Day 1)
Strength: Progress to dead lift 3 x 4 --- all sets of 4 should be the same weight
Circuit 1: 50-40-30-20-10 for time: double unders / BW lunges (25-20-etc. each leg)
Circuit 2: 25-20-15-10-5 for time: pushups / 2-arm KB swings
Day 2)
2 rounds for time:
400m row
8 x clean and press
400m run
8 x weighted pullup
400m row
8 x Arnold press
400m run
12 x floor press and leg raise combo --- feet and hands meet at top
Day 3)
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-3 for time
Safety bar squat
Dead hang pullup
KB overhead swing
Pushup position KB row
Reverse hyperextensions
Hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend. Take some time to remember what we're celebrating (the true warriors), and be thankful for the freedom to live as you wish. One love!
Bushido.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
COMA LAS VEGAS!
First of all, apologies to all my dedicated fans (shout out to Bomber and Hurls!), and thanks for being patient. I had actually planned for today to be my second post, as I predicted its content to be appropriate for any of you who may have been a little intimidated by the first post. I was right. Read along, and be not!
I spent the last 4 days "vacationing" in Las Vegas to celebrate the final bachelorhood of 4-Hour Body guru, Jeremy Peters. I have yet to read this book, but I will be checking it out soon (Petes swears by it, and he's a doctor). Apparently the author, Tim Ferris, gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days and just four hours of total gym time. We will revisit this statistic later.
Many people who practice a "cheat day" strategy can relate to the cycle of: work hard and eat clean all week, eat what you want for a day and feel a little guilt that pushes you to work hard the next week. In theory, a controlled cheat every once in a while is necessary for mental stability and to keep your metabolism pumping. In my experience, though, sometimes these things spiral violently out of control and I end up eating more crap in one day than most people are physically able to in an entire week. Being the food addict that I am and having just recently watched Food Paradise: Las Vegas Buffets on the Travel Channel, I anticipated that Sin City would get the best of me for much more than just one day. The following chronicles the events that ultimately led to seriously impressive gains.
Day 1: Friday, May 20
When my alarm woke me a 4:33 AM I was full of excitement. I did some pushups and pullups and took a jog around the block. I wanted to delay the inevitable massacre as long as I could, so I even packed some stir-fried pork and vegetables and a bag of almonds for the travel day. I'd be lying if I said Chick-Fil-A didn't catch my eye at the Atlanta airport, but I held strong with my pork.
I drank a handful of beers by the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel (obviously) and a couple french fries with my tuna steak and salad at dinner but I had not yet accepted a loss for the day. However, a barrage of alcohol was coming, and it was determined to bring out my "fuck it" attitude. I got my Goose on hard at Tao, and by the end of the night I was full of vodka-logged gravy fries, chicken tenders and a turkey and cheese pita.
Day 2: Saturday, May 21
I checked out the gym at the hotel for about 45 minutes and had a protein shake and an apple for breakfast. We spent the day at the pool but I kept the drinking to a minimum. We had planned a dinner at Texas de Brazil Churrascaria and I was determined to get my money's worth.
This is where things got serious. If you ever have a chance to go to this place, do it and make sure you have an adjustable belt! The salad bar alone could feed the 300 Spartans; lobster bisque, sushi, prosciutto, about 25 different salads, you get the picture. Each place setting has a card that is green on one side and red on the other, and once the carvers start visiting your table they don't stop bringing meat until you turn your card to red. Let's just say I was the last one to quit. Then I hit the salad bar again before leaving and picked up a carrot muffin at Starbucks for dessert.
After a 2 hour nap I was ready to booze. When the crew started to clear out of Pure at around 2, I had $50 dollars in my wallet. I played it all on red to determine whether or not I was staying out. Aside from slots at the airport (+ $1) this was the only gambling I did. At 5AM I was eating ice cream in the room, justified by the ridiculous dance workout I had just completed. Needless to say, I beat the house, bitches!
Day 3: Sunday, May 22
While my brother was graduating from college (congrats), I (and 4000 others, including CeeLo Green) was at the Rehab party at the Hard Rock pool slugging Bud Lights. Don't miss this if you every get to Vegas; it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I didn't eat all day, but beers and meat from the night before kept me going.
We had tickets to see the aquatics show Le Reve at the Wynn at 9:30, so we hit the Wynn buffet at 8. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Texas de Brazil, but I probably ate more because of the massive selection (plus I was still pretty drunk from Rehab). I spent at least 25 minutes devouring desserts and we just barely made it for the start of the show.
The show was probably my second favorite part of the trip. If you didn't watch the video in the link, do so NOW. The feats of strength and acrobatics seem impossible even still. Unfortunately after the show I hit a wall. A combination of too much food and alcohol and too little sleep became too much and I had to call it an early night. The few guys in my group who made it out didn't do much better, so I don't feel too bad about it.
Day 4: Monday, May 23
I started my last day of vacation with a 1500 or so calorie breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, french toast, a quesadilla, hash browns and black beans. One thing I find interesting is how easily I justify one more day of "cheating," and I certainly made the most of this one too.
Waiting for our flight at the LV airport I downed a chicken sausage with peppers, a large TCBY ice cream, a granola bar and a package of Snackwell's cookies. A little package of pretzels on the plane to Rochester had to suffice until the $21 Taco Bell run with Dr. Peters at 2AM. We didn't have enough time in Atlanta on the way back or I probably would have hit up Chick-Fil-A too.
Day 5: Tuesday, May 24
I gained 8 pounds in 4 days (take that, Tim Ferris!). I had a great first time in Vegas (and at TB afterward) and I don't regret it. Having been down this road plenty of times I can rest assured knowing that a majority of this is water weight and I should be back to normal after a few days of detox salads :)
My intention was to show you that everyone is human, but after reading through this post I am certain it will convince a few of you that I am not. I have always loved food and will probably never kick my habit of outrageous cheats, but I have enough discipline and dedication on most other days to combat them. You don't have to give up on the things you love. It may take some time, but eventually you will figure out what works for you, too.
Do something that makes you smile today. Be well, my friends!
P.S. Best of luck to Michelle Petrocci and anyone else competing in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge!
I spent the last 4 days "vacationing" in Las Vegas to celebrate the final bachelorhood of 4-Hour Body guru, Jeremy Peters. I have yet to read this book, but I will be checking it out soon (Petes swears by it, and he's a doctor). Apparently the author, Tim Ferris, gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days and just four hours of total gym time. We will revisit this statistic later.
Many people who practice a "cheat day" strategy can relate to the cycle of: work hard and eat clean all week, eat what you want for a day and feel a little guilt that pushes you to work hard the next week. In theory, a controlled cheat every once in a while is necessary for mental stability and to keep your metabolism pumping. In my experience, though, sometimes these things spiral violently out of control and I end up eating more crap in one day than most people are physically able to in an entire week. Being the food addict that I am and having just recently watched Food Paradise: Las Vegas Buffets on the Travel Channel, I anticipated that Sin City would get the best of me for much more than just one day. The following chronicles the events that ultimately led to seriously impressive gains.
Day 1: Friday, May 20
When my alarm woke me a 4:33 AM I was full of excitement. I did some pushups and pullups and took a jog around the block. I wanted to delay the inevitable massacre as long as I could, so I even packed some stir-fried pork and vegetables and a bag of almonds for the travel day. I'd be lying if I said Chick-Fil-A didn't catch my eye at the Atlanta airport, but I held strong with my pork.
I drank a handful of beers by the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel (obviously) and a couple french fries with my tuna steak and salad at dinner but I had not yet accepted a loss for the day. However, a barrage of alcohol was coming, and it was determined to bring out my "fuck it" attitude. I got my Goose on hard at Tao, and by the end of the night I was full of vodka-logged gravy fries, chicken tenders and a turkey and cheese pita.
Day 2: Saturday, May 21
I checked out the gym at the hotel for about 45 minutes and had a protein shake and an apple for breakfast. We spent the day at the pool but I kept the drinking to a minimum. We had planned a dinner at Texas de Brazil Churrascaria and I was determined to get my money's worth.
This is where things got serious. If you ever have a chance to go to this place, do it and make sure you have an adjustable belt! The salad bar alone could feed the 300 Spartans; lobster bisque, sushi, prosciutto, about 25 different salads, you get the picture. Each place setting has a card that is green on one side and red on the other, and once the carvers start visiting your table they don't stop bringing meat until you turn your card to red. Let's just say I was the last one to quit. Then I hit the salad bar again before leaving and picked up a carrot muffin at Starbucks for dessert.
After a 2 hour nap I was ready to booze. When the crew started to clear out of Pure at around 2, I had $50 dollars in my wallet. I played it all on red to determine whether or not I was staying out. Aside from slots at the airport (+ $1) this was the only gambling I did. At 5AM I was eating ice cream in the room, justified by the ridiculous dance workout I had just completed. Needless to say, I beat the house, bitches!
Day 3: Sunday, May 22
While my brother was graduating from college (congrats), I (and 4000 others, including CeeLo Green) was at the Rehab party at the Hard Rock pool slugging Bud Lights. Don't miss this if you every get to Vegas; it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I didn't eat all day, but beers and meat from the night before kept me going.
We had tickets to see the aquatics show Le Reve at the Wynn at 9:30, so we hit the Wynn buffet at 8. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Texas de Brazil, but I probably ate more because of the massive selection (plus I was still pretty drunk from Rehab). I spent at least 25 minutes devouring desserts and we just barely made it for the start of the show.
The show was probably my second favorite part of the trip. If you didn't watch the video in the link, do so NOW. The feats of strength and acrobatics seem impossible even still. Unfortunately after the show I hit a wall. A combination of too much food and alcohol and too little sleep became too much and I had to call it an early night. The few guys in my group who made it out didn't do much better, so I don't feel too bad about it.
Day 4: Monday, May 23
I started my last day of vacation with a 1500 or so calorie breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, french toast, a quesadilla, hash browns and black beans. One thing I find interesting is how easily I justify one more day of "cheating," and I certainly made the most of this one too.
Waiting for our flight at the LV airport I downed a chicken sausage with peppers, a large TCBY ice cream, a granola bar and a package of Snackwell's cookies. A little package of pretzels on the plane to Rochester had to suffice until the $21 Taco Bell run with Dr. Peters at 2AM. We didn't have enough time in Atlanta on the way back or I probably would have hit up Chick-Fil-A too.
Day 5: Tuesday, May 24
I gained 8 pounds in 4 days (take that, Tim Ferris!). I had a great first time in Vegas (and at TB afterward) and I don't regret it. Having been down this road plenty of times I can rest assured knowing that a majority of this is water weight and I should be back to normal after a few days of detox salads :)
My intention was to show you that everyone is human, but after reading through this post I am certain it will convince a few of you that I am not. I have always loved food and will probably never kick my habit of outrageous cheats, but I have enough discipline and dedication on most other days to combat them. You don't have to give up on the things you love. It may take some time, but eventually you will figure out what works for you, too.
Do something that makes you smile today. Be well, my friends!
P.S. Best of luck to Michelle Petrocci and anyone else competing in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge!
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