As mentioned in the post before this I am going to be lifting 3 days of the week as heavy as I can. Here is what I did today.
Got my body temperature up with a nice warm up.
35 push ups with perfect form to get my chest ready for what im about to put it through.
Barbell Bench Press - 1 warm up set of 5-6 reps then 4x8 working sets (go up in weight each set)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 4x8 (go up in weight each set)
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes - 4x8 (go up in weight each set)
Body Weight Dips - 3x15
Grab one of those big balls you always see someone trying to do 1,000,000 crunches on because they cant figure out why they don't have rock hard abs. (DIET IS EVERYTHING) Then I want you to put your feet on it and balance yourself and do 4x10 "decline" push ups. This may take a moment of practice when trying to find the right balance. Your chest should be torched at this moment because you should have been destroying it through the above exercises. This also will help build your core strength because you have to balance with only your toes on the large ball.
High Knee Raises - 4x20 (after each set, rest for only 30 seconds then do another 20)
Planks 2x2 minutes
This workout only took me about 60 minutes to complete , It shouldn't take you more than 45-60 minutes to complete any workout. Get in the habit that once you hit that hour mark to drop whatever your doing , grab some water and head home. This is VERY important. If you are doing these 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour marathon workouts you are doing nothing positive for your body.
I hope you try this workout next time you head to the gym.
AP
Monday, February 28, 2011
IS IT VACATION TIME YET??
Hola Amigos y Amigas,
With the help and assistance from a fellow fitness enthusiast and my good friend Gary Deagle , I am going to start doing this pretty simple routine for a while. My goal at this moment is to of course drop my BF% and be in the best shape of my life and in the best possible looking state once my vacation to Nags Head , N.C comes around on May 21st.
So I will be lifting HEAVY and busting my ass on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I will be going through some super sets but also the good old fashioned body split workouts where I may go all chest (upper body) on Monday as hard as I can possibly go and use every ounce of energy towards that. Then do maybe nothing but legs(lower body) one day and possibly nothing but back the other day. I shall keep you updated on what I do on these days so you can all have something to possibly follow if you would like to. But there are also great workouts I have already posted previously especially once that have to do with super sets.
I am also going to be doing a fasted walk 5 days of the week every morning before I do anything else. I also plan on doing a little bit of intermittent fasting to help with the fat loss. I plan on doing two 16 hour fasts each week and see how it goes. Basically after I eat dinner around 7pm or so Monday night I would then not eat again until 11am the next day (basically around lunch time). During that morning of the fast I am going to do nothing but drink pure clean water and of course some green tea (I have fallen in love).
I also plan on doing 2-3 sprinting sessions during the week. They will never last longer than 20-30 minutes.
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| Planks on the beach....I LOVE IT |
So here would be a brief break down of my weekly plan to sum everything up:
Monday - Fasted Walk (30 minutes) ... Lift Heavy (45-60 minutes) Med-High Carb
Tuesday - Fasted Walk (30 minutes) ... H.I.I.T session (no longer than 20-30 minutes) (16 hour intermittent fast) Low Carb
Wednesday - Fasted Walk ( 30 minutes) ... Lift Heavy (45-60 minutes) Med-High Carb
Thursday - Fasted Walk (30 minutes) ... H.I.I.T session (no longer than 20-30 minutes) (16 hour intermittent fast) Low Carb
Friday - Fasted Walk (30 minutes) ... Lift Heavy (45-60 minutes) Low Carb
Saturday - H.I.I.T session (no longer than 20-30 minutes) Low Carb
Sunday - REST
If you have any specific questions about what I am doing, I would love to hear from you. Or if you have advice or any personal experience let me hear it!!! I am always looking to improve what I do with regards to my health.
Yours in Fitness,
AP
"BE INTENSE EVERY REP ON EVERY LIFT AND EVERY SPRINT!"
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| My Beach House for the week! JEALOUS?! |
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Fasted Walking
Lose weight by walking?!?
YEP, thats right.. something that most of us take for granted every single day is actually one of the best things we can do for our health.
If you want to see faster results when trying to lose weight, I would suggest doing a "fasted" walk around 5 days a week. What I mean by a fasted walk is right when you wake up in the morning DO NOT eat anything or take any calories in. Your body is already in a fat burning state and so by doing some form of cardio first thing in the morning your body will target your fat and burn that off.
This is also a good life tip in my personal opinion. Even if this means you must wake up 30 minutes earlier than you usually would before class or work.
Try this routine first thing in the morning at least on the weekdays when most of us have to be up sometime in the morning.
1) Get out of bed bright and early. Do not hit that snooze button 2-3 times and get that extra 10-15 minutes of sleep, you could be losing weight at that very moment.
2) Do one big "Good Morning" stretch .. I think everyone knows what I am referring to here.
3) Drink one LARGE glass of water to get your metabolism started, you are also dehydrated anyways after sleeping for the last 8 hours.. so this is a very important step to your morning routine.
4) NOW GO WALK.. Walk around your neighborhood for around 30 minutes at a good pace. You should get around 2 miles in actually which you don't even notice because your walking. If you are afraid of the cold weather or if it is raining and you have a treadmill in your home/apartment use this instead. Just watch half of last nights Sportcenter then hop off (everyone knows the new ESPN Sportscenter doesn't come on till 9am)
5) While your outside listen to your surroundings , enjoy mother nature. Most times when people are outside , they never pay attention to what is really around them. This is your time to yourself, I think everyone should try and take at least 20 minutes out of every day and just be alone and relax a bit and not worry about anyone but them self. So leave that Ipod at home and just enjoy life and the simple things.
6) Come back home and make a good healthy breakfast. Breakfast should be your largest meal of the day ALWAYS. You will start dropping pounds in no time with this morning routine. I PROMISE YOU.
Tip: Grab a TENNIS BALL when you go for your morning walk. Tossing it around and throwing it off walls or just bouncing it up and down will make the walk less boring if you are afraid of being bored; it will also help your hand eye coordination. Hand eye coordination is a very important skill in life that many of us lack. Doing this will help tremendously! You also can squeeze the ball if you are stressed, but I hope your not stressed this early in the day.. YOU JUST WOKE UP! It also could help build hand strength while squeezing the tennis ball.
DID I MENTION IT'S FUN?!?
StayThirsty HEALTHY My Friends,
AP
YEP, thats right.. something that most of us take for granted every single day is actually one of the best things we can do for our health.
If you want to see faster results when trying to lose weight, I would suggest doing a "fasted" walk around 5 days a week. What I mean by a fasted walk is right when you wake up in the morning DO NOT eat anything or take any calories in. Your body is already in a fat burning state and so by doing some form of cardio first thing in the morning your body will target your fat and burn that off.
This is also a good life tip in my personal opinion. Even if this means you must wake up 30 minutes earlier than you usually would before class or work.
Try this routine first thing in the morning at least on the weekdays when most of us have to be up sometime in the morning.
1) Get out of bed bright and early. Do not hit that snooze button 2-3 times and get that extra 10-15 minutes of sleep, you could be losing weight at that very moment.
2) Do one big "Good Morning" stretch .. I think everyone knows what I am referring to here.
3) Drink one LARGE glass of water to get your metabolism started, you are also dehydrated anyways after sleeping for the last 8 hours.. so this is a very important step to your morning routine.
4) NOW GO WALK.. Walk around your neighborhood for around 30 minutes at a good pace. You should get around 2 miles in actually which you don't even notice because your walking. If you are afraid of the cold weather or if it is raining and you have a treadmill in your home/apartment use this instead. Just watch half of last nights Sportcenter then hop off (everyone knows the new ESPN Sportscenter doesn't come on till 9am)
5) While your outside listen to your surroundings , enjoy mother nature. Most times when people are outside , they never pay attention to what is really around them. This is your time to yourself, I think everyone should try and take at least 20 minutes out of every day and just be alone and relax a bit and not worry about anyone but them self. So leave that Ipod at home and just enjoy life and the simple things.
6) Come back home and make a good healthy breakfast. Breakfast should be your largest meal of the day ALWAYS. You will start dropping pounds in no time with this morning routine. I PROMISE YOU.
Tip: Grab a TENNIS BALL when you go for your morning walk. Tossing it around and throwing it off walls or just bouncing it up and down will make the walk less boring if you are afraid of being bored; it will also help your hand eye coordination. Hand eye coordination is a very important skill in life that many of us lack. Doing this will help tremendously! You also can squeeze the ball if you are stressed, but I hope your not stressed this early in the day.. YOU JUST WOKE UP! It also could help build hand strength while squeezing the tennis ball.
DID I MENTION IT'S FUN?!?
Stay
AP
Monday, February 21, 2011
Eating Tips
Here are a few quick Mind and Body Eating Tips that will help you lose those few extra pounds.
1. Chew your food slowly. This will help burn more calories (the more you chew the more you burn). And this will also help over eating because it will give your body time to process what your eating and tell your brain you are full.
2. Drink 1 full glass of ice water before you eat your meals. This will help burn more calories because your body burns more when the water is colder (the body must eat itself up for the ice water). This will also help you trick your brain into thinking your are already full when you are eating and will help you from over eating.
3. Do not watch t.v when you are eating. Studies have shown that when you watch t.v and eat, you eat faster and you consume more calories then compared to when you are sitting at the table with the t.v off.
4. Eat in front of a mirror. Studies have shown that if you actually watch yourself eat, then you will consume less calories and not eat as much than you would if you did not look at yourself while you ate.
5. Measure out your portions. Or if you are not up to this stage yet, look at what your putting on your plate and take off 1/3 of what you put on. Make your serving size 1/3 smaller at each meal and you will start losing those extra pounds in no time.
Yours in Health and Fitness,
AP
1. Chew your food slowly. This will help burn more calories (the more you chew the more you burn). And this will also help over eating because it will give your body time to process what your eating and tell your brain you are full.
2. Drink 1 full glass of ice water before you eat your meals. This will help burn more calories because your body burns more when the water is colder (the body must eat itself up for the ice water). This will also help you trick your brain into thinking your are already full when you are eating and will help you from over eating.
3. Do not watch t.v when you are eating. Studies have shown that when you watch t.v and eat, you eat faster and you consume more calories then compared to when you are sitting at the table with the t.v off.
4. Eat in front of a mirror. Studies have shown that if you actually watch yourself eat, then you will consume less calories and not eat as much than you would if you did not look at yourself while you ate.
5. Measure out your portions. Or if you are not up to this stage yet, look at what your putting on your plate and take off 1/3 of what you put on. Make your serving size 1/3 smaller at each meal and you will start losing those extra pounds in no time.
Yours in Health and Fitness,
AP
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Todays Cardio Workout - 2/21/11
Here is a workout you probably wont be able to complete without taking a few breaks here and there. I'm just gonna be honest and say this will have you pouring sweat after our warm up.
Today is devoted to nothing but cardio so here we go.
This morning I did 20 minutes on the stair master with intervals. Then I did 25 minutes on the elliptical to start my day off.
Here is the REAL workout for you guys.
Perform a
Jog
Jumping jacks
Heisman (jumping side to side)
123 Heisman (moving side to side with 3 fast small steps)
Butt Kicks
High Knees (running in place, with high knees)
Mummy Kicks
Do it 3 times and increase your pace each time you do it. This should be about a total of a 9-10 minute warm up.
Get some water then do some stretching.
The fun part :
Do all 15 of these exercises for 15 minutes strait!
Today is devoted to nothing but cardio so here we go.
Here is the REAL workout for you guys.
Perform a
Jog
Jumping jacks
Heisman (jumping side to side)
123 Heisman (moving side to side with 3 fast small steps)
Butt Kicks
High Knees (running in place, with high knees)
Mummy Kicks
Do it 3 times and increase your pace each time you do it. This should be about a total of a 9-10 minute warm up.
Get some water then do some stretching.
The fun part :
Do all 15 of these exercises for 15 minutes strait!
- Suicide (side to side touching the floor)
- Switch kicks (exhausting)
- Wide football sprints
- Stance Jacks
- Pedal (two lunges, then sprint, followed by 2 more lunges, etc)
- Hooks and Jump rope (8 hook punches, several high jumps, 8 punches etc)
- Power jacks (like jumping jacks, but you go deep in a wide lunge)
- Level 2 drills (8 push ups followed by 8 run lunges, repeat)
- Frog Jumps
- Power Knees (switch every 30 seconds)
- Mountain Climbers
- Ski Down (jump side to side as if skiing)
- Scissor Runs
- Suicide Jumps (squat down, jump back to a push up, stand up again)
- Push up jacks (push ups with wide feet)
DONE
Now grab a drink of water and stretch so you dont cramp up later :)
AP
Tip of the day
If you can not do 20-25 pull ups and push ups the correct way then you do not need to be doing all of these machines that gyms like to put in there to take up space and make you think your getting a lot for that 40 bucks a month membership!
The Pull Up is arguably one of the best exercises anyone can do. Start practicing these and if you cant do one, then I suggest start trying them out on the weight assisted ones (where you can put your knees on a pad and make it so your body seems like it weighs less.) Start doing these and make it harder for you to pull up your body each week and in no time you will be doing un assisted pull ups easily. I PROMISE!
Give it a try next time you go in the gym.
AP
The Pull Up is arguably one of the best exercises anyone can do. Start practicing these and if you cant do one, then I suggest start trying them out on the weight assisted ones (where you can put your knees on a pad and make it so your body seems like it weighs less.) Start doing these and make it harder for you to pull up your body each week and in no time you will be doing un assisted pull ups easily. I PROMISE!
Give it a try next time you go in the gym.
AP
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Legs and Shoulder Superset - 2/16/11
I just want to first say I'M LOVING THIS WEATHER! It's finally starting to get warm out and I cant get enough of it. :)
Here is a good workout for you to do today. It involves working your legs (BUTT) and shoulders.
I know you're probably getting tired of hearing me say this but once again.....
Get your body temperature up with a good brisk walk or jog or you can even do jumping jacks 5 times for 1 minute each. Then get a nice stretch in your legs and upper body for your workout.
Workout:
A1 - Barbell Squats - Warm up set of 1x5-6..then 4x8 working sets
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A2 - Standing Dumbbell Military Press - 4x8
B1 - Dumbbell Step Ups - 4x6 (each leg) ...so you are really doing 4x12 reps
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B2 - Barbell Shrugs - 4x8
C1 - Dumbbell Lunges - 4x6 (each leg) ...so you are really doing 4x12 reps
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C2 - Front Dumbbell Raises - 4x10
Planks - 2x1 minute
Hanging Knee Raises - 3x25
Russian Twists w/ Medicine Ball - 3x25
AP
Here is a good workout for you to do today. It involves working your legs (BUTT) and shoulders.
I know you're probably getting tired of hearing me say this but once again.....
Get your body temperature up with a good brisk walk or jog or you can even do jumping jacks 5 times for 1 minute each. Then get a nice stretch in your legs and upper body for your workout.
Workout:
A1 - Barbell Squats - Warm up set of 1x5-6..then 4x8 working sets
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A2 - Standing Dumbbell Military Press - 4x8
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| Barbell Squats |
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| Standing Military Press |
B1 - Dumbbell Step Ups - 4x6 (each leg) ...so you are really doing 4x12 reps
w/
B2 - Barbell Shrugs - 4x8
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| Dumbbell Step Ups |
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| Barbell Shrugs |
C1 - Dumbbell Lunges - 4x6 (each leg) ...so you are really doing 4x12 reps
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C2 - Front Dumbbell Raises - 4x10
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| Dumbbell Lunges |
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| Front Dumbbell Raises |
Planks - 2x1 minute
Hanging Knee Raises - 3x25
Russian Twists w/ Medicine Ball - 3x25
AP
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Day in the Life of Andrew Pruitt
This post is going to be about a typical week day for me and what I do/think about.
5:30am: "It's 5:30 all ready? I feel like I just fell asleep. O well time to get the week started. Here is to a good day. I can do this!"
5:35am: Quick shower to wake myself up. I hate doing anything with ought a good shower in the morning.
5:45am: 6 egg whites and 1/2 of banana for breakfast. Yum Yum
6:00am: Out the door and on my way to the gym. "Man this 1 mile walk isn't to bad today, its going to be a gorgeous day out. O look the sun is rising earlier this week. Must mean spring/summer is almost here."
6:20am: "I see a lot of people out this morning. Must be the nice weather because this is out of the ordinary."
6:45am-8:00am: Workout at the ODU Rec Center
8:00am: "I love the feeling of walking back to my house and seeing people finally getting up and getting to class" "Whoa that girls looks hungover, who parties on a Sunday? haha"
8:25am: Post workout protein shake.
8:45am: Watching episodes of Boy Meets World. Man what a great show back in the day!
9:30-1015am: Sitting outside and enjoying the sun while drinking a big glass of hot green tea and blogging about this morning's workout.
12:00pm: Lunch
1:00-3:00pm: Studying for my big test tomorrow and watching some t.v with the roommates.
3:00pm: Out in the parking lot of the ODU golf course pushing my truck around. While my roommate sits in the truck and holds his foot on the break to give it more resistance. MAN WHAT A WORKOUT!
3:30-4:00pm- Hitting golf balls at the driving range. I really should try and get into golf. I always have a good time when I play.
4:30pm: Snack (rest of the omellete I didn't eat for lunch)
5:00-535pm: Insanity Workout (Day 1) "The Fitness Test" ... I was sweating head to toe after this first day. Just gotta stick with it and I will be seeing results in no time!
5:45pm: Shower Time !
Later I will have dinner at some point.. I'm thinking 4-6 oz of grilled chicken breast with a nice glass of hot green tea to wind the day down.
Studying....Facebook...Maybe a Movie..Then bedtime around 11:00pm.
"What a day..my body is gonna be feeling it tomorrow morning."
AP
5:30am: "It's 5:30 all ready? I feel like I just fell asleep. O well time to get the week started. Here is to a good day. I can do this!"
5:35am: Quick shower to wake myself up. I hate doing anything with ought a good shower in the morning.
5:45am: 6 egg whites and 1/2 of banana for breakfast. Yum Yum
6:00am: Out the door and on my way to the gym. "Man this 1 mile walk isn't to bad today, its going to be a gorgeous day out. O look the sun is rising earlier this week. Must mean spring/summer is almost here."
6:20am: "I see a lot of people out this morning. Must be the nice weather because this is out of the ordinary."
6:45am-8:00am: Workout at the ODU Rec Center
8:00am: "I love the feeling of walking back to my house and seeing people finally getting up and getting to class" "Whoa that girls looks hungover, who parties on a Sunday? haha"
8:25am: Post workout protein shake.
8:45am: Watching episodes of Boy Meets World. Man what a great show back in the day!
9:30-1015am: Sitting outside and enjoying the sun while drinking a big glass of hot green tea and blogging about this morning's workout.
12:00pm: Lunch
1:00-3:00pm: Studying for my big test tomorrow and watching some t.v with the roommates.
3:00pm: Out in the parking lot of the ODU golf course pushing my truck around. While my roommate sits in the truck and holds his foot on the break to give it more resistance. MAN WHAT A WORKOUT!
3:30-4:00pm- Hitting golf balls at the driving range. I really should try and get into golf. I always have a good time when I play.
4:30pm: Snack (rest of the omellete I didn't eat for lunch)
5:00-535pm: Insanity Workout (Day 1) "The Fitness Test" ... I was sweating head to toe after this first day. Just gotta stick with it and I will be seeing results in no time!
5:45pm: Shower Time !
Later I will have dinner at some point.. I'm thinking 4-6 oz of grilled chicken breast with a nice glass of hot green tea to wind the day down.
Studying....Facebook...Maybe a Movie..Then bedtime around 11:00pm.
"What a day..my body is gonna be feeling it tomorrow morning."
AP
Large 6 Egg Omelette with Strawberries
I have new delicious recipe for you guys!
6 egg omelette with a few strawberries.
Here is what you will need for this delicious meal:
6 egg omelette with a few strawberries.
Here is what you will need for this delicious meal:
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| Eggs (Cage Free) |
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| 4 ounces of sliced turkey breast |
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| Handful of Spinach Leaves |
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| Few strawberries for the side |
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| YUM YUM |
After you have gathered all the materials do the following.
1) Heat skillet to medium heat.
2) Pour in 6 egg whites into heated pan.
3) Add black pepper.
4) Cook for a few minutes then add leaves and turkey breast onto one side of the eggs.
5) Cook a little bit more then flip over empty side of the omelette onto the side with the turkey and leaves.
6) Cook throughly all the way through.
7) ENJOY :)
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| Final Product |
This is a large omelette and I suggest either share this with a loved one (it is valentines day today). Or cut it in half and save the other half for a snack later on today.
Also, I know that I am not having any sugar for the next 30 days and I know some of you health nuts are going to yell at me and say HEYYYY fruit as sugar in it! This is true my friends, but I will admit to you now that I will have the occasional piece of fruit. This is natural sugar and not that refined white sugar you think of when you think of the word "sugar". But this is all the sugar that I will have, and I dont plan on having fruit everyday but occasionally I will indulge :)
I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE OMELETTE!
AP
Chest and Back - 2/14/11
It's Monday already and here is today's workout. We are going to SuperSet chest and back today.
Warm Up with a fast paced walk for 15 minutes.
~ ~ ~ Stretch ~ ~ ~
A1 - Barbell Bench Press - 1 warm up set of 6-8 reps then 3x6 working sets
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A2 - Back Rows - 3x8
*While resting in between supersets do PLANKS for 1 minute. So do 3x1 minute for planks. THEN rest for 1 minute (changing weight on bench press) then begin next superset.* I want you to rest for a full minute after your planks because I want you to be as intense as you can on your bench press.* (If you have any questions about what I mean, just shoot me a message on here or Facebook.)
B1 - Dead Lifts - 3x8
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B2 - Dips 3x12
*While resting in between supersets do HANGING KNEE RAISES 20 times. So you will be doing 3x20 for Hanging Knee Raises in between your supersets.* Example: Dead Lift 8 reps..then do 12 Body Weight Dips..then do 20 Hanging Knee Raises while you are "Resting" for your 60-90 seconds then repeat superset 3 times total.
I hope I'm not too confusing what I mean. I am just wanting you to do core work during your rest period between supersets.
C1 - Decline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3x10
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C2 - Pull Ups - 3x10
*This time after you do your 10 decline DB bench press reps, I want you to do 20 decline crunches immediately after the bench press. Then go and do your 10 Pull Ups then rest for 60-90 seconds and repeat superset 3 times.*
YOUR DONE.
- Now to finish off the workout I want you to do 15 spider man crunches.
- Then do normal push ups to failure 4 times. So do as many push ups as you can till you cant lift yourself off the floor. Then rest for 60-90 seconds then do as many as you can again to failure. Do this 4 total times.
Warning: I will tell you that the above workout may give you the feeling that you need to throw up. This feeling will go away once you start getting in better shape and your conditioning gets better. This also may have to do with what you are eating the day before you workout. If you are eating pizza and drinking beer the day before you are not going to feel well half way through the workout. Remember to be INTENSE and work as hard as you can and get better with each and every rep.
Later today I am going to begin the "Insanity" workout series for my cardio.
AP
Warm Up with a fast paced walk for 15 minutes.
~ ~ ~ Stretch ~ ~ ~
A1 - Barbell Bench Press - 1 warm up set of 6-8 reps then 3x6 working sets
w/
A2 - Back Rows - 3x8
*While resting in between supersets do PLANKS for 1 minute. So do 3x1 minute for planks. THEN rest for 1 minute (changing weight on bench press) then begin next superset.* I want you to rest for a full minute after your planks because I want you to be as intense as you can on your bench press.* (If you have any questions about what I mean, just shoot me a message on here or Facebook.)
B1 - Dead Lifts - 3x8
w/
B2 - Dips 3x12
*While resting in between supersets do HANGING KNEE RAISES 20 times. So you will be doing 3x20 for Hanging Knee Raises in between your supersets.* Example: Dead Lift 8 reps..then do 12 Body Weight Dips..then do 20 Hanging Knee Raises while you are "Resting" for your 60-90 seconds then repeat superset 3 times total.
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| Arnold doing some DIPS |
I hope I'm not too confusing what I mean. I am just wanting you to do core work during your rest period between supersets.
C1 - Decline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3x10
w/
C2 - Pull Ups - 3x10
*This time after you do your 10 decline DB bench press reps, I want you to do 20 decline crunches immediately after the bench press. Then go and do your 10 Pull Ups then rest for 60-90 seconds and repeat superset 3 times.*
YOUR DONE.
- Now to finish off the workout I want you to do 15 spider man crunches.
Warning: I will tell you that the above workout may give you the feeling that you need to throw up. This feeling will go away once you start getting in better shape and your conditioning gets better. This also may have to do with what you are eating the day before you workout. If you are eating pizza and drinking beer the day before you are not going to feel well half way through the workout. Remember to be INTENSE and work as hard as you can and get better with each and every rep.
Later today I am going to begin the "Insanity" workout series for my cardio.
AP
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Changing things up
It's been about 4 weeks now since I started lifting again and trying to lose that un wanted fat. I think its time to change a few things up. I will now only be lifting 3 days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Instead of lifting every single day of the week and doing more exercises then I need to, I will be getting twice as much done in half the time. I would also like to say if you ever see me on a "machine" then I give you permission to bitch slap me haha. BUT 1) I doubt that any of you will be in the gym working your tail off as early as I am in the mornings and 2) I never like using the assisted machines so I don't think any of you will be seeing me use one IF your in the gym as early as I am everyday.
I have noticed a trend the last few weeks at the ODU Rec Center. NO ONE LIKES TO GET UP AND WORK OUT BEFORE 9am ! haha. I see the same people every time I am in there. 1) Some form of military ROTC kids who are forced to be up that early and doing something. 2) the same 2-3 guys I see working out and trying to get better. 3) some professors "sometimes" but not to often. O and 4) this really good looking gal who is always in there doing actual barbell squats and using the kettle balls. Man she is a looker. To bad she usually wears a Phillies t-shirt (one of the teams I despise) haha. GO BRAVES!
I also will be doing a fasted walk at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes before I eat breakfast and THEN do my workout for the day.
Starting tomorrow I will be adding in the cardio workout of "Insanity". I'm sure some of you have seen it on t.v before. It's a 60 day program so I will be doing that 6 days a week for my last 2 months of the 90 day program.
O and here is the kicker......... starting tomorrow I am doing a 30 day NO SUGAR challenge.. BUT I have decided to stick it to the man and add in NO ALCOHOL for the next 30 days. This is going to be tuff for obvious reasons and peer pressures haha. But it's only 30 days so whats the worst that can happen?!?
It's time to "man up" guys and gals. LETS DO THIS!
AP
Instead of lifting every single day of the week and doing more exercises then I need to, I will be getting twice as much done in half the time. I would also like to say if you ever see me on a "machine" then I give you permission to bitch slap me haha. BUT 1) I doubt that any of you will be in the gym working your tail off as early as I am in the mornings and 2) I never like using the assisted machines so I don't think any of you will be seeing me use one IF your in the gym as early as I am everyday.
I have noticed a trend the last few weeks at the ODU Rec Center. NO ONE LIKES TO GET UP AND WORK OUT BEFORE 9am ! haha. I see the same people every time I am in there. 1) Some form of military ROTC kids who are forced to be up that early and doing something. 2) the same 2-3 guys I see working out and trying to get better. 3) some professors "sometimes" but not to often. O and 4) this really good looking gal who is always in there doing actual barbell squats and using the kettle balls. Man she is a looker. To bad she usually wears a Phillies t-shirt (one of the teams I despise) haha. GO BRAVES!
I also will be doing a fasted walk at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes before I eat breakfast and THEN do my workout for the day.
Starting tomorrow I will be adding in the cardio workout of "Insanity". I'm sure some of you have seen it on t.v before. It's a 60 day program so I will be doing that 6 days a week for my last 2 months of the 90 day program.
O and here is the kicker......... starting tomorrow I am doing a 30 day NO SUGAR challenge.. BUT I have decided to stick it to the man and add in NO ALCOHOL for the next 30 days. This is going to be tuff for obvious reasons and peer pressures haha. But it's only 30 days so whats the worst that can happen?!?
It's time to "man up" guys and gals. LETS DO THIS!
AP
Banana Oatmeal and Green Tea
This recipe can be for breakfast or lunch, it is very easy to prepare. Here is what you need to do:
Banana Oatmeal:
- Pour 1/2 cup of oats into microwavable bowl.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the same bowl.
- Microwave oatmeal for 1:30-2:00 minutes. Then take out and let cool.
- Cut 1 whole banana in half and then cut that half into smaller slices.
- Put banana slices into bowl of oatmeal.
- Top off with some Cinnamon.
- You're done! Now enjoy :)
 |
| Banana Oatmeal with cup of Green Tea |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
30 Day No Sugar Challenge
This coming Monday February 14th, 2011 I will be doing a challenge. The challenge is to not have any sugar/sweetener for 30 days.
I am going to buy a small book and start writing down every single thing that goes into my body. Not only will I be able to track and calculate what nutrients I am taking in, It will help me make sure I don't have any sugar for the next month.
Sugar really isn't that good for us in the first place, and usually after I eat or drink something with a lot of sugar. I end up feeling pretty crappy later on. I get that "sugar rush" but then get the crash comes along with it.
Seems like almost every single thing we see out on the market these days has some kind of sugar or artificial sweetener added into it. I do expect to be pretty cranky and moody for the first week or two, because when going cold turkey on anything it usually hurts the worst in the beginning. But I know that I will survive, and the feeling of being able to cut something out of your life to enhance your overall health is going to feel amazing.
I will take "before" photos either Sunday night or Monday morning. This will also be about the time that my first 30 days of my 90 day program are complete.
Hopefully after finishing my challenge it will show me how much I really don't need to have sugar in my diet.
This should be interesting... now I wont be posting daily updates on the challenge. But I will about 15 days in (2 weeks) and let you know how my body is taking it. I will say that since I have started my 90 day program I haven't had to much sugar in my diet anyways, but now I will completely cut it out for 30 days. Wish me luck guys.. HERE....WE......GO!
Cheers,
AP
P.S : Also starting Monday the 14th, I am going to start including the workout "Insanity" into my routine to get even more results before my deadline.
Sugar really isn't that good for us in the first place, and usually after I eat or drink something with a lot of sugar. I end up feeling pretty crappy later on. I get that "sugar rush" but then get the crash comes along with it.
Seems like almost every single thing we see out on the market these days has some kind of sugar or artificial sweetener added into it. I do expect to be pretty cranky and moody for the first week or two, because when going cold turkey on anything it usually hurts the worst in the beginning. But I know that I will survive, and the feeling of being able to cut something out of your life to enhance your overall health is going to feel amazing.
I will take "before" photos either Sunday night or Monday morning. This will also be about the time that my first 30 days of my 90 day program are complete.
 |
| "Week 4" |
Hopefully after finishing my challenge it will show me how much I really don't need to have sugar in my diet.
This should be interesting... now I wont be posting daily updates on the challenge. But I will about 15 days in (2 weeks) and let you know how my body is taking it. I will say that since I have started my 90 day program I haven't had to much sugar in my diet anyways, but now I will completely cut it out for 30 days. Wish me luck guys.. HERE....WE......GO!
Cheers,
AP
P.S : Also starting Monday the 14th, I am going to start including the workout "Insanity" into my routine to get even more results before my deadline.
Arm Superset/Fat Burning Workout (2/10/11)
So I actually let myself sleep in today. Yep I slept all the way to 7:00am .. haha. It was a nice change of pace. I dont know about the rest of you but I am ready for warm weather. Woke up to about an inch of snow in my backyard. Just motivates me more knowing that every day that I am working out in this cold and miserable weather..when it matters most and I want to look my best (summer) I will be ready.
Here is today's workout I want you to do. BE INTENSE PEOPLE! WORK WORK WORK!!
- 1 mile walk to the gym (wasn't very fun with all of the ice on the ground)
- 15 minute fast paced walk on the treadmill to get your body temperature up. I did 3.8mph on 10% incline for 15 minutes. Got a decent sweat going after the walk.
-STRETCH .. STRETCH .. STRETCH
Superset:
A1 - Standing Hammer Curls 4x8
w/
A2 - Standing Over Head Press 4x8 (Rest 60 Seconds and repeat Set A)
*While resting for 60 seconds in between superset A, do 10 Decline Weighted Crunches. So you will do 4x10 total for Superset A*
Example: 8 Standing Hammer Curls then 8 Standing Over Head Presses then 10 Decline Weighted Crunches then finish resting for your 60 seconds. Then repeat superset A.You will be doing ab work during your rest times today. DO NOT do your A1 set...A2 set..Ab work THEN rest for 60 seconds. YOU ARE DOING ABS DURING YOUR REST TIME. I hope you don't hate me too much :)
B1 - Cable Curls 4x8
w/
B2 - Cable Tricep Press Down - 4x8
*While resting for 60 seconds in between Superset B, drop down and do Planks for 30 seconds. So you will do 4x30 seconds for Superset B*
C1 - EZ Bar Preacher Curls 4x8
w/
C2 - Machine Press Down 4x8
*While resting for 60 seconds in between Superset C, do 20 Hanging Knee Raises. So you will do 4x20 Hanging Knee Raises for Superset C*
- - - -This workout is meant to be intense and to keep your heart pumping. You want to burn those fat cells right??? - - -
Also I want you to only rest about 2 minutes in between Superset A,B, and C. Once you finish all 4 supersets of A rest for around 2 minutes and catch your breath then hop right on Superset B. Dont take it easy on yourself. This entire workout only took me 35 minutes!! Was I exhausted - YES..Was I pouring sweat - YES. Did I feel like I got shit done and worked my ass off - YES! Keep up the good work friends, we're all in this together.
After lifting I did the Elliptical machine for 25 minutes for some cardio work. I wanted to try and take it easy on my joints (KNEES) today since I have been running 3-5 miles a day this whole week.
- 1 mile cooooooooool down walk back home from the gym (haha damn it's cold outside!)
Total Time Spent in the Gym with Warm Up..Workout..Cardio = 75 minutes. A little over the 60 minutes I like to aim for. But I got a lot accomplished today so im not worried and im going to rest my body till tomorrow afternoon instead of going back to the gym 2 times a day like I have for the past week.
AP
Here is today's workout I want you to do. BE INTENSE PEOPLE! WORK WORK WORK!!
- 1 mile walk to the gym (wasn't very fun with all of the ice on the ground)
- 15 minute fast paced walk on the treadmill to get your body temperature up. I did 3.8mph on 10% incline for 15 minutes. Got a decent sweat going after the walk.
-STRETCH .. STRETCH .. STRETCH
Superset:
A1 - Standing Hammer Curls 4x8
w/
A2 - Standing Over Head Press 4x8 (Rest 60 Seconds and repeat Set A)
*While resting for 60 seconds in between superset A, do 10 Decline Weighted Crunches. So you will do 4x10 total for Superset A*
Example: 8 Standing Hammer Curls then 8 Standing Over Head Presses then 10 Decline Weighted Crunches then finish resting for your 60 seconds. Then repeat superset A.You will be doing ab work during your rest times today. DO NOT do your A1 set...A2 set..Ab work THEN rest for 60 seconds. YOU ARE DOING ABS DURING YOUR REST TIME. I hope you don't hate me too much :)
B1 - Cable Curls 4x8
w/
B2 - Cable Tricep Press Down - 4x8
*While resting for 60 seconds in between Superset B, drop down and do Planks for 30 seconds. So you will do 4x30 seconds for Superset B*
C1 - EZ Bar Preacher Curls 4x8
w/
C2 - Machine Press Down 4x8
*While resting for 60 seconds in between Superset C, do 20 Hanging Knee Raises. So you will do 4x20 Hanging Knee Raises for Superset C*
- - - -This workout is meant to be intense and to keep your heart pumping. You want to burn those fat cells right??? - - -
Also I want you to only rest about 2 minutes in between Superset A,B, and C. Once you finish all 4 supersets of A rest for around 2 minutes and catch your breath then hop right on Superset B. Dont take it easy on yourself. This entire workout only took me 35 minutes!! Was I exhausted - YES..Was I pouring sweat - YES. Did I feel like I got shit done and worked my ass off - YES! Keep up the good work friends, we're all in this together.
After lifting I did the Elliptical machine for 25 minutes for some cardio work. I wanted to try and take it easy on my joints (KNEES) today since I have been running 3-5 miles a day this whole week.
- 1 mile cooooooooool down walk back home from the gym (haha damn it's cold outside!)
Total Time Spent in the Gym with Warm Up..Workout..Cardio = 75 minutes. A little over the 60 minutes I like to aim for. But I got a lot accomplished today so im not worried and im going to rest my body till tomorrow afternoon instead of going back to the gym 2 times a day like I have for the past week.
AP
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Did You Know
- The lowering of the eyes can convey fear, guilt or submission
- Lowered eyebrows and squinted eyes illustrate an attempt at understanding what is being said or going on
- A lack of confidence or apprehensiveness can be displayed when you don't look another person in the eyes
- One tends to blink more often if nervous or trying to evaluate someone else
- If you look directly into another person's eyes you are displaying self-assurance
- Wide eyes show more of an interest in a subject or person
- If you are irritated with a comment made by another during a conversation, a common movement is to take a quick glance sideways
- Staring at someone can be an aggressive gesture or suggest that the one staring feels dominant
- Recalling a memory is usually done by looking up and to the right
- Looking directly upwards can indicate that one is thinking
- Eye contact is normally broken if someone feels insulted by another
SuperSet Workouts - Week 4
Alright I'm introducing something new to our regime. They are called supersets. In a nut shell we are going to be preforming 2 exercises back to back with no rest. So 2 sets = 1 superset. We are going to be doing opposite muscle groups as well for the next few weeks. Today we are doing Chest and Back.
Here is the workout I want you to do:
Warm Up with a good walk for 15 minutes to get that body temperature up.
Then stretch it out so we don't have any injuries. Do 30 push ups to get your chest ready for today's workout.
Do each Superset (A,B,C,D) with no rest in between each set. For example - Do A1 then do A2 with no rest then Rest for 60-90 seconds and then do A1 again then A2. NO REST IN BETWEEN SETS. ONLY REST IN BETWEEN SUPERSETS.
A1 - Dips 4x8
with
A2 - Wide Grip Pull Down - 4x8 (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
B1 - Flat Dumbbell Bench Press - 4x8
with
B2 - Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 4x8 (each arm) (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
C1 - Decline Dumbbell Bench Press - 4x8
with
C2 - Pull Ups - 4x10 (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
D1 - Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes - 4x8
with
D2 - Dead Lifts - 4x8 (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
Hanging Knee Raises - 3x30
Decline Crunches - 3x30
Planks - 2x 1 minute
FINISHED - Now go home and eat something and fuel the muscles you just tortured.
AP
Here is the workout I want you to do:
Warm Up with a good walk for 15 minutes to get that body temperature up.
Then stretch it out so we don't have any injuries. Do 30 push ups to get your chest ready for today's workout.
Do each Superset (A,B,C,D) with no rest in between each set. For example - Do A1 then do A2 with no rest then Rest for 60-90 seconds and then do A1 again then A2. NO REST IN BETWEEN SETS. ONLY REST IN BETWEEN SUPERSETS.
A1 - Dips 4x8
with
A2 - Wide Grip Pull Down - 4x8 (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
B1 - Flat Dumbbell Bench Press - 4x8
with
B2 - Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 4x8 (each arm) (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
C1 - Decline Dumbbell Bench Press - 4x8
with
C2 - Pull Ups - 4x10 (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
D1 - Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes - 4x8
with
D2 - Dead Lifts - 4x8 (rest 60-90 seconds then repeat SuperSet)
Hanging Knee Raises - 3x30
Decline Crunches - 3x30
Planks - 2x 1 minute
FINISHED - Now go home and eat something and fuel the muscles you just tortured.
AP
Im Sorry
I want to sincerely apologize. I did not hold up my end of the bargain this weekend when it comes to living a healthy Mind and Body lifestyle. It was SuperBowl weekend and I went a little over board. I ate pretty much nothing but greasy food and drank more beers than I can remember. I had a great time!
But the hangover yesterday really hit me hard. I thought I was ready to go today. But sadly I got through a little over half of my workout this morning and my body basically said F*** You Sir. And couldn't go any more. For those of you that follow this blog and keep up with everything, I feel like I not only let myself down but I let you guys down as well. I can tell you right now that I will not be doing what I did these weekend again for a LONG TIME. Now don't let me fool you I will be drinking a nice beer here or there or having a mix drink. Who are we kidding.. I'm a young bachelor in college who loves to go out and have some fun. But I am going to take it down a notch, that I can promise you. So its time to just put it behind me, and move on. Everyone has their rough patches..its not the end of the world. Time to get back to work.
But the hangover yesterday really hit me hard. I thought I was ready to go today. But sadly I got through a little over half of my workout this morning and my body basically said F*** You Sir. And couldn't go any more. For those of you that follow this blog and keep up with everything, I feel like I not only let myself down but I let you guys down as well. I can tell you right now that I will not be doing what I did these weekend again for a LONG TIME. Now don't let me fool you I will be drinking a nice beer here or there or having a mix drink. Who are we kidding.. I'm a young bachelor in college who loves to go out and have some fun. But I am going to take it down a notch, that I can promise you. So its time to just put it behind me, and move on. Everyone has their rough patches..its not the end of the world. Time to get back to work.
I WAS DOING A LITTLE TO MUCH OF THIS
AND NOT ENOUGH OF THIS
AP
Monday, February 7, 2011
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