Monday, January 31, 2011

ROUND 7 - WEEK 11

This is a Classic Phase Two Week

MONDAY - January 31, 2011 - Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
============================================
Time: 58:55
Calories Burned: 570
Avg Heart Rate: 121
Max Heart Rate: 160

A very good workout. I increased my reps on a few moves (36 Chair Dips, 24 Pike Presses, 68 Cross Body Blows), and actually did 8 Clap pushups off the floor. They weren't pretty, but I did them. I decreased the weight from 25 to 20 lbs on the Front to Back Tricep Extensions, but did more reps. I'd been struggling with 25 lbs on some of the other tricep moves, and just wanted to back off a bit.

TUESDAY - February 1, 2011 - Plyometrics
================================
Time: 58:45
Calories Burned: 625
Avg Heart Rate: 127
Max Heart Rate: 156

My left knee is still injured so I'm still not able to go full blast on this workout. I probably shouldn't even be doing Plyo with the injury, but I really like the workout, so I went at it. I wore my knee brace again. It limited my mobility on some of the moves, but otherwise things went OK. I'm hoping the knee heals on it's own, but deep inside I'm not sure that's going to happen.

WEDNESDAY - February 2, 2011 - Back and Biceps
======================================
Time: 1:00:55
Calories Burned: 596
Avg Heart Rate: 121
Max Heart Rate: 181

I used the same weight I did last time, but I increased my reps on some of the moves. Once again, I need to consider upping my weight and doing less reps, but for some reason I think doing less reps means I'm doing less of a workout. I need to get over that mindset. The pullups still aren't great, but I didn't struggle with them as much as I do sometimes. I also cut about 5 minutes off my usual pause time for this workout, so that's also a plus.

THURSDAY - February 3, 2011 - Yoga X
==============================
Time: 1:35:38
Calories Burned: 575
Avg Heart Rate: 98
Max Heart Rate: 126

An above average Yoga X. I was able to concentrate on the moves for the most part, with very little mind wandering. While still not great, my balancing was better than usual. My balance is something I'm going to keep working on, as it's a challenge.

FRIDAY - February 4, 2011 - Legs and Back
================================
Time: 59:50
Calories Burned: 571
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 159

This was one of my best Legs and Back workouts. I still need to work on the balance a bit, but things just seemed to flow smoothly today. The leg exercises went well, and I increased my pullups by 6 over my workout from 2 weeks ago.

SATURDAY - February 5, 2011 - Kenpo X
===============================
Time: 58:55
Calories Burned: 483
Avg Heart Rate: 112
Max Heart Rate: 138

Just a pathetic effort as shown by my heart rate numbers. I had no energy and was sluggish the entire workout. Bad eating had something to do with it. I was low on food in the house so for lunch I finished off the last 20% or so of a container of low fat ice cream. Bad me.

SUNDAY - February 6, 2011 - Weign In and Ab Ripper X
=========================================
Weight: 180.5 Body Fat: 23.4%

An increase of 1 lb and .2% body fat. I didn't eat real good this week, so this wasn't unexpected.

AB RIPPER X
Time: 17:51
Calories Burned: 133
Avg Heart Rate: 106
Max Heart Rate: 147
Total Moves: 402

Did the workout during Super Bowl halftime. The 402 total moves included 88 Mason Twists.

Monday, January 24, 2011

ROUND 7 - WEEK 10

This is a Plus Week

MONDAY - January 24, 2011 - Upper Plus
===============================
Time: 54:49
Calories Burned: 633
Avg Heart Rate: 132
Max Heart Rate: 162

I had Jury Duty today and was exhausted when I got home. I hadn't had a lot to eat during the day, I really wasn't in the mood to workout, but did my best. I got all the moves in, with mostly the same reps and weight as last time, but I did have a lot of "pause" time. Still, my arms felt like jello when I was done, and I think it was a successful workout.

TUESDAY - January 25, 2011 - Interval X Plus
==================================
Time: 44:16
Calories Burned: 464
Avg Heart Rate: 126
Max Heart Rate: 155

During the first part of the workout, I was still a bit sluggish from the 2 hour and 15 minute "nap" I took when I got home. After the first few moves I was OK and finished pretty well. Not my best Interval X workout, but probably not my worst either.

WEDNESDAY - January 26, 2011 - Total Body Plus
=====================================
Time: 55:32
Calories Burned: 596
Avg Heart Rate: 127
Max Heart Rate: 154

No nap today. I got home, and pretty much got right into it. I found I had much more energy than usual, so maybe this is something I'll have to keep doing. The workout went OK. I'm still taking a lot of breaks with this workout, about 10 minutes in "pause" time today, but I'm also not taking any of the exercises off. I'm doing the best I can. The third move, Dead Lift Curl Press, is the one that starts to wear me out. I'm using 30 lb weights, which doesn't seem like a whole lot, but it tires you real quick.

THURSDAY - January 27, 2011 - Yoga X
==============================
Time: 1:35:49
Calories Burned: 570
Avg Heart Rate: 99
Max Heart Rate: 128

No nap again today, and I felt good during the entire workout. My mind wandered a bit here and there, but I was relaxed throughout. My balance was really off on my Half Moons and my left leg Balance Postures. My right leg balance postures were almost perfect. I even held Crane for a long time.

I've been eating a lot better lately. I haven't touched any sweets since last Wednesday. Today, someone brought some chocolate cake into the office. Normally, I'd have dived in, but not today.

FRIDAY - January 28, 2011 - Upper Plus
==============================
Time: 50:30
Calories Burned: 493
Avg Heart Rate: 121
Max Heart Rate: 159

I took a lot less breaks than usual on this routine, and didn't take any during the first half. I did a few more reps on a few of the moves, and equaled what I'd done before on all the others. Overall, I felt good with the workout.

SATURDAY - January 29, 2011 - Kenpo Cardio Plus
======================================
Time: 41:40
Calories Burned: 375
Avg Heart Rate: 116
Max Heart Rate: 147

My favorite workout, but not a great job today. I was sluggish all the way through. However, 375 calories burned is riduculously low. My calorie burns the last three days have all been real low, so I'm not sure if something is going on with my heart rate monitor or not. Today was a bad workout, but not that bad, and the previous two days were average to above average. I'll keep an eye on it.

SUNDAY - Jamuary 30, 2011 - Weigh In and Abs/Core Plus
============================================
WEIGH IN
Weight: 179.5 Body Fat: 23.2%

An increase of .8 lbs and .2% body fat. A huge surprise and disappointment. I thought I ate great this week. No sweets except for 3 very small Pumpkin Drop cookies someone had made for me. I also feel better and tighter, which is what I guess really counts. I think I might have to really start looking at what else I'm eating in the non-sweets category. I had a small can of Bush's Beans with my chicken the other day. I throw some store brand peanut butter into my Shakeology and Oatmeal. I eat about 5 Clif Protein Bars during the week. Maybe these things add up, or maybe it's just something else that affected todays weigh in. Who knows?

ABS/CORE PLUS
Time: 25:25
Calories Burned: 245
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 146

Nothing exciting to say. I took a few small breaks here and there to write things down, but otherwise got through it OK.

Monday, January 17, 2011

ROUND 7 - WEEK 9

This is a Classic Phase 1 Week

MONDAY - January 17, 2011 - Chest and Back
==================================
Time: 57:39
Calories Burned: 595
Avg Heart Rate: 125
Max Heart Rate: 168
Total Pushups: 210
Total Pullups: 26

An increase of 4 pushups from last time. An increase on the Standard, Military, Wide, and Diamonds, and a decrease on the Declines and the Dive Bombers. I was just out of gas by the time I got to them. Also, one less pullup than last time. I only did one Wide Front Pullup on the second time through. Still disappointing on the pullups, but I did my best.

TUESDAY - January 18, 2011 - Plyometrics
================================
Time: 58:39
Calories Burned: 622
Avg Heart Rate: 126
Max Heart Rate: 155

My left knee is still very sore from doing Plyo two weeks ago. I actually think it may be damaged, not just sore. The entire day I was planning on doing my Modified Cardio X workout instead, because I didn't want to further damage the knee. While taking a small rest before my workout, I was debating whether I could get through Plyo, but as I started to put on my sweats, my knee twinged a bit, so I decided on Cardio X. Then I saw my old elastic knee brace I'd been thinking of using, tried it on, liked the way it felt, and did Plyo after all. The brace seemed to hold up well. I held back a little during the workout because I was still a bit nervous about the knee, but I got through it. I'm typing this a few hours after the workout, and the knee is about as sore as it was before the workout. I'll know more in the next few days. I'm hoping it's a temporary solution until the knee heals itself, or I decide Plyo is too big of a risk. I'd hate to get to that point.

WEDNESDAY - January 19, 2011 - Shoulders and Arms
=========================================
Time: 1:03:35
Calories Burned: 641
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 157

This was pretty much a repeat of what I did the first two times this round. I did a few less Deep Swimmers Presses on the second go around, but did a few more Chair Dips and Side-Tri-Rises than I did before. Everything else was the same as last time, including the weights. I'm doing 12 reps on a lot of the moves, so maybe it's time to bump up the weight to where I can only do 8 reps.

THURSDAY - January 20, 2011 - Yoga X
==============================
Time: 1:35:29
Calories Burned: 547
Avg Heart Rate: 97
Max Heart Rate: 127

Just an absolutely horrible workout. I thought I'd try turning out the lights and just using the light of the TV to do the workout, just as a change of pace and atmosphere. It wasn't working. It was hard to keep my focus, literally, because I couldn't focus on spots on the wall, etc. This caused my balance to stink, and I was falling out of my poses. After the Chair Salutation move, I went to turn the lights on and the lightbulb blew out, so I had to finish up in the dark. Not a good sign. The second half was a bit better, but by then I was so not into it that my mind wandered throughout. My calorie burn was also near the lowest it's ever been for Yoga X, probably because I wasn't holding my poses as well as I should have. Bad workout. Move on.

FRIDAY - January 21, 2011 - Legs and Back
================================
Time: 59:06
Calories Burned: 572
Avg Heart Rate: 121
Max Heart Rate: 158
Total Pullups: 71

Another bad workout. I'm just tired overall, some physical, but mostly mentally. I was just going through the motions on a lot of the moves. My balance was poor today and it was frustrating me a lot. Instead of fighting to concentrate and correct it, I just let it get the best of me. I did increase my pullups, which is good. However, I felt I could have done more.

SATURDAY - January 22, 2011 - Kenpo X
===============================
Time: 58:54
Calories Burned: 560
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 148

After poor workouts the last two days, I really wanted to put in a good effort on this one, and I did. I concentrated on what I was doing and worked up a pretty good sweat. I'm happy with it.

SUNDAY - January 23, 2011 - Weigh-In and Ab Ripper X
==========================================
Weight: 178.7 Body Fat: 23.0%

A drop of 1.8 lbs and .4% Body Fat. I ate like garbage the first half of the week. I had a gift basket at work filled with sweets that someone had given to me for Christmas. I was holding out on opening it, but caved in on Monday and gorged myself on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. As I was leaving on Wednesday, I was pissed off at myself, decided enough was enough, and gave away the remainder of it. The only sugar I had the rest of the week was a few handfuls of Total cereal. I'm not even craving sweets right now, and have no desire to eat any. In fact, the thought of them just turns me off right now.

AB RIPPER X
Time: 18:48
Calories Burned: 121
Avg Heart Rate: 101
Max Heart Rate: 142
Total Moves: 398

Took my time. Did 84 Mason Twists.

Monday, January 10, 2011

ROUND 7 - WEEK 8

This is a Recovery Week

MONDAY - January 10, 2011 - Yoga X
=============================
Time: 1:35:37
Calories Burned: 692
Avg Heart Rate: 106
Max Heart Rate: 141

I banged my small toes (badly) of my left foot last night, walking around in the dark, so I was a bit concerned about holding some of the poses and doing the "dogs", but it wasn't a real problem there. I worked around it when necessary. However, I couldn't hold any of my balance postures on the left leg because I couldn't put any pressure on them. Yes, that's an excuse. I can't hold balance postures on my left leg with a good foot, so who am I kidding. I was OK on the right leg. My mind wandered a bit during the last part of the vinyasa half, and throughout much of the second half, but otherwise things went OK. For some reason, I was struggling during Yoga Belly 7. Not sure why. My calorie burn was back up near the 700 level.

TUESDAY - January 11, 2011 - Core Synergistics
====================================
Time: 57:35
Calories Burned: 605
Avg Heart Rate: 126
Max Heart Rate: 161

An OK workout. I found myself behind on the reps a few times which usually doesn't happen, but I finished them all. It just left a little less break time in between exercises.

WEDNESDAY - January 12, 2011 - Cardio X (Modified)
========================================
Modification: Skipped Yoga section. Did Kenpo, Plyo, Core sections, then repeated them.
Time: 57:59
Calories Burned: 579
Avg Heart Rate: 123
Max Heart Rate: 153

Not a great workout. For some reason, I was very uncoordinated during the first go-around on Kenpo. The second time was a bit better. I was also taking it a bit easy because of my sore left foot and knee. I'm feeling like a wounded warrior. But I did do 32 Dreya Rolls, 16 on each set, so that should count for something.

THURSDAY - January 13, 2011 - X Stretch
================================
My body has been feeling a bit beat up and stiff lately, so X Stretch was a welcome workout. I was a bit more flexible than last month, but not as much as a few months ago. I was able to go all the way onto my back in Back Hero pose, but I couldn't hold it the entire time and had to come out early.

FRIDAY - January 14, 2011 - Core Synergistics
===================================
Time: 57:44
Calories Burned: 586
Avg Heart Rate: 124
Max Heart Rate: 158

I pretty much dove into the workout once I got home because I didn't want to be sitting around dreading doing it. It was a good decision. I felt good throughout. No breakthroughs or anything, just a good, solid workout.

SATURDAY - January 15, 2011 - Yoga X
==============================
Time: 1:35:43
Calories Burned: 676
Avg Heart Rate: 104
Max Heart Rate: 134

For some reason, I was getting more tired than usual in the first half, especially on the pushups into the downward dogs. I'm not sure why, but I fought through it. My Warrior 3 / Half Moons were pretty good. I think I only tapped the floor once. The second half went fine. My balance postures were better than they have been lately, and I really felt good afterwards. Overall, a very successful workout.

SUNDAY - January 16, 2011 - Weigh In and Rest
====================================
Weight: 180.5 Body Fat: 23.4%

A drop of .4 lbs and no change in Body Fat%. I'm a little disappointed. I tried to eat well this week. The only sweets I had was a small piece of carrot cake at the office on Tuesday. Sweets are my weakness and I avoided all other temptations during the week, just to see what would happen. I guess I need to look at what else I'm eating also. Maybe adding a spoonful of peanut butter to my oatmeal isn't such a great idea. Maybe the chicken tacos I'm eating at work have something in there that isn't helping. I did check the Weight Control Oatmeal packets I'm eating, and I noticed the sodium content is high, whereas the straight oatmeal has none. Regardless, something isn't working.

Monday, January 3, 2011

ROUND 7 - WEEK 7

This is a Classic Phase 2 Week

MONDAY - January 3, 2011 - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
===========================================
Time: 58:48
Calories Burned: 556
Avg Heart Rate: 120
Max Heart Rate: 158

I got started a bit later than usual, but still got in a good workout. I increased the weight on most of the tricep moves. I had no problem using 20 lbs, but I could feel it when I went to 25 lbs, and had to decrease my reps in some cases. I was consistent to where I was last time on the pushup moves. No increase from last time, but no decrease either. And I felt them. The Two Twitch-Speed ones really get me, but I did the entire 25. As I mentioned last time, I still need to get off my knees on the Clap Pushups. I think it's more a coordination and trust issue with those things than a lack of strength.

TUESDAY - January 4, 2010 - Plyometrics
===============================
Time: 58:48
Calories Burned: 668
Avg Heart Rate: 131
Max Heart Rate: 158

I took a longer than usual nap when I got home from work, and was a bit sluggish at the beginning of the workout. I noticed my heart rate wasn't up as high as last time, but I did get a good calorie burn.

WEDNESDAY - January 5, 2010 - Back and Biceps
=====================================
Time: 1:05:16
Calories Burned: 650
Avg Heart Rate: 123
Max Heart Rate: 196

I took a lot of breaks to let my arms calm down, but I concentrated on increasing the weight about 5 lbs on a lot of the exercises. On many of the back moves I went from 40 to 45 lbs with no problems. On some of the arm exercises I went from 30 to 35 lbs and struggled to keep my reps up, but it'll pay off in the long run. I tried starting the Strip Set with 40 lbs, but could only do 4, so I started over again with 35's. I think if I wasn't so tired, 40's might have been possible. Overall, I'm very happy with the way the workout went.

THURSDAY - January 6, 2011 - Yoga X
=============================
Time: 1:35:43
Calories Burned: 607
Avg Heart Rate: 100
Max Heart Rate: 130

My average heart rate was the lowest this round for Yoga X, and the calorie burn was about 100 less than usual. I'm not sure why, but I did think it was a good workout anyways. My mind wasn't really wandering, and I was relatively calm throughout. Maybe that's the reason for the lower heart rate.

FRIDAY - January 7, 2011 - Legs and Back
===============================
Time: 59:11
Calories Burned: 588
Avg Heart Rate: 122
Max Heart Rate: 161

I'm getting into a bad pattern of coming home and taking a nap before I workout. And lately they've been 40 minute naps. This is not refreshing me, but instead making me feel sluggish before I even start. I know the root cause is a lack of sleep, and I really need to change that. When I woke up I was thinking there's no way I can get through this workout. I just couldn't see it happening, even though I knew I'd do it because I never miss workouts. Once I got myself moving, however, things went OK, and it ended up being a good workout. I increased my pullups to 67, which is still short of where I finished my last round (78 pullups), but a lot more than the first Legs and Back of this round where I only did 51. So, I'm encouraged. My balance is still bad on a lot of the leg moves because of my bad ankles. I'm not sure I'll ever have great balance, but I'll still work on it. Never admit defeat.

SATURDAY - January 8, 2011 - Kenpo X
==============================
Time: 59:02
Calories Burned: 517
Avg Heart Rate: 115
Max Heart Rate: 142

An average Kenpo workout. I wasn't really lethargic, but I wasn't "bringing it" for some reason, and the low calorie burn showed that. Just one of those days.

SUNDAY - January 9, 2011 - Weigh-In and Ab Ripper X
=========================================
WEIGH IN
Weight: 180.9 Body Fat: 23.4%

No change from last week on either figure. I was eating great during the first part of the week, but no so good during the last half. Mostly the sweets thing. Some cookies here and there, and some low-cal ice cream.

AB RIPPER X
Time: 18:21
Calories Burned: 131
Avg Heart Rate: 105
Max Heart Rate: 144

I found myself taking a little more time on the moves, instead of rushing through them. It seemed to make the workout flow easier, but I still felt it.