Connecting with My Primal Self?

P90X - Kenpo X workout for Saturday – Day 61/90

I have Kenpo X tomorrow, a lot of punching and kicking going on. I get to act like Bruce Lee and George Foreman. :)

Many P90X’ers love Kenpo X, as I do. But like with anything, if you look hard enough you will find people who say that “Kenpo X is easy” or “Kenpo X isn’t that difficult”… I sweat profusely each time I do it so I find those comments difficult to understand.

Why? Tony Horton (fitness guru, P90X creator and DVD Instructor) mentions this statement at least once in all of his DVD’s…”intensity is the key, you have to bring it”…but that is true for ALL EXERCISES. The term, “no pain, no gain” is based on “bringing intensity”, pushing yourself to do more reps and / or use heavier weights. You can choose the toughest workout and if you slack off in reps or in weight, you can say “it’s easy” or “not that tough”.

When I do Kenpo X, I intensify the workout as much as possible but I do that for each workout. When Kenpo X starts, I will typically do extra reps and take less breaks early…but before it’s over, I am hitting the pause button. I don’t think I’ve ever completed a workout without having to hit the pause button a couple of times.

Point is : No matter what you do…”bring it” and intensify as needed.

Max is happy, can you tell? He knows it is "walk time".

Lastly, for example : Last night I was taking Max for a walk and as he gets older…his pace is slowing and he likes to spend more time “smelling” than walking. Where we walk there are benches and I alternated doing push ups and chair dips at each bench. It gave me a little extra calorie burn and gave Max the time he needed to enjoy himself. I made it a win/win.

Tabata Sprints Update

I started slowly on Monday with one partial Tabata Sprint. But Tuesday, Thursday and tonight (Friday) I did two full Tabata Sprints and I have to tell you…I really enjoy them. Yes, they are tough but it feels so good to run at 100% and it took less than 30 minutes including warm up and cool down. Who knows…maybe I am “connecting with my primal self”.

Can’t wait for some of the comments to come in on that statement. Ok guys…I gave you slow pitch over the plate…hit a home run with it. :)

Tabata Pool Party - Come on In Boys the Water is Fine

Tabata Protocol - Sprints

Why am I spending so much “ink” on this??? Because I know for many of you...

...finding time to exercise is a problem.

To remove this excuse/reason…YOU CAN UTILIZE THE TABATA PROTOCOL! And to make it even less of a strain, you can use practically any exercise to get started. Burpees and sprints are tough but you could start out with Jumping Jacks, Push Ups, Crunches, Sit Ups, Squats or Lunges….literally any exercise. Heck, if you were like me, sedentary you could start out walking briskly for 20 seconds, rest 10 secs etc. (the more muscles used the better)

We are only talking about 15-20 mins MAX per day. Only 4 mins of actual exercising per set!! Once you build up your endurance you can do 2 then 3 different exercises.

Question: Why would I perform Sprints with the Tabata Protocol?

Answer: To obtain a cardio workout, that studies show is superior to hours of jogging, in a fraction of the time. Tabata sprints improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels.

** You need to consult your physician before performing this workout. **

Ok, I have been “itching” to try the Tabata Protocol, last night I dipped my toe into the “Tabata Pool” and to quote, “O Brother Where Art Thou”…

“Come on in boys, the water is fine”

Maybe it’s because I am becoming a “fitness addict” ….I don’t know, but I do know I loved the workout and heck…it only lasted 15-20 minutes total, including warm up and cool down.

I have been doing some pretty intense cardio with P90X; still, I started out slow.

The Tabata Protocol –
1) 5 minutes warm up
2) 20 seconds of exercise at 100%, 10 second rest = 1 set
3) Repeat 7 more times for a total of eight sets.
4) 5 minutes of cool down

I have not run “ALL OUT”...100% in YEARS, maybe even decades. I didn’t want to start out running 100% so here’s…

Steve’s First Day Protocol -
1) 10 minute warm up – I stretched, walked and jogged.
(I made extra sure I was warmed up)

2) I started out running at an estimated 80%, doing 40 secs of running and 20 secs of rest.

The main reason I started at 80%...I wanted to make sure my legs wouldn’t fall off! LOL!

By the 4th set, I was running 100% for 20 secs and 10 secs rest. From now on, I plan on running 100% and using the stop watch on my cell phone for timing.

3) I did my 8 sets…and was “whipped” when I was done. Just an FYI….for me...by the 8th set, running at 100% isn’t very fast…LOL!

4) 5 minutes of cool down – I took Max for our usual night time walk so I cooled down for longer than 5 mins.

Primal Living

When I first heard the name Primal Living and read some of it’s ideas…I thought, this sounds really cool. At the time, I did not think I’d heard it before yet it somehow sounded familiar. I watch History and NatGeo channel so it’s possible I saw a show concerning Paleo Man that had similar topics for discussion.

But last night I was walking Max and it hit me…I had heard of the theory before. I remember watching a show discussing canine aerobic capacity …dog fitness to the layperson. :) Anyway, the expert was saying that dogs were not “wired” to run with their owners for long distances and they definitely should not be “run” while their owner rides a bike for long distances. The expert was saying that dogs were “wired” to run short distances and then rest. In other words, due to their canine evolution their bodies were designed for short runs.

In a nutshell, that is what Primal Living’s principles are all about, imitating our “wiring” when it comes to nutrition and exercise.

Note to Dog Owners: Why don’t you add a brief sprint while you walk your dog(s), tomorrow you could add two brief sprints, etc etc. It will be better for you and your dog.

** Normal Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor and your veterinarian before attempting this exercise…. I don’t want to be responsible for any dogs expiring prematurely....:)

Breakfast Idea….Chili and Eggs….yum-yum! I saw this once in a Mexican Food Restaurant…it looked good so I decided to try it….I LIKED IT! I’ve actually been eating these for awhile but forgot the mention it. I typically will fry my egg and while the egg is cooking, I warm up my “Steve’s World Greatest Quickie Chili”. Once the egg is done I lay the egg on a plate and pour the hot chili on top of the egg. Add a sprinkle of cheese…and you have a low carb, high Protein nutrient dense meal.

Note: This morning, I also added some Collard Greens, not much, but it was Xcellent!

TTFN!


Steve

Mini Goal Update and Tabata Protocol

Tom Watson's Miracle?

Did you see my man Tom Watson! The 59 yrs and 10 months old golfer that ALMOST pulled out a miracle. I really felt for the man when he fell apart in the four hole playoff. All golfers have "what if's" but if had he taken just a "tad" off his second shot on 18...he would have been the 2009 British Open Champion.

Sunday was a rest day so...I rested…for awhile but after watching "The Open", I decided to go get a little exercise and burn off some adrenalin.

I typically will take Max outside with me about this time each day for our “mid day break”. Usually Max loves going outside but because of the heat, some days he’s not as anxious to go out.

I asked him to go out and I get this look….

Today he performed the “I am not interested in going outside” act. When he does this, the outcome is always the same….So I go outside and starting working out. I glance at the door…and burst out laughing, dropping my weights….Max was at the door begging to come out, see the pic below. He had pushed window covering to the side with his nose.

So....I let him out and finished my mini-workouts on my "rest day".

Mini Goal Update

BTW - I decided to see how many push ups I could do....I did 29!!! (Tammy can confirm this....)I made it part of the way up on #30....I wanted it SO BAD...but couldn't get there.

Tabata Protocol

In my Journey I came across the previously mentioned Primal Blueprint, the link to that post is here, Primal Blueprint . I had mentioned that there were fitness technique ideas that I found on the website that were very interesting. Here is one below, it goes by different names the Tabata Protocol, Tabata Sequence or Tabata Training.

If you desire to get fit...Do not discount this training …this could be exactly what you are looking for. The Tabata Protocol has been in use by athletes for quite some time. If you do a search there are 100’s of thousands of websites referencing the method.

Summary:

The Tabata Protocol can be done using any exercise. The originator Dr. Tabata, designed this with sprinting but the example below is with an exercise called Burpees. The best exercises to use with a Tabata Protocol are those that use a lot of muscles...and as you'll see Burpees fit that description.

Tabatas allow you to workout intensely in a shorter amount of time. This protocol goes against the grain of taking long walks or jogging for hours as the best method to improve your fitness. Using this method you could become fit in as little as 15 minutes a day….but it is intense. You will need to start out slow and build up.

To show you how widespread the Tabata Protocol is, the info below is from Men’s Fitness Magazine, a widely read magazine. I mention this so you won't think this is some crazy thing Steve found on the internet.... :)

Stamina Fitness Challenge

Fatigue-proof your body with the Tabata protocol

by CJ Murphy

Wondering just how well your workouts are paying off? Try performing a few Burpees. The simple yet rigorous exercise provides the short bursts the body needs to build endurance. See how many you can do before your lungs start burning. That number will help you determine your level of conditioning.

HOW IT'S DONE

From a standing position [1], squat down and place your hands on the floor [2]. Now shoot your legs straight behind you, as if you were about to perform a pushup [3]. Reverse the motion quickly to come back up and jump as high as you can with arms reaching overhead. That's one rep. Land softly, immediately going into the squat again to begin the next rep.

(I've inserted a video of burpees here )

THE TEST

Get a stopwatch and time yourself. Perform as many burpees as you can in one minute.

RATE YOURSELF

You performed…

• 15 or fewer burpees = Seriously? That's pathetic.

• Around 25 = You're in average shape.

• Around 35 = You've got good stamina.

• 45 or more = You must never get tired!

Didn't score as well as you'd like on your burpee test? Follow this program, which uses the Tabata protocol—a highly famous and effective conditioning and fat-burning method—to improve your anaerobic endurance.

Get a stopwatch and perform burpees as fast as you can for 20 seconds, and then rest 10 seconds. That's one interval. Repeat this process for eight total intervals, which should take four total minutes. If you want to perform these on the same day as a weight-training workout, do them afterward.

Week 1: Perform one block of Tabata intervals (eight in four minutes).

Week 2: Perform two blocks (16 in eight minutes).

Week 3: Perform burpees for 30 seconds and then rest 15. Continue for eight intervals in six minutes.

Week 4: Perform two blocks of the new intervals (16 intervals in 12 minutes).

Week 5: Take the burpee test and see how you've improved.

Here is the link if you would like to see the original . Stamina Fitness Challenge - Men's Fitness