Tag: Weight Lifting

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Les Mills Combat Upper Body Blow Out

Posted on January 25, 2014by admin

LMC Upper Body Blow Out

LMC Upper Body Blow Out

Les Mills Combat Upper Body Blow Out

I’ve blogged previously that I’m currently doing Focus T25 and I’m doing it Sunday-Thursday, instead of the Monday-Friday schedule. I’ve decided that Saturdays are going to be called “mix it up Saturdays”. My thoughts are I’ll select a program from one of the programs I’ve previously done or haven’t done as well as do a long or short run.

Today, I selected Les Mills Combat Upper Body Blow Out. I’ve done a few workouts from the Combat program specifically Core Attack and the Lower Body Blow Out workouts. This workout was 25 minutes long and incorporated the core, shoulders, legs and back into the routine.

I’ll keep it in the Saturday rotation, it provided some great strength and core training packed into a 25 minute workout. I also used 15 pound weights since I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Total calories burned: 250

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Travel, Workouts & Food

Posted on October 25, 2013by admin

This week has been a whirl wind in regards to travel and eating on the road. I flew into Boston, MA on Monday night and few out Wednesday night. However, I was able to maintain my workout schedule this week but the travel did play a role in workouts that I felt were not optimal.

Monday, October 21 – Abs, Pure Cardio and Chest/Triceps – I felt really good after this workout Monday morning, total time spent working out was around 1.5 hours. However, I think I pushed myself a little to hard and that combined with travel put a toll on my body.

Tuesday, October 22 – Typically this is a running/cardio day. I wasn’t really feeling it but I was able to get a 2 mile treadmill run in at the hotel.

Wednesday, October 23 – Abs, Back & Biceps. I hit the hotel gym at 5:30am and was able to get my back/biceps workout in. However, much like Tuesday I was dragging and I felt like it wasn’t an optimal workout.

Thursday, October 24 – I took the day off.

During the course of the travel week I maintained my weight at 195.8lbs and stuck with eating Egg Whites, Oatmeal,  Grilled chicken, Salmon, vegetables, and Rise Bars. The hotel actually had a pretty decent restaurant that I ate Salmon at twice, I always ask for a custom meal without additional sauces etc. The biggest challenge I found was eating at the Washington DC National Airport, the terminal I was in had lack luster options so I settled on a Chicken sandwich from Fuddruckers for dinner.

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The Friday Workout

Posted on October 5, 2013by admin

It’s Friday and I’m fresh off a plane from the weeks travel to New York and feeling like I need some more coffee. Today is generally my Shoulder/Leg Dumbbell and Abs routine, but I decided because of my cold to take another day off. I did however managed to walk about 6 miles, so the day wasn’t lost from an exercise perspective.

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Abs / Back & Biceps Workout

Posted on October 2, 2013by admin

Today’s workout I worked my Abs, Back and Biceps before getting on my flight to Buffalo,  NY for work. On tuesdays my routine focuses on the abs, back and biceps and the workout takes about 54 minutes to complete and I burned 460 calories.

Workout Routine:

  • Abs – InsaneAbs from the Insanity DVD set. (I’ve been doing the CoreAbs from Les Mills Combat for the past 90 days)
  • Back – One arm Dumbbell Row 5 sets x 12,10,10,8,6 / Bent Over Dumbbell Row 5 sets x 12,10,10,8,6 / Dumbell Pullover 2 sets x 12,10
  • Biceps – Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 10 / Standing Dumbbell Curl 3 sets x 10 / Cross Body Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10

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p90X Results

Posted on September 21, 2013by admin
p90x results – 90 days

My p90X results and story

In march 2013 I kicked off my fitness workouts with Les Mills Pump and I’m convinced that built the foundation for me to achieve great p90X results during the 90 days. The reason I choose p90X was to help me continue building strength and help increase the muscle tone. Prior to completing Les Mills Pump I spent about 3 years doing NOTHING and my muscle was deteriorated. So, I decided to go for the original p90X program despite the fact that p90X2 had already been released. This gave me the option todo p90X2 and p90x3 during 2014.

I started p90X in June 2013 and finished in September 2013 and the p90x results were nothing short of amazing. During my 90 days with p90X I lost 26lbs and 3% body fat, I highly suggest the program for those who wish to build muscle and tone.

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Dumbbell Home Workout

Posted on January 10, 2013by admin

Total Body Dumbbell Workout – 30 Minutes to complete

The Rules

  • Rest 30 seconds between sets
  • Use a heavy to moderate weight that pushes you.
  • Choose your days: M-W-F or T-THUR-SAT

The Workout (Full Body)

  • Bench Press /w Dumbbells – 3 sets x 8 reps
  • Incline Press /w Dumbbells – 2 sets x 10 reps
  • Seated Arnold Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 2 sets x 8 reps
  • One-Arm Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets x 10 reps
  • Back Fly – 3 sets x 10 reps
  • Alternate Dumbbell Curls – 2 sets x 10 reps
  • Triceps Kick Back – 2 sets x 12 reps
  • Squats – 4 x 20 reps
  • Lunges (each leg) – 4 x 20 reps
  • Dumbbell Dead Lifts – 4 x 15 reps

Optional Core Work

Repeat 3 times

  • High Plank – Hold for 30 minute
  • Lower Plank – Hold for 30 seconds
  • Side Plank (left) – Hold for 30 seconds
  • Side Plank (right) – Hold for 30 seconds
  • High Plank – Hold for 30 minute
  • Lower Plank – Hold for 30 seconds
  • Russian Twists – 25 total
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Weight loss Tips

Posted on January 10, 2013by admin

During the course of 2013 I documented my life style change and I lost over 110 pounds in just 12 months with hard work and motivation. I often get asked how did you do it?, What was the trick?. Let me be the first to say there is NO easy button, but if you take this journey and make a life style change the changes will come.

Stick with it, set goals and follow the tips below and you will succeed don’t let the journey become frustrating. Remember its a LONG term goal and life style change that will last the rest of your life. My weight loss tips are below.

Weight Loss Tips —First things first

  • Motivation
  • Fitbit, Samsung Gear, Apple Watch etc
  • Myfitnesspal either on a smart phone or via their website
  • I drink Shakeology on a daily basis
  • Workout program or walking/running program
  • I’ve done three of these programs and I’m currently going through Focus T25. I cannot express how much these programs have helped keep me on track.
  • Beginner Program I suggest Les Mills Pump
  • Intermediate either p90x or Focus 25
  • Advanced I suggest Insanity

I’m suggesting these tools as a gateway to begin.

But first you MUST make that mental shift, be willing and ready to say no and have strength to eat the correct things, again these are just tools to aid you.

I personally used the Fitbit to set goals for myself on a daily basis, for example 10,000 steps. This gave me the motivation to get up and walk around, I found myself parking at the end of parking lots and taking the stairs instead of elevators, these simple changes add up.

Eventually, you will find yourself wanting to beat your previous days metrics, it’s addicting. In 2013 I logged over 1,619 miles on my Fitbit and over 4 million steps, I want to double that for 2014.

Motivation and Goals

  • Think positive, you can do this, negative thoughts will only lead you to become frustrated and quit.
  • Set reasonable goals, if you set unrealistic goals it will result in ultimate failure because you will give up when the changes plateau. Instead, keep your goals short, perhaps to three months and set the goal to be 10 or 15 pounds.
  • Write down your goals, make a 5-10 point bullet list of what you want to achieve over the course of 2014. Post it on your fridge, cork board or put it on your phone. Look at it everyday!
  • Don’t become discouraged by the scale. I often fall victim to this and I ensure you if you keep eating clean and exercise the changes will happen.
  • I cannot stress enough that this portion of your journey is the most important one, diet and exercise is simply a tool to help you succeed.

Food and Diet

  • Once you’ve set your goals, the next change is your eating habits. Eat more fruits, vegetables and meat like salmon, chicken and steak. Remove the breads, cookies, candies, potatoes and rice. As you get closer to your goal(s) slowly add back in rice, sweet potatoes and potatoes. The idea here is to get your carbohydrates from good food sources like fruits and vegetables that are lower in calorie.
  • It’s ok to cheat, have that cookie or piece of candy just ensure it fits in your daily allowance of calories and keep it to a minimum, perhaps 1 or 2 times per week. This was a hard thing for me to learn, if you restrict too much it will ultimately lead to failure and old habits will return.
  • If you are craving sugar eat something sweet but that contains a more natural sweetener, for example I really enjoy rise bars.
  • Don’t drink your calories, cut out the soda (even diet soda) alcohol and other sugar drinks. Just because it says Gatorade or sugar-free on the bottle or can doesn’t mean it’s healthy. However, with that said I’m a huge fan of Shakeology as a replacement for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack and I often add protein powders that are low in sugar and carbs to help keep my daily protein intake up.

Exercise

  • Stick with a simple program, specifically if you are starting out. IT WILL be hard at first, modify the routine and do your best. The goal is to keep moving, it will get easier and don’t become discouraged.
  • As you go from a sedentary or low exercise life style to a more active one your body will change, you will have more energy and you’ll start to notice changes happening at a more rapid pace.
  • I can’t stress this enough from my own experience, keep your weight loss around 1-4 pounds per week and make sure you are eating enough protein. Why? As you lose you don’t want to lose muscle but simply want to drop the fat percentage. Eating enough protein will help replenish the muscle, I also suggest a weight routine to help build muscle. Even light weights over time will continue to stimulate and help keep the muscles thriving.
  • Don’t give up when it gets hard and trust me it will! There will be days you want to quit or skip the workout, don’t do it, stick to your plan and finish even if the workout is sub par you still did it.
  • If you burn 300 calories during a workout, you don’t have to eat them back. Weight loss occurs with a calorie deficit.