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: