Day 53: Picture perfect

It's inevitable that one day throughout this, I'd push too far and overexert myself. Monday was that day. I woke early, headed to the office to send my one or two needed emails and then did some Tabata! I felt good...until I got home. Apparently, I had promised the family (aka wifey) I'd help get the inside of the house homey, hanging pictures and such all day. This was one of those instances in which I truly believe the conversation never took place but never question as I'm never right in those fights. I wanted to be lazy, I did squats, cycle jumps iron crosses, hanging leg raises, bench knee highs, bench jumps and pushups. I was physically spent. But the two things I learned early in my marriage is that no one puts Baby in the corner and I really know nothing; I'm just a man.I could sum it up by saying "resistance is futile"

So instead of going quietly into storage and pulling out the pictures, neatly packed away 6 boxes deep in my mother in laws basement, I decided to be a huge jerk and show wifey what I had to move to get to the pictures out and to the house and the day was spent moving countless boxes we had procrastinated moving for months now. Hours were spent bringing crap to the house, placed in the living room (or Parlor if you live in RI) and no forethought of who would ultimately have to move the boxes out of said room. EPIC FAIL on my part.

Around 10 pm, and after several verbal attacks on each other, we called it a night. I wish I had noticed it at the time, but I had started to get a sore throat around that time and it has since gotten progressively worse and is now a full blown cold. Yup, I'm this guy today:






















Just throw a blanket over me and leave me be for the day. I'll be healthy again tomorrow.

Day 52: GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!

Throughout this campaign to better myself, life has undoubtedly given me "checkpoints" to measure my success and my accomplishments and benchmark them. Last night was yet another one of those nights. It was the first game of Soccer I've played in 4+ months and the start of a new season for my team. I couldn't be happier.







Last night was awesome! Not only did I turn heads looking sleeker than the last meeting with the team, but it was the first game I've played in years on field and not in goal. Moreover, it was a game in which I played the MAJORITY of the game, running, kicking and impressing everyone I've played with for some time now. in past, when I played forward, I'd run for 2-3 minutes on field, then need a 10 minute hiatus from the game to keep myself upright ling enough to make it down field 2-3 more times in the game. I had always felt as though I was cheating myself out of playing time and cheating my team out of a competitive match. Tonight was nothing like that. tonight I commanded the field, head up and making diagonal runs across space to open the field up for my teammates. I was 16 again for the 50 minutes I could play; and it was one of the most rewarding experiences since my cholesterol test last month.

So now to the workout from yesterday:

I just need 10 rounds AFAP then you're done. 1, 2, 3...9, 10

Bottom up pushups
Frog Jumps
Hanging leg raise

No problem my friend. Workout complete. And it was a good warmup to my game last night, stretching out the main muscles and allowing me to feel ready for my match. BTW, we tied 5-5 and had the lead until the last 30 seconds when this kid had a diving header on a corner kick that would make most professional players drop their jaws.









 

So, we've now added a new level of measure to this challenge and have raised the bar again with expectations being exceeded at all levels. And I couldn't be happier....


BOOM!

Day 51: Gorillas in the mist

Can anyone else find the post I had that explained me and my family moving to either Seattle, Scottland or any rainforest on the planet? WTF is going on with this slant-ways, icy rain. I feel like a lyric from DMB's Dancing Nancies: "Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes, while I'm working out" (Anyone who know that song should know how freaking close that is to the real lyrics). BTW, Jane Goodall was in the bushes observing me today; close enough where I knew she was there, but far enough where she wasn't intruding on my territory.



So, monsoon aside, today was beastly. I finished the first round in about 7 minutes (the phone read 7:32, but I wasn't too ambitious with getting the timer after 20 freaking burpees. Oh, yeah, here is the workout:

I want you to do the following circuit BEFORE you run and time it. Go out and run 3 miles. Repeat the same circuit and try to get withing 30 seconds of your first round.

20 x 50 lbs log pushup press
20 x squat jumps
20 x pushups
20 x cycle jumps
20 x burpees

Then I trudged, yes trudged out the door and into the evil weather. my first mile went well considering I left a piece of my lung on the ground like a breadcrumb trail back to the house. Fall is the worst season for me and allergies and they are so unforgiving. However, I like pushing through it; it helps to get more of that crap out of my lungs. Mile 2 and beyond felt like I was running underwater, so much so, I had to divert my run to a different route and finish a bit short:

I'll take this time, mostly because i had just finished beating the crap out of my legs and didn't have perfect running conditions. Even now, an hour later, I have chills from the cold rain. But, even more entertaining was me trying to accomplish anything again after my run. I came back from my run and was this guy again:
















                                                      (perfect pushup posture)

(Me doing my squat jumps)

I finished, but it took nearly 12 minutes to get through the routine. I'm not sure exactly the time, I laid in a puddle in my driveway for a few minutes trying to gain my composure after the last Burpee was complete.

The good news is, I finished my second round WELL before my run time, lol. The better news is, I'm still going forward. I'm not finding excuses to not do the work and I'm still reaping the rewards of it.Tomorrow night is my first night of soccer. I'm so looking forward to getting back on the field. I held one of the lowest Goals against average when I was super fat...can't wait to see what I can do now.


BOOM!

Day 50: The Office

On any given day, I wait for Geoff's email and do the prescribed workout routine, then post. With the last week being so hectic for the both of us, Communication broke down. This morning came and went without an email, which was actually good for me because it allowed me to get into the office quite early to get some work done. HOWEVER, I often get the itch to workout everyday and that itch came around 9 am when the office started to fill up and the need for my attention started to gain traction. Luckily, I have been lazy in delivering some recent gifts to my house from the office:


















(notice how they are all painted Irish green... maybe this is what our leprechaun friend poops???)



Anyway, I've become that guy. The one with cinder blocks in his office. And, feeling the need to do some exercises, I created my own workout for today.

All exercises were 3 sets to fail

Squats with a block in each hand
walking pushups holding blocks
chair dips
thrusters- 2 handed with a block in each hand
cycle jumps
30 second side jumps over the blocks stacked 2 high (just like we did in soccer over the soccer ball)

So, just a few puzzled looks came my way while working out in my socks and jeans at the office and I was able to get the full workout in during lunch. First set had 18 squats, 22 pushups 15 chair dips, 23 thrusters, 12 cycle jumps, then I stopped counting knowing that at least I was able to get the work in and at a failure rep, was shredding it properly.

I loved it! It was a new location. It was indoors and with a door I could close, not to intrusive of anyone not needing to go to my office. And with just 10 workouts left, it was yet another step for me to comfortably know what I had to do to attain my daily goals and continue on my journey. Today was like the first flight for me, preparing to leave the nest. It was rewarding to feel a similar burn in my muscles to when my friend dictates the day.

So, we've almost come full circle and I'm excited for an epic finish.

BOOM!

Day 49: I lift things up...

Straight sets:

Pull-ups small band

Squats large block

Iron cross (long as possible)

Thruster 50 log

Hanging leg raise

Push-ups 

All to fail, 4 sets.

Have you ever had that day when after you work out, you feel like a baloon about to pop and like it? That was this morning. I finished up my sets, killing the pushups with  34,28,16,12 reps in each pass, and felt like I should look like this:

(keep all sharp objects away from this guy!)

And while looking at myself in the mirror before my shower, I think I perceptually did. It was fun to hold poses and not gag.This experience has been a confidence booster for sure, and with my anniversary dinner with the wifey tomorrow, I'm excited to paint the town red and spend some quality time with just her and I.

On the exercise side of things, I still have much work to do. My iron crosses were pathetic, though increased over the last time I've done them. I didn't see the need to do only 3 or 4 pullups using the small band, so I used the large band and did 13, 8, 6, 2 with each set as failure. Increasing the band allowed me to feel more accomplished. Also, I did my squats with the log, because I didn't want to drag multiple items to the playground. Multitask at 6 am? No thank you.

There is still so much work to be done.If I'm to hit my targets, I still have to push the limits with each day that passes. I enjoy being able to set the bar just above my reach and try like hell to get to it. It has helped me to redefine failure. That word used to scare me, now it defines me. Failure was that thing that made me not try. Now I challenge it and tell it to catch me, because I'm not slowing down.

I have adapted this new mentality into my business and we have never seen this type of success before. In my travels to VA, my client asked me about my goals for this election cycle. I told him I wanted to use this cycle to build my empire and establish my business name as the EPICENTER of all political work. He proceeded to tell me that this type of work is like a one night stand, you get your fill in the short amount of time you have, and then they go away, never to call you again. I quickly responded, that's OK, being emperor for a day is much more significant than watching the opportunity pass you by. Everyone remembers Caesar and Nero, no one remembers the people who wished they were. I may not get all the business, but the business I get will remember me and my company and will talk about us for years to come.

I left the room silent. I think I scared the other vendors. Most had 15-20 years of experience and were content with their share. I wanted more; I wanted theirs. And I'm willing to work to get it... I'm not too sure they are.

This is my year. Its the year I've taken control, the year I'll be an emperor. Yes, this year, I'll be an emperor, and next year I'll be a Spartan...


BOOM!

Day 48: Fairfax, VA

Well, Mr. Chris went to Washington. And Mr. Chris found a playground! Yup, out and about on our first day, I spotted an awesome playground a mile from our room (at the time I thought we were 2 miles away and planned a 4 mile day, which didn't happen). And knowing I would be needing exercise, I packed my light resistance band and my workout gear including my CPC shirt. Both yesterday and today, I took a quick jog (J is still silent) to the playground and completed a small workout:

pushups, cycle jumps, hanging leg raises, pullups, and Burpees. Sets of 10,8,6,2. Then run back.

I'm a bit jealous of this playground:

Check out the equipment! It was sexy. The turf was that old shoe rubber composite. Easy on the hands, and no need to explain why my knees were so dirty, which was a blessing being so close to the DC area. One of my biggest concerns was accidentally running into a politician down there during the workout and them assuming my knees were dirty because I wanted a cabinet position. That's how they do it down there, right? Anyway, the workout was great, good time for my mile considering it was up hill, in the cold, both ways. Just like my grandparents used to tell us.

 (note mile 2, on the way back downhill)

 My only issue with the routine was that uneasy feeling of being watched. It didn't help that on day one, I got to the playground, looked around and saw no one, ripped a wicked fart, only to realize there was an older woman 3 feet away from me, now laughing so hard I think she had to stop running to catch her breath. After that, no more gas was released at any time outside. So, a good trip, good workout and great results.


BOOM!

Day 46 &47: The 300 vs. the 880

The next 3 weeks of this blog are going to follow a bit of a different format. I feel the look is stagnant and with things getting busy at the office, at home and with life in general, Its a perfect time to flip this puppy on its head. Also, while I'm still trying to post every workout, there will be many times over these upcoming weeks that I will need to combine from time to time for lack of available "me time". My initial thought when creating this blog was to keep a uniform format. List the workout, show the equipment, complain about how I hate working out and struggled with the requests. But, much like the description of a Continuum (see Sully, I'm listening!) I need to adapt this writing. And it makes sense. I don't hate working out any more, I love it! Moreover, how many times do you want to see a picture of my shoes, now almost worn through the sole from the wear and tear I've put on them. Yes, its time for a change, so let's bring more casual into it.

Thursday's workout was 10 rounds of the following:
10 pushups
10 hanging leg raises
10 squats holding the large cement block

Friday: 7 880's with 2 minute rests between rounds

I felt like these 2 workouts were like the 2 premium fighters in Thunderdome, with Tina overlooking them to ensure 2 enter, 1 lives.



This week, they combated honorably for most sore when completed. Is there more to say? I mean, I flat out did 300 reps and ran 3+ miles in 2 days. The realization of what I now come to expect as a "normal day's workout" has left me without words. So I'll hold onto those words and save them for tomorrow's post, because tomorrow we are taking the challenge to Fairfax, VA...yes Virginia. I'll be down there on business and cannot wait to find out the reaction from the cabbie and front desk clerk when I ask where the closest playground is located. Until then...

BOOM