Day 61 - The riddle of the rope

Today
Kind of a lazy day... Evidently was more tired from yesterday than I appreciated. But made a great big batch of salsa for the week again. Planning on making a small batch of guacamole in the morning!


Workout

1. Jumprope: Skipped out in the garage again and followed Kim's advice of not counting the skips. Just singing along with the workout mix... Don't know if that was it or not, but my first set was almost flawless. Was able to skip, trip free, for 03:57. Yep, tripped up with 3 seconds left! The remaining three sets were not as great, but not quite as bad as usual. However, I have noticed something that increased my suspicion of the rope: every single time I trip up the rope is caught at the front right of my right foot. The left portion of the rope having already cleared my left foot. So between that, and having noticed early this week that the bearings were resulting in an asymmetric rotation in each hand (which was winding the rope into a spiral when I stopped), it feels pretty clear that the left side of the rope is moving faster and more freely than the right side. Further to that, because the bearings are open to the elements, I suspect that some dirt or possibly sand from our trip to San Diego made its way in and fouled up the works. So, we went out and picked up a new rope for me to try out tomorrow. This could be entirely psychotic, self-delusional, and symptomatic of a PCP fevered mind, but I have high hopes I may actually be able to get out of the rope rut if this is indeed the issue!
2. Chest Dips: these felt like they went very well! Could actually feel them a bit in my chest, and not at all in my triceps or shoulders. First time, and it was goooood.
3. Push-ups: Perhaps its the new number of sets/reps but these have been particularly difficult lately. By the third set I am really getting winded and the last reps of the last two sets are extremely difficult. Very bizarre that I am feeling these again in my shoulders more than I would have expected.
4. Standing Ovation: dig these... can really feel a good burn, but its sometimes a bit asymmetric feeling. Still getting a good feel from really squeezing at the end of each motion.
5. Thumbs up curls: Really solid all the way through. Note to self: time to up the resistance!
6. Outside Curls: Less awkward than last time. Much more clean.
7. Show-off: By the time I get to these, my biceps are shot! Just brutal!
8. Bicycle: Awful. Terrible. Disgraceful. Embarrassing. Harrowing. Unpleasant. Grim. Lousy. Vile. Hellish. Heinous. Contemptible. And that only just begins to describe the latter three sets. Legs just drop to the ground... After the first set I am just useless at these. Did I already say useless? Add it to the list.
9. Plank: Phew... these are extremely difficult after the first two sets... by the last ones my whole body is shaking like crazy.
10. 8MA: yee haw... really enjoy ending the workout with these. Kim mentioned that it seemed like these were flying by now and I agree!

Day 60 - In the Mountains, no PCP Valley here

Today
We did a shindig in the mountains ostensibly for my birthday for the evening of Day 59, but really it was just a good excuse to get everyone together to get drunk and eat fatty and sweet foods. Which, of course, Kim and I did not partake in... Didn't miss the alcohol one bit, but some of the desserts looked quite tempting, I admit... cupcakes and balls of chocolate with walnuts. Next morning went for a short mountain hike, gorgeous weather.


Workout
Split our jumps and exercises so we could do the jumps first thing in the morning while everyone else was still sleeping off their hangovers. And did the rest when we got home even though we were knackered

1. Jumprope: Did my jumps on the porch at the house (maybe roughly 9000 - 9500 ft. above sea level) and lo and behold they were great! Very few trip ups, which is to say less than the usual.
2. Squats: Dull but doable.
3. Pistol Squats: I find these quite hard. If I try to do them without any assist I can't come back up. Quite hard.
4. Creep: Followed the instructions to not let my heels touch the ground. 
5. Forward Shoulder Raise: Devilishly hard to maintain form all the way through. Standard incendiary feel in the shoulders.
6. Chicken Wing: these always feel tremendously awkward. I can't tell if perhaps the band is slightly too long because its pretty slack at the bottom and I'm not feeling quite the same penetration right in my shoulders as I do on the other exercises.
7. Shoulder Fly: Once upon a time these were absolutely brutal. Still difficult and the last set is quite hard, but these have become quite a bit more manageable. 
8. V-sits: Ugh. These were harder than usual... First two sets weren't too bad, but the last two sets were very very tough. Not great energy.
9. Side Crunches: As before, that extra leg lift is just what is needed to make these truly excruciating...
10. 8MA: have also incorporated the leg lift into the 8MA side crunches. Between this and the latter, my obliques are screaming by the end. One exercise in particular that I wish we had a lot more of from this are the leg lifts and leg tucks. Not because I like them, but because I can really feel them isolating my lower abs and there aren't a lot of exercises that seem to do that well.

Day 58 - Iiiiiiiii've got veins... they carry blood all over mah bahdy...

Today
Running out of food in the larder! We apparently didn't roll with the change in diet as well in our last trip to the grocery store. The quantity of milk and yogurt that we are plowing through is astounding. Ran out of leafy greens and apples too, so we'll definitely need to swing by the store tomorrow.


Running a little low on energy today too, but as always coffee is a great crutch, coming through in the clutch.


Workout
Concentrated on not taking more than 20 seconds between reps sets and whatnot... As usual, enjoyed the bicep workout, and totally vascular! Good vein pop...

1. Jumprope: so-so today... had one lot of 300+ in a go, and the rest were the standard 150 or so.
2. Chest dips: for possibly the first time, I felt these in my chest instead of my shoulders. Felt good. Clean reps, pretty deep until the last few, and definitely right up to failure.
3. Push-ups: these are so odd. Sometimes I can do them great... up on the toes all the way through. And sometimes, like today, I have to go to the knees on the last reps of the last set.
4. Standing Ovations: definitely really hard on the last few reps of the last two sets. Really squeezing and trying to get the most out of them.
5. Curls: Still diggin' them... Although there is a considerable strength difference between left and right. Good failure at the end.
6. Outside Curls: I definitely wanted to wait longer than 20 seconds before starting these since it felt like it was right on top of regular curl failure... pressed on. Again, the disparity in strength between left and right seemed amplified with this workout. I could feel that my form on the left wasn't as good as that on my right.
7. One-arm curls: Brutal. The number of reps/sets on top of all the previous ones just kill. Not failure exactly, but I think doing more would have resulted in injury.
8. Leg-ups: Dig that I can finally do these all the way through and not just feel it in my legs. Its subtle in the lower abs, but I'm glad that I'm feeling it if just for the psychological reassurance that its affecting that area.
9. Plank: Still massively difficult. Haven't looked ahead yet to see if these go up, but I hope not. Still having issues finishing the last set without cheating (sticking my butt up briefly or quickly dropping a knee). Also, I am feeling shoulder failure just propping up. I need another word for brutal.
10. 8MA with Kim. The irony of playing a particular episode of Star Trek in the background featuring a malevolent gas cloud and doing this workout with Kim was not lost on me.

Day 57 - Hellbent for Leather (jumpropes)

Today
Yuck... Kim and I got off to a bad start this morning. Low energy again. I bounced back OK though and haven't had any energy issues later in the day.


Had some fun with the pics this time:

Princess Kim to my Jabba

Also took a squishy fat photo of myself in addition to the normal Flickr set as a little extra motivation to continue to get rid of the spare tire around my waist. That is some stubborn fat...

Also also, at the risk of being labeled a complete suckup, this blog that I read had a modified version of the new nutrition graphic that the US is touting. The original, new graphic from the  USDA:

Attribution link: USDA's MyPlate Homepage

Out with the old food pyramid, in with something that is surprisingly closer to PCP diets... I say surprising because I had read that these things can get very politicized (like the inclusion/exclusion of red meat on the chart details can get the cattlemen lobbies up in arms). Anyway, this seemed an appropriate-to-PCP attitude take on the original graphic:

Attribution link: Fast Slow Food: 5 devices for healthier, yummier eating

Workout
That aforementioned low energy definitely made itself known in the jumps which sucked again. More positively, I will say this about the shoulder workouts: they freakin' kill every single time but they are probably the one muscle group if I isolated them that are showing huge changes (relatively speaking).

1. Jumps: broken record. And not in the sense that I broke any... more like I'm getting tired of hearing myself complain about doing so terrible at them day after day for 50+ days, so I can only imagine how much fun it is to read about. That said, I did snap for the first time and threw my rope into the floor in a fit. Not a proud moment. Kevin suggested a leather rope and I may just have to try that out...
2. Lunges: boring as always, but doable. Little bit of burn and some wobble towards the end
3. Pistol Squats: these took longer than I remembered... inheriting the mantel from Lunges, perhaps? Again, tough, but not excruciatingly so.
4. Floorjumps: on the other hand... last three sets, and the last one in particular was kind of funny with me crawling on all fours on the floor
5. DaVinci: shoulder workouts are always tough, but they certainly felt moreso today. Last few sets were a real struggle.
6. Shoulder Press: as if these weren't bad enough, I accidentally glanced over at the sheet on the screen and saw the "5 sets" for the DaVincis instead of the 4 we were supposed to do... so these were particularly excruciating given that I did an additional, albeit not too bad (form-wise), set.
7. Shoulder Fly: really hard, as always, last set its definitely a task to stay on form 
8. V-sits: Can do the majority of these properly, which just a few weeks ago would have been unthinkable. Last set is still a bit of a mess, but I'm quite pleased with the progress and the fact that I can feel these in my lower abs which seem particularly difficult to isolate. Not surprisingly they also bump out quite a bit more than the upper abs.
9. Side Crunch: oh! could have done with this pro tip a few weeks ago when we started these! That extra knee lift in conjunction with the crunch is just what was kneeded. That's what I said. Definitely ups the burn on these...

Day 56 - Blame the rope

Today
Energy level is generally good.


Workout
Fucking terrible skips. While I'm sure I can't blame it on this entirely (if at all) I noticed that my rope sounds like its got busted bearings in the end of the handles vs. skipping with Kim's rope (which I still trip up on). And when I am done skipping, if I hold my rope out in front of me it winds up in spiral. Kim's doesn't do that. Hmmmmmm... might be worth buying another rope to try out.

Day 52 through 55

Yikes! Been horribly remiss in my blogging... Got busy and then the future inlaws were visiting so I got a different sort of workout of the mental kind for a few days.

Food and workouts have been good. Jumps give me the standard issues, but I did hit 378 skips on Saturday in one fell swoop, but that seems to be the anomaly rather than the standard. Whattyagonna do. Pull-ups au natural are up to 5 nice and clean and then I switch to the under table. Also been tacking 8MA to the end of all the workouts. Digging the ab workouts for perhaps the first time in my life!

Since Patrick let us know that Chen checks out the photos I think I'll add a pic highlighting the remaining gut fat so that may hopefully affect whatever choices are made for my meals.

Oh, and one more thing... my hamstring, or more specifically slightly to the right of the hamstring has been really tight in my right leg. And generally been quite achy overall.

Day 51 - You're so veiny, you probably think this blog is about you

Today
Tried to skip making salsa this past week to force a little more variety into the meals... but Kim and I really ended up missing it so I made a big batch this evening. And Kim put some more acorn squash on the grill. So very very delicious.


Broke out with some pimples today... don't know if that is related to the indulgence or not.


Also, took a #6.5 this morning. Was pretty awful.


Workout
Decent energy today and despite an out of home office meeting, was able to stay on track with meals and snacks as I packed food with me. I know we are going for an overall lean and balanced look, but I do sort of wish I could focus more on my chest and building that up... Getting sooooo vain.

1. Jumprope: Per the usual, one great set of 250+ without trips and the rest with the standard trip ups every 100 to 150 or so.
2. Chest Dips: I'm pretty sure I am doing these wrong since I feel these mostly in my shoulders. Judging from the photos on the sheet I am possibly keeping my legs too far back... I did follow the earlier instructions to keep my head down, but I'm not sure that was enough to get it right.
3. Push-ups: Much better than last time, but possibly related to the latter exercise after a while I started feeling these in my shoulders... Last couple of reps of the last set were extremely hard indeed.
4. Standing Ovation: Tough, but solid burn. Feel like I am getting a lot out of these.
5. Curls: Tough, but solid burn. Enjoying checking my arms out as I do these... good vein pop!
6. Outside Curls: Tough, but solid burn
7. One-arm Curls: Tough, but solid burn... biceps are definitely a strong suit
8. Leg-ups: Not too bad. Finally starting to feel these in my lower abs.
9. Planks: Jiminy Christmas... these are so freakin' hard. The last 10 seconds of each set is excruciating.
10. 8MA with Kim. Still enjoying these.

Day 50 - Hey gang!

Today
Got kind of off schedule today... not terrible, but its definitely easy for me to get really into a project and totally space what time it is and not have my snack or eat lunch particularly late. For my dinner yogurt, I threw in some cucumbers, dill, and black pepper... nice.


Workout
As is my new norm, I'm breaking up jumps and the rest of the exercises between morning and evening respectively. I know Patrick said it was fine, but as I still have a fair bit of fat to get rid of, would it be better to do everything in the morning still?

1. Jumprope: Standard trip ups. Seems like I'm averaging roughly 300+ which puts me at a 100/minute pace. Got a nice solid set or two in, but I'm starting to get random aches that some people have talked about on their blogs. My left thumb? Very bizarre.
2. Squats: tough but manageable... perhaps I can do them slower? I don't feel like I'm going particularly fast, but I admit I'm not getting a lot of burn from them
3. Pistol Squats: tough, but again manageable. Still extremely reliant on the resting hand for balance but it also feels like a bit of a cheat
4. Floorjumps: first two weren't too bad, but the last three were increasing levels of extreme burn, ending with me on my knees
5. Davinci: like all shoulder exercises... brutal
6. Shoulder Press: ditto... although, I do find that if I don't get my arms just right at the bottom of this motion I end up working my triceps instead of my shoulders
7. Shoulder Fly: again, very very tough... I think the shoulder exercises are why its hard to sleep on my side at night. Lots of aching there.
8. V-sit: definitely getting better. Form starts to fall apart in the last two sets, but I can get through them, albeit slowly...
9. Side Crunch: I am seriously trying like the dickens to figure out how to make these burn, but they don't. They hard enough I guess, but nowhere near like the rest of the ab workouts.
10. 8MA with Kim chanting along with the video... part of the ab workout is the giggling, right?

Day 49 - but its year 37... jam a candle into that apple!

Today
Another year older... and yet feeling quite spry, thanks in no small part to PCP! Kim goes all out on the birthdays, so the kitchen was decked out and Kim evidently stole a crown from the kids at the camp she just returned from working at, so I had that going for me too...

Kim made me a special PCP dinner!

Workout

1. I was doing OK on the skips until the last set which kind of blew. Lots of trip ups.
2. Squeezed in an 8MA, oh yeah... Is it bad that when Spandexo, or whatever his name is, says, "this will never hurt you", I hear, "I will never hurt you"? And I believe him. Similarly, when Patrick tells us that our bodies are not a sterile lab, I think, "well surely there are better metaphors to choose from than castrated dogs..."

Indulgence

So, I followed in Kim's footsteps and had ice cream too given the birthday and all... I didn't have a real craving, but figured what the hey. Sad admission: I couldn't finish it. Not even close. But aside from a slightly high feeling afterwards, and getting a rumbly stomach it wasn't too bad. No kidding though, I could probably have done without it. Except the photo of Kim might have made it worthwhile... 

Day 48 - Today was a good day

Today
Good general energy level today, which is weird because I only got 7 hours of sleep. I say only because usually 8 hours is not enough.


Workout
As I said, good energy today, so the workout was actually fun... Kim and I were talking about it earlier, yesterday's rant about pullups aside, we are really enjoying the workouts now. Still massively difficult in parts, but I feel more in control, if that makes sense, which allows for more enjoyment of the individual exercises. And which undoubtedly means that the next set of workouts will flip the script in some new horrific fashion.

1. Jumprope: Again, meh. Lots of energy held back only by my lack of skills. Many batches of 200+ though, so that was nice.
2. Pistol Squats: Not too bad, still wholly dependent on the balance arm though...
3. Squats: Dull, but not nearly as difficult as they have been...
4. Thumbs Up Curls: I'm afraid these may be too easy. Definitely burns, but it doesn't get in the way of the exercise and I'm not reaching failure on these.
5. One Arm Curls: Ditto. Perhaps I should be tacking on some more sets.
6. Elevated Tricep Dips: Again, almost the perfect exercise... builds gradually up until failure on the last rep of the last set. Perfecto.
7. Tricep Extensions: Phew, these are difficult.
8. V-Sits: I remember when these were hilariously bad, just flopping back and forth. Now, I've got more control... last set and a half not withstanding.
9. Plank: Man-o-man, these are grueling. And not in a "please sir, can I have some more?" way. Gutted that I dropped my knee with only 10 second left to go on the last rep so I stayed up for an additional 10 seconds as punishment. Only, I'm fairly certain it doesn't work that way since that moment of rest seemingly reinvigorates me quite a bit.
10. 8MA! I am honestly really really enjoying this... I am endlessly amused by the narration, but it feels good too and given that all our workouts end on abs, its a perfect coda.

Day 47 - Where the f**k did all these pullups come from?

Today
Lazy lazy day... got out of bed around 10:30. Kim was exhausted, having gotten in very late last night from work up in the mountains. It was a great excuse. So everything was a little behind, but we managed just fine... Didn't do as much cooking as usual for a Sunday, so I'm planning on doing more grilling of fish tomorrow. I've been thinking that a little more variety in the protein department might be in order (normally eating loads of pre-grilled chicken) but I don't like cold fish so I haven't been eating as much if I'm busy as I have been...


Just had a very satisfying batch of grilled asparagus, some carrots and some slices of a very nice tomato and its off to bed...


Workout

1. Jumprope: not to bad. Probably doesn't hurt that I got a ton of sleep.
2. Floorjump: the newly revised form to have greater height and distance is having its effect. Last two sets end in collapse
3. Lunges: boring, but no longer dreaded...
4. Pull-up/Incline Pull-ups: OK, WTF. Its doesn't appear that these are grounded in reality at all. Is there anyone at our level of PCP who is honestly capable of doing a complete, clean 4 sets of 8-10 Pull-ups or 6 sets of 9-12 Incline Pull-ups? I know the reality is that we have done this at least once a week in the preceding weeks, but it feels like a dramatic ramp up has occurred and I just got lost along the way or hit a complete and utter wall. I can manage 4 (last one is iffy) of the standard pull-ups, and do the rest as incline pull-ups. And by the rest, I mean maybe 3 decent sets. The last 3 sets would be hilarious if they weren't so pathetic... or maybe they are hilarious for that very reason. I know I already moaned about this on the question thread but I really don't get it. My last three sets feature restricted travel of scant inches at the minimum number of reps, so am I getting real benefit from the exercise? Hoping for a dose of wisdom because for the first time in PCP thus far, its actually hard to take the goals outlined on the workout sheet for this exercise seriously because they are so far beyond what I am remotely capable of with any decent form. Here's the thing: I can deal with really difficult exercises. We have plenty of those. But when over half of the sets are literally impossible to do with form, that is hard to reason out... We are at week 7 and I feel like I'm at Week 4 on these. Or perhaps I am the only one that just sucks at them.
5. Lawnmowers: form still seems a little weird on these... not entirely certain how much, if at all, I should be feeling these.
6. Pull-Downs: Tough, but a good steady burn right through.
7. Forward Shoulder Raise: Not ready to change bands on these guys... grueling from the second set right through to the end.
8. Sit-ups: A funny thing happened on the way to some ab strength... I actually kind of like these now. The first set isn't too bad, but midway through the second set the burn sets in and stays there right through the end... the cool thing is that its a really intense burn, but unlike some of the other exercises I feel like its working with me, not against me. Pretty cool sensation and definitely not something I expected.
9. Kun-Fu Sit-ups: Attaching a video to see if this is OK. We don't have any doorways in the house or crossbars that are high enough up for me to actually hang fully extended as on the sheet. Not too shabby though... assuming this is acceptable.

Day 46 - Keep on keepin' on

Today
It was sweltering out today... The morning bike ride to the farmers' market had me drenched in sweat to and fro and below. Subsequent lawn mowing had me wondering if I shouldn't bare chest it... but I don't think I am quite to the point where it wouldn't offend half the neighborhood. I also need to be careful with my newfound lawnmower starting strength lest I snap the starting cord. I don't know what was possessing me, but I yanked the hell out of that thing. Lawnmower workout flashbacks...


I did experience that weird rubbing alcohol smell again after my ride back... And again, very briefly when working out.


Workout

1. Jumprope: OK, past week of wingeing and low energy seem to have evaporated, or perhaps because I slept in a bit more... whatever the reason, skips were actually not deplorable. Couple of trip ups as usual, especially in the second to last set, but generally speaking seemed to average about 200+ per 2 minute set. And if I thought I had tripped too much I just tacked on another 30 seconds or so to make up. Not too shabby.
2. Pistol Squat: As before, I feel like I am overly reliant on the support, 
3. Squat: Wobbly afterwards, but not as bad as with the lunges
4. Chest Dip: was able to get a little deeper on all of these than last time, but the last set was quite difficult
5. Push-up: these are sort of depressing as I felt like I was on such a great trajectory earlier... very very difficult. To the point where for the latter portions of the last two sets I had to do the remainder of the reps as knee push ups. For whatever reason, I am feeling these very intensely in my shoulders much more than I had previously.
6. Standing Ovation: Likewise, more in my shoulder than expected... very difficult on the last two sets
7. DaVinci: extremely difficult after the first set and a half, as always
8. V-sit: whattyaknow! Actually wasn't half bad... OK, it was half bad in the sense that by the time I was half way through it started getting bad (poor form), but definite improvement
9. Bicycle: I feel these entirely in my legs... on the tops of my quads. That's it. Nothing in my abs. And my legs are failing in the third and fourth sets, literally dropping to the floor. A very weird exercise.
10. Tacked on 8MA again... think I may be riddling out the secret to the side crunches. He's definitely not on his side in the torso area, more at the hips. Will have to try that variation out on the next PCP side crunches.

Day 45 - If I do half as well in the next half then I will be more than half better by the end

Today
As I'm sure many others in Team Pucksters and the rest of our group are also doing... a little reflection at the halfway point seems to be in order:

1. Energy: no great gains in this department, or I'm not appreciating the energy I actually need for the workout levels. Perhaps the gains have been so incremental I haven't appreciated them fully.
2. Strength: definite increases here... certain workouts in particular while others are still weak (I'm looking at you pull-ups, v-sits, and shoulder anything), but overall I am aware of greater overall strength in almost every muscle group.
3. Fitness: There is no chance I could have done the exercise routines we are doing now on Day One. So good gains here. Good, but not great. I wish I could finally "get" the jump ropes, but nirvana there continues to evade. I trip a great deal and its feels pathetic that the two minute increments are on the outside edge of running me ragged. I don't know if I'm jumping too fast or what, but I admit to having had a greater expectation in terms of increased stamina than I am seeing at this point... at least with respect to the jumps.
4. Physical "Aesthetic": I spend many many hours staring at myself now... its putting a dent in my productivity. No, but really, I love the general trajectory I'm on. I've always been kind of chicken chested so seeing some growth there is nice, and the slow reveal of abs is almost torture. I still have a fair bit of "baby fat" all around my midsection, but it is also slowly melting away. I'm so happy with the changes thus far that I can't wait to see what the next 45 days will bring.
5. Food/Cravings: I've been lucky to not have any major cravings or pangs so far, but I definitely still miss a little salt on my tomatoes, occasional hamburgers, bacon, cheese, and olive oil in my pasta... the one thing I haven't been missing at all has been sweets and sugars. And normally when I get a sweet craving, they can be really mean. I only recently confessed this to Kim, so I may as well share: I used to buy Reeces Pieces packets or Reeces Peanut Butter cup 4 packs if I was doing a grocery run, wolf them down in the car (in the garage) and then take the wrappers/evidence outside to the trash before heading into the house so Kim wouldn't find out! But, so far... hasn't hit me. Go figure. I'm assuming a big part of that is that I am enjoying the fruit portion of the diet immensely. Its almost like I had completely forgotten how much I liked apples or grapes or strawberries or blueberries...
6. Social: No surprise here, but while I feel like Kim and I have done well in dealing with two trips so far, I am definitely hesitant to call folks up to head out as I know in my group of friends it means being surrounded by lots of fried food and alcohol. Not that I don't think I could resist the temptation, just that I feel like a bit of a drag with my soda water and alcohol-less dance moves. Also, finding the time in the day to actually do anything social given the food schedule and exercise regimen makes socializing that much more of an effort anyway... And since I work from home, that might explain why I spend so much time with the blogs and reading other PCPer's posts. Its very disappointing when too much time goes by without there being an email to the list...
7. Libido: back with a vengeance...

Workout
Don't know what my deal is this week, but my energy level has not been awesome in the mornings. Not horrific, but not bounding out of bed. Perhaps I'm expecting more here than is reasonable. Or perhaps I am not acknowledging a latent competitive streak and not having Kim around means I only have myself to compete with...

1. Jumprope: as mentioned... tough to do with low energy. Continues to be a struggle, both in terms of tripping a great deal, and getting winded very quickly.
2. Floorjump: so, I've decided that I need to jump higher and farther to get more burn out of these. Mission accomplished. So perhaps I haven't been doing these entirely correctly the last two times, or perhaps I made some early gains and didn't compensate my form again when it got easier... Whatever the reason, I was definitely back to collapsing on the floor after the last two sets this time.
3. Lunges: this is going to sound masochistic from someone who railed against the lunges up to this point, but I don't mind them so much any more. Don't know if I am unintentionally cheating or something, but I'm going low and slow and not getting the same sort of burn. I'm quite certain its working the legs because they are gelatinous when I am done, but I'm not getting that intense burn that I had been... Another "trick" is I have the TV on in the background when doing these and can kind of zone out. They still take forever and a day, but at least it feels like they are passing more quickly when there is something on in the background.
4. Curls: Definitely a strong suit. Burn, but totally controlled.
5. One Arm Curls: Ditto.
6. Elevated Triceps Dips: I really feel like these are almost perfect in the sense that there is a steady, gradual buildup set over set, until the last reps are very burny and wobbly
7. Double Katana: Still massively difficult, but I may be ready to upgrade to the next level resistance band soon. Finally. The burn comes on in the latter portions of the last two sets, especially the last one.
8. Plank: Extremely difficult, but more tolerable when breathing super super slow. Can actually get through them. I just close my eyes, breath really slowly and fairly deep and before I know it a set is done. That said, the last set was excruciating.
9. Side Crunches: Seriously, I don't know what I am doing wrong. They are hard but I'm not getting the burn I get with the other ab exercises. I'm even holding and really squeezing on every rep. I find them harder in the 8MA workout so perhaps its the succession that does the trick?

So, congratulations to Pucksters and all the other PCPers at the half way mark!

Day 44 - Boring Post

Today
Bor-ing. I need to hit the hay so its short and sweet tonight.


Workout

1. Jumprope: Kinda low energy again this morning, but not as bad as the last two days. Sometimes I get really winded in the last few sets and my form falls apart.
2. Pistol Squat: I can't do these without something to lean on for assistance. Tried a few unassisted from the bottom of the motion and after a couple it was completely impossible.
3. Squat: So, here's the thing about the squats and the legs workouts in general: they no longer burn like they did, BUT my legs are like wet spaghetti when I'm done. The table for incline pullups is upstairs so trotting up the stairs is a good indicator that the legs have been worked.
4. Pull-ups/Incline Pull-ups: Has it been a really really long time since I've done these? Feels like ages and it also feels like I haven't made similar strength gains as with other workouts. Kind of dismal performance. Managed 3 relatively clean regular pull-ups and the rest as inclines... but even those were really weak, the last two sets were extremely restricted motion
5. Rowing: always want to add more to these but I'm hesitant in case I end up overdoing my back again
6. Lawnmower: very bizarre not really feeling it in your back, so hoping I'm getting this right
7. Shoulder Fly: Sticking with the lighter bands on these and they still kill all the way through
8. Sit-up: Actually starting like these...
9. V-sit: The last 2 sets of these are almost impossible to keep form on all the way through... although, on the upside, at least my legs  are not burning quite the same all the way through as they had been
10. Tacked on 8 minute abs!

Day 43 - Little bit more, little bit more...

Today
There is honestly little better encouragement than that you can give yourself. Seeing the pics of myself from yesterday was a great motivator for the workout today. Energy level was generally good and I'm giving jumps in the morning and the rest of the exercises in the evening a shot to see if I can get the best of both worlds with fat burn and muscle build. Thinking I may try tacking the 8 minute abs to the morning session...


Workout
My shoulders were very achey today though, even before I did the evening exercises. I think it may have impacted the efficacy of some of the chest exercises.

1. Jumprope: 2 minute sets seemed just about right...
2. Floorjump: I should have stretched more in the evening as these felt a little tight. Still, I'm not getting the burn or fish flop on the floor I had previously
3. Lunge: Ditto on these... I did them very slow, clean and deliberate but I would characterize the burn as extremely subtle toward the end
4. Chest Dip: I can't get as deep into these for the full 4 sets as is pictured. Also, I can't really feel this isolating my chest so I'm just trusting that these are working it... that's not to say they aren't difficult, as they are.
5. Push-up: Last set was very difficult. Oddly, it feels like its been a long time since doing these and I don't know if I've perhaps lost a little strength here
6. Standing Ovation: Also quite difficult, but for the first time I was feeling this in my shoulders quite a bit. Still able to get the full motion and sets, but the last one was quite hard.
7. Shoulder Press: Always a beast, but very slightly less so today. Restricted myself to 12 reps per set in order to get through them all cleanly and then pushed out 15 on the last set. Solid burn through the last 3 sets.
8. Plank: Rut roh. These appear to be accelerating fast... extremely difficult to maintain all the way through on the last two sets. So so close, but I'm losing it with about 10 seconds to go. A quick knee touch and then back up. I've been adding seconds to hopefully offset, but I'm sure its not ideal.
9. Side Crunch: I find these hard to isolate. I need to really squeeze my obliques to come close to a burn, but I'm not finding them all that difficult. Hope I'm doing them right.

Day 42 - Photo Addendum - WOO HOO!

Just took pics... and while its probably too soon to start being proud and strutting around to Stayin' Alive, but I don't recall seeing this sort of definition just under my shoulders on my back, so... yeah, I think I'll show off just a little. Sure, the tan probably helps and I have the beginnings of a rat's tail and need to get my hair cut, but I'll take it!

Day 42 - Meh Morning

Today

Still don't think I got quite enough sleep... possibly a little overburdened with work so I am working too late. Its definitely taking its toll in the morning and my skips were kind of crap again. Just generally low energy. Its not anything that is going to stop me or get me in a slump, but still waiting for that eureka moment with the skips. Kim suggested that I actually try skipping on a hard surface in case the jump rope itself is snagging on the carpet, bouncing or slowing down. So I may have to give that a shot...

Workout

As mentioned, did the rather flawed jumps this morning, and squeezed the 8 minute abs in this evening. Planning on hitting the hay earlier tonight and getting a better performance out of myself in the morning.

Day 40 and 41 - Mmmmmmm, carrots recipe...

So, on our trip out to San Diego my cousin reminded me of an Italian dish that my mother used to make and I had completely forgotten about. And its so PCP, I just have to share: shredded carrots with lemon and cumin. Super fast to make if you have a Cuisinart and easy to weigh out. And there is something about the taste of carrot and lemon... I also added some chopped up onions and ground pepper to mine but Kim is sticking to the basic recipe for hers. So, do what you will with it!


Day 40 Workout

1. Jumprope: I was so so very tired on Sunday (part of the reason that I didn't blog) that my skips were just awful. But I know that most of the reason was the lack of sleep.
2. Pistol Squats: so-so... Kim had said we need to have our feet flat but the photo appears to show Patrick on the ball of his feet. That seemed much more natural a motion than flat footed, but not as difficult. Still plenty hard, so hopefully that is acceptable.
3. Floorjump: Very hard, but nowhere near as hard as they were when we first started on these...
4. Chest Dip: I really don't know if I am doing these right or not but I'm not feeling them in my chest at all.
5. Pushups: So, I don't know if its just been a long time since we've done them or not but these were quite difficult. And weirdly I really felt them in my shoulders more than I expected. Maybe because I was tired.
6. Standing Ovation: I really dig these.
7. DaVinci: I really don't dig these. Its the one exercise group that I have a hard time discerning between burn and overdoing it.
8. Situps: Actually starting to like these... seems perverse.
9. Plank: Again, possibly because I was so exhausted, but these were a real struggle. And not just for the last 10 seconds anymore...

Day 41 Workout

Did the skips in the morning but split up the workout so the exercises were in the evening. I didn't get a ton of sleep as I was up answering emails and cooking for the week and helping Kim out with food prep for her trip so I was really low energy again this morning.

1. Jumprope: as mentioned, kind of low energy... and the jumps reflected that again. Not sure I even managed 200 in a go.
2. Pistol Squat: for some reason the name of this exercise always reminds me of a Rage Against the Machine song. Difficult, but as I did them in the evening they were not as difficult as when done immediately after jumps.
3. Creep: Ditto. No longer quivering on the ground after doing these and I don't think I am doing them any different than before.
4. Thumbs-up Curl: Always dig on the bicep workouts. Difficult, clean...
5. One-arm Curl: Phew, these took a while, but felt good.
6. Elevated Triceps Dip: I feel like I can really do these almost perfect... clean and slow and the last set is quite difficult but completed.
7. Triceps Extension: Hard but clean, I think.
8. Bicycle: Holy shinke... these are obliterating my legs. The last set is best described as feeble.
9. V-sits: getting better but still not the cleanest sets by the end

Day 37 thru 39 - Surfin' and Skippin' in sunny sandy San Diego

Apologies for the lull! Got out here and immediately hit the beach on Thursday and went surfing for the first time, resulting in:
1. A wicked chest burn from not wearing a rash vest (including some burnt nip tips)
2. Nice sand burn on my left knee... Looks like I'm 12 years old...
3. Actual sunburn on my right ankle... Don't know how I missed that.
4. Restrained my left shoulder
5. An absolutely awesome time

On the downside, between being out there for the better part of three hours, the sun and the surfing, I was totally shattered and shamefully didnt work out for the first time since starting PCP! I'm hoping that the pushups on the board, the swimming, the arched back and so forth might offset my horrible failure!

Food wise it's been great though... Lots of fish and seafood places that are more than happy to serve up raw or seared fish with rice and salad. And my cousin and her fiance have been super accommodating with the food and workouts. The weather here is great... Warm but breezy and I've done all the skipping outside around the corner from their place.

Workouts
Whoo hoo! 478 in one go, no trip ups! I'm thinking that between the sea level altitude and doing yesterday's set in the afternoon it was a perfect workout storm of sorts. This morning wasn't nearly as good... More like the norm so I think that perhaps the morning vs afternoon thing holds true, regardless of altitude.

Got all the workouts in but I goofed in the creeps and pistols and did them in reverse order this morning which rendered the pistols almost completely impossible to perform.

Anyway, good trip... I think it was a litle more off plan than I would have liked but whattyagonnado. Return to proper schedule tomorrow when we get back.

Day 36 - Slowly but Surely

Today
We head out for sunny San Diego this evening so perhaps, if the weather cooperates and we can get the workouts in, then we will be both tan and buffed up this time next week. My understanding is that they are just a few blocks from the beach so I have grand plans to get up early, head to the beach and do my workouts there if at all possible. My cousin has graciously offered to take us out to the grocery store first thing so we can get what we need. Isn't she a sweetheart?


Looked at my Day 1 photo side by side with those from last night and I can definitely see a difference... Its subtle in some places but more obvious in others (the amazing vanishing love handles). I would say I need to figure out how to take more flattering pictures (maybe from a higher angle), but its probably just as well that I look like a half naked getaway driver for the mob at the moment to keep the pressure on to improve my body composition. Looking forward to ridding myself of the gut fat!


Workout
Standard morning lethargy but jumps were definitely off today. Also, return of the back! At least when I threw out my shoulder blade (still don't know how I did that), I only missed one back workout to be safe. Got right back on the saddle today and so far so good.

1. Jumprope: Again, meh. In fact, it seems like I've been slowly eroding over the past few days on my jumps. Only managed one group of 213 clean and most of the rest were between 100 and 150, weighted toward the previous. However, this morning, as opposed to previous it did feel like a little more of an energy than a skill issue. Ce la vie, keeping at it.
2. Pistol Squat: Yikes. Much easier on my dominant right leg than on my left, but I also found that when using the chair to balance I leaned or pushed on it far more than I probably should so I moved to using a pole in the middle of the room we use to workout in...
3. Floorjump: So, hopefully I understood this correctly from Patrick's video, but I guess we are supposed to be moving slowly forward when doing these. I had been doing vertical "jumps" (a generous term, hops are more like it). Weirdly, while still difficult, I felt like by applying forward motion to the moves it used my legs differently and wasn't nearly as burny as doing them in place.
4. Incline Pull-ups: Considering that there are three back exercises today, I stuck with the incline pull-ups just to ease my back... back into the workouts and hopefully lessen the chances of re-injury. Also, I did the lower number of reps as well in each set, but slow and clean until the last set where my motion was definitely restrained.
5. Lawnmower: Kim and I aren't certain we are doing these right. Played around with how perpendicular to the door we need to be and a full 90 degrees seems a little too much. I found that opening up a bit more and trying to do the motion more like a standing one armed row seemed like the way to go.
6. Pull-down: these felt like good form... difficult straight through the last three sets
7. Shoulder Press: As always quite difficult, even on the lightest band.
8. Bicycle: I figured out fairly quickly during the first set that I was doing these wrong. Sitting far too upright. Probably that strict Catholic upbringing. The high backed chair probably didn't help matters much either. Anyway, once I fixed my form, I felt a very strong burn... in my legs. Why is it all of these ab workouts seem to affect my legs the most, at least at the beginning?
9. Plank: Ah, breathing properly definitely helps. Last ten seconds of the latter two sets are still a bugger, but I kept reminding myself to breath evenly and, while still difficult, wasn't quite the struggle it had been.

And lastly, for Marcus (and anyone who hasn't seen Pumping Iron... very entertaining, but NOT safe for most non red-light district workplaces), the former Governator of the State of Cali-for-nee-uh:

Day 35 - Feel the burn... in your eyes when watching 8 Minute Abs

Today
That searing feeling? My retinas self-detatched seeing the 8 minute abs video. Actually, I'm just jealous that I wouldn't look nearly as good in that much spandex. A new fitness goal, perhaps? Still, a decent workout. Didn't really feel it much until the end, but Kim says do it for a few days in a row and it will burn.


Workout
Need to figure out a good time to do the abs... I would do it immediately after jumps, but on every day other than the end of the week we have our regular workouts so that wouldn't jive really well. I'm thinking maybe in the evening so its a muscle workout and leave the fat burning to the morning routines. Anyway, its a known weak point so it will be nice to turn the corner there and get some definition for the first time in my life. Jumps were so-so today. Maxed at 236. Have yet to manage 300 in a go again since Detroit. Although we head down to San Diego tomorrow to visit a cousin so we'll see what affect being at sea level has again!

Day 34 - Morning workouts are officially more difficult

Today
Back on the morning routine and I think its fair to say that while I have no intention of quitting the morning workouts, they are without a doubt far more difficult in almost every respect than the afternoon or evening workouts. I'm far less energetic in the morning and far less limber. It shows in the skips especially. Still, more flexible than I've been in quite a while...


Workout
As mentioned, not a ton of energy at first, so the jumps suffered... Still, feeling strong overall. Left shoulder issue feels like it is definitely on the mend.

1. Jumprope: Meh. I did manage 263 in one go and most of the routine was made up of 100 and 150 jumps again but I wasn't able to get 200 in a go again. As before, it doesn't feel quite so much that my energy is what is holding me back from longer clean sets but my skills (or lack thereof). And I appear to trip quite a bit more in the morning than in afternoon sessions.
2. Floorjump: Freakin' a. So I went a little higher in the jumps based on my notes from the last floorjumps and it definitely worked. Total jelly leg by the time I was done.
3. Curls: Nice and slow... almost more of a steady burn in the last two sets than the searing heat of some of the other workouts.
4. One-arm Curls: Definitely hits harder following on the heels of the previous curl session.
5. Elevated Triceps Dip: Did this nice and slow all the way through... still, the real bur didn't come on until the last few reps
6. Double Katana: Maybe the late burn on the last was OK because it certainly made these that much more difficult all the way through
7. Leg-ups: quite hard as always... but as before the burn appears to plateau in the third set and just stay through the end. Not getting more difficult but just a sustained difficulty.
8. Plank: Very weird. As before the last 10 seconds of each set are quite hard. And again, I am catching myself holding my breath unconsciously so that is certainly not helping.

Day 33 - That's damn skippy...

Today
Relatively lazy day... mowed the lawn, weeded the garden and planted another patch of arugula. Had a great lunch meal of whole wheat and garlic fresh pasta with fresh tomatoes, onion, parsley and steamed shrimp. The shrimp taste slightly salty. I think that may be their natural flavor but I honestly had never noticed until now if that's the case.


We also swung by the Apple store and Kim got me an early birthday present of an iPod nano so I can listen to the radio or workout mix without disturbing her if she's not getting up early on a given morning. Keen to try making a playlist with a good skipping bpm to see if I can improve my pace and numbers.


Workout
I admitted to Kim today that I am starting to dread the exercises less. Actually, I have started looking forward to the skips, but there are the inevitable legs or abs workouts that are still brutal. But all in all, a less adversarial relationship with the exercises seems to be on the horizon... That mindset certainly helps the workouts fly by much more quickly too.

1. Jumprope: Seriously... finally hitting a stride here (although this is not the first time I've said that). Knocking them out in increasing larger sets. Still stuck in the 100 to 150 area for the majority of jumps but got a solid 247 in without tripping too.
2. Squat: These are possibly getting too easy. Not getting near the burn I was before even though I am going super deep (too deep?). Might have to start adding reps.
3. Creep: Likewise, still extremely difficult especially in the last set but not nearly as completely destructive as when we first did these only a week or so ago. Quite surprised at that, actually... considering I was flopping on the ground like a fish after them then...
4. Chest dip: I was admittedly a little wary on these since it felt like it would be too easy to slip the motion into the back accidentally. So I went shallower on these than when I first did them. Still difficult and I think I'm clenching my neck a bit.
5. Standing Ovation: Again, a bit wary here, but these were much stronger. Really enjoy these but feel like I could (should?) tack on more reps because even though I am slow in and out and pinching at the front, its not quite burning like it used to.
6. Forward Shoulder Raise: On the other hand...
7. Leg-up: Marked improvement from earlier. Still very difficult on the last two sets but at least I can complete them all with form now and without relying on cheating on the between set intervals.
8. V-sit: On the other hand... actually, this shows improvement too. Was able to complete a set and a half with good form before things went south. Although, not as precipitously as before...

So, I'm actually really feeling improvement not just in the jumps but in the exercises too. I anticipate that just as I'm on the cusp of mastering a given exercise it will whipped out of rotation.

Day 33 - Sweeeeeeeet

Had to use the hobo hole on my belt for the first time in ages!

Day 32 - If I could bottle my own methane

Today
We've been grilling so much it shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did when the propane tank started running out while grilling portabello mushrooms this evening. Might have to invest in an extra tank so that doesn't happen again, considering how much grilling we've been doing (at least once a day and sometimes more). Been particularly flatulent today so it got me wondering just how I might go about bottling it and offset the cost of grilling. A real circle of life thing, you know?


By the way, portabellos with a little black pepper, garlic and onion... fantastic. Its the red meat of the mushroom world.


Cycled down to the farmer's market again this morning as is the Saturday morning ritual. The primary stall always has a roaster set up and today they had roasted chili peppers instead of poblanos... absolutely fantastic. Bruce, you would appreciate!


Also scooted down to Boulder to check out the larger farmers market there to pick up a few more veggies, find gluten free bread for Kim as well as look at and start designing our wedding bands... An admittedly odd mix of activities.


Workout
As I mentioned yesterday, I decided to do the workout in the evening again to let the shoulder and back have the full day to rest and limber up. Still giving me random pain, like when I pull the hand brake up on the car. Really unexpected movements seem to affect it, but thankfully as the day progresses the pain definitely falls off fairly precipitously in contrast to the morning. And this evening its far better than it was last night, so I have high hopes.


Oh, and one more thing... kind of big in my book: a huge leap in flexibility during stretching before working out. I don't know if this is related to working out in the evening and having the whole day to limber up or what, but much much more flexible than usual. This is big for me because I am notoriously stiff, especially in my back and I'm sure its contributed to no small share of pain and general fitness issues in the past.

1. Jump ropes: didn't set any records but I destroyed these! Really fast, very little pause between the inevitable trip ups, tons and tons of energy. Managed a respectable 217 sans trip up and a lot of 150+ groups without tripping. Felt awesome!
2. Lunge: not too shabby... not a ton of burn, though my left butt cheek is a little sore. Should we be burning much on these? If so perhaps I should be going deeper.
3. Floorjump: so perhaps I over-moderated myself on my own recommendation from yesterday or I really was at an extremely high energy level because these, while still very difficult and leaving me wobbly standing up at the end, weren't the soul crushing experience of yesterday.
4. Back exercises: sooooooo... I skipped these today. Decided that while I really wanted to do them (I actually enjoy the back exercises), I would be better off letting the back rest for a while longer rather than risk re-injuring myself or simply prolonging the existing problem. So, I admit I feel a little guilty about it, but am confident I can get "back" up to speed soon.
5. Davinci: freakin' hard as always... I really can't elaborate on these any more than I have already. Just really really really difficult. Probably the one, most consistently difficult workout area has been shoulders. It has really come as a surprise to me as I thought I actually was starting from a pretty solid base, relatively speaking. But no, these are just excruciatingly hard every single time.
6. Sit-ups: I think my form and stamina (or at least my ability to do the full sets with the 15 second intervals) is definitely improving. Again, not certain if this is right or not but I seem to plateau in terms of the pain and burn during the 3rd set and the remainder while extremely difficult are a manageable constant burn. Hope I'm not cheating or compensating somehow and not realizing it.
7. Plank: OK, today these were really difficult. For whatever reason just past that threshold of 30 seconds and it became quite a bit harder. I'm also fairly certain I keep forgetting to breathe during these. I don't know why I do it, but I keep catching myself holding my breath during the planks.

Haven't decided yet whether to do an evening workout again tomorrow or try to get back to the morning schedule. Can't decide whether the chest exercises are going to be problematic or not... I'm definitely going to try them, but I might do the evening workout again just to allow for the full day to continue repairing the shoulder and get back to mornings on Monday.