1. Suicide sprints: 5 or 10 yards, then 15 or 20 yards, then 30 or 40 yards. Repeated four times. After the first suicide sprint, I didn’t rest too long. But after the 2nd and 3rd, I wanted to walk around a bit!!
2. Minor kettlebell stuff (35-pounder): 20 kettlebell swings, then 5 overhead presses (actually, “jerks”) with each arm. Then shower and cool off before going to tutor math!!
On Sunday, 9-27-09, I started a fast, and didn’t break my fast until 2:30 PM, Monday, 9-28-09. That put it at 25 hours. I could have made it longer, but thought it a good idea to eat before going to tutor two kids in algebra 2. On Sunday, I ate at 1:30 PM; I had 8 oz. of hard salami, about 4 oz. of Gruyere (Swiss cheese), some raspberries and some blackberries. Breakfast Monday morning was just coffee, strong and dark. While I was a hungry, I was impartial to breakfast, tending to not want it. My 50-min workout on Thursday, 10-1-09, was what I used to do a long time ago (a year ago and further back) before learning from EF and Crossfit (on the Internet, not in person). It was something like this (some of the detail as to weights I forgot, and don’t recall if I left something out):1. Tricep extension, machine (with arc for three places to put weights), 3 sets, 20-15-10, 90 lbs-115 lbs-90 lbs. (Video: Ricketta Butler on Expert Village.)
2. Preacher curls, same kind of machine, 3 sets, 20-15-10, 45 lbs-70 lbs-45 lbs. (Video: Ryan Sullivan at Sci-Unison Fitness.)
3. Tricep push-downs, cable, 3 sets, 18-15-10, 60 lbs-80 lbs-100 lbs. (Video: Mike M on Expert Village.)
4. Back, isolated high rows, 3 sets, 15-10-4, 90 lbs-115 lbs-140 lbs. (Video: Ricketta Butler on Expert Village.)
5. Standing calf raises, machine, 3 sets, one leg at a time, 20-15-10, 60 lbs-40 lbs-90 lb. (Video: just someone at some gym.)
6. Back, low rows, 3 sets, 15-10-7, 90 lbs-110 lbs-160 lbs. (Video: Someone with TopVelocity.net.)
7. Dumbell bench press, 4 sets, 15-10-8-8, 45 lbs-60 lbs-75 lbs-85 lbs. (Video: Joe Tong with Instructional Fitness)
8. Bicep curls, dumbbells, 3 sets, 12-8-5, 25 lbs-35 lbs-45 lbs.
An important detail: I did explosive movements up (on the positive) and slower movements on the negatives. The weights were less than I used to do (back when this was my routine) on some exercises, but I used to do slow positives and negatives, not explosive positives, which make a big difference. On Friday, 10-2-09, I pulled a 22-hour fast. I’m surprised how easy it was, given that I had a 25-hour fast at the beginning of the week and that I hit the gym with a good, hard 50-minute workout Thursday morning starting at 11 AM…on an empty stomach, i.e., after not having eaten breakfast. I felt clear-headed and energetic during the day, though, yes, I did feel hungry. I tutored some math in the morning, then went for an afternoon horseback ride. And I did 80 sit-ups and 20 push-ups right after waking up in the morning. “Breakfast” was coffee and 3.2 g of BCAs. “Lunch” was some vitamin A, vitamin K2, Omega-3s, and vitamin C. I got some vitamin D while out riding my horse. Sunshine! 🙂 The fast was unplanned. It just happened. I didn’t feel like I needed to eat, even though I was hungry. There’s been a change in how my body chemistry works, I think. Two or three weeks ago I was feeling worn down and was feeling major cravings for fat (like I had not felt before). This was when I started eating bacon. I satisfied my craving with the bacon and with a delicious eggplant-pepperoni dish (like lasagna, but with sauteed eggplant in place of the pasta). It’s been easier to fast since then, and I’ve felt better. But it’s taken me a year and a half to get to this point! I found it interesting, too, that I could go to the gym on Thursday, work out like I did, but not get sick, which used to happen when I worked out after skipping lunch. But I did not stuff myself on Thursday after working out. About an hour and a half after working out I had only half a cantaloupe, some strawberries, some nuts, and 7.7 oz. of Camembert. For dinner I had 12 oz. of HEB Fully Cooked Seasoned Shredded Chicken, an avocado, and some salsa (on the chicken). Like I say, I was hungry Friday morning. My Friday dinner was two T-bone steaks, each 1.25 lbs. +/- a few ounces, and a salad in a 1.5 Q bowl, the salad made of some green leaf lettuce, a medium tomato, a green onion, some sun-dried tomatoes, all in extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar, and topped with 2 oz. of blue cheese. But I did not feel stuffed and uncomfortable; I felt like I could eat more and like I could go for a good, brisk walk (or jog). On Saturday, 10-3-09, after tutoring a student for two hours in algebra 2 and for the SAT, I hit the gym for 50 minutes. I did:1. One-handed clean-and-jerks, 3 sets, each arm doing 20-15-10, 55 lbs-70 lbs-85 lbs — but the last set I did only the clean, because 85 lbs was just too much to jerk! (First video from KettlebellAthletics and Combat Sports Conditioning; second from Lauren Brooks, the kbellqueen, owner of On The Edge Fitness.)
2. One set of 10 jerks, each arm, with 70 lbs.
3. Plate-loaded leg press, 1 sets of 15, 270 lbs, using both legs. (Video: Will Brink of The Brink Zone and Optimal SWAT.)
4. Plate-loaded leg press, 3 sets, each leg doing 10-5-5, 360 lbs each set.
5. Abductor machine, 3 sets, 20-15-5-5, 50 lbs-90-lbs-130 lbs-110 lbs. (Video: Michael Rosengart on Expert Village.)
6. Adductor machine 3 sets, 20-15-10, 70 lbs-110-lbs-150 lbs. (Video: Michael Rosengart on Expert Village.)
Then I went to tutor math. Nice. On Monday, 10-5-09, I did a 45-minute at-home workout done on an empty stomach, i.e., after not having eaten breakfast:1. 5 sets of 35-SWs
2. 1 set of jumping up steps one at a time, holding the 35-lb kettlebell to chest
3. 2 sets of 4-SJs: 20-30
4. 5 sets of CPs: 30-30-16-12-12
5. 2 sets of 4-SJs: 25-25.
6. 2 sets of walking lounges: 10-10
7. 2 sets of 35-lb kettlebell swings: 30-20
where: 35-SWs = walk down a flight of stairs (pictured below) one at a time, then walk up two at a time (only room for 6 doubles, had to do 3 single stairs to finish the flight), all the while straight-arming a 35-lb kettlebell overhead; 4-SJs = 4-stair jumps, i.e., springing up to the fourth step from ground level; and CPs = crawl push-ups. I walked around for a minute to three minutes (I guess) between each set. I ended up pulling a 22-hour fast, for curiosity’s sake. Again, I felt energetic and was clear-headed the whole while.