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.  

Three In One Challenge Day 3: TRX Work, Chia Thoughts and I Begin My Half Fast

All righty then, so for today's workout, I decided to give myself a taste of this Mission Readiness Challenge.  So I did this workout:

TRX Hamstring Curl: 15

TRX Low Row: 15

TRX Lunge (Left and Right): 15

TRX Atomic Pushup and Pike: 15

Simple right?

Oh, did I mention that I did it 5 times?

Yeah...not so simple anymore now is it?

I have a video of the exercises and tips on how to do each one correctly.  But first, let's talk about my thoughts, shall we?

Thoughts:

Hamstring Curl: This was the easiest out of the four, and it works your core, lower back, hamstrings, and butt.  It's great for balancing out a squat, and is perfect for toning up those butt and thighs.

Low Row: Works your entire back (trapezius, lats, some of the posterior chain); biceps; core; and even a bit of shoulders.  Not bad eh?  I love this exercise; it's so deceptively simple, yet can also be so painful.

Lunge: Works your quadriceps, core, balance, calves, butt, hip flexibility, cardio...aw hell, it's a great move all around!

Atomic Pushup with a Pike: Ooof.  Nice and painful.  Gives your chest, triceps and shoulders a good workout, while giving your core an extra burn.

What's that, you want to learn how to do these moves?  Well then, look no further than right here.

Check it out: 

Work those straps!

Note: I've updated my challenge with the video; check it out here.

Since this is a Three in One challenge, I'm gonna talk about the other two things, one of them is something that I've done before, aka chia; the other is something that I haven't done before (in much depth anyway) and I hope to explore how this works and if it's beneficial at all: fasting.

Chia: I decided to add my chia seeds to my breakfast fruit smoothie, intent on no longer consuming my "frogs eggs."  Then I decided "what the hell," and had some more in water anyways.  I'm really starting to get used to them; they've got a slight greasiness to it, but they're really not that bad.  

Fasting: Here's where today gets interesting.  After my workout, I had my post workout/late lunch at around 2:15 pm; then decided to do my "half fast."  

The half fast will consist of me eating or drinking nothing but water for the next 18 hours (so until about 8:15 tomorrow morning).  Right before I eat, I'm going to engage in a very hard workout.  The idea is that, by the time hours 16-18 come around, my body is running off of my stored body fat, so I will burn off much more body fat in my workout than I would normally.  That's the theory anyway.

Initial thoughts: oye ve, 18 hours is gonna be a long time...

Hour 2: I want food!

Hour 4: I'm cranky!  Feed me now!

Hour 6: ...You know, this "lack of eating" thing is actually not that bad.  I'm getting things done!

Let's do a physical comparison.  Here's a shot of me at the beginning of the fast (hour 0):

In a towel no less; what a tease ;-)

And here I am at hour 7.5...

Check out those abs!

Will there be a significant physical difference?  I don't know; we'll find out in the weeks to come.  

Three In One Challenge Day 2: Spartacus Workout 1.5

Today was my first day of my "Three In One Challenge."  To give you a brief idea of what I'm doing, here's what I plan to do over the next five weeks:

TRX Mission Challenge: Win the Grand Prize by performing 255-260 total reps of 5 exercises

Chia Seeds: Have Chia Seeds every day and chart how I feel

Fasting: Each week, perform either an 18 hour fast; a 24 hour fast; or both, and see how I feel about it

But first, let's give myself a baseline.

Resting Heart Rate: 60 BPM.  This is taken upon waking up in my bed with my stopwatch in hand; minimal movement needed; talk about easy!

Now for the body measurements:

Neck: 16"

Shoulders: 47"

Chest: 40"

Waist 3 inches above the belly button: 31.5"

Waist at the belly button: 32"

Waist 3 inches below the belly button: 34.75"

Hips at their wides point: 39"

Thigh 9 inches above the top of the kneecap: 23"

Thigh 6 inches above the top of the kneecap: 21.5"

Thigh 3 inches above the top of the kneecap: 18"

Calf at its widest point: 16"

Bicep (flexed) at its widest point: 14.75"

Forearm (flexed) at its widest point: 12.75"

Weight: 164 pounds

Body Fat Percentage: 6%

V Shape!

And here was my workout:

Trial by Water

This is a workout that I worked really hard on trying to perfect, which uses a series of compound movements to really work the body for muscle development; cardiovascular fitness; speed; technique; endurance and high intensity interval training.  Behold, my latest workout: Trial by Water.  This is the first time I've ever used it, so it may go through some modifications.

Here's how it works: 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

The flow of this workout was extremely difficult, and afterwards, my hands and forearms were pulsating with pain.  I'm going to hopefully record more stuff with the workouts tomorrow.

As for the Chia, I decided to record myself taking Chia for the first time.  

Frog Eggs!

After taking these, I felt this really warm sensation in my belly, like someone had started a fire within me.  I felt really energized after that, and for the next several hours. I didn't even feel hungry after a few hours, which I normally do.  I will comment on these sensations as I feel them.

Three In One Challenge Day 1: Stats and a Photo; Workout; And I Chia for the First Time!

Today was my first day of my "Three In One Challenge."  To give you a brief idea of what I'm doing, here's what I plan to do over the next five weeks:

TRX Mission Challenge: Win the Grand Prize by performing 255-260 total reps of 5 exercises

Chia Seeds: Have Chia Seeds every day and chart how I feel

Fasting: Each week, perform either an 18 hour fast; a 24 hour fast; or both, and see how I feel about it

But first, let's give myself a baseline.

Resting Heart Rate: 60 BPM.  This is taken upon waking up in my bed with my stopwatch in hand; minimal movement needed; talk about easy!

Now for the body measurements:

Neck: 16"

Shoulders: 47"

Chest: 40"

Waist 3 inches above the belly button: 31.5"

Waist at the belly button: 32"

Waist 3 inches below the belly button: 34.75"

Hips at their wides point: 39"

Thigh 9 inches above the top of the kneecap: 23"

Thigh 6 inches above the top of the kneecap: 21.5"

Thigh 3 inches above the top of the kneecap: 18"

Calf at its widest point: 16"

Bicep (flexed) at its widest point: 14.75"

Forearm (flexed) at its widest point: 12.75"

Weight: 164 pounds

Body Fat Percentage: 6%

V Shape!

And here was my workout:

Trial by Water

This is a workout that I worked really hard on trying to perfect, which uses a series of compound movements to really work the body for muscle development; cardiovascular fitness; speed; technique; endurance and high intensity interval training.  Behold, my latest workout: Trial by Water.  This is the first time I've ever used it, so it may go through some modifications.

Here's how it works: 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

The flow of this workout was extremely difficult, and afterwards, my hands and forearms were pulsating with pain.  I'm going to hopefully record more stuff with the workouts tomorrow.

As for the Chia, I decided to record myself taking Chia for the first time.  

Frog Eggs!

After taking these, I felt this really warm sensation in my belly, like someone had started a fire within me.  I felt really energized after that, and for the next several hours. I didn't even feel hungry after a few hours, which I normally do.  I will comment on these sensations as I feel them.

Three Challenges In One!

Ok guys, so I'm getting ready for the TRX Mission Readiness Challenge.

Here's the deal:

You have to perform 5 exercises.  Each exercise lasts one minute, with 30 seconds in between each one, for a grueling workout.  You have to perform as many reps of each exercise for the minute (or until failure).  After, you add up all of your repetitions, and that is your score.  And you're competing for prizes!

The top person in each branch of the military and civilians will win the following, from the TRX official blog:

• Meet and greet with Brian Stann himself. A decorated Marine who completed two tours in Iraq, Stann has been training relentlessly in an effort to contest for the middleweight title, taking his functional training regimen to another level, utilizing the TRX FORCE Kit.
• All-expenses paid trip to Camp Pendleton, California to compete in the TRX FORCE: Mission Readiness Challenge Championship against the top scorers in the other branches. This is your chance to represent (for active duty/veterans only).
• Trip to TRX HQ in San Francisco train at our world-class training center with the creators of TRX Training (for civilians only). Get hands-on instruction from the masters. We guarantee your training will never be the same.
• TRX FORCE Kit, the best-in-class, lightweight, all-body training system developed in the Navy SEALs to build mobility, strength, power and core stability ANYWHERE. Get the same training used pervasively throughout the military, by first responders and by MMA fighters.

The Grand Prize winner gets this:

• Airfare and tickets for two to see a UFC fight. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you and a lucky friend to see two of the biggest names in ultimate fighting today step into the Octagon for a battle of brute strength and sheer will. Who will come out on top? You’ll be one of the first to know.
• TRX FORCE: Mission Readiness Challenge Trophy. Who doesn’t love a trophy??
• Bragging rights and the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are the most functionally fit service member in the TRX Community, which at last count was well over 100,000 individuals. Respect.

My goal: to get the grand prize.

Now in order to do this, I think I have to get around 255-260 repetitions of the following exercises:

Hamstring Curl: 60ish

Low Row: 50ish

TRX Lunge (each leg): 50ish/leg

Pushup with a Pike: 45ish

This will require a lot of power and endurance for bodyweight, so I gotta kick things up a notch.

Here's the link for how to do the exercises (I'm going to post a video of me demonstrating the exercises later this week):

Feel the testosterone!

In order to do this, my workout schedule is going to consist of this:

5 days of "hard" workouts, with a combination of weights and TRX, with a bit of straight cardio thrown in.  Lots of high-intensity interval training, and very little rest.  This will push me beyond the brink, and will most likely make me cry more than once.

2 "easy" days consisting of yoga and cardio to up my aerobic capacity.  These will be more "active rest" days.  

No straight out rest days.

The workout schedule will be done for 5 weeks, with each workout being made by me personally.

On November 28th, after a couple of days of active rest, I will record my workout to be submitted to TRX, and hopefully the grand prize.

Each Monday, I will be submitting my measurements to track my physical progress.  I will also be getting my resting heart rate each morning, and seeing if there are any improvements, either up or down. 

But that's not all!

In addition, I'm going to be doing some nutritional challenges as well.

Check out the video for more, and wish me luck!

Nice Faces!

TRX Challenge Day #4: So Much To Do

Ok, so I've had a lot of stuff come up that's work-related.  So I think I'm gonna wait on beginning the TRX Mission Readiness Challenge until Monday; that way I can do other tests as well.

Until then, I'm going to maintain my fitness levels and put them up here.  Today I did more running, but with 10 10 second sprints.  It was a good time.

More tomorrow; off to a sudden audition now!

TRX Challenge Day #3: Yoga for Prep Work

So I decided to listen to my body today, and instead engaged in a rigorous yoga routine.  The simple reason being that, while I need to be very strong, I also need to have a very high strength to bodyweight ratio.  This is also to prep my body for the long weeks of development I'm going to put it through.

Let's hope it works.  

TRX Challenge Day #2: Easy Run

So today, I felt like crap.  I don't know what it was, but I felt awful.  Maybe it's me trying to get over the flu or something.  Either way, I spent most of the day curled up under blankets, canceled everything, and tried to sweat it out.  Then I went for an easy run; I figured if I couldn't lift weights I could try and sweat it out of my system.
Bottom line: I feel better, but not 100%; more like 70%, which is better than how I felt when I woke up this morning.  It just goes to show you how powerful exercise can be; even a little exercise.
Weight lifting tomorrow; let's go for it.

TRX Challenge #1: Trial by Water

This is a workout that I worked really hard on trying to perfect, which uses a series of compound movements to really work the body for muscle development; cardiovascular fitness; speed; technique; endurance and high intensity interval training.  Behold, my latest workout: Trial by Water.  This is the first time I've ever used it, so it may go through some modifications.

Here's how it works: 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 Suspended Pushup: 8

Then to finish it off:

3 sets of 20 seconds hard/40 seconds easy rowing

Pretty awesome, right?  Since I've done most of these exercises before, I'm going to talk a bit about the flow of the workout.  It hurt.  A lot.  I have never done something that crazy.  That being said, I want to really redefine it a bit more.

Day 2 will be coming in the morning.

New Workout Challenge: TRX Mission Readiness Challenge

Ok, so I told y'all I would be doing a new fitness challenge.  So without any further to do, I present: TRX Mission Readiness Challenge.

First off, let's talk about the TRX, a wonderful piece of equipment that I discovered about 15 months ago (for more information on why and how I was sold on the TRX, click here).  For the short version: it's a machine that allows you to use your bodyweight and gravity to give you a total body workout pretty much anywhere: in a hotel, outside, or at the gym, and it's used by all branches of the military; first responders; pro athletes; re-habilitative exercises and regular folks like us.

So to celebrate me having my TRX and using it consistently for a year, I'm going to do the Mission Readiness Challenge.  Here's the deal:

You have to perform 5 exercises.  Each exercise lasts one minute, with 30 seconds in between each one, for a grueling workout.  You have to perform as many reps of each exercise for the minute (or until failure).  After, you add up all of your repetitions, and that is your score.  And you're competing for prizes!

The top person in each branch of the military and civilians will win the following, from the TRX official blog:

• Meet and greet with Brian Stann himself. A decorated Marine who completed two tours in Iraq, Stann has been training relentlessly in an effort to contest for the middleweight title, taking his functional training regimen to another level, utilizing the TRX FORCE Kit.
• All-expenses paid trip to Camp Pendleton, California to compete in the TRX FORCE: Mission Readiness Challenge Championship against the top scorers in the other branches. This is your chance to represent (for active duty/veterans only).
• Trip to TRX HQ in San Francisco train at our world-class training center with the creators of TRX Training (for civilians only). Get hands-on instruction from the masters. We guarantee your training will never be the same.
• TRX FORCE Kit, the best-in-class, lightweight, all-body training system developed in the Navy SEALs to build mobility, strength, power and core stability ANYWHERE. Get the same training used pervasively throughout the military, by first responders and by MMA fighters.

The Grand Prize winner gets this:

• Airfare and tickets for two to see a UFC fight. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you and a lucky friend to see two of the biggest names in ultimate fighting today step into the Octagon for a battle of brute strength and sheer will. Who will come out on top? You’ll be one of the first to know.
• TRX FORCE: Mission Readiness Challenge Trophy. Who doesn’t love a trophy??
• Bragging rights and the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are the most functionally fit service member in the TRX Community, which at last count was well over 100,000 individuals. Respect.

My goal: to get the grand prize.

Now in order to do this, I think I have to get around 255-260 repetitions of the following exercises:

Hamstring Curl: 60ish

Low Row: 50ish

TRX Lunge (each leg): 50ish/leg

Pushup with a Pike: 45ish

This will require a lot of power and endurance for bodyweight, so I gotta kick things up a notch.

Here's the link for how to do the exercises (I'm going to post a video of me demonstrating the exercises later this week):

Feel the testosterone!

In order to do this, my workout schedule is going to consist of this:

4 or 5 days of "hard" workouts, with a combination of weights and TRX, with a bit of straight cardio thrown in.  Lots of high-intensity interval training, and very little rest.  This will push me beyond the brink, and will most likely make me cry more than once.

2 or 3 days of "easy" days, consisting of yoga and cardio to up my aerobic capacity.  These will be more "active rest" days.  

No straight out rest days.

The workout schedule will be done for 6 weeks, with each workout being made by me personally.

On November 28th, after a couple of days rest, I will record my workout to be submitted to TRX, and hopefully the grand prize.

I gotta work my ass off in a whole new way and will need all the support I can get.  But I know this will pay off; and because I've got a bit more of a grand stage, the stakes are higher.  But I will succeed!

Ready?  Set?  Let's go!

Day 30: 300 Workout: New Best Time

Today I'm combining my Inspirational Tuesday along with my 30 Day Spartan Warrior Workout Challenge.  I'm doing this for a very specific reason.  Read more to find out.

Here was my workout:

As fast as possible for time:

25 Pull Ups

50 Deadlifts @135 pounds

50 Pushups

50 24" Box Jumps

50 Floor Wipers @ 135 pounds

50 Kettlebell Clean and Presses with 35 Pound Kettlebell (25 Each Arm)

25 Pull Ups

The whole goal of this workout challenge was to beat the time that actor Andrew Pleavin did the workout in, which was 18 minutes and 11 seconds.

The first time I tired this (click here for the complete entry), I completed it, with a moderately hard pace and trying to get the feel for the routine, in 24 minutes and 15 seconds.  Not a promising first run.  But I dug deep, and kept pushing myself, every day.  I went harder, took rest when needed, and relaxed into the movements.  When I did this workout, I met extreme fatigue, numb arms and legs, and The Wall tried to make me stop, said it was ok to let up.  But I pushed through.

Final time: 17 minutes, 25 seconds.  

I beat the time by 46 seconds. 

I'm so pumped.  You have no idea.

There is this feeling of happiness, and of pride.  Because I stuck with it.  I endured 30 days of some of the most grueling workouts that I've ever done.  And I did it with pride.

To sum up my thoughts on the workout, here's a video:

Relief and Pride!

But now comes the biggest question: what next?

Well to be honest, I don't know; I want to know what you guys think.

Regardless, I want people to know that you can do anything if you only belief in yourself, have a goal, and work hard.  

To end this blog post, and this workout challenge, I'm going to give you three sayings; one of which I found; two that I came up with myself:

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Unknown Author

"Have faith and never lose hope, and nothing is beyond your reach." Jordan Mitchell-Love

"Make your own miracles." Jordan Mitchell-Love

Until the next time.

Day 29: Calm Before the Storm and Weekly Stats

Ok, so one day before my next 300 Workout, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty nervous.  However, I'm so close.  Let's roll.

Here are my stats:

Neck Measurement: 16.25”

Shoulders at their widest point: 48.75" + 0.25 inches

Chest: 40.75" + 0.25 inches

Waist 3 inches above your bellybutton: 31”

Waist at your belly button: 31.5"

Waist 3 inches below your belly button: 34"

Hips at their widest point: 38.5”

Thigh 9 inches above the top of your kneecap: 23"

Thigh 6 inches above the top of your kneecap: 21.25"

Thigh 3 inches above the top of your kneecap: 18.5"

Calf at its widest point: 16"

Bicep (flexed) measure the widest point: 15"

Forearm (flexed) at its widest point: 13"

Weight: 162 pounds

Body Fat Percentage: 4.5% + 0.1%

Thoughts: There wasn't that much change.  I was surprised in the chest and shoulder growing a bit, as well as the body fat change.  In all honesty though, I'm pretty pleased.

Flex them pecs!

Now for today's workout.  As I'm doing the 300 Workout tomorrow, I wanted to keep it a bit easy, so I could have some rest for the brutality of the workout.  

Here's what I did:

Upper Body Circuit:

6x30 Pushups

6x30/Side Bicycle Crunches

6x7 Pull Ups

Abdominals:

(Leg Raise x7, Hanging Knee Raise) x3

(Leg Raise x1, Clockwork Leg Raise x 4, Leg Raise x1, Hanging Knee Raise x5) x1

(Twisting Knee Raise x4, Hanging Knee Raise x5)

Cardio/Lower Body:

20 minute run, nice and easy, with a couple of strides in between.  Basically you up your pace a lot for 10-20 seconds, then go back to your cruising pace.  A lot of fun.

Thoughts: I'm nervous about tomorrow, because I'm gonna hit it and hit it hard.  It's like the calm before the storm.  But the best that I can do is to push myself as hard as I can, do well, and never give up.  Gotta push through, in your workouts or in life.  You ready for this?

My bicep is ready