Battle Log #5: Fight Like a Spartan
Ok, so I'm not going to be running around in a cape anytime soon a la 300 (actually, I'd probably get arrested for indecent exposure, knowing my luck) but I was reading an article on Nerd Fitness (quickly becoming my favorite blog for a good dose of kick-in-the-pants motivation) that struck close to home. A lot of people in the same "lose weight, get healthy" boat that I'm in refer their weight loss process as a journey. I'm not knocking that; if it works for them, fantastic, but that title really doesn't do anything for me. A journey, at least when it comes to me, is a leisurely walk with tons of rest stops where you hang out and eat your second breakfasts (and elevenses, then afternoon tea.)
Nope, for me this is more like a long term war, full of battles and skirmishes. So, taking some of the highlights from the "How to Live and Train Like a Spartan Warrior", here we go.
1. Fight whenever, wherever. Just fight.
No more "oh, it rained/it's hot/insert excuse here" for me. If it rained and the track is full of water, hike upstairs and double-time it on the indoor track. Someone's on your favorite bike? Try out the rowing machine you've been eyeing. Can't get to the gym because of an evening meeting? Haul your ass up for an early workout or MAKE time during the day to go up and down the flights of stairs to get some sort of workout in. A body at rest tends to stay at rest without some sort of outside force and all that.
2. Giving up is not an option.
So you blew it with your diet and snarfed down a whole pizza in one sitting (hasn't happened yet, but I'm not saying it won't.) You just going to roll over and die, or are you going to stand up, dust yourself off, and make a running leap back onto the wagon? Setbacks will happen and it's not the end of the world. I could have given up when I realized that my scale was several pounds off and that I wasn't really in the 230's like I thought I had been. Instead, it made me want to work all that much harder to get into that weight bracket for real this time and I want to work even harder to get out of it and on to the 220's and below.
3. Train as if your life depended on it.
Zombies hate fast food. Keep on running. In all seriousness, my life does depend on how I train. It might not be a life-or-death issue now, but if I slack off or quit, my quality of life is certain to suffer. Type II diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and cancer are pretty common things on both sides of the family tree, but more so on my mother's side. There are more overweight and obese members of my family than there are people of healthy weight. I want to be around for as long as I possibly can, and that means taking care of myself now instead of waiting for a bevy of perscription medicines to do it for me later in life.
4. Look out for your fellow soldier.
I have four workout buddies from work. We might not all go to the same gym, but we motivate eachother to do our best. I know that if I didn't have someone looking out for me that it would be easy to skip a workout or head to the drive-thru for dinner. Hopefully I do the same for them.
5. Leave it on the battlefield.
"Come back with your shield or on it." Don't half-ass it in the weight room. Give it your all or pack up and go home. I'm taking tonight's workout as an example. I bumped up my weight, and I could have just done three sets of six or eight, but I knew I had it in me to do three full sets of ten. It made my arms feel like they were made out of lead and I was struggling with my form on the very last rep, but I made it. Next time I use those muscles, it won't be such a struggle. Then the next time will be easier, and so forth until I bump my weight up again. If I keep doing 3x10 with a lower weight, I'll never improve, I'll just keep on doing the same thing while wasting valuable gym time. If I don't push myself to be better, stronger, or faster, then who will?
Monday, July 22
Workout: Heavy Weights (shoulders & back)
Seated Dumbbell Presses: 3x10, 10 lbs (free weights)
Standing Front Dumbbell Raises: 3x10, 5 lbs (free weights)
Close Grip Rows: 2x10, 3 plates; 1x10, 4 plates (machine)
Back Rows: 3x10, 10 lbs (free weights)
Side Lateral Raises: 3x10, 1 plate (machine)
Shrugs: 3x10, 15 lbs (free weights)
Upright Rows: 3x10, 5 lbs (free weights)
NOTE: pretty good improvement from last back/shoulder workout. We're switching to M&F back/shoulders, W biceps/triceps since I haven't paid much attention to my back as I have my arms. I'm still in the weenie weights, but I can feel a difference already and my arms don't look as doughy as they have. I'm still a long way away from where I want to be, but I'm building up to that.
Diet
Breakfast
3 eggs, 1 tbs. crumbled cooked bacon, 1 tbs. Kerrygold butter: 410 calories
Lunch
2 cups lettuce, 10 grape tomatoes, 1 tbs. sliced olives, Wish Bone hazelnut raspberry vinagarette dressing: 360 calories
Snack
Republic of Tea's Chocolate-Mint Roobios w/ 2 packets of Splenda (4 cups): 0 calories
1/4 a Kit-Kat bar: 53 calories
Dinner
green salad with tomatoes, advocado, and crumbled hamburger meat topped with Newman's Own Sesame & Ginger dressing: 914 calories (wtf?)
Total Calories Eaten: 1,737
Calorie Range on Workout Days: between 1,500 and 1,900.
Water Downed: 3 24 oz. glasses, plus 4 cups of tea and 16 oz. post-workout
I was going to try to design playlists tonight, but it's getting late and I need to get to bed if I'm going to make a 5 AM workout tomorrow. Got a meeting in the evening, so hauling my butt in before the sun comes up.
Nope, for me this is more like a long term war, full of battles and skirmishes. So, taking some of the highlights from the "How to Live and Train Like a Spartan Warrior", here we go.
1. Fight whenever, wherever. Just fight.
No more "oh, it rained/it's hot/insert excuse here" for me. If it rained and the track is full of water, hike upstairs and double-time it on the indoor track. Someone's on your favorite bike? Try out the rowing machine you've been eyeing. Can't get to the gym because of an evening meeting? Haul your ass up for an early workout or MAKE time during the day to go up and down the flights of stairs to get some sort of workout in. A body at rest tends to stay at rest without some sort of outside force and all that.
2. Giving up is not an option.
So you blew it with your diet and snarfed down a whole pizza in one sitting (hasn't happened yet, but I'm not saying it won't.) You just going to roll over and die, or are you going to stand up, dust yourself off, and make a running leap back onto the wagon? Setbacks will happen and it's not the end of the world. I could have given up when I realized that my scale was several pounds off and that I wasn't really in the 230's like I thought I had been. Instead, it made me want to work all that much harder to get into that weight bracket for real this time and I want to work even harder to get out of it and on to the 220's and below.
3. Train as if your life depended on it.
Zombies hate fast food. Keep on running. In all seriousness, my life does depend on how I train. It might not be a life-or-death issue now, but if I slack off or quit, my quality of life is certain to suffer. Type II diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and cancer are pretty common things on both sides of the family tree, but more so on my mother's side. There are more overweight and obese members of my family than there are people of healthy weight. I want to be around for as long as I possibly can, and that means taking care of myself now instead of waiting for a bevy of perscription medicines to do it for me later in life.
4. Look out for your fellow soldier.
I have four workout buddies from work. We might not all go to the same gym, but we motivate eachother to do our best. I know that if I didn't have someone looking out for me that it would be easy to skip a workout or head to the drive-thru for dinner. Hopefully I do the same for them.
5. Leave it on the battlefield.
"Come back with your shield or on it." Don't half-ass it in the weight room. Give it your all or pack up and go home. I'm taking tonight's workout as an example. I bumped up my weight, and I could have just done three sets of six or eight, but I knew I had it in me to do three full sets of ten. It made my arms feel like they were made out of lead and I was struggling with my form on the very last rep, but I made it. Next time I use those muscles, it won't be such a struggle. Then the next time will be easier, and so forth until I bump my weight up again. If I keep doing 3x10 with a lower weight, I'll never improve, I'll just keep on doing the same thing while wasting valuable gym time. If I don't push myself to be better, stronger, or faster, then who will?
Monday, July 22
Workout: Heavy Weights (shoulders & back)
Seated Dumbbell Presses: 3x10, 10 lbs (free weights)
Standing Front Dumbbell Raises: 3x10, 5 lbs (free weights)
Close Grip Rows: 2x10, 3 plates; 1x10, 4 plates (machine)
Back Rows: 3x10, 10 lbs (free weights)
Side Lateral Raises: 3x10, 1 plate (machine)
Shrugs: 3x10, 15 lbs (free weights)
Upright Rows: 3x10, 5 lbs (free weights)
NOTE: pretty good improvement from last back/shoulder workout. We're switching to M&F back/shoulders, W biceps/triceps since I haven't paid much attention to my back as I have my arms. I'm still in the weenie weights, but I can feel a difference already and my arms don't look as doughy as they have. I'm still a long way away from where I want to be, but I'm building up to that.
Diet
Breakfast
3 eggs, 1 tbs. crumbled cooked bacon, 1 tbs. Kerrygold butter: 410 calories
Lunch
2 cups lettuce, 10 grape tomatoes, 1 tbs. sliced olives, Wish Bone hazelnut raspberry vinagarette dressing: 360 calories
Snack
Republic of Tea's Chocolate-Mint Roobios w/ 2 packets of Splenda (4 cups): 0 calories
1/4 a Kit-Kat bar: 53 calories
Dinner
green salad with tomatoes, advocado, and crumbled hamburger meat topped with Newman's Own Sesame & Ginger dressing: 914 calories (wtf?)
Total Calories Eaten: 1,737
Calorie Range on Workout Days: between 1,500 and 1,900.
Water Downed: 3 24 oz. glasses, plus 4 cups of tea and 16 oz. post-workout
I was going to try to design playlists tonight, but it's getting late and I need to get to bed if I'm going to make a 5 AM workout tomorrow. Got a meeting in the evening, so hauling my butt in before the sun comes up.