Fit Tests (#2 and #3)

Back again.

I wanted to upload my latest fit test results to show how much my numbers have improved. But first, I gotta say… the fit test is one of the hardest workouts for me. I push myself incredibly, ridiculously hard during them. I want to make sure I get the absolute best numbers that I’m capable of. In the middle of Fit Test #3 I seriously thought I was going to throw up. (And then, they expected me to do Max Interval Circuit, for the first time, afterwards!!!)

I’ve noticed though that at the beginning of the test, my numbers will be significantly higher than the previous test… but as the test goes on, that difference starts to get smaller. I think this can be attributed to the fact that by that point I’m just dead tired from pushing so hard up front. I’m hoping though that my endurance will continue to improve and those exercises at the end will be much higher numbers for Fit Test #4. Anyway, here they are:

Fit Test #2

Fit Test #3

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I’M BACK! (Progress Pictures)

First! Sorry. Obviously, I haven’t really been posting here. I don’t know what it is… Maybe the fact that I felt no one was really reading it… but then again, I don’t really advertise it anywhere so that’s mostly my fault. Or maybe it was the fact that I felt the posts were getting very monotonous and I wasn’t really saying anything worth value. Who knows!? Regardless, I’m going to try and make it back on here. I may not update (actually, I won’t) everyday talking about how every single workout went, but I will try and come back for milestones and any important/cool things I have to say.

With that being said, I have still been going strong on Insanity. I’ve missed probably 1/2 workouts just because of other stuff getting in the way. But I usually always try and make them up. Last time I weighed I was down to 233… that’s a BIG improvement. In fact, my goal was to get to 220 and there is definitely no doubt in my mind that I can get there now…

Anyway, I plan on doing some more posts about various things including: how many calories you burn doing Insanity, a good heart-rate monitor, the fact I’ve become a coach, my plans for what comes after Insanity and other various topics… For now though, I will leave you with some progress pictures from half-way. I think there are some definite changes to notice. Areas I’d like to highlight: My FACE! My waist… in the side closeup, it’s very apparent how much I’ve slimmed down. I’ve slimmed down in my chest alot… my arms have gotten more defined. One area I would really like to work on are those love handles in the back. My lower back definitely needs some work…

Well, here they are:

Day 1 - Day 30 (Front)

Day 1 - Day 30 (Side)

Day 1 - Day 30 (Back)

Day 1 - Day 30 (Side Close-Up)

Day 1 - Day 30 (Arms)

That’s all for now. Like  I said, I’ll be back soon!

Keep GRINDING!

Day #11 // Cardio Recovery

Tired tired tired… Not going to write much tonight. Been working a lot. Only got two hours of sleep last night. I have to work tomorrow and over the weekend =/

Tonight was Cardio Recovery. The break was needed. Didn’t do great on what  I ate today because I had to eat out twice (birthdays and a coworker took me to lunch). I did okay at holding back though and not going overboard.

Anyway, Cardio Power & Resistance tomorrow. I’ll try and be in better shape to write tomorrow.

Day #10 // Double Duty PCC

Okay, this is going to have to be quick because as I write this, I am at work… and it is almost 1:30 in the a.m. I have tons and tons and tons of work to do and not nearly enough time. I probably will not sleep tonight (or until tomorrow afternoon). But, enough of the whining, let’s move on:

Today was “Double Duty.” Again, I played full-court, fast-paced basketball with two coworkers for close to two hours and then followed up by going home and hitting Plyometric Cardio Circuit. Overall, I felt kind of out of it – both basketball and Insanity. I definitely did not have my head in the game during the few basketball games I played. In fact, I was out of it so much that I managed to score a point…. for the other team!!! It was incredibly, incredibly embarrassing. All I could do was just shake my head in disbelief and apologize to my teammates telling them that  I have been at work all day and my head just isn’t in the right spot right now. Thankfully, they didn’t make too big of a deal out of it… but they didn’t need to. I was / am still beating myself up over it (I take sports / competition very seriously).

Like I said, I also felt out of Insanity. It is kind of expected after enduring two hours of basketball, but I think I could have done a little better had today’s circumstances been a little different. The warm-up was killer… my shins were hurting quite bad from basketball. Thankfully, that pain went away during the stretch. For the actual routine though, I had a hard time keeping up with Level 1 Drills, Ski Abs and In & Out Abs… In fact, I actually skipped half of the last set, got back up and did the “punch” exercises and just did the cool-down stretch.

And finally, to wrap things up, I am continuing to drop weight. I (as of tonight) am 245 lbs. This is good news especially since I seem to usually be a little heavier at night. Looking forward to seeing the number tomorrow morning.

Anyway, take care. Gotta get to work. Looking forward to Cardio Recovery tomorrow… again, it is much needed.

Good night (for you)

Day #9 // Pure Cardio

Just finished Pure Cardio. Feeling pretty good about the workout. I had something special for the blog planned tonight, but it fell through. I recorded my workout with my camera and was going to post some footage up for you all to see me get owned and sweat my butt off… Unfortunately, though, I was having issues with my video editing software and it was just taking too long. I might try again some other time – we’ll see. Regardless, it was nice to playback the video and see myself doing the exercises. I highly recommend it. Not only do you get to analyze your form and see where there can be improvements, but you also get the extra motivation (if you’re me) of not being happy where you are at and wanting to keep pushing harder.

I’ve decided that one of my least favorite exercises are Switch Kicks… they are hard as hell for some reason. Basically, if you don’t know already, Switch Kicks are when you jump up, kick one leg, squeeze your core with your hands in a “blocking” stance in front of you and then hop over to the other league and repeat – over and over and over again… Very difficult for me to do.

In other news, I am getting much better at doing the Level 1 and Level 2 Drills. I can keep up with Shaun T. and the other trainers for the most part. It’s a little more difficult in Pure Cardio because of how beat you are by the time that exercise comes around but I still managed to dig deep and do it. I was also pretty pleased with my push-up form.

At the end of the workout, I must confess, I did a little posing for the camera with my shirt off to see if I could notice any differences from the “before” photos I took and I’m happy to see that there is improvement. I wouldn’t call it drastic, but it’s definitely obvious that I am starting to slim down in the chest and waist. It’s always nice to have this sort of motivation.

I’m also happy to report that the weight has started to drop again after the little fluke I had last week where it somehow shot up over night. I’m back down to around 247 right now. That’s only a few pounds lost but I don’t want to get too caught up on it. I know the weight will come off. I’m more focused on how good I feel right now and the noticeable, visual changes that are taking place. Below is a picture showing where I was at Day #1 and where I am as of today (Day #9). It’s hard for me to post this picture as I am not happy with my body right now but I know it is necessary to document the change and to provide further motivation for myself. In the picture, I think one of the biggest noticeable changes are my “love handles.” It looks like they have gone away quite a bit. Also, my chest is starting to look a little tighter. Anyway, here it is:

Day #1 // Day #9

Tomorrow is my “double header.” Again, I’ll be playing basketball for a couple hours and then coming home to attempt the “Plyo” workout. Should be quite the challenge and will probably leave me feeling pretty beat and ready for “Cardio Recovery” on Thursday.

Take care, see you tomorrow. Keep digging deeper. And deeper. And deeper.