A different circuit

So, I’m digging on the home made kettlebell circuits. I see why the new rules guys got so excited by circuits. They’re quick, their easy (to design) and they make you feel like they work. I can’t say if they do or don’t. For now, they are fitting my needs.
16 Kilo Kettlebell – 30 minutes

Exercise	Reps
Hindu Squat	20
2H Swing	20
Mountain Climbers	20
Turkish Getup	3/3
2H Swing	20
Halo	5/5

Repeat for 5 sets
I had a little time left so I did 20 more swings and 20 more squats.
That was hard and my core muscles will hate me tomorrow.

EDIT: This workout rocked me. I knew my obliques would be sore based on how the workout felt. About mid day the following day I was feeling pretty good. Suddenly it felt like someone wrapped a belt around my stomach and slowly but deliberately tightened it. I spent the rest of the day finding comfortable positions to sit in that didn’t make my obliques angry. Now, a day after that, it’s much better.  I don’t think I’m up for another ketlbell workout yet, maybe I’ll try again on Sunday to cripple myself.

Monday Morning Weigh-In: 245.6

Not so great, not so bad, sorta…meh

Monday night – Chrome and Fern
Hills Interval level 12 30 minutes

more of the same, sorta

I just like this group of exercises but I need to throw some variety at it.

Snatch, Squat, Push up, Row, Triple Crush, Crunch – 16 kilo kettlebell 11 sets of 5

I never intended to go to 11. I gave myself 30 minutes and marked the first set as being done at 27 minutes. It seemed like 10 sets would be a stretch. I hit 5 and found myself at 18 minutes. I hit 9 and had 7 minutes to go. I had 5 minutes to go at the end of 10. I got one more in, one I was not mentally prepared for. I didn’t have time for a full 12 this time but I could have, if I had been ready.

Bad Blogger, Bad!

I’m still not doing well at maintaining the blog habit over the long haul. I start out the week with all kinds of motivation to blog each day and it drains from me by Wednesday. I’ll try to catch up as best I can.

I believe it was Wednesday that I did my last workout, very much like the previous kettlebell workout:
Time 48 min
Weight 12K kettlbell

Snatch	5/5		10/10	15/15	20/20	20/20	15/15	10/10	5/5
Squat	5		10	15	20	20	15	10	5
Row	5/5		10/10	15/15	20/20	20/20	15/15	10/10	5/5
Crunch	5		10	15	20	20	15	10	5
T Crush	5		10	15	20	20	15	10	5

As you can see, it’s the same template except that I dropped the pushup from the line up. Adding that extra set of 20 was pretty killer. It obviously slowed me down on the way back down the ladder. Slower moves from one set to another an rest midset on the triple crushes.

I need to try and workout today. I’m thinking of doing a similar group of exercises but with the 16K, including the pushup and just doing sets of 5 for as long as I can.

Diet:
I failed at logging it here but it’s been good. I’m not doing the low carb thing right now, in fact, I’m arguably doing the high carb thing right now. I know there were some comments on this and I’ll go back and address them individually in a bit but basically, I’m going for a “balanced” diet. Those first couple days were too high carb for me to be happy but I don’t feel like going all the way back to Eggs, meat, salad, meat, salad, meat right now either. I haven’t done anything to forceable reduce my calories, I’m just aiming for “clean” at the moment. I’d say I got it right 90% of the time. I did go for a burger on Friday due to some logistical issues and we bought this spread yesterday that has horseradish in it that I have eaten way too much of on crackers but other than those two, I haven’t had junk.

One one hand, I’m interested to see where my weight hits tomorrow. On the other, one week means nothing right now. I’m trying to get myself excited to get back on track but right now I’m just excited to get a training schedule going, which I don’t think I will be successful at until school starts and I have more of a forceable applied schedule.

bit o’ bike

Monday night

Bike on random, level 12, 30 minutes

Tuesday food

Coffee, 2 large eggs, 1 slice of toast with peanut butter for breakfast

Daytime food
1/4 cup potato salad
1-2 cups romaine, mushrooms, 2 tbsp dressing
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with blueberries
2X roast beef on whole wheat

Granola bar when I got home

because of time and obligations, we went for carryout pizza for dinner
1/4 papa johns whole wheat The works (2 slices)
1/4 papa johns cheese sticks (4 sticks, I think)

the pizzza didn’t sit well with either of us so kettlebell plans got abandon for tonight.

Today’s food
Coffee, 2 eggs, toast with peanut butter
1/4 cup potato salad
2 handfuls of mixed nuts

For later
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with blueberries
a couple nectarines
Sashimi

Monday Morning Weigh In: ??

I forgot to weigh myself. I can say I didn’t do too hot last week. I probably broke about even. I don’t do as well when I don’t force myself to post it. I don’t know why I’m not very good at being accountable to myself but when I post it here I feel more accountable. So, I’m going to try to post it here.

0530
2 large eggs, Colby cheese
1 slice whole wheat toast, peanut butter

Food I brought for today
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries
1 nectarine
1/2 cup potato salad
Roast beef sandwich
1 cup romaine, some button mushrooms

EDIT: ate it all, I’m a tad hungry, I may hae some miso soup before I go.
Tonight will be spinach pasta and cream sauce.

Got home and had about 1/4 cup of potato salad and a granola bar

With the pasta I have two slices of garlic toast

We split a 3 oz bag of popcorn after the gym

Ladder Circuit

Time 28 min
Weight 12K kettlbell

Snatch	5/5		10/10	15/15	20/20	15/15	10/10	5/5
Squat	5		10	15	20	15	10	5
Push Up	5		10	15	10	N/A	N/A	N/A
Row	5/5		10/10	15/15	20/20	15/15	10/10	5/5
Crunch	5		10	15	20	15	10	5
T Crush	5		10	15	20	15	10	5

I conceived of this little bit of nastiness today. I kept the weight light because I’m still tuning back up. I’m glad I stayed light too. As seems to be the case with my simplest workouts, it was harder than anticipated. For me the simplest and the easiest seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. The basic idea here was to get a full body workout, laddering up by 5 reps until I failed at one exercise and then ladder down. Before I started, I expected the pushups to be the first to go. After I got going, I realized it was a mistake to include them at all, I was seeing ample front delt, pec, tricep work with the kind of crunch I was doing (small crunch, press then further crunch), the Triple Crush and even the squat a bit. If/when I do this again, I’ll leave it out. I think the triple crush will be my failing point but it’ll take me to 30 reps to get there. Then I’ll have to try and bring my time under 30 minutes again.

I have my food diary written down. The biggest thing of note today was that I did permit a couple cookies at  midday. They were left over from the Friday potluck (still in their cellophane) and of a particularly delicious brand, Berger’s, which I assume is local. The package officially lists them at 140 calories, per cookie. They are delicious and my officemates at the rest, thank goodness. Other than that, I behaved myself.

Monday Morning Weigh-in: 243.0

nice weight, actually higher than a random Thursday morning weigh in.

On diet. I forgot to bring my notebooka  couple days in a row. So I slacked on the lag. I also fell of the wagon a bit, on Thursday we were locked out of our kitchen at work because they wer filming a handwashing video (I’m not kidding) so I had to wing it and didn’t improvise so well.

Other than that, Ineed to get used to blogging again. I’m just not used to it. I did get to the chrome and fern on Thursday 30 minutes on random. I tried level 12 but it was a bit high so I went to level 10. That kept my heart rate in the lowish 140s. Which is where I would like it.

Chrome and Fern rehab

Chrome and Fern

Bicycle – Hills Plus, World Tour or  somehting like that, Level 12, 30 minutes
This was a little too easy, next time I need to do level 15 at least

FOOD

0530

• 2 Jumbo Eggs
• 1 slice toast
• 2 tbsp apple butter
• 12 oz coffee
• 4 oz 1% milk

0830

• Lettuce (2 cups, not packed)
• 2 tbsp italian dressing (actually measured)
• 8 oz decaf coffee

1040

• Whole skinless chicen breast (probably about 1.2 lbs, both halve, not just one)
• 8oz decaf coffee

1342

• Lettuce (2 cups, not packed)
• 2 tbsp italian dressing (actually measured)
• 8 oz decaf coffee

1520

• Small handful of nuts

1700

• decaf Chai
• 6oz 1% milk

1800

• 1 Bowl Pasta
• 1 1/2 slices garlic toast

2100

• 1/2 bag pocorn (1.5 ounces)
• decaf chai
• 6oz 1% milk

Monday Morning Weigh In: 245.4

A bit higher than I expected. This is the first time I’ve seen 245. I’m guess the intense soreness that I have going on is contributing. Whenever I get DOMS, I ad a pound or so. That’s ok, it’ll make it that much easier to get started.

FOOD

0530

• 2 Jumbo Eggs
• 1 slice toast
• 2 tbsp apple butter
• 12 oz coffee
• 4 oz 1% milk

0840

• Lettuce (2 cups, not packed)
• 2 tbsp italian dressing (actually measured)
• 8 oz decaf coffee

1030

• Whole skinless chicen breast (probably about 1.2 lbs, both halve, not just one)
• 8oz decaf coffee

1100

• 1 cup cherries

1325

• 2 cups salad
• 3 tbsp italian dressing
• 8 oz regular coffee

1530

• Small handful of mixed nuts

1900

• Chick-fil-a spicy wrap
• Chick-fil-a cloe slaw
• approx 1 oz feta
• decaf chai
• 6 oz 1% milk