FitFiend

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2007-03-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

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High Intensity Interval Training

2007-03-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

People take this type of training very, very seriously. I am not an expert on it, although, as someone who grew up playing as a competitive athlete, I can tell you we did a lot of this type of training. I don't remember hearing the phrase "High Intensity Interval Traning" being used, though it was referred to, circumspectly, by coaches and trainers. For example, we knew the way to get the most out of a run was to throw in some sprints, then actively recover.

I suppose indoor cycling does incorporate this as the class is generally run on an interval principle.

When I say that people take HIIT very seriously, I don't only mean those who do it get really into it, I also mean that there is normally a huge disclaimer that is only for people who can handle advanced training and who have no medical or health issues. The main reason is that your heart is put under stress by spiking your heart rate and then bringing it back down, then repeating the cycle several times.

I would guess your average FitFiend who incorporates cardio into their regimen, barring any underlying health problems, would have not problem doing this.

Aside from doing spin classes, which I generally do 3 or 4 times a week, I have been trying to do HIIT on the Stairmill. Over the course of about 30 minutes (after a warm up, of course), I would spike the setting to Level 20 for 30 seconds, and at the end of 30 seconds, I would bring it back down to Level 7. For the 30 seconds on Level 20, I would basically be running up the stairs (running, not sprinting). It would get me pretty winded, and my heart rate generally did spike. It certainly was a great workout, although, for the sake of true HIIT, I think that doing it off of a machine is probably better. With a machine, you have to wait for it to increase to the desired level, etc. Also, since I was running up the stairs, I could have still worked harder, but the machine was at capacity.

Results wise, I definitely felt like I had gotten a great workout, and did so in less time than for a comparable jogging workout. Calorie-wise, I am a little skeptical, but maybe if the machine could bring me to a sprinting level, it might have been more comparable.

I know I have been saying this for weeks, but winter is finally over (I hope), and will try to do more HIIT outside, the way it should really be done. It makes a long run a whole lot less boring, trust me. For more information on HIIT, check out this link. HIIT is becoming more and more popular, but it has been around a long time.

My Healthy Eating Hypocrisy

2007-03-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

I try to eat healthy foods. I eat whole grains, lots of greens, lean meats, and I stay away from ALL processed foods or sugar as much as feasible. My portions are small, but they are spread though out the day. As a supplement, I drink a few protein shakes to cut some hunger pangs. While I had known about the right things and ways to eat for a while, I only really started applying them last year, when I worked out with a trainer for a few sessions. As important as the actual workouts were, so was his constant berating of me when I would tell him how I had eaten. Even when I see him now, before saying hello, he asks me what I have eaten.

When I first started really dedicating myself to eating healthy, I would go to the grocery store (even when I was hungry, which is a big no-no, and also my main takeaway from “Work Out”) and have absolutely ZERO clue as to what I could buy. It was a little bit frustrating, but after a while, I became conditioned to ignoring all the bad stuff (most of the stuff that is there) and going for the whole grains, etc.

Another thing I have learned is to NEVER buy snacks to keep in my apartment, because I know that I will eat them all. If I were to buy a box of Cheez-its, I would finish it in a matter of minutes. One of my all time favorite snacks is nachos, and when you make them yourself, you can put as much cheese, salsa, and other things on it that make it taste so good, but it is really so bad.

I’m pretty good and set a good example, right? Wrong. When I visited my family during the winter holidays, I was awful. What’s worse is that they generally are the ones who struggle to eat properly and cut the bad things out. For example, pasta for dinner, which is often very late, is a staple. The horror! Although, they have been phasing that out.

I should be helping them, but instead of setting a good example when I visited, I was the one leading the charge to get a cake, to celebrate something or other. When they were going shopping, and they asked if I wanted Cheez-its, I said yes, get two boxes.

Just as bad, even when I was not enabling, I was at least participating. Like, when they already had a bag of chips, I ate them, all. Things I would never have normally even considered became fair game.

To be fair, it was the holidays, so I permitted myself some slack. Had I been at my apartment, then that would never have happened, though. One of the things people do is make those little concessions, and unfortunately, lots of little concessions add up to a whole lot of extra crap, which is what happened with me.

Anyway, from now on, I vow to make sure I set a good example even when I do go visit people, or at least, not really set an example so much as stick to my guns. It does make it more difficult when you are a guest, because you don’t want to seem high maintenance. But, still, making too many exceptions can be a perilous road in terms of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

No Pain, No Gain

2007-03-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

This is an antiquated theory I wholeheartedly subscribe to. However, nowadays, if most people hear these words, especially people who are experienced in fitness, they freak out! If they do, it’s my fault and I should be more clear.

When I would come home from college for the summer, I taught at tennis academies. Part of my teaching involved leading the conditioning sessions for the kids, most of whom were 12-18 years old, competitive tournament level players. However, many of them were also lazy, and needed to be pushed; that is why they were training and also why I led the conditioning. Sure, if one of them had an injury, they wouldn’t have had to participate in conditioning, but if they were too injured for that, they wouldn’t have come in to train that day in the first place. Kids would stop, and I would do everything I could to make them keep going.

When I say “no pain, no gain,” I refer to mental toughness. This is what you need to push yourself through a marathon or even when you are lifting. Obviously, you need to discern between physical pain and mental pain. However, a lot of what you need to achieve physical results is driven by how mentally fit you are.

Now, I am not suggesting that you train through an injury. That would be stupid, er, and something I might do, like I did in early January.

If I am sore from doing squats or dead lifts one day, I still go running the next. Yeah, soreness does not feel good, but I find that the cardio actually helps to get rid of the soreness. It is a kind of physical pain that I believe can be worked through.

Still, there should be a differentiation between an actual physical injury and mental toughness when people say “no pain, no gain.” There is a huge difference between when you are super fatigued and you push yourself to keep fighting on, vs. when you are hurt.

Unfortunately, a lot of people mistake feelings of fatigue with feelings of physical pain. So much of what we feel is mental, and when people realize this they can see much more in the way of physical gains. Those kids I taught all would get tired, but it was only the ones who realized that mental toughness could make them keep fighting who actually progressed further in their tennis careers. This is a lesson that anyone can apply and this is what I mean when I say “no pain, no gain.”

Strange things at the gym and other observations

2007-03-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

Winter is finally just about over here in NYC. You know what this means? This means I no longer have to spend the same amount of time that I have been at the gym since sometime at the end of October. A little embarrassed to admit just how much time, but let’s just say that I can run as many miles as I want outside now, and just do 60-90 minutes of strength training inside until it gets cold again.

Since I have spent so many hours a day indoors just training for myself, I have witnessed some rather strange things, and was wondering if other people might be able to add to my list. Some I am sure others have seen, and other things maybe not. But trust me, I found them odd or just poor etiquette. Here we go…

The oddities began probably in November, when I saw this dude doing the tricep pushdown…with a phone between his ear and shoulder.
Things grew more odd when I saw this girl, who turned out to be a trainer, working out on this leg machine, I guess to work out her hips/groin? Anyway, she was chatting with another trainer while she was working out, reached into her bag, pulled out this bag of snacks, started eating them, offered them to the trainer she was chatting with, then turned around to offer the snacks to the group of trainers behind her, all the meanwhile, still working out.
Another strange thing was a trainer working, training a client, eating a salad, with tuna. It wreaked. I guess it shows dedication, almost like eating at your desk. I still thought it was pretty inappropriate, but hey, maybe not. It was setting a good example in terms of diet. However, I saw the same trainer a few weeks earlier, eating on the job, only that time, it was a McDonalds cheeseburger.
Of course I need to mention the people who get dressed up to work out. I have seen lots of comments online about women who put their make up on, and I have seen guys style their hair before they hit the gym floor. The most I do is a smell check of my hat and heart rate monitor chest strap. I guess I’m still at fault for using them no matter how badly they fail the sniff test.
I have mentioned previously the chick who would run out of spin class every time her phone would go off, then come back in.
There was the spin instructor whose head spun around when she heard another woman’s Blackberry go off during class.
I developed a heated mental rivalry with a guy who also frequently takes spin classes at my gym. We each always sign up for a specific bike, him #12, me, #24. The bikes face each other. Every single time I go, which is at least 4 or 5 times a week, he is there. We never acknowledge each other, but I can tell, we are totally at war during class. I swear, I think he even smirked at me when he thought he “beat” me during a sprint today.
A spin instructor nearly singled out someone she thought was the “silent farter” in class. I swear, it wasn’t me.
The girl who came into a 2 hour ride with a 4oz bottle of water. I guess 4oz is better than nothing…but in a 2 hour ride, surely you need more than 4oz of water!

Anyway, I found all these things pretty weird; who knows, maybe others don’t? I am sure there are many more weird things, though, that people notice, and would love to hear about them.

Still, I am super excited that today will be the last cold day (fingers crossed) for a looooong time.

Does this happen in the Women's locker room?

2007-03-07T13:42:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this blog posting from the East Village Idiot, who claims he is “bullied by gay men” when he tries to use his gym’s steam room. The post is pretty funny, and also spot on.

Earlier this year, a group of janitors sued Equinox because of what they claimed was happening in the locker rooms there. I talked to a good friend of mine who works there about a post on this, but she told me, uhm, not to touch it.

But, I do, because I feel bad that the East Village Idiot was flamed (yes, I said flamed) by some readers of his blog in their comments, because he touched the subject. Some of these people basically say that it okay for shenanigans to take place in the confines of the steam rooms/saunas at our local gyms. I already have to worry about getting things like athlete’s foot and other fungi when I am at the gym, but now, who knows what could be lurking on the floors in the steam rooms and saunas.

From what I can tell, there are a myriad of places for guys who want to get it on, whether at a club or bathhouse. Why is it necessary to bring it into a public, mixed place, like a gym. In fact, nobody cares about what you are doing; it’s just where you are doing it. The same would apply for hetero couples if there were a hetero steam room. There just are certain standards that apply. (And I don’t know of any mixed guy/girl facilities…let me know if you do).

Also, considering that several New York area gyms kept their steam room and saunas closed for years, wouldn’t every member want to make sure they behave themselves so all the facilities remain open? Day after day, for years, I would walk by my main gym’s sauna and see the big sign “Closed by the Department of Health” (though “Health” was crossed out and written over it was “Sex); I am happy that the sauna is once again usable and I want it to stay that way. I don’t really use it that much, though, unless it is empty.

Finally, I understand going to a New York City gym kind of leaves all guys open to and aware of certain shenanigans. I can deal with it. But, it would make me feel much better if I knew the same shenanigans happen in the Women’s locker room, because, frankly, that would be hot.

Is there a method to the madness?

2007-03-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

One of the most frustrating things about following any type of exercise regimen is failing to see improvements. In my case, I have been working out to get stronger, so I try to see either rep or weight gains in whatever I do, especially with squats or the bench press.

Unfortunately, there have been a few times when I actually not only didn’t see some form of improvement, but even (GASP!), strength loss. Considering all the time and effort I put in to working out, the normal rush I would get from a kick ass workout is over-powered by holding back tears and fighting back depression because I just lifted less then I was able to a few days ago.

Okay, not necessarily depression and tears, but you get the idea. Instead of pouting, the best thing that I have found to do in such cases is analyze everything that I have been doing on both the days that I feel on and days that I feel off.

Rather than going to the gym and knowing what I will be working out, I have found that it is important to take a more macro view of the day. There is a method to the madness. Knowing what you will be eating and when, along with how much can make a huge difference. Another thing that I have recently discovered, which may be obvious for some but was not for until last week, was how much of a difference a day without my Labrada LeanBody60 makes.

I normally take a few of these shakes a day, though not at the recommended dosage. (I just can’t stomach 4 scoops in one sitting). I ran out of my latest batch last week, and went a few days without taking it. Boy, was there a noticeable difference. On my squat day, I could barely budge 225 lbs, and it was pretty embarrassing to load up plates, fail to move them, then drop the weight (and it’s not even that much!). I normally start my squats from a low position, so getting them up is often the toughest part.

At the time, I was pissed. When I got home, I actually thought about how I had been sleeping and eating, and both of those were pretty normal for me. The one thing I pinpointed was the shakes that supplement my diet with approximately 50g or protein and another 20g or carbs.

Am I happy that my performance may be worse on days without a supplement? No. Could it be just all mental, and this whole “method” and analyzing all the little things you do each day is just a crock? Quite possibly. But, if it’s a crock I need to see gains, I guess I’ll have to live with it.

The morning after

2007-03-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

After my last post on Working Out and Going Out, some people reminded me that working out may make you feel so good that when you go out, you may go out a little bit too hard. Let’s face it, after a good workout, you don’t even need to drink as much as you normally do (cheap date affect) to get plowed, and the next day, you will pay.

I could go on and preach about drinking in moderation and switching between alcohol and glasses of water. But hey, I admit, I like getting the most bang for my buck and stick to JD with sugar-free mixers, since, sugar is so bad for the body. Normally I have a Jack and soda, but, if for some reason I am trying to pace myself or be good, I’ll make the exception and go for the Jack and Coke.

Either way, this inevitably leads to the dreaded hangover. Unless it has been an exaggeratedly bad night, in which case I wake up just as plowed as I was when I went to bed, then I really do NOT want to get out of bed. Usually, I could guzzle liters of diet soda or water at a time, and still be crazy thirsty. Tired, cranky, sweaty are three things that usually accompany me in this morning after.

The strange thing, though, is that a night out that leads to this type of morning after means that I have probably imbibed several hundred calories, calories that I can use to go run a few miles to sweat out the toxins in my body. Short of hair of the dog, working out is the best hangover cure I can think of. When I was still in college, I used to wonder why I how I could go out at night, wake up hungover the next morning, and have great runs that would actually eliminate the hangover. (I know, these calories are not the most efficient for an athlete, but sometimes energy is energy and I’ll take it as it comes).

It’s true, sweating out a hangover is probably the best way to deal with it (though Pedialyte helps). You need to force yourself to get moving, but once you do, you will be glad. In a worst case scenario when I can’t force myself to sweat it out by working out, I just sit in a sauna/steam room. Of course, all of this sweating will dehydrate you, so make sure you drink even more water than you normally would.

I should point out that I am not writing in favor of binge drinking, and while the empty alcohol calories may give you some energy in the morning, the net effect is still clearly bad, and your body will store the fat (and unburned calories) that would have otherwise been burned had it not been for the alcohol energy. Moderation blah blah blah, just remember that when you are hungover, working out could be your cure!

Working Out and Going Out

2007-02-27T08:38:00.000-05:00

Going out at night is counter-intuitive for people who are trying to improve their fitness. Yes, you need fun, but it cuts into sleep time, gives you more hours to eat, (and eat late), and more likely than not, at least for the people who I know, the opportunity to slam the body with hundreds and hundreds of empty calories. Obviously, there is something to be said about balancing work and play, but still, these are some pretty clear impediments for those of us trying to achieve our next level of fitness.

Unfortunately, or however you may want to look at it, working out makes me want to go out.

Last night, I had a great workout. Killed my legs with some squats, and also hit some serious biceps/triceps. I ended with some abs, and then interval training on the Step Master Stair Mill thing (the rotating set of stairs). That interval training is pretty sick and is my favorite cardio thing to do right now because it kicks my ass the most, in so much less time. Of course, I probably look pretty foolish as I run up the Step Mill at full speed to spike my heart rate and then practically crawl to bring it back down, but whatever.

After hitting it hard for a few hours, I showered, and headed home. All I could think about doing on my way home on this Monday evening was to go out. I didn’t have any plans, and for crying out loud, it was Monday night! Going out to party on a Monday night is not exactly the most ideal way I can think of to kick off the work week. Yeah, it would be fun, but my mind/body would pay dearly until the weekend (tough during the weekend, my mind body would be paying anyway).

The endorphins that are released from working out just make me feel so good, that I want to go out and be with people and have fun. It really is like a drug, and is one of the reasons why I enjoy working out (like most of you as well, I am sure); working out is certainly not a chore for people like us.

Working out just makes you feel so good; aside from the endorphins, you know that you are doing something to improve yourself, which gives you confidence. It is no wonder that on any given Friday or Saturday late evening, you may find your gym packed. All the “body nazis” are there before they hit the bars and clubs. I would wager, more likely than not, the people who work out those nights before going out end up having a great night and probably have better overall “hit” results

Unfortunately for me, going out every night after I work out is not something is going to happen, ever (though I always wish I could!!). But, I will still work out to feel good, and hopefully, reap rewards of it on the weekends when I do go out.

Turn off your phone! (Group Fitness)

2007-02-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was in a spin class, and this girl’s phone went off. Loudly enough for the normally Barbie-esque spin instructor to hear, and scream, “Turn your phone off!” I was pretty surprised by how venomous the reaction was, because the music in the class was already so loud, what was a little bit more noise? Of course, I hadn’t heard the phone go off since I was across the room. Still, I thought that spin instructor was kind of a b*tch for reacting like that.

Yesterday, I was in class, with a different instructor, on a bike next to a different girl who positioned her phone at the front of her bike. Sure enough, I saw the phone light up, and the girl jumped off of her bike and ran out. Two seconds later, she ran back in. Guess it wasn’t the phone call she was expecting. A few minutes later, the same thing, the phone lights up, she hops off of her bike, and runs out of the room. Of course, she comes back.

I shouldn’t really have even thought about it, but I was curious. I wondered, who was calling her and that it must be an important call. Then, I realized, I was just sitting there paying attention to what was going on next to me, and not what we were doing in class.

As I have mentioned before, in my “Is it rude?” posting, that of course, there are times when you are at the gym and you need to have your phone with you in case of emergency, work or otherwise. But if you are running in and out of class to take calls, you probably shouldn’t be in class in the first place.

I know, I shouldn’t let something external distract me like that; probably my fault. But still, focus is important in anything you do, even when you are working out, and fellow members should be considerate enough to have some standards of respect for each other, and that includes not bringing phones out on to the floor or into class.

That said, I have resisted the temptation to bring my phone out on the floor with me to text message as I had previously considered in my posting on “That Guy,” since I had just begun taking long breaks between sets. Also, I no longer think that the Barbie-esque spin instructor was out of line for screaming at the lady who had left her phone on loudly enough to be heard in class.

Work Out is back!

2007-02-20T09:43:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I watched Season 1 of “Work Out” on Bravo last fall. I am always a little embarrassed to admit it, but it turns out that most people I know, especially ones into fitness, also watched it.

What exactly is the show about? It is about Jackie Warner, the owner of Sky Sport and Spa in LA, and her travails in building her brand and gym, which seems to focus on one-on-one personal training. When I first heard about the show, I (naively) thought, oh sweet, I’ll probably see a reality show that really cuts into some serious fitness and personal training issues. Boy, was I wrong. The only thing that really stuck that I had never consciously thought about before was that one should never go grocery shopping when hungry.

Did I pick up any other workout related tips/ideas? Not really. Some of the episodes contained some emotional tales of weight loss from regular people (who I am surprised would be able to even afford personal training sessions at an upscale one-on-one personal training facility), and even some celebrities, like Jodie Watley.

Another theme involved the interactions between the Jackie and her trainers, and especially whether or not they were good enough to work for her. I do remember Jackie coming out on the floor to correct a trainer in the middle of a session with a client. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I remember thinking something like, wow, 1) your “elite” trainers do not know how to show a client how to do a simple tricep pushdown?! And 2) you would actually go and point this out in front of someone who is probably paying a buttload a session.

Even though the show was soft on fitness, it certainly was heavy on drama. What ended up being the most entertaining part of the show was Jackie’s relationship with her girlfriend, Mimi. This is probably the thing that kept people coming back to watch; there was always the potential for some hot lesbian action, and always the certainty of glass shattering catfights!

According to the previews for Season 2, which is set to launch in March, Jackie and Mimi appear to be trying to work things out, and Jackie goes out and hires a new trainer, and trainers Rebecca and Peeler are still rebelling against Jackie’s law. Do I hope that they will delve deeper into the fitness aspect of the show? Undoubtedly. Do I think they will? Of course not, but hey, I’ll be watching.

Getting to the Gym - There is no option

2007-02-16T13:07:00.000-05:00

I’ve written in detail before about how motivated I am about working out (see my “Discipline” post), whether it is going to the gym or running/cycling/swimming. When I had a traditional work schedule, I would go in the early morning, and, when I say early, I mean early because I worked Latin America market hours. (Thank god I belong to a gym that is open 24 hours a day) I would put in a 10-12 hour workday, and hit the gym again or go running outside. No sweat.

Now, I have more flexibility in the day, and choose to go work out for a few hours at one shot, partially because NYC is so damned cold these days.

Like clockwork, I usually get to the gym around 4 or 5, and stay there until about 7 or 8 every day. Yesterday, though, I had a momentary lapse, and really had to struggle to get there. That lapse really led me to question myself as to why I needed to go. I mean, I am in pretty good shape, what would one day matter? I was tired and I hadn’t had a great day, and I was just thinking about how easy it would be to just throw in the towel and stay in my warm apartment. Fortunately, I convinced myself that I had no option in the matter.

Physically speaking, if anything, maybe my body might have liked the rest. But, mentally, doing nothing would have just triggered more future excuses to sit on my butt when I really should be running or lifting or whatever. Momentum is very important for me.

Lots of people ask me for advice on how to stay motivated. Really, it is just something you have to tell yourself that you have to do. Don’t make excuses, and do think of it as something your body absolutely needs, just like eating or drinking or sleeping. It is one of those things in life where there is no optionality. Obviously, goal setting is an important factor in this. Right now, my goal has been to slap on a few more pounds of muscle and keep getting stronger. I have almost reached this, and pretty soon, I hope to get into a leaning down phase that will merit a lot of cardio. Hopefully the weather will help me out in this department.

Sex and Working Out

2007-02-14T12:33:00.000-05:00

We all know that working out helps your sex life. You look better, feel better, and you have more stamina and strength to do, shall we say, more interesting things.

But, does more sex hinder your physical prowess? Mike Tyson was 37-0 when he lost to “Buster” Douglas in 1990, which was considered a pretty major upset at the time. I remember hearing that one of the possible reasons for the upset was that he indulged in a little nookie just before the fight, sapping him of his energy and aggression.

A long standing belief in sports has been that athletes should abstain from any type of sexual activity to keep themselves primed, aggressive, and ready to tear someone’s head off (I know I am ready to do this if it has been a while). However, is this physical or mental? By abstaining from sex, am I really going to have some great workouts and see the physical improvements I desire? Obviously, I would never even think of doing that, but I am curious.

In sports, lots of coaches do not even necessarily believe that it is the lack of energy or release from sex that reduces testosterone levels, which increases aggression, but rather, that the time thinking about it and trying to get it causes lack of sleep, which ultimately leads to poorer performance.

In fact, not having sex for a long enough time probably reduces testosterone, which would make for a pretty good reason to go out and get laid before a competition, or even a workout. Besides, ever notice that whenever you are getting it, you want it more and more (even if you are not getting it, you want it, but it is a little bit different).

So, anything that naturally leads to increased testosterone levels must be good for working out. If I get some before I hit the gym, are my workouts going to result in T’rone filled, head ripping lifting sessions, or will I just have no energy? Not being a scientist, I can’t say for sure, but I will definitely be experimenting. Also, if I get all turned on, that has got to be beneficial for my workouts and a pretty good reason to keep surfing internet porn!

Fat Trainer

2007-02-12T10:52:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me this article on “fat” trainers awhile ago. If you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, let me summarize.

The gist of the article is that there are more and more “fatter” fitness instructors and trainers at gyms these days. Gyms are more open to hiring them, and people are more open to working out with them.

Well, not necessarily everyone. As my MySpace buddy, Scott White, points out in the article, “It's a disgrace. It's like going to a mechanic who has a broken-down car or a financial advisor who's poor." That sounds kind of harsh, but it is still a fair assessment.

If I were to go to my gym today, to hire a trainer, I would want him to be in better shape than I am. If he looks out of shape, then his workouts could be crap and he might not know his stuff. Granted, this trainer could be extremely knowledgeable, and just not practice what he preaches. But, I wouldn’t want to take that risk. From a trainer’s perspective, he should want to look like he is in great shape to attract clients. I guarantee that if a fit trainer and a fat trainer were both working the floor for clients, the fit trainer would get more business.

The article cites that many people, though, prefer instructors who do not look like they are in great shape because it is “less intimidating.” Okay, I would say that, at the very least, I am above average in the fit department, so I can’t relate to the intimidation problem. Even if I were grossly overweight, and I took a class with very fit instructor, I couldn’t imagine that I would feel intimidated. In fact, I would probably be more motivated to go to classes with that instructor in hopes of achieving their level of fitness. And, frankly, when I do go to a spin class that is being taught by some master cyclist in incredible shape, I feel that I get a much better workout than some run of the mill overweight instructor.

Since the start of 2007, I have had three friends ask me to help “train” them. Now, I am not a certified personal trainer, but my friends have asked me to help because they know how motivated I am when it comes to working out. However, along with the motivational aspect, they have seen my results from my own fitness regimen. If I were overweight or out of shape, in spite of all my training, I highly doubt they would have asked me to help them.

Sometimes, I wonder how trainers and instructors at gyms could possibly look the way they do. Especially in the case of fitness instructors, who, normally, are not only leading the class but also participating. Imagine teaching 5 spin classes and 5 sculpt classes, on top of doing your own workouts, and still not being in great shape. To me, that probably means you are doing something wrong, such as eating too much of the wrong foods. It could also be the result of some medical condition, but you really don’t get to know that during a first impression. All you know off the bat is how they look.

I definitely do not support discriminating against people who look out of shape. If they know their stuff, they should be hired, especially if they have/can get clients or students. However, some of the best marketing for a trainer or instructor is his or her physical appearance, so it is sort of mind-boggling that they wouldn’t already be (or at least strive to be) in great shape. While the NYT article had cited that the notion of “heavier” trainers is more common, at least from what I have seen, it is a very tiny portion of the fitness industry who fall into this category.

Get ripped in only 10 minutes! (No thanks…)

2007-02-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

I was chatting online with a good friend of mine from Greece last week, and he was telling me about how he had started using this contraption called the “Powerplate,” that runs anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000, depending on the model. Now, he told me that all he had to do was use the device for 10 minutes a day, every 3 days. He tells me that the workouts make him sore and he has started noticing changes in his appearance. My friend, who I will refer to as Salonica, served in the Greek military, and had always kept up swimming since I first met him. So, he was by no means starting from a low base of fitness.

I am, of course, very skeptical of this thing. I do see some merits in a machine like this, however. I do certain exercises on a swiss ball where I try to get up on my haunches and balance on the ball, and eventually stand straight up, the whole time keeping my body stabilized and moving contrary to the direction the ball starts moving. However, anything that sells itself as a 10 minute workout and nothing more belongs in the garbage, in my opinion. It kind of reminds me of that Christie Brinkley/Chuck Norris infomercial for the “Total Gym,” for no other reason than they say that the “Total Gym” is for people who do not like to go to the gym or workout. Not for me, no thanks.

If there were a magical pill that I could take that would suddenly leave me in incredible shape, I would still put in the time and effort to get into that much better shape. Sure, one of the reasons why I lift or run or swim is because I want to look good, but that is only a small part of it. I enjoy the challenge, I enjoy setting goals, and I enjoy working my tail off to reach those goals. There is a large amount of satisfaction that I derive from doing this, and I would imagine, most other Fit Fiends are the same way.

Still, I understand that people have different goals, and many people also do not have the time or desire put in an effort of more than 10 minutes a few days of the week. Also, I am curious if my friend, Salonica, really gets much of a cardiovascular workout using that machine. Maybe he doesn’t want or need one. Again, that speaks to his personal objectives.

Call me an old fuddy duddy, or whatever you want when it comes to sweating out a good workout, but I still subscribe to the “no pain, no gain” school of training.

Cardio, before or after?

2007-02-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

The answer to this is pretty straightforward, and anyone who is not a novice to hitting the gym and exercising knows that if you are strength training, you should always do cardio after. This is intuitive, considering that when you are trying to get stronger, you need the energy to push your muscles harder. If you run 5 miles, then try to lift, you will not see the power gains you hope for.

However, all you need to do is a little digging on fitness websites or in the MySpace fitness groups to find there are many people who pose the question, “should I do cardio before or after I strength train?” If it is so obvious to the people who have been doing this for years, then you must wonder why novices might be so clueless. Well, it is not completely their fault.

For one thing, not all weight training is the same. Some people lift to get bigger, some to get stronger, and some people weight training may actually be trying to get leaner. One of the things that I have heard people (trainers included) say, is that intense cardio before gets your heart rate up such that when you lift, your body is in more of a fat burning mode. This does make sense if you wish to get leaner/your objective is to burn calories. Of course, if you have been strength training or bulking up, you are probably burning more calories by default because of the added muscle. Still, many people, train to get leaner/lose weight, so intense cardio before might not be such a terrible idea. When I am trying to get leaner, though, I still will lift before my cardio; I just do much more cardio than I normally would, and lift lighter/more reps.

Less experienced exercise freaks, though, may not even identify this type of goal when they workout; they just want to get “in shape.” The masses generally believe that cardio before is the way to go, and as such, they do this first. I think one of the reasons for this fallacy is because of the “warming up” aspect. I never think of a warm up as the same as cardio. The purpose of the warm up is to get the blood flowing and your body stretched and ready to really pump it, but not for much more. On one MySpace post I read, a person decided to include her warm up as part of her cardio, though the majority of her cardio was going to be completed after her strength training.

What works best for me is to split my workout times, once for strength training, and once for cardio. This is great if I can train twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening. Unfortunately, I don’t always get this chance, so when I do workout once, I do a slight warm up, then lift, then kick my ass with some intense cardio. Normally, I have so much energy after the cardio that I can do more abs or whatever else I feel like. But, this only works if I have done my main strength training first.

In any event, energy is the most important factor in improving at the gym, and doing cardio before saps you of it. I would suggest to anyone who asks this question to first evaluate what their true objective is, other than merely “getting in shape.” I would be very hard pressed to suggest doing any real cardio before serious strength training.

Gym Rats!

2007-01-31T11:10:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, when I first started really dedicating myself to putting in time at the gym and outside running, one of my close friends, a group fitness instructor, told me not to turn into a “gym rat.” I thought, well, is that a bad thing? I mean, if spending a few hours working out means I might be a gym rat, then so be it.

Recently, though, I found this posting on gym rats. I realized that when people who are not all that into working out use this word, it is definitely an insult, plagued by misconceptions. Well, almost. I found this one posting from sociallyabrasive.com on so-called “gym rats;” the description is insulting, though, to some degree truthful (for some people). Of course, the guy’s descriptive writing makes it sound like he hasn’t hit a gym since the ‘80s.

“You can spot these morons the very second you walk into a gym. How many there are varies depending on what gym you're at, but if you visit a place like Bally's, they occupy about 50% of the place. Here's what to look for. Firstly, you'll see a tank top that shows way too much back hair and is possibly torn in such a way that you can see 1 nipple. Then of course you've got the Spandex shorts. They're also either wearing or carrying a lifting belt, but they are clearly unsure what it's for, because it looks as new as the day they bought it. Their hair is always freshly combed and has a fresh coat of hairspray. There's also a 50/50 shot that they're going to have shaved legs. If you pay close attention to a gym rat's daily workout, it usually lasts about three hours and consists of the following: Stretching requires around 9 minutes, and is done intermittently throughout the session. Actual weight lifting takes 4 minutes total; that's 3 sets of 10 on the bench. While they're lifting you'll be able to hear it from the other side of the building because of the exaggerated exhaling that they think comes with the territory when you're a very serious weightlifter. Then you have to set aside about 20 minutes for walking to and from the water fountain to see who is in the gym today. When they see someone they know, they have to point at them. The pointing is usually accompanied by a clicking noise out of the side of their mouth. The remaining 2 hrs and 27 minutes are spent talking to other gym rats or gym employees.”

Oh, and he goes on. And on.

Do most people who might spend 3 hours a day seriously working out or training consider themselves “gym rats?” Really, I wouldn’t think it is a bad thing, but then again, people who are not into fitness probably actually think that spending a few hours a day working out is really nothing but an excuse to act like a douchebag.

I guess it is just one of those words or phrases that is okay if you take ownership of it, but is not okay for people who don’t own it to use.

Is it rude? (Group Fitness)

2007-01-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

Do most group fitness instructors find it rude when participants leave class early?

I was a culprit this past weekend. I went to a spin class, and literally, within 5 minutes, I decided that I did not feel like doing any cardio, so I got up and left. Now, there was nothing wrong with this particular instructor. I have taken his class a few times, and he is definitely above average, but didn’t feel like I had it in me to do cardio and strength training.

With other instructors who I do not like, I usually just leave when I see they are teaching, and try to be as inconspicuous as possible, before the class starts. Occasionally, (and this is probably the worst thing to do) I decide to give someone whose class I do not like that much another chance. Invariably, after 15 minutes of a frustratingly annoying workout (for me, in any case), I up and leave.

If I were an instructor, I would probably think this is pretty rude. 1) It could be a distraction to the instructor, who might then become more self conscious of his/her own performance. Then again, maybe it is their job to deal with this sort of thing. 2) It definitely is a distraction for other people; it takes away from the rhythm and energy of the class. I have gotten to points in a class where I see someone leave early, and that makes me lose a little bit of motivation. It is for this latter reason that when I go to a 2 hour spin class, the instructor makes us commit to either a normal 45 minutes, or else the full 2 hours. Imagine starting to fight after about an hour and a half of intense spinning, and then people start getting off their bikes with just a little bit left of the class to go.

I would be curious to know what most fitness instructors think about this. Do you hate these early leavers? Do you even notice when this happens?

Chugalug and Chowin' Down

2007-01-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

An adequate amount of protein is imperative to getting stronger (keeping in mind that getting stronger is different from getting bigger or getting leaner). I think a generally accepted principal regarding protein intake is roughly a gram per pound, even more if you are trying to get bigger. I may have mentioned before, that I weigh about 155, but sometimes swing a bit in the 152-158 pound range. Ideally, I would like to tack on at least 5-10 pounds of muscle over the coming months.

That is easier said than done (at least for me), though I am trying. On a good day, I probably get about 50% of my necessary protein from food. That leaves another 75-80 grams to get from supplements, which could be a few protein shakes and/or bars. The issue for me, though, is if I have a few protein supplements, I can’t eat as much normal food. Pretty frustrating.

Another issue regarding my overall protein intake/diet/strength training goals is the fact that I run and cycle so much. I am not trying to really get much bigger, just stronger, so I don’t thing the cardio is hurting me too much. However, it saps my body and I need to refuel, which means I need complex carbs, and equally as important, hydration. According to Marc David’s column on JustAskMarc.com, someone with my level of daily activity needs at least 124 oz. of water a day. Let’s just say that is about 2 gallons, or 16 8 oz. glasses or water a day. Of course, this does not factor in the added effects of too much alcohol or caffeine (a topic for another time).

So, between my cardio and strength training, I need to eat and drink a whole LOT. And, not of foods that I necessarily want, as I described in Tuesday’s post. I wish there were a contraption I could hook myself up to each morning to shoot my body up with enough protein, carbs, and hydration (please let me know if you know of one!), but until then I will be a non stop chugalugging and chowin’ down machine!

Discipline, or lack thereof

2007-01-23T20:37:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of discipline when it comes to working out. Part of the battle with maintaining a fitness lifestyle is the discipline to get up and hit the gym or pavement or water, each and every day. It is not something you have to think about, you just do it. Ha, I remember watching Kiana’s Flex Appeal (anyone remember that? Is it still on?) when I was in middle school/high school (It was for the exercises, I swear), and she said you just get up and go, without thinking about it. That is what I do now, and that is how I maintain the level of discipline that people who are not into fitness do not understand.

When I get up, I imbibe some caffeine, make it to the gym. Later in the day, when and if it is time for round two, I don’t think about it; just make it back or to the park, weather permitting, so there is not even a question that I may lose motivation.

I spent a year at this intensive academic program with mostly people who did not subscribe to any serious fitness lifestyle. I felt like an outcast for making sure I was either strength training or running through a forest every day. And yeah, those are the people who thought I was crazy and didn’t know why I put in the effort. Trying to explain to them that it had to do with improving myself physically and mentally was fruitless, so I just did my thing and let them think what they wanted.

Anyway, another part of fitness discipline comes from food, and I am having trouble maintaining any sort of discipline in terms of my eating habits. I had been quite good for some time, until the holiday season rolled around. Before the holidays, it was limiting portions, and eating leafy greens, lean meats, whole grains…never complex carbs too late in the evening. After the holidays, when I had permitted myself to enjoy good, unhealthy food, I have not been able to get back on the sensible eating horse.

I still mainly eat whole grains still, but I’ll eat whole grain pasta, bowls of it, late at night. I don’t even bother to make salads anymore because it is easier to just order out. The other day, I decided to see how many chicken nuggets I could eat from McDonalds, now that the 6 piece is on the dollar menu. (I can’t remember the last time I ate food from there).

Part of me feels that I work out enough to justify eating whatever I want. But, I know to achieve a greater level of fitness, I can’t do that. I still need fuel, just the right fuel. It will take a lot of self motivation to get back “on the wagon” in terms of healthy foods in the right portion sizes.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I can regain/maintain a sense of discipline in terms of eating? Thanks!

Next Generation Fitness

2007-01-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

I stopped by my friend’s house one afternoon last month. He was the proud papa of a brand new Wii, given to him courtesy of his boss for the good work he does. That was a pretty impressive present, considering my friend works from home, but I guess it is a testament to how good my friend is at his job.

In any case, I decided to give it a try. First some tennis, then some bowling, then some boxing. OMFG, what an incredible workout boxing was. I had just been to a meeting, so I was dressed in a suit. Didn’t take long for me to get shirtless. I was absolutely dripping with sweat, huffing and puffing during an intense three rounds of boxing. I workout regularly, at least once a day, doing strength training as well as cardio, yet I was still incredibly sore in my back and shoulders. Now, I realize that I was probably hitting parts of my body that I might not get to with the stuff I normally do. But still, I am a pretty fit person and I was winded after boxing.

If you have seen the movie “The Island” (which I would advise against), then you have seen something similar when Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor are virtually fighting. The Wii seems to be a step in that direction, and clearly, it has the potential to shape how fitness progresses. Imagine going into a health club and being able to play virtual sports for a half hour. It really is a phenomenal workout.

I found this article on both Newsvine and Digg that Hey_Suburbia posted, it is the result of a 6 week experiment he conducted, and it really supports the fitness aspect of the Wii. His results and experiment details can be found here. Basically, he lost 9 pounds, dropped his body fat by 1.8%, and his waist size shrunk to 31.5” from 34.” (Note: we give him the benefit of the doubt that he is following the honor system.)

The Wii is revolutionary for both gaming and fitness. I am by no means a gamer; in fact, my most updated console is the Super Nintendo, for which I have two games, and probably played for one summer in high school. I am actually thinking about getting the Wii because it will supplement my working out, and it will be a lot of fun.

Etiquette (amendment)

2007-01-14T20:59:00.001-05:00

First, let me amend my prior post about etiquette, in which I may have implied that all people who leave plates on machines are meatheads. That is hardly true. People lifting very little weight also do the same thing. Really pisses me off.

This evening, I went to the gym to bust out some hack squats, incline leg presses, and regular squats. I was amazed at how EVERY single machine/rack had weights on them, even though nobody was using them. In between sets, I would sit and observe how people would use things and just leave weight plates on them. It is such an annoying and inconsiderate thing to do. I saw what at first I thought was this father-son duo (sidebar, at first I was like, that is pretty cool that a dad and his son are lifting together, then I realized, uhm, they were not father-son but something else) doing squats. They kept increasing the plates, then poof, they left the rack, with all the plates on the bar. As I was muttering to myself about how much I hate people, the guy on the machine next to me walked away, leaving all of his plates on. WTF is wrong with people.

I had like 14 plates on the incline leg press, and I removed each one of them. I probably look like the idiot for doing the considerate thing.

Oh well, I’m probably gonna get in a fight with someone over this one of these days. I wanted to today, but I channeled my anger into my squats, so it worked out in the end.

That Guy

2007-01-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

I hate that guy. You know, that guy (or girl) at the gym who just smells really awful because he/she wears the same workout clothes everyday. Or worse, that guy who sits there yap yap yapping on his cell phone on the gym floor. I understand that some people might have important calls, and really do need their phones with them on the floor. But still, do you really need to be chatting about what happened when you went out last night?

One time, I saw a guy who was yapping so much on his phone. He proceeded to place the phone between his shoulder and his ear, holding it like that, then began to do tricep pushdowns. All the while, yap yap yapping. Just yesterday, I was running on the treadmill, and this chick is sprinting next to me, and she starts chatting on her cell phone. I doubt that the person on the other end could understand her; I certainly couldn’t.

Lately, as part of my strength training, I have been trying to take longer breaks between sets. This means, I have at least about 3 minutes; almost an entire song on my IPOD. 3 minutes to kill. I am really trying to fight the urge to bring my phone out on the gym floor with me, but I fear that I will turn into “that guy.” Sigh. Besides, I’ve already been that smelly guy.

File under WTF (continued) aka Tampon Tuesday

2007-01-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

So, I stumbled upon this after checking out Planet Fitness’ website:

Planet Fitness Spokesperson says profanity, threatening, intimidating behavior are the reasons for expulsion, not grunting - "Free Tampon Tuesday" and other misogynistic comments on the Bob Rivers Radio Show by Al Argibay and his attorney are the stimulus for an official statement.

Dover, NH (PRWEB) November 22, 2006 -- Planet Fitness today issued an official statement in response to "The Gym Grunter" Albert Argibay. "Mr. Argibay's description of what occurred is inaccurate. Continued allegations about the actions of the Planet Fitness manager are fabrications of the event as it occurred and as it was witnessed by other gym patrons," said Dave Lakhani, spokesman for Planet Fitness. Further, "Mr. Argibay and his attorney's sophomoric and insulting treatment of people who are trying to get in shape in an environment that is supportive and judgment free is unacceptable in this day and age."

We feel that these kind of sophomoric comments and insults are inappropriate and indicative of the unacceptable behavior which lead to the termination of his membership.

Lakhani continued: "Mr. Agribay was asked to stop his excessively loud 'grunting and screaming' as he squatted weight, by the fitness center manager Carol Palazzolo who was giving a family a tour of the fitness center. Mr. Argibay's response was 'I'm a bodybuilder and I'll grunt if I want to', when asked again to stop the loud noise, Mr. Argibay responded 'You are a f******g B*tch, I'm not going to stop" (shouting in a loud aggressive manner, causing other gym members to approach, telling the manager that they were worried about her safety). According to the Planet Fitness Manager involved, Carol Palazzolo, Mr. Argibay was asked to move to the front counter. Mr. Argibay continued to shout and use profanity and identified himself as a corrections officer. When told by Palazzolo that if his intimidating behavior continued that the police would be called, he said 'My f*****g boss is the Captain of the police force.' At that time the fitness center manager contacted local authorities. When police arrived, Mr. Argibay had retired to the men's locker room at which point and after walking through the fitness facility, the police encountered him near the front desk, where he was asked to give his full name by the manager, so that his membership could be terminated and all billing stopped. Mr. Argibay refused to give his name saying to the manager, "I'm not going to make it easy for you." The police gave him direction to give his name at which time he complied. At that point his membership was cancelled.

From a business standpoint, I question the rationale behind responding so publicly. It sure wouldn’t make me feel okay about belonging to or joining this gym. But hey, with over 120 locations, they must be doing something right. Again, I'll stick to Crunch.

File under WTF!

2007-01-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Newsvine, I just found this article on a gym member losing his membership over grunting (there is a link to the actual story on my page below...keep scrolling):

Grunting Carries No Weight in This Gym

ALBANY, N.Y. — Some gyms forbid hogging machines and or wearing flip flops. At one gym, grunting is grounds for expulsion. Albert Argibay of Beacon, N.Y. was escorted by police officers from a gym this week for grunting — which is against Planet Fitness' rules for maintaining a non-intimidating atmosphere.
"Perhaps I grunted, perhaps I didn't. It's open to interpretation," said Argibay, a 40-year-old corrections officer. He said he had his headset on when he was lifting 500 pounds on a squat machine at the gym in Wappingers Falls, about 80 miles north of New York City.

Planet Fitness, which has 120 locations across the country, markets itself as a place where anyone can feel comfortable in its "Judgment Free Zone."
Its rules, posted around the gym, state members cannot wear bandanas, grunt or bang weights on the ground. When an offender is spotted, a "lunk alarm" sounds to warn the member.

Across its locations nationwide, there is at least one expulsion every two weeks, said Mike Grondahl, CEO of Planet Fitness. He said grunting and dropping weights are the most common offenses.

"When somebody's in there and they grunt and they grunt loud, it's trying to bring attention to themselves to show everyone how strong they are," Grondahl said.

Planet Fitness seems strikingly a lot like this other gym I am pretty familiar with, Crunch fitness, right down to the logo and tagline. How many things are wrong with this situation (like how similarly Planet markets itself to Crunch)? A number, but one of the weird things is the CEO claiming that grunting is attention seeking behavior. That sounds a bit judgmental to me. As far as it being a gym for novices because the heaviest dumbbell is 80lbs, I have to call bullshit. I know plenty of people who are not novices who cannot lift with 80lb. dumbbells. Yours truly included.

I would just like to say that I am happy to be a member of Crunch Fitness, which does stick to it’s “No Judgments” policy, and grunting is actually encouraged!

Caught!

2007-01-12T12:06:00.000-05:00

Last night, I got caught. Probably sounds stupid for the non fitness person, but for someone like me, it does matter and it is also the reason why I have been gym hopping more than normal lately. Friday morning, I had a bench press session scheduled with my trainer. He had told me to do nothing the day before to ensure that I was energized and pumped to make some gains when we did chest.

Did I listen? Course not. In fact, I lifted back on Thursday morning (trainer wasn’t there), then went back in the evening to do a spin class. After spin, I wanted to lift calves, innocuous enough, or so I figured. Trainer was there in the evening, and he saw me, so I went over to say hi. I explained that I was only doing calves, and that I had done some “light” cardio (a boldfaced lie). He said okay, then looked at his Blackberry to check our next meeting.

Upon seeing that we were set for 7:15am the next day, and for bench press no less, he began to freak out on me. Sigh, exactly the reason why I normally avoid him on days I do not work out with him. He even told me he wouldn’t have checked his Friday schedule, but since I came over to talk to him, he did. He basically made me leave the gym, and I couldn’t finish my calf workout.

And, I had to make sure that I did well with the bench press this morning or risk getting an “I told you so.” I did do okay with chest, made some strength gains for sure. After we finished, I busted out some shoulders, and finished working out the calves!

No doubt that I will be back later today, gotta hit some arms and cardio.

Etiquette

2007-01-07T15:36:00.000-05:00

One of my pet peeves at the gym is when people leave plates on machines when they are finished with them. I remember seeing this one old guy, in incredible shape for his age, and at the gym every morning for four hours or so, using the incline leg press. He was putting up 5 plates on each side, or 450 lbs. After finishing his sets, he walked away from the machine, leaving all of the plates there. What a douchebag, right?

One day, I wasn’t in a great mood, and to make matters worse, I was doing a set of upper body exercises on some machines that some meathead was also using. I wasn’t directly behind him, but in general, we were both working out chest. The douchebag left all of his plates on every single machine he hit.

A little peeved, I moved over to some leg machines; hack squat and incline leg press. After finishing up with the machines, I left a few plates on them, not all of the plates, but a few. Go figure, I was still in the area and see one girl simultaneously go to each of the machines, a look of dismay on their faces as they had to remove the big plates to put on their girlie weights. I felt terrible…not terrible enough to go back over to help them, though.

Since then, I make sure I remove everything. Heck, sometimes, when I see plates on a machine I’m not even using, I take the plates off. I think that will even things out, karmically speaking.

Oh, tomorrow I am back with my trainer; plan is to work out back. He told me not to do anything this weekend. Of course I didn’t listen, but I did take Saturday off. Sunday morning, I snuck into the gym, didn’t see him and sighed with relief. I had wanted to do bench press, even though he cites that as one of the reasons why my squat day was so bad. Anyway, I was doing some cardio, and of course he shows up. No other trainer was there on Sunday morning, but mine was. As long as tomorrow goes okay with back, he won’t give me crap.

I never learn

2007-01-05T15:36:00.000-05:00

Last night, I hit some cardio pretty hard. I went to my one of my favorite spin teacher’s classes…I sometimes consider her 45 minute class the highlight of my week. She hasn’t been around for the past few weeks, I guess because of the holidays. Or not, maybe she quit. I think she quit; the new winter schedule is out, and she is not on it. Anywhere. I should check my other gym locations to be certain.

Anyway, I can’t stand the guy who was subbing. I ran a quick mile, went down and set up my stuff on my bike and started doing some abs in the stretching area. Made a judgment call and decided to keep my sweat up and get back to the treadmill. (this is something that I hope to fix…showing up for a class and knowing who will teach, or knowing, at least, if the person I show up for will not be there, but more on that later). Grabbed my cycling shoes, threw them back in my locker, and started running again. Logged about 4 more miles; felt great. I went up to stretch, and was just about to finish, when lo and behold, who sdo I see (or rather, sees me) but my trainer. Crap; I was trying to avoid him. I had narrowly escaped the gym in the morning without him seeing me (so I think). He did give me a strange look when he saw me, I swear.

Met him this morning to kill some squats. I got killed. The worst part about this is that when I told him what I did the day before, I was 100% honest. I told him I did cardio in the evening, then I Was stupid/cocky and told him I did the chest/shoulder workout we have been doing. He immediately prophesied it would be a bad squat day. Boy, was he ever right. Sparing the details of my pathetic reps and my inability to get up 225 even once, most of our squat session was really him lecturing me on how important, when building some serious strength, resting is. Between sets, between days. I know this, he has told me this since the beginning. And seriously, I have gotten better…for the most part. Well, I paid for my hubris in those 40 minutes of a terrible squat workout that was my own fault.

The part of our workout after that, was, indeed a lot of fun. I felt like a circus clown.

My neck, my back, lick my...

2007-01-04T16:18:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I decided to do the chest/shoulder workout that my trainer has reprogrammed me to do. I had nobody to spot me on the bench, and I hadn’t done that workout in a few days because of the holidays, so I went for an increase in reps instead or weight. That went fine, nothing spectacular. I hit about 6 sets, including a warm-up of 10 reps at 95. I progressed, maxing 155.

After that, I wanted to attack the standing military press since I did not need a spotter. I did a warm up set of 10 with the 45 lb bar. Added 20 pounds, did another set of 10. Now, normally, with my trainer, we do not even really go for much of a weight increase. This is usually one of the last exercises we do for this workout, but I was hitting it second. Fine, so I added another 10 pounds to either side, bringing it up to 85. I see people at the gym who do not look substantially more fit than me putting up a good 30 pounds or so more, so of course I was gonna do this. First set, 6 reps. Second set, 7 reps. Third set, I hit 7 reps, and was straining to do one more. I strained too much, and bam, a spasm in my upper back/lower neck area. The bar came down, and I had to lay on my back, and could not move until the spasm subsided. When it did, I could barely turn my head in either direction; it felt like I had whiplash and was wearing a neck brace, I had that little range of motion.

I massaged my neck and sat down for a good 15 minutes. This was only my second exercise for the day. I had been away from the gym, and had intended on putting in at least a good 2 hour workout. So that is exactly what I did. What a stupid, irresponsible thing to do. I felt tough for having gutted out the workout, even making sure that I was going for strength through weight increases on the rest of my workout.

Idiot. I got home, and laid on my couch the rest of the day. A friend of mine was in the country from Spain, and I could not even go meet him because I couldn’t move. Thought about cancelling my training session the following day. I didn’t. When I got to the gym, and he saw how I could barely move, he cancelled it. Sigh. I left but did a spin class later that night. Will I ever learn?

Overtraining (or obsessed)

2007-01-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I am gonna have to take two with this. I embarked on this journey to get stronger with my trainer around Thanksgiving. I have definitely gotten stronger and learned a bunch of new exercises. Also, I have stopped overtraining, which I believe really has contributed to my gains.

One of the mantras that my trainer has taught me is “fight to not go to the gym.” How incredibly odd. Before I left to live in France for a year, I would workout multiple times during the day. Normally, I would lift and do cardio in the mornings before work, then would do at least more cardio, and sometimes more lifting after work. I would hit the gym like that every day, and maybe take one day a week off.
I never saw any real gains when I was working out like that.

Of course, my objective then, was to get bigger. Obviously, if I do that much cardio (sometimes up to 8 miles of running a day, every day), it would be impossible to get bigger. Now, though, I have been learning to “fight” to stay away from the gym, though it is a struggle. One of the things that has made it easier has been wanting to avoid my trainer…I don’t want to get shit from him for seeing me at the gym too much. Sometimes, though, I just go to a different gym.

Lazy!

2006-12-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I have been slacking with posts, which is no good since I just started this. Anyway, Monday workout: killer chest/shoulders with my trainer. Superset with straight up barbell bench press and bridge/core/chest work with two swiss balls. After about 4-5 sets each of those, with max of 2 45lb. plates for the bench press, moved on to shoulders. I could barely raise my arms over my head. We moved on to more core and abs stuff (he loves the core!). I had warmed up about 30 minutes with cardio before the workout, and was tired from the weekend so I did not do any more.

My trainer advised me against doing much more outside of our workouts. I.e, light cardio on days in between, and that is all, for the sake of having enough energy for my strength training. I do see the point, especially on days we meet, but days in between!?! With my recent lack of gym motivation, it wasn’t too hard to fight back against his words of advice.

On Tuesday, only did light cardio and a little bicep/tricep. I guess I am still recovering from the past weekend. Pretty disappointing workout. Wednesday was much better. Warmed up for 20 minutes, the worked out with the trainer. We did lots of squats, then more core/abs. We were working on standing with one foot and balancing on a medicine ball…pretty amusing, but it feels great to actually get it. Kind of feel like a circus freak! Unfortunately, did not make it back for a second workout, hence I feel super lazy. My workouts with the trainer are intense, but I still feel like I could be putting in more time. Blah.

So, eating-wise, I guess I have been better. Probably not enough greens, but, only grains I have had have been whole grains, and only early in the day. Also, started putting the protein powder back in my morning coffee. Your stomach needs to be used to this, trust me, or it is no fun! Also, I made a huge pot of beef vegetable soup. Just ground beef, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and cabbage. It was dinner last night, and so far is all I have eaten today (and two pieces of whole grain toast in the morning).

Repent

2006-12-04T06:31:00.000-05:00

The last few days I have spent in London, and did absolutely no working out, except for walking around the city. A fair bit of walking, but really, my body is missing some intense working out.

Eating-wise, it certainly could have been worse, in that I didn’t completely gorge myself the entire time, but what I ate was not what I should normally have. I made an exception for this weekend.

Friday morning, I ate part of a croissant on the plane; I needed something. Then, a few chips as part of my friend’s market research for his snack company. A few more chips in the evening before we headed out to dinner, where I ate lobster tail for an appetizer, turkey with vegetables, and then dessert, a chocolate fondant with sorbet. Aside from dessert, I don’t think that was all that bad, though, there were a few glasses of wine and a few mixed drinks in there as well. Oh yeah, when we got back to the apartment after our night out, we ate fried cheese…

Saturday morning, we went to Borough Market, an unbelievable outdoor food market. While there, are ate a lamb burger and a chorizo sandwich. So good! But not so good for me, given the grease and bread. Drank a coffee a few hours later (I requested non-milk, though I suspect that they didn’t listen to me. I also suspect that when I order Jack and diet cokes, they are really giving me fat coke). Our dinner was somewhat small, as my friend’s roommate cooked for all of us. A few dumplings, some pita bread, and some stir-fried beef. Pretty damn good, though. Went clubbing for some friend’s bday parties, so of course, there was plenty of liquor involved. The end of the night, though, brought on the worst degeneration of food monitoring, ever. It started with the sharma, which was pretty good and worth the wait in line. However, we then moved on to fried chicken and French fries. I feel super guilty about that today. Of course, this didn’t show when I ate two pieces of chocolate cake for brunch. It was for my bday, so I really do not feel guilty about the cake.

Now I am at the airport, and will probably eat some crap airplane food. Tonight, I hope I can muster enough will power to just grab a salad somewhere, drink a lot of water, and be ready to kick some ass tomorrow. I have been slacking big time lately, in spite of signing on with a trainer. I really need to focus on foods while I improve my strength. I know I say that my goal is to get stronger, because I always take fat loss as a given. However, it is not happening, and I know that I need to step it up with cardio and watch what I am eating.

Making up for yesterday (part II)

2006-11-29T20:41:00.000-05:00

So far, today, I stuck to my normal routine of a triple/quadruple espresso shot for breakfast with a Detour bar. Then, hit the gym by about 8:30. Jumped rope for about 10 minutes (okay 5), then jogged for 20 minutes before meeting my trainer. Kicked my ass with back exercise today…he asked me how much I weighed and I said 155, which I guess is my normal weight, though when I weighed myself afterwards, I was at 158 (gasp). I normally hover between 152-158, though I hardly ever get up this high. As always, since I have not been doing enough cardio and have been eating like crap, I am convinced that this is bad weight. We’ll see…I know I need to feed the fiend but I have to be slightly (read much) more disciplined.

After working out with trainer, I stretched and did some abs…Not truly inspired, not sure why I am being so lazy when I workout without trainer. I think the cutback in cardio definitely has something to do with it. I need to get my ass to more spin classes; I think that will help me get back into cardio gear.
Now I am drinking a grande iced mocha, non fat no whip and Splenda. There is chocolate syrup in there, though, and it’s like 5 bucks. Oh well.

For lunch, I will try to get a salad and then finish the burger I have leftover from dinner last night. I don’t think I will make it back to the gym for a second cardio workout, blah.

Yeah, yeah, dinner ha turned out to be a nightmare. No cardio either…Where has my willpower gone? Gorgonzola cheese and wheat thins, and Subway. No wonder my stomach hates me! And trust me, it shows…

Making up for yesterday (part I)

2006-11-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

Ok, so my inaugural post was really weak, and I didn’t even post yesterday. Truth be told, I was a little bit hung over yesterday, so my workout and day pretty much sucked. I’ll start from the top.

Got my ass out of bed relatively early (6:30am), but spent a few hours drinking coffee, catching up on the markets, and just generally putzing around (I do a lot of that). Aside from my morning coffee, which has turned into this triple/quadruple espresso shot drink, I ate a S’mores Detour bar. I always use Splenda and skim milk in my coffee. Guess it’s not too bad for pre-workout?

Anyway, so yesterday I did biceps and triceps. I ended up doing 4 exercises for each, supersetting them, (alternating one bicep set with one tricep set). Finally, it came out to 12 sets of bis and 12 sets of tris. That is 3 sets of each exercise. Normally, I do 6 and 6, but, well, I was hungover. Very little cardio in the morning, just wasn’t feeling it. James Iha was there; have a few Smashing Pumpkins songs on my playlist for running.

Was famished afterwards, so I grabbed a chicken with cheddar and bacon club sandwich from Starbucks, and some Odwalla lime rasp-cranberry juice. That was pure sugar, and I felt guilty, but I really didn’t need another coffee…
A few hours later, was still starving so I grabbed a Papaya dog hot dog. Met up with a friend and had a hot chocolate. (Wow, I sure ate like crap yesterday…but it gets even worse!). Went back to the gym, this time to repent and do some cardio. Ran for about 15 minutes, then switched to the cross trainer…pretty weak, but at least I got a good sweat in.

Again, I was famished, and I wanted so badly to have a good, healthy dinner. Original plan was to get Better Burger (which I know isn’t great, but it would have been some quality protein). Instead, I ordered 10 hot wings and a burger with waffle fries from Atomic Wings. OOPS! I only went with abusive for the wings, and my mouth is actually watering just thinking about them…hot sauce has that Pavlovian effect on me. I managed to keep myself from eating the whole burger…It all tasted pretty damn good though!

Needless to say, the food I ate on Tuesday was pretty bad…I was dehydrated from all the salt, even though I felt I must have drank at least 4 liters of water. Anyway, let’s see if I can do any better in the coming days…Heading to London for the weekend, so magic eight ball says outlook not good…