Day 52: Life Lessons Through Pro Rasslin

If you’ve read this blog over the course of last week, you have probably seen quite a few emotions from me that you may not ordinarily see. I’ve been a bit more open than I usually have been, and I figured it’d make a better read and others my get some insight on themselves or a friend also.

In the past couple days, I’ve probably watched more wrestling live than I had in almost 3 months.  It was by design because I was trying to figure out my purpose with being in the business at this stage of my life and what my future holds.

In that couple of days, I’ve learned a lot about myself and the influence (however small) that I’ve had in the business.  When I got started I set a couple of goals with the main one (and only one I can really quantify) is getting a WWE contract, which happened.  The other two are a bit more nebulous:

1.  I wanted to be fun to work with.  No matter what I was doing in the match, I wanted to make sure that I did whatever I could to make it just a little bit better and more memorable.

2.  I wanted to be a positive influence on whoever I could help.  The wrestling business can be a real beast physically, mentally and emotionally.  I didn’t want to add to it.

Over the last couple of months, I really wasn’t sure if I was really accomplishing these two and there aren’t really set parameters to definitively say yes I have or no I haven’t.

This weekend I’ve seen just about everyone in the OVW locker room, and it was the best I had felt in a long time.  The energy felt better and I was genuinely happy to see everyone.  I was also reminded why I got started and why I came back initially.  I’m not perfect and I haven’t made a ton of money, but I have had experiences that most wrestling fans (maybe 0.5%) ever get to experience.  To be able to pass what little I do understand along to guys who are still out there striving to live out their wildest dream, is not only an honor, but it’s also fun for me.

Sometimes you never know until you do.  You never know what you’re capable of until you are faced with an uncomfortable choice.  Make no mistake, I was really uncomfortable at first last night for no reason.

I never would have learned any of this stuff this weekend had my wonderful wife had not convinced me to go to these shows.  Yet another reason why my wife is awesome!

Day 51: Ditch The Cardio!!!

 

Now I’ll be completely honest, no one knows EXACTLY why interval training works so well for fat loss and why slow cardio fails, but it has worked much better for me.  Aren’t you more interested in getting better results in less time?

Treadmills and other cardio machines are boring… until now.

Instead of running on a treadmill, you can be doing sprints with changes in direction.

In this post, you’ll discover some fat-burning interval workouts that will make you burn belly fat in just a fraction of the time that long, boring cardio takes

Today, I have some shuttle workouts along with hill sprint routines that will not only burn fat, but also chisel a new athletic look with bodyweight exercises.

You can transform your body by combining the fat-burning power of finishers AND interval training to help you burn more fat in less time with a variety of hill sprint routines with bodyweight exercises and more. Sure, they’re crazy, but they work.

So enjoy these new and improved interval workouts and unlocking your body’s full potential to burning fat 24/7.

In setting up your shuttles, I recommend using a 5-10 meter distance between the start and stop point. If necessary, you can do this using a shorter distance. For example, when I first experimented with shuttle sprints, I trained inside my living room (it was cold outside). It wasn’t optimal, but it works.

Workout #1

• Warm-up for 5 minutes getting progressively more intense with time, then do the following
• Perform an interval by running shuttle sprints for 15 seconds at a very hard pace (9/10  intensity).
• Follow this with “active rest” for 15 seconds at a slow pace (3/10 intensity).
• Perform Close-Grip Push- Ups for 15 seconds.
• Follow that with “active rest” for 15 seconds at a slow pace (3/10 intensity).
• Repeat for a total of 10 circuits.
• Finish with 5 minutes of low intensity (3/10) exercise for a cool-down.

Workout #2 (Do This Circuit 5 times)

• 50 Yard Hill Sprint, then 15-30 sec. rest
• 20 Pushups, then 15-30 sec. rest
• Walk Back Down- N/A
• Medicine Ball Slam- 5 x 10 x 15-30 sec. rest

Workout #3

• 50 Yard Hill Sprint- 5 x 1 x 15-30 sec. rest
• KB Swing- 5 x 12 x 15-30 sec. rest
• Walk Back Down- N/A
• Pushup- 5 x 10 x 15-30 sec. rest

Workout #4

• Warm-up for 5 minutes getting progressively more intense with time, then do the  following
• Perform an interval by running shuttle sprints for 15 seconds at a very hard pace (9/10 intensity).
• Follow this with “active rest” for 15 seconds at a slow pace (3/10 intensity).
• Perform KB Swings for 15 seconds.
• Follow that with “active rest” for 15 seconds at a slow pace (3/10 intensity).
• Repeat for a total of 10 circuits.
• Finish with 5 minutes of low intensity (3/10) exercise for a cool-down.

As you can see there is plenty of variety when it comes to interval training especially when you add in finishers.  Have I convinced you of giving up cardio yet?  Try these for 4 weeks and I guarantee you will.

 

 

Day 50: Changes

• Really honest about my feelings, whether they are productive or not.
• Honored some people that have influenced me, and there will be more to come.
• Have cut down all my extracurricular activities (aka not related to my profession) down to nearly none. Haven’t been to Toastmasters or OVW since November, and the Family Fitness class completely bombed.
• Having a better understanding of my feelings, where they come from and that they are valid.
• Only missed 3 days of posts, although I haven’t posted every single one on Facebook.
• Twitter really sucks for attaining readers, but yet I keep getting more followers. Weird.
• I’m really enjoying my workouts again, and, man, some of them are difficult.
• Unfortunately, more attention is received when it’s a more negative post than a positive one. Makes me consider not doing this anymore when my 100 days are up.
• That’s all for now. I may post again later today with more thoughts and observations.

Day 49: How To Burn Tons of Fat in 19 minutes

Short on time and need a quick workout? Try this!! It’s harder than it looks. The times are 20 seconds on and 10 seconds of rest for the specified rounds.

Do the following circuit as shown one time:
• Low Box Jumps – 20 on, 10 off x 8 rounds
• Jumping Jacks – 20 on, 10 off x 4 rounds
• Pushup – 20 on, 10 off x 4 rounds
• Bodyweight Squat – 20 on, 10 off x 8 rounds
• Plank – 20 on, 10 off x 8 rounds
• Jumping Jacks – 20 on, 10 off x 6 rounds

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Day 48: Lend An Ear

My regular job is as a massage therapist. I’ve been doing it for almost four years now, and I find great joy in it. I get to help people every single day and I have immediate feedback on whether I was effective or not. This is especially important when I work with a chiropractor, which I have off and on since I got in the field.
I now am contracted with Chiropractic Solutions run my Dr. Julie Lyles. Dr. Julie is a very sharp lady and knows what she wants for her business and has a clear vision. Her clientele is mostly women and their families. Today, we had a family in today where a toddler was need some adjustment. It was my first time working with a child that small, and really I was helping Dr. Lyles.
And it was a nightmare.
This little boy cried for what seemed like forever, and I know it couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes. My patience wore thin WAY earlier than that. I kept my cool as much as possible, but I was stressed out. Afterward, when I could think straight again, I had a horrifying thought.
My daughter will be here soon.
I have very little experience with children and I’m, frankly, scared to death, and, to be frank, I don’t care about any advice a parent wants to give right now. I’m not asking for it.

• I don’t care if he was two, and that’s what happens sometimes.
• I’m not interested if he couldn’t communicate that well.
• You can keep your, “It’s different when it’s yours.”

I’m not interested in the slightest of yours or anyone else’s advice about how to handle right now. I actually understand all of these things on an intellectual, which didn’t help me today. What I’m concerned with is my reaction. I don’t understand toddlers. I really don’t like them that much either because I don’t understand their communication. I was really frustrated because I didn’t know what to do.

Ever have that feeling? Doesn’t help when everyone and their mother is giving you advice, does it? No, because you just want to be heard. You just want someone to sit there and listen and keep their judgments, advice and comments to themselves. It’d be preferrable if they actually just listened, which is tough for most of us. I’m including myself in that category.

You want to be able to drastically increase your number of friends, customers or anything else?

Just listen. You’d be surprised at what you might learn.

Day 47: The Greatest Moment In Royal Rumble History

If you disagree, you are wrong. Period. The only way it could be better is if it had ninja, pirates or The Jorge.

Day 46: What is a friend?

What is a friend?

A friend is a person who loves you no matter what you say that’s stupid.

A friend is a person that you may not see for a long time, and yet, when you get together, it’s like you never left each other’s side.

A friend is a person who will tell you what you need to hear, NOT what you necessarily want to hear….and you’ll be ok with it.

A friend is a person who’ll tell you it’s going to be ok, when it’s not at the moment…and you know that they are right.

A friend is someone you can lend money, and not worry about it coming back.

Most importantly, a friend is a person who loves you and you love them for who they are and who they aren’t.

Here’s a classic song about it.

Day 45: A Challenge For You

I keep telling you about how I don’t do cardio and I don’t lift weights that often. Well, here’s a workout I did today. I’ll go ahead and apologize now. It’s a bit tough. If you need to, cut the reps down. I’ve given some suggestions also for the more high impact moves. Again, this workout is a doozie! Have fun!

Close Grip 3/4 rep Pushups x 15
• With your hands inside shoulder-width apart and maintaining a straight line with your
body, lower yourself until you are you about 75% of the way down, and push yourself back to the starting position

Lunge Jumps x 8/side
• Start in the bottom of a split squat position. Your front thigh should be parallel to the
floor, your torso upright, and your abs braced.
• Jump up explosively and switch leg positions in the air. Your back leg becomes the
front leg, and vice versa. Absorb the landing with your muscles. Keep your abs
braced and torso upright.
• Alternate sides without resting between sides
• For lower impact do Walking Lunges

Cross Body Mountain Climbers x 8/side
• Brace your abs. Start in the top of the push-up position.
• Keep your abs braced, pick one foot up off the floor, and slowly bring your knee up
to your opposite shoulder. Do not let your hips sag.
• Keep your abs braced and slowly return your leg to the start position.
• Alternate sides until you complete all of the required repetitions.

Skater Hops x 15/side
• Start with your feet shoulder width apart
• Jump to one side on one foot, shifting all your weight to the leg you jumped out with
• Now jump to the other side with the other leg and repeat.
• If you can’t do the jumps, do the motion without hopping

Bodyweight Squats x 15
• Stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width apart.
• Start the movement at the hip joint. Push your hips backward and go back as far as you can.
• Squat as deep as it’s comfortable.
• Return to the start position

T-pushup x 8/side
• Assume the top of the pushup position, with abs and glutes tight.
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push off to return to the start position, and as you come up, rotate to one side and point that arm towards the ceiling.
• Alternate sides with each rep.

Run in Place 30 sec
• Do I have to really explain this one?

Alternating Prisoner Lateral Lunges x 10/side
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, keeping your hands behind your head, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Take a large step sideways (laterally) with one leg into a wide squat position.
• Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
• Push with your outside leg to return to the starting position.

Total Body Extensions x 20
• Start in the standing position as if you were going to do a bodyweight squat.
• Dip down quickly into a quarter squat and swing your arms behind you by your sides.
• Explode up and extend your body onto your toes, raising your arms overhead.
• Control the descent back and in one movement return to the dip before exploding
back up again.
• This is an AWESOME replacement for jumping.

Burpees x 8
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Drop down onto your hands and feet, then thrust your feet back so you are in a pushup
position. Thrust your feet back in and then stand up.
• You can add a vertical jump at the end as well.

Rest 1 minute and repeat 2x

Day 44: Keys to a Great Fat Burning Workout

The key principles of proper training are “Intensity”, “Variety”, and “Change”. You’ll often hear a trainer say to clients that are seeking to gain muscle.

Question: How often are program changes recommended to people looking for fat loss?

Answer: Not very. Usually the answer is do more exercise and eat less food.

What I’ve noticed is that most people need to do increase their workout intensity and change their program more often. Your body “adapts” in response to any stress put on it, and if you’re working out correctly your exercise program is a stressor. The problem is that your body rapidly adapts to training. Without variety, gains from a once successful program will soon diminish, which means a change is needed. Your body is very smart and efficient. If you ask your body to lift the same weight week in and week out, your body will only change enough in order to meet that demand.

In order to maintain continual fat loss, you must change your program variables. Changing your exercises, the number of sets and reps for each exercise, and other variables all demand your body to adapt and expend more energy (and fat) to get used to it.

Note: Beginners may be able to go 12 weeks (or more) before adapting to a program and reaching the point of diminished returns.

Your changes can be as simple as changing the technique for some exercises, the length of your intervals, or the number of reps per exercise. Use resistance training to promote a higher metabolic rate, more calorie burning, and a better body composition, all while reducing your gym time. It’s the same reason I suggested using interval training and finishers.

If you keep changing your program and including high-intensity exercise, your body will burn a lot of calories trying to keep up. In fact, the harder you train, the greater the increase in your post-exercise metabolism. That’s why you will get better results from performing sets of 8 reps than you will with sets of 12 reps or more.

Heavy resistance training has long been ignored by those seeking to lose body fat. Ironically, it is likely the best type of exercise to improve your body composition because it promotes both energy expenditure and muscle growth!

Weight training and nutrition are far more important than cardio for fat loss.

As for exercise choices, you need to concentrate on the basics. Do exercises that require a lot of muscles (presses, rows, squats, lunges, and deadlifts) and expend the more energy to signal the body for growth and repair.

If you don’t have access to weights or don’t feel like going to the gym, you can still use these principles to burn fat.

Here’s an example of a workout that will do just that:

Split Squats (8/side)
Decline Pushups (10)
Rest 1 min and repeat 2 times

1-Leg Romanian Deadlift (10/side)
Mountain Climber (8/side)
Rest 1 min and repeat 2 times

Pushups (1 rep before failure)
Bodyweight Squat (15)
Rest 1 min and repeat 2 times

Finisher
Do as many rounds in 5 minutes as possible
Burpees x 5
Jumping Jacks x 10
Squat Thrusts x 5

Have fun and let me know how it goes.

Day 43: Keeping Sane With Impending Fatherhood

As some of you know, my wife and I are expecting our first child. I have not reacted well physically. I haven’t slept a full night’s sleep for a straight week in 2 months. I have been working more at my day job, and the thought of having a girl is terrifying. Needless to say, I’ve been a bit stressed.

We all face this issue in one way or another. As we deal with increasing work and time pressures of the shrinking workplace, the days often seem to get shorter and leisure time seems to be consumed with issues other than relaxation and personal fulfillment.

More and more people are dissatisfied with the balance between their work and their personal lives. This lack of balance is due to long work hours, changing demographics, more time in the car, the deterioration of boundaries between work and home, and increased work pressure.

How much is work invading your personal life, and how much of your personal life is affected by the stress of trying to balance all the many responsibilities in your life?

Here are 5 tips to help you achieve a better balance in your life. Take a moment to read and reflect on these tips — and then get your life in balance!

Slow Down.
Life is simply too short, so don’t let things pass you in a blur. Take steps to stop and enjoy the things and people around you. Schedule more time between meetings; don’t make plans for every evening or weekend, and find some ways to distance yourself from the things that are causing you the most stress.

Learn to Better Manage Your Actions.
Notice I said “Actions” instead of “Learn to Better Manage Your Time. Time is impossible to manage, but you can control your actions. Just act. For many people, most of the stress they feel comes from simply being disorganized — and procrastinating. You’d be surprised what can happen if you just do something small toward your goal. You’ll find that not only are you less stressed, but your work will be better.

Share the Load.
It took me a long time to learn this one. Even though we may sometimes feel we’re the only ones capable of doing something, it’s usually not the case. Trust your partner or other family members to help you with all your personal/family responsibilities. Taking care of the household, children, or parents should not be the responsibility of just one person.

Let Things Go. (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.)
Remember this: It’s all small stuff. I know it’s simpler said than done, but learn to let things go once in a while. So what if the dishes don’t washed everyday or that the house doesn’t get vacuumed every week. Learn to recognize the things that don’t really have much impact in your life and allow yourself to let them go — and then not beat yourself up for doing so.

Simplify.
It seems human nature for just about everyone to take on too many tasks and responsibilities, to try to do too much. Find a way to simplify your life. Learn to say no to requests for help. Get rid of the clutter and baggage in your house — and your life.

How have I begun to put my life in balance? I got a massage today and it was awesome.

Now, back to work. I’ve got booty to kick.