Thanks again for all you regular readers and subscribers. You have really helped make this blog a fun one.

Honestly, I started the program a little skeptical because he insists on using low weights for the first week or two. However, I was struggling to finish the first workout and was shocked to find just how difficult these simple exercises can really be. I’m now on my fourth week and have already seen some improvements. I have been using more weights and am finding myself really enjoying the workouts. The feeling of exhausting yourself in strength training is different from the feeling I get when I jog but no less enjoyable.

Below is the first week of Vic’s plan. If you are interested in learning more about weight training, his site is loaded with great information for both beginners and experts.

Week 1 workout

Monday

• Warm up for 3-5 minutes by either jumping rope, doing jumping jacks,  using a rower machine or riding a stationary bike
• Squats -  1 set of 12 repetitions with no barbell and then 3 sets of 12 repetitions with the barbell (no added weights
• Shoulder Press -  3 sets of 12 reps with the barbell

Notes: Rest 60-90 seconds between each set

Wednesday

• Warm up for 3-5 minutes by either jumping rope, using a rower machine or riding a stationary bike
• Deadlift – 3 sets of 12 repetitions with the barbell. (see note #2 below)
• Chin ups/pull ups – 3 sets of 8 reps  (see note #3 below if you cant do a chinup yet)

Note: Take a 60-90 second rest between each set

Note 2:  To perform the deadlift with just a barbell, you’ll need to put the bar on something about 6-8 inches high to simulate the height the bar would be if there were weight plates on it.  My suggestions would be putting the hooks on the squat bar really low, stacking weights up, using step ups or stools, use fake plastic plates or use plyo boxes.  The goal is to simulate the height that the bar would be with real plates on it.

Note 3: If you can’t complete 8 chinups (most newbies can’t) there are a few ways to get assistance.  Use an assisted chinup machine at the gym which will provide assistance for you and help push you up.  Make sure the asssistance you use makes it hard to finish 8 reps (dont use it as a trampoline!)  You can also use stretch bands by hanging them over the top of a squat rack and hooking them under your feet.  Your last option is to have a partner hold your feet and help push you up and down.

Friday

• Warm up for 3-5 minutes by either jumping rope, using a rower machine or riding a stationary bike
• Squats -  1 set of 12 repetitions with no barbell and then 3 sets of 12 repetitions with the barbell (no added weights
• Bench Press – 3 sets of 12 repetitions with the barbell (no weight added).  If the barbell is too heavy then use dumbbells that allow you to do 12 reps.

Notes: Rest 60-90 seconds between each set

link - GymJunkies.com

In addition to having a rather crazy work/school/life schedule, I have been playing with a competitve men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. We have spent the last few months training for the club series tournament and have had a blast in doing so. We won our section (out of ten teams), took fifth place in the region (out of sixteen), and really left all we had on the field. I literally can’t wait for next year’s season.

As a result of training with this team of elite athletes from across my city, I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been in such good shape. Ultimate as a sport demands more athleticism and endurance than possibly any other team based sport being played today. Therefore, it was necessary to have weekly sprint workouts, practices, and scrimmages 3-4 times per week. I can go into more Ultimate training details later, but the point is I’m back and ready to talk fitness, training, and diet more than ever!

So, what have you guys been up to?

This is one of my favorite clips from one of my favorite shows, Scrubs. Dr. Cox, a self-absorbed narcissist teaches his younger protege how to get in shape. Hilarity ensues.

In all actuality though, I kind of like Dr. Cox’s attitude. Never be content with your level of achievement, whatever it is. Are you a runner? Then run faster. Are you a baseball player? Then play better. There should always be some areas you can improve on whether it’s your fitness or something else.

“The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection.”  - C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

“It’s not that these movements are inherently evil.  It’s that they are thieves of your time.  Why do a bicep curl when a pull up is going to hit the biceps and the lats and the shoulders in the same amount of time?  Why hit the bicep curl when the movement is seldom, if ever reproduced in real life activity?
…
Let me be clear: a compound movement involves two or more joints.  That’s it.  That’s the secret sauce.  For lower body ask yourself if you are using your hip and your knee.  For upper body, ask yourself if you are you using your elbow and shoulder.  If yes, proceed with maximum intensity!”

Check out GymJunkies.com for a list of substitutionary exercises that will make much better use your time and energy.

link - GymJunkies.com - Build Muscle; Lose Fat

I have used this trick many times in the past when I was feeling down and wanting to quit. I have also used this to help motivate myself in areas other than fitness. This blog, for example, has certainly seen better days. Lately, I’ve become busier at work and at home and have been struggling to find the time needed to really sit down and write worthwhile posts. However, looking back at where FitHacks is today versus where it was only a year ago is a huge motivator. I’ve reached a new milestone in terms of subscribers and am truly grateful for each person who regularly checks the site in their feedreader. As that  number on the top right corner of this page continues to grow, it encourages me to keep writing and posting information that I have found useful in my own life. I’m aware that this is a somewhat cheesy example of how past successes can make an impact on your life today, but it is also a true one.

Even if you have only seen the smallest of results in your life, you can rest assured that perserverance will be rewarded. Big successes are only small successes repeated many many times.

One of my habits that I’ve developed lately is regular exercise. 3-4 times a week I have an workout consisting of either a 3+ mile jog or an hour or two of Ultimate Frisbee. If I don’t get 3 running workouts a week I feel noticeably groggier. I’m also currently trying to create a habit of strength training. Since I’m actually in between gym memberships, I am trying to accomplish this through pushups and free weights that I have at home. For some reason this is much harder for me to establish than my running was. Maybe it’s because I have more fun when I’m out sprinting or jogging but I know that upperbody strength is much needed.

I’m also continuously working on my eating habits. Over the last two years I’ve made significant changes in my diet. However, once I achieved my goal weight, I became a little slack about what I put on my plate. Just because I’m no longer trying to lose massive amounts of weight doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be trying my best to eat well. For me this will mean drinking more water and having more fresh fruits and vegetables mixed in with my meals with a bunch of lean protein (like grilled chicken). I’m very thankful for the healthy habits that I have developed in the past, like my new found love of unsweetened iced tea, but I still have plenty of room to grow.

Are there any healthy habits you have established (or need to establish) in your life?

Drink Sparingly: Just as you should drink regular colas sparingly, I’d suggest going easy on the diet stuff as well. Neither could ever be considered good for you. Your daily diet should consist of lots of water to stay hydrated and well fueled throughout the day. The caffeine found in these drinks only serves to sap water from your body. And all the artificial ingredients don’t help you either.

Less Calories: It is true, that diet cola contains much less calories than regular cola. If you have surpassed your calorie limits for the day and are in an either-or situation, I’d have no problem going for the diet drink. I often do this in movie theaters. If I’m splurging on buttered popcorn and need something to wash it down, diet drinks are sometimes a convenient way to avoid a couple hundred extra calories.

Not for me: Ultimately, though, I just don’t believe that aspartame drinks are right for me. The flavor along with the controversial ingredients are enough to turn me off from them for the most part. However, this is somewhat of a fitness gray area. While professional nutritionists are probably getting ready to hurl tomatoes and insults my way, let me just say that diet drinks CAN be good for cutting some calories from your daily intake. If you are like I formerly was and are totally addicted to colas, a process of slowly weaning yourself to healthier drinks (like water or unsweetened iced tea) is a great step to take. If diet cola is an intermediary step in this process for you, then I certainly have no problem with that.

“1. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.

The perimeter is where you find your produce, your fish and meat, eggs and dairy, etc. It is not where you find twinkies, chips, or donuts. Make quick ventures into the middle aisles to get other items like salsa, tuna, oats and flax. Sticking to the perimeter will also allow you to avoid buying stuff you don’t need just because it is on sale or is making some ridiculous health claim, you usually don’t get suckered by produce.”

link - 5 Helpful Nutrition Tips (via Ultitraining)

Only Use Two Colors of Socks: I have been doing this one for years. It saves me tons of time both in the morning and when I’m doing laundry. By only buying two colors of socks I never need to pair them or properly sort them. As soon as they are dry I dump the whole lot of them into my sock drawer. Then, in the mornings when I’m rushing out the door I can simply grab any two black socks (for work) or any two white socks (for everything else).

Never Iron Again: I have mentioned this before, but it has saved me so much time in the past, I have to mention it again. I never iron my clothes… ever. I also don’t steam them or take them to the cleaners. All I do in the morning to get the wrinkles out is to spritz my shirts lightly with a water bottle. When the shirt is very slightly damp, I smooth and tug on the shirt to remove the wrinkles. That’s it! I swear this works on most of my shirts and saves me several minutes at least. If you simply have a spray bottle handy you can avoid all the annoying steps of ironing: setting up the board, filling the iron with water, plugging it in, waiting for it to heat up and finally ironing. Yes, I’m lazy, but that is the point.

Shave With a Beard Trimmer: I may be alone on this one, but I hate shaving. I hate it a lot. I actually only really shave twice a year: my wife’s birthday and our anniversary. I don’t even like using an electric razor - it is often uncomfortable and never gets all my whiskers. So, since I unfortunately don’t look great sporting a beard, I have to improvise. A few days a week I reach for my beard trimmer, adjust the guard level down to “zero” and run it against the grain on my face. It never gives me the totally smooth face of a prepubescent boy, but again, that’s the point. It trims my growth back down to a barely noticeable stubble that I actually prefer the look of. Plus, I’m out of the bathroom in mere seconds.

Keep Shirts Buttoned: I have only discovered this trick recently. It won’t save you all that much time, but any seconds that I can cut from my morning routine are seconds that I can happily spend doing something else. Since most of the shirts I wear to work are button-up shirts, I was used to buttoning and unbuttoning every individual button. What a fool I was all this time! If you leave all but the top two buttons secured, you should easily be able to slip the shirt on and off over your head just as you would any other shirt. I imagine I will use this more and more as my blogging career will eventually render my overworked fingers useless.

Redeem your commute: This one is particularly important if you have a long commute. Until very recently I was spending over seven hours a week in my car going to and from work. Eventually, I learned to redeem as much of that time as I possibly could. I subscribed to a number of podcasts relating to technology, productivity or spirituality. I uploaded them to my MP3 player and turned my 7 hours of weekly commute into a personal development study session. Sometimes, I even loaded audiobooks on my device. Listening to books is just as good as reading them in my opinion and everyone could use a little more culture in their lives. Lastly, another great option is to spend your time in productive activities like brainstorming or even prayer. Honestly, some of the my greatest ideas or revalations have come from behind the wheel.

I suppose none of these items are really lifechanging. But I just hate getting bogged down in the little stuff that steals away my time. Do what you have to do to get on to life’s more important matters.