<p>Thanks for the heads up. That large chili is also a pretty filling portion. You could even add two packets of crumbled saltines and still be at 380 calories, which is not bad at all. Eight grams of fiber (from the beans) is good, too. Beats these damn psyllium husk capsules (it would take 16 of them to make 8 grams).</p>
<p>I’m going to have to remember that one. That makes two lunch items at Wendy’s that will work for me. Actually, I might have to make a big batch of home-made chili and freeze it. I’ve got a killer southwestern style chili recipe (chunks of beef) from Paul Prudhomme’s fantasic *Seasoned America *cookbook – his collection of regional American classics.</p>
<p>Actually, I would be much better at both tennis and golf as a result of all the core strengthening I’ve done and now understanding the whole concept of bracing the core. There was a groundbreaking approach to golf pioneered by a teacher named Jimmy Ballard in the 1980s. He preached a braced, connected “core” – coiling and against a stiff core on the backswing and then firing the core at impact. I never fully grasped what he was talking about until I started doing all these planks and side planks and then I remembered his book. Tennis is the same thing.</p>
<p>I understood the concepts back then, but without the core strengthening exercises, I was missing the tools. That’s why I think that plank and side plank are the two most important exercises I’ve done. It’s really eye-opening to strengthen those muscles.</p>
<p>I’d do core and squats like crazy for both tennis and golf.</p>
<p>I took a martial arts course when I was 20 and the instructor commented that I had a cast iron stomach. It my be that playing a lot of tennis well develops that core. Or perhaps it was the weight-training.</p>
<p>One of my tennis partners tried out the rotary torso at the gym a while ago at my request. I think that he was able to do the entire stack on the machine. He doesn’t do any weight training but he hits the ball very hard so maybe the tennis has given him strong core muscles instead of developing strong core muscles from other exercises.</p>
<p>Did my strength & core today. I went back to the weights I was using 2 weeks ago, and it wasn’t too bad. I tried to do some elliptical, but I felt so tired. I’m trying to decide whether to try 3 miles tomorrow or just rest until Thursday.</p>
<p>Do you think a jury would let me off with justifiable homicide if I killed the man who counts off the next exercise in Sparacus after 30 seconds of rest?</p>
<p>Spartacus today. Two sets. I thought about going for 2.5 sets, but I had a late start. So I cranked up the reps instead.</p>
<p>15 and 20 reps of dumbbell rows (with twp 20 pounders). My usual 20 and 20 reps of one arm dumbbell swings (20 pounds). 8 and 8 reps of t-pushups (Svetana would be proud!). 16 and 16 reps of pushup position rows. And 12 and 12 reps of the squat push press (two 20 pounders).</p>
<p>It’s never easy. Saw a max heart rate of 99% – I think on the 12th rep of the final push press.</p>
<p>I’m starting to adapt to the cardio challenges in the middle of these workouts. I was able to do the full 45 seconds of split squat jumps as exercise #5 and go harder for the full time on mountain climbers. That’s a welcome development. Some of it is probably learning how to do the various jumps more efficiently. Part of it is just getting stronger. It’s all good.</p>
<p>I’ve had to lay off the squat/lunges I had been doing in my warmup for a week or so. I just got to the point where my thighs and hips were not recovering – staying sore continuously. I didn’t do any on Saturday and Sunday and that helped, but I’m going to lay off on alternate days this week, too. Gotta listen to the body on this stuff. Nothing wrong with going back a step. I’ve put the weights down completely on the lateral lunges/squats. I’ll add the weights when I feel like I own the exercise with just body weight. No point in letting weights (or too much weight) keep you from having good form.</p>
<p>I had a leg cramp this morning in bed. Haven’t had one of those in a long time. It struck me that my neck injury may be the result of a cramp. I just thought that I slept in a bad position but I haven’t been taking the protein bars nor drinking Gatorade during tennis nor taking my vitamin/mineral supplement packs. Basically I was lazy about replenishing my supplies of the stuff. It may account for the higher injury rates too.</p>
<p>I stopped by Trader Joes to pick up the supplement packs and a few protein bars. I need to go back to taking the supplement packs daily.</p>
<p>It’s gotten colder in New England which means that the air is often dry and I’ve been drinking more water which can flush out the electrolytes.</p>
<p>There has also been a cold going around. It is fairly mild but rather annoying.</p>
<p>I ran 2.4 miles outside today and feel much better than the last 2 days. I decided to not try for any particular time for Thursday’s race, and just consider it the next day of my back to workout schedule.</p>
<p>Will be sending encouraging thoughts your way blankmind! Good Luck with the race! You can do it!!!</p>
<p>My weight is all over the place this week! Thinking it may be stress with my friend’s death/funeral and getting ready for Thanksgiving. Worked out this morning and my knee was really bad when I tried to start at my regular speed on the treadmill. Dropped down until it felt better and then slowly increased speed. Still may be tender from the heels. Who knows!?!?!</p>
<p>IDad–mountain climbers are evil!! My trainer has me do these as cardio breaks between lunges and squats with weights and core work. She also has me run up and down two flights of stairs 6x (total). We do a session with cardio stuff when I’d not doing spin afterwards. I’m not sure I could push myself as hard if I were doing those mountain climbers or stairs on my own.</p>
<p>Yep, an ol’ fat guy like me struggles with all of these full body cardio exercises. I’m committed to sticking with them and seeing the improvements, but it’s a challenge. I have to set a “deliberate” pace. Definitely more tortoise, less hare for me.</p>
<p>I do kind of a hybrid mountain climber/spiderman just to add a little variety. Drive the right knee to the chest, drive the left knee to the chest, drive the right knee out to the elbow, drive the left knee out to the elbow. Repeat. </p>
<p>blankmind - you can do it! I ran a 5K a couple of summers ago without any training (and it was my first 5K race in more than 20 years :eek:). I tried to get in shape for the race, but my painful hip prevented me from doing any running. So I thought I would walk the course that looked really flat, however, the excitement of being in the race pushed me to run most of it! I only walked about 0.3 miles up a really steep hill and managed to get an under 30-min time. I was happier than anyone in that crowd! That was the kick-start of me going back to running and getting back in shape :)</p>
<p>It looks like the minor procedure that I had yesterday at my doctor’s office will put my weightlifting exercises to a temporary halt… But that’s OK, I will enjoy my little break. Hubby seems to be enjoying torturing himself with that 35-lb kettlebell (OMG, I cannot lift that thing above my head with one arm!).</p>
<p>Or drop it on your head. Everytime I’m doing push presses or step-ups with curl and presses, I’m thinking, “now how would I explain to the doctor that I hit myself in the head with a dumbbell?”</p>
<p>I probably should wear my bike helmet for Spartacus!</p>
<p>Oh Bunsen, the pressure. I was just getting to the point of approx 29 min, and now you tell me you did that with no training? My delusions of grandeur are taking a beating here.</p>
<p>One of my shining moments was “winning” my division of a 10 K race in over 60 minutes. I was one of the last ones over the finish line, but every one else in the race were either teens (students at the school) or over 30 (parents at the school). I was 27 and just a friend of one of the teachers. I still have the medal somewhere to prove it!</p>
Gooooo, blankmind!!!</p>