PCP may be over, but it never ends!
Check out my latest Kung Fu Body adventures.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
post pcp
Headed down to Patrick's House of Pain for a post- PCP visit. He should me some new ways to torture my muscles, like hand-stand-push-ups-into-80's-break-dancing-snake and YODO Abs.
Also got a taste of Kung-Fu Body, which is going to, pardon the pun, kick ass! Probably start that after our family vacation to SF later this month. Will be nice and fattened up and slothful after two weeks in the states!
Finally, I measured myself on the trusty PCP scale: 67.3 kilos,16.6% body fat.
Not bad at all, considering how much I binged this past weekend for my birthday.
Health check on Friday so I am running, jumping, sweating, and eating lots of fruit and veggies, practically zero carbs. Feelin' peaky!
Also got a taste of Kung-Fu Body, which is going to, pardon the pun, kick ass! Probably start that after our family vacation to SF later this month. Will be nice and fattened up and slothful after two weeks in the states!
Finally, I measured myself on the trusty PCP scale: 67.3 kilos,16.6% body fat.
Not bad at all, considering how much I binged this past weekend for my birthday.
Health check on Friday so I am running, jumping, sweating, and eating lots of fruit and veggies, practically zero carbs. Feelin' peaky!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
PCP 2: Electric Bugaloo
My annual health check is Friday August 6. One of my motivations for doing PCP in the first place was to get all A's on my health check and be in better shape at 38 than I have ever been in my entire life.
Now, one month after PCP, I find myself doing well.
I still wake up every weekday at 5am, jump for 15 minutes, and do some kind of workout for another 30. I still go to fighting a couple times a week, and now I even enjoy running 30 - 60 minutes several times a week, too.
Sometimes I snack on something "bad"; senbei, beef jerky, glass of chocolate soy milk. Whatever.
I have basically stabilized, I think around 76 kilos and about 15-16% body fat...not really sure.
Spent the first couple of weeks obsessing about tracking my daily caloric intake and exercise, scouring the web for cool blackberry and iPod touch and apps and iMode applis and websites to help me track and log and monitor all the data...then I remembered some of the graduating wisdom of PCP, and I stopped.
And now I find myself exactly 37 days before my health check, craving a bit more...discipline.
Once again I recalled Patrick's sage advice, and will be putting myself through a mini-PCP (aka PCP 2: Electric Bugaloo). For the next 37 days, I will stick to the PCP diet starting from week 2 through week 6. I was going to do the exercises as well, but when I reviewed them they were laughably easy, and one of the first things Patrick taught is that it's 80% diet, so I will stick with my current exercise and just do the mini-PCP diet regime for 5 weeks.
I chose to start at week 2 because from then through to week 6 I had some excellent weight and body-fat and muscle-mass changes the first time around, and the menu changes quite a bit week to week (being pre-All The Vegetables You Want) so it won't be boring. Plus I have done it before so I KNOW it's totally doable.
My goals for this PCP2:EB
Now, one month after PCP, I find myself doing well.
I eat when I am hungry, mostly steamed veggies. When I crave sweetness, I eat fruit, often with cinnamon, sometimes with honey.
On weekends with the family, I don't bother stressing out over food; I eat whatever we are eating: sushi, soba, etc.I still wake up every weekday at 5am, jump for 15 minutes, and do some kind of workout for another 30. I still go to fighting a couple times a week, and now I even enjoy running 30 - 60 minutes several times a week, too.
Sometimes I snack on something "bad"; senbei, beef jerky, glass of chocolate soy milk. Whatever.
I have basically stabilized, I think around 76 kilos and about 15-16% body fat...not really sure.
Spent the first couple of weeks obsessing about tracking my daily caloric intake and exercise, scouring the web for cool blackberry and iPod touch and apps and iMode applis and websites to help me track and log and monitor all the data...then I remembered some of the graduating wisdom of PCP, and I stopped.
And now I find myself exactly 37 days before my health check, craving a bit more...discipline.
Once again I recalled Patrick's sage advice, and will be putting myself through a mini-PCP (aka PCP 2: Electric Bugaloo). For the next 37 days, I will stick to the PCP diet starting from week 2 through week 6. I was going to do the exercises as well, but when I reviewed them they were laughably easy, and one of the first things Patrick taught is that it's 80% diet, so I will stick with my current exercise and just do the mini-PCP diet regime for 5 weeks.
I chose to start at week 2 because from then through to week 6 I had some excellent weight and body-fat and muscle-mass changes the first time around, and the menu changes quite a bit week to week (being pre-All The Vegetables You Want) so it won't be boring. Plus I have done it before so I KNOW it's totally doable.
My goals for this PCP2:EB
- Much lower (as in single-digit) body-fat percentage, aka serious six-packs a-showin' (doubt I can drop one percent a week consistently the whole time, but I find it motivating to have near impossible goals)
- Healthy weight (don't care how much I weigh as long as I am energized and lean and strong)
- Have fun
As you can see I have revived the blog and will continue to blog regularly. I will also go back and re-read Patrick's inspiring daily emails from the original PCP, just to keep me in the mood. And yes, I will indeed photograph every damn meal I eat, again. I find the full transparency keeps me honest and motivated. Plus you love it, you really do.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
day 90: the end of the beginning
Day 90 was a day of looking back and looking forward.
First, I looked back before PCP. I distinctly remember telling myself and others that there is no way I could lose 10 kilos without cutting off a leg. I remember thinking how much I love pasta and carbs in general. I remember thinking I was in pretty good shape, for a guy who sits at a desk all day at least.
How wrong I was.
Then I looked at the early days of PCP, when 700 jumps seemed like too many and took forever, none of the exercises were more than 3 sets, and none of the reps were over 25. And it still killed me. When the food requirements were exotic and strange, the prep a chore, shopping a mystery, recipes non-existent, and results often borderline inedible.
Next I looked at where I am: went to Bairan with Patrick and Kazue for lunch, a Chinese restaurant I used to go to often. Ordered my favoriate yakisoba, sweet-and-sour pork, and shrimp fried rice.
The first bites were utter heaven; an explosion of flavors setting off massive chemical releases in my brain.
And then I started to taste, to REALLY taste, the salt, the oil, the corn starch and artificial colors and sweeteners...and started feeling kinda nasty, and very, VERY full, so I stopped. Not exactly satisfied, no.
By now I was starting in on a nice food coma, the dull and lethargic feeling I used to have after ever over-eaten meal. So we walked down to Starbucks to get some dessert and check out the final photos.
Again I had an old pre-PCP favorite: soy chai latte, chocolate chunk scone. For kicks Patrick and I split a chocolate muffin and white chocolate macadamia nut cookie too.
Again, the first bite was utter heaven; sugar and endorphins dancing in eternal splender from my tongue to the base of my skull. I felt adrenaline rush into the tips of my toes and fingers it tasted so good.
And then I got a massive sugar rush; could not stop tapping my feet, felt like I was going to bounce off the walls, caffeine and sugar blowing out the cell walls in my brain. Massive buzz which quickly turned into a deep, throbbing headache behind my eyes.
Said good-bye to Patrick and Kazue and got on the train to go home. Was going to go shopping but did not feel up to it, so emailed wife and told her I was on my way come.
Caught up with her and the kids just outside the apartment, so we all went upstairs and made dinner.
It was a lovely feast at which I ate way, way too much. And as the blog a few posts below can attest, it was not a pleasant evening.
After getting some decent sleep and eating a proper, PCP breakfast after a proper if less-challenging workout, it was time for shopping!
Please note that I live in Tokyo, land of skinny Japanese boys and girls, so even at a place like The Gap, clothes are tight, low-rise, and small.
First stop was my tailor, at which I ordered a new double-breasted black suit and had my pants taken in. SIX CENTIMETERS. Which is an utterly ridiculous amount and borderline impossible -- another centimeter and I would have to simply order new pants!
Then we went to The Gap so I could get some weekend pants. I wear suits all week, so I only actually own one pair of jeans that I got about 20 years ago at The Gap. Needless to say they are huge.
I tried on a pair of 79 (30") regular straight leg jeans; waist was a bit loose but could not fit my legs into them, and they were so low-rise as to be scandalous.
Next a pair of 70 easy fit jeans; again the waist was big but at least the legs fit. However they were 12,000 yen! Figured for that much money I could have alot more fun than buy a pair of jeans I might were at most twice a week.
So gave up and went to the sale rack in the back. Found a decent pair of khakis and a pair of shorts, which were kind of baggy but had adjusters on the waist so I figured they'd be ok. Turns out the shorts were size S. Japanese S. JAPANESE SMALL.
Immediately anti-matter and matter reversed energy states and the universe as we know it collapsed in on itself when faced with the impossible reality of me wearing anything sized Japanese S.
So here we are, now (see a slideshow of all the results photos).
Triceps and shoulder:
Biceps and back:
The whole package:
The Dream Team:
And again just so there are no mistakes, the Before and After:
Also, lets look at some numbers. No, not weight and percentage of body fat, but numbers that matter: money.
Here is my household spending on groceries and eating out.
PCP started in March and though I spent more on groceries I spend much less on eating out, such that my total spend per month was down:
Finally, the look ahead: rather than get used to eating modern crap food in a box again, I much prefer to do some decent exercise on a fairly regular basis, eat lots and lots and lots of real, actual vegetables, snack heedlessly on fruit throughout the day, and spice it up with the occasional fried thing.
I like waking up hungry and having a big breakfast, not going into food coma after every meal, feeling light, strong, lean, and fit.
Thanks to Patrick and Chen for making it possible to start this, and thanks to my wife, daughter, son, and friends for making it possible to finish.
Now it is up to me to continue.
First, I looked back before PCP. I distinctly remember telling myself and others that there is no way I could lose 10 kilos without cutting off a leg. I remember thinking how much I love pasta and carbs in general. I remember thinking I was in pretty good shape, for a guy who sits at a desk all day at least.
How wrong I was.
Then I looked at the early days of PCP, when 700 jumps seemed like too many and took forever, none of the exercises were more than 3 sets, and none of the reps were over 25. And it still killed me. When the food requirements were exotic and strange, the prep a chore, shopping a mystery, recipes non-existent, and results often borderline inedible.
Next I looked at where I am: went to Bairan with Patrick and Kazue for lunch, a Chinese restaurant I used to go to often. Ordered my favoriate yakisoba, sweet-and-sour pork, and shrimp fried rice.
The first bites were utter heaven; an explosion of flavors setting off massive chemical releases in my brain.
And then I started to taste, to REALLY taste, the salt, the oil, the corn starch and artificial colors and sweeteners...and started feeling kinda nasty, and very, VERY full, so I stopped. Not exactly satisfied, no.
By now I was starting in on a nice food coma, the dull and lethargic feeling I used to have after ever over-eaten meal. So we walked down to Starbucks to get some dessert and check out the final photos.
Again I had an old pre-PCP favorite: soy chai latte, chocolate chunk scone. For kicks Patrick and I split a chocolate muffin and white chocolate macadamia nut cookie too.
Again, the first bite was utter heaven; sugar and endorphins dancing in eternal splender from my tongue to the base of my skull. I felt adrenaline rush into the tips of my toes and fingers it tasted so good.
And then I got a massive sugar rush; could not stop tapping my feet, felt like I was going to bounce off the walls, caffeine and sugar blowing out the cell walls in my brain. Massive buzz which quickly turned into a deep, throbbing headache behind my eyes.
Said good-bye to Patrick and Kazue and got on the train to go home. Was going to go shopping but did not feel up to it, so emailed wife and told her I was on my way come.
Caught up with her and the kids just outside the apartment, so we all went upstairs and made dinner.
It was a lovely feast at which I ate way, way too much. And as the blog a few posts below can attest, it was not a pleasant evening.
After getting some decent sleep and eating a proper, PCP breakfast after a proper if less-challenging workout, it was time for shopping!
Please note that I live in Tokyo, land of skinny Japanese boys and girls, so even at a place like The Gap, clothes are tight, low-rise, and small.
First stop was my tailor, at which I ordered a new double-breasted black suit and had my pants taken in. SIX CENTIMETERS. Which is an utterly ridiculous amount and borderline impossible -- another centimeter and I would have to simply order new pants!
Then we went to The Gap so I could get some weekend pants. I wear suits all week, so I only actually own one pair of jeans that I got about 20 years ago at The Gap. Needless to say they are huge.
I tried on a pair of 79 (30") regular straight leg jeans; waist was a bit loose but could not fit my legs into them, and they were so low-rise as to be scandalous.
Next a pair of 70 easy fit jeans; again the waist was big but at least the legs fit. However they were 12,000 yen! Figured for that much money I could have alot more fun than buy a pair of jeans I might were at most twice a week.
So gave up and went to the sale rack in the back. Found a decent pair of khakis and a pair of shorts, which were kind of baggy but had adjusters on the waist so I figured they'd be ok. Turns out the shorts were size S. Japanese S. JAPANESE SMALL.
Immediately anti-matter and matter reversed energy states and the universe as we know it collapsed in on itself when faced with the impossible reality of me wearing anything sized Japanese S.
So here we are, now (see a slideshow of all the results photos).
Triceps and shoulder:
Biceps and back:
The whole package:
The Dream Team:
And again just so there are no mistakes, the Before and After:
Also, lets look at some numbers. No, not weight and percentage of body fat, but numbers that matter: money.
Here is my household spending on groceries and eating out.
PCP started in March and though I spent more on groceries I spend much less on eating out, such that my total spend per month was down:
Finally, the look ahead: rather than get used to eating modern crap food in a box again, I much prefer to do some decent exercise on a fairly regular basis, eat lots and lots and lots of real, actual vegetables, snack heedlessly on fruit throughout the day, and spice it up with the occasional fried thing.
I like waking up hungry and having a big breakfast, not going into food coma after every meal, feeling light, strong, lean, and fit.
Thanks to Patrick and Chen for making it possible to start this, and thanks to my wife, daughter, son, and friends for making it possible to finish.
Now it is up to me to continue.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
it's all about lighting
final breakfast
consequences
This will easily be my worst blog-post ever.
It is several hours after dinner, evening bath, and bed.
Awoke to an unfamiliar grumbling in my stomach. Headed to the toilet.
Now, in my pre-PCP days I used to have stomach problems all the time. But the past three months have been the most uneventful and regular in my life.
Until now.
With no exaggeration, I can honestly say I now understand why diarrhea is a leading cause of childhood mortality in developing countries.
Seriously.
I cannot exaggerate how utterly miserable this is: dry-mouth, cold sweats, light-headed, weak and shaky...only now twenty minutes later can I even focus and steady myself enough to type this.
Actually blogging is helping me deal with the physical pain and mental stress. In a strange way, analyzing what is happening, trying to break it down and describe it, is a pretty good mechanism for just dealing with the reality which I am in right now and from which I cannot possibly escape.
And it does not end. Surely I did not actually eat enough food to produce such a volume of gut-busting misery?
Again apologies for the graphic detail, but in the interest of full disclosure, to be consistent with my total honesty and transparency, and for posthumous/historical purposes, I must say: I am shitting a stream of filth and suffering for it.
Suffering and learning a valuable lesson, perhaps the most important lesson of the whole PCP: it is neither ideal nor impressive to eat unhealthful foods.
I ate today "normal" meals, the kind of salty, greasy, sugary, buttery junk I used to eat all the time, and I stuffed myself to gut-busting, over-eating just like I used to.
Only now, after 89 days of eating well, I have lost my completely unnatural ability to cope, both mentally and physically.
I think some will read this blog and conclude that the PCP is a failure: it has weakened me and my ability to cope with modern reality. I can't even enjoy a decent outing with friends, a meal of Chinese food and dessert at Starbucks, without ending up groaning in the toilet late into the night! PCP has turned me into a raw-vegetable eating, proselytizing foodie; a bore to be with and an impossible date!
Others, myself included, see this as an affirmation: there is nothing "normal" about what we call food in these modern times. The 293 calories in a chocolate chunk scone is not normal; it is a gross concentration of fats, carbohydrates, sugars, of butter and additives and preservatives chemically designed to stay fresh-looking on the shelf all day without refrigeration, to make my mouth water, to make my stomach grumble. But is is not food, at the very least not to be consumed in the concentrations and volumes with which modern society so easily provides.
Brian said PCP is great for people who love food. I agree: it has unlocked my taste-buds to a point that I cannot describe to anyone these days who eats "normally". I do not exaggerate when I say an onion is sweet, a carrot has a deep and rich tangy after-taste, the juxtaposition between the almost-sour bite of a ripe banana and a perfectly sweetened strawberry is perfectly accented with the addition of a hint of cinnamon. This is what food taste likes. Not oil, nor salt, butter, cream, sugar, not salad dressing nor ketchup, not soy sauce, not Tabasco...just food.
The exotic abdominal exercising routines, the cleverly measured rope-jumping, the scientific calculations of dips and pulls and raises and pushes...this is all well and good, but utterly and completely irrelevant without getting free from the vicious circle of modern eating.
If this blog serves any purpose, let it be for those who are considering PCP for themselves, or just those who wonder about healthful eating habits. Let this be both a warning and an invitation. Perhaps I am just a weak-stomached whiner who needs some familiarity with modern medicine to ease my so-called eating troubles. Or perhaps I am a closet vegan hippie proselytizing some good-intentioned but utterly impossible utopia of convenient and affordable healthful foods, locally and organically grown.
Most likely, though, I am just another guy whose eyes have been opened, through his stomach, to the reality: a food-culture based on chemical nutrition, dominated by convenience food, plagued by deadly and utterly avoidable obesity, diabetes, and cancers, controlled by huge processing entities focused on efficiency, regulated by a meek and subservient government aligned perfectly with said entities, and a silent, ignorant base of consumers who have been advertise brain-washed into thinking that cooking is hard and time-consuming, food comes in a box, chemicals can solve the problems that chemicals produce, and that all of this is perfectly, utterly, normal.
As a society, we suffer the consequences of our actions.
As an individual, I suffer the consequences of my actions.
I do not seek to foment revolution, and I do not think anyone reading this, or in fact my entire blog, will somehow be inspired to throw off the shackles of modern eating. I am only trying to help myself settle my own thoughts and feelings, as I sit here dealing with the very real consequences of my own actions; to trace the cause and effect, so that I can at least learn something and be a better person for it.
Recently I have been trying to "deepen" my zazen practice, and one of the ways I have been doing this is by reciting the Gokan-no-ge, a zen Buddhist chant called "Five Reflections".
This goes quite harmoniously with a PCP-enabled understanding of food and eating.
The English translation is something like:
It is several hours after dinner, evening bath, and bed.
Awoke to an unfamiliar grumbling in my stomach. Headed to the toilet.
Now, in my pre-PCP days I used to have stomach problems all the time. But the past three months have been the most uneventful and regular in my life.
Until now.
With no exaggeration, I can honestly say I now understand why diarrhea is a leading cause of childhood mortality in developing countries.
Seriously.
I cannot exaggerate how utterly miserable this is: dry-mouth, cold sweats, light-headed, weak and shaky...only now twenty minutes later can I even focus and steady myself enough to type this.
Actually blogging is helping me deal with the physical pain and mental stress. In a strange way, analyzing what is happening, trying to break it down and describe it, is a pretty good mechanism for just dealing with the reality which I am in right now and from which I cannot possibly escape.
And it does not end. Surely I did not actually eat enough food to produce such a volume of gut-busting misery?
Again apologies for the graphic detail, but in the interest of full disclosure, to be consistent with my total honesty and transparency, and for posthumous/historical purposes, I must say: I am shitting a stream of filth and suffering for it.
Suffering and learning a valuable lesson, perhaps the most important lesson of the whole PCP: it is neither ideal nor impressive to eat unhealthful foods.
I ate today "normal" meals, the kind of salty, greasy, sugary, buttery junk I used to eat all the time, and I stuffed myself to gut-busting, over-eating just like I used to.
Only now, after 89 days of eating well, I have lost my completely unnatural ability to cope, both mentally and physically.
I think some will read this blog and conclude that the PCP is a failure: it has weakened me and my ability to cope with modern reality. I can't even enjoy a decent outing with friends, a meal of Chinese food and dessert at Starbucks, without ending up groaning in the toilet late into the night! PCP has turned me into a raw-vegetable eating, proselytizing foodie; a bore to be with and an impossible date!
Others, myself included, see this as an affirmation: there is nothing "normal" about what we call food in these modern times. The 293 calories in a chocolate chunk scone is not normal; it is a gross concentration of fats, carbohydrates, sugars, of butter and additives and preservatives chemically designed to stay fresh-looking on the shelf all day without refrigeration, to make my mouth water, to make my stomach grumble. But is is not food, at the very least not to be consumed in the concentrations and volumes with which modern society so easily provides.
Brian said PCP is great for people who love food. I agree: it has unlocked my taste-buds to a point that I cannot describe to anyone these days who eats "normally". I do not exaggerate when I say an onion is sweet, a carrot has a deep and rich tangy after-taste, the juxtaposition between the almost-sour bite of a ripe banana and a perfectly sweetened strawberry is perfectly accented with the addition of a hint of cinnamon. This is what food taste likes. Not oil, nor salt, butter, cream, sugar, not salad dressing nor ketchup, not soy sauce, not Tabasco...just food.
The exotic abdominal exercising routines, the cleverly measured rope-jumping, the scientific calculations of dips and pulls and raises and pushes...this is all well and good, but utterly and completely irrelevant without getting free from the vicious circle of modern eating.
If this blog serves any purpose, let it be for those who are considering PCP for themselves, or just those who wonder about healthful eating habits. Let this be both a warning and an invitation. Perhaps I am just a weak-stomached whiner who needs some familiarity with modern medicine to ease my so-called eating troubles. Or perhaps I am a closet vegan hippie proselytizing some good-intentioned but utterly impossible utopia of convenient and affordable healthful foods, locally and organically grown.
Most likely, though, I am just another guy whose eyes have been opened, through his stomach, to the reality: a food-culture based on chemical nutrition, dominated by convenience food, plagued by deadly and utterly avoidable obesity, diabetes, and cancers, controlled by huge processing entities focused on efficiency, regulated by a meek and subservient government aligned perfectly with said entities, and a silent, ignorant base of consumers who have been advertise brain-washed into thinking that cooking is hard and time-consuming, food comes in a box, chemicals can solve the problems that chemicals produce, and that all of this is perfectly, utterly, normal.
As a society, we suffer the consequences of our actions.
As an individual, I suffer the consequences of my actions.
I do not seek to foment revolution, and I do not think anyone reading this, or in fact my entire blog, will somehow be inspired to throw off the shackles of modern eating. I am only trying to help myself settle my own thoughts and feelings, as I sit here dealing with the very real consequences of my own actions; to trace the cause and effect, so that I can at least learn something and be a better person for it.
Recently I have been trying to "deepen" my zazen practice, and one of the ways I have been doing this is by reciting the Gokan-no-ge, a zen Buddhist chant called "Five Reflections".
This goes quite harmoniously with a PCP-enabled understanding of food and eating.
The English translation is something like:
- We reflect on the effort that brought us this food and consider how it comes to us
- We reflect on our virtue and practice and whether we are worthy of this offering
- We regard greed as the obstacle to freedom of mind
- We regard this meal as medicine to sustain our life
- For the sake of attaining the Truth we now receive this food
(There are innumerable English and other translations of this on teh internets, but being as how I actually understand the Japanese in which I was originally taught this chant, and since I prefer the lyrical rhythm of the Japanese, I do not recite this in English.)
Friday, May 28, 2010
family dinner
Thursday, May 27, 2010
inspired, experimented
Inspired by Todd, I blended together my final fruit snack with my post-workout banana and cocoa protein powder: apple, fig, banana, protein powder, hard-boiled egg white, a dash of soy milk to make sure it blended, and three strawberries just for fun.
Was not bad, but not as thick and sweet as basic banana mush. Will need to work on various recipes; I think the soy milk and egg white killed off some of the fruity sweetness...
Was not bad, but not as thick and sweet as basic banana mush. Will need to work on various recipes; I think the soy milk and egg white killed off some of the fruity sweetness...
invited to a veggie party dinner
thoughts on supersets
Got up at 5am and for once no one else got up, so I did nearly my entire workout in the morning in blissful solitariness.
Which didn't mean it hurt any less.
Legs still sore from the previous leg workout AND the kick-style fighting class I went to on Tuesday.
Stomach hurts from when my resistance band tore lose and smacked me upside the upper abdominal area leaving a lovely red welted line straight across my midriff that isn't going away anytime soon.
Did my jumps watching boring NHK news, then did 8MA+ at half speed, which burned twice as much.
Powered through the supersets, going REALLY low on the chest dips and really feeling it burn like heartburn. Man when the pectoral muscles burn and fail, they really, really hurt!
Shoulders was shoulders: near constant burning but I am used to them.
Final triceps dips where just torture; my right elbow was quivering and I could not push my self up on the last rep; I just collapsed onto the carpet.
And then it was time for abs: v-sits and planks, superset, to failure.
HFSWTFSATANSATANSATAN.
+5 Sword of Hurting; 20d save role at -10...FAIL.
At this point my family was in the living room, on the couch, watched bemusedly and with detached grins as I berated myself attempting to achieve at least double-digit v-sits and 60+ seconds planks through all the requisite sets.
Which I somehow managed to do.
And then I lay on the carpet, sort of curled up fetal, whimpering a bit, for a good 3 minutes.
And then it was over.
Which didn't mean it hurt any less.
Legs still sore from the previous leg workout AND the kick-style fighting class I went to on Tuesday.
Stomach hurts from when my resistance band tore lose and smacked me upside the upper abdominal area leaving a lovely red welted line straight across my midriff that isn't going away anytime soon.
Did my jumps watching boring NHK news, then did 8MA+ at half speed, which burned twice as much.
Powered through the supersets, going REALLY low on the chest dips and really feeling it burn like heartburn. Man when the pectoral muscles burn and fail, they really, really hurt!
Shoulders was shoulders: near constant burning but I am used to them.
Final triceps dips where just torture; my right elbow was quivering and I could not push my self up on the last rep; I just collapsed onto the carpet.
And then it was time for abs: v-sits and planks, superset, to failure.
HFSWTFSATANSATANSATAN.
+5 Sword of Hurting; 20d save role at -10...FAIL.
At this point my family was in the living room, on the couch, watched bemusedly and with detached grins as I berated myself attempting to achieve at least double-digit v-sits and 60+ seconds planks through all the requisite sets.
Which I somehow managed to do.
And then I lay on the carpet, sort of curled up fetal, whimpering a bit, for a good 3 minutes.
And then it was over.
eggrything breakfast
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
how to snack: by me
I love the concept of quick, convenient, and home-cooked. But I do not think that a near-1000 calorie chocolate-cake-in-a-coffee-mug-in-five-minutes is a particularly good idea.
Luckily, when I have a sweet craving and only have five minutes, I have myriad choices:
Also, when bananas get over-ripe/brown and soggy they are already halfway to cinnamush goodness. If they are too ripe and tangy (i.e. not sweet enough), a wee dollop of honey does wonders.
Also brilliant spread on any carb (bagel, tortilla, whatever).
Other genius snacks in my arsenal:
Luckily, when I have a sweet craving and only have five minutes, I have myriad choices:
- banana cinnamush with blueberries
- apple slices + chunks of yellow kiwi fruit = crazy delicious
- grapes and strawberries
Also, when bananas get over-ripe/brown and soggy they are already halfway to cinnamush goodness. If they are too ripe and tangy (i.e. not sweet enough), a wee dollop of honey does wonders.
Also brilliant spread on any carb (bagel, tortilla, whatever).
Other genius snacks in my arsenal:
- steamed (or microwaved) corn on the cob
- grilled (or microwaved) sweet potato / yam -- crunchy skin is the best part!
- figs (not dried figs, or Fig Newton cookies, but the actual fruit itself; the whole damn thing, skin and all)
- peanut butter and celery (or apple, or cabbage, or banana)
- soft-boiled egg (eat the slimy yoke! live LARGE!)
- umeboshi onigiri
- kimchee and/or namuru (get your spice on)
i was compelled by forces beyond nature to make more fried rice!
PAIN
Good timing that Patrick's message today was about thinking about pain when working out.
I had plenty of that this morning!
Woke up at 5am like always, sat some zazen in the spare room, in front of the balcony window, as the morning ski turned lighter shades of gray, then discovered that wife was feeding/sleeping with son on the couch in the living room. So instead of doing the jumps, 8MA+, and workout in the living room, I gathered my stuff and headed down to the garage, aka The Prison Yard.
Did the jumps OK, then started Day #2 of Supersets.
Three comments:
Side crunches to failure was not happening, so I just did 100 on each side until I was on fire, and THEN did 8MA+. By then 7th minute I was utterly whimpering, so mission accomplished methinks.
And now my thighs and shoulders are just kind of smoldering all day, so I am walking slow and not making any big, sudden arm movements. Sore is good!
I had plenty of that this morning!
Woke up at 5am like always, sat some zazen in the spare room, in front of the balcony window, as the morning ski turned lighter shades of gray, then discovered that wife was feeding/sleeping with son on the couch in the living room. So instead of doing the jumps, 8MA+, and workout in the living room, I gathered my stuff and headed down to the garage, aka The Prison Yard.
Did the jumps OK, then started Day #2 of Supersets.
Three comments:
- Creeps AND Floor Jumps?! Satan.
- Forward Shoulder Lifts and DaVincis as a superset: not. even. funny.
- See the safety tip below: when doing shoulder flies, be sure the velcro strap is SECURELY fastened to the drain pipe, or else serious redness and welting will result.
Side crunches to failure was not happening, so I just did 100 on each side until I was on fire, and THEN did 8MA+. By then 7th minute I was utterly whimpering, so mission accomplished methinks.
And now my thighs and shoulders are just kind of smoldering all day, so I am walking slow and not making any big, sudden arm movements. Sore is good!
prison scramble breakfast
safety tip
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
last-of-the-fried-rice bento dinner
supersets
Honestly, I did not think it was that bad. I like doing different exercises in rapid succession, instead of a gazillion reps in a million sets of the same thing. Then again mixing up the different muscle groups certainly means it hurts more, in different places.
The final five sets of v-sits AND planks to failure was just. utterly. miserable.
I think my problem is I always think I can do just one more...and then I have four more sets to do. So by the last set I was utterly crushed and could barely sit up. I think I ended up doing over 100 v-sits total, and nearly 10 minutes of planks. And that was after I did 8MA+. Methinks it was a bit much...but only a few more days to go, so no time to complain now!
The final five sets of v-sits AND planks to failure was just. utterly. miserable.
I think my problem is I always think I can do just one more...and then I have four more sets to do. So by the last set I was utterly crushed and could barely sit up. I think I ended up doing over 100 v-sits total, and nearly 10 minutes of planks. And that was after I did 8MA+. Methinks it was a bit much...but only a few more days to go, so no time to complain now!
superset tuesday breakfast
Monday, May 24, 2010
week 12 results
Rainy and humid - perfect weather for a sweaty PCP workout. Today was the last normal workout before the beginning of the end: Supersets. Did all the fun stuff today with Patrick: pistol squats and floor jumps, forward shoulder lifts and chicken wings and shoulder flies, v-sits from hell and some side crunches to top it off.
As Patrick predicted,spent the first few weeks tearing down, the next few weeks building up. The almost-normal menu from last week has got me stabilizing at a slightly higher weight and body fat, and the interesting thing is I look better and feel great.
Too many people telling me last week I looked emaciated, too skinny. Now I have some proper bulk, and a decent sheen of fat to accentuate whatever muscle definition I have.
Besides, the numbers are irrelevant: I feel great and ready to whine and suffer and ultimately prevail through this last killer week!
Patrick hooked me up with my very own PerfectPullup bar, too, so no more excuses.
GO TEAM GO!
As Patrick predicted,spent the first few weeks tearing down, the next few weeks building up. The almost-normal menu from last week has got me stabilizing at a slightly higher weight and body fat, and the interesting thing is I look better and feel great.
Too many people telling me last week I looked emaciated, too skinny. Now I have some proper bulk, and a decent sheen of fat to accentuate whatever muscle definition I have.
Besides, the numbers are irrelevant: I feel great and ready to whine and suffer and ultimately prevail through this last killer week!
Patrick hooked me up with my very own PerfectPullup bar, too, so no more excuses.
GO TEAM GO!
last week, first lunch, familiar bento
last week first breakfast
Sunday, May 23, 2010
totally random dinner
what not to drink
Comparison of sugary drinks and their junk food equivalent.
Now how about a lovely cup of tea?
Now how about a lovely cup of tea?
final weekend
This is it: my last PCP weekend. Tomorrow I head to YG to do a Week 12 Results check, and then it's just five days of Getting It Done.
Yesterday spent the day outside in the perfect weather with my wife and kids; veggie-filled brunch with friends, couple of trips to the park, and finished off with a delicious salad and sashimi dinner at the local fish joint.
Today complete opposite: rainy and crappy all day, so spending the day indoors, most of the time in the kitchen prepping for next week. Lots of steaming, sauteing, grilling, boiling, weighing, and bagging.
Them for next is: no salt.
Friday I am taking the day off from work. Will head to YG in the morning, do a two-hour yoga stretch class, then do my Final Workout with Patrick, take some last photos, and get some LUNCH!
Also been working on our latest homework: find some ab-work alternatives. I have already turned Eight Minutes Abs in 8MA+, by adding the twist "keep feet off ground the whole time" which really turns it into a different kind of torture.
And then I found "Six Minutes Abs: Couch"! An interesting version for those days when I don't have that extra two minutes.
Yesterday spent the day outside in the perfect weather with my wife and kids; veggie-filled brunch with friends, couple of trips to the park, and finished off with a delicious salad and sashimi dinner at the local fish joint.
Today complete opposite: rainy and crappy all day, so spending the day indoors, most of the time in the kitchen prepping for next week. Lots of steaming, sauteing, grilling, boiling, weighing, and bagging.
Them for next is: no salt.
Friday I am taking the day off from work. Will head to YG in the morning, do a two-hour yoga stretch class, then do my Final Workout with Patrick, take some last photos, and get some LUNCH!
Also been working on our latest homework: find some ab-work alternatives. I have already turned Eight Minutes Abs in 8MA+, by adding the twist "keep feet off ground the whole time" which really turns it into a different kind of torture.
And then I found "Six Minutes Abs: Couch"! An interesting version for those days when I don't have that extra two minutes.
rainy sunday breakfast
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
thoughts on the gym
Our homework this week was to check out a gym. Now, given the convenient location and company membership, I have actually been a frequent user of the gym throughout PCP. The second month I worked out at the gym regularly at night,and once I switched consistently to working every morning before breakfast, I continue to use the gym during lunch and at night to supplement my workouts and do the occasional just-for-fun session.
The facility itself is quite typical for Tokyo: a large quantity of equipment and myriad services packed into a small space. The staff are friendly and helpful and are generally young and healthy.
I quite appreciate the two weight stations with pull-up bars, the selection of four different resistance bands, two padded stretch areas with mirrors, and an aerobics studio that I can often use for jumping.
It gets a bit crowded during lunch and evenings, but if I go early or late, I sometimes find myself the only patron.
So in all it is a convenient place to do my thing, shower, and get on with it.
Regarding the people working out there...perhaps it best just to describe a few typical users:
ForeverMan - this guy works out ALL the time. He is sweaty and working hard when I arrive and appears no closer to being done when I leave. He has music in his ears, watches the TVs for minutes at a time between sets, drinks chemical concoctions frequently, and utilizes every toy and training regimen available.
And in the three months I have been on PCP, he appears to be maintaining his slightly paunchy physique perfectly.
LeisureLady - Her workout apparel is perfectly coordinated, down to her jewelry.She is skinny in that emaciated-bulimic-model kind of way, and she never, ever sweats.
Spends most of her time on the stretch mats doing light Pilate's moves; she is incredibly limber. Alternatively she can found on the recumbent bike machine - sitting - watching TV and chatting or texting on her cell whilst leisurely moving the pedals.
One-On-One - Accompanied and guided by a personal trainer, bonus points if said trainer does not even work at the gym and extra-bonus points if said trainer speaks a different language, forcing communication to a series of demonstratory moves, random single shared words, and head-nodding or shaking. Always has a stopwatch and some other handheld equipment like rubber bands, colored tape, small towel, etc. Jackpot if includes a relaxing massage after rotating through every area of the gym.
Quantifier - This guy records EVERYTHING in a detailed workout log. Which he undoubtedly needs just to remember what to do, because his routine is complex. Speed push-ups for ten seconds followed by 20 weighted squats followed by wrist curls with a rubber band and a towel whilst observing tantric nasal breathing. Repeat a prime number of times as a function of the day of the week.
Record, repeat.
His calves and forearms look excellent, his gut is unchanging, his back is flexible though his legs are not, and he is sincerely doing his best to collect as many pieces of equipment as he can, scattering them about his general area of commandeered floor space.
There are others of course, even a few folks who seem to know what they are doing and are in fine health, but the majority...let me just say that I saw a cow-worker on the exercycle, utterly bathed in sweat, blue in the face and gasping for air.
I thought it amusing that the email I got from him this morning was titled "Breakfast is served" and stated: "100 krispy kreme donuts outside my office. Let's eat!"
Keep peddling, man, keep peddling...
The facility itself is quite typical for Tokyo: a large quantity of equipment and myriad services packed into a small space. The staff are friendly and helpful and are generally young and healthy.
I quite appreciate the two weight stations with pull-up bars, the selection of four different resistance bands, two padded stretch areas with mirrors, and an aerobics studio that I can often use for jumping.
It gets a bit crowded during lunch and evenings, but if I go early or late, I sometimes find myself the only patron.
So in all it is a convenient place to do my thing, shower, and get on with it.
Regarding the people working out there...perhaps it best just to describe a few typical users:
ForeverMan - this guy works out ALL the time. He is sweaty and working hard when I arrive and appears no closer to being done when I leave. He has music in his ears, watches the TVs for minutes at a time between sets, drinks chemical concoctions frequently, and utilizes every toy and training regimen available.
And in the three months I have been on PCP, he appears to be maintaining his slightly paunchy physique perfectly.
LeisureLady - Her workout apparel is perfectly coordinated, down to her jewelry.She is skinny in that emaciated-bulimic-model kind of way, and she never, ever sweats.
Spends most of her time on the stretch mats doing light Pilate's moves; she is incredibly limber. Alternatively she can found on the recumbent bike machine - sitting - watching TV and chatting or texting on her cell whilst leisurely moving the pedals.
One-On-One - Accompanied and guided by a personal trainer, bonus points if said trainer does not even work at the gym and extra-bonus points if said trainer speaks a different language, forcing communication to a series of demonstratory moves, random single shared words, and head-nodding or shaking. Always has a stopwatch and some other handheld equipment like rubber bands, colored tape, small towel, etc. Jackpot if includes a relaxing massage after rotating through every area of the gym.
Quantifier - This guy records EVERYTHING in a detailed workout log. Which he undoubtedly needs just to remember what to do, because his routine is complex. Speed push-ups for ten seconds followed by 20 weighted squats followed by wrist curls with a rubber band and a towel whilst observing tantric nasal breathing. Repeat a prime number of times as a function of the day of the week.
Record, repeat.
His calves and forearms look excellent, his gut is unchanging, his back is flexible though his legs are not, and he is sincerely doing his best to collect as many pieces of equipment as he can, scattering them about his general area of commandeered floor space.
There are others of course, even a few folks who seem to know what they are doing and are in fine health, but the majority...let me just say that I saw a cow-worker on the exercycle, utterly bathed in sweat, blue in the face and gasping for air.
I thought it amusing that the email I got from him this morning was titled "Breakfast is served" and stated: "100 krispy kreme donuts outside my office. Let's eat!"
Keep peddling, man, keep peddling...
breakfast of champions
Thursday, May 20, 2010
no great wisdom
So today was an appropriately rainy and miserable day. Wife and I headed out to Chiba, east of Tokyo, where we first met and lived when I came to Japan in 1994.
To attend the funeral of Master, the awesome guy who ran the local yakitori (chicken sticks) place that was the neighborhood since well before I ever arrived.
He was 51, survived by his wife, junior-high school aged daughter and high school aged son.
Pancreatic cancer.
So what deep and wise lessons did I learn from this experience? The second death this week, btw. My friend's father also died of cancer, though he was much older. And she is pregnant, so there is some consolation in knowing that the circle of life continues on there...
Anyway, no liberating enlightenment for me. Some fond memories of fun times now 10 years in the past, and the knowledge that I am doing the PCP not just to look good naked, but to try and be alive as long as I can to provide for my own wife, son, and daughter.
After the funeral, on the train back to Tokyo, my wife somberly eye-balled me and deadpanned: "Don't you DARE die on me: live long."
Abso-fucking-lutely right I will do my damnedest to ensure I live as long and well as possible.
After the funeral we headed to the lunch buffet at the French Kitchen in the Grand Hyatt; we deserved a little something to lift our spirits and spend some quality no-kids time together. And the vegetable buffet was amazing.
The whole day has renewed my vigor and confirmed my priorities. I may yet die of cancer, but at least I am not actively inviting it, or any of the other myriad avoidable/preventable diseases that are ensured by a life of sloth and gluttony.
And now I am heading to fighting, to burn off the remnants of this icky day and put me one step closer to peakfection.
To attend the funeral of Master, the awesome guy who ran the local yakitori (chicken sticks) place that was the neighborhood since well before I ever arrived.
He was 51, survived by his wife, junior-high school aged daughter and high school aged son.
Pancreatic cancer.
So what deep and wise lessons did I learn from this experience? The second death this week, btw. My friend's father also died of cancer, though he was much older. And she is pregnant, so there is some consolation in knowing that the circle of life continues on there...
Anyway, no liberating enlightenment for me. Some fond memories of fun times now 10 years in the past, and the knowledge that I am doing the PCP not just to look good naked, but to try and be alive as long as I can to provide for my own wife, son, and daughter.
After the funeral, on the train back to Tokyo, my wife somberly eye-balled me and deadpanned: "Don't you DARE die on me: live long."
Abso-fucking-lutely right I will do my damnedest to ensure I live as long and well as possible.
After the funeral we headed to the lunch buffet at the French Kitchen in the Grand Hyatt; we deserved a little something to lift our spirits and spend some quality no-kids time together. And the vegetable buffet was amazing.
The whole day has renewed my vigor and confirmed my priorities. I may yet die of cancer, but at least I am not actively inviting it, or any of the other myriad avoidable/preventable diseases that are ensured by a life of sloth and gluttony.
And now I am heading to fighting, to burn off the remnants of this icky day and put me one step closer to peakfection.
minimal salt dinner
for Abby
This is so not-PCP.
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