Geekster.org

Considering, Yet Again

Head Geek — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:04:08 +0000

In my quest to simplify my life, I am seriously thinking about retiring this site. I do not have the motivation to develop it into an Internet property. I will probably keep the domain for future reasons. If I do fold up shop, I will take several copies of the database and lock it away. Thanks to all that actually stop by.

Insanity – On Hold For A Week

Head Geek — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:35:05 +0000

I had a bit of a health scare this past Sunday. I started to have pressure in my chest and shortness of breath. Went to the emergency room and EKG, blood work, and X-Rays were normal. Long story short I have been exercising to hard and have done something to the muscles in my “chest wall.” After some some super Motrin, they sent me home with a clean bill of health.

With that being said I am not pushing my luck. I am taking Monday and Tuesday off to let the body heal up. Then the rest of the week I will do some light cardio to try and keep my progress from hitting a brick wall. It is truly amazing how dedicated yo my diet I am on or off the exercise routine. In other words I need to be even more vigilant about what I am eating. This can be dangerous time for extra calories.

Insanity – Day 20 Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Head Geek — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:47:18 +0000

The ankle/Achilles is really starting to bother me. I put on an ankle brace for the rest of the day to brace the ankle. Hopefully tomorrow when I mow everything will be kosher. As for the workout, I had to take double breaks in spots. Instead of stopping the video, I just backed it up to the beginning of the 30 rest period. I am push through more and more Level 1 Drills and I am doing more ski jumps. I am modifying less and pushing more. The in and outs absolutely kill me in the end. It is worth it as I feel like I did some serious work. My recover time is getting better each day. I feel like my stamina is going through the roof. All benefits so far. I have been able to avoid most injuries and my flexibility has really improved. Amazing, after just three short weeks of the program. I have six more weeks to go, so I can only imagine what shape I could be in, IF I keep pushing myself harder and harder.

I usually do not eat much on the weekends. This is not the best way to go, but in my mind, it makes up for the one or two or three cheat meals that I have. So far today has been no exception. The pizza may be the tipping point, we’ll see. I know I keep stressing nutrition and diet, but you can only deprive yourself of so much. There are some foods that I love above anything else. Pizza, cheese, and potato salad. Odd as it is, they do not help me in any way than putting fat on my ass. Such is life. The real motivator to stay away from these foods will be my Monday morning weigh in session. If I am not happy with the results, it will only motivate me more. I hate to be a broken record, but it is the truth.

On the other hand, my pants are starting to fit more loosely. I have a belt that I pulled in from the second to third notch this week. I cannot remember the last time I was able to do that. The gut is still there of course since I measured 23% BF. I can see abs under the fat, and that really encourages me. The muscle is all there under layers of fat, but there nonetheless. I like being able to wear cloths and not feel like I am going to bust a seam. I cannot wait to get into 30″ waist pants again. They are put away for better days. They call to me and I am waiting for the weight to just peel away. Progress is there, but it is not time to sit on my laurels. Keep pushing, keep “Digging Deeper,” keep Bringing It.

Insanity – Day 19 Cardio Power & Resistance

Head Geek — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:53:23 +0000

Either I was seriously dogging it today, or the routines are getting easier to work through. I did not stop the video once today. My in between exercise breaks are getting less frequent and smaller in duration. But, the downside to this, I have to work harder and harder to keep up with the great results I have been getting. Push, push some more, and then push beyond that.

I continue to increase my tricep exercises in this routine. Boy, are they torched though. More and more and more, that keep me going and going and going. I did dog it a bit today. Eating right before I bring it has become more important. I am afraid to add extra calories, but my body needs the calories to push even harder through the routines.

I do have a minor injury to report. My right ankle is a little sore, and walking or landing a certain way makes it hurt a bit. It is annoying, but does not stop me from going full out. My right knee is slightly achy but not enough to stop either. My lower back feels great. I just need to keep an eye on my form, and push through these minor injuries. As long as I watch it, the injuries will heal and I will be able to keep moving forward.

I love food, and it does not love me. I have done really well this week. Last night and tonight saw little larger than normal snacks, but they were not over the top. I am so hungry at night, that my stomach could turn inside out. For the most part I ignore the hunger. As I have said before, staying away from the kitchen helps more than anything else. Sometimes I need to bitch and complain, but the results is what motivates me the most.

Insanity – Day 18 Cardio Recovery

Head Geek — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:51:56 +0000

Even though today is recovery, it still taxes your legs, but in a completely different way. Instead of fast exercises with quick changing angles, you sit tight in a lunge or squat for a minute. Your quads starts to scream and you wonder what the hell you are doing. Some of the recovery exercises end up with me scream at the screen. It is tough. I am more determined than ever to push through the recovery exercises. In the end my flexibility has moved past what I started with at the beginning of the routine. The recovery does help with the soreness in the calves and really in my Achilles. In the break sections I work some dynamic stretches for my upper body. This is not part of the recovery, but I feel like I need it since the program really does not emphasize the upper body. Today the stretches felt good and I felt stronger and tighter. I just wish the gut would be gone already.

Patience is a problem. I want the results and I want them now. Of course I eat myself into this condition over time. This only means that I expect perfection now. The encouragement I get every week by seeing results keeps me going and helps temper the lack of patience. I will get there, and it will take time. In fact, when I am done with the 60 days, I know I will not be close to my ultimate goals. This is where P90X comes in. Sixty days of Insanity followed by 90 days of P90X should whip me into some serious shape. In fact, I should be in slightly better shape for P90X because of Insanity. The results do not lie. Now that is the ultimate compliment.

Insanity – Day 17 Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

Head Geek — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:09:05 +0000

I was dogging it big time in pure cardio. I only stopped the video once, but my energy level was low. I missed lunch for the most part, and it truly made a difference. The little cups of yogurt I eat before I head home are only 110 calories. Not a whole lot to fuel the furnace. I am trying so hard to watch what I eat and cut back on the calories. When the weight gets where I want it to be I will try to add more calories to the diet. The real measure will be my BF% dropping. If it does not keep falling, I will have to go back to cutting calories.

Pure cardio is hell on the quads. Pushing through gets more results each time, but really kills the quads. The quads are toast by the time Cardio Abs roll around. Either I am going something wrong, or the quads are more important to the core than I thought. Working through the C-Sit exercises took every bit of energy I had left. I want to work through all the reps in the routine. This means I have to keep pushing through the exercises that I hate and build up the quads in the process.

I have noticed that I still have slight lower back pain. It is not as pronounced as before. This is encouraging for the fact that my core is strengthening. Moving through the routines, strengthening the core, and build the leg muscles will all contribute to lower back and knee health. Some great benefits await me in the end.

Before I would go through a fitness routine, manage my nutrition and exercise like a machine. The folks at work used to pick with me and admire me at the same time for my dedication. For over a year I lost all of that and my body went into a tail spin. It feels like that going into my third week of Insanity that I have gotten my grove back. I am hitting the routines like clockwork. I am watching my nutrition more closely this week. There is one downside when I get into this groove. I tend to over do it and end up either injuring myself or make myself sick due to lower calories and suppressed immune system. It is a fine line, but the results are impressive. Being aware of my past will only make my future fitness and nutrition goals more realistic.

Insanity – Day 16 Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Head Geek — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:50:17 +0000

Tonight was rough, beyond Insanity. As soon as I got home I hit routine. I took some time to cool down, and then I head off to recruiting for Cub Scouts. I was on the go all day long. And, since the Insanity ramps up the metabolism, and your core temp takes some time to cool down, I was sweating like a pig at the recruitment night. I was embarrassed, but I just needed to calm down and relax after the day I had.

I can almost get through the whole warm up now without taking any breaks. It is great to see little gains almost every day. This routine still kicks me in the ass with all the quad heavy exercises. Ski Jump for example has been modified. This time around I gave it a go. The third rep returned to jogging in place. Little victories, I’ll take them. The level 1 drills, plank ski jumps, and in and outs still wear me legs out. I really want the stamina and strength in my legs to push through the exercise. The lung capacity and recovery times are getting better each day. Again, little victories to get to the main goal.

So far the last two days have seen me avoid the bad food in the kitchen. I have been snacking, but in a more reasonable manor. Yesterday and today so me snack on a single leftover chicken wing and some turkey lunch meat. Not much but it does help fuel the bodies recovery process. A mini goal includes me getting through 7 days without any junk food or unnecessary calories. The cravings will probably hit tomorrow. This will be the key day. Will I push through, or will I succumb to be laziness.

Insanity – Day 15 Fit Test & Stats

Head Geek — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:02:44 +0000

I am surprised at the results so far. Even with my terrible diet last week, I still made great progress. Here are the stats first.

Fit Test 2

Switch Kicks = 60 (13 more than FT1)
Power Jacks = 53 (21 more than FT1)
Power Knees = 98 (38 more than FT1)
Power Jumps = 33 (8 more than FT1 and I hate these)
Globe Jumps = 8 (3 more rotations than FT1 and I hate these too)
Suicide Jumps = 13 (3 more than FT1)
Push-Up Jacks = 24 (5 more than FT1)
Low Plank Oblique = 40 (12 more than FT1)

Improving in the fit test is very encouraging. I hope that the next test will show some progress. I understand that this fit test will probably show the largest two week gain. Now the gains will probably even out a bit. Just as long as I show improvement from test to test, I will be happy with my progress.

Measurements

Weight: 176 (lost 5 more pounds since last week)
BF: 23% (lost 1% since last week)
Neck: 15.75 (no change)
Chest: 19.33 (small decrease)
Waist: 35.5 (lost 1.25 inches so far!)
Hips: 37.75 (.25 loss)
Right Thigh: 22.25 (.75 loss)
Left Thigh: 22.5 (.5 loss)
Right Calf: 15.25 (.25 loss)
Left Calf: 15.5 (.25 loss)
Right Bicep: 12.125 (.125 gain)
Left Bicep: 12.125 (.125 gain)
Right Forearm: 11 (no change)
Left Forearm: 11 (.25 loss)

I am so happy to see that I am still losing weight at about 5.5 pounds per week. This week should be a lot less. Eleven pounds in two weeks is incredible, but on my small frame, I cannot keep it up much longer. Now, the 1% BF loss per week is sustainable, as long as I keep pushing myself harder everyday. At this pace, I will finish up around 17-18 BF%. Not great, but a lot better than where I started from. My guess is I will lose 3 pounds and another 1% BF this coming week. If I keep my diet in check and keep working the proper nutrition, maybe I can move those numbers even lower.

Even though the Fit Test was today, it makes you work. I had to take a little extra time between exercises. I do not know if this was cheating or not, but I just needed to catch my breath. I will find out in two more weeks if I am bringing it or just going through the motions.

I try to push myself each and every routine, but sometimes motivation or lack of energy gets in the way. When Shaun T says “Dig Deeper” he means it. You have to find that extra energy or the motivation to get through it. It would be so easy to say to hell with this and just be lazy. But, being health and fit takes work. It takes no time at all to get fat, lazy, and unhealthy. But, it takes three times as long to lose the weight and get healthy. The point is, if you work hard and keep up with the results in the end, your quality of life will improve. I hope to be living blogging proof.

Insanity – Day 14 Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

Head Geek — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:38:48 +0000

Just when I thought my quads were starting t shape up, I found out my core in general is week. The ab exercises is Cardio Abs were incredibly hard, especially after getting your butt kicked in Pure Cardio. As with anything else, this leaves me with room for improvement. It seems as if I have too many areas that need improvement. That is why we exercise, That is why we push ourselves to the break point, and then push some more.

The only way I can stop taking unscheduled breaks and pause the video, is to work as hard as I can, and take the last 5 – 10 seconds of the particular exercise to rest. In other words bend over, grab my shorts and suck wind. One way or another the breaks will stop altogether. It just means I need to keep with it.

Now, keeping with it, does not mean I eat whatever the hell I want. One of these days I will actually go one whole week, without any junk food, or without any extra/useless calories. Yes I am whining dammit, but this is my weakest ear so far. I can deal with weak muscles, but I cannot deal with weak will power.

I love food. I love the texture, the taste, the smell, and the process of eating it. Sometimes I wish junk food was bland to the point it would be disgusting to eat. No such luck considering the food industry is against average Americans. Have you notice the obesity problem that America has? Have you noticed how fat kids have become. The fact that more than 50% of America is overweight disgusts me. Of course I do not allow this to be a motivating factor, but I should

It looks like those of us who actually try to lead healthy lives are in the minority. It is a shame that as a society we have become so lazy and so attached to the ready made meals and easy snacks which do not for us but add useless calories. I admit I got on my high horse tonight, but this has been bugging me for awhile. Another reason for my to push myself, so I can stand out from the crowd.

Insanity – Day 13 Cardio Power & Resistance

Head Geek — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:58:01 +0000

I skipped my Friday workout due to checking out a new dog. I ended up moving the workout to Saturday so I could at least get it done. Not happy that this happened this way, but we found a dog that could really melt our hearts. Enough with the mush and on to the workout.

I had only eaten a small container of yogurt, and then worked out 3 hours later. Needless to say I dragged ass a little. But, I did get a good pump for my triceps. I am doing more of the “power” exercises. And again, still trying to get through with fewer breaks and following the prescribed rest periods.

My typical whine is till in affect. I am not following a health and nutritious diet program. I start off strong, then my will power breaks down and I end up eating empty calories. Boy I admit the food tastes god going down. But, afterward, it sits in my stomach, making things twist and turn. My guess is, when I weight myself on Monday and check the BF%, if the numbers are not where I would like them to be, this will help reinvigorate my determination to crush this program.

There are moments of greatness, and there are others when I am sitting on the garage floor, sweating buckets wondering what the hell am I doing. I just keeping thinking to my self, you are a fat SOB and you need to take control of your own damn destiny. The other motivating actor is the mirror. By do I hate seeing myself in that thing. Even today I looked and could not stand what I saw. Did it help when I had the sliver of cheescake? Of course not. Did it help with the desert from Red Lobster, after you had eaten so well? Of course not. One day it will all click and I will be on my down hill slide to health and freedom