Sat 7/7 - Cardio

Cardio:

• Ran 5 miles in 49:02, (splits???), 9:48 pace, c/d 20.  First mile was close to 11 mins, ouch!  Legs felt dead going up the hill from Mom's.  Eased into about 9:30's after that.  Hot and tired.  It's been a big week.
• 67 min afternoon walk with Mom before dinner.  Really hot, but nice walk.

Nutrition:
Got some BCAA's today and started taking them during fast.  Research tells me that this may help during fasting period, especially on days where I'm running in the morning and not eating anything until 1-2PM.

6:30AM	Fast
8AM Ran 5 miles, walked 20mins
10:30AM	BCAA	5g
12:45PM	BCAA	5g
2PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
2PM	Chicken	7oz	50	0	2	231
2PM	Snap Peas/Broccoli	4oz	2.8	8	0	40
2PM	Creatine	5g
2PM	Sweet Potato	5oz	3	29.5	0	130
2PM	Edimame	1/4cup	14	10	4	130
5PM	Cottage Cheese	1/2cup	14	5	1	90
5PM	Chicken	2oz	14	0	0.5	60
5PM	Carrots	2oz	0.6	5.4	0	24
6PM	Creatine	5g
6PM	Baked Beans	1/4cup	3	10	2	60
7PM	Talapia	6oz	45	0	5	218
7PM	Squash	4oz	1	4	0	20
7PM	Salad	6oz	3	8	0	43
7PM	Baked Beans	1/4cup	3	10	2	60
9PM	Apple	1 med	0	25	0	95
10PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
10PM	Blueberries	1oz	0	4	0	16
10:30PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
10:30PM	Creatine	5g
Midnight	BCAA	5g
All Day	Almonds	.5oz	0	0	0	0
TOTALS:		Grams	220	131	18	1,576
		Calories	879.4	526	162	1,567
		Percent	56%	34%	10%	100%

Fri 7/6 - Back/Shoulders/Bi's

Cardio:

• 45 mins playing tennis with Griffen.  I probably haven't played in 10 years, but was surprised how well I hit the ball and served.
• 50 min walk with Mom after dinner.  Getting great walks in with Mom while in Williamsburg.  Left knee still bothering me.  Tennis didn't help it, but was fun to play.

Workout:

•  (Pullups/50#Military)4, pullups were 10,8,6,5. Military was good.  Did drop sets to 25#s last 2 sets.  Drop sets were really tough.
• (T-barRow/30#HCurl)4, rows were with a 45# disc for 3 sets, then added a 25# disc for last set.  Curls were hard.  Pullups and rows already really affecting bi's
• (25#FrontRaise/LateralRaise/RearDelts)4, brutal as usual
• (ReverseGripPulldown/StraightBarCurl/CaptainChair)4,
• (SeatedRow/50#Shrugs/LyingLegRaise w/ HipExtension)4

68 mins
Back: 16
Shoulders: 20
Bi's: 8
Core: 8
Total:   52 sets

Comments:
Really good WO. A little too long, but it's hard to keep back/shoulders/bi's shorter than an hour.  I've been thinking that maybe shoulders should get their own day, but that will throw my entire weekly routine out of whack.  Need to think about that some more, but starting to lean that way.

I didn't do pullups last back WO, and wasn't going to do them again today, but told myself that I really need to work on them, and avoiding them and substituting pulldowns isn't going to help.  That said, I will be doing pulldowns instead occasionally and going heavier than body weight.  Anyway, pullups were good, struggled last 2 sets, but did first 2 sets nice and slow so that really fatigued my back.  The drop sets on Military press were really hard.  Shoulders were burning after these.  This is a really tough superset, even though it's only a 2 exercise superset.  Both movements work a lot of muscles.

T-bar rows were good, but I really liked the heavy reverse grip pulldowns I did last back WO.  I don't often get a chance to do rows like this though, so I took advantage of the different equipment.  Curls were tough after pullups and rows already working the bi's pretty good.

Superset of front raises/lateral raises/rear delt was brutal as usual.  Still love it.  Might do lateral raises first next WO.

I went as heavy as I could on pulldowns, but back already getting fatigued badly and did a double drop set the last set.  It was nice to do curls with a barbell for once.  Really liked these and worked the bi's hard.  Wish I could do them at my gym.

Seated rows - a trainer was working with an elderly woman by the seated row machine that I wanted to use, so I had to use a different one that had a bit of an akward motion.  Still good and really squeezed back.  Double drop set on last set.  Leg raises w/ hip extension toward the ceiling when legs are perpendicular to the floor were good.

Nutrition:
Good day on the nutrition front.  Lots of protein, plenty of carbs (but not overboard) and low fat.  I still get kind of ravenous at night, but I think it's a mental thing because I'm not really hungry.  I just want to eat.  I did start a new casein the other day.  It's less carbs, not quite as good tasting as the GNC brand, but it also mixes much better.  Closer to how the whey mixes.  I think I'll stick with it.

Fri	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
7/6/2012	7AM	Creatine	5g
	7:30AM	62 min walk
	10AM	Creatine	5g
	11:30PM	Whey Shake	1 scoop	30	4	1	140
	Noon	WO - Back/Shoulders/Bi's
	1:30PM	Creatine	5g
	1:30PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
	2PM	Sweet Potato	4oz	2	24	0	104
	2PM	Brown Rice	4oz	3	27	1	125
	2PM	Tuna	1 Can (7oz)	50	0	2	231
	2PM	Snap Peas/Broccoli	4oz	3.2	10	0	48
	5:30PM	Smoked Salmon	2oz	13	0	2.5	70
	5:30PM	Blue Tortilla Chips	10Chips	1	10	2	63
	6:30PM	Chicken	6oz	42	0	1.5	180
	6:30PM	Naan	1serving	5	28	5	180
	6:30PM	Tzaziki Sauce	3tbs	0	3	6	75
	6:30PM	Feta Cheese	1square	5	1	5	70
	6:30PM	Watermellon	1cup	1	12	0	46
	9PM	Apple	1 med	0	25	0	95
	10PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
	10PM	Blueberries	2oz	0	8	0	32
	11PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
	11PM	Creatine	5g
	TOTALS:		Grams	221	164	28	1,819
			Calories	884	655	252	1,791
			Percent	49%	37%	14%	100%

Thu 7/5 - Cardio & Core

Cardio:

• Ran 6 in 57:17 (splits???), 9:33 pace, c/d 12.  REALLY HOT by the time I finished my run after 9:30!
• Walked 52mins after dinner with Mom.  Knees bothering me this evening.

Core:

• Stretching (calves/hams/quads)
• Planks 
• (2-min planks)3 
• (1-min side planks - each side)3
• (2:30-min plank)

Nutrition:
After a "re-feed" at 4th of July picnic yesterday, I kept it clean and low carb today.  Lots of protein and very little fat (no almonds either).  This is the way to get back on track after a splurge.

Thu	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
7/5/2012	6:30AM	Fast
	8:30 AM Ran 6 miles
	10:30AM	Creatine	5g
	10:30AM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
	2:15PM	Chicken	7oz	49	0	1.8	210
	2:15PM	Snap Peas/Broccoli	6oz	4.2	12	0	60
	2:15PM	Brown Rice	2oz	1.25	13.3	0.5	62.5
	2:45PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
	2:45PM	Creatine	5g
	2:45PM	Cottage Cheese	1/2cup	14	5	1	90
	2:45PM	Carrots	2oz	0.6	5.4	0	24
	5:30PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
	5:30PM	Creatine	5g
	6:30PM	Salad	7oz	4	9	0	50
	6:30PM	Chicken	5oz	38	0	5	205
	6:30PM	Salmon	2oz	13	0	3	70
	10:30PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	24	3	1	130
	10:30PM	Creatine	5g
	11PM	Trader Joe's Yogurt	6oz	14	7	0	85
	11PM	Blueberries	1oz	0	4	0	16
	All Day	Almonds	.5oz	0	0	0	0
	TOTALS:		Grams	227	72	14	1,363
			Calories	909.4	288	124	1,321
			Percent	69%	22%	9%	100%

Wed 7/4 - Chest/Tri's

Happy 4th of July!

Cardio:

• 61 min walk with Mom in the morning.  Going to be a hot one.

Workout:

• (60#Bench/HangingLegRaise)5, reps 7,6,5,5,4
• (Guillotine/Core)5
• (Dips/30#InclineFlys)5, dips 11,8,7,6,5
• (50#OverheadTriExt/PeckDeck)5
• (CloseGripBench)5
• (TriPushDown/KickBacks)3

76 mins (too long)
Chest: 20
Tri's: 21
Core: 10
Total: 51 sests

Comments:
Really good WO, but it took too long.  Part of this was because I worked out at Ironbound Gym and some of machines were different, different weights, etc.
Warmed up on the barbell bench with 2 sets, one just bar, one with 135#'s for about 12 reps.  Working sets were 60# dumbbells with reps of 7,6,5,5,4.  Thought I'd get more reps and/or be able to go heavier.  Still good work.
Looked around and found a bench press machine and positioned myself so that my arms were coming down near my throat.  Took me a couple tries to get the weight adjusted right (using standard plates).  Ended up with 45#plates and did reps of about 11,9,8,7,7.
Dips were good today.  First set felt really easy and I got at least 11 or 12.  Reps were 11,8,7,6,5.  Hit wall quickly at the end, especially the 5th set.  Incline fly's were good.
Overhead tri extension was good.  Did drop sets the last three sets.  Peck deck was good today too.  Had to kick an old lady off that was chatting it up with a trainer.  Just hanging out, talking about a recent vacation/trip.  Geez!
Did close grip bench on the smith machine.  I don't have barbells or a smith machine at my gym, so this was a nice change.  Did 25#s to failure for 2 sets (about 10 reps) and then just put 10#s on and did 3 sets to failure (reps were about 30/25/20).  These really burned.  Tri's beat.
Last, I did tri pushdowns and kickbacks.  These were fairly good, but couldn't push much weight.
Overall a really good workout.  Just took too long as noted and guillotine could have been better.  Just couldn't seem to dial in the weight/reps well.

Nutrition:
4th of July cookout complicated tracking it well today.  High protein, high carbs, low fat.  Not a bad day to have a re-feed after a big workout and some good cardio.  I'll post estimated macros later.  For tomorrow, getting back to it with a low carb, high protein day and cardioX2 (a run and a walk).  Run and walk assumes left knee cooperates.  It was really bothering me today.  

Tue 7/3 - Cardio & Core

Cardio:

• Ran 6.33 in 59:30, 9:24 pace, c/d 11 in the morning at 8AM.  It was pretty darn hot by the end of the run and I was absolutely dripping.  Squishy shoes.
• 54 min walk after dinner with Mom.  We walked around the golf course and she showed me the blackberry bush she's been getting berries from to make pies.

Core:

• Stretching (calves/hams/quads)
• Planks 
• (2-min planks)3 
• (1-min side planks - each side)3
• (2:30-min plank)

Nutrition:
Tracked it all, but just posting macros.  Supposed to be a low carb day, but it was on the high end of "low".  Still a pretty good day for being at Mom's house. :)

			Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:		Grams	220	113	23	1,541
		Calories	882	452	206	1,539
		Percent	57%	29%	13%	100%

Mon 7/2 - Back/Shoulders/Bi's & Cardio

Cardio:

• Walked 62 minutes in the morning.  Based on time, and measured walks last week, this was another 3.6 miles. Nice morning, warm but not as humid as yesterday.
• Walked 45 minutes with Mom at 10PM after arriving in Williamsburg.  Full moon was out.  I cherish the walks I get with my Mom.

Workout (Noon):

• (CloseLatPulldown/50#Military/HangingLegRaise)4, Pulldown was 175,190,205,205.  Started with 160 and was too light so moved right up and kept moving up.  Should have started heavier.  I was really happy with getting good reps at 205#s.  Military was 45/50/50/45 (dumbbells).
• (40#BentOverRows/120#MilitaryPress/30#HammerCurl)4, did bent over rows face-down on the incline bench.  This was a bit awkward for a couple of reasons.  Getting into position is akward.  You can't lay on the bench and reach the dumbbells, so you have to have them in your hands and kind of face plant down on the bench.  The bench I was using had a handle below where the dumbbells came to rest at the bottom, so I had to try to avoid hitting it.  I'll try these one more time.
• (25#FrontRaise/15#LateralRaise/15#RearDelt)4, brutal in a good way as usual.  Rear delts actually felt really good.  Easier than normal and was able to really squeeze at the contraction.
• (120#SeatedRow/PreacherCurl/Core)5, Drop sets on last 2 sets of rows and last set of curls.  On seated rows really concentrated on pull, setting the shoulders, then contracting and squeezing them.  These were REALLY good today.  This technique came from a youtube video.  It's amazing how little technique things like this make such a big difference.  Preacher curls were really hard.
• (150#ReverseGripPulldown/Shrugs)4, medium width reverse grip pulldown.  150#s was "heavy" after all the other back work.  Got about 5 good reps and another 1-2 with a little cheat.  Drop set on last set to 70#'s and really squeezed.  Shrugs I alternated between 50#s and 40#s.  Shrugs with 50s were straight up/down and the ones with 40's were more with the shoulders pinned and squeezing back together and up (hard to explain but felt really good).
• (15#IsoDumbbellCurls)1, to failure.

62mins
Back:  17
Shoulders: 24
Bi's: 10
Core: 8
Total: 59 sets

Comments:
This workout kicked ass.  Really hard, but really good.  Even though I didn't do pullups, I really hit back hard.  A little longer than ideal, but a LOT of work in an hour.

Nutrition:
Lots of protein and fairly high carbs today after tough back and shoulder workout.  Felt I needed the extra.  Protein right at 1.5g/lb body weight.  Perfect.  Low fat kept calories in check.  Day1 of creatine load complete.

Mon	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
7/2/2012	6:30AM	Creatine	5g
	7:30AM	62 min walk
	10AM	Creatine	5g
	11:30PM	Whey Shake	1 scoop	30	4	1	140
	Noon	WO - Back/Shoulders/Bi's
	1:30PM	Creatine	5g
	1:30PM	Sweet Potato	4oz	2.4	23.6	0	104
	1:30PM	Brown Rice	5oz	3	33	1	156
	1:30PM	Tuna	1 Can (7oz)	50	0	2	231
	1:30PM	Snap Peas	4oz	3.2	10	0	48
	1:30PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
	5PM	Cottage Cheese	1/2cup	14	5	0	80
	5PM	Salad	11oz	6	15	0	79
	5PM	Chicken	7oz	49	0	1.8	210
	5PM	Sweet Potato	3.5oz	2.1	20.7	0	91
	5PM	Creatine	5g
	8:45PM	Chicken	5oz	38.5	0	1.4	165
	8:45PM	Salad	8oz	4	11	0	57
	11PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	25	11	1.5	160
	11PM	Apple	1 med	0	25	0	95
	All Day	Almonds	1oz	6	6	15	165
	TOTALS:		Grams	252	171	24	1,881
			Calories	1007	682	215	1,904
			Percent	53%	36%	11%	100%

Sun 7/1 - Cardio & Week Recap

Cardio:

• 8AM - Walked 62mins, 3.65 miles (17:45, 16:26, 17:17, 10:33).  Nice morning walk, but hot already.  Going to be upper 90's again today. 
• 6PM - Walked 37mins.  Was a bit antsy and wanted to get outside again after running errands, reading and all around procrastinating all day.
  

Week Ending 7/1/12:
3 runs, 3 WO's, 3 doubles.  Pretty good week.  Ended week at 169.0#'s.  My lowest weight yet and feel like I'm still growing.  Plan seems to be working.

Had a great WO on Mon and decent run on Tue.  Didn't have a great WO Wed and struggled on my run on Thu.  I just didn't seem to have the normal amount of energy.  Bounced back with a great workout on Fri.  It was short (45mins) and intense. I also had my longest run in a LONG time of 7.1 miles.

I changed it up this week and (finally) did core work after my runs on Tue and Thu.  This allowed me to keep my WO's on Wed and Fri to around 45 minutes of hard work.  Just about what I've been wanting to hit.  And, YES, my core work was all PLANKS!  Did a lot (for me) of plank work and was able to hold 2-3 minute planks for 4 reps, side planks and bridges.  I did these out on the deck on an exercise mat after my runs.  Great way to cool down.  Weather was fantastic earlier in the week and I didn't want to leave the deck.  Got brutally hot Friday-Sunday.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the week, even with a mediocre WO on Wed.  Still got some decent runs and good work in the weight room. Really happy with the core work and will try to keep doing more of that - 1. because it's good for me, especially the planks, and 2. it keeps my time in the gym to 45-50 minutes of work (not counting w/u & c/d), which is where I want to be.

Nutrition: Really solid week nutrition-wise.  Very happy with how that went.  Started intermittent fasting on Thursday and have been really happy with that so far.  We'll see how I feel after another week of it and go from there.  I started loading creatine today after cycling off it for 3 weeks.

Sun	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
7/1/2012	6:30AM	FAST
	7:30AM	62 min walk.
	12:45PM	Egg Whites	5 eggs	18	1	0	85
	12:45PM	Whole Egg	1 egg	6	1	5	78
	12:45PM	Mushroom	2oz	2	2	0	12
	12:45PM	Smoked Salmon	3oz	20	0	4	105
	12:45PM	Oatmeal	1/4cup+	4	19	2	110
	12:45PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
	12:45PM	Creatine	10g
	2PM	Carrots	2oz	0.6	5.4	0	24
	6:30PM	Steak	5oz	43	0	9.5	265
	6:30PM	Snap Peas/Broccoli	6oz	4.2	12	0	60
	6:30PM	Cottage Cheese	1/2cup	14	5	1	90
	6:30PM	Oatmeal	1/4cup	3	14	1.5	75
	7:30PM	Creatine	5g
	10PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
	10PM	Creatine	5g
	10PM	Chicken	2oz	14	0	0.5	60
	11PM	Apple	1 med	0	25	0	95
	11PM	Casein Shake	1 scoop	25	11	1.5	160
	All Day	Almonds	None	0	0	0	0
	TOTALS:		Grams	189	109	25	1,419
			Calories	758	435	225	1,418
			Percent	53%	31%	16%	100%