Thursday, May 29, 2008
Natural cure for brain tumor and free hardcopy of Lose Fat, Not Faith
I enjoyed the feedback from my post about Bacteria: Secret to Weight Loss? post the other day. If you have a chance, head on over and read the feedback.
Since we often hear the bad news about the horrible obesity epidemic and the struggle to stop it, I thought I'd share a little bit of good news. It looks like we're making progress! Obesity statistics for 2003 through 2005 for adolescent aged and younger children appear to have leveled off. While that still leaves us with 1 out of 3 overweight and a staggering 3 out of 20 obese, it means the rate is not growing ... if we've indeed stabilized it, we can focus on reversing the trend and making those numbers go down!
It's not hard, either. The three best investments our family made for our daughter's health? A trampoline, access to a pool, and a house in a neighborhood with friendly children who love to run around outside. I've watched the studies about how computers and television are robbing our children of their health, but I disagree.
I think the article titled "Less TV, More Breakfast Helps Teens Keep Weight Off" hits a bit closer to the mark (less TV, not "no TV.")
Yes, the marketing is terrible, but as parents we can explain the marketing and educate our children to understand why that Happy Meal isn't the best choice. Yes, the computer creates "lazy time" but we can choose to provide games that stimulate the mind and limit their time. Yes, the television is probably the worse but again, the choice is either dump the kids in front of the television as an electronic babysitter, or allow it in moderation and focus on family time being at the pool and not on the Cartoon Network.
It's good to see that mainstream media is stepping outside of their sponsorship (when you consider how much money in advertising is pumped into media organizations by pharmaceutical companies, it's easy to realize it's not a "conspiracy theory" that there is going to be a favorable bias towards reporting on drug success) ... this was a great story about a girl whose family believes they helped cure a brain tumor with natural therapy that appeared to focus mainly on nutrition.
Finally, a little side note for readers of my blog. The first edition of my book, "Lose Fat, Not Faith" is about to go out of print. I've got a stack of the last ten copies of that edition I will ever own. I am going to sign and ship a single copy free (including shipping charges) to the next 10 people who invest in the Lose Fat, Not Faith Transformation Kit. I'll share this with my e-Zine tomorrow so those who want a copy should act right away - remember, there's only 10 remaining as of this writing. I will sign and ship the copy to the billing address used to purchase the Ebook kit. You will receive the eBook, the Training Encyclopedia, the Nutrition Guides, the Become Your Best Coaching Curriculum, ongoing email support AND a signed hardcopy from my final print run of the 1st edition of the hardcopy book that was first published July 4th, 2005. You don't have to do a thing, I'll automatically set it up and ship it out and email you if you are one of the next 10 to purchase.
Until next time,
Since we often hear the bad news about the horrible obesity epidemic and the struggle to stop it, I thought I'd share a little bit of good news. It looks like we're making progress! Obesity statistics for 2003 through 2005 for adolescent aged and younger children appear to have leveled off. While that still leaves us with 1 out of 3 overweight and a staggering 3 out of 20 obese, it means the rate is not growing ... if we've indeed stabilized it, we can focus on reversing the trend and making those numbers go down!
It's not hard, either. The three best investments our family made for our daughter's health? A trampoline, access to a pool, and a house in a neighborhood with friendly children who love to run around outside. I've watched the studies about how computers and television are robbing our children of their health, but I disagree.
I think the article titled "Less TV, More Breakfast Helps Teens Keep Weight Off" hits a bit closer to the mark (less TV, not "no TV.")
Yes, the marketing is terrible, but as parents we can explain the marketing and educate our children to understand why that Happy Meal isn't the best choice. Yes, the computer creates "lazy time" but we can choose to provide games that stimulate the mind and limit their time. Yes, the television is probably the worse but again, the choice is either dump the kids in front of the television as an electronic babysitter, or allow it in moderation and focus on family time being at the pool and not on the Cartoon Network.
It's good to see that mainstream media is stepping outside of their sponsorship (when you consider how much money in advertising is pumped into media organizations by pharmaceutical companies, it's easy to realize it's not a "conspiracy theory" that there is going to be a favorable bias towards reporting on drug success) ... this was a great story about a girl whose family believes they helped cure a brain tumor with natural therapy that appeared to focus mainly on nutrition.
Finally, a little side note for readers of my blog. The first edition of my book, "Lose Fat, Not Faith" is about to go out of print. I've got a stack of the last ten copies of that edition I will ever own. I am going to sign and ship a single copy free (including shipping charges) to the next 10 people who invest in the Lose Fat, Not Faith Transformation Kit. I'll share this with my e-Zine tomorrow so those who want a copy should act right away - remember, there's only 10 remaining as of this writing. I will sign and ship the copy to the billing address used to purchase the Ebook kit. You will receive the eBook, the Training Encyclopedia, the Nutrition Guides, the Become Your Best Coaching Curriculum, ongoing email support AND a signed hardcopy from my final print run of the 1st edition of the hardcopy book that was first published July 4th, 2005. You don't have to do a thing, I'll automatically set it up and ship it out and email you if you are one of the next 10 to purchase.
Until next time,
Monday, May 26, 2008
Bacteria the secret to weight loss?
Is bacteria the key to weight loss? Because my Lose Fat, Not Faith Transformation Guide, while primary a "personal development" book because it focuses on the mindset necessary to achieve success, is also considered more of a "diet/fitness" or "weight loss" category, I keep track of the top sellers in this area.
I was a little dubious when I saw the top spot for eBooks was being rapidly overtaken by a program called Top Secret Fat Loss Secret by a Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst. Her premise still sounds a little too much like a "magic bullet" to me ... the fact that your weight has nothing to do with exercise or even nutrition, but everything to do with the bacteria in your gut ... and that her program will teach you how to address it and lose weight. I've been waiting to hear from someone who has actually invested in the program to receive their feedback and thoughts, but I may just let curiosity get the best of me and purchase it to see what it's all about (she offers the same guarantee all products on ClickBank have, so I know if it's a dud I can ask for a refund).
What is interesting, however, is that after reading her site and sort of laughing off the notion that bacteria would impact weight loss, I stumbled across an article that seems to support the theory! It turns out that Probitic Bacteria May Help with Weight Loss. The interesting part: We know that the type of bacteria that we have in our intestine does determine how many calories you actually take in. So you could easily imagine that if you changed the composition of that bacteria, you'll change how many calories you absorb," says lead author Dr. John Morton, an associate professor and director of bariatric surgery at Stanford University.
Now that's bacteria, er, food for thought!
In other news, it continues to baffle me just how long it takes for certain concepts to take hold and become mainstream. I wrote extensively about the possible dangers of coffee (and why I decided to cut back myself) in Coffee and Caffeine. I mentioned Dr. John Berardi in the article, and about five years ago I attended one of his seminars. He was speaking about the effects of caffeine on glucose metabolism and insulin resistance even then, now it seems to finally be entering the mainstream. There is now a study that gives us a sort of catch-22: apparently prolonged consumption of caffeine can decrease risk of type 2 diabetes, BUT short term consumption may actually INCREASE the insulin response of a meal, making it more dangerous for people who are already insulin resistant and/or have diabetes. Read the rest here.
So it's time to relax for the rest of today. I just finished my workout ... I've gone from 15 ... to 12 ... to 10-rep sets, so the weights are starting to get heavier and I'm starting to enjoy a bigger pump. The ladies have gone shopping but when they return I'll be fixing us french toast (whole wheat bread, free range eggs, and 100% all natural mape syrup). Delicious!
Have a blessed Memorial Day,
I was a little dubious when I saw the top spot for eBooks was being rapidly overtaken by a program called Top Secret Fat Loss Secret by a Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst. Her premise still sounds a little too much like a "magic bullet" to me ... the fact that your weight has nothing to do with exercise or even nutrition, but everything to do with the bacteria in your gut ... and that her program will teach you how to address it and lose weight. I've been waiting to hear from someone who has actually invested in the program to receive their feedback and thoughts, but I may just let curiosity get the best of me and purchase it to see what it's all about (she offers the same guarantee all products on ClickBank have, so I know if it's a dud I can ask for a refund).
What is interesting, however, is that after reading her site and sort of laughing off the notion that bacteria would impact weight loss, I stumbled across an article that seems to support the theory! It turns out that Probitic Bacteria May Help with Weight Loss. The interesting part: We know that the type of bacteria that we have in our intestine does determine how many calories you actually take in. So you could easily imagine that if you changed the composition of that bacteria, you'll change how many calories you absorb," says lead author Dr. John Morton, an associate professor and director of bariatric surgery at Stanford University.
Now that's bacteria, er, food for thought!
In other news, it continues to baffle me just how long it takes for certain concepts to take hold and become mainstream. I wrote extensively about the possible dangers of coffee (and why I decided to cut back myself) in Coffee and Caffeine. I mentioned Dr. John Berardi in the article, and about five years ago I attended one of his seminars. He was speaking about the effects of caffeine on glucose metabolism and insulin resistance even then, now it seems to finally be entering the mainstream. There is now a study that gives us a sort of catch-22: apparently prolonged consumption of caffeine can decrease risk of type 2 diabetes, BUT short term consumption may actually INCREASE the insulin response of a meal, making it more dangerous for people who are already insulin resistant and/or have diabetes. Read the rest here.
So it's time to relax for the rest of today. I just finished my workout ... I've gone from 15 ... to 12 ... to 10-rep sets, so the weights are starting to get heavier and I'm starting to enjoy a bigger pump. The ladies have gone shopping but when they return I'll be fixing us french toast (whole wheat bread, free range eggs, and 100% all natural mape syrup). Delicious!
Have a blessed Memorial Day,
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Nutrition Facts or Fat Lies?
I don't know how long it will be before people take diet and exercise seriously, but we're not quite there yet. People still view being overweight as a "cosmetic" decision and seem almost proud of their unhealthy eating habits. Even more disturbing is the people who are "in good shape" and look fit and healthy, but don't exercise and have poor diets. There is a myth in our culture that being that way is somehow healthy - research suggests otherwise (someone who is overweight but exercises and eats healthy is 2 1/2 times less likely to have a heart attack than someone of "normal weight" who doesn't, according to one study).
If you haven't heard of Adult Onset Diabetes, it's because this disease no longer attacks just adults. The reason it used to be "adult onset" was because lifestyle issues are what would bring it on. Of course the pharma-backed medical establishment is going to insist this is a typical "disease" best treated by "drugs" even though there is mounting evidence such as this article to indicate it's lifestyle that creates the situation, not just genetics.
There's a phenomenal series at the Washington Post that covers the complex topic of Childhood Obesity, including who's to blame and what steps to take in order to fight this condition.
Three days of the week, I wake up at 5am to train, then head to my chiropractor's office. Chiropractic has come a long way since the days when they were considered by many to be "just back crackers." I still see people roll their eyes when the topic is discussed, but the fact is just as some people are stuck in the past with regard to carbohydrates and still think it's as simple as "simple vs. complex" (it's not - read about Human Petroleum) chiropractic has a growing body of science to support it's notion that the brain is what controls the body and it's important to keep the pathways to the body open. The National Institute of Health is going to conduct a study on how one chiropractor's treatment helps patients with jaw disorders — hopefully this will help shed more light and expand everyone's awareness of how beneficial this practice can be.
I've been preaching the benefits of healthy fats (specifically fish oil) for years ... a new study suggests fish oil is good for people with insulin resistance.
It looks like as consumers we need to continue to defend our rights because we continue to be bombarded with lies, lies, lies. While companies are taking great strides to provide healthier choices and disclose important information, there is still work to be done. Take, for example, this investigation which revealed that the so-called "nutrition facts" that are published by several restaurants turn out to be, well, can we say "liberal embellishments"?
As for staying fit ... I'm continuing my journey. Today I trained hard in the evening and so far am up to date with my workouts this week, which I continue to chronical in my training journal.
Warmly,
If you haven't heard of Adult Onset Diabetes, it's because this disease no longer attacks just adults. The reason it used to be "adult onset" was because lifestyle issues are what would bring it on. Of course the pharma-backed medical establishment is going to insist this is a typical "disease" best treated by "drugs" even though there is mounting evidence such as this article to indicate it's lifestyle that creates the situation, not just genetics.
There's a phenomenal series at the Washington Post that covers the complex topic of Childhood Obesity, including who's to blame and what steps to take in order to fight this condition.
Three days of the week, I wake up at 5am to train, then head to my chiropractor's office. Chiropractic has come a long way since the days when they were considered by many to be "just back crackers." I still see people roll their eyes when the topic is discussed, but the fact is just as some people are stuck in the past with regard to carbohydrates and still think it's as simple as "simple vs. complex" (it's not - read about Human Petroleum) chiropractic has a growing body of science to support it's notion that the brain is what controls the body and it's important to keep the pathways to the body open. The National Institute of Health is going to conduct a study on how one chiropractor's treatment helps patients with jaw disorders — hopefully this will help shed more light and expand everyone's awareness of how beneficial this practice can be.
I've been preaching the benefits of healthy fats (specifically fish oil) for years ... a new study suggests fish oil is good for people with insulin resistance.
It looks like as consumers we need to continue to defend our rights because we continue to be bombarded with lies, lies, lies. While companies are taking great strides to provide healthier choices and disclose important information, there is still work to be done. Take, for example, this investigation which revealed that the so-called "nutrition facts" that are published by several restaurants turn out to be, well, can we say "liberal embellishments"?
As for staying fit ... I'm continuing my journey. Today I trained hard in the evening and so far am up to date with my workouts this week, which I continue to chronical in my training journal.
Warmly,
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nuclear bombs and your fat cells - what do they have in common?
I came across an interesting article today that confirmed what we pretty much suspected for a long time - that the number of your fat cells are fixed in number. What's strange is how they came across it. Take a look at why you're stuck with those pesky fat cells, and how nuclear tests during the Cold War era helped them figure this out. Then don't fret ... while the number of cells doesn't change, the amount of fat they contain within them does. You CAN still lose the weight and deflate those pesky cells, so you don't get to use it as an excuse for not losing fat as the article implies.
There is more and more controversy over the pharmaceutical industry ... it seems like the companies are ready and willing to rake in quite a bit of profit, but when it comes to accountability, they throw up their hands and walk off stage. At least one pharmaceutical chief walked out on his interview when pressed for information about a drug.
Some people are afraid to ride in a car or fly in a plane, but more than half of America (that's how many people are on at least one prescription drug) should be more concerned with what's in their medicine cabinet. According to one article that referenced the CDC, drugs killed 10,000 in 1990, 20,000 in 1999, and 33,000 in 2005. See a trend? We're talking a multibillion dollar industry.
The same people who tell me it's too expensive to eat healthy invest a lot of money in antacids to combat their fast food diets and a variety of other over, under, and behind-the-counter medications to "stay well."
I found personally that when I stopped taking cold medicine, cough medicine, pain medicine, etc, I began to have fewer colds, coughs, and pains. Interesting ...
Back in 2004, when I first published Lose Fat, Not Faith, I had a chapter (and still do) about dairy products. I laughed when the dairy industry released their rigged studies claiming that dairy helps us lose weight and then went on a major marketing campaign. I guess trying to scare the women of America into believing their bones would become brittle and break if they didn't walk around with a milk smile wasn't effective enough, so they decided to make you feel less guilty about having milk and cookies or large bowls of cereal and slices of cheese during the day.
Fortunately not everyone was buying the advertising campaign disguised as science, and a report on the theory of dairy and weight loss was published. The conclusion? "Consequently, the majority of the current evidence from clinical trials does not support the hypothesis that calcium or dairy consumption aids in weight or fat loss." No surprises here ... if you want more information years ahead of when the media will finally "get it" (they are still behind on the importance of saturated fats, for example - most people still go around thinking these are the "bad fats"), you definitely want to pick up the Lose Fat, Not Faith Transformation Kit.
I've always been a fan of using calories to the extent you can learn what is going into your system and also take some of the guesswork out of determining how much exercise/nutrition to plan for. There is a great article about calorie counting coming back in style that I enjoyed. I agree ... people tend to try to focus on that one thing (sugar, fat, etc) but I know from a decade of coaching that the high protein people, the high carb people, the vegetarians, the food combiners, and all sorts of different varieties can all successfully lose weight so no one system is right ... but personally, I've found monitoring calories, while difficult, ALWAYS works, when some other programs seem to work better for different people.
Speaking of counting calories, I haven't been counting mine lately ... and my weight has stabilized. I still have a ways to go but my priority has been consistency first. I'm still not 100% on my exercise game. I've not missed a workout, but I've had to shift schedules and I want to get better at that first, then tighten the reins on calories.
Tonight I performed my 4th workout in the new "Hypertrophy Specific Training" protocol I set up. It was great, I'm feeling stronger and see muscle definition ... it will be interesting to see how the running side progresses, last week I hit all of my targets (an interval training session, a 2-mile pace run, and a 3 mile leisure run) ... I increase it all this week. I'll keep you posted in my exercise journal.
Warmly,
There is more and more controversy over the pharmaceutical industry ... it seems like the companies are ready and willing to rake in quite a bit of profit, but when it comes to accountability, they throw up their hands and walk off stage. At least one pharmaceutical chief walked out on his interview when pressed for information about a drug.
Some people are afraid to ride in a car or fly in a plane, but more than half of America (that's how many people are on at least one prescription drug) should be more concerned with what's in their medicine cabinet. According to one article that referenced the CDC, drugs killed 10,000 in 1990, 20,000 in 1999, and 33,000 in 2005. See a trend? We're talking a multibillion dollar industry.
The same people who tell me it's too expensive to eat healthy invest a lot of money in antacids to combat their fast food diets and a variety of other over, under, and behind-the-counter medications to "stay well."
I found personally that when I stopped taking cold medicine, cough medicine, pain medicine, etc, I began to have fewer colds, coughs, and pains. Interesting ...
Back in 2004, when I first published Lose Fat, Not Faith, I had a chapter (and still do) about dairy products. I laughed when the dairy industry released their rigged studies claiming that dairy helps us lose weight and then went on a major marketing campaign. I guess trying to scare the women of America into believing their bones would become brittle and break if they didn't walk around with a milk smile wasn't effective enough, so they decided to make you feel less guilty about having milk and cookies or large bowls of cereal and slices of cheese during the day.
Fortunately not everyone was buying the advertising campaign disguised as science, and a report on the theory of dairy and weight loss was published. The conclusion? "Consequently, the majority of the current evidence from clinical trials does not support the hypothesis that calcium or dairy consumption aids in weight or fat loss." No surprises here ... if you want more information years ahead of when the media will finally "get it" (they are still behind on the importance of saturated fats, for example - most people still go around thinking these are the "bad fats"), you definitely want to pick up the Lose Fat, Not Faith Transformation Kit.
I've always been a fan of using calories to the extent you can learn what is going into your system and also take some of the guesswork out of determining how much exercise/nutrition to plan for. There is a great article about calorie counting coming back in style that I enjoyed. I agree ... people tend to try to focus on that one thing (sugar, fat, etc) but I know from a decade of coaching that the high protein people, the high carb people, the vegetarians, the food combiners, and all sorts of different varieties can all successfully lose weight so no one system is right ... but personally, I've found monitoring calories, while difficult, ALWAYS works, when some other programs seem to work better for different people.
Speaking of counting calories, I haven't been counting mine lately ... and my weight has stabilized. I still have a ways to go but my priority has been consistency first. I'm still not 100% on my exercise game. I've not missed a workout, but I've had to shift schedules and I want to get better at that first, then tighten the reins on calories.
Tonight I performed my 4th workout in the new "Hypertrophy Specific Training" protocol I set up. It was great, I'm feeling stronger and see muscle definition ... it will be interesting to see how the running side progresses, last week I hit all of my targets (an interval training session, a 2-mile pace run, and a 3 mile leisure run) ... I increase it all this week. I'll keep you posted in my exercise journal.
Warmly,
Monday, May 12, 2008
Plug Back into the Race Schedule
Back here with a continuation of my journal.
Did I give up on the 12-week challenge? Not at all, I just realized that 12 weeks wasn't a convenient container for the program I'm building, as it's going to last longer. My New York vacation was a good week of active rest, so now I'm embarking on another workout cycle that will last 10 weeks (70 days) and I figured it would be easiest to journal it here.
As I mentioned before, I was making a detour to shed some fat and get back to basics before continuing my running ... I feel I've built a great frame of muscle and figured out quite a bit about what's going on with me both mentally and physiologically (i.e. hypothyroid, etc). So I've decided to get back into the race circuit (makes it sound professional, doesn't it? I just mean I'll start running races again) ... this time I'm being ultra-conservative in that I'm not going crazy and risking burn out but giving myself plenty of time to work towards some manageable goals.
So, the first challenge is to run a 5K. Yes, back to basics and that won't even be until September, but with a twist. I'm targeting a 20 minute 5K.
WOW ... my last one was 26 minutes, isn't that a bit aggressive? Yes ... but the difference is that I'm giving myself months to prepare and shoot for that goal and of course as I approach it, I can always adjust if it doesn't seem practical.
My race schedule right now looks like this:
5K in September 2008 (Run for Erin most likely)
10K sometime between September and March (not sure what but it makes sense)
1/2 Marathon in March of 2009 (Atlanta ING)
Full Marathon in November 2009 (Atlanta Thanksgiving?)
Second Full Marathon March 2010 (Atlanta ING)
50 Mile Ultramarathon August 2010 (have my eye on the South Dakota Lean Horse)
That's a long cycle but I feel it's practical and it puts me at my goal after a journey that began 3 years ago ... talk about long term vision!
Anyway, let's focus on the baby steps to get there. I modified my training because I need to fit it alongside running and recovery, but I am not making the mistake I did before of eliminating weight training. I'm following a model similar to Bryan Haycock's Hypertrophy-Specific Training although with the training for running and caloric restriction its hardly optimal to gain muscle. I feel its a great recovery model.
A traditional split will have you doing multiple sets of exercises and working different body parts. For example, I might work my chest and do 3 sets of different exercises on Monday, then shoulders on Wednesday, etc. HST training has me doing full body three times a week but with a progression. I'll do a certain weight (one set each exercise, plus warmups) on Monday at 15 reps, increase on Wednesday, increase on Friday, then the next week I'll keep increasing my weight but go to 12 reps, then 10 reps the following week, etc. It's a progression of load and once I get down to 6 reps then I start back at 15 but with a heavier load than before.
To give you a reference of where I'm at and what my workout looks like, this was today:
15 reps @ 90 pounds reverse grip lat pull-downs
15 reps @ 80 pounds clean and press
15 reps @ 130 pounds flat bench press
15 reps @ 65 pounds bent-over barbell rows
15 reps @ 175 pounds squats
15 reps @ 175 pounds dead-lifts
I'll do 15 reps Wed and Fri but with increasing weight. My workout 10 weeks from now on Friday will look like (assuming I did a good job of picking my weights and progressions, that might change):
6x195 reverse grip lat pull-downs
6x140 clean and press
6x210 bench press
6x120 bent-over row
6x315 squat
6x315 dead-lift
We'll see!
On the cardio side I'm doing the traditional model that I've loved but ironically haven't applied to myself often. It's what I call the pace/distance/pair model and involves focusing on intervals, pace, and distance but not necessarily forcing the three together. In other words, on Tuesdays I'll do progressively more intense High Intensity Interval training - 20 minutes but with varying intervals of intensity. On Thursdays is my pace day. I run LESS than my target distance (5K is the target, so my training will just cover 2 miles) but at a progressive pace, starting at a 9:20 minute mile and progressing to a 7:30 minute mile 10 weeks out. So my first workout will take me almost 19 minutes to run 2 miles while my last one for this cycle should take only 15 minutes. Finally, the last workout of the week I focus on distance but don't worry about pace. I run FARTHER than my target so while I'm running 5K (over 3 miles) I'll work my distance up to 8 miles. So I get the pace down with a shorter distance, and longer runs at a longer distance, and then the goal is to tie the two together on race day.
I had a great workout this morning, overshot on some of my weights but adjusted the schedule and am ready to move forward. I'll keep you posted!
My journal is updated daily right here.
Warmly,
Did I give up on the 12-week challenge? Not at all, I just realized that 12 weeks wasn't a convenient container for the program I'm building, as it's going to last longer. My New York vacation was a good week of active rest, so now I'm embarking on another workout cycle that will last 10 weeks (70 days) and I figured it would be easiest to journal it here.
As I mentioned before, I was making a detour to shed some fat and get back to basics before continuing my running ... I feel I've built a great frame of muscle and figured out quite a bit about what's going on with me both mentally and physiologically (i.e. hypothyroid, etc). So I've decided to get back into the race circuit (makes it sound professional, doesn't it? I just mean I'll start running races again) ... this time I'm being ultra-conservative in that I'm not going crazy and risking burn out but giving myself plenty of time to work towards some manageable goals.
So, the first challenge is to run a 5K. Yes, back to basics and that won't even be until September, but with a twist. I'm targeting a 20 minute 5K.
WOW ... my last one was 26 minutes, isn't that a bit aggressive? Yes ... but the difference is that I'm giving myself months to prepare and shoot for that goal and of course as I approach it, I can always adjust if it doesn't seem practical.
My race schedule right now looks like this:
5K in September 2008 (Run for Erin most likely)
10K sometime between September and March (not sure what but it makes sense)
1/2 Marathon in March of 2009 (Atlanta ING)
Full Marathon in November 2009 (Atlanta Thanksgiving?)
Second Full Marathon March 2010 (Atlanta ING)
50 Mile Ultramarathon August 2010 (have my eye on the South Dakota Lean Horse)
That's a long cycle but I feel it's practical and it puts me at my goal after a journey that began 3 years ago ... talk about long term vision!
Anyway, let's focus on the baby steps to get there. I modified my training because I need to fit it alongside running and recovery, but I am not making the mistake I did before of eliminating weight training. I'm following a model similar to Bryan Haycock's Hypertrophy-Specific Training although with the training for running and caloric restriction its hardly optimal to gain muscle. I feel its a great recovery model.
A traditional split will have you doing multiple sets of exercises and working different body parts. For example, I might work my chest and do 3 sets of different exercises on Monday, then shoulders on Wednesday, etc. HST training has me doing full body three times a week but with a progression. I'll do a certain weight (one set each exercise, plus warmups) on Monday at 15 reps, increase on Wednesday, increase on Friday, then the next week I'll keep increasing my weight but go to 12 reps, then 10 reps the following week, etc. It's a progression of load and once I get down to 6 reps then I start back at 15 but with a heavier load than before.
To give you a reference of where I'm at and what my workout looks like, this was today:
15 reps @ 90 pounds reverse grip lat pull-downs
15 reps @ 80 pounds clean and press
15 reps @ 130 pounds flat bench press
15 reps @ 65 pounds bent-over barbell rows
15 reps @ 175 pounds squats
15 reps @ 175 pounds dead-lifts
I'll do 15 reps Wed and Fri but with increasing weight. My workout 10 weeks from now on Friday will look like (assuming I did a good job of picking my weights and progressions, that might change):
6x195 reverse grip lat pull-downs
6x140 clean and press
6x210 bench press
6x120 bent-over row
6x315 squat
6x315 dead-lift
We'll see!
On the cardio side I'm doing the traditional model that I've loved but ironically haven't applied to myself often. It's what I call the pace/distance/pair model and involves focusing on intervals, pace, and distance but not necessarily forcing the three together. In other words, on Tuesdays I'll do progressively more intense High Intensity Interval training - 20 minutes but with varying intervals of intensity. On Thursdays is my pace day. I run LESS than my target distance (5K is the target, so my training will just cover 2 miles) but at a progressive pace, starting at a 9:20 minute mile and progressing to a 7:30 minute mile 10 weeks out. So my first workout will take me almost 19 minutes to run 2 miles while my last one for this cycle should take only 15 minutes. Finally, the last workout of the week I focus on distance but don't worry about pace. I run FARTHER than my target so while I'm running 5K (over 3 miles) I'll work my distance up to 8 miles. So I get the pace down with a shorter distance, and longer runs at a longer distance, and then the goal is to tie the two together on race day.
I had a great workout this morning, overshot on some of my weights but adjusted the schedule and am ready to move forward. I'll keep you posted!
My journal is updated daily right here.
Warmly,
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