The Endurance Macro………………

So here we are at the end of May and we’ve just started the Endurance Macro. The goal here is to manage a heavy load at a constant pace for an extended period. Gotta’ go the distance when chasing that Last 10 Pounds.

So over the next 4 months my monthly workout schedule will look like this;

	Week 1		Week 2		Week 3		Week 4
	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM
Monday	S-20	Upper	SLOG	Upper	S-20	Upper	Walk	Lower
Tuesday	VSR	Lower	VSR	Lower	VSR	Lower	Walk	Upper
Wednesday	Walk		WkTD		Walk
Thursday	S-20	Upper	SLOG	Upper	SLOG	Upper	WM	Lower
Friday	VSR	Lower	VSR	Lower	VSR	Lower		Upper
Saturday							Walk
Sunday	WkTD		Tempo		WkTD		WkTD

Cardio Slang
Split 20 (S-20)	10 min slow run with 5, 1 min fast run 1 min walk bouts. 4 min rest then repeat
Slow Jog (SLOG)	Segmented Walk/Run, 4 bouts at 5 min, 32 minute total
Very Slow Run (VSR)	< 5mph 45 min SS run
Widow Maker (WM)	5 to 7 HIIT sprints (run or bike), 4 min rest, 20 min SS Jog with 5, 1 min fast run bouts
Walk	45 min Brisk Walk, 4 MPH, just a notch under the VSR
Walk Tire Drag (WkTD)	45 min Brisk Walk Dragging Tire or Sand Bag Carry
Tempo Run	30 min run; 5 min slow, 20 min > 6 mph, 5 min slow (20 min at 5k pace or better)

For the first Two months, the AM Cardio Plan is pretty aggressive, run 4 days out of 7. The run schedule is made up of SLOGs, Split-20s and Very Slow Runs (under a 5K pace). Plus we added a mid-week walk and something new, a walk dragging a tire (or toting a 30 pound sand bag). As I acclimate to the running I’ll start upping the pace. Once a month we’ll throw in a Tempo Run and a Widow Maker.

My gage for improvement will be the distance covered on the Tempo Runs. The first run will set the baseline. We should see improvement here. And toward the end of the 4 month Endurance Macro, we’ll most likely see a few more Widow Makers scheduled in.

Resistance Training during Endurance Macro………….

There are quite a number of things I would like to introduce to my workouts during the Endurance Macro. However, since I want to keep the workouts at an hour instead of the usual hour and a half, I may not get a chance to incorporate all of these desires. I still plan on using the basic lifts; squats, deads, presses and rows at the front end of any upper and lower split and then add what I can to flush out the rest of the hour. 

Some of these things include;

·         Bicep work with squats or deads. Based on reading several papers on occlusion training (blood flow restricted or KAATSU), if there is a release of lactic acid (and other metabolic by-products) during an exercise it will result in a release of growth hormone (GH). If we stress larger muscle groups; gluts, quads, hams, this should mean a larger GH release, maybe even a surplus. And this GH release is whole body, not just a local phenomenon. So any additional muscle(s) worked, even at low intensity, should benefit from the large muscle group GH surplus release; maybe. What I’m banking on is that through squats and deads (not occluded, just natural), I can produce enough lactic acid to stimulate a release of surplus GH and effect growth in the biceps. We’ll see!!!

·         Hip mobility and balance. One of the things I have noticed in the last few years is that my right side is better balanced than my left; e.g. I can stand on my right foot longer. I think this is more of a hip strength issues; the muscles that keep you in check no matter what foot you’re on. The goal would be to strengthen those core hip muscles, the smaller groups, the TFL, the gluteus minimums and medius, the hip flexors, etc…. And I was thinking more of a dancer’s routine only with weights; e.g. barbell Cossack Squats, weighted hip raises, one legged deadlifts, adductor and abductor work, frog walks, etc…., even something as simple as bird dogs and weighted hip raises.

·         Tighten the mid-section. Besides my base proportion as a rectangle (waist to hip ratio of .9 and chest to hip ratios of .96), another thing I have noticed over the last several months working the Power Macro is that after I finish a good heavy squat workout, my whole abdominal area seems to be extended, almost a bloated look. It goes back to normal after a good night’s rest, but still…….. I’m thinking this has to do with a weak rectus abdominis. I had quit doing crunches and side bends of any sort early on in Korea to keep my hips (and love handles) from bulging. Could this have back fired? Before we get back into mega crunches or serious core work, I’d like to try a more aggressive regime of tightening that central girdle, a routine based on a weighted ‘Ring of Fire’ and old school abdominal vacuuming. I should be working these routines every time I get into the gym or directly after a run; as a minimum dedicated sets three times a week. I doubt this does much about the chest to hip ratio but maybe with a smaller waist it will at least give the appearance of a V, less of a rectangle.

·         The actual resistance routines would look like;

Upper

1. Double Bench (flat and incline) and Rows; 3 sets no rest, 4 minute walk then 3 more sets, weight progressive and progress to 4 sets
2. Dips and Pull ups plus DB Press; 4 sets short rest, progress to weighted sets
3. Stand Cable Curl and Narrow Cable Row; 4 sets, weight progressive
4. Machine Preacher and Lat Pull; 4 sets weight progressive

Lower

1. Deads, Hacks and Bulgarian Splits; 3 sets no rest, 4 minutes then 3 more sets, weight progressive and progress to 4 sets
2. Deep Squat, Toe and Heal Raise; 4 sets, weight progressive
3. Drag Curl, Sissy Bar Preacher and DB Curl; 4 sets weight progressive
4. Leg Press and Leg Curl; 4 sets, weight progressive

·         And finally there is the issue of diet. The ‘See Food’ diet has come to an end. It’s time to work on the 75% diet that I reviewed several months ago.

o   Eat slowly until satisfied at 75% of your meals. Do not overeat!!!

o   Add a ‘palm’ of protein to 2 - 3 meals per day.

o   Add 2 - 3 ‘fists’ of vegetables to 2 - 3 meals per day.

o   Reduce deserts and processed carbs to 3 – 5 times per week.

o   Reduce caloric beverages to 3 – 5 per week.

The Discussions…………………

Over the last several weeks, I have participated in or overheard three notable conversations with coworkers and family that  have left the impression that……………..stay the course, exercise and watching what you eat are best practices  as you get older.

The first conversation was over eggs. One of my colleagues that I have worked with for many years said that he only ate eggs once a week. He is also 60 and has had bypass surgery. Regrettably my colleague takes all of the latest drugs for blood pressure, beta blockers, metformin, statins, etc…. Back to the eggs; when I asked why he only ate eggs once a week, he repeated what so many still think; eggs are the cause of high cholesterol. When I challenged that ideal with what the latest data tells us and my own experience with cholesterol issues, he told me when he eats eggs his cholesterol gets out of control; “I can feel it” is what he said. WOW!!! Then he went on to say that his doctor specifically told him to lay off eggs. Unbelievable!!! First off, I think dietary cholesterol only contributes maybe 15% of total cholesterol and the liver churns out the remainder from free fatty acids floating around in you circulatory system. Cholesterol is needed to rebuild a damaged body and restore depleted hormones caused by physical stresses. The stresses we are discussing here are sickness, injury, age and of course exercise (mini traumas). Remember, your body is always rebuilding itself and cholesterol is a major building block of that process. If you aren’t stressing the body, the liver over produces and yup, you guessed it, you end up with high cholesterol and a prescription for statins. Unfortunately, my colleague is not very active. He is uber-sedentary and of course very, very overweight. Eggs; I can feel my cholesterol raising, who’ld of thunk it!!!

The second conversation was on weight. Another of my colleagues was lamenting that his doctor had threatened him with medication if he did not lose weight. This colleague is also 60. When we asked what kind of medication the doctor was recommending, he played kinda’ dumb and said he didn’t know. Well, with a 40” belly, skinny arms, skinny legs, no chest and no butt plus no real exercise and age creeping up on him, I can say with utmost certainty the doctor was recommending a statin and probably metformin. He then looked at me and made some ‘we can’t all look like you’ comment and told me he outweighed me. Then we compared numbers, same height, same weight, same BMI. Guess what; I have a lower BF level and that’s how I keep myself off the meds. He has a high BF percentage and will probably join the many that are now supporting big pharma with type II diabetes meds and statins before the year is out. When I told him we weighted the same, I think this shocked him. And when I told him he would probably need to get his weight to less than 165 lbs to get his BF percentage to the point where meds wouldn’t be required, he gasped. Why? He knew it was true!!!

The last conversation to note was my wife on the phone to an old girlfriend, a BFF from 1973. WOW!!! I overheard her say; “Mark keeps himself in really good shape”. Again, WOW!!! My wife takes notice. That’s better than any strangers compliment anytime.

Conclusions………….

Yes, exercise and nutrition are tough to manage. Both require planning and dedicated execution to get results. However, the benefits far out way the alternative. I can eat eggs and cake and ice cream without feeling guilty, I don’t worry about my doctor’s rants (he hasn’t threatened me with meds in over 10 years) and my wife still thinks I look sexy. These are definitely positive indicators when chasing that Last 10 Pounds.

MMJennings