Day 100 - My Top 10 Blogs

To be honest, I am quite proud of myself for reaching 100 straight days of blogging! I can honestly say that when I started out with this goal to write 365 blogs in a row, consecutively, I knew it was going to take some time and dedication, but didn't realize it would be this time-consuming.


Having said that, I feel as though I am in a good rhythm and routine now and am looking forward to at least 265 more days in a row!


Since 100 straight blogs is a bit of a milestone, I am going to do something a little different today. I am going to post my Top 10 Most Popular Blogs. Below, you will find a list of my Top 10 blogs, according to number of views recorded by blogger. These are not necessarily part of my 365 "Grow Younger Every Day" blogs, but my Top 10 none-the-less. This is a great opportunity for any new readers out there to see what all of the fuss has been about in the past.


I would like to thank those of you who have stuck with me and continue to read this blog. I have seen a pretty tremendous increase in readership over these past few months, and am hoping to continue that trend. So thanks!


Top 10:


10. March 26th, 2012 - Warrior Training


9. October 13th, 2011 - Calories


8. February 20th, 2012 - More Discussion into Morning vs. Evening Exercise


7. April 25th, 2012 - Think Like an Athlete


6. February 3rd, 2012 - My Thoughts on Crossfit


5. March 16th, 2012 - Mass Phase Progress - End of Phase 1


4. April 19th, 2012 - Warrior Training Revised


3. March 30th, 2012 - Mass Phase P90X Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps Modifications


2. February 15th, 2012 - Time to Move Some Weight


1. January 3rd, 2012 - Reader Question - Should I do Insanity if I'm a skinny guy and can't keep weight up?


Quote of the day:
"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."

- Benjamin Franklin

Day 93 - Tough Mudder Training

I now have a pretty small window to train for the Tough Mudder. I ran the Warrior Dash two days ago, so I took a recovery day yesterday (22nd), so now I am starting my Tough Mudder training today (23rd).

I do have a few things on my side, however. Firstly, I intentionally structured my training program to build up some strength and 'performance' leading up to Warrior Dash. The Warrior Dash itself was used as a bit of a training run, as well as a launching point for the final 4-week stretch leading into Tough Mudder.

My schedule below has changed (yet again) from previous iterations, as I have decided to switch my focus towards more athleticism and endurance rather than throwing in a week of strength training. Since I have such a small window (less than 4 weeks), and I have already strength trained leading up to Warrior Dash, my goal is to now take my functional training and make my muscles perform more athletically. In my opinion, one of the best ways to do that, is to use Insanity The Asylum! Schedule below:

July
23 - AM: Speed & Agility/Overtime, PM: Hockey
24 - Back to Core
25 - AM: Strength/Overtime, PM: 5-6 km Run
26 - Yoga/Relief
27 - Vertical Plyo/Overtime
28 - 10km Run
29 - Back to Core

30 - AM: Strength/Overtime, PM: Hockey
31 - Relief
August
1- Game Day/Overtime
2 - AM: Vertical Plyo/Overtime, PM: 8km Run
3 - Back to Core
4 - Strength/Overtime
5 - 15km Run

6 - Yoga/Relief
7 - Speed & Agility/Overtime
8 - AM: Strength/Overtime PM: 5-6km Run
9 - Game Day/Overtime
10 - Vertical Plyo/Overtime
11 - 10km Run
12 - Yoga/Relief

13 - Back to Core
14 - Speed & Agility/Overtime
15 - Asylum Fit Test
16 - Yoga/Relief
17 - Yoga/Relief
18 - Yoga/Relief
19 - Tough Mudder

A couple things to note. Firstly, I picked up an idea from a fellow fitness fanatic named Mike about doing Overtime after every Asylum workout. I am not going to do Overtime on days that I do "Back to Core" since that routine is more intended to be an "active recovery" type of day.

Also, for these next few weeks, I am hoping to make my diet as flawless as possible. I am not necessarily tracking numbers or following a specific macronutrient breakdown, I will just be attempting make my diet as clean as possible to fuel my performance and recovery!

Quote of the day:
"The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true."
~ Author Unknown

Day 92 - Warrior Dash 2012

I completed my 2nd Warrior Dash yesterday. The event was held in Barrie, Ontario, a little over an hour north of Toronto. The event was held at the same ski resort as last year, with essentially the exact same trail, with a few extra obstacles this time around.

Last year, my time was 32:32, so my goal this year was to firstly improve on my time, but to also use this as a bit of a training run for my upcoming Tough Mudder in a few week's time.

My final time this year was 31:08, good for 156th place out of 6689 runners. That also puts me in 69th place out of 950 males aged 20-29 (my age group).

I am happy that I shaved nearly a minute and a half off of my time from last year, even considering there were more obstacles this year, although I have to admit that my eyes are focused more on Tough Mudder and this was just a stepping stone to reach that point.

The event itself was great, very similar to last year's. I found both last year's and this year's events were very well organized. I found the obstacles were a bit better, and more abundant this year, although a few of them were still a bit "basic". Either way, this a great event that many will enjoy!

I am taking today as a rest and recovery day (July 22nd), but will be starting right back up again with my bridge program tomorrow, training for Tough Mudder.

Keep an eye out for tomorrow's blog as I will detail the bridge program, with some changes to it from previous iterations.

Quote of the day:
"The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain."
~ Kahlil Gibran

Day 91 - Motivation Saturday: Warrior Dash

It is Saturday July 21st. I am off to run my 2nd Warrior Dash. If you are reading this and have never ran the Warrior Dash or other similar "mud-runs", I highly recommend it, they are great fun. Not only will it be something for you to train and work towards, but the even itself is a great way to test your physical capabilities and get covered in mud from head to toe!

Quote of the day:
"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still."
~ Chinese Proverb

Day 85 - Warrior Training End of Phase 3: Performance Phase

My performance phase from my Warrior Training schedule went very well. The goal of the performance phase is to take or build upon strength gains from the previous phase, and make the muscles more performance-based or functional.

I used the Post Activation Potentiation (P.A.P.) workouts from P90X2 to accomplish this goal. I will be focusing more on upper body performance during my 'bridge' program between Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder, as Warrior Dash has some more basic obstacles and is more running-focused. So, because of this, I was mostly focused on not only increasing my leg performance for running, but also preparing my feet for running in my Vibram Five Fingers.

I have mentioned this in previous posts that I am intending on running both the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder in my Vibrams due to the amount of mud involved in both runs. I feel that the Vibrams will keep my feet as mud-free as possible.

I was able to get up to 8.5km in distance in my Vibrams. The Warrior Dash race is only 5km or so, but I am needing to prepare myself for the 18km distance of the Tough Mudder.

A notable adjustment here with my schedule was that I used P.A.P. Upper twice per week for the first 2 weeks of the Performance Phase, but then swapped the workouts out for P90X2 Chest, Back, and Balance as well as a modified Shoulders & Arms MC2 routine from Tony Horton's 1on1 series. I did this so that I could build more upper body strength rather than performance.

I now head into a recovery week leading to Warrior Dash on the 21st of July. During this week I plan on doing a couple light runs, some stretching, some foam rolling, and just general rest and recovery. I think many people oftentimes overlook the importance of recovery, and feel as though they need to work hard right up to an event. In actuality, you have to give your muscles time to actually repair and recover. This recovery period varies depending on the event you are training for, but a good rule of thumb is to allow 5-7 days recovery.

Last year when I ran Warrior Dash, I will admit that I was a bit cocky heading into the event, and did the "Base & Back" routine the very day before the event, which left my legs very fatigued the day of. This year I am not making the same mistake and plan on 'peaking' for the event at the right time.

I will be taking as much video as I can at this year's Warrior Dash and post it next week so stay tuned!

Also, let me know if you have any questions regarding any of the training that I haven't addressed here.

Quote of the day:

"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking."
~ William B. Sprague

Day 75 - More on Barefoot Running

A noteworthy article in Science Daily today regarding barefoot running discusses the benefits gained from barefoot running. What the article has to say:

In new research, Dr Michael Wilkinson found that when runners who always wear shoes run barefoot they immediately alter their gait to that characteristic of habitual barefoot runners, and also use less oxygen during barefoot running compared to running with shoes at the same speed. This indicates greater running economy which is an important determinant of distance running performance, especially in elite runners.

For those of you who have been following my blog, you should know that I have been transitioning to 'barefoot running' this year to help prep me for Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder. I have read and heard about barefoot running for some time now, but finally decided to give it a shot after competing in Warrior Dash last year.

One of the first obstacles I encountered at Warrior Dash last year was a giant mud pit. Needless to say that making my way through said mud pit, both of my feet (with running shoes on) became encased in mud making the rest of the race course that much more difficult!

Anyways, I always felt that no shoes at all would probably be best to compete in some of these 'mud runs' but because of certain dangers on the course, have decided to pick up a pair of Vibram Five Fingers to practice with, and compete in.

I can honestly say that I have already noticed a major difference in my running. I will be looking to do a full review and analysis of not only the Vibrams, but also barefoot running later this year after I have completed my events, but I would like to give some early assessments as well.

From the first time I went running 'barefoot', I immediately noticed a difference in my running stride. Not only that, but I felt 'springier' and felt as if my running was much more effortless.

My running times have not necessarily improved, but they haven't gotten worse either. In fact, I believe that during my current adjustment period from shod running to barefoot running, I was expecting a greater drop in performance, which simply hasn't been the case.

As I adapt to barefoot running some more, I expect my performance to improve and my times to fall. Stay tuned as I progress!

Quote of the day:
"Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can."
-Lowell Thomas

Day 57 - Fitness vs. Training

Some of you may be wondering why I have such a silly title to this blog. Aren't these two the same thing? No, they are not, and I plan on explaining why I feel this way.

Anybody who exercises or stays fit with physical activity is doing 'fitness'. Fitness is usually (not always) geared towards feeling better, looking better, being healthier, etc. It is the main category of physical fitness that most people fall into.

The one downside to fitness - in my opinion - is that it is less goal-oriented and focused as 'Training' is. Allow me to explain.

I use physical fitness all the time! I enjoy staying active, lifting weights, doing cardiovascular exercise, going for walks, going for hikes, playing with my nieces, etc. The times of the year when I am focusing more on 'Fitness' and less on 'Training' is fine, but I am often not as concerned with any specific goal.

Sure, as I said before, some people may use physical activity to try and change the way they look or how they feel and just overall get 'in shape', but it is the times of year when I start to 'Train' when I feel fully alive.

Training is used for those times when you are specifically asking of extreme demands out of your body to improve for a certain competition or sport. Athletes know all about training. It is used to improve skills, or performance so that you can become better at something.

So how is this different than overall fitness? Growing up, I was always active with sports such as competitive hockey and soccer. Training wasn't necessarily something I thought about as much as I do now, simply because I participated in events for fun, but looking back on how I acted/felt, I can see now how truly different things were.

I find my entire mood changes when I am training for performance. I begin to get that 'hunger' or 'drive' during my training sessions to push myself that much further. To push my body to the brink of what it is capable of doing, and then wake up the very next morning and be ready to do it all over again with the same desire.

You do not necessarily have to be training for a sport or competition to get these feelings, however, but I find it certainly helps. Knowing that every action or exercise I do is moving me closer to my goal is an invigorating experience.

Over the past several weeks of my Warrior Training, I have been using physical fitness to get in overall shape. Sure, I was training towards a specific goal, but I was further from my goal dates, so my training was more about getting in overall great shape to lead up to my performance training.

That takes me to today. Day 1 of my Performance Phase was this morning and man oh man did I feel alive! I know that I have less than 5 weeks now until my first competition that I am training for (Warrior Dash) so I could definitely feel my attitude and energy levels pick up a notch or two!

As I said, you do not necessarily need a specific event or competition to train for. But I highly recommend spending a few weeks, maybe a couple times a year, focusing on one specific goal, and attacking that son of a bitch. It is a truly amazing feeling!

Quote of the day:

"A successful man continues to look for work after he has found a job."
~ Author Unknown

Day 53 - Warrior Training End of Phase 2

Due to my left elbow injury, I have decided to shut down Phase 2 a week early and reschedule my training leading up to Warrior Dash.

I made some great gains during Phase 2, and hit some personal bests on some of these strength routines. I am looking forward to getting into Phase 3 and maximizing my performance.

Quote of the day:

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
-Lance Armstrong

Day 52 - Warrior Training Revised: Part 3

I guess I just felt like making these revisions to my training into a trilogy in honor of The Dark Knight Rises. No, actually, I seem to have picked up an injury along the way, so I will be altering my schedule (yet again). The injury I have picked up is in my left elbow. I am not sure if it is tendonitis or some other similar injury, but I have a bit of inflammation and it gets sore/achy whenever I do an exercise where my triceps are involved (pushups/extensions/etc.).

So, I am giving my upper body a rest for the rest of this week, and then I will jump right into my "Performance Phase" or Phase 3 starting this upcoming Sunday (June 17th). The benefits to this schedule change is that I am giving myself over a week of extra time in my Performance Phase, which will allow me to be on top of my game for Warrior Dash. Not only that, but I have been able to add in a few more distance runs to improve my endurance as well which should translate well come race time.

For the rest of this week I plan on doing some more running in my Vibram Five Fingers to get used to running in them, as well as some stretching and recovery stretch work with foam rolling. I am only skipping out on one week of my "Strength Phase" but to be honest, after coming off of my previous Mass Phase, as well as the other total-body conditioning and strength work that I have been doing, I have hit a lot of personal bests for resistance and reps during this strength phase, so I know my body is strong and ready to take the next step.

The idea of performance training is to take strong muscles to the next level. 

What does this mean? 

Muscles go through adaptation when you resistance train, and although they have been trained to be stronger, I must now train them to be explosive, powerful, and more efficient. 

How will this help my performance at events like Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder?

Since both of these events involve running, and other total-body movements, the more powerful and efficient you make your muscles, the less effort they must exert to perform tasks. What I mean by this is that when my muscles become 'springier' (more plyometric in nature), things like running, for example, become less strenuous, which can improve my running economy, and therefore have greater endurance.

The schedule is below. Keep in mind that when I have "Run Training" listed, that will be running intervals for set periods of time near my house. There is a high school nearby that has a track with some great hills for sprints. The Warrior Dash is being held at a ski resort, and remember from last year how much my hill sprinting lacked at the time.

Also, when you see "LSD", I am not referring to running while spaced-out on some hallucinogen, I am referring to "Long, Slow, Distance" which is a distance run, not necessarily for speed, but to improve my aerobic energy systems and increase my distance endurance. This, coupled with my interval runs will allow me to hone both types of energy systems which will translate into better race performance.

The schedule:

June

17 - P.A.P. Lower

18 - AM: P.A.P. Upper   PM: Hockey

19 - Yoga/Recovery

20 - P.A.P. Lower

21 - P.A.P. Upper   PM: Run Training (20 mins)

22 - Yoga/Recovery

23 - 5.5km Run

24 - P.A.P. Lower

25 - AM: P.A.P. Upper   PM: Hockey

26 - Yoga/Recovery

27 - P.A.P. Lower

28 - P.A.P. Upper   PM: Run Training (25 mins)

29 - Yoga/Recovery

30 - 8km Run (LSD)

July

1 - P.A.P. Lower

2 - AM: P.A.P. Upper   PM: Run Training (30 mins)

3 - Yoga/Recovery

4 - P.A.P. Lower

5 - P.A.P. Upper   PM: Run Training (35 mins)

6 - Yoga/Recovery

7 - 8km Run (LSD)

8 - P.A.P. Lower

9 - AM: P.A.P. Upper   PM: Hockey

10 - Yoga/Recovery

11 - P.A.P. Lower

12 - P.A.P. Upper   PM: Run Training (40 mins)

13 - Yoga/Recovery

14 - 5.5km Run

15 - Yoga/Recovery

16 - AM: 5.5km Run   PM: Hockey

17 - Yoga/Recovery

18 - Light Run

19 - Yoga/Recovery

20 - Yoga/Recovery

21 - Warrior Dash

My bridge program between Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder will remain the same, you can view it here.

Quote of the day:

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
-Thomas Edison

Day 38 - Warrior Training Revised...Again!

Anybody who stays up-to-date and current with health and fitness related news knows that the landscape of what is considered 'right' or 'best' is always changing. Case in point, my own personal training adventures this year.

I originally posted my schedule for my Warrior Training, back in March, detailing my training for Warrior Dash this year (my 2nd Warrior Dash).

Fast-forward a month or so, and I made some revisions to the above schedule to include training for Tough Mudder, an event I will be competing in 4 weeks after Warrior Dash. My revised Warrior Training schedule works just fine, although I have mulled over a few details with it for weeks now ever since I posted the schedule.

Combine my own dose of obsessive compulsiveness with the fact that I just finished reading an interesting book recently, and you get my revised, revised schedule.

The book I am referring to is called "Speed Trap", written by Charlie Francis. I will cover this book in more detail in a future blog, but to summarize very quickly here; the author of the book was Ben Johnson's trainer throughout the 80's leading up to an historic victory over Carl Lewis in the 100m final at the '88 Seoul Olympics - a gold medal that would later be stripped away.

Anyways, despite the information surrounding this historic event, there is also a lot of information shared by the author on training for sport (in this case sprinting), and the importance of recovery.

Charlie discusses the need for recovery, and how most individuals, when training for performance, tend to think that 'more is better' and that working hard will yield good results, therefore working harder will yield great results.

I can appreciate the line that must be approached, yet not crossed, when it comes to performance training, and although I am not training for a 100m sprint final, I understand the need for proper recovery during sport-specific training.

The changes made to my schedule affect "Phase 3" of my schedule leading up to Warrior Dash, and then the bridge program during the weeks between Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder.

The goal here is to use the post activation potentiation workouts, combined with some run training to maximize my performance gains right before Warrior Dash, and then 'maintain' those gains leading into Tough Mudder. I have also added in a few more runs (some easy, some more challenging) to increase my aerobic capacity due to the length of the Tough Mudder race.

My goal is to train hard on the days that I have workouts scheduled, maximize my potential in every single workout, and then allow my body to recover on my recovery days.

The schedule:

Phase 3
3 weeks
Wednesday June 27th - Tuesday July 17th 2012

Day 1 - X2 P.A.P. Lower
Day 2 - AM: X2 P.A.P. Upper; PM: 5.5km Run
Day 3 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery
Day 4 - X2 P.A.P. Lower
Day 5 - Run Training
Day 6 - AM: X2 P.A.P. Upper; PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

July 21 - Warrior Dash

22 - Off/Recovery
23 - AM: X2 Chest, Back & Balance and X2 Ab Ripper; PM: Hockey
24 - Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
25 - Shoulders & Arms MC2 and X2 Ab Ripper
26 - AM: Yoga/Relief; PM: 5.5km Run
27 - X2 Base & Back and X2 Ab Ripper
28 - 10km Run
29 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery
30 - AM: Asylum Speed & Agility; PM: 5.5km Run
31 - Asylum Strength

August 1 - Asylum Game Day and Overtime
2 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery
3 - Asylum Strength
4 - 15km Run
5 - Yoga/Relief
6 - Asylum Vertical Plyo and Overtime
7 - Asylum Back to Core
8 - AM: Asylum Strength; PM: 5.5km Run
9 - Asylum Speed & Agility
10 - Asylum Game Day and Overtime
11 - 5.5km Run
12 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery
13 - Asylum Vertical Plyo and Overtime
14 - Asylum Final Fit Test
15 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery

16 - Light Run

17 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery

18 - Yoga/Relief/Recovery

August 19 - Tough Mudder!

Quote of the day:

"The best motivation always comes from within."
-Michael Johnson

Day 23 - Warrior Training Progress: End of Phase 1

 

Today marks the final 'work' day of my Warrior Training Phase 1. I still have a hockey game tonight, and an 'off' day tomorrow, but I figured I would give my readers a quick update on my progress so far as Phase 1 is essentially 'in the bag'.

Weight-wise, I am down a few pounds since completing my Mass Phase, but this was expected since I have included far more cardio in my training. Even though I am down a few pounds, I feel as though I have maintained my lean tissue mass (muscle) quite well while just cutting down on body fat.

I know many individuals exercise and change their diets to 'look good', but those are not my sole reasons for training, especially in my current program. My goals include increasing my overall fitness level, while maintaining my strength that I gained during my mass program.

So far, so good, in my opinion. I have noticed a pretty big shift, already, in my stamina and performance through my Phase 1 workouts.

One other thing. I have also made it a goal of mine to try and be as supplement-free during all of my Warrior Training. Sure, I still take a multivitamin, vitamin D vitamin, as well as a fish oil capsule daily, but I have cut out creatine and whey protein to try and meet my nutritional requirements with a wholesome diet as much as possible. I have been eating a LOT of fruits and vegetables throughout Phase 1 and have felt great, so I plan on continuing in the same fashion throughout.

I do plan on adding some creatine back into my diet in Phase 2, since that is my strength phase and my goals are to gain as much strength as possible during those 4 weeks.

Now that I head into my recovery/transition week, my goals are to do as much stretching and foam rolling as possible, while also allowing my body to recover from the stresses placed on it during Phase 1. My hockey schedule actually works out nicely, as next Monday (still in recovery week) is Victoria Day (holiday here in Canada) so I don't have hockey that day. Good chance to let the body recover a bit more.

Stay tuned for more updates after my upcoming phases.

Quote of the day:

"Above all challenge yourself. You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish."
-Cecile Springer