The Chances

How a 250+ Pound Couch Potato Got Healthy

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Today was the potluck at work, and I was doing so well. I had a salad, and made a sandwich using sprouted flax seed bread brought from home.

Then... towards the end of the day... weakness set in. I ate not one, not two, but THREE cookies. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Today's workout:

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 reps, w/45lb bar
* Overhead Squat
* Squat
* Good Morning
* Barbell Lunge
* Romanian Deadlift
* Bent-Over Row

Workout, 2-exercise circuits
* Neutral-Grip Incline Press, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 5 @ 40lbs, 1 set of 5, 1 set of 7 @ 35lbs
* Chin-Ups, 2 sets of 2, 1 set of 1
* Bent-Arm Lateral Raise & Rotation, 3 sets of 10 @ 20lbs
* Swiss Ball Side Flexion, 3 sets of 10
25 minutes, 186 calories burned

Afterwards I jogged 2.5 miles in record time, 24:28... yet according to the HRM, I burned a bit less calories than yesterday at 288. My guess it was because yesterday I had to push harder to make 25 minutes even towards the end.

Anyway, total calories burned in today's workout: 474

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Well this morning I was back at 162. Per Metabolic Adjustment, I should really have a protein dinner, but doggone it, I want stroganoff! Maybe I'll just go with it and see how I am in the morning.

The workout went great today, I was quite pleased.

Today's workout:
Warmup, Circuit of 30 seconds each exercise, 3 sets
* Jumping Jack
* Split Jack
* Prisoner Squat
* Alternating Lunge
* Mountain Climber

Workout, alternating supersets of 2
* Elevated Heels High Bar Squat, 135lbs, 3 sets of 10 (heels elevated on 10lb weights)
* Exercise Ball Back Extension, 25lbs, 3 sets of 10 (alternate for weighted back extension)
* Wide Grip Barbell Curl, 70lbs on bar, 3 sets of 10
* Incline Dumbbell Triceps Extension, 25lb dubbells, 2 sets of 10, 1 set of 6
35 minutes, 287 calories burned

After the weights I jogged 2.5 miles in 25 minutes, that's 6mph! I just wish I was consistent. At any rate, towards the end I started running faster to make it at 25 minutes. It was 25:02, so that last push helped. 301 calories burned.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Hey guys.

Well I just came out of a world class funk. Gosh, I'm not sure how it started, but I sure know how it continued. I woke up Saturday morning at 162 pounds, 2 pounds up. By Saturday night I just didn't have the motivation to do much of anything. Sunday morning, I was still 162. I went to a Christmas party in the afternoon and ended up eating much too much bad stuff there, so by the end of the day I just felt like crap. I went to bed at 8:30 with the hopes I'd feel better in the morning, but Monday morning I felt the same way.

Lucky by afternoon, I felt fine but because I had to go to the DMV, ended up not exercising at all. Today's much better, thank you very much. I was 160 this morning, back to where I'm supposed to be for this, the second week of metabolic adjustment. I'm just afraid I'm going to gain weight this week.

So yeah, I'm having one of those weeks. Next week's Christmas! Alright, here's today's workout:

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 reps, w/45lb bar
* Overhead Squat
* Squat
* Good Morning
* Barbell Lunge
* Romanian Deadlift
* Bent-Over Row

Workout
* Bench Press, 125lbs, 3 sets of 5
* Single Arm Dumbbell Row, 45lbs, 3 sets of 6
* External Rotation, 25lbs, 3 sets of 5
* Swiss Ball Crunch, 3 sets of 6

That burned 233 calories according to the heart rate monitor. No jogging today due to the storm, I'm hoping to make up for that this evening. Yeah right, where have you heard that before?

Monday, December 17, 2007

I really wish I had a great workout report for today, but unfortunately no. This weekend we were out shopping and as I walked around behind my car, I realized the registration said NOV 2007! For some reason we either didn't receive the renewal notice, or it got lost. Whatever the case, I had to go to the DMV at lunch instead of work out.

I also wish I could say I was going to jog after work, but I know how I am. I'm going to give it a try, but kids tend to not cooperate. We also have an added DOG now, which will make it harder. Sure, the dog can go outside, and sure the kids can be held at bay. That's easier said than done sometimes, so we'll just see how it goes.

The worst that can happen is I won't work out at all. Today will become my rest day, and I'll just work out Tuesday through Friday. With Christmas next week, it'll be the same way next week as well.

Anyway. G'day. :)

Friday, December 14, 2007

Warmup, Circuit of 30 seconds each exercise, 3 sets
* Jumping Jack
* Split Jack
* Prisoner Squat
* Alternating Lunge
* Mountain Climber

Workout, 2-exercise circuits
* Deadlift, 4 sets of 7 @ 135lbs
* Single-Leg Swiss Ball Extension & Leg Curl, 4 sets of 8\
* Close-Grip Bench Press, 2 sets of 7, 1 set of 4 @ 115lbs
* Hammer Curl, 3 sets of 8 @ 35lbs

2.5-mile jog afterwards, 27 minutes

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 reps, w/45lb bar
* Overhead Squat
* Squat
* Good Morning
* Barbell Lunge
* Romanian Deadlift
* Bent-Over Row

Workout, 2-exercise circuits
* Neutral-Grip Incline Press, 1 set of 12 @ 40lbs, 1 set of 12 & 1 set of 7 @ 35lbs
* Chin-Ups, 1 set of 2, 2 sets of 1
* Bent-Arm Lateral Raise & Rotation, 1 set of 12 @ 20lbs, 2 sets of 12 @ 15lbs
* Swiss Ball Side Flexion, 3 sets of 12

2.5-mile jog afterwards, 30 minutes

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Back at 160 this morning... but hey, that's ok. Since I lost the two pounds in the middle of metabolic adjustment, gaining them back in a day really isn't a big deal. It's probably water anyway, not to mention the goal during metabolic adjustment isn't to lose weight, it's to not gain.

At any rate, I jogged 5 miles today in 57 minutes. Joy!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

This morning when I weighed in, much to my surprise, I was 158 pounds! That's after the Christmas party weekend, with all the food available. It just shows that persistence pays off! This makes me quite happy.

Today's workout:
Warmup, Circuit of 30 seconds each exercise, 3 sets
* Jumping Jack
* Split Jack
* Prisoner Squat
* Alternating Lunge
* Mountain Climber

Workout, alternating supersets of 2
* Elevated Heels High Bar Squat, 125lbs, 4 sets of 12 (heels elevated on 10lb weights)
* Exercise Ball Back Extension, 25lbs, 4 sets of 12 (alternate for weighted back extension)
* Wide Grip Barbell Curl, 60lbs on bar, 2 sets of 12
* Incline Dumbbell Triceps Extension, 20lb dubbells, 2 sets of 12

Half-hour, 2.5-mile jog afterwards.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Back from the FSP Christmas Party! This year it was held in Monterey, and I must say that it was much better than the ones in Reno or Tahoe. It cost us about the same amount of money, but while in Reno/Tahoe it's just gambling, here we got to do plenty of things. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, got to walk along the ocean, bought some neat gifts & souvenirs, and had a beautiful drive.

The best part is I actually ate properly the entire time. With seafood being the #1 choice, grilled fish was plentiful! I even managed to work out on Saturday morning.

The unfortunate thing is I came back with a nice case of chest congestion. I decided not to do any cardio today, but judging from how my weight workout went, I could probably manage. Tomorrow I'll do the jogging thing, but for now, here's the weights:

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 reps, w/45lb bar
* Overhead Squat
* Squat
* Good Morning
* Barbell Lunge
* Romanian Deadlift
* Bent-Over Row

Workout
* Bench Press, 115lbs, 3 sets of 7
* Single Arm Dumbbell Row, 45lbs, 3 sets of 8
* External Rotation, 20lbs, 5 sets of 7
* Swiss Ball Crunch, 5 sets of 8

Isn't it sad that the girl in the clip I used for the Single Arm Dumbbell Row is using more weight than I did? My arms don't look like hers! Nofair!

Anyway, on with life...

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Hey there! For the first time I jogged in the rain today. While it wasn't too bad, my shoes & socks are now wet in the toes. They'll be wet the rest of the day. Oh well, all in the name of fitness, right? More like dorkiness.

Warmup, 3 sets of 5 reps, w/45lb bar
* Overhead Squat
* Squat
* Good Morning
* Barbell Lunge
* Romanian Deadlift
* Bent-Over Row

Workout, first exercise stands alone, other 4 are 2-exercise supersets
* Dynamic Pushup, 3 sets of 6
* Bench Press, 105lbs, 3 sets, each decreasing as failure set in... 10 reps, 7 reps, 3 reps
* Chin-Up, 1 set of 2, 2 sets of 1
* Combo Raise, 25lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10
* Horizontal Lateral Raise, 25lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10

Those last two sets on the raises were awful. I'm still sore from Tuesday's curls!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

I had intended to jog 5 miles today, but instead jogged 2 1/2. No biggie, they catered lunch today and not only was it healthy, but I managed to only eat one chicken breast. Yay!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

For a while, I've had an additional protein serving, just before I work out. Today I tried something different, replacing the regular protein with a protein shake. It's the same stuff I put into the waffles I make, so I figured what the heck. Taste wise, it could be better, but I really can't call it bad. It's vanilla flavor, but I smelled the vanilla more than I tasted it.

The surprising thing is that when it was all over, I wasn't exhausted. I didn't feel like I was going to fall asleep, and felt really good. I felt a bit fatigued when I started jogging, but by the end of the jog, I had forgotten all about fatigue. Maybe there's something to this, who knows.

Warmup, Circuit of 30 seconds each exercise, 3 sets
* Jumping Jack
* Split Jack
* Prisoner Squat
* Alternating Lunge
* Mountain Climber

Workout, Alternating supersets, 2 exercises each
* High Step-Up, 35lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10
* Romanian Deadlift, 135lbs, 2 sets of 10, 1 set of 9
* Off-Set Incline Dumbbell Curl, 25lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10
* Incline Lower Trap Raise, 20lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 10

Afterwards I jogged a half-hour, 2.5 miles.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Time for week 3! I forgot my workout bag, so no jogging at work today. I'm going to try to do the half-hour at home tonight. We'll see. In the meantime, today's workout was pretty wimpy due to not wanting to get my work clothes all nasty.

Warmup, 45lb bar on shoulders, all exercises as a circuit
* Overhead Squat, 3 sets of 5
* Squat, 3 sets of 5
* Good Morning, 3 sets of 5
* Barbell Lunge, 3 sets of 5
* Romanian Deadlift, 3 sets of 5
* Bent-Over Row, 3 sets of 5

Workout, circuits of 2 exercises, repeat circuits until technical failure
* Incline Dumbbell Press, 3 sets of 5 @ 40lbs
* Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row, 3 sets of 5 @ 40lbs
* Scaption, 3 sets of 5 @ 30lbs
* Incline Trap Raise, 3 sets of 5 @ 20lbs