Changing up your workouts is a good thing

I find that it's okay to mix and match your workouts because you'll need to confuse your body. It's good to do a variety of aerobic activities, and it's good to vary your weight training.

I notice that there are some folks who get concerned when they are lacking on time and wait 30 seconds between reps instead of a minute, but I think that's fine.  It often forces you to get an aerobic activity on a weight day, and it forces you to use a little less weight as well.  Light and rapid equals good.  

Another thing I do is mix up the way I do upper body.  Some days I do Chest, Shoulders, Back, Triceps and then Biceps.  But sometimes I do the exact opposite.  I think it's neat because on the days I do the former by the time I get to Biceps I can't lift that much.  Yet on the days I do the later, I find I can lift almost twice as much with my Biceps.  So I think it's good to mix it up.  

I think the next time I do such a workout I'm going to do back first, because that usually gets tossed into the middle.  I wonder how much weights I could lift with my back muscles if they were fresh.  

I also think it's good to do a variety of aerobic activities, such as basketball, racket ball, sprinting, etc., as opposed to getting on the treadmill each day.  Yet in the winter the treadmill is the only option for me.  So most days I do interval training, yet sometimes I mix it up and run at a slower pace and go for distance.  Yet since time is usually precious, I usually have to do the interval training.  

So mixing it up is good.  

Day #36 of 84

Yesterday was upper body day, and as promised, I mixed it up a bit: I did the workout backwards.  

1.  Biceps: (one arm curls)

• 12 reps at 20 pounds
• 10 reps at 25 pounds
• 8 reps at 30 pounds
• 6 reps at 30 pounds
• 12 reps at 25 pounds
• 12 reps Hammer curls  at 25 pounds

Result:  Great burn.  Perfect

2.  Triceps: lateral tricep pulldowns

• 12 reps at 50 pounds
• 10 reps at 60 pounds
• 8 reps at 70 pounds
• 6 reps at 80 pounds
• 12 reps at 70 pounds
• 12 reps of barbell tricep extensions with 25 pounds -- very winded after this workout

Result:  Great burn. Perfect

3.  Back: Wide grip lat Pulldowns

• 12 reps at 50 pounds
• 10 reps at 60 pounds
• 8 reps at 70 pounds
• 6 reps at 70 pounds
• 12 reps at 60 pounds
• 12 reps of back extensions at 10 pounds

Results: great burn

4.  Shoulders: Front raises

• 12 reps at 10 pounds
• 10 reps at 15 pounds
• 8 reps at 20 pounds
• 6 reps at 25 pounds
• 12 reps at 25 pounds
• 12 reps of side raises at 20 pounds

Results: good workout

5.  Chest: Incline Chest presses

• 12 reps at 25 pounds
• 10 reps at 30 pounds
• 8 reps at 35 pounds
• 6 reps at 40 pounds
• 12 reps at 35 pounds
• 25 reps of the red thing with both arms 

Overall:  Great workout.  Great burn at end.  Also shoveled snow for warmup.  

Took the rest of the day off as a free day.  

Day #34

It's been a very tough week. Monday and Tuesday I worked, and on Tuesday I was so worn out I skipped my workout.  On Wednesday I made up for it with a killer aerobic workout, the best so far.  And on Wednesday night work sucked, and I was so exhausted Thursday the lower body workout was poor.  Plus for some reason I'm staring this week.  Yet I don't give in.  Can't wait for my freeday. Yet the diet goes on well... for the most part.

Last night there was so much snow I spent most of today shoveling and blowing snow, and so I'm counting that as my workout today.  I'm sorry, but the sniffles and sneezes struck again today -- I just can't shake this cold, have had it almost two months -- so I'm taking tonight off.  I'm taking tomorrow off.  I am craving food.  I am going to have a beer and some chips and take a few days off.  

Despite the obstacles, I'm doing well on the RFL.  I will get back at it on Sunday.  I think the free day will help to recharge me.  

How to eat well in the hospital cafeteria

So there are days when I work that I did not bring my own healthy BFL worthy lunch.  On these days I am forced to buy some food from the hospital cafeteria.  I have found though, that on most days, you can mix and match what is provided to put together a healthy meal.  

For instance, today the choices were:

1. Pizza
2. Fiesta wraps (grilled chicken cubes, salad, tomato, Ranch dressing, rolled into a tortilla shell)
3. Club sandwich (turkey and bacon and cheese)
4. Sandwich bar
5. Salad bar

You can see there are many options.  Keep in mind this is a meal, and you have to make it at least three hours by my rules without eating another meal or snack.  So, you need to eat enough to fill yourself.  You don't want to be bloated, but you want to fill yourself.  In other words, if you leave the cafeteria hungry, you failed.  

So, what are healthy BFL options:

1. Pizza.  Sure.  Go for it.  One piece of pizza once in a while is just fine
2. Fiesta wrap made your way:  I had the lady wrap chicken in the tortilla shell and that was it.  Hmm, it was sooo good.  
3. Sandwich.  You can have a turkey, ham, or roast beef sandwich on any kind of bread.  I like the pretzel bread.  I know you're supposed to eat wheat bread, but I see no reason you can't treat yourself to what you love best.  Remember, this is the Rick for Life, not the 12 week BFL you're doing. 
4. Salad bar: this is out only because there's nothing on this bar that will satiate your hunger and last you three hours.  Now, you can have a salad, but no bacon bits, no cheese, and you must have low fat dressing.  You can have salad, but you have to be very careful.  (actually, on the RFL you can have bacon and cheese.  Just be careful.  But I prefer to skip the salad.

See.  You can find plenty of options at the hospital cafeteria.  Other things I'd eat are: Lasagna, hamburger and bun, spaghetti (although I don't love it, it's filling), etc.  About the only thing I try to avoid is anything that looks like it has been fried, cooked in butter, or with nuts (like green beans cooked with nuts).  

However, its better to eat something not 100% healthy for you than to go hungry.  If you starve yourself and you get sick, or you crash, that's worse than eating one not perfect meal.  So use your head dunderhead.  

The surreptitious diet

My wife and I decided we were not going to tell anyone we are doing the body for life.  I think the main reason is because we've done it before and succeeded, and now we kind of feel like failures that we gained all the weight back and some.  Yet, to our defense, we had three kids.  Yes.  That's enough said.

So, we are doing the diet surreptitiously.  We want to see how long it will be before people notice.  Many experts say it's about two months before those who are close to you will notice, and about three months before other people notice.

We figure if we continue to do this all the way to summer we should have a good summer.  It's always inspiring when someone says, "Rick, how much weight have you lost?"  Or when someone says, "Wow, even your face looks thinner."  Or this one: "Wow!  I almost didn't recognize you."

There will be tough days, as last Saturday was a tough one for me.  Yet you must continue to keep your eye on the plan.

Today is day #30.  I will do no workout today, although I will diet to the best of my ability.  It's usually easy to do when I'm working because I can only eat the food I brought with me.  Have a good day.

Day 29: Upper Body Workout

The upper body workout today went something like this

• Chest:
• Barbell Bench Press (chest muscles)
• 12 reps = 75 pounds
• 10 = 85
• 8 = 95
• 6 = 105
• 12 = 95
• Dumbbell Flyes (chest burnout)
• 12 = 35 pounds each arm

Notes:  Great workout; need to increase weights

• Shoulders:
• Standing Dumbbell Press
• 12 reps = 25 pounds each arm
• 10 = 30 
• 8 = 35
• 6 = 35
• 12 = 35
• Dumbbell Front Raises
• 12 reps = 15 pounds each arm

Notes:  Great workout, very shaky; like to increase reps of 6 to 40 pounds; didn't do it today because didn't have a 40 pound dumbbell

• Back
• Dumbbell Rows
• 12 reps at 25 pounds (good warm-up)
• 10 = 30 pounds
• 8 = 35 pounds
• 6 = 40 pounds
• 12 = 35 pounds
• Lateral Pull downs
• 12 at x pounds

Notes:  may increase weights after warm-up so doing 45 pounds at reps of 6 

• Triceps
• Lying Triceps extensions
• 12 = 20
• 10 = 25
• 8 = 25
• 6 = 30 (with assist)
• Forgot to do this one

Notes:  Just continue same, and don't forget burnout round of 12

• Biceps
• One Arm Curls
• 12 = 20
• 10 = 25
• 8 = 25
• 6 = 30
• 12 = 25
• Hammer curls
• 12 = 20 
• 10 = 25

Notes:  Good workout; ready to increase after warm-up

Next workout will probably mix it up or reverse the order.  Next workout Friday

Overall:  Great workout; really feel burned; muscles shaky; so long as can use good form would like to make the above weight increase; even if only slight

Day 29

Week number four was a good one.  It got a little tough after the Thursday free day, as its often hard not to take a free day on the weekend.  My wife even brought home donuts from work this morning, and the one with white frosting and nuts on it looked -- and still does -- quite yummy.  So far I have resisted eating it.

Saturday was a very difficult day to keep my eye on the plan because I was very tired after working Friday night.  And considering my wife worked Saturday night, I was afraid I would crash once she went to work.  I even went as far to ask my wife if she'd order pizza for dinner, but she said, "You need to keep your eye on the plan."  Surely I was irritated by her saying this, but inspired at the same time.  It's weak moments like this why it's good to have a partner.

So after she went to work I decided to invite my sister and her new boyfriend over, and instead of crashing we talked sports and watched movies.  This was a great way to resist the urge to cheat, which I probably would have done if left alone.  (Note: my wife and I have told no one we are on the plan).

By the time they left I was feeling quite inspired, so I ran on the treadmill after the kids were in bed.  Gosh, it must have been around 10 p.m.  I watched Michigan get beat by Indiana while running.  It was my first really good interval run since I got the flu.  It felt great.  I went to bed feeling satisfied, and happy I didn't crash.

Today the plan is to get a killer upper body workout.  I might mix it up a bit.

The BFL Daily Progress Reports

If you guys haven't found them, the BFL website has some really neat progress reports you can download.  you can find them here.  I have in the past recorded every meal in a journal, and the same for my workouts.  I find that this helps to do the BFL to a tea.

Although, of late, I find that the only thing I keep track of on paper is my daily progress (what day I'm on).  I also keep track of my weight.

Of course I may have a different goal that most people who do this diet.  I don't plan on having a rock hard body.  I'm just happy to have a healthy, in shape body.  Whether it's rock hard or not is not something I care about.

I mean, I'm happily married.  Well, it would be nice to have a six pack, but to wish for one would just be setting myself up for disappointment.