sammybaby busts gut

[sammybaby]

Now that we're finished the first complete week of the new year, I figured I'd post some of my goals & early results.
The goal: fat loss, and working my way towards a standing evil wheel.

The method: 2 days hard, one day light of an indoor HOC kettlebell workout. 2 days hard, one day light, of ab work. One day of power yoga. Warrior Wellness daily. Also, a low-carb diet.

What went right: My results. I planned on losing about 1.5 pounds per week. I'm 2.5 pounds ahead of schedule. In fact, after only five days of low carbing it, my weight was down a somewhat disturbing five pounds. (Made a little less disturbing by my knowledge of my own weight fluctuations: my weight usually dips a pound or two in the middle of the week. This time, my dip became a full-scale slide.)

What went wrong: My resolve. After my first few days on the diet, I gave myself a couple days to cheat, and came up a couple pounds again. Also, I didn't hit nearly as many workouts as I intended, largely due to poor sleep habits on my part.

What's next: since I had so much success with the diet in the first week, I'm going to do something very similar again and see if I can repeat that success: strictly low carb for a few days, with a spike of carbohydrates near the end. I can live with two steps forward, one step back, if it consistently delivers the net gain of one step. ;) Also, I must get my sleep schedule back on track so that I can hit all my workouts. Lastly - my last HOC didn't really feel like a near-puker anymore, so I'll probably tack another set on the end.

Today's workout:
30 hindu squats
10 1-arm swings
60 seconds rest
30 burpees
10 jerks
60 seconds rest
30 mountain climbers
10 c & j's, long cycle
60 seconds rest
70 jumping jacks
10 snatches
60 seconds rest
30 hindu squats
10 1-arm swings

Yesterday's ab training: 3x2 standing wheels at 5'9" from the wall. (for reference, I'm 5'6", so a full rollout for me will be somewhere around 6'8"). 3x3 windmills with the 53 pound kb.

[sammybaby]

Yesterday, went with Ms. Sammybaby to a power yoga class. We try to together weekly. Although I often leave the class frustrated (how many of you try too hard to "be in the moment?" This is my problem all over.), I find it a good bodyweight workout for me, and it's something we can do together.

Today was supposed to be an easy day, following the day of yoga and a decent HOC workout the day before that. Did Warrior Wellness in the morning, planned on a nice easy kung fu class for the evening. Pity my class can be so unpredictable:

Hour 1:
Freeform warmup.
Continuous freeform.
Continuous freeform, emphasize sweeps/groundwork.
Continuous freeform, emphasize grappling.

The last bit is what really got me: At around 170, I'm about 20 pounds less than my instructor, I'd guess, and about 100 pounds less than the other yellow sash. Hour two was focused on techniques, so the real exertion was limited to a single set of knuckle pushups and a single set of situps.

Tomorrow: I bust out the WW intermediate program and try it on for size.

Sammy

Looks great. Are you Babtiste power yogaing or one of 8000 other variations?

[sammybaby]

I would assume it's a variation. The class is offered at the gym where I'm a member and makes no mention of a particular style. The instructors have a lot of leeway where format is concerned. It's pretty relaxing when I get it right. Plus... well, you know. When I'm not focused, there are still pretty girls contorting in every direction. A guy could get used to it.

I'm so stiff following yesterday's grappling that I feel like my traps are made out of steel wool. Slept like a rock, though.

I never noticed the girls.

I was struck by lightening.

[sammybaby]

Wound up taking off much more time than I intended, and slipping off the straight and narrow where eating is concerned. Still made my weight target for this week by a half-pound, but that pretty much erases my prior lead.

Yesterday, standing wheels from 5'9" away from the wall again. Tried for five sets of doubles, couldn't complete the last rep of the last set. Gonna try that again on Wednesday. Also five sets of three kb windmills with the 53#.

Today, HOC just like above, plus an extra set of 20 burpees, 10 snatches at the end. Including the rest time that brought total workout length to 14:31. I'd like to get it to 15 minutes of quality work, then start shortening the rest periods.

By the way, Bill, turns out I was lying about that class. It's Baptiste-based after all.

[sammybaby]

Much frustration. Yesterday, after a 3x3 of KB windmills, I started with the standing wheels. My goal was to hit 5 sets of doubles. Last time, I conked out in the fifth set. Yesterday, I conked out in the second. Immediately quit for the night - I'm fairly certain I was just too tired to continue (circumstances delayed my workout until 9 pm).

This morning, had to be in the office at 6, so no morning workout. Hopefully I'll get a midafternoon nap and get a decent HOC workout in.

[sammybaby]

Made some progress in the last week. Upped frequency of workouts - now getting close to what I'd initially hoped for in terms of workout frequency. Also, I've reconsidered my diet options: now pursuing a cross between an Ellis-like low carb plan (if an old post of his on DD's forum is a good indicator of his current thinking) and WD. When it works, it really works - I had a precipitous weight drop last week, followed by two days of poor eating which shot my progress to hell (I supect that it's mostly water weight, due to the speed with which the weight came on and went off.) Now at 172.5, which meets my goal by a razor thin margin. My low last week was 170.5.

I've kept my HOC numbers stable since last time - 2 workouts ago felt a bit less like a puker, and last night's less still. Total time seems to be decreasing by a couple of seconds each workout, too. Going to stay at this level of intensity for a couple more sessions before increasing the numbers again.

Still gun-shy about my ab work after doing a face plant last week. Tonight is my first full ab workout since then, so wish me luck.

(Note: Super Bowl Sunday will be my official "halfway report." I fully intend to consume a lot of pizza and beer. We'll see how well behaved I can be in the week leading up to that.)