mtriguy's blog-ish thing

[mtriguy]

Hi, I'm mtriguy aka Mike.

 

I recently joined the NF community and started my first 6 Week Challenge. I've had a training/fitness blog in the past that I posted to very regularly so with my recent attack of motivation I've decided to try it again. It's a good way to stay motivated, stick to a plan and get my thoughts straight.

 

The Challenge is off to a rough start, but that's life. You can't count on ideal days for sticking to a fitness plan. They'll happen, but you have to go in knowing that for the plan to work you have to expect a lot of days where there won't be time to work out and eat right. But you find the time anyway. That's why I like the idea of the 6 Week Challenges.

 

For my first challenge I have 3 Goals:

• Run a minimum of 3 miles 3x per week
• Strength train 3x per week
• Eat fast food no more than 1x per week

It's odd having such basic goals, but in the past couple years due to a combination of injuries and major stressful  events, I've really let my fitness deteriorate.  Then again, I have a really good chance at meeting them and they'll be good to build on.

 

So, yesterday was day one. I had an excellent strength training workout and then my wife brought home Taco Bell for dinner. Thankfully, she got me a bean burrito which is about the least worst thing you could get from there. I had to eat it. She's having her own struggles with weight poor eating habits so if I had said I wasn't going to eat it, she would have started to feel bad about making that decision and the night would have gone downhill from there.  I'm waiting for the right time to talk to her about it. Like I said, she's having her own struggles. She's trying and having some success and she needs positive support, not criticism.

 

This week is also our annual family camping trip to a music festival. It's a long drive, so eating while on the road will be a challenge, but once we're there it'll be fine. I've made a big batch of pulled pork and done some solid menu planning. Plus there are some great vegetarian and organic food vendors there.  Running and strength training won't be an issue.  I'll get in a strength session before we leave, and do body weight exercises on one day. The other days I'll run. It's a beautiful area to run.

 

I probably won't be able to post for another week or so but this will definitely help keep me on track during the trip.

 

Another beginning.

 

Onward.

[mtriguy]

Back from camping at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Got a couple of decent runs in and two body weight workouts. 

 

Yesterday was back to work and Planet Fitness. Got a great strength workout in. I've been doing some reading and my workout consists of one set of eight strength exercises done very slowly (4 secs. up, 4 secs down). Ideally, each set is eight reps done to failure. The next session is nine reps. When I get to twelve, increase the weight. I'm still working on determining the loads to use but I'm getting closer. Yesterday's workout was definitely the hardest I've done in a long time.

 

Was planning on running this morning but I decided to sleep in instead. I can run after work and consistently getting enough sleep is one of the best things I can do for myself.

 

 

9:00 PM 

Mission accomplished.  Ran 3.3 miles.  Ate pretty well.

[mtriguy]

Strength Training accomplished. It was a good one.  I'm doing a whole body routine 3x per week:

Chins, Squats, Bench press, Shoulder press, Deadlifts, Rows, Pullovers.  1 set each of 8 to 12 slow reps to failure.  When I can do 12 reps without failure, increase the weight.

I've got most of my weights dialed in,  I only have deadlifts left.

 

Prior to this week, I wasn't lifting to failure, I was use weights I could do 12 fast reps with. After slowing down, focusing more on form and using weights I can only do 8-12 with I'm definitely working harder now. I can feel the difference after each workout. 

[mtriguy]

Excellent run with a good friend last night. 4 miles at a good pace on a great trail.  We hadn't seen each other in a couple of weeks, when I walked in his house the first things he did was grab my bicep, say "damn" and then said "you've lost weight".  That felt great.  

 

Work has been enjoyable too for the first time in months so my stress levels are way down.

[mtriguy]

Proud of myself.  Was ten minutes into my commute when realized I had forgotten to grab my gym bag so I turned around and got it. Would have been easy to just keep going. 

Cool.

[mtriguy]

So yesterday after turning around to get my gym bag on my way to work, I was stoked.  Lunch time comes and I'm ready to hit the gym. Just then the boss walks over and informs me of an emergency that needs to be taken care of immediately: "customer has a short window of time/apparently caused by a failed restore you did yesterday..."

 

Weird, because I had no failed restores yesterday. I did stay late to do some because someone else tried to act like a hero and do my job and he screwed up royally.  I spend my lunch hour investigating the "issue" and it turns out that things are working exactly the way they're supposed to, it was a misunderstanding of a status message. Fine, it happens. But who told my boss I screwed up some restore the previous day? Turns out it was "The Hero". He wants to work in my position and somehow thinks that by making my peers and myself look bad it will help him.  He's like a cliche from a bad movie. 

 

Anyway, when I got home I had lots of family/kids things to handle. I did get a strength workout in at 9pm. It was with too little weight because I don't have a full set at home, but it was better than nothing.   Got it done.

 

Today is a 4 mile run when I get home.