Thursday, April 23, 2009
The other day at boot camp, after the warm up, Jason Mertlich announced what we were going to do during the next portion of the class - GASSERS! We were to do 10 gassers (which is 400 yards of “sprinting”). In between each gasser, we were to do body squats and squat jumps and lunges and russian split jumps. EVERY part of this work out was going to be nothing less than DIFFICULT!
When Jason shouted “Go!” everyone jumped forward and started the workout! There are four lengths of the parking lot for each gasser (the parking lot extends 100 yards). You end up running down and back twice. Everyone pushes themselves hard on the first couple of lengths, and then you start seeing the group break into smaller groups based on skill and speed level.
There were a few “newbies” that showed up that day. They were young, looked fit, and were ready to go! They did the warm up well enough, and when Jason shouted “Go!” they were at the head of the pack - running with all they had. I noticed one of them in particular ran like an Olympian! He was so fast - for the first gasser. I caught up with him while he was doing his lunges and russian jump splits. As I was doing my lunges and russian splits, he and a couple of other people started their second gasser. I noticed that he wasn’t so fast on the second one. Then on the third gasser, I noticed that he was not running with the lead pack. I looked around to see where he was, and he was sitting in the shade. His strength was totally sapped - you could see it on his face.
When I finished my fourth gasser, I noticed that he was no longer sitting in the shade. As a matter of fact, he was no longer anywhere to be found. I put him out of my mind and fought through the pain - both mental and physical - and finished the 10 gassers and “rest” exercises. When I finished, and was trying to catch my breath, I heard some people laughing and pointing over to the shade area where he was sitting. Out of curiousity I asked what was so funny, and that’s when they told me how he had run himself so hard on that first gasser, that he had to go over and rest (which I knew), but then had lost it and vomitted all over the place!
Since I’ve started my journey to good health and fitness, I have seen it over and over again - people who jump into exercise programs, dieting programs, etcetera and overdo it, and then never return. You must remember - YOUR WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE - YOUR JOURNEY TO HEALTH - IS A LONG TERM CHALLENGE - IT IS NOT A ONE DAY EVENT! You need to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses. And guess what! Those strengths and weaknesses will change as you progress and get closer to reaching your goals. So, just like the tortoise in the proverbial tale of the Tortoise and the Hare - pace yourself, be patient with yourself, and stick with it for the long run. Don’t kill yourself in the first few moments of your challenge. Be diligent, but be prudent. Stick with it, and don’t hurt yourself.
Guess what - it has been an entire week since that guy came to our class. I have not seen him back since.
MORNING WORKOUT
| Daily Food Plan - Date: 04-23-2009 | ||||||||
| Plan | Actual | |||||||
| Meal 1 | 2 Eggs Poached | Meal 1 | Protein Shake w/ Water | |||||
| 7:30 | X | AM | Whole Grain Toast | 7:00 | X | AM | 1 Banana | |
| PM | Grapes | PM | grapes | |||||
| Meal 2 | Protein Shake w/Water | Meal 2 | 2 Eggs Poached | |||||
| 9:30 | X | AM | 1 Banana | 9:15 | X | AM | Whole Grain Toast | |
| PM | PM | grapes | ||||||
| Meal 3 | Chicken | Meal 3 | Chicken Breast | |||||
| 11:30 | X | AM | Broccoli | 11:00 | X | AM | 2 slices whole grain bread | |
| PM | PM | watermelon | ||||||
| Meal 4 | Protein Shake w/Water | Meal 4 | cottage cheese | |||||
| AM | 1 Banana | AM | watermelon | |||||
| 1:30 | X | PM | 1:45 | X | PM | |||
| Meal 5 | Cottage Cheese | Meal 5 | Protein Shake w/ Water | |||||
| AM | Spinach | AM | 1 Banana | |||||
| 3:30 | X | PM | 3:30 | X | PM | |||
| Meal 6 | 1 Can Tuna | Meal 6 | Kung Pao Chicken | |||||
| AM | Carrots | AM | Brown Rice | |||||
| 7:00 | X | PM | 7:00 | X | PM | watermelon | ||
| NOTES: | ||||||||
| 1 gallon water | ||||||||
Strength Training - Chest & Triceps
1. Smith Machine Bench Press - 3 sets of 15 reps at 115, 135, and 155 lbs
2. Barbell Lying French Press - 3 sets of 15 reps at 65, 75, and 85 lbs
3. Back Scratcher - 3 sets of 12 reps at 30 lbs
4. Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets of 15 reps at 35, 40, and 45 lbs
5. Tricep Extension machine - 3 sets of 15 reps at 85, 115, and 130 lbs
6. Pushups - One Leg Raised - 3 sets of 20 reps
Cardio Training - Treadmill - 20 minutes
AFTERNOON WORKOUT
Throwdown ETC - Combat Conditioning (Lower Body) w/ Jason Mertlich
Started with the normal warm up of 6 minutes of jumping jacks, foot shuffles, burpees, and mountain climbers followed by 1 minute of crunches.
1. Wall Sit - 5 minutes
2. Body Squats - 100
3. Wall Sit - 5 minutes
4. Body Squats - 100
5. Wall Sit - 5 minutes
6. Body Squats - 100
7. 50 jump squats
8. Broad Jumps
9. Planks - Alternating Sides
10. Crunches
Tags: Diet Tips, Exercise, Lose Weight, Tone Muscles