A Good Attitude…………….

So as we finish up the second month of the Endurance Macro, I have really cut back on the morning cardio. In fact I have pretty much replaced any cardio with stretching and basic yoga moves. I have been reading books and trying to improve joint mobility in an effort to prevent further injuries, injuries that slow your progress in gaining on that Last 10 Pounds. And all the while, it’s an attitude of wanting to be better that keeps me interested, keeps me trying new things and improving the stuff I think I know about.
 

Book Reports………….

The first book; Athletic Body In Balance by Gary Cook is an excellent starting point if you think (like I am) that your niggly injuries are based on some sort of core imbalance. For me, something is incorrect on one side or the other, causing chronic left hip and knee injury and pain. Gary goes through several exercises that you can do to self-evaluate plus others that support correction of any issues. My favorite, one that I have incorporated on a daily basis, is a simple body weight squat, held at the bottom and stretching the arms down to the floor and then one arm at a time, stretching overhead. I do these as a prequel to an almost daily front squat routine.

The second book; Move Like Humans: Feel Better, Move Better, Discover How Your Body Moves by Sean Schniederjan is also an excellent choice. I just wish it was written a bit better (poorly edited). However the content and the exercises are on point as far as hip mobility. When performing the exercises he prescribes, you will fatigue oblique’s and lumbar muscles; the muscles that rock your hips, the muscles that allow you to walk upright. You will note this level of fatigue if you do these exercises and then jump into a heavy squat routine. The book, it’s a good read.

Both of these books are available through Amazon.com. The exercises in these books have virtually replaced my morning cardio. The exercises in the books have helped me progress from 95 and 100 lb front squats to 135 to 150 lb front squats……….even with that niggly hip injury.

These exercises have also identified that I have fairly week glutes and hamstrings; almost girly weak. When doing simple hip thrusters, I sometime get a pretty good cramp right where the hammy tucks under the glute. I haven’t yet quite figured out how I’m going to strengthen that area yet, still experimenting with various exercises. You would think that with all of the squatting I have been completing recently, glutes would be engaged. Apparently not so much; they need more work.

Those Nasty Gyms………..

After a full year, I have worn through two sets of gardening gloves. The first pair; June through December 2015, and the second pair; January through June 2016. Now these are standard run of the mill el-cheapo cowhide gardening gloves that you would find at any Big Box hardware store; on the order of $5 to $7 a pair. And as seen from the picture, this second pair got just as nasty as the first pair I tried. This pair actually smells worse than any sweaty sneaker you could ever imagine.

Of course the advantage of using a cheap cowhide gardening glove instead of the standard fare fingerless lifting glove is; they are cheap and disposable and no one will steal them if you accidentally leave them behind. The disadvantage; dorkey as hell, they get pretty smelly and they are kind of slippery until they get a bit soaked with sweat. And once they dry out from the previous sweaty workout, they are a bit stiff.

So for my third pair, I will be giving deer hide gloves a shot. The deer hide gloves are $10, just a tad more expensive. The reason I went with deer hide? You can wash them and as long as you ‘air dry’ the leather, they will not stiffen up; supposedly. And what I have also discovered is that deer hide does not have to be wet (sweaty) to improve the grip, they are sticky from the get-go. We will report on the deer hide experiment over the next few months. Stay tuned (LOL)…………….

 

Getting the Fat Out Part II……………..

A few months back I had made a journal entry on mobilizing love handle, man pooch fat. At that time we were talking Omega 3’s and replacing existing saturated fat stores with unsaturated; the feed and bleed process. And last month we hit on the subject just a bit with a discussion on niacin; dilation of capillaries, more blood flow through the fat. Based on what I have read, mostly from Lyle McDonald’s book The Stubborn Fat Solution, adrenaline in the absence of insulin releases fat and a 30 to 40 minute 60% effort cardio routine should burn that released fat. You need blood flow to the fatty areas to carry the fat away; you need an adrenalin rush to release the fat. Niacin for the blood flow and an adrenalin rush cause by sprints, heavy lifts, etc.….; hence step one of ‘Widow Maker’. Since I am a part time diabetic and morning glucose is always above 100 mg/dl (hepatic insulin resistance), I am now assuming that maybe, just maybe, morning insulin is also elevated, short cycling my cardio efforts, short cycling my efforts to deal with the love handles and man pooch.

It should also be noted that after any of my normal (past) morning cardio session (SLOGs, Jogs or otherwise), my blood glucose would be even higher; usually jumps another 10 to 15 mg/dl. The increase is pretty normal from what I understand. Exercise causes blood glucose to increases as a result of the liver converting even more glycogen into glucose; keeps you going during the cardio session. Then ‘after the cardio’ there is supposed to be an insulin release to pull all of that free glucose into the muscle, e.g. your blood glucose should drop and any fat not used would be re-esterified and sucked back into your fat cells. 

So, is it a question of a ‘Very Low Intensity’ cardio session prior to any planned higher energy cardio session, something to clear excess glucose…….and insulin? So maybe the solution is to pop a500 mg niacin (get the blood to the fat cells) and take a long slow walk prior to a sprint ‘only’ session (drop the light cardio entirely) or maybe a light yoga stretching session followed by a more intense isometric routine. Would this help?

I guess it’s back to the morning finger pricks trying to see just what I can do to control insulin, drop blood glucose and force the liver to stop the conversion of glycogen to glucose and be able to have a meaningful fat reducing cardio session, e.g. a productive ‘Widow Maker’.

 

The Apprentice…………..

In an earlier journal entry (Addicted………) I had commented on my apprentice and her progress. My apprentice has been working with me now for five months and surprisingly she shows up quite consistently. My apprentice is a 45 year old woman, a single mom that works a full time job and yet makes the time for at least two 30 minute weight training sessions a week. This may not sound like much but I’m here to tell you it does make a difference. If you mix in a couple more days of cardio (weekend bike rides, hiking, canoeing, swimming, etc….) you may not get that fitness model physique but you will manage……..normal………with minimal diet adherence (just be mindful of what you are eating). And that’s the name of the game, isn’t it?

During our two 30 minute weekly sessions, I have been sticking to squats, push-ups, pull-ups, presses ect…, anything that pushes compound large muscle group exercises. The first 10 minutes after her warm up, I keep it pretty intense; her heart rate is high, her cheeks are blushed and she builds up a nice frothy sweat.  Her squats still need work and she still can’t do an unassisted pull-up but she is getting better (making progress), going deeper in the squat and less assistance weight with pull-ups.

I really do get a kick out of working with her; after a set of 8 rep squats immediately followed by 8 standard fare push-ups (the high intensity portion of the work out), her cheeks are pink, she’s breathing hard and she’s smiling……………..WOW!!!!

So if this girl can make time, what’s wrong with the rest of society? Why do they not push the envelope? Why won’t they ‘make’ time?

 

If People Notice, You’re Doing it Right…………………..

In this last month I’ve had two of my peers (age and job related) ask the same question; “how do you stay in such good shape?” Both of both of these middle aged men are falling apart; shoulder surgeries, statins, poor sleep, distinct bellies, etc.... Both are desk bound and always dieting, both look worn out and broken, both look malnourished. I tell them I work out daily, twice a day on some days and really only pay attention to food quantity; eat until your full, not bloated.

Like I’ve stated before, if people notice, you’re on the right track. Maybe they will be inspired to hit the gym, maybe they will be inspired to make a healthy lifestyle a priority. I’m flattered they noticed, I’m disappointed they can’t find the time to take care of themselves. As you get older, that’s your priority.

And later in the month I received a compliment from a third acquaintance I had not seen in well over 6 months. Her comment; “you look so young, you do not look your age”. I was truly flattered; I didn’t quite know what to say.

Key Performance Indicators……………….

KPI’s for the month of July. Month Two Endurance Macro.

July Best
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Total Weight Moved
Front Squat (Sup)	4	8	3,840    (120*32)
Back Squat (Sup)	4	8	5,280    (165*32)   9,120 Total
Pull Up	4	8	----------
Bench	4	8	5,280   (165*32)
Dumbbell Bench	4	8	3,520    (110*32)  8,800 Total
One Arm Row	4	8		1,760    (55*32)   Each Arm
Masculine Feelings (Scale 1 to 10) = 8+
Cardio; Minimal Cardio, Stretching and Light Yoga
Notes; Lower 3 exercises completed as a superset; Front Squat, Back Squat and Pull Up. There is 4 minute spread between the start of each set. In that 4 minutes you complete the 3 exercises plus just enough rest to allow heart rate to settle out. This set is like an extended Sprint; very, very whole body. All squats are Deep, Ass to Grass Squats. Any rest or lag is at the bottom. Calculated Squat 1RM – Front 150/Back 207.   Upper 3 exercises completed as a superset; Bench, Dumbbell Bench and Rows. There is 90 second rest between sets. The objective is not additional weight but minimal rest. All are neutral grip Bench Presses. Calculated Bench 1RM – 207.

These are pretty good numbers and although not exactly what my targets were, they are getting better. I have been doing more and more 135 to 150 lb front squats, not in any structured reps or sets but usually as part of my warm up sessions. What has really helped, in my opinion is the daily squat.

The Monthly Summary…………….

Well, we’ve power through another month and tried new things. We’re still focused on my goals and still managing consistency. We’re still trying to find the right combination of exercises that limit injury and yet can achieve the intensity needed to overcome the body’s desire to store fat as a default condition. You can only take diet so far; if you don’t eat enough you can’t manage consistent intensity and if you eat too much, we all know what happens here…….right? We are still on a path that leads to conquering that Last 10 Pounds.

Bee Good

MMJennings