a half fast is really going for 18 hours without eating or drinking anything other than water.  

I have to say, physically, after about 16 hours, there wasn't too much of a difference.

See?

However, when I woke up, there was a huge feeling of lightness.  I woke up at 5 am feeling great; I was hungry, but in that sort of "I can deal with it" kind of hunger.  Despite all the lousy weather (tons of rain, about 40 degree), I was ready to go.  I thought I would do a quick reiki treatment before heading off to the gym.  Then I did the biggest mistake I've ever done.

I fell back asleep.

Apparently my body was telling me something: get up at 5 am.  Go to the gym.  It did not tell me "go back to sleep."  When I woke up, I was in agony: my hands felt shaky, I had knots in my stomach.  So I decided not to do a weight training session in the gym.  I decided to go for a run.  And don't worry, I bundled up ;-)

At first, I limited myself to 15 minutes.  But then I realized I forgot my watch.  Another oops.  So I went screw it and decided to ballpark it.  I started off at a fairly easy jog, and then the oddest thing happened: I got stronger.  I felt a lot lighter, like I had wings on my feet.  I began doing some surges in my run, and those felt pretty good, do I decided to try some wind sprints.  Again, it felt amazing.  I threw in something like 12 wind sprints and 15 surges into my run.  When I got back to my place, I check the time; apparently I had been running for an hour.  Oops again!

I grabbed some food, and when it touched my lips...man, I tell ya, nothing beats eating after 18 hours of not and a run in the cold and rain.  I had a fruit smoothie first, and I could taste everything: the apple, banana, the blueberries...man oh man, was it amazing!  

I think I'm going to adjust the fasting cycle and what to do.  More on that next week, when I try again.