Still workin'

Man, paramedic training is tough! You guys remember school, right? How you'd cram for a test, spit out the answers, then promptly forget everything because you'd never need it again? I can't afford that luxury. if I forget something, people will die. (Or at least have a very bad time)

As for dieting, it's been pretty rough. I've been making new friends in sequence, and my instinct is to eat with them. I've always been a social eater, after all don't you make friends by "Breaking bread together"? Luckily, I spent way too much money, so I was forced to buy healthy groceries.

Pilates is very fun, albeit extremely awkward. As expected, I'm the only guy. I'm also about 7 years older than these pretty ladies wearing yoga pants. It's bittersweet, really. The instructor sometimes has us pair up to "critique our moves". So when she tells us to assume the downward dog position and "gently pull back on their hips until they feel the stretch" pretty  entertaining/mortifying/whyareyoumakingmedothistothispoorlady.  

Someone took a picture of me in class.

But I do feel like it's working, my core muscles are sore the next day. As for other workouts, I just recruited my Sequence buddies to workout with me in between classes. Maybe we can teach each other some tricks of the trade!

Step 3: Get in some Exercise

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to give out some details for what I'm doing to kick the weight I put on from the holidays.  It's all going to be simple stuff that should get me (and you, if you do the same) back on track!

Step 3: Get in some Exercise

We're all nearly a week into our New Year's Resolutions.  I say all of us, because I don't know of many people who don't make the resolution each year to lose weight or get in shape.  Hopefully by this point the short detox period and the changes in your diet are making you feel better and you're possibly already losing weight!

The third step in the weight-loss plan involves getting physically active.  I still stick with the Mark Sisson, Primal Blueprint idea of hanging on to the basics:

•  Try to spend at least 20 minutes a day doing low-level cardiovascular exercise.  This means just going for a walk, housework, or anything that gets you moving.  You don't have to break a sweat, but make sure it isn't anything too low that it doesn't even count.  The idea here is to get moving.
• Do some strength training 2-3 times a week.  If time is a factor for you, stick to the basic muscle groups of the chest, back, and legs.  All of the other stuff will naturally follow.  You don't have to have a gym membership either, as push-ups, pull-ups, planks, and squats can all be performed in the comfort of your living room.
• Once a week, have an all out cardio session that last for no more than 10 minutes.  You want to be at 50-75% of your maximum heart rate.

You would be surprised how easily these tasks can be accomplished.  Go for a short walk every day, or park at the back of the parking lot when you go to a store.  Do some yoga, stretching, or tai-chi in your living room.  If you really want to, go to the gym and sweat it out there.  The important thing is not where you do it, but that you do it at all.

How to lay about without being a layabout.

And.... he's back! Sorry for the delay in posting folks, I've been pretty busy with some minor surgery on my chest. Luckily, I've had experience with avoiding these muscle groups before, so I didn't just sit on my bum all day and wish I was exercising. 

I sat on my bum all day and exercised.

I ended up finding a pedal machine, which is like a more portable stationary bike, for ridiculously cheap. These things are foldable, and pretty low-cost. I can't recommend them enough for people with small apartments or a lack of storage space.

I've already got pretty strong legs, so this wasn't much of a workout. But it's a good way to burn more calories when you're on the couch playing videogames or watching a movie. 

Another good way to burn those calories while you're being a lazy bum is a fitness ball.

Yep, one of those. I know some of you manly men are saying, "I don't want none of that namby-pamby yoga crap!" To which I say, "Fine then. Don't buy a cheap way to lose weight and is actually kind of fun. Also, quit being a jerk and nay-saying everything." Studies are starting to show just sitting on these guys isn't much different from sitting in a chair. But there's a huge difference when you do small repeated movements on one of these instead of lounging on the couch. I usually swing my hips in a small circle or bounce slightly while on the ball. You might actually find your core a little sore the next day if you've been really working at it.

Now I'm starting to wonder if I can combine the two into one exercise. If I don't make it back, tell Andy I love him.

DIY Supplements

Oftentimes, when we get into the world of health and fitness, we can get caught up in all of the jargon.  This is, of course, possible with any subject you speak about.  The difference between other subjects and health and fitness is that this one affects you directly.

I know one aspect of this world that intimidates a lot of people is supplementation.  People can get really confused when they walk into their local vitamin shop and get bombarded with all the possible nutrients they could be taking.

I have had no problem in making a "guinea pig" out of myself.  There aren't many vitamins and nutrients that I wouldn't try, so long as they were reasonable and didn't have any potentially life-altering side effects.  I do this in the spirit of adventure and the quest for truth.  I want to know if something really works or if it's just another gimmick from some company to get your money.

My latest bit of trial and error has been in pre-workout supplementation.  I started out with basic energy-boosters with antioxidants like green tea tablets.  From there, I moved on to thermogenics, which are designed to boost energy and raise the temperature of your muscles for better performance in workouts.  Lately, I've been toying around with nitric oxide boosters.

Nitric oxide is used during workouts as a vasodilator (it causes the veins to get bigger).  Vasodilation during workouts is believed to accelerate muscle growth and increase stamina during workouts.  For me personally, nitric oxide seems to give me a bit of a boost when I am strength training.  I am able to lift more and I don't get exhausted as easily as I do without it.

Initially, I was using a basic supplement recommended to me by a guy in a local GNC store.  It was called N.O. Shotgun and it was a mixture of protein, creatine, nitric oxide boosters, and caffeine (with quite a few other things mixed in).  What I immediately noticed about this supplement was that it wasn't like other drink mixes I was used to.  It couldn't be shaken because that caused everything to turn into foam.  Also, the mixture of so many different ingredients caused it to have an "off" flavor.  Sometimes it was hard to swallow it all down!  I also wasn't a fan of being forced to use creatine every time I lifted weights, as I like to cycle on and off of that supplement.

I used this supplement for about two months during intermittent workouts and had no problems.  However, when I started using it on a regular basis with regular workouts, I noticed that I was getting nausea after my workouts.  I thought that it might have something to do with the flavor of the drink, so I tried switching to a different supplement.

My next trial was on N.O. X-plode.  This was also a powdered drink mix, like the N.O. Shotgun.  This supplement mainly contained nitric oxide boosters and caffeine.  I liked the idea of this supplement better because I knew that I got enough protein from my daily shakes, and I could add or take away creatine as I saw fit.  However, the nausea crept back up with this supplement shortly after taking it, just as it had with the previous one.

After much debate on how to solve this problem of nausea, a friend suggested that I make my own pre-workout supplement.  He reasoned that the ingredients were relatively simple to get;  I actually walked right into a random GNC and walked out with everything I needed.  He told me to survey the forums at Bodybuilding.com and find out what I needed for my supplement.  After some browsing on that site, I found the most common supplements thrown out were L-Arginine, caffeine, BCAA's, and creatine occasionally.  

So far, I have used a combined mixture of GNC Pro Performance Amp Amplified Muscle Igniter 4x - Orange, GNC Pro Performance Rapid Drive BCAA 5000, GNC Pro Performance Rapid Drive Arginine 5000, and GNC Pro Performance Creatine Monohydrate.  The first thing I want to say is that I had a hard time drinking the first mix because, in my opinion the Muscle Igniter 4x tastes terrible.  One review on the GNC website said that one person wouldn't even give it to their enemies.  It was completely my fault for not doing the research on the thermogenic before buying it, because I was only looking for a powder-form thermogenic.  I plan on returning it as soon as possible.

Other than that, I felt great when I used this self-made supplement.  Separately, these supplements can be quite costly, but when looking at things from a long-term goal perspective, it is cheaper to do things this way than paying for those pre-mixed supplements that you have no control over.

As time goes on, I will update my status with the quality of my homemade pre-workout supplements.  For the future, I am hopeful that this turns out to be the thing I've been missing.

-Andy

Transplanting to New Ponds

When I was in my other town, I got comfortable at my local gym after a while.  I knew that when I went in there was not going to be many people there, and I would probably be one of the youngest people there.  When you live in a small town and belong to a gym that wants Everybody to come there, you will see every-body.  Except younger people, because they still like to go to the bigger gyms in the next town where there are more options for exercise.  I thrived there though.  I knew I could go in and use the same machines over and over and vary the exercises I did on them by just a little to keep the workout interesting.

I started my membership at my new gym today.  I knew the gym was much bigger, as I had done quite a bit of research on Youtube and Google.  The membership fees were about the same, so I wasn't worried about the cost and this gym came with a few more benefits, so I was even eager to go.  I knew things were going to be different when I walked on the weightlifting floor and one of the first people to greet me looked like this:

There was a guy right in the middle of the floor doing arm curls, and making the Angry John Mccain face (AJMF).  He was really into it and I'm sure that he wasn't aware that he was making the AJMF, and I know that he didn't have any idea how much he caught me off guard.  The other part I had trouble with was realizing that other than the guy working the desk, I was one of the oldest people there.  I'm only 25.

Needless to say, I left and went upstairs to walk on the treadmill for a while.  The treadmills were nice, the ellipticals were set up differently and didn't feel as natural to walk on as my old gym's ellipticals.  The bikes were about the same, but they have a stair climber at my new gym!

I finally walked back downstairs and tried out the weightlifting floor again.  AJMF guy was there, but this time he was on a cable-cross system and was looking away from me.  I started off by trying out some bench presses.  It was the first time I had tried bench presses without a Smith Machine or any other kind of machine.  It really was different to use free weights to lift with and I really enjoyed it.  I used stabilizer muscles that I didn't even know existed, but I had to trade off by using less weight.  Most of the rest of my routine was the same, but just on different brands of machines.  

The thing I look forward to at this gym the most is the classes they offer and the new machines and free weights they offer.  They have a class on Monday evenings that is similar to Crossfit, and I can't wait to join it.  

I'll be sure to update you on how I'm doing at the new gym and if I have any more encounters with AJMF guys.

Creatine in Your Routine

Normally, when words like Creatine are mentioned in a discussion about fitness, one of the first images that people think of looks something like this:

I suppose that it is possible for somebody to look like that after taking creatine.  The question we have to ask ourselves is, "What else were they taking?"  Could you imagine somebody who takes creatine looking any different?  Could you imagine them looking like... me?

Yes, I have been using creatine.  For the past six weeks I've been "juicing it up"; and you know what?  I feel fine.

Here's the rub on the taboo supplement that makes people shudder:

Creatine is the most popular and commonly used sports supplement available today. There are numerous studies backed by anecdotal evidence that support the efficacy of creatine supplementation. For the majority of the population, including both elite athletes and untrained individuals, creatine supplementation increases fat free mass and improves anaerobic and possibly aerobic performance.

- Bodybuilding.com 

Creatine is, and always has been, a natural component of skeletal muscle. The only reason that creatine may seem like something new is a recent boom in scientific research in the area since the early 1990s. In a sense, creatine was rediscovered when world-class athletes became wise to the option of utilizing it to enhance their physical performance.

In truth, however, creatine was identified as an indispensable part of skeletal muscle some time ago. Nearly two centuries ago (1835) a French scientist and philosopher named Michel-Eugène Chevreul isolated a component from skeletal muscle that he gave the name Creatine after the Greek word for flesh, or Kreas. A few years later (1847) a German scientist named Justus von Liebig proposed that creatine is necessary to support muscular activity when he observed that wild (active) foxes contain more intramuscular creatine than foxes kept in captivity. Liebig later went as far as lending his name to a commercial extract of meat that he asserted would help the body perform extra “work“. Indeed, Liebig’s “Fleisch Extrakt ” could reasonably be considered the original creatine supplement – complete with marketing strategy.

In fact, meat and fish are the richest natural sources of creatine. Carnivores therefore, receive their creatine directly via dietary channels. Conversely, herbivores (and strict vegetarians), since they abstain from consuming these sources of creatine, are solely reliant on their body’s natural ability to synthesis creatine from basic components. Omnivores, on the other hand, have at their disposal both avenues from which to fulfill their daily creatine requirement.

 - CreatineMonohydrate.net

So, now that we've got it out of the way that our bodies naturally produce creatine, and that we also obtain it from meat that we eat, let's talk about how I've been using it and what it has done for me.

First off, I started using creatine on a six week cycle.  For the past six weeks, any time I have did any kind of strength training, I have had 5mg of Creatine Monohydrate mixed into a water bottle.  I normally started drinking this water right before I went to the gym and usually finished it right before my last station.  Other than that, my routine has stayed the same, including my regular multi-vitamins and drinking a protein shake right after my workout.

I did not go through a "Loading" phase with it like a lot of people do.  I started out with 5mg every time, and only on the days that I did strength training.  Now that my six weeks of using creatine are over, I will go without using it for four to six weeks.

As far as my strength training is concerned, these are the results after six weeks of using creatine monohydrate:

• Lateral Pulls and Rows:  Started at 140 lbs x 20 reps, Ended at 160 lbs x 25 reps, Equals 20 lbs increase in weight and 5 repetitions increase.
• Double Bell Squats: Started at 90 lbs x 40 reps, Ended at 100 lbs x 60 reps, Equals 10 lbs increase in weight and 20 repetitions increase.
• Bench Presses: Started at 105 lbs x 25 reps, Ended at 110 lbs x 25 reps, Equals 5 lbs increase in weight and no repetitions increase.
• Shoulder Presses: Started at 130 lbs x 25 reps, Ended at 160 lbs x 25 reps, Equals 30 lbs increase in weight and no repetitions increase.
• Planks: Started at 30 seconds x 3 sets, Ended at 45 seconds x 4 sets, Equals 15 seconds increase in time each set and 1 extra set -or- 90 seconds increase in total time.
• In addition, I can see more definition of muscle in my calves, thighs, stomach, chest, shoulders, and upper arms from six weeks ago.

I am very pleased with the results of this first round.  I had hoped that I would be able to increase my weight more in my bench presses than what is shown, but I'm okay with that.  My maximum effort lift is just short of half my body weight right now, which is where I hope to get it and then maintain it at that level, if not go above it.

In my next cycle of creatine usage, I plan to up the dosage just a little bit.  I am going to try a small "loading" phase, and also use it on a daily basis.  I hope this will aid in my road to a healthier me in the future.

After all, isn't that what we're all trying for here?

When Illness and Exercise Collide

For the past week, I have had one terrible head cold.  It's mostly been brought on by something that I am not even aware of starting to bloom in some location near or far that has little pollen spores that travel straight to me and cause my sinuses to go on the fritz.  (See: Kentuckians have some of the worst allergies and that's why it sucks to live in this state sometimes)

I've been coughing, sniffling, hacking, wheezing, and dragging (my butt).  I realize how much worse this could be if I weren't taking a daily regiment of Zyrtec, and I am glad for it.  This also makes me happy because it doesn't stop me from getting into the gym.

"But Andy, why would you want to work out when you're sick?  Will that not just make it worse?  Don't you feel awful when you go to the gym?"

I had to ask myself the same questions.  Luckily, I had some good friends that guided me to the "rule of the neck," and this article which mentions this rule and goes into some detail about working out while ill.

In general, if you're like me and you just have a minor head cold, it's probably safe to work out.  In fact, I go to the gym just to clear my chest congestion and sinuses out.  The intensity of the workout and the increase in body heat help to drain out a lot of the pressure.  I actually walk out of the gym feeling like I was never sick in the first place.  The good feelings usually last about an hour before they return, but most of you that have ever had a cold know that even an hour is heavenly when you're congested.

My personal rule has always been that if it's all in my head, it's probably still safe to play.  However, no illness is the same, so each case much be judged individually.  If you just don't feel up to the task, don't beat yourself up about taking a few days off to recover.  You'll get back in there with energy that you didn't know you had when your illness is finally passed.

Take a Hike!

These are some pictures from a hike that I took with a couple of friends in Berea, Ky.  The place we hiked at is called the Pinnacles.  The trail all-together is a little over seven miles in length, but we didn't have a full day to hike with, so we chose to go to the East Pinnacle and the Indian Fort Lookout.  This hike was about four miles in length and it took us about two and a half hours to hike it.

These are the two friends I went with.  Harrison is the bald one in the maroon shirt and BJ is the tall one in the black shirt.  This was one of the views looking out from East Pinnacle.

These are some more of the beautiful views from East Pinnacle.  

Who's that ugly mutt?

These are some of the gorgeous views from Indian Fort Lookout.

Harrison stopped to have his picture taken.

BJ did as well.

Further down the trail, BJ found a cave under where we were walking.  He found out that he could jump over the side of a nearby ledge to one below it to get to the cave.  I had no interest in going over that ledge.

Hiking is great for so many reasons.  It gets you outside, it can be challenging, you get to test yourself, and it's free.  There's no reason not to go find a place to hike in your local area today!  If you're lost before you even find a trail, trying going to EveryTrail.com and signing up for an account.  Every Trail has a lot of trails mapped out by local users, so you can find a good guide to local hiking spots.  You may even find one or two that you didn't even know existed!

Workout Fun! Tiring Tires

I'm always looking for a new cool way to get a great workout without having to go to the gym.  The gym is great, but sometimes it's nice to get out of doing the same old thing every day!

Those of you who aren't strangers to the fitness world have probably heard of one of the new trends in at-home fitness.  It's cheap and it's effective.  All you need is an old tractor tire and a sledge hammer.  If you're wondering where you might find those, grab $40 dollars, go to a junk yard, and stop at the hardware store on the way home.  Having a truck to haul it in might help!  How to do the workout almost speaks for itself.  Here are some of the ways it can be done:

I don't have a tractor tire right now, but today I did find an old truck tire, some rope, and an aluminum baseball bat.  Within five minutes, I had the tire hanging from a tree branch and was swinging away!  It's great for the arms and the upper body.  The only suggestion I might have for those of you at home with this laying around is to use good rope.  Mine was old, so it broke after 30 minutes of relentless abuse.   This was how much unexpected workout was broken down today:

Tire Swing and Yard Workout

15 minutes of yard cleaning

1 1/2 hours yard mowing

30 minutes of tire swings

I suggest getting a tire to beat on and flip if you have the room for it.  It can be a great whole-body workout and it's perfect for stress relief!