Monday Before New Year's

The holidays!! Relentless....

It's always something though...

Back at the gym today...hit bench hard. 205 in sets of 4. 135 too x 15 reps.
Chin ups. Dips. Goblet squat. Sit ups.

It actually is on. 2016 will be a good year fitness-wise. Gotten stronger during my time away from pakeo.

Xmas

1:15am and I hear the sirens blasting outside my window as I write this. Tearing down the 10, pulling over drinkers, parties, revelers. Could be the worst Xmas for them ever....You decide your reality though. I stayed in tonight. Watched a movie. Relaxed. Xmas...It's a cool holiday if you do it right; emphasize time w family and friends, a break before the last week of the year. Same with New Year's. Why can't it just be a chill, festive time? A time to recharge?

I got LL Cool J's Platinum workout book out of the library again. It's from 2006, by Rodale. LL is pretty amazing- and in amazing shape. My old partner, Joe, never went in for his workout book. By the time I started working out with him, he was off Men's Health workouts and into strength training for longevity. Cosgrove provided some templates we worked through- but neither of us got super ripped. I think everyone who works out, at some level, would like to look like a model. That's how I discovered Owen McKibbin's book- The Cover Model workout- from Rodale, the publisher for Men's Health. Joe always thought Owen was a hack and that bodybuilders were a joke, but Owen was on the cover of MH about 50 times in his career. The only time I ever got cut at all was doing Owen's workout book followed by his product, the Rack. June 2013. I liked Owen's emphasis on high reps over super-heavy weights. I've always had back and shoulder issues.

I like LL's approach though- seems motivational and to have a real attitude adjustment component. I'd need a partner who was committed to make it happen. His workouts usually end up 5-6x/week. But just reading his intro- it's like...well, how good to you want to be? Which is more important- drinking and chips- or rest and health? If you think in terms of 6mos goals and one year goals; you can really make some major improvements to your physique and your life. I'm 18 mos from being 40- crazy right? Imagine I hit 40 in the best shape of my life- an inspiration to friends and family? That's what you gotta think about...what kind of future do you want?


All the best- be safe-
Gabe

Xmas Eve

How'd you do out there? Last post was Monday...dared you to lay off alcohol, to walk 20min a day, and to be positive. Not huge goals...

I did alright...but haha, no alcohol this week, not gonna happen- at least my current lifestyle. But had a great week- got a lot done, and sometimes it's good to let loose re: diet. You gotta live a little. And if you swing wide like everyone else, well, guess what- you have 51 weeks to change your course before next Xmas.

It is worth thinking about briefly what you ate, it's lure, and how you felt afterwards. Basically- beer continues to be a lure. It's cheap, less alcohol content than liquor, and easy, cold, and refreshing. But after, the next day- super bloated and gross feeling. You really notice them when you haven't been drinking it.

Another lure is nachos...chips w melted cheese and protein isn't the worst- but it's not great either. Chips in general have crept into my diet in a big way. Not cool overall. You feel ill later.

Various proteins in bread...like a breakfast sandwich at Starbucks or a meatball sub. This happens a lot the next day after a late night.

Bagels. Obviously not cool.

Cheese- specifically cottage cheese and cream cheese too. Not cool but it's become a staple.

Anyway- super fun Xmas in Ojai...but too many carbs.
Be safe out there ;)
G

Side note- I wonder sometimes if binge carb eating is actually good for you. I notice that if I have a bunch of breads and sugars, I'll feel crappy for a while, but after getting it out of my system, will feel better and more energized- as well as stronger. I fed crave them in the mornings and when I've also poorly.

Monday Before Christmas

'Twas the Monday before Christmas and all through the house- not a creature was dieting, not even a mouse....Damn right. No one is on their game right now. Holiday parties. Airport lines. Traffic. People with Star Wars fever munching on candy lightsaber...Here's the thing, it's your passion that trumps it all...You have to get obsessed and stay obsessed,  and find your passion for fitness.

Truthfully, it's so awesome to be able to move well, to have energy, and feel good. Even that soreness you get after lifting is nice... Recently, I've had a messed up ankle. I rolled it on some stairs stupidly, wearing flip flops. It hurt massively and turned blue but I still walked on it and travelled to NY and Boston over Thanksgiving. Reinjured it. There was a pop :/ So now I'm actually icing it and wearing a brace and taking Advil...But the point is, if you can move, you're so lucky. To me, exercise and diet facilitate life. It's been a tough year overall- a lot of changes and challenges, but some real accomplishments too. And 2016 should bring more opportunities to shine and kick ass.

Have a great holiday week!
Gabe

HOME WORKOUT!

So- picture this....

It's 5pm and you're due for your Friday workout....but outside your doorstep in Palms is a wall of traffic- a line of cars so thick, so dense, you'll be sitting in your car for thirty minutes before you move 5 feet.

Imagine you fight traffic, listening to NWA the whole way, avoiding listening to NPR and the hum drum voice of Warren Only (unsure on spelling). You cross traffic on Pico, get your parking ticket, park the car, go down two flights, type in your phone number, greet the greeter, go to the locker room- all the lockers are taken and you forgot your lock.. You go to the floor and there's a self-lock locker left. You grab it, put your stuff in... hit the weight benches. They're all taken. You stretch...aka Friday at the gym sucks...

So what is the alternative, Gabe, you ask??? HOME WORKOUT!

Get psyched, gentle reader....It's Friday. Forget traffic. Go to your dvd player (your what??!!) and insert any movie you want (preferably something dumb- action is good- or lame comedy). Some favorites include Mark Harmon's Summer School, Ghostbusters, or most stuff with Jason Statham (Bank Job is good). But, Gabe- you say- I don't have heavy weights in my home....What shall I use??? Well, gentle reader, go get your 20 lb dumbbell because I got a circuit for you! Drop fat. Get excited. Stay stoked! Here goes...(But Gabe, I have a busted ankle?! Just do it, gentle reader). Rest 2-3min between circuits.

Here's today's routine:
1- Goblet Squat- 10x
2- 1 Arm Snatch- 10x
3- Dumbbell Row- 10x each arm
4- Arnold Press- 10x
5- Single- Leg Straight- Leg Deadlift- 10x each   

And here's today's movie rec- Tapeheads w/ John Cusack and Tim Robbins (who has an actor's studio in Culver btw). Pop the dvd in... and let's get jazzercising!

Month 2- DC workout, MH

Feeling spent after traveling back East for Thanksgiving. Flew into NY, had a couple late nights there, then drove to Western Mass for Turkey day- caught up with a bunch of relatives there, then back to Dover, and to Boston for my reunion (was very fun!), and then another brunch (other relatives), and a bday dinner with my sister. I know, you're saying- Gabe- How do you do it?? I do what I can, gentle reader.

On the fitness side (the subject of this blog)- definitely loosened up the diet in NY- a few slices of pizza- was pretty good on no beer... Had a bagel at a brunch in Mass...So overall was pretty good. Got to the gym last Wed in NY, and skipped Fri in Mass. Monday 11/30 was a travel day, so missed it there too. But got back on Tues and did Chest and Back and Wed did a bodyweight version of Legs at home.

What's the takeaway?
1- Doing something is always better than doing nothing...

2- If you fall off, accept it, and get back on....

3- There's a rebound effect- if you go too hard, you may fall off after the goal's been met.

Regarding #3 above, I've seen this a bunch of times. If I deny myself too much, I will fall off harder...It's just something to be aware of.

Interviewed my friend, Angela, yesterday who's interested in training with me. Asked her a few questions..

1- What do you want to accomplish in how much time?
2- How important to you is it? Why do you want to do it?
3- What's your diet like? What did you have for bkst, lunch, and dinner yesterday?
4-How much beer do you drink? Alcohol?
5- Sports background?

I said let's get started with walking daily- 20 min walk. And ditch beer, sugar, reduce carbs after 2 pm. Next week we'll add bodyweight lifts- like squats, push up, and back. That's called an Intro phase. The truth is it's about diet more than exercise- though muscles do fuel metabolism. They're also expensive in terms of protein content.

So today is Thursday, Dec 3, 2015- and there's 3 weeks until Xmas. Most people's diets fall apart totally in this period. Holiday parties, colder weather, and social pressure have people eating more sugary foods- pies, cakes, pastries. But if you're able to tighten up right now and then loosen a tiny bit, that's what's up. Recommit to the DC program. 8 weeks is a good amount of time. Going strong with this until the end of the year. I have a sprained ankle still, so that's a challenge. But when you're injured, that's the time to focus on what you are able to do.

Keep going out there...Stay strong. Find your motivation. And most of all- show up.

G