Day 15

Workout, 15th day.  Worked out legs and back.  Hollywood Physique. 


      Back squat (3×15)

Rope pull-down (6×6)

Lat pull-down(6×6)

Calf press in leg press machine (3×20)

Incline walk (1o minutes)

Day 14

Mountain Biking.  3.98 miles in Vietnam with Jeff.   We met a 6:00 AM, Jeff had obligations of the family nature that had to be attended to.  So, off we went and it was great morning for a ride.  Twenty five minutes in, one of the screws that holds onto a cleat on the bottom of my shoe let go.  The clear snaps into a peddle.  So, I'm screwed because I can't get out of the peddle on the right side.  So, we had to take it easy and do a small loop with no nasty things I'd have to bail on if need be. 

Good ride.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/bSdugW-TmTI"     Great video from Vietnam. 

Props to CaptnExtreme for the vid.

  Props to FreeHub.com and Ryan Kirk.

Day 13

Working out in the am.   Just finished the Hollywood Physique workout and feeling the burn.  Got up this morning and had a pre-workout drink, something new, and got started.  I know that I've mentioned it before, but the fact that you are going so much slower with each rep does a variety of things: it forces me to concentrate more on the actual muscles that I'm working out.  Doing so I'm in a constant state of tension (not the right word) - contraction - throughout each rep.  That contraction forces the muscle to work throughout the rep.  How long did I move weight around without the focus that I do now?  A long time.

Funny how day 13 of the working out has led to little victories.  I feel stronger, more focused, and Mrs. Ntckfit mentioned that I looked better.  Now all that is worth the effort, and then some.  Speaking of Mrs. Ntckfit, she is a beautiful woman who is my rock.  And the fact that she has recovered from ACL surgery and has fired through all the associated issues related to recover and has come out the other side - working out with a trainer, paddle board afficianado, and expert skier - makes me want to give her a huge hug and a nudge right now.  I love you babe! 

 

Day 12

Tuesday.  Went for a great paddle board cruise with Mrs. Ntfit.  Talk about a great shoulder, core workout.  Sweet.   Left the paddles by the lake, though.  Hmm.  I ordered two leashes for the boards made by Dakine - the arrived yesterday.    Time to go.

 

Day 11

It's Monday Morning and I got up for a 6:30 workout.  Doesn't sound like much just typed here, but the fact is it is huge.  Huge.  I'm getting ready for the school year when I'm going to be getting up early to workout.  Not bad at all.  In fact, I feel great right now, just hungry. 

I did a workout today that was shoulders and arms yet again and then three sets of dead lifts.  Interesting.  The workout is the Hollywood Physique.  I'm not following it as it is laid out - and most likely will not see the results that they promise - so be it.  I'm not neccessarily all about being cut at 50.  Though, truth be told, I could move away from the middle aged guy shape. 

Day 10

Hello All -  I'm salty and sweaty still.  Just got back to ntckfit central and poured a cup of coffee.  Good stuff. 

I went to "Vietnam" in Milford.  Vietnam there is a mountain biking preserve.  NEMBA (New England Mountain Biking Association) along with a bunch of sponsors back some time purchased about 40 acres of land.  Mountain bikers have been there for awhile and the trails were laid down - but after the purchase, the trails grew in number and complexity.  The trail maintenance is excellent.  The thing about it that I like is the terrain.

(These images came of the internets, so props to all the riders in the pics and the sites they came from - oh, and the photograpers too.)
Some mtn bikers like drops, some downhill, some cross country.  I'm a cross country guy.  I love technical trails with lots of baby head sized rocks that I can either blow over super fast or that I can pick myself a line and cruise through.  I love to find rock gardens that are just that - only rocks that you have to carefully cruise through with little wiggle room for error  - mess up, and you head into the rocks. 

So, Day 10 workout is complete.  And now its onto working out cutting a bed on the side lawn.  The workout that is coming is going to be epic - I have no idea how much weight over all I'll be moving, but it's a lot.  

I was on my way home from the mtn bike ride and I realized something: I feel more in shape.  I haven't had that thought in a long time, and truth be told, it's great to feel.   

Day 9

Source: mylifebody.com

I just completed a shoulder routine with the new program which I'll call HP.  It's designed to work the muscles that create a shaped musculature based on hitting the high profile muscles that ultimately develop into a distinct shape.  Think Brad Pitt in Fight Club.   I'm working on muscle development and shedding fat.  Yes, fat is evil and should be punished. 

Here's something.  I suck at consistency.  Or I should say that I sucked at consistency of working out.  For too long I let the other crap in my life get in front of what is important - my physical and metal being.  I remember when I was in super shape and how I felt - awesome.  I like the feeling of looking good.  Vanity?  Yup.  But it was more than that.  It was a sense of pride that I was consistently doing better in the workouts, eating well.  I had a very good balance then and I worked towards that now. 

Mrs. Ntckfit is on the same path as well, and it is sweet being in the same place.

29er Mountain Bike29er Mountain Bike

Day 8

What a day.  Okay, this day was a low key workout day, but a workout nonetheless.  I turned 50 and my family bought me a paddle board.  It's great.  Mrs. Ntckfit loves hers, and would take off for up to an hour when we were at the beach.  So, it looked like fun and I was surprised when I was told that was the big gift for 50.  Very cool. 

We went to this local pond in Hopkinton and were out there for about 45 minutes or so.  It was a great core, shoulder, and arms workout.  And I felt it even more because I did my shoulders yesterday. 

Day 8 fini.

Later,

Day 7

Well now.  I tried a new program today, and it has shorter, more intense workouts than P90X.   The burn factor is so much more. And there's talk out there in the internets (yes, the internets) that the lengthier the burn the better. The thing about the intensity is each rep is super slow.  You're in total contraction mode and moving through each rep SLLOWWLY.  I'm about to head out for an incline walk. Back.  That was short and sweet. Thinking about either going for a ride or paddle board later in the day with Mrs. Ntckfit. 

     Squats (3×8)                                         25 lbs.

Wide-grip neck press (3×8)                 15

Side laterals (3×8)                               10

Preacher curls (3×8)                            10

Incline walking (10 minutes)

Later,

Birthday Weekend

Man oh man. That was fun. It did not, however, fit into the fitness/healthy living category. Hmm.  Let me be honest, I used it (the weekend) as an excuse to eat and drink. And I did. Not to excess, but definitely off the path. Definitely. So be it. What is one if not human. First rationalization drips off my fingertips too easily. The thing is, I will be back at it in the am on the morn.

Adieu, readers.

Day 6

Got up, dressed, grabbed the dog and went for a walk for 27 minutes,  Now, who said a good walk wasn't part of this plan?  I hadn't done that in a long time, just got up in the morning and gone for a walk with the dog.  I think that will change in the future.  There are two programs out there that insist that walking is integral to the program - one is the incline walk and the other is a 4 mph walk, but nonetheless, it's walking.

I will continue to bike (mountain and road), walk, and swim.   I too will be starting the rehab protocol for my foot - it is susceptible to stress fractures.  And that is something that I WILL NOT DO TO MYSELF AGAIN!  Stress fractures suck. 

Day 5

Again. Yes, again. I worked out again. Today was Shoulders and Arm and Ab Ripper X.  I like the S&A workout the best of all the P90X workouts.  It seems that as I got fit that the fat seemed to leave my shoulders and arms first, and I could see definition of the muscles.  Fat comes off in layers, and the layers that stick longer go 'round my gut and chest. 

So, yesterday I completed that HIIT bike ride and came in and saw Mrs. Ntckfit.  She was a tad freaked out, as I was grey.  Yes, grey.  Which means that my blood oxygen level was WAY too low.  Kind of scary for the Mrs. and a wake-up call for me.  First get in shape then push myself that hard.  Walk before running.   

Day 4

Went out this morning at 730 for a quick ride.  The goal was High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and it worked. I rode 8 miles in 28 minutes with and average speed of 16.73.  Hammering for me. 

Ok, I've decided to look at my weight once a week and not be focused on weight. Also, that the part about diet is essential. Man, it is too easy to screw that up.  So, smaller portions, more meals a day, and clean eating are the keys there. 

Today:  Eat clean, work at the new job for a bit, and hang with Mrs. Ntckfit.

Later,

Day 3

Ok.  It's three days in and I'm feeling good.  Just got back from a 6 mile mountain bike ride with my bud in a place called "Vietnam".  No, not the country, but a parcel of land that was purchased exclusively for mountain biking.  And truth be told, it's one of the best places on the east coast to ride.  Very technical in parts, while in other parts, it's rolling trails. Good fun. Sweet workout.

 

This morning I did Chest and Back from P90X and that was interesting (for me).  The amount of strength I've lost is considerable.   As it should be because I've done squat for so long.  So be it.  Thing is if feel good, and that's the ticket. 

So I sit here and think that my birthday is coming up.  50  I wonder if I've done enough to be healthy.  Hmm.  Makes me think.  Truth is, its been a on and off eating well (clean) and working out for ages.  I worked out for two years straight and changed my body.  Big time.  But it all fell apart right around when I was dealing with my dad dying.   I lost the focus I had.

I hope that someone who reads this can identify with the struggle.  Fitness is a path.  Sometimes your find yourself on it and rock solid, other times you fallen in the rut on the side of the path.  Right now, I feel like I'm in the middle, maybe with some rocks that I can plow over on my mountain bike. 

Later,

Day 2

Well now, the day was a bit different than I thought.  My alarm did not go off as I expected it would (that has to do with my trying to set it last night without my new glasses on) so I got up late.  That led to eating late, then I had to get set and ready to go to my new job's HR department.  SO.... Mrs. Ntckfit and I rode in the evening = 12 miles on the road.

Truth be told, the ride was ok.  The roads were awful for half the ride.  But I got a good solid workout in.  I have to say that I feel good right now, out of the bike duds, cleaned up, and laughing at Mrs. Ntckfit.

I added a new widget to my blog from DailyMiles.com.  That's kind of cool.

Did you ever think that writing online would be a good way to motivate?   I recognized awhile ago that logging no matter how kept me on the path, so to speak.  So, I'll continue to blog away.

Eats: Clean and on target
Water: Some to go, but on target
Vitamins: Yup
Workout: Yes
Attitude: Positive and focused

Good Times!