Back At It...

I wrapped up phase 3 of my training on May 13 and then took a week off.  My wife and child were both sick and I was feeling pretty run down too.  Intense training when you are feeling ill will make you much worse.  Immediately after training, the body's immune system is depressed as the body recovers from the exertion of training.  In this weakened, state the body is at risk of infection.  Frequent illness is a sign of overtraining for professional athletes.  I keep my immune system strong by supplementing my diet with Greens+ Multi in the morning with a protein shake and 800mg of vitamin D with my evening meal.

This week I started phase 4.  This is 'Old School Bodybuilding".  I pick a body part - legs for example.  I started with the leg press at approximately my 10RM (repetition maximum). For me this was 720lb (my legs shouldn't be this skinny).  I press it as many times as I can (11 times), rest 10 seconds and do it again (3 times), and again (2 times).  Then I drop the weight to 540lb and repeat, then drop it to 450lb and repeat.  Then I do it all over again.

I then moved on to the seated leg extension where I did a single leg extension of 90lb to failure at 16 reps, then extended it by lifting with 2 legs and lowering with 1 for 6 more reps.  I only did one set.

I did the same thing for my hamstrings (back of legs).  I started with the laying leg curl at approximately my 10RM, which was 170lb and followed the same plan as the leg press.  I then finished with a single leg leg curl to failure.

I am very sore.

Warrior Diet Interview

I recently shared my perspective as a Personal Trainer on The Warrior Diet in an interview with my colleague Tzabia Siegel for her website and blog, The Food Coach. Have a look at the article here:

A Trainer's Perspective on the Warrior Diet

We're Reading... Spontaneous Healing by Dr. Andrew Weil

A guest post from my colleague, Wellness Advocate Tamer Solimon, on Dr. Andrew Weil's book Spontaneous Healing. Enjoy!

Healthy Vices

Coffee, chocolate and wine. This tasty trio from the vice list are continually showing themselves in scientific research as having benefits over and above deliciousness. Chocolate is good for your circulation, helps out against heart disease, eases coughs, and helps you think. Wine is a brilliant anti-oxidant. Now, a new study shows that coffee can help reduce some breast cancer rates. Have a look at this great summary post with all the supporting links from io9.

Church Key Brewing Company

I was very happy to discover that Church Key Brewing Company has finally got their Northumberland Ale in the LCBO.  I discovered Church Key just outside Campbellford about 10 years ago on a round-about drive back from Ottawa to Toronto.  Until now the only way I could enjoy their beer was to seek out the few pubs around Toronto that carried it on draught.  But now I can enjoy their delicious beer in the safety of my own home. 

It has a classic, crisp, fresh ale taste with a slight citrus note.  I highly recommend it. Go to their website: http://www.churchkeybrewing.com/index.php

Phase 3 Recap

I finished my 3rd mesocycle on Friday. It was a successful hypertrophy (muscle building) period. I realized at the start of the cycle that I wasn't getting enough calories in. After the first 2 months my weight was still at 176lb. I haven't taken my skin folds but I believe I have dropped body fat. I began supplementing my evening meal with an extra 2 cups of organic oatmeal everyday. I weighed in at 181 this morning. I hope that wasn't just because of the Spirit of Toronto.

Spirit of Toronto

A friend commented to me today that this blog has way more "Fit" than it has "Hedonist". She's right. Thanks Jill. So I am committed to including more of the fun things in life that I do. For example, this past Saturday was the 7th annual Spirit of Toronto Whiskey Gala - http://www.spiritoftoronto.ca/. It was the 6th time I have gone, having only missed the first one.

If you like Scotch then this is a must attend event. I learned 3 years ago that the way to get the most out of it is to attent a Master Class for each of the sessions. These are tutored tastings put on by a distiller or industry expert. I have always learned something new. More importantly, you get to try something that is not generally available in Ontario. Or it's too expensive for me to ever buy.

This year I attended the Highland Park, Isle of Jura and GlenRothes tastings. Highland Park was the best class, and they have a new scotch coming out called St Magnus. But the Glenrothes sampled the last of their 1985 vintage. There are less then 100 bottles left. Their new signature release is very close to the 85 and will be released in Ontario this Thursday. I'll be getting a bottle.

Riding at Your Desk

Forget that whole standing at your desk thing. The true multi-tasker can now ride a bike while working. Have a look at PIT IN desk design prototype by Muu (via Unplggd).

Sitting is Killing You

Okay, this is the 3rd post in a week about not sitting around all day. But I had to share this link with you because of its really compelling infographics that quantify what's so bad about it: Sitting is Killing You via Lifehacker.

Treadmill Run

Today was cardio day. I do High Intensity Training, or HIT, interval training. Specifically, I'm using a system I got from Dr. Mercola at mercola.com called Peak 8 training. The goal is to get your heartrate as high as you can for 30 seconds at a time then recover for 90 seconds. Repeat 8 times - hence Peak 8.

By the 4th interval my heartrate was getting to 165bpm. This is 91% max for a 39 year old man. I feel great for it. It's the best way to focus the mind.

I ran on the treadmill at 3% incline and 11.1mph. Now I wait and see if my ankle holds up.

My Warrior Diet

I have received a lot of emails about my diet.  The main question is "So, you don't eat?".  I do, lots.  I love food.  The Warrior Diet consists of an overeating phase followed by 16-18 hours of under-eating.  This under-eating phase includes sleeping so the hungry phase is only 10 hours.  Note that it is an 'under-eating phase', not a 'no-eating phase'.  This is what I ate today:

Supplements

About a month ago, I started taking a supplement called Vitality by Pharmanex. It has been incredible. It’s given me energy as well as the focus to use the energy. The Vitality supplement contains Cordyceps Cs-4 Mushroom Mycelia, which has been proven to increase the mitochondria in the cells and provide a huge boost in energy. It also contains Pomegranate fruit extract which is a strong anti-oxidant, and Asian Ginseng Root Extract, an adaptogen. I will link to the related science studies on the supplements page later this week.

Great First Weekend

I officially launched the website this past Friday. Now the pressure is really on to succeed. It's one thing to have a private goal to run 5KM or lose 10lb. But if no one holds you accountable then it's easy to let it slip. Everyone knows my goal, and I mean everyone; friends, family, colleagues, clients and according to my web stats strangers in the USA, Brazil, Europe, UK, India, China, Singapore and Australia. That's awesome. Forward this site on to everyone you know.

The New Running Shoe: Barefoot

I'm pleased to provide you with this guest post from my colleague, Athletic Therapist Janette Yee. Enjoy!

The New Running Shoe: Barefoot
Is the “minimalist” trend a suitable technique for you?

The men’s marathon event at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games was a very notable event in the world of running. What was most memorable about this particular race was perhaps not the name of the winner (Abebe Bikila), where he was from (Ethiopia) or his time (2:15:15), but the fact that he won this race running in his bare feet.  His lack of shoewear drew worldwide attention at the time, and references to this race are still made today specifically focusing on this fact.

Running races barefoot has been repeated many times since then, possibly inspiring the newest running trend of barefoot running, which has garnered a lot of attention in the past five years.  With this movement, the minimalist shoe has become popular. The minimalist shoe is designed to mimic the natural biomechanics of barefoot running as closely as possible, and include particular qualities such as being highly flexible, lightweight, and with a low heel-toe drop. The most recognizable minimalist shoe on the market today is the Vibram Five Fingers, which resemble a glove for the foot.

Speaking of Standing Up...

The previous post talked about how just standing up can burn calories. But how is that practical during the work day? You can work standing up if you have the office furniture. Here's where GeekDesk, the adjustable height desk fits in. Using an electric motor, the desk can be raised or lowered with the touch of a button. More at GeekDesk.com

Burn Calories Just By Standing Up

Standing up and getting away from our desks to go and be active is a great way to burn calories right? Well it seems that the act of standing up on its very own is a calorie burning strategy. Have a look at the Just Stand Up Calorie-Burn Calculator and see how just getting out of your chair will promote your fitness! Via Unplggd.

Month 2

My rotten ankle delayed the start of phase two. However, it has been a tremendously successful month so far. I haven't taken any skin fold measurements but I clearly have more definition. My training so far consisted of single joint pre-fatigue exercises followed immediately with a heavy compound movement, i.e. Leg curl for 15 reps followed by a Romanian dead lift for 8 reps. I felt completely worn out after each workout but the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) has not been to bad. Always a little but never too intense.

The ankle injury seems to be getting better. My MAT (Muscle Activation Technique) sessions with Tyrone have been helping to bring some stability to my ankle. I'll be sharing more about this technique in the weeks to come.

Injury!

Month 2 of my program started with my old injury acting up. Tuesday, 26 April was leg day. I started out with a leg press of 630lb. I felt good doing it but by the afternoon I developed a nasty pain in my right foot. By the evening it was quite excruciating and I could not put any weight on it. It was too late to cancel my Wednesday sessions so I went to work. Luckily I was early enough to visit one of our 3 MAT (Muscle Activation Technique) practitioners. Ian got me me walking again and taped up my arch to provide some support. I managed to limp through my day.

I kept the tape on for Thursday and had my regular MAT treatment with Tyrone. Throughout Thursday I got progressively better. MAT is an incredible modality of therapy. (Go to www.muscleactivationtechnique.com to find out more.)

Fitter by 40: Month 1 Recap

Month one was plagued with injuries and false starts. It's ironic that it is the anatomical adaptation phase. The training is geared to strengthening joints and increasing the muscle potentiation - or muscle fibre recruitment.

I started off week one feeling really energized. Week two is when it all went wrong. I jarred my back doing a hack squat. This lay me up for a few days so I restarted week 2 on week 3.

My big challenge was getting enought food. I don't have alot of control over my schedule and with the Warrior Diet I don't really start eating until 4pm. So if I had an early workout I would find myself very hungry by early afternoon. I work to avoid going into a catabolic state - muscle breakdown - by supplementing with BCAA and glutamine.

The rest of this phase went smoothly until April 25. I was helping a friend move and a twisted my ankle stepping out of the truck. This delays the start of the next phase.

Bicycle Wine Rack

I have taken a cycling a tour of Niagara's wine country, and I definitely could have used one of these. Available on Etsy (via swissmiss).