tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85072496063807574652023-11-15T10:03:48.714-05:00Primal_JoeI am a forty something from Plano, TX who has decided to try an adapt a lifestyle as laid out by Mark Sisson in the book called The Primal Blueprint.vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-24671221046064266442011-03-02T05:42:00.003-06:002011-03-02T05:45:05.301-06:00Plano Pacers Bead Bash 5KSo it’s been a while since I have truly tried to run a 5K. Last Saturday our local running club had a 5K and a 15K race. I decided to go run the 5K and see if follow Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Fitness ideas were helping me out any. I know the low heart rate training really helped with my longer runs, like half-marathons and 15Ks, but what about a 5K.<br />
<br />
My result was 23:17 (7:31/mile)! I cannot remember the last time I was able to run that fast for that long! I don’t even think I could have done this in high school!<br />
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So how did I do it? I did not really change my training at all since my last half-marathon. I don’t follow a mileage program or record my training results anymore.<br />
I just keep doing the follow:<br />
<ul><li>3 – 5 hours a week of slow aerobic movement. Jogging and walking while keeping my HR in between 55 – 75% 0f my max. I don’t worry about pace or distance, just time on my feet. The only metric I am really concern my with is the 3 – 5 hours a week. Although sometimes I only get in 2 hours. That’s okay with me because sometimes I can get in 4 and 5 hours a week. No worries, all is good!</li>
<li>I sprint once a week, on Monday. These sprints always very depending on how I feel. </li>
<ul><li>Sometimes I’ll do 4 – 6 400 meter sprints</li>
<li>Sometimes I’ll do 6 –8 200 meters</li>
<li>Sometimes it’s just a few 100 meters</li>
<li>Sometimes I’ll do <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-are-tabata-sprints/">Tabata sprints</a>, inside, on the treadmill, when it’s nasty outside.</li>
<li>A couple of times I did Tabata sprints with B<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_%28exercise%29">urpees</a> instead of running. These are really tough. I try not to do them so often as they are really tough. </li>
</ul><li>I do the Primal 5 Essential Exercises (Pull-up, Push-up, Plank, Squat, Shoulder-press) twice a week. I’ll throw a <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-fitness/workout-of-the-week-archive/">WOW</a> in every so often when I feel bored, or just need a change.</li>
<li>If I am feeling really sore, or tired, I just skip a workout and rest. For the past two weeks I had to miss most of my running days due to work and family activities. It did not matter very much at all.</li>
</ul>I am going to keep on the Primal Blueprint Fitness path since I am seeing some really great results!vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-3013893927736359282011-03-02T05:12:00.001-06:002011-03-02T05:12:36.031-06:00More Great Primal Results!<p>Last week  I went to see my doctor for my annual physical.  I took my wife along with me so I could help alleviate any of her concerns about my dietary decisions. Since I stopped eating grain and have lost about 45 pounds my wife thinks I have developed an eating disorder. The first thing my doctor said was, “Wow, you lost a lot of weight!  How did you do it?”  I told her I stopped eating grains and eat mostly vegetables, fruit, meat, nuts and a little bit of dairy.  The doctor said that that sounded great and told my wife that me losing weight was much healthier then being extremely overweight like I was before. </p> <p>The doctor took an EKG and told me that I had a nice resting heart rate in the 40’s.  My HDL came up to 48, from a constant of 36 over the years.  My serum Triglycerides are 65. And, finally, my LDL and Chol/HDLC ratio is in the normal range.</p> <p>I am going to call this another benefit of my Primal Lifestyle!</p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-42835838106259176032011-02-04T10:40:00.007-06:002011-02-07T16:06:30.910-06:00Some good ol’ Primal foodOne great benefit of kicking grain, sugar and processed foods is that real food just tastes wonderful! No wonder so many primal bloggers have recipes on their sites!<br />
<br />
Just about every Primal blog I have seen out there has some kind of recipe on it. They are usually some kind of substitute for a favorite food. You now, Primal Pancakes with almond flour, or Primal pie crust with almond flour, etc. They are really good substitutes and, I regularly make use of a great primal pancake recipe I found on <a href="http://marksdailyapple.com/">MarksDailyApple.com</a>. <br />
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I am fortunate to have married a wonderful lady who, among many other great talents, can really cook. The good thing about her Chinese food is it’s really easy to make a few adjustments to her meals to make some great Primal friendly food. Basically all we have done is remove the starch and MSG and use olive oil, sesame oil, bacon grease, or coconut oil. No-brainer!<br />
So here is a list of some of my favorites. I’ll add a few recipes as my wife will allow! <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TUwr47-Fd_I/AAAAAAAAACw/t_4OAvIuuKE/wlEmoticon-smile2.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon">Bitter Melon</a> with egg, or pork loin, or sausage. Bitter melon has some great medicinal properties. Bitter melon controls insulin spikes, is reputed to be anti-carcinogenic and helps you feel cool when it’s hot outside.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/1999/asian/fungus.html#axzz1D0GRal7m">Black Fungus (Wood ear)</a> stir fried with just about anything! I really like it stir fried with Napa cabbage, carrots, cauliflower and pork. Black fungus helps keep your blood fluid and can help clean out your arteries.</li>
<li><a href="http://hungerhunger.blogspot.com/2009/04/tomato-egg-stir-fry.html">Tomato and egg stir fry</a>. Doesn't get more Primal than that!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.specialtyproduce.com/index.php?item=7661">Winter Melon</a>. In a soup or stir fry with shrimp. This is really expensive here in the States, so we grow this in the back and front yard. They get really big but keep well during winter.</li>
</ul>Here is a recipe for one of my absolute favorite dishes: Bitter Melon and Egg.<br />
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<b>Caution:</b> This melon can be really bitter but very addictive. I usually add some Tabasco sauce to cut the bitterness.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
One bitter melon<br />
Two eggs per bitter melon<br />
1 tbsp of some kind of milk or water<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
Favorite seasoning (garlic, a little cayenne pepper, black pepper)<br />
Oil of your choice (we use olive oil)<br />
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<b>Directions:</b><br />
<ol><li>Slice the bitter melon the long way. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the pulp. </li>
<li>Slice the two halves of bitter melon in to very thin pieces.</li>
<li>In a bowl, combine eggs and milk/water. Mix well (until frothy).</li>
<li>Add egg mixture to oil in a pan on medium heat and scramble. Remove egg from pan before they're completely done. (You’ll add them back to then pan when the Bitter melon is done)</li>
<li>Add a little more oil to pan. Put the sliced bitter melon in the pan on medium to low heat and stir fast while adding salt. Stir vigorously until bitter melon starts to soften and change color a little. – <b>The bitter melon should soften and cook pretty fast.</b></li>
<li>Add the egg and your favorite seasoning back into the pan with the bitter melon. Mix well and stir until egg is done.</li>
<li>Remove from pan and enjoy.</li>
</ol><b>Notes and tips:</b> Don’t cover the pan or the bitter melon will turn yellowish.<br />
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Enjoy!vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-51004061848365420912011-01-21T09:46:00.008-06:002011-02-04T11:28:26.815-06:00Mentors and InspirationSometimes, during the daily grind of life, it is hard to keep to the high road. It gets hard to keep studying to better my work situation, keep following a Primal diet and exercising to improve my health, and to be an effective parent and husband. So it’s nice when you come across a few people who can provide you with knowledge and a kind of desire to keep moving in the right direction. I have a few people in my life right now that have provided me with such wisdom and inspiration.<br />
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I think is important for everyone involved in a fitness journey or a journey of self discovery to be open to people who can provide some kind of guidance, or a desire to start a program, or important some wisdom to help move you along in this world. <br />
I have a few recent mentors that I have had the good fortune to cross paths with.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.eastfieldcollege.edu/smpe/Faculty/kenb/index.asp"><b>Coach Ken Balvin</b></a><b> :</b> Ken has been helping me with my running for years. He’s been a marathon and Tri-athlete for a long time. He has always been telling me to slow down my long runs, don’t worry about complicated running mileage formulas, don’t need to put in high mileage, run fast (sprint) every so often when you feel like it, and enjoy your runs. – Sound familiar? It sounds like something my next mentor would say. </li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://marksdailyapple.com/"><b>Mark Sission</b></a>: I have never meet Mark Sission and only know him from his blog and his books but he has really opened up my mind to a way we are suppose to be living. The funny thing is, his diet ideas and his fitness ideas are not new and revolutionary. I’ve read parts of some of the studies mark always cites on his site and book and I knew about the whole fat versus carb thing. Ken Balvin had been telling how to run “Primal” for years. For some reason, I did not understand or want to follow what I believed about diet or what Ken was really saying until I read Mark’s <u>Primal Blueprint</u>. Mark has a great way things and and helping me to make them part of my personal life. </li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li><b>My wife, Wen Xiaomin</b>. She is really the grease and the glue that makes my wife work. At her urging, I have pursued and passed numerous IT certifications that I should have gotten years ago. She challenged me for quite a few years to lose weight, exercise more and properly, and to take control of my health. Her instance is what lead me to try and find ways to take control of my weight and health. Her mantra has always been: We need to stay healtyh for the boys. You need to better yourself so you are not an embarrassment to your sons. Her words ring loud, clear and true today. And on top of all that, she is a great Primal cook! --I’ll have some of her Primal Chinese meals posted soon.</li>
</ul>My last bit of inspiration is actually a little story about something that I witness last weekend while judging a Texas High School Powerlifting (<a href="http://thspa.us/">THSPA</a>) Meet in Venus, Texas.<br />
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I was judging the smaller lifters: 114, 123,132. Anyway, there was this lifter who must have been a freshman. I think he was a freshman but he looked like he was in middle-school. He had a baby face, was still short and small (but not really skinny. He just did not look really developed yet). The inspiration from this young lifter came during his second deadlift attempt. The bar was loaded at 230 lbs. He approached the bar slowly and quietly. All of the coaches from his small school gather at the back of the platform and so did a few of his fellow teammates. This usually signals that that is a big an important lift, both for this lifter personally, and for the team results. Though you’d never know it was a big lift from the expression on his face. He looked a little timid.<br />
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He walks to the platform, grabs the bar and starts his pull. The weight comes up off the floor slowly and starts moving up his knees. The bar is moving really slow. I was waiting for him to either stop the deadlift, or start hitching. But he kept pulling it and finally locked it out. I gave him the down signal and he politely put the bar back on the floor. His teammates and coaches were cheering for him loudly in the back but this young lifter just stood there, looked at me, gave a heavy sigh and wiped the sweat of his head and then turned and walked off the platform with no celebration. I chuckled and smiled.<br />
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So here’s the inspiration for me. He knew he had a tough road ahead, he approached the weight calm, focused, and then stayed patient during his task until it was completed. When he completed it, he still stayed focus and started looking to his next big challenge. Obviously he was <b>focused on the journey of working hard and not on the end results. </b>This is how I am trying to approach my Primal journey: <b>Stay focused on the journey of good health over a lifetime, not just on arriving at a particular body weight or fitness marker.</b><br />
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I can’t believe it took me 46 years to learn it from a freshman powerlifter! <br />
<b>Grok On!</b>vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-74472877752554313832011-01-13T08:58:00.011-06:002011-01-14T08:31:19.177-06:00Primal Blueprint and Primal Blueprint Fitness Results at 6 Months<b>I just turned 46 and, I weigh less and feel better now then I did when I was in my twenties!</b><br />
<br />
In June of 2010 my four year-old son asked me why I was so fat. I was a little shocked at his question. At that time I weighed 230 (5’ 10”) and had really not considered myself to be fat; a little overweight, but certainly not fat. So, I got to thinking about his question. Kids that young are pretty honest and call it as they see it, so I must really be fat! Huh, I must be in denial! Time to get serious about losing a lot of weight this time.<br />
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At the time of my son’s question I was running about 15 – 20 miles per week (mpw) at about 80% –85% of my max heart rate about 4 times a week. I had stopped Powerlifting about 6 years ago and stopped any weight training all together about 4 years ago. Looking back, I seem to remember one of my wife’s questions, “Honey, you run so much and you’re not losing any weight, why?” I dismissed that question and figured that if I just ran faster and farther my weight would magically control itself. … Right? After all I was exercising a little and was reasonably healthy, or so I thought.<br />
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<b>Primal Blueprint</b><br />
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So I started doing some research into some weight lose techniques and ways to change my lifestyle so I could keep the weigh off long-term. I did not want to do some short-term miracle diet and have the weight come back later. I needed a lifestyle makeover, not a diet. During this research I came across <a href="http://marksdailyapple.com/">Marksdailyapple.com</a> and the Primal Blueprint. Eureka! I read the Primal 101 posts on MDA and decided I would start my journey on our vacation in Estes Park, Colorado in the beginning of July. We would have to drive about 12 hours and then be in the middle of the Rocky Mountains National Park. That sounded like a great place to start a lifestyle change. I stopped eating grain during vacation, and things were going well so I decided to order the book and go whole hog when we returned to Plano. I told my wife of my plans to stop eating all grain and cereals and to increase my fruit and veggie intake. She was very skeptical at first until the weight started coming off. I started at 225 lbs. in July.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8MeyTfGeI/AAAAAAAAACA/3QbiRH5HaPM/s1600/IMG_1248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8MeyTfGeI/AAAAAAAAACA/3QbiRH5HaPM/s320/IMG_1248.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">228 lbs. in May 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
By the first week of October I weighted 205 lbs. for the first time in 17 years!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8MpPHXm7I/AAAAAAAAACE/H-y_T2aXk7A/s1600/IMG_2140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8MpPHXm7I/AAAAAAAAACE/H-y_T2aXk7A/s320/IMG_2140.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">205 lbs. in October 2010.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Today I am at 190 lbs. and feel great. The best part of this is how my family has reacted. Since I have eliminated grains from my diet there is no more “junk food” in the house. My son, who is now 5, stops asking to eat junk (chips, crackers, cookies) and both he and my wife have cut way back on their grain intake. We are all eating healthier and are more active! <b>To me, that is the real success of my journey!</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8MzAS77WI/AAAAAAAAACI/HE5hc2KazuU/s1600/IMG_2462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8MzAS77WI/AAAAAAAAACI/HE5hc2KazuU/s320/IMG_2462.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">195 lbs in November at the Dallas running Club (DRC) Half-Marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TS8M2RRgpZI/AAAAAAAAACM/6_m6XY36J8c/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><b> Prima</b><b>l Blueprint Fitness.</b><br />
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I have changed my running to follow the Primal Blueprint Fitness (PBF) guidelines. Instead of running my old way for distance, time and pace, I now try to run 3 – 5 hours per week while keeping my heart rate between 55 – 75%, even if it means walking. I don't worry about pace. This has improved my race times (which I now consider PLAY!) immensely. I ran a half-marathon in April 2010, before becoming Primal, and finished in 2 hours and 8 minutes. After that run I was extremely sore and could hardly walk for a week. I ran my last half-marathon in November, after becoming Primal, and finished in 1 hour and 53 minutes. The best part was after the run I felt fresh and was not sore at all. <br />
I sprint on Mondays, get in 3 - 5 hours of low to moderate aerobic activity a week, have gotten to at least level 4 on four of the 5 Primal Essential Movements (still working on pull ups) and am really enjoying all of the different WoWs! My favorite WoWs are Cave Burpees (100 burpees are tough and I was sore for almost a week!), Easy as 1,2,3, The Fight and Flight, Aurock Stalk, Bringing Home the Kill and Automobilty. I have even increased my hip and ankle mobility, which is something I have struggled with for many years.<br />
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<b>My son now tells his friends that his Dad was fat but he's skinny now!</b>vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-52719960402859035642010-12-29T16:36:00.002-06:002011-01-13T11:10:59.347-06:00Why I love bodyweight exercises<b></b><br />
<ul><li><b>No contracts or gym fees.</b></li>
</ul><blockquote>Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere you’re at. You don’t need a gym or a “box.” Just a little bit of space anywhere and you’re ready to work.<br />
I checked into the local Plano Crossfit gym and they wanted $125 / month gym fee! That’s insane. I have one child in college and one in kindergarten that need that money more.</blockquote><ul><li><b>You can workout faster.</b></li>
</ul><blockquote>Since you are using your bodyweight for all your exercises there is no excessive downtime in between sets changing weight, or changing bars, or waiting for someone to work in, or chatting between reps/sets. You just progress naturally into your next set or exercise. <br />
If you still want to talk with someone between sets, talk to your wife, kid or pet. <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TRu30Lj__5I/AAAAAAAAAB8/uDlkagKJXPY/wlEmoticon-smile%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none;" /></blockquote><ul><li><b>It’s greener</b></li>
</ul><blockquote>You don’t need to drive to the gym. Just stay home and workout in your backyard, or living room, or garage. You could even run to the local park for a warm-up, do your exercises then run home for a cool down. You’ll save gas, time and money and get some healthy vitamin B from the sun.</blockquote><ul><li> <b>Works on your conditioning</b> </li>
</ul><blockquote>Doing 3 – 5 sets of heavy squats, deadlifts, or bench presses will leave you out of breath but it won’t help your conditioning much. <br />
With bodyweight exercises you can move rapidly from exercise to exercise rapidly moving as fast as you want to keep your heart rate elevated. The Army, Marine Corps, Navy Seals, Army Special Forces and Air Force PJs all use bodyweight exercises for their conditioning.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>For the ultimate condition test try doing 100 burpees for time. After you that you’ll like you just finished running a marathon! You can all try doing a total of 500 reps doing pushups, planks, pullups and broad jumps. That is tougher than it sounds</blockquote><ul><li><b>Highly scalable</b></li>
</ul><blockquote>If an exercises becomes to easy for you just and more reps or progress on to a more difficult form of the exercise.<br />
Take pushups for example. Everybody can do 10 –15 pushups, but can you do 50? If you can do 50, can you do 50 decline push ups, or 30 wide/narrow grip pushups? If that’s to easy you can move on to clap pushups and then one arm pushups. Still to easy? Then through on a weight vest and try them all over again.</blockquote><blockquote>This type of progression can be done with any bodyweight exercise.</blockquote><b>For more information on using bodyweight exercises you can view the following links:</b><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-fitness/" target="_blank">Marks Daily Apple Primal Blueprint Fitness</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html" target="_blank">Ex Rx.Net Body Weight exercises</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode2/Workouts" target="_blank">Dragon Door Bodyweight Exercises</a></li>
</ul>vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-44112814183912582732010-12-25T20:35:00.001-06:002010-12-25T20:35:48.357-06:00Plano Pacers Holiday Hustle 8K<p>It was cold (36 f) and windy (30 – 40 mph) but other then that it was a nice day for a run.  </p> <p>Since today is Christmas, the race started at 10 am instead of the usual 8 am.</p> <p>My time was <strong>40:28</strong>.  Not bad for the weather.  I took it easy into the windy and tried to run faster with the wind to my back.</p> <p>My next big run is the Plano Pacers 15K the last Saturday of February.  </p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-34951114717680865692010-12-25T20:30:00.001-06:002010-12-25T20:30:10.115-06:00Early Christmas Present!<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TRaori1P1PI/AAAAAAAAAB0/sBOl_6-rZ9Q/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: ; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bVQF1szXsFc/TRaoscMeAJI/AAAAAAAAAB4/KzIdYWGODGw/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="84" height="84" /></a>The hardest bodyweight exercise for me to do is pull ups.  I don’t have a pull up bar in the house or a nice tree branch to do one on, so I usually have to improvise.  When I have done my Primal 5 (squat, pushup, plank, shoulder press and pull up) exercises, I have had to find time to go to the local playground or do inverse rows under the dinner table.  Inverse rows are effective, just not under the table.</p> <p>Last weekend I noticed that Academy Sports and Outdoors had an Elite Fitness Power Tower on sale and that it was the perfect size to fit into the corner of the bedroom!  Sweet. ….. I brought it home and assembled it under the skeptical eye of my wife.  </p> <p>My wife was really doubtful that it would ever get used and just end up collecting dust!  Well I use it for pull ups about twice a week.  My wife, son and mother-in-law use it just about every day!  It’s a good feeling to see the family working to stay healthy.</p> <p>Seems like I made a wise decision.</p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-13539129012368676162010-12-08T22:01:00.001-06:002010-12-08T22:03:03.718-06:00Workout of the Week – 100 Burpees! I love to hurt!<p>I really love running. ….. But I like strength training, also.  So how does one combine the two without sacrificing functional strength?  Running is great for aerobic endurance and basic fitness.  It builds good legs and glutes and you can get a average core workout but that’s about the limit of it.  </p> <p>If you do to much weightlifting, body building, or powerlifting you have a chance of becoming to muscle bound and just build strength for the exercises you train.  So my question was how to build functional strength?  How can I stray strong and fit with exercises that will complement my running and any other physical or daily activities I want to partake in?</p> <p>Well for me the answer is bodyweight exercises.  Yes, I know, snicker all you want.  I use to until I got back into strength training and decided to take another approach.   Try doing 50 pushups, or 30 pistol squats.  Kind of hard huh?  </p> <p>Well last night I did 100 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_%28exercise%29">burpees</a> (I did the squat jumps but did a plank instead of the pushup)in about 12 minutes and, then followed it up with one set of 50 pushups.  That was to make up for not doing a pushup in the Burpees. I thought it would be easy.  It was a WHOLE lot Harder then I thought.  Today my abs, lower back, traps and hamstrings are a little sore.  It was a very good strength workout with a good aerobic workout added to it.</p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-42079610451552645722010-12-04T15:58:00.001-06:002010-12-04T20:27:08.371-06:00Workout of the Week (WOW) - AutomobilityAs part of my new found fitness and health strategy, I have decided that I need to get back to strength training in addition to just running.<br />
<br />
Before I started running I use to Powerlift a lot. I was in the gym for a couple 3 - 4 days a week. All that really did for me was make me fat and kind of tired and sore all the time. I decided to stop powerlifting and take up jogging. I have not really did any kind of strength training for a few years until I started following the Primal Blueprint. <br />
<br />
One of the Primal Blueprint laws is to "Lift Heavy Things." It is basically just incorporating some strength workouts into your fitness routine. Instead of lifting in a gym, I have decided to take Mark's advice and do a series of body weight exercises(squat, pushups, planks, pullups, shoulder press) according to his Primal BluePrint Fitness (PBF) advice. The results have been super!<br />
<br />
One thing that he posts at on <a href="http://marksdailyapple.com/">marksdailyapple.com</a> is a Workout of the Week (WOW) that can be used to substitute the five basic primal movements (squat, pushup, pullup, shoulder press, planks) once you advance to a certain level. This keeps your body from adapting to the routineand from getting stale!<br />
<br />
So today I did this WOW: <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/wow-automobility/">WOW: Automobility</a>. It entails pushing a car across a parking lot for about 100 feet back and forth four times. I pushed my Ford Focus across a parking lot up a slight incline. <br />
<br />
It was quite a workout! My thighs, hamstrings, shoulders and traps were all burning after this 15 minute workout. It seems like a good workout. I plan on doing it again sometime. Next time I'll try pushing my wife's van instead of my Focus.<br />
<br />
<b>The best thing about following PBF is it's quick, effective and I don't need to buy a gym membership!</b>vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-38754626598684738672010-11-28T12:05:00.001-06:002010-11-28T15:55:58.506-06:00If it’s not working for you, why not change it?<p>I have lost 30 pounds since going <a href="http://marksdailyapple.com">Primal</a> in July. I am at the point in my weight loss and fitness change were people are starting notice.  The one question that most people ask me (usually the people that are over-weight) is, “how did you it?” Needless to say, I dread this question because I am tired of the discussion after I answer their question.</p> <p>When I tell people I just basically ditched the grain, cereal and processed carbs they shake there head and ask the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>Were do your carbs come from? <font color="#ff0000">Fruits, nuts and vegetables</font> </li> <li>What do you eat for breakfast?  <font color="#ff0000">This drives me up the wall.  It seems like it’s hard for people to be creative about breakfast.</font> </li> <li><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000">Do you get hungry?</font>  Not really. I can eat a lot of foods, just no grain (basically).  I also eat some fat for energy and to help me from feeling hungry.</font> </li> <li><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000">You eat fat!  What about all the government guidelines and conventional wisdom that say how bad fat is for you and how you should eat a zillion grams of carbs.</font>  This is were I give up and just say that I have been following those guidelines since I was a teenager and all I did was gain weight and when I tried to lose weight I could never really.</font> </li> </ul> <p><font color="#000000">That’s when the questions stop and people want more info about going Primal.  If the Standard American Diet (SAD) is not working out for you, why keep following it?  The more I think about being primal and watch people eat, the more I realize that the SAD is broke and probably needs to be revised.  I have been Primal for five months now with no ill effects.  It has even helped me improve my finishing times in a half marathon and 15K race.</font></p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-43311243982882689522010-11-16T10:16:00.001-06:002010-11-16T10:16:22.901-06:00Monday Sprint Day.<p>I took a week off after I finished the DRC Half marathon on November 7th. Monday was my first day of running again after a seven day break.  It sure is nice to be running again and, starting off with a short, quick sprint is a great way to get back into running.</p> <p>To shake my routine up a little bit I decided to run a set of <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/tabatatraining">Tabata Sprints</a>.  Tabata sprints are a high intensity form of sprints.  You run as fast as you can for 20 seconds then rest for 20 seconds then run as fast as you can for seconds, etc.  Do each set (run, rest) 8 times and then you done in 4 minutes. </p> <p>To make the timing easier, I did these on the treadmill. After a 1/2 mile warm-up  I set the treadmill up to 7.8 mph and hopped on and ran like a mad man for thirty seconds and then hopped off for ten. The treadmill was easy to time but I felt like there was not enough resistance.  Most of the work was focusing on keeping my legs turning over fast enough to keep pace with the treadmill belt.  Next time I do these on a treadmill I’ll set an incline.  Maybe that will add a little resistance.</p> <p>I worked up a sweat and was not breathing to terribly hard after the 8 rounds.  I am a little sore today but not bad.  I think the next time I do these I am just going to go out on the road and run in a quick burst for ~20 seconds then jog slowly for ~10 seconds then repeat.  </p> <p>These are  good break from my basic 400 intervals, and add a little bit of variety to my workouts..</p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-91294122624779827482010-11-13T11:28:00.006-06:002010-11-22T20:59:05.429-06:00How did I improve my last 1/2 Marathon time?<p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>Well that is a good question. I am going to attempt to write down some insight to remember what I did so I can do it again and also to give my follow runners and Primal Enthusiast some tips regarding endurance training.<br />
<p$1><p$1>So, my last 1/2, in April 2010, I ran in 2:12:20. When I ran that I weighted 225 lbs and was running quite a few 30 mile weeks.<br />
<p$1><p$1>In the interest of time I’ll skip right to what I did. <br />
<p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><ul><li><b>Change my stride to a mid-foot strike instead of a heel strike.</b> </li>
</ul><p$1><blockquote><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>My friend and running mentor, <a href="http://www.makaitravel.com/aboutus.html">Ken Balvin</a> turned me onto the book, “Born to Run” and we discussed the notion of minimalist running to increase performance and prevent injuries.<br />
<p$1><p$1>I bought a pair of Vibram Five-Fingers to help me learn how to run properly. -- I have only been using these on short runs (less than 6 miles) and, they really help me start the process of changing my stride and increasing my leg "turn-over".<br />
<p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></blockquote><p$1><ul><li><b>Work on running with proper bio-mechanics.</b> </li>
</ul><p$1><blockquote><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>I started thinking that changing my stride is pretty useless unless I learned how to run with proper form and good bio-mechanics. The sites listed below provided a lot of useful information. I found Michael Stemper's tips the most useful, and what I try to work on the most when I run. <p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><ul><li><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primalcon-2010-presentation-summaries/">Michael Stemper’s PrimalCon 2010 Presentation Summary at Mark’s Daily Apple.</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/08/how-to-run-running-with-proper.html">The Science of Running Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/?s=brad&x=0&y=0">Brad Kearns on primal endurance training at marksdailyapple.com</a></li>
</ul><p$1></p$1></blockquote><p$1><ul><li><b>Lost 30 pounds</b> </li>
</ul><p$1><blockquote><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>I really needed help with my daily diet as I no matter what I did or how long, I ran, I could not lose any real weight. In the process of researching how to run properly, I found my solution at Mark Sisson’s Blog site, <a href="http://marksdailyapple.com/">marksdailyapple.com</a>, and in his book, “The Primal Blueprint.”<br />
</p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></blockquote><blockquote><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>In a nutshell, I stopped eating all forms of grain (wheat, corn, rye, rice, millet, oats, etc.) and eat lot’s a vegetables, fruit, meat, nuts and seeds. So far so good!<br />
</p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></blockquote><ul><li><b>Slowed down my runs (Low Heart Rate Training)</b> </li>
</ul><p$1><blockquote><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><b>I think this was the key!</b> I kept my heart rates on all of my runs (except sprints and tempos) between 145 –150. If my heart rate went up, I slowed down or walked until it came down. It was hard at first but it is easy know. This help build my aerobic system and help my body get good at burning fat for fuel (like it was meant to do).<br />
</p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></blockquote><ul><li><b>Stopped worrying about formulas, miles, and days ran, etc.</b> </li>
</ul><p$1><blockquote><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>For a long time I tried to program all of my runs. My LSD had to be at least 30% of my weekly total and, I needed to run four days a week. For the last 3 – 4 month I pretty much threw all that by the way-side. I just tried to get in 3 – 4 hours a week of running. With the majority of it being at 55 – 75% of my max heart rate and sprinting one day a week and maybe a 30 minute tempo during the week if I felt like it and a long run in there as well. The long run was as long as I had time for and felt like. Usually it was 8 miles with a few 10’s or a 12 along the way. If I ran 5 days a week that was great! If I only ran three days a week that was that was okay as well. The rest is always welcomed!</p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></blockquote></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><blockquote><ul><li><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><b>Stopped checking my miles splits during the race.</b></li>
</ul><ul></ul><p$1><p$1>During the race I just tried to stay ahead of the 2:00 hr. pace group and just ran as hard as I felt like on that day.My regular Casio just had a stopwatch and that was all I needed. I just checked my time at each mile and made a rough estimate on the fly to know about what time I would finish in (roughly) I stopped worrying about mile times and just ran. I found it a lot easier to run that way. Less stress!<br />
<p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></blockquote><p$1><p$1>I had a ton of fun training for and running my last race<br />
<p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1>vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8507249606380757465.post-21849286726660320782010-11-10T09:49:00.001-06:002010-11-10T09:49:38.141-06:00Dallas Running Club Half Marathon done Primal!<p> </p> <p>I completed my last Half Marathon, The BIG D, in April with a time of 2:8:12 and weighed 220 lbs.  I had prepared for it using the Hal Higdon Intermediate plan which had a 12 week cycle and peaked at ~30 miles per week. After the Big D I figured that this was about as fast as I could run and I had lost almost all hope of ever losing any more weight.</p> <p>For the DRC Half marathon that I just ran last Sunday, I began following the diet (low carb), health and fitness concepts laid out by Mark Sisson at <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com">Marksdailyapple.com</a> and in his book “The Primal Blueprint”.  By following the diet plan, my weight dropped effortlessly to 195 lbs.  I changed my running habits as well to reflect his Primal Blueprint Fitness advice.  </p> <p>The majority my runs were done at a low heart rate (50 – 75% max), I did short sprints (less than 30 mins) once a week.  These sprints varied from 100m, 200m, 400m, 800, Mile repeats and a few fartleks. I also did an occasional 30 minute tempo run.  I tried to get 5 days a week of running in when I could, but sometimes I only got three days and, I missed two weeks of running when I went to China. I think my highest weekly mileage total was something like 25 miles. I thought the DRC Half marathon was going to be a train wreck and I was prepared to not run a 1/2 anymore.</p> <p>Well long story short, I ran my best 1/2 so far, last weekend with a time of 1:53:28!  That is 15 minutes faster than I ran last April!  More importantly, I was able to finish the last 5 k strong and fast.</p> <p>The moral of this story?  Yes, You can run some endurance events and be Primal.  Just be smart about it! Maybe my next post will address how I did it.  </p> <p>Grok On!</p> vmJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03254087810814609811noreply@blogger.com2