Fitness Overview
2003-2010 Fitness History
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06/23/10 - 202.8
06/24/10 - 199.6
06/25/10 - 199
06/28/10 - 199.2
06/29/10 - 198
06/30/10 - 197.2
07/01/10 - 198.5
07/02/10 - 196.7
07/06/10 - 197.2
07/07/10 - 194.5
07/08/10 - 194.4
07/09/10 - 194.6
07/12/10 - 195.2
07/13/10 - 193
07/14/10 - 194
07/15/10 - 192.7
07/16/10 - 190.9
07/19/10 - 192.1
07/20/10 - 190.5
07/21/10 - 189.9
07/22/10 - 189.2
07/23/10 - 189.3
07/26/10 - 188.6
07/27/10 - 187.7
07/28/10 - 186.6
07/29/10 - 186.7
07/30/10 - 187
08/04/10 - 187.3
08/05/10 - 187.1
08/06/10 - 184
08/09/10 - 185
08/10/10 - 184.4
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I used to be a very fit guy back in 2003, but as time passes by and you get out of the swing of working out, its just so easy to forget about your fitness and overall health. I went from 173 pounds in 2003 to 210 pounds in May 2010. Before I knew it I wasn't fitting into my size 36 pants and was constantly struggling to find the energy to make it through the day. I'd generally consume around 3000 calories and down several Low-Carb Monsters through out the day. Needless to say, I'd have sharp spikes of energy followed by horrible crashes because of the amount of sugar and caffeine I was consuming.
On June 14th, I decided I have to make a change, and I would do it by dieting. The first thing I did was cut down on eating deserts and drinking carbonated beverages. Within a week and a half I already dropped 7 pounds. I then became very aggressive in reducing my calorie intake to 1500 calories per day and working out every day. I would generally go to the gym and do 25 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of circuit training. The idea was to maintain a 160 heart rate and burn off as much fat as possible while dieting. It worked very well for a couple months, and then started to plateau. This is my typical workout during this period of time:
15 minutes on Treadmill (raising heart rate to 160 in first 3 minutes and maintaining it)
15 minutes of Circuit Training (sit-ups every day, alternating push-ups, arms, and legs every 3 days)
10 minutes of Elliptical (Sometimes I'd do stair master, but generally anything that is open)
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P90X Experience
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On August 10th, 2010, I decided to try P90X. I spoke with several people that had tried it and all of them said that it works, but is extremely hard. Since, I'd been getting into shape for the past couple months, I was going to try it. Not only does it work, it has given me definition in areas of my body that I've never had before. Although, the first couple weeks are extremely tough. I remember I had problems getting out of bed because I was so sore. One thing I'd recommend if you do P90X, is pick up some Protein Powder and take it as soon as you finish your workout.
Currently I'm on my 49th day of P90X and I have seen some crazy results. I could only imagine what the results would of been if I would of dieted properly. Around day 40, I did hit a wall and it was very difficult to find the motivation to keep going, but that seemed to only last a week and I am trucking along again. I've missed 4 workouts in the past 49 days, and here is my chart of my progress so far. Also, I noticed I didn't drop much weight on P90X, but noticed huge gains in muscle mass and several inches off my waist. I've also tried to workout in the middle of the day as well, but always do P90X at night because that the only time I can fit it into my schedule. Some workouts I do really hate, Yoga / Ab Ripper / Back Bi's Tri's, and sometimes cut my workout short and go run for the remaining time I had in the video.
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8/12/2010 - 185.1
8/13/2010 - 185.1
8/14/2010 - 185
8/16/2010 - 184.8
8/18/2010 - 184
8/19/2010 - 184.8
8/23/2010 - 184.8
8/25/2010 - 183
8/27/2010 - 182.5
8/30/2010 - 181.8
8/31/2010 - 182.3
9/7/2010 - 182
9/9/2010 - 182.1
9/10/2010 - 182.8
9/13/2010 - 181.9
9/28/2010 - 178.2
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(Click to Enlarge Image)
Normal Gym Workouts October/November 2010
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10/4/2010 - 178.8
10/5/2010 - 177.6
10/6/2010 - 176.8
10/12/2010 - 176.6
10/21/2010 - 174.5
10/22/2010 - 174.3
10/27/2010 - 174.1
10/28/2010 - 174.9
11/1/2010 - 174.0
11/3/2010 - 175.0
11/8/2010 - 174.0
11/12/2010 - 175.2
11/30/2010 - 177.3
12/3/2010 - 177.3
12/14/2010 - 179.8
12/17/2010 -180.7
1/3/2011 - 179.9
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I've stopped P90X after the first week in phase 3. The repetition of the videos was getting extremely annoying and I needed to take a break. Since then, I've only dropped a couple more pounds, but I'm still noticing my body transforming from working out. Here is my typical workout schedule:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday: 15 Minutes Treadmill (160+ BPM) / 25 Minutes Lifting (Circuit Training 30 second rest between sets) / 10 Minutes Elliptical OR StairMaster
Tuesday/Thursday: Running 30 minutes outside OR Plyometrics/Kenpo X Discs
Saturday/Sunday: Staying Active doing projects in the house or going out with the family.
Overall, I am not noticing huge gains since I stopped P90X, but I am still slowly gaining muscle while maintaining my weight. I will be doing another training regimen very soon. I will start with the Insanity program from Beachbody and then follow it up with round 2 of P90X.
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Holidays - A Hard Lesson
I've learned the hard way that no matter how much you work out, you need to show a little self control when eating, even if a 25 pound turkey is starring you in the face. Needless to say between Thanksgiving and a Vacation, I've eaten too much and have put on 5 lbs. I've still done very light workouts, but not nearly enough to offset my eating habits.
Insanity - Yes, you have to be insane...
Started my 60 day run at INSANITY from Beachbody, and I have to say its pretty intense. Even more so than P90X, but it runs a little shorter and is easier to squeeze into my schedule.
Update: Had a knee injury during INSANITY and had to stop. I started going down to the gym daily instead of the doing the program. My Gym schedule is 15 min High Intensity Cardio (160+ BPM), Circuit training (max 30 second rest between sets) for 10 minutes, and Medium Intensity Cardio for 10 minutes (150+ BPM). Monday - Friday at Noon.
Normal Gym Workouts January 2011 - April 2011
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1/10/2011 - 177.1
1/14/2011 - 176.7
1/19/2011 - 175.3
1/24/2011 - 175.8
1/30/2011 - 175.1
2/07/2011 - 174.4
2/15/2011 - 173.4
2/22/2011 - 174.5
2/23/2011 - 175.5
3/03/2011 - 177.7
3/11/2011 - 178.7
3/15/2011 - 178.5
3/16/2011 - 177.2
3/23/2011 - 178.2
4/06/2011 - 176.8
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February 2011 Update: Overall I am seeing great results from daily high intensity gym workouts. I'm nearing my plateau and will be doing another round of P90X or INSTANITY in April. The idea is to trick my body with new workouts to keep delivering results.
April 2011 Update: Revisiting P90X and Insanity is very very hard, because of the repetition and nothing new added to it. I still believe these programs are top notch as you learn quite a lot from them, however have almost no replay value post the initial program run through. I am taking the great things I learned from these programs and putting them to work into my own customized workout. The one thing that is extremely important is consistency of working out 6 days a week. I believe that if you workout 6 days a week and do it with intensity (160 bpm+ / 30+ minutes) it doesn't matter what you do. We will see in my next update...
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Normal Gym Workouts April 2011 - September 2011
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4/07/2011 - 176.8
4/11/2011 - 177.1
4/18/2011 - 178.7
4/25/2011 - 176.1
5/02/2011 - 176.6
5/09/2011 - 176.5
5/24/2011 - 175.8
6/06/2011 - 179.1
6/17/2011 - 178.0
6/28/2011 - 177.7
8/01/2011 - 179.6
8/11/2011 - 181.5
8/23/2011 - 183.0
9/01/2011 - 182.5
9/12/2011 - 184.9
9/15/2011 - 182.0
9/16/2011 - 184.0
10/7/2011 - 182.0
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Summer 2011 Update: It has been very very hot this summer, with over 40 days in a row over 100 degrees. This has cut down my running outside to only once every couple weeks, and haven't been motivated to get back to the Gym. I also had my baby girl, Zoey, born on June 9th, 2011 which obviously takes priority over workouts. As the summer ended, and temperatures slowly dipped below 100, I started getting back into a workout routine.
September 2011 Update: In September, I started hitting the gym 3-4 days a week. Overall, I lost some ground, but it should only take a month or two to gain it back. I started taking boot camp style classes at my gym on Mondays and Thursdays. Towards the end of the month I started mixing in other activities to keep myself in shape. I plan on hitting the Gym hard 5+ days in October and driving my weight back into the 170s.
Important Lessons Learned:
Eat 1-2 Servings of Fruits and 2-3 Servings of Vegetables everyday.
Stay ACTIVE! Even on your offdays, strive to be active. Mow the lawn, housework, laundry, anything...
Eat something every 3 hours, avoid big meals
1 Calorie does not equal 1 Calorie. Avoid overly processed foods, and stick to more wholesome meals. Fish, Veggies, Fruits, etc...
Drink ONLY Water! Bad drinks are Juices, Milk, Soda, and Alcohol. Its a bit bland, but damn I feel good!
Stay tuned to see how my October results go with increased workouts and some help from a couple sessions with a personal trainer.
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October 2011-December 2011 Oh Holidays how I love to hate you!
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11/7/2011 - 182.2
11/30/2011 - 181.2
12/31/2011 - 186.8
1/3/2012 - 184.8
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October 2011-December 2011 Had a very good month in October and first part of November. I put on a considerable amount of muscle mass using a personal trainer. My stamina and endurance all increased considerably, while also increasing my performance. In late November and all of December my diet has been horrible with tons of junk food and sweets. My ending weight at the end of December was 187. On the positive side, it makes for a great new years resolution to get back down in weight and eat healthy.
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January 2011 Happy New Year! Let the Detox begin!
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10-Day Juicer Detox Diet So I saw Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and was thinking to myself after all the crap I eat this past holiday this would be perfect for me. The premise is very simple, just drink fruits and vegetables from a juicer to heal your body and better your life. I'm not going to follow what this guy did to the letter, because I workout quite a bit and don't want to kill myself from exhaustion. Here is what my diet will be: Fruits & Vegetables mainly juiced, but sometimes will be raw and protein shakes to get protein for workouts. For 10 days starting January 3rd, 2012!
Day 1 Apple for breakfast at 9 AM, Worked out at 11 AM, and had my first juice drink around 1PM. Damn, I should of done a fruit juice one, because the veggie drink was nasty as hell. Very filling though. Here is what I put in it:
Lunch (1PM)- Alkaline Juice (Great for heartburn prevention, but nasty unless you love celery) -1 cup of spinach - 1/2 cucumber - 2 stalks of celery including leaves - 3 carrots - 1/2 apple |
