Tkal trains the Turtle Hermit way

[Tkal]

Before starting, please scroll down and look at my signature. Do you see it? no? Well, I do: my strength and stamina suck. As I said a two challenges ago, I need to find a new balance, and that includes re-equilibrate my stats (which reflect reality quite well….). That is why for this challenge I move in with master Roshi, aka the Turtle Hermit.
 

As always, consistency is more important than numbers for me, so all the points will be for "doing the job". I am not giving up my martial arts activities (teaching, training, practicing on my own), but they won't be my main target in the coming weeks. In my tracking sheet I marked the rest days and the vacation days when I know that my wife has better plans for me than to let me go training ;-)

Push and pull

Basic push-ups and pullups. Nothing fancy here. As starting point I can do 20ish pushups with good form. But not even a single pullup. Shame on me.
For the progression I will follow the programs of Brett Stewart. Simple enough and short. I am alternating the days, odd gets pull-ups, even gets push-ups, Saturday is rest day and Sunday is even
STR +3
STA +2

Run and climb

I haven't run in ages. So I pick up a podcast based on C25K, with someone telling me when to run and when to walk and some music in the background. Runs will happen on even days. For the odd days something different: walk from my desk to the CEO office, 21 floors above me.
STR +2
STA +3

Balance

I am not ready to give up on the handstand. So it stays here for another challenge. The usual 5-10 minutes of daily practice. Any kind of upside-down or hand balancing is acceptable. This gives me stamina points just because I am not giving up And charm points because hand balancing is cool
DEX +2
STA +1
CHA +1


Eat (side quest)

I tend to eat when I am nervous/bored. That is not good. Plus, my metabolism has changed in the past months and I want to put numbers to that. At the moment I only have the feeling that I am eating more without weight changes.
The first 2 weeks will be just tracking. From the third on I will start taking control of the beast. Week 3 and 4 I am allowed to chew on raw vegetables. Last two weeks only chewing gum (max 3 per day)
CON +1

[RisenPhoenix]

Nice challenge!  I've totally done the same and spent a challenge trying to beef up stats that I saw were low.  For a set of numbers that really have no bearing, they do offer a crazy amount of motivation it seems.  But it looks like you have things well in hand to buffer them up.  Good luck!

[Kishi]

Bwahaha! I think you're our first legit DB-themed challenge. I thought there'd be a lot more in the Monastery, but I guess not so much. Cool!

[Teirin]

Aww, love that you have noted particular days where your wife is likely to have better plans for you.  Also that you're more concerned with doing the training than the end results.  Looks like another great challenge.

 

21 floors?!?  Yeah, that counts.

 

Handstands require some strength too, don't they?

 

Gah, the boredom munching!  Feel you there.

[Tkal]

Aww, love that you have noted particular days where your wife is likely to have better plans for you.

It is part of our contract, to set apart some time just for us outside the normal routine.

For this challenge only the next weekend is "time for us". The weekend at the end of the challenge is a short camp with my karate school. We do it twice per year with only brown and black belts, and once open to everybody

 

21 floors?!?  Yeah, that counts.

Highest building in the area. We have peregrine falcon nests up there

 

I have decided to shift my challenge. I start today and finish on 5th April, since the 6th would have been otherwise busy anyway.

So, today was run and pull-ups. Run was ok, but let's see tomorrow how my calves will be. I did the pull-ups right after that (10 assisted + 2 negative). Then shower, when I learned a really important lesson: never shave after pull-ups training. Or maybe it was the leftover of yesterday training? also two and half hours of kata counts for something... But I think it was the pull-ups. Something to keep in mind

[Kishi]

Definitely could've been the pull ups. They work the body like nothing else as far as strength goes.

 

Good start!

[Thrillho]

Return subbing! Pushups and pullups and running and DBZ... very nice.

[Tkal]

So far so good. I am happy about the push-ups and the running. The pull-ups are tougher, but I knew.

 

My calves are screaming at me, and it is weird, since in the past I use to feel the run more in my quads. Probably it's a side effect of running barefoot (sort of, with my 5fingers) instead of using regular sneakers. For the rest of the challenge I will probably start keeping track of the time for the climb, just for the fun of it

 

The handstand is a mix of handstand, headstand and crow

 

Still need to convert food lists into calories, but will do, everything is accounted for.

 

Already got my first stamina point and almost there with the strength!

 

And now happy family time until Wednesday

[Kishi]

Hahaha! Yeah, if you haven't acclimated to the V5F's, a run will destroy your calves. Though, once you get used to it, it's great for karate - that stamina to keep on the balls of your feet really helps.

[RisenPhoenix]

Calves are always super tight on me.  I've learned to take extra care stretching them before I do almost anything.  Feels amazing, too.

[Nusuth]

when I learned a really important lesson: never shave after pull-ups training.

 

lolz

 

 

Loving the DragonBall theme.  'The milk run'-training is fantastic

[Tkal]

Hahaha! Yeah, if you haven't acclimated to the V5F's, a run will destroy your calves.

I already walk regularly "barefoot": real barefoot at home/dojo, soft star at work, V5F outside. It is just the running itself that is "weird". Anyway, after 4 runs I don't have any more problem. 

 

Calves are always super tight on me.  I've learned to take extra care stretching them before I do almost anything.  Feels amazing, too.

 Yep, extra stretching added (to everything I use)

 

Loving the DragonBall theme.  'The milk run'-training is fantastic

This was missed (the 21 floors...)

Note on food: so far (but the statistic is still too low to make any real change) I am eating almost 300 kcals more per day (in average), although I am more messy in my pattern. Which probably isn't too bad in itself. Interesting fact: I eat more carbs and less protein than in the past. If one year ago between a slice of cake and the caloric equivalent in meat, I would have chosen the latter, now I am not so sure. Anyway, now I am thirsty for blood, which means tomorrow a good steak will be on the menu.

[Kishi]

I approve of steak. Eat all of it!

[Tkal]

Today was rest day. Which means 4 hours of practicing kata, kicks and joint locks (plus random attach to put things into perspective). I really enjoy my rest day

And now time to warm up my piece of cow: rare is too cooked for my taste

[Tkal]

Today was my third run in w4 of c25k. I think I will stay on this level for a couple of runs more. My calves are the limiting factors here. I am not sure if it would be better to get a pair of snickers to alternate to my vibram. Or run more on grass (as long as it keeps dry enough). Or just to get more rest in between runs. Or work on short sprints (1 minute run, 1 minute walk). I need to rethink a bit that quest, it is a bit too much as it is.
In general I see that I need more time to recover between workouts, and I should take that into account. As Shotokan said, 35+ means "senior" sport-wise. But they still ask for my ID if I buy booze!
 
I can see the impact of recovery time also on the push/pull goal. The daily routine is ok, but adding something extra (like a 4-hours karate training) takes its toll.
 
On the handstand, adding the headstand was a good idea: I get more upside-down work, more variation and less frustration. I still don't mange to get a decent "facing the wall" one, but it is improving. Slowly. Very slowly
 
For next challenge I will pay more attention to my food. Although I have a quite clean diet, some adjusting is needed. Plus, losing some cm around my belly will be good for me. For now I stick to my cucumbers instead of fruits&nuts (sigh)

[Nusuth]

 For now I stick to my cucumbers instead of fruits&nuts (sigh)

 

Wazzaahg  !!??!!   those 3 are = good ? .. no ?!? 

[Teirin]

Today was my third run in w4 of c25k. I think I will stay on this level for a couple of runs more. My calves are the limiting factors here. I am not sure if it would be better to get a pair of snickers to alternate to my vibram. Or run more on grass (as long as it keeps dry enough). Or just to get more rest in between runs. Or work on short sprints (1 minute run, 1 minute walk). I need to rethink a bit that quest, it is a bit too much as it is.

In general I see that I need more time to recover between workouts, and I should take that into account. As Shotokan said, 35+ means "senior" sport-wise. But they still ask for my ID if I buy booze!

 

I can see the impact of recovery time also on the push/pull goal. The daily routine is ok, but adding something extra (like a 4-hours karate training) takes its toll.

 

On the handstand, adding the headstand was a good idea: I get more upside-down work, more variation and less frustration. I still don't mange to get a decent "facing the wall" one, but it is improving. Slowly. Very slowly

 

For next challenge I will pay more attention to my food. Although I have a quite clean diet, some adjusting is needed. Plus, losing some cm around my belly will be good for me. For now I stick to my cucumbers instead of fruits&nuts (sigh)

 

Haha, love getting carded for that reason.  Good luck reworking your running training and yes, get your rest time if you need more!

 

Wazzaahg  !!??!!   those 3 are = good ? .. no ?!? 

 

They are but they're also higher in calories (especially nuts) and when cutting down from a clean diet, it has to come off somewhere.

[Kishi]

Yeah. Vibrams force a huge shift in how you run. That's just the truth. You're going to need to take your time on this and give your calves time to catch up. It'll be slow and ornery, but worth it.

[Tkal]

Wazzaahg  !!??!!   those 3 are = good ? .. no ?!?

They are but they're also higher in calories (especially nuts) and when cutting down from a clean diet, it has to come off somewhere.

Indeed that is the the point. I eat "clean" 90% of my lunch/dinner. The extra 10% is the social-family bit. Breakfast and snacks are all "clean", but for a cup of coffee each working day which comes out from the coffee machine with fake milk and a bit of sugar.

"Clean" for me has been a matter of trials and errors for years until I figured out how to make my stomach and colon happy. In the end the easy rule is "can I eat it raw?" if the answer is yes, then I know I will have no problem (but for parasites, so I still cook my eggs). And of course I prepare all my meals starting from fresh ingredients.

Much later I discovered that people call this "primal"

Given my current pattern I do not have much choice. According to my tracking, I should slightly increase my protein intake, so no cutting there.

I could cut the 10% of not "clean", but that would be bad for my family and social life. Cutting the coffee could be done. Cutting the chocolate (dark, at least 75%) also, but the impact would be minor and the sacrifice major.

I could add a second fasting day per week. Or cut 2 piece of fruit per day or the nuts.

The nuts/fruits seem the easiest option

So, there you have it: raw veggies instead of fruits and nuts

Cutting the mindless snacking seems the best choice. Let's see how it goes until the end of the challenge

[Kishi]

Good move. Nuts and fruit are good for you, but they're also calorie bombs - they will knock your totals way up without any real effort. If you're trying to lower your calories, they're a good place to do it.

[RisenPhoenix]

So it's been a couple days.  How's the clean(er) eating going?

[Tkal]

Recap of where I stand so far

 

Running: my knee complained a lot when I went back to regular running shoes (or maybe it was just the weather?). Anyway, I am giving 2-3 full days for recovery and my calves are not too bad. Plus, I discovered that the music I use makes a lot of difference. I liked the kind of music of one podcast... until I started paying attention to the words. So I switched to podrunner: something I would never listen to, but it gives good rhythm and it puts me more into a "running meditation" state. Today was day 1 of week 5 and it was a really easy run, especially after struggling so much on week 4 (until I changed music)

 

I repeated week 2 of the pull-ups program. I manage a couple of chin-ups now, but the starting of the pull-ups still deserts me. New time I try again week 3.

With the push-ups I will definitely stay one more week on week 3. In the last set (when I should do as much as possible) I struggle a lot to complete the minimum. But today I've done 120 push-ups in 5 sets which is not bad and when I plot the numbers the progression is evident

 

With the handstand I am getting closer to the wall (with my hand) and re-learning how to kick up. Progression is slow, but it is integrated in my pre-bed routine, which is good habit-wise.

 

Food: still trying to figure out that part. I eat less fruit and more protein, but I am not happy with my breakfast and I am eating more in the evening. Anyway I am getting a better picture of my eating pattern and the more I go on the better I am at choosing the right calories/satisfaction/fullness combination. Or my body is just adjusting to having less sugar around

[Kishi]

Food is one of those things that takes a while to figure out, but it's worth it when you do. If I ever get there, I'll try to pass out some pointers.

[Teirin]

Congrats on all of those pushups!  Very nice. 

 

Yeah, adjusting food is crazy complicated and trial & error.   Hope you find what works for you soon.

[Tkal]

The big news of the day: my wife has decided to drop some weight. Which is really good since she is definitely overweight (me too, but not as much) and introducing some regular exercise in her routing would be beneficial under so many aspects. But you know the story

 

The "problem" is the kind of diet she would like to follow. It is the fast metabolism diet, by Haylie Pomroy. Basically every week it alternates high carbs + cardio, high proteins + weight training, balanced (still low fat and high carbs from a paleo perspective) + rest.

 

My feeling is that it is too demanding (the strict daily schedule is scary) and it just had tension to one's relationship with food. Which is not the best when one's over eat because of stress. I know that I will not be able to do it with her (no way that I am setting an alarm to eat every 3 hours! or that I will skip my martial arts training because it falls in a prescribed rest-day). Eating differently won't be a problem, but I know her and how difficult this will be for her, so I would like to do as much as possible to help.

 

As an alternative there is the Dukan, which probably is slightly better. Big pro: she has several colleagues and friends on this (or who have successfully followed it) and she has seen results, so there will be a big support network around and external motivation

 

So, do you have any experience with the above? or any suggestion for alternatives?

 

(of course paleo/primal is "bullshit" so that is off the list)