The Chances

How a 250+ Pound Couch Potato Got Healthy

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

I totally forgot how much it sucks working out when you don't feel well. I was fine until I got back from Humboldt, but now the cold is in full force, combined with allergies. There's a touch of congestion, which I know will only get worse. Whine, whine, whine.

Warmup, 30 seconds of each in a circuit, 3 sets
* Jumping jack
* Split jack
* Prisoner squat
* Alternating lunge
* Mountain climber

Workout, alternating sets between exercises 1 & 2, then 3 & 4
* Elevated heels high bar squat, 95lbs, 4 sets of 12
* Cardio ball weighted back extension, 10lbs, 4 sets of 12
* Wide-grip barbell curl, 40lbs on bar (not sure how much bar weighs), 3 sets of 12
* Incline dumbbell triceps extension, 2 sets of 12 @ 20lbs ea, 1 set of 10 @ 25lbs ea

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Another Memorial Day vacation has come and gone. I was hoping to post some video from the trip, but it's taking too long to upload. I'll edit this post later this evening when it completes.

In the meantime, I'll share a few photos. The kids had an awesome time, so did my wife and I. Dani, our 13-year-old niece, came with us, but was too busy being 13 to really enjoy herself. Eventually she did, though.

How happy were the kids? Check out Jenny.


For some reason Gregory kept wanting to hammer a particular redwood tree. I think it's because there was a rusty nail in the tree.


It's always great fun seeing the kids enjoying themselves.


On Sunday, my plan was to hike up to Grasshopper Peak via the Johnson Camp Trail. This would have been part of my training both for Half Dome and for the Tahoe Rim Trail, but a half-mile in, I ran into a State Park sign that said the trail was closed. Back at Albee Creek Campground, they didn't have any idea why it would be closed. The person at the gate said that there had been a bear sighted a few days ago, but didn't think it would still be closed. Back at the Visitor Center, they had no clue but were going to ask the ranger. The next morning I happened to see the ranger come in, and he said it was a mistake. The trail had been open all along, but someone forgot to take the sign down!

In the end, though, it was for the best. Rather than driving up north on Monday, we did it on Sunday, leaving more time on Monday to drive home. We were able to get home early instead of in the middle of the night, which is always nice.

So northward, we went up to Klamath to see Paul Bunyon & Babe at the Trees of Mystery. Yes, that's Gregory & Jenny on his foot.


Gregory kept punching Babe's manhood. Gotta love a 5-year-old.


On the way back, after much rejoicing on the part of the kids, we went to the beach. Clam Beach is just north of Eureka.


Jenny loved walking in the sand, and kept saying, "Warrrrrm!"


Gregory was pretty happy about it as well.


Even Dani got in on the situation; she wanted to find some good seashells. Unfortunately, because this is a pretty popular beach, all she found were broken ones.


I don't know if you remember me posting about this back a few years ago, but I had taken a cute shot of Gregory on the beach back in 2003. It was unintentional, but I got a similar shot this time.


He was a little bit too excited, which brings us to the fun part of the story. Back when I was 6 or 7, my parents took my sister and I to the coast, to the beach. I doubt it was this same beach, but my mom kept telling me to be careful, that I might fall. Being the age I was, I was more interested in fun than paying attention, and made the mistake of turning my back on the water. You know what happened next. Well, guess what happened to Gregory?

Here he is just prior to the event. Notice, he's facing me.


When it happened, he was caught by one wave that made him land on his butt. He got up and tried to steady himself, only to be hit by a second wave that put him flat on his face. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of him falling. I do, however, have one of the aftermath.


That put an end to the fun. Jenny threw a giant fit, but there was no way we could have kept Gregory out in the cold. Dani was unhappy as well.

After Gregory was cleaned up and we were getting ready to leave, we got to watch the sunset. I like this one. I have no idea who the person is.


We ended with the obligatory "look how we've grown" picture. We have a whole set of these now.


We had plenty of fun. Video to come!
Here we are, the day after the 3-day holiday/vacation, first workout back. After expecting to do a 16 to 17 mile hike on Sunday, the trail was closed and I ended up not exercising at all. I expected to gain weight, but didn't, and now it's back to not only the weight loss meal plans, but a new workout schedule as well.

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 w/45lb bar
* Overhead squat
* Squat
* Good morning
* Lunge
* Romanian deadlift
* Bent-over row

Workout
* Bench press, 95lb, 3 sets of 7, 1 set of 6
* Single-arm dumbbell row, 45lb dumbbell, 4 sets of 7
* External rotation, 10lb dumbbell, 3 sets of 7
* Swiss ball crunch, 2 sets of 7, 6 sets of 8

Friday, May 25, 2007

Well, today I felt my workout was extremely productive. It's also the last workout of this 3-week period, on Monday the workouts change.

Warmup, 30 seconds of each in a circuit, 3 sets
* Jumping jack
* Split jack
* Prisoner squat
* Alternating lunge
* Mountain climber

Workout
* Jump squat, 5 sets of 5 reps, 70lbs
* Bulgarian split squat, 5 sets of 5, 70lbs
* Good morning, 5 sets of 5, 70lbs
* Lying DB triceps extension, 3 sets of 5, 25lb dumbbells
* Barbell rollout, 3 sets of 6

Thursday, May 24, 2007

More workouts, I forgot to enter yesterday's. Here are both.

5-23-07
Warmup, as many as possible of each in 30 seconds * 3 sets
* Jumping jack
* Split jack
* Squat
* Split squat
* Mountain climber

Workout
* High step-up, 25lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10 reps
* Romanian deadlift, 105lbs, 3 sets of 10
* Offset incline dumbbell curl, 20lb dumbbells, 6 sets of 10
* Incline lower trap raise, 20lb dumbbell, 1 set of 5; 10lb dumbbell, 5 sets of 10

5-24-07
Warmup, 3 sets of 5 w/45lb bar
* Overhead squat
* Squat
* Good morning
* Lunge
* Romanian deadlift
* Bent-over row

Workout
* Dynamic pushup, 3 sets of 6
* Bench press, 95lbs, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 5
* Chin-up, 2 assisted (standing on step)
* Combo raise, 20lb dumbbells, 2 sets of 10, 1 set of 7
* Incline lower trap raise, 10lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Since yesterday I ended up working through lunch, when I normally would work out, Monday became a rest day. That was just fine and dandy for me, after Sunday's TRT!

So everything's shifted by a day. I ended up working out after work. Today's workout:

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 each, 45lb bar for weight
* Overhead squat
* Squat
* Good morning
* Lunge
* Romanian deadlift
* Bent-over row

Workout
* Incline dumbell press, 3 sets of 5, 30lb dumbells
* Neutral-grip dumbell row, 3 sets of 5, 35lb dumbells
* Scaption, 4 sets of 5, 20lb dumbells
* Incline lower trap raise, 5 sets of 5, 10lb dumbells
A little late, I know, but the past few days have been extremely busy at work.

Sunday was the first leg of the Tahoe Rim Trail! We picked the first to be the shortest: 12.2 miles. This gave everyone a chance to see firsthand how the longer trails would be and determine whether or not they could make it.

Who are we? The Sacramento Hiking Meetup Group, of course. Meetup's pretty neat, it's a way for people with similar interests to gather and have meetings, or in this case, go hiking. There are also a few local Meetup groups for backpacking.

So back to the TRT. The segment we did was the shortest, at 12.2 miles. The others are all over 20 miles, one of which is 30! The 30-miler we'll be doing as an overnight backpacking trip.

If you're used to reading topo maps, here's how it was:



I had a great time, although it was a bit gruelling. The next trip is still over three weeks away... BUT... between then and now is a trip to Grasshopper Peak in Humboldt Memorial Day weekend, and then Half Dome on June 12!

I can feel the soreness now. Here's a picture of me on a peak along the rim:

Friday, May 18, 2007

With the workout today I was worried I might hurt myself again, so I did the same amount of weight as last week for the squats. Here we go:

Warmup, 3 sets of 30-seconds (approx. 30 reps):
* Jumping jacks
* Split jacks
* Prisoner squats
* Split squats
* Mountain climbers

Workout
* Jump squats, 3 sets of 6 (60lbs on shoulders)
* Bulgarian split squats, 3 sets of 6 (65lbs on shoulders)
* Good mornings, 3 sets of 6 (75lbs on shoulders)
* Lying DB tricep extensions, 3 sets of 6 (20lbs ea)
* Dumbell rollouts, 3 sets of 6

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Well that's new.

I finished my workout, and while this isn't a big deal to most people, I did a complete pullup without problem. No assist, just grabbing the bar and pulling myself up. This is an accomplishment for me! I haven't been able to do pullups since gradeschool, and even then, it was only for two or three. I was never able to get the Physical Fitness Awards in school as a result of not being able to do pullups.

So I'm happy. It can only get better, right? Oh wait, don't answer. I skipped the lunges today for fear of a relapse of yesterday's injury.

Today's workout...

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 reps each, in a circuit:
* Overhead Squat, 45lb bar overhead
* Squat, 45lb bar on shoulders
* Good Morning, 45lb bar on shoulders
* Romanian Deadlift, 45lb bar
* Bent Over Row, 45lb bar

Workout
* Dynamic Pushup, 3 sets, 11 reps ea
* Bench Press, 1 set of 11 @ 85lbs, 1 set of 6 @ 85lbs
* Chin-Up, 1 unassisted, 1 assisted
* Combo Raise, 4 sets of 11, 10lb dumbells
* Horizontal Lateral Raise, 3 sets of 11, 10lb dumbells

I'm not looking forward to working my legs tomorrow. I'll be taking it easy, of course. Gotta be ready for the TRT on Sunday, I can't go hurting myself more.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Today was my cardio day, so I was going to report how I happily jogged two and a half miles and did 8 15-second sprints.

I was wrong.

I jogged a mile to the park. I rested for a minute or two, then started the first sprint. Two seconds in, my left shin hurt like crazy and I had to stop. It still hurts, although not nearly as badly.

So either I pulled a muscle or had a cramp. Either way, it hurt bad enough to not finish the workout. So in the end, I jogged a mile & walked a mile. Better than nothing, I guess.

All I know is I had better be feeling better by TRT on Sunday.
Well, we finally did it. This past weekend, we went backpacking! The Sacramento Backpackers Meetup group did a short (3-mile, overnight) backpacking trip to Fordyce Creek, just past Eagle Lakes. We left the girls with grandma and took Gregory.

My pack weight ended up being 50 pounds in the end. Angel said her pack was 25 pounds, but it doesn't seem like it would be from what she had (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, snacks, clothing). Gregory carried his essentials.

So away we went. The trail was rated easy, but I'd rate it easy to intermediate. There were quite a few steep portions, and with 50 pounds on my back I felt every inch of it. I wish I had some pictures of our packs, but that's ok. What I do have are some pictures of Gregory on the dayhike we did the afternoon after we arrived at camp.

Here's Gregory climbing over a log.


He had a blast balancing rocks across a creek. He was doing great using the hiking pole to balance!



In the evening, we all made up a story around the campfire, with Gregory telling us all about a frog that got eaten by a werewolf. The next morning before breaking camp, I took Gregory to the top of a large rock, where Angel took our picture.


He was pretty wore on the way back, but he did a good job finishing the task. Gregory was asleep within a few minutes of driving in the car.

So what would I change? I think that trying to fit the three of us into a 2-man tent was a bad idea. It was great until I left to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. When I got back, Gregory was in my spot and I had to pick him up and move him before I could sleep. Once moved, all he did was toss and turn all night, shoving elbows & butt into me and Angel.

In the end, the trip was a rousing success. Gregory got to see things he'd never seen before, including a live rattlesnake that was posing no danger to us (it was about 40 feet away, moving the opposite direction). We also crossed a beaver dam twice.

My next big hiking trip will be on Sunday, where I do the first of the Tahoe Rim Trail hikes. 12.2 miles, Kingsbury Grade to Spooner Summit!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I just finished today's workout.

Warmup: all exercises are 3 sets of 30 reps, done in circuit fashion (90 total).
* Jumping Jacks
* Split Jacks
* Prisoner Squats
* Alternating Lunges
* Mountain Climber

Workout
* High Step-Up: 2x 20lb dumbells, 3 sets of 11 reps
* Romanian Deadlift: 90lbs, 3 sets of 11 reps
* Offset Incline Dumbell Curl: 2x 10lb dumbells, 5 sets of 11 reps
* Incline Lower Trap Raise: 2x 10lb dumbells, 5 sets of 11 reps
I was so excited about 24 when it started up again. That excitement faded away as the season progressed and now, with the season finale coming up in 6 days, I have to wonder if it was all worth it. This season has been boring compared to previous seasons, and especially compared to some of the other shows on TV.

Anyway, hello. I'm a TV addict, but don't be worried. I get out a lot as well. I also plan on posting a bit more often. I've said it before, but this time I mean it.

Really. :)