Strength Addict

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Over the last couple of weeks I have been making some unusually big gains in strength since I got back into weight training. It’s felt so amazing that I can almost liken it to a drug addiction – not that I know what that feels like exactly. I started in November of 2009 by joining a small gym near my house. It had been nearly 15 years since I touched a weight with any degree of seriousness. I started strength training when I was 20 years old right before joining the Navy in 1986. In 1989 I was certified as a personal trainer and went to work training clients privately as well as fitness clubs. In 1998 I changed careers and stopped weight training altogether. From 1998 to 2008 I went from 200 lbs to 290 lbs. I spent a year from November 2008 to November 2009 losing most of the fat I had accumulated by walking, running, and eating healthy food in very small portion sizes. As a reward for going a full year without faltering on my commitment, I joined a gym knowing the money spent would not go to waste. Here are my approximate starting strength levels for the basic movements:

Dead Hang Pullups: 0
Pulldowns: 90 lbs. (8 reps)
Cable Rows: 70 lbs. (8 reps)
BB Bench Press: 115 lbs (8 reps)
DB Incline Bench Press: 35 lb DBs (8 reps)
DB Shoulder Press: 25 lbs DBs (8 reps)
Leg Press: 400 lbs. (8 reps)

These are the weights I am currently lifting:

Dead Hang Pullups: 7
Pulldowns: 170 lbs. (8 reps)
Cable Rows: 150 lbs. (8 reps)
BB Bench Press: 205 lbs (4 reps)
DB Incline Bench Press: 70 lb DBs (6 reps)
DB Shoulder Press: 65 lbs DBs (6 reps)
Leg Press: 800 lbs. (5 reps)

So on average I have about doubled my strength in most movements. It’s amazing how good it feels to be able to lift these kinds of weights. A great deal of this adaptation is neuromuscular rather than actual new muscle tissue development but I estimate I have gained about 10-15 lbs. of new muscle since I started. These kinds of numbers make the act of going to the gym kind of like going to an amusement park. I can’t wait to see how far I can take my strength potential. It’s going to be a great new year.

Project 42 – “Ronnie Lott” – Day 9

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Day 9:  Yesterday was hard!!!  It was raining in the morning (or at least I thought it was raining) so I slept in until 7:00.  I grabbed my gym bag and some clothes and went to work after the usual morning of helping the kids and Shelley…  I went to the gym at work at around 1:30pm and got on the the treadmill.  I did 45 minutes but the first few minutes were just figuring out how the damn thing worked.  It was very awkward and I felt like I was going to fall off the thing almost the entire time…  The good part about it was that you can make the “hill” as steep as you want.  So, I never really jogged at all (I was sure I would wipe out if I tried) and I worked very hard just walking uphill the entire time.  I got my heart rate up over 140 and it would go between 140 and 155 depending on the steepness…  I admit that I really don’t like doing cardio in the Gym and sweating profusely in front of a bunch of other people…  😉  It did not feel very good and I got a little sleepy later in the afternoon.

Today was good.  I did the same 3.5 miles this morning as last week but jogged the entire trip with the exception of the first 2 blocks and the last 2 blocks.  Warm up and warm down is important…  I felt the calves and the lower back talking to me again but with much softer voices.  I also admit that I didn’t listen so well near the end of the run because I wanted to finish the whole distance.  I felt very good again driving to work.  Water is heavy….!  I weighed myself before my run and after my run and I was 2.2 lbs lighter afterward.  This means I sweated over 1/4 of a gallon of water! (a little more than a quart)  WOW!

Weight before run: 260.2 lbs – Weight after run: 258.0 lbs  My weight has been fluctuating a lot depending on when I weigh myself so I’m not paying much attention to these numbers yet…

Breaking Bread

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How many times have you heard that if you buy bread, pasta, or any kind of baked goods made from wheat you should buy whole wheat or whole grain varieties? Of course you have and of course you should. But there is something else I bet you haven’t heard. With bread and other baked goods made from flower you are essentially getting the same glycemic index effect that you would get with white bread. This means it has the same effects on spiking your insulin as white bread or other sugar laden foods without much in the way of nutrients. This is because the flower, even whole wheat flower is still pulverized and turned into powder making it pass through the system much faster and hitting the blood stream.

For most people this won’t be a big deal if you have a healthy balanced fiber and nutrient rich diet but if you are insulin sensitive or insulin resistant then this could be a big deal.

There is a silver lining to this cloud. If you look around you can find bread products that aren’t made from flour. Ezekial bread is one such product. Here in the northwest there is a fantastic bread maker named “Dave’s Bread” that sells a product called “Good Seed Bread“. This bread is made from sprouted wheat. No flour. It may be hard to find products in your area, but if you look hard enough you might just be able to find something that doesn’t reduce the whole wheat kernel to flower instead sprouts the wheat retaining it’s low glycemic index properties.

Slow Carb 3-Weeks

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Todays weight is 219 lbs and 18.2% bodyfat. So far the weekly average is about 2-3 lbs. This is pretty good considering my actual bodyfat percentage is closer to an estimated 15%. When your body fat levels get down to these levels it gets much more difficult to shed it. The reason for this is because cutting additional calories puts you in danger of burning up valuable muscle mass. The body does not want to go lower because it’s not generally in it’s best interest. This is why bodybuilders put their health at risk when they diet down to 4% bodyfat. Some have even died doing this. I certainly don’t plan to go this low, but I do want to hit 10%. If you want to see a normal guy, not a bodybuilder, who actually decided to go the route of a bodybuilder as an experiment, check out the documentary film, “I Want to Look Like That Guy” by Stuart MacDonald. His journey will show anyone the kinds of real sacrifices it takes in order to look so amazing. I consider this film required viewing for anyone who lusts after the elusive washboard abs and chiseled physique.

Project 42 – “Ronnie Lott” – Day 5

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Day 5:  OK…  I fulfilled my commitment to walk/jog for 30 minutes each morning this work week with one day off.  I have done it!  I took our dog Rio with me this morning knowing that it would be hard to jog steadily with him since he wants to stop and smell/pee on everything.  He is out of shape too and was fairly cooperative with some coaching especially on the way back because he was already pooped (pun intended).  We did 42 minutes and went almost as far as yesterday.  I jogged “off and on” for a few short blocks  but the calves were still burning and I could feel my lower back “talking” so I walked the rest of the way.  The shins felt much better however so that is good.  I also verified my heart rate was at 135 after stopping which is in the correct range for cardio although the low end.  Afterward, I actually did some stretching and leg lifts for the Abs…

Time for a new commitment:  I am going to let my calves rest this weekend and then do the same thing next week with the intention of jogging the entire distance each day and maybe going a bit further.  I will listen to my body and replace jogging with swimming if necessary.  I am also going to get my bike fixed up so I can mix it up a bit and glue the sole of my shoe back on…  🙂

Until Monday…