Thursday, October 22, 2009

STADIUMS - DIET - SUCCESS



I was able to stick to the diet on Tuesday! I logged 1,746 calories for the day with distribution as follows:


Fat: 26% Carbs: 45% Protein: 29%

I’m still trying to work out the best distribution for me and trying to work more raw fruits and vegetables into my diet. I only ate ½ pound of carrots yesterday and one peach. If I have them around I eat them but the bulk of my diet is breads and grains. I’m looking for substitutions.

On the exercise front I did the P90X arms and shoulders DVD before work. This is a good workout but once again, due to the smaller muscle groups it is easier. I started to do some drop sets during the session. Starting with a weight that I can only complete 8 – 10 reps and then immediately selecting a lighter weight and finishing the set. This is challenging but once again I walk away from this workout not completely soaked with sweat (the other sessions I am SOAKED).

Lunch brought the STADIUMS again. It has been two weeks since the last session – last week was the coliseum which brought its own challenges but not like the STADIUMS. Having been successful on our last outing with 15 seconds working set followed by 1 minute 45 seconds recovery (this includes the down portion of the stadiums) it was time to up the ante. Since the working portion of the set is already ALL-OUT I could only cut some time off of the recovery. I loped 10 seconds off for a recovery of 1 minute 35 seconds. The total set would now be 1 minute 50 seconds. The previous successful session fit nicely with 15 reps in 30 minutes. This time it would be 17 reps in 31:10. Several people dropped off of the challenge this week due to various reasons – ill, forgot their workout shoes, scared, weak, etc. But for the ones that took on the challenge there was victory. We were able to successfully achieve our goals. All of my working sets were within the allotted 15 seconds – some were close but all were successful and the recovery proved manageable. Now, I am not one to believe that all of this success comes from cardio or strength gains – but more of the success is due to the change in weather. It was a beautiful day on Tuesday and, like the arms and shoulders session of the morning, I was not as soaked in sweat as I can be. However, all said and done my heart rate average for the session was nearly 10 percent higher than 2 weeks ago. The 10 seconds less recovery time equates to 9 percent less recovery – a little bit less time for the heart rate to drop. It is hard to qualify with the available data but my heart rate dropped about 2 beats more per rep with the additional 10 seconds of recovery. I am not a statistician but I do find it interesting. I can’t wait until next week to carve a little bit more time off.

2 comments:

Jon Gilchrist said...

good shtuff TJ....as for teh diet...I find that if I cut my grains off at lunch..I'm able to sustain and get thru the rest of the day with fruits and ALOTTA veggies.

Although, on my school days (mon and wed nites) I hit pita pit for some veggie-wheat pita action...

Signifying Nothing said...

I love the diet tracking idea! I do the same thing, especially when I'm worried my eating trends are veering off the straight and narrow. My caloric requirement is much higher, and it is difficult not to slam down candy or ice cream later in the day to nudge it up to the amount I need. I really have to work at preparing meals and snacks ahead of time. Otherwise, my diet gets too expensive and disorganized.

Thanks for the always interesting reading! Keep it up! And keep up the p90x! I'm curious to know how it works out for you. My Y is thinking of creating a similar program with all of our group X classes, so I'm doing as much research as I can to see how the program treats people. I am paying specific attention to how it keeps people motivated, as well as any overtraining/injury issues. Cheers!